CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Tuesday
Evelyn had left early to make her now daily run to Chang's, getting more bitter each day in the process. She resented the attention her son paid to Iris. She desired the quick elimination of the woman as soon as possible after the birth of the triplets. That was the only bright spot to her…the delivery of the babies and then their quick escape to Mexico. Iris would be a liability they could ill afford at that time. One less loose end to deal with she thought.
Iris played solitaire on the computer after beating Nathan at another round of chess, something she took satisfaction in. Randall was sulking in a chair in the living room, pretending to watch a movie on television. She then surfed the Internet restlessly as the internal gymnastics of the babies was particularly intense. A contraction rippled through her abdomen, a hard one this time, causing Iris to grasp her midsection and moan softly. She got up and went over to Nathan. "Could I please walk outside on the pier? I need to get some air."
"You know you can't go alone! I'll get my coat and something of mother's for you to bundle up in," Randall replied coolly, still stinging from the chess loss. He was accustomed to always being the winner.
As they walked outside, Iris deeply inhaled the fresh crisp air of the December afternoon. Her exhaled breath showed slightly to reflect the chilly air. It was good to be out of the home Nathan called her gilded cage and to savor the outside scenery and be part of it. She rarely saw boats out on the lake but a sailboat was seen in the distance. It was time for her to know, even if it meant a possible beating or oral assault from Randall. "It's Lake Mead isn't it?"
Nathan regarded her for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders and saw no harm in answering her question. Soon enough they would be gone from here and his revenge would be complete. He would have Brass' family as his own; nothing would change or alter his plans. He replied sardonically, "Yes, my pet, you see Lake Mead before you but you have no clue where and this is a big lake. You still entertain thoughts of being rescued by James, you poor creature."
Early afternoon was jumping at the LVPD and CSI lab. Jim was in his office conversing with Sofia and Sam about the P. F. Chang's located in Henderson. Grissom was sitting in on the impromptu meeting as well. It had been discovered that a GPS was fit on the Cadillac CTS that Evelyn Randall had indeed leased. Her handwritten signature of "Nellyda Revlan" had matched the signatures of "Arnelle Davlyn" as that on court documents. The list of charges was going to be long for Nathan's mother and now involved two states.
Kacee called Jim to tell him that the last of the Chang's she was helping cover for Sam and Sofia had turned up no new information. Jim thanked her as he hung up.
"So, Evelyn in her haste to lease the Cadillac CTS and be on her merry way initialed off on a waiver for the said GPS unit," Jim relayed to the detectives from what Annie had been given word of by her LAPD detectives. Annie had taken a break to go Christmas shopping for a few hours and would meet up with him later.
"She must have believed that by renting the car in a nearby state under an assumed name that it would throw us off when the investigation started." Sofia mused, drumming her fingers on her knee.
"Well, the manager at Chang's was very cooperative. The waiters are in agreement that Evelyn is the woman who ordered the meals and picked them up. They said she was always in a hurry and tipped big, but one time a waiter asked why the same meals over and over. Evelyn made an interesting comment that she was visiting her son and daughter-in-law who were expecting their first child. Her daughter-in-law had the unique craving for only Chang's food. The customer always comes in the mid to late afternoon and calls in the order ahead of time and usually arrives to the restaurant within thirty minutes of ordering. We're also pulling phone records to see where the calls originate from if possible. Archie is reviewing the security camera tapes from to-go order pickups," Sam elaborated to Jim also.
Grissom got up to walk over to the map of Las Vegas and its surrounding suburbs and nearby cities. He gazed at the dots indicating the Chang's location and where Evelyn's Mercedes Benz had been abandoned. "Jim, Iris had signed seagulls to us and taking into account that Chang's is located in Henderson which is also where Evelyn abandoned her car after helping Nathan escape, it's a likely guess that they are somewhere on or around Lake Mead but that's a lot of ground let alone water to cover."
"I don't see Evelyn staying in some RV park, that's for sure," Jim snorted. He turned to Sofia and Sam. "Let's get started making inquiries about recent home purchases or rentals that are lakefront or near lakefront properties and probably more upscale."
"You ready to go check out Archie's latest work?" Grissom asked.
Jim nodded as he got up from his desk to follow his best friend.
Archie was reviewing the last of the surveillance camera footage that was of the best and most recent footage from the day before. "Hey, Gil, Jim," Archie said, amiably. "I've got things cued up for you. The video needed a little tweaking but I can get you good close-ups of the subject and the license plate of that Cadillac CTS."
"Splendiferous," Jim said fervently as he quoted Iris.
Grissom smiled as the reference was not lost to him.
A champagne-colored Cadillac CTS was shown pulling into the parking lot of the Chang's located in Henderson. The power window rolled down expectantly as a waiter walked from the restaurant side entrance for to-go order pickup. Evelyn Randall, though in a wig and glasses, was clearly visible as she accepted the boxed dinner from the waiter and gave him a handful of bills. She quickly closed the car window and left the parking lot hurriedly. Archie froze the video to show the rear license plate of the car as it departed – a California plate – that matched the license plate for the one leased by Evelyn in LA. Jim couldn't help but pound the table in near-triumph.
Now it was a matter of watching and waiting.
Later that afternoon, Ellie was out walking Snow when Jim got home. He was spent from the day's activities. Each day the yearning for Iris deepened and it only was compounded when he pulled into the driveway to see the Chevy Suburban untouched. As he walked into the house, he could smell something good…something Iris usually prepared. For an instant, his heart soared before the realization sunk in that nothing had changed.
Annie was in the kitchen working on a pot roast with potatoes and carrots. She wiped her hands on a towel as Jim came in. "Hi, Jimmy, I wanted to make myself useful and there was a roast in the freezer so I thought I'd make dinner."
"Thanks, Annie, it smells great and I'm sure it's going to delicious." Jim responded, his mind recalling how Iris deemed him Brassalicious. It brought the ghost of a smile to his lips.
As they ate, Jim brought Ellie and Annie up to speed on the progress in the investigation during course of the Monday and Tuesday. They could sense his excitement at the rapid collection of evidence and seeing him more positive than he had been in days. Annie fought the wistful feeling she still carried inside, how this could have been their life together. Some things were meant to be and others not she had finally resolved. Still, the questions of "what if" would always echo in her heart but she would not act on them and content herself with the memories she had of when they had been together, a brief but golden season in life.
The evening passed quietly enough, the TV stations continued to run ongoing reports that indicated Iris to still be missing, flashing the pictures of her and the Randalls, but Jim wondered how long the general public's memory would be good for. The LVPD had not released any information regarding the Cadillac or Chang's to the stations for fear that the Randalls would bolt or do something harmful to Iris. Jim had gone to the nursery room before heading to bed; Snow went him as she was his shadow still. He touched each crib sadly, heaving a deep sigh as he touched the last one. It was nearly Christmas, Iris due to give birth any time. Annie watched him from the doorway, her heart and mind going through a jumble of emotions.
As Jim turned to leave, she impulsively embraced him as she gazed at him. It felt like old times to her for the flash of an instant. He held her for a moment before gently removing her arms. "Annie, I…." Jim started when Annie put a silencing finger to his lips. Her eyes glistened in the half-light of the little teddy bear nightlight.
"That was a bit reckless of me. I just saw you standing there looking kind of like a lost little boy who needed a hug. Jimmy, I wasn't trying or hoping for anything beyond that," Annie confessed.
"I know, I know, Annie. You're just trying to help. Just catches up with me sometimes,"
Jim admitted candidly. "Well, I'm headed to bed. Good night, Annie."
Annie watched him leave as Snow silently followed him. "G'night, Jim. Sleep well."
Iris was curled in a blanket as she sat by the bedroom window looking out into the dark night. Her labor pains were becoming more frequent and an occasional contraction occurred. Sleep was becoming harder to come by for more than a few hours at a time. Nathan would be coming up before long as he insisted on sleeping in the same bed with her each night. For whatever reason, he had ceased his abuse of her. He seemed more fixated by the day on the impending birth of the triplets and had even gone so far as to begin discussing names with his mother. It reinforced Iris' long-term fate as being more and more clouded. At this point, she felt no more than a glorified incubator and that if Evelyn had any say in the matter her days were numbered.
"Hurry, Jim, there's not much time." Her voice broke as she heard Nathan's footsteps coming up the stairs.
