XI - INSIGHTS
The shared laughter did a lot to relieve the tension that everyone had felt after witnessing Nancy's interview. Looking around the table he and his colleagues were crowded around, Grissom realized how much this particular case had taken its toll. Despite his constant admonition not to get emotionally involved with the victoms, Grissom knew that - to a certain extent - they had all been affected by little Timmy.
Grissom found his gaze drifting over to Nick, who - not surprisingly - was seated next to Sara, a far-away look in his eyes. He wondered if Nick would be able to provide any interesting insights to the interview - Nick was a keen observer of people, and Grissom had learned through experience Nick's initial instincts regarding human motivation were normally right on.
Sighing to himself, he opened the case file and dropped the pictures he had retrieved from Nancy on the table. He noticed that Nick immediately reached for the one showing the tattoo on the little boys' chest, and one showing the full body of the child looking for all the world like he had merely decided to take a short nap.
Grissom's voice broke the silence that had descended as the pictures of Timmy had slid across the formica table-top. "Well, guys. Any thoughts?"
"I'm just wondering why she hasn't been arrested yet." Greg spoke up. "I mean, she admitted killing the kid - what's the hold up?"
Warwick nodded in agreement. "Seems pretty clear to me, boss."
"Nick? What do you think?"
Nick shrugged. "I don't know. There's something wrong with the way this all adds up."
"How so?"
"You're always saying the evidence talks to us, right?" At Grissom's nod, he continued. "I can't figure out what this evidence is saying. I mean, okay, she killed him - but it just doesn't feel right. One minute, she's begging you to help her find him - knowing he's already dead, I might add - and then, when she realizes that we have him and we know he's dead, it's like she's happy about it. One minute, she's telling you she glued his eyes shut to keep him from seeing that she's gone, and the next minute she's admitting she killed him." Nick sighed. "Why would she be worried about him waking up if she knows he's already dead? Why leave him to go buy cornflakes? If she killed him on purpose, why not just get the hell out of Dodge before we catch her, instead of coming to us and asking for our help? It's not normal."
Everyone sitting around the table was listening to him intently. Nick looked up at them and tried to smile, before quickly looking down at the two photos he held in his hands.
"Look at the photos from the crime scene. On the one hand, we have a dead child with the words 'Broken Boy' tattooed across his chest." Here he passed the photo in question to Sara, who looked at it before passing it to her left. "Yet, in this picture we can see that he was obviously well- cared for. He's got a blanket, a stuffed toy, he looks well fed and he had recently been bathed. There're no marks on his body other than the tattoo, and he's not underweight. I really think this child was loved." The second picture followed the path the first one had, moving quickly around the table as everyone looked at it.
"So, I think, the questions we should be asking Nancy should be about the tattoo and the - uhm - the sexual abuse." here Nick trailed off for a moment, looking quickly at Sara before continuing. "We need to find out how her mind works. And I really think we need to ask her about the reason she abducted her son away from her aunt and uncle's house in the first place."
"Good observations, Nick." Grissom's voice was sincere. "I hadn't really looked at the pictures in that light, but you're absolutely right. What we know doesn't fit with what we see. The evidence is talking to us, but instead of being fibers and DNA, its Timmy himself. I think we should go back and talk to his mother again. And Nick? I'd like you to go in with Sara. I'll observe."
Nick looked at Grissom in surprise. "Why me? Don't you want to finish this?"
Grissom nodded. "I do. That's why I'm sending you in to talk to her. I'm the bug guy; you're the people person. I think we have a better chance of getting the answers we need if we send in someone who communicates a little better with people than I do. And, in this case, I think your empathy for this boy and his mother will get us the results we need."
As an olive branch, Grissom's statement couldn't have been more timely. Nick looked at Grissom smiled.
"Thanks Grissom. I appreciate your trust."
The shared laughter did a lot to relieve the tension that everyone had felt after witnessing Nancy's interview. Looking around the table he and his colleagues were crowded around, Grissom realized how much this particular case had taken its toll. Despite his constant admonition not to get emotionally involved with the victoms, Grissom knew that - to a certain extent - they had all been affected by little Timmy.
Grissom found his gaze drifting over to Nick, who - not surprisingly - was seated next to Sara, a far-away look in his eyes. He wondered if Nick would be able to provide any interesting insights to the interview - Nick was a keen observer of people, and Grissom had learned through experience Nick's initial instincts regarding human motivation were normally right on.
Sighing to himself, he opened the case file and dropped the pictures he had retrieved from Nancy on the table. He noticed that Nick immediately reached for the one showing the tattoo on the little boys' chest, and one showing the full body of the child looking for all the world like he had merely decided to take a short nap.
Grissom's voice broke the silence that had descended as the pictures of Timmy had slid across the formica table-top. "Well, guys. Any thoughts?"
"I'm just wondering why she hasn't been arrested yet." Greg spoke up. "I mean, she admitted killing the kid - what's the hold up?"
Warwick nodded in agreement. "Seems pretty clear to me, boss."
"Nick? What do you think?"
Nick shrugged. "I don't know. There's something wrong with the way this all adds up."
"How so?"
"You're always saying the evidence talks to us, right?" At Grissom's nod, he continued. "I can't figure out what this evidence is saying. I mean, okay, she killed him - but it just doesn't feel right. One minute, she's begging you to help her find him - knowing he's already dead, I might add - and then, when she realizes that we have him and we know he's dead, it's like she's happy about it. One minute, she's telling you she glued his eyes shut to keep him from seeing that she's gone, and the next minute she's admitting she killed him." Nick sighed. "Why would she be worried about him waking up if she knows he's already dead? Why leave him to go buy cornflakes? If she killed him on purpose, why not just get the hell out of Dodge before we catch her, instead of coming to us and asking for our help? It's not normal."
Everyone sitting around the table was listening to him intently. Nick looked up at them and tried to smile, before quickly looking down at the two photos he held in his hands.
"Look at the photos from the crime scene. On the one hand, we have a dead child with the words 'Broken Boy' tattooed across his chest." Here he passed the photo in question to Sara, who looked at it before passing it to her left. "Yet, in this picture we can see that he was obviously well- cared for. He's got a blanket, a stuffed toy, he looks well fed and he had recently been bathed. There're no marks on his body other than the tattoo, and he's not underweight. I really think this child was loved." The second picture followed the path the first one had, moving quickly around the table as everyone looked at it.
"So, I think, the questions we should be asking Nancy should be about the tattoo and the - uhm - the sexual abuse." here Nick trailed off for a moment, looking quickly at Sara before continuing. "We need to find out how her mind works. And I really think we need to ask her about the reason she abducted her son away from her aunt and uncle's house in the first place."
"Good observations, Nick." Grissom's voice was sincere. "I hadn't really looked at the pictures in that light, but you're absolutely right. What we know doesn't fit with what we see. The evidence is talking to us, but instead of being fibers and DNA, its Timmy himself. I think we should go back and talk to his mother again. And Nick? I'd like you to go in with Sara. I'll observe."
Nick looked at Grissom in surprise. "Why me? Don't you want to finish this?"
Grissom nodded. "I do. That's why I'm sending you in to talk to her. I'm the bug guy; you're the people person. I think we have a better chance of getting the answers we need if we send in someone who communicates a little better with people than I do. And, in this case, I think your empathy for this boy and his mother will get us the results we need."
As an olive branch, Grissom's statement couldn't have been more timely. Nick looked at Grissom smiled.
"Thanks Grissom. I appreciate your trust."
