This story is based on characters created by Anthony E. Zuiker for the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Ghost (Part 3/26)
by Cheers
Sunday Night, 10:28 PM
Catherine rounded the corner in the main lobby of the Criminalistics building and found what she was looking for. All public buildings were required to have them. It had taken her several minutes to find instructions and then another few minutes looking through Gil's rolodex to find what she needed, and now she found the tool to put her gathered information to use.
The TDD station was a half-height booth nestled behind the main reception area of the lobby in their building. It consisted of a TTY machine on a small ledge in the booth.
Sitting down in front of the machine, Catherine placed the handset of the TTY in the acoustic coupler and turned on the power. She dialed in the phone number she had gotten from Gil's rolodex and waited. It took several seconds but her patience was rewarded as her screen lit up with the message she hoped she would receive.
Hello. This is Mrs. Grissom. GA
Catherine quickly began to type.
Hello, Mrs. Grissom. My name is Catherine Willows and I work with Gil in Las Vegas Criminalistics. GA
The TTY responded after a few seconds delay.
You have learned how to use a TTY. How lovely. I am pleased to hear from you but concerned. Is everything all right? GA
Catherine thought for a moment. Of course, she didn't want to upset Gil's mother, but if there was a chance Mrs. Grissom knew where Gil was the mystery of his disappearance could be cleared up quickly. This seemed the fastest way. If Mrs. Grissom were anything like Gil, and Catherine suspected that she must be (he had to get his nature from somewhere, after all) then she figured the direct route would be best.
Mrs. Grissom, when was the last time you heard from Gil? GA
She waited through another brief pause before:
Last Friday at 6:57 in the evening. My TTY saves time stamps so I can remember who called when. GA
Despite the purpose of her call, Catherine found herself smiling. Mrs. Grissom was as precise and informative as Gil would have been. She wasn't as surprised as she thought she'd be.
Did he say he was going anywhere this weekend? Do you know if he went out of town? GA Catherine asked.
There was a longer pause this time. Now, Catherine suspected, Mrs. Grissom was becoming worried. Catherine wondered just what she should tell Gil's mother. What would she want to hear if Lindsey were missing? She shook her head. This wasn't the same. Gil was a grown man with a very independent life and all their concerns, growing by the minute as they were, might just be a bit premature.
Ms. Willows, is something wrong? GA
"Damn," Catherine said out loud. The sound of her own voice startled her. She had been concentrating on the messaging and had forgotten they weren't speaking. She turned her attention back to the keyboard.
Mrs. Grissom, to be perfectly honest, I do not know. Gil did not come to work this evening and that is not like him. I thought that he might have had a meeting out of town that he forgot to tell anyone about or that he had gone to visit with you. Before getting too concerned I thought the logical thing to do would be to ask you. I hope I have not upset you. Do you know if he went out of town? GA
This time the wait was excruciating. It was probably only a few seconds but Catherine hated upsetting Mrs. Grissom and she knew that if Gil were all right he'd probably have a few choice words for her about it. But, dammit, what else was she supposed to do?
To answer your question, no, I do not know of any meeting or conference that Gil was supposed to go to. He is very good about telling me about his seminars and conferences. He usually sends me a postcard when he travels. I have received them from all over the world. I am sure that if Gil had to travel somewhere, he would have told me. GA
Catherine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This call had been a long shot but a necessary step in what was rapidly becoming an official missing person's investigation.
Do you have access to the internet? GA
This question was answered more rapidly.
Yes, I do. GA
If you hear from Gil, will you contact me? My email address is GA
I will do it, Ms. Willows. Please tell me, are you afraid for Gil? Do you think something is wrong? GA
It was Catherine's turn to take a moment to respond. She decided that being as honest as possible was the best thing to do. Mrs. Grissom impressed her as being a no-nonsense sort of person. She was Gil's mother and she deserved to know the truth - as much of the truth as any of them knew at any rate.
Mrs. Grissom, I honestly do not know. I am concerned since it is unusual for Gil to be out of contact for so long. He is very conscientious. I promise you that we will do everything we can do to find out what the problem might be. It may be a simple miscommunication. I will contact you the moment I hear anything on this end. Is there a specific way you wish me to notify you? Email? GA
The wait for a reply was not long.
You can contact me here or online at Please do not forget. GA
You have my word, Mrs. Grissom. GA
Gil speaks very highly of you. I know I can trust you to do what you say. Thank you for letting me know. GA
Catherine sat back from the machine for a moment. She felt a little thunderstruck. It never occurred to her that Gil might have talked with his mother about her. The moment she thought that she realized how silly that must be. Of course Gil spoke to his mother about his work at CSI and about the people he worked with. His job, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be his life. Still, it gave Catherine pause to know that Gil said nice things about her to his mother. Lord knew he had reason enough, from time to time, to offer a not-so-glowing report of Catherine. She sat up and typed again.
You are welcome. I will contact you very soon. Good-bye. GA
Bye. GAtoSK
The phone light went out on the TTY and Catherine knew that Mrs. Grissom had hung up. Catherine turned the power off on the TTY and replaced the handset before rising.
She hadn't helped find out where Gil was at all, and she probably was causing some real undue concern for Mrs. Grissom. Way to go, Willows, she chided herself as she headed back to Gil's office and the phone on his desk.