Different tactics
Chapter 8: Evidence
At Greg's house
"I'm guessing this pool of blood belongs to Greg," Warrick said, quickly shoving the image of Greg lying helpless on the floor aside. He would be able to help his friends if he couldn't remain levelheaded. "Did you find anything over there Cath?"
"Some fibers," Catherine sighed and wished they had found more. "No blood or hairs over here. By your tone I'm guessing there's not too much over there as well." Catherine sighed again as tears sprang into her eyes. She liked to mother the younger members of the team and actually enjoyed when they jokingly called her mom. It hurt her deeply to see someone she thought of as a son hurting so badly and there was nothing she could do to make it better.
"We're going to nail him Cath," Warrick crouched down beside her and gave her a hug. He knew how she felt. He felt it too. The team was his family, Grissom the dad, Catherine the mom, and the younger three his younger siblings. He hated that he was so helpless to fight against someone who had hurt his baby brother. "Let's keep looking. There's got to be something here that we can use to place Nigel Crane here. Then, once we catch him, we can put him away for attempted murder and rape. He'll never see daylight again. Grissom and Brass will see to that."
"You're right War," Catherine smiled and got to her feet. She felt a little better that Warrick was so sure that they were going to catch Nigel Crane. She wished she could be that positive but is she faced the facts, they had yet to catch Nick's stalker no matter how hard they were trying. "We should get down to the hospital and talk to the doctor who examined Greg."
"I'll meet you down at the Tahoe," Warrick crouched down by a dark spot on the carpet. "I may found something here. I'll take a swab."
"All right," Catherine left the room as fast as she could without giving away the fact that she needed to get out. As soon as she was out of Warrick's sight she ran out of Greg's house to the Tahoe and leaned against it, trying to regain her thoughts. She heard a small noise coming closer to her and looked down to see a small girl, around ten years old, walking slowly up to her. "Hi there Sweetie. What's your name?"
"I'm Rayanna Louise Rogers," the girl stated. She looked Catherine straight in the eye, her blue eyes shining with curiosity and a little fear. "Is Mr. Greg going to be okay? I saw that man put him in your car last night and take him away. He was going to play with me today but now he's not home."
"Greg's not going to be home for a few days Sweetie," Catherine knelt down so she could look the child in the eye. "He got hurt and my friend, the man you saw, took him to the hospital where the doctor made him all better. He's staying with another friend of mine until he can come home."
"Is the other man your friend too?" the child asked. "The one that came to Mr. Greg's house before the nice man who took him to the hospital."
"What other man Sweetie?" Catherine's heart jumped into her throat as she realized the girl might be able to place Nigel Crane at the scene of the crime. She also realized that by being a witness, the girl was in danger. "Do you know what he looked like?"
"Yes," the girl went on to describe Nigel Crane perfectly. She said she was playing hide and seek with a friend and was hiding in the bush by Greg's front doorstep. "Mr. Greg let's us use his yard so we can have more places to hide. Can you tell him to get better soon for me?"
"I will Sweetie," Catherine gave her a genuine smile. "I need to talk to your parents all right? You've been such a help that they should know. Do you remember anything else?"
"The man almost hit me with something," Rayanna pointed to the bush. "I was hiding right there and he threw something in it when he ran out of the house. I got scared so I ran back to my house. The thing he threw almost hit me."
"Thank you Sweetie," Catherine told Warrick, who'd just come out of the house, to search the bush while she went to talk to Rayanna's parents. She didn't know how to tell them that their ten-year-old daughter had witness a crime and now her life was in danger but she had to. For Greg's sake and the sake of the little girl.
"Grissom, we may have found a weapon," Catherine told him as Warrick drove to the hospital. "The little girl who lives next to Greg saw Nigel Crane go into Greg's house and seen him throw something into a bush. It was a crowbar and it has blood on it. We're on our way to the hospital now to talk to Greg's doctor. How's he holding up?"
"Sara had to give him a sedative," Grissom sighed and felt his anger at Ecklie return. "Ecklie came in while Greg was sleeping and wanted him to work overtime. The idiot grabbed Greg by the wrist and tried to pull him to his feet. Greg flipped out and Nick and Sara couldn't get him to calm down. They're all over at Nick's house right now. Sara didn't think Nick was in any condition to be by himself, let alone try to take care of Greg. Nicky blames himself; I know he does. We have to nail this bastard Cath. We have to. If we don't it will slowly kill the team."
"We'll get him Gris," Catherine was shocked to hear her normally calm boss on the verge of a breakdown. "We're almost at the hospital so I'll call you back. Did you tell Brass about Ecklie?"
"Not yet," Grissom sighed again. "I'll do that once I hand up with you. At least you guys found a possible weapon and a witness so we're not working with nothing. You're right Cath, we are going to nail this guy. We've solved cases with less evidence than what we have. They just haven't been this personal."
"I'll call you later," Catherine hung up her cell then quickly related to Warrick what Grissom had told her. She heard him mutter some curses aimed at Ecklie and smiled. He was voicing exactly how she felt. "Let's go put a bastard in jail War."
At Greg's house
"I'm guessing this pool of blood belongs to Greg," Warrick said, quickly shoving the image of Greg lying helpless on the floor aside. He would be able to help his friends if he couldn't remain levelheaded. "Did you find anything over there Cath?"
"Some fibers," Catherine sighed and wished they had found more. "No blood or hairs over here. By your tone I'm guessing there's not too much over there as well." Catherine sighed again as tears sprang into her eyes. She liked to mother the younger members of the team and actually enjoyed when they jokingly called her mom. It hurt her deeply to see someone she thought of as a son hurting so badly and there was nothing she could do to make it better.
"We're going to nail him Cath," Warrick crouched down beside her and gave her a hug. He knew how she felt. He felt it too. The team was his family, Grissom the dad, Catherine the mom, and the younger three his younger siblings. He hated that he was so helpless to fight against someone who had hurt his baby brother. "Let's keep looking. There's got to be something here that we can use to place Nigel Crane here. Then, once we catch him, we can put him away for attempted murder and rape. He'll never see daylight again. Grissom and Brass will see to that."
"You're right War," Catherine smiled and got to her feet. She felt a little better that Warrick was so sure that they were going to catch Nigel Crane. She wished she could be that positive but is she faced the facts, they had yet to catch Nick's stalker no matter how hard they were trying. "We should get down to the hospital and talk to the doctor who examined Greg."
"I'll meet you down at the Tahoe," Warrick crouched down by a dark spot on the carpet. "I may found something here. I'll take a swab."
"All right," Catherine left the room as fast as she could without giving away the fact that she needed to get out. As soon as she was out of Warrick's sight she ran out of Greg's house to the Tahoe and leaned against it, trying to regain her thoughts. She heard a small noise coming closer to her and looked down to see a small girl, around ten years old, walking slowly up to her. "Hi there Sweetie. What's your name?"
"I'm Rayanna Louise Rogers," the girl stated. She looked Catherine straight in the eye, her blue eyes shining with curiosity and a little fear. "Is Mr. Greg going to be okay? I saw that man put him in your car last night and take him away. He was going to play with me today but now he's not home."
"Greg's not going to be home for a few days Sweetie," Catherine knelt down so she could look the child in the eye. "He got hurt and my friend, the man you saw, took him to the hospital where the doctor made him all better. He's staying with another friend of mine until he can come home."
"Is the other man your friend too?" the child asked. "The one that came to Mr. Greg's house before the nice man who took him to the hospital."
"What other man Sweetie?" Catherine's heart jumped into her throat as she realized the girl might be able to place Nigel Crane at the scene of the crime. She also realized that by being a witness, the girl was in danger. "Do you know what he looked like?"
"Yes," the girl went on to describe Nigel Crane perfectly. She said she was playing hide and seek with a friend and was hiding in the bush by Greg's front doorstep. "Mr. Greg let's us use his yard so we can have more places to hide. Can you tell him to get better soon for me?"
"I will Sweetie," Catherine gave her a genuine smile. "I need to talk to your parents all right? You've been such a help that they should know. Do you remember anything else?"
"The man almost hit me with something," Rayanna pointed to the bush. "I was hiding right there and he threw something in it when he ran out of the house. I got scared so I ran back to my house. The thing he threw almost hit me."
"Thank you Sweetie," Catherine told Warrick, who'd just come out of the house, to search the bush while she went to talk to Rayanna's parents. She didn't know how to tell them that their ten-year-old daughter had witness a crime and now her life was in danger but she had to. For Greg's sake and the sake of the little girl.
"Grissom, we may have found a weapon," Catherine told him as Warrick drove to the hospital. "The little girl who lives next to Greg saw Nigel Crane go into Greg's house and seen him throw something into a bush. It was a crowbar and it has blood on it. We're on our way to the hospital now to talk to Greg's doctor. How's he holding up?"
"Sara had to give him a sedative," Grissom sighed and felt his anger at Ecklie return. "Ecklie came in while Greg was sleeping and wanted him to work overtime. The idiot grabbed Greg by the wrist and tried to pull him to his feet. Greg flipped out and Nick and Sara couldn't get him to calm down. They're all over at Nick's house right now. Sara didn't think Nick was in any condition to be by himself, let alone try to take care of Greg. Nicky blames himself; I know he does. We have to nail this bastard Cath. We have to. If we don't it will slowly kill the team."
"We'll get him Gris," Catherine was shocked to hear her normally calm boss on the verge of a breakdown. "We're almost at the hospital so I'll call you back. Did you tell Brass about Ecklie?"
"Not yet," Grissom sighed again. "I'll do that once I hand up with you. At least you guys found a possible weapon and a witness so we're not working with nothing. You're right Cath, we are going to nail this guy. We've solved cases with less evidence than what we have. They just haven't been this personal."
"I'll call you later," Catherine hung up her cell then quickly related to Warrick what Grissom had told her. She heard him mutter some curses aimed at Ecklie and smiled. He was voicing exactly how she felt. "Let's go put a bastard in jail War."