Chapter Four



Mike Thiery picked up the phone and punched the numbers into the keypad. Waiting a few seconds, he entered what Grissom assumed to be Thiery's extension number and replaced the receiver back in its cradle. The man looked at Grissom and stated the obvious. "He'll call back in a minute."


Grissom merely nodded and glanced at Sara. She could feel his eyes on her, knowing that he was wanting her to continue to question the man behind the desk. She tilted her head slightly, much to Brass' amusement. She gets more like Grissom every day. He hid his smile.


"Mr. Thiery, how long has Ben Garrett worked for you?"


"Three years...he started not long after Peter." He looked at Sara for a moment and took a deep breath. "You don't think Ben had something to do with this, do you?"


Grissom's voice answered him. "That's what we're trying to figure out, Mr. Thiery."


The ring of the phone took Thiery's eyes from Grissom as he reached for the receiver. "Mike Thiery."


He was quiet for a few seconds, listening to the voice on the other end. "Ben...yeah...I was wondering if you could come by my office for a few minutes, please."


After a few more brief seconds, his mouth opened again. "Okay...thanks..."


Hanging up the phone, he looked at Grissom. "He'll be right here."


"Thank you, Mr. Thiery."


Shifting his eyes towards Brass, Mike asked quietly, "Should I...leave...when he gets here?"


"Well, we would prefer to speak with him alone. If you don't mind."


Mike shook his head slowly. "No...no, of course not."


A soft knock on the door brought Thiery from his chair and as he walked around his desk, he exhaled heavily. Opening the door, he quickly ushered the young man inside.


"Hey Mike...what's going on?" He looked cautiously around the office at the three individuals seated quietly.


"Ben...this is Captain Brass from the police department. He wants to talk to you about Peter."


Ben's face paled slightly as he nodded slowly. "Okay..."


Mike placed his hand gently on Ben's shoulder. "I'm going to step outside...if you need anything, just let me know..."


Grissom and Sara exchanged a quick glance and then both looked at Brass. Jim gave them a barely noticeable shrug and waited for Mike to close the door behind him.


Ben looked around nervously as he dug his hands into his pockets. "So...what do you want to know?"


Brass stood and gestured to the chair. "Have a seat...we just want to talk."


Ben slowly made his way to the chair and sat down, looking at Grissom and Sara carefully sitting a couple of feet from him. Brass sat down on the edge of Mr. Thiery's desk and crossed his arms.


"Ben...this is Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle from the Crime Lab...they're investigating Peter's homicide."


Ben glanced at the two criminalists and then looked back at Brass. "Okay..."


Brass studied the young man carefully before continuing. He was obviously nervous. It doesn't automatically make him guilty though. "Ben, we know that you were the last person to talk to Peter here yesterday."


He nodded. "Yeah. I saw him in the parking lot as he was leaving work. He asked me to come by the house after my shift."


Grissom raised an eyebrow.


Brass uncrossed his arms and rested his palms on the desk on either side of him. "What time was your shift over?"


"Eight. But, then I had to pick my brother up from work at nine. And...then we went to Peter and Susanne's house."


Grissom cleared his throat softly. "What time did you leave the Marsden residence?"


Ben licked his dry lips. Looking directly into Grissom's eyes, he answered. "I left around midnight."


Picking up on his emphasis on the pronoun, Sara spoke. "What time did your brother leave?"


He shook his head slowly and swallowed. "I'm...not really sure what time Carl left."


Grissom watched the boy carefully. "You and...Carl...arrived together?"


"Yes."


"But...you left him there?"


"Yeah...I had to go pick someone up. And...he said that he would ask Susanne for a ride home when she got there."


Sara clicked her pen closed and looked at Ben. "Susanne?"


A brief smile appeared on Ben's lips. "Yeah. Carl really likes Susanne. He was going to ask her out last night when she came home."


Grissom leaned forward in his chair slightly. "Ben...did you know about Peter's vampirism?"


Ben nodded immediately. "Sure, why?"


"And, you didn't have a problem with it?"


"He doesn't have a problem with me being gay...why would I have a problem with him being a vampire?" He watched the older man's face for some type of response. Seeing none, he sighed. "That's who I went to pick up last night. Jason. My boyfriend. Jason Stewart."


Grissom merely nodded. "We will have to confirm that..."


"Yeah...I know. It's just..." Ben's voice trailed off into silence as he looked over towards Sara.


Her posture mimicked Grissom's as she leaned forward slightly. "Just?"


Ben shook his head slowly. "It's just...Carl...he doesn't know."


She raised an eyebrow slightly as he continued. "He's going to find out...isn't he?"


She nodded slowly. "Chances are...yes. Is that a problem?"


Ben inhaled deeply and shrugged his shoulders softly. "It might be. He has a...temper on him sometimes. Especially when it comes to...homosexuality."


Grissom watched the boy carefully before focusing his eyes on the left side of his belt. "Ben? Is that gun standard issue for security guards?"


Ben's hand automatically went to his holster. "No...this is mine. I left the gun I normally carry here at Peter's house last night." He glanced around at the three investigators nervously. "I always take it out."


Brass crossed his arms against his chest and looked at Ben. "Do you always leave it there?"


"No...I was...I was running late to pick Jason up and forgot it."


Grissom's mind automatically went back over the crime scene. A gun had not been found. "Ben, where did you leave it?"


"On the mantle. Beside of the picture of Peter and Susanne with their parents. That's where I always put it."


Grissom looked at Sara, then to Brass. Brass gave him a single shake of his head. He turned back to Ben and was quiet for a moment.


"Ben, we didn't find your gun at the scene last night."


He watched as the confusion clouded Ben's eyes for a moment and then the realization began to set in. His eyes closed and he took a sharp intake of air. "Oh God..."


"Ben?" Sara's voice was soft and comforting. Ben opened his eyes slowly and looked at her. "Do you know where Carl is right now?"


Ben glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. "Yeah...he's at work. Southwestern Steel...on Blazing Saddle Avenue."


Brass wrote down the information quickly and pulled his cellphone out of his pocket before walking out of the office. Grissom watched Ben closely. He felt bad for the boy. It didn't look very good for his brother.


Grissom licked his dry lips and spoke quietly. "Thank you for your help, Ben."


Ben nodded slowly. "Yeah..."


Ben stood and began to walk towards the door. Turning around, he looked at the two criminalists. "Mr. Grissom?"


"Yes?"


"Carl...overall...he's a good kid. He just...has some issues..."


Grissom watched him as he slowly turned, opened the door, and walked out of the room.


"Poor kid..."


Grissom turned to Sara and nodded. "Yeah...first he loses his best friend. And now..."


"It's looking like he may lose a brother."


Brass stuck his head in the door with a small smile on his face. "You guys coming? Carl Garrett is at work..."


Sara stood quickly, fishing the keys out of her pocket. "Blazing Saddle Avenue?"


Brass' smile widened as he nodded. "Yeah...makes you wonder who names the streets in this town, doesn't it?"