1 Chapter Six: Betrayal
Catherine headed towards the performers' area. She didn't really know how she was going to get in and talk to Kyle, but she was determined.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a large security official said, stopping her. "You can't go back there. It's for performers only."
"Oh, I know," Catherine said, putting on her sweetest smile. "I have a childhood friend in this circus and I haven't seen him for a long time. Can I go talk to him?" She looked up with innocent eyes.
"Who's your friend?"
"Kyle. Kyle Fielding. He's a clown."
"Uh-huh…" the guard didn't seem too convinced, but he picked up his radio. "I got a lady here who says she knows Kyle…yeah, the clown…childhood friends or something…okay."
He looked at Catherine again. "What's your name?"
"Catherine." The guard raised an eyebrow. "Catherine Willows."
"Says her name's Catherine Willows," he said into the radio. "They're going to check," the guard said to Catherine. "It'll only take a minute."
"Great," Catherine said with a smile, and ate some of her cotton candy. It was too sweet and Catherine was beginning to feel sick, but she kept smiling.
The guard's radio crackled. "Okay, you can go in. Kyle's trailer is the green one, over there."
"Thanks so much," Catherine said with another smile, and headed off to Kyle's trailer. As soon as the guard was out of sight, Catherine threw her blue cotton candy away. It was way too sweet.
Catherine reached into her pocket, pressed "record" on the mini tape player, and knocked on the old trailer's door.
"Catherine?" Kyle poked his head out the door. Some of his clown makeup remained around the edges of his face. Catherine put on another smile.
"Hi, Kyle."
"What brings you to the neighborhood?"
"I live here now," Catherine explained, shrugging. "Saw your circus was in town, and came to see it…for old times' sake, I guess."
Kyle smiled. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yeah. You were really good. Do you walk on your hands all the time?"
"Well, not all the time. I can stay up the longest out of all the clowns, so I am always the upside-down one. What are you doing for work these days?"
"I'm…I'm a, um, criminalist."
"Wow, in Vegas too. Must be exciting."
"Yeah, there's always something to do," Catherine said truthfully, trying desperately to think of a way to turn the conversation back to Kyle. "So, how's life?"
"Better," Kyle said. "I think it was that town, ya know? All those bad memories. I had to get out."
"Have you been back?"
"No way. What about you? When did you leave that hell hole?"
Catherine took a deep breath. He was turning the conversation back to her. "When I was sixteen."
"Damn," Kyle whistled. "A bit young, don't you think?"
"You left pretty young yourself," said Catherine, getting defensive.
"That I did. But let's leave the past behind us. Do you want a drink?"
"Sure." As Kyle moved to get some drinks, Catherine took the opportunity to look around the trailer. It was old, small and run down. There wasn't much in it. Costumes and makeup were piled onto the table beside Catherine. She turned and looked down the short hallway. Nothing.
"Would you do the honors? I've been saving this for a special occasion." Kyle's voice frightened Catherine and she turned sharply. Kyle gesturing to a bottle of wine on the counter and he held out a corkscrew for Catherine, who startled. She looked at the tip of the corkscrew and tried to imagine putting it into someone's eye.
"I – I've got to go," Catherine muttered and backed out of the trailer. She hurried out of the performer's area and into the crowds, almost running right into Warrick.
"Warrick! God, don't scare me like that!"
"Scare you? You walked into me! What's wrong? Did you find Kyle?"
"I talked to him…small talk, you know. He offered me a drink…he had a corkscrew! So, I left."
"Calm down, Catherine. In order to open a bottle of wine, you need a corkscrew. Did he admit to anything?"
"N-no. But, the corkscrew…"
"Catherine, that doesn't mean anything! Calm down! Let's go find Grissom."
"Catherine! Hey, Catherine, wait!" Kyle came running towards them from the performer's area.
"And that's my cue to leave," Warrick muttered. "Don't worry, Cath. I'll be right over there. This place is swarming with cops. You'll be fine." Warrick slipped into the crowd as Kyle approached Catherine.
"Catherine, are you all right?" Kyle had a genuine look of worry on his face.
"How dare you?" Catherine couldn't take it anymore. She blew up in his face. "How dare you act so concerned? You act like nothing is wrong!"
Kyle was more than a little confused and Catherine's little show was beginning to attract attention. "Can we talk about this in my trailer?"
"No! You'll kill me like the rest of them! You – you –" Catherine struggled for words. She took a deep breath. "You got away with it once, but you won't get away with it this time." Her voice was calm, but her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Catherine?"
"You know what I'm talking about. That day your mother died. You were responsible, weren't you?"
Kyle looked at the ground. "I…I –"
"You did it, didn't you? Admit it!"
"I burned the house down, but –"
Catherine motioned with her hands and police swooped in, surrounding them in an instant. "You're under arrest." Catherine said sternly.
"But, Catherine! That was years ago! Don't do this, Catherine, please! I –"
"You killed her just like you killed the other three. But they were innocent, Kyle."
"I didn't –" Kyle stopped suddenly, and his eyes widened.
"You have the right to remain silent," Catherine continued.
"I don't wish to exercise that right," Kyle said stubbornly.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Kyle opened his mouth to add something else to this conversation, but thought better of it. The police led him away.
Warrick appeared suddenly beside Catherine. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Catherine said, shaking her head. "I'm…I'm okay."
Catherine headed towards the performers' area. She didn't really know how she was going to get in and talk to Kyle, but she was determined.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a large security official said, stopping her. "You can't go back there. It's for performers only."
"Oh, I know," Catherine said, putting on her sweetest smile. "I have a childhood friend in this circus and I haven't seen him for a long time. Can I go talk to him?" She looked up with innocent eyes.
"Who's your friend?"
"Kyle. Kyle Fielding. He's a clown."
"Uh-huh…" the guard didn't seem too convinced, but he picked up his radio. "I got a lady here who says she knows Kyle…yeah, the clown…childhood friends or something…okay."
He looked at Catherine again. "What's your name?"
"Catherine." The guard raised an eyebrow. "Catherine Willows."
"Says her name's Catherine Willows," he said into the radio. "They're going to check," the guard said to Catherine. "It'll only take a minute."
"Great," Catherine said with a smile, and ate some of her cotton candy. It was too sweet and Catherine was beginning to feel sick, but she kept smiling.
The guard's radio crackled. "Okay, you can go in. Kyle's trailer is the green one, over there."
"Thanks so much," Catherine said with another smile, and headed off to Kyle's trailer. As soon as the guard was out of sight, Catherine threw her blue cotton candy away. It was way too sweet.
Catherine reached into her pocket, pressed "record" on the mini tape player, and knocked on the old trailer's door.
"Catherine?" Kyle poked his head out the door. Some of his clown makeup remained around the edges of his face. Catherine put on another smile.
"Hi, Kyle."
"What brings you to the neighborhood?"
"I live here now," Catherine explained, shrugging. "Saw your circus was in town, and came to see it…for old times' sake, I guess."
Kyle smiled. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Yeah. You were really good. Do you walk on your hands all the time?"
"Well, not all the time. I can stay up the longest out of all the clowns, so I am always the upside-down one. What are you doing for work these days?"
"I'm…I'm a, um, criminalist."
"Wow, in Vegas too. Must be exciting."
"Yeah, there's always something to do," Catherine said truthfully, trying desperately to think of a way to turn the conversation back to Kyle. "So, how's life?"
"Better," Kyle said. "I think it was that town, ya know? All those bad memories. I had to get out."
"Have you been back?"
"No way. What about you? When did you leave that hell hole?"
Catherine took a deep breath. He was turning the conversation back to her. "When I was sixteen."
"Damn," Kyle whistled. "A bit young, don't you think?"
"You left pretty young yourself," said Catherine, getting defensive.
"That I did. But let's leave the past behind us. Do you want a drink?"
"Sure." As Kyle moved to get some drinks, Catherine took the opportunity to look around the trailer. It was old, small and run down. There wasn't much in it. Costumes and makeup were piled onto the table beside Catherine. She turned and looked down the short hallway. Nothing.
"Would you do the honors? I've been saving this for a special occasion." Kyle's voice frightened Catherine and she turned sharply. Kyle gesturing to a bottle of wine on the counter and he held out a corkscrew for Catherine, who startled. She looked at the tip of the corkscrew and tried to imagine putting it into someone's eye.
"I – I've got to go," Catherine muttered and backed out of the trailer. She hurried out of the performer's area and into the crowds, almost running right into Warrick.
"Warrick! God, don't scare me like that!"
"Scare you? You walked into me! What's wrong? Did you find Kyle?"
"I talked to him…small talk, you know. He offered me a drink…he had a corkscrew! So, I left."
"Calm down, Catherine. In order to open a bottle of wine, you need a corkscrew. Did he admit to anything?"
"N-no. But, the corkscrew…"
"Catherine, that doesn't mean anything! Calm down! Let's go find Grissom."
"Catherine! Hey, Catherine, wait!" Kyle came running towards them from the performer's area.
"And that's my cue to leave," Warrick muttered. "Don't worry, Cath. I'll be right over there. This place is swarming with cops. You'll be fine." Warrick slipped into the crowd as Kyle approached Catherine.
"Catherine, are you all right?" Kyle had a genuine look of worry on his face.
"How dare you?" Catherine couldn't take it anymore. She blew up in his face. "How dare you act so concerned? You act like nothing is wrong!"
Kyle was more than a little confused and Catherine's little show was beginning to attract attention. "Can we talk about this in my trailer?"
"No! You'll kill me like the rest of them! You – you –" Catherine struggled for words. She took a deep breath. "You got away with it once, but you won't get away with it this time." Her voice was calm, but her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Catherine?"
"You know what I'm talking about. That day your mother died. You were responsible, weren't you?"
Kyle looked at the ground. "I…I –"
"You did it, didn't you? Admit it!"
"I burned the house down, but –"
Catherine motioned with her hands and police swooped in, surrounding them in an instant. "You're under arrest." Catherine said sternly.
"But, Catherine! That was years ago! Don't do this, Catherine, please! I –"
"You killed her just like you killed the other three. But they were innocent, Kyle."
"I didn't –" Kyle stopped suddenly, and his eyes widened.
"You have the right to remain silent," Catherine continued.
"I don't wish to exercise that right," Kyle said stubbornly.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Kyle opened his mouth to add something else to this conversation, but thought better of it. The police led him away.
Warrick appeared suddenly beside Catherine. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Catherine said, shaking her head. "I'm…I'm okay."