1 Chapter Eight: Family
"What? But Kyle…" Catherine's mind spun. It wasn't possible! She had lived next-door to the Fieldings! Kyle was the only child…right? But now he claimed he was not! Catherine tried to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and thought about what she had just been told.
"Kyle," she began slowly, "are you telling me that you know who the killer is?"
"It would seem that I do, wouldn't it?"
"And you're telling me the killer is female?"
"I am only telling you not to jump to conclusions, Catherine."
"You're also telling me that the killer is your sibling?"
"I was simply giving you facts, Catherine."
"The killer is your sister?"
"And she jumps!" Kyle said, mostly to himself.
"What?" Catherine was a bit peeved at this point.
"You jumped to that conclusion. You do not even know if I have a sister, Catherine. Now, go do your thing and figure it out."
Catherine glared at him. "I'm be back."
"Of course you will, Arnold," said Kyle, smiling.
Catherine rolled her eyes and left the room.
"How annoying is he?" Catherine asked Sara, who had been listening outside the door.
"I think he's funny. I don't know why he is so calm, though. It's kind of unnerving," Sara replied.
"No kidding," Catherine muttered. "We need a background check on his mother."
"Yes, we definitely do," Sara agreed. "I'll check him at the same time."
"Thanks. Good luck." They parted ways, Sara went to get the background check and Catherine went to see Grissom.
"Grissom, this is impossible!" Catherine began.
"Nonsense."
"Grissom," Catherine said in a warning tone.
"Nothing's impossible."
"Grissom!"
Luckily, before Catherine could actually harm Grissom, Sara walked in. "I got the background checks."
"That was fast," Catherine said, turning all her attention to Sara.
"Yeah. You know, serial killers aren't too popular around here. So, I got the info pretty fast."
"What does it say?"
"You'll never believe this, but…"
"Kyle!"
"Yes, Catherine?" Once again, Kyle was perfectly calm. It was exceedingly frustrating.
"Kyle, it says here your mother had no children!"
"Does it really?"
"Yes," Catherine hissed.
"Amazing."
"Kyle!"
"Yes, Catherine?"
Catherine tried to calm down enough to breathe. "Kyle, are you willing to answer some of my questions?"
"Of course, Catherine."
"Good. Is Ms. Diana Fielding your biological mother?"
"I think you mean 'was.'"
"Kyle."
Kyle sighed. "Yes, I'm sure of it."
"Did your biological mother have any other off-spring?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"My brother and my sister."
Now, we're getting somewhere, Catherine thought. "Named…?"
"James Edward Fielding. Deceased."
"And your sister?"
"You see," continued Kyle, ignoring Catherine's question, "my mother did not like to have other people involved in her personal life. She never went to the doctor or anything. So none of us kids were ever registered as existing, so you might as well tell your brunette friend to give it up."
"What?"
"You signaled her when I told you James' name. She went to check up on him. She won't find anything."
"Oh. Right." Catherine struggled to remain dignified.
"And, if you look at your background information, Ms. Diana Fielding virtually drops off the face of the earth after her modeling career went belly up. She turned alcoholic, lost her husband, had some kids…all hidden away from the eyes of the law. Only other thing on there is her death. Am I right?"
He was. And Catherine hated it. "Your sister?" she managed to squeak.
"Ah, yes. Isabelle was just like my mother: beautiful, talented, and mentally disturbed."
Catherine blinked. She had been doing that a lot lately.
"Yes, Isabelle was Mother's pride and joy. They did everything together. They drank together, ordered groceries together, and even watched soap operas together. Isabelle was only two years older than I was, but she was the mirror image of my mother. It was frightening, frankly."
"But…" Catherine was stunned.
"My mother decided that after James died I should go to school and get out of her way while she was watching soaps. That's why you only knew about me. I was the only one to ever leave the house."
Catherine blinked again.
"Will that be all, Catherine?"
"Um…yeah," Catherine managed to mutter.
"And you know what the worst part of this is?" We still have no idea who killed all those women!" Sara pulled at her hair in frustration.
"It could be Isabelle."
"That's great. Someone who's impossible to track down is our serial killer. Oh, goody." Nick's sarcasm was thick and the room fell silent.
"This is going nowhere. I'm going home," Catherine announced.
"But Catherine!"
"You can figure it out. I haven't slept for…God knows how long. Call me if you get anything. My cell phone's on." Catherine got up and left the room.
"She didn't even tell Grissom that she was leaving," Sara mumbled. "Something's wrong."
Suddenly Catherine stormed back into the room. "Has anyone seen my keys?"
"Uh, no, Cath. Sorry," Sara said, bewildered at Catherine's outburst.
"I saw them when you came in, Catherine. You put them in your purse…" Warrick trailed off and motioned to the purse hanging from Catherine shoulder.
"Haven't seen 'em, Cath. Sorry," Nick added quickly.
"Catherine?" the secretary, Elisabeth called from the hallway. "I found a set of keys earlier. Are these yours?"
Catherine whirled around and glared at Elisabeth. "Where did you find them?"
"On the floor. I didn't know whose they were, so I just kept them on the desk and figured whoever lost them would figure it out eventually."
"I didn't lose them," Catherine spat, grabbing the keys from Elisabeth and leaving the building.
"Whoa," Warrick said quietly. "What's with Catherine?"
"What? But Kyle…" Catherine's mind spun. It wasn't possible! She had lived next-door to the Fieldings! Kyle was the only child…right? But now he claimed he was not! Catherine tried to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and thought about what she had just been told.
"Kyle," she began slowly, "are you telling me that you know who the killer is?"
"It would seem that I do, wouldn't it?"
"And you're telling me the killer is female?"
"I am only telling you not to jump to conclusions, Catherine."
"You're also telling me that the killer is your sibling?"
"I was simply giving you facts, Catherine."
"The killer is your sister?"
"And she jumps!" Kyle said, mostly to himself.
"What?" Catherine was a bit peeved at this point.
"You jumped to that conclusion. You do not even know if I have a sister, Catherine. Now, go do your thing and figure it out."
Catherine glared at him. "I'm be back."
"Of course you will, Arnold," said Kyle, smiling.
Catherine rolled her eyes and left the room.
"How annoying is he?" Catherine asked Sara, who had been listening outside the door.
"I think he's funny. I don't know why he is so calm, though. It's kind of unnerving," Sara replied.
"No kidding," Catherine muttered. "We need a background check on his mother."
"Yes, we definitely do," Sara agreed. "I'll check him at the same time."
"Thanks. Good luck." They parted ways, Sara went to get the background check and Catherine went to see Grissom.
"Grissom, this is impossible!" Catherine began.
"Nonsense."
"Grissom," Catherine said in a warning tone.
"Nothing's impossible."
"Grissom!"
Luckily, before Catherine could actually harm Grissom, Sara walked in. "I got the background checks."
"That was fast," Catherine said, turning all her attention to Sara.
"Yeah. You know, serial killers aren't too popular around here. So, I got the info pretty fast."
"What does it say?"
"You'll never believe this, but…"
"Kyle!"
"Yes, Catherine?" Once again, Kyle was perfectly calm. It was exceedingly frustrating.
"Kyle, it says here your mother had no children!"
"Does it really?"
"Yes," Catherine hissed.
"Amazing."
"Kyle!"
"Yes, Catherine?"
Catherine tried to calm down enough to breathe. "Kyle, are you willing to answer some of my questions?"
"Of course, Catherine."
"Good. Is Ms. Diana Fielding your biological mother?"
"I think you mean 'was.'"
"Kyle."
Kyle sighed. "Yes, I'm sure of it."
"Did your biological mother have any other off-spring?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"My brother and my sister."
Now, we're getting somewhere, Catherine thought. "Named…?"
"James Edward Fielding. Deceased."
"And your sister?"
"You see," continued Kyle, ignoring Catherine's question, "my mother did not like to have other people involved in her personal life. She never went to the doctor or anything. So none of us kids were ever registered as existing, so you might as well tell your brunette friend to give it up."
"What?"
"You signaled her when I told you James' name. She went to check up on him. She won't find anything."
"Oh. Right." Catherine struggled to remain dignified.
"And, if you look at your background information, Ms. Diana Fielding virtually drops off the face of the earth after her modeling career went belly up. She turned alcoholic, lost her husband, had some kids…all hidden away from the eyes of the law. Only other thing on there is her death. Am I right?"
He was. And Catherine hated it. "Your sister?" she managed to squeak.
"Ah, yes. Isabelle was just like my mother: beautiful, talented, and mentally disturbed."
Catherine blinked. She had been doing that a lot lately.
"Yes, Isabelle was Mother's pride and joy. They did everything together. They drank together, ordered groceries together, and even watched soap operas together. Isabelle was only two years older than I was, but she was the mirror image of my mother. It was frightening, frankly."
"But…" Catherine was stunned.
"My mother decided that after James died I should go to school and get out of her way while she was watching soaps. That's why you only knew about me. I was the only one to ever leave the house."
Catherine blinked again.
"Will that be all, Catherine?"
"Um…yeah," Catherine managed to mutter.
"And you know what the worst part of this is?" We still have no idea who killed all those women!" Sara pulled at her hair in frustration.
"It could be Isabelle."
"That's great. Someone who's impossible to track down is our serial killer. Oh, goody." Nick's sarcasm was thick and the room fell silent.
"This is going nowhere. I'm going home," Catherine announced.
"But Catherine!"
"You can figure it out. I haven't slept for…God knows how long. Call me if you get anything. My cell phone's on." Catherine got up and left the room.
"She didn't even tell Grissom that she was leaving," Sara mumbled. "Something's wrong."
Suddenly Catherine stormed back into the room. "Has anyone seen my keys?"
"Uh, no, Cath. Sorry," Sara said, bewildered at Catherine's outburst.
"I saw them when you came in, Catherine. You put them in your purse…" Warrick trailed off and motioned to the purse hanging from Catherine shoulder.
"Haven't seen 'em, Cath. Sorry," Nick added quickly.
"Catherine?" the secretary, Elisabeth called from the hallway. "I found a set of keys earlier. Are these yours?"
Catherine whirled around and glared at Elisabeth. "Where did you find them?"
"On the floor. I didn't know whose they were, so I just kept them on the desk and figured whoever lost them would figure it out eventually."
"I didn't lose them," Catherine spat, grabbing the keys from Elisabeth and leaving the building.
"Whoa," Warrick said quietly. "What's with Catherine?"