1 Chapter Nine: Home
Catherine sighed as she clicked her front door's lock into place. She wasn't tired anymore. She alternated between being so tired she was sleeping on her feet or so mad steam was coming out of her ears. This case was not going well. First of all, she knew a major suspect. Secondly, they had nothing. Nothing at all. No evidence. Nada. Zilch. Not even a real suspect anymore if you thought about it. Pushing her hair out of her face, Catherine made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a caffeine-free Pepsi. She didn't want a caffeine rush to keep her awake.
Catherine slowly walked into her bedroom, turning off lights as she went. Soon, the only light on in the house was a nightlight illuminating the hallway.
She opened her door slowly and flicked on the light. Opening her closet, she noticed her old photo album on the top shelf, covered with dust. Pulling it down, she went over to her bed to look at the photographs inside. Dust covered all the pages and she had to wipe it away in order to make out some of the faces.
Mostly, there were family pictures. Catherine flipped past them quickly. She was looking for something else. Finally, she found the pictures of her old neighborhood. Kids were playing in the street, always smiling and laughing. Then Catherine saw him. In a picture of a neighborhood baseball game, the Fieldings' house was in the background. Kyle's face was pressed to the window, watching the kids play. Brushing away the dust, she studied the house closely. At the next window, a face was pressed up against the glass. Kyle's sister? Isabelle?
A door shut softly somewhere in the house.
"Lindsay?" Catherine called softy. Her daughter was supposed to be at a friend's house for a sleepover tonight. Gently Catherine took the picture out of the album and put it in her pocket. She left the album on her bed and went to go see if Lindsay was home. Catherine walked out into the dark hallway. That's funny, she thought, I could have sworn I left the nightlight on out here. Feeling her way along the hallway, she finally found the light switch and flicked it on. The house was silent. "Lindsay? Are you home?" Catherine walked towards Lindsay's room, turning on lights as she came to them. "Lindsay?" Silence. Catherine opened the door to Lindsay's room and turned on the light. No one was inside. The bed was made and untouched. Catherine shrugged and chalked it up as her imagination. I really need to get some sleep, she thought as she made her way back to her room through the silent house, extinguishing the lights as she went. Catherine had just reached the door to her room when the front door slammed loudly. Catherine jumped and whirled around. Just then, she caught a whiff of smoke. "Oh my god," she muttered and opened her door.
Smoke poured out of the room. "Shit!" Catherine screamed and ran to her kitchen, stumbling in the darkness. She fumbled for the light and grabbed the fire extinguisher and her cell phone. She ran back to her room and went inside, searching for the source of the fire. She could see flames shooting out of her bed. The photo album! She grabbed at the fire extinguisher's handle and finally got it to work. Luckily, the fire hadn't spread beyond her bed and the fire was out in only a few minutes. Coughing, she backed out of her room and opened her cell phone. She dialed the fire department.
"Hello. Yes, my bed was set on fire…No, it's out now. I just want to be sure it's safe and the fire won't re-ignite. … No, I don't smell gas or propane. … Okay … No, I don't know how it happened. I think someone was in my house … No, I don't know why anyone would want to – wait! Um, I'll have to call you back. … Yes, could you send someone over to check? … No, I don't need the police … I don't know who did it, but I'm a criminalist, so …Yes, thank you." She hung up the phone and coughed again, waving the smoke away from her face. Flipping her cell phone open, she dialed Grissom.
"Grissom?"
"Catherine! Are you all right? You left without – "
"Grissom, someone was in my house. They set my bed on fire. I need you over here now. I think it's connected."
"Sure. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Catherine said and then broke into a coughing fit.
"Fine, huh? I'll be there in ten minutes," Grissom said and hung up.
"Thanks for coming," Catherine said as she greeted Grissom at the door. "The firefighters didn't find anything."
"Nothing?"
"Nope. No gas, no propane, no alcohol, not even a match. They can't figure it out. My bed's ruined and my photo album is ash –"
"Your what?"
"My photo album. It had all the pictures of my old house in it."
"And your neighborhood?"
"Yeah. Do you think someone was trying to get rid of evidence?"
"Maybe," Grissom said, walking towards Catherine's room. He coughed as he walked in.
"Are you okay?" Catherine said coming up behind him.
"Fine. It was just smoke."
Grissom went into his 'crime-scene' mode and started looking around. Catherine stood at the door trying to recall what happened.
"I locked the door."
"Excuse me?"
"I locked the door. When I came home."
"There are other ways to get into a house, Catherine."
"I know, but I heard the front door slam when they left. I'm sure it was the front door."
"Did you hear them come in?"
"I'm not sure. I heard a door, but I don't know which one. And it might not have been when they came in. They could've been inside for a long time." Catherine shuddered slightly and the thought and was grateful Lindsay hadn't been home. "It could've been a bedroom door or something," Catherine continued. "I thought it was Lindsay, so I got up and…" she trailed off and reached into her pocket.
"What's that?"
"I think it's what they wanted," Catherine said, holding up the photograph. "Or wanted to destroy."
Catherine sighed as she clicked her front door's lock into place. She wasn't tired anymore. She alternated between being so tired she was sleeping on her feet or so mad steam was coming out of her ears. This case was not going well. First of all, she knew a major suspect. Secondly, they had nothing. Nothing at all. No evidence. Nada. Zilch. Not even a real suspect anymore if you thought about it. Pushing her hair out of her face, Catherine made her way into the kitchen and grabbed a caffeine-free Pepsi. She didn't want a caffeine rush to keep her awake.
Catherine slowly walked into her bedroom, turning off lights as she went. Soon, the only light on in the house was a nightlight illuminating the hallway.
She opened her door slowly and flicked on the light. Opening her closet, she noticed her old photo album on the top shelf, covered with dust. Pulling it down, she went over to her bed to look at the photographs inside. Dust covered all the pages and she had to wipe it away in order to make out some of the faces.
Mostly, there were family pictures. Catherine flipped past them quickly. She was looking for something else. Finally, she found the pictures of her old neighborhood. Kids were playing in the street, always smiling and laughing. Then Catherine saw him. In a picture of a neighborhood baseball game, the Fieldings' house was in the background. Kyle's face was pressed to the window, watching the kids play. Brushing away the dust, she studied the house closely. At the next window, a face was pressed up against the glass. Kyle's sister? Isabelle?
A door shut softly somewhere in the house.
"Lindsay?" Catherine called softy. Her daughter was supposed to be at a friend's house for a sleepover tonight. Gently Catherine took the picture out of the album and put it in her pocket. She left the album on her bed and went to go see if Lindsay was home. Catherine walked out into the dark hallway. That's funny, she thought, I could have sworn I left the nightlight on out here. Feeling her way along the hallway, she finally found the light switch and flicked it on. The house was silent. "Lindsay? Are you home?" Catherine walked towards Lindsay's room, turning on lights as she came to them. "Lindsay?" Silence. Catherine opened the door to Lindsay's room and turned on the light. No one was inside. The bed was made and untouched. Catherine shrugged and chalked it up as her imagination. I really need to get some sleep, she thought as she made her way back to her room through the silent house, extinguishing the lights as she went. Catherine had just reached the door to her room when the front door slammed loudly. Catherine jumped and whirled around. Just then, she caught a whiff of smoke. "Oh my god," she muttered and opened her door.
Smoke poured out of the room. "Shit!" Catherine screamed and ran to her kitchen, stumbling in the darkness. She fumbled for the light and grabbed the fire extinguisher and her cell phone. She ran back to her room and went inside, searching for the source of the fire. She could see flames shooting out of her bed. The photo album! She grabbed at the fire extinguisher's handle and finally got it to work. Luckily, the fire hadn't spread beyond her bed and the fire was out in only a few minutes. Coughing, she backed out of her room and opened her cell phone. She dialed the fire department.
"Hello. Yes, my bed was set on fire…No, it's out now. I just want to be sure it's safe and the fire won't re-ignite. … No, I don't smell gas or propane. … Okay … No, I don't know how it happened. I think someone was in my house … No, I don't know why anyone would want to – wait! Um, I'll have to call you back. … Yes, could you send someone over to check? … No, I don't need the police … I don't know who did it, but I'm a criminalist, so …Yes, thank you." She hung up the phone and coughed again, waving the smoke away from her face. Flipping her cell phone open, she dialed Grissom.
"Grissom?"
"Catherine! Are you all right? You left without – "
"Grissom, someone was in my house. They set my bed on fire. I need you over here now. I think it's connected."
"Sure. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Catherine said and then broke into a coughing fit.
"Fine, huh? I'll be there in ten minutes," Grissom said and hung up.
"Thanks for coming," Catherine said as she greeted Grissom at the door. "The firefighters didn't find anything."
"Nothing?"
"Nope. No gas, no propane, no alcohol, not even a match. They can't figure it out. My bed's ruined and my photo album is ash –"
"Your what?"
"My photo album. It had all the pictures of my old house in it."
"And your neighborhood?"
"Yeah. Do you think someone was trying to get rid of evidence?"
"Maybe," Grissom said, walking towards Catherine's room. He coughed as he walked in.
"Are you okay?" Catherine said coming up behind him.
"Fine. It was just smoke."
Grissom went into his 'crime-scene' mode and started looking around. Catherine stood at the door trying to recall what happened.
"I locked the door."
"Excuse me?"
"I locked the door. When I came home."
"There are other ways to get into a house, Catherine."
"I know, but I heard the front door slam when they left. I'm sure it was the front door."
"Did you hear them come in?"
"I'm not sure. I heard a door, but I don't know which one. And it might not have been when they came in. They could've been inside for a long time." Catherine shuddered slightly and the thought and was grateful Lindsay hadn't been home. "It could've been a bedroom door or something," Catherine continued. "I thought it was Lindsay, so I got up and…" she trailed off and reached into her pocket.
"What's that?"
"I think it's what they wanted," Catherine said, holding up the photograph. "Or wanted to destroy."