CHAPTER 5

Thanks once again for your reviews!!!

Disclaimer: Eames & Goren aren't mine.. but u knew that

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eames had another bad night. Late for work once again.

"Alex, are you ok?" Goren asked, genuinely concerned. She looked terrible.

"I think I need a new apartment. The building manager didn't fix up the burst gutter, or my window" she complained.

"Well stay with me until he does" Goren suggested.

"Thanks bobby, I just might do that," she said almost asleep. He looked at her.

"Alex?" He whispered. She was asleep, head resting on her folded arms on her dest. She looked so sweet, so he didn't wake her. He told Deakins he'd be back at the school if she woke. First, he'd go see Ryan.

~*~*~*~*~*

Goren knocked on the green door of the Cashmore apartment. Jay opened it. He looked surprised.

"Detective. What can I do for you?" He asked.

"It Ryan here?" Goren asked. Jay invited him in and called his son. He had just got out the shower and had a bright green towel around him. He was tall with black hair, just like his father.

"Do you know a Carrie Manfield?" he asked. Ryan nodded.

"She's my girlfriend's best friend," he said.

"Who is your girlfriend?" Goren asked. He knew who she was, but he just wanted to confirm his story.

"Sarah Austin" he replied. "Why?"

"She is involved in a murder case. And why aren't you at school getting an education?" Goren asked, looking around the house. Beautifully decorated in greens. Mint green walls and gold trimmings.

"I don't go to school, I dropped out. I work now," he said.

"Oh. What do you do?" Goren asked. Ryan felt a bit uneasy.

"I have a trainee ship as a building constructor. I help survey old buildings to see if they are still safe, then and build new ones," he said.

"Right then, so you'd know the area and buildings really well then" Goren said, focusing back on Ryan. He nodded. Goren raised his eyebrows.

"What did you want about Carrie?" Ryan asked, getting back onto the subject.

"Huh? Oh, right. I just wanted to know what you know," Goren said. He was so good at getting people to spill.

"We - Carrie, Sarah and I are all close friends. Lately they've been talking about a guy hey don't like. I heard he got murdered. Shame really" he said.

"Who told you that?" Goren asked. Ryan looked a bit panicky. Jay poked his head out from the kitchen.

"That was I. I knew he was friends with Carrie, his ex". Goren raised his eyebrow. Well he'd gotten somewhere with this whole case. Jay listened it. This detective knew his stuff, but did he just suspect his son of murder? He wanted to see how this turned out.

"Could you take him to the 11th floor of 1 Police plaza. Ask for Captain James Deakins. I just need a statement from him," Goren said. Jay nodded and hurried his son along and showed Goren out. He called Deakins.

"I have a suspect coming to see you. He thinks it is just a statement. Keep him there until I get back, but don't let him think he is a suspect" he told Deakins.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"I'm going to bring the girls in. They can spill together." Goren couldn't wait.

~*~*~*~*~*

Goren left the Cashmore place and went to the school. He went to the gym to find Ashlie. He saw the other girls and asked where she was.

"She didn't turn up this morning," one of the girls told him. He thanked her and went outside. Probably did a runner he thought. He looked around, and then spotted a figure sitting on a basketball court on top of a building. He went to investigate and found Ashlie leaning against a fence. He stopped dead in his tracks at the haunting sight. She had her knees raided, resting her hands on them. She stared into nothing as he approached her. He realised she was singing.

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

She gasped between every line, hardly saying anything at times.

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

Goren stared at her. As he approached her she stopped. He knelt down.

"Elton John?" he asked. She gave a slight smile, still not looking at him.

"Tiny dancer, my favourite song" she sounded terrible, shaking. He looked closer at her face, something wasn't right. He gently put his hand under her chin and turned her head so she looked at him. They were bloodshot. Then he looked at her arms. They had needle marks on them. He took his hand from her chin and placed it on her cheek. It was wet from tears and sweat. He looked down at the asphalt when he realised something.

"You're a drug addict aren't you?" he said. Ashlie closed her eyes and pulled her head away from his hand.

"After I got home last night my dad's drug friends raped me and injected me with Heroin". She tried not to cry, but it just came out. "Raped me, Detective. They get off on giving me drugs. They held me down and did it." She buried her head in her hands. Goren stood up, paced, and then sat beside her.

"Shit Ashlie. Did you do anything?" he asked. She wiped her tears. He sounded concerned about her.

"I couldn't. After they did it I couldn't move. They left early this morning and I got the strength to get away before my dad found me. Knowing him he'd rape me as well because he would have been so drunk" she said. "You know you're the nicest guy. Why are you worrying about a drugie's daughter? I'm suppose to be the ones you guys catch and put in juvenile detention," she said, wiping her tears.

"No, I'm the one who is suppose to get you out of there before this happens" he said. Why didn't he see it? Don't beat yourself up, you couldn't have seen it coming he thought, taking her in his arms and hugging her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

OH NO!!! What will happen now? Next chapter is the final! I'm not posting it until this 1 is reviewed tho!!!