AN: ok... I don't have much to say right now... so here's chappy 9... and we're getting close to the end of the fic...
Don't forget to R & R
Chapter 9:
Nick printed out his new found information and walked down the hals of CSI to find Catherine and Grissom. He found Catherine in the breakroom reviewing the case file once again, looking for clues. Nick stood in the doorway, knocking on the frame.
"Cath! We got a break... c'mon I'll tell you about it on the way to find Grissom." Catherine stood up from the table, intrigued. She gathered the file and followed behind Nick.
"So... what did you find on the 'Texas Cowboy'?" Nick handed her his information and told her as she browsed through it.
"Texas Cowboy... Is Mr. Micheal Denver... apparantly he was giving free horseback lessons to promote the new ranch there and a child molestation case came about soon after, of which he ended up being aquitted. And take a guess at who the victim was..." Nick paused.
"Melissa O'Connelly! Hmph... So she goes and takes a free horseback riding lesson from him and he gets a little too close, too touchy-feely... So I'm guessing she probably didn't tell her mother, but her mother found out somehow anyway? So when he was aquitted he kidnapped her and murdered her?" Cath sighed in disgust.
Nick nodded and continued to Grissom's office and gave him the info on the case so far. They didn't know where Denver was hiding out at he moment. So he decided he'd get in touch with the Texas Police again and they'd go back to analysing the evidence. Then hopefully with enough evidence to back their case, they'd go to Brass and get a warrant.
~*~
Nick placed the call to the Texas PD after he got the okay from Grissom. He booked two plane tickets for himself and Catherine and they were off to the airport, and on a flight to Dallas. Nick found there seats and settled in before turing to face Catherine.
"So... you think they'll be able to give us any clues as to where he might be?" Nick asked.
"I hope so... Maybe if we talk to his family, and they're willing to help, maybe they can give us a few names of places where he might be... maybe staying with other relatives..." Cath offered and then thought for a moment. "So... you were involved with Melissa's kidnapping case back in Texas?"
Nick frowned and nodded. "Yea... The family didn't tell us about the closed molestation case. All they said was that she went to a friend's house and never came back. So back at head-quarters, we made a list of all her friends, teachers, friends of the family and then we checked out the corral. Nothing came up. No one knew about her whereabouts." Nick recountered
"I don't understand why they never mentioned Micheal Denver's name... I know that if i was in their place, I would say anything..." Cath was cut off by Nick.
"Wait! I think I know why... " Nick paused, trying to organize his rambling thoughts. "Okay... when we get there, we'll go to the Corral and see what happened with Micheal, and then we'll go over to the family's house..." Nick said quite quickly, and then relaxed in his seat, leaving Catherine a bit confused.
~*~
After the plane had landed, Nick and Catherine were greeted by a couple of police officers. Nick made his way towards them with Catherine in tow.
"Nick Stokes, Criminalistics of Las Vegas... this is Catherine Willows." Nick introduced themselves.
"I'm Officer John Walker and this is my partner, Officer Anna Jones." The gruff man replied, shaking their hands, as did his partner.
"So Officers... Could you take us to the Corral where a Micheal Denver worked?" Nick asked, getting straight down to business. This was a case from his past that he hated to revisit.
"Sure thing..." Walker headed to his police cruiser and let Nick and Cath in the back. He drove towards the corral, glacing back at Nick every now and then. "So I heard you were a part of the Melissa O'Connelly kidnapping case...?"
Nick looked up and nodded. "Yea... Back when I was on the force here..." Nick trailed off, not wanting to get into details again. Walker seemed to notice this and dropped the topic.
"Ok... here we are... " Walker parked the cruiser and stepped outside. "I'll go get the owner for ya..." He said and walked into the corral.
Anna Jones watched the two CSI's in front of her. "You guys have any leads?" She asked rying to make conversation.
Catherine nodded. "We have reason to believe Micheal Denver was involved, but we need more evidence. So this was our first stop."
Jones nodded as she spotted her partner walk out with the owner of the ranch. They walked over to the small group. "This is Mr. Abram Cox, he's the owner of the ranch, and the previous employer of Micheal Denver." Walker introduced him.
Nick looked at the older man. "Mr. Cox... I'd like to ask you a few questions about Mr. Denver. Is that ok?"
"Yes... if you make it quick... We've already had too much bad publicity, I don't need anymore...." Cox replied with a hint of disdain in his voice.
Cath eyed him suspiciously. "When you found out about Mr. Denver and the situation with Melissa O'Connelly, what did you do about it?"
"I told him that it was unacceptable and that he was no longer going to be employed by my business."
"And he just left? Was he at all angry or frustrated? did he say any threats?" Nick threw questions by him at rapid fire.
"Well... he did cuss a fair bit and slammed my door sayin' yellin' something about getting even." Cox concluded.
"Alright, thanks for your time then, if we have anymore questions for you, we'll be in touch." Catherine replied and headed back to the cruiser. "So maybe Denver left the ranch, found Melissa walking home and kidnapped her, therefore getting back at Melissa's family for getting him fired, and getting back at Cox by giving him even more bad publicity."
"Maybe... We should probably get over to the O'Connelly's." Nick said sadly.
~*~ At the O'Connelly Residence ~*~
"Ma'am, could you tell us what happened please?" Nick asked, carefully.
Mrs. O'Connelly seems to aged slightly and seemed more frail. "I - the case fell through... we were upset, but couldn't do anything about it, we just wanted to try and get past it. Then she disappeared... We didn't know what to happen. We didn't mention Micheal because at first we didn't think there was any connection. I mean why would he risk something just after a court case?" She said.
Catherine thought for a moment. "Thank-you ma'am... but we have to go and if we need to talk to you again we'll be in touch..." Catherine said as she left the residence, with a confused Nick behind her.
"Catherine? What's going on?"
"She just brought up an interesting point Nick... Why do something stupid after a court case.... it's not logical..."
"Crime never is...." Nick quipped.
TBC
Don't forget to R & R
Chapter 9:
Nick printed out his new found information and walked down the hals of CSI to find Catherine and Grissom. He found Catherine in the breakroom reviewing the case file once again, looking for clues. Nick stood in the doorway, knocking on the frame.
"Cath! We got a break... c'mon I'll tell you about it on the way to find Grissom." Catherine stood up from the table, intrigued. She gathered the file and followed behind Nick.
"So... what did you find on the 'Texas Cowboy'?" Nick handed her his information and told her as she browsed through it.
"Texas Cowboy... Is Mr. Micheal Denver... apparantly he was giving free horseback lessons to promote the new ranch there and a child molestation case came about soon after, of which he ended up being aquitted. And take a guess at who the victim was..." Nick paused.
"Melissa O'Connelly! Hmph... So she goes and takes a free horseback riding lesson from him and he gets a little too close, too touchy-feely... So I'm guessing she probably didn't tell her mother, but her mother found out somehow anyway? So when he was aquitted he kidnapped her and murdered her?" Cath sighed in disgust.
Nick nodded and continued to Grissom's office and gave him the info on the case so far. They didn't know where Denver was hiding out at he moment. So he decided he'd get in touch with the Texas Police again and they'd go back to analysing the evidence. Then hopefully with enough evidence to back their case, they'd go to Brass and get a warrant.
~*~
Nick placed the call to the Texas PD after he got the okay from Grissom. He booked two plane tickets for himself and Catherine and they were off to the airport, and on a flight to Dallas. Nick found there seats and settled in before turing to face Catherine.
"So... you think they'll be able to give us any clues as to where he might be?" Nick asked.
"I hope so... Maybe if we talk to his family, and they're willing to help, maybe they can give us a few names of places where he might be... maybe staying with other relatives..." Cath offered and then thought for a moment. "So... you were involved with Melissa's kidnapping case back in Texas?"
Nick frowned and nodded. "Yea... The family didn't tell us about the closed molestation case. All they said was that she went to a friend's house and never came back. So back at head-quarters, we made a list of all her friends, teachers, friends of the family and then we checked out the corral. Nothing came up. No one knew about her whereabouts." Nick recountered
"I don't understand why they never mentioned Micheal Denver's name... I know that if i was in their place, I would say anything..." Cath was cut off by Nick.
"Wait! I think I know why... " Nick paused, trying to organize his rambling thoughts. "Okay... when we get there, we'll go to the Corral and see what happened with Micheal, and then we'll go over to the family's house..." Nick said quite quickly, and then relaxed in his seat, leaving Catherine a bit confused.
~*~
After the plane had landed, Nick and Catherine were greeted by a couple of police officers. Nick made his way towards them with Catherine in tow.
"Nick Stokes, Criminalistics of Las Vegas... this is Catherine Willows." Nick introduced themselves.
"I'm Officer John Walker and this is my partner, Officer Anna Jones." The gruff man replied, shaking their hands, as did his partner.
"So Officers... Could you take us to the Corral where a Micheal Denver worked?" Nick asked, getting straight down to business. This was a case from his past that he hated to revisit.
"Sure thing..." Walker headed to his police cruiser and let Nick and Cath in the back. He drove towards the corral, glacing back at Nick every now and then. "So I heard you were a part of the Melissa O'Connelly kidnapping case...?"
Nick looked up and nodded. "Yea... Back when I was on the force here..." Nick trailed off, not wanting to get into details again. Walker seemed to notice this and dropped the topic.
"Ok... here we are... " Walker parked the cruiser and stepped outside. "I'll go get the owner for ya..." He said and walked into the corral.
Anna Jones watched the two CSI's in front of her. "You guys have any leads?" She asked rying to make conversation.
Catherine nodded. "We have reason to believe Micheal Denver was involved, but we need more evidence. So this was our first stop."
Jones nodded as she spotted her partner walk out with the owner of the ranch. They walked over to the small group. "This is Mr. Abram Cox, he's the owner of the ranch, and the previous employer of Micheal Denver." Walker introduced him.
Nick looked at the older man. "Mr. Cox... I'd like to ask you a few questions about Mr. Denver. Is that ok?"
"Yes... if you make it quick... We've already had too much bad publicity, I don't need anymore...." Cox replied with a hint of disdain in his voice.
Cath eyed him suspiciously. "When you found out about Mr. Denver and the situation with Melissa O'Connelly, what did you do about it?"
"I told him that it was unacceptable and that he was no longer going to be employed by my business."
"And he just left? Was he at all angry or frustrated? did he say any threats?" Nick threw questions by him at rapid fire.
"Well... he did cuss a fair bit and slammed my door sayin' yellin' something about getting even." Cox concluded.
"Alright, thanks for your time then, if we have anymore questions for you, we'll be in touch." Catherine replied and headed back to the cruiser. "So maybe Denver left the ranch, found Melissa walking home and kidnapped her, therefore getting back at Melissa's family for getting him fired, and getting back at Cox by giving him even more bad publicity."
"Maybe... We should probably get over to the O'Connelly's." Nick said sadly.
~*~ At the O'Connelly Residence ~*~
"Ma'am, could you tell us what happened please?" Nick asked, carefully.
Mrs. O'Connelly seems to aged slightly and seemed more frail. "I - the case fell through... we were upset, but couldn't do anything about it, we just wanted to try and get past it. Then she disappeared... We didn't know what to happen. We didn't mention Micheal because at first we didn't think there was any connection. I mean why would he risk something just after a court case?" She said.
Catherine thought for a moment. "Thank-you ma'am... but we have to go and if we need to talk to you again we'll be in touch..." Catherine said as she left the residence, with a confused Nick behind her.
"Catherine? What's going on?"
"She just brought up an interesting point Nick... Why do something stupid after a court case.... it's not logical..."
"Crime never is...." Nick quipped.
TBC