A.N. - Two parts in one day. Wow. They're short parts, but it's 2 parts nevertheless. On with the story...

Telling Dad and Moving On: Part 10

By LissaMarie (owl_eyed_goddess@hotmail.com)

August 24, 2003

"What did you find?" Kait asked as she and Nick walked briskly down the hall which connected the medical examiner's office to the crime lab. Nick hadn't said a word since his announcement in her office. She hadn't thought twice about abandoning her work with the ME to follow her boyfriend to the lab. Now, she was beginning to think she should have gotten more information before ditching her duties. Nicky, this better be good.

"Greg's been busy getting the DNA profiles for the victims. Some of the remains were too old and badly preserved to get anything workable, but Greg was able to get a profile for several of the victims. He compared them all to the perps playing off a hunch, and it panned out. One of the victims has several markers in common with one of the perps," Nick explained.

"They're related?"

"Siblings, according to Greg."

Kait stopped in the middle of the hall, her momentary elation from the revelation gone. The realization that they really weren't any better off than they were before hit her like a ton of bricks. "Nick, it's great that we know this now, but it's not going to help us find the killers. We don't know who the vic is to make the connection."

"Yes, we do," Nick smirked at her.

Kait tilted her head to the side and had a confused expression on her face that Nick found adorable. "Huh?"

"Warrick and I spent the night pouring over missing person's reports for the age group. One of the perps had a sister. Her name was Melinda Cassidy Monroe. She was born on June 7th, 1990 and reported missing in the spring of '99. Her parents are Charles and Marci Monroe, and she has two older brothers. Matthew is 16, and Samuel is 19."

"Which one has Down's?" Kait inquired grabbing onto Nick's sleeve and pulling him toward the DNA lab.

"Samuel. Brass contacted the parents. They're on their way down. Warrick's on the phone with the judge looking to get a search warrant for their house."

"This is good."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Please let me go," Leana sobbed from the corner of the dark room when she heard footfalls stop in front of the door. She had seen the story on the news about the kid's bodies found out in the desert. All she knew was that she didn't want to end up like them. Her life might suck, but it was her life. She wanted it.

The girl listened as the footfalls resumed down the stairs until she could no longer hear them. Her sobs got louder.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Doc, it's Kait. By the time you get this message, you're probably going to be seriously pissed at me. There was a break in the child-murders case. I'll do whatever you want to make this up to you, I swear. I had to be a part of this. Um, give me a call on my cell." Kait pressed the "End" button and slid her phone back into her pocket. She twisted in the passenger seat to face Nick who was driving them to the Monroe residence. She took in his set jaw and white knuckles. Something was wrong. "Nicky, we have a suspect and a warrant. Dad's interviewing the parents as we speak. What has you tied up in knots?"

Nick took a quick peek toward Kait before turning his attention back to the road. "We still don't know where this guy is. We still don't know who the other two are. We still don't know if they're responsible for the latest abduction. We still-"

"When did you turn into such a pessimist?" Kait interrupted, her question rhetorical. "All in due time, Nick. We just have to take this one step at a time." She laid her hand on his arm and massaged it gently, and Nick felt himself begin to relax under her caring touch.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Grissom hated probing the Monroes for information after just revealing to them that their daughter was found dead. He also knew that it was necessary to avoid having another parent go through the same ordeal. They were going to have enough with the parents of the 18 children whose remain they had uncovered. He tried to ignore their tear-stained faces as he continued.

"Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, could you by any chance tell us where your son, Samuel, is?" Grissom asked gently.

"He spends a lot of time with his friends. It's good for him. The doctors encourage it," Mrs. Monroe explained.

Grissom nodded. "Would it be possible for you to make a list of Samuel's friends, possibly including a way we can contact them? An address or phone number, maybe?"

Mr. Monroe agreed. "Of course."

"Also, does Samuel associate with other people with Down's Syndrome?" Gil made certain to make his question sound somewhat off hand.

"Yes. There are several people he grew up with. We would take him to the Desert Sand Center once a week, sometimes more. They have a lot of programs to help people like Sam. We want him to have the best life he can possible have," Mrs. Monroe replied.

"I've heard of the facility," Grissom informed her. He continued, "Would you be able to also give us a list of the people her may have closely associated with while there?" Both Charles and Marci Monroe nodded. "If you could please start on the lists, I'm going to go check with the medical examiner about releasing your daughter's remains.

"Thank you, Mr. Grissom," Mrs. Monroe responded tearfully.

TO BE CONTINUED...

A.N. - I'll plan to update soon (possibly in the next day or so), but I'm not going to make any promises for the same reasons I stated earlier. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed what I've posted so far. Please read and review.