CHEAP SHOTS
Chapter: 2/?
Spoilers: "Strip Strangler" (122)
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"Sit down..." Sheriff Mobley instructed Grissom as he entered the interrogation room.
Grissom obliged and sat beside Catherine, neither turning to look at the other. Their eyes remained focused on Sheriff Mobley, who stood over them on the other side of the table. From behind them, they heard Brass clearing his throat, the sounds of him sitting on the table by the door following shortly after.
"Sheriff? Would you like me to conduct this interrogation as well?" Culpepper asked, poking his head inside the door.
"That's alright, Culpepper, I'll handle this one. I need you to go round up your men, and start working on closing the Strip Strangler case. We've got a press conference in one hour."
Culpepper nodded a response and left, closing the door softly behind him. "Well," Mobley sighed, "Where to begin?"
"Just ask the questions that are necessary," Brass reminded him.
"If I remember correctly Captain Brass, I hold a higher position of authority than you do. Don't tell me how to do my job."
He took a long moment studying Grissom and Catherine, who were still avoiding each other's eyes. While Grissom looked down at the table, Catherine looked up at Mobley, a worried expression crossing her features.
"I think we'll start at the beginning," he announced, and pulled out a chair to sit down across from them, this action gaining Grissom's attention.
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"Oh man," Nick sighed, "They're really gonna get grilled, aren't they?"
The three junior CSIs had resumed their places on the other side of the two-way mirror, all of them leaning against the table in a row, arms folded across their chests. Their eyes were trained on the two senior CSIs on the other side, watching them intently like children watching their parents. In response to Nick's comment, Warrick nodded his head slowly. "Yep... everything's comin' out, now."
Sara shook her head, frowning. "This is so bogus."
The men on either side of her turned their heads briefly to look at her, before exchanging a look.
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"Where did you two meet?" Mobley asked, folding his arms on the table.
Catherine drew in a slow breath, and Grissom straightened slightly in his seat. "We met fifteen years ago, at the French Palace."
Mobley glanced to Catherine. "Where you were employed as a stripper?"
"Exotic dancer," they corrected him in unison, and for the first time since Catherine's confession, their eyes met.
Mobley paid no notice. "Right, right, sorry," he facetiously apologized. "And Gil, were you there for business or for pleasure?"
"Strictly business," he replied. "I was investigating the death of one of the bouncers, and had to question several dancers, including Catherine."
"Alright, and then what?"
"We got to talking," Catherine piped up. "I had a lot of interest in forensics, so once he was through with his questioning, I had some questions for him."
"I suggested that she go to school and study forensics," he chimed in, glancing sideways at Catherine before looking up at Mobley. "I told her she could come work with me."
"Pretty hefty promise for a CSI-level one," he mused. "Did you think if you promised her a job, she'd give you something in return?"
"Of course not!" he exclaimed, as if the very idea was preposterous. "Look, I have no idea why you're assuming I had a sexual relationship with Catherine based solely on the fact that she used to dance. Our relationship has been nothing but platonic for the last fifteen years!"
"But by choice?"
"Yes, by choice," Catherine snapped. She glanced to Grissom. "If we were to start a relationship, both of our careers could end up in jeopardy. We could end up comprising a case."
"Precisely," Mobley sighed. "And enter Syd Goggle..."
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"This is so insane," Nick sighed. He turned to Warrick and Sara. "I mean, even if they have feelings for each other, which... come on, it's pretty obvious..." He paused. "Up until now, none of their cases had been compromised."
"That doesn't matter to the sheriff, though," Warrick replied. "This case was compromised because of Catherine's feelings getting in the way, and it just happened to be this case that the victim-slash-killer was an officer."
Sara sighed heavily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Kinda makes you wonder, though..." she murmured.
"What?"
She shrugged. "Well, all those times Catherine got to work the big cases instead of one of us. Was that just favoritism on Grissom's part, because he's in love with her?"
Warrick shook his head. "No way."
She furrowed her brow. "What makes you say that?"
"Because that's not like Grissom. No matter what, he doesn't favor any of us over the other."
"Well, but Catherine--"
"Catherine's got seniority, first of all, and she's got the most talent," he argued. "He puts her on the big cases because he knows that she's one of the best CSIs in Las Vegas... and because he trusts her."
"Right, but does he trust her because of her talent, or does he trust her because he loves her?"
Neither men ventured a response... neither really knew how to respond. They just looked at each other before turning their attention back to the glass.
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"So you're saying that you never let your feelings compromise a case..."
"Right," Catherine replied. "Until now." She shrugged. "I'll admit, my feelings for Gil clouded my judgement a little, and I shot Goggle a few more times than necessary. But come on... the guy was a serial killer! Yes, he was an officer of the law, but he was a serial killer on top of that!"
"I'm aware of that," Mobley reminded her. "Catherine, I'm well aware of that. That's not what we're concerned with anymore... that case is being closed as we speak. What I'm concerned with is the fact that you let your feelings get in the way of rational thinking. So now I'm left wondering just how many times this has happened before."
"I told you," she hissed through her clenched teeth. "Today was the first time."
"Uh, that's not exactly true..." Brass spoke up from behind them.
"Jim..." Grissom murmured, shocked.
Brass shrugged. "I'm sorry Gil, but I have to look at this objectively, despite my professional history with the both of you. There was another case a few months back, involving Eddie Willows..."
Mobley glanced to Catherine. "Your ex-husband?"
She nodded slowly, closing her eyes in dread.
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"Shit..." Nick whispered.
Sara shook her head in response. "This does not look good for Catherine," she murmured.
"Yeah..." Warrick agreed, "And they haven't even STARTED on Grissom yet..."
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"There was a case involving an alleged rape on an exotic dancer," Catherine explained. "Eddie was the suspect."
Mobley looked to Grissom. "And you let her take this case because...?"
"I didn't want her to take the case," Grissom replied. "I allowed her to do the prelim. I told her after that, she had to hand it off to somebody else."
"And?" he asked expectantly of Catherine... "Did you?"
Eyes still closed, her head dropped to her chest. She slowly opened her eyes, keeping her gaze focused on her lap as she shamefully replied, "No."
"So you went against your supervisor's orders to hand off the case just because the suspect was your ex-husband?"
"Look, I know it sounds bad, okay?" Catherine met Mobley's eyes. "I didn't do it because of Eddie. I did it for my daughter."
"But once again your feelings, your attachment to those involved, compromised the case."
"It didn't compromise the case!" she snipped. "If anything, it helped the case get solved quicker. The charges were erroneous. The sex was consensual."
"So you got to fully exonerate your ex..."
"It wasn't by choice," she insisted. "If there's anyone that wants to lock Eddie up, it's me." She shrugged. "But he didn't do it. I knew he didn't. So I conducted myself in a professional manner to prove just that."
Mobley glanced to Grissom next. "And how did you feel about all this?"
Grissom shrugged. "I was upset she didn't hand off the case when I instructed her to, but I knew she wouldn't do anything to compromise it."
"And what about this case? Do you think she compromised anything in this case?"
"No," he replied simply. "She was just doing her job, looking out for one of her own."
"Yes, but she has confessed to having feelings for you... and for letting said-feelings obstruct her logic in handling the situation in the laundry room."
"I'm aware of that. But what I'm also aware of is the facts. Syd Goggle murdered three women... all the evidence can back us up on that... AND he would have killed me too if she hadn't been there."
Brass spoke up once more. "That IS considered self defense, Brian. She had every right to shoot him."
"I understand that, Jim. But, five times?"
"I thought you said we were gonna drop this," Catherine sighed. "Culpepper's closing the case right now."
"Yes. We'll drop it. What's in question now is your career."
"Over one little incident..." Grissom shook his head in disbelief.
Mobley stopped him with a stern glare. "If I were you, Gil, I'd keep my mouth shut. Your job is in question, too."
"On what grounds?" he challenged, folding his arms across his chest.
"Possible favoritism... and we still have yet to uncover the status of your personal relationship with Miss Willows."
"I can vouch for both of them in both of those instances," Brass chimed in. "Gil has never exhibited any favoritism toward Catherine, and I've got three junior CSIs on the other side of that mirror there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "That can back me up on it."
"And their relationship outside of work?"
"We've remained strictly friends for the last fifteen years," Grissom replied, discreetly reaching for Catherine's hand under the table when she glanced to him. "Despite any feelings that have or haven't been present."
"So you admit to sharing Catherine's feelings?" Mobley asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," he replied honestly. "I'll admit to being in love with Catherine as well."
She smiled warmly at him... at how effortlessly the confession had rolled off his tongue, and he met her eyes, smiling briefly before Mobley diverted their attention away from one another. "But both of you are willing to swear that you've never been in a sexual relationship?"
"Yes," they replied in unison.
"And like Brass said," Catherine added, "We've got three junior CSIs that can back us up on that, as well. They of all people should know that both of us are basically married to our jobs, and that we have no time for relationships outside of work."
Mobley cast a quick glanced toward the two-way mirror as he sighed. "Well, you'll have plenty of time now."
"What?"
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"Yeah, what?" Sara repeated.
"Is he firing them BOTH?!" Nick asked, his voice raising steeply in pitch.
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"What are you talking about, Brian?" Brass asked.
Staring directly at Catherine and Grissom, he replied, "I'm placing both of you on temporary suspension, pending further investigation into your relationship." He waved dismissively. "You two can do whatever you want, as long as you don't show up here."
The pair stood abruptly, their clasped hands now revealed. "You can't do that!" Grissom exclaimed.
Mobley's eyes shot straight to their hands, then back up to their faces, his brow arching conspicuously. "I believe I can."
Catherine and Grissom glanced down at their twined hands, then immediately dropped them and took a step away from each other.
"Brian, you can't be serious..." Brass sighed.
"I'm completely serious," he insisted. "And from what I just saw, they'll have no problem being away from work." He sneered. "It'll give them some time alone with each other."
With that, he flung the door open and left the room, Brass tossing a glance at the pair before following the sheriff out the door, still looking slightly stumped as to what just happened. Catherine and Grissom stared at each other, unsure of what to say or do...
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"So that's it?!" Sara exclaimed. "Just like that, they're suspended?!"
"Just like that," Warrick slowly sighed.
"I can't believe this," Nick drawled. "I mean, it was bad enough when Grissom got suspended from the Strip Strangler case, but with BOTH of them gone?" He shook his head. "The lab's gonna go to hell."
"Geez," Sara whispered. "Feels kinda like we're having our parents taken away from us, doesn't it?"
Warrick nodded slowly, heading for the door, Nick and Sara soon following suit. "Yep... so we'll have to do whatever we can to speed this stupid little investigation along."
"Yeah," Nick chimed in, grinning slightly, "And get our mommy and daddy back."
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TO BE CONTINUED