Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See first chapter A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement!!! If you keep the feedback comin', we'll keep those chapters comin' ;) Also again, thanks to wonderful Anne, Mar and allll the graveyard girls.
At the Desert Palms hospital Cath was nervously pacing up and down the hallway.
"Will you come sit down for a second? You're acting like it's Lindsey in there." Grissom said, a bit annoyed after a while.
That remark startled Cath a little. "What? Yeah, maybe you're right." She sat down and continued to gaze into the examination room every 2 seconds.
Grissom looked at Cath then followed her stares to the room where the two girls were being examined. He opened his mouth to say something comforting to her, to make up for his harsh comment earlier but at that moment his cell-phone started to vibrate in his pocket.
"Grissom, it's me."
"Jim. How's the case going?"
"The bodies are being taken to the coroner. I'll let you know if he finds anything. Any news on the two girls?" Brass asked him.
"Still being examined." Grissom quickly answered, still wanting to be involved in the case. "Did Warrick and Sara find anything?"
"Well, they're not who they want us to believe they are." Brass said cryptically.
"What do you mean?"
"What's in a name? That which we call-"
"Jim.....you're beginning to sound an awful lot like me." Grissom said, frowning.
Brass sighed. "It was worth a shot. Anyway, the db's are not Mr. and Mrs. Helban."
"Thank you." Grissom said dryly. "Then who are they?"
"That we don't know yet, but we're sure as hell figuring that out ASAP." Brass answered.
"Ok, fair enough." Grissom looked at Catherine who was once again gazing into the examination room. "Got anything else?"
"Yeah, actually." Brass hesitated a little. "You think you can try to ask those kids what they saw? Or just, who they are, a last name, anything? Because, right now, we've got... * zilch*."
"Umm.." Grissom said, and glanced at Cath for a second.
"What? What does he want?" she whispered, leaning in.
'Interrogation', he mouthed and pointed at the exam room.
"What? Has he gone completely crazy?" she spat and tried to pull the cell phone out of Grissom's hands to give Jim Brass a piece of her mind. How the hell could he believe that interrogating two traumatised little girls who had just lost their parents, was a good idea?!
Luckily, Grissom saw her move coming and avoided it quickly. "Will you cut that out?" he hissed.
"Fine" she shot back. "But we are not finished on that one yet, mister!"
"Jim? You still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here, what was that all about?" he asked.
"Oh......nothing, just a little misunderstanding." Grissom said airily. "But I don't really think those children are ready for questioning yet." he added quickly, after Cath gave him a 'don't you dare' look.
"Hmmm." Brass answered "Just try to get them ready, ok? We can't afford to wait too long. Gotta go now, Bye."
"Yeah, sure. Bye." Grissom put his phone back in his pocket. "What was that all about?" he said, annoyed.
"Are you blind?" Cath said, angrily. "Reese and Alexis are obviously not ready to..."
"Excuse me?" Grissom cut in. "What was that?"
"I said that Reese and Alexis are n-"
"There, you did it again" he interrupted, leaning back in his seat, watching her calmly.
"Did what?"
"You call them by their names. And you're being....unreasonable. Yanking the phone from my hands. To me that means that..." He sat back up again. "Look, I don't want you to get emotionally involved because this case involves two small children."
"Now what's that supposed to mean? I can't call them by their names? What should I call them, then? Girl number one and girl number two?" She hissed back, not wanting to raise her voice as two doctors passed them.
"What I meant was that you can't..." Grissom stopped when he saw the door and watched a nurse come out with Reese and Alexis.
"Hey there!" Cath spun around and her face lit up when she saw them. The nurse nodded at her reassuringly and Alexis walked over to Cath and grabbed her hand again.
"We're not sick." Alexis whispered.
"I'm glad you're not." Catherine smiled back.
Reese hesitated and then slowly walked over to Grissom. She smiled at him weakly, not sure of what to do.
He instead looked at the nurse for confirmation and his lack of reaction to Reese didn't go unnoticed by Catherine.
"They're fine, Mr Grissom." the nurse answered. "Psychically that is."
"Good. That's good news. Thank you." Catherine said, relieved.
"So, let's go?" Grissom looked at her for conformation.
She nodded in response, but as they walked the girls back to the Tahoe, she mumbled a low "This conversation isn't over yet", leaving behind a very confused Grissom.
When they were all seated and buckled up, Grissom carefully asked Catherine, "To the lab?"
"Yeah." Cath sighed. "Let's go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ( at the morgue)
"Hey Gil." Al Robbins greeted the grey supervisor. "Where's your lovely partner?"
"Hey Al." Grissom nodded, his eyes fixed on the body in front of him. "Cath is with the kids," he mumbled absent-mindedly, not noticing Al's twinkling eyes and small smile as a reaction to his comment. 'They act like they're already married,' he thought. Which was something that was, of course, inevitable in the eyes of the coroner.
"I heard about the two girls from Warrick and Sara. Shouldn't you be there with Catherine? You know, offer some support. They've been through a lot."
"Um, yeah, guess so..I..uhm..." Grissom started uncomfortably. Al noticed that, and for a split second, he could almost swear he saw his friend blush, but he then decided to change the subject.
"I figured you'd want the specifics on these two, even though Sara and Warrick already have my report."
"You know me too well." Grissom agreed, smiling. "So, what do you have for me?"
"Quick run through, because I have to go: Jane Doe, 30 to 35 years old. 5'6", gun-shot to the back, hit her right lung, when right through. Exit wound, no bullet."
Doc Robbins moved over to the other table. "John Doe, 35 to 40 years old, shot from close range. Hit him straight in the heart." He made some sort of an explosion sound and used his hands to dramatise the effect even more.
Grissom looked up in surprise and his eyes twinkled in amusement.
"So, my special effects are a little bit off these days......" Robbins cocked an eyebrow. "Anyway, pulled a bullet out of him. Sara took it to ballistics. You'll find my report with Warrick but there isn't really something that stands out on this case. No distinct marks on the bodies, I collected a few samples, did a few swabs, but nothing so far, I'm afraid. As for time of death, from what I can tell they died this morning, somewhere between 4 and 8 AM. " He glanced at his watch. "But I need to get going now."
He carefully pulled the sheets over the two victims. "My wife hates it when I'm late and especially when you're the reason of me being late."
Grissom nodded. Officially, the case was still his, but Sara and Warrick were actually working on it. "Tell her I said.....'Hi' or 'Sorry' ...You pick the one that works best."
"Will do. See you tomorrow, Gil. If you need anything, David is covering for me. I told him to forward any information to you as well. Good luck on the case."
"Thanks for everything, Al."
Robbins waved at the grey supervisor, but the action was lost on the latter, who was pondering the details of the case and was too lost in his own thoughts to notice.
A woman and man check into the Gold Coast Hotel.
They bring two children, presumably theirs.
They're both shot.
Witnesses? Possibly the children. Motive behind the murder? Murder- weapons? Who are these people? What did the children see?
He glanced around the room one last time before switching off the light. " 'It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers '. ... James Thurber."
Meanwhile, Cath was sitting in the break-room with the two girls, who were both drinking a glass of milk. An hour ago, they'd been examined in one of the interrogation rooms for possible traces from the crime scene. She glanced at them, noticing how awfully quiet they were in comparison to Lindsey. The buzzing of the TV was the only sound to be heard.
Catherine got up from the couch and slowly walked over to the table, where the girls were seated.
"So" she began cheerfully. "You feel better now?"
Alexis nodded but Reese barely responded.
"Can I ask you two some questions? It won't be about the hotel-room, I promise."
Reese averted her eyes and stared at the empty glass in her hands. Alexis nervously glanced at her older sister.
"Like, ....what's your favourite color?"
Reese looked up in surprise and Alexis started to smile. "Pink!"
Catherine grinned. "And your favourite color, Reese?"
Reese looked at her warily. "Blue, I guess."
"And your favourite animal?"
"Dog! Puppies!" Alexis chirped.
Reese shrugged. "A tiger. Or a lion."
"Do you have any pets?"
Reese frowned but Alexis cheerfully said, "Daddy hated dogs!"
"Yeah?" Catherine smiled, glad that the youngest was opening up. "You know what Grissom's favourite animal is?"
Alexis shook her head.
"Tarantula's. Those big, awful, hairy, black spiders."
"Eew!"
"My daughter Lindsey, she's 9, almost 10, isn't scared of them at all." Catherine carefully watched Reese's lack of response to her questions.
"Reese is 9 too!" Reese glared at her younger sister and gave her a little push.
"Really Reese?" Catherine focussed on her now. "Then why are you being so quiet?"
Reese leaned forward, her greenish eyes defiantly staring right into Catherine's blue ones. "Because I don't know you. STOP asking me questions."
Catherine, unimpressed, leaned over the table as well. "I'm trying to help."
"We don't need any help. We just want to go."
"Go where?"
"Away."
Catherine was about to respond , when she saw Brass passing the break-room. "Oh. Come on, girls."
When they walked through the hallway, in pursuit of Brass, Alexis pulled at Catherine's sleeve. "I do like you." she whispered.
------------------------------------
TBC !!!
Disclaimer: See first chapter A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement!!! If you keep the feedback comin', we'll keep those chapters comin' ;) Also again, thanks to wonderful Anne, Mar and allll the graveyard girls.
At the Desert Palms hospital Cath was nervously pacing up and down the hallway.
"Will you come sit down for a second? You're acting like it's Lindsey in there." Grissom said, a bit annoyed after a while.
That remark startled Cath a little. "What? Yeah, maybe you're right." She sat down and continued to gaze into the examination room every 2 seconds.
Grissom looked at Cath then followed her stares to the room where the two girls were being examined. He opened his mouth to say something comforting to her, to make up for his harsh comment earlier but at that moment his cell-phone started to vibrate in his pocket.
"Grissom, it's me."
"Jim. How's the case going?"
"The bodies are being taken to the coroner. I'll let you know if he finds anything. Any news on the two girls?" Brass asked him.
"Still being examined." Grissom quickly answered, still wanting to be involved in the case. "Did Warrick and Sara find anything?"
"Well, they're not who they want us to believe they are." Brass said cryptically.
"What do you mean?"
"What's in a name? That which we call-"
"Jim.....you're beginning to sound an awful lot like me." Grissom said, frowning.
Brass sighed. "It was worth a shot. Anyway, the db's are not Mr. and Mrs. Helban."
"Thank you." Grissom said dryly. "Then who are they?"
"That we don't know yet, but we're sure as hell figuring that out ASAP." Brass answered.
"Ok, fair enough." Grissom looked at Catherine who was once again gazing into the examination room. "Got anything else?"
"Yeah, actually." Brass hesitated a little. "You think you can try to ask those kids what they saw? Or just, who they are, a last name, anything? Because, right now, we've got... * zilch*."
"Umm.." Grissom said, and glanced at Cath for a second.
"What? What does he want?" she whispered, leaning in.
'Interrogation', he mouthed and pointed at the exam room.
"What? Has he gone completely crazy?" she spat and tried to pull the cell phone out of Grissom's hands to give Jim Brass a piece of her mind. How the hell could he believe that interrogating two traumatised little girls who had just lost their parents, was a good idea?!
Luckily, Grissom saw her move coming and avoided it quickly. "Will you cut that out?" he hissed.
"Fine" she shot back. "But we are not finished on that one yet, mister!"
"Jim? You still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here, what was that all about?" he asked.
"Oh......nothing, just a little misunderstanding." Grissom said airily. "But I don't really think those children are ready for questioning yet." he added quickly, after Cath gave him a 'don't you dare' look.
"Hmmm." Brass answered "Just try to get them ready, ok? We can't afford to wait too long. Gotta go now, Bye."
"Yeah, sure. Bye." Grissom put his phone back in his pocket. "What was that all about?" he said, annoyed.
"Are you blind?" Cath said, angrily. "Reese and Alexis are obviously not ready to..."
"Excuse me?" Grissom cut in. "What was that?"
"I said that Reese and Alexis are n-"
"There, you did it again" he interrupted, leaning back in his seat, watching her calmly.
"Did what?"
"You call them by their names. And you're being....unreasonable. Yanking the phone from my hands. To me that means that..." He sat back up again. "Look, I don't want you to get emotionally involved because this case involves two small children."
"Now what's that supposed to mean? I can't call them by their names? What should I call them, then? Girl number one and girl number two?" She hissed back, not wanting to raise her voice as two doctors passed them.
"What I meant was that you can't..." Grissom stopped when he saw the door and watched a nurse come out with Reese and Alexis.
"Hey there!" Cath spun around and her face lit up when she saw them. The nurse nodded at her reassuringly and Alexis walked over to Cath and grabbed her hand again.
"We're not sick." Alexis whispered.
"I'm glad you're not." Catherine smiled back.
Reese hesitated and then slowly walked over to Grissom. She smiled at him weakly, not sure of what to do.
He instead looked at the nurse for confirmation and his lack of reaction to Reese didn't go unnoticed by Catherine.
"They're fine, Mr Grissom." the nurse answered. "Psychically that is."
"Good. That's good news. Thank you." Catherine said, relieved.
"So, let's go?" Grissom looked at her for conformation.
She nodded in response, but as they walked the girls back to the Tahoe, she mumbled a low "This conversation isn't over yet", leaving behind a very confused Grissom.
When they were all seated and buckled up, Grissom carefully asked Catherine, "To the lab?"
"Yeah." Cath sighed. "Let's go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ( at the morgue)
"Hey Gil." Al Robbins greeted the grey supervisor. "Where's your lovely partner?"
"Hey Al." Grissom nodded, his eyes fixed on the body in front of him. "Cath is with the kids," he mumbled absent-mindedly, not noticing Al's twinkling eyes and small smile as a reaction to his comment. 'They act like they're already married,' he thought. Which was something that was, of course, inevitable in the eyes of the coroner.
"I heard about the two girls from Warrick and Sara. Shouldn't you be there with Catherine? You know, offer some support. They've been through a lot."
"Um, yeah, guess so..I..uhm..." Grissom started uncomfortably. Al noticed that, and for a split second, he could almost swear he saw his friend blush, but he then decided to change the subject.
"I figured you'd want the specifics on these two, even though Sara and Warrick already have my report."
"You know me too well." Grissom agreed, smiling. "So, what do you have for me?"
"Quick run through, because I have to go: Jane Doe, 30 to 35 years old. 5'6", gun-shot to the back, hit her right lung, when right through. Exit wound, no bullet."
Doc Robbins moved over to the other table. "John Doe, 35 to 40 years old, shot from close range. Hit him straight in the heart." He made some sort of an explosion sound and used his hands to dramatise the effect even more.
Grissom looked up in surprise and his eyes twinkled in amusement.
"So, my special effects are a little bit off these days......" Robbins cocked an eyebrow. "Anyway, pulled a bullet out of him. Sara took it to ballistics. You'll find my report with Warrick but there isn't really something that stands out on this case. No distinct marks on the bodies, I collected a few samples, did a few swabs, but nothing so far, I'm afraid. As for time of death, from what I can tell they died this morning, somewhere between 4 and 8 AM. " He glanced at his watch. "But I need to get going now."
He carefully pulled the sheets over the two victims. "My wife hates it when I'm late and especially when you're the reason of me being late."
Grissom nodded. Officially, the case was still his, but Sara and Warrick were actually working on it. "Tell her I said.....'Hi' or 'Sorry' ...You pick the one that works best."
"Will do. See you tomorrow, Gil. If you need anything, David is covering for me. I told him to forward any information to you as well. Good luck on the case."
"Thanks for everything, Al."
Robbins waved at the grey supervisor, but the action was lost on the latter, who was pondering the details of the case and was too lost in his own thoughts to notice.
A woman and man check into the Gold Coast Hotel.
They bring two children, presumably theirs.
They're both shot.
Witnesses? Possibly the children. Motive behind the murder? Murder- weapons? Who are these people? What did the children see?
He glanced around the room one last time before switching off the light. " 'It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers '. ... James Thurber."
Meanwhile, Cath was sitting in the break-room with the two girls, who were both drinking a glass of milk. An hour ago, they'd been examined in one of the interrogation rooms for possible traces from the crime scene. She glanced at them, noticing how awfully quiet they were in comparison to Lindsey. The buzzing of the TV was the only sound to be heard.
Catherine got up from the couch and slowly walked over to the table, where the girls were seated.
"So" she began cheerfully. "You feel better now?"
Alexis nodded but Reese barely responded.
"Can I ask you two some questions? It won't be about the hotel-room, I promise."
Reese averted her eyes and stared at the empty glass in her hands. Alexis nervously glanced at her older sister.
"Like, ....what's your favourite color?"
Reese looked up in surprise and Alexis started to smile. "Pink!"
Catherine grinned. "And your favourite color, Reese?"
Reese looked at her warily. "Blue, I guess."
"And your favourite animal?"
"Dog! Puppies!" Alexis chirped.
Reese shrugged. "A tiger. Or a lion."
"Do you have any pets?"
Reese frowned but Alexis cheerfully said, "Daddy hated dogs!"
"Yeah?" Catherine smiled, glad that the youngest was opening up. "You know what Grissom's favourite animal is?"
Alexis shook her head.
"Tarantula's. Those big, awful, hairy, black spiders."
"Eew!"
"My daughter Lindsey, she's 9, almost 10, isn't scared of them at all." Catherine carefully watched Reese's lack of response to her questions.
"Reese is 9 too!" Reese glared at her younger sister and gave her a little push.
"Really Reese?" Catherine focussed on her now. "Then why are you being so quiet?"
Reese leaned forward, her greenish eyes defiantly staring right into Catherine's blue ones. "Because I don't know you. STOP asking me questions."
Catherine, unimpressed, leaned over the table as well. "I'm trying to help."
"We don't need any help. We just want to go."
"Go where?"
"Away."
Catherine was about to respond , when she saw Brass passing the break-room. "Oh. Come on, girls."
When they walked through the hallway, in pursuit of Brass, Alexis pulled at Catherine's sleeve. "I do like you." she whispered.
------------------------------------
TBC !!!