Title: You're the One
Summary: Greg hires Nina to be the new lab tech and Grissom upgrades Greg to CSI Level One. His first case has to do with a nine year old boy who was sexually abused and then murdered.
Notes: Here's the second Episode. I'm trying to keep up maybe an update of every two days because of work and time and money. Wait... money doesn't have anything to do with this so we'll just forget that.
Extra Notes: This chapter is mostly some conflict/angst between Greg and Nina with a little Nick thrown in and an attempted attack on Cassie and then Lindsey and another twist in the murders. Plus some suspects and a new discovery. So here's a little taste of semi-angst for Krazy! Also this chapter has Italian in it so be sure to check at the bottom for the translation.
Chapter Three: Innocence
The signs of the times are omens
You're starting the day in
No man's land again
Who are you gonna be?
When you're on your knees, who do you believe?
Fear is a lonely man
You've been given innocence
You've been given innocence again
You should know by now
That your darkest hour
Is when your broken heart goes down
It's a bitter end
When the sweet begins
Grace is sufficiency
-- Switchfoot "Innocence"
Crime Lab—Friday April 9—9:57 pm
Nina had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for Nick and Greg to get back. Warrick sat quietly at the table looking through the files to see if he had overlooked anything. Nina mumbled and stirred slightly in her sleep. Warrick stopped any movement so as not to wake her. Then her beeper went off. She shot up and looked around before realizing where she was. She looked at her beeper and stared at the number puzzled.
"What is it?" Warrick asked.
"It's Cassie. She wants me to call her, but I have my cell on." She fished in her lab coat pocket for her phone and pulled it out, "Dammit dead battery."
"Here use mine." Warrick said tossing her his mobile. She thanked him and dialed the number.
"Hey hun it's mom are you okay?"
"You didn't have your cell phone on." Cassie accused.
"The battery died and I didn't realize it. Is there something wrong baby? Do you need me to come home?"
"The kids at school are saying Will was murdered. Was he mom? Are you working on him like you do all those other people?"
"Cassie you don't need to worry about that. Where's your Aunt Marie?"
"I took the bus home today. I didn't know you weren't going to be here." Nina stood up alarmed.
"You mean you're there alone?"
"I'm sorry mommy I didn't know." Cassie sounded scared which set off all kinds of alarms in Nina's mind.
"State andando essere la morte di me." Nina whispered rubbing her forehead, "You had better be in that apartment with doors locked and the curtains closed, sitting on the couch patiently when I get there. I love you." Nina told her swiftly before hanging up. She gave the phone back to Warrick, muttered her thanks, and left the room. He walked quickly to catch up to her.
"Do you need me to drive you?" he asked concerned as he followed her into the locker room. She took off her lab coat and threw it into her locker before grabbing her purse. She then turned to Nick's locker and took the keys.
"No." she told firmly. She stumbled trying to walk past him and he steadied her. "I'm fine." She protested pushing him away.
"Nina I really don't think you should be driving in your condition."
"I'll be fine." She ducked past him and ran. She couldn't get to her baby girl fast enough to make sure she was okay. Warrick followed her and Nick, Greg, and Brass met her head on.
"What's going on?" Greg asked worriedly.
"Our daughter is at home alone." She growled before pushing past them and running out into the lobby.
"She shouldn't be driving." Warrick told both Greg and Nick. They got the hint and went after her. Greg caught up to her first as she was unlocking the door. He took the keys and glared.
"Déjà vu," she muttered under her breath, "only the positions were reversed."
"Just get in the back." He told her shortly. He unlocked the doors and climbed in behind the wheel just as Nick was opening the passenger's side door.
Greg drove as fast as he could without drawing unwanted attention to them. Nina was out of the car before it had stopped. She ran up the stairs and smacked right into the apartment door in her haste. Unlocking the door she pushed it opened roughly and saw her daughter sitting on the couch. She wrapped her up in a fierce hug before holding her out from her at arms length.
"Cassandra Marie Antonia Moretti che cosa stava passando tramite quella testa di il vostro come potreste fare qualcosa così completamente stupido?" there was a pause and Cassie looked away from her mother, "rispondami!"
"Non so. Non siete venuto mai ieri sede ed ho pensato che potrte venire a casa un momento durante il giorno in modo da sono venuto a casa. Oltre alla zia Marie mai mi non ha detto che fosse raccolto me in su e non ha detto nulla circa lo zio Shawn uno. Ho pensato che fosse giusto. Niente è accaduto mom che sono benissimo. Sono spiacente." She apologized bowing her head. Nina stood up and turned around as she muttered a few choice words under her breath. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to face her daughter.
"Sono spiacente non sono Cassandra abbastanza buon. Dovete pensare. So che siete abbastanza astuti. Utilizzi per un po'la vostra testa una volta dentro. Ci è gente difettosa nel mondo che non non prendere un altro in considerazione l'eliminazione voi e fare le cose horrible a voi." Cassie was angered by her mother's strong words and was on the verge of tears. "Vada appena alla vostra stanza."
"Non ho un mom della stanza. Ripartiamo uno ci ricordiamo di. La odio qui. Gradisco il nostro vecchio appartamento migliore e la zia Marie era mólto più piacevole di siete." Cassie ran past her mother and both Nick and Greg out of the apartment.
"Benissimo. Vada se desiderate a." Nina yelled after her.
"Oh well that was motherly." Greg yelled at her.
"I didn't see you doing anything." Nina yelled back switching easily into English. "Parenting isn't as easy as it looks and it's even harder doing it alone, but you wouldn't know seeing as how you left us because we tied you down." Nina followed her daughter out of the apartment. She slammed the door shut behind her. Greg let out a small scream and punched the wall.
"Greg, sit down and cool off before you do something stupid." Nick told him sharply looking from the dent in the wall to Greg. "Let Nina and Cassie take care of whatever they were shouting about and by the time they get back you and Nina can sit down and have a nice long talk about what just happened. Right now however you are going to sit on that couch and ice your hand." Greg followed his orders reluctantly and sat on the couch while Nick got ice for him. "I'm going to go check on the infamous mother and daughter duo and make sure they haven't killed each other yet. You stay right here." Nick said handing him the ice he had wrapped in a dish towel. Greg thanked him through his gritted teeth and put it on his swollen, red knuckles.
Fifteen Minutes Earlier in the Lobby
Cassie hadn't really intended to leave the apartment, but with her final shout she had needed a grand exit. She had every intent on turning around and heading right back up the stairs, but a strange man in the lobby had called out to her for help. He didn't look all that old, but who was she to say he didn't need help. One of his paper grocery bags had ripped and some clothes had fallen out of it. He had three other bags in his hands and couldn't reach down to pick up the ones on the floor. Cassie sighed and walked over to help him. She kneeled down and gathered the few shirts into her hands before standing and laying them on top of the other three bags.
"Thank you very much. Do you think possibly you might be able to throw the torn bag away for me?" he asked gently. Cassie shrugged.
"Sure," she answered. She led the way out the doors and didn't notice him watch her go to the dumpster at the far end of the parking lot. She stayed in the street lights the entire time just like her mother had always warned her to do in the dark.
Cassie sighed once again. She hadn't really meant to yell at her mom, but in the heat of the moment she wasn't able to stop the words leaving her mouth. Aunt Marie always told her she was exactly like her mother in that way. She knew she'd be sent to 'her room' and she would have to apologize to her mother, but she didn't mind because she really hadn't meant what she said. Her mother did the best she could and she knew that.
So wrapped in her thoughts she hadn't realized the old man had stepped in her path. She looked up at his looming form and squinted to get a better look at his face.
"Here," he said holding out a five dollar bill, "your payment for helping me." Cassie looked at the money cautiously before looking around him to gage how far away the entrance was.
"Are you sure, sir?" she asked him nervously, "I don't really need it."
"Go on," he said offering it to her, "I insist." She slowly reached her hand out to take the money from his palm. His long, cool fingers wrapped around her slim wrist and Cassie gasped at the pressure he applied.
"Let go," she told him starting to panic, "my mother and father and uncle work with the police. You'll get in so much trouble mister." She warned him trying to keep her wits about her. He smiled sickeningly sweet at her words.
"They haven't caught me yet." Cassie's eyes widened in fear and she struggled harder, "Besides don't you want to keep your friend Lindsey company. She'll be terrified without you." Cassie heard the entrance door open and her heart soared.
"Cassie," she heard her mother call out.
"Aiuto del mom. Non lascerà per andare della mia mano." Nina turned quickly when she heard her daughter's voice. She took in the situation immediatley.
"Hey," she sceamed, "get your hands off my daughter." Her scream attracted the attention of a passerby pulling into the parking lot.
The man turned quickly, dragging Cassie with him by the arm. He was about to respond when the newcomer barged in on the scene.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked Nina. She recognized him immediatley and nodded.
"Let go of my daughter." Nina growled stepping toward the man.
"I did no harm to your daugter," he said harshly pushing Cassie away from him. She stumbled and fell onto her knees. No one moved. Cassie held her breath. "I simply caught your daughter stealing. That is all." Nina continued to stare him down.
"Cassie go find your Uncle Nick and stay with him." Nina ordered Cassie. She nodded and took off for the main entrance metting Nick in the lobby. He picked her up as she began to cry.
"You should keep a better eye on your daughter. You never know what kind of trouble might befall her." He said sneering. Nina knew there was a hidden meaning and she didn't like it.
"Are you threating me, sir? Because I don't respond well to threats. They make me feel icky."
"I never threaten, but I'd keep a very close eye on your daughter. Chrysolyte would become her." He whispered so only Nina could hear him. Although she didn't understand what he said she knew it couldn't be good. She made as if to smack him, but he caught her hand and held it in a death like grip. He smiled; she glared. "I don't think that's a very good idea."
"I'd let her go if I were you." Derek warned stepping up to the smaller man and grabbing her arm just below her wrist where the other man had her. He let go, but the smile never left his face.
"I'll see you around." He told them as he walked away.
Nina struggled to get away from her rescuer so she could go after him. She didn't know quite what she would do, but she knew it might involve a gun, a shovel, and the desert. But the man she had met on her way to work one after noon held her arm and grabbed her waist to keep her from doing something stupid.
"Hey calm down. Everyone's fine. Why don't you go see how your daughter is doing? I'm sure she needs you right now." Nina stilled at his words and turned to face him as best as she could.
"Thanks," she told him, "I'm Nina."
"I'm Derek. I gather your daughter's name is Cassie."
"Yeah," she blushed and looked down, "thanks again, but I should get back and check on her. She looked pretty shook up. Thanks."
"That's the third time you've thanked me." He told her smiling.
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't apologize it's kind of cute." He released his grip on her arm and waist, "just let me know if you ever need help again."
"Apartment 129, right?"
"Yeah." She smiled and walked back into the lobby. Nick had sat down with Cassie on one of the benches and she was still crying, her face buried in his shirt. He held her and whispered soothing words in her ear. "Cassie, baby. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Nina asked grabbing her daughter's hands.
"He said he had Lindsey." She sobbed louder and both Nina and Nick looked alarmed.
"Nick, cell phone." Nina demanded. He pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her.
"Honey, I'm going to go make sure she's all right. You go back upstairs with Uncle Nick and tell him and daddy what happened, okay." Cassie nodded. Nina kissed her forehead and whispered something in her ear before she left. Nina took the extra set of keys Nick handed her and left the complex as she dialed Catherine's cell number.
"Willows," Catherine answered.
"Cath, its Nina. Are you still at work?"
"Yeah, is something wrong?"
"Where's Lindsey at?" Nina asked ignoring her question.
"With her aunt? Why?" Catherine asked alarmed.
"Some guy tried to take Cassie outside of our apartment complex. He said something about Lindsey. I'm on my way to check on her now. I'll bring her with me to make sure she stays safe. I don't think I want Cassie going to school next week."
"I think that's a good idea. I'll come over the minute I get off."
"Hey one more thing before you go," Nina said before Catherine could hang up, "Where exactly does your sister live?"
Crime Lab—Saturday April 10—3:30 am
Nina felt over extended as she walked into the lab with two tired nine year olds clinging to her.
"Yo guys walk a little here. You are way too old for me to carry the both of you all the way to that break room. But if you want I can page Nick, Greg, and Warrick to come and get you. In fact I think that's what I'll do." Nina walked the few feet to the reception desk and set the black duffel bag in her hands down. "Morning Becky," she said tiredly. The woman quirked an eyebrow, "Could you page Nick, Warrick, and Greg to the front desk." She nodded and turned to the phone. After pushing a combination of numbers her voice came over the loud speaker and she called the three CSI's to the front desk. They arrived within ten minutes, a little confused and worried about being paged.
"You need something?" Nick asked Nina. She didn't answer just handed him Lindsey. As soon as Lindsey was out of her arms she picked up Cassie and handed her off to Greg. They looked at her questioningly.
"Hey it was their idea." She said holding up her hands in defense. She grabbed the duffel bag with a groan and shoved it at Warrick, "that was my idea." She told him winking. He smiled. Cassie looked at her father and smiled sleepily.
"Lindsey and I had so much fun. We had ice cream and mom let us sleep in her bed with millions of pillows, but" Cassie looked to Lindsey and Lindsey shook her head, "but mom got scared so we came here." Lindsey smiled and both girls began to giggle.
"Yep," Nina said "I got scared so I came to work." Nina turned and began to head for the exit.
"Where are you going?" Greg called after her.
"That bag Warrick has only has clothes and blankets in it. I have to get the girls' entertainment and pillows." Nina walked out.
"So mom got scared did she?" Greg asked Cassie as they all began to head for the break room.
Crime Lab—Saturday April 10—7:00 am
Catherine walked into the DNA lab where Nina was currently processing evidence for the dayshift.
"I'll take the girls home with me and bring them back when shift starts again." Catherine informed Nina.
"Sure. Why don't you just leave all the movies and things here that way we don't have to lug everything everywhere." Catherine nodded. The two had yet to talk about the actual threat the man had given Cassie. Nina wanted to believe it never happened and Catherine was trying to forget how much danger her daughter may be in. "Catherine," Nina said before Catherine left the lab. She turned around and Catherine, for the first time that morning, noticed the fear in her eyes. "Do you think they'll be alright?"
"I won't let anything happen to them."
"I know," Nina sighed
Crime Lab—Saturday April 10—2:30 pm
Grissom had grudgingly agreed to let the girls stay in the break room during the nightshift—mostly due to Catherine's evil glare as he meekly tried to protest. He knew it was for the best anyway. He had sat Cassie down and gotten a detailed description of what the man looked like and what he had told her. He also asked Nina if she had anything else to add to the report. Immediately she told him of the comment he made about chrysolyte and asked Grissom if he knew what it was. He told her he'd look into it.
As he hung up the phone in his office he doubted if he would have time to get to it tonight. He walked into the break room, noticed the girls coloring and told Nick and Sara, "Get to Arden as fast as you can."
Arden, Nevada—Saturday April 10—3:27 pm
A nine year old girl had been posed in the desert. She was kneeling with her head bowed and her small hands clasped together, almost as if she was praying. Sara looked away and took a deep steadying breath before proceeding over to the body. Nick had begun to look around the area for any trace of evidence. He found the broomcorn and bagged it. Becoming aggravated by lack of evidence he decided to take a walk along the side of the road to cool off, but he saw something that didn't belong.
"Sara, I've got a partial shoe print." He exclaimed quickly setting down his kit. Sara came to stand behind him and shot several pictures of the print.
"There's no new evidence on the vic. Still the same gold on the eyelids and this time the pearl was placed inside the mouth. We'll have to wait for the coroner's report to see if she was killed the same way as the others. You don't think he's changed his motive now do you by switching from boys to girls?"
"I don't know, Sara. I really don't know."
Crime Lab—Saturday April 10—3:30 pm
"Grissom," Brass said entering his office, "you know those kids we interviewed about the first victim?" he nodded, "well they've come forward. They say they forgot to mention something."
Fifteen Minutes Later
Two boys sat in the interrogation room, nervously waiting for Grissom to start questioning them.
"What is it you didn't mention before?" Grissom asked softly. Rick was the first to speak up.
"We saw them." He told Grissom looking around as if expecting to see the men in the room.
"Them?"
"Yeah, the two cops. They yelled at us for writing on the sidewalk. He said he was going to take Will home. We saw his badge. We thought we'd get in trouble if we said it was him."
"But there's this girl at school, Lindsey." Sam spoke up filling in the blanks for Grissom.
"She got caught fighting a boy because he made fun of Will. She's weird like that." Rick interrupted.
"Anyway she told us that her mom and Cassie's mom were looking for Will because someone took him You see they're in the same class along with Will and Ben, but we're in Miss. Martin's class so we can't watch out for Will all the time."
"The fifth graders pick on him because he's small and they call his sister really mean things because she's got a kid." The two boys went back in forth explaining about Will's predicament.
"Did you know any of the other boys?" Grissom asked and looked at his file, "Eric Hunter, Fredrick Morgan, and Jack Brewer."
"Yeah," Sam told him gaining more courage as the interview went on, "Eric and Jack are best friends."
"They're in Mrs. Morella's class and Freddy's in our class. Why do you need to know about them?" Rick asked.
"I think that's a question your parents should answer." The lawyer spoke up halting Grissom from uttering anything.
"She's right," Grissom confirmed.
"Do you think," Rick started, but stopped and looked over at Sam for reassurance before continuing, "Do you think they'll get us too? I mean since we came here and all. That's what always happens on TV."
"You see that detective over there?" Grissom asked pointing to Brass. Both boys nodded their heads, "He'll make sure they don't. Do you think you boys could tell him what they looked like?"
"Sam has a special memory." Rick said proudly and winced when Sam elbowed him.
"What do you mean?"
"He remembers weird things. Go on tell him." Rick urged on his friend.
"The man who stayed in the car; he kept looking at us all weird like. It felt really wrong. I didn't like it. He waved at us when they drove away. He had this ring on. It was gold and it had a red X in the middle of it. It was really big. That's all I remember though because it was scary the way he looked at us."
Crime Lab—Saturday April 10—6:12 pm
Sara had dropped off the evidence with Nina and had headed to the break room to await her page. She discovered Lindsey and Cassie sitting on the couch watching a DVD. Cassie invited her to join them and she had accepted a little awkwardly.
"What are you watching?" she asked in a whisper.
"The first Adventures in Niceville. It's my favorite one." Cassie whispered back, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"I like the fourth one." Lindsey interjected, "You learn more about Chief in that one." Cassie nodded in agreement and soon Sara was wrapped up in a whispered conversation on favorite characters.
"Who's your favorite character?" Cassie asked. Lindsey had answered Lileth because she had reminded her of her mom. Cassie had disagreed and said Tabby was the coolest because of her hair and red sunglasses she constantly wore. Sara thought about the question, so the girls would think she was giving it serious thought. Obviously this subject meant a great deal to them.
"Well both of you have already picked Lileth and Tabby so I'm going to go with Angel. She's the youngest plus she gets to kick the most butt." Lindsey and Cassie giggled at this and Sara smiled, glad that she had been able to make them laugh.
Sara's beeper went off right in the middle of one of her favorite scenes. Lindsey had offered to pause it for her and Sara had politely declined. "You two finish watching. I have to go work anyway so I might not be back." The girls were engulfed in the movie as soon as she was out of sight. She smiled and headed to the DNA lab.
Nick had beaten her there. Nina waited for Sara to show before she began her small speech.
"Same story with the gold and the pearl as the last four times. The jewel this time was an Ellensburg Blue Agate. It's the third rarest jewel in the world." She held the gem between her thumb and forefinger admiring the sky blue color. She set it down and turned to the microscope. "It's the same broomcorn only this time he left a little something extra on it. Take a look," she offered the two CSI's. "It's hemp twine; used to hold the broomcorn together on the broom. It's bleached white and waxed and it is only made in Romania. Narrows down your search a little because whoever bought the broomcorn also bought this at the same time." She told them smugly. Damn she was good.
Grissom entered the lab at that moment.
"Nick I need you to come with me. We're going to bring in a couple of suspects. Nina I'm going to need you and Cassie to look at a line-up and see if she can point out the man who attacked her." Nina nodded.
"Sure. I'll go talk to her." Nina started to leave the lab, but turned around when she remembered something, "Oh Grissom, Cassie, she has this bruise on her arm from where he grabbed her and it has an indentation from his ring. I've got one too." She rolled up the sleeve of her lab coat and showed him her wrist. He took her hand gingerly and examined it.
"The ring, was it gold with a red X in the middle of it?" Grissom asked.
"Yeah, the X was made of tiny rubies. It was big like a class ring or something."
Notes: Here's the translation for the Italian earlier on. I didn't expect this chapter to take so long to get up. I really wanted to put more Greg and Nina angst along with a little Nick angst thrown in for good measure, but that didn't really happen. The next chapter looks like it will be better for angst though. This chapter mostly was concentrated on the case. Hope I didn't disappoint. Please Review!
"I'm sorry mommy I didn't know." Cassie sounded scared which set off all kinds of alarms in Nina's mind.
"You're going to be the death of me." Nina whispered rubbing her forehead, "You had better be in that apartment with doors locked and the curtains closed, sitting on the couch patiently when I get there. I love you." Nina told her swiftly before hanging up.
"Cassandra Marie Antonia Moretti What was going through that head of yours? How could you do something so completely stupid?" there was a pause and Cassie looked away from her mother, "Answer me!"
"I don't know. You never came home yesterday and I thought you might have come home sometime during the day so I came home. Besides Aunt Marie never told me she was picking me up and she didn't say anything about Uncle Shawn either. I thought it would be okay. Nothing happened mom I'm fine. I'm sorry." She apologized bowing her head. Nina stood up and turned around as she muttered a few choice words under her breath. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to face her daughter.
"I'm sorry isn't good enough Cassandra. You have to think. I know you're smart enough. Use your head once in awhile. There are bad people in the world that wouldn't give another thought to taking you away and doing horrible things to you." Cassie was angered by her mother's strong words and was on the verge of tears. "Just go to your room."
"I don't have a room mom. We share one remember. I hate it here. I like our old apartment better and Aunt Marie was a lot nicer than you are." Cassie ran past her mother and both Nick and Greg out of the apartment.
"Fine. Leave if you want to." Nina yelled after her.
"Cassie," she heard her mother call out.
"Mom help. He won't let go of my hand." Nina turned quickly when she heard her daughter's voice. She took in the situation immediately.