Grissom could not believe she would allow her patient to be arrested. Most mental health professionals guarded their patients with a death grip. Getting access to a psychiatric patient was next to impossible, but here he was about to get full access. While waiting in the hall both men spoke into their cell phones.
Grissom: What size were the foot prints, okay , and the fibers on the broken glass, good, what about the gun used on the father?
Brass: None at the hospital so far. Not a word to Eclkie, he might call the press, just to screw with us. Put another man at the house. No, don't let anyone near that house. And send a unit to the Cortes building just in case.
Grissom: A bundle, where was it found. Great! Catherine? Have Greg and Sara finished processing the house? Fine, NO! no one goes home until this is processed. No one!
Brass: Tell the Chief were about to have a breakthrough.
Grissom: no don't tell Ecklie anything, okay just outline it for him. I'm working on a lead.
The door opened and Dr. Grey walked out . Her eyes were red and her face was flushed and not from crying she looked angry.
"Jim, we are going to go into that room and you are going to charge Katie with the murder of her parents. Then I am going to get her to talk about last night or tonight? What day is it? Mr. Grissom you may stay in the observation room."
Gil started to protest, but the look she gave him stopped him. Her physical presence betrayed that she had just had an experience that had shaken her to the bone. Gil stood at the window and watched as Jim and the doctor walked into Katie's room. He saw her answer in the affirmative as Jim read her the Miranda rights. The scared almost catatonic girl he had seen in the window a half hour ago was gone in her place was a alert and defiant young woman. He pushed on the intercom button.
" Katie, do you understand what is going on right now?" Dr. Grey asked
"Yes"
"Tell me why you are in this room"
"Something bad happened"
"Tell us"
"Dad and I had another fight"
"Go on"
"We were at the club, coming out after dinner. I was joking around with some of the kids and I threw my cell phone at Perry's car. It chipped the paint. Dad went ballistic. It was so embarrassing. He stood in the parking lot and screamed at me. He brought up every little thing I had done in the last six months, then he grabbed my arm and shoved me into the car.'
"What was your mother doing?"
"She was in the car. She had gone ahead of us. It was getting too chilly for her. He yelled at me all the way home and she just sat there'
Did he hit you or abuse you in any way on the way home?"
"We have been through this before Abigail. Dad never hit me. He just screamed and yelled and threatened to take away my car, my allowance, my cell, and send me to boarding school as usual. I was so tired of listening to him."
"Katie has your father always had a hard time controlling his temper around you?" "No, that's the crazy part. Daddy and Mommy gave me everything I wanted, they spoiled me rotten, until last year, when I got my drivers license. Then they decided to set "boundaries" You know how it was before last year. It was great. I could go and do anything I wanted, they bought me anything I wanted. Even when they were away on business, they told the nanny to spoil me like they did, they used to love me, remember? Then I got into one little accident."
"The DUI?"
"Duh, That's when all I began to hear from them was: "Don't you know who you are? We are Cortes and we behave in a certain manner… blah blah blah. The stopped loving me last year. That's the only thing I can imagine. Why would they suddenly start giving me rule unless they hated me. So I knew that I had to do something. I decided to kill them. I woke up… went to Daddy's side of the bed and shot him with his gun - from the side table. I had his rifle but I wanted to use his gun. Mommy woke up an I shot her with the rifle. Daddy moved a little. I dropped the rifle, made sure Mommy was dead and shot daddy again. I started downstairs, but mommy had gotten her blood on my feet. I took off my socks, put daddy's gun and the socks in a sweatshirt, went into the garage busted the window . I decided to act like it was a break in. On the way to the police station. I threw the sweatshirt and stuff out the window at the end of the driveway. I really didn't think about getting caught. I am so stupid. I mean if I had stopped to think about it, I should have done it like they do on TV. I could have gotten away with this, right. I can't believe the police found stuff at the house to prove I killed them. Can I get a lawyer like one on TV? Someone hot? I'd just die if I had to have some old guy. Look, I'm really beat can I go home or something?" Katie sat cross legged on the bed the entire time she spoke. As if she were at a slumber party. The strange thing , Dr. Grey and Jim were the only guests.
"Katie, Detective Brass is taking you to jail now. " Dr. Grey walked out of the room.
Brass hand cuffed Katie. She looked confused.
Brass instructed his deputy to take her to the station and book her.
"I think I need a lawyer now" Katie told them
"I've called your dad's attorney. He'll meet you at the station" and with that Dr. Grey turned to leave.
"Does your evidence support what she said?" Dr. Grey asked Gil.
"This was a temper tantrum? She killed her parents over a temper tantrum? Is she insane?" He asked bewildered.
" She is a sociopath ,Mr. Grissom. I recognized it the first day I treated her. You see, she was adopted and the Cortes' never had the heart to discipline her… for her own good…. She grew up equating love with permissiveness. When she got old enough that her antics weren't cute, they tried to crack down. She had all the signs of a sociopath. I recommended that she be committed. But James and Susan wouldn't hear of it. We had sessions three times a week for three years. I even told them she was capable of violence. I blame my self for this. If I had pushed harder to have her committed. If I had just worked a little harder…" she abruptly stopped .
"Mr. Grissom, are you alright?" she said.
Gil had the strangest look on his face.
"No, I am not alright."
"Can I help you?"
Grissom paused before beginning to talk. He knew she was used to dealing with emotion. He wondered if she could help.
"It all started when the plane was grounded …..
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catherine answered the phone.
"What? You have got to be kidding? A day off ? Two Days? No. No. I can handle things. Were almost finished processing last night's festivities. Gil did see Lady Heather's last night? Sara asked me a few questions.. Did something happen a the hospital between you and Lady Heather? No. I know its none of my business. Okay. The Cortes case? We just need to match the evidence to the kid's statement. Yeah. More than likely a fancy nut house, the family has the money. I saw you on the news. You looked tired. Rest you deserve it. See ya."
Gil rolled over in bed.
Sleep that is what he should do.
She had not let him sleep after he left the hospital and he did not have any regrets.
He pulled her too him. He touched her dark hair. Her body fit his perfectly. They lay in bed looking at one another and started to kiss
. Gil wondered if he would be with her if his flight had been on time. If his flight had been on time he would have been able to get more rest. He would not have been living off adrenaline and caffeine for the last 2 or 3 days. He would not have been weak enough to share everything about the women in his life. If he had not poured out the surpressed emotion and examined them, would he have been able to ask her to be with him that night.
They had really looked at each other and knew what they needed.
Not food, not sleep but each other.
The hell with procedure. He had driven them to his place, a part of his mind still not believing what he was doing.
He could not believe she had taken him up on his offer. An offer that had not been spoken as much a felt and he had just said that night that he didn't trust his feelings.
He trusted evidence. Evidence did not have motive, it did not lie and it never forgot
.
Isn't that what he had said.
Well, the evidence was lying next to him. Warm, inviting and willing. Why hadn't he noticed. He had spent the past few days , months and years suppressing his feeling. Wanting to be above his emotions. Not any more. When he and Dr. Grey had walked out of the observation room, something had changed. He would not let another opportunity pass him by….Carpe Diem.
"I'm glad you called me when you left the hospital" Sara said as she ran her fingers through his hair. He did need to rest, he looked so tired.
"I felt like I needed you … more than anything." He put his arms around her " shhh… sleep now." "One last question?"
"Shhh… sleep"
"I heard you met Brass's girlfriend. What was she like?"
"She's a doctor, she's very attractive, very perceptive and they are very discreet…. Now SLEEP"