Implied Connections
Chapter 15 – Hurtful Fears
By: Braidless Baka
Disclaimer: Don't own e-Bay… honest I don't…
A/N: Yup, my betas (RainbowsnStars and Krazykid197) are still wonderful, and will remain so until the day that they die ^_^;; And, from the next chapter onwards, we shall pile on the Greg angst. Yes, the angst of Greg. Muwahaha… I'm evil o.o;;
~~~
"So, " murmured Grissom, pointing at the CCTV tape, "I was right…"
"You can't see it too well. That van's in the way…" pointed out Nick.
"Yeah," said Warrick quietly, getting his two cents in, "but there's something going down back there. Look!" He pointed at the screen. "That was someone's hand."
"Probably Greg's," said Grissom, leaning back by this point, his tone dark. "Trying to get away." He looked up from the video at the entry of two more people, Catherine and Sara. Evidently Sara hadn't been arrested, Nick thought privately to himself, or she wouldn't be here right now. Automatic dismissal.
"What's happened?" Catherine's face was as pale as Sara's as she got in first with the question.
"It was Rachel, the whole time," said Warrick, his voice venomous. "She was pulling us along with a string the whole time and we bought it. And now she's got Greg."
"Are we expecting any kind of phone call?"
Grissom nodded at Sara's question. "I'd expect so. She's got nothing to gain from doing anything to Greg. More likely he's a bargaining chip. She knew we'd be onto her pretty soon. She'd have to know that if she was a CSI worth anything."
Nick looked up, from where he'd fixed his gaze on the floor. He was kicking himself. He'd been totally fooled; never suspected that Rachel was anymore than he'd seen her to be, a wonderful, pretty, witty girl. And now she was a murderer and an abductor. He was so stupid. "What's our next step?"
"Yeah," Sara chipped in, "there's got to be more to do than just sit around waiting for the PD to get something."
Grissom turned in the chair to face his team. "This abduction, today, is the only crime in Vegas. We know who killed Mrs Hodgeson, and we're all working Greg's case now. We know a lot about Rachel, not all of what she gave us could be fake. Catherine, you're going to come with me to Rachel's house. We need to turn that place upside down. Anything that's been near the Hodgeson's home, Sara or her home, a machine gun, or this 'Schlaufmiden'. And anything that could tell us where she's going right now with our tech." He turned to Sara and Nick. "I need you two to get out here with kits. If Greg left us anything in this building or this lot that tells us anything we need to find it." Then it was Warrick's turn. "Chase up our evidence. I need it all moving to the top of the pile. If Rachel had help, which I suspect she did, I need to know about it." He held up a finger as Warrick opened his mouth to protest at being given the 'run-around after stuff' job. Evidently he wanted to be doing something more hands-on. "Warrick, I know it's not the most productive job in the world, but I need it done. Then, when you've done that, chase up our rotten receptionist. I need to know who she is, and when you find out have her held in custody. Brass'll help you with that. Then, if you manage all that, you can drive out to Rachel's house to help me and Cath." He glanced around, finally having finished. "Everyone know where they should be?"
Unanimous nods confirmed that, yes, they did.
"Alright, let's go. Nick, you and Sara make sure you get this area cordoned off. No cars come or go from this end of the lot. They can take cabs."
"Yes sir," said Nick, nodding, and making for the building to retrieve his kit, Sara hot on his heels. Warrick followed suit, intent on badgering the hell out of everyone in that building. He knew this wouldn't be hard. Greg was well known and liked by everyone. Everyone would hustle any evidence that might get him back quicker. And, hopefully, that APB would come back any second. Then they'd have even more to go on.
That left Catherine and Grissom, who quickly made for the Tahoe, pulling themselves in and buckling up, Gil at the wheel, and practically peeling out of the lot.
"Gil," said Catherine after several minutes of the driving. "Calm down and slow down."
"I'm calm."
"You're not calm. If you don't calm down, I'm going to drive."
With those words, Gil eased his foot onto the brake and relaxed on the accelerator, still going over the speed limit, but maybe not so far over. He wasn't calm. He was worried. And panicked. And desperate. But he couldn't let any of it show on his face. In fact, the amount restraint he had to show was surprising. But, at the end of the day, Greg was part of his family. The same way as Catherine was, and Nick and Sara and Warrick. And Al, and Jim. Even, to an extent, Ecklie and his dayshift. Even Lindsay fit the bill. And families looked out for each other. And worried about each other.
So, that was the great Gil Grissom's reasoning. He was worried about his family.
"Gil? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm just thinking."
Cautiously, Catherine asked, "Thinking about what?"
"Which bone in Rachel Simmons' body I'm going to break first." He smiled slightly, a kind of withering smile. "What about you?"
Catherine's face was straight and pale as she looked away, focusing on the road ahead of them. "The same. She's not walking away from this."
~~~
"So," said Sara, after she and Nick had cordoned off their section of the parking lot, and let about four drivers know that their cars were part of an abduction investigation and were going exactly nowhere. They'd scoured the area, and found pretty much nothing of interest. "What do you think of Rachel now?"
"Let's not go there, Sara…" murmured Nick, crawling along the ground at this point with a magnifying glass, looking for anything that might help them. "I was stupid, and I know it."
"You weren't stupid." Sara pushed herself to her haunches and regarded Nick critically. "You just trust more than is good for you. That's all."
"Don't people deserve the benefit of the doubt?"
"Depends if they did it or not." She hesitated, looking down at her gloved hands. "It's a good quality Nick. I don't think anyone thinks any less of you."
"What about you?"
Sara shrugged. "I was annoyed. I knew I'd been set up, and you were getting along great with the main person shouting out my guilt. But I never guessed she was involved."
"Warrick did. He told me as much." Nick pushed himself to his haunches and took a deep breath, trying to keep a handle on his emotion. "Everyone told me. And I didn't see it." He paused. "If we don't get Greg back it's my fault."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say," she said, dismissing it tartly. "We will get Greg back. But not by gossiping here like two little old ladies. Keep looking."
~~~
"Hey, Helen." Warrick approached the front desk and was obviously in no mood to start beating around the bush. "Who was on reception on the 10th?"
By his tone of voice, the redhead knew he had little time, and turned, fishing the piece of paper out of the cabinet. "Deborah Parsons and Shelly Wilds."
"Are they around right now?"
Helen nodded. "Shelly's in the back on the computer. Want me to get her?"
"No, no. Just tell me. Do you know who was on the computers on the 10th? Or who typed up the sign out times for the morning of the 10th?"
Helen nodded. "That would be Shelly."
"Alright, thanks Helen." He then reached over the desk. "Can I borrow your phone real quick?" He took the receiver with a murmur of thanks, and rang through to get someone to take Shelly into custody. When he was done, he hung up gently and turned back to Helen. "Has she been acting nervous lately? Fidgety?"
"She's been staying in the back a lot," the redhead admitted quietly. "Every time she sees one of the police go by, she hides. It's like-"
Helen was about to continue, when a sudden commotion made Warrick look up. A brunette had just burst out of the side door of the reception's back office, and she was running through the building, as though Satan himself was behind her. You'd be better off with Satan on your case, decided Warrick grimly, ploughing after her, and sprinting in her wake.
She was a swift runner, Warrick soon discovered to his dismay. As she moved, she threw things behind her in an effort to make him stop. Then, suddenly, she tripped and fell, sprawling along the floor to come into a head-on collision with a wall. As Warrick came to stop beside her, she was trying to get up, dazed and woozy. Probably a concussion, if he were to hazard a guess. Good job she hit the wall first. She wouldn't have gotten off so lightly if Warrick had gotten to her before the wall did.
Looking around, Warrick wondered what had tripped her. His eyes fell on Shaun, who was standing at the door to Greg's lab, watching cautiously. "You wanted her to stop didn't you?"
"Yeah. Did you…?"
Shaun nodded. "Yeah. I figured you wanted her to stop."
Warrick stooped to haul Shelly to her feet. "I wonder what gave you that idea." Then he smiled. "Thanks man."
"Hey, if it gets Greg back faster, I'd pretty much sell my soul."
"To Satan huh?"
"To e-Bay." Shaun paused with a slight smile. "That's so much worse."