Issues by SLynn
Disclaimer: I own only the thoughts in my head and the characters you don't recognize.
Chapter 5: Statement
Greg ducked into the DNA lab. It was an avoidance tactic. He had no inclination to run into either Warrick or Catherine until he'd talked to Sara. He figured he could come inside, talk with Amy, maybe find out how Dr. Sanchez's case was going and then slip in late to the staff meeting.
"Hey there," he said, sliding onto the stool and then quickly looking up and down the hallway.
"Are you pretending to be a spy again?" Amy asked, looking up from the beakers she had in her hands.
"What?"
"This," she said, mimicking his earlier movement of scanning the halls.
"No, I'm just laying low."
"This doesn't have anything to do with the case last night, does it?"
"Good guess."
"Obvious guess. I was told, actually told several times that I can't tell you anything about it. I didn't ask why, because really, why would they tell me anything I'm just the hired help."
Greg momentarily forgot his own problems, Amy didn't sound like herself.
"Can't be that bad already, you've only been on like twenty minutes."
"Try since noon."
"What?"
"Day shift called in sick, swing shift is apparently incompetent and I am too stupid to just let my phone ring."
"Ah yes," Greg said a smug smile on his face, "the good old days."
Amy looked at him with little effort to conceal her loathing.
"Seriously," he continued, choosing to ignore the icy stares, "did they get anything?"
"I couldn't tell you," she said in a louder then needed voice, slowly shaking her head from side to side and making significant eye contact. Greg got the point. They'd come up with nothing usable.
"Well, be like that," he added for effect, but winked at her once before leaving. "See you later."
"Bye," she called out in a much friendlier tone.
Greg continued down the hallway running straight into one of the two people he was trying to avoid. Warrick Brown.
"Hey Greg," he said coming to a stop, "I've been looking for you. Got a minute?"
"Sure," he answered, feeling his stomach clench. "What's going on?"
"We should probably do this in private," Warrick replied, motioning for Greg to follow as they made their way to the break room.
Warrick peaked inside, waved to Catherine who got up to join them as they continued on down the hall.
"We can use the conference room," Warrick continued "it shouldn't take long."
Greg didn't trust himself to answer. He thought he might throw up again.
"Have a seat," he said once inside.
Greg complied, sitting on one side of the table, noticing that Warrick and Catherine, likely out of habit, chose the other side to sit on.
"Let's just skip right to this," Catherine began. "Grissom told us how you know the victim, Laura Sanchez, from the case last night. We're still waiting on a warrant to release the names of the rest of her patients and files to us, so until then you're the only one we know of."
"So I went from suspect to prime suspect like that."
"You know we don't think you did this," Warrick countered.
"We've just need a statement. Where you were when it happened. Who might be able to verify your statement. The basics. If you're up to answering some additional questions that would help."
"Additional questions like what?" Greg asked trying to skirt the larger issue of where he was at the time.
"Well," Warrick began, looking uncertainly to Catherine first, "did she seem out of sorts lately? Did you notice anyone strange hanging around her office? Stuff like that."
"I wish I could help, but last time I saw Dr. Sanchez was on Thursday."
"Regular appointment?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah, I go on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Nine o'clock."
They both now had out their own notebooks and jotted it down.
"So she was fine then?"
"I guess so. It's not like I go there and we talk about her life. I don't really know much about her, but Dr. Tracey might. She's was like her mentor, knows her well. I'll get you her number she might be able to help."
"Good," Catherine said smiling. She knew this was tough on Greg. She also hadn't wanted it to turn into an interrogation. He didn't need this now, but there were things they needed to know.
"So," she continued. "Monday night, about two a.m., you weren't on duty so what, home sleeping?"
"Yes," Greg said as he nodded.
"Can anyone verify that?" Warrick asked.
"Um, like what, a neighbor or someone?"
Catherine and Warrick exchanged brief looks.
"Because I live alone and…"
"Yes or no Greg," Catherine said putting an end to his stammering. She thought she knew what was bothering him. He must not have been alone. Not unusual not even that unexpected. Greg was clearly winning the fight against the cancer. In the past few months he'd gained back his color, some of his weight, even managed to grow enough hair back that he could once more stick it at odd angles the way he liked. Catherine assumed he'd gone out, picked up some girl whose name he couldn't remember now and just didn't want to admit it to them.
Warrick however was on a separate but parallel track. He'd spent a lot of time with Greg over the last year. Noticed things not everyone else did. Things like who Greg spent his time with when he wasn't at work. A lot of time with. Looking him over, he knew he hadn't spent the night alone and that's what was bothering Greg. And Warrick felt that he wasn't going to tell them that.
Before Greg could answer or Catherine could continue to press the issue, there was a knock at the door.
Sara, not waiting for an answer, poked her head inside.
"Sorry," she said, as she came inside and shut the door behind her.
"Sara," Catherine started "can you give us a few minutes. Tell Gil we're sorry, but we'll be in the meeting shortly."
"I'm not here about that," she said coming over and sitting down next to Greg, who let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"We're kind of busy," Catherine continued, looking mildly annoyed now.
"I know; you're getting Greg's statement. Grissom just told me."
"You don't have…" Greg started. Relieved to see her, but dreading what was to come.
"Yes I do," she cut him off. "I'm not going to let you dig yourself in any deeper by lying because you think you owe it to me. You're in enough trouble."
"And there's no point in you going down with me."
"That's sweet, but not necessary."
The exchange between them was watched in silence. Warrick now assumed his suspicions were correct and Catherine felt completely lost.
"Monday night," Sara said turning back to the others, "I worked from four to midnight. After I left here, I met Greg at his apartment. We didn't leave until the next morning around eight to grab breakfast before I dropped him off at Dr. Tracey's office for his bone marrow test results. Sufficient?"
"You're his alibi?" Catherine asked, recovering a little.
"Yes. He was with me."
"The whole night?" Catherine asked and then immediately regretted it. She hadn't been able to stop herself it time and it had slipped out. Quite frankly, she was shocked.
"Yes," Sara answered, sounding only slightly agitated and that had been a feat in itself.
"I think we have enough now," Warrick said standing to go. He didn't like where this was headed. Greg, equally uneasy, stood as well, but the two women remained seated, continuing to stare at one another.
"How long has this been going on?" she continued. Catherine had a bit of a protective streak when it came to Greg. Ironically, a lot of it stemmed from when she'd nearly killed him in the lab explosion.
"Cath," Greg cut in "that's not really your business."
"You were his supervisor," she said, continuing to direct her remarks to Sara.
"Was his supervisor," Warrick said "I finished Greg's training. She hasn't signed off on him in nearly a year." It was a little fib; the truth was closer to eight months.
"So, how long ago did this start?"
Sara and Greg exchanged brief glances, but neither spoke. Catherine finally stood up herself, angry and feeling a bit deceived.
"This is going to have to get written up. It's going to be your statement and people are going to ask questions."
Catherine had calmed down some, the initial shock having worn off. She wasn't mad at them, not really. She was mad at the situation. This was going to cause problems for all of them. The slightest hint of impropriety could do a lot of damage to all of their careers, Gil's especially. Conrad Ecklie was going to love it.