For Disclaimer see Default Chapter
Chapter Seven – AmbivalenceCatherine entered the morgue tried to focus on the case while Doc Robbins performed the autopsy on the dead girl with Warick attending.
"First it had looked like an abduction which went fatal, but during investigation it turned out that the mother faked the story because she had offered her kid to willingly paying child molesters." He explained to the doctor. "It never ceased to amaze me what members of a family can do to each other." Doc Robbins sighed. "You think you've heard it all and then this. Her own mother sold her out!."
"Yeah, and when the kid was getting to old for this special audience, she killed her, dumped her and made up the abduction story." Cath shook her head.
"Girl died of asphyxia by strangulation with a scarf." Robbins picked up some fibres from her throat.
"I'll bag it and get it to Hodges, see if we have a match with the scarf we found back in the mother's apartment." Said Warrick and left.
"Well, Catherine! You did a nice take-off in your career since Ecklie rules." Doc Robbins stated in an ambiguous undertone intending to provoke a reaction. "Oh, Al! Not you. Please don't to there." She answered in a resigning voice and looked hurt.
"The only thing I really wanted was dayshift." Cath started to explain. "I wanted the supervisor job because I was ready and knew that I can do it and I wanted to have some quality time in daylight with my daughter. Then when Ecklie gave me swing shift, my daughter turned me down, not longer in need of a mother who finally managed to organize her life. Then Sara blew up at Ecklie and Grissom refused to fire her, so Ecklie got totally pissed off. Grissom is a stubborn, politically tone deaf idiot when it comes to Ecklie." Cath ended breathless.
Doc Robbins patiently waited for further outburst. He had known her for years now and always appreciated her passion and dedication. And she always had a strong thing for justice. Cath would manage her issue, he knew that and if he would be the catalyst, fine with him.
"Al, I simply don't know what to do about that. Gris has always my mentor and covered my back. Being his supervisor? That's just not feeling right. I'd rather prefer to work with him under his purview than the other way round. The team was at his best, when we used to work together.
"So you wanna skip the promotion?" Al carefully questioned.
"Well, I'm going to think it over, I guess. However, thanks for listening, Al!" She kissed his cheek, "you are always helpful, I'm feeling a bit better now." Robbins gave her a shy smile with a discarding gesture. "Uh, never mind." He replied. "But I could get used to this." He pointed on his cheek. Cath smiled at him, waved a goodbye and left the morgue.
"Hey, Cath!" Warrick called. "Fibre is a match to the mother's scarf and we found her fresh epithelial on it. Case breaker. She killed her daughter."
"Good work, Warr! Report that to Jim, will you? But first, may I have a word with you in private please?" "Sure, go ahead." He nodded.
Catherine knew that she could count on Warrick's opinion. "Warrick, we never talked about it but tell me, how did it feel to become one of my co-workers instead of having Grissom as boss?"
"Cath, honestly. I didn't care so much. It is difficult to compare your leadership styles though. Well, Grissom is Grissom." He shrugged, "But you deserved the promotion, you are capable, you are a good superior and I enjoy working with you. By the way you definitely have the more attractive butt." He smiled. "Seriously, compared to Grissom you even are the better leader. Believe me. Why are you asking?"
Catherine closed her office door and started to explain what finally lead to Grissom's encounter with Ecklie ending with his demotion and how bad she felt about the thing that Ecklie made her a part of it.
"Cath, if you really want to go for this, do it and don't bother about Grissom. But in case you would have something else in mind, let's make a plan and mingle with the others. Nick and Greg will let us know if they would buy in wherever we are headed, don't you think? Give them a little credit, huh?"
Warrick continued on elaborating an idea how to possibly change their situation. "Cath, whatever happens, I'll be on your side, you know that." He hugged her firmly and kissed her on her forehead. She sighed and stroked his cheek. "Thanks, Warrick! I owe you."
"Yeah, don't think I wouldn't collect your debts! Let me know, when you're ready. Then let's find Greg and Nick."