Illusions
Author: Jess
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and recommended Illusions. You really know how to keep a girl motivated. As always, thanks to Rouch for all her help in making this story coherent and CSI4nsicAce for making sure my grammar is correct.
Disclaimer: I still do not own CSI.
Chapter Twelve
Gil Grissom frowned as he walked through the hallways of the Las Vegas police station. He had done something today that he had not done in years. He had allowed his emotions to get the better of him, and he did not like it. Anger and jealousy had coursed through his veins with more force than he had ever experienced before.
'Jealousy is always born of love, but does not always die with it,' Grissom thought. 'But is it love?' His frown intensified. He wasn't sure how to identify the feelings Sara stirred in him. He had nothing to compare them to. He loved his mother, he admired Catherine, he had been infatuated at one time with Lady Heather, but Sara…that was indefinable. Whatever the emotion was, it terrified and excited him at the same time.
He rounded the corner and saw Brass walking into Interrogation Room 3 with a man in his early thirties. The man appeared haggard and looked as though he had been through an emotional wringer. 'Tyler Cuneo,' Grissom thought and nodded to Brass.
Grissom made his way into the observation room connected to the interrogation room. He clicked on the speaker and focused on Tyler Cuneo. "I can't believe she's dead," the man said, his face in his hands.
Tyler looked up at Brass, his eyes widening in shock. "Oh, god, did anyone contact her parents?" he asked. "This is going to kill Kimmy's mom."
Brass nodded and then asked, "Do you know of anyone who had been paying extra attention to Kimberly? Or someone whom she had talked about a lot in the prior weeks?"
Tyler's eyes narrowed angrily. "Dr. William Doyle," the young man spat. "He's our veterinarian and Kimmy's been working closely with him on a number of projects for the SPCA."
Grissom raised an eyebrow at the mention of the vet's name. "He was over a lot recently. They've been working on some fundraiser for next week," Tyler continued. Tyler looked plaintively at Brass. "Its not that I'm the jealous type. I liked the guy at first. He's a good vet and he does great work for the SPCA, but the way he would look at Kimmy and the things he would say to her…"
Tyler shook his head in frustration. "He would get this look in his eye. It reminded me of the look Sutekh would get before she pounced on a bug," Tyler said.
He slid back in the chair and sighed. "Why would anyone do that to her?" Tyler asked and pointed at the photographs of Kimberly Witt's body. "Why would anyone want to deny the world of her wonderful spirit?"
"Hello, doc," Sara said as she pushed open the autopsy room doors.
Doctor Robbins smiled. "Care for some?" he asked and held up a mug.
Sara nodded and walked over to him. She waited patiently for him to fill another mug and then took a sip. "Heaven," she murmured. "And I thought Greg had the good stuff. Now I know where to come when I need a caffeine fix."
"There are certain perks to being Chief medical examiner," Dr. Robbins replied and placed his coffee down.
He removed a file from a stack beside him and handed it to Sara. "I'm still waiting on the tox screen, but so far she's consistent with Kimberly Witt's body," Dr. Robbins said. "The bugs did their job and any distinguishing marks she had are no longer visible. Her fingers are not viable for prints."
Sara sighed. She was expecting this news but it didn't make it any more enjoyable. "Your best bet is probably facial reconstruction," Dr. Robbins said. "I'll send the dental x-rays out to the local dentists."
"Thanks, doc," Sara said and handed him her mug.
Sara perused the folder as she made her way out of the room and towards the crime lab. A hand grabbing her forearm startled her and she looked up to see who the offender was. She raised an eyebrow at Catherine Willows as she was pulled into the woman's office.
She watched Catherine close the door and motion for her to take a seat. Sara hesitantly followed the request unsure of what was going on. Her relationship with Catherine had always been shaky and lately it had been worse than that. "You and Grissom have to be two of the most apolitically minded people I know," Catherine said as she sat down.
Sara looked at her old teammate with confusion. "What?" she asked.
"Do you have any idea who Dr. Doyle is?" Catherine asked.
"He's a veterinarian," Sara said unsure of where Catherine was going with this.
"He also happens to be the mayor's nephew," Catherine said.
'Okay…' Sara thought. "You don't see where I am going with this?" Catherine asked exasperatedly.
Sara shook her head. Catherine sighed and continued, "The mayor will not take kindly to anyone 'coming after' his family. You are going to need undeniable proof in order to get even a search warrant."
"Ecklie is already on the warpath because you, Grissom and Brass interviewed the man," Catherine said.
"We were only there because we needed to get the documents from the SPCA," Sara stated. "We had a warrant and he was very forthcoming, so I don't know why Ecklie has his...I don't know why he is mad. How did anyone even know we talked to Dr. Doyle?"
Catherine shrugged. "Jacqui confirmed that the prints from the folders he handed over matched the unknown from Kimberly Witt's apartment," Catherine said.
"Wait a second, that information should have come to Grissom or me first," Sara said, feeling her anger rising.
"Jacqui was getting ready to page you when Ecklie and I came in to discuss some other matter with her," Catherine said. "I just wanted to let you know. Tread carefully, Sara. Tell Grissom to do the same."
Sara stood up and sighed. "Thanks," she said and walked out of the office.
She quickly made her way to the fingerprint lab. Jacqui looked up from her microscope with a guilty look on her face. "I am so sorry, Sara," she apologized. "I didn't even know who Dr. Doyle was…"
"Neither did I," Sara stated. "What have you got for me?"
"I isolated three sets of prints on the folders - Brass's, yours, and an unknown," Jacqui said and handed the report to Sara. "The unknown matched the prints you obtained from the victim's apartment as well as the body in Pahrump."
"Of course, just because those were the only prints I lifted, it doesn't mean the unknowns were Dr. Doyle's. It could belong to anyone who touched the folders," Jacqui continued. "Get me his prints, and I'll let you know if they do belong to him."
"Thanks, Jacqui," Sara said and added Jacqui's files to the autopsy report folder as she exited the room.
"Sidle!" Sara cringed as she heard Ecklie yell her name.
'Be professional,' she warned herself before turning around. He stood at the other end of the hallway, glaring daggers at her. "My office. Now," he stated and turned.
Sara closed her eyes and counted to five. "What's going on?" she heard Grissom ask from behind her.
"Apparently, Dr. Doyle is the mayor's nephew," Sara said as she turned to look at him.
The political ramifications seemed to come together in Grissom's mind and Sara watched his eyes narrow. He let out a gruff sigh. "Go and deal with the evidence," he stated and looked at her, his eyes softening. "I'll deal with Ecklie."
"Sure you don't want moral support?" she asked. "I feel like I'm throwing you to the wolves."
Grissom smiled. "I'll find you when I'm done," he said.
Grissom opened the door to Conrad Ecklie's office, stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Ecklie stood behind his desk with his back to the door. "Sidle, could you please explain the reasoning behind interviewing the mayor's nephew?" Ecklie asked without turning around.
Grissom's eyes narrowed slightly at the brusque, rude manner of Ecklie's voice before putting on his game face as he took a seat. "Technically Conrad, it wasn't an interview. We were there to obtain evidence about the SPCA via a search warrant," Grissom said smiling.
Ecklie turned around, engulfed in a cloud of confusion, before he focused his attention on Grissom. Ecklie glared at him before responding, "I believe I asked Sara to join me in my office."
"And as Sara's supervisor I sent her to work the evidence," Grissom countered. His eyes narrowed slightly, and it took all of Grissom's control to keep his emotions in check as he continued, "If you have a problem with something one of my subordinates has done I believe you are supposed to talk to me and then, I rectify the situation."
Ecklie frowned and sat in his seat. "Do you have any idea who Dr. Doyle is?" Ecklie asked.
"I did not when we went to gather the information," Grissom said calmly. "I will treat him the same as I would any other suspect, Conrad. Mayor's nephew or not."
Ecklie shook his head in exasperation. "That attitude is the very reason you will always be a meager supervisor, Gil," Ecklie spat. "He is not just any suspect. If he complains to his uncle about the interview then the mayor will be breathing down our necks."
"What do you suggest we do then? Give him special privileges because of who he is?" Grissom asked. "That is not how I work."
Ecklie's eyes narrowed. "I believe I am the one in charge of this facility," Ecklie warned.
"Yes, Conrad, you are," Grissom said and smiled. "However, I doubt the people of Vegas would appreciate the crime lab tip-toeing around a potential killer because of his familial relations."
Ecklie glowered at him. "Besides," Grissom continued. "I work with the evidence, and I am only going to go where it takes me."
Ecklie frowned again but the ringing of his office phone halted the conversation. Ecklie jabbed his finger at the speaker phone button, and roughly spoke, "What is it Mary?"
"There's a Dr. Doyle here to see you," the receptionist voice said over the line.
"Tell him I'll be right there," Ecklie returned and hung the phone up, cutting off her reply.
"We're done here for now, Gil," he said before exiting the room.
Grissom stood and followed Ecklie into the hallway, his purpose to find Sara. Unfortunately, it seemed as though he and Ecklie were going to end up at the same destination. Grissom stiffened as he saw the scene unfolded before him. Dr. Doyle was talking to Sara at the end of the hall by the receptionist desk.
Tyler Cuneo's words echoed in Grissom's mind as he fell into place behind Sara. 'He would get this look in his eye.' He fully understood what Mr. Cuneo had been describing. The doctor's eyes roamed over Sara's body as if he was a lion and she was a gazelle he was getting ready to feast on. Grissom's mask of indifference was beginning to crack.
Dr. Doyle looked at Grissom and smiled. "Hello again, Dr. Grissom," he spoke and nodded in greeting. "The assistant director wanted to speak to me and I happened to bump into Sara…"
Grissom's fists clenched at the way the doctor said Sara's name. Grissom watched the doctor look at Ecklie for the first time and extend his hand. "You must be Conrad Ecklie," Dr. Doyle said and shook his hand.
Ecklie nodded. "I'll be ready in one second," Dr. Doyle informed him before turning his attention back to Sara. His hand reached out and stroked her arm. Grissom watched Sara stiffen at the touch. "Would you care to have dinner with me after this meeting?"
"Um….sorry, I'm kind of knee deep in this case," Sara answered.
"Another time," Dr. Doyle replied, stilling his movements.
His fingers lingered on Sara's arm for a few more seconds before he dropped his hand. "Have a pleasant evening, Sara," he said. "Dr. Grissom."
Grissom watched the doctor and Ecklie walk down the hallway towards Ecklie's office, his mask of indifference cracking even more. The man had an uncanny way of getting under his skin. "I feel like I need a bath," Sara said, interrupting his thoughts.
Grissom looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "The way he was looking at me…" Sara trailed off and shook herself.
"I put our meals in my fridge," Grissom said, his hand touching the spot where Dr. Doyle's fingers had been moments before. He wanted to erase all trace of the man from Sara's body.
"I'll call Brass and have him meet us in my office," Grissom said, his hand falling to his side as he remembered that they were still at work.
Sara nodded, her eyes boring into his, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. "We can eat while we discuss what we know so far," Grissom continued.
He started towards his office, leaving Sara with no choice but to follow.
