Chapter 7- Curtains and Clues
She knew he was there the moment he arrived. To be fair, so did anyone within a thirty foot radius. Emergency rooms were always full of noise, but Brass's voice was audible above all the other sounds.
"I'm looking for Hailey Brass." His voice was loud and gruff, but to Hailey it was the most perfect sound.
"Do you know where she was taken?" the admitting nurse asked.
"If I knew that, would I be asking you? No." His patience was practically nonexistent by now. It had been almost forty five minutes since Grissom had pulled him out of the interview, and if he didn't see his niece soon he was going to...
"I will find out for you, sir. Please wait here." She obviously knew nothing about the temperament of the man she was talking to. There was no way he was just going to wait patiently for her return.
"You have one minute, then I am looking for her myself. Capiche?" He turned towards the nurse just a little, but it was enough so he was sure she could see the badge on his jacket. He had no qualms about using his authority to get what he wanted. Fortunately for the harried nurse, Greg showed up at that moment.
"She's over here, in exam room one." Greg had been with Hailey since they had arrived at the emergency room, only daring to leave her when he heard Brass's demand. It certainly wouldn't help Hailey if her uncle managed to get himself kicked out of the hospital.
Brass had never been so glad to see the young man. He didn't stop to say thank you, though. Just gave him a tight lipid smile as he walked past on the way to the curtained cubicle.
"How is she?" Nick stopped walking when he reached Greg, figuring that this initial meeting between uncle and niece should be private.
"Physically, she's not to bad. The nurse gave her a couple of stitches on the laceration on the back of her head. They hit her with something hard. Emotionally...man, that's a different story. She blames herself for what happened." Greg shook his head tiredly.
"That's ridiculous," Nick protested. "How can any of this be her fault? She's just a kid."
"Got me. She thinks it is, though. Nothing I've said to her has changed her mind. Maybe Brass'll have better luck." Hailey hadn't spoken at all on the ride to the hospital. When she finally did, it was words of guilt and self blame.
"Why don't we go get some coffee? It's gonna be a long night."
There was a thin curtain separating the exam room from the main hallway. Brass swept it aside. Hailey was sitting on the bed facing away from him. There was a square of gauze taped to the bottom of her head, just above her neck. She was wearing a blue scrubs top, her shirt having been bagged at the scene for evidence collection.
"Oh, baby girl." It was a name he had not called her in years, not since she had turned ten and decided that the endearment was 'uncool.'
Hailey turned her head to look at him, and the look in her eyes was enough to make him want to cry. She looked lost and broken. It was a look he saw all too often on the job, but only once before had he seen it coming from this girl. He had sworn then that he would never see it again. And here it was. Shaking his head to clear away old memories, he sidestepped the bed to stand in front of her. At five seven, she was almost as tall as he was, but he easily picked her up. Settling into a chair he didn't say a word, just held her in his lap like he had years ago. Then, he had rocked her when she had awoken from a nightmare. Now, the nightmare was real.
She didn't cry, wasn't ready yet to give into the tears. Couldn't talk, either, though she knew she needed to tell her story. She simply sat, her head buried against her uncle's jacket, her legs bent at an awkward angle. Growing up with only a mom, he was the closest thing she had to a dad. She drew strength from his presence, and knew that she could make it at least a little while longer without falling apart.
"She was wearing black Capri's and a purple tank top with gold glitter on it. Black Sketchers with pink laces, no socks. Her hair is blond, straight, and long." Catherine had wiped away the tears the moment Detective Fellows approached her, standing to greet him.
In an instant she seemed to pull herself together, becoming the competent CSI she usually was, instead of a distraught parent. Warrick stood behind her, one hand gently resting on her shoulder as she answered the questions she was more used to asking. He knew he should be helping Sara to look for evidence, but he couldn't make himself leave Catherine to face the detective alone.
Gil Grissom parked his Tahoe next to the one the other CSIs had arrived in not long ago. He walked directly to the scene, taking everything in at once to create a mental picture. Catherine was occupied with the detective, so Grissom headed toward Sara first.
"Find anything?" he asked as he walked up behind her. She didn't turn around at the sound of his voice, but was relieved to hear it. Maybe it was naive or childish of her, but knowing that he was here made her feel a little better. If there was a clue to find, Grissom would find it.
"Not much, so far," she finally replied. "Lindsey's purse is the only thing I can positively identify. A piece of gum, a receipt, and a torn business card. Could be clues, or just proof of too many litterbugs. I've bagged everything between the bench and the street so far."
He nodded, knowing that he really didn't need to question her. Sara was thorough on every case. On this one, he knew, she would be downright militant on her collection.
"I'm going to talk to Detective Fellows, and then I'll go talk to the movie theater staff, see if they saw anything." Grissom walked away without waiting for a response. Sara scanned the area for a third time, and was rewarded with something she hadn't noticed before. Lying in the gutter, hidden by a stray leaf, was a brightly colored piece of plastic. On closer inspection, it proved to be a casino chip. Written in silver on the small disc were the words 'Rampart Casino.'
"She'll need to be checked for signs of a concussion. You will need to wake her up every two hours to make sure she's responsive. The nurse will give you a list of things to look for. Other then that, she just needs to make an appointment with her regular doctor in two weeks to have the stitches removed." The doctor had arrived ten minutes after Brass, and proclaimed Hailey well enough to go home. Hailey hadn't acknowledged him, just stayed where she was while Brass asked questions and listened to instructions.
"You ready to go home, kiddo?" he asked once the doctor left. Before Hailey could answer the curtain was pulled aside once again, and Nick and Greg joined them in the exam room. Hailey quickly stood up, the part of her that was aware of her surroundings not wanting these men to see her acting like a child in need of comfort. It was foolish, but she needed to keep the illusion of being in control, at least in front of other people. She had been sitting in one place too long, though, and as she rose the muscle in her leg cramped and she stumbled. Greg was the closest to her, and caught her in a clumsy hug.
"If you wanted a hug, all you had to do was ask. No need to get all dramatic," he teased. Hailey didn't smile, but she did manage to roll her eyes. Greg took it as a good sign.
"Hey, if your giving away hugs, can I get one too?" Nick also tried to keep his tone light. Hailey willingly entered his embrace. When he released her, Nick took the time to slowly examine her, noting the bruise on her cheek where she hit the ground, the bandage, and the too rigid posture.
"I believe I'm the only one of us who has a vehicle here, so if everyone's ready I'll drive to the lab. Grissom should be there soon, to interview Hailey." Nick withdrew a set of keys from his pocket, more then ready to leave the hospital.
Brass fought a brief internal battle. The cop in him knew that Nick was right. They needed to go to work and find out whatever they could about Lindsey's captors. As Hailey's uncle, however, he wanted to refuse. Demand that Nick drop them off at home so that he could convince Hailey to sleep and do whatever else he could to take care of her. Maybe it was the influence of too many years on the job, but Captain Brass won over Uncle Jimmy.
"Alright, Nick. Let's go." Brass reached out to wrap an arm around Hailey's shoulder, while Greg stood a hair's breadth away from her on the other side. Nick led the way out of the hospital and into the black night.
"Catherine." Grissom waited until she finished talking to Fellows before approaching her. His interview with the theater employees had proved fruitless, but he had collected the tapes from their surveillance system, as well as those from two other stores that faced the parking lot.
Catherine looked up from the cup of coffee Warrick had just brought her. She hadn't drunk any yet, just watched the steam rise into the air. Grissom reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. A casual move for most people, a huge show of support coming from him.
"Nick just called. He's on his way to the station with Hailey and Brass. I'm going there now, to do the interview." He hoped that the knowledge that there was something happening would help her.
"Is she okay?" It was more habit than anything else that had her asking.
"She'll be fine," he reassured.
"I don't understand, Gil. Who would do this? Why would someone do this? Why Lindsey?" She had this sudden flash from a few hours ago, of the two girls sitting in the back seat of the car, cajoling her to see a rated R movie. If only she could go back there and say 'yes, you can go.' She could have bought three tickets, and watched the movie with them. Taken them out to dinner afterwards. Driven them home on her way to work. If only.
"I don't know, Cath. Not yet." He would, though, he silently promised.
"I might," a voice behind them commented. The two friends turned around to face Sara, who had finished searching the scene.
"Does this mean anything to either of you?" Sara handed Catherine the clear plastic bag with the Rampart Casino chip inside. Catherine stared at the silver lettering in shock, and almost dropped her coffee. It could be a coincidence, but it could be everything.
To be continued...