Chapter 12 Another Goodbye

Hailey picked her clothes very carefully the next morning. She was tempted to dress all in black, but resisted the urge. It would be too much of a bad omen, like she was dressing for a funeral. Instead she went with a gray pinstriped skirt that ended just short of her knees and a red lace top that was almost the same color as her hair. A black choker with a yin yang charm dangling from it went around her neck, a dozen jelly bracelets circled one wrist, and a collection of silver hoops filled each one of the nine holes in her ears. Hailey looked in the full length mirror. Her world was falling apart, but no one would be able to tell that from looking at her.

"You ready to go, brat?" Ellie stood in the doorway, observing her cousin from behind.

"Almost." Hailey slipped into a pair of black high heeled sandals. Her uncle had never come home the night before. When she had awoken this morning and insisted that she was going to go to the lab, she had expected Ellie to protest. Instead, she had simply nodded and asked what time she wanted to leave. It was easier then she expected. What she didn't expect was the duffle bag slung over Ellie's shoulder.

"You're leaving?" She couldn't help but feel abandoned.

"I have to. More then one night spent under this roof, and bad things'll happen. Amazing I lasted this long. No, I found what I came for, and now I need to go back."

"I don't want you to go. Can't you stay a little longer?"

Ellie shook her head. "I'll go with you to the lab, but then I have a bus to catch."

II

They sat on a bench in front of the lab for ten minutes after the cab dropped them off. Ellie lit one of the cigarettes she carried in her purse, and gladly inhaled the smoke. Tobacco was the only substance she had brought with her, and it only took the edge off of her cravings. It was all she would allow herself around Hailey. She didn't want her cousin to know about the rest.

"Those things will kill you." Hailey remarked absently.

"Never planned on dying of old age." There were many risks in her life. Cigarettes were the least of her problems.

"Ellie." It was only one word, but conveyed a wealth of meaning.

"Sorry, brat. Will it make you feel better if I promise I'll try to quit?" The last thing she wanted to do was give Hailey more to worry about.

"Would you be lying?"

Ellie didn't want to disappoint, so she kept silent. Snubbing out the cigarette, she rose from the bench. "You ready to go in?"

It was strange, walking into the lab this time. Usually, there were light hearted greetings from the receptionists, followed by a visit to the DNA lab for Greg's coffee and some teasing banter. Today the faces that greeted her were as somber as her own. She walked down the hallway, Ellie at her side. They were almost to the break room before anyone spotted them.

"Hailey." Grissom came out of one of the labs, a stack of papers in one hand. "How are you? How's the head?"

"It's fine."

Grissom raised an eyebrow, but let the white lie slide. She looked

infinitely better then she had the day before.

"Does Brass know your here?" He was positive Jim would have said something if he was expecting his niece to come in.

"Not yet. I came with my cousin."

Grissom looked at the woman beside Hailey. Ellie Brass. He searched for common features, despite the fact that he was aware that they weren't really related. Ellie was tall, like her cousin, but much too thin. Grissom knew she was in her early twenties, but she looked older. She had that prematurely aged looked he recognized as the contribution of drugs, alcohol, and hard living.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Brass."

"Miss Brass?" Ellie snorted. "Now that's something I haven't heard in ages. The men I know, they ain't near so polite. This one of the guys on your list, cuz?"

"This is Dr. Grissom, night shift supervisor."

"Aww... Gruesome Grissom. You were out of town the last time I visited." She smirked as she spoke.

"I wasn't." A soft melodic voice sounded behind them. Warrick joined the small group, and gave Hailey a brief hug. "Hey, Hailey. How are you?"

"Look, its Lenny Kravitz. You still working here?" Flirting was second nature to Ellie, and she smiled at him easily. Inside she was worried. So far as she knew, Hailey didn't have a clue about her last visit to Vegas. Ellie was hoping to keep it that way.

"You've met Warrick, El?"

"Yeah, we ran into each other when she was in town a couple of years ago." Warrick answered the question first, eyeing Ellie knowingly. He wasn't sure that he liked her, but he would keep her secret.

"Was that when you were living with that creep?"

That certainly narrowed the list down. Not. Ellie knew who her cousin was talking about, though, and nodded.

"Hail-bop! Perfect timing. I just finished brewing a new pot of coffee." Greg came out of the DNA lab, mug in hand. He had poured it for himself, but when he heard the voices in the hall he loaded it up with sugar. Not like he really need more caffeine in his system anyway.

"Thanks." She accepted the offering, taking extra care not to spill it this time. Greg pressed his hand against hers, holding it there for a moment before returning to the lab.

"Any news?" Hailey hated to ask. If there was good news, someone would have shared it by now. She had to know what was happening. The lack of information left too much room in her head for worst case scenarios.

"We have some leads we're working." Grissom was the one to answer the question. He didn't know what else to say, without lying. Fortunately, Nick showed up in the hallway, sparing him the need to say anything more.

"I have those bank records pulled up, Griss. You want to come see them?" Focused on relaying the news he hoped would help break the case, he didn't notice the two additional people until he stopped talking.

"Hailey, you look better. How's the head?" He walked behind her, peering at the white gauze as if it could tell him anything about the wound underneath.

"It's fine. Really." She knew she would have to answer the same question again and again. It reminded her of her first night at the lab, and the number of people who asked her if she was lost. "What bank records? Is it something about Lindsey?"

"Come on, Nick. Show me what you have." Grissom walked away and Nick followed him. Frustrated, Hailey turned to Warrick.

"You have to give me something, 'Rick. Not knowing is driving me crazy."

"You'll know more if you let him get back to his job, kiddo." Warrick shot the homicide captain a relieved look before walking away.

"Uncle Jimmy. Tell me something, please."

"Let's go somewhere more comfortable." Warping his arm around her shoulder, he started to lead the way to the break room.

"I'm going to head out, cuz. Got a bus to catch."

"Your leaving?" Jim knew that he shouldn't be surprised. She had come, and stayed for a full day without causing problems. He always hoped for more, when it came to his daughter. More for the two of them. They hadn't even had a chance to talk. To be honest, that was probably why her visit had gone so well.

"I just came to make sure that Hailey was alright." She turned to Hailey. "You are. You have people here who care about you, and will take care of you. I don't belong here. I never have."

"Stay a little longer, Ellie. Hailey wants you here... I want you here." He knew the answer before he asked the question. He had to try.

"I have to leave. I have a life to get back to."

"What kind of life is it? Would any of them really notice if you didn't come back? Think of this as an opportunity. Stay here for a while." For just an instant, he though she might agree. If she stayed, maybe they could have a chance. He could find some way to get her clean and away from the influence of the people she called friends. They could work on a relationship. They had one, once. Until he had divorced his wife, and lost his daughter too.

Angry, at herself and her father, Ellie tightened her jaw. "No." Tugging at the straps of her duffle bag, Ellie took a step back, preparing to leave. Hailey reached out and stopped her, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

"Take care of yourself, okay El?" Hailey could feel the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, but refused to let them fall.

"Ditto, cuz. And call me, anytime you want. Anytime." Hailey nodded, and ducked into the break room to let the tears fall without an audience. Jim and Ellie were left alone in the hallway, starring at each other.

"Do you need money, for the bus?" Goodbyes were always awkward, theirs more then most.

"No, I'm good." She was, as long as she didn't plan on eating for the next week. However, there was no reason for him to know that.

"I'm glad you came. It meant a lot to Hailey. Not sure how she would have gotten through yesterday if you weren't here."

"She's strong. She would've got through it." Taking a few steps down the hall, she turned back. "You'll take care of her, right?"

"Me and everyone else in this lab." It was the first thing she'd asked of him in years, and he was grateful that he could say yes to her. "Can I walk you out?"

She agreed, and without asking he reached over and took the duffle bag off of her shoulder and placed it on his own. He kept it on the side farthest from Ellie, so she wouldn't notice when he unzipped the bag a few inches. As slyly as possible, he slid the contents of his wallet into the hole, and then re-zipped the bag.

"Your always welcome here, Ellie. Remember that." Standing at the entrance to the lab, he watched his daughter walk away. He didn't move until she rounded a corner and was gone from his sight.

II

"Kleenex?" Hailey had walked into the room staring at her feet, and hadn't realized that the room was already occupied. She looked up to accept the proffered tissue to find Sara watching her carefully. Although she didn't ask, Hailey felt the need to explain away the tears.

"My cousin just left. Always hard to say goodbye, 'cause I never know when I'm going to see her again."

"Is that Brass's daughter, or do you have other cousins?"

"You know Ellie too?" She was surprised so many of her uncle's coworkers had met her cousin. Ellie usually made it a point to stay as far away from law enforcement as possible. Part of it was rebellion against her father. The other part... Hailey didn't want to know.

"I met her briefly. I was busy at the time, being led on a wild goose chase by our wonderful Treasury Department," Sara remarked sarcastically.

Hailey looked down, studying her half full coffee cup as if it was a crystal ball. After a moment, she looked back at Sara. If anyone around here was going to give her a straight answer, she decided, it was the woman in front of her.

"No on has a clue where Lindsey is, do they?"

"Not yet, but we should know something soon." Sara could see the doubt is Hailey's eyes, and knew that she needed more then pat reassurances. "We're close to finding out who took her, and after that the next step is finding out where they have her."

Hailey nodded, relived to at least know something was happening. Suddenly there was a commotion in the hallway, and they both ran to the door to see what it was about. Grissom stood near the reception desk, an envelope in his hand.

"We've received a ransom letter."

To be continued…