Deceptive Intentions
by Nicol Leoraine
Chapter 3
xxxx
Sara found him at the staircase, dusting the door handle for prints. Warrick spared her a quick glance and reached for the tape and lift cards.
"Have some good?"
"Three complete, two partial from the handle. I already took two complete from the other side."
"You know it´s a blind shot?"
Warrick looked at her, cocking his head.
"Why do you think?"
"Well, this is a parking lot. Plenty of people use this staircase..."
"I don´t think so. The building has 25 storeys, another three under ground for the parking lot. That´s a lot of stairs."
Sara only shrugged. It won´t do any harm to take the prints.
"How did the interview go?" Warrick asked as he finished with the door and stood, stretching out his long back.
Sara thought for a moment before answering.
"She´s hiding something, that´s obvious. Though her statement sits for now."
Warrick nodded, looking grim.
"Why the hell did Grissom leave Nick alone - with the evidence!"
Sara turned at Warrick, surprised by the anger in his voice.
"Are you blaming him?" she asked, unbelieving. Warrick glared at her and started packing away the fingerprint kit, heading back for Grissom´s car.
"Nick could be dead," he said in angry whisper and Sara shook her head. It made sense that Warrick will relate to what happened the last year, but Sara thought unfair to blame Grissom for something that Warrick had done twice before himself.
"If I remember, few months ago it was you letting Nick walk into Crane´s apartment, all alone," she reminded him and Warrick blushed, but his anger didn´t go away like she thought.
"Yeah, and it was also me who left Holly Gribbs alone, and be killed! That´s what you wanted to say, Sara!"
"Whoa," she raised her hands, eyes wide from shock. She would never remind him of Holly, she knew how guilty Warrick felt.
"I´m sorry. I shouldn´t said that about Crane - and I wouldn´t ever mention Gribbs. My point was - everyone can do a mistake. You, Grissom, Nick. There´s just no point in casting blame when there´s no one at fault. Yeah, it was a bad luck for Nick. But he´s relatively okay and we still have a case to solve. So better concentrate on that."
Warrick looked at her and after a moment nodded.
"I´m sorry too. I shouldn´t lash out like that."
Sara let out a relieved smile.
"Okay. Peace?"
"Peace," Warrick replied. "Now, what are you doing down here?"
"Just gotta put the evidence in the car. I´ll now go and retrieve the tapes from the security."
Warrick absently nodded, already concentrating on the scene.
xxxx
Not only was Brenda Lacke short of her shirt, now they also took her shoes. It irritated her and she showed it by angry stares thrown at Brass and Sara, who were sitting on the other end of the table. She spared a disdainful glance at the mirror that was in fact an observation glass and wondered how many other are watching her. In reality there was only Grissom.
"I don´t understand why are you keeping me here," Brenda protested.
"It´s just a routine," Brass said.
"Then let me go."
"Sorry, can´t. That´s also a routine - we´re not letting you go before you answer our questions."
"I want my lawyer."
"Do you have one?" Brass asked in feigned surprise. Brenda blushed and looked at Sara, looking for some support. But there was none.
"Am I arrested or what?"
"No, you´re not," Brass sighed out, more tired than he wanted to show.
"Look, I´m sitting here two hours, if not more, alone. I have my life, you know. I need to go home."
"Right after you answer our questions."
"So ask them, damn it!" she sweared. "What are you waiting for?"
"We wanted to check your alibi so we went to the store you´re working at. You are right - Brandon said you were here till 4:30, then you left."
Brenda smiled, satisfied.
"But-" Sara continued and the smile vanished.
"We know for sure that Brandon was lying."
"What?"
"Before you tell us any more lies, think about this. The camera at the store recorded your arrival at eight p.m. yesterday. Just as your departure by one in the morning today. So - do you want to rephrase your statement?"
Brenda was silent, her eyes watering. For a moment she looked like she´ll start crying, but it quickly passed as Brenda jumped from her seat.
"I didn´t kill him!" she screamed at them. "I would never kill Paul. He was a good guy, had family, kids. What do you think I am? A monster!"
"Ms. Lacke - I would prefer if you sit down," Brass said calmly, though he was tense. Brenda shook her head, angrilly glaring at the mirror as if it could be responsible for everything. Grissom almost jerked when she looked straight at him, even though she couldn´t see him.
"Brenda, sit down. If you didn´t kill him, it would be better if you talk with us. Most of the evidence is pointing at you. We need to know what happened - so stop lying." Brenda looked at Sara, taken aback by her words. After a minute she sat down.
"We can prove you was in the hotel room at the time of the murder." Brass said and Brenda´s eyes widened.
"How?"
"You know, even if you took the elevator from the garages, there is the camera at the entry, not to mention the clerk at the gate. They both showed us that you came to the hotel sometimes after one in the morning, in your car. You then left, also in your own car at 2:45 - as the clerk stated, you was in hurry."
Brenda was for once silent. She looked up at Sara and slowly nodded.
"Okay, I was there when he was killed. But I swear - I don´t know who did it!"
"I was just getting out of the shower. Paul was ordering pizza - he was always hungry after-" Brenda paused, blushing.
"I heard someone knocking on the door, and wondered that it was really fast. I know it was silly. You must understand that I didn´t saw anything. All my clothes were in the room so I wasn´t planning to go out of the bathroom."
"Please, continue," Sara urged her.
"II was just combing my hair and - you know, jsut waiting for whomever it was to leave. But he didn´t and I heard Paul asking:
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought we cleared it out. I want nothing to do with you!" Paul Maton shouted. Brenda in the bathroom jerked, her hand with the comb stopping in midway. She stepped closer to the door, and listened.
"You thought wrong, Maton. We will make business, if you want or not. I won´t let you stop me! Not now, after everything I did for you!" The other voice was angry and Brenda heard steps.
"What - God, put that down!" Paul yelped in scare and there was a grunt. Something was knocked over and broke, probably a vase. Brenda bit at her lip as she heard a pained gasp and several blunt blows. She was clutching the towel around her, the other hand touching the doorknob, ready to lock the door.
"Damn the bastard!" the man cursed and the next thing Brenda heard was the closing of the door.
"I waited a minute, wanting to make sure the man is gone. Only then I looked out and saw... oh God, I saw him... and the blood..." Brenda sobbed. "I-I got scared and... I - I left him there! I just grabbed my clothes and ran out..." she hiccuped, accepting the handkerchief Sra handed her. After she cleaned her face, she turned at Sara.
"Was... was he alive? I mean, if I´d had called 911, would he-"
"No, there was nothing they could´ve done to save him. He was dead almost instantly."
"Thank God," Brenda sighed out, then startled by her own words tried to stutter an apology.
"I didn´t mean it like that - I meant - that - oh," she had given up.
"Ms. Lacke," Brass started after she calmed down enough to talk again. "Why didn´t you call the police or the reception? Why had you ran away?"
"B-because I was scared... I never saw a dead body before and... I was afraid, that maybe the killer will return and he - he will kill me!" The fear in her eyes wasn´t played, Sara was sure of that.
"Why did you lie to us then, Brenda?" she asked.
"I don´t know. Maybe I was afraid that you´ll think I killed him... I don´t know." Brenda shrugged.
"And you still returned to the scene?" Brass wondered loudly.
"Y-yeah. I knew you will... you´ll find out I was in contact with Paul. Some guys from the reception knew me I am sure I left few of my things in the room. I-I just needed some time to calm down, then I realized I should probably talk to the police..."
"But you still lied when we met."
"I am sorry. I know I shouldn´t - but seeing it all... what if the man will realize someone else was there? What then?"
"We can protect you."
Brenda shook her head.
"I never saw him. I don´t know who he is."
"What about his voice? Was there anything strange about the way he talked? Accent maybe?"
Brenda thought of it, but shook her head.
"He didn´t say too much. I don´t know."
"Where did you go after you left the room?"
"Down to the parking lot to my car. I then drived through the city, trying to clear my head. That´s all."
"Ah, and what about your blouse? Do you know where it got dirty?"
"When I... when I was getting out of the car, some homeless man grabbed me - wanted some change. I was startled and ran away."
"Okay, the last question. Did you use parfume in the hotel?" Sara asked.
Brenda looked first confused, then her lips twitched in slight smile.
"It was a test ample of Channel 5 - from the Cosmopolitan I bought on my way there. W-when I was in the shower I knocked it over and it flowed down the sink. I´m pretty clumsy sometimes." As she remembered the moments preceding the death of Paul Maton, her mode quickly changed and she grew restless.
"Look, can I go home?"
Sara and Brass exchanged looks, then Brass nodded.
"Right after we take your fingerprints. And stay in the city."
xxxx
"Do you believe her?" Brass asked as he walked into the observation room. Grissom was watching how Sara took the girl´s fingerprints, then looked at him.
"About the part that she was in the bathroom? Yes. About she didn´t see the killer? I don´t know."
Brass sighed.
"Why are you letting her go?" Grissom asked as Sara finished the job and Brenda was escorted out of the room.
"Because I think she had a complice. I doubt she could kill the victim - Maton was strong and did you see the wounds? Pretty deep. Anyway - someone attacked Nick and stole the murder weapon - the knife. Warrick is still checking up with your logs. There were also several other items, but they could´ve been just a diversion-"
"Or it was the murder weapon. I don´t know Jim, but something´s not right here."
"Yeah, and that´s the reason I put a surveilance on Brenda Lacke. I sent two guys at her place, but they checked with the neighbours and she wasn´t home from yesterday morning. If she had a complice, she´ll contact him sooner or later. And we can get them."
"What about the motive?"
Brass let out a frustrated sigh.
"I don´t have all the answers, Gris. But the case is pretty clear. Once she´ll contact him - we get them both."
Grissom only shook his head. Something just wasn´t right.
to be continue
A/N: Yeah I know this one is a little short and no Nick bunching there, but it will come too - evil grin here -
Also, sorry for the grammar or some mistakes relating to the case. I´ve had a beta for the first chapter, and she was really fantastic, but I lost contact with her, so I´m doing the rest of the story solo. All reviews are welcomed and awaited, so please spare a minute and write. Thanks.