Deceptive Intentions
by Nicol Leoraine
Chapter 5
"Nick? What are you doing here?" Grissom asked, surprised to see the recuperating CSI walking towards him along with his escort.
"Thought I could identify the man. How did you get him?"
"We had Brenda Lacke under surveillance. Jim got a call that a man matching the photo taken from the footage was seen heading for her apartment building. They found them in heated conversation in her apartment."
"Have you already talked with them?" Warrick asked, not quite looking into Grissom´s eyes. He knew Gil wasn´t glad that he brought Nick along, but hell, he didn´t saw Nick´s face, leaving that hospital. Warrick thought a short time at the lab would hurt less then if he just left Nick at his home alone.
"No, Jim thought better to leave Gonzales waiting a while. But Sara is waiting just for you to talk with Brenda. I´ll handle Gonzales with Jim. Do you think it was wise to bring Nick here?" Grissom frowned, when Nick walked further into the rest room, getting a mug of coffee. Warrick shrugged, maybe a little annoyed at Grissom for the question, but still contemplating the answer.
"He wanted to come. I couldn´t say no, not with all that happened. And he´s right - he can identify the man."
"We don´t need Nick to make an identification," Grissom said in low voice. "We have enough evidence. And I doubt Nick was in any shape to see who attacked him." Warrick wanted to reply to that, but Nick was back, casting a questioning look at the pair. He felt they were talking about him and also felt the anger swelling up, but he pushed it back, deciding to play nice. Nick didn´t understood his own emotions and he knew he needed some time on his own to clear them up. Barking at his friend and chief won´t help him any.
"Talking about me, guys?" he didn´t resist.
"I think you should go home, Nicky. We got him, that´s all that matters."
Even as Grissom said that, he knew it wasn´t the right thing to say. Nick´s jaw clenched. He knew well enough not to shake his head when having concussion, but his face said it all.
"I want to see him. I need to know if he´d done it and why. That´s all." Nick´s voice was quiet and steady, though both Grissom and Warrick knew he couldn´t be calm inside.
Grissom´s eyes bore deep into Nick´s, searching and assessing. After a moment he simply nodded.
"Okay. But you stay out. And I don´t want to see you there before the doctor says so." Grissom turned and walked for the interrogation room, meeting with Brass on the way and leaving the surprised CSI´s far behind.
"Well, that was easier than I thought," Warrick frowned, and headed for the other room, looking for Sara and their other suspect. Nick stood there for a moment, unable to decide if he felt satisifed or not with the outcome. He didn´t know and walking after Grissom he realised it didn´t even matter. The only thing he was sure of was that he had a nasty headache, one that wasn´t brought up with a too long night or a wild drinking party. He could thank only the person sitting in the room, behind the two-sided mirror.
xxxx
Peter Gonzales wasn´t really surprised by the outcome of the situation. He knew it was stupid to visit Brenda at her home, but he couldn´t help it. He needed to tell her everything and that just couldn´t be done through the phone. He was still full of adrenaline when the cops kicked out the doors and when they pushed him against the dusty carpet, handcuffing his arms behind his back as if he was some criminal. And maybe he was, Pete thought to himself with a smirk, as that detective left him sitting in this room, his only company a plastic cup with the worst coffee he ever had and a probably deaf and mute sergeant standing by the door like one of these British Guards who could stood several hours without even moving a muscle.
When the door opened and two men walked in, Gonzales straightened up and showed them the most genuine smile he was able to. While the detective looked ready to kick his ass anytime he as much as breathed out, the other man frowned at him.
"Well, Pete. This is Mr. Grissom, from Forensics. We are investigating the murder of Paul Mason and the attack on one of our people. I believe you know something about it."
Gonzales cleared his throat, shooting a look at the two way mirror. He knew there´s someone watching them, but he didn´t care.
"I don´t know what you´re talking about," he started. He knew it well enough, but wasn´t sure how much does the cops knew. Maybe he can get out of it, if he simply keeps shut. Or maybe not, Gonzales thought as he saw the look in the detective´s eyes.
"Don´t mess with me, Gonzales. We have you on a footage, leaving the Grand hotel just minutes after my guy was attacked. You sit the description he gave us. There is also more evidence. Like the oil stamps left on his shirt, left by your shoes. By the way, would you be so good and take off your shoes?"
"What?" Pete frowned, then shrugged. "Whatever, but hey, I hadn´t took them off pretty long. Don´t tell you wasn´t warned."
Grissom asked the sergeant by the doors to bring him an evidence bag. When he returned, Grissom took the shoes, wrinkling his nose at the stench of the sweated through socks. Gonzales grinned, when even the Detective grimaced.
"I warned you."
Grissom labeled the evidence and sit back.
"Okay, what about we start again," Brass sighed. "Had you know Paul Mason?"
"No, I never heard of him," Gonzales replied calmly.
"Where was you at Tuesday between 2 and 3 in the morning?"
"Why, in the work, of course. I work at LV Tailing and Repair. Ask my chief."
"We already asked. How long do you know Brenda Lacke?"
This time Gonzales really thought about it, trying to remember when they first met.
"Uh, I think it´s two years now. I was called to change the flat tire." Gonzales shrugged, as if thinking back to that particular night. "It started raining and we were wet. My shift was already finishing, so I asked her to get some coffee and breakfast. She accepted. Do you want more details?"
"When did you saw her the last time?"
"Well," Gonzales smirked and leaned into the chair. "If I remember correctly, we were almost in the middle of something when your boys interrupted us."
"Listen, you smart ass," Brass hissed, leaning closer to the man, "the man you attacked is my friend. I don´t get along with guys hurting my friends, so you will do better if you stop playing with me." Gonzales recoiled, his face pale at the detective´s words. He looked at the other criminalist then at the sergeant, searching for some support, but saw none. Gonzales gulped, then cleared his throat.
"Okay, okay. Just... cool down, man." He shook his head.
"Was you in the parking lot of the Grand hotel in Tuesday morning?" Grissom asked, his voice void of any emotions, though Brass knew him enough by now to realize Grissom was angry.
"Yes, I was there. But I didn´t-"
"What were you doing there?"
"A friend asked me to bring him there. That´s all."
"Who was that friend?"
Gonzales was silent.
"Come on, we know you was there. We also know you attacked that man. But there´s something else, Gonzales, isn´t? Do you know something about a missing knife? Or a bathrobe?" Brass pushed and Gonzales squirmed in his seat.
"I don´t know what you´re talking about," he tried to look brave, but couldn´t hide the tremble in his voice.
"What were you doing in the parking lot?" Brass repeated his question.
"I told you, I brought a friend."
"The name, Gonzales. I want to hear the name. Was it Brenda?"
"We know she was in the hotel, while you were leaving, we already talked with her. Why didn´t you wait for her? Or why did you left almost fifteen minutes later? What were you doing in that time? And don´t lie to us, Gonzales! Your girlfriend already told us that you was there." Brass didn´t know that, but he was sure Warrick and Sara would manage the girl and get her talking.
"Okay, I was there with Brenda! But she didn´t kill that guy! I swear she didn´t kill him!" Gonzales shouted and jumped from his seat, but was quickly pushed back by the glaring sergeant.
"What happened, Pete?" Grissom asked, for once believing the guy, because the evidence spoke clearly. Maybe sensing that, Gonzales turned to Grissom.
"I was working at the service station, when Brenda called me. She was panicking, babbling something about a dead guy. I didn´t know what happened, but I knew she was scared to death. I told her to get to Andy´s restaurant, that we will meet there. When she came, she was crying and it took me a while to get the story out of her. She told me about that dead guy in the hotel room, that she never saw the killer, but she heard his voice. She ran off in panic and didn´t knew what to do. She was afraid that man would find her and kill her off, because she was there."
"I don´t understand why, if she wasn´t guilty, did you return to the hotel, then attack Nick and stole the evidence?" Grissom asked with raised eyebrows.
"I never meant to hurt that guy, really. He was just in the way. I needed to take that knife. Brenda said she touched it. She was afraid you would think she killed him."
"But why did she return to the room?"
"We knew you´ll find out she was in the room, if just for the guy at the reception." Brass let out an exasperated sigh.
"How the hell did you even knew where to look for that knife?"
"Well, it was more of a luck. I thought the body´s still there, that nobody found it. I went up to get in the room, but the hall was full of cops. I saw them wheel the body out, then I heard you talking with that other guy about finishing up and taking the evidence down. I just waited and followed you. Look, I really didn´t meant to hurt that guy. He was just in the way." As Gonzales finished, they all heard a thump, as if someone hit the wall. Grissom and Brass looked at the mirror, then back at each other.
"Will you finish this up, Jim? I have some work to do." Grissom stood, taking the bagged shoes with him. Gonzales watched him retreat, then looked at the detective. Brass saw something in his eyes, but couldn´t quite pin point it and that made him nervous.
xxxx
Grissom just knew bringing Nick here wasn´t a good idea. He found the younger CSI in the surveillance room, his head resting on the wall next to the mirror, whole body tense, fingers curled up into fists.
"Nick?" Grissom spoke, concern apparent in his voice. Nick didn´t answer, he just stared at the man behind the glass, who didn´t even realize how much his words meant.
"I am always - just in the way." Nick hissed, his words no more than a whisper but Grissom heard them and cringed, as the other CSI hit the wall next the glass, then spun around and left the room without another word.
"Damn," was all that Grissom said before taking off after Nick.
He found him in the change room, sitting on the bench, his head leaning against the locker. Nick´s eyes were closed, one hand flexing, trying to get rid of the pain from the blow, the other one protecting his sore ribs. Grissom sighed heavily, then leaned against the wall, facing Nick.
"I know it´s hard to hear, Nick, but most of the victims were just in the way."
"That doesn´t help, Grissom," Nick replied wearily, all the fight gone for now. His whole body was hurting and not everything was caused by the physical blows. Nick hurt deep inside from all the previous wounds he gathered through the years. This one just brought them all back and he needed to take control and push them back, much deeper this time so they won´t be able to resurface, ever again. He was too weary to talk with Grissom, and had no intention to explain himself to him.
"I am sorry, Nick. I don´t know how to help you..."
Nick looked up at his chief and found the concern in his eyes, but also the guilt hidden behind them. Nick don´t wanted guilt. He wanted acceptance and some kind of understanding. He wasn´t even sure what he really wanted, but he didn´t find it there.
"I am too damned tired and hurting right now, Grissom. Just leave me alone, please."
Grissom stood for a moment, searching for answers but not finding them. He sighed, then turned and left. Nick watched him retreat, the pain in his heart deepening. He didn´t know why, Grissom just did what he asked him for. But somehow - somehow it hurt more than anything else.
To be continue
A/N: I just loved to write this chapter, even if I had a little author´s block for the last three days. Hope you liked this one just the same, and that it´s not too confusing. Send me some reviews, please, it will help with the next chapters and it will make me happy, too. PS: the story isn´t finished, so your ideas still count, folks :-)
Review, please.