Chapter Five
Per Grissom's instructions, Nick had brought the entire trunk back to the lab with him. It seemed to contain the only items of a true personal and private nature in Prosper's house. Besides the journal, there contained a few photo albums and some newspapers tinged yellow with age.
With great care, Nick removed the contents of the trunk and placed them on one side of the layout table. He pulled up a stool and laid the journal in front of him and began to read.
Nick had been surprised when Grissom asked him to start sorting through the items while he checked in with the rest of the team. That seemed to show quite a bit of confidence in his abilities, which was something that he found encouraging. Perhaps Grissom was starting to come around. Perhaps finding the trunk had raised his supervisor's opinion of him.
That was before he had received his first phone call.
"Make sure you catalog every piece of evidence. It's all vital to our case and we don't want to lose anything." Grissom had said.
"It's already been done." Nick had replied as politely as he could.
Then he got the second call.
"Make sure you take detailed notes of everything you read. What appears to be insignificant may actually be incredibly important." Grissom had advised.
"I understand. I have already started doing so." Nick smiled through the phone, fighting the urge to tell Grissom that he knew how to do his job.
When his cell rang for the third time, Nick's patience was running a bit thin. How did Grissom expect him to get anything done if he kept calling every five minutes?
"Yeah?" he answered, trying to keep his tone in check.
"I wanted to let you know that we've confirmed that everyone Prosper said was missing is actually missing. That's seventeen people." Grissom told him.
Nick let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Seventeen people. The implications were staggering.
"Are you making any headway into the journal?" Grissom asked.
"I've managed to get through the first couple of pages." Nick answered.
"Is that all? What have you been doing?" Grissom sounded annoyed. No surprise there.
"I keep getting interrupted." Nick replied truthfully, hoping that Grissom would take the hint.
He didn't. "You need to stay focused. I don't need to tell you how important this case is. A lot of lives are at stake. I'll be back at the lab soon to check on your progress."
The line went dead before Nick had the chance to respond. He sighed miserably and closed his cell phone with a snap. Burying himself in his work, he soon got caught up in the eloquent words Levi had written. He furiously scribbled notes down, adding his own thoughts along with the information he had uncovered.
Nick heard the sound of approaching feet and looked up to see Grissom entering the room.
"Well? Have you uncovered anything interesting?" he asked, coming around the table to peer at Nick's work.
"Yeah, there's a load of interesting and insightful things in this book." Nick tapped on the open book. "He wrote a detailed account of parts his childhood in the first twenty pages or so before he starts diving into his philosophy on life."
Grissom reached behind him and pulled up a stool so he could sit next to Nick. "Proceed." he said with a wave of his hand.
Nick shifted on his stool so that he was facing his supervisor and began to relate his findings. "Levi Prosper was born in 1963 to Reuben and Lorraine Prosper. He was an only child. He says a few things about his earlier childhood, but then he fast forwards about ten years and that's when it gets interesting. If we can trust what he wrote, Reuben was an abusive alcoholic and he had a raging temper. Not surprisingly, Levi's dad was abusive towards his mother."
"Now given the time when this happened, people weren't big on reporting cases of spouse abuse. Of course, it's not like things have changed that much since then. The wives are just too scared for their lives and the lives of their children. That was the case for Lorraine. Levi makes an effort to say how his mother tried to protect him from his father when he was young, but in doing so, she suffered greatly." Nick told his boss.
"When he got older, the roles reversed. Levi tried to protect his mother and spare her the same pain she had spared him when he was younger. Things were very bad. Then one day, his father disappeared." Nick gave Grissom a knowing look.
"He disappeared?" Grissom repeated.
"Yeah, I found this newspaper article in the trunk. Levi saved it." Nick grabbed the clipping and handed it to Grissom. "From what I gathered, there were no leads in his disappearance and no hard evidence to prove foul play."
Grissom let his eyes skim quickly through the article before asking, "What did Levi have to say about his father's disappearance?"
Nick folded his arms across his chest. "While he never comes out directly and says that he killed his father, I think you could safely interpret some of the sections as a confession of sorts. In no way is he sorry that his father is gone and at one point, he says that his father got what he deserved. In fact, he starts to sound a little bit like the way he sounded in that videotape."
Grissom pondered this thoughtfully. "I think this sheds some light on why Nathan Sanford was treated differently than the others. Levi saw himself in Nathan - saw Nathan enduring the same kind of suffering. While Nathan's suffering was more emotional than physical, it still produced the same effect. Nathan was craving the attention of a father figure and Levi was more than willing to fill the role. Nathan was vulnerable, susceptible to manipulation, and Levi got Nathan to do to Thomas what he did to Reuben. One father was traded for another. Remember, Nathan did say that he had found his true father. I think we can now safely assume that he meant Prosper."
"So one father abuses his son, who in turn gets his revenge by killing him. Though Levi would probably say that he was just dealing justice upon the guilty." Nick said as he shook his head in amazement. "The son then grows up and convinces another son to get revenge on his father by killing him."
The realization of the true meaning behind his words struck Nick and he raised his eyes to meet Grissom's. "Levi's still fighting the ghost of his father. What he's doing now, the people whose lives he's threatening, it's all just to get revenge on his father. He's still the same little boy."
"The sins the father commits against his son have disastrous and far-reaching consequences." Grissom almost whispered. "A father is supposed to impart wisdom to his son and provide him with protection, but this is not what Reuben Prosper or Thomas Sanford did for their sons. They were physically and emotionally abusive and their ill treatment of their sons lead those who they should have been taking care of into danger - not danger from an outside source, but from a danger within. They became killers."
Grissom's words echoed in Nick's mind. What must it be like to have a father who never uttered a kind word to you? Who never showed any other emotion but anger? Who never paid you any notice except to look on you with disapproval? How could some fathers be so cruel? Did they not know the immense power they had over the development of their children? His own father had taught him from a very early age the difference between right and wrong and had firmly implanted ethical values in his mind. Those were the kinds of things that had made him who he was today and he owed that to his father. Though he was not necessarily one to show overt displays of emotion, Nick never doubted for a moment that his father loved him and would have done anything to keep him safe.
He gave a small sigh. "Well, I think we have a better understanding of our suspect. You want me to see if I can lend a hand in one of the missing persons cases? I'm sure there's still plenty more to do."
Nick looked at Grissom expectantly, hoping that after he had accomplished the job he had been assigned, he would be allowed to get his hands dirty alongside his teammates.
Grissom looked up at him sharply, a flicker of annoyance passing across his face. "No. The shift's almost over and there's no real reason for you to stay. Go on home. I'm quite confident that the others have everything under control and don't need assistance from you."
With that, Grissom stood up and walked briskly out of the room, leaving Nick alone.
Catherine walked through the lab, her head spinning with thoughts about their current case. She'd been digging into the marriage between Martin and Laura Alcott. Talk about a messy divorce. She had thought that her own tumultuous relationship with Eddie had been bad enough, but she knew that Eddie would not be capable of doing anything like what Martin had done. He would never snatch Lindsey from her or hurt her. Eddie Willows may be a lot of things, but he wasn't a kidnapper.
Of course, Martin had been manipulated by Levi Prosper. He had been a good man, whose mind had been twisted by the words of a disturbed individual intent on wreaking his own special brand of havoc. Furthermore, it wasn't as if Laura was completely innocent in all this. After all, she was the one who had left. She was the one who had misrepresented Martin in court and taken his children from him thereby giving the unfortunate man a reason to hate her.
She sighed and felt a dull ache in her heart. Those poor children. What must they be going through? Did they understand at all what was happening or were they confused by the strange actions of their father? Were they scared? Were they hurt?
As she walked past the locker room, Catherine spotted Nick sitting on a bench, staring at the metal locker in front of him. His dejected countenance struck her and made her stop dead in her tracks. She could tell he was in need of some comfort.
"Hey Nicky. How's it going?" Catherine asked as she took a seat next to the younger man.
"It's okay." Nick nodded. He inclined his head slightly so he could look at Catherine and plastered one of those famous grins on his face.
The look she was giving him made it clear that she did not believe him despite his efforts to convince her otherwise. Nick had never really been good at hiding his emotions. He tended to be an open book in that regard. It was a quality that Catherine liked very much because it kept Nick honest, and after dealing day in and day out with liars, his sincerity was refreshing.
"I've had better days." he admitted with a slightly smaller, yet more genuine smile.
"Things rough with Grissom?" the redhead asked bluntly. She had perceived the tension between them and was grateful for this chance to talk about it with Nick.
"How'd you know?" The Texan seemed genuinely surprised, giving her that look of child-like wonder she loved so much.
"It's kinda hard to miss. I've sensed that things haven't been right since Kristy." Catherine informed him, giving him a sympathetic look.
He sighed at this. Of course everyone had to know. It was probably hot office gossip. Nick hated to think that the lab was using his precarious relationship with Grissom as some form of cheap entertainment.
"So it's the talk of the break room? Everyone talking about how much Grissom is mad at me?" Nick asked bitterly.
"No, I didn't say that. I just said that I noticed that things haven't been right." Catherine corrected him lightly.
"He's keeping a close eye on me." Nick said as he resumed staring at the locker in front of him. "Wants to make sure I'm doing my job right and not making any mistakes. He's the boss. That's his right."
Catherine wasn't surprised to hear Nick support Grissom's behavior. Far be it for the man to bad-mouth the boss to another co-worker. That just wasn't in his nature. She also figured that, deep down, Nick must feel that he deserved the treatment he was receiving from Grissom.
"That must be rough." Catherine laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
Nick shrugged. "Just trying to do my best and stay out of trouble."
"Have you talked to him about it?" she inquired though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Nick and Grissom weren't big on communicating about their relationship.
"What am I supposed to say, Catherine? I've tried to say that I'm sorry. He doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to hear anything that I've got to say. He barely tolerates working with me and he won't let me out of his sight for more than five minutes. It's not getting any better and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't know how to make things right." Nick lowered his head to stare at his hands.
Catherine felt a twinge of pity for the man. He looked so small - like a little child who had been punished for doing something he hadn't realized was naughty. She wanted to give him a hug and tell him that everything would be fine, but she knew that he wouldn't appreciate that.
Instead, she settled for squeezing his hand. "He has faith in you. I know he does. Right now's just a difficult time. He'll get over it."
"Yeah. I know. Just takes time." Nick said quietly in an unconvincing tone.
Catherine could tell that Nick didn't believe a word she had said and it saddened her. Grissom's constant berating and mistrust had stripped this once-confident man of his faith in himself. She hated seeing what the rift between supervisor and employee was doing to both men. It could not continue. She wasn't going to let it.
"I'm gonna head home now. Grissom's orders." Nick told her as he stood up to leave. He turned to her and gave her a sad smile that nearly broke her heart.
She watched him walk away and was filled with a determination to do something. She had sat on the sidelines long enough, watching two men that she cared deeply about skate around the issue. If Nick didn't feel confident enough to speak up for himself, it was high time someone interceded for him and she was just the person for the job. It was time to "put her oar in" and confront Grissom.
Striding purposefully down the hall, she spotted Grissom just outside of his office talking to Warrick.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you for a moment." Catherine said brusquely.
Not giving him a chance to respond, Catherine grabbed Grissom's arm and pulled him into his office. She shut the door tightly behind them before turning to face the scientist.
"What is it, Catherine? I'm in the middle of a big case. We both are as a matter of fact." Gil sighed as he pulled his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes.
"The case can wait. We've got a more pressing issue to deal with." The redhead placed her hands on her slender hips and fixed him with a piercing gaze.
"And what is that?" Grissom asked unenthusiastically.
"The way you're treating Nick." Catherine said bluntly. "Frankly, Gil, I'm appalled at your behavior. You're acting like some petty teenager with a grudge."
"What are you talking about?" Grissom asked, starting to get annoyed. He did not feel like talking about Nick right now. Especially not with Nick's most loyal advocate.
"You're treating Nicky like crap, berating him every chance you get. You're constantly looking over his shoulder and monitoring his work. He's not some little kid! He's a grown man who knows how to do his job and as a matter of fact, he does it very well!" Catherine snapped.
"Nick has proven himself unable to make wise choices in certain aspects of his personal life and those choices have had negative ramifications on his professional life. He has to prove himself trustworthy again." Grissom said, folding his arms across his chest.
"Trustworthy? How can you say that? He didn't break any laws or compromise any cases! He was attracted to Kristy and succumbed to that attraction in a moment of passion! He's just like any other man!" Catherine hissed.
"That woman was a prostitute! Nick's a CSI! They were on opposite sides of the law! He should have known better than to get involved with a woman like that!" Grissom spat angrily.
"He didn't pay to have sex with her! He genuinely cared about her! He was trying to help her get out of that lifestyle - to make a change!" Catherine crossed her arms over her chest, matching Grissom's angry stance.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Catherine. Nick put himself in a compromising situation, one which called into question his credibility and the credibility of the lab." Grissom told her tersely.
"Is that all you care about? How the lab looks? You sound like Ecklie." Catherine replied angrily.
Grissom did not care for this comparison. He dropped his voice to a quiet, more deadly level. "The life of a public servant is different than a normal person's life. You know that, Catherine. People view us differently and they question our actions both on and off the clock. That's why we have to be careful. Nick nearly lost everything because of that woman. It doesn't matter if it was consensual or a genuine relationship. All people focus on is the law enforcement guy who slept with that hooker. And to top it all off, he doesn't seem to care."
It was painfully obvious that Catherine was not making any headway with Grissom. He was being too stubborn, refusing to listen to reason. She tried a different tactic, hoping to appeal to his responsibilities as a supervisor.
"The only thing he cares about is making things right with you. The strain between the two of you is killing him. Gil, you're the boss. Nick looks to you for guidance and wisdom. You need to help him, not kick him while he's down. He needs you right now. The whole situation with Kristy has been very upsetting to him. Help him. Please." She said quietly, pleading with her eyes.
"What he needs is reprimanding. He nearly got himself arrested because of his emotional attachment to that woman. He put himself in a precarious situation that nearly cost him his career. He gets too attached to people and that affects his ability to think clearly. He's going to get himself in serious trouble if he's not more careful. Nick has so much potential but refuses to live up to it because he lets himself be ruled by his emotions. It's not only that. He's far too eager. He needs a pat on the back all the time and while maybe you enjoy doing that, I can't spend my time making sure Nick feels good about himself. I can't be holding his hand all the time. He needs to grow up or find a different job. I'm not paid to be Nick's babysitter." Grissom responded in a tone that Catherine was unaccustomed to hearing.
She wasn't getting through to him. He just wasn't listening. She could shout at him until she was blue in the face and he still wouldn't hear her. Not really. She had never seen him this way, so completely blinded, and wondered if there was not more to his anger than even Gil realized.
Doubting whether or not it would do any good, she gave him a warning. "Gil, if you don't do something about this now, things are going to spiral out of control. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it."
"Noted." Grissom replied cooly. "Is that all, Catherine?"
Without giving her a chance to respond, he swept past her, leaving Catherine to her own tumultuous thoughts.