CHAPTER EIGHT

There stood Ellie Brass who then walked in hesitantly into Iris' living room. She carried a large backpack and was dressed in jeans and a loose denim shirt. Her dark brown hair was pulled back loosely from her face. She glanced at her father with a neutral expression but looked ready to bolt yet again.

"Hi, you must be Ellie, welcome to my home," Iris gently embraced her. She didn't want to scare the young woman away. "Please come in. Your dad's still here."

Brass rose slowly from the couch, stunned, amazed, and speechless. He wanted to sweep Ellie into a hug that never ended. He had so much to say. Yet, he had to resist too much too soon and start off neutral. "El," he said softly, his voice gruff. He gave a side-glance at Iris. How, why, he wondered.

Ellie replied, "Hey, Dad, been awhile," her voice cautious. "Iris talked me into coming here and had a taxi bring me. She said I could stay with her if I wanted while I'm here."

Brass looked to Iris who silently nodded yes. Ellie moved to sit in the chair as Brass sat back down on the couch.

Iris' phone rang again and she promptly took the call. Her conversation was quick and by her facial expression Brass could tell the news wasn't good. "Thanks, Sara, I appreciate the update. No, I won't be in tonight...it's a family situation. See you all tomorrow night, then. Bye." She rubbed her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Iris, what's up?" asked Brass, his voice concerned. Ellie even seemed curious.

"It's an update on the murder victim from last night. She's been positively identified as sixteen-year-old Kaylee Parker from Seattle. She was a runaway. Her stepfather, for lack of a better word, identified her picture and dental records at the Seattle PD after a detective on her missing person case received it from the LVPD. He's her nearest relative; the mother and biological father are deceased. He refuses to claim the body…says she was trash and wasn't anything but trouble to him after her mother died two years ago," Iris finished as her dark eyes brimmed with tears. "Please excuse me," she said tightly, leaving them to go out onto her balcony. Her head sank as the tears flowed hotly down her cheeks.

She heard the sliding door behind her but didn't turn. She was aware of Brass coming beside her but she was too tear-blinded to see. He gave her a tissue and she blew her nose as she continued to sniff. "I'm sorry, Jim, it got to me more than I thought it would," she whispered. He put his finger under her chin to tilt her face up and smooth away her tears with another tissue.

"You continue to amaze me," he said slowly, but Iris stepped back unsure of herself yet again.

"Thanks. It means a lot coming from you. Let's get back in to Ellie," Iris said, shakily.

"Are you okay, Iris?" asked Ellie, who was now petting Cyrano and Durante. "They got through your door somehow, sorry."

"I'll be okay, Ellie, and thanks. A young girl was murdered last night. It was just senseless and brutal. Your dad's on the case and I was there as one of the CSIs," Iris answered.

"Do you know who did it?" asked Ellie, who seemed more interested, to her father.

"Not yet but we'll get them and we'll see that justice is served," Brass said firmly.

In his own mind he wanted ten minutes alone in a dark alley with the vermin before the official justice process took over.

Remembering her conversation with Iris earlier in the day, Ellie suddenly asked, "Can I see her? Can I see Kaylee?"

Brass shook his head, feeling it was a bad idea, but Ellie became more insistent. She entreated her father repeatedly. Finally Jim said he needed to make a few calls to look into the possibility and picked up his cell phone and stepped out to the balcony.

"Ellie, why do want to see a dead girl? What's to be gained by it?" Iris asked. She was concerned this could only traumatize the young woman further who was still battling her own personal demons.

"Because of what you said to me earlier, it's what made me come here!" Ellie exclaimed. "I don't know if dad and I can patch it up. It always seems too late for us. I won't back down and I can't trust his saying he will. You're the reason I came though, especially about what we have in common."

Jim came to stand beside Ellie. "It's been arranged but I fail to see why you're insisting on this. She's beyond anyone's help. We can leave now if you want and I'll drive us over to the lab. Dr. Robbins will meet us there."

"Let's go then, sooner the better," Ellie retorted, as they left.