Title: Entreaty
By: Manigault
Thank you for reading this story! Thank you to those who have reviewed!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grissom, Sara, Tom, Catherine and Nick sat around a table in the conference room. Nick had presented them with the evidence from the Cessna, including a shell that was found lodged in the back of the plane. Warrick and Brass had returned to the Hanson home with a warrant and found a small collection of firearms which they were in the process of bringing back to the lab to analyze and compare with the weapons used to attack Grissom and Sara as well as the one used to kill Kyle.
"It is shaping up to be a solid case against these boys," Grissom said as he studied a report that Greg brought him on the shell casing. "Connor is bluffing, thinking that Quinn doesn't know enough to harm either himself or Paul."
"And, he thinks that Olivia took the blame for the shooting and implemented Andy," Sara said and then added with a thoughtful look, "I think that Paul will have the same story as Connor and the two of them will be working it rather hard to convince us that they are smarter than us."
Waving one hand lightly in the air, Grissom grunted. "They always think they are smarter than us. It depends on us to prove them wrong." He glanced up at Sara and their eyes locked for a brief second.
Standing up from the table, Tom proceeded to pace around the room, one hand running through his curls as he thought aloud. "We should play them against each other, tell Connor that Quinn confessed and Olivia backed him up."
"We will play those cards and a few others," Catherine assured him. "I'm sure that of the four teenagers, something is bound to crack between them." She watched as Tom continued to pace and took the time to study him for the first time since they met. It was incredilble how similar he was to Gil, not only in looks but in mannerisms. She had known Gil for so many years and had never known anyone that resembled him. Her eyes darted over to Sara and she repressed a smile. Except Sara.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Hanson smirked across the table at Grissom and Sara. He was prepared for the questions and knew exactly what he was going to say when they quizzed him about Kyle and Andy Giles. For the past year he and Connor had been heavily involved with trafficking drugs in both Calienta and Vegas. They had built a nice network using resources that Connor had made in one of his granddads casinos. They were solid, rolling in dough, and living the high life until that shit Andy Giles started poking his head into his buisness.
"Tell me where we can find Andy Giles," Grissom said. He waited for the teen to respond and locked his jaw when he saw the smile flitting around the boys lips. "This is not a game, Paul, you are in serious trouble. You will not walk away from this if there is anything that I can do to stop you."
Paul leaned forward and gave a short laugh. "That's the rub, isn't it Mr. Grissom? You can't do anything." Leaning back in his chair he rolled his shoulders and glanced towards the door. "I should have a lawyer in here before I make any other comments."
Sara opened the folder that was on the table. Steeling her own raw emotions she picked one of the pictures up and pushed it across the table in front of Paul. "Why don't you look at a few pictures until your lawyer arrives?" She knew that it would be a matter of minutes before the same lawyer that had represented Burke would appear in the room along with Scott Hanson.
Paul picked the photograph up and smirked again. "This is cool. How did you make it look so real? Special effects?" He held the photo as his eyes traveled between Grissom, who wore a barely concealed expression of disgust, and Sara, who was not even trying to hide her disdain.
"That is what Kyle Giles looked like after being shot and buried in the desert by you and your cousins." she snapped. Tension rolled along her spine and she had to flex her jaw to keep from saying more.
"Andy shot his dad. I didn't know that he buried him in the desert," said Paul with a look of amusement. "Do you have more pictures I can look at until my lawyer says we are finished?"
"You are a piece of work," Sara said with undisguished contempt. Before she could say more, the door opened and Scott Hanson stormed into the room.
"You best not be interrogating my son without our lawyer present because I'll sue this place and everyone involved in this debacle." Scott Hanson stood in the doorway with his hands firmly planted on his hips. Glaring at the nonchalant investigators he dared them to deny his threats and then, satisfied with their silence, he walked over to the chair beside his son and took a seat.
Scott wrapped a protective arm around Paul's shoulders and flicked his eyes over the teens face. "Are you okay, Paul?"
Anger pulsed through Grissom's arteries and he knew his pulse was out of control as he tried valiantly to keep his temper in check. Shifting in the chair next to him, Sara let her thigh press against his in a gesture of reassurance. He noted that the same lawyer that had been in the room with Burke had entered the room and taken a chair on the other side of the teen, a weary exrpession now lining his craggy face.
Grissom reached over to the folder that was in front of Sara and opened it without saying a word. Taking the photos out he lined them up on the table in front of the Hansons and the lawyer and then he folded his arms over his chest and stared directly at Paul.
"Tell me why you killed Kyle Giles and then buried him in the desert."
The room erupted in angry shouts as Scott stood and the lawyer protested. Paul kept that twisted grin on his face as he watched the commotion. Grissom and Sara stayed seated and let the men run on for several minutes. When the room was silent once again, Sara broke the silence by repeating Grissom's question.
"Why did you kill Kyle Giles?" Sara asked as she tapped a finger on one of the photos and kept her eyes trained on Pauls face. "And, if you say that you did not kill him then tell me why you did not call the police after you picked Andy and Olivia up in the desert."
"This is ridiculous!" Scott shouted as he pushed back from the table and turned towards his lawyer. "You had best put a stop to these accusations or we will find a new lawyer."
Paul was not flustered by the outburst of his dad or of the photos that lay spread on the table before his eyes. He ignored Grissom and stared across the table at Sara with a look that she did not have much trouble deciphering. She could only hope that they could get this kid off the street before he hurt someone else. She fought back the thought of him being out on the street when he reached adulthood and decided that he should be tried as an adult. She hoped the DA would agree.
Grissom scowled at the boys expression as he devoured Sara with his eyes and decided it was time for them to take a break. "Sara? Will you see me outside for a minute?"
He walked towards the door and waited for Sara to join him. He was not prepared for the sparks that were flying from her eyes as she walked angrily past him and into the hall where she held her temper until the door closed and they had moved further along the corridor.
"A break, Grissom? We just started questioning that...that...bastard and you decide to yank us out to take a break? If we keep giving these kids time to regroup then how do you think we will ever progress in finding Andy?"
Oblivious to the small crowd they were drawing, Sara took a deep breath and kept her eyes fastened on Grissom's darkening expression. She knew that she had stepped over a line, but the audacity of Paul's attitude was fueling her discomfort and she wanted answers.
"I think that Brass will continue this interrogation with me and I'd like for you to speak with Olivia," Grissom said with a steely determination that Sara knew much too well.
"If I don't go back in there with you, Grissom, then that gloating teenager will have won some points," said Sara.
"This is not a game, Sara, nobody is trying to score the most points," Grissom said firmly. He spotted Conrad Ecklie approaching from the periphery of his vision and tried to steer the conversation in another direction. Speaking only loud enough for Sara's ears, he said soothingly. "We'll talk about this after shift, Sara, but right now Ecklie is fast approaching and he is not a big fan of either of us."
Taking the hint, Sara clenched her fists and gave a quick nod. "I'll talk to Olivia." He watched her walk away, her eyes averted from Ecklie as she made her way to another interrogation room.
Grissom felt no elation with this concession and knew that they would hash it out after shift and deservedly so on Sara's part. He had reacted like a protective lover wanting to shield her from the cold eyes of what he believed was a calculating killer. Although he had often felt these urges, this was the first time something had snapped inside of him and he reacted badly. Ecklie stopped in front of him and Grissom brushed him off with a shrug.
"Everything okay with Sidle?" Ecklie asked, unwilling to be brushed off by Grissom.
"Everything is fine, Conrad, we were discussing the case," Grissom mumbled with a distracted expression as he pulled out his cellphone. "I need to make a call, excuse me." Without a backwards glance at Ecklie, Grissom sent a text message and then motioned to Brass who had been standing in the hallway since he and Sara had left the interrogation room.
In another room along the hallway, Sara felt her phone vibrate and pulled it off her hip, tapping a button to read a message that was on her small screen.
I'm sorry. Make it up later. G.
With a soft smile and tilt of her head, Sara knew that she was not going to let him off the hook that easily, but it was a start. Pulling out a chair, she spent the next few minutes calming her emotions and planning the direction she would take with Olivia to try and bring some closure to this teenage farce. By the time the door opened she was steady and knew exactly how to approach the shell shocked teen.
TBC