Wow! I got some great reviews. Thank you for taking the time to R&R. I hope this chapter will be as good as the others. Let's get on with chapter four of Cliff Hanger. Once more, the plot thickens…
The evidence was processed, the coffee was hot and fresh, and Greg, Nick, and Sara were rightfully tiered. The trio had just about had all it could take of fingerprints, DNA, bloody shoe prints, and gunshot residue. The group was reclining in the break room, each with a cup of steaming Hawaiian blend coffee.
"I'll almost say… hell, I will say that I hope Hodges takes forever with those samples." Greg admitted.
"I actually want to know what he's got for us." Sara opposed. "I want to get this ball rolling so we can solve this case."
"That's because you're a workaholic who never sleeps." Greg said. "Nick, on the other hand, looks like he's about to fall asleep in his chair."
Nick shook his head swiftly to wake himself up. "I didn't get much sleep last night…yesterday…whatever." He yawned and then took a large sip from his coffee mug.
"You know," Greg suggested, "Maybe considering the, uh, situation, Grissom might let you go early."
"Actually, I was going so see if Warrick needed any help with his case after I finish my coffee."
"I'm through as far as processing evidence is concerned." Warrick said as he entered the room and made his way to the coffee pot.
"Well, what do you know? That's all I'm allowed to do."
"Nick, why don't you tell us what's going on here?" Sara urged.
"Yeah," Greg agreed. "All we've heard is some bits and pieces."
"Well I've heard this story twice. Once from Detective Salazar, that bitch, and once from you, man."
"Well, third time's a charm." Nick faced Greg and Sara and asked, "How much did you actually hear?"
Greg answered, "Our story came from Hodges, who got his story from Ecklie, who…"
"Okay, okay, you can stop at Ecklie." Nick began his story yet again. "In a nutshell, here it is. Tanner and I were at this place on my dad's land called Buckman's Cliff. Tanner was on the horse near the edge. I moved over a rock and woke up a rattlesnake. It got mad, started striking everywhere, Tanners horse went ballistic and started rearing and bucking and threw Tanner over the side of the cliff."
"And how long ago was this?" Sara inquired.
"About twenty years."
"So what are the police doing reopening the case?"
"From what Detective Blevins told me, I get that Tanner's mom found an old journal entry he made the day it happened. In it he said he needed to tell me something that would piss me off. The entry didn't say what it was that he needed to tell me and I guess he either never got a chance to say it or he just decided not to. I'm clueless on that note."
Just as Nick was finishing his story, Catherine poked her head into the room. "Just stopped in to let you guys know Grissom and I are back."
"How much evidence do you have to process?" Nick asked. "I'm board."
"A lot. Come on."
When Nick had left the room, Sara said, "I don't mean to question Nick's innocence, but that story he just told is the type of thing that usually doesn't get good reviews from detectives."
Greg's eyes widened as he listened to her. "Hay, are you saying that it's not true, what he said, happened at the cliff?"
"No, I never implied anything like that. I just said that type of story usually isn't quite kosher."
Greg shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
Warrick, who has leaning against the counter, slammed his coffee cup down and declared, "Never in the entire time I've known Nicky has he ever lied to me. I don't care if he said a giant spider ate Tanner. It doesn't have to be kosher for me. I'm not Jewish."
As Warrick stormed out of the break room, he wondered if he was trying to defend Nick to Sara or to himself.
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Melissa Woods had not allowed herself to sleep sense her son's case had been reopened. She never let the nearest telephone out of her sight. Her patience paid off when she finally got the call.
"Hello." She answered.
"Mrs. Woods, this is Detective Blevins calling from Las Vegas. We found and interviewed Nick Stokes."
"And?" She urged him to proceed.
"Mrs. Woods, he's sticking to his original story. I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do with this case."
"Dig deeper!" Melissa demanded.
"I'm sorry, but there's no where deeper to dig. You knew reopening a twenty-year-old cold case was a long shot from the beginning. Even with the cooperation from the Las Vegas Police Department…"
"You informed the police in Vegas?"
"We had to, Mrs. Woods. He's is a crime scene investigator. Now I need to call the sheriff and let him know we're closing the case so Stokes can get on with his life."
"Nick Stokes didn't let my son get on with his life!"
Blevins sighed sadly. "Mrs. Woods, your son's death was an accident. That's my professional as well as personal opinion. Now blame whomever you want, but this case is closed."
Melissa died a little inside when she heard the click of detective Blevins hanging up the phone.
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The Dallas airport was crowded and noisy. People of many different nationalities, races, and languages milled and meandered through the lobby.
"Flight 112 to Las Vegas, Nevada," The announcement called. Melissa Woods lugged her suitcase to the counter and showed the man her boarding pass and ticket.
"Right this way, please, and have a nice flight."
Nice flight. Right. It wasn't as if she was on a vacation. She was on a mission.
Melissa found her seat by a window and sat down. She did not slouch of recline; her posture was proper and professional. She had no intentions of sleeping on this flight. She did not want relaxation or fun, she wanted justice and revenge. Even before she had found the journal entry, she had always blamed Nick for what happened, and a certain suspicion had always been festering at the back of her mind. Now she was sure. She had to set things right. If Blevins won't do anything, I sure as hell will.
TBC. The angst is on the way. See you next chapter.