AN: Sorry for the delay, I lost my note pad hits self. But here it is. I'll be back soon, enjoy.
"Heard Eric stayed with you last night," Valera says to Calleigh, who bushes it off with a professionalism I rarely see in others. But Valera's having none of it. She steps towards her, smiling sweetly. "Oh, come on, Calleigh," she says. "Did you kiss him?" I notice Valera glance my way and I let my eyes fall. She's watching to see if I'm listening; I know my paranoia is justified this time.
Calleigh merely smiles, waving a DNA packet in front of Valera's eyes. She sighs, frowning amicably as she snatches the evidence away. I miss that. All the times Valera and I would joke around in the lab, back before things changed. I wonder if I'll ever get that back.
Calleigh catches my eye, head jerking slightly towards the door, indicating she needs to talk to me. I don't bother to excuse myself, simply place my evidence next to the microscope, ensuring it won't be put away before the analysis is complete, and step out into the corridor behind Calleigh.
"So did you kiss him?" I half-joke, mimicking Valera. Truthfully, I really want to know! But I wouldn't let her know that. I get no response though, just a soft glance and two raised eyebrows.
"Got anything?" she asks, pulling me to the side.
"Victim's name is Jessica Sager, she was 34." I watch her flinch, the victims name making the situation all too real for both of us.
"Eric told me he was taking over the crime scene, Horatio spoke to the night shift, and they gave it us." She spoke quickly, defensively. "Was it her home?"
"Boyfriends, I think. Horatio's with him now." I pause, glancing to her, choosing my next words carefully. "Calleigh, we need to consider the possibility that… that he may already have picked out another victim." I left it to her to make the link. She didn't want me explicitly saying, 'you're probably next, Calleigh', I know that. But I need her to understand the risks.
"I'm gonna join Eric at the scene," she dismisses, my line of thought avoided as she glances to me momentarily before continuing. "Wanna come with us?"
"Oh! Erm, sure, Calleigh…. Thanks."
Fieldwork. Something I'd never really considered before today. I mean, I've thought about what I'll be able to do after I've got all I could out of my current job. But I've not thought of advancing in to field forensics. Maybe it is something I could consider exploring in the future.
It is only on our way to the elevator that I really realize the impact of the woman's death on Calleigh. She is vulnerable as it is, with her eyes downcast as she walks, but the voice behind us chills my very heart. As I call her name, a broken voice sounds out, anger and distress prevalent in every word.
"You're Calleigh Duquesne?" says the voice, getting louder as it walks towards us. "CSI Duquesne?"
"Can I help you?" she asks, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Answer me!" he shouts, eyes wide. She nods gently, unsure of his intentions. "You're the reason? You're the reason my Jessica's dead?"
"Sir, I - "
"Don't!" he cries, head falling into his hands. "Don't make excuses. She died because of your mistakes."
"Sir," I try to interrupt, feeling the need to defend her. He continues regardless, stepping close to her, pure despair radiating from him. It physically knocks Calleigh and she moves backwards.
"Her blood is on your hands, Miss Duquesne, remember that." He stares for a moment, maintaining eyes contact, before he takes a step back, tears on his face. With that, he leaves.
I glance to Calleigh, see her studying the floor like it's the most interesting thing she's ever seen. I move closer, my hand grasping her arm. "You okay?" I ask, gaining no response. "Calleigh, you're not…"
She turns suddenly, pressing the button for the elevator furiously. I follow, returning to stand by her side, both literally and metaphorically. "You're not responsible for her death; you know that, right?" She doesn't respond, simply stares straight ahead until the elevator comes. I try to talk to her about it, but she silently refuses; telling me, in so many ways, to let it go.
But I cannot let her suffer alone.
/---/
The scene is worse than the photo's. I think we both expected that, what I wasn't ready for, was the smell. Cold metal, decomposition, urine and sweat. The thick, stagnant smell of death. It's a smell that covers everything, sticks to your cloths, hair and skin. I've head the newer CSI's talk about it before, but I've never experienced it first hand. The sterilization equipment and the AC system masks the smell of the blood in the lab. I fight a heave.
"Got anything?" Calleigh asks, spotting Eric across the room.
"Hey. Yeah, nightshift filled me in. Body's with Alexx now, she started post this morning." He pauses, gauging her reaction. She gives none, which I think tells Eric more than her words could. "Erm, a lot of blood," he continues gesturing around, "mainly in this room, but there is some on the stairs."
"Where's PD?" she asks, and I realize now that there is only one officer on the scene.
"They're all caught up, there's a major accident on the causeway."
"What evidence did they find?" she continues. I notice she still hasn't made eye contact with Eric.
"Hair, fibers. I don't know how many will be the perp's though, considering…" He glances to her now, squinting a little, like I have seen him do over evidence countless times. "How you holding up?"
I guess she told him about Western, he seems really worried. "I'm okay," she says, smiling strongly. He merely frowns, clearly not happy with her answer. Calleigh's a good actress, but she can't fool Eric. "I'm gonna talk to the officer," she says, gesturing to me for a moment. "Coming?"
I follow, glancing back to Eric, watching him shake his head slightly.
The officer is helpful, informing us what the night shift has already managed to do. They've processed half the scene, leaving little for us to do. The evidence has been returned to out lab, and the results will be given to us. PD had put out an APB last night, they are still waiting for any information to come though. Calleigh scribbles all this down, and I struggle to keep up with the torrent of information he is throwing our way.
He pauses suddenly, a voice crackling over the radio, demanding his attention. A possible match to the description of Western that was released has been made. He glances to Calleigh, as though understanding this is important to her. "You guys gonna take this?" he asks us, and Calleigh nods, telling him to ensure backup follows quickly.
She calls Eric, informing him of the situation. "You sure you wanna take this? I can go alone if…"
But she ignores him, striding purposefully towards the Hummer. Eric glances to me, silently begging me for help. I don't know what's happened between them, but she's never been that dismissive with him before. I've seen her do it to others, even myself, but with Eric, she's always been nice about the fact she wants to be left alone. "What's going on?" I ask, trying to see what I can do to help.
"I don't know," he replies, scratching the back of his neck with his index finger. "I'm trying; she just keeps pushing me away."
"She's Calleigh." It's all I can offer as an explanation, "What happened?" My questions strikes a response, his eyes snap to mine. It was innocent enough, 'what happened' could mean anything in the world, but the fact he jumps to the conclusion he has tells me all I need to know. "Right," I say, pulling my eyes from his.
"Nat, I -"
"It's okay," I reassure, and really, it is. I still don't know exactly what happened, and I get the feeling he won't tell me, but I know something did and it doesn't hurt as much as I expected it to. I'd figured I'd be crushed, even a little, but all I feel is acceptance.
He smiles suddenly, looking at me reassuringly. "I think she'll be okay, we just have some things to sort out."
/---/
"Is PD on its way?" Eric asks Calleigh as we step into a compound surrounded by a large metal fence. The place looks abandoned, an old junk-yard of some kind. Loose metal is strewn about the floor, large sheets and mangled cars lie haphazardly over each other. In the middle, a wooden shed stands tall, proud almost; like a lone warrior in the middle of a death-ridden battlefield.
"Yeah, anonymous call came in about half an hour a go. They're going to follow us as soon as they can get away from the causeway."
A loud bang sounds from within, Calleigh signals me back, copying Eric and pulling her weapon. "Wait here," she orders, cocking her gun. Together they enter, disappearing out of site as they follow the noise. I can do nothing but wait, hoping back-up will arrive soon. Situations like this can be dangerous, I watch TV. They are not supposed to enter alone, but I know there is no way Calleigh is risking letting him go.
I'm returning to the Hummer when my breathing stops short. My body freezes momentarily as three shots resound from within.
My heart goes cold.
/---/