Chapter Nine- New York's Finest
Thanks to KWillows, Maggie Doyle, DrusillaBraun, soliz, obsessedwithstabler, KaydenceRei, and big-smiles-all-around for their reviews!
Sergeant Happy Bunny….yeah yeah yeah…same old same
Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one.
Author's Note: Sorry for confusing you in the last chapter. I tried to include all the characters in it, but really just ended up confusing most of you guys and me as well. I will try and do better this time.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The CSI team stared at the drawing. It was a rough sketch, but it captured every detail of fear and pain on Catherine's face. Melinda bit her lip. This guy was a freak and a psychopath. Catherine couldn't be left alone with him for much longer if they wanted her to survive.
"I brought Lindsay." Sara said from the doorway. "She's in the interview room."
"Olivia, I want you to question her and Sara to listen in." Cragen ordered.
Sara cocked an eyebrow. "I'm not a detective." She said a little confused.
"Yeah, but Lindsay might be more comfortable with a familiar face." Elliot reasoned before Olivia could open her mouth.
They exchanged glances for a moment, in their usual manner, but both quickly looked away. Their fight still fresh on their minds.
"We'll go and process what we got from the crime scene." Nick spoke up.
He meant him, and Grissom. He couldn't even look Grissom's way. The leader of their team looked so defeated and lost that Nick found himself frightened. Grissom was never scared and seeing him this scared and worried, made Nick feel small. He motioned to Grissom, who gave no acknowledgement that he had even heard him.
"Let's go." He said firmly, pulling on his arm.
Grissom stood up and followed Nick out blindly, but his hand was clutch tightly around the evidence bag that contained the sketch of Catherine.
Melinda watched them leave with saddened eyes. "I'm going to go and examine the body." She said, excusing herself quickly and headed in the direction of the morgue.
Warrick turned to Greg. "Let's go back and process the rest of the crime scene." He said.
Greg nodded in agreement. "I got a feeling that Catherine may have left us more clues."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Alex groaned with frustration. Casey was clicking her pen impatiently and usually the sound didn't get to Alex, but this time it did.
"Casey would you please stop?" she asked, more harshly than she had meant to sound.
Casey froze, a bewildered expression on her face. "Uh…okay." She mumbled.
Alex gave her an apologizing look. "Sorry, it's just this case and how long this judge is taking to consider our warrant." She explained.
Casey gave her a hug. "I know, but you barely knew her."
"I didn't know Catherine, but Nick sure does." Alex replied, blushing at the latter part of her sentence.
Casey was amused. "Tell me you aren't in love." She teased.
Blushing furiously, Alex gave her a gentle whap on the arm'
"OW!" Casey whined, hitting Alex back with a grin. "Come on, spill the juicy details. You're going way out of your way on this case and I know it's not just because you're a good person."
"Fine." Alex gave in. "Yeah I really like him. He's not like the guys I usually meet. He's different, polite, patient. Everything I've been looking for."
"It doesn't hurt that he's drop dead gorgeous either." Casey teased.
Alex made a face. "Yeah that too, but Antonio loves him."
Casey smiled. "He should. I can tell Nick Stokes is a good guy." She agreed.
"He is." Alex said softly, with a dreamy expression on her face. "He sure is."
Casey hid a smile. So she wasn't the only one completely enraptured by a Las Vegas Crime Scene Investigator.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hi Lindsay, I'm Olivia. I'm a friend of your mother's" Olivia said in a friendly tone.
Lindsay didn't answer.
"Lindsay, did your mother tell you where she was going after work?" Olivia asked the blonde little girl sitting across from her.
"No." Lindsay replied, rather softly.
She wasn't afraid of Olivia, or Sara, or anyone in the precinct. She grew up around cops and CSI and everything else having to do with crime and it was the usual stuff for her.
"She just kissed me good-bye, dropped me off at Ms. Warner's house and then went to work. She usually works late." Lindsay said. "Well she doesn't come back to morning, since she's always working the graveyard."
Olivia nodded and glanced at Sara, clearly asking for clarification.
"Night shift." Sara explained, ruffling Lindsay's hair affectionately.
"Gotcha." Olivia said. Lindsay's not gonna be much help. She thought to herself.
The girl really didn't know much about her mother's work. Not that Olivia really blamed her. Crime and children just didn't mix and should never be mixed. Olivia leaned back in her chair. The little girl was precocious with lovely golden locks that framed her face and stunning blue eyes. She inherited her mother's beauty. Olivia observed.
Lindsay spoke quietly. "You're gonna find my mommy right?" she asked.
Olivia made the mistake of meeting the girl's eyes. "I promise." She said, wishing with every fiber of her being that she would be able to keep that promise.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He loved that about her. Elliot was watching Olivia through the glass one way mirror. She could coax things out of children that nobody else could and gain a child's trust within minutes. No one else could ever do that.
He watched her run her fingers through her golden brown hair, a gesture that only he knew as stress. She was worried and as was he. After seeing Catherine's little girl in the flesh, they weren't just looking for a CSI anymore. They were looking for a mother. His thoughts were interrupted when Olivia stepped out of the questioning room however.
"What do you think?" Olivia asked, making the point clear. Let's keep things professional.
"I don't know yet." Elliot replied meaning we can try, but we know we can't.
Olivia didn't answer, just watched Sara tease a smile out of Lindsay.
"Let's get our jobs done." Was all she said.
That was it. No more discussion of the case. No more finishing each other sentences about ways that they could work this case together. Nothing. Just silence. It broke Elliot's heart and pained Olivia more than a bullet to the gut.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fin and Munch were playing paper football. Fin was winning. Munch as complaining about some political guy and Fin wasn't paying much mind. They couldn't leave until Alex and Casey came back with the warrant. They were bored.
"I bet twenty that the next one makes it in." Fin said, crumpling up another piece of paper.
"I bet fifty that the government is tapping my phone." Munch retorted.
"I bet one hundred that your fat ass is gonna end up in an asylum one day." Fin muttered.
"Make sure the one you send him to has the straight jackets." Sara said with a smirk in the doorway.
"You mean the awesome jackets that only VIPs get?" Munch said with a grin.
Sara made a face. "I don't think he's gonna end up there. If I keep hanging around him I might end up crazy."
"Hey I work with him." Fin muttered.
Sara giggled and Munch's smile softened at the sight of her. Fin noticed and silently reminded himself to tease Munch about it later.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Olivia, this isn't working." Elliot sighed.
"Damn right it isn't." Olivia said flipping through some files. "We've got paperwork up to the top of our heads. We need a better system."
"That's not what I meant." He said softly.
Olivia turned to look at him. "I know what you meant, but this is how I chose to answer." She replied lightly.
"That doesn't solve our problem." Elliot said firmly, coming up on top of her desk.
"Elliot, our problem can wait. This case can't." Olivia responded sitting up to gaze up at him.
"Our problem can't wait either, Olivia. It'll jeopardize us if we have to go out in the field. We can't communicate." He said softly.
Olivia put a hand on his unconsciously. "Elliot if there's one thing that I've learned about our partnership over the years, it's the fact that no matter what happens we can communicate. We argue and we fight, but when it comes time to get on the job, we're connected mind to mind." She whispered.
Elliot let it go. He knew she was right. She always was when it came to them. He squeezed her hand. "Alright we'll talk about this later, even though I wish we could solve it now."
"We can't Elliot. Our roots run too deep for us to work it out in the little time we have, but when things quiet down we will work it out, somehow."
"I can't get over my feelings for you Liv. Please just tell me you thought about that."
"I did Elliot and I've realized that I can't move no so easily myself." Olivia said slowly. "We just need to stop and think before we mess up our job and our friendship."
"But we will work it out right?" he asked uncertainly. Times like this he always needed Olivia's guidance.
"Promise that we will." She said, kissing him gently on the cheek. "Until then, let's go back to the way we were before…friends, partners" She gave him a wry smile. "New York's finest."
He laughed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I got something!" Warrick called.
Greg rushed up to him. "What?" he asked excitedly.
"Cloth." He said, holding up a fragment of a jacket. "Actually two of them."
Greg glanced at the two samples. "Hey that one, the blue, that's Catherine's. She was wearing it that day." He pointed out.
"Then who's is this?" Warrick asked holding up a dark brown piece of cloth.
Greg shrugged. "My guess is the perp's. I'm theorizing that he dragged her through these bushes and both their clothes got torn up."
Warrick glanced at him. "Good work with the big words." He said with a grin. "We're getting somewhere finally."
"Yep. But it isn't enough. Thousands of people in New York have brown jackets." Greg pointed out.
"Yeah, but let's finish up here first."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This is getting ridiculous." Alex muttered, tapping her heel on the marble floor of the courthouse.
"I agree." Casey replied, pacing back and forth. "What is with this judge?"
"I have no idea but I intend to find out." Alex said, walking toward the judge's chambers.
Casey chased after her. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "You can't just barge in there."
"Well I'm certainly not gonna stand here all day, waiting on a stupid signature." Alex said with an annoyed expression. "Learn this Casey, sometimes you gotta take things into your own hands."
Casey let her go. "Yes boss lady." She said flashing Alex a grin.
Alex entered the judge's chambers, to find Honorable Judge Johnson asleep in his chair. She rolled her eyes. This explained way to much.
Casey walked around him. "Uh do we poke him or something?" she asked Alex.
"I don't know." Alex said biting her lip. If she pissed of the judge, he might refuse to sign her warrant.
"This was your idea."
"Well I didn't think this far."
"Well then think."
Alex crossed her arms and tapped her fingers. Casey waited patiently. Alex couldn't decide. Casey was at the end of patience. She grabbed the first thing she saw. A pencil. Using the eraser end of it, she gave the judge a firm poke on the head.
"What? Huh?" He mumbled sitting up and nearly falling over.
Alex gave Casey a oh-shit-you-didn't-just-do-that-expression.
Casey flashed at I-think-I-just-did-so-you-better-act-fast one in return.
"Uh your Honor, we need this warrant signed. It's got plenty of probable cause." Alex said through gritted teeth.
Luckily the judge was too out of it to realize what he was signing. He scribbled his signature at the bottom. "Go Bull's-eye!" he mumbled before going back to sleep.
Casey and Alex slipped out of the room, quietly and high fived each other behind their backs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Melinda looked up when Grissom entered the morgue.
"Tell me you got something." He said to her.
"I'm sorry Gil." Melinda replied.
He leaned his head into his hands again. Worry lines were etching his face and Melinda realized that Gil Grissom was scared out of his mind.
"We're gonna find her." she comforted, pulling off her bloody gloves to pat him on the back.
"This is my fault. I should have known this would happen. He knew her. He knew she put Matheas away. I should have anticipated that he would go after her. She's not just my best CSI, she's my best friend too." He said brokenheartedly. "Do you know what it's like?"
Melinda glanced at him with sad eyes of her own. "Yes I do." She said softly. "I think I know better than anyone."
Grissom and Melinda hugged. Their years of friendship relenting everything that was on their minds and in their hearts.
What I don't know is how he knew I loved her. Grissom thought.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Alex and Casey raced into the precinct waving a piece of paper.
"We got it!" Alex yelled loudly.
Immediately the detectives and Sara were standing before her.
"This gives you access to everything inside NYU." Casey explained, handing Olivia the warrant.
"Wow." She said in disbelief. "You guys are good."
Casey and Alex exchanged glances with a secret smile. "Yep." They said in unison.
Elliot rolled his eyes. "Let's get going." He said.
"I should call Grissom." Sara said uncertainly.
"No." Alex said, surprising everyone. She was the DA, not a detective and certainly not the boss of Sara.
Sara felt a flash of defensiveness. "Can I ask why not?" she asked coldly.
Alex fixed a cold stare of her own at Sara. "Because he's emotionally attached. We're not dealing with evidence. We're dealing with people in this search. I don't want him to explode at someone and anything that they say will be counted as inadmissible in court." She said patiently.
Olivia nodded. "I think we should get you and Greg to process at NYU. It'll be much more pratical."
Sara glanced from Olivia to Alex, knowing they were right. "Okay then." She said.
"I'll go too." Casey volunteered. "I think we need an ADA there just in case any of these smartasses want to pull any sly legal maneuvers."
"Let's go." Elliot said, handing Olivia her coat.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hope that didn't confuse anyone…trying to lesson down the details. Anyway…more on the way soon… and I'm thinking about an idea…Can you say B-A-I-T?