D: I don't write for or own CSI New York. It would be too weird.
Christmas present for those reading.
Also, if there are any major mistakes, please tell me.
Lindsay took in the busted door first. She saw that there was a perfect shoeprint on the left side of the door handle. She took a few pictures before lifting. The living room showed that a struggle had taken place. Photos had cracked glass; furniture was overturned. She took preliminary pictures before trying to gather anything that could give clues.
Angell came back with witness statements. "Fight around six. Pounding on the wall, floor. Things being broken." Lindsay raised an eyebrow at the last one. "Glass shattering. Breaking of wood. Sounds like a major fight."
"Reed wasn't going without a fight."
"Sounds like Mac."
"Yeah, a lot like him. Stubborn, willing to work through personal things." She was lifting particles that had fallen off into the shoe impressions on the carpet.
"Huh?"
"Working the Cabbie Killer stuff would have put him directly in the way of Mac. He didn't care, though."
"Didn't he also try to weasel information out of Mac?"
"He was tormented about that. Mac told Stella that he kept having nightmares when he was over at the apartment. Finally, he broke down and told Mac he had requested to be taken off the Cabbie Killer case due to personal reasons. The editor refused to listen. He hated playing Mac." Lindsay was over by the trash, going through and trying to find anything. She spotted a cardboard roll that was too short to be a toilet paper roll.
"Guess he'll listen now."
"I'm guessing the worst part was right after the conference. He was going to come back after getting that tip and apologize to Mac. He was always worried that he wouldn't be able to say he was sorry."
"Where are you getting all of this?"
"Uh, never mind," Lindsay avoided, "Let's get this stuff back to the lab."
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Flack was going over the call sheet when Stella called him for an update. "What do ya got?"
"A short visitors' log, for Drew only, a fake name and Eddie Williams in on all of this."
"Eddie Williams, the guy that killed Brian, Reed's friend?"
"One and the same. His parents are conveniently out of the country and their lawyers are already trying to sue us."
"Are you thinking he helped Drew?"
"I've got surveillance tape that says Drew was talking to Eddie at different times during the last three months. If Eddie began to fight Drew, Pratt would come over and Eddie would stop fighting."
"What was Pratt's reputation?"
"I'm waiting for their folders. But I don't think that the type of complaints we need are going to be in there."
"What are you thinking?"
"Gang up in the showers. He's assaulting the new ones, the young ones."
"Sexual assault. I think Danny was talking the cellmate of Drew; he was one of his victims."
"All right, back to Eddie, how is he involved?"
"My guess, asked his parents for help."
"I'll start the warrant."
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"When do we start on them?" Pratt asked. He was getting impatient with waiting around while Drew gathered all the necessary items.
"Tomorrow. Last item will be in and we'll be ready."
"This is taking too long. We could have just used the kid to crack Taylor."
"And I tell you again, you would have cracked your head before you even got the chance. The kid's only to keep Taylor calm. He won't do anything as long as he knows his stepson will pay also."
"You're weak."
"No, I prepare well. So that way, I'm not easily figured."
"Rub my face in it. You weren't caught until you had Taylor surrounded by lasers that would set off the gun if one was disturbed. He got you in the shoulder."
"He was lucky at that point. He won't have as much luck now."
"Right, so what is your plan?"
"For me to know and you to not know until needed."
"Figures."
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"So what's their history?" Reed asked, sitting next to Mac. He hadn't slept since DJ's visit.
Mac looked up in surprise. "What?"
"Why do they hate you?"
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "DJ Pratt is a rapist. He raped a woman twice; the person on her case was Aiden Burn."
"Aiden?"
"You haven't met her. She was murdered by Pratt before you came along. She was following him, waiting for him to screw up so she could get him arrested. He knew she was following and he set up a trap. Killed her in a car she was using and set fire to the car. We didn't recognize her until we did a face reconstruction and a dental comparison with a bite near her head."
"Got him for her murder."
"Yes, but you are leaving a part of that out," DJ mocked, "The part where you fired her when she was considering tampering with evidence." He moved into the room. Reed moved closer to Mac, who threw an arm around him. Drew followed DJ in and sat on the other bed.
"She knew we were going to catch you one day. All she had to do was wait until you went after another."
"Yeah, too bad she ended up dead for the effort." He was standing next to Reed and made the move to stroke his hair. Reed shrunk away while Mac moved in front of him.
"Pratt!" Drew yelled. DJ grew angry, but sat next to him. Mac moved back and held Reed again to calm his shaking. "Let's get on with the story. You were about to get to me, weren't you?"
Mac didn't comment; Reed had turned back to the action going on between them. He kept his eyes on Drew and Mac, ignoring DJ, who was giving lewd looks and even more lewd hand gestures.
"Yeah, you see, Mac and my brothers were working for this guy back in Chicago. At one point, the guy started beating my oldest brother. Mac got his hands on the gun and froze. His reaction cost my brother his life. My other brother had to take the gun and shoot the guy." Drew took a minute to calm himself. "All the papers make him seem like a hero, but I remember for what he was. A coward."
"Just because he didn't decide to shoot someone when he was younger doesn't mean he's a coward," Reed mumbled.
"I've seen the real side of him. He couldn't even shoot to kill when I threatened his life."
"The only people that kill are cowards. It shows that you can't deal with the possibility that the victim may be able to ID you as the attacker."
"Ahh, so I'm the coward for wanting to shoot Mac when he didn't save my brother." Drew held his head up in mock thought. "That's explains everything. Now, where was I?"
"You failed to mention the late night calls, stalking Stella, putting most of the team in danger," Mac added angrily.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Well, I've got to get going. Getting the last piece before my plan can be carried out. DJ," he ended, waiting for the other man to walk out before he closed the door behind him and locked it.
Mac turned back and saw Reed fighting a yawn. "Go to sleep."
"Why? I'm just going to wake up in an hour from a nightmare."
"I will stay here and help you get back to sleep each time, all right?" Reed nodded. Instead of going back to the other bed or lying down on Mac's, he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around himself while lying against Mac. His head was on his shoulder and he pulled himself closer to Mac. "Reed, what are you doing?"
He moaned. "Going to sleep."
"On me?"
"I feel safer. And your heartbeat calms me down in some weird way." He yawned and set his head more comfortably. A couple of minutes later, deep breathing assured Mac that Reed was asleep. Instead of moving him down on the pillow, he took the pillow and placed it behind his head and succumbed to sleep as well.
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Flack stood outside of the Williams house for three minutes, pounding on the door waiting for the lawyer to either show up or open the door. Instead, a car pulled up. Flack turned around to see a man and a woman exit the car.
"NYPD, you wouldn't happen to be the Williams?" he asked.
"Talk to our lawyer," the man said, going past him and walking up to the door.
"Now, you see, I've been waiting for your lawyer for the last five minutes. He hasn't shown up." Flack brought out a folded stack of papers. "And these papers say I can go through your accounts, papers and computers to find out how you've been helping Drew Bedford and DJ Pratt in the last few days."
"We're waiting for our lawyer."
"I'm not waiting. I've got a cop and his stepson kidnapped by the sons of bitches you helped out. So either show me to the stuff now or you're getting arrested for aiding and abetting two fugitives from the law. Maybe we'll tie you into their kidnapping and possible murder also, if we don't find them in time," Flack yelled, getting in the guy's face.
"We won't have to wait long. He's coming in a couple of minutes," his wife said, moving in between the two of them. "You are welcomed in for a cup of coffee."
"I'd rather wait out here. Can't be distracted." Flack leaned on the fence while both the parents went in.
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"Hawkes, what do ya got for me?" Stella asked as she entered the Ballistics room.
Hawkes held up a curved section of a pipe. "This is our murder weapon. Watch," he explained, pointing it inside the chamber. One shot could be heard before he went and retrieved the bullet. "Modified nine millimeter hidden inside this pipe. One shot only. Someone would have had to help them get the parts inside."
"Flack's talking to the parents of Eddie Williams. They may be behind the help on the outside."
"That would explain it. Gun's original serial number was still on the pieces of the gun. Came back registered to an Ana States. She sold it a few weeks ago to pay the rent. Hasn't been reregistered."
"Okay, so the William's bought this gun, sent it to their son, who gave it to…"
"Drew, his prints were on the weapon."
"All right, anything else that could help us find Mac and Reed?"
"Drew had a notebook in which he kept several address. Half were apartments, but they were crossed out. The other half are business places. Several were crossed out but there were a few still on the paper." He handed Stella a paper with his handwritten results.
"Do you have anyone checking on them?"
"I'm waiting for Flack on the one I suspect." He pointed out a particular one. "That's one that's just inside the city limits. It was the one place that Drew Bedford had circled."
"Why are you waiting for Flack?"
"He's over at the Williams, going through the papers and their computers to find something that backs this up."
"All right, Lindsay will be going over stuff from Reed's. Hopefully, Drew brought trace in with him to also connect him to that place. Thanks Hawkes."
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"Lindsay, any trace?"
"I got something from the footprints that Drew left. It's a combination of fertilizer, decayed plant matter and Miracle Gro."
"Sounds like a plant shop. Fits with what Hawkes discovered among Drew's affects."
"When are you guys going to raid?"
"One more piece, and then we're set." Stella dialed in Flack's number.
"Flack."
"Tell me you got something on the Williams' computer."
"I've got a recently purchased building. Mainly businesses that are out of business."
"Anyone one of them a floral shop?"
"Yeah, Flander's Floral. Ground floor."
"All right. We're hitting that place."
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Drew was rigging a chair while DJ looked on. "This is taking too long," DJ complained.
"It takes a while to work with wiring without electrocuting yourself."
"Describe to me how this works again."
"Reed will sit in the chair. Mac moves; Reed gets a shock. Move across the wrong laser and he kills Reed while also setting off a gun that kills him."
"You did this before," DJ again complained, picking up the gun that was on the table next to him.
"Last time, I should have taken in the team into account. They won't be able to get to them in time."
"There's another thing you didn't take into account."
Drew didn't look up. "What?"
"Me." DJ pointed the gun and squeezed once. Half of Drew's head was blown away by the impact. The body slumped forward and the wiring made contact with his skin, thousands of volts going through his body.
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Reed jumped up when the gunshot rang out. Mac also woke and was moving Reed behind him. "Do you think they're here?"
"I don't know. Stay behind me," Mac ordered, getting them both up and keeping him behind him. Mac was prepared for the worst, one of the two coming through and planning on killing them. DJ busted through the door. Reed made himself as small as possible.
"Move Taylor! Otherwise you won't be able to see your stepson alive again."
"You're not taking him."
"Fine." Without warning, he fired twice at Mac. Reed pushed him down after the first shot. Both hit the back wall. Mac rushed DJ. They fought for a couple of minutes, Mac throwing in a couple of punches while DJ kept trying to fire. DJ got the better hand and shot two more times at Mac.
Red spots showed up as Mac fell down. "Mac!" Reed yelled, rushing to his side. He grabbed the blanket on the bed and pressed it against Mac's chest.
DJ heard the sirens coming closer. "Get up!" he shouted, grabbing Reed's collar and bringing him up. He pointed the gun at his head to force him along.
"No!" He struggled against the arm around his neck. "Mac! Mac, please! Mac!"
Cliffhanger! I'm evil. I know.
Tis the season to give the writer a review. Please. Pretty please. :)
