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Chapter Eight: The Person Behind It All

Danny stepped into the crime lab, feeling like things were back to normal again. But they weren't, his friends wouldn't be working at his side anymore. He wondered how it would be, working with different CSI investigators. He was sure it wouldn't be too bad; he had already made a few friends there. But then again, he had made an enemy there, too.

He opened the door to Detective Audrey Mayor's office, to see that she wasn't there. Instead of waiting patiently in one of the chairs in her office like he should, his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to look around the office. It was exactly like how Mac's office had been, except that all of Mac's stuff was missing. Suddenly, he wondered who had taken Stella's office. Maybe Megan had.

It was when he took a closer look at Audrey's desk when he saw it. The same newspaper that had caused so many questions to fill his mind lay right across her desk, opened to the cover story. Underneath it, Danny could see a note, but he could only read:

Danny, I must tell you something about…

Just as he was going to remove the newspaper away from the note, the door opened behind him to reveal Detective Audrey Mayor. But as he quickly turned away from her desk and looked at her face, she didn't seem angry. She seemed frightened.

"Why are you by my desk?" she asked nervously, and Danny immediately knew that she hadn't wanted him to see the newspaper or the note. "Why are you here, in my office?"

"Megan said…"

The anger then flashed on her face. "Of course, Megan." She walked over to her desk and put her hand on the newspaper. "She said you got the job, huh? And then she told you to meet me here?"

Danny nodded, trying hard not to notice that Audrey was moving the newspaper out of his sight. The note still lay in plain sight and with a quick glance at it; he could finish the sentence he had read earlier:

…Megan.

Audrey quickly took her hand and covered the note. "Well, she lied. Danny, she never even asked me if you could have the job." Her cold blue eyes didn't show her usual anger, but the fear that flashed in them now made Danny worried. He put his hand on hers, which made her look uneasily at him. "That note, it's nothing really…"

"It had my name on it, don't you think I should read it?" he asked.

She bit her lip and then moved her hand away from the note. She watched him apprehensively as he picked it up and continued to read it.

...She lied to you. Yes, she does work here, but getting the job and everything, she lied to you about. Don't trust anything she says, Danny. The only reason why I didn't want you at the crime lab was because of her. You'll soon gain her trust and tell her about the fire that hit this crime lab, and she'll tell you I was the one who started it. But Danny, that's a lie. She started the fire, and both Megan and I are the only ones along with you that know about the fire. She didn't want you to expect that she had started the fire.

Sincerely,

Audrey Mayor

Danny looked up at her, shocked more than ever. He could barely get the words out as he said, "Megan was the one who started the fire? How did you know?"

"Danny, I was there in that fire," said Audrey. "I worked at the crime lab, remember? Megan had worked at the crime lab for some time by then…"

Danny could now almost visualize Audrey at the crime lab, talking to Mac one morning. It finally became clear to him. Audrey had worked a case with Mac at the crime lab one week, the same week as the fire. But Megan, was she really the one who started the fire? Could he believe Audrey's words? "Megan started the fire?" he asked again.

"She didn't start it intentionally," said Audrey. "It was a complete mistake."

"Just like the article said," Danny said. "She wrote it, didn't she?"

But before Audrey could answer his question, the door opened behind them, and Danny quickly put the note back on Audrey's desk and turned around to see Megan. Two times she had showed up unexpectedly. But now he knew that it was Megan. She had been the person behind it all. "Megan…"

"Oh, I see you've had your talk with Audrey." She sounded suspicious as she said that. "I'll see you in the lab then, okay Danny?"

Danny nodded, and when he was sure she was gone and out of sight, he turned back to Audrey. "Should I go?"

Audrey nodded. "She knows I'm on to her. Just make sure you don't tell her anything about the fire. She may know you know, but it's best that you don't mention it to her, incase she hadn't expected you to know anything."

"Okay," Danny agreed. "But there's one more thing. You, Megan, and I aren't the only ones who know about this."

Audrey gave him a puzzling look.

"Lindsay Monroe, she worked at the crime lab, too. She also knows about the fire."

"I remember her. It's good to know that we have another CSI who knows about the fire."

Danny nodded his agreement, and then left Audrey's office, to go back to work in the lab. But he didn't feel at home as he worked with Megan in the lab. She seemed more and more suspicious and she seemed to realize Danny now knew something she didn't. But she didn't say anything and continued to work.

He almost couldn't believe it. The whole time when he thought that Audrey had just hated him, she had really been trying to protect him from Megan. And Lindsay was back at her apartment, angry with Danny because he hadn't believed that Megan had written the article. But now he believed her.

As hours passed by as they worked in the lab, Megan finally spoke up. "Danny, I was wondering, could I ask you something?"

Danny turned to look at her.

"Do you want to go to dinner tonight? You know, for congratulations on getting a job as a CSI?"

Danny hesitated for a moment, but then thought that it would be a good idea to go to dinner with her. Maybe he could get some more information out of her; maybe he would tell her of the fire and gain her trust. That way, she would think Audrey hadn't told him anything and maybe, just maybe, if Megan ever tried to pull off starting a fire again, or even accidentally started a fire, he would know to stop her. Looking up into her eyes, he answered, "Yes, I would love to go to dinner with you."

And know we know who started the fire...now how will the date go? We'll have to wait and see in the next chapter... And I promise Mac, Stella, and the others will be coming back in the following chapters! And as always, review!