Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI
Conrad Ecklie had gotten word about the nude portrait of David Hodges and wondered who would have sent it and why. Ecklie knew that Hodges used to work for the LAPD crime lab and was transferred for a number of reasons and even at the LVPD he wasn't at first well liked. Ecklie knew that it wasn't Hodges' fault but he wanted to get to the bottom of the whole thing.
"This is Undersheriff Conrad Ecklie, I want to know NOW who sent that painting to our lab."
"What are you talking about Mr. Ecklie, I have no idea who sent a painting to your lab." The receptionist replied.
"You are the receptionist, everything goes through you!" Ecklie thundered.
"No everything does NOT go through me. It is the mailroom you need to speak with."
"Then put me through to the mailroom." He said angrily.
The receptionist put him through to Crista in the mail room.
"Mailroom Crista speaking"
"Conrad Ecklie, LVPD Undersherriff, it has been brought to my attention that someone at LAPD sent a rather large portrait of one of my staff from your lab. Care to comment."
Ecklie heard some clicking of keyboard keys. "Yes a large portrait of David Hodges was sent from our lab to yours. It was something a fallen collegue had done years ago and since we certainly didn't need it staff felt that David should get his portrait back. The fallen collegue had put in her will that that pic was to go to David."
"Why wasn't David alerted to this? Why wasn't it sent to his house rather than the lab? Someone even sent a note along with the portrait so don't you dare tell me it was the fallen collegue who had left the portrait to him as her will has not been read!"
Crista was caught in a lie and couldn't get out of it. "I am sorry sir, but I can't answer any more questions. You will have to talk to the two cops who had it sent. Grant and Joe." She said.
"Put me through to them then."
"They are on administrative leave for something else and cannot be reached."
"Put me through to someone in charge!" Ecklie thundered.
Crista put him through to Andrew Smith, lead CSI at LVPD.
"Smith." He answered.
"This is Conrad Ecklie at LVPD I have a major bone to pick with you and your staff about a nasty childish prank you played on one of my staff."
"Tell David Hodges to get over it. He needs to stop being so childish"
"Your boys were the one who sent it to him with a note that said to hang it in his lab to embarrass him for the kiss-ass attitude he had at LAPD. "
"If you don't mind, we are busy and have to find out who killed Annabell Rogers. Davey needs to grow up and put things behind him. It was a joke." Andrew said and hung up.
"Well that went well" Ecklie said and sighed.
David was back in his lab, avoiding most of his co-workers due to the situation. He was deep in his microscope when he heard a knock on his door.
He looked up. It was Ecklie.
David blushed a little as he knew that Ecklie now knew about his portrait.
"It's ok David. Don't be embarrassed. This is going to be handled between me and those goons at LAPD and whomever put the picture in your lab."
David looked away. "I-I want to explain why I did it."
"You don't have to David. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. Most people have done things they've been ashamed of in the past – people do crazy things when they need money." He said.
"Even you?" David asked as he moved the item he was looking at.
Ecklie cleared his throat. "Yes even me. But um that was a very long time ago and um I can't discuss it."
David nodded. "Was it worse than posing nude for a hot chick?" he asked quietly.
Ecklie nodded. "Much worse." He replied and blushed a little.
"C'mon Ecklie, tell me – I am intrigued now."
Ecklie sighed and closed the door to Hodges' lab.
"You are a normal red-blooded American man who've been to female strip clubs correct." He began to which Hodges nodded.
"Well there are few and far between – but there are male strip/dance clubs and I uhm did it for four years during college to pay tuition." He said.
"You Ecklie? I never thought you the type to do um that."
Ecklie sighed. "I was not always this much of a tight-ass. I was much more happy-go-lucky in my early 20's. It was my marriage that made me this way. Marrying a high-maintenance woman brought me down."
"How high maintenance was she?"
"She refused to work and demanded 50% of my paycheque so she could shop at designer stores, go to the salon every two weeks and just sponge off me. If I told her 'no' she'd sic her daddy on me."
"Her daddy?" Hodges started to laugh.
"Her father paid for the wedding, and ever since his daughter was born gave her everything she asked for. Her father threatened me that if I ever said 'no' to his daughter, I would be out of a job and on the street. Her father was a very highly powerful man in this state."
"What happened when you divorced?"
"She ended the marriage." Ecklie said.
"What was the cause of the dissolution of your marriage?"
Ecklie didn't answer, he just closed his eyes and honestly wondered why he was confiding in Hodges of all people. "Ok. She cited that I um… low libido…" he whispered.
"Wow." Hodges said.
"She had been cheating on me for a long time and she blamed me for the marriage break up. "
They stopped talking for a moment as Hodges noticed that Catherine was at the lab door. He waved her in.
"Is everything all right in here?"
"Fine, I was just having a private discussion with David about um his picture."
"The LAPD called, they have those two cops that sent the portrait in custody. "
"Why are they in custody?"
"Well they had been suspended for a few things. The gist of it is that they have a lot of explaining to do for sending that portrait to the lab without warning Hodges that it was coming."
"Who did they contact here at the lab to hang it up?" David asked. "That person is going to be my sworn enemy."
"It was David Phillips."
Hodges knew the Assistant Coroner didn't like him, but what in the world would make him comply with Joe and Grant LAPD? What is their connection?"
A/N: More to come…. (I know this chapter was a little boring – but I wanted to give Hodges a real ally)