A/N: All disclaimers apply and all mistakes are truly my own!
David Hodges checked the readout from the computer and double-checked it. He wanted to be absolutely positive about his findings before he took them to Catherine. He walked down the hall to the layout room and found the team gathered around the table.
"Psst! Catherine, can I talk to you?" Hodges whispered urgently, looking quickly around to make sure that they would have some privacy.
"David, what is it? We're in the middle of something here," responded an impatient Catherine Willows.
"Catherine, please…..I need to show you something in the trace lab. It has something to do with Grissom," Hodges spoke in a low urgent tone.
Catherine sighed, "Guys, keep going. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Turning to Hodges, Catherine growled, "This better be good David. I'm not in the mood for you to be wasting my time or the team's at this juncture."
Slightly offended by her tone, Hodges' tone hardened, "Catherine, if I didn't think what I discovered was important to Grissom's case, I wouldn't have bothered you or the team. It's just that….well, you'll just have to see for yourself."
Catherine looked at Hodges and softened her tone, "David, I'm sorry. We're all on edge. Show me what you have got."
The lab technician straightened up and stood a little taller. "Catherine, you should know that Grissom and I have a very special relationship. He trusts me. I have always admired him and he values me for my insight. You see, there aren't a lot of men like Grissom and me. People don't understand guys like us," Hodges said in a confidential tone.
"Uh, right, David. I see. Just show me what you found, okay?" Catherine said with all the patience she could muster.
"Right this way. I didn't want to share this with everyone because the political fallout could be dangerous," said Hodges, handing her his analysis.
"I analyzed the remnants of juice that was in this coffee mug. There were traces of DNA, Grissom's, but I also found traces of benzodiazepine. Catherine, this drug is used in humans and veterinarian practices to sedate the patient. The type in this mug is generally used by vets. It's pretty powerful. There's one other thing that I found. Due to my thoroughness, I found traces of it in the front left shirt pocket of Officer Jenkins' uniform."
"Grissom was drugged. No wonder he was out for the count when McKeen was there. Jenkins must be our mole. Hodges, no one knows about this, you understand? I will inform the rest of the team and Brass. Under no circumstances are you to share this information with anyone else, especially McKeen. From what I understand, he picked all the officers for this detail. Until we can clear Ecklie, McKeen, and all the other police personnel involved in this, everyone is under suspicion. Thanks David," Catherine replied. She abruptly turned and hurried to the layout room with this latest bit of information.
He was floating, gently wrapped in layers of soft cotton. Grissom was unaware of his surroundings. He had no concerns, no worries, just the sensation of warmth that seemed to flood his entire body. He had never felt so content. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, he felt that he should be focused on what? Something, but he couldn't quite grasp it. The drugged man sighed and tried in a half-hearted way to puzzle out what was niggling at the back of his mind. He finally gave up, content to just float along in this dreamlike state.
Dr. Kenneth Jones observed the patient through the one-way glass, busily jotting notes on a clipboard. Grissom was still restrained in the straitjacket, but it looked as though it would be safe to take it off. The patient no longer seemed to be in danger of hurting himself or anyone else. The man was heavily drugged and completely under control of the combination of drugs that had been given to him. Grissom had been injected every hour on the hour since his arrival. This regiment would continue until the patient had developed both physical and psychological dependence on the cocktail of hypnotic and hallucinogenic drugs that had been specifically designed for him. The good doctor was surprised by the number of dosages it had taken to bring this man under control. Each proceeding dosage had been upped in order to bring about the desired affect. Obviously the patient had a strong will and a well-disciplined mind. Well, no matter, this man would be broken in due time.
The door to the observation room opened, and Lucas Mallory walked in. "How's he doing, Kenny?" Mallory asked in a jovial tone.
"He's under control for the moment. That cocktail you created is pretty strong. When he comes down from the current high, he'll practically be begging for some relief," reported Dr. Jones in a dry tone.
Mallory grinned widely and nodded. "Wonderful. He's almost ready for me."
Turning to Mallory, Dr. Jones continued, "Lucas wasn't it enough that you took away this man's family and almost destroyed him? I mean, it wasn't like you didn't ask for it all those years ago. Why are you doing this? It wasn't just luck that helped you escape from prison, and I can still help you disappear or leave the country. Lucas, it's not too late. We can let the woman go. Let the drugs wear off of him and perhaps release him. I can come up with a plausible story. Let's stop this before it goes too far."
Mallory incredulously stared at the man before him. "You're kidding me, right? You're telling me that the fact Grissom stole twenty years of my life isn't worth some payback? The world should have been thanking me for getting rid of all those vermin back then instead of sending me to that hell hole!" exclaimed Mallory.
"Kenny, you're not getting cold feet after everything we've been through together? We're family, dammit! Families stick together, don't they? Mom always said that I could always depend on you because of your dad. Your dad always looked out for Mom and she said that you would look out for me. Are you telling me that Mom was wrong? You, my own cousin, would turn your back on me?" continued Mallory forcefully.
"Lucas, you know that I want to help you all that I can. If you think about it, I've gone above and beyond the call of duty. You had the best lawyers, and I was able to get you protected in prison. In fact, Lucas, who arranged for your escape, huh?" countered Jones, not willing to be intimidated by his somewhat deranged cousin.
"Yeah, right. You took your sweet time doing it too," sneered an ungrateful Lucas Mallory. "It took you twenty years to get your act together, didn't it?"
"Lucas, you know it wasn't that simple. I was finishing up my residency and then you show up with that woman and her baby. That whole arrangement took time and money. At the same time, I owed by financiers for med school. As it is now, my sponsors and I have a pretty cozy relationship. I took care of things then, and I'm taking care of things now. There's a lot I can do for you, but everything can be blown to hell if we aren't careful."
Mallory just shook his head. "Kenny, Kenny, Kenny. You worry too much. I have everything under control. I have what I wanted. In fact, even more than what I expected. I will have my come-uppance and everything will be cool."
Dr. Jones just looked at his cousin. It was amazing to him that this individual could even be remotely related to himself. Although Jones' activities weren't exactly legal, his moral compass wasn't as skewed as the man standing right next to him. He did have a conscience, and his conscience was telling him that he would, somehow and in some way, convince his cousin that the plans he had for Grissom should not come to fruition. Shaking his head, Jones walked around his cousin and started to leave the observation room.
"I'm on the way to check on the woman," Jones said. Pausing, he turned to Mallory and relayed to him, "I'm moving her to more comfortable accommodations. Do you have objections?"
Mallory just smirked, "Nah, let her enjoy a respite."
Dr. Jones walked down the concrete hallway from the observation room and to the building where Sara was being kept. The clinic was actually a converted jail complex that had been abandoned by the federal government back in the late 1950's. The complex had originally been designed to house prisoners of war during World War II. Located in the middle of the desert of central Nevada, the complex was thought to be an ideal location for POW's as there was little chance prisoners would attempt an escape in such a harsh environment so far from civilization. Now it was at least a four hour drive back to Las Vegas. The only way to get to this complex was to head east off Highway 95 past the tiny town of Goldfield on ten miles of dusty dirt road.
The row of cells where Sara was currently being held had been designed with solitary confinement in mind. These cells were located away from the main complex and generally remained empty. When Lucas and his men showed up in the middle of the night with the woman they had drugged, Jones had little choice but to have them put her in one of these isolated rooms. Lucas had not paid her a visit since his two men had deposited her in the cell. The closed-circuit camera had revealed little. She remained underneath the camera, out of view. However, when Jones had sent Arthur, his young orderly, over with food for her, she had not given Arthur any trouble.
As far as Jones' staff was concerned, the clinic existed to treat patients who were about to be sentenced to the state mental institution for the criminally insane or to the state prison. The private clinic was contracted by the state of Nevada to treat these patients as a last resort in order for them to avoid institutionalization. The hope was by successfully treating these patients, they might be released back into society as full functioning citizens. The clinic, The Nevada Treatment Center for Addictions, which was privately owned, also accepted patients from other states and from families whose loved ones might be treading that thin line of criminal activity to feed their addiction. So it wasn't unusual for the staff to meet a new associate of Dr. Jones and his two patients. The staff only knew that these one of these two individuals had tendencies to be extremely violent and so required "special handling." At this point, the nurses were not responsible for the care of these two patients, which was fine with them. They had enough to do without having to deal with two patients with the background these two apparently had. Dr. Jones' associate had indicated that he would need an additional orderly to help besides the two orderlies who were "specially" trained, and so Arthur was assigned to the new "doctor."
Jones found Arthur and indicated to him that he should follow the good doctor to the isolation wing. Arthur merely nodded and followed Jones to Sara's cell. Upon opening the door, Ken Jones slowly opened the door. Sara was back sitting under the camera, and she rose quickly to face her captor.
"Hi Sara. My name is Ken Jones. I'm the head physician here. I apologize for the barren accommodations. Other than the lack of amenities of this cell, I trust that you have been treated well. Has Arthur been polite to you and taken care of you?" the doctor said carefully, trying to gauge the mood of the woman standing before him.
Sara stared incredulously at the man before her. "Where am I? Why am I being locked up here? I was taken against my will. How do you know my name?" Sara demanded cautiously, trying to stay calm.
Jones just smiled gently. "You have a lot of questions and I will answer all your questions in due time. However, I would like to move you to more comfortable surroundings. In order for me to do that, I need to know that I will have your full cooperation. There's a friend of yours here and in order for you to see him, you will need to cooperate. I would say that he could use a friendly face. I believe you know a Dr. Gil Grissom?"
"Gil is here?" said Sara in a hoarse whisper.
"Yes, he is, but in order for you to have any contact with him at all, I need to know that you won't give Arthur here any trouble."
Sara turned her attention to the young orderly. He hadn't said a word, and like before, stared at her with intense blue eyes. "I won't give him any trouble," choked Sara as she stared back at the young man and then turned her attention back to the doctor. "When can I see Grissom? Is he okay?"
"Well, right now, he's resting. He's…he's not up to company right now. But in good time, Sara, in good time. Shall we get you to more comfortable accommodations?" Jones said as he motioned her towards the door.
Sara nodded her assent numbly. Gil is here. But what does Jones mean when he's not up for company? Sara had too many questions running through her head. She meekly followed the doctor with Arthur following closely behind her. She kept a watchful eye out, taking in the details of her surroundings. Anxiousness and worry was starting to consume her and her only goal at the present time was to somehow make her way to Grissom.
The desert sun caused Sara to squint and cover her eyes as they left the building to walk across the complex to a long one-story building made of concrete. There were no windows and the building resembled a military bunker. Unlocking the iron door, Jones held the door open for Sara to enter the cool interior of the building. Taking a moment for her eyes to adjust, she observed that this building was similar to one they had just left. This building contained 6 cell-like rooms, three on each side of the dimly-lit concrete passageway. Each cell had an iron door that was identical to the door of the solitary confinement cell Sara had just left. After locking the iron door behind them, Jones proceeded to lead Sara and the orderly to the center cell on the right side of the hallway. He unlocked the solid metal door and swung it wide for Sara to enter.
Sara hesitated for a moment, and was gently but firmly pushed into the room. This room was well-lit and contained an army-style cot, toilet, and sink. Next to the cot was a small metal nightstand that was bolted to the wall and a chest of drawers. There was a closed-circuit camera mounted in the far corner and was situated in such a way that it took the entire view of the room. The walls were white-washed and made the room seem unnaturally bright. The room was lit by a single light bulb that was mounted in a fixture in the ceiling. A single wooden chair completed the furnishings.
"Arthur will attend to your needs. I have instructed him to bring you some toiletries, towels, and a couple changes of clothing. You will have the basic patient garb, I'm afraid, but they are quite comfortable. Arthur will be bringing you some supper in a couple of hours. I'm afraid that you don't have free reign to wander about the grounds, but Arthur can bring you books, paper, and pencils to help you pass the time," said Jones.
"Why am I being locked up? Lucas Mallory brought me here, didn't he? Where is he? What do you have to do with him? You seem like a legitimate doctor. Why are you doing this? What do you intend to do with me?" Sara demanded.
"Lucas did bring you here, and for right now I just need you to cooperate. For your own good and for Dr. Grissom's, I suggest that you just go along with everything. I know that you don't have any reason to trust me, but really, I am trying to figure a way out for the both of you," replied the doctor.
The glare in Sara's eyes told the doctor how much she trusted him. He sighed and said, "Arthur will take you to the women's showers after supper. I'm sure that you would like to freshen up a bit, especially if you are to see Dr. Grissom."
Trying to reassure Sara, he continued, "He's safe for right now and in not any real danger or pain. I'll return in a while to check in on how you are faring." Nodding to Arthur, both of them left the room, closing the door behind them and locking Sara in.
A/N: I was able to finish this chapter sooner than I expected. However, I'm woefully behind in work. Again, please review and give me your opinions as I value them tremendously. Thanks for reading!