Journey Through the Past- Chapter 43
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Catherine entered the morgue just in time to watch Doc Robbins remove a spent slug from the chest of the now deceased Daniel Pritchard. Dropping the spent bullet with a loud clang in the metal dish that lay next to the body, Robbins gave a satisfied look to the strawberry-blonde investigator.
"Pritchard died of a gunshot wound to the chest, straight through his crooked heart. The second bullet was a through and through. Either bullet would have done the trick. I guess his assailant wanted to make sure he was dead."
"Anything else probative, Doc?" asked Catherine, staring at the body.
"Not really, Catherine. David's initial report indicated that there were no defensive wounds on his hands and knuckles. His body is clean, no bruising or cuts. I can confirm with David's preliminary findings that he probably knew his attacker and was comfortable with him."
Catherine nodded. She hadn't really expected anything to come up but had to check anyway. "Very professional hit. Didn't leave us much to work with. They knew what they were about," she murmured.
Looking up and meeting the coroner's eyes, she asked, "Have you run a tox panel on him?"
Robbins shrugged. "I can if you want. His organs don't show any outward signs of any long term drug use. His tissues look typically healthy for an adult male his age."
"Do me a favor and run one, please."
"Your wish is my command," Robbins said with a smirk, "but what do you hope to find?"
Catherine shrugged, "Not sure. Just playing a hunch. If his tox panels come back similar to the drugs used on Grissom, we may have a connection. According to Henry, there were substances present in Grissom's tox panels that he hadn't seen before and some that are only used in veterinarian practices."
"…and Grissom's body doesn't show evidence of long term drug addiction despite the withdrawal he's going through. Okay, that makes sense."
Just then Catherine's cell phone chirped, and she reached down for her phone and flipped it open.
"Willows," she answered. Her eyes widened as she listened to the information relayed to her. "No, Conrad, Warrick and I will get there asap. You'll have to pull some guys from Swing or Days. Nick and Greg are headed north to the clinic and to the overhang where Mallory was arrested."
Catherine paused, rolling her eyes as she impatiently waited for the assistant director to finish.
"Fine, Conrad. I'll recall them."
Finishing her conversation with the assistant director, Catherine shut her phone.
"Attempted jail break at County Lock-Up. Everything is in chaos down there. I would bet that this has everything to do with Mallory. I gotta go. Let me know about the tox panel."
Robbins nodded as he watched the senior CSI investigator disappear through the double doors. Hopefully, there were not going to be more bodies for his examination table.
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The burly sergeant entered County Lock-up. Everything looked to be secured after the near riot that had taken place. Checking his clipboard and the list of inmates, it looked, after a cursory check, that all the inmates were accounted for. Two inmates had been killed in the melee. The bodies of Todd Wilson and Omar Cruz were taken to the morgue for autopsy. One inmate was being transported to Desert Palm after the doctor from the infirmary made the decision that the injuries to the inmate, Lucas Mallory, were too serious for him to treat with the limited resources available to him.
The wailing of the siren seemed distant to the patient strapped to the stretcher. A voice, low and gentle, was telling him to take it easy and that he would be taken care of. Pain radiated throughout his body but especially his head. He moaned softly as the paramedic continued to check his vitals. The patient tried to open his eyes but found that they were both swollen shut. He licked his lips and tried to find his voice but was too weak from blood loss to utter a sound. A reassuring hand told him to rest easy and that he would be at the hospital soon. The injured man sank back against the pillow and let the darkness overtake him.
As the paramedics unloaded the unconscious patient from the ambulance and rushed him through the double doors of the emergency room entrance of Desert Palm Hospital, the two prison guards from County Lock-Up followed closely behind. The patient was taken immediately to Trauma Room Three where an ER doctor and nurses waited to treat the patient. The two guards followed closely behind not wanting to let their charge out of their sight.
Dr. Stephan Beam, a third-year resident, quickly made a cursory exam of his patient. The nurse gave him up-dated vitals as the doctor ordered x-rays and a MRI of the man's skull. The patient's head seemed to have taken the brunt of a beating as his features were virtually unrecognizable. Glancing up momentarily, the doctor noticed the two officers standing against the wall taking in the scene. The hospital personnel didn't need the distraction of these guards in the room.
Pointing to the guards, Dr. Beam shouted at the nurse who had just entered the room, "Get them out of here. This guy isn't going anywhere. They can stand outside."
The nurse immediately pushed open the door and escorted the men out. Beam turned his attention back to his patient. This guy had suffered major head trauma and likely sustained a skull fracture. He would need emergency surgery to alleviate the pressure of fluids that was pressing on his brain.
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Dressed in sweats and a T-shirt that Sara had brought for him, Grissom was enjoying the fact that Dr. Taylor had finally ordered the IV taken out. The freedom of not being tethered down to a pole lessened his feeling of confinement. Though the port for the IV remained in his arm for the purposes of administering his pain medication, the fact that he could move about freely did much to brighten his mood. Grissom prowled restlessly in his room, waiting for both Scott and Sara to arrive. They were scheduled to walk through the hospital's arboretum, a daily event that Grissom looked forward to doing every day. Scott's passion for botany was evident, and the older Grissom enjoyed hearing his son's explanations of the different kinds of plants and flora in the arboretum.
Hearing the door swing open, Grissom looked up expecting to see Sara and Scott, but instead in walked two uniformed correctional officers. Blinking his eyes at the officers, he stared hard at the men. The shorter of the two men looked familiar, but Grissom couldn't quite place him. Knowing that he had probably made numerous visits to the various prisons, jails, and lock-ups in the area, it was possible that he had seen or interviewed this guard during an investigation, but instinctively, he drew back. Taking a couple of steps back and away from the men, he eyed them warily. The bed was between him and the officers, and Grissom held onto the bedrail to steady himself.
"What do you want? Why are you here?" asked Grissom in a voice that belied his nervousness. The presence of these men without announcement was somewhat unnerving.
The taller officer, a Afro-American, glanced at his shorter companion, and cleared his throat.
"Mr. Grissom, I'm Officer Tanner. There has been a jail-break at County Lock-Up. Officer Johns and I were sent here to take you to a secure location. We believe that Lucas Mallory may try to get to you here in the hospital."
Grissom backed further away, not relaxing his stance. These men were not who they appeared to be.
" You..your're correctional officers, not LVPD. This isn't your jurisdiction. When did this happen? Why didn't Captain Brass or Detective Vartann come to inform me of this? I…I don't think I believe you," said Grissom, his voice starting to rise.
Officer Johns stepped forward with his hand on his holster. "Grissom, the break happened only a couple of hours ago this afternoon, at the change of shift. Both Brass and Vartann are at the scene trying to get the situation under control. Captain Brass was worried about you and sent us to fetch you."
The voice of Officer Johns sparked a cord with Grissom. He knew that voice. Searching the face of Johns, images of the man popped up in his mind, none of them pleasant.
"I know you. I've seen you before," whispered Grissom, desperately trying to connect where he had seen him.
"Mr. Grissom, we need to take you to a safe place. Time is of the essence."
"Why can't I stay here? Why is time so important?" asked Grissom, trying to stall the guards from coming nearer to him.
Grissom picked up the call button and prepared to press the call button for help.
Tanner stuck out his hand and pointed to the call button, saying sharply, "You don't want to do that. We want to make this as easy as possible without attracting attention. We don't want this Mallory knowing that you have been forewarned of his escaping. Calling a nurse will only draw attention to you.
"Don't take another step or I'll make sure that this room is filled with people," said Grissom in a low growl as he felt a sense of panic set in.
As the men were about take a step forward, the door swung open and a nurse came in with a syringe in her hand.
"Mr. Grissom, it's time for your…"
She stopped abruptly, seeing that her patient was not alone but in the presence of two correctional officers. She was about to question their presence when Tanner grabbed her and pulled her in front of him, placing a broad hand over her mouth.
"Mr. Grissom, put the call button down and step around the bed towards us or, I swear, I'll break her neck," threatened the guard in a low whisper.
Swallowing hard, his eyes wide, Grissom deliberately set the call button down on the bed. The room was starting to spin, and his mouth was suddenly dry.
"Okay…okay…just…just don't hurt her. I..um..I'm coming," said Grissom, holding his hand up and keeping his injured arm close to his body.
Grissom slowly stepped around the bed, keeping his eyes on the frightened nurse and the guard who was holding tightly to her.
"What now?" asked Grissom. A sudden calm seemed to settle over him as he focused on the welfare of the terrified young woman standing before him. "I'll do whatever you want, just…just don't hurt her. Just let her go."
Johns cocked his head with a slight smirk on his face, "What? Compassion from a drug addict? You know, that's unheard of."
"Look, I'll…I'll go with you…do whatever you want. Let her go, and let's just go now," said Grissom with all seriousness. The urgency to leave was strong when he suddenly realized that Sara was due to visit him any minute.
The opening of the door had everyone's heads turning as Ken Jones entered the room, carrying Grissom's chart. The doctor stopped short with a look of shock. Quickly and quietly shutting the door of the room before the occupants of the room noticed the guards outside the door, the doctor took a step in the room as he recognized his cousin.
"Lucas," he whispered, "what…how?" He stopped speaking when his cousin pulled the gun from the holster at his hip.
"This is perfect. A regular little reunion," Mallory said with a wide smile. "I have a score to settle with you, but Grissom and I have unfinished business."
For Ken Jones, Lucas Mallory was the last person he expected to see here in this hospital room with Grissom. Ken Jones was numb, having thought that he would finally be able to move past this forgettable chapter of his life.
"Lucas, don't do this. You'll only make things worse. There are two guards outside the door. There's no way you'll get past them," Jones said, eyeing the gun warily.
"Shut up, Kenny. You're lucky that I don't just shoot you now," ground out Mallory.
Jones clamped his lips tightly and took his eyes off of his cousin and quietly observed the nurse held captive in Tanner's arms and Grissom. Beads of perspirations had started to form across Grissom's forehead and his shaking was noticeably increasing as he stared at Mallory. Glancing down at Grissom's chart, he noted that his patient's medication was due.
Grissom staggered a step back with realization. "Mallory. Lucas Mallory. You and I were together. We were running away from…" Grissom looked down at his feet; the memory of sitting beside Mallory while Mallory drove a jeep on a dirt road and then careening down the side of a steep hillside flashed before him.
"Grissom, do you remember me now? I had been supplying you, giving you what you need, but others came and interfered. Now this darlin' here has some stuff that will keep the pain away," said Mallory softly with a glint in his eye as he waved the gun in the face of the frightened nurse. "I think that you had better take it, don't you? We want you to not be suffering too much when we leave here, do we?"
Turning to the nurse, Mallory ordered "Tanner," in reality, Todd Wilson, to let the nurse go. After releasing the nurse, Mallory pushed the nurse towards Grissom, "Give him his meds before his tremors worsen."
Shaking, she took a step towards her patient.
Grissom continued to stare at the man in uniform as if he were an apparition. Disjointed memories continued to flash in front of him, but he didn't know quite what they meant. He remembered seeing Mallory with a syringe and administering it to him. Was it to help him or was it something else? He was filled with confusion at what was happening.
As the young nurse took a few tentative steps towards Grissom, she suddenly came into focus before him. Seeing her frightened countenance brought him back to the present.
"Hey, it's Jenny, isn't it? It's okay. Just give it to me in my port. They'll not hurt you, I promise," said Grissom gently as he tried to encourage the young woman.
She nodded as she shakily pulled an alcohol wipe from her pocket and wiped the end of the IV port that was still held in place by medical tape on the inside crook of his forearm. Grissom leaned against the end of the bed to steady himself; the pain and tremors had been gradually increasing. Watching Jenny insert the hypodermic into the port, he felt a sense of relief, knowing that the pain and withdrawal would be kept at bay for another 4 to 6 hours.
Grissom looked up at Mallory after Jenny was finished. "Now what?" he said a little shakily as he waited for the meds to take effect.
"We're leaving together. Grissom, you're coming with us."
"What about the guards? Do you think that they'll just step aside and let you take Grissom out of here?" asked Jones incredulously.
"Well, Kenny, that's where you come in," smiled Mallory. Signaling Wilson to stand behind the door, Mallory directed Jenny to re-arrange the furniture so that there was a clear path from the door to the bed. Grabbing his cousin, Mallory pushed the doctor over to stand near Grissom.
"You yell or make a noise, she'll die. You understand me?" threatened Mallory as he stepped towards the two men.
Grissom and Jones nodded reluctantly as Mallory stood in front of them. Both men did not see the gun whip around and catch Grissom's left cheek, sending him crashing to the floor.
As Grissom landed on his injured arm, white stars exploded across his vision as pain shot through his head and arm. Jones was immediately on his knees, helping a gasping Grissom to sit up.
Looking up, Jones exclaimed in a low voice, "What the hell was that for?"
Mallory casually shrugged, "Jenny here needs to have a legitimate reason for those officers to come in here."
Grasping Jenny roughly by her arm, Mallory led her to the door while Wilson held both Grissom and Jones at bay with his weapon.
"You tell the guards out there that the doctor would like them to come in to help move Grissom; that he fell. You got that? If you tell them anything else or anyone else comes in, a whole lot of people are going to get hurt. Wipe that scared look off your face or they'll know for sure something's up," said Mallory as he shoved her towards the door.
Stumbling to the door, Jenny nodded and tried to compose herself. Moments later, the door opened as two LVPD officers and Jenny stepped through the door. Immediately Wilson and Mallory had both officers pushed up against the wall with their hands up. Motioning to Jenny with his gun, Mallory let her know that she was to move over to where Jones was attending to Grissom, who was sitting on the floor.
"What's going…" one of the guards attempted to ask, which prompted Wilson to immediately punch the officer in the kidney.
"Shut up. No one said you could talk," whispered Wilson fiercely.
The officer dropped to his knees gasping. His partner started to turn to the down officer and was immediately jabbed in the back by Mallory.
"Don't or you'll be in a whole lot more pain than your friend," said Mallory. "Both of you are going to strip down to your boxers. Do it and do it quickly."
While Mallory kept his weapon trained on the officers, Wilson quickly had both officers strip to their boxers and then handcuffed and gagged both men. The officers lay face-down prone on the floor.
Wilson quickly changed into one of the police uniforms, finding that it was a bit too small. Mallory quickly did the same, and then stepped over to his cousin.
"Kenny, take one of the sheets off the bed and tear off some strips. Tie up Jenny here nice and tight," ordered Mallory.
Jones quickly did what he was told, laying the frightened nurse on Grissom's hospital bed.
Grissom watched the proceedings silently, gently rubbing his sore cheek with his right hand. The left side of his face felt numb and he had trouble seeing out of his left eye. His left arm and ribs ached, and despite the light-headedness, Grissom didn't feel all that badly. Licking his lips, Grissom asked softly, "Okay now what?"
"Wilson, go get a wheelchair. We're going to wheel you out of here, and Kenny is going to lead us," said Mallory.
A minute later, Wilson returned with a wheelchair, and Jones helped Grissom off the floor and into the chair.
"We're going to head out the service elevators. That way, it will be unlikely that we will be running into anyone who will stop us. Kenny, you'll be pushing Grissom. We'll be on either side of you. Either of you try to be cute, there'll be whole lot of dead people out there, and it'll be your fault. You have your warning," Mallory said with malice.
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A/N: I apologize in the long wait in posting. School is finally over and grades are posted. I have some time to myself now. Anyway, this chapter endured several rewrites but I think it came out all right. Thanks in advance for sticking with me on this story and please review and let me know what you think.