Disclaimer – Please see chapter 1
A/N – Thank you so very much for all the continued support of the story and the wonderful reviews you so kindly post to tell me that you are still reading it. Another long chapter as the story winds down. Story is beta'd by myself so any remaining mistakes are all mine, so I apologize in advance. R & R Enjoy!
Fall Out Boy – Chapter 43 – How & Why?
Kye's hearing registered the familiar voice first as he rubbed at his eyes, while Sara possessively, a little roughly in the highly charged moment, grabbed him into her arms, tears now freely cascading down her cheeks.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Kye, securing him against her chest as she dropped to her knees on the floor, extremely overwhelmed by their re-union, burying her face in the boys neck.
"Oh god............. Your okay............. Oh Kye..................... Sweetheart.........Your safe now.....I....I'm here....I......I wont leave you " Sara cried as she clung to him for dear life.
"Sara" Kye said shakily as he returned the embrace, winding his tiny arms around her torso, relieved to be back with someone he knew.
Totally oblivious to any onlookers, Gil swallowed his heightened emotions back, stepping forward to then kneel on the floor besides the two, he wrapped a supportive arm around Sara's shoulder holding her firmly, his other hand now ruffling Kye's hair, before he began a cursory inspection of the boys condition.
"Where were you?" muffled Kye's voice emotionally, as Gil rubbed his back soothingly.
"We've been here.......All this time baby, waiting for..." Sara struggled to continue through her crying, her explanation breaking off on another relieved sob.
Gil intervened, trying his best to help her out, words leaving his mouth without conscious thought "We've been looking for you son" his own eyes now brimming with tears at the boys inquiry to their absence "We were all very worried about you" he said, his voice breaking slightly towards the end.
Frozen to the spot in complete shock at the scene before her, Heather's mouth gaped wide as she heard Gil speak, her eyes shooting to lock with Catherine's in confusion.
Hearing another recognizable voice, Kye lifted his head up to look right at Gil with brightly lit watery eyes, he loosened his arms from around Sara, then struggled lightly to get free.
Sara lifted her own tear stained face to look at Kye tenderly, as she began releasing him from her clutches.
Kye reached out with both arms outstretched, leaning over towards Gil impatiently, indicating where he wanted to be.
Without any hesitation, Gil smiled warmly as he uncoiled his arm from around Sara, he couldn't, nor wouldn't refuse the boy the comfort he so obviously sought, so he eagerly grabbed Kye by his upper body bringing him swiftly into his chest, hugging him desperately, as if his life depending on nothing else.
Relishing the feel of Kye in his arms, safe and unharmed, Gil savored the feeling for a few minutes, until he came back to reality realizing where they were, that they should probably move this reunion to a more private place.
He placed a tender kiss to her boys head before lifting his eyes to join Sara's, who was watching their interaction intently "Lets take this to my office honey" he said with a relieved smile.
Standing slowly while readjusting his protective hold on Kye, Gil helped Sara up with his free hand until she was standing closely into his side.
Snaking his arms up around Gil's neck, before resting his head on the solid comfortable shoulder there, Kye rubbed the side of his face back and forth a few times before he stilled, and closed his eyes relaxing, seemingly now comfortable as he let out a contented sigh.
Sara rubbed Kye's back a few times, before she looked to Gil to signal that she was ready.
Gil looked towards Heather first, confusion, betrayal and deep disappointment evidently playing out in his features, before he locked eyes with Catherine "We'll be....." he began to speak but his friend interrupted.
"In your office, yeah I figured that" she said smiled at him, feeling very proud of him, and his actions in this moment "Don't worry I'll take care of everything here Gil, and get back to you soon" she replied.
Grasping Sara's hand in his free one, Gil lead the three of them back from where they had come from shortly before.
Just as they disappeared around the corner, Warrick pushed through the lab doors looking a bit disappointed, until he looked up and saw Mrs Kessler and Catherine standing near the exit, he'd just returned from the Dominion without any useful information, after having been told that the owner of the business was out.
Now he frowned deeply at Catherine as he approached them both "Cath?" he said wondering why Lady Heather looked utterly confused and perplexed, but his temporary boss looked pleased.
Turning her gaze to Warrick, with a slight shake of her head to get her mindset back to business again, Catherine spoke decisively "Warrick, can you just escort Mrs Kessler to reception and wait there with her for me please. I need to make a call to Brass" she asked pointedly, not being in a position to explain the latest developments with him right now, when she had more pressing things to deal with.
"Yeah sure" he replied wondering what the hell was going on, as he held out a hand to indicate to Heather which direction to take "This way please" he said leaving Catherine.
Catherine immediately pulled her cell phone off her belt and flipped it open, pressing speed dial as she headed off into the nearest room closing the door behind her.
After hearing his usual gruff greeting, Catherine went right into telling the police captain that Kye was now safe and with Gil and Sara, then all the other stuff she wanted to inform him of including the latest evidence findings.
Jim told her he would temporarily suspend the second part of the interview with Carlton that he was about to take part in, so that he could prepare for Catherine and Warrick bringing Lady Heather over to PD for questioning.
He asked her if she would need an officer to accompany them, but Catherine declined the offer suspecting that Heather wouldn't present a problem for them.
Ending the call, Catherine then made a second one to Gil rather than go and disturb them in the office "Gil" she greeted "I'm taking Heather Kessler over to PD to interview her with Warrick and Jim" she continued "It could be a while before i have any details for you".
"Okay, we are about to head over to Desert Palms to get Kye a full check up, before we go home" he replied, then added "Can you send one of the guys over to the hospital to process Kye and collect his cloths" he said remembering that they were still part of an active case, and that here could be evidence that might lead to a conviction on the boy.
"Yeah I can send Greg over" she hesitated, then spoke again as she thought of something else "Do you and Sara have a spare set of cloths in your lockers Gil?" she asked.
Realizing what she was meaning, Gil let out a lengthy sigh "I do, but I'm not sure about Sara. You'll need our cloths too, after contaminating any evidence that might be on Kye" he said a little tiredly "I'll make sure Greg gets them okay".
"Thanks" she replied, then added in a reassuring tone "Your doing a great job Gil, keep it up it's nearly over now. Get sorted with the ER, then take them home and spend some time with them".
Kye was now curled up with Sara on the couch, sat on her lap as she spoke quietly with him.
Lowering his voice a little because of his proximity to them in his office, Gil admittedly voiced new concerns he now had "But is it Cath?" he asked forlornly, then paused briefly "There's the possibility of a trial, Kye's nightmares, not to mention his uncertain future living arrangements, and god only knows what else to contend with now" he said almost defeated "I'm not sure that either Sara or myself are properly equipped to deal with this kind of stuff" he all but whispered.
Hearing her friends self doubts and worry, knowing Gil would be a little panicked analyzing and thinking about what the couple now faced, had Catherine instantly wishing to help him out the best way she could right now, which was via the phone in her hand, she spoke with conviction "Gil stop. You've both gotten this far together, and your doing fine, believe me" she let out a huff of air then added "Never doubt, and never look back. Just take it one day at a time Gil, then I'm sure you'll both do the right thing when it's needed. I have every confidence in the both you" she said with a smile.
The phone line was quiet for a few seconds before Catherine heard a controlled breath released from Gil "Thank you Cath. I guess I really needed to hear that pep talk huh, and I do appreciate it okay" he said feeling some of the weight of worry lift from his being.
"Anytime Gil" she said compassionately, Besides, kids don't come with a detailed parental manual to follow, and I know how scary it can be looking after one" Catherine said with a chuckle "You know how to get hold of me if you need a friend. I gotta go get things underway. I'll call you" she said ending the call.
"Bye" Gil said feeling more relaxed.
"Later" Catherine said flipping the cell closed.
With determined strides Catherine walked off towards the lab reception.
Forty minutes later Heather Kessler sat in one of LVPD's interview rooms alone, as Brass, Catherine and Warrick stood on the other side of the observation glass talking.
"We've got some evidence placing Carlton at The Merridian house, the Bellagio prior to the hookers death and Gil's townhouse. But I'm not sure we've got quite enough to secure a conviction on any one of the three crimes just yet, but we are waiting on DNA results from Wendy that could prove conclusive" Catherine said tapping the case file in her hand.
"The DA is gonna want more than a single footprint, or fiber match to a suit Cath, we need much more than circumstantial evidence that a good attorney could explain away easily" Brass said rubbing his face tiredly.
"So you've not got anything on Frost?" he asked a little irritated, knowing if they had the man would already be in custody.
"Not yet Jim" Catherine replied regretfully.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, Jim added "Well I'm still liking this guy for all of Frost's dirty work, and if you've nothing on him, the only way we are gonna nail the son of a bitch is if Carlton starts singing".
Throughout the three cases, Jim just knew that Frost was heavily involved in all of them somehow, but what frustrated him the most, and even angered him was that it looked like the slime ball would walk free while others, namely Carlton would take the rap for him, and this didn't sit well with the police captain, who prided himself on being able to catch this sort of criminal out.
Turning to the glass to look at Lady Heather sat there looking innocent waiting to be interviewed, Jim scowled distastefully at the woman "So how the hell does she fit into all this?" he said indicating to the glass "She's like a god damned persistent rash that keeps appearing and just wont go away" he commented.
"She just turns up at the lab with a kid who is the center of an major Amber alert, looking all demure and innocent, as if nothing was" he spat out "Oh and lets not forget that the kid so happens to be in the temporary custody of our enigmatic, but socially inept and politically tone deaf Gil Grissom, who happens to have coincidentally had some kind of........" he paused looking for the right word to use "Brief liaison with the woman too, which only complicates matters" he said ending his brief vent about the current situation.
Warrick let out a guffaw, it wasn't often that he was a witness to either of the other two talking about Grissom in this manner, and the whole Dominatrix thing was just water cooler gossip that he'd been privy to on a few occasions, but he was now intrigued by Brass' 'liaison' comment, indicating that his boss may have had a past romantic connection to the woman.
Chuckling a little at her friends frustration, Catherine patted him gently on the shoulder "Well Jim, thats exactly what we are about to find out. With any luck she may even name Frost as the perp for you, making your job a little easier" she said in a consoling tone to him.
Snorting Jim replied "Yeah, and Gil's finally decided on buying that sports car" he mumbled as he pulled open the observation room door to leave, Warrick stayed put as he watched them both leave.
Catherine and Jim Entered the Interview room, where Heather sat cross legged, her hands resting in her lap as she sat back looking relaxed "Captain Brass, Mrs Willows" she greeted them.
"Mrs Kessler" Catherine answered, as Jim pulled out a chair and sat staring at the woman before him.
Seeing the red light on to indicate that the interview was being recorded Brass spoke for the first time, giving the time, date and interviewers names.
Heather shuffled in her seat and straightened her back, taking her usual stance when confronted by police and CSI officers of the law.
"Mrs Kessler, lets get right down to business shall we" Brass spoke with a no nonsense attitude.
With a nod and a tiny smirk, Heather then spoke "Will Dr Grissom not be joining us today?" she asked, then flicked her gaze to the observation glass.
Shooting a look at Jim, Catherine answered "No, he's taking some personal leave right now. I'm acting night shift supervisor in his absence" she said adding extra emphasis on the word 'Personal'.
Smiling knowingly Heather just gave a subtle nod.
"Okay, so now that, thats out of the way Mrs Kessler. Can you tell us how Kye Merridian, a child that has been the focus of an amber alert for many hours, and missing from the residence of his home came to be in your presence?" Brass asked jumping right into questioning her.
"A friend and client dropped him off this morning, requesting that I take personal care of the boy until he was to return tomorrow to collect him" Heather replied simply.
"And does this Friend and client have a name?" Brass asked pointedly.
"As you are more than aware Captain, our clients require and receive the utmost privacy and data protection in the setting of our place of business. I'm not at liberty to discuss any of my clients without prior permission to do so. So you will need to acquire the appropriate warrant for me to reveal that kind of information to you" she said confidently.
Letting his frustration show, Brass glared at the woman "And are you aware 'Mrs Kessler' that you are now deeply involved in the abduction of a child, and that with whatever part you played in it, you could be looking at a very lengthy prison term behind bars?" he shot back.
Listening in the observation room, Warrick decided to head out and try to get them the warrant they needed, so he quickly sent a text message to Catherine to let her know of his intentions.
Shaking her head at the mans obvious lack of self control, Heather spoke again with an air of arrogance "Yes I am aware of my current situation thank you very much, which is why I am fully cooperating with your inquiries and answering your questions".
"I wasn't aware that the child had been abducted, and was the subject to an amber alert until some time later, when one of my girls informed me of the fact" she said in her defense.
Heather was about to continue speaking when she was interrupted.
Catherine spoke up "So you didn't find it a little strange at all, that a client would bring a child for you too look after at the dominion without notice, to a place that is not very socially acceptable for a minor to be frequenting?".
"The boy was brought to me by a trustworthy, and honorable man, who is a long term personal friend as well as one of our clients. I was informed that the child was the only son of his boss, who was dealing with unforeseen circumstances concerning a relatives death, and unable to look after him at this time, so would I help him out." Heather paused as she looked up and connected her eyes with Catherine.
"As you know Mrs Willows from previous cases, I have my own personal living quarters situated within the Dominion that are, shall we say 'Socially normal' for a woman to reside in. So to answer your question simply, I was just helping a dear friend out in a time of crisis".
"Okay" Catherine said drawing the word out a little, until her phone signaled an incoming message.
She quickly opened her cell and looked at the message, seeing it was from Warrick she shot a glance at the glass mirror, before closing it again and refocusing back on Heather Kessler.
"So how, and when were you informed that Kye Merridian was the subject of the latest police and media attention?" she asked.
"Three hours ago. One of the girls knocked insistently on my door in a stressed and upset manner, stating that the child she had seen the gentleman accompany to my quarters earlier in the day, was splashed all over the television, on urgent news reports." Heather paused to take a breath "I made sure the boy was still resting on my couch before switching on my own entertainment system to check out the reports for myself. The name flashing clearly on the screen for the boys identity, it was different to the one I had been given, but the image was certainly that of the child in my care".
"Go on" Catherine encouraged, as Brass now folded his arms across his chest listening.
"That's when I made my first attempt of many, to call Grissom on his cell phone" Heather said now looking to Brass.
Turning to look directly at Catherine, Jim raised an eyebrow before tuning back to Heather "Why Grissom? Why not the number displayed on the TV screen or LVPD?" he asked.
Connecting her gaze with Catherine, Heather almost looked like she was hoping for some help off the senior CSI, but seeing none forthcoming she replied "Grissom is a personal friend of mine as you both know" she said meaningfully "I thought that it would be quite probable that his CSI's would be working on the case, therefor I decided that he would be the best person of contact, rather than via telephone lines that would be extremely busy during the alert".
Remembering an ambiguous detail of the investigation into Kye's disappearance, Brass made a connection to the woman before him, and changed directions with his line of inquiry "You have a 2004, ebony black Lexus GX registered in your name, correct?" he asked her.
Frowning Heather answered him "Yes I do captain Brass".
"Have you loaned the SUV out to anyone recently? The client who dropped off the child with you perhaps?" he asked a little more interested in the direction he was now going with the interview.
Wondering what this had to do with the investigation Heather answered "No I haven't. I am the only one who ever drives it" she said with conviction.
"Seeing as you are helping us with our inquires, can we have your permission to search that vehicle please, as it may be pertinent to the case?" Brass asked, thinking he was now on to something.
Smiling lightly now Heather answered him "Certainly you can, but it has been in the auto shop for the last three days undergoing it's regular annual service and a new sound system being installed. So by all means go ahead Captain" she said rather smugly.
Pulling out his notepad Brass slid it across the surface of the table towards Mrs Kessler "Can you write down the name of the auto shop for me, so we can follow up on that information".
She did so quickly, then pushed the pad back to him.
Feeling quite deflated by the news, Jim turned to Catherine who was also now wearing a slight smirk upon her face, asking "Do you have anything further to add?" with a mild glare.
"Just one more thing for now" Catherine said looking at Heather, letting her know there may be further questions to ask at some point "Your female employees are sometimes requested for private parties, away from the Dominion's premises I take it?".
"I also employ a number of highly trained males, as with my girls Mrs Willows. They are only ever hired out for private settings to highly respected, reliable and regular clients of the business. For which I take great care in vetting the venues and clientèle of such gatherings beforehand" Heather replied in a business like tone.
"I would imagine you do" Catherine said in mild apology of neglecting to mention she had men working at the Dominion too "Did two of your girls attend a private party in a suit at the Bellagio hotel two nights ago?" she asked.
Taking a moment to think Heather then replied "I would have to consult my business records and appointment book to give you a definite answer, as we are always fully booked up from one day to the next, so I couldn't be sure I would be telling you the truth".
Then she added "And of course you would need a warrant if you would like the private party client hirers details also".
"Of course" Brass commented sarcastically.
"Thank you for helping us with our investigation. That should be all for now Mrs Kessler, but we may need to speak with you again at some point, and expect an officer and CSI at your residence some time later today for the information we require" Catherine said standing smiling as she picking up her file.
"Anytime I can help the good officers of law enforcement" Heather said standing now.
She was about to leave, but then turned to Catherine with a curious glint in her eye "Can I just ask? The boy? Is he Grissom's son? Because I wasn't aware that he had fathered any off spring, or at least Grissom neglected to inform me of such information" she asked in a friendly manner.
"I'm sorry Mrs Kessler it's not my place to discuss personal details of a close friend and co-worker, you'd have to ask Gil" Catherine replied keeping her answer as vague as possible.
Brass and Catherine watched her leave, and they left the interview room together.
"Twenty bucks Say's that Carlton is the client who dropped off the kid, and fifty that it was for that scumbag Frost" Jim said light heartedly, but his frustration with the case still present.
Catherine chuckled "Yeah, not taking the bet though, we still have to get the warrant for the info first. Then it's all up to Carlton to spill and implicate Frost, if we're lucky that is".
"Gonna go make Carlton sweat some more now that I can tell him we have the kid back safe and sound, and maybe just imply to him, that the Dominatrix just dropped him right in it" Jim said with a mischievous smirk.
"I'm gonna see how Warrick's getting on with that warrant, then get over to Lady Heathers ASAP. And I also need to check up and see if Wendy has any results for us yet. I'll call as soon as I have a name Jim" she replied as she walked off towards the LVPD exit.
"Keep me updated on any developments" she called over her shoulder as she left.
"Will do" Jim called back before turning towards the direction of the PD lockup area.
A/N – Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and that the reunion was to your liking, and the interview with LH was realistic enough. There is at least one more twist in the story coming up in the next chapter, along with some more GSR!Just to warn you there is roughly only 3 -4 chapters left of this tale, and an epilogue. Will hopefully post more at weekend.
Please take the time to leave a review, they are so very gratefully appreciated, and I love to know what you think of the story and the individual chapters.