CHAPTER TWELVE (AND THE BAND PLAYED ON....) A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO GREYHAWK FOR ALL HIS INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN ESTABLISHING THE INNER WORKINGS OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, WITHOUT WHOM..THIS CHAPTER WOULD BE EVEN MORE FUCKED UP THAN USUAL. I HOPE I GOT SOME OF IT RIGHT, COP GUY!
"You guys got something..I expect to be a part of it, damn it!" Vincent Duvalier burst into Jim Brass' office, his face red from the rise in his blood pressure. He stared Gil Grissom down then turned his ire on the other man in the room. "What the hell is going on here?"
"It may not be anything." Grissom explained. "We are simply covering all bases."
"It's serious enough for a judge issued court order. You guys don't take a shit unless you ask permission first!" The man seemed in a pissy mood. "So..what's up? What aren't you saying?"
"It's called good police work." Jim Brass could be just as pissy, if the mood struck. "Legal police tactics! Maybe you haven't heard of it!"
He still sat behind his desk, a cup of coffee by his computer, steaming hot. He was waiting for it to cool before chancing another sip. "We don't do it 'right' and any hope of a conviction goes out the window, so if this IS our guy..we blow it! Is that what you want?"
"Don't have to worry about a..." the man trailed away, his attitude..altering to quiet intensity. He stared moodily at the occupants of the room, nothing more.
"We don't have to worry about ..what?" Grissom especially, was affected by the implication behind the man's words..or rather..the words he had not said.
"Look..you know and I know.." Jim Brass was more in tune with Vincent Duvalier's state of mind. "In a perfect world, this creep should be taken out and fed to ravenous hyenas but it just doesn't work that way any longer..right?"
Duvalier remained mute on the subject..his hands stuffed into the jeans he sported. His features still dark and cheerless.
That was the first thing Brass had noted about the guy when they met..the more than casual way Duvalier dressed.
At first, Jim assumed it was because the Agent had come directly from a red-eye express flight from God knows where. He had been called in unexpectedly, after all.
But since that time, there had been no suits, no ties, no formal attire what-so-ever. Which signified the guy was good enough at what he did for his superiors to look the other way in the matter of 'dress regulations'
Such 'mavericks' were becoming a thing of the past, which seemed a shame to Jim Brass. They were filtering into the private sector, where more money was to be had with less restrictions and rules.
The Force needed this type of man, in Jim's opinion. The bad guys seldom, if ever, played by rules. Good public relations aside, in a dark alley with a suspect who was hopped up on crack or worse..loaded to the teeth with automatic weapons easily obtained at any Five and Dime these days..Jim wanted a guy with intelligence and cunning watching his six.
Not someone who would be consulting a rule book or hesitate to act because his mind was on the consequences of any action he might take.
And while Jim did not especially like Vincent Duvalier, he did respect what he had read in the man's dossier.
"So what the hell is this whack job...a multiple personality freak?" Duvalier had done a little reading himself this morning. "What are we dealing with here? One guy or two..twenty? All in one neat little freak-o package?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense at this point." Grissom had mulled over the facts Jim had shared with him. "The evidence suggests 'one' person..two entities, at this stage." He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. He had not slept well last night and was already tired this morning. "Jim interviewed the less dominant, I think. Vernon Gossemer. He seemed genuinely shocked to learn of the activities of the dominant personification, although he apparently had full run of this 'person's' estate."
"The house on Paradise Road." Jim jogged the other man's memory.
"So, he knows something is amiss." Grissom surmised. "He keeps details of his other life ..or that of his 'friend'..from his wife. Suggesting, he realizes there is something 'wrong' in associating with the guy."
"Maybe he never perceived 'him' as a threat." Brass shrugged. "Just how far out of touch is Gossemer? There are no medical records even suggesting he had problems of this nature."
"So, it's Gossemer we're after?" Duvalier wanted facts straight in his head.
"No..actually." Grissom shook his head, watching Jim drink his coffee wishing he had thought to grab a cup himself on the way into the station. "In Gossemer's mind..this other man exists and is totally separate from himself."
"Yeah, but that's because he's fucking insane..it's still Gossemer killing the women..right?"
"It is and it isn't."
"That's bullshit!" The man waved the issue aside. "Where is he now? Why did he run if he's so innocent in all this?"
"We're tracking his cell, no chatter thus far." Brass relayed the updates. "His wife is scared shitless. Seems Gossemer is a creature of habit. He hasn't checked in and his 'friend,' Professor Emos from Argentina..is still IN..Argentina. Says he hasn't heard from good old Vernon in weeks."
"So at least you got a court order for the cell!" Brass thought he detected a bit of sarcasm in the other man's tone. "Good little cops."
"How would you have handled it, hotshot?" Brass was becoming disenchanted.
"If he holds to the established patterns.." Grissom headed off any intended confrontation, his tone and his glare censoring the two males. "We can expect one of two things. A substantial withdrawal from Gossemer's account.."
"Of which, the assets have been frozen." Brass had been a busy little bee.
"Being 'on the lamb' costs these days." Vincent nodded to nothing in particular.
"Or.." Grissom continued, less stressed now that the men had caught his hint to 'knock the hell off' the childish behavior both had adopted of late. "Perhaps he will simply...turn himself in."
"WHAT?" Both men aired their amazement on that one.
"Gossemer seems a man of principle..a caring, sincere type that is probably appalled by all that is happening. And intelligent enough to know he now has a very real problem on his hands."
"Where the HELL..did you get that from??" Vincent clearly had no clue.
"From reading his novels." Grissom ignored the skepticism expressed by the other man. "Which is often more telling about the author than the characters."
"Whether he can control the other personality is the question." Jim mused quietly.
"Whatever!" Duvalier had no patience for stupidity. "How does this help us bring this mother down?"
"Gossemer is deeply troubled. We can only guess at the reasons behind his actions." Grissom stated.
"Yeah, well, I'm deeply troubled too." The Federal Director declared his state of being. "And I don't give a shit about his reasons...I only want my Agent back...intact!"
"We all want that eventuality, Mr. Duvalier." Grissom frowned his annoyance for such a statement having been made at all.
"Then why don't you get off your asses and do something!"
"We are doing everything we can. Jim hasn't slept. He came directly to work this morning. He works the night shift, in case you hadn't not.."
"Gil." Brass shook his head minutely, his eyes telling the man..it was cool.
"Yeah, well.." Vincent wasn't impressed. "You got the ball rolling..now, I'll take it from here."
"What the hell does that mean?" Brass stood, about at the end of his patience.
"It means just what it implies." The man did not intimidate so easily. "This is now a Federal case..literally. My people will take the lead. I'll let you know when we find the mother fucker. Thanks for all your help." He nodded amiably. "It's good when we can all work together like this, isn't it. Sit tight." He motioned to their positions. "Watch how the Pros do it."
And he was gone with but one shit eating grin.
"Can he do that?" Grissom questioned, half out of his seat.
"He could have done it a long time ago. He was waiting until we used up all our contacts and got him a good lead."
"That doesn't seem right." Grissom had to say it or die.
"Doesn't matter." Brass dismissed. "This is still in our jurisdiction. If he thinks I'm going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs..he's got another think coming." He sat back down. "Where were we?"
"What do you think he's going to do?"
"Something stupid probably...definitely reckless." Jim shrugged. "We'll just have to get Gossemer before he does..right?"
Grissom nodded. "Sounds like a plan.."