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Chapter 59
It was exactly four o'clock when House arrived at the police station. He limped in with his solid, black cane, to find that Bryan was already there.
Bryan walked towards House, relieved that he had showed up. "I got impatient and came early. Thanks for coming."
"You already thanked me." House said and Bryan smiled.
They let the officer at the desk know they were there to meet with Detective Hodges and it was only a few minutes when the aging detective rounded the corner to greet them. Hodges shook both their hands firmly and asked them to follow him to a conference room down the hall. He waited until the two men were in the room before he quietly closed the door and made a motion for them to have a seat at the long table in the middle of the room.
"Can I get either one of you something to drink before we get started?" Hodges asked but both House and Bryan declined the offer.
Hodges sat across from Bryan and House. He opened the brown file he had in his hand and scanned it's contents for a couple of minutes before he began to talk. "Okay, let's see… so far, everyone that the police have interviewed at the apartment complex didn't see or hear anything unusual the morning Dr. Cameron went missing."
House shifted a little uneasily as he heard the word missing.
"One neighbor who was leaving that morning, remembered seeing her walk to her car and she waved to him as he was pulling out of the parking lot but he didn't see anyone else. The officer that did the morning drive-by also confirmed he had seen Cameron walking to her car but did not see anyone else." Hodges paused as he looked through the pages. "The fingerprints they took from her jeep have all been accounted for."
Bryan cleared his throat and Hodges looked at him over his reading glasses. "Yes Mr. Cameron?"
"Do you know anything? I mean it sounds like you don't have anything."
Hodges laid down the file. "Did your sister discuss Christy Sumner with you?"
Bryan glanced at House and back at detective Hodges. "No. Who is Christy Sumner?"
It was Hodges who shifted in his seat a little uneasily this time. He looked at House first then at Bryan. "Christy Sumner worked for Dr. Cuddy. She was Dr. Cuddy's assistant. She was killed three weeks ago and the killer left a message, a note on her body that was addressed to your sister."
Bryan sat up in is chair. "I don't understand. Were Christy and Allison friends?"
"No. They knew one another from the hospital. However, it would seem that Miss Sumner was a sacrifice of some sort to let Dr. Cameron… Allison, know how much this maniac loves her." Hodges stopped to let Bryan digest what he was saying.
"What kind of monster has my sister, detective?" Bryan asked.
"That's what we are trying to find out son." Hodges answered compassionately.
House looked away and out the window. Listening to the detective explain to Bryan about Christy being a sacrifice and Bryan wanting to know what kind of monster had his sister, was almost too much. He still couldn't get a grip that it was Cameron they were talking about and it was Cameron that he may never see again. Suddenly he heard his name being called and turned his attention back to the two men sitting next to him.
"House, are you okay?" Bryan asked. "Detective Hodges asked if you had any questions so far."
House looked solemnly at Hodges. "Do you have any leads?"
"There may be something with the notes Allison received but I can't give any information on that yet. My guys are still checking on something. And the reason I brought up Christy Sumner is because we have some leads regarding her death which could help us with Allison." He paused and closed the file. "I will tell you that my gut tells me that she's still in the city and that she knows her abductor, which will help us find her faster than if she was with a stranger."
"But you don't know that for sure." House stated.
Hodges stared at him. "No but I have been doing this for twenty seven years and my gut is usually right or close to it. I know it's a lot to ask, especially when I don't have anything concrete to back it up but I'm asking you to trust me on this."
Bryan and House were both silent for a minute.
"Why do you think she's still in the city?" House asked curiously.
"Because this guy has put too much thought into this. He has obviously been keeping tabs on Dr. Cameron for some time now. He knows her habits, where she works and he knew that she knew Christy Sumner. It all ties together somehow. I think he lives here and chances are, he has her with him, maybe where he lives, or close by."
"But how do we find all this out?" Bryan asked.
"We keep digging away at every little thing. It's just a feeling right now, but I think it's someone who has something to do with the hospital. Either he was a patient there or maybe he works there."
"Like a doctor?" Bryan asked surprised.
"Not necessarily a doctor but there are all kinds of people who work in a hospital." Hodges answered.
"What can we do?" Bryan asked.
House noticed that Bryan said the word we.
"Normally we +ask people to not interfere and let the police do their jobs but obviously, time is of the essence. So, I suggest for you to talk to some of the people at the hospital. See if you can find out anything. Sometimes people warm up to normal people better than they do towards cops and with you being her brother, that might open a few more doors. It's imperative, however, that you keep me posted with everything you find out."
"Absolutely." Bryan answered.
Hodges stood. "Well gentlemen, I don't want to be abrupt but I need to get going." He turned to Bryan. "Are you staying at your sister's apartment?"
"Yes."
"We may need to get back in there."
"Of course. Any time." Bryan answered.
They started to leave the room when House felt Hodges place his hand on his shoulder.
"Dr. House, can I speak with you for a minute?"
Bryan turned to see Hodges pull House back a little and wondered what that was all about. He walked to the end of the hall and waited.
House looked at the detective curiously.
Hodges waited until Bryan was out of ear shot. "I didn't want to ask you in front of Dr. Cameron's brother but what is your relationship with Dr. Cameron?"
House leaned on his cane and pondered the question for a few seconds. "Like I told you before, we work together. She was a student of mine and she just recently took a position in my department."
Hodges smiled slightly as he listened to House try and dodge answering his question. "Were you intimate with one another, Dr. House?"
"Will my answer help find Cameron any faster?" "I need a profile on everyone Dr. House and I haven't really talked to you yet. It's obvious that you care for Dr. Cameron a great deal. Besides, answering my question can eliminate you as a suspect."
"A suspect?"
"Yes. At this point, everyone is a suspect until we get a solid lead. It's a yes or no question Dr. House+. Were you intimate with one another?"
"It's never a yes or no question." House said with one of his famous smirks.
Hodges sighed and stared hard at House.
House took the hint. "Yes, we were intimate." He answered hesitantly. He had never really said it out loud before. "Cameron and I have always… let's just say we have danced around one another for years."
"Were you in a relationship with her when she disappeared?"
"We had an argument a week before and really weren't talking to one another at the time she… disappeared."
Hodges saw the look of sadness cross House's face as he explained the situation between him and Cameron.
"Okay. That's all I wanted to know. If I think of anything else, I'll let you know."
House nodded and started to walk down the hall.
"Dr. House."
House stopped and turned to Hodges again.
"That's a good thing you're doing, helping Dr. Cameron's brother out." Hodges motioned to Bryan at the end of the hall.
House didn't say anything only nodded again and continued down the hall to where Bryan was waiting for him.
As House and Bryan were walking out of the station, Bryan asked House if he was up for something to eat. House really wanted to go home and be alone but agreed to go somewhere for a bite to eat. Bryan waived down a cab and they climbed inside.
"I'll let you pick the place. Any where is fine with me. I just wasn't ready to be alone yet." Bryan paused. "What did Hodges ask you back there?" Bryan asked not sure if it was his business or not but still wanted to know.
House looked at Bryan. "He wanted to know if Cameron and I were… are in a relationship."
Bryan looked away from House and out the window. "What did you say?"
House looked out the opposite window and paused before answering. "Yes."
