Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY.
Series: None.
Spoilers: Trapped.
Chapter Thirteen – Trapped
Jess yawned, fighting off the haze of exhaustion that stemmed from no sleep for over 20 hours. On her way out of the precinct, she had caught a homicide at a strip club and any hopes of catching some sleep that night had been fried, just like the victim.
She was sure no one had ever mentioned this case, but she couldn't be certain; she was so tired she was struggling to remember her own name, let alone a half-forgotten conversation about old cases.
It was now the following morning and she was in the precinct, running a search on 'Kandy's' credit cards, just in case, when her phone rang, Don's name blinking up at her from the screen.
"Hey." She greeted.
"Hey, I have Hunter Hudson here; dead billionaire."
Jess sat up straight, exhaustion falling away. "Where's Danny?"
"With the victim; why?"
"And where are you?" Jess pressed.
His confusion was evident. "Outside the building. What's wrong?"
"I'll call you back." Jess hung up and dialled Danny's number, grabbing her jacket as she did and running out of the precinct. "Come on, pick up."
"Messer."
"Danny, don't touch anything!" Jess warned. "You're in …" She was cut off by a grating noise and slowed down as she reached her car. "Never mind."
"What the hell's going on?"
"Danny?" Stella's voice echoed over the phone, but was cut off suddenly.
"Jess, what the hell?" Danny repeated.
Jess sighed. "It's called a panic room. Hold on, and I'll call Don back." She hung up again and hit speed-dial.
"Alright, Jess, you wanna tell me what that was all about?"
"Just relax, Danno; we'll get you outta there." Don told him through the monitor.
"Easy for you to say." Danny snapped. "You're not trapped with a dead body."
"Don't worry." A new male voice answered. "Reinforcements are here."
"Hallelujah!" Danny sighed. "Get me out."
"This is Jerry Gordon." Linda Cortez explained. "He installed the panic room."
"Unfortunately," Jerry frowned, "there's no master code. We're gonna have to drill a new door."
"Really?" Don asked. "That's odd, because my partner called your company – must've been after Miss Cortez already called you – and she says that your secretary told her that you have a policy of always installing a master code."
"Well, either my secretary or your partner is mistaken." Jerry told him calmly.
"Detective Angell tries very hard not to be mistaken, doesn't she, Detective Bonasera?" Don asked, pulling his phone.
"Oh, she's almost always right, Detective Flack." Stella agreed.
"But I'll check anyway." Don added. "Hey, Angell. Are you sure that secretary said there was a master code?" He asked, knowing she'd pick up on the underlying message.
"Positive. In fact, she was nice enough to give it to me."
"I owe you dinner for this." Don grinned, guessing she must have called the company since they'd last spoken (he couldn't imagine that she'd remembered the code all this time, especially since she hadn't been there). "What is it?" He typed out to code into the computer, the light changed from red to green and the door opened.
Danny breathed a sigh of relief. "Jess, I love you, you know that?"
Jess sniggered. "I doubt Lindsay will be too happy about that."
Don didn't repeat it, settling for a smirk.
"Oh, Don, check the body. You told me a lot about this one; there should be laundry detergent."
Don made his way over to the body and crouched down. Sure enough, there was white powder spread across the body and floor. "Hey, Mess."
Danny joined him and rubbed a gloved finger in the powder. "What is that? Coke?"
Don shook his head. "Looks more like laundry detergent to me."
"Oh, you're the scientist now, huh?" Danny asked.
Don sniggered. "No. But there's nothing in Hunter's history suggesting he's a user and there's a laundry room down the hall. Stella?"
"I'm on it." She called, disappearing from view.
"Hey, Don, lemme talk to Danny?" Jess asked.
"Sure." Don tossed the phone over to Danny and re-entered the living room, where Jerry Gordon seemed rooted to the floor and Linda Cortez seemed on the verge of tears.
"Hey, Flack!" Stella called, walking back in. "Look what I found in the washing machine."
Don grinned at the sight of a blood-stained maid's uniform. "Hmm, I wonder who that belonged to."
Stella turned it to examine the blood spatter. "You know, with this blood pattern, whoever was wearing it was standing in front of the victim when his throat was cut."
"Really?" Don asked slowly, stretching the word out, turning to look at Jerry Gordon.
"Hey!" Gordon protested. "What makes you think it's me? I've got the weakest motive out of everyone here."
"That's true?" Don agreed, cuffing Linda. "Linda Cortez, you're under arrest for aiding and abetting in a homicide and perverting the course of justice. We'll add everything else in later. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Linda whispered.
"Good, good." Don handed her over to Stella. "So, Mr. Gordon, how well do you know Miss Cortez?"
Gordon hesitated for a second and neither detective missed the small head-shake Linda gave him. "I don't. We met briefly when I installed the panic room and that's it."
"Oh, right, the panic room you forgot you'd added an override code to." Don nodded, retrieving Linda's cellphone. "You know what's great about arrests like this? We don't need a warrant. So, if you've only met once, you wanna explain why you're speed-dial one?"
"He was what?"
Jess winced. "Linds, keep your voice down!" She smirked. "I thought you weren't worried about what happened to Danny?"
"I'm not." Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I'm just a little … concerned that he was trapped in a room with a dead body."
"For about ten minutes." Jess finished. "Come on, Linds; it was like five hours last time."
"What was?" A male voice asked behind them.
For someone who wasn't worried in the slightest, Lindsay moved extremely quickly, throwing her arms around Danny's neck and hugging him tightly. "Are you okay?"
"Er, yeah." Danny returned the embrace almost hesitantly, shooting Jess a confused look over her head.
Jess just shrugged and grinned at Don. "Get them?"
"Got them." Don confirmed, crossing the room to where she was standing and kissing her forehead. "All thanks to you."
Jess flushed. "Don, you got them the first time without my help." She murmured.
"Ah, but you did help this time." Don pointed out. "And that means I get to make the Rangers game tonight. You joining me?"
"Love to. You know I'm a Devils girl, right?" Jess checked.
Don chuckled. "We'll see about that. Lindsay? Danny?"
As if suddenly realising what she was doing, Lindsay hastily pulled away, her cheeks flaming red. "Uh, sure."
"Danny?" Don repeated.
Danny pulled a face. "Might do, but I'm meeting my brother first."
Jess caught his eye and nodded towards Lindsay, who looked faintly disappointed.
"Hey, Montana, you wanna come with?" Danny asked. "I could use someone with me; you know, stop me from hitting him."
"Well, I wouldn't wanna impose …" Lindsay began.
"You? Never." Danny insisted. "C'mon, Montana …"
Lindsay sighed. "Fine." She agreed with a smile.
"Alright." Danny checked his watch. "You mind riding with me?"
"Do I ever?" Lindsay asked in response.
Danny laughed. "Fair enough. See you, guys."
"See you." Don leaned against the wall. "So how was your case?"
Jess smirked. "Oh, you're gonna love this. Linds and I went lube diving for evidence at a strip club."
Don stared at her, apparently trying to work out whether she was messing with him or not.
"Seriously." Jess nodded. "Our vic had been lube-wrestling earlier in the evening and her … er … partner had gotten a little violent with her; wanted to see if he'd left anything."
"And did he?" Don asked, the side of his mouth twitching slightly in the way it did when he was trying not to laugh at something.
"A wedding ring." Jess sighed, signing the evidence write-up Lindsay had given her before she left. "Engraved."
Don shook his head, the hint of a smile disappearing in an instant. "Guys like that make me sick to my stomach. That poor woman was probably waiting for him to get home and …"
"Oh, she knows." Jess stated. "She's probably in denial, but she knows."
"Let me guess." Don frowned. "Ex-boyfriend?"
"Uh huh." Jess didn't look up. "Only he didn't go to strip-clubs. I came home to find him screwing my room-mate on the couch."
Don swore under his breath and caught her arm as she moved past him. "You didn't deserve that."
Jess gave him a small smile. "I know. I'm over him. Way over." She cupped his right cheek and kissed his left quickly. "It was years ago."
Don grinned, looking a lot happier than she expected him to at that, which sent a jolt of hope through her, a jolt she fought to quash.
He's probably just glad you're not hurting anymore; just be patient. He'll tell you when he's ready.
"Speaking of relationships," Don said, seemingly oblivious to her internal debate, "did you convince Danny into asking Lindsay along so he'd have some support dealing with his brother or just because you're playing matchmaker?"
Jess grinned. "Guilty as charged."
Don sniggered. "I want no part of this." He told her, but his expression told a different story. "C'mon."
"Where are we going?" Jess asked, startled, checking her watch. "Game doesn't start for another couple hours."
"I know." Don grinned. "I owe you dinner. Remember?" He pushed open the door. "After you, Detective."
AN: Review please!