Hey, guys! Sorry about the delay with this one. I got sick this week and had loads of work. But here we are! Hope you 10, What a Weird Family

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Grissom found her in the garage, already taking her gloves off, while working alongside Greg. Every intention of asking if she wanted to grab something to eat with him was already forgotten, since with Greg there would be just impossible to do so.

"Hey! We already sent the blood drops for analysis, but we couldn't find a possible weapon. It was seriously messy", she told him.

"Seriously", Greg said, like a second voice.

"So, any news?", Sara asked.

"Archie just finished with the tapes." It took Sara's and Greg's attention, and they stepped closer to Grissom.

"Yes?", Greg said.

"The camera shows the couple arriving, parking, Ben taking Neave to the apartament, carrying her in his arms, Ben returning and helping his wife and kids back to the apartament. Seven minutes later, he returns to get the rest of the suitcases and goes back to the apartament.", Grissom told them.

"So far, so good", Sara said.

"Yeah, then, 20 minutes later, we see Neave's fall. And 9 minutes later, her father shows up. A lot of people were around the girl already. He stayed there, barely near her body, for 2 minutes and disappeared."

"Probably back to the apartament?", Greg asked and Sara nodded.

"It took more than 18 minutes til help came, but it was too late", Grissom concluded.

"There's a lot of weird stuff around this family, huh", Greg commented. "My family would never leave my side if it had happened to me"

Sara nodded, looking at Grissom. They were looking at each other, when his cellphone rang.

"Grissom", he answered. It took a couple of minutes, when Sara finally heard him saying. "We will be right there".

He looked at both CSIs. "Apparently, the couple went to the supermarket before heading home. The supermarket manager is at the station with a video tape, and is willing to talk. Brass thinks it's important. Greg, wrap up here. Call if you hear something new. Sara, let's go"

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AT THE STATION, Mark Covemman was sitting in one of the chairs at the interrogation room with both CSIs and Brass. A police officer gave Mark a glass of water.

"I wanted to bring you over already, so we could interrogate him once and for all. The guy seems to be very nervous, but it's cooperative", Brass had explained before they entered the room.

"Mr. Covemman, this is Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom, they are responsible for Neave's case. You can tell them what you know. Take your time, please", Brass told him.

It was obvious Mark Covemman never had put his foot at a police station, let alone giving a testimony. His hands were shaking, his skin was white as a ghost.

"I–I…", he started and kept this way for long minutes.

"Why don't you tell us where you work?", Sara asked.

He looked at her, his face illuminating.

"At a supermarket", he said rapidly.

"And what do you do there?", Sara spoke again.

"I'm the Manager", Mark said, but after appeared to remember a detail "Night shift manager".

"Ok, good. Were you working the night Neave died?"

"Y-yes, ma'am"

"You can call me Sara, it's all right. The family, were they all together?"

"Yes-yes, ma– Sara. Together. All five"

"Good", Sara said.

"What were your impressions of the family, Mark?", Brass asked. It was important to the case's sake that Mark could tell his perspective without being asked step by step. Otherwise, the defender's could say he was obligated to fill the narrative the police wanted.

"Not good.", he said quickly. "I mean… They didn't behave well."

"What do you mean?", Brass asked.

"Well… The baby was crying and both mother and father seemed to be… deaf, you know?"

The group nodded.

"And–and— when my subordinate offered help, the guy was rude to her, I mean– was it necessary?"

The group shook their heads.

"But when Neave went to the cookies section, the mother– wait, she's not the real mother, is she? I don't want to tell the wrong story"

"If you're a talking about her," Brass showed him a photo of Virginia "you're talking about the step-mother"

"Y-yes, that's the one, the step-mother. Neave went to the cookies section by herself, right? And-and… the step-mother totally lost it. When-when she found the girl, she-she, oh my God…"

Mark started to cry violently. And Sara couldn't help but think that was a genuine cry, much the contrary of Ben's crying, who seemed totally theatrical. The group gave the man a few minutes to calm himself down.

"Sorry, I just— I just can't stop thinking about it."

"About what, Mr. Covemman?", Sara asked.

"About what I could have done, you know. Maybe the girl would be alive now, I just– I was such a coward", he said looking at Sara.

"What happened at the cookie section?", Grissom asked softly.

"The step-mother, she– she grabbed that little arm and gave the girl a slap on the face. Not even a grown man would take that easily."

The group seemed surprised. And Sara remembered Doc telling them she had bruises on her face not consistent with a fall.

"I—I was in the other aisle putting back some products. It was far from them, but if I had run fast, I could get the girl away from that woman before the father came, and called the police…"

"And what did the father do?", Brass asked.

"Nothing! I mean, he took the girl in his arms and put something cold from the cart on her face. But he did nothing. I mean– He had to, at least, I don't know, but… I'd never leave my daughter around that woman, and I'm not even a father".

Sara and Grissom exchanged a look.

"And the tape you bought us…?", Grissom asked.

Mark shook even more and started to sweat.

"That scene… It's haunted me. And when I heard about the fall… And-and realized it was the same girl, I— you know, and then came the interview on TV… That-that… I was so angry at myself, I couldn't sleep. I—I started to look for it in our security cameras. Bringing it to you is the minimum I could do. I mean— I don't even know if it will help, but… I don't mind losing my job or being arrested to do nothing about that, I just— I just had to bring it to you".

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IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM, Sara was presenting their findings to the rest of the team alongside Grissom and Greg. As the pieces were getting together and forming a clear scenario, it was time to gather all hands together.

"So, thanks to the tapes from the building, we now can have a clear timeline of events", Sara said to her peers, "and with the supermarket tape, we can put some weight in the testimonial we got from the neighbours".

"What about the mother, she didn't give her testimonial?", Catherine asked,

"Not yet. Until yesterday, she was suffering from anxiety and had to be hospitalized two times." Grissom answered. "But Brass told me she's fine enough to give an official testimonial today, so in the next hours we can have her testimonial".

"Yeah, but from what we saw, the three responsibles for Neave seemed to be friendly with each other. So, I don't know if the mother didn't know what was happening during her time with her father or if she's convenient", Sara said.

"Yeah, there's always a chance", Catherine said in a low voice.

"What we know for sure: Neave didn't suffer an accident, she was murdered and possibly was abused by her step-mother and father; the couple and kids arrived from the trip on monday, and were at the supermarket between 8:20-8:47pm. They arrived from there by 9pm. The husband comes back to help his wife at 9:07pm. The video stamp shows us that Neave hit the ground at 9:27pm, consistent with our report. At 9:28pm, there's the first phone call to Ben's father and the only one that seemed to be a real conversation, it lasted 2 minutes. Outside, people started to gather together, no signs of Ben or Virginia. The rest of the calls keep happening between 9:30-9:35. Only by 9:36pm Ben shows up, but disappears after 2 minutes. This suggests that at least one, maybe two, of the calls were made by somebody else, probably by Virginia. At 9:56pm help arrives.", Sara said.

"Without cameras on the corridor and elevator, it's not possible to point out that a third person was at the apartment, like Ben Cornwell says it was. But the building has a system that controls who is in and who is out. There wasn't anyone besides the neighbours and employees inside the building.", Grissom said.

"What if they jumped over the wall? Is that possible?" Nick asked.

"It would be very difficult, because the walls are quite high, and jumping over would be almost like climbing. Even on a Monday night, it would attract attention, and the cameras didn't capture anything either," Grissom replied before continuing. "Besides, there were no signs of forced entry, traces, fibers, shoe prints, or fingerprints other than the ones from the residents of the house. Nothing suggests a third person inside the apartment."

"What would be the motive to kill his own daughter like this?" Warrick asked.

"That's a good question," Sara answered, sighing. "As far as we know, Jess and Ben's separation was amicable, and it was common for the daughter to spend time with her father, stepmother, and siblings. But we have several reports that the arguments were constant, and the couple acted suspiciously. In the supermarket video, Neave was slapped hard in the face. Now, if they hit her like that in a public place, what can you expect from a private one?"

Jim appeared after knocking on the door.

"Sara, Grissom, the mother is waiting for us. Ben and Virginia are on their way with their lawyer as we speak".

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THE HEAVINESS could be felt by anyone. Jess was with deep circles under her eyes and even though the climate was cool, she was dressed in a heavy hoodie and kept hugging herself. Like many others Grissom had met during his time in law enforcement, Jess was the pure image of sorrow, regret and trauma.

"We are really sorry for your loss, Jessica.", Grissom said in a low voice.

"Thanks", Jess said.

"I know the timing is terrible, but we need to ask you a few questions", Brass said and Jess nodded, understanding.

"You and Ben shared Neave's custody, right?", Brass asked.

"Yes. Oh, she loves her brother and sister!", she sobbed hard "We alternate weekends and the holiday season, and half of the summer vacation is with me, the other half with her father."

"Did you two separate a long time ago?" Brass continued asking.

"About four years ago, more or less."

"You look young… How did you meet Ben?"

"In college. I was in my second year, I was about 19, he was in his fourth year, and he was 22." Her gaze became distant, and suddenly she chuckled softly. "He failed so many subjects that we practically finished college together when I was 22. We moved in together, and a year later, I had Neave."

"Alright, and how was your relationship?" Brass asked.

Jess shrugged. "Common, I guess. We got along well, he wanted to commit from day one. Getting pregnant wasn't a surprise to anyone, but—"

"But…?" Grissom asked.

Jess shook her head. "His parents were very, I don't know the right word. Very controlling, maybe, I think they cared a lot about Ben. Even after he was an adult, with a wife, a daughter on the way, they… They wanted to know everything."

The group nodded.

"Did that affect your relationship?" Sara asked.

Jess, still staring at the table, barely blinking, took some time to respond, as if she was remembering that time.

"There was a good side, they helped a lot during the pregnancy and also after Neave was born, it was an easy time for me, and everyone knows motherhood isn't easy," she smiled, remembering her daughter. "But there was a bad side. They wanted to control our daughter and their son, and they pressured me to keep everyone on a leash. They used that term. At one point, I realized I had two children."

"Was that when you asked for the divorce?" Sara asked.

Jess nodded affirmatively. "It was very easy. Ben's father took care of everything, all the agreements, alimony, everything. I moved back to my parents' house and started building my life."

"And Ben?" Brass asked.

"Ben… We had barely separated when he started dating Virginia, and the marriage was very quick, it was a religious ceremony, I went with Neave."

"Sorry to ask, but was there infidelity?"

"Oh, no, no, Ben's father is a very conservative man, he wouldn't tolerate his son cheating on his wife. I don't think Ben ever cheated on me," Jess replied, her eyes wide.

Sara and Grissom exchanged a look.

"You talk about their relationship as if Ben asked his father for permission for even the most—" Sara was looking for the right word when Jess interrupted her.

"Trivial things, yes. He asked for permission or advice for everything. Sometimes his father would give orders, and he would follow them. And on the few occasions Ben stepped out of line, his father would get furious, and Ben would be completely thrown off. It seemed like he had been hit by a truck for days."

"Up until the day of the divorce request, you didn't find that strange?" Brass asked.

Jess shrugged, shaking her head.

"At first, no. College showed me that there were many people different from how I was raised. My parents worked all day, every day. From an early age, I was taught to cook, clean, study on my own, play alone. The only obligation I had was to get grades above a B. My parents never visited me in college, they probably went to about two presentations at school, that was it."

Jess laughed before continuing.

"In college, my roommate was visited by her parents every Sunday. There were people who didn't have a father or a mother. There were people raised by their grandparents. I thought Ben was just another one of those cases. But then… He went to work with his father, his father chose the neighborhood where we were going to live, his father bought the apartment, his father bought the car, his father was always around, knew everything Ben did. Our worlds began to collide, and it was irreversible. Amicable, but irreversible."

"And how was Neave's relationship with her father?" Grissom asked.

"Neave loves her father. He plays with her a lot, and seems to never get tired. Even after the separation, that continues. They play races, ball, roller skating, sometimes she comes home a little scraped or bruised, but always smiling."

Sara, Grissom, and Brass exchanged looks with that information. Jess wasn't making eye contact with them, just staring at the table. Sara had serious doubts about the validity of the testimony. While the answers seemed to come from a person with mental sanity in her normal state, her responses regarding her daughter were always in the present tense, as if the girl hadn't died.

"And what about Virginia's relationship with the girl?" Grissom asked.

"Virginia is a reserved person. But she always treats Neave well." Jess said, still looking at the table. "And she always treated me very well too."

Sara swallowed hard as she said goodbye to Jess, as did Brass and Grissom. From a distance, she saw Neave's mother being escorted by a police officer to an elderly couple, who—by the resemblance—Sara deduced were her parents, Neave's maternal grandparents.

"It doesn't justify it, but it explains the calls to her father," Sara said.

"That was one of the most unique testimonies I've witnessed in a long time, I must say," Brass commented.

"She's in shock, she hasn't processed what happened yet," Grissom said, scratching his beard. "It must be hard to hand your daughter over to her father and have her not come back."

"Yes…" Brass agreed. "Are you ready for Ben and Virginia?"

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AFTER everything he had heard, Grissom wouldn't be surprised if the couple's lawyer was actually Ben's father. But the person who entered the interrogation room was a handsome man, around 65 years old, tall and very thin, with an immaculate suit that must have cost a fortune. It was no surprise when the professional introduced himself as the lawyer for Ben's father's company.

"What do we owe this visit, Mr. Brass?" McWroy asked.

Brass laughed. "I think the visit was long overdue, wasn't it? Or do Ben and Virginia only go where there's a camera?"

The couple exchanged glances, but remained silent.

"We won't tolerate this kind of provocation from the police at such a delicate moment, Mr. Brass."

"Then let's get straight to the point. We want to go over Ben and Virginia's movements on the day Neave was murdered."

"Again?" McWroy asked with sarcasm.

Brass shrugged. "Every time there's a TV interview, a new piece of information comes up. We don't want to wait until next Saturday night to learn more. I don't mind spoilers, you know."

McWroy swallowed hard and gestured for Ben to speak.

"We came back from the trip, I dropped Neave off at home first, then I went back to help Virginia and the kids up. The doors were locked, everything was fine, when I heard a loud noise. I started looking for what it could've been inside the house, but I didn't find anything. Then I realized Neave wasn't in her bed, or anywhere. I looked at the window, which was open, and saw something down there. I took the elevator down, and it was my daughter. I've already told the same story to the police more than three times, and I haven't heard anything from you guys yet," Ben said in an angry tone.

"You said the doors were locked?" Sara asked.

"WHAT?!" Ben responded aggressively, causing Grissom to stand up immediately.

"Watch your tone, Ben," Grissom said, sitting back down.

McWroy whispered in the client's ear.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sidle. I'm just on edge lately, I forgot about the door," Ben said. "And I heard you believed the building's employee. The door was open, and when I saw a shadow, the noise made me search the apartment for someone."

"Virginia, anything you'd like to add so far?" Brass asked.

"No, Mr. Brass. Everything Ben said is true. I helped him search the apartment."

"Alright, alright. And what do you have to say about the assault on your stepdaughter?"

The lawyer stopped her from responding with a hand gesture.

"My clients never assaulted the child, Mr. Brass."

Brass coughed, as if he was choking on the lawyer's audacity in making such a definitive statement. It was no coincidence that he hated lawyers.

"Well, we have footage showing clearly that Virginia slapped the girl so hard in the supermarket that night, people around her were shocked."

"Certainly a correction that any responsible adult would do. The word 'assault' doesn't fit here, Mr. Brass," the lawyer responded.

"I think it fits just fine. Nothing the responsible adults can say about it?" Brass asked, looking at Ben and Virginia.

"I represent them and guarantee that any slap was for correction or play. Never assault," the lawyer replied.

Sara shook her head. It was astonishing how much people sold themselves out in the name of their profession. She understood that lawyers had to get the best conditions for their clients, ensuring their basic right to a fair trial, but to categorically say that there was no assault without even looking at the footage seemed too much to her.

Grissom, on the other hand, observed the couple. Ben, although tall and strong, was hunched over in his chair, looking stunned, lost. His ex-wife's words echoed in his mind: "When Ben stepped out of line, he'd be lost for days." Virginia barely breathed, kept her gaze straight, and barely blinked. She answered everything robotically, almost rehearsed. She seemed prepared for all possible scenarios but not strong enough to put the rehearsal to the test.

Grissom opened the folder and spread some papers in front of the lawyer and the couple, but only the lawyer leaned forward to look.

"These are the phone records for that day. Six calls were made to Ben's father, Mr. Cornwell. None to the police, or emergency services... Why?"

The lawyer looked at the documents cautiously before leaning back in his chair and answering.

"A normal reaction for anyone in panic. My client called the person closest to him, his father, with whom he has a strong friendship that goes beyond father-son ties, Mr. Grissom."

"The daughter he left sleeping in her room disappears, isn't anywhere in the house, he sees the window open, he knows something serious happened, and he doesn't call the police? Mr. and Mrs. Cornwell didn't even call the front desk. They didn't knock on the neighbors' doors…" Sara continued. "According to the phone records, at no point did the responsible parties contact the police. In which world does that make sense?"

"Ms. Sidle, my answer is the same as what I told Mr. Grissom."

"That's called negligence," Brass said.

"The public would disagree, Mr. Brass. It's plausible that anyone in despair would call someone who might help."

"Desperation is the right word, but instead of desperation over his daughter disappearing, it seems the desperation was for another reason," Brass said, looking at the couple, who remained silent.

"Is this a formal accusation, Mr. Brass?"

"There are too many inconsistencies in your clients' story."

The lawyer stood up, and the clients automatically followed suit. "We're here voluntarily, and we're leaving now." And with that, they left.

TBC