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Quiet Desperation
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Chapter 8 After depositing her evidence, Sara headed towards the exit with a determined stride. Passing the various labs, she fought the urge to verify that Grissom had left already, but another ‘conversation’ was the last thing she wanted right now. What was it about him that made her talk so much? It certainly wasn’t his witty responses, and she didn’t enjoy bringing up the painful memories. Rounding the corner, she picked up her pace as she tried to burn off her rising frustration. Telling him the whole truth had been a mistake. There was no denying that she had screwed up. It hurt that she let her personal issues impact her work, but it was her fault, and she was willing to deal with those consequences. But now he would try to deny that he’d let it influence the way he treated her. Why couldn’t he let things go? He had to push. It wasn’t like he was going to ever acknowledge, let alone act upon, his feelings. All he did was further complicate things. And he gave her hope. That reaction especially bothered her. He had made it clear she wasn’t worth the risk. She’d always rank behind the job. The most he would be willing to offer was an awkward handhold. But after all that had happened, all her attempts to move on, he still had that effect on her. And it stung every time. “Hey, Sara.” She spun around quickly, causing Jacqui to take an involuntary step back. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” the tech said apologetically. “It’s okay. What’s up?” Sara asked, following her into the lab where she pulled up two images on the computer. “Am I good, or am I good?” “I think that depends on what you’re about to tell me.” Jacqui grinned and pointed to the images. “The one of the left is the partial you lifted from the car’s seating position level. The other is a partial you lifted from the construction office. They belong to the same person,” she said, pressing keys to cause the images to twist around and line up. “And I was able to get a hit off AFIS. Brian Wilcox, convicted of embezzlement and released from prison two years ago. His parole record says he works at Kenyon Construction.” “I guess you are good,” Sara answered with her own smile. “What about those papers I sent over?” “No luck so far. Open dumpsters and paper don’t mix well together. I have some tricks that I’ll try on them tonight.” “Thanks.” Taking the report, Sara continued her trip to the parking lot. Once outside, she paused and stared into the distance. After a quick mental calculation, she called Brass to meet her at the construction office. Climbing into her car, she recalled her promise to Grissom that she’d go straight home from the university library. She was exhausted, but this was the closest they had to a lead yet on the case. She wasn’t going to wait another day on it. Besides, it wouldn’t take long to talk to Wilcox. She’d swing by the library from there, and she’d be a block from one of her favorite breakfast spots on the way home. Sara frowned as she settled on her plan. Grissom said he wanted to stop by her place, and he’d probably try to visit while she was still at breakfast. She hoped she had discouraged that idea, but it was so hard to tell. He used to be predictable; anything that was even the slightest bit personal sent him into hiding. Now, he was just as likely to show up at her doorstep. One thing was certain. She wasn’t up to another talk, not now, at least. She was too tired. What she needed was a leisurely meal. With a sigh, she pulled into traffic, wondering if she should be more worried that she was avoiding Grissom or looking forward to the beers with her breakfast.
For his part, Grissom was equally troubled after the discussion. Walking towards the sheriff’s office, he tried to figure out where things had gone so wrong. He really thought he’d been making progress with Sara. They talked more directly now. She had finally opened up to him; trusted him enough to see her at her weakest, to know her worst demons. She’d accepted his comfort. His brow furrowed as the secretary nodded towards the door. Hadn’t that been a defining moment in their renewed friendship? He’d gone to her home. He’d held her hand. For him, that was a significant gesture; personal involvement and physical contact were things he rarely allowed. But did it mean as much to Sara? Apparently not. She clearly regretted the exchange. It hadn’t been enough, Grissom decided. She’d been right; she’d bared everything to him, but he’d never returned the trust. It was against his nature, but he had to do something. He had to let her know that she was wrong. “You’re late.” Grissom snapped his head up quickly, catching the irate glare from the sheriff. Forcing himself to remain calm, he shrugged. “I do have a case to work on.” “One that doesn’t seem to be making much progress.” He turned to stare at the middle-aged woman sitting in a chair near the door. She was non-descript except for the barely controlled detest in her eyes. “Gil, this is Monique Myers,” Ecklie said quickly. “She’s a special counsel to the governor’s office.” Ecklie’s cautious tone caused Grissom’s frown to return. He’d heard of Myers. She was a no-nonsense lawyer specializing in civil rights who dealt with allegations of discrimination in state agencies. She had a reputation of being both unrelenting and fair, but it didn’t explain her presence at the meeting. “And what can I do for you?” Grissom asked in polite puzzlement. “I’ve been asked to look into the way the department handled the disappearance of Rachel Mathers.” Grissom resisted the urge to sigh. This explained the political pressure on Burdick. The Kenyons knew someone in office, and they pressed for more attention to be placed on the case. Confident in his department’s handling of the matter, he took a seat and folded his hands calmly in his lap. The best defense attorneys in the state failed to rattle him. He hated the time wasted on political machinations, but he knew that the sooner this charade was over, the sooner the outside interference would stop. “The Las Vegas Police Department doesn’t answer to the governor’s office,” he noted. “I’m not sure how this falls under your jurisdiction.” “And we have no reason not to cooperate,” Burdick snapped back. Grissom’s eyebrow shot up quickly. While he avoided the sheriff in general, he’d yet to get a handle on Burdick. It was obvious the man was upset, but he didn’t know if it was directly related to this case. Looking around, he noted that Ecklie seemed especially on edge. “Is there anything specifically you have questions about?” Grissom asked Myers with a professional air. “Yes, specifically, I want to verify if your actions caused an unnecessary delay into this case.” “My actions?” Grissom repeated, unsuccessfully keeping his surprise and irritation out of his voice. “Yes,” Myers answered coolly. “You were the one to pull CSI Sidle from the investigation, I believe.” He did sigh that time. “The police report indicated no crime had occurred. Rachel Mathers had a history of running away, and there was nothing to indicate foul play was involved.” “A view disputed – and rightly so – by the criminalist assigned to the case.” “A view held by one of the criminalists assigned to the case,” Grissom corrected. “The view held by the senior CSI on the case,” Myers said. “True.” “So you sided with the opinion of a rookie CSI over that of the one in charge of the investigation.” “No, I didn’t.” “It certainly seems that way,” Myers said. “I didn’t take sides. The police report stated no crime occurred. We aren’t in the habit of investigating something without the police determining it was a possible crime. In hindsight, CSI Sidle appears to have been correct, but we didn’t know that at the time.” “But the fact remains you didn’t listen to her concerns.” “I listened,” Grissom answered shortly. He chewed the inside of his lip as he tried to put aside his immediate dislike of the woman. Whatever her reputation, she clearly had a distorted view of what had happened in this case. And she was getting into an area that was uncomfortable for him. “Hmm. Are you having an affair with Sidle?” “What?” he bellowed, standing up from his chair. He’d tolerate these questions if it meant getting her off his back, and allowing him to return to work, but the thought of Sara being dragged into this witch hunt infuriated him. “Are you now, or have you in the past, had a physical relationship with Sidle?” Myers demanded. “No, I’m not, and I never had.” Myers nodded sagely. “I see. Is that why you dismissed her views so quickly?” “I didn’t dismiss her views. I disagreed with her. And I resent you throwing around these baseless accusations.” “Sit down, Grissom,” Burdick said. Myers jotted some notes onto a legal pad, but Grissom caught a brief, amused look as he took his seat. This was unbelievable. Who did the Kenyons know that could arrange this farce? He concentrated on keeping his face impassive; his political skills were non-existent, but even he knew losing his temper now would be counterproductive. “Do you have a problem with women in authority?” Myers asked. “Not at all. I have a problem with political interference into my work, especially when it threatens to tarnish the image of one of my employees,” he said, his voice dangerously low and controlled. “You’re concerned about Sidle’s reputation?” “Yes.” “Interesting,” Myers said lightly. “But you didn’t mind passing her over for the promotion to the lead CSI position.” Grissom blinked in confusion. Not only did he not understand how it tied into the girl’s disappearance, he didn’t understand how she knew about it. Personnel information was private; even she couldn’t get it. “I don’t see how this has any relevance,” he said wearily. “I recommended CSI Stokes for that position because I thought that he was the better candidate.” “Because he’s a male,” Myers stated. “No!” Grissom breathed deeply through his nose, forcing his temper down. Now he understood where her line of questioning was going, and the absurdity of it riled him. “If I had a problem with women in positions of authority, I never would have recommended CSI Willows for promotion to shift supervisor.” “Hmm. So, on what grounds did you think CSI Stokes was more qualified?” “What bearing does any of this have on this case?” he asked, unwilling to answer her last question. The truth was he had no good answer for it. Sara was right; his response when she asked the same question had been stupid. The entire promotion situation had been hell for him. If he gave it to Sara, people would jump to the same conclusions that Myers was – that she’d slept her way into it. But by denying it to her, he’d hurt her. And possibly his own reputation. Grissom blinked as that realization dawned on him. Nick was an excellent CSI, and more than qualified for the position of lead CSI, but Sara was equally – if not more so – qualified. He’d have a hard time rationalizing his decision on purely professional grounds. Myers noted his silence and flipped the pages of her legal pad over. “Sidle has degrees in physics from Harvard and Berkeley. With honors, I might add. Stokes has a bachelor’s degree, and it’s not even in the sciences. Education isn’t in his favor.” She waited until for Grissom to respond, but when he didn’t, she gave him a knowing look. “They have comparable service, so he didn’t have seniority. Sidle has a commendation from the FBI for her assistance with an investigation into a serial rapist and murderer. Likewise, the Treasury Department sent her a commendation for her work during a counterfeiting operation. Stokes has no such commendations.” “There are other factors involved,” Ecklie injected quickly. He gave Grissom a warning look before continuing. “CSI Sidle is obviously qualified, or she’d never have been given a job here. However, I must point out that she has six complaints filed against her. We have to consider that.” Myers merely smiled as she flipped some more pages over on her notepad. “Yes, I know about the complaints. Let’s see. First one came from a fellow named Sheldon. He’s currently in jail for murdering his abused wife. Next came Mr. Agaves. He’s in jail for sexually molesting his step-daughters. The next complaint came from a Bill Gaines. He also killed his abused wife.” Ecklie held up his hand to stop the litany. “Yes, I know they were all convicted, but at the time the complaints were filed, they were only suspects.” “Oh, I understand that. Of course an investigation was warranted,” Myers said with an icy stare. “What bothers me is that you still think the complaints against CSI Sidle by these men are valid reasons to hold against her.” “That’s enough,” Burdick said quickly when Ecklie started to respond. “I have to say I had no idea that any of this happened. It was all before I started, but I assure you that I will take this seriously.” “Thank you, Sheriff. Of course, anything that happened before you took office can’t be blamed on you,” she said with an unfriendly smile. “Of course,” he answered with a nervous swallow. “I’m mainly concerned with what happened recently. To me, all of this,” she said, pointing to her notes, “indicates a potentially disturbing pattern.” “I’ll oversee the investigation personally,” Burdick stated. “Very well, but I still plan on carrying out my own line of questioning,” Myers said as she gathered her items. “The governor’s office is very concerned about this.” Grissom’s control over his anger faltered as she shot him a victorious look on her way out of the office. Standing up, he shrugged off Ecklie’s restraining hand and moved in front of the sheriff’s desk. “What the hell was all of that?” Burdick leaned back in his chair with an icy glare. “Funny. I was getting ready to ask you the same thing.” “Oh, I can tell you exactly what just happened.” “Gil,” Ecklie said in warning, dropping his shoulders when it was ignored. “I saw you sit by while your department was unfairly accused of wrongdoing, and you did nothing to stand up for it.” “That’s odd. Were we at the same meeting?” the sheriff asked unpleasantly. “Because the only one I heard being accused was you. Are you hiding something? Is there a reason you’re so hostile to this?” “Look, we’re all tense,” Ecklie began. “That meeting didn’t go as well as it could have…” “I’m hiding nothing,” Grissom snapped harshly. “And I think I have every reason to be hostile. It’s bad enough we’re wasting time with this political bullshit, but to have what happened twisted around into a witch hunt…” “Twisted according to you.” “Ask anyone on my team.” “Oh, I plan to. I have to say this entire thing bothers me,” Burdick said, standing up to stare at him. “What bothers you is what this might do to your political career.” “Gil, don’t. Go home,” Ecklie said, trying to get between the two men. “You don’t give a damn what happens to this department,” Grissom continued. “As long as your reputation remains intact, you don’t care what happens to anyone else or our cases.” “Enough! This meeting is over.” “Good. Then I’ll get back to my own investigation,” Grissom said, storming towards the door. “No, you won’t.” Spinning around, he found Burdick approaching him with his hand held out. “Your badge and gun.” “What?” “It’s called insubordination. Dr. Grissom, until further notice, you are on suspension.” |
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