“So now what?” Flack asked, after raising an eyebrow at the appearance of Nick at Taylor’s side.
“Now we get permission,” Taylor explained.
Flack’s mouth dropped open. “Permission? Am I hearing that right?”
Taylor shot a glare at him. “It’s one thing to get myself in trouble, but these two work here,” she told him, indicating to Greg and Nick, as she pushed open the door to Grissom’s office and marched in. “Mr Grissom,” she started, quickly stopping at the sound of singing. She looked up to find the source of the music coming from a fish that was dancing above her. “I have got to get Mac one of those,” she muttered, transfixed on its wiggling tail.
Grissom cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Miss Taylor?”
“Mr Grissom,” she said firmly, turning her attention back to the senior CSI. “I know where Tristan is. I mean, I didn’t put him there, but I know where he is. Now, I’m prepared to drive out into the desert myself and bring him back, but Castenelli seems like someone who won’t mess around, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that he has at least one person with Tristan. However, if the worst has happened and he’s dead, if nothing else, I’m going to contaminate a crime scene. Nick and Greg believe me.” She frowned. “Well, they might be humouring me, but the point is they’re prepared to go out with me. I could probably get them out there without your permission if I annoy them enough, but I think they should have it. And I think you should give it them.”
Grissom stared at her, silently, and blinked. “Very well.”
Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “That’s it?”
“What else were you expecting?”
“A no, and a lot more talking on my part, followed by me going out there by myself and getting hurt,” Taylor answered after a moment’s thought.
Grissom nodded. “Exactly.”
“Huh?” Taylor asked, turning to Nick and Greg to see if they could understand their boss. They just shrugged at her.
“Miss Turner,” said Grissom. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you come back.”
“You’re just going to let us go by ourselves?”
“Of course not,” Grissom corrected her calmly. “I’m going to let you go, but Detective Brass is going with you, along with back-up.”
“Taylor,” said Flack, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You won this one, come on,” he told her, directing her out of the room.
“Now we get permission,” Taylor explained.
Flack’s mouth dropped open. “Permission? Am I hearing that right?”
Taylor shot a glare at him. “It’s one thing to get myself in trouble, but these two work here,” she told him, indicating to Greg and Nick, as she pushed open the door to Grissom’s office and marched in. “Mr Grissom,” she started, quickly stopping at the sound of singing. She looked up to find the source of the music coming from a fish that was dancing above her. “I have got to get Mac one of those,” she muttered, transfixed on its wiggling tail.
Grissom cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Miss Taylor?”
“Mr Grissom,” she said firmly, turning her attention back to the senior CSI. “I know where Tristan is. I mean, I didn’t put him there, but I know where he is. Now, I’m prepared to drive out into the desert myself and bring him back, but Castenelli seems like someone who won’t mess around, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that he has at least one person with Tristan. However, if the worst has happened and he’s dead, if nothing else, I’m going to contaminate a crime scene. Nick and Greg believe me.” She frowned. “Well, they might be humouring me, but the point is they’re prepared to go out with me. I could probably get them out there without your permission if I annoy them enough, but I think they should have it. And I think you should give it them.”
Grissom stared at her, silently, and blinked. “Very well.”
Taylor’s mouth dropped open. “That’s it?”
“What else were you expecting?”
“A no, and a lot more talking on my part, followed by me going out there by myself and getting hurt,” Taylor answered after a moment’s thought.
Grissom nodded. “Exactly.”
“Huh?” Taylor asked, turning to Nick and Greg to see if they could understand their boss. They just shrugged at her.
“Miss Turner,” said Grissom. “The sooner you leave, the sooner you come back.”
“You’re just going to let us go by ourselves?”
“Of course not,” Grissom corrected her calmly. “I’m going to let you go, but Detective Brass is going with you, along with back-up.”
“Taylor,” said Flack, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You won this one, come on,” he told her, directing her out of the room.
* * *
“Taylor, do you know where you’re going?” Nick asked, his eyes staring at the sand and rocks in front of them. He turned back to Taylor who seemed to be struggling with a compass and a map.
“I’m fine,” Taylor told him as she thrust the map down by her side. “Just keep on going in the direction we’ve been heading.”
“Taylor, do you really know where you’re going?” Nick asked again. “Because this weather is starting to get pretty bad, and the last thing we want is to be trapped out during a sandstorm.”
“So let me clarify,” said Brass. “We’re driving out into the middle of the desert because a ghost said so?”
“Yeah,” Nick affirmed. “Who’d have thought?”
“I should have known Grissom wasn’t joking when he called me,” Jim Brass muttered under his breath. “Where are we heading?”
Taylor said nothing, instead chewing desperately at her lip. She glanced out of the window to the mirror where she could see the patrol truck that Flack and Greg were in with a couple of uniforms.
“Can you really see Holly?” Nick asked, breaking the silence.
Taylor glanced over at him. “Are you going to believe me if I say yes?”
Nick frowned. “Tell me something about her.”
“Why?” Taylor asked, looking down at the map. “I don’t know anything about her other than what she looks like, and you can just turn around and say that I saw a picture.”
Nick took a deep breath. “How long have you been able to see ghosts?”
“Nearly a year exactly.”
“So,” said Nick slowly, glancing at her from the side of his eye. “Assuming I believe you, and you can see ghosts, why you?”
“Huh?” Taylor glanced at him, confused.
“Why you? Why do the ghosts come to you?”
Taylor sighed. “You’d be surprised how many times I ask myself that. I honestly don’t know.”
“If you had the choice, would you still want to see them?”
“Yes,” Taylor told him, surprised at the firmness in her voice. “I mean, if I didn’t have to see them in the state they were killed, that would be great, but if helping them means I have to see ghosts repeatedly burned alive then I’ll do it.”
“I’m not saying I believe you,” said Nick. “But if... I wish I’d have seen you.”
Taylor turned and stared sharply at him, “What do you mean? You wish you had seen me?”
“I mean, I came close to dying once. If I had, I wish there had been someone like you there for me,” he explained quietly.
Taylor continued to stare intently at him, and then decided not to pursue it further. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to staring intently out of the window, trying to see anything in the minimal light the truck’s headlights were throwing out. “There!” she cried, finally spotting something. “Dead ahead.” Sure enough, coming up ahead was a ruin of a house. “Are you coming?” she yelled as she leapt out of the car after it skidded to a halt.
“Taylor!” Nick yelled after her, his voice was whipped away in an instant as he was battered with sand. He looked up at the house a frowned. It was being attacked from all angles by the wind and sand, and didn’t look like it was going to be standing for much longer. As the other truck screamed to a halt behind him, and the other men exited the truck, he dashed after Taylor into the house, grabbing her and pulling her back. “Taylor, you can’t run off like that. You don’t know how secure this place is.”
Taylor felt a sense of dread come over her after looking at the house. “Something is happening here, Nick,” she told him. “There’s a kid in trouble and he needs our help.”
“Miss, I need you stand back outside with Greg and Detective Flack whilst we clear the house,” Jim ordered her, ushering her back outside where Greg and Flack were waiting.
Flack ran up behind Taylor. “Taylor!” he bellowed angrily, as Brass disappeared back into the house. “How many times have I got to tell you not to do things like that?!”
“I can’t help it,” Taylor told him, staring at the house, tempted to dash back in.
“Learn to help it, damnit,” he told her, clamping his hand on her shoulder, as if he sensed what she wanted to do.
Minutes later, the two uniforms, Brass and Nick came back out, stopping Taylor chewing at the skin around her nails. “Were we too late?”
Brass rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing in there.”
Taylor looked at Nick who just nodded in confirmation, looking somewhat annoyed. With a determined frown, Taylor brushed past them and into the house. “Taylor, there’s nothing here,” Nick called, dashing in after her.
“You’re wrong,” Taylor told him, walking into the kitchen. It was empty, save for a table and a door which was banging shut in a draft. Ignoring Nick’s impatient sighs, she turned to find Holly in one of the corners with Geoff, who was pointing at the swinging pantry door.
“We checked that,” Nick told her as she walked in.
It was just big enough to fit Taylor and Geoff in. He was pointing at a bracket which was holding up one of the shelves against the back wall. Taylor looked closely at it after Geoff disappeared. Following the line of missing dust, she grabbed the bracket and pulled, discovering it was actually a handle to another door. Behind her, Nick swore in disbelief.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered.
“We can do the ‘I told you so’s’ when Tristan is back with his dad,” Taylor told him, about to run through it when she was grabbed by Nick.
“I’m the one with the gun. You wait here,” he ordered before heading through the door and down the earthen stairs. Taylor ignored the order and followed right behind him.
Taylor was still right behind him when they stepped into an underground room. Before Taylor had the chance to take in the room, there was a flurry of movement. Taylor managed to duck just as he opened fire, the wood behind exploding. Before she even raised her head, there was another four bangs from in front of her, and then a thud. When she looked up, the man was on the floor, and Nick was running over to him, his gun still aimed at him. He kicked his gun out of the way, and then checked the pulse.
“Is he dead?” Taylor whispered, staring at the three bullet wounds in his chest.
Nick nodded. “It looks like you were right.”
There was an explosion of noise as above them, as there was movement in the kitchen, and Brass and the uniforms appeared, guns drawn, followed closely by Flack and then Greg.
“What in hell’s name is happening?!” Brass bellowed as he charged down the stairs, gun draw.
Taylor however, wasn’t paying any attention. She had just spotted something. Tied to a supportive beam, unconscious, but shivering in the dim light was a small child. “Tristan?” Taylor shouted, dashing over to him and tugged on the ropes. “He’s freezing.”
Nick put his gun away, replaced it with a pocket knife and began sawing away at the ropes. Within minutes, he was free. Taylor pulled off her jacket and wrapped it around him, scooping him into her arms.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” Nick said, pulling out his phone. It was thrust back into his pocket seconds later. “There’s no signal. The storm must be affecting it.”
Taylor pulled hers out. “I’ve got nothing either.”
“Let’s get outside to the cars and radio for help,” Jim ordered, still surprised at the fact there was a hidden room, a dead body and the missing child.
“Come on,” said Flack, hurrying over to Taylor and helping her to her feet. “We need to get out of here.”
Taylor nodded and followed everyone up the stairs and to the front door, ignoring the house which was creaking around them. Outside, the storm had built up into a fully fledged sand storm. They could barely see the truck.
“Let me take him for you,” Greg offered as he scooped Tristan up out of Taylor’s arms. The group of them were half way to the car when there was an enormous bang followed instantaneously by the patrol truck’s window shattering.
Taylor didn’t register that it was a gunshot until she had been dragged around to the far side of the car by Flack and was crouched down, heart beating furiously. There was another bang, followed by a pop, and the truck sank as another bullet hit the trucks tire. Taylor covered her mouth to catch the scream that threatened to burst from her throat.
“I’m fine,” Taylor told him as she thrust the map down by her side. “Just keep on going in the direction we’ve been heading.”
“Taylor, do you really know where you’re going?” Nick asked again. “Because this weather is starting to get pretty bad, and the last thing we want is to be trapped out during a sandstorm.”
“So let me clarify,” said Brass. “We’re driving out into the middle of the desert because a ghost said so?”
“Yeah,” Nick affirmed. “Who’d have thought?”
“I should have known Grissom wasn’t joking when he called me,” Jim Brass muttered under his breath. “Where are we heading?”
Taylor said nothing, instead chewing desperately at her lip. She glanced out of the window to the mirror where she could see the patrol truck that Flack and Greg were in with a couple of uniforms.
“Can you really see Holly?” Nick asked, breaking the silence.
Taylor glanced over at him. “Are you going to believe me if I say yes?”
Nick frowned. “Tell me something about her.”
“Why?” Taylor asked, looking down at the map. “I don’t know anything about her other than what she looks like, and you can just turn around and say that I saw a picture.”
Nick took a deep breath. “How long have you been able to see ghosts?”
“Nearly a year exactly.”
“So,” said Nick slowly, glancing at her from the side of his eye. “Assuming I believe you, and you can see ghosts, why you?”
“Huh?” Taylor glanced at him, confused.
“Why you? Why do the ghosts come to you?”
Taylor sighed. “You’d be surprised how many times I ask myself that. I honestly don’t know.”
“If you had the choice, would you still want to see them?”
“Yes,” Taylor told him, surprised at the firmness in her voice. “I mean, if I didn’t have to see them in the state they were killed, that would be great, but if helping them means I have to see ghosts repeatedly burned alive then I’ll do it.”
“I’m not saying I believe you,” said Nick. “But if... I wish I’d have seen you.”
Taylor turned and stared sharply at him, “What do you mean? You wish you had seen me?”
“I mean, I came close to dying once. If I had, I wish there had been someone like you there for me,” he explained quietly.
Taylor continued to stare intently at him, and then decided not to pursue it further. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to staring intently out of the window, trying to see anything in the minimal light the truck’s headlights were throwing out. “There!” she cried, finally spotting something. “Dead ahead.” Sure enough, coming up ahead was a ruin of a house. “Are you coming?” she yelled as she leapt out of the car after it skidded to a halt.
“Taylor!” Nick yelled after her, his voice was whipped away in an instant as he was battered with sand. He looked up at the house a frowned. It was being attacked from all angles by the wind and sand, and didn’t look like it was going to be standing for much longer. As the other truck screamed to a halt behind him, and the other men exited the truck, he dashed after Taylor into the house, grabbing her and pulling her back. “Taylor, you can’t run off like that. You don’t know how secure this place is.”
Taylor felt a sense of dread come over her after looking at the house. “Something is happening here, Nick,” she told him. “There’s a kid in trouble and he needs our help.”
“Miss, I need you stand back outside with Greg and Detective Flack whilst we clear the house,” Jim ordered her, ushering her back outside where Greg and Flack were waiting.
Flack ran up behind Taylor. “Taylor!” he bellowed angrily, as Brass disappeared back into the house. “How many times have I got to tell you not to do things like that?!”
“I can’t help it,” Taylor told him, staring at the house, tempted to dash back in.
“Learn to help it, damnit,” he told her, clamping his hand on her shoulder, as if he sensed what she wanted to do.
Minutes later, the two uniforms, Brass and Nick came back out, stopping Taylor chewing at the skin around her nails. “Were we too late?”
Brass rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing in there.”
Taylor looked at Nick who just nodded in confirmation, looking somewhat annoyed. With a determined frown, Taylor brushed past them and into the house. “Taylor, there’s nothing here,” Nick called, dashing in after her.
“You’re wrong,” Taylor told him, walking into the kitchen. It was empty, save for a table and a door which was banging shut in a draft. Ignoring Nick’s impatient sighs, she turned to find Holly in one of the corners with Geoff, who was pointing at the swinging pantry door.
“We checked that,” Nick told her as she walked in.
It was just big enough to fit Taylor and Geoff in. He was pointing at a bracket which was holding up one of the shelves against the back wall. Taylor looked closely at it after Geoff disappeared. Following the line of missing dust, she grabbed the bracket and pulled, discovering it was actually a handle to another door. Behind her, Nick swore in disbelief.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered.
“We can do the ‘I told you so’s’ when Tristan is back with his dad,” Taylor told him, about to run through it when she was grabbed by Nick.
“I’m the one with the gun. You wait here,” he ordered before heading through the door and down the earthen stairs. Taylor ignored the order and followed right behind him.
Taylor was still right behind him when they stepped into an underground room. Before Taylor had the chance to take in the room, there was a flurry of movement. Taylor managed to duck just as he opened fire, the wood behind exploding. Before she even raised her head, there was another four bangs from in front of her, and then a thud. When she looked up, the man was on the floor, and Nick was running over to him, his gun still aimed at him. He kicked his gun out of the way, and then checked the pulse.
“Is he dead?” Taylor whispered, staring at the three bullet wounds in his chest.
Nick nodded. “It looks like you were right.”
There was an explosion of noise as above them, as there was movement in the kitchen, and Brass and the uniforms appeared, guns drawn, followed closely by Flack and then Greg.
“What in hell’s name is happening?!” Brass bellowed as he charged down the stairs, gun draw.
Taylor however, wasn’t paying any attention. She had just spotted something. Tied to a supportive beam, unconscious, but shivering in the dim light was a small child. “Tristan?” Taylor shouted, dashing over to him and tugged on the ropes. “He’s freezing.”
Nick put his gun away, replaced it with a pocket knife and began sawing away at the ropes. Within minutes, he was free. Taylor pulled off her jacket and wrapped it around him, scooping him into her arms.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” Nick said, pulling out his phone. It was thrust back into his pocket seconds later. “There’s no signal. The storm must be affecting it.”
Taylor pulled hers out. “I’ve got nothing either.”
“Let’s get outside to the cars and radio for help,” Jim ordered, still surprised at the fact there was a hidden room, a dead body and the missing child.
“Come on,” said Flack, hurrying over to Taylor and helping her to her feet. “We need to get out of here.”
Taylor nodded and followed everyone up the stairs and to the front door, ignoring the house which was creaking around them. Outside, the storm had built up into a fully fledged sand storm. They could barely see the truck.
“Let me take him for you,” Greg offered as he scooped Tristan up out of Taylor’s arms. The group of them were half way to the car when there was an enormous bang followed instantaneously by the patrol truck’s window shattering.
Taylor didn’t register that it was a gunshot until she had been dragged around to the far side of the car by Flack and was crouched down, heart beating furiously. There was another bang, followed by a pop, and the truck sank as another bullet hit the trucks tire. Taylor covered her mouth to catch the scream that threatened to burst from her throat.
* * *
“This would have gone so much quicker if Greg had come with us,” Catherine was muttering under her breath.
“He didn’t give you a reason?” Sofia asked in surprise as she leafed through a handful of Castenelli’s mail.
“No,” Catherine fumed. “I just got a call from Grissom to go on without him.”
“You don’t think he’s gone somewhere with Turner?”
“That’s it,” Catherine muttered. “If we ever have a case that crosses jurisdictions with New York, I’m not doing it.”
“Catherine, Taylor isn’t from New York,” Sofia responded. “Well, she is, but she doesn’t have a New York accent, so she’s not from there originally.”
“It has nothing to do with her being from New York. It’s that she meddles with the Crime Lab there, and I don’t think that I could handle her continuously telling me that some ghost has told her that it was killed by a rubber chicken. The whole thing is a joke,” Catherine explained as both she and Sofia processed Castenelli’s office.
“Well there’s nothing here,” Sofia told her as she flicked through a pile of papers on the desk. “And uniforms have searched this hotel from top to bottom.”
“Sofia,” Catherine started, but was quickly cut off by her phone ringing. “Hello… hi Warrick… yeah, we’re here now… I thought Nick was doing that…? You have got to be joking…. No, we’re coming back in… bye.”
“What was that?” Sofia asked, staring expectantly at the crime scene investigator.
“She might not be so crazy after all,” Catherine told her, staring in amazement at her phone. “Hodges has found something.”“This would have gone so much quicker if Greg had come with us,” Catherine was muttering under her breath.
“He didn’t give you a reason?” Sofia asked in surprise as she leafed through a handful of Castenelli’s mail.
“No,” Catherine fumed. “I just got a call from Grissom to go on without him.”
“You don’t think he’s gone somewhere with Turner?”
“That’s it,” Catherine muttered. “If we ever have a case that crosses jurisdictions with New York, I’m not doing it.”
“Catherine, Taylor isn’t from New York,” Sofia responded. “Well, she is, but she doesn’t have a New York accent, so she’s not from there originally.”
“It has nothing to do with her being from New York. It’s that she meddles with the Crime Lab there, and I don’t think that I could handle her continuously telling me that some ghost has told her that it was killed by a rubber chicken. The whole thing is a joke,” Catherine explained as both she and Sofia processed Castenelli’s office.
“Well there’s nothing here,” Sofia told her as she flicked through a pile of papers on the desk. “And uniforms have searched this hotel from top to bottom.”
“Sofia,” Catherine started, but was quickly cut off by her phone ringing. “Hello… hi Warrick… yeah, we’re here now… I thought Nick was doing that…? You have got to be joking…. No, we’re coming back in… bye.”
“What was that?” Sofia asked, staring expectantly at the crime scene investigator.
“She might not be so crazy after all,” Catherine told her, staring in amazement at her phone. “Hodges has found something.”
“He didn’t give you a reason?” Sofia asked in surprise as she leafed through a handful of Castenelli’s mail.
“No,” Catherine fumed. “I just got a call from Grissom to go on without him.”
“You don’t think he’s gone somewhere with Turner?”
“That’s it,” Catherine muttered. “If we ever have a case that crosses jurisdictions with New York, I’m not doing it.”
“Catherine, Taylor isn’t from New York,” Sofia responded. “Well, she is, but she doesn’t have a New York accent, so she’s not from there originally.”
“It has nothing to do with her being from New York. It’s that she meddles with the Crime Lab there, and I don’t think that I could handle her continuously telling me that some ghost has told her that it was killed by a rubber chicken. The whole thing is a joke,” Catherine explained as both she and Sofia processed Castenelli’s office.
“Well there’s nothing here,” Sofia told her as she flicked through a pile of papers on the desk. “And uniforms have searched this hotel from top to bottom.”
“Sofia,” Catherine started, but was quickly cut off by her phone ringing. “Hello… hi Warrick… yeah, we’re here now… I thought Nick was doing that…? You have got to be joking…. No, we’re coming back in… bye.”
“What was that?” Sofia asked, staring expectantly at the crime scene investigator.
“She might not be so crazy after all,” Catherine told her, staring in amazement at her phone. “Hodges has found something.”“This would have gone so much quicker if Greg had come with us,” Catherine was muttering under her breath.
“He didn’t give you a reason?” Sofia asked in surprise as she leafed through a handful of Castenelli’s mail.
“No,” Catherine fumed. “I just got a call from Grissom to go on without him.”
“You don’t think he’s gone somewhere with Turner?”
“That’s it,” Catherine muttered. “If we ever have a case that crosses jurisdictions with New York, I’m not doing it.”
“Catherine, Taylor isn’t from New York,” Sofia responded. “Well, she is, but she doesn’t have a New York accent, so she’s not from there originally.”
“It has nothing to do with her being from New York. It’s that she meddles with the Crime Lab there, and I don’t think that I could handle her continuously telling me that some ghost has told her that it was killed by a rubber chicken. The whole thing is a joke,” Catherine explained as both she and Sofia processed Castenelli’s office.
“Well there’s nothing here,” Sofia told her as she flicked through a pile of papers on the desk. “And uniforms have searched this hotel from top to bottom.”
“Sofia,” Catherine started, but was quickly cut off by her phone ringing. “Hello… hi Warrick… yeah, we’re here now… I thought Nick was doing that…? You have got to be joking…. No, we’re coming back in… bye.”
“What was that?” Sofia asked, staring expectantly at the crime scene investigator.
“She might not be so crazy after all,” Catherine told her, staring in amazement at her phone. “Hodges has found something.”
Originally posted 08/04/2007