Spoliers for 2x16: Cool Hunter
Taylor found Danny and Hawkes in the layout room, discussing their findings. “The substance pulled from Ben Hatfield’s mouth was reptile skin,” said Hawkes. He looked up and smiled as Taylor walked in.
“Reptile skin?” repeated Taylor. “As in snake skin?”
Sheldon nodded. “Treated like leather. It came of a bag, boot, belt, or anything else reptile skin may be used for.” He turned to Danny. “What about you?”
Danny grinned, “I got a match.” He pulled out an evidence bag containing the gloves he had played handball with. “It was this type of glove, identical to the gloves Elliot Stanton was wearing in the photo that made the imprint on the shirt. And the tar and dirt of the pattern are a match to the handball court.”
Hawkes sighed, “Okay, but anybody who was playing handball in that court, wearing that type of glove could have pushed Ben. It doesn’t necessarily single out Elliot.”
Danny’s grin didn’t disappear. “No,” he agreed. “But my three victories at handball gives us something that does - an eye witness who saw Elliot Stanton going at it with Ben Hatfield.”
Hawkes returned the grin, “Sounds like we’ve got enough for a warrant.”
“You should have seen me whipping these kid’s asses,” he boasted, wrapping his arm around Taylor’s neck. “Eh, Drew?”
Taylor rolled her eyes, “It was one kid, Danny. Good lord, one playground victory and you-”
Danny just smirked and tightened his grip, “Admit it, Drew. You were impressed.”
“I don’t know if impressed is the word I’d use,” Taylor grunted as she tried to remove his arm.
Hawkes just laughed at them and left, leaving the two to start play fighting. Or they would have done, had Lindsay not walked in and cleared her throat. Danny jumped away so quickly, he almost sent Taylor flying. “What’s up, Montana.”
Taylor could tell from the look on her face, she was fighting with herself not to snap, it’s Lindsay, Messer, at him. “I was wondering if I could borrow you?”
“Sure,” shrugged Danny, forgetting about his conversation with Taylor and leading Lindsay out of the door, “But what’s in it for me?”
“Drinks?” Taylor heard Lindsay ask as their voices drifted down the corridor. Taylor didn’t bother hiding the smile that spread across her lips as she headed back to what she was beginning to see as her office, and the computer. It was time to get to the bottom of what Stacie wanted her to know.
“Reptile skin?” repeated Taylor. “As in snake skin?”
Sheldon nodded. “Treated like leather. It came of a bag, boot, belt, or anything else reptile skin may be used for.” He turned to Danny. “What about you?”
Danny grinned, “I got a match.” He pulled out an evidence bag containing the gloves he had played handball with. “It was this type of glove, identical to the gloves Elliot Stanton was wearing in the photo that made the imprint on the shirt. And the tar and dirt of the pattern are a match to the handball court.”
Hawkes sighed, “Okay, but anybody who was playing handball in that court, wearing that type of glove could have pushed Ben. It doesn’t necessarily single out Elliot.”
Danny’s grin didn’t disappear. “No,” he agreed. “But my three victories at handball gives us something that does - an eye witness who saw Elliot Stanton going at it with Ben Hatfield.”
Hawkes returned the grin, “Sounds like we’ve got enough for a warrant.”
“You should have seen me whipping these kid’s asses,” he boasted, wrapping his arm around Taylor’s neck. “Eh, Drew?”
Taylor rolled her eyes, “It was one kid, Danny. Good lord, one playground victory and you-”
Danny just smirked and tightened his grip, “Admit it, Drew. You were impressed.”
“I don’t know if impressed is the word I’d use,” Taylor grunted as she tried to remove his arm.
Hawkes just laughed at them and left, leaving the two to start play fighting. Or they would have done, had Lindsay not walked in and cleared her throat. Danny jumped away so quickly, he almost sent Taylor flying. “What’s up, Montana.”
Taylor could tell from the look on her face, she was fighting with herself not to snap, it’s Lindsay, Messer, at him. “I was wondering if I could borrow you?”
“Sure,” shrugged Danny, forgetting about his conversation with Taylor and leading Lindsay out of the door, “But what’s in it for me?”
“Drinks?” Taylor heard Lindsay ask as their voices drifted down the corridor. Taylor didn’t bother hiding the smile that spread across her lips as she headed back to what she was beginning to see as her office, and the computer. It was time to get to the bottom of what Stacie wanted her to know.
* * *
Her research, a good hour later, had led her to scouring old issues of various papers, including her own. As a columnist, she had extensive access to past Daily papers, and in this case, it was certainly an asset. Taylor had given up on the table, which was hidden beneath piles of various papers – cases, newspapers, internet printouts – you name it – and was sat cross-legged on the floor.
“What are you doing down there?” Lindsay asked her from the doorway.
“Trying to find out what Stacie-” Taylor stopped and peered at Lindsay. “What happened?” she asked, referring to the strange grin which was planted firmly on Lindsay’s face.
Lindsay came and sat on the floor next to her, carefully treading over the papers which were strewn everywhere. As she looked at Taylor, the grin suddenly vanished, and was replaced by a greenish hue.
“Are you alright?” Taylor asked her, suddenly concerned about her friend.
“Oh my God,” Lindsay whispered, looking horrified.
Taylor whipped her head around, half certain there would be a ghost standing behind her, but seeing that there wasn’t, she returned her attention back to Lindsay, still puzzled. “What?”
Lindsay shut her eyes, “I am so sorry,” she whispered.
Taylor shifted to her knees and shuffled so she was in front of Lindsay, not caring about the papers Lindsay had carefully avoided, “What?” she repeated.
“I asked Danny out… I think,” Lindsay whispered so quietly Taylor struggled to hear her.
Taylor sat back and a grinned madly at Lindsay. “About time one of you made a move.”
Lindsay’s eyes snapped open, “Huh?”
“I said, it’s about-”
Lindsay shook her head, “No, I heard that. What I meant was, how come you’re not mad?”
It took four seconds for the penny to drop, “I am going to kill Messer,” Taylor muttered, “Well,” she added lightly. “After your date, of course.” Seeing Lindsay’s still puzzled face, she continued, “There is no me and Messer. It were just trying to wind up for the lab gossip queens. Only Danny was supposed to clear that one up with you.”
Lindsay stared at her then smiled. “About time someone put those girls in their place. I heard all the rumours they were spreading about me.”
Taylor nodded. So had she. And she’d heard the ones about herself. “So, what do you mean, I think?”
“Well,” Lindsay bit her lip. “He had me in his arms-”
Had Taylor been drinking, she would have been choking. That being said, she still managed a splutter, “Come again?”
“I was proving a theory.”
“Oh aye?”grinned Taylor as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Is that what the Montanan slang is for that, then?”
Lindsay rolled her eyes, “I bribed him to do it with drinks. And he suggested dinner,” she sighed, “But…”
“But what?” Taylor pressed.
“But he said it in a way that didn’t make me think that he was being serious. Or at least, I don’t think he was asking me out.”
Taylor frowned, “Were you asking him out when you suggested drinks?”
“Well, I-”
“What are you two doing down there?”
Lindsay and Taylor looked up and found Mac peering down at them.
Perfect timing, Mac, Taylor thought. She pulled herself to her feet, followed closely by Lindsay, and beckoned them both other to the table, “So, Stacie is pretty adamant that he did it.”
“Taylor,” Mac started.
Taylor cut him off. “The answer is in here somewhere,” she said referring to the mounds of paperwork. “I grabbed all the old case files from the previous deaths in the building – autopsies, everything. I also got everything on Stacie Avida. Former residencies, work history. Zimmer’s name is mentioned in three of the cases. Everything’s connected, right?”
Mac and Lindsay shared a look, “Through evidence, not intuition,” Mac told her.
“Wait,” pleaded Taylor. “Hear me out. Jeana Morrison is the girl who choked on the rooftop. I had Sid pull Stacie’s DNA for reference.” Mac stared at her. Taylor shrugged. “Alright, so I then had Stella run it and explain it to me,” she confessed, pushing the results into the Mac’s hand.
“Jeana shares one allele with Stacie at all thirteen aloeci. Jeana was Stacie’s daughter,” Mac read the results aloud for Lindsay.
Taylor pulled out another sheet of paper. “And she died four years ago on that roof. Dr Zimmer has had two previous complaints filed against him – practicing under the influence. But nothing was ever proven.”
Lindsay frowned. “He was using drugs the day he tried to save Jeana, overcompensated, fracturing a rib, which punctured her heart. And that killed her.”
Mac picked up one of the files on the table and looked through it, ‘Stacie Avida was a natural brunette, and she worked in publishing until two months after her daughter’s death.”
“And she left to become a doorman,” Lindsay read from over his shoulder.
“She wanted total access. The building was haunted,” said Mac. “By the woman who died the day her child did.” He turned to Taylor, “This is above and beyond the call-”
“Mac, whether you believe me or not, Stacie does, and for some reason there is something she wanted to tell me. I’m just trying to find out what.”
Mac frowned, “Very well, but in future, I want you to run any form of testing past me. And I also want you to clear it with someone before you start rooting around in cold cases. It would take nothing for a good defence attorney to throw a case out of the window if he found out a journalist had been looking through it.”
Taylor smiled. “And that’s precisely why I had Stella do it,” she told him. Truth be told, the reason she had Stella with her was because she was the only CSI that Mac wouldn’t reprimand. Whether or not the two were together or not, Stella certainly had some power over him.
Mac looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind, “Come on, Lindsay.” Lindsay gave Taylor a small smile, and left with Mac, leaving Taylor to clear the papers up.
She had managed to transfer the papers from the floor to the table, when the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Taylor looked up and found Stacie glaring at her, tears in her eyes.
“IT WAS HIM!” she shouted.
Taylor ducked under the table as the papers went flying everywhere. She was vaguely aware of spotting the transparent white shoes and trousers of Maddy launch themselves in the direction of Stacie’s aqua coloured socks, before the two of them disappeared.
“What the hell happened in here?”
Taylor peered out from under the table, through the still falling leaves of paper, at Danny, who was watching her climb out. ‘Stacie,” she told him.
“Are you alright?”
Taylor nodded, “Yeah. What’s up?” she asked, changing the subject. She smiled coyly, “Or rather, where are you taking her?”
Danny frowned, “What…? How do you… Lindsay.”
Taylor nodded, “Spill.”
Danny grinned and leant against the door. “She called me cowboy.”
Taylor smirked, “So, Big & Rich, where are you taking her?”
“I… I don’t know,” Danny admitted. He frowned, “Big & Rich?”
“Cause I saddle up my horse
and I ride into the city
I make a lot of noise
Cause the girls
They are so pretty
Riding up and down Broadway
on my old stud Leroy
And the girls say
Save a horse, ride a cowboy.
Everybody says
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy” Taylor sang at him.
Danny swiped at her. “It had to be country,” he muttered. He stopped, thought about something and turned to Taylor. “You still hungry?”
Taylor frowned, “Famished.”
“Me and Stell are going to go to arrest Rico. You want to go get dinner after?”
Taylor nodded furiously, “Hell yeah,” she bit her lip. “There’s something I need to do first, and am I going to have to change?”
Danny looked at her and nodded. “We’re going to Sam’s Steakhouse.”
Taylor frowned. “And how much is that going to cost me?”
Danny laughed, “I forgot you still owe me. We’ll go Dutch on this one, Drew. Meet you at seven?” he asked her after giving her the directions.
“No problem,” Taylor agreed.
Danny was about to walk out of the door when he stopped and turned around, “Thanks, Drew – I owe you.”
Before Taylor could ask him what he owed her for, he had left, leaving her to clean up the papers.
“What are you doing down there?” Lindsay asked her from the doorway.
“Trying to find out what Stacie-” Taylor stopped and peered at Lindsay. “What happened?” she asked, referring to the strange grin which was planted firmly on Lindsay’s face.
Lindsay came and sat on the floor next to her, carefully treading over the papers which were strewn everywhere. As she looked at Taylor, the grin suddenly vanished, and was replaced by a greenish hue.
“Are you alright?” Taylor asked her, suddenly concerned about her friend.
“Oh my God,” Lindsay whispered, looking horrified.
Taylor whipped her head around, half certain there would be a ghost standing behind her, but seeing that there wasn’t, she returned her attention back to Lindsay, still puzzled. “What?”
Lindsay shut her eyes, “I am so sorry,” she whispered.
Taylor shifted to her knees and shuffled so she was in front of Lindsay, not caring about the papers Lindsay had carefully avoided, “What?” she repeated.
“I asked Danny out… I think,” Lindsay whispered so quietly Taylor struggled to hear her.
Taylor sat back and a grinned madly at Lindsay. “About time one of you made a move.”
Lindsay’s eyes snapped open, “Huh?”
“I said, it’s about-”
Lindsay shook her head, “No, I heard that. What I meant was, how come you’re not mad?”
It took four seconds for the penny to drop, “I am going to kill Messer,” Taylor muttered, “Well,” she added lightly. “After your date, of course.” Seeing Lindsay’s still puzzled face, she continued, “There is no me and Messer. It were just trying to wind up for the lab gossip queens. Only Danny was supposed to clear that one up with you.”
Lindsay stared at her then smiled. “About time someone put those girls in their place. I heard all the rumours they were spreading about me.”
Taylor nodded. So had she. And she’d heard the ones about herself. “So, what do you mean, I think?”
“Well,” Lindsay bit her lip. “He had me in his arms-”
Had Taylor been drinking, she would have been choking. That being said, she still managed a splutter, “Come again?”
“I was proving a theory.”
“Oh aye?”grinned Taylor as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Is that what the Montanan slang is for that, then?”
Lindsay rolled her eyes, “I bribed him to do it with drinks. And he suggested dinner,” she sighed, “But…”
“But what?” Taylor pressed.
“But he said it in a way that didn’t make me think that he was being serious. Or at least, I don’t think he was asking me out.”
Taylor frowned, “Were you asking him out when you suggested drinks?”
“Well, I-”
“What are you two doing down there?”
Lindsay and Taylor looked up and found Mac peering down at them.
Perfect timing, Mac, Taylor thought. She pulled herself to her feet, followed closely by Lindsay, and beckoned them both other to the table, “So, Stacie is pretty adamant that he did it.”
“Taylor,” Mac started.
Taylor cut him off. “The answer is in here somewhere,” she said referring to the mounds of paperwork. “I grabbed all the old case files from the previous deaths in the building – autopsies, everything. I also got everything on Stacie Avida. Former residencies, work history. Zimmer’s name is mentioned in three of the cases. Everything’s connected, right?”
Mac and Lindsay shared a look, “Through evidence, not intuition,” Mac told her.
“Wait,” pleaded Taylor. “Hear me out. Jeana Morrison is the girl who choked on the rooftop. I had Sid pull Stacie’s DNA for reference.” Mac stared at her. Taylor shrugged. “Alright, so I then had Stella run it and explain it to me,” she confessed, pushing the results into the Mac’s hand.
“Jeana shares one allele with Stacie at all thirteen aloeci. Jeana was Stacie’s daughter,” Mac read the results aloud for Lindsay.
Taylor pulled out another sheet of paper. “And she died four years ago on that roof. Dr Zimmer has had two previous complaints filed against him – practicing under the influence. But nothing was ever proven.”
Lindsay frowned. “He was using drugs the day he tried to save Jeana, overcompensated, fracturing a rib, which punctured her heart. And that killed her.”
Mac picked up one of the files on the table and looked through it, ‘Stacie Avida was a natural brunette, and she worked in publishing until two months after her daughter’s death.”
“And she left to become a doorman,” Lindsay read from over his shoulder.
“She wanted total access. The building was haunted,” said Mac. “By the woman who died the day her child did.” He turned to Taylor, “This is above and beyond the call-”
“Mac, whether you believe me or not, Stacie does, and for some reason there is something she wanted to tell me. I’m just trying to find out what.”
Mac frowned, “Very well, but in future, I want you to run any form of testing past me. And I also want you to clear it with someone before you start rooting around in cold cases. It would take nothing for a good defence attorney to throw a case out of the window if he found out a journalist had been looking through it.”
Taylor smiled. “And that’s precisely why I had Stella do it,” she told him. Truth be told, the reason she had Stella with her was because she was the only CSI that Mac wouldn’t reprimand. Whether or not the two were together or not, Stella certainly had some power over him.
Mac looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind, “Come on, Lindsay.” Lindsay gave Taylor a small smile, and left with Mac, leaving Taylor to clear the papers up.
She had managed to transfer the papers from the floor to the table, when the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Taylor looked up and found Stacie glaring at her, tears in her eyes.
“IT WAS HIM!” she shouted.
Taylor ducked under the table as the papers went flying everywhere. She was vaguely aware of spotting the transparent white shoes and trousers of Maddy launch themselves in the direction of Stacie’s aqua coloured socks, before the two of them disappeared.
“What the hell happened in here?”
Taylor peered out from under the table, through the still falling leaves of paper, at Danny, who was watching her climb out. ‘Stacie,” she told him.
“Are you alright?”
Taylor nodded, “Yeah. What’s up?” she asked, changing the subject. She smiled coyly, “Or rather, where are you taking her?”
Danny frowned, “What…? How do you… Lindsay.”
Taylor nodded, “Spill.”
Danny grinned and leant against the door. “She called me cowboy.”
Taylor smirked, “So, Big & Rich, where are you taking her?”
“I… I don’t know,” Danny admitted. He frowned, “Big & Rich?”
“Cause I saddle up my horse
and I ride into the city
I make a lot of noise
Cause the girls
They are so pretty
Riding up and down Broadway
on my old stud Leroy
And the girls say
Save a horse, ride a cowboy.
Everybody says
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy” Taylor sang at him.
Danny swiped at her. “It had to be country,” he muttered. He stopped, thought about something and turned to Taylor. “You still hungry?”
Taylor frowned, “Famished.”
“Me and Stell are going to go to arrest Rico. You want to go get dinner after?”
Taylor nodded furiously, “Hell yeah,” she bit her lip. “There’s something I need to do first, and am I going to have to change?”
Danny looked at her and nodded. “We’re going to Sam’s Steakhouse.”
Taylor frowned. “And how much is that going to cost me?”
Danny laughed, “I forgot you still owe me. We’ll go Dutch on this one, Drew. Meet you at seven?” he asked her after giving her the directions.
“No problem,” Taylor agreed.
Danny was about to walk out of the door when he stopped and turned around, “Thanks, Drew – I owe you.”
Before Taylor could ask him what he owed her for, he had left, leaving her to clean up the papers.
* * *
The something Taylor had to do was have her cast removed. By all rights, it had been on for seven weeks – a week longer than Marty had said it had to be on, and she was dying to get the blasted thing off, if only to scratch at the skin beneath it.
She was on her way down the stairs when Stacie appeared. Taylor froze, her eyes darting around to see what could be used as a weapon, and what Taylor could use to protect herself from it. There was nothing. Thankfully for Taylor, Stacie did the last thing she expected. She fell to her knees, sobbing. “It was him.”
Taylor bit her lip, “Dr Zimmer killed Jeana, didn’t he?”
Stacie nodded.
“That was what you wanted me to find out.”
Again, Stacie nodded, “He killed my baby.”
Taylor sighed, “The detectives are reopening the case, but for now, Dr Zimmer is going to get his license revoked. It’s not what you wanted, I know, and it could never replace a child.”
“Thank you,” Stacie muttered, before fading away.
Taylor sank to the steps and ran her cast free hand through her hair.
“Sorry Taylor,” Maddy apologized as she appeared in front of her, accompanied by a white-clad Ben.
“What for?”
Maddy sighed and sat down next to her. “Nothing in this world is black and white. Stacie was an example of the grey.”
Taylor looked sideways at her friend, “Since when are you using analogies?”
Maddy shrugged, “She wasn’t good, and she wasn’t evil. But what she did – it couldn’t be justified to have someone with her.”
“What she did? You mean, try to frame the man who killed her daughter, or commit suicide?”
Maddy bit her lip and looked away, “Both.”
“Well, you need to tell the Powers That Be that their rules suck,” Taylor informed her.
“Oh, that didn’t come from the Powers That Be – that came from above their heads,” Maddy quickly returned.
Taylor’s head snapped round, “Huh?”
Maddy smacked her hand against her head, “I wasn’t supposed to say that,” she sighed. “Let’s just say, it’s not just in life that you have a corporate system.”
“A corporate system?” Taylor repeated in disbelief. She shook her head. “You know what, I don’t want to know,” she told Maddy wearily.
Maddy nodded, “Ben wants to say thanks.”
Taylor switched her attention to the other ghost.
“Thank you, Taylor.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled at him. The two ghosts vanished, leaving Taylor staring at the empty spot. She sighed and continued on her journey down.
She was on her way down the stairs when Stacie appeared. Taylor froze, her eyes darting around to see what could be used as a weapon, and what Taylor could use to protect herself from it. There was nothing. Thankfully for Taylor, Stacie did the last thing she expected. She fell to her knees, sobbing. “It was him.”
Taylor bit her lip, “Dr Zimmer killed Jeana, didn’t he?”
Stacie nodded.
“That was what you wanted me to find out.”
Again, Stacie nodded, “He killed my baby.”
Taylor sighed, “The detectives are reopening the case, but for now, Dr Zimmer is going to get his license revoked. It’s not what you wanted, I know, and it could never replace a child.”
“Thank you,” Stacie muttered, before fading away.
Taylor sank to the steps and ran her cast free hand through her hair.
“Sorry Taylor,” Maddy apologized as she appeared in front of her, accompanied by a white-clad Ben.
“What for?”
Maddy sighed and sat down next to her. “Nothing in this world is black and white. Stacie was an example of the grey.”
Taylor looked sideways at her friend, “Since when are you using analogies?”
Maddy shrugged, “She wasn’t good, and she wasn’t evil. But what she did – it couldn’t be justified to have someone with her.”
“What she did? You mean, try to frame the man who killed her daughter, or commit suicide?”
Maddy bit her lip and looked away, “Both.”
“Well, you need to tell the Powers That Be that their rules suck,” Taylor informed her.
“Oh, that didn’t come from the Powers That Be – that came from above their heads,” Maddy quickly returned.
Taylor’s head snapped round, “Huh?”
Maddy smacked her hand against her head, “I wasn’t supposed to say that,” she sighed. “Let’s just say, it’s not just in life that you have a corporate system.”
“A corporate system?” Taylor repeated in disbelief. She shook her head. “You know what, I don’t want to know,” she told Maddy wearily.
Maddy nodded, “Ben wants to say thanks.”
Taylor switched her attention to the other ghost.
“Thank you, Taylor.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled at him. The two ghosts vanished, leaving Taylor staring at the empty spot. She sighed and continued on her journey down.
Originally posted: 11/07/2006