comment 1:
i really enjoyed the episode. i think it was well worth the wait. :) i think csi ny can only get better from here on... to be honest, i wasn't looking forward to the danny/lindsay sex stuff, but hey! it wasn't that bad. (it was hard for me to take the part where he left her a note and a flower seriously, ok...) butn it wasn't as bad as i had invisioned it to be. :) still, i like danny better when he's being a cocky SOB... ;) the action in the lab was pretty intense. i liked it. it was different, but not like miami where it was too unbelievable. stella was awesome and so was mac and hawkes. :) i liked that stella wasn't a victim like most women are in situations like that and she was right there with the men, helping them out and doing her part. sure, there wasn't any real lab work, but still... and mac is definitely a man of many talents. he just walked out of the lab like it was another day on the job. :) sinise is just amazing...
comment 2:
i thought the episode was well worth the wait! i was on the edge of my seat the entire time... i agree with ya, anna looked very nice in the episode. she had put on some weight from her pregnancy, but she looked really pretty last night. :) so if it was AFTER having her baby: kudos to ms. belknap! i also liked that lindsay was so "take charge" in the flash-back scenes with her and danny. (it also made me giggle a lil bit that she woke up on a pool table) good times! and... carmine looked amazingly sexy in the ep! (not that he isn't hot in every single ep) but com'n! there was just something about the way he wore that shirt that made me sit up and take notice. and yeah, i absolutely love it when he pulls out his gun... yum-o! i think, all in all, the entire cast did an awesome job in the episode! definitely one of my faves! :)
yeah, while i am not a huge fan of danny and lindsay (obviously) i think the sex stuff wasn't all that bad. i mean, the note and flower was a bit much, but other than that, it wasn't that bad. i liked that lindsay was so take charge and she wasn't all that whiney when she arrived at the crime lab and saw that something was going on. she was cool, calm, and collected during the scenes with flack when they were trying to get danny and adam out of the warehouse, too. :) maybe (one can hope) that the writers will bring back the "cool lindsay monroe" and not dull her down anymore than they already have. i feel sorry for anna belknap b/c she is trying her darndest to do the best job she can and here she is getting shoddy material to work with. really sad.
i just hope she doesn't feel too much guilt about putting danny in danger b/c that will just throw the character back into her old routine of feeling responsible for something and being a whiney bitch all the time. i don't like that about lindsay and i hope the writers make her stronger. i also hope they don't make danny pussy-whipped. i mean, he's cool and he's got a temper and i love him when he's cocky and bad-ass and not a whiney love-sick puppy with nothing better to do than follow lindsay around hoping for her to notice him and love him. (whatever!)
let's hope CSI:NY continues to get better!!! :)
--mandy--
5.17.2007
5.06.2007
* * *
Horatio stepped into the livingroom where Abby set--hugging herself--with Alexx.
He put his gun back in his holster and stooped down next to her. He put his hand on hers and smiled, sympathetically. She turned to him; smiled. But he could tell she was still shaken by the encounter.
"Are you ok?" he whispered.
Abby nodded.
"Everything's secure here," he continued, his voice soothing.
Abby nodded again, wiping her nose with a tissue.
"But if you like, you can stay at the Bellmont. I can get you a room."
Abby shook her head. "I don't--" Her voice broke into a sob.
"Shh... Baby-Girl. You don't have to decide right now," Alexx, reach over and took Abby in her arms. She began to rock her back and forth. Horatio had called her in to check Abby out after he and the team had arrived and found her curled up in a ball on the couch, crying like a small child,
Horatio sighed heavily. He hated Cadence Hooper with every fiber of his being. He wanted to punish the bastard for barging in on Abby like he had. He had been out of her life for so long--and now--now he wanted to ruin everything she had worked so hard for.
"Did you know he was in town?" Delko suddenly asked, from the door way. He had been installing another lock on Abby's door.
Abby didn't move from Alexx's embrace. She shook her head. "No."
"He just showed up?" came Wolfe's voice from the hallway. He had been with Horatio in the back, checking all the other windows and doors.
Abby nodded. "No one called me and told me he was even looking for me."
"Chad and Angela didn't tell you?" Horatio asked, cocking an eye brow up.
"He talked to them, but God knows when that was. The last I heard, he was in Virginia. I guess he thought I was still at Quantico. That was where I was the last time we talked."
"It's been five years since you talked to him..." Horatio said, more to himself.
"Is there anything we can do about this?" Wolfe asked.
"Abby can file a complaint. Get a restraining order for him. But that's about it, since he didn't actually rape her," Calleigh answered, turning from the window.
"He assaulted her, Calleigh! We have his prints from all over the apartment here. We have his DNA--All.Over.Her," Wolfe stepped forward, his eyes flashing.
Horatio put his hand up to the young CSI. Wolfe stepped back.
"We can't go vigilante here, Ryan. We have to do this by the book," he told him slowly.
"H, it's Abby..."
"I know. I want the son of a bitch, too. But there is protocol. And if we don't go by the book, IAB will be all over this. They'll think we're being wreckless because it's one of our own," Horatio explained.
"What do we do?" Delko asked.
"We look at the evidence. We get a report filed. Abby gets a restraining order. We look for Mr. Hooper."
"I'll call Frank," Calleigh offered reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone. She headed out the door to make the call.
Horatio turned back to Abby. "You need to go to the hospital."
"No."
"I think you need to."
"Alexx said I was fine," Abby told him.
"I know. But I want to be for sure," Horatio answered, glancing at Alexx.
"You don't trust Alexx's judgement?"
Horatio smiled. "I trust her completely. But she's used to dealing with dead people. I want you to go someplace where you can get medication. I think you need something to calm you down. Will you do it to ease my mind, atleast?"
Abby turned to Alexx. "Will you go with me?"
Alexx smiled sympathetically. She reach up and brushed a piece of Abby's dark hair back from her forehead, like a loving mother would do. "I can't, Sweetie. I'm technically on call."
"I'll go with you," Wolfe offered.
"Thanks, Ryan," Abby smiled up at him.
He nodded, proud that she accepted his assistance.
"Alright. That's settled. Mister Wolfe will go to the hospital with you. Eric, Calleigh, and I will process the evidence we have gathered here. I'll send Frank to the hospital after he canvases the scene, ok?" Horatio asked.
Abby nodded.
"Ok. Let's get started, then..." Horatio smiled at his team.
Abby climbed into the passenger side of the Hummer; she buckled herself in. Wolfe started the vehicle. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he turned to Abby. His eyes were glossed over.
"I want to tell you something, Abby."
"What?"
"When I got the page that something had happened to you--I thought--I thought I'd lost you," he whispered.
Abby smiled at him. Her nose was red, her eyes were soaked with tear stains, and her lips were swollen, but she still managed to smile at him through the pain. She reach over and brushed her hand over his cheek. He closed his eyes and let the feeling of her hand take over.
"You're not losing me, Ryan. I'm still here."
"I couldn't deal with something bad happening to you, Abby."
Abby tilted her head to the side. He was like a child. Ryan Wolfe was a bundle of emotions and vulnerability, and he had come to terms with that long ago, but he hated that it showed on his face so easy. He didn't like that people could see how he was truely feeling from the inside out.
"Nothing bad will happen to me. Cadence won't hurt me. Horatio won't let him."
"What about when you leave for New York?" Wolfe asked, lifting his eyes to her.
Abby smiled. "In New York I'll have--"
"Danny..."
Abby didn't answer. The silence was deafening that had settled down on them. But Abby knew the truth about her and Wolfe. They were just friends. Like she and Delko were. They were the best of friends. But things had always been flirtatious between her and Wolfe, like they had always been between her and Delko. That was just the way she was--a big flirt--and most everyone knew that about her because she had always been a big flirt. She hoped he could understand that she wanted to remain friends because she didn't want to ruin anything between the two of them--what they shared was special and honest. Why taint it with the physcial stuff?
Wolfe turned back to the wheel. He pulled out onto the main road without another word.
"Are you mad at me?" Abby asked, slowly.
Wolfe shook his head. "I'm not mad."
"You're not pleased, though. Are you?"
Wolfe shook his head. "You and I are friends, Abby."
"Yeah. We'll always be friends, Ryan. Best friends," she reach over and squeezed his hand which was resting on the console.
Wolfe smiled, slowly. "You won't forget me when you're in New York with him?"
Abby laughed under her breath. "Wow! Is this what you're worried about?"
Wolfe batted his eyes. He kept them on the road; jaw clinched tight.
"You know I could never forget you, Ryan. Or any of the others, for that matter. This is my home. This is where I started. This is where everything changed. How could I forget Miami and the people that made me... Well, me?" Abby asked, seriously.
"I know you're not interested in me."
"Ryan," she whispered. "Don't do this."
"He's going to hurt you, Abby."
"No. Cadence hurt me, Ryan. Danny would never hurt me like that and you know it."
"Maybe not like Cadence, but he'll do something to you, I can feel it."
"And you know that if anything bad happens to me while I'm in New York--even if it has to do with Danny--I'll call one of you. You know this," Abby answered.
Wolfe glanced over at her. "Are you ok?"
"I'm ok." Abby smiled slowly, feeling herself relax for the first time since Cadence Hooper had left her apartment. "Cadence thinks he has the upper-hand on me, but he doesn't."
"You know I'd kill the bastard with my bare hands if he hurt you like that again, right?"
"I know. I know you would. And that's why I adore you so much, Ryan Wolfe," Abby grinned.
Wolfe grinned back at her, as he turned onto the exit for the hospital. The rest of the drive, they were silent, but it was an easy kind of silence. The kind of silence only true friends can have.
Horatio stepped into the livingroom where Abby set--hugging herself--with Alexx.
He put his gun back in his holster and stooped down next to her. He put his hand on hers and smiled, sympathetically. She turned to him; smiled. But he could tell she was still shaken by the encounter.
"Are you ok?" he whispered.
Abby nodded.
"Everything's secure here," he continued, his voice soothing.
Abby nodded again, wiping her nose with a tissue.
"But if you like, you can stay at the Bellmont. I can get you a room."
Abby shook her head. "I don't--" Her voice broke into a sob.
"Shh... Baby-Girl. You don't have to decide right now," Alexx, reach over and took Abby in her arms. She began to rock her back and forth. Horatio had called her in to check Abby out after he and the team had arrived and found her curled up in a ball on the couch, crying like a small child,
Horatio sighed heavily. He hated Cadence Hooper with every fiber of his being. He wanted to punish the bastard for barging in on Abby like he had. He had been out of her life for so long--and now--now he wanted to ruin everything she had worked so hard for.
"Did you know he was in town?" Delko suddenly asked, from the door way. He had been installing another lock on Abby's door.
Abby didn't move from Alexx's embrace. She shook her head. "No."
"He just showed up?" came Wolfe's voice from the hallway. He had been with Horatio in the back, checking all the other windows and doors.
Abby nodded. "No one called me and told me he was even looking for me."
"Chad and Angela didn't tell you?" Horatio asked, cocking an eye brow up.
"He talked to them, but God knows when that was. The last I heard, he was in Virginia. I guess he thought I was still at Quantico. That was where I was the last time we talked."
"It's been five years since you talked to him..." Horatio said, more to himself.
"Is there anything we can do about this?" Wolfe asked.
"Abby can file a complaint. Get a restraining order for him. But that's about it, since he didn't actually rape her," Calleigh answered, turning from the window.
"He assaulted her, Calleigh! We have his prints from all over the apartment here. We have his DNA--All.Over.Her," Wolfe stepped forward, his eyes flashing.
Horatio put his hand up to the young CSI. Wolfe stepped back.
"We can't go vigilante here, Ryan. We have to do this by the book," he told him slowly.
"H, it's Abby..."
"I know. I want the son of a bitch, too. But there is protocol. And if we don't go by the book, IAB will be all over this. They'll think we're being wreckless because it's one of our own," Horatio explained.
"What do we do?" Delko asked.
"We look at the evidence. We get a report filed. Abby gets a restraining order. We look for Mr. Hooper."
"I'll call Frank," Calleigh offered reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone. She headed out the door to make the call.
Horatio turned back to Abby. "You need to go to the hospital."
"No."
"I think you need to."
"Alexx said I was fine," Abby told him.
"I know. But I want to be for sure," Horatio answered, glancing at Alexx.
"You don't trust Alexx's judgement?"
Horatio smiled. "I trust her completely. But she's used to dealing with dead people. I want you to go someplace where you can get medication. I think you need something to calm you down. Will you do it to ease my mind, atleast?"
Abby turned to Alexx. "Will you go with me?"
Alexx smiled sympathetically. She reach up and brushed a piece of Abby's dark hair back from her forehead, like a loving mother would do. "I can't, Sweetie. I'm technically on call."
"I'll go with you," Wolfe offered.
"Thanks, Ryan," Abby smiled up at him.
He nodded, proud that she accepted his assistance.
"Alright. That's settled. Mister Wolfe will go to the hospital with you. Eric, Calleigh, and I will process the evidence we have gathered here. I'll send Frank to the hospital after he canvases the scene, ok?" Horatio asked.
Abby nodded.
"Ok. Let's get started, then..." Horatio smiled at his team.
Abby climbed into the passenger side of the Hummer; she buckled herself in. Wolfe started the vehicle. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he turned to Abby. His eyes were glossed over.
"I want to tell you something, Abby."
"What?"
"When I got the page that something had happened to you--I thought--I thought I'd lost you," he whispered.
Abby smiled at him. Her nose was red, her eyes were soaked with tear stains, and her lips were swollen, but she still managed to smile at him through the pain. She reach over and brushed her hand over his cheek. He closed his eyes and let the feeling of her hand take over.
"You're not losing me, Ryan. I'm still here."
"I couldn't deal with something bad happening to you, Abby."
Abby tilted her head to the side. He was like a child. Ryan Wolfe was a bundle of emotions and vulnerability, and he had come to terms with that long ago, but he hated that it showed on his face so easy. He didn't like that people could see how he was truely feeling from the inside out.
"Nothing bad will happen to me. Cadence won't hurt me. Horatio won't let him."
"What about when you leave for New York?" Wolfe asked, lifting his eyes to her.
Abby smiled. "In New York I'll have--"
"Danny..."
Abby didn't answer. The silence was deafening that had settled down on them. But Abby knew the truth about her and Wolfe. They were just friends. Like she and Delko were. They were the best of friends. But things had always been flirtatious between her and Wolfe, like they had always been between her and Delko. That was just the way she was--a big flirt--and most everyone knew that about her because she had always been a big flirt. She hoped he could understand that she wanted to remain friends because she didn't want to ruin anything between the two of them--what they shared was special and honest. Why taint it with the physcial stuff?
Wolfe turned back to the wheel. He pulled out onto the main road without another word.
"Are you mad at me?" Abby asked, slowly.
Wolfe shook his head. "I'm not mad."
"You're not pleased, though. Are you?"
Wolfe shook his head. "You and I are friends, Abby."
"Yeah. We'll always be friends, Ryan. Best friends," she reach over and squeezed his hand which was resting on the console.
Wolfe smiled, slowly. "You won't forget me when you're in New York with him?"
Abby laughed under her breath. "Wow! Is this what you're worried about?"
Wolfe batted his eyes. He kept them on the road; jaw clinched tight.
"You know I could never forget you, Ryan. Or any of the others, for that matter. This is my home. This is where I started. This is where everything changed. How could I forget Miami and the people that made me... Well, me?" Abby asked, seriously.
"I know you're not interested in me."
"Ryan," she whispered. "Don't do this."
"He's going to hurt you, Abby."
"No. Cadence hurt me, Ryan. Danny would never hurt me like that and you know it."
"Maybe not like Cadence, but he'll do something to you, I can feel it."
"And you know that if anything bad happens to me while I'm in New York--even if it has to do with Danny--I'll call one of you. You know this," Abby answered.
Wolfe glanced over at her. "Are you ok?"
"I'm ok." Abby smiled slowly, feeling herself relax for the first time since Cadence Hooper had left her apartment. "Cadence thinks he has the upper-hand on me, but he doesn't."
"You know I'd kill the bastard with my bare hands if he hurt you like that again, right?"
"I know. I know you would. And that's why I adore you so much, Ryan Wolfe," Abby grinned.
Wolfe grinned back at her, as he turned onto the exit for the hospital. The rest of the drive, they were silent, but it was an easy kind of silence. The kind of silence only true friends can have.
* * *
Flack set across from Erin Fowler in the interogation room.
The young woman set with her back straight, arms folded across her chest, and a smirk over her face. She was dressed, Danny observed, as he stood next to the door. He had been watching the two of them since she had arrived. She was being flirtatious with Don like she had been with Danny when they had first met, but without words this time. She could convey a lot through her eyes. And Flack was known to enjoy female attention. Would he succumb to her wyles?
"You know why you're here?" Flack asked, eying the girl across from him.
Erin glanced over at Danny, but said nothing.
Flack glanced over his shoulder, Danny stood with his hands in his pockets and a stern look over his handsome face. "Don't look at him," he warned, turning back to Erin.
"He gets me..." Erin answered.
Flack grinned. His blue eyes flashing. "I'm sure he does."
"He talked to me like I was somebody. You think I'm shit."
"I don't know you," Flack answered, seriously.
Erin shifted a little bit in her seat. "Can I smoke in here?"
Flack shook his head. "No."
Erin glanced over to Danny. He didn't budge.
"I want you to look at something, Miss Fowler," Flack told her as he opened the file that set between them. He pushed the photos over to her in a straight line.
The first one was of Chloe Philips, dead on a gurny. The second one was of the branch, the blood dried, but visible on one end of it. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth photos were of each girls' shoes. The seventh photo was of Chloe Philips' shoes. The eighth photo was of the broken heel that matched perfectly to the pair of shoes found at the scene. The nineth photo was of the glitter imprint. The tenth photo was of the other footprint that they had found at the scene. Erin scanned the photographs, but said nothing.
"You recognize any of these?" Flack asked.
"That's Alice..." Erin answered, her voice barely a whisper.
"Anything else?"
"Those are the shoes she bought us for Christmas." The girl sniffled.
Flack started to say something, but stopped when he saw Danny out of the corner of his eye. The young CSI stepped over to the table, leaning down close to Erin. He stared her in the eyes, his jaw clenching as he did so.
"You didn't get those shoes for Christmas!" he told her, his voice like ice.
"I did. From Alice," Erin answered, her eye brows furrowing.
"Don't lie to me! I know you didn't get these from her. You bought them yourself. I have the video tape showing you there after Christmas, purchasing them," Danny told her.
Erin's lips pursed. A smile slowly formed at the corners of her mouth. "You're hot when you get pissed off."
"Don't fuck with me, Girl. I'm not playin' anymore!" Danny shouted at her.
Erin jumped back, her eyes glossy for the first time. Flack reach for Danny's arm; he jerked away.
"Danny. Don't," Flack shook his head at his friend, all seriousness playing over his face.
Flack stood up and guided Danny back to the wall. He stared down at him for a moment, wishing he could do more for him, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do when his adrenaline was pumping. Danny was angry. And when Danny became angry, there was just no getting through to him.
"She's lyin', Flack. We have the proof." Danny pushed his hands against his hips as he spoke.
"Let me talk to her, Danny. Maybe I can reason with her. Maybe I get her to give up the guy," Flack told him, his voice soft and comforting.
Danny nodded as he reach up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. What more could he do? Flack was right. He knew this. But he needed Erin to confess something--anything--before it was too late. Flack turned and walked back over to the table. Erin smiled up at him.
"Detective Messer has a temper, huh?" she asked.
Flack smiled down at her. "He's a lil bit of a loose cannon, yes. But me? I can be down-right scary."
"I don't judge."
"I get that from you," Flack grinned.
Erin tilted her head. "You ever had a threesome?"
Flack's face turned a little red. He glanced over at Danny who was pacing back and forth in the corner. Flack turned back to the young girl. He set back down, moving his tie aside as he did so.
"Can't say I have."
"They're fun. That's what me, Bucky, and Alice always did." Erin leaned over. "Why don't you and I experiment? Hey! Even invite Detective Messer over there to join us, if you like."
He glanced over his shoulder at Danny who was pacing quietly in the corner Flack had pushed him into. He turned back to the girl before him. She waited.
"You don't want me and Messer in your bed. Trust me. We snore," Flack answered.
"Who's gonna sleep?" Erin winked.
After a moment, Flack set back. He studied the girl across from him. She studied him.
"What'cha thinkin'?" she asked.
"Your friend is dead and you're trying to seduce me."
"Alice wouldn't mind."
"You're somethin' else, ya know that?" Flack told her.
Erin shrugged. "I get that a lot."
"Bet ya do." Flack glanced over his shoulder at Danny a second time. He had stopped pacing. He was staring at them, a cold expression over his face. Flack turned back to Erin.
"Tell ya what, I'm gonna give you a few minutes here alone, to look over the evidence. I expect something different from you when I return."
Flack stood up, pushing the chair back. Erin smiled up at him. Flack smiled back, feeling his stomach knot as he did so. This girl was good. She knew how to play the game and she knew how to play it to win. He turned and headed toward Danny. The two men exited the interogation room, to watch the girl behind the two way glass.
Danny exhaled. "She's good."
"Yeah." Flack pushed his hand through his black hair.
"What can we do?" Danny continued, watching as Erin picked up one picture, then another to examine.
"You can't do any more of that shit you just did back there, got it, Danny?"
Danny shrugged. "I know. I just--She pissed me off, Don."
"A lot of perps piss me off, Danny, but I can't let it get to me. Ya know? I have to keep my cool in order to solve the crime. You just gotta remember that. You gotta keep your cool and solve this thing. If you don't do that, well, Mac will have cause to do something about the way you're handling things. You don't want Mac having to write you up, Man. Alright?" Flack asked.
Danny nodded. He knew Flack was right. Hell, Flack was always right. But Danny also knew how he was feeling about things. And this girl was lying through her teeth. He needed her to crack, but he needed to do it without giving Mac a reason to write him up and put him on desk duty for a couple weeks. Probation was hell. Danny didn't want to go there again.
"Alright." Danny scratched his eye brow. "Let's see if she's ready to talk."
When Flack and Danny entered the interogation room, Erin looked up with a twinkle in her eyes. She took the photo of the broken heel and held it up for both men to see. Flack glanced at Danny, a confused look over his face. Danny shot him an apologetic look of his own.
"You took this at my house, Detective Messer," Erin told him.
Danny nodded. "I did."
"When you got your cell phone out to check for messages--right?"
"Mm-hm."
Flack glanced over at Danny, but he didn't offer him anything by way of explanation.
"Why didn't you just ask me to see it? I would have gladly handed it over to you."
"I didn't think you'd cooperate."
"That wasn't cool, Detective. How will I ever trust you again?" Erin pretended to be hurt.
Flack snickered. "That's good, Miss Fowler. I like how you're tryin' to make Danny the bad guy, here. What? You pissed that he took that picture?"
She didn't answer, keeping her eyes on Danny.
Flack glanced over at Danny. "You do that to her?"
Danny nodded, not moving his eyes from Erin.
Flack turned back to Erin. "He admits it. He did it. What do you want to do about it?"
Erin licked her lips. "I guess you think you know everything, right?"
"We know enough." Flack pulled his chair out and set down. Danny pulled another chair out and set down beside the Homicide Detective. He wasn't about to miss this.
"You wanna elaborate?" Erin asked.
Flack pushed his arms out on the table top and inter-locked his fingers. He narrowed his eyes on Erin. He gave her a curt smile. "We know that you were there on the bridge with Alice Langston."
"I told him that," she pointed to Danny.
Flack sighed. "Yeah. So, we know you were there. And we know you weren't passed out."
"I was."
"No, you weren't. We found glitter in a footprint." Flack reach over and pushed the photograph of the shoe imprint toward her. "See the glitter?"
"So?"
"So, this puts you there--at the crime scene. The imprint matches your shoes," Flack told her.
Erin shrugged. "What do you want from me?"
"The truth," Danny answered before Flack could. "We need to know who else was there with you."
Erin sighed heavily, putting her hands up in defeat. "Alright. Alright. I'll tell ya what you want to hear."
Flack turned to Danny and smiled. Danny grinned back.
"You're doin' the right thing here, Miss Fowler," Flack assured her as he reach in his pocket and pulled out a voice recorder. "Begin when you're ready."
Flack set across from Erin Fowler in the interogation room.
The young woman set with her back straight, arms folded across her chest, and a smirk over her face. She was dressed, Danny observed, as he stood next to the door. He had been watching the two of them since she had arrived. She was being flirtatious with Don like she had been with Danny when they had first met, but without words this time. She could convey a lot through her eyes. And Flack was known to enjoy female attention. Would he succumb to her wyles?
"You know why you're here?" Flack asked, eying the girl across from him.
Erin glanced over at Danny, but said nothing.
Flack glanced over his shoulder, Danny stood with his hands in his pockets and a stern look over his handsome face. "Don't look at him," he warned, turning back to Erin.
"He gets me..." Erin answered.
Flack grinned. His blue eyes flashing. "I'm sure he does."
"He talked to me like I was somebody. You think I'm shit."
"I don't know you," Flack answered, seriously.
Erin shifted a little bit in her seat. "Can I smoke in here?"
Flack shook his head. "No."
Erin glanced over to Danny. He didn't budge.
"I want you to look at something, Miss Fowler," Flack told her as he opened the file that set between them. He pushed the photos over to her in a straight line.
The first one was of Chloe Philips, dead on a gurny. The second one was of the branch, the blood dried, but visible on one end of it. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth photos were of each girls' shoes. The seventh photo was of Chloe Philips' shoes. The eighth photo was of the broken heel that matched perfectly to the pair of shoes found at the scene. The nineth photo was of the glitter imprint. The tenth photo was of the other footprint that they had found at the scene. Erin scanned the photographs, but said nothing.
"You recognize any of these?" Flack asked.
"That's Alice..." Erin answered, her voice barely a whisper.
"Anything else?"
"Those are the shoes she bought us for Christmas." The girl sniffled.
Flack started to say something, but stopped when he saw Danny out of the corner of his eye. The young CSI stepped over to the table, leaning down close to Erin. He stared her in the eyes, his jaw clenching as he did so.
"You didn't get those shoes for Christmas!" he told her, his voice like ice.
"I did. From Alice," Erin answered, her eye brows furrowing.
"Don't lie to me! I know you didn't get these from her. You bought them yourself. I have the video tape showing you there after Christmas, purchasing them," Danny told her.
Erin's lips pursed. A smile slowly formed at the corners of her mouth. "You're hot when you get pissed off."
"Don't fuck with me, Girl. I'm not playin' anymore!" Danny shouted at her.
Erin jumped back, her eyes glossy for the first time. Flack reach for Danny's arm; he jerked away.
"Danny. Don't," Flack shook his head at his friend, all seriousness playing over his face.
Flack stood up and guided Danny back to the wall. He stared down at him for a moment, wishing he could do more for him, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do when his adrenaline was pumping. Danny was angry. And when Danny became angry, there was just no getting through to him.
"She's lyin', Flack. We have the proof." Danny pushed his hands against his hips as he spoke.
"Let me talk to her, Danny. Maybe I can reason with her. Maybe I get her to give up the guy," Flack told him, his voice soft and comforting.
Danny nodded as he reach up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. What more could he do? Flack was right. He knew this. But he needed Erin to confess something--anything--before it was too late. Flack turned and walked back over to the table. Erin smiled up at him.
"Detective Messer has a temper, huh?" she asked.
Flack smiled down at her. "He's a lil bit of a loose cannon, yes. But me? I can be down-right scary."
"I don't judge."
"I get that from you," Flack grinned.
Erin tilted her head. "You ever had a threesome?"
Flack's face turned a little red. He glanced over at Danny who was pacing back and forth in the corner. Flack turned back to the young girl. He set back down, moving his tie aside as he did so.
"Can't say I have."
"They're fun. That's what me, Bucky, and Alice always did." Erin leaned over. "Why don't you and I experiment? Hey! Even invite Detective Messer over there to join us, if you like."
He glanced over his shoulder at Danny who was pacing quietly in the corner Flack had pushed him into. He turned back to the girl before him. She waited.
"You don't want me and Messer in your bed. Trust me. We snore," Flack answered.
"Who's gonna sleep?" Erin winked.
After a moment, Flack set back. He studied the girl across from him. She studied him.
"What'cha thinkin'?" she asked.
"Your friend is dead and you're trying to seduce me."
"Alice wouldn't mind."
"You're somethin' else, ya know that?" Flack told her.
Erin shrugged. "I get that a lot."
"Bet ya do." Flack glanced over his shoulder at Danny a second time. He had stopped pacing. He was staring at them, a cold expression over his face. Flack turned back to Erin.
"Tell ya what, I'm gonna give you a few minutes here alone, to look over the evidence. I expect something different from you when I return."
Flack stood up, pushing the chair back. Erin smiled up at him. Flack smiled back, feeling his stomach knot as he did so. This girl was good. She knew how to play the game and she knew how to play it to win. He turned and headed toward Danny. The two men exited the interogation room, to watch the girl behind the two way glass.
Danny exhaled. "She's good."
"Yeah." Flack pushed his hand through his black hair.
"What can we do?" Danny continued, watching as Erin picked up one picture, then another to examine.
"You can't do any more of that shit you just did back there, got it, Danny?"
Danny shrugged. "I know. I just--She pissed me off, Don."
"A lot of perps piss me off, Danny, but I can't let it get to me. Ya know? I have to keep my cool in order to solve the crime. You just gotta remember that. You gotta keep your cool and solve this thing. If you don't do that, well, Mac will have cause to do something about the way you're handling things. You don't want Mac having to write you up, Man. Alright?" Flack asked.
Danny nodded. He knew Flack was right. Hell, Flack was always right. But Danny also knew how he was feeling about things. And this girl was lying through her teeth. He needed her to crack, but he needed to do it without giving Mac a reason to write him up and put him on desk duty for a couple weeks. Probation was hell. Danny didn't want to go there again.
"Alright." Danny scratched his eye brow. "Let's see if she's ready to talk."
When Flack and Danny entered the interogation room, Erin looked up with a twinkle in her eyes. She took the photo of the broken heel and held it up for both men to see. Flack glanced at Danny, a confused look over his face. Danny shot him an apologetic look of his own.
"You took this at my house, Detective Messer," Erin told him.
Danny nodded. "I did."
"When you got your cell phone out to check for messages--right?"
"Mm-hm."
Flack glanced over at Danny, but he didn't offer him anything by way of explanation.
"Why didn't you just ask me to see it? I would have gladly handed it over to you."
"I didn't think you'd cooperate."
"That wasn't cool, Detective. How will I ever trust you again?" Erin pretended to be hurt.
Flack snickered. "That's good, Miss Fowler. I like how you're tryin' to make Danny the bad guy, here. What? You pissed that he took that picture?"
She didn't answer, keeping her eyes on Danny.
Flack glanced over at Danny. "You do that to her?"
Danny nodded, not moving his eyes from Erin.
Flack turned back to Erin. "He admits it. He did it. What do you want to do about it?"
Erin licked her lips. "I guess you think you know everything, right?"
"We know enough." Flack pulled his chair out and set down. Danny pulled another chair out and set down beside the Homicide Detective. He wasn't about to miss this.
"You wanna elaborate?" Erin asked.
Flack pushed his arms out on the table top and inter-locked his fingers. He narrowed his eyes on Erin. He gave her a curt smile. "We know that you were there on the bridge with Alice Langston."
"I told him that," she pointed to Danny.
Flack sighed. "Yeah. So, we know you were there. And we know you weren't passed out."
"I was."
"No, you weren't. We found glitter in a footprint." Flack reach over and pushed the photograph of the shoe imprint toward her. "See the glitter?"
"So?"
"So, this puts you there--at the crime scene. The imprint matches your shoes," Flack told her.
Erin shrugged. "What do you want from me?"
"The truth," Danny answered before Flack could. "We need to know who else was there with you."
Erin sighed heavily, putting her hands up in defeat. "Alright. Alright. I'll tell ya what you want to hear."
Flack turned to Danny and smiled. Danny grinned back.
"You're doin' the right thing here, Miss Fowler," Flack assured her as he reach in his pocket and pulled out a voice recorder. "Begin when you're ready."
CH 10
"Good news?" Lindsay asked as she and Danny stepped into the lab.
Adam had everything lay out on his table: four pairs of strappy silver colored shoes, the photograph that Danny had taken of the broken heel that he had seen when Erin had opened her bag, the shoes that Chloe Philips had been wearing, the branch that he had found to be the murder weapon, the glitter, and the shoe prints that Danny had taken from the scene.
Adam turned. "I tested the shoes."
"All of them are fake?" Danny asked, eying the evidence.
"Actually, only one is fake."
"Which one?" Lindsay asked.
"Erin Fowler's are not the real thing," Adam answered, handing over his report.
Lindsay read over it. "Why would she have a fake pair of shoes just like the other girls' shoes?" she asked, looking up.
"I'm not sure." Adam answered.
"Remember what the friends told us?" Danny asked.
Lindsay nodded. "You're right. They said that Alice didn't buy a pair of shoes like that for Erin."
"She went out and bought knock-offs to be like the other girls..." Danny finished.
"That's creepy," Adam commented.
Lindsay and Danny nodded in unison.
"But she's a pretty girl, with money, why would Erin Fowler have to buy herself knock-offs? Why not just go out and buy herself the shoes?" Lindsay asked, slowly.
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? What motivated this girl to do something like that?" Danny wondered outloud.
"You wanna see the samples I determined the fake shoes from?" Adam asked suddenly.
"Sure," Lindsay answered.
Adam turned the microscope on for the CSI. She bent down and studied the samples. She noticed the difference in the tectures of the first three compared to the last one which belonged to Erin Fowler. While Michelle, Kris, and Ashley's were rounder, like studded earrings, hers was thin and gritty, like sand.
"What does this mean?" Lindsay asked, moving aside to let Danny take a look.
Adam sighed. "This means that Ashley, Michelle, and Kris have real diamonds on their shoes."
"Lucky girls..." Lindsay smiled.
Adam nodded. "Yeah. I checked it several times to be for sure. They're the real thing. I even called the manufactuer and they confirmed it, sending me the data on this specific brand of shoe." He handed over a piece of paper.
Lindsay studied it. She looked up, incrediously. "These shoes are worth $2500? I don't think every pair of shoes I own add up anywhere near $2500." She turned and smiled at Danny; he smiled back.
"Erin's are made to look like they're covered in diamond dust. Her shoes are from a cheap boutique that sells high end knock-offs in Tribecca. Very nice, actually."
Lindsay and Danny nodded.
"Take a look at this," Adam turned to his computer. He typed in the code and a video popped up. "I sent a photo of Erin to the three stores that sell these knock-offs. One of the store owners remembered her from a few weeks ago--She frecquents the store, I gather. Anyway, believe it or not, but she came in and purchased a pair of silver strappy heels around Christmas time." He pushed another button and the enhanced part he had isolated came up. Sure enough, it was Erin Fowler at the front counter! "Also, take a look at this," Adam pulled up the photo of the shoes that Erin had purchased.
"They're the exact same shoes she gave to us," Lindsay told him.
"Boom! We got her!" Danny laughed.
"She went to the store and purchased the shoes so she'd match the other girls. She wanted to belong..." Lindsay whispered.
"Except her's is glitter--not real diamonds," Danny confirmed.
"Yes."
"So, she's our mystery woman?" Danny continued.
Adam nodded. "The sample you gave me of the shoes that I found the glitter in was a size six. Erin's foot is size six. They're a match."
"She was there," Danny grinned.
"The heel matches the shoes we found on Chloe Philips, too," Adam told the CSI.
"She took it?" Danny asked, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.
"Like a trophy?" Lindsay asked, shivering.
"That's just wrong..." Adam whispered.
Danny nodded. "I wasn't supposed to see it, though. She doesn't know I took the photo, either. We trapped her in her own mistake."
"She couldn't help herself. She had to take something to remind her of what had happened--Like she won something in a game," Lindsay told him.
Danny glanced over to Lindsay. "She told me she passed out around the same time Bucky did. She told me she was taking X and when she woke up, Alice was gone."
"How could she be in two places at once?" Lindsay asked.
Danny smiled. "She couldn't be. She never passed out. She lied to me. She was there and she saw who did it. That's why she had the heel. She was in on it."
"So... We bring her in?"
Danny bit his bottom lip. "I'll give Flack a call. Thanks, Man," he told Adam as he pulled out his cell phone.
"Thanks, Adam," Lindsay told the tech with a sweet smile as she followed Danny out the door.
Adam had everything lay out on his table: four pairs of strappy silver colored shoes, the photograph that Danny had taken of the broken heel that he had seen when Erin had opened her bag, the shoes that Chloe Philips had been wearing, the branch that he had found to be the murder weapon, the glitter, and the shoe prints that Danny had taken from the scene.
Adam turned. "I tested the shoes."
"All of them are fake?" Danny asked, eying the evidence.
"Actually, only one is fake."
"Which one?" Lindsay asked.
"Erin Fowler's are not the real thing," Adam answered, handing over his report.
Lindsay read over it. "Why would she have a fake pair of shoes just like the other girls' shoes?" she asked, looking up.
"I'm not sure." Adam answered.
"Remember what the friends told us?" Danny asked.
Lindsay nodded. "You're right. They said that Alice didn't buy a pair of shoes like that for Erin."
"She went out and bought knock-offs to be like the other girls..." Danny finished.
"That's creepy," Adam commented.
Lindsay and Danny nodded in unison.
"But she's a pretty girl, with money, why would Erin Fowler have to buy herself knock-offs? Why not just go out and buy herself the shoes?" Lindsay asked, slowly.
"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? What motivated this girl to do something like that?" Danny wondered outloud.
"You wanna see the samples I determined the fake shoes from?" Adam asked suddenly.
"Sure," Lindsay answered.
Adam turned the microscope on for the CSI. She bent down and studied the samples. She noticed the difference in the tectures of the first three compared to the last one which belonged to Erin Fowler. While Michelle, Kris, and Ashley's were rounder, like studded earrings, hers was thin and gritty, like sand.
"What does this mean?" Lindsay asked, moving aside to let Danny take a look.
Adam sighed. "This means that Ashley, Michelle, and Kris have real diamonds on their shoes."
"Lucky girls..." Lindsay smiled.
Adam nodded. "Yeah. I checked it several times to be for sure. They're the real thing. I even called the manufactuer and they confirmed it, sending me the data on this specific brand of shoe." He handed over a piece of paper.
Lindsay studied it. She looked up, incrediously. "These shoes are worth $2500? I don't think every pair of shoes I own add up anywhere near $2500." She turned and smiled at Danny; he smiled back.
"Erin's are made to look like they're covered in diamond dust. Her shoes are from a cheap boutique that sells high end knock-offs in Tribecca. Very nice, actually."
Lindsay and Danny nodded.
"Take a look at this," Adam turned to his computer. He typed in the code and a video popped up. "I sent a photo of Erin to the three stores that sell these knock-offs. One of the store owners remembered her from a few weeks ago--She frecquents the store, I gather. Anyway, believe it or not, but she came in and purchased a pair of silver strappy heels around Christmas time." He pushed another button and the enhanced part he had isolated came up. Sure enough, it was Erin Fowler at the front counter! "Also, take a look at this," Adam pulled up the photo of the shoes that Erin had purchased.
"They're the exact same shoes she gave to us," Lindsay told him.
"Boom! We got her!" Danny laughed.
"She went to the store and purchased the shoes so she'd match the other girls. She wanted to belong..." Lindsay whispered.
"Except her's is glitter--not real diamonds," Danny confirmed.
"Yes."
"So, she's our mystery woman?" Danny continued.
Adam nodded. "The sample you gave me of the shoes that I found the glitter in was a size six. Erin's foot is size six. They're a match."
"She was there," Danny grinned.
"The heel matches the shoes we found on Chloe Philips, too," Adam told the CSI.
"She took it?" Danny asked, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.
"Like a trophy?" Lindsay asked, shivering.
"That's just wrong..." Adam whispered.
Danny nodded. "I wasn't supposed to see it, though. She doesn't know I took the photo, either. We trapped her in her own mistake."
"She couldn't help herself. She had to take something to remind her of what had happened--Like she won something in a game," Lindsay told him.
Danny glanced over to Lindsay. "She told me she passed out around the same time Bucky did. She told me she was taking X and when she woke up, Alice was gone."
"How could she be in two places at once?" Lindsay asked.
Danny smiled. "She couldn't be. She never passed out. She lied to me. She was there and she saw who did it. That's why she had the heel. She was in on it."
"So... We bring her in?"
Danny bit his bottom lip. "I'll give Flack a call. Thanks, Man," he told Adam as he pulled out his cell phone.
"Thanks, Adam," Lindsay told the tech with a sweet smile as she followed Danny out the door.
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