| Shadows of Crimes Past - by kyrdwyn (page 4) |
| Rated: R (language, adult themes) Spoilers: Pilot, Anonymous, my fan fic Ghosts of Crimes Past Synopsis: Grissom asks Jana for help on personal matter which leads to her teaming up with the nightshift on a missing persons case. And yes, she does get to torment Brass again. (If you haven't read Ghosts of Crimes Past, I suggest you read it first.) |
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| CSI, Gil Grissom and company, and places and etc are all property of Anthony Zuiker, Alliance Atlantis, CBS, and other companies. They did not condone this fic, and I am not getting paid for it. I write because I want to. All other characters not appearing on CSI in any way, shape, or form that appear in this story are my property. If you have any comments - good or bad, feel free to e-mail me at: toxicrev@yahoo.com |
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| "As much as I hate to admit it, Jana's right. We go through there and any evidence we get will be attacked because you guys are on Grissom's team. Jana alone might be another story - her history might be able to offset it." Brass voice crackled through the cell phone speaker. "So are you going to tell Eckley?" "Actually, I don't need to. The sheriff discovered that Eckley hadn't seen the tape yet and got on his ass. They found the plate and they're running it now. They should have the van soon - with a search warrant to get the evidence." "I'll tell them. Warrick and Sara are running the audiotape through Jana's lab. Our audio guys get anything?" "Nothing so far. If I hear anything I'll let you know." "Great." Nick hung up and headed for the audio lab. Jana was standing along the wall, head back and eyes closed. Warrick and Sara and Kevin were sitting in front of the mixing board and computer, lifting the various tracks to see what they could find. "I just talked to Brass - they finally looked at your tapes so they're going to be heading over there as soon as they get the warrant." "Good." Sara looked over at Jana. "I don't get you at all." Jana shrugged. "Neither do I at times." "You're going to lose money paying that guy if you don't go down there," Nick pointed out. "Not if it ensures the van is there when Brass and the others get there," Jana replied. Abruptly she left the room, returning to her private office and locking the door behind her. She slid down and rested her forehead on her knees. She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to hold up. She'd never had an investigation hit her this hard before, where she felt like she was suffocating under the lack of direction. She had five people looking to her for guidance on this - and she was just as clueless as they were. And probably just as scared - maybe more so. She'd worked kidnappings before, usually parental kidnappings during divorce cases. But this time the victim was someone she knew, someone she cared about. She couldn't help but think about all the things she'd said to him - before she'd left CSI and earlier this year. She'd been mean and hateful, and at the time she'd felt justified in saying them. She'd been the one who'd been attacked by the murdering psycho, not him. But now she realized he'd been hurt by what happened to her as well. She'd just been too wrapped up in her own life to see it. She leaned her head back against the door, staring blankly at her ceiling. It had taken her so long to get her life back together after the Marcus Jackson mess. Part of what had kept her going for so long was her hatred for the three men. Jackson had paid for his crimes, but she was still punishing Brass and Grissom in her own way. It wasn't healthy, she knew, to stay so angry with them for so long. But every time she'd thought about trying to let it go, she'd remember - and the hatred would flare up, hotter than ever. She winced as she recalled what she'd said to Grissom when she'd thrown him out of her hospital room, and again when he'd tried to get her to come back to work. He'd tried to understand, but she'd been too angry to let him in. She'd been too angry to let anyone in. Tears ran down her cheeks as she realized that she'd been wrong to hate him all those years. Maybe she'd even been wrong to hate Brass. She'd forgiven Grissom, but never apologized to him for the way she'd acted. She was scared that she might not get that chance now. Jana sighed. She needed to get her act together. Falling apart now wasn't going to help anyone. She got up and grabbed a tissue from her desk, wiping away her tears. She unlocked the door to her office to find Sara, Warrick, and Nick standing in the reception area, looking uncomfortable. She smiled at them wanly. "You okay?" Warrick asked. "Yeah, just a little overwhelmed at the moment." "Yeah, we understand," he replied. "We didn't get anything off that tape," he added with a sigh. Jana frowned. "Well, it was worth a shot. Look, guys - you've got to work your shift tonight. You don't show up and the sheriff is going to know you're up to something. Not to mention Grissom's reaction when he finds out." Nick gave a slight smile. "True." "So why don't you go home and get some sleep," she suggested. "We're not going to be useful if we're so dead on our feet that we couldn't recognize a clue if it was lit in neon." They smiled at her lame attempt at humor. "Go on," she said. "If I find anything, I'll let you know." Warrick came forward to give her a hug. "Thanks, Jana." She hugged him back. "Hey, it's no big deal." He looked at her sharply. "Yeah, it is - to us." He followed Nick and Sara out the door. Jana watched them leave, debating on taking her own advice and going home to get some sleep. Then she realized that the owner of the car rental place was probably expecting her. She decided to head down there. If the cops had beaten her there, so be it. If they hadn't, she could at least take a visual look at the van for clues. * * * * * The van was being towed away by the auto squad just as Jana pulled up to the agency. She stayed in her car, sunglasses on, as Eckley and Brass came out of the office and got into their SUV. Brass glanced her way, but if he recognized her he didn't show it. When they had gone, Jana got out of her car and entered the office. The owner was still dressed in the same fatigues and bandana. "The cops just came with a search warrant for the van. They must've gotten a tip from someone. Sorry, but they took it with them." Jana gave a snort. "Well, nice to know the cops are actually trying." She pulled her checkbook out of her jacket pocket. "How much for the day's rental?" Fatigues looked at her with surprise. "You're willing to pay even though the van isn't here?" Jana gave him a smile. "Hey - you were nice enough to hold the van for me, when you could have rented it out again. It's not your fault the cops got here first." Fatigues told Jana the amount and watched in silence as she wrote out the check. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, as if he were turning an idea over in his mind. When she handed the check over to him, he looked at it, then back at her. "Look, when the guy brought the van back, there was a piece of paper stuck under one of the windshield wipers. I pulled it out to look at it, and I brought it in here to hold it for you." He reached into a drawer and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Jana. "I didn't tell the police about it." Jana took the envelope carefully. She smiled up at him. "I'm not going to tell the police about this. I told you before - I don't reveal sources of information." She leaned forward. "Like I said before, if you ever need anything, call me. I owe you a huge favor, and I always pay my debts." Fatigues nodded. Jana left the building, getting back into her car and driving back to her office. Once there, she opened the envelope to find the paper the rental agent had told her about. It was an ad for a rave that had taken place three weeks before. Jana frowned and turned the paper over. There was nothing on the back. The van had been rented after this rave had occurred, so why would the ad be under the windshield wiper? Unless it had been left as a clue. Jana sat back in her chair and stared out her windows at the Las Vegas skyline. As far as she knew, Millander and Lee didn't know that Grissom had asked her to stake out his house. So they shouldn't have known that she had the van on tape. So leaving a clue on the van made no sense - it wouldn't be found. Then again, Millander was fond of playing games. What if he had meant it as a clue, and was planning on leading the police to the van in some fashion - a anonymous tip, a photo of the plate sent to the lab, something like that. There was still no guarantee that they would get the flyer. But there might have been other evidence in the van. Jana sighed. She was starting to wish she had gone down to check out the van when she first heard about it. But she had the flyer. Assuming it was a clue - what kind? The rave was over. So the date and time on the ad was probably irrelevant. The DJ and the place, however, were possibilities. * * * * * Jana parked her car a few blocks away from the building and got out, checking her shoulder holster to make sure her weapon was secured. When she'd started her business, she knew she would be working in seedy areas, so she'd bought a gun and gotten a permit to carry a concealed weapon. She hadn't fired it at anything more dangerous than a paper target, but she wasn't taking chances. She'd done some research on the building where the rave in the ad had been held. It was an abandoned warehouse, on the outskirts of town. According to the newspaper stories she'd found, it was often used for raves and various illegal activities. Jana had waited until after nightfall to check the building because she knew that she would stick out in the area during the day. Also, she needed sleep. So she'd napped on the couch in her office for a few hours, though it hadn't done much good. Her dreams had all involved Grissom, and her fears of what Millander might do to him. Now, approaching the building, Jana could hear voices inside. Creeping closer to a window, she peered in. There wasn't a lot of light inside, but she could make out two figures standing in the center of the room. One was gesturing wildly, the other standing quietly. Straining her ears, Jana could only make out bits and pieces of the conversation. It made no sense to her. Slowly she made her way around the outside of the building, looking for a way in. She was concentrating so much on not making noise that she didn’t hear the man behind her until she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head. She immediately stilled, barely breathing. "I thought I saw someone out here." The man behind her was close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. That feeling and the gun brought back memories that Jana couldn't afford to let out, so she didn't respond, fighting back the old fears. "Okay, we're going to do this nice and slow. Just start walking forward, and I'll tell you when to stop. Try anything funny, and it will be the last thing you do." Jana moved forward slowly, hyper-aware of the gun pressed to her neck. When they came to the door of the warehouse, he motioned her inside. Blinking against the light inside, Jana slowly let her eyes canvass the interior. There was a cot in the corner with a blanket covering a figure. She couldn't tell if the figure was breathing or not. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Grissom's new neighbor, Ms. Lockhart. What brings you to this area of Las Vegas?" Jana turned to see the pockmarked man from her dream. He was standing in the middle of the room, regarding her. She didn't respond, just stared at him. He smiled maliciously at her. "I'm so glad you're here, you'll be able to explain everything to the police for me." "What do you mean?" "Oh, has Mr. Grissom not told you about me? Even after I sent him that package you so kindly signed for? Hmm, I'm upset. Well, Mr. Grissom and I go way back. He's been trying to catch me for some time now, but he can never quite do it. "Anyway, I've been sending him some notes lately, just to keep in touch. My friend Daniel here has been helping me. You see, Daniel works with Mr. Grissom, but he doesn't like him very much. Apparently, Mr. Grissom was never able to solve a murder case involving a good friend of Daniel's." Millander shook his head. "Amazing how the mistakes of the past can come back to haunt one, isn't it?" Jana didn't know how to respond to that, so she kept her mouth shut and just watched Millander. Lee still had the gun to her neck, so she couldn't take the chance of pulling her own. "Anyway, when Mr. Grissom decided not to let anyone else know I was still around, I decided more drastic measures had to be taken." "You kidnapped him," Jana said quietly. "That is such a cold term, but yes. I had to do something to get his attention, let him know that I was serious. I was just planning on taking off and leaving a note, but you are so much better than a note - another living witness. Now, Ms. Lockhart, if you would be so kind as to take a seat on the floor next to the cot." Millander had pulled a gun out of his jacket and aimed it at Jana. She looked at the gun, then him, and then slowly turned and walked over to the cot. The blanket was covering the figure, though she could see chains extending from under the blanket to the legs of the cot. Millander kept his gun aimed at her while Lee tied Jana's hands in front of her and tied her legs together and to the leg of the cot. The two men then retreated to the other side of the room, talking in low tones. Finally they headed out the door, with Millander flipping a jaunty wave at Jana before closing and locking it behind him. Jana heard a car start up and at that moment she would have kissed the ground Brass walked on to have heard police sirens pull up. But silence settled in on the warehouse. Brass either hadn't gotten the message she had left for him, or he was on his way, but not in time. Grimly Jana stared down at her hands. Neither man apparently suspected that Jana carried a knife with her, or they would have tied her hands in the back. Or maybe they were counting on her being able to get loose. Jana had no idea what they were thinking now. She managed to awkwardly move herself so that she could get her knife out of her hip pocket. She jostled the cot in the process, and thought she heard a groan from the occupant. She stilled, listening. The warehouse was quiet again. She released the blade and clamped the hilt between her knees, giving her better access to the ropes around her wrists. It was slow going, but she finally managed to get her wrists free. It was a lot easier to cut the ropes around her ankles. She stood up carefully, unsure about how much of her circulation had been cut off. Not enough to affect her, apparently. She moved over to the head of the cot and eased back the blanket. Grissom was alive, and she closed her eyes in relief before taking another look at him. He had a black eye and another bruise on his jaw. His wrists were raw from where he'd been fighting the handcuffs that held him to the chains. She reached out a hand to check his pulse. It was a little erratic, but there. His eyelids fluttered open, and his blue eyes looked at Jana briefly before they closed again. She heard him whisper something, but she couldn't make out what. She leaned down. "Gil - it's me, Jana. I'm going to get you out of here. Don't worry. Brass is on his way." He didn't stir again, and Jana prowled around the room to see if Millander had left the keys to the cuffs. There was nothing. "Damn it," she muttered. Her knife would be useless against metal. "I knew I should have learned how to pick locks," she said aloud. "Not exactly something a CSI needs to know," his voice whispered from behind her. She turned to find him watching her. She knelt down by the edge of the cot. "No, but it would sure come in handy now. How are you feeling?" He moved and winced. "Like hell. Where's Millander?" "Gone. He and Lee took off a few minutes ago. Brass knows I'm here though and should be along any minute now. I know he's going to read me the riot act for coming here alone," she said with a smile. Grissom tried to smile back and winced again. "Jana, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this." His voice was still a whisper. "Don't start that again, Grissom," Jana said sharply. "We can debate the relative stupidity of your actions later. Let's just get out of here first, okay?" "Are you going to say 'I told you so'?" he asked. "No. I'll let your team chew you out - they're not exactly happy you know. Especially since the sheriff gave your case to Eckley." Grissom closed his eyes again, and Jana watched him carefully. He was still breathing steadily, but she was worried. She had no idea what had been done to him while they had him - if the bruises were a result of him trying to escape or a way of knocking him out. It was possible that they had drugged him, which would account for his lethargy. Jana reached out to take one of his hands, squeezing it to reassure herself. She smiled when she felt him weakly squeeze back. She didn't know how long she sat there on the concrete floor, holding Grissom's hand, before the police arrived. * * * * * Two days later Grissom was sitting in the chair in his hospital room, reading, when someone knocked on the door. He looked up to find Jana peeking around the doorway, an uncertain smile on her face. "Hey," she said. He smiled. "Hey, come on in." He set his book down as she entered, her hands behind her back. "Do I want to know what you're hiding?" "Probably not," she said as she pulled her hands out to reveal a bright yellow stuffed bee. He raised his eyebrow at her. "Hey - it was the only thing in the gift shop I could find - unless you really wanted the latest issue of 'Home and Garden Weekly', which I somehow don't see you reading." He took the bee from her. "Thank you. I'm sure I can find some place for it." Jana grinned wickedly. "Now I know what Catherine's daughter is getting for her next birthday." She sat down in the other chair next to him. "What are you reading, anyway?" "Superstition and Force. It's a book about torture, ordeal, and trial by combat in medieval law." "Sorry I asked. How are you feeling?" "Better. They're letting me go home today." "Good." "Brass told me that you basically ran your own investigation to find me. Thank you." Jana looked down, a little embarrassed. "I felt a little guilty over not getting you to go to your team with this." He reached out to lift her chin up so they were looking at each other. "You weren't responsible for my actions, Jana. You know that. You tried everything you could to get me to go to Brass about this. I was just too stubborn to listen." "Seems like that’s par for the course with us, Gil." He let his hand drop back to his lap and tilted his head to one side. "What do you mean?" She looked down at her hands in her lap. "For five years I was too stubborn to listen to you. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken my anger to that extreme. I said a lot of things I didn't really mean just because I wanted someone else to hurt as badly as I was hurting." He reached out to cover her hands with one of his own. "I know. And I'm still sorry I didn't listen to you then, either. I think both of us were too caught up in our own worlds to see into each other's." "What was it you once called us? 'Two ships passing in the night'?" He smiled. "Exactly." They were still sitting there silently, his hand on hers, when Brass walked in. "Am I interrupting something?" Grissom turned to him. "Yes, actually." Jana laughed at the expression on Brass' face. He looked like he wasn't sure if he needed to protect Grissom from Jana or run screaming from the room. She withdrew her hands from Grissom's and stood up. "I need to get going - have paperwork awaiting me at the office." She leaned down to give Grissom a quick kiss on the forehead, surprising him. "You take care of yourself - you hear? I am not going through this again." Brass had been watching the exchange warily. Jana walked up to him and looked back at Grissom. "Keep an eye on him, Brass." When Brass raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled sweetly and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. "And thanks for everything." Jana left the room, leaving both men staring after her in stunned silence. "What the hell was that all about?" Brass finally asked. Grissom shrugged, smiling. "I don't know. But I'm ready to get out of here and back to work." * * * * * This time, Jana was the one who was late for their meeting. She hurried into the diner to find him already sitting in their usual booth, reading something he had brought with him. "Sorry," she said, sliding into the booth. "Lost track of time." "No problem," he replied, closing the folder and setting it to one side. "It happens." She smiled at him. "And you would know." "Yeah." He looked at her and frowned. "You're not smoking." "Nope. Decided to try to quit. We'll see how this goes." He reached over to squeeze her hand. "I'm glad you are." Jana flushed, pulling her hand away. They ordered dinner in silence. While they were waiting, Jana looked up at Grissom. He was staring off into space. "You want to talk about it?" she asked softly. He shifted his gaze back to her. "I don't know." "You ought to, you know. I'm sure Catherine has been bugging you about that." He smiled at that. "Yes, she has." "I've been there, Gil," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "Don't keep it all inside. You'll end up like me." He sighed, knowing she was right. "There's not all that much to tell. I was talking to Brass when I got a page saying that I need to get home because one of my neighbors was in trouble at my house - you, to be exact. So I rushed home. Millander was waiting for me, and there was blood on the floor next to him. He told me he had you, so I went with him. I dropped my keys on the ground outside so that someone would know I wasn't exactly willing. Lee was outside with the van. I don't know why, but I tried to resist, and Millander ended up hitting me on the jaw." He rubbed his jaw and winced at the memory. "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing Jana's expression. "He used me to get to you." "Jana - quit that. He was planning this from the start. He already had my house bugged." "Yeah, and I just made it easier for him." "If you're going to sit there and act pitiful, I'm leaving." She glared at him. He glared back. Finally she laughed. "You're cute when you're angry. Or embarrassed," she added when he looked down to hide his reaction. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll quit teasing you." "What has gotten into you, Jana?" "Honestly? I decided that five years of useless anger was enough. I'm not saying I've totally gone the 'forgive and forget' route, but I've decided that punishing other people is not the best way to get on with my life." She shrugged. "Though I admit, I am having fun freaking out Brass with my change in attitude." He shook his head. "He's still recovering from that scene in the hospital." She smiled wickedly. "Good. Maybe I ought to drop by and see him one of these days." He rubbed his forehead. "Jana…" He didn't finish his sentence as the waitress brought out their dinners. When she had gone he looked back at Jana. Her face was serious again. "I'm kidding, Gris. Why don't you finish telling me what happened?" "Not much else to tell," he said with a shrug. "By the time I regained consciousness, I was chained to the cot. Lee caught me trying to escape and hit me, which is how I got my black eye. Then they used halothane to keep me unconscious. That's about it until you arrived." His voice dropped. "I wasn't sure if I was relieved or scared when I saw you leaning over me - I was afraid that they had gotten you too. Then you made that remark about picking locks." She smiled. "They had gotten me - I'm sure Brass told you they had tied me up. They just didn't count on me having a knife." "That wasn't exactly smart, going there alone." "No, but I wasn't taking any chances with your life. And I did tell Brass where I was going. So I was at least not completely stupid. And if we're going to go down this road, we're going to end up arguing again." "Fine. So let's talk about us instead." Jana looked up from her plate and stared at him. "What about us?" "You know why I keep inviting you to lunch, even though you often cancel at the last minute?" Jana decided not to make a smart remark and settled for a simple, "No." "I like spending time with you, Jana, despite our past differences. I'd like to do it more often." She regarded him solemnly. He was serious, she could tell. She sighed. "I don't know, Gil. I'm not sure I'm ready for anything beyond this," she said, gesturing at the diner. "That's all I'm asking for. Right now. " Jana reached across the table to take his hand. She smiled at him, a smile that held a hint of promise. "I can handle that. For now." |
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