ladyhunter
Head of the Swing Shift
Her Worst Nightmare
“This is CSI Willows, I need an ambulance to this address; there is an officer down.”
That is the last thing she heard herself saying as she sat on the floor in his apartment. The blood on her hands and on her shirt didn’t bother her as she immediately crawled on the floor to find the phone and to evaluate what had just happened.
Flash back: One hour previous
He asked her over so he could cook for her. Catherine said yes. They had been on one ‘date’ after shift that ended somewhat oddly. They both knew they wanted to get to know each other better.
“What smells so good?” She said as she entered Tony Vartann’s apartment,”Something special just for you.” He said as he greeted her at the doorway.
Their physical attraction for each other was undeniable just by the way they looked at each other. She decided she wanted to know more about him. She wasn’t quite ready to have him meet Lindsey or her mother so being alone with him is just what she wanted.
She went and sat down at the bar off the kitchen to watch him finish cooking.
He handed her a glass of wine as he smiled at her.
“Where did you learn to cook?” She asked him. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.” He said with a small smirk on his face. “Try me.” Catherine said smiling back.
“Karen taught me how to cook.” “I really didn’t know much about it until we met.”
“Oh”, she said somewhat heartbroken that he brought up his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son. He told Catherine that they both died in a car accident almost 7 years ago after being hit by a drunk driver on New Years Day 2000. His son was only a year-and-a-half old. When he told her that the first time they were out together, she felt her heart go suddenly out to him.
“There are so many ways I could have dealt with that…” He told her. “Being a cop, I was exposed to a hell of a lot of crap.” “It would have been easy to become angry, or hit the bottle or even go on the take.” “I had to do a lot of self searching if you know what I mean.” “Yes, I do.” She replied thinking briefly of when her ex-husband died.
“So I decided to move from where we were living and go to a place I have never been.” “Vegas seemed like just the place.” “And I have seen more stuff in this town than I have never seen before.” “That is just what I needed.”
“To put myself somewhere I had never been just to start again.”
“Are you okay?” He asked her. “Yeah,” She said looking at him again still wanting to be exactly were she was, with him.
“So, what exactly are you making for me?” She asked sipping her wine. “I got it off The Food Network; it’s called; You Won’t be Single for Long Vodka Cream Sauce.*
“Would you like a taste?” He said as she walked from around the bar to him in the kitchen. He dipped a piece of bread into the sauce and fed it to her. “Good?” He asked looking at her standing in front of him. “Umm Hmm.” She said looking back at him.
At that moment, when she had finished chewing, she stepped even closer to him.
They had the same look in their eyes as their attraction to each other was suddenly taking over. He rubbed his thumb over her lips then kissed her.
They kissed for a few minutes then when they pulled apart, he turned off the stove.
“Maybe dinner can wait.” She said with a slight smile. Catherine was standing with her back to the sliding glass door leading to a balcony and suddenly he pushed her behind him.
“What’s going on?” She said sort-of stunned. “I saw something outside.” He said stepping in front of her. “What do you mean?” “We are on the third floor.”
“SSSSSHHHH.” He said motioning her to stop talking.
Catherine’s mind raced. Her investigator side came out as she scanned the apartment and out towards the balcony. Then she saw it too, a shadow on the balcony. “What the hell is going on?” She thought. She followed his lead and stood behind him as he walked towards the bedroom while keeping his eyes on the balcony. Tony and Catherine know how to ‘work a crime scene’ but they were not prepared for what happened next….
She fell on her hands and knees and put her hands above her head. She saw from the corner of her eye his tall body fall to the ground next to her. The remnant sound of shattering glass is all that can be heard. She looked over and saw him lying on the floor holding his side. Her mouth was hung open in pure shock. “OH MY GOD!” TONY, are you okay?” She said as she crawled over and put her body over top of his as more glass fell to the ground. She touched his side where blood is now spilling out through his shirt and pants. She grabbed his hand…”Go to it Catherine, you know what to do.” He said quietly as he put his head down on the ground and closed his eyes. That is his way of telling her to find out what happened. Her mind raced. She put her hand on his wound and felt the hot blood now seeping out onto her hands. She wiped the blood on her shirt as she made her way on her hands and knees to the bedroom where she assumed he kept his weapon. Then she called it in….
There was an eerie silence in the aftermath of what she thought sounded more like a bomb going off than gunfire. She heard a dog barking in the distance as the faint sound of sirens cut into the silence. Only a high caliber weapon could have made that kind of impact is what went through her mind as she was putting together all the evidence… her mind was racing and her body is full of adrenaline. But she didn’t go examine the evidence; her urge is to stay with Tony listening and his labored breathing as she tried not to cry.
When the paramedics found her she was sitting on the floor next to him holding his hand. “It’s okay baby”, she whispered to him as they ushered her out of the apartment while officers streamed in.
Catherine found herself in the courtyard of the apartment building. One of the officers had given her his jacket when he noticed her shivering. But none of the officers questioned her being there, not even Capt. Brass after he arrived.
Then she saw him. The person she not only dreaded at a time like this, but was secretly glad he, above all the others, was at the scene.
“Grissom, there you are.” Brass Said as he stepped toward Grissom and Sara as they got out of the SUV. “This isn’t going to be pretty.” Brass said quietly to Grissom. “Why, what is going on?” “Well when one of our own gets shot, we call on the best.” “What are you taking about?” “Do you know whose apartment this belongs to?” Brass said to Grissom.
Grissom checked his notes. “NO, I just got the call.” “Tony Vartann.” Brass said hoping it would spark recollection in Grissom… “as in Detective Vartann?” Grissom asked.
“And it gets better.” Brass said with some hesitation in his voice. Capt. Brass stepped aside to let Grissom and Sara across the crime scene tape.
“What is she doing here?” Grissom asked with some authority when he spots Catherine standing by an ambulance. “This isn’t her case; she isn’t even on call tonight.” Grissom failed to notice the blood stained shirt Catherine had on as well as the blood on her hands since the jacket covered most of her body.
At that moment Sara had an idea why Catherine was there. “Let me go talk to her.” Sara said as she walked towards Catherine. Grissom followed Brass as Grissom then went up the stairs to the third floor to begin processing.
“Catherine.” Sara said snapping Catherine into reality.
“Come over here.” Sara said pointed to the lab’s SUV. “Have they come to take your statement?” Sara asked. “Yeah.” Catherine said quietly still in a daze. Her hands are shaking now as the shock began to wear off.
Sara motioned for a paramedic to come check out Catherine after Sara noticed the blood on Catherine’s hands. “I’ll be right there.” A voice said in the distance. Sara’s gloved hands ran through Catherine’s hair with the hopes of providing some comfort, as Sara noticed more blood in Catherine’s hair. Transfer, thought Sara. “You know they will take your official statement at PD, but, off the record, was this a date Catherine?” “I guess.” Catherine managed to get out. They were both silent for a minute while Sara took some notes.
“This isn’t your blood, is it?” Sara said noticing the blood on Catherine’s shirt while holding open the jacket. “No.” Catherine said quietly, “it’s his.”
Catherine still wasn’t looking at Sara. Her head was turned in hopes that everything around her would go away and the scenario would become a dream. More like a nightmare that she would soon wake up from.
“I’m going to need to take your clothes Catherine.” Sara said still offering a reassuring voice to her obviously freighted co-worker.
Then a noise in the distance started Catherine as she practically jumped, it was the paramedics loading Tony into the ambulance. She looked in the direction and saw his body lying on the stretcher. He looked like some foreign object to her, not the man she was going to have dinner with. All Catherine saw was the back of head and his dark hair. She had to turn away while tears filled her eyes. Sara looked towards the ambulance then turned back towards Catherine.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Sara said helping Catherine undress in the SUV.
“I think I have some extra clothes in here for you.”
“Yes, yes I do.” Catherine whispered as more tears filled her eyes.
“Grissom will figure this out, you know he will.” Sara said.
“In the mean time, I’ll sit here with you while we figure out what happened.”
As Sara said that, Catherine leaned her tired body over to Sara’s shoulder and began to cry.
* You Won’t be Single for Long Vodka Cream Sauce, can be found in Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meal Cookbook.
“This is CSI Willows, I need an ambulance to this address; there is an officer down.”
That is the last thing she heard herself saying as she sat on the floor in his apartment. The blood on her hands and on her shirt didn’t bother her as she immediately crawled on the floor to find the phone and to evaluate what had just happened.
Flash back: One hour previous
He asked her over so he could cook for her. Catherine said yes. They had been on one ‘date’ after shift that ended somewhat oddly. They both knew they wanted to get to know each other better.
“What smells so good?” She said as she entered Tony Vartann’s apartment,”Something special just for you.” He said as he greeted her at the doorway.
Their physical attraction for each other was undeniable just by the way they looked at each other. She decided she wanted to know more about him. She wasn’t quite ready to have him meet Lindsey or her mother so being alone with him is just what she wanted.
She went and sat down at the bar off the kitchen to watch him finish cooking.
He handed her a glass of wine as he smiled at her.
“Where did you learn to cook?” She asked him. “You won’t believe me if I tell you.” He said with a small smirk on his face. “Try me.” Catherine said smiling back.
“Karen taught me how to cook.” “I really didn’t know much about it until we met.”
“Oh”, she said somewhat heartbroken that he brought up his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son. He told Catherine that they both died in a car accident almost 7 years ago after being hit by a drunk driver on New Years Day 2000. His son was only a year-and-a-half old. When he told her that the first time they were out together, she felt her heart go suddenly out to him.
“There are so many ways I could have dealt with that…” He told her. “Being a cop, I was exposed to a hell of a lot of crap.” “It would have been easy to become angry, or hit the bottle or even go on the take.” “I had to do a lot of self searching if you know what I mean.” “Yes, I do.” She replied thinking briefly of when her ex-husband died.
“So I decided to move from where we were living and go to a place I have never been.” “Vegas seemed like just the place.” “And I have seen more stuff in this town than I have never seen before.” “That is just what I needed.”
“To put myself somewhere I had never been just to start again.”
“Are you okay?” He asked her. “Yeah,” She said looking at him again still wanting to be exactly were she was, with him.
“So, what exactly are you making for me?” She asked sipping her wine. “I got it off The Food Network; it’s called; You Won’t be Single for Long Vodka Cream Sauce.*
“Would you like a taste?” He said as she walked from around the bar to him in the kitchen. He dipped a piece of bread into the sauce and fed it to her. “Good?” He asked looking at her standing in front of him. “Umm Hmm.” She said looking back at him.
At that moment, when she had finished chewing, she stepped even closer to him.
They had the same look in their eyes as their attraction to each other was suddenly taking over. He rubbed his thumb over her lips then kissed her.
They kissed for a few minutes then when they pulled apart, he turned off the stove.
“Maybe dinner can wait.” She said with a slight smile. Catherine was standing with her back to the sliding glass door leading to a balcony and suddenly he pushed her behind him.
“What’s going on?” She said sort-of stunned. “I saw something outside.” He said stepping in front of her. “What do you mean?” “We are on the third floor.”
“SSSSSHHHH.” He said motioning her to stop talking.
Catherine’s mind raced. Her investigator side came out as she scanned the apartment and out towards the balcony. Then she saw it too, a shadow on the balcony. “What the hell is going on?” She thought. She followed his lead and stood behind him as he walked towards the bedroom while keeping his eyes on the balcony. Tony and Catherine know how to ‘work a crime scene’ but they were not prepared for what happened next….
She fell on her hands and knees and put her hands above her head. She saw from the corner of her eye his tall body fall to the ground next to her. The remnant sound of shattering glass is all that can be heard. She looked over and saw him lying on the floor holding his side. Her mouth was hung open in pure shock. “OH MY GOD!” TONY, are you okay?” She said as she crawled over and put her body over top of his as more glass fell to the ground. She touched his side where blood is now spilling out through his shirt and pants. She grabbed his hand…”Go to it Catherine, you know what to do.” He said quietly as he put his head down on the ground and closed his eyes. That is his way of telling her to find out what happened. Her mind raced. She put her hand on his wound and felt the hot blood now seeping out onto her hands. She wiped the blood on her shirt as she made her way on her hands and knees to the bedroom where she assumed he kept his weapon. Then she called it in….
There was an eerie silence in the aftermath of what she thought sounded more like a bomb going off than gunfire. She heard a dog barking in the distance as the faint sound of sirens cut into the silence. Only a high caliber weapon could have made that kind of impact is what went through her mind as she was putting together all the evidence… her mind was racing and her body is full of adrenaline. But she didn’t go examine the evidence; her urge is to stay with Tony listening and his labored breathing as she tried not to cry.
When the paramedics found her she was sitting on the floor next to him holding his hand. “It’s okay baby”, she whispered to him as they ushered her out of the apartment while officers streamed in.
Catherine found herself in the courtyard of the apartment building. One of the officers had given her his jacket when he noticed her shivering. But none of the officers questioned her being there, not even Capt. Brass after he arrived.
Then she saw him. The person she not only dreaded at a time like this, but was secretly glad he, above all the others, was at the scene.
“Grissom, there you are.” Brass Said as he stepped toward Grissom and Sara as they got out of the SUV. “This isn’t going to be pretty.” Brass said quietly to Grissom. “Why, what is going on?” “Well when one of our own gets shot, we call on the best.” “What are you taking about?” “Do you know whose apartment this belongs to?” Brass said to Grissom.
Grissom checked his notes. “NO, I just got the call.” “Tony Vartann.” Brass said hoping it would spark recollection in Grissom… “as in Detective Vartann?” Grissom asked.
“And it gets better.” Brass said with some hesitation in his voice. Capt. Brass stepped aside to let Grissom and Sara across the crime scene tape.
“What is she doing here?” Grissom asked with some authority when he spots Catherine standing by an ambulance. “This isn’t her case; she isn’t even on call tonight.” Grissom failed to notice the blood stained shirt Catherine had on as well as the blood on her hands since the jacket covered most of her body.
At that moment Sara had an idea why Catherine was there. “Let me go talk to her.” Sara said as she walked towards Catherine. Grissom followed Brass as Grissom then went up the stairs to the third floor to begin processing.
“Catherine.” Sara said snapping Catherine into reality.
“Come over here.” Sara said pointed to the lab’s SUV. “Have they come to take your statement?” Sara asked. “Yeah.” Catherine said quietly still in a daze. Her hands are shaking now as the shock began to wear off.
Sara motioned for a paramedic to come check out Catherine after Sara noticed the blood on Catherine’s hands. “I’ll be right there.” A voice said in the distance. Sara’s gloved hands ran through Catherine’s hair with the hopes of providing some comfort, as Sara noticed more blood in Catherine’s hair. Transfer, thought Sara. “You know they will take your official statement at PD, but, off the record, was this a date Catherine?” “I guess.” Catherine managed to get out. They were both silent for a minute while Sara took some notes.
“This isn’t your blood, is it?” Sara said noticing the blood on Catherine’s shirt while holding open the jacket. “No.” Catherine said quietly, “it’s his.”
Catherine still wasn’t looking at Sara. Her head was turned in hopes that everything around her would go away and the scenario would become a dream. More like a nightmare that she would soon wake up from.
“I’m going to need to take your clothes Catherine.” Sara said still offering a reassuring voice to her obviously freighted co-worker.
Then a noise in the distance started Catherine as she practically jumped, it was the paramedics loading Tony into the ambulance. She looked in the direction and saw his body lying on the stretcher. He looked like some foreign object to her, not the man she was going to have dinner with. All Catherine saw was the back of head and his dark hair. She had to turn away while tears filled her eyes. Sara looked towards the ambulance then turned back towards Catherine.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Sara said helping Catherine undress in the SUV.
“I think I have some extra clothes in here for you.”
“Yes, yes I do.” Catherine whispered as more tears filled her eyes.
“Grissom will figure this out, you know he will.” Sara said.
“In the mean time, I’ll sit here with you while we figure out what happened.”
As Sara said that, Catherine leaned her tired body over to Sara’s shoulder and began to cry.
* You Won’t be Single for Long Vodka Cream Sauce, can be found in Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meal Cookbook.
