Blinded - Forgiven (1/7) - Mac Taylor/Michelle Dessler (CSI:NY/24)

Apr 14, 2008 21:14



“Alright, Flack,” he sighed. “What’ve we got?”

“One female vic, a Stephanie Miles. Twenty-five, bullet through the heart.”

Mac turned his head sharply, surprised by the voice. The sun blinded him, making it impossible to identify the person beside him until they moved to stand in front of him.

“You’re not Flack,” he said, frowning in confusion.

The woman before him was medium height and build. Her dark auburn hair was swept up into a ponytail, a few curls dancing around her face. Deep brown eyes stared into his grey ones. She gave him a small smile.

“Very astute,” she replied, sticking out her hand. “I’m Detective Michelle Dessler. Transfer from L.A.”

Mac took her hand, noting the strength in her grip. “Mac Taylor. I’m sorry for the confusion…I was expecting another detective.”

Michelle nodded. “Flack got called out to a case in the Park. So you’re stuck with me.”

He smiled. “I think I’ll survive.”

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“Detective Dessler?”

She swallowed quickly, setting her sandwich down on her desk.

“Please, call me Michelle.”

Mac smiled, giving her a small nod. “Michelle. I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. How can I help you?”

“I was wondering what you got from your interviews with the family on the Miles case.” He paused. “If you want, you could bring your lunch to my office while we work.”

Smiling, she stood up. “Sounds great.”

Mac led her down the corridors, turning slightly so that he could look at her. “So what made you come to New York?”

Michelle gave him a sideways glance. “I thought we were going to talk about the case.”

He shrugged, showing her into his office and gesturing for her to take a seat. “I like to know who I’m working with.”

“I find it hard to believe you haven’t already pulled my file.”

Mack chuckled. “Guilty as charged. But most of your file is classified, so I didn’t learn much.”

“What did you find out?” she asked, and Mac though he heard some trepidation in her voice.

“You used to be a federal agent, although I don’t know for which branch. It says that you’re married -“

“Used to be married,” she broke in, her eyes downcast.

He heard the pain in her voice and decided to drop the subject. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out a file and opened it. “So what’ve we got on Stephanie Miles?”

Michelle gave him a grateful smile before taking a sip of her water. “From everything her friends and family said, she was a normal, happy woman. She was engaged, the wedding set for early next month -“

Mac held up a hand. “And the fiancé?”

“Clean. He was having a tux fitting at the time of the murder. Sales clerk and the vic’s older brother confirmed.”

“Did he know she was pregnant?”

She closed her eyes, exhaling. “No.”

Mac nodded. “The M.E. said six weeks.” He saw a flash of pain in her eyes and he leaned forward. “Are you alright?”

Michelle gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to get this bastard.”

He sat back in his seat, unconvinced, but willing to let it go for the time being. “Do you have anybody that looks good for it?”

“Not really. But the brother mentioned an ex-boyfriend. They only broke up a eight months ago, so there’s a chance he wasn’t too happy about her getting married to another guy.”

“When are you heading out to talk to him?”

“As soon as I finish my sandwich,” she said, taking another bite.”

Mac nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

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Michelle was torn as she watched the young man in front of her. He was in near-hysterics about Stephanie, sobs escaping him as his shoulders shook with the force of his grief. A small part of her told her that she should be sympathizing with him, that she should be gentle in her questions. A larger part of her, however, didn’t trust him at all, and suspected that the tears were an act. Trusting her instinct, she pushed.

“Mr. Davies…”

“I just can’t believe she’s gone...”

“Mr. Davies,” she said more firmly. “I need you to focus.” He looked at her then, tears still streaming down his face. Michelle took a deep breath. “When was the last time you saw Stephanie?”

Dustin thought for a minute. “Three months ago. We ran into each other in the Park.”

“The Park is a pretty big place, Mr. Davies.”

He shrugged. “That’s what she said.”

Mac stared at Dustin, his eyes roaming over his clothes and skin. Distantly, he heard Michelle’s questions, but he focused more on the young man, knowing that the evidence wouldn’t lie.

“You’re sure that’s the last time you saw her?” Michelle continued.

“Yes, of course…” His eyes grew large, his bottom lip trembling. “You don’t think….I’m not a suspect, am I?”

“We need to rule everyone out, Mr. Davies. Did you know that Stephanie was pregnant?”

“How could I possibly know that?”

Before Michelle could ask another question, Mac stepped in. “Mr. Davies, could I have a look at your shoes, please?”

Dustin looked startled by the question. “What? Why?”

“I just want to look at them.”

His surprise turned to fear. “Don’t you need a warrant for that?”

Michelle shrugged. “We could go get one. But that would only make you look uncooperative.”

Dustin stared at them both for a minute before standing up, his hands shaking. “I think you should both leave. If you want to talk to me again, you can call my lawyer first.”

Mac stood up as well, moving toward the door. Michelle stayed for a moment longer.

“Have it your way, Mr. Davies,” she said.

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“You won’t believe who’s in our interrogation room.

Michelle looked up from the paperwork on her desk to see Mac standing over her. She frowned in confusion.

“Who?”

“Dustin Davies.”

“What? Why?”

“Said something about wanting to clear his name.”

Michelle stood up, following Mac as they headed down the hall. “Is his lawyer with him?”

Mac shook his head. “Said he didn’t want to look guilty. I told him he wasn’t under arrest, and that he was free to leave or ask for his lawyer again at any time. He says he wants to cooperate.”

“So we question him?”

“You up for it?”

“You have no idea.”

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“I realized after you left…that I might have acted guilty. And I don’t want you to think that I hurt Stephanie. I could never do that.”

“I don’t know if I believe that, Dustin,” Michelle said, sitting across from him.

“But I loved her!”

She shook her head. “I think you were obsessed with her. We were in your apartment, we saw the pictures you still had of her.”

“She was important to me -“

“You broke up eight months ago.”

“So?” he asked, his voice rising. “Does that mean that we just forget about each other, about what we had? We were meant to be together!”

Michelle noted the fire in his eyes, knowing that Mac was doing the same behind the two-way mirror. There was definitely something off about this kid, and her suspicion that he was the killer only continued to grow.

“But she was marrying someone else, Dustin. She was having a baby. She had moved on from you.”

“NO!” he yelled, slamming his hand down on the table. “She was going to come back to me. She knew that scumbag wasn’t good enough for her!”

“Admit it - you couldn’t stand the thought of her being with someone else - so you killed her!”

“She was a whore!” Dustin screamed. “She didn’t deserve to be happy - her or that bastard child!”

Michelle was up in an instant, her hand around Dustin’s throat as she pushed him against the wall.

“You think you’re a man?” she gritted out, her face mere centimeters from his. “Putting a bullet through a pregnant woman? You’re nothing but a coward. You saw her being happy and you realized that you might never have that.” Dustin pushed at her, but Michelle just tightened her grip. “Admit it!” she commanded. “You weren’t happy, so you decided to take away her happiness too - nevermind the fiancé whose entire life you stole!”

There were arms on her suddenly, pulling her back. She was vaguely aware of Mac shouting at her as he led her away from the suspect. Her breathing was labored, and her hands were shaking - she had wanted to choke the life out of that kid.

She didn’t say anything until they were in his office, the door closed, shutting out the rest of the lab. Mac finally let go of her, coming around to face her.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked. “You can’t assault a suspect, Michelle!”

“He did it!” she yelled back. “And we both know it, Mac! He killed her because he couldn’t stand to see her happy - he ruined their lives just as they were about to start! He took a baby away from the fiancé! He destroyed them!”

Mac saw the pain in her eyes, and he knew that this went deeper in the case. He found himself wanting to know who had hurt her so much, who had taken the joy out of her life. He thought back to the file, and her comment that she used to be married…had someone taken her husband from her?

“Michelle,” he said quietly, moving closer and taking a hold of her arms. “I know that you want to get this guy - I do too. But this isn’t the way, and you know that. If you really want to get him, we have to play by the rules.”

She sighed, and he felt the fight go out of her. “I know,” she murmured. “I just don’t get it, Mac…how could anyone want to hurt someone like that?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “But we’re going to find out.”

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“I have a present for you,” Mac said, meeting Michelle as she came into the lab.

“Oh?”

He handed her a piece of paper. “Search warrant for Dustin Davies’ apartment and car.”

She stopped, staring down at it. “What? How did you get this?”

He shrugged. “I know a judge. I told him about all the pictures, and the blood I thought I saw on his shoes, and he went for it.”

“Is this judge senile?”

Mac smiled. “Getting there.”

“Well, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s go.”

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Danny walked into the living room, where Michelle and Mac sat with Dustin. A satisfied smile on his face, he handed a pair of shoes in a bag to Mac.

“I confirmed that the blood in the treads belongs to Stephanie Miles, and the dust is a match to that found at the crime scene. And,” he said, holding up another bag, “a .45, same caliber as the gun that shot Stephanie.”

Michelle stood up, a grim smile on her lips. “Dustin Davies,” she said, yanking his arms behind his back, “you are under arrest for murder.”

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Mac left the office around eleven - an early night for him. He walked out onto the sidewalk, noticing the slight drizzle that was falling. As he turned to make his way home, he noticed Michelle standing a little further down, her face lifted to the sky.

“Michelle?”

She turned to look at him, a small smile on her face. “Hey, Mac.”

“Do you normally stand out in the rain?”

She shrugged. “It feels good. Almost like it’s washing the case away, you know?”

He nodded, understanding all too well. “You did good, Michelle.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “You mean the part where I tried to choke the suspect? Yeah, that was great.”

“We all get too involved sometimes,” he said quietly.

Michelle heard the deeper meaning in his voice, the unasked question. “Even you?” she asked.

“Even me.” He stuck out his hand. “I look forward to working with you again,” he said, a playful smile on his lips.

She shook his hand, and he found himself once again marveling at the strength there; but this time, he was startled by the softness of her skin as well, and the way her hand fit into his.

“You can bet on it, Taylor.”

24, csi: ny, author: failegaidin

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