FIC: Titania Falling (CSI:NY; ensemble; T) 15/17
Title: Titania Falling
Chapter: Swift as a shadow, short as any dream 15/17
Author: Zelda Ophelia (zeldaophelia)
Fandom/Character: CSI:NY, ensemble (Flack/Angell, hints of Danny/Lindsay and Mac/Stella)
General info: Not mine; T
Words: 1401
Summary: When a dead fairy is found within Central Park's urban forest, Flack and the CSIs race to solve the mystery of who she is and how she died. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, an unidentified man appears to have fallen to his death. Previous chapters here.
"That explains how he landed the way he did," Hawkes said quietly as he removed the DVD from the player. "Whereas a jumper just dropping from the end of the platform would have had fractures to his legs and could have possibly survived the fall, by diving he hit headfirst and was most likely killed instantly."
"I can't believe he recorded himself committing suicide." Danny shook his head in disbelief.
"People do crazy things," Angell said.
"At least he explained a few things for us, like how he got in."
"Yeah." They all looked up when there was a knock on the door. Flack was outside, and they waved him in.
"Adam said the video equipment was down here." He held up the DVD that Bradley Miller had given him. The digital recorder and other stuff had already been dropped off with Adam in the AV lab, but for now they just wanted - no, needed - to take a look at what happened at the party.
"You have one, too?"
"Yeah, hopefully it'll show us what happened, Danno." Flack shook his head as the two CSIs headed out, the door swinging shut behind them. "You okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Angell sat on the edge of the table, and he quickly followed suit, wrapping an arm around her back. "Our vic. He committed suicide and taped the whole thing. The idiot."
"I take it he did it for all the wrong reasons."
"You want to know his reasoning? His ex-girlfriend had a baby. She found out she was pregnant after they broke up but didn't tell him until later. He was up to his ears in gambling debts, had bookies tracking him down and beating the crap out of him. So he takes every penny he had, steals from his super for more, cheats all of the bookies out of as much money as possible to put together a trust for the little girl. Then goes and commits suicide because there isn't anything left for him. He doesn't consider getting help or getting a job, he doesn't consider counseling, doesn't consider sticking around and being a part of his daughter's life. Just decides it's too much for him and jumps."
She sighs. "Sorry, it's just been one of those cases. First we think it's suicide, then it looks like murder, then it turns out to be suicide after all."
"Hey, at least you've closed it now."
"Yeah." She leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed. "I need a day off."
Flack laughed. "I'm pretty sure the captain doesn't have you on rotation tomorrow."
"I know, but the paperwork."
"It can wait another day." They both heard voices out in the hall and stood, stepping apart. "Now, unless you want to get roped into this case, I'm kicking you out. Go home and get some rest."
"Later?"
"Later."
Mac was about to open the door when she did, looking a bit surprised to see her there. Behind him, Stella and Lindsay were coming down the hall. "Angell, Danny said you had a video in your case, too."
"Recorded suicide note," she said, stepping out into the hall. "At least we now know what happened. Case closed."
"Yeah." Lindsay looked down at her hands; Angell looked about as rough as both Danny and Hawkes had when they came by the office. "At least it's closed now."
"Flack mentioned you had a video with yours?"
"Partygoer had a camera. At this point it's all we have left." They both looked into the reconstruction room where Stella, Mac, and Flack were waiting.
"Good luck. Maybe you'll close yours tonight as well."
Lindsay nodded as she joined them in the room. There were enough chairs for all for of them, but Flack hopped up to sit on the table. Seeing everyone in position, Mac pressed play.
"Wow," Stella said, "talk about the tacky costumes."
"It's what our girl wanted," Flack reminded her, looking around. "Hey, I thought you guys were getting the popcorn."
Lindsay couldn't help but make a snickering snort, eyes glued to the screen as they watched all of the guests at the party walk by.
"Wait, was that-?" Stella reached across Mac for the remote.
"Was that what?"
"The Waterhouse painting of the Hamadryad; I think there was-"
"Yes, there was," Flack interrupted. "And the tailor was right in wondering where she was going to put the rest of her body. You can go back and assuage your curiosity later."
"I'm sorry, but she had no business wearing that costume."
"Stella." Mac's voice was a cross between amusement and exasperation.
"There's Ariana," Lindsay said before it could go any further.
Wearing her pink fairy costume, Ariana Hawthorne was obviously the life of the party. She stopped and talked with everyone there, taking a plate of food offered by one person and a glass of punch from someone else. Whoever the cameraman had been, he hadn't kept his eyes - or the camera - off of her. She even came and spoke with him, giggling and obviously drunk. As she slid away, off to talk to another groupie, someone walked up and offered her a cup.
"Isn't that--" Flack paused mid-sentence, already knowing the answer, as the scene played out on the screen.
They watched as she greeted her friends, drinking what one of them offered her, before showing them around the party in the clearing. She seemed to be especially pleased with the arbor and other decorations, gesturing wildly to them while she talked. Eventually she saw some new guests who had arrived, going over to shower them with hugs and kisses as well. It was obvious that she was enjoying herself.
The party went on for some time after that, all four detectives determined to watch it in its entirety even though they now had a pretty good idea as to what had happened. Just as Vivienne said, she left around midnight with Mark, having not passed any food or drink to her friend. The drugs had turned up a little before, and Ariana was shown placing the blotter from Picasso in her mouth. Just before one the video stopped, having recorded everything but the death.
"Bradley Miller said that he left before one, so he was gone before Ariana collapsed. He left for Pittsburgh first thing in the morning for a meeting; didn't know about the death until he got my message about the video."
"Vivienne was telling the truth about not drugging Ariana," Lindsay said quietly.
"But he would have known what he was doing and that it could look like an accidental overdose."
"He may not have actually been trying to kill her," Stella said softly, remembering what Hawkes had explained to her about serotonin syndrome. "He may have just been trying to make her sick."
"Doesn't matter," Mac said gravely. "she still ended up dead."
Flack already had his phone out, stepping into the hall to make some calls. After several minutes, he returned. "I just spoke with his lawyer. He is currently indisposed, but he'll be happy to stop by in the morning to answer any of our questions about the party."
"Willingly?"
"I may have forgotten to mention just what questions we needed answered, so it's doubtful he realizes he's a suspect. And in case he does, I've already arranged for someone to keep an eye on him over night. It's late enough now that even if we brought him in we wouldn't be able to question him until morning."
"Which would give him time to come up with a story," Stella said softly.
"It's better to take him by surprise tomorrow," Mac finished.
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Chapter: Swift as a shadow, short as any dream 15/17
Author: Zelda Ophelia (zeldaophelia)
Fandom/Character: CSI:NY, ensemble (Flack/Angell, hints of Danny/Lindsay and Mac/Stella)
General info: Not mine; T
Words: 1401
Summary: When a dead fairy is found within Central Park's urban forest, Flack and the CSIs race to solve the mystery of who she is and how she died. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, an unidentified man appears to have fallen to his death. Previous chapters here.
"That explains how he landed the way he did," Hawkes said quietly as he removed the DVD from the player. "Whereas a jumper just dropping from the end of the platform would have had fractures to his legs and could have possibly survived the fall, by diving he hit headfirst and was most likely killed instantly."
"I can't believe he recorded himself committing suicide." Danny shook his head in disbelief.
"People do crazy things," Angell said.
"At least he explained a few things for us, like how he got in."
"Yeah." They all looked up when there was a knock on the door. Flack was outside, and they waved him in.
"Adam said the video equipment was down here." He held up the DVD that Bradley Miller had given him. The digital recorder and other stuff had already been dropped off with Adam in the AV lab, but for now they just wanted - no, needed - to take a look at what happened at the party.
"You have one, too?"
"Yeah, hopefully it'll show us what happened, Danno." Flack shook his head as the two CSIs headed out, the door swinging shut behind them. "You okay?"
"Yeah, fine." Angell sat on the edge of the table, and he quickly followed suit, wrapping an arm around her back. "Our vic. He committed suicide and taped the whole thing. The idiot."
"I take it he did it for all the wrong reasons."
"You want to know his reasoning? His ex-girlfriend had a baby. She found out she was pregnant after they broke up but didn't tell him until later. He was up to his ears in gambling debts, had bookies tracking him down and beating the crap out of him. So he takes every penny he had, steals from his super for more, cheats all of the bookies out of as much money as possible to put together a trust for the little girl. Then goes and commits suicide because there isn't anything left for him. He doesn't consider getting help or getting a job, he doesn't consider counseling, doesn't consider sticking around and being a part of his daughter's life. Just decides it's too much for him and jumps."
She sighs. "Sorry, it's just been one of those cases. First we think it's suicide, then it looks like murder, then it turns out to be suicide after all."
"Hey, at least you've closed it now."
"Yeah." She leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed. "I need a day off."
Flack laughed. "I'm pretty sure the captain doesn't have you on rotation tomorrow."
"I know, but the paperwork."
"It can wait another day." They both heard voices out in the hall and stood, stepping apart. "Now, unless you want to get roped into this case, I'm kicking you out. Go home and get some rest."
"Later?"
"Later."
Mac was about to open the door when she did, looking a bit surprised to see her there. Behind him, Stella and Lindsay were coming down the hall. "Angell, Danny said you had a video in your case, too."
"Recorded suicide note," she said, stepping out into the hall. "At least we now know what happened. Case closed."
"Yeah." Lindsay looked down at her hands; Angell looked about as rough as both Danny and Hawkes had when they came by the office. "At least it's closed now."
"Flack mentioned you had a video with yours?"
"Partygoer had a camera. At this point it's all we have left." They both looked into the reconstruction room where Stella, Mac, and Flack were waiting.
"Good luck. Maybe you'll close yours tonight as well."
Lindsay nodded as she joined them in the room. There were enough chairs for all for of them, but Flack hopped up to sit on the table. Seeing everyone in position, Mac pressed play.
"Wow," Stella said, "talk about the tacky costumes."
"It's what our girl wanted," Flack reminded her, looking around. "Hey, I thought you guys were getting the popcorn."
Lindsay couldn't help but make a snickering snort, eyes glued to the screen as they watched all of the guests at the party walk by.
"Wait, was that-?" Stella reached across Mac for the remote.
"Was that what?"
"The Waterhouse painting of the Hamadryad; I think there was-"
"Yes, there was," Flack interrupted. "And the tailor was right in wondering where she was going to put the rest of her body. You can go back and assuage your curiosity later."
"I'm sorry, but she had no business wearing that costume."
"Stella." Mac's voice was a cross between amusement and exasperation.
"There's Ariana," Lindsay said before it could go any further.
Wearing her pink fairy costume, Ariana Hawthorne was obviously the life of the party. She stopped and talked with everyone there, taking a plate of food offered by one person and a glass of punch from someone else. Whoever the cameraman had been, he hadn't kept his eyes - or the camera - off of her. She even came and spoke with him, giggling and obviously drunk. As she slid away, off to talk to another groupie, someone walked up and offered her a cup.
"Isn't that--" Flack paused mid-sentence, already knowing the answer, as the scene played out on the screen.
They watched as she greeted her friends, drinking what one of them offered her, before showing them around the party in the clearing. She seemed to be especially pleased with the arbor and other decorations, gesturing wildly to them while she talked. Eventually she saw some new guests who had arrived, going over to shower them with hugs and kisses as well. It was obvious that she was enjoying herself.
The party went on for some time after that, all four detectives determined to watch it in its entirety even though they now had a pretty good idea as to what had happened. Just as Vivienne said, she left around midnight with Mark, having not passed any food or drink to her friend. The drugs had turned up a little before, and Ariana was shown placing the blotter from Picasso in her mouth. Just before one the video stopped, having recorded everything but the death.
"Bradley Miller said that he left before one, so he was gone before Ariana collapsed. He left for Pittsburgh first thing in the morning for a meeting; didn't know about the death until he got my message about the video."
"Vivienne was telling the truth about not drugging Ariana," Lindsay said quietly.
"But he would have known what he was doing and that it could look like an accidental overdose."
"He may not have actually been trying to kill her," Stella said softly, remembering what Hawkes had explained to her about serotonin syndrome. "He may have just been trying to make her sick."
"Doesn't matter," Mac said gravely. "she still ended up dead."
Flack already had his phone out, stepping into the hall to make some calls. After several minutes, he returned. "I just spoke with his lawyer. He is currently indisposed, but he'll be happy to stop by in the morning to answer any of our questions about the party."
"Willingly?"
"I may have forgotten to mention just what questions we needed answered, so it's doubtful he realizes he's a suspect. And in case he does, I've already arranged for someone to keep an eye on him over night. It's late enough now that even if we brought him in we wouldn't be able to question him until morning."
"Which would give him time to come up with a story," Stella said softly.
"It's better to take him by surprise tomorrow," Mac finished.
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