35The snow was already several more inches deep as they stepped out onto the street in front of the old industrial structure that was now filled with apartments. It was part of a complex for NYU and was used solely for accommodating students. As Danny and Stella approached the entrance, Danny spotted 2 or 3 blood drops in the freshly fallen snow. He snapped a quick photo and took a sample incase it had anything to do with their case. Two uniformed officers stood at either side of the main double doors.
"Morning Gerry. Any idea who called it in?" asked Stella. The shorter man of the two smiled at Stella.
"One of the other students, Billy Petersen. Said he heard a scream, went to check on the girls and no one answered the door. A while later he heard the door slamming and he went to look again. When he spotted blood on the door handle he called 911." The other man lifted the all too familiar yellow tape to allow Stella and Danny into the stairwell.
"Got this whole place sealed. Keeping the other kids in their rooms 'til we sort this out. Its the top floor." Gerry added.
Danny gave a small nod in thanks and they climbed to the 4th floor. However before Stella made it she spotted what looked like fresh blood smeared on the wall.
"I'll collect this, you go on ahead, find Flack and get the info from him." Danny did as he was asked. He found Flack straight away. But instead of being his usual cocky self - questioning neighbours in a cheeky manner or hitting Danny with some insult - he had his arm and head against the wall and seemed uneasy on his feet.
"Yo, Flack, what's goin' on?" Danny asked. Flack turned his head. There were tears shining in his eyes and his face was a nasty shade of off white. His face crumpled as he noticed Danny staring at him with an extremely worried and confused look on his face.
"Dude...what the hell is the matter?!" he questioned. "You are really freaking me out with this one."
"Danny...this is...oh god...this.." Flack could barely speak. He swallowed hard a few times, desperately holding back tears. "This is my sister's apartment." Danny felt like his heart sank right to the floor. It would just make things so much worse knowing that one of the victims was one of his closest colleague - and friend's - sibling.
"Aw man, jeez...I don't know what to say." Danny reached out and put a hand on Flack's shoulder. He closed his eyes and clasped onto Danny's hand.
"My baby sister Danny, she's in there..."
"Ellie, she's the, uh..." Danny almost said 'hot one' before he realised how completely and utterly inappropriate it was. He had met Ellie on several occasions and they had become friends, but he liked to on occasion make jokes that earned him stern looks from Flack. She was Flack's youngest and by far best looking sibling. He had two other brothers and they were by no means pretty. "...she's really in there?"
Flack nodded. He seemed to almost pitch forward and Danny caught him in his arms.
"C'mere big guy." Danny murmured and pulled him into a hug. He could hear Flack sniffing as he clung onto him tightly. After a few moments in Danny's comforting embrace, Flack moved away slowly and gave a cough. "Sorry." he said.
"You got nothing to apologise for. Listen, pal. I gotta get in there, we need to get the evidence while its fresh."
Flack wiped off his cheeks and raised his eyes to Danny. "You take good care of her okay?"
"Sure, I promise."
As Danny stepped through the front door of the apartment he had the incredible urge to drop everything and go back to Flack. He could only presume he saw the carnage in the living room and couldn't go on. He pulled on his rubber gloves and took out his camera. There was a medical examiner crouched over a slender blonde girl who was barely clothed. She was lying in a puddle of her own blood and her eyes were open wide, staring towards her friend, who had been left hanging over the edge of the sofa. She seemed rather over dressed compared to the other girl wearing a hoodie over dark jeans, a scarf and a hat.
"Am I okay to start processing?" Danny asked. The young man looked up at him with a sad and resigned look.
"I've finished with the bathroom. There's another girl in there, I'm not sure of an initial COD so I'm just waiting on the guys with the gurney." Danny swallowed hard. Neither of these young women were Ellie and he wasn't looking forward to collecting evidence around someone he knew. He practically crept to the open bathroom door. His gaze fell on the bath. Naked with water barely up to her waist was Ellie. There was a towel clamped in her right hand that was resting on her chest. Danny thought she possibly grabbed it in a struggle to cover herself. She had done not a half bad job as most of her torso was hidden under the sodden pink towel. Her other hand was draped across her stomach and her head was lolled to her left. He gave a sigh only to jump suddenly at hearing Stella's voice. She was at his shoulder.
"I saw Don, he's not in a good way. I told him to get out of here. I think he's still hanging around though."
"Do you mind if I deal with this room, its just Flack asked me..."
"Of course it is. I'll get on with the living room." Stella replied with a gentle squeeze to Danny's arm.
Taking a deep breath, Danny slowly made his way to the bath. The cold wind was blasting in the open window so he closed it over. He snapped one photo before pulling the towel just a little further down the top of Ellie's legs. He he was worried it was the two newbies who were coming to collect the bodies - hence why they were late - and he didn't want them gawking at her. He reached across to have a better look at bruising on her upper arm. As soon as his warm hands came into contact with her icy skin, what seemed a breath rattled through her body. Danny jumped a little. He had heard of bodies releasing air after death, but instantly realised this was different as she raised her hand and grabbed onto his light blue shirt. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and Danny's reactions completely left him.
"Where's...Donnie?" Ellie lost her grip and her hand splashed back into the shallow water.
"I'll get him, I'll get your brother for you!" Danny jumped to his feet shouting for Flack, Stella, anybody to get him an ambulance as he grabbed for his coat. "Stella, we got a live one!" he added as she questioned what all the shouting was about. Stella flipped open her phone and called for rescue before glaring at the now very sheepish looking medical examiner.
Back in the bathroom, Danny had pulled Ellie out of the bath and onto the floor. He had wrapped her in the dry towel he had found on the floor and was pulling his coat round her as Stella appeared at the door.
"You have to find Don, he always looks after me..." Ellie mumbled as she saw Stella.
"I know he does honey, but this is Danny he'll do just as a good a job. You're in safe hands, I promise." Danny had Ellie propped up against his chest and was rubbing down her arms, trying to generate heat.
"Messer?" A tiny smile made its way to Ellie's rather blue looking lips. "Least I know its not just some creep trying to..." but her head lurched forward before she could finish her sentence.
"Stell, what the hell is keeping rescue, she keeps slipping in and out of consciousness?"
Right on cue, Stella's phone rang. She hung up with a stern look.
"Pile up because of the snow has blocked the road into here from the station. It's gonna take a while."
Danny looked up at Stella before gazing down at Ellie again.
"I don't think she has a while, I'm taking her in the car. I can get to the hospital from the opposite end the ambulance will be coming."
Stella was worried about the scene but a life was in danger and she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Danny read her mind as he picked Ellie off the floor.
"As soon as I drop her off, I'll call Flack and I'll be right back."
"No need to hurry, I'll take over for the time being." Stella spun on her heels to see Sheldon Hawkes, forensic kit in hand. He was one of the head pathologists at the crime lab, but had recently changed over to work in the field. Behind him stood the two medical porters, who had finally arrived.
"All right Hawkes. Perfect timing!" Danny grinned. He enlisted the help of one of the porters to help with doors in the building and on his car. "Okay, let's get her outta here."
Having called ahead to the hospital, Danny found two nurses waiting with a stretcher outside the E.R.
"She's hypothermic but as well as that she was unconscious for unknown reasons." he said as he placed Ellie gently on to the white sheets.
"Hold up there!" Danny heard from behind him. Mac Taylor was jogging towards them as best he could in the snow. "I want you to treat this almost as an autopsy because she can't tell us what happened just yet. I need blood for a tox report, sexual assault kit and all injuries photographed and logged as well as any trace evidence. Detective Messer here will help you with all of that." Mac turned to Danny. "Have you managed to get in contact with Flack yet?" Danny shook his head. "Okay, I'll call him, you get in there with Ellie"
"Mac, thanks for letting me do this - Flack wanted me to look after her." Mac smiled a little.
"Yeah, I guessed that..." He clapped a hand to Danny's shoulder. "Now make sure she's okay and get back to the lab ASAP.
An hour or so later and Hawkes and Stella were back at the crime lab. The bodies had been sent to autopsy and the two CSIs were getting to work on piecing possible events and explanations together.
"Okay, the place was pretty ransacked, possible robbery?" Hawkes was scanning over photographs of the apartment.
"Maybe, but why go to the top floor, surely a getaway would be easier from one of the lower floors?" Stella suggested. Hawkes was reading through a residency list that had just been faxed over from the university. A few moments later he slid his black glasses onto the top of his head.
"Perhaps because all the other apartments have at least one male living in them. If the perp knew it was all girls, they would be an easier target."
"Nice, maybe one of the girls fought back and he sorted them out." Stella looked off out the window. "I just don't understand what happened to Ellie. She was unconscious in the bath with no obvious external injuries."
Hawkes shrugged. "I'll stick with the robbery theory and we'll have to fit Ellie in somehow when Danny gets back from the hospital."