Title: Interview
Author: Tara Keezer
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG
Series: 1) Lab Work
Summary: In an alternate universe, crime labs are privately owned, and nonviolent offenders pay their debt to society as indentured servants. David Hodges could feel himself starting to sweat.
Notes: I just remembered this was sitting on my hard drive. Any chance someone else is ready to play?

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"I see you've been assigned to Ecklie's lab for the last three years on --" Grissom looked through the folder in front of him. "Here it is. Summary judgment on a personal debt?"

"Yes, sir." David Hodges could feel himself starting to sweat. He'd hoped that the interview would begin with a discussion of his qualifications, not a discussion of just how much his life sucked and why.

"What happened?"

"It was a personal matter." One that had been dragged into a public forum, thanks to Ecklie's decision to play god with Hodges' life.

When it became clear that Hodges wasn't going to add anything else, Grissom said, "If you wanted, you could continue working for Conrad once your personal debt is discharged."

"Yes. If I wanted to, I could," Hodges answered in a tight voice. He straightened his back just a bit more and wondered if Dr. Grissom heard the bitterness in his answer. If he did -- if he did, then Hodges would just have to keep making the rounds until he found someone to take him on for the county debt.

Grissom sat back in his chair. "From what I understand, Conrad's lab has all the latest toys."

"It does."

"He also gets all the big cases," Grissom added. "The ones that make national news."

"You aren't wrong."

"It must be fascinating to work in such circumstances."

Hodges bit down on his lips for a moment then took a deep breath. "Dr. Grissom, please don't take this the wrong way, because truly, if Conrad Ecklie were stripped naked and forced to dance the Macarena out at Nevada State Penitentiary, I would be sitting in the front row with a bushel of rotten tomatoes to throw at him."

"Oh?"

"I'm telling you this just so you know how much I hate him." Though an eyebrow quirked upward, Grissom said nothing else. David continued, "But even so, I don't talk about former employers with future employers. If you want gossip about Ecklie's lab, you're going to have to talk to someone else. If, on the other hand, you want the best trace tech in the business, I'm your man."

After a long moment, Grissom leaned forward and closed Hodges' file before handing it back. David accepted it with a quiet, "Right. Not your man."

"Yes, you are."

Hodges looked up in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You should do just fine here. I'll be in touch with your assignment officer tomorrow to let her know I want whatever is available of your time after your mandatory sentence with Ecklie is complete." Grissom stood up.

"I don't understand. I thought you --" Hodges looked down at his file and then up at Grissom.

"I need employees who know how to keep their mouth shut."

"Oh."

"If you do your job well, you'll be able to keep it after you're out of the system." Grissom gestured for David to stand. "And now, if you don't mind, I have more evidence to process, so I need to kick you out of here."

At the door, David turned and tried to say something -- even a simple thank you would have sufficed -- but he couldn't choke the words out, not with his head still reeling. As it happened, he didn't need to worry about it. Grissom closed the door behind David without further comment.

***