"BY ANY OTHER NAME"
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any its characters; they belong to CBS and/or Anthony Zuiker. The character of Iris King is of my own creation.
A/N: I have written a prequel of the events that lead up to Iris's coming to the Las Vegas CSI Unit (see "Second Chances"). I hope you enjoy the read and please read and review. The next Brass/Iris story of "Heidi's Song (Suffer the Little Children)" which was to follow "To Have and To Hold" is forthcoming.
Acknowledgements: To my lady betas, Kacee and Mel and Onyx, who continue to inspire and support my writing efforts. "Forever and For Always" written by Mutt Lange and Shania Twain.
Chapter One – Dallas, Texas, July 2006
The flies were buzzing, drawn by the scent of blood and driven by instinct to propagate at its source. The air resounded with the high-pitched drone of hundreds of them and agitated as they were forced to interrupt their activity.
It was very early morning as the crime scene was being processed and the graveyard shift was still in effect. The digital camera took picture after picture.
"How long has she been here?" Detective Max Schneider asked, holding his nose.
"Well, since we're still waiting on the medical examiner, my guess would be twenty-four hours or less. The flies here have had time to begin egg laying but I don't see any direct evidence of maggot activity. The decomp process will also be faster with it being summertime." The CSI replied, unaffected by the odor of decay, while taking out a specimen jar to collect some flies that were too busy to notice.
"She went to that recent seminar in Las Vegas. You know the one done by her hero, Dr. Gil Grissom. She's been bugging us ever since!" Angie Saxon, the other CSI on-site laughed.
Max gave a grin at that, poking a finger in the side of the CSI still attempting to catch a few more blow-flies. He was tall with an athletic physique; dark tousled hair, gray eyes and somewhat olive complexion, considered very good-looking by women.
Iris stood up and shook her head at Max, saying dryly, "Ha-ha-ha. I happened to really enjoy Dr. Grissom's seminar. He even autographed the new book he published for me. "
"You didn't even gamble, so how can you say you enjoyed it?" Max countered.
"There're other things to do there besides gamble. I took a tour of the CSI lab and met the director, Conrad Ecklie. He struck me as being the ambitious smarmy political type. The lab, however, is the bomb. Crap-n-crud, if we had their budget." Iris shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay, CSI level one, give me your take on the crime scene thus far." Angie requested.
Iris stepped back and looked sadly down, collecting her thoughts. "The victim was found in a field off of Harry Hines Boulevard and Lombard Avenue by a transient cutting through. She is a young Hispanic female, approximately age twenty, nude. Body position is face-up with arms folded across chest. There are ligature marks around the wrists and ankles, resembling rope burns as the skin is abraded. A fresh burn mark is noted above the left breast which says "Rosa" that appears to be a brand. There are finger marks bilaterally on the sides of the neck with ecchymoses suggesting strangulation. Sexual assault is also possible judging from bruises also present on the inner thighs. The fingernails appear broken with debris beneath which may be trace evidence of skin from the killer. There's high probability that this is another victim of the FTD killer as there are flower petals sprinkled on the body and the ground. More evidence will be forthcoming once the body's been processed by the coroner."
The FTD killer, so-called because each female victim's first name was that of a flower, had claimed responsibility for at least five deaths in the Dallas area in less than three months. A letter sent to the police chief of the Dallas Police Department preceded each murder. All of the victims were young women who had been found with flower petals sprinkled on and about each body. Each victim had been sadistically raped before being killed by strangulation or suffocation. The victims were left where they would be found in twenty-four hours or less, the FTD killer saying it was so families would have their loved one back quickly. The body dumping sites had been fields or by roadsides, always where it was green and grassy, again the FTD killer saying that was where flowers should be found in greenery. The FTD killer had a twisted sense of his own morality.
"Good summary, as always, Iris. You have an eye for detail. Dr. Chambers will probably have you transcribe his notes." Angie approved with a grin.
"Well, there've been times my being a transcriptionist in the past has bit me in the hindquarters." Iris agreed.
The van for the Dallas County Medical Examiner then pulled up. Marcus, who was an assistant to the coroner, walked over to greet the CSI's and detective.
"What's shakin', ladies?" He asked, amiably.
"Can you get us a liver temperature please and turn her so we can check lividity?" Iris requested.
"You got it, Miss Iris. Another FTD victim?" Marcus asked.
"Yeah, probably." Angie spoke up. She was the senior CSI on-scene and Iris deferred to her accordingly.
After obtaining the liver temperature that gave the approximate window time of death as within the last six hours, the body was turned onto its side where the faint purplish discoloration of lividity was present. The body was also in the beginning stages of rigor mortis.
Iris shook her head sadly again as she and Angie stepped back while the medical examiner personnel began prepare the body for transport back to the morgue.
"Did you find anything else as far as clues?" Max asked Iris while Angie was speaking to one of the medical examiner attendants before they left with the body.
Iris gave a sigh of frustration. "No. She's like the other five victims found so far. Those letters the police chief is getting don't help matters either. Our supervisor's getting heat from the lab director who's getting heat from the police chief who's getting heat from the mayor."
"Well, I'm done here for my part. I know you've still got to take pictures and all. Do you want to have breakfast later?" Max asked hopefully.
"Let me take a rain check there." Iris said carefully. She and Max had been friends since she'd started working as a CSI nearly a year ago. He desired more of the relationship but Iris felt comfortable where things were.
Max allowed a disappointed expression for a moment before he told Iris he'd see her back at the DPD. He said good-bye to Iris and Angie before heading back to his car.
Angie watched him leave. "Iris, what's holding you back? If anyone deserved to meet a great guy it's you. Max would fit the bill. I sure wouldn't kick him out of the hay, if I wasn't married to Daniel."
"I just don't feel the same way, Angie. He's been a good friend, but he's not the one, though." Iris responded candidly, as she bent to collect flower petals into an evidence envelope.
Angie rolled her eyes. They worked several more minutes gathering trace evidence from where the body had lain and taking additional photographs before getting in Angie's Tahoe to return to the lab.