Buzz Kill

Chapter 1

The night was a typical one in Vegas. The casinos were alive and the streets bustling with the night life that was characteristic of that town. The Las Vegas Crime Lab was bustling with the lab techs going about their work on the active cases. The swing shift was about ready to go off and officially the night shift was about to begin. It was business as usual.

Sage Parker walked into the lab looking like she came from a business meeting. It had been court day for her. It was one of the cases she had worked on with Sara but she was the one that collected and processed the case breaker and Sara was the lead. Sara already had her day in court so now it was her turn and she felt that it went well.

Walking through the lab, Sage knew that she looked professional but the one thing that was out of place was her shoulder book bag. That bag was battered and old looking. It looked like it had been through hell and back and it literally had but Sage wouldn't give it up for anything. The excuse she gave to her colleagues was that it was her lucky pack and in truth it was. She had it since college and it was more of a sentimental reason she held onto it.

Walking through the lab, she caught the techs going about their work. She was even surprised that Greg was hard at work doing what he was good at. Normally he kept an eye out for her and they exchanged a wave or two and continued through. Occasionally he brought her a cup of coffee from his private stash but it seemed to be more along the lines of trying to sneak one in. It seemed that he and Nick competed to get her the first cup and she taught them a lesson by walking in with a cup.

"Hey nice look," Sara said as she walked by. "I bet you killed them."

"Only because you set the groundwork," Sage countered with a grin. "I think we got a slam dunk."

"One up on the girl's side then," Sara replied with a grin on her face. She sobered bit and looked at Sage. The case that they had just taken to trial was a rape murder of a girl who worked at a coffee shop. They spent the case egging each other on to keep going and find the evidence they needed. "You do good work Parker. I hope you stay when your year is up."

"Are the bets being made?" Sage raised her brow inwardly pleased by the compliment. "Cause I don't see myself quitting anytime soon. I rather like it here in Vegas. At least I have decent competition in the field."

"Oh you are so on when we get another case."

"It's always on Sara," Sage replied with a smile. "We both need to be kept on our toes." She started walking to head to the locker room to put away her bag.

"Always," Sara replied as she continued in the direction she had been heading to. "See ya when we get assignments. Who knows, maybe Grissom will give you a solo."

"Maybe," Sage called back as she walked away. It was highly unlikely unless it was extreme circumstances since she was still the probie hire. Proficiency cases were the rule and Grissom had yet to give one for the first quarter.

The last case involved a missing UNLV student who ended up dying from being crushed by the dumpster she was trying to fish her trashcan out of. It was an interesting application of chaos theory and in the end it was what it was; it was an accident. Of course the parents didn't see it that way and Sage really couldn't blame them. That was the job though.

She was deep in thought that she didn't notice that she had come close to running into her friend and partner Nick. At least until he held out his hand to stop them from colliding, "Whoa where's the fire, Parker?"

Sage straightened up and replied, "No fire I can see Stokes." She raised her brow in amused fashion. "Unless you're the one running."

"You were running into me."

"And you should know by now that I have the invisible caution sign floating above me," Sage replied poking fun at her habit of walking and not paying attention. "It usually goes up when I think."

"We're not even on a case yet and you're already thinking?" Nick pretended to look incredulous at the whole idea of that. His eyes though betrayed the smile that was lurking under his stern gaze. "When don't you think?"

"When do you ever?" Sage crossed her arms to return the indignant look with one of her own.

Nick couldn't help it and started chuckling. "Do you really want to go down that route? I mean you already roped me into that bowling night and you refuse to say who else is going."

"Come on Stokes, you know your curiosity is piqued. All part and parcel of being a CSI," Sage teased. "Besides I play fair and told you another story."

"Which was something you made up entirely."

"I said that I would tell you a story about me but I didn't say that it would be true," Sage countered. She was chuckling at this point. "You make this so easy to win at semantics."

"Yeah well I don't have the lofty credentials you have Parker. Or should I call you Sparks?"

"Only if you were a lab tech. Ask day shift about what happened," Sage countered.

Nick knew where that was going. He knew that some of the day shift techs were smitten with her, if it could be called that. He knew that Sage was nice enough to have a cup of coffee with them but it was never serious. In fact the only outings that were serious were when she went out with Greg but they never acted like people who were dating and Nick knew that it was nothing more than a friendship; that was like what he had with his brothers. "Did you give one a black eye?"

"No," Sage replied innocently, "But he did crash and burn. At least I was nice to Ecklie."

"Whoa, Ecklie?"

Sage took in the flabbergasted expression. It looked like the night was going to be an interesting one this time around. "Yeah something about maybe doing a conference together that was coming up or some other. I said no."

She had said it so matter of fact that it was borderline comical. Nick was surprised at that since it was Ecklie. It was constantly a war between day shift and their shift and it wasn't easy since Ecklie and Grissom didn't like each other. "You do realize that we're at war now."

"Please we already were at war," Sage scoffed. "I told Ecklie that I wasn't sure because I'm a probie and I didn't make any promises. Besides I would rather avoid it for some time."

"You really don't like the spotlight do you?"

"Well I just went from supervisor to CSI level three probie and I actually like it."

Nick raised his brow at that. Most everyone had heard by now that Sage Parker was well known in the field of behavioral analysis and DNA analysis and was a supervisor who ran a tight ship with her lab. It had been a big surprise when she waltzed in and was nothing like the rep. She joked but Nick did observe that the techs followed her lead a bit. She even earned a nickname from them and it wasn't cheesy but fit her personality in his opinion. "You like being a grunt?"

"I always liked the science aspect of it. Being a supervisor… more of the not so glorious part. At Metro I was the advocate for the team and the lab as a whole when we had to do that supervisor stuff. I understand Grissom's position quite well so…"

"That's why occasionally you help out when Catherine can't."

"And finally you found the clue," Sage teased. "Plus there is that feeling of isolation. You are expected to be the part and some people don't change and can still act professional. Others can't and no that is not me and my psychobabble but actual experience."

"Hey got no problem with that."

"Good, cause I'd hate to kick your ass before bowling night."

"Hey that was Greg's doing with that game night," Nick replied making reference to the game night Greg hosted as a bit of a wind down.

"Oh I know that. I accepted that Greg wanted teams. I assumed it was the techs." Sage looked at Nick with a straight face. They both were struggling not to laugh and in the end they both grinned. "Feels like it's gonna be a beautiful day."

"Don't you mean night?"

Sage gave a playful punch to Nick's shoulder. "Whatever smartass. I'll catch ya in homeroom."

"Right back at ya," Nick replied as he started in the direction he was heading, "By the way I see what ya meant when you said you had a collar for every occasion. Looks good."

Sage smiled and shook her head as she went to go put her book bag away in her locker. She could change out of her top and jacket since she went with black and white and she had a dark blouse in there. No need to ruin a perfectly good suit. She paused a moment to look at the picture that she taped to the door.

There was an actual picture of her and her partner Ripley and one other from Baltimore PD. There was one old family photo before she went to college and a child's drawing. It was from little Sammy Weston. After a month or so he was doing fine and his mom left a message saying that he never stopped talking about her and the Lone Texas Ranger.

It was one of the reasons why she stayed with the job and did her best every day to do well. Sammy liked to call her on occasion and tell her what she was learning in school. His mom said that when he had a special project he did well he had to make sure that Sage Parker had to know. When she heard that she smiled.

Sage always liked kids. She had doted on her baby sister and she always seemed to make friends with her classmates' kids in college. Not so much as an undergraduate but graduate school, there were plenty of parents in class and the group project sessions was something to look forward to. Her father said that there were two things that she could count on liking her: kids and animals. He hadn't been proved wrong yet. Even the most ornery kid seemed willing to listen to her.

She finished putting on the button down and rolled the sleeves to her elbows. It was a dark blue shirt so it matched her court collar. She gave a slight smirk at the look the DA gave her when she showed up for court wearing a dog collar. The explanation was sweet and simple and the DA accepted that though he seemed a little nervous that the judge might say something. Everything went well since she had been in court before.

She tucked in her shirt and strapped her gun to her belt and slipped her badge in the pocket so it was visible. It was then she heard, "Oh good you're here."

Sage turned to see Grissom standing there as he had been waiting for her the whole time. She gave a smile and replied, "Yeah I am. Where else would I be?"

Grissom held out a slip of paper, "With me on a 419."

"My kind of case," Sage replied as she read the script. She frowned a bit. "Boss, dispatch called this in and it's on county property?"

"Construction site for the new jail," Grissom replied. "They're claiming it was suicide but…"

"You don't buy it," Sage finished. She eyed Grissom suspiciously. "You want something from me don't ya?"

Grissom gave that boyish smile that said he was caught. "Just nothing more than an evaluation," he replied innocently. "That and maybe…"

"Ah… politics. I get it."

"Wanna drive?"

The drive to the new jail was not exciting. Grissom could say that he was enjoying it immensely. The rumors about her driving were just rumors.

"Maybe you should have sat in the back. Then I could wear a little hat."

Grissom looked at Sage but her concentration was on the road. Her lip was curled in a slight smile. "The view is fine from up here."

"Whatever floats your boat, Boss."

Grissom studied Sage as she finished the drive towards the scene. She had seemed to fit in with the team pretty well. He was a little concerned that she was a bit like Sara in that she was really gung ho about her work. Sage jumped into the case and wouldn't let up but he did observe that she was astute enough to know when she needed to back down. "How was court?"

"Did pretty well. At least I thought so," Sage replied making the turn. "I think my Southern ways were a bit daunting." She shrugged her shoulders. "Only time will tell."

They had arrived at the site and Sage parked the Tahoe with expert precision. She smiled a bit and said, "Well we're here in one piece."

"At least you drive better than Warrick." Grissom got out and grabbed his silver field kit.

"Hey, we get along," Sage replied as she got out and grabbed her kit. She followed Grissom as he went to look at the dead body identified as Richard Valenti. She kneeled to take a closer look while Grissom looked up.

"Man versus gravity. Man lost."

"I think that was his point."

Sage looked up at the foreman of the project and glanced back at the body. She didn't touch it but observed. From first looks, the damage looked consistent with someone who sustained a high velocity fall. Of course Doc Robbins would need to confirm that in autopsy. She stood up and said, "That is if it was his point, sir."

Grissom gave a look at Sage as she joined them. He had heard her interact in the lab and if he wanted to compare her relationship with Nick to her demeanor now, it was an extreme difference. In this case, she was being polite and he could get the reason why and it was in the appearance of Sheriff Brian Mobley.

"Grissom what are you doing here?"

Sage knew that she was to stay quiet. Grissom was the supervisor after all. She stood slightly behind him feeling a bit like a bodyguard as Grissom and the sheriff exchange words. Grissom asked, "What do you think?"

"I didn't alert homicide." Mobley looked at Grissom but he also took note of Sage standing there. He had approved her hire and in fact supported Grissom's recruitment of her. "And I certainly didn't ask for a behavioral analyst."

Sage made a slight face at that but had her head down. The lab knew that it was scientist first and the mind games second. However, now was not the time to argue semantics. She could do that later with Nick, or Sara or even Catherine. She looked up and said nothing.

Grissom was frowning a bit at the fact that Mobley was there. He explained, "Dispatch called. The body's on County property."

"Well, we're not looking at a crime here," Mobley countered as he gestured towards the body. He looked at the foreman, "Bob explained it to me on the phone. His guy was alone up there. He jumped. This is suicide."

"Then why are you here, Sheriff?"

It was tempting for Sage to laugh at the scene since Grissom was attempting to argue semantics this time around. She didn't though but kept her gaze on the two men that were facing them. She could give the appearance of just being there though she knew that would do little to fool Mobley. She had been in Grissom's position once.

"Look Roger Valenti was an unhappy guy," Bob Harris, the foreman was saying, "Money problems, family problems. He took the easy way out."

"It's a tragedy but it is not a crime," Mobley said.

Sage raised her brow at that. Had she a good look she would have seen a similar look on Grissom's face. It was presumptuous to assume that it was suicide. Definitely it appeared that way at face value but human behavior was much more complex. She looked up trying to visualize the fall from her point of view.

"Suicide huh? I don't know Brian. On the day you decide to end your life… why would you go to work?" Grissom studied the sheriff as he asked the question.

Mobley looked at Grissom, "Maybe he didn't want people to suspect things."

Sage rolled her eyes a bit at that. She knew that Mobley was baiting her to jump in. It wasn't like she could hide or anything since she was standing right there. She was surprised when Grissom said, "Maybe. What do you think Parker?"

Three pairs of eyes looked at her. Sage knew she was getting into something pretty deep and in the politics end if Grissom assigned her with him for the walkthrough and evidence collection. She looked up and said, "Well generally suicide is a selfish act. Jumpers with glasses remove them before leaping. I once read about a case where the jumper took off their clothes and folded them neatly. In this case, coming to work to earn money for the family… doesn't quite fit."

It was merely something to indicate that she knew something. It was more of a flea circus performance with that. She looked down and saw that she was still being scrutinized. "There is also the possibility that someone was already up there and simply pushed him."

"You think he was pushed?" Mobley looked at Sage with a slightly incredulous look. He was wondering if this was the Sage Parker that he had heard about.

"Well there is one way to know and that is to go up," Sage replied as she pointed up. It had come out a bit light in her tone but one could blame it on the fact that she had a Southern accent that had a tendency to sound heavy when emotions stressed it. She adjusted it to sound serious, "It looks like suicide but in this job, you can't assume anything until you see the evidence. In this case based upon behavior, Valenti was going in for a normal day of work. I admit that there are exceptions to the rule but I don't think that applies… sir."

Grissom couldn't help but give that boyish smile. He covered for it and asked, "Well Brian, shall we take a look?"

Sage automatically picked up her case and handed Grissom's his. They walked over to be issued hard hats since they were going to be going up and into a construction zone. One went the gloves and the little group headed into the elevator.

Sage listened as the sheriff went on about the new jail. This project was taken on to accommodate the rising prison population. She listened to the numbers and did the math in her head. She couldn't help it since math was just a part of the realm of science.

"You look like the sheriff but you talk like the mayor," Grissom was saying as he pulled on his gloves. "Mr. Harris, you get an extra bonus for early completion?"

"Twenty grand a day. I'm ten days ahead."

Sage listened to every word. That was certainly a motive to get things moving back to normal but she sensed that what Grissom was getting at was the fact that Mr. Harris would need to push his guys hard to achieve that. That would certainly support suicide. It was confirmed when Grissom mentioned the dollar amounts. She said nothing but followed him out of the elevator. She could see nothing but the bare bones of construction.

"Where exactly was Valenti's work station?"

"He had the whole floor to himself," Mr. Harris explained. "Valenti was usually my first guy up. He would drill the holes for the safety cables. No one walks a new slab until the cables are looped around the perimeter."

Grissom looked around and was surprised that Sage gad taken a few steps forward. Like him, she was visualizing Valenti doing his job at the area that was not cordoned off by the cables. "Terminal velocity's 9.8 meters per second squared."

"He would have hit the ground in under five seconds," Sage said as she made the calculations in her head. She looked at Grissom and gave a slight shrug, "Give or take a millisecond."

Grissom said nothing but walked towards the end of the slab where Valenti was working. He peered over to look at the fall from that height. It was then he noticed the drill dangling by its cord. He hauled it up and asked about it. He also noted something was peculiar about the drill, "This drill is shorted out. Do you think he jumped before or after he got the shock of his life?"

Upon hearing that, Sage put down her case and looked for the other end of the drill. Something was off about this. She followed the cord to where it was plugged in and inspected the unit. Normally GFCI would have prevented shock. In a lot of heavy duty tools like the drill, they have GFCI. If an electrical imbalance occurs, the GFCI trips the circuit and the tool will shut itself off.

Sage had conducted an experiment once with one of her CSIs at Metro involving GFCI. The results were interesting and ended up proving their case. She looked at the power source with her mini Mag Lite and inspected the plug before pulling it out. She had been following the conversation and was able to add, "If the third prong of the plug is compromised, then the interrupter won't work and hence the shock of a lifetime."

"The third prong grounds the drill," Mr. Harris said as he came to inspect what Grissom and Sage were looking at. "Without it the interrupter is useless."

Sage was holding the plug and inspecting it. "Thing is the prongs don't snap off by themselves nor so easily. I'm starting to think jumping is a least likely scenario at face value." She looked up at the sheriff and the foreman.

In fact Sage was starting to think that this was a homicide. Shearing off a grounding prong required someone working on it with a tool. That would contribute to premeditation in this case with regards to sabotaging the tool. The tool marks were interesting since it looked like a pair of plier cutters did the job. It looked like there might be a means of comparing tool marks if they found the tool. She starting tagging the tools since it would need to be inspected back at the lab.

A/N: Welcome folks to a new episode featuring the newest CSI Sage Parker. Looks like things are a shocker. Stay tuned for more Buzz Kill...