CSI: The Grissom Holiday
It is a warm day with a slight breeze in the UK town of Minehead. A quaint English town by the sea where Sarah and Gill are enjoying a nice quiet break away from their usual everyday life. The only resemblance to Vegas this town as are its couple of amusement arcades.
This town in the English county of Somerset, famous for cheese, cider, and caves, has sea air, a few shops and for an English town is very clean, especially on a nice sunny day. One of the town's other offerings is the tourist railway of twenty miles in length called the West Somerset Railway. It is known as a heritage line running trains behind steam locomotives.
"So what are we going to do today?" asks Sarah while drinking her breakfast orange juice in their nice furnished hotel room.
As he sips his tea Gil replies, "Let's take a trip on the old English steam train. We can do a return journey and get off at a little place called Watchet on the way back for lunch."
"Cool," says Sarah in response.
Grissom's association with all things English came from his meetings with his nemesis Lady Heather. It is a far cry from the insects and bugs world he usually inherits.
Being outside the main holiday season the train has few passengers. It is quiet much like the typical scenery they pass, quite picturesque on the cream and brown coloured coaches with blue patterened springy seats and wooden interiors with windows arching over probably due to age. They are pulled by a black tank steam engine number 9351....it has no name. It steams well and pulls them all the way to the end at Bishops Lydeard before pulling them back towards Minehead.
"It's certainly nice to get away to a quiet place," comments Sarah as the smell of sulphur from the trains coal burning boiler is caught in the air.
"Reminds me of an open coal fire, ahhhhh. It is a nice idea. These trains are reminders of yesteryear. Long hours, hard labour," says Grissom.
"Yes," replies Sarah, "nothing much changes except for the jobs that we do."
"At least the coffee is more drinkable."
The train finally arrives at Bishops Lydeard, before the engine is run from the front of the train to the back to pull it in the other direction. They photograph each other on the footplate complete with train driver hat. After taking a look round the gift shop, Grissom admiring the train models, and purchasing one, they reboard the train for the return journey,
On the return journey, Sarah has her head on Grissom's shoulder. Both at ease with each other and very very happy. They get off the train at the little harbour town of Watchet, to stretch their legs, have a look round the little shops and have something to eat in a little cafe.
Grissom tries the pasty and chips while Sarah tries the fish and chips. She is surprised to see that the chips resemble large fries. After lunch where he has also had english tea they both walk along the esplanade slowly taking in the boats and the yachts dotted around before turning right to walk up to the train station.
"Afternoon," says the gardner.
"Hi there, glorious day to be out gardening," says Grissom in reply to the greeting.
"Indeed it is," Dave the gardener responds.
Dave, meanwhile has worked his way to the edge along side the banked garden on the station platform. He notices a hand sticking out from under it and being of a curious nature, he moves a fre branches aside and finds a white male body staring back at him. The man is clearly dead, "Bloody hell," he shouts, "someone call the police, there a dead man under here."
Both Grissom, whose hearing had been repaired a few years before, and Sarah hear the man's shout. He sends Sarah to get the old lady in the gift shop to phone the police, while he goes to take a look himself.
"You wouldn't want to look in there, better to wait for the police," Dave tells Grissom.
"I am with the crime lab in Las Vegas in the states. I am crime scenes investigator," Grissom informs him, "and so is Sarah, my partner."
"Well you can look, but I doubt the police will be happy if you start moving or messing with things. Its all those cop shows we have, don't you know."
"Thanks, I am just curious to see whats happened."
Grissom takes and look and notices the stab wound to the chest and he also notices the lack of blood. "Well, on first look, it looks like murder, there is a stab wound to his chest and secondly, this isn't where he died."
They both step back onto the grey stone platform where Sarah has reappeared complete with the old lady from the shop. Soon police officers in their traditional white english shirt, black tie and trousers and modern day stab vest arrive. They take notice of the situation, and seal off the area around the crime scene, taking statements from the two CSIs and Dave and the old lady Grace. Then they wait for the detectives, forensic experts from Somerset police and the police doctor to confirm death.