The mechanic's story
Chapter 1
It was past the end of shift and the sun was already rising when Grissom and Catherine made for the break room. Warrick and Nick were already sat at the table, drinking coffee. Catherine regarded the younger CSIs critically. They looked drained. "Jeez guys. You two look like you've been on your case for days, not hours."
"Shot gun blast to the head," Warrick said flatly.
"Gross." Catherine tried to look sympathetic while fighting back a yawn.
"So how's your case going?" Nick peered at Catherine over his coffee cup.
"Looks like the guy dropped dead from heart failure."
"And we're involved because?"
"Because the wife says he's perfectly healthy and is insisting he must have been poisoned," explained Catherine.
"We're waiting for the results of the autopsy," added Grissom, passing a cup of coffee to Catherine.
Brass wandered into the break room. "Hey guys." The CSIs all nodded a greeting back. He handed the sheet of paper he was holding to Warrick. "Here's your list of occupants at the apartment block. Only one of them has a record of any note. Remember the next door neighbor, Dave Watson?" Warrick nodded. "Well, he's got a couple of assault charges against him. Seems he gets angry when he's drunk." Warrick smiled and nodded.
Brass turned his attention to his ringing cell phone. "Brass. ... Yeah, I am. Why? ...... You're kidding me. ... Okay, you're not kidding me. Where are you?" He fished his pen and pad out of his jacket pocket and quickly jotted down an address. "Stay put, I'll be right over." He looked up with a lopsided grin on his face. "Anyone up for some overtime?"
******
Grissom parked the Tahoe behind Brass's Taurus outside the apartment block. "So what did Brass say this was?" asked Catherine.
"A DB in a swimming pool," answered Grissom as he flashed his badge to the uniformed officer at the door.
"You can take the elevator to the 5th floor," said the officer, opening the door to allow them access to the building.
"We're here for the DB in the pool," clarified Catherine.
"Yes Ma'am. You can take the elevator to the 5th floor," repeated the officer.
Grissom and Catherine exchanged puzzled looks, but they took the elevator to the 5th floor as instructed. "I thought you said this was a body in a swimming pool," muttered Catherine.
"That's what Jim said," confirmed Grissom.
"But we're going to the fifth floor."
"I noticed."
They showed their badges to the second uniformed officer, who opened a doorway onto a roof terrace. There they stopped and stared in disbelief.
"That's a swimming pool, right?" asked Catherine.
"Yes, that's definitely a pool."
"But we're on the fifth floor."
"Yes."
"And that looks like a car in the pool."
"Again, yes."
Brass was deep in conversation with a young man by the side of the pool when he saw Grissom and Catherine. He walked over to them. "Glad you could join us. Did you bring your bikini?"
Catherine smiled. "No, I seem to have left it at home. You said a DB in a pool Jim."
"That's right," agreed Brass.
"You didn't say the pool was on the fifth floor."
Brass smirked. "Didn't I? Sorry. Must have slipped my mind."
"And that looks more like a car than a body," added Grissom.
"True, but there is a body."
Catherine scanned the pool and the surrounding area. "Where?"
"In the car."
Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me we've got a dead body in a car in a swimming pool on the fifth floor of an apartment building?"