Part 1

Them man laid naked on the floor. Around him pillows, blankets, cushions and scarves. He had been in his early twenties, short brown hair, gray eyes, that were now staring empty to a point under the ceiling. His body, visible well trained with strong arms, huge shoulders and a six-pack, turned slowly grayer and rigid. There were marks on his body. Light bruises probably coming from the scarves and one deep red one around his throat.

"COD was strangulation from the first look." David kneed next to the man to get a liver temperature.

"I'll bag all the scarves, we might find our murder weapon there." Greg didn't pay much attention to the dead body. After all these years he became more cool about bodies and when there was no 'special' killing, he was all professional. A man dead on the floor, strangled to death was nothing unusual, nothing he hadn't seen before.

"TOD was around five to six hours ago."

"Around midnight. Aren't we lucky to catch this case before dayshift is responsible?"

"I'm not sure if we are lucky but he is. We're better than day." David smiled a little bit.

"And we look so much better." Greg got down next to David. "What's that?" He pointed something next to the victims left eye.

"I'd say fiber. Got tweezers?"

"Sure." Greg handed David the tweezers and the young coroner took the fiber with it up so that both men could look at it.

"Fluff? From a scarf? He might have been blindfolded."

"They certainly worked with scarves here." Greg bagged the little fluff. There had to be a second person, it was very unlikely that the man got himself all these marks.

"Oh yes."

"There is no bed in this room, only all these pillows, blankets and cushions. What kind of fantasy is that?"

"A soft but hard one. Isn't that what all women dream of? A well trained man with a soft heart? I can't tell you about the heart yet, his body was built well, hard like a bodybuilder. He was a fantasy."

"I wonder if his end was a part of the fantasy too."

"Would you like to die like this? Left naked on the floor."

"I prefer not to think about my death but when I do, I see myself falling asleep on a Caribbean beach as an old happy man. Not like this. On the other hand side, this doesn't look like my idea of a perfect night. Even without the body. I mean, why not take a bed? What is it about having sex on the floor?"

"Passion? Spontaneity?"

"This doesn't look spontaneous to me. It looked well arranged and we're not in a place for spontaneous sex. I'm sure he knew this kind of game was waiting for him. I'm not sure if he knew how it would end." Greg was sure the man had no idea what was waiting for him. Why should somebody go to a place he knew, somebody wanted to kill him? This wasn't the place you went to when you wanted to end your life. It was a place of joy and pleasure.

"Did he work long for you?" Sara had left the crime scene to Greg to talk to her witness, who found the body. Sitting on a couch with a cup of coffee it felt more like a meeting under friends to catch up on each others lives. They were friends but this fact didn't matter right now.

Not primary.

"Two years. He was a kind of friend." Sad eyes surrounded by long black hair, the slender body in a dark dress, Lady Heather looked like an ordinary woman having a coffee. Nobody who didn't know her would imagine she was one of the finest dominatrix and one of the most successful business woman in Las Vegas.

A lot of reasons to celebrate but the death of one of the young man, an employee of her, made the usual light smile, she wore on her face, disappear. Again a person she knew had been killed. This time in her own company.

"A male prostitute is your friend? I can imagine this kind of friendship." Jim Brass leant against the door frame, not willing to join the women on the couch.

"Giligan was a colleague."

"Oh, did he show you his island?"

"He worked here for two years, a lot of time you spend with somebody. We had no sexual relationship, captain Brass."

"Did you go out? To the movies? To dinner?"

"Do you consider Misses Sidle as your friend, captain Brass?"

"I do."

"You ever dated her? Candle light dinner?"

"No."

"See it's possible for a man and a woman to be friends, good colleagues without having a sexual relationship. Or do you think it's impossible for me because of my profession?"

"Would you mind to stop that personal war between the two of you?" Sara asked annoyed.

"Maybe it's better you talk to Misses Kessler and I ask the other 'employees' what they know." Jim turned and walked away.

Sara sighed. She hated it to be between two stools. Both were her friends, both were very professional people. If they didn't meet each other.

"Men still have problems with my profession." Heather smiled.

"I know you and Jim won't be friends but it would help if you both could concentrate on the reason why we're investigating here."

"I will do that."

"Tell me about him."

"Giligan Walt came here a little bit over two years ago. He was green, just turned twenty-one and came here because his ex girlfriend told him, he'd be better off in a whorehouse than a relationship. They had some issues and she told him, it was over. Inspired by the words of his ex he came here.

Usually I don't take inexperienced people but he was young and sweet. At the same time his body looked like it was made by a God and I knew he'd find a lot of clients who requested exactly somebody like him."

"Was he submissive or dominant?"

"Both. He enjoyed both but most of the time his clients were female and he had to be the strong and demanding man."

"Did you have any complains about him?"

"The first client said he wasn't man enough. He had been too careful. I told him not to hold back, to go further until the client tells him to stop. From that day on everybody was happy with him. I've trained him myself, he was good."

"What about colleagues?"

"I don't have to tell you that I don't like the idea that one of my employees killed him. He was friendly with everybody I can't see anybody having a reason to kill him."

"Was there anybody special? You said you were close."

"Not that close." Heather smiled a bit.

"I didn't say that." Sara knew better.

"I know. He was like a son or a very young brother to me. I told him right from the beginning if there would be any kind of problems he can come to me. It was nothing sexual. As far as I know it was the same with all the others here."

"Did he have a girlfriend?"

"Not that I knew of her. He worked six nights a week, not many people accept that. And when you get paid for giving pleasure to people, it makes it almost impossible to have a relationship."

"Some do manage." Sara blinked at her. She wasn't sure how much Heather was still involved in her own business, but she knew, Heather and Grissom had a relationship that started before she might have considered to work only as an administration. How they managed to keep her work out of their relationship, Sara had no idea. Then again, it was Grissom. If anybody could cope with Heather's job, it was him.

"What do you know about his family?"

"They're from Boulder. He didn't tell them what he was doing here, always said, he was working in a club. One day his parents made the decision to visit him at work. They found out what he really did and stopped having any contact with him."

"You gave Jim their number?"

"Of course. May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why isn't Sofia here? Or aren't you suppose to work the same cases anymore since you've been married.?"

"Our wedding isn't legal in Nevada. Officially we're only friends. She's working a case with Grissom."

"Who isn't allowed to be here."

"The department knows about your relationship and asked him to pick cases that are not connected to you."

"He could hide evidence."

"It's the rule."

"Do you think I killed Giligan?"

"I think under some circumstances you are capable of killing, Heather. I don't see any of these circumstances given in this case here." Sara had chose her words carefully. "No offense."

"No offense taken. You are right. Everybody is capable of killing, it's absolutely natural." Heather placed her hand on Sara's. The investigator had no idea how much Heather knew about her childhood, if Grissom had told her anything, but Sara had made some comments and somebody like Heather would be able to understand and read between the lines. That was her job and she was good at it. She knew how demons of other people look like.

"That doesn't mean you're a killer or that you'll kill one day."

"In the end all humans are predators."

"True. Do you know anything about friends of Mister Walt?"

"He spent a lot of time in the gym as you may assume. His body needed time and a lot of work out. There are some other men in that gym he met sometimes after they've worked out. I can't give you any names but Giligan was in the gym daily, everybody will be able to tell you with whom he spent some time.

He asked me once if I don't want to join him. Can you imagine me in a gym between a lot of young bodybuilder?"

"I'm sure you're lashing is strong enough." Sara laughed.

"It's exactly how it should be."

"Was he looking for a relationship?"

"He never said he was. When I told him to find a woman he laughed and told me, he was alright. He might have had some affairs, I don't know of that."

"You don't happen to know the names of his work out buddies?"

"They'll be in the gym daily too."

"Where did he work out?"

"Mister Universe Live."

Sara raised an eyebrow.

"No, he wasn't that kind of man, he wasn't a show off." Heather read her mind. "This studio is close to his apartment and apparently very good."

"With a shitty name like that they should be."

"Take captain Brass with you and go there."

"I will and I'll ignore the way your voice sounded when you said that."

"You're becoming very diplomatic, Sara. Is that the influence of your marriage to you or the influence of almost spending your honeymoon in the Switzerland?"

"More the fact that I try to make it through the month without any trouble with my lab boss. A personal challenge."

"Does it feel good?"

"No!"

"Come along for breakfast if you like. I'd love to talk to you privately, without you being under the pressure of investigating me and my business. And bring your wife with you, I haven't seen you as a married couple."

"I'll give you a call." Sara rose. "Thanks for your help and I'm sorry for your lost."

"Thanks Sara."

Sofia rubbed her hands through her face. She had to concentrate on what she was doing no matter how bad her head felt.

"You look like you can use a night off." Grissom said when he saw the detective.

"I could, yes. Unfortunately the bad boys don't take or need a break." They were investigating the death of an elderly woman, who was found dead by her daughter in the late evening. So far everything looked like the woman was killed but Sofia didn't want to rule out a natural death.

"Did you talk to all neighbors?"

"And all family member who were at the scene."

"Anything?"

"Nothing. Nobody saw anything. Could it be a natural cause?"

"That's what the coroner will tell us. The question is how did she kill herself?" There were bruises on her body, the upper body and the arms and legs were covered with them. Usually a sign of domestic violence, the old woman lived alone.

"All these bruises…she looked like she had been punched repeatedly. If she had been living with a partner I'd say it was domestic violence, but there was nobody. Do you think it's possible that you get so many bruises accidentally by yourself?"

"Hitting a shoulder on the door frame, running into a cabinet? Most accidents happen at home while you do house work. An old woman, maybe she lost her balance every now and then, it is possible. These bruises weren't from only one incident. If she had accidents all the time, she might have accumulated so many bruises."

"The question is, why didn't the doctor say anything? If she had been to one, he or she must have seen at least a few bruises."

"We're checking on that. I wonder why the family didn't know anything."

"According to the daughter, the vic wore all the time long sleeves. There were no bruises in her face or hands. They met most times in the vic's place, having some coffee. She said her mother moved slowly but she thought it's because of the age. Ninety years. You don't walk that smooth anymore in that age and she had years ago an operation because of her hips."

Grissom's cell rang. He looked at the text message he got.

"Doc Robbins is calling. Do you want to join?"

"Haven't been in autopsy for a long time." Sofia got up. Maybe the change would make her headache disappear. She some more work to do but the chance of a little change was something she wanted to try. After all, visiting the morgue was part of her job too.

"I've found some DNA." Greg came in the break room where Sara was sitting working on some papers.

"Bring it to Wendy."

"I did that."

"Good."

Greg looked at his friend. "What's wrong with you, Sara?"

"Mhm?"

"What is wrong?"

"Nothing."

Greg sighed. That was a lie, he knew it.

"Sara, we've been friends for years and I can see when something is wrong with you. Is it Ecklie? Did you have any problems with him? You're acting not natural when he's around, did he threaten you to fire you if you don't change?"

"Huh? Ecklie?"

"Yes."

"I don't care about him."

"You care about your job."

"Greg…concentrate on the case and don't worry about me. Tell me what you've got so far. Besides DNA."

"Two fingerprints, they're running through AIVIS right now." Greg wasn't happy that Sara ignored his question and didn't want to talk to him but he knew, he couldn't force her and the more he asked, the more she'd withdrawal. He wondered if she had talked to Heather. They were kind of friends, maybe Sara had open up while they talked in private. Somehow he doubted that, it was Sara, she'd never mix private life and business.

"I've the dates of his last client, a Lauren Fine. So far it looks like her dates are all faked, I can't find a Lauren Fine. At least not one I think she could be the killer."

"Why is that?"

"The only registered Lauren Fine is five months old. We can check the parents but my guess is, the name was picked randomly. I really doubt a lot of people give their real name when they come to Heather's place."

"No, they don't."

"Has Jim been to the gym yet?"

"No, Walt was in there in the early morning, after his work. Jim wants to go in at that time. You can join him."

"I'm with the evidence, you're the one for the people."

"You don't like field experience anymore?"

"I do…"

"Then go."

"Sara, it makes no sense. I've collected all the evidence, you talked to Heather." He paused. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Sara…"

"Greg, please. No."