A/N: Ah well, here's my new story. It isn't finished by far, but I am working on it. Thanks to my beta TangledPencils and wishes her best with her first story.
Now go on reading and I hope you'll enjoy the ride grin
Fire and Water
by Nicol Leoraine
Chapter 1
As her lungs filled with water, the woman's fight ceased. Her oxygen deprived brain shut down and her body gave the last jerking movements before it went still. After a moment, the hands that kept the woman's head under the water pulled the limp body out to the shore.
Without a word, the two men dragged her to the small boat waiting nearby. With several grunts they pushed the boat across the sand until it was floating on the water, then the older one got in next to the body, while the younger cast them off the shore, then pulled himself inside, landing next to the still woman. Using the paddles, they made it a good ninety yards toward the middle of the lake, where they stopped paddling and turned to the body.
The young man touched the still face, eyeing the porcelain skin and the light bluish lips in the light of the moon.
''Finish it,'' said the other man and knelt down to the body, his eyes glinting with excitement. Reaching to his side he pulled a knife from its scabbard, and handed it to the younger man with care. As he took it, his fingers trailed down the delicate blade, with much the same care as they did on the woman's skin.
Raising the knife, preparing to strike, the young man stopped his movement. The knife glinted in the moonlight for a second mirroring his own face. The man stared, unblinking, until his image vanished in the darkness, then he plunged the knife into the lifeless body, watching in fascination as the crimson covered her chest. Then without a word, he handed the knife over and watched as the older man precisely carved a symbol onto the victim's forehead.
When he finished, the knife was cleaned in the water and returned to its scabbard. The two men looked at each other and in silent understanding reached for the arms and legs of the victim, lifting up the woman, while at the same time trying to keep their balance.
Groaning from the effort, the two men threw the body into the water with a resounding splash, but they weren't concerned by the sound, knowing there was no one who could hear it. Watching the body sink and vanish under the murky surface, the older man let out a satisfied sigh.
''Shall the water take her body, as we took her soul.'' Then he turned to the younger man whose pale face was covered with blood, as were his hands and clothes.
''You did good, Jonah.'' Jonah took the praise without a word. He sat down at his bench, ignoring the wet puddle of blood staining his shoes. The other man simply nodded then turned, grabbing the paddles and the boat headed to the shore.
The blood didn't matter, the evidence would be disposed of…but Jonah would never forget the faint pulse beating under his fingers before he so brutally ended the life.
The building in which the CSI's worked was bustling with life despite the late hour. Half of the day shift was still there, finishing some of their cases in the labs, enjoying the air-conditioning. The summer had just started but the heat was already getting unbearable. When Nick walked into the break room, his shirt was already damp from perspiration. He automatically headed for the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, opening it with delight and taking a long drink.
''Don't tell me you were running all the way to work, Cowboy,'' came a snide remark from behind, then a slim body pushed around him and reached for some juice. Nick raised his eyebrows, capping the bottle and making some space.
''Hello to you too, Sidle. The A/C in my car died and it's still around 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Let me tell you, driving with the windows down didn't help'."
Sara chuckled, and then screwed her face up in a rather exaggerated grimace.
''Well, did you think about maybe changing your shirt or taking a shower? I'm sure everyone would appreciate it, especially me."
''Are you saying I smell?'' Nick asked innocently.
''Well no, if you were one of Doc Robbins patients, I would say you're just ripe enough,'' she said and ducked when the newspaper from the table went flying at her.
''Missed,'' she chuckled, then suddenly cleared her throat and turned almost serious. Nick frowned at the quick change, and almost instinctively turned, only to see their shift supervisor Gil Grissom standing in the door, arms crossed and a frown on his face.
''I hope it wasn't the one with the crossword,'' he uttered after a moment. Nick quickly bent down and retrieved the newspaper, handing it to Grissom with an apologetic look.
''Any new cases, boss?'' Nick asked when he saw the clipboard with the assignment sheet in Grissom's hand.
''No, nothing so far. Warrick called in, his car broke down and he's waiting for the tow truck so he'll come in late. But I am sure you can finish the report on the Carriston case without him, Sara."
The CSI let out a sigh, but she nodded. It wasn't like she hadn't planned on doing it anyway and with the heat outside, she would be happy to do the paperwork if it meant she could stay in the air-conditioned building.
''Nick, how are you doing with the Julian case?"
''I still need to process the rope he was found on. I am pretty sure it was an accident though. The sling wasn't even tight around his neck and Doc Robbins said that he didn't suffocate. The cause of death was a brain haemorrhage…a ruptured blood vessel. Probably had the condition from birth. Brass talked with his wife. The guy didn't even know about it."
''Still, he was found hanging from a rope in his garage. There's still the question why he was there,'' Grissom reminded the younger man and Nick nodded. They had a pretty good idea of what happened, but they still needed to prove it.
''I'm on it Gris,'' Nick said and headed out to the hall, when a call stopped him and he turned back to Grissom.
''Yeah?"
''Take that shower first.''
The night might've started out slow, but it didn't stay that way for very long. It was always worse in the summer. The heat made people nervous, shortened tempers and fights tended to break out much more quickly. Las Vegas was known for its nightlife; lots of money was involved, along with drinking and women, and in the heat, people naturally tried to soothe the thirst with alcohol. So it was no surprise when a few minutes after midnight the CSI's got a call from detective O'Riley.
''There's a male DB in an alley behind Casino Royal. They also arrested a suspect. Warrick, you and Sara are on it. Catherine already left for a robbery at 24/7.'' Nick waited until both Warrick and Sara left, and then looked at Grissom questioningly.
''What about me? Do you want me to go after Catherine and help her out?''
''No, I have something else for you. A female DB, found in Lake Mead. They're bringing her to Doc Robbins."
''Who secured the scene?'' Nick wondered.
''There was no scene to secure, Nick. They found her in the middle of the lake. I don't have all the details, but I'm sure Doctor Robbins will help you out. The body should be there in the next hour or so.''
Without further reply, Grissom left the lab and headed for his office, leaving Nick to wonder just what their was supervisor up to. It wasn't like him to stay behind on the cases, but lately he was doing just that. Nick frowned and bit back the urge to simply ask the guy what was wrong. It wasn't his place to do. But maybe he could put out some hints to Catherine and see what she could come up with. After all, she and Grissom went way back. If there was anyone the entomologist would confide in, it was Catherine.
Shrugging off those thoughts for a while, Nick decided to finish up with the Julian case. Like he had thought, there was no evidence of foul play, only an uncanny accident with a tragic end. The man was clearing his garage. He obviously wanted to lift a rather heavy piece of an old table, preparing the rope so he could pull it off the floor alone, but somehow he slipped and managed to tangle himself up in the rope, the table already attached on the other side keeping it tight and unrelenting as the man fought for air, panicking. The rest was in the coroner's report. Now he only needed to add his own comments and close the case, so that the wife could bury her husband and get on with life, hopefully with the life insurance paid out.
He was almost done when his pager beeped and he saw the note from the pathology lab. Shooting a look at the clock on the wall he blinked, realising he'd totally lost track of time. Making his way down, he chanced a look toward Grissom's office, but all he could see was the shining light of the computer monitor behind a half closed door. He moved on, stopping only when he reached the door to the pathology lab. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the smell he was sure would hit his nostrils.
He was right. Like so many times before, he had to swallow down the bile when he smelled the putrid scent of a body in decay. A drowning victim was always bad, especially if it was in the water for several days – long enough for the decomposition to start, but not long enough to leave only bones. But as he walked further into the cold room, he could see more of the victim…and the more he saw, the more he frowned. His eyes never left the face, cringing at the weird craving on her forehead, the wrinkled skin. He quickly took in the trace of blood on her blouse, as well as the wounds on her chest.
''Huh?'' he looked up a little dumbfounded when he realised that the coroner was talking to him, probably asking some question not for the first time. ''I'm sorry Doc, I didn't catch that."
''I see. Did you happen to know this young lady, Nick?"
''I-I'm not really sure. She looks kinda familiar, but...'' Nick's frown deepened as he tried to place the face, but he came up empty.
Focusing on the matter at hand, he pulled out his camera and took several photos of the still clothed body. Once they'd removed her clothing, he would need to make a photographic documentation of her wounds too.
''What happened, Doc?'' Nick asked and tore his eyes away from the woman's face, instead focusing on the coroner.
''Well, I can't tell you much right now, as I haven't had a chance to examine her. First I think you need to collect her clothes?"
''Yeah, good idea,'' Nick acknowledged, trying to push away the weird feeling and concentrate on the case. He pulled on his gloves and proceeded to cut the clothes away. Despite the victim being dead, he was working gently and efficiently, until everything was removed. He then took the woman's hands and made short work with scratching the dirt from under her fingernails. Even if most of it was washed away, he hoped that there would be something left – preferably the epitheliales of the killer. But that was only wishful thinking. Once finished, he started taking photos of the wounds in her chest, the numerous bruises on her torso and he took a special set just of the carving on her forehead.
''Okay Doc, I'm done. Can you tell me anything right now, with just a cursory exam?"
The coroner sighed at the impatience, but understood the need for answers. The more time it took to find some clues, the harder it was to catch the killer. And they had already lost several days.
''Well, by the state of the body I can tell you she was killed at least three days ago, but without a more proper exam it could've been also several weeks ago. Though there doesn't seem to be any adipocere – transformation of the fatty layer beneath the skin into a soap-like material, which would take from several weeks to months. But as that would require colder water'
''So we can assume she's been dead only few days, if I should assume by the state of her clothes,'' Nick noted and got a short nod in reply.
''What about the wounds on her chest?"
''They were caused by a sharp pointed object, probably a knife,'' the pathologist said, while continuing the exam.
''But did they cause her death? Or did she drown?"
''Good question. Is the cause of death drowning?'' The coroner slightly pushed at the woman's chest and Nick saw fine, white foam coming from the mouth and nostrils.
''Froth or foam in the airways is characteristic of drowning. It indicates that the victim was alive at the time of submersion. However, similar foam is found in deaths from other causes too, like heart failure, drug overdose or head injury. I will also need to check the contents of her stomach as well as take a good look at the lungs. While I can tell you the wounds on her chest were caused while she still had some circulation, I can't be sure that she wasn't already brain damaged from the hypoxia or dying. I will need to perform a complete autopsy for that."
Nick nodded, taking in the information. He was about to ask another question about the bruises visible on the woman's shoulders, but was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. The sound was rather startling in the quiet of the autopsy room and he bit his lip to stop a curse. He was just a little jumpy tonight. Seeing the caller's ID, he threw the doctor an apologizing look and walked to the furtherest end of the room before picking it up. He exchanged several words and shut the phone.
''That was Jim Brass. They found her car. I need to go and check out the crime scene. Could you make a cast from the wounds in her chest? Maybe they could help to identify the weapon."
''I'll do what I can,'' the pathologist replied with a smile and watched as the CSI rushed toward the door, just to stop and walk back.
''The clothes,'' he mumbled sheepishly and grabbed the evidence, then left Robbins alone, the man shaking his head in amusement, which quickly evaporated as he turned back to the victim. '' Well now my dear, what will you tell us?''
TBC
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