True Crime Kills
The Vegas skyline looked beautiful as the lightning crackled in the sky. It was like the postcards that were available to tourists at the gift shops. The casinos were lit up to make the night seem like day and the people were walking down the sidewalks heading to the shows, to gamble or clubbing; one of the many things that characterized Vegas.
The old historic house looked like a sleepy old citizen nestled amongst the apartment complexes and sublets that dotted the neighborhood. The house supposedly existed since the days of old Vegas and still was given reverence especially to the owner.
Mae Whittenbower, sixty-two and still spry looking, looked out the window of her house at the street before closing the curtain. She turned around to see her guests. She smiled, "Alright ladies, is everyone here?"
The group of six ladies of various ages ranging from twenty-six to their sixties held up their copy of the week's selection. Mae held her copy as she sat in the arm chair reserved for the leader of the group. The other ladies opened their books to the chapter they were on. Mae looked at them and said, "Alright, now where did we leave off?"
"The evidence was being interpreted," the youngest of the group said.
"Ah yes. Does anyone have any idea who the suspects are?"
The outside of the house was quiet as people went about their evening routines. A couple of kids on their way home from a neighborhood basketball game. They were bragging about the shots they had gotten off when they passed by the house. They stopped when they heard noise. It was then the unmistakable sound of gunfire happened. The tallest of the boys dropped his ball on the ground as they looked at the house and there were sounds of screaming and yelling…
The crime scene tape was effective at drawing a crowd as the uniforms worked to keep the people back. It was almost futile since people had video recorders out as well as cameras, trying to get a shot. The lights from the black and whites and the unmarked cars flashed lighting up the quiet street like it would on the Strip. The last vehicle to arrive was a Tahoe flashing its lights and it came to a rest next to a familiar Taurus.
Sage Parker got out of the driver's side of the Tahoe and pulled out her kit and looked at the outside scene. She could make out a body covered on the ground outside on the walkway leading to the house and she noticed a woman screaming out a name and crying as she was being held by someone, probably a husband or boyfriend or elder son. She walked forward and passed roughly four hysterical ladies trying to talk to the uniforms.
"I see you drew the straw, Parker."
Sage looked at Capt. Jim Brass and blinked slowly. "It was a busy night," she offered as she looked around. "What's the rundown?"
Brass looked at the body on the ground. "Three bodies inside. Book club night. They call themselves the Homicide Society. A group of ladies getting together and with the crime novel of the week, try to solve the crime. It seems that someone broke in and threatened the group. Killed three and left."
"And the body here?" Sage motioned towards it.
"Kid was on his way home from a basketball game with his friends. Shooter comes out of the house and gets caught in the line of fire. Collateral damage."
"To someone who thinks so little of life," Sage replied looking at the scene. She went inside the house and was immediately greeted by the historic look and feel of the house. She bypassed the officers doing their work to head towards the bodies inside where David was. "Hey David."
"Hey Parker," David replied as he looked up while writing down what he needed. "It's a shame."
"Always is," Sage replied as she looked around. The room was a parlor and the chairs and sofa was arranged like a circle. She looked at the ground where a book had fallen and kneeled to take a look.
"Well seems like the neighborhood is in an outrage."
"Yeah well they learned a horrible lesson, Jim," Sage replied.
"And what's that?" Brass looked at Sage as she looked around the room from her kneeled position.
"True crime kills."
Chapter 1
The lens of the camera snapped as Sara Sidle took pictures of the bodies in the room for reference regarding the blood spatters. The spatter was indicative of a firearm being discharged and it was contained to the one room. Not wanting to be nailed on missing something, Sara snapped everything and took multiples at different angles, particularly the bodies and the nearby furniture.
Sage in the meantime was looking over the bodies. She glanced at David, "You got a time of death?"
"Liver temp puts it roughly at 8pm," David said.
"Consistent with the eyewitness accounts both outside and in," Sage replied as she looked at the oldest of the bodies. "This is the owner of the house right?"
"Rita Mae Whittenbower," David confirmed. He looked at the body and noticed something. "I got something for you Parker."
Sage leaned over and looked at what David was pointing at. She could see the true crime novel on the ground but it had something unique. She looked closer and could make out a bullet hole. "Hey Sara, did you get a reference photo of this one?"
"First thing Parker," Sara replied with a knowing smile. "I'm on the case."
"Sure you are," Sage replied with a knowing smile of her own. "Looks like we might have a good one for Bobby." She picked up the book and looked at it. She looked at the title, "Murder on Ravenhearst."
"That's a pretty good one. A period novel based on a multiple homicide at some farm in Kentucky," David said. At the look Sage gave him, he explained, "I like period novels. The history aspect of it."
"I like them too but I grew up on Agatha Christie," Sage replied as she bagged the book. She wanted to extract it carefully at the lab. "The Orient Express was my favorite. Still is."
"So you were playing detective before you became a CSI," Sara replied as she took a picture of a bookcase. The books had been organized by what looked like the true crime serials she liked to read herself.
"It's what got me into crime scene investigation," Sage replied as she put her bagged evidence aside. She continued to look at the body of Ms. Whittenbower and noted what appeared to be skin discolorations on the face.
The witnesses said that the assailant hit the victims. With what was a bit sketchy. Some said a fist and others said with the gun. Sage knew that Sara took reference photos but she wanted close ups of these. It was hard to tell but there seemed to be a unique pattern on the discolorations. She reached for her camera and took a few pictures. They would know more after Doc Robbins did his thing in autopsy.
Moving down, Sage noticed a couple of fibers or hairs in the woman's hand. Studying it, Sage got the mental image of the woman wrestling with her assailant. It was possible that she had ripped out a few hairs in the process. If that was the case, they may have something in CODIS. If not, they still had a sample they could use for comparison when they got the suspects. Using her tweezers, Sage removed the hairs from the woman's hand and held it up. "I got hair and looks like we got tags."
Sara looked at Sage, "So you're thinking that they struggled with the assailant."
"Probably it's what got em killed," Sage replied as she looked back at Sara. She put the hair in a bindle and labeled it. She moved on to the other bodies in the room and noted that they all had hairs. So maybe there was a possibility that they jumped on the assailant before they were wrestled off and then shot. She looked at David, "Okay you can remove the women. I'll be outside with the fourth."
"Hey, keep your head on Parker. I'd hate for Grissom to take you out this early," Sara said in a gentle voice. She was actually glad to be working a case with Sage in the lead and she wanted to see how Sage would handle this since previously she worked under the primary. Plus it was fun to have a competition.
Sage looked at Sara, "Oh I have my head on Sara. Just keep at it in here." She paused and looked at the room one last time. "I don't know why but something about this scene… It's like I know it from somewhere."
"Déjà vu from a previous case?"
"Don't know yet. Just a feeling… and don't tell Grissom I said that." Sage gave a teasing smile in Sara's direction before she turned around to inspect the body that was outside the house. This was going to be a long night.
Kneeling next to the kid Sage took a moment to look at him. She said the words hundreds of time and it was true every time. It sucked when the crime happened to the kid. She noted the clothes, the relative condition of the body and noted that the kid was well groomed, probably a good home life despite what the condition of the neighborhood conveyed.
"His name is Gerald Butler, aged 14," Brass said as he stood by Sage. "Kid was on his way home with his friends after their basketball game. Heard the first few shots and stopped."
"Collateral damage," Sage replied after nodding. She continued to look at the kid. It was a damn shame when it came to kids. She frowned a bit as she started taking pictures for reference. "Looks like it might be the same caliber as our three ladies inside except it looks like he was hit while he was running away."
"So you thinking the kid saw who it was along with the team here and tried to hightail it out but was hit," Brass summed up as he looked down at the kneeling CSI who was staring intently at the scene. "Does sound like collateral damage."
"Thing was if it were that, the killer would have shot at the rest of the groupies there," Sage replied as she motioned with her hand. She pointed at the body, "This was deliberate. The thing is there seems to be no apparent connection unless…"
Sage studied the body and mentally ran through with what they found in the house. She could see that faceless assailant hitting the victims, probably threatened them with the gun by holding it onto them. They fought back and he kills three. He then leaves. Out front are the boys coming home. Gerald Butler is on the walkway but why?
Sage figured that maybe the kid heard the shots and wanted to see if everything was okay. Earlier Brass told her that everyone in the neighborhood watched out for each other and in particular Ms. Whittenbower. In fact all the ladies in the group lived in the neighborhood in the nearby apartments and sublets. It made it seemed like this neighborhood was targeted. It was still early in the evidence gathering phase but right now it seemed like a target and collateral damage.
"Hey, I found something that might help."
Sage turned to see her partner Nick Stokes joining them. She was still kneeling since she was inspecting the body still. She looked at what he was holding in his gloved hands. "Possible weapon?"
Nick held up the gun, "Maybe. Found it ditched in the bushes over there when I did a sweep of the perimeter. Looks like a 9mm."
Sage cast a glance at it and looked back at the body. "9mm Beretta 92F. Seems it might be consistent with the spatter inside."
Nick didn't say anything as he boxed the gun but he couldn't help give a slight smile since it was just a thing she did. No doubt Bobby Dawson would confirm the gun type back in ballistics. He tucked it under his arm. "Okay. I'll finish up on the perimeter."
"Run with it," Sage replied as she continued to look at the body. It was her way of saying that she was okay with what he was doing.
Nick felt his lip twitch as he turned to head back to what he was doing. Micromanaging wasn't a necessity with Sage once a sort of 'routine' was established. He and Sara were not really assigned to the case when it was assigned to her but they had just closed their last one and had nothing else on their plates. At least nothing that was exciting like when they were introduced to Lady Heather and her domain.
It was more like a coincidence when the text message came in asking for backup. Sara happened to see it and decided to tag along. Nick of course knew that Sara loved trying to compete with Sage… well actually that wasn't the right choice of words. They egged each other on and some comments went so far as to poking at their skills. Yet in the end they would get their guy. Nick suspected Sara wanted to see how Sage would act in a leading position. He was curious too.
Unaware of the thoughts circulating through Nick's head, Sage's attention was focused on Gerard Butler. She found a few hairs that were similar to what she found on the other victims but there were no skin tags. More likely the killer was shedding at the same time his hair was being yanked out. She bagged the hair and motioned for David to take the body away.
Standing up, she noticed the crowd at the tape. She saw a couple of women crying that matched Gerald's skin tone. Could be mother and aunt or sister. All in all it was just a bad night for them. She looked at David and said, "Hey David, do you think Doc can do this one first?"
"I can put that as a request," David replied as he prepped to move the body. "It's your call on the case."
"I know. Old habit of asking," Sage replied with a slight smile as she stood up. She took a couple of breaths and watched it plume out like smoke.
The TOD was estimated at 8pm and normally it would have gone to swing shift. They were tapped out though as well as days. So it fell to graveyard and it was Grissom's chance to do one of his little puzzle tests. Actually he said that he was tapped out. Catherine and Warrick were on a case and he had his. Sara and Nick were busy and so that left her.
Sage looked around and muttered to herself, "You can do it Sage. I've seen your work."
That was exactly what Grissom said when he handed her the slip with the info from dispatch. She had given him a look since he had said it in that placating tone of his when he complimented her on her handwriting or asked her to help on particularly nasty experiments and that was usually cleanup. In the end she started getting back at Grissom by moving his experiments out of the community fridge and into the lab fridge after reorganizing it.
The upside was that Grissom said she could have Nick and Sara if they were finished with their case. After doing the walkthrough, she sent the page and they came. Of course the roles were reversed. Usually she followed their lead but now she was the lead. Sighing she watched David load the last body up. She looked at Brass and said, "I take it that you'll get the witness statements?"
"I'm on it," Brass said as he watched with Sage. "You know honestly I think that whoever did this won't stand a chance. Not with you at the wheel."
"In the end it's all teamwork, Jim."
Brass made a slight face. "Always the humble one."
"Well there is the saying about pride before the fall." Sage looked at where the fourth victim had been and noticed something. She frowned and kneeled back down.
It was covered in blood but she could make it out. She withdrew a pair of fresh tweezers and gently picked it up out of the blood. Holding it up, she inspected it and rotated it while showing her light on it. "Looks like something unique the killer left behind. Looks like a doll."
"More like from your part of the country?"
Sage looked at Brass and made a slight snort. "Not exactly."
The item was a small doll but it was not from her part of the country. In fact it wasn't part of the United States. It had her thinking that this was going into a whole world of weird considering that it seemed out of place with the other evidence at first glance. Even though it was covered in blood, she could make out the details.
"A little tiny to play with don't you think?"
"These aren't the kind of dolls you play with," Sage replied. She picked up an evidence bag and bagged it. "This is the kind that is used like how dream catchers are used."
"Dream catchers?" Brass looked at Sage with a slight look. "It's a doll."
"It's a worry doll, more likely Guatemalan." Sage held the bag and continued to look in the pool of blood. She found three others in the blood and collected them. When she sealed and labeled the bag, she held it up to look. "Four dolls, four victims."
"One for each? Sounds almost like it was premeditated," Brass commented.
"I don't think so yet. The idea behind worry dolls is that you tell your worries to it and put them under your pillow and supposedly the worries will melt away." Sage put the bag with her stuff and continued to look.
The light from her handheld shown on the pavement. She looked down both ways and came across a bloody footprint. It looked like someone had run through the kid's blood and probably after dropping the worry dolls. Sage sat back on her heels and thought for a moment. This was like one of those added little twists to the story of a murder mystery or something like that. There was something else by the footprint and she studied it.
"Need a marker?"
"Hand me one please." Sage held out her hand while still looking at the evidence and processing the scene in her mind. There was something funny about this scene but she just couldn't pinpoint what it was. It was like she might have seen something like it before but she couldn't recall a previous case both here in Vegas and back at Metro. She even considered the short time she spent at New Orleans PD and drew blanks. She wanted to curse her memory since she did pride herself on remembering things especially when it concerned the evidence; maybe not the whole thing but enough to make a connection and then look it up. It wasn't a special skill since the team she worked with was just as good and some were better. In the end it took all of them to solve the case though lately it seemed like she was a spectator except for a trash run and a B&E and robbery that occurred.
Nick handed over the marker and kneeled beside her as she positioned it, his camera in his hand and perched on his knee. "Got something?"
"What makes you think so?"
"You've been staring at evidence longer than you need to and you have that look like you're trying to remember something. You've seen anything like this before?"
"That's the thing, Stokes," Sage replied as she motioned for him to take pictures. "It seems familiar but I can't recall a single case that had this MO." She picked up the shell casing from the 9mm and put it in a bindle. "I know it's not scientific but my gut is telling me that I've seen it before or maybe heard of something like it but I can't place it."
"Maybe you're getting into the book club thing," Nick said with a slight smile as he finished taking pictures of the bloody footprint. "I'm thinking that is a size nine."
"Looks about right," Sage replied as she made notes of the footprint and the shell casing. "As to the gut feeling… not because of the book club thing. I find them a bit tedious… at least the ones I've been to."
"Right cause you're more into sports."
"No. It was because I made fun of the books they discussed. Romance novels."
"Bugs, blood and sports for you, right?"
Sage glanced at Nick with a slight grin. He was grinning at her. She knew that he knew that he only figured out a fraction of her aside from what she had chosen to reveal of herself. Like for one thing when there was that bullying case that she was in casual conversation with since she was working on a robbery, she was asked what she was in high school. She hummed when Nick said that he was dependable. Her response was freak and geek and admitted that she was considered a pretty girl but she was too smart hence freak and geek.
Warrick knew the whole story behind that and could guess why. He didn't say anything or make a quip about it and he admitted that it was because they were tight. Of course the next case they had, the suspect was still on location and brandishing a gun and Warrick manhandled her out of the way before they got into serious trouble. As he said they were tight and they watched each other's backs, especially when she found the booby trap in the house that would have killed him if she hadn't told him to stop.
Looking at Nick, she said, "In my determination not to be seen as a nerd, I turned to sports and that is a whole other story together. Right now we have one about a dead poet's society and a kid who got caught in the crossfire."
"And you have gut instinct."
"Put it all together and we have what any mystery novel writer dreams of, a mystery of the ages." Sage finished what she was doing and scoured around where the body had been left. "I already feel like one of those detectives from those stories."
"Hello Sherlock Holmes," Nick teased as he looked around. He found some hairs in the grass. He marked it and retrieved it.
"I am not a manic depressive," Sage countered. "But I can say that this guy must have staked the place out. He was in and out after doing what he needed to do and left behind witnesses and that is what bothers me."
"Thinking a hit?"
"Too mob-like and highly unlikely," Sage replied. She shone her light around and she started expanding her search outward. "Thing about having special access to the FBI, you end up picking up a few things."
Her light went up on the stairs and took a look at the door. Witnesses said that the suspect came through the back and exited. "Stokes, would you mind checking the back yard of the house? Look for any signs of forced or passive entry."
Nick lowered his light. There wasn't much else to bag and tag that was pertinent to the case. He picked up his kit and headed to the back while Sage made her way back inside. When he rounded the corner, he found the door closed. Slowly he looked around the door frame and found that it had been nailed shut. He looked up when he saw Sage tapping on the window with a gloved knuckle. She then opened it and asked, "Thinking an acrobat?"
A/N: Welcome to True Crime Kills and looks like a multiple but something just doesn't seem right. Keep watching for more True Crime Kills...