A/N: Normal disclaimers apply. Please read and review.
"Why would someone wrap a body, only to leave it behind?" Greg said, nodding in the direction of the bulky form on the dining room floor. Grissom and David knelt next to the body, both careful not to disturb the footprints etched into the dusty, unwaxed wood floors.
Grissom cut away the striped wallpaper that concealed all but the victim's blonde hair and stocking-clad feet. "Maybe the killer was interrupted or," pausing to stand, "perhaps the body was dumped here. The wallpaper is unlike anything else in the house."
Leaving David to begin the preliminary coroner's report, Grissom circled the room, photographing and bagging all potential evidence in his wake. He hesitated in front of the kitchen window, admiring Sara through the opening in the red gingham curtains. His heart fluttered at the sight of her, its pace intensifying when she bent over to retrieve an object from the ground.
"Grissom!" Greg said for the second time, noting the distracted look on Grissom's face.. "These footprints are men's size 12. Our suspect is probably at least six feet tall."
"If they belong to the suspect, Greg." Grissom walked to stand over the body. Struck by an odd sense of familiarity, he moved closer, feeling sure he had seen the woman before. The flash of Greg's camera dispelled the thought. Refocusing on David's efforts, he watched as the coroner turned the victim's head to its side, revealing a disturbing head wound.
"The body is in full rigor." David said looking up at Grissom. "She's been dead at least 12 hours. Lividity indicates the body has been moved, though it could have been affected when she was wrapped."
Sara entered through the front door, grimacing in pain and shaking her hand in obvious discomfort.
"What happened?" Grissom gently took her hand in his, examining the wound.
"Its nothing, " Sara said, pulling her arm from his grasp. "I scratched it on the bushes when I picked up this asthma inhaler. I found a pair of pruning shears too, but they may not be probative."
She stepped aside to make way for Brass. "According to the neighbors, they haven't seen the homeowner since around Christmas," he said.
"That explains the pile of newspapers in the driveway." Sara said, still inspecting her scratch.
"And the Christmas tree." Grissom pointed in the direction of a fully decorated tree in the corner of the living room.
"If she has been gone for over a month, this probably isn't her," Greg continued his teammates' train of thought.
"It's not." Brass said, referring to his notes. "The neighbors described the owner as a 60-something retiree."
"So who is this?" Staring down at the young victim, Sara's face flickered with faint recognition.
Brass slapped Greg on the back. "I will leave that for you guys to figure out."
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"Hey!" Sara said, quickening her pace to catch up with Grissom at the end of the hall.
"I am going to get the autopsy report. Walk with me?" Matching strides, they reached the morgue, opening its doors to reveal Dr. Robbins hovering over the victim, her body tented by a sterile blue sheet.
"Your vic died of blunt force trauma, one blow to be exact. She's been dead about 20 hours." Robbins said as they entered. The fluorescent lighting cast an eerie shadow on the body, accentuating her grim pallor.
"Any ID?"
"Vicki Grayson." He handed Grissom a report. "Mandy got a hit on her prints in AFIS. She was a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch"
"I'm glad I caught you two," Brass said, walking through the double-doors with Greg in tow. "Ms. Grayson was involved in an altercation at Tropicana Cinemas about two months ago. She and a man by the name of Wayne Bruce argued and he shoved her into the candy counter. According to a witness report, the scuffle was broken up by an older man and a tall brunette."
Grissom and Sara shared a look of surprise. "I knew she looked familiar! " he said.
"I thought so too, but I couldn't place her." Sara turned to toward Greg and Brass. "Bruce was upset because she told him she was out with her girlfriends. Instead, she was on a date. The guy she was with had already gone into the theater, which is why Grissom and I had to intervene when the disagreement turned physical."
"Wait a second, you guys were at the movies together?" Greg glanced at Grissom and then Sara, seeing redness creep up her cheeks.
Ignoring his question, Grissom turned to a smiling Brass. "If I remember correctly, Mr. Bruce was about six feet tall. It could have been his footprint at the scene. Do you know where he is?"
"We're already on it."
"I'll stay here, " Grissom said. "You guys head over to Ms. Grayson's office and see what you can find out." He half-grinned at the scowl Sara sent his way, knowing she was irritated at being left alone to deal with Greg's inquiring mind.
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"So, you and Grissom?" Greg said, sifting through the paperwork on the victim's desk.
"What? No way! I was at the movies with a friend. I think Grissom was there alone." She replied, lowering her head both to avoid eye contact and to study an appointment book.
"Sure," Greg shook his head in disbelief. "How is that scratch on your hand? He seemed very concerned. I doubt he would have offered me a Band-Aid."
She glared at him from across the room, thinking better of throwing the nearest book in his direction.
"Hey, I'm just following the evidence!" Greg said, eliciting a roll of the eyes from Sara.
Hoping to end the conversation, Sara returned her attention to the appointment book. "Check this out. She was scheduled to see an attorney yesterday afternoon."
"That would have been right before she was killed." Greg said, heading toward the door of the office. "I need to get back to the lab to check on the DNA results from the inhaler. Why don't you call your boyfriend and have him meet you at the attorney's office?" He escaped through the doorway, avoiding Sara's sarcastic response.
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"Mr. Argot, we are here about a client of yours. Vicki Grayson." Grissom said, sliding a picture of the victim across the desk.
"My conversations with Ms. Grayson are protected by attorney/client privilege."
"She's dead." Sara interjected her voice cool. "Privilege doesn't extend post-mortem."
Mr. Argot acquiesced, his distinguished features softening at the news of her death. "I met with Ms. Grayson and her brother yesterday at about four in the afternoon. She hired me to help settle their mother's estate."
"Did Ms. Grayson and her brother seem close?" Grissom said.
Argot chuckled. "I got the impression there was no love lost between them. Mr. Grayson cared for their mother to the detriment of his own financial well being. Vicki did little to help financially or otherwise, so imagine his surprise when the entire estate was left to her. Vicki was my client, but I couldn't help but feel bad for her brother. Yesterday's meeting did not go well. As far as she was concerned, the estate was hers. He was seething when they left."
"How tall would you say Mr. Grayson is?" Sara said glancing at Grissom to gauge his reaction to the attorney's supposition.
"I'm not sure, 6"1' maybe."
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Standing outside of the attorney's office, Grissom spoke first, "Brass phoned on my way over here. Wayne Bruce has an airtight alibi. His boss and three colleagues confirmed he was at work at the time of death. Based on what we just heard, the brother may be our guy."
Grissom looked to his left at the sound of a door slamming, eyeing a familiar wallpaper pattern exposed through the window of a vacant office.
Stopping to answer her cell phone, Sara watched him enter the room near the end of the hallway.
"Thanks," she said into the phone, shutting its flip-top and putting it in her pocket.
"Sara, come here a second!" Grissom called to her. She found him holding a torn roll of wallpaper.
Raising it higher to give her a better view, he said, "This is the same wallpaper the victim was wrapped in."
"I bet that is the murder weapon." Sara pointed to the hammer in the corner of the room. "I just hung up with Greg. The DNA on the inhaler had thirteen alleles in common with Ms. Grayson."
"I'll call Brass."
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"We got him!" Sara strode into Grissom's office, capturing his full attention. "The DNA on the head of the hammer matched the vic and her brother's fingerprints were on the handle. They picked him up in front of the Brown Garden Nursery on Decatur. Brass said his car was packed full of personal belongings. It looks like he was on his way out of town."
"Did you figure out his connection to the empty house?"
"Yes. We found a cancelled check made out to Mr. Grayson in the evidence you collected at the scene. He painted the homeowner's house a couple of months ago. She probably mentioned she would be out of town."
"Case closed then." Grissom said smiling. "Would the tall brunette care to catch a movie with the older man?"
"Old Man Grissom." Sara laughed. "That has a nice ring to it. Very literary."
"Never say that again." He said in mock horror, leading her out of his office by the small of her back.