1
"So, what've we got?"
Catherine Willows, a lovely, middle-aged woman with strawberry blonde hair approached the caution-taped perimeter with Gil Grissom, an older and grayer man. Both of them carried silver cases along, and their matching vests labeled LVPD. Behind them, three other males and a woman walked along, talking to each other.
"A dual 420 and 426. Same as last time," Captain Jim Brass answered. His little black notebook was flipped open to a partially filled page. The stout but smart man looked at the group of Crime Scene Investigators, or CSIs, and sighed.
"Vics names are Tara Harris and Daniela Johns. College girls and roommates to boot." Warrick Brown, a tall, dark skinned man lifted the yellow caution tape and allowed Catherine and the other men through before entering the crime scene himself.
Greg Sanders, a wild-looking young man, and Sara Sidle, a pretty, brown-haired woman, peered down at the bodies. The victims were two women of about the same age. However, the most disturbing attribute that the women shared was the fact that their heads, arms, and legs had been switched and stitched to the opposite body. The bodies were positioned so that they were facing each other.
"Maybe our sick little friend left something behind this time," Nick Stokes, a handsome Texan, muttered as he crouched down near the bodies. He knew it was a fat chance, but he had to hope. Their killer had been working for the past few years and had yet to be caught.
"What'd Dave say?" Warrick asked Nick. Nick looked at the blanched coroner, who stood a distance away talking to Grissom.
"COD was the same as the previous cases and the cuts were the same. He also said something about the stitching being rushed. That's pretty much it," he replied. Warrick frowned. Why would the killer be rushing? He shook his head and began processing the other body.
Catherine and Grissom observed the location of the crime scene. It was completely different from the last dumpsite. Unlike the urban area they had found the previous two victims, these bodies had been found along I-15, where there was nothing to see except desert.
Brass came up behind them. "We've got no witnesses whatsoever. That doesn't surprise me any, considering that the bodies were dumped clear out here. Anything useful up there?" he asked when he saw that Grissom was staring up at the night sky. The night was clear and one could see some of the stars.
"I beg to differ, Captain Brass. We have millions of witnesses; unfortunately for us, they're unavailable for questioning," Grissom replied, his eyes still locked on the heavens. Brass rolled his eyes and trudged away. Catherine sighed again, knowing that something like that was bound to come out.
"Well?" Warrick asked with slight impatience. Greg shook his head sorrowfully.
"Nothing different from last time. No foreign DNA, hair, or anything. Not even a print," he sighed, slouching in his chair. "This guy is unbelievable."
"Damn," Warrick muttered under his breath. "He abducts them, drugs them, rapes them, and then switches their heads and limbs without leaving anything of his person behind. 'The Phantom', huh? He was appropriately nicknamed."
"Hey guys, it's getting kind of late. There's nothing more we can do right now, so why don't you head on home?" Catherine sighed from the door to the lab. Warrick inclined his head in response and trudged to the locker room. Greg remained behind.
Warrick sat in his car for a while, trying to get rid of the building frustration before he went home to his girlfriend. He had been seeing Jaiden Mooreland for about a year now and had been living with her for six months and counting.
He had met Jaiden at Starbucks. Somehow, for it was a complete mystery to them, they had gotten each other's orders; he ended up with her Caffé Verona and she his House Blend. After realizing the mix-up, the two tracked each other down and ended up spending the rest of the time chatting and flirting.
He like her green eyes the best. She was lovely woman, with long and luscious black hair and an equally enticing body; yet it was the way her eyes easily changed from soft and welcoming to sharp and deadly that made him like her eyes. She spoke her mind through her eyes, a talent that must have been very well developed over time.
She came from a wealthy family, inheriting most of her current fortune from her father after he died of leukemia five years ago. Her mother, who lived in New Jersey, chose to distance herself from her daughter. It was made clear to him through Jaiden that her parents only married to get to the money the other held.
As a well-known photographer, Jaiden made a name for herself taking photos of everything from children to showgirls. She had a studio of her own, which was located in the back of her house, which looked more like a warehouse than anything else. She never really expected him to buy expensive gifts. She was well enough off to buy her own expensive things, which was apparent due to the large amount of designer fashion and jewelry that she kept in her closet. That never stopped him, though.
His thoughts went back to the most recent gift as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Warrick had followed her into her closet and leaned against the doorpost. "What are you doing?" he asked softly. He had removed his leather jacket and had unbuttoned his tan shirt. Jaiden glanced at him through the full-length mirror that she was looking in.
"Deciding what I'm wearing to Sara's birthday party tomorrow night," she replied simply, "and relaxing." Warrick chuckled. He scanned all her eveningwear and grinned.
"Then you might have to go shopping," he said, "because from what I can tell, nothing you own will go well with this." With that, he pulled a sparkling necklace from his pants pocket and slipped it around Jaiden's neck. It was a long, sterling silver chair with a gorgeous peridot pendant dangling from it. Jaiden gasped slightly as she touched the precious stone.
"Warrick," she whispered, "it's beautiful!" She turned around and kissed him softly. The soft kiss quickly melted into a passionate one as Warrick gently pushed her up against the wall. Things were beginning to escalate when Warrick's phone rang imperiously.
Warrick cursed under his breath and pulled away from Jaiden to answer. "Brown," he said into the mouthpiece. Jaiden crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently.
"Yeah… I'll be right there," she heard him say to whomever he was talking to. He hung up and looked at Jaiden apologetically. She shook her head.
"Go, they need you more I guess," she sighed. Warrick kissed her tenderly and headed out of the closet. Jaiden followed him and stood in the door leading to the garage, watching him slide into the driver's seat of his Tahoe.
"I'll call you when I get an idea of how long I'm going to be," he said to her over the engine. Jaiden nodded and rested her head on the doorpost as he pulled out.
When Warrick got home, Jaiden still hadn't come home from her shopping excursion. He sighed and tossed the keys onto the table. He wasn't hungry; his frustration temporarily fed his hunger. He headed straight for the shower and hoped that a hot, relaxing shower would unnerve him.
After the shower and a quick change into a clean pair of jeans and a bleached undershirt, Warrick padded down the stairs and spotted Jaiden cleaning her camera.
He snuck up behind her silently and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Jaiden gasped and turned her head, looking at him with a surprised expression. "You smell nice," she observed. Warrick gave a small laugh.
"That's what happens when you take a shower," he whispered before kissing her. All of his stress and confusion turned into passion and inevitable lust. Jaiden felt the invisible change and pulled back for a moment.
"That bad, huh?" she asked quietly. She had turned herself around and placed her camera back in its case. Her hair was loose and seemingly untamed. Ebony waves blanketed her shoulders and parts of her face while a rosy flush had tinted her cheeks. Her breathing was slightly heavier than usual from the sudden rush of desire.
"Just shut up and kiss me," he whispered in reply. He meant it playfully, but he knew it came out harshly. Jaiden pulled back even more. A frown tainted her face.
"It must've been really bad for you to forget who you're talking to. I'm your girlfriend, not some prostitute ready to give it up at any given moment." With that, she went into the adjacent kitchen where some dishes were begging to be cleaned. Warrick cursed at himself and was willing to kick himself if God had given him the ability.
"Jaiden, Jaiden listen. I'm sorry. It has been really frustrating," he confessed as he followed her into the kitchen. Jaiden ignored him and turned on the water. He stepped forward tentatively.
"Please, forgive me," he added softly when he saw her shoulders slacken. He came up behind her again and kissed her cheek so gently that she turned her head to feel more. Warrick felt encourage by her response, which was turning off the faucet. His lips brushed her neck as he wound an arm around her waist.
"Kissing is like drinking salted water. You drink, and your thirst increases," she whispered. Warrick gave her a serious look after kissing her again.
"You know I hate it when you start talking like Grissom during foreplay." Jaiden smiled and kissed him tenderly.
"A kiss is the upper persuasion for a lower invasion." With that, she half danced, half walked over to the stairs with Warrick following behind, a smile on his face. He charged her from behind and scooped her up into his arms, then proceeded to carry her into the bedroom, where he slammed the door shut with his foot.
Hours later, Warrick felt his stomach beg to be fed properly. Jaiden was still sound asleep, her body an illuminated silhouette. He kissed her shoulder softly then slid out of bed, putting on a pair of boxers and his jeans that he had discarded earlier that night. He quietly ambled down the stairs and flipped on the kitchen light.
He had gotten out some of the cold Chinese food from a few nights ago and heated it up when Jaiden appeared at the top of the stair. Warrick squinted at her, his eyes not used to the change in lighting.
"Go back to bed, I didn't eat dinner," he said to her kindly. Jaiden seemed to smile at his comment, wanting so much to differ, but decided against it. She had changed into some blue satin boxers of her own and a white camisole.
"Really, I didn't notice," she murmured as she opened up the freezer in order to extract the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream she had bought earlier last week. She set it down on the counter, grabbed a spoon from the now clean dishwasher, and lifted herself onto the black, linoleum countertop.
Warrick shrugged and dug into the beef and broccoli he had heated up. "You going to the lab later?" she asked. Warrick glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and sighed. It was one in the morning. He nodded. "I see, I'm picking up my car whether it's actually done or not and I'll meet you at the Bellagio at seven." She started for the stairs, but stopped at the landing.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth after that," she reminded him before heading back to bed. Warrick chuckled quietly then finished his meal.
When six o'clock finally rolled around, Warrick was already out of bed and dressed. He sat in the chair next to the bed and watch Jaiden sleep for a few more minutes with his arms resting on his knees. In his closed hands was a small, black box that contained some portion of his life. It wasn't the right time for him, and knowing Jaiden, for her either. He stuffed the box into his pants pocket and gazed at her sleeping figure. He got up, leaned over her and brushed hair from her face before kissing her forehead.
He half expected her to wake up suddenly, her green and gray eyes piercing his own green and brown ones. She didn't, which gave some comfort to him. He had already checked her schedule. She was free today. She didn't have much reason to go out except to get her car before meeting him at the Bellagio at seven. She'd most likely be safe another day.
He was halfway out the door to the garage when he heard something move behind him. "Don't forget to close the garage door." He looked up, startled at the sudden comment. Jaiden was miraculously awake and half dressed. She was leaning on the banister and gazing at him pointedly. She meant what she had said. Her face softened when he grinned at her from below.
"I won't, love," he told her gently. She turned and went into the bathroom and turned on the shower after waving to him.