A/N: I don't own them. Please don't sue me.
Note: This is in response to the "Paranormal Convention" challenge. I kinda bent the rules a bit, so I failed the challenge, but I liked the fun idea...so here goes! There are a few vague spoilers to season 2, but they really aren't noticeable.
CH.1
"Why's it so hard to believe?" Nick grinned at Warrick as they battled it out on the playstation in the breakroom.
"I'm just sayin' there's no scientific evidence to back it up." Warrick's car pulled ahead of Nick's on the screen.
"There were hundreds of witnesses, Man. They flew right over Las Vegas!" Nick hit a button on his game controller, and edged his way past Warrick. "Ha!"
"Yeah, well, put a bunch of crazy believers together, throw in a little suggestion, and they'll believe they saw anything."
Grissom stood at the door to the room listening intently to the exchange.
"Sounds like each of you have already made up his mind." Grissom grinned as the duo jumped.
"We're waiting in the conference room, or do you two not want your assignments?" Grissom smirked as both CSI's rushed passed him. He thumbed through the folders in his hands, and pulled one out, handing it to Sara as he entered the conference room.
"Sara, you and Warrick have a 419 at the convention center."
"Oh, no. C'mon. Send Nick." Warrick groaned thinking about the argument he had just had with Nicky regarding the MUFON convention going on downtown.
"Aw, c'mon!" Sara gave him a playful grin. She knew how much he hated what he referred to as 'paranormal crap.' "It definitely won't be boring."
"Yeah, right." Warrick grumbled, and followed Sara out the door.
~=~=~=~=~
They entered the lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and looked around. To Warrick's surprise, it wasn't as bad as he expected. He had envisioned something akin to a Star Trek convention, with latex-mask wearing crazies wondering the halls. Much to his relief, most people wore street clothes, and looked perfectly normal. Sara walked leisurely in, and spotted Brass.
"Figure this out quick OK? These people give me the willies." Brass faked a shudder.
"Lead the way." Warrick and Sara followed Detective Jim Brass through the crowd, and into a back room. A well-dressed man in suit and tie was sprawled across the podium. A strange metal object was embedded deep in his back. Doc Robbins greeted Sara with a smile.
"Sara! Figures Grissom would send you for this one." He chuckled to himself.
"Why's that?" Warrick shot Sara a confused look. Sara shrugged innocently, and grinned at the coroner.
"I was at this thing last year. I got into a. . .um. . .scuffle over an obviously fake autopsy video, and Doc came to my rescue." She moved in closer to get a look at the victim's back. Warrick was shaking his head.
"You don't buy into all this crap do you?" Warrick looked from Robbins to Sara.
"It's a big universe, Warrick. Scientifically, I'm always open to the possibility." Sara ignored the disgusted look on Warrick's face, and opened up her kit on a chair next to the podium. Warrick snapped off a few photos, and looked over at Brass.
"Any eye witnesses?"
Brass gave him a wicked smile, and motioned for him to stay put as he left the room. A few moments later, he returned with a woman wearing what looked like your stereotypical Gypsy/Hippie wear. She wore a long, colorful skirt, a billowing white, low-cut blouse, many beaded necklaces and bracelets, and long, braided red hair.
"Warrick, Sara, allow me to introduce Madame Pauline O'Sullivan. She's the wife of the victim. Says she 'sensed' something was wrong, and came running from the other side of the building. By the time she got here, he was like this." He pointed to the deceased.
"You can call my Paulie." She extended a hand to shake, but both Sara and Warrick grinned sheepishly and held up their gloved hands in excuse. "Aw, yes. My goodness!" She studied Warrick thoroughly. Her eyes roving his body like he was a rare artifact. "You've got a beautiful aura. It's very strong. I bet you think this is all a bunch of nonsense."
Sara turned around as not to let them see the huge grin on her face as she tried to hold in a chuckle.
"Ma'am?" Brass smirked, and led the woman to a chair in the back of the room. "We're going to need to ask you a few questions. But I'm betting you already knew that right?"
"I'm a Wiccan, not a psychic, Detective. But yes, I kind of figured." She was well poised, and sat straight in her chair. Brass rubbed his head. A nasty tension headache was setting in.
"Here, let me help."
Before he could protest, Paulie was rubbing an oil of some sort on his forehead, and gently massaging the sides of his head. Warrick and Sara stopped what they were doing and stared with mild shock at the sight of Jim Brass sitting with a dopey grin on his face while this strange woman rubbed his forehead. Sara looked to Warrick who just shrugged as if to say 'Don't look at me!'
"Any better?" Paulie leaned back in her chair and examined her 'patient.'
Brass sat up straight, crinkled his brow a few times, and looked thoroughly surprised.
"Yeah. . .actually it feels great! What the heck is that stuff?"
"An essential oil. I'm known as a healer in my circle." She smiled briefly at him, but then glanced back towards the front of the room. "I don't know who would do something like this. John didn't have any enemies that I know of." She shook her head, and held in a sob that threatened to burst out.
"What was his lecture going to be on today?"
"Extra-Dimensional space travel. Einstein-Rosen bridge?" She noted the blank look on Brass's face. "Worm holes are what most people call them. He actually teaches Astrophysics at UNLV."
"Ah! OK. Well, did he have any trouble with any students? Any nasty phone calls? Stuff like that?"
Paulie shook her head.
"No! None at all. His students love him." The sob she had been holding onto finally made it's way past her lips, and she covered her face with her hands. Brass pulled a handkerchief from his jacket, and offered it to her.
"Thank you. I wish there was something I could tell you that would help, but I simply have no idea who would want to hurt John." She looked back at Sara and Warrick as they worked, and studied Warrick more closely. "Who is that fellow there? Is he a police man too?"
"Who? Warrick? He's a crime scene investigator. He and Sara are two of our best. They'll do their best to help." He stood and lent Paulie a hand as she rose on wobbly legs. "Is there a number we can reach you at if we have any more questions?"
"Yes." She reached into her bag for a business card, and handed one to Brass. He raised his eyebrows at the title. 'Madame Pauline O'Sullivan –Coven Priestess.'
"Oh, that title was John's idea. I'm not really a priestess." She shrugged as he led her from the room. Brass returned about ten minutes later, and stood beside Sara.
"Find anything?"
"Zip. Whoever stabbed him must have used gloves. There's not a print on this thing that we can find yet. I'll know more when we get it back to the lab and run a few more tests." She nodded to Doc Robbins who stood back as his guys carefully placed the body on a gurney, and took it out of the room. Warrick glanced around uneasily.
"Something is up. This just doesn't feel right." He furrowed his brow, and looked down at the podium.
"Getting a vibe, Warrick?" Brass grinned a wiseass grin.
"More like a very bad feeling. What'd your hippy chick tell you?"
Sara shot Warrick a nasty glare upon hearing that.
"She said you have a beautiful aura."
Sara snorted from beside him, and covered her mouth.
"Yeah, that helps." Warrick groaned, and threw his hands up in the air.
TBC
Note: This is in response to the "Paranormal Convention" challenge. I kinda bent the rules a bit, so I failed the challenge, but I liked the fun idea...so here goes! There are a few vague spoilers to season 2, but they really aren't noticeable.
CH.1
"Why's it so hard to believe?" Nick grinned at Warrick as they battled it out on the playstation in the breakroom.
"I'm just sayin' there's no scientific evidence to back it up." Warrick's car pulled ahead of Nick's on the screen.
"There were hundreds of witnesses, Man. They flew right over Las Vegas!" Nick hit a button on his game controller, and edged his way past Warrick. "Ha!"
"Yeah, well, put a bunch of crazy believers together, throw in a little suggestion, and they'll believe they saw anything."
Grissom stood at the door to the room listening intently to the exchange.
"Sounds like each of you have already made up his mind." Grissom grinned as the duo jumped.
"We're waiting in the conference room, or do you two not want your assignments?" Grissom smirked as both CSI's rushed passed him. He thumbed through the folders in his hands, and pulled one out, handing it to Sara as he entered the conference room.
"Sara, you and Warrick have a 419 at the convention center."
"Oh, no. C'mon. Send Nick." Warrick groaned thinking about the argument he had just had with Nicky regarding the MUFON convention going on downtown.
"Aw, c'mon!" Sara gave him a playful grin. She knew how much he hated what he referred to as 'paranormal crap.' "It definitely won't be boring."
"Yeah, right." Warrick grumbled, and followed Sara out the door.
~=~=~=~=~
They entered the lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and looked around. To Warrick's surprise, it wasn't as bad as he expected. He had envisioned something akin to a Star Trek convention, with latex-mask wearing crazies wondering the halls. Much to his relief, most people wore street clothes, and looked perfectly normal. Sara walked leisurely in, and spotted Brass.
"Figure this out quick OK? These people give me the willies." Brass faked a shudder.
"Lead the way." Warrick and Sara followed Detective Jim Brass through the crowd, and into a back room. A well-dressed man in suit and tie was sprawled across the podium. A strange metal object was embedded deep in his back. Doc Robbins greeted Sara with a smile.
"Sara! Figures Grissom would send you for this one." He chuckled to himself.
"Why's that?" Warrick shot Sara a confused look. Sara shrugged innocently, and grinned at the coroner.
"I was at this thing last year. I got into a. . .um. . .scuffle over an obviously fake autopsy video, and Doc came to my rescue." She moved in closer to get a look at the victim's back. Warrick was shaking his head.
"You don't buy into all this crap do you?" Warrick looked from Robbins to Sara.
"It's a big universe, Warrick. Scientifically, I'm always open to the possibility." Sara ignored the disgusted look on Warrick's face, and opened up her kit on a chair next to the podium. Warrick snapped off a few photos, and looked over at Brass.
"Any eye witnesses?"
Brass gave him a wicked smile, and motioned for him to stay put as he left the room. A few moments later, he returned with a woman wearing what looked like your stereotypical Gypsy/Hippie wear. She wore a long, colorful skirt, a billowing white, low-cut blouse, many beaded necklaces and bracelets, and long, braided red hair.
"Warrick, Sara, allow me to introduce Madame Pauline O'Sullivan. She's the wife of the victim. Says she 'sensed' something was wrong, and came running from the other side of the building. By the time she got here, he was like this." He pointed to the deceased.
"You can call my Paulie." She extended a hand to shake, but both Sara and Warrick grinned sheepishly and held up their gloved hands in excuse. "Aw, yes. My goodness!" She studied Warrick thoroughly. Her eyes roving his body like he was a rare artifact. "You've got a beautiful aura. It's very strong. I bet you think this is all a bunch of nonsense."
Sara turned around as not to let them see the huge grin on her face as she tried to hold in a chuckle.
"Ma'am?" Brass smirked, and led the woman to a chair in the back of the room. "We're going to need to ask you a few questions. But I'm betting you already knew that right?"
"I'm a Wiccan, not a psychic, Detective. But yes, I kind of figured." She was well poised, and sat straight in her chair. Brass rubbed his head. A nasty tension headache was setting in.
"Here, let me help."
Before he could protest, Paulie was rubbing an oil of some sort on his forehead, and gently massaging the sides of his head. Warrick and Sara stopped what they were doing and stared with mild shock at the sight of Jim Brass sitting with a dopey grin on his face while this strange woman rubbed his forehead. Sara looked to Warrick who just shrugged as if to say 'Don't look at me!'
"Any better?" Paulie leaned back in her chair and examined her 'patient.'
Brass sat up straight, crinkled his brow a few times, and looked thoroughly surprised.
"Yeah. . .actually it feels great! What the heck is that stuff?"
"An essential oil. I'm known as a healer in my circle." She smiled briefly at him, but then glanced back towards the front of the room. "I don't know who would do something like this. John didn't have any enemies that I know of." She shook her head, and held in a sob that threatened to burst out.
"What was his lecture going to be on today?"
"Extra-Dimensional space travel. Einstein-Rosen bridge?" She noted the blank look on Brass's face. "Worm holes are what most people call them. He actually teaches Astrophysics at UNLV."
"Ah! OK. Well, did he have any trouble with any students? Any nasty phone calls? Stuff like that?"
Paulie shook her head.
"No! None at all. His students love him." The sob she had been holding onto finally made it's way past her lips, and she covered her face with her hands. Brass pulled a handkerchief from his jacket, and offered it to her.
"Thank you. I wish there was something I could tell you that would help, but I simply have no idea who would want to hurt John." She looked back at Sara and Warrick as they worked, and studied Warrick more closely. "Who is that fellow there? Is he a police man too?"
"Who? Warrick? He's a crime scene investigator. He and Sara are two of our best. They'll do their best to help." He stood and lent Paulie a hand as she rose on wobbly legs. "Is there a number we can reach you at if we have any more questions?"
"Yes." She reached into her bag for a business card, and handed one to Brass. He raised his eyebrows at the title. 'Madame Pauline O'Sullivan –Coven Priestess.'
"Oh, that title was John's idea. I'm not really a priestess." She shrugged as he led her from the room. Brass returned about ten minutes later, and stood beside Sara.
"Find anything?"
"Zip. Whoever stabbed him must have used gloves. There's not a print on this thing that we can find yet. I'll know more when we get it back to the lab and run a few more tests." She nodded to Doc Robbins who stood back as his guys carefully placed the body on a gurney, and took it out of the room. Warrick glanced around uneasily.
"Something is up. This just doesn't feel right." He furrowed his brow, and looked down at the podium.
"Getting a vibe, Warrick?" Brass grinned a wiseass grin.
"More like a very bad feeling. What'd your hippy chick tell you?"
Sara shot Warrick a nasty glare upon hearing that.
"She said you have a beautiful aura."
Sara snorted from beside him, and covered her mouth.
"Yeah, that helps." Warrick groaned, and threw his hands up in the air.
TBC
