Chapter 2: Seeing Double
''Look familiar? '' Catherine greeted Grissom when he entered the bedroom
Just like the scene downstairs, a young boy no younger than 17 lay sprawled out on the floor a single gun shot wound to the back.
''The victim or probable cause of death? ''Grissom answered her
''Well if that was Bryan, this must be Benjamin'' Catherine said
''You'd think so, but I'm afraid it ain't'' Warrick said and eyes went wide all over the room. ''I managed to get the wallet. We're looking at Brad Girard''
''Triplets? ''
''I think so'' Sara said coming in from one of the other bedrooms. ''Look what I found'' She handed the picture over to Grissom who handed it over to Catherine and than to Warrick. There were the three boys, Bryan, Benjamin and Brad.
''How come we never heard of this guy?'' Warrick asked
''Maybe he didn't like the spotlight?'' Catherine reasoned
''Or maybe the spotlight didn't like him'' Sara said
David came into the room
''Hey you ready for me?
''Go ahead David'' Grissom told him
David got to work on the body ''Liver temps the same as the victim downstairs. They were killed around the same time. No defensive wounds or bruising like the other one. But there's GSR around the wound he was shot at close range. There was no GSR on the other victim''
''Thank you David''
Another coroner came in and he and David removed the body placed it in a body bag and wheeled him out.
''Alright Catherine, Warrick, Sara you process the scene up here. I'm going to be heading back with the body. I'll cal Brass to see if he can get a location on Benjamin Girard''
Everyone agreed and went to work. Grissom left to head back to the lab, Sara continued her search of the other rooms and Warrick and Catherine worked the murder scene.
Sara went back to the room where she had found the picture and put it back on the nightstand. She looked in the drawers and only found some writing paper and a few novels, mostly science fiction. The room was painted green and blue. You wouldn't think that this was a young boy's room. When she opened the dresser she was even more surprised. All the clothes were neatly folded and placed, t-shirts here, jeans here. She found the same thing in the other dressers in the room. The closet had suits and jackets all neatly hung up. The bed was made. She couldn't look under it since the bed was made to lie on a wooden box that went from the floor to the mattress. There was a chest at the foot of the bed, but that only held spare blankets and pillows. The other room was basically the same. The only difference was that this room was painted red and blue, she could also look under the bed though there was nothing under there. When she got back to the third bedroom Catherine and Warrick were finishing up.
''There's nothing in the other rooms, they don't even look like 16 year old rooms'' She told them ''but there are several pictures in each room showing all three boys''
Warrick explained their situation ''we didn't find a murder weapon we found several prints, but with three boys in the house that nothing much, we'll have to print the bodies when he get back to see whose are whose''
They picked up their stuff and headed downstairs only to find Nick, Greg and Megan gone. Catherine pulled out her cell phone and dialled Nick's number.
''Stokes''
''Where are you guys?''
''There's a downstairs living room, this place is hot! You gotta see this. Just head towards the kitchen, there'll be a door to the right, open it and come on down''
They followed Nick's instructions and found what they were looking for. This living room was nothing like the one upstairs. There were all kinds of posters all over the walls, movie posters, car posters, video games. There was one couch and a lazy boy in front of a giant plasma flat screen with surround sound. An X-box and playstation 2 were tucked underneath. In the corner was a bar and right in front of that was a round table with four chairs. There was also a state of the art sound system and computer in the room.
''Well I guess this is where our 16 year old boys are boys huh? ''
''Yep look good for the press and guests upstairs but down here they act their age''
''Man, if I worked every day of my life I still wouldn't be able to afford half this stuff'' Warrick said checking things out
''A bar? '' Sara sounded disgusted
''There's just some vodka, but the most of it is cola root beer and junk food'' Nick said as he and Greg joined them
''Where's Megan?''
Greg chuckled ''boys will be boys''
''I don't follow''
Greg pointed at a closet door. It was open and there was a bucket hanging from a string attached to it.
''We were clearing the scene and Megan checked out that closet and lets just say there was a little surprise waiting for her''
''Oh man not the old pail over the door trick'' Warrick said
''Old, but classic'' Greg answered
''And something tells me that it wasn't just water'' Sara said sounding disgusted again
''No'' Nick told them as he and Greg tried hard not to laugh. ''She's gone back to the lab to clean up''
''Alright well we'll head back to the lab too than, after we check out the garage and we'll see what we got'' Catherine said as they headed to the garage.
''Cool and after we're done at the lab Nick and I are paying dinner for everyone'' Greg announced
''really what's the occasion?'' Warrick asked
''There's two to celebrate'' Nick started ''First of all Sara and I are moving in together ''
''And the other one is that Megan and I are getting married'' Greg finished
Catherine and Warrick couldn't believe what they heard. They were thrilled and congratulated Nick, Greg and Sara.
''You know I don't remember you paying the treat when you and Megan moved in together '' Warrick told Greg
''That's because I didn't. But I'm making up for that now''
''I say you still owe me a meal''