Chapter Two

VEGAS

"Officer down. Officer down." The words all in law enforcement fear dominated the police dispatch radio.

Grissom was nearby at a magazine stand and heard the disembodied voice from his vehicle outlining the call. He bolted to the alley and saw the Mustang with its tail lights glowing macabre blood red. Grissom hastened to the car where he saw Warrick, motionless, blood on his neck and chest. He wasted no time opening the car door and easing Warrick to the ground to cradle him. As he saw the two gunshot wounds, Grissom's horror rose in a nauseous wave from the pit of his stomach that took all he had to quell. Instead, he told Warrick to stay with him. Warrick's eyes fluttered open as he looked up at Grissom, trying to will himself to speak.

McKeen was there all of a sudden to tell Grissom he was first on the scene and had tried to pursue the suspect.

Warrick's eyes widened as he saw McKeen before he suddenly choked on more blood. McKeen's hand went to his gun holster, a silent warning as he stood behind Grissom. Warrick wouldn't endanger Grissom even though it meant he couldn't identify his assailant…his killer…the LVPD mole standing just a few feet away.

Grissom cradled Warrick's head as he half-sobbed, "Hang on, stay with me!"

He willed his strength to be Warrick's but Warrick could feel himself slipping away, locking his eyes with Grissom's trying to say what he couldn't.

"Where are the paramedics?" Grissom shouted at McKeen,

As McKeen stepped away to use his 2-way radio, Grissom could only hold Warrick, powerless to change what was happening.

Catherine walked into the alley; no, make that a nightmare of flashing red lights and police activity. Brass was talking to McKeen on her left and Nick was sitting on a curb to her right. Their eyes met briefly as Nick shook his head slowly before his eyes dropped. She then saw Grissom, his shirt bloody, her mind screaming no as she wanted to deny the source of that blood. Her eyes fell on the silent blood-spattered face of Warrick, who would never again flash her his sly dimpled smile, now being covered by the plastic sheeting she had seen at all the homicide crime scenes she'd ever been assigned. Catherine never believed she'd be present at one that involved one of their team. The closest that had been was when it was Brass and by a cruel twist of fate it was Warrick who had accompanied Brass to Desert Palm. She stopped as one hand flew to her mouth and another to her stomach as a ragged sob escaped her. Grissom's eyes locked with hers. No words needed said to express the silent exchange of thoughts and feelings that went between them.

DALLAS

The cell phone rang with the ring tone of George Strait's "Dance With You" as Iris turned half awake in bed to reach for it on her night stand. Her surprise was genuine as they hadn't spoke in a while before she opened the phone up. Their running joke had been that Iris said he looked like George Strait and if he'd just wear a white cowboy hat to complete the effect. He had to a DPD crime lab Halloween party once just to placate her and had been swarmed with female company.

"Nickers, what's up?" she tried not to yawn and still sound perky while turning on her lamp. Her adjusting sleep to accommodate coverage of the swing shift was going okay but at times she regretted being a light sleeper.

"Iris…", Nick's voice sounded thick, as if he'd been crying.

She was wide awake in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"Something's…happened…here," Nick's said slowly before Iris heard a series of sniffles. She realized this wasn't going to be good news.

"Tell me," she encouraged him in a quiet voice.

"Warrick…," Nick's voice broke completely as it degenerated into choking sobs.

"Nickers, I'm here, take all the time you need," Iris said softly.

Over the next hour Nick gave Iris all the details he could of the tragic event and what he wanted to do initially to honor his friend. Iris' heart went out to Nick who'd been one of her biggest encouragers when she'd decided to go back to college to embark in a career as a CSI while he'd still been at the DPD crime lab before moving on to join the well-known Gil Grissom's crime lab team in Vegas.

"Nick, I'll fly out today," Iris said, keeping her voice even while she still absorbed the horrible details.

"No, I know you want to charge in here and fix everything, make everyone feel better, that's you. I might fly back to visit when this is all done, but I'd like one favor though," Nick said a faint chuckle.

"Name it," Iris said.

"I want to have a wake for Warrick with the team when it's appropriate. I'll even have Brass there but I need a good song to toast him by. What'd be a good tune?" Nick asked.

"You should have Brass there, Nickers, because from what you've told me he's as much a team member as any of the lab rats," Iris gently scolded, "but here's what I'd recommend in memory of Warrick."

"I'll download it if I don't have it on my IPod already," Nick replied, somewhat astonished. Iris was a huge music fan and he knew she'd give him a solid tune to go by.

"Nick, I'm here for you," Iris said so firmly it made him smile at his end.

"Are you doing okay?" Nick asked, remembering it had been some time also since their last conversation.

"Feeling restive here again," Iris disclosed.

"You get another letter?" Nick said, looking at his watch to note the date.

"Max is like clock work and never misses this time of the month," Iris stated with a flat tone.

"Don't read another letter, Iris, he's bad juju," Nick declared.

"You're right. He gets his satisfaction just by sending it. Things are changing starting now," Iris concurred. "Now, call me, text me, email me, send smoke signals if you need anything."

"You'll be among the first I reach out to…like now," Nick promised. "Talk to you soon."

Iris abandoned the notion she could just go back to sleep and got up to sit in the old weathered rocking chair, wrapping herself in the quilt that rested on its back. Her friend needed more than just a phone call as she cleared her mind and heart, slowly rocking the chair as she focused sending thoughts for healing and encouragement to Nick, his team mates, and others at the crime lab. She even included Detective Brass who she only knew through what Nick said about the homicide detective with rank of captain. Her wish that the perpetrator be found quickly and brought to justice went forward with her other thoughts. It was dawn before the rocking stopped as Iris fell asleep in the old familiar chair.