Happy New Year! I wish you all the very best for 2012!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing my first chapter and also for the encouraging messages.

I've been struggling with this story because I couldn't keep it simple, it was so twisty that my brain fried, haha. Also I'm finding it hard to write about the snow since it's 100ºF here. I hope to update it ASAP when I get back from the beach. See you soon :D xoxo

Chapter 2.

Bloodstained Snow

Monday

20th December

Centre Street

1pm

"Someone's going on the naughty list this year," Detective Bernard cagily stated as he observed the victim's dead body and jotted notes in his pad.

"Well, if they weren't on it before, they certainly are now," Detective Lupo circumspectly concluded as he covered the body with the coroner's blanket, also jotting down notes. The two pointed to the snow as they carefully moved around the taped off crime scene. The snow crunched under their feet as they crouched over the crimson spatters of blood.

"Wait there's more over there," B pointed out and moved towards his discovery, "How did that get over here?" he asked himself. "Hey! Make sure you get a sample of that, would you?" he commanded one of the CSU officers as he made his way back to Lupo.

"No wallet or ID. Just a suitcase, an empty one," Bernard read out to Lupo. "Oh and a half empty cookie box," he added.

"A few witnesses say his name is Theodore Livvery, assistant and boyfriend of Sarah Micheal, the Chief of the Investigative division, ," Lupo continued.

"That's McCoy's floor," B said as they walked into the building adjacent to the crime scene as the body was driven away to the Coroner's office. The guard of the DA's office had told everyone to stay put on their floors.

DA's Office

1.30pm

The detectives hopped into the elevator along with some other officers. They were reminded yet again what time of year it was when the Christmas music was softly playing.

Lupo cheekily asked Bernard, "So was the Cookie box half empty, B, or half full?"

Bernard only responded with a goofy smile.

The elevator reached the floor and the doors opened to the whole members of the DA's office floor huddled in a group. They were murmuring to each other in confusion and shock. Meanwhile others were on phones, because the place had hundreds of phones ringing at once. Poor Jessica, Jack's secretary was working up a sweat trying to keep up with them all at her desk.

Lupo and Bernard revealed to the office that the shooting victim involved was assumed to be Theodore Livvery. Everyone gasped and was outraged.

"No, not Teddy," some shouted.

"Look, I know you're angry right now, but we must catch leads as early as we can, so if you know anyth-" Lupo began to explain.

"You mean while Teddy's body is still warm?" an attorney bellowed.

"We're sorry to upset you," Bernard intervened, "We wanna catch the son-of-a-bitch as much as you do. We're on the same team here, so help us out to end this mess as soon as possible"

Jack stormed out of his office and suggested, "The quickest way to do this is for everyone to line up and be interviewed in Mike's office, the copy room, my own office and the conference room."

The attorneys eventually began to shuffle to specific rooms.

Mike usually would object to others using his office, but this was an exception. In fact, he deliberately chose to leave his door open during the day just for Connie to freely walk in and out of.

"Does any one know where Ms. Micheal is?" Lupo asked as he was directed to her desk near the evidence safe. He noticed something on the ground and it was a wallet. "Theodore Livvery," he read out loud to himself.

"Lupo?" a concerned voice asked. "Is it who's I think it is?"

"Yeah," he sighed

"Damn! I...was.. I was just talking to him, an..an hour ago… he even went out and bought me coffee"

"I'm sorry that you lost him, Connie. Do you mind if we take a seat, here"

"No, not at all," she said as they both sat down at a desk in private.

"So ..er.. his girlfriend, huh?," Lupo started.

"Uh? Wait no, I'm not...wasn't his g-"

"Sorry, no.. um, I-I mean his girlfriend was last seen speaking to him, or arguing, rather"

"Oh, yeah, that would be Sarah. Sarah Micheal." Connie was beginning to become flustered. "Mike went around there during their row, maybe he knows something"

"Ok, thanks, yeah I think he's with Bernard now" Lupo noted. When he looked back up he caught eyes with Connie and they both half-smiled.

"Do you remember Ted carrying a suitcase of some sort, when he got you coffee?"

"He was on his way to the courthouse when he bumped into me, he didn't have a suitcase. But he did however have one on his way back when he entered Mike's office to hand me my new coffee. Mike went to the evidence safe an hour after."

"Ok, thanks for that. Please keep the coffee cup, when you're done with it so...you know, just in case-"

"For a positive ID backup?" she questioned.

"yup"

"Smart move detective, I'll get it right now. Can I leave though? The bank on the corner should have CCTV running. And we've got probable cause."

"Yeah, sure. That'll be fine. Thanks again"

Meanwhile in Mike's office, "So, Sarah Micheal, the chief of the Investigative Division," Bernard began.

"At the safe you said you overheard Ms. Micheal and Ted argue over a suitcase?"

"She was insisting that the suitcase Ted brought in with him was the wrong one.. and that something about coffee…" Mike informed.

"mm?"

"She said something like 'If you hadn't have gotten the coffee, this wouldn't have happened'… Mike paused, "Wait… Connie was the reason why he got that coffee in the first place. He spilled Connie's so he went back to buy a new one. She came into the office while he went back out." He then trailed off into deep thought of worst-case scenarios. What if that was Connie that went back to get the coffee? What if she was the one brutally murdered? What if-

"Mike?"

"Uh. Yes, Detective?"

"Not that I like to jump to conclusions but it seemed to be a personal attack, like a direct hit on the victim as well as a robbery. I don't think Connie was the target."

"Right, right. You're right," trying his best to hide his anxiety.

"And besides, we all know even a trained assassin wouldn't be able to stop our Rubirosa!"

Bernard grinned, and so did Mike.

"True. Well, I'm assuming you'll want me to continue about Sarah's argument?"

"That'd be great"

"She called Ted's Santa suit 'stupid'. He stormed out. That was the last I had seen from them."

"Did he have a suitcase on him?"

"Yes, when he stormed out"

Lupo came over to Bernard with an inquisitive look on his face as he was about to read out his notes until both of their phones beeped

"That's the M.E, we better head over there" Lupo and Bernard walked out with their notes.

Coroner's Office

3pm

The detectives walked in to see Dr. Rodgers, making remarks about how it seemed warmer in there than the frosty weather of New York at that point. The detectives both stopped dead in their tracks when they arrived at the shocking confrontation. They thought they had seen it all; gun shot wounds, blunt force trauma, slashed throats, dismembered body parts, but they weren't at all prepared for today's sighting.

"Keep your badges on, boys," Dr. Rodgers warned.

"Wah…wha-what do you even say to that?" B asked, squinting in disbelief.

"Never thought I'd see that, even in my wildest dreams," Lupo stated trying to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.

"Wildest dreams, Detective? Ha! I thought I already told you that I was already spoken for," Dr. Rodgers endearingly replied as she adjusted her felt reindeer antlers and flashing red nose. "Right, now, Mr. Clause …" she continued as she walked over to the slab to give the autopsy run-down.

"Milk and Cookie overdose, Doc?" snickered Bernard.

"Not unless the audience had a sweet tooth while observing him bleed out."

"Audience?" Lupo intervened.

"Hold your reindeers will ya, I'll get to that" She shot a sharp look and continued, "Your victim received multiple gun shot wounds to the back of the head, the face and the front of the torso, the entry wounds indicate the shooter fired at point blank range, using a 9mm. Definitely not a professional hit. But get this; right here on the victims wrist," Dr. Rodgers revealed as she rolled the cadaver's arm over pointing to a fine dark powder, "There seems to gun shot residue on your victim"

"That explains the blood at the crime scene that was far away from the body," Bernard remembered, "Santa fired back"

"And here's the real stunner; that Theodore Livvery coffee cup I.D you asked me to run? Turned out to be a negative match to your victim. This man is named Jacob Marsh, he's in our system as a Divorce lawyer. Have to admit, not the most loved lawyers."

"And the cookie box?"

"The are fingerprints on it are from an Unsub, Ted and a Sarah Micheal.

So basically, you've got a an unidentified bleeding cookie monster on the run, that has a gun and is full of rage"

"Uh, Thanks Doc."

"Good luck"

"Merry Christmas," Lupo said as they walked out.

Bernard waved and Dr. Rodgers nodded

"So a divorce lawyer, a couple having a row and a killer? Sounds like the perfect sitcom for a love diamond" B mentioned, "Now we get to break it to the widow just before Christmas. (Sigh) I sure love Mondays"

"I'd really love to know what was so important in that suitcase!"

Just as they exited the building, Lupo's phone then began to ring.

"Lupo."

"Hey it's Connie, have you boys got your seatbelts on? You won't believe this CCTV footage! Ha!"

"Ok thanks, we'll be right over" Lupo turned to Bernard as they headed over to the Crime Lab.