"How comes LVPD didn't have the address of the vic?" Sara asked when she and Sofia stood in front of the room of Natas Live.
"Because the address of Natas Live is bogus. When he changed his name years ago, he also changed the address and it's an empty lot. We checked it already."
"Are there any relatives?"
"Nobody is listed."
"Well, we know about the brother in hell." Sara smiled and opened the door, let the office go in first to secure the room.
"Yeah, I've no idea how to contact him. You?"
"No, not really."
"What do you think about White?"
"I think if we find out he profits from the death of his star, he has a very good motive to kill him. He didn't seem to be surprised or sad about Live's death. Then again, he's the manager and a dead rock star makes you a very rich man. Plus I believe he took more than the blood for DNA out of the room."
"Room is clear." The officer came out of the room.
"Thanks." Together they walked into the room. "No housekeeper, huh?" The room looked like somebody throw a bomb inside. Furniture laid on the floor, covered in rubbish, empty fast food bags, bottles, DVDs, CDs, a guitar and...there was a chicken. Alive.
"Uhm...what did he do with the chicken?" Sofia looked at the animal.
"I've no idea..." The brunette's head popped to the right when she heard something or somebody in the other room. "I thought the room is clear." She draw her weapon to let it down the next second. "A goat?"
"The typical animal of the devil...I bet the hotel owner doesn't know about this little farm in the room. Hey Mitch, can you call animal control? We've got a chicken and a goat in the room. Alive."
"Seriously?"
"Deadly serious." Sofia stepped over a chair to have a look in the second room. The bedroom. It looked like the living room, the big bed in the middle was covered in clothes, dirt and other things, she had no idea of, what they could be. Fact was, they didn't need room service, they needed back-up to work on the room. And the hotel had to renovate the room.
"I think I go and talk to the neighbors and the manager of the hotel. He won't be happy to hear a goat and a chicken lived in his hotel...or live."
"I called Greg and ordered him to come here. He said COD is still unknown. Doc Robbins works on it. The sent samples to tox."
"Well, the way the body looked it will take a little bit longer. If you need me, I'm around."
"And I...I think I start with getting the animals out..." So, how would she catch the chicken and the goat and where could she leave them until animal control was here? They were evidence too, but destroyed evidence by walking through the rooms. A box for the chicken and a rope for the goat would do it. Gosh, her job never became routine or boring.
"Wow, anybody ever say again my place looks like a dump should see this room first."
"I hope your room doesn't look even close to this."
"No...why are there a goat and a chicken outside?"
"Because they're evidence." Sara lifted a laptop from under the couch.
"Ah...they were in here?"
"Yes. Why don't you start in the bedroom? It will take some time until we're done here."
"Some time? I guess we go home before we finish here." He was right about this. It was ten in the morning, they were on the clock since twelve hours. Two or four more and it was time for them to go home, call it a day and continue later in the evening.
"Lets get out what looks most promising, get it back to the lab and let trace work on it. We'll be back here tonight."
"Grissom said, our TOD is around four days ago, he tries to narrow it down."
"Okay."
"It must be awkward for you to have him around, but it feels good to have him back. Even when it's only for one case, I'm glad I'm the lucky one, who can work with him on the case. Wouldn't want to miss that for anything."
"Tell him, maybe he buys you a breakfast."
"We should all have breakfast together when the case is closed. In spirit of the good old times."
"Why don't you focus on the present? The bedroom, Greg?"
"All women want me in the bedroom, I'm such a heart-breaker." He smiled and went into the bedroom.
She didn't comment this, turned back to the desk. Empty used coffee cups, an empty whiskey bottle and...a notebook. She opened the first side and found a drawing of the devil. Not a surprise in a room like this. Slowly she skipped through a few pages until she came to the last week. No appointments, nothing was written down. The week before had various entries, he gave two concerts in Las Vegas, a few letters were written down on each day. Initials of people he met? Some had a plus, some had a minus attached.
"Was this guy connected to a blood bank?" Greg came back.
"No. He kept hollow needles to drink his own blood, according to his manager."
"Hollow needles? There are more than hollow needles in the fridge next to the bed and when the blood is only from him, he must have been without any blood in his body. I found at least four pounds."
"Test it. If it's his blood, he collected it, otherwise he might had donors. Willingly or unwillingly." He was a singer, after a concert, when he chose his company, there were many possibilities to get their blood. When they agreed all he needed was a needle, if they disagreed, Sara was sure they'd find drugs in the room too.
"We can take one car to the lab or drive in separate cars, what do you prefer?" Grissom asked after he and Sara finished their dinner.
"Don't you want to stay here? You worked already ten hours."
"I know and I will work two or three more until I'm done with my work for today. You worked more hours than I did." He pulled her in his arms and kissed her. "Don't overwork yourself."
"I won't."
"How much sleep did you have?"
"Six hours. Much more than I used to have years ago."
"We both know what happened years ago, we don't need it again. I worry about you. Promise me to come back home earlier tomorrow. Before lunch."
"I try." She closed her eyes and leant into his body. If somebody offered her a few more hours of sleep, she would take it. The problem was, her case was a high profile case, the press and the Sheriff were all over them, wanted answers. By now they should have COD and with this, they had to work out how Live was killed or died.
"I will finish with the bugs and if you need me for anything else, let me know."
"I need you for many things, the problem is, you're the expert for bugs, we can't have you work the rest of the case with us."
"You need to find a few more bugs then. Weren't there any in the hotel room? After all, you found a chicken and a goat."
"I bet there are fleas, but I didn't find any bugs...except for bed bugs. Greg sent them to the lab."
"See, I can work with them, might even have a look at the room. Not that I have to but I like to see my wife at work. Years ago, when she was my girlfriend, I put her on my cases to spend more time with her."
"Yeah, I bet Ecklie realized it after he knew about us and was mad he didn't realize earlier what was going on."
"We worked our cases, there was no reason for him to be suspicious. When we talked about us at a scene, nobody was around."
"Mhm...I remember the case of the boxer, who was shot, poisoned and various other things, at the farm. These women hit on you."
"They liked my hat."
"Sure."
"And I still believe sex without love is pointless, doesn't make you happy. Lucky for me I'm married and my wife makes me very happy. A reason why I decided to stay in Vegas. There were enough weeks without you."
"Tell me about it...oh shit!" Sara pushed him away. "We need to cancel our appointment with your mother, you remember, the breakfast appointment tomorrow morning..."
"Honey, calm down." He pulled her back in his arms. "I did that already this noon, knowing this case will keep us both busy. We'll have breakfast with her next week."
"Oh, good." Betty Grissom didn't like it when appointments were canceled the last minute, she told them off twice for doing so. Nobody wanted an angry mother-in-law.
"So, back to the car issue? One or two?"
"Two, you go home before I do."
"I could pick you up when you're done. Never had that back in high school? A boyfriend, who came along to pick you up?"
"No."
"Not?"
"Did you pick up your girlfriends in high school?"
"Sometimes, when I wasn't too busy."
"So barely. You've been busy in high school with your bugs. That's why women went crazy after a while."
"Not my wife." He smiled. "She's still with me."
"Treat her good if you want to keep her."
"I will. Okay, two cars. I want to have breakfast with you, Sara. We cancelled our appointment with my mother, that doesn't mean you can stay away for a double. Your shift ends at six, try to be back at eight, okay? I'm sure Russell won't be mad when you do only two hours of extra time. He seems to be a good boss."
"He is, like I said last year, he reminds me a little bit of you sometimes."
"Eight?"
"Nine?"
"Half eight."
"Deal." Both knew their breakfast appointment wasn't set in stone. If anything important came up, Sara had to stay longer. But with the promise to be back at half past eight, she wouldn't let many things get in her way. After all, she learnt years ago, her life was more than work and since she was married, her private life was much better and more exciting than work.
