Chapter Three - February

DB had already made the call and now waited in his office. He'd come in early to take care of this well before the graveyard crew arrived for their shift. His wife Barbara texted him wanting to know how it had gone and DB was thumb texting his reply.

"You asked to see me? I just got back from my outcall and came straight here. Sorry, I couldn't get back sooner."

He looked up as Iris walked in toting an evidence bag and another large canvass bag.

"Thanks for coming in," DB said and she took one of the chairs opposite his desk.

"So what brings me here?" she asked.

"I wanted to explain to you directly about Julie," DB said, "because I know you wanted to transfer to graveyard from swing when there was the opening after Catherine left."

"It's not necessary, it was your call on who you picked. Finn's worked with you before and has a strong skill set. You couldn't have selected a better successor for Catherine's spot. I believe she'll be a strong asset to the team. Nothing needs to be explained," Iris replied quietly.

"Yes, it does. I know I made the right choice for her to be the assistant supervisor for what she brings in terms of her expertise in blood spatter analysis as part of her criminalist experience. I need to reassure you," DB said and folded his hands together.

"Reassure?" Iris echoed.

"That you're still my go-to for when we need your help and unofficially you're with us on graveyard in that capacity as my only choice. Rich and I had a little chat about it when I brought Julie on board," DB said with a benign smile.

"Well, one is glad to be of service, Diebenkorn, no worries from me," Iris said with a mischievous look.

"Ah, I guess I have Finn to thank for that," DB shook his head.

"Limited knowledge divulged I promise and it'll always be DB going forward," Iris pledged.

"Is that your famous kit?" DB pointed to the large canvass bag that a teddy bear was peeping out of.

"Oh I wouldn't call it famous. It's just what I keep on hand when I'm on a case involving young kids or women who've been harmed. I keep stuffed animals, little cars or trucks, terrycloth robes and such. It helps the victims sometimes to have something to hold or play or even wear. Sara and Morgan have started carrying them and Finn's said she will too," Iris said while opening the bag so that DB could see its contents.

"It's a marvelous idea," DB insisted.

"Thanks. I need to head on with my evidence but thanks for talking to me about Finn. I do appreciate it and I'll always be there for you and the team," Iris said and extended her hand to shake his. She suddenly belched and blushed crimson.

"Hey, that means the food was great, right?" DB laughed.

"Ack, I don't know what's been up with the last week or so. I'm having burps like crazy, not usual for me, and I can smell a bad taco a block way it seems," Iris said in dismay.

"Here, have a Tums, helps me when I've got belly grumbles," he said and pulled out a bottle from his desk drawer.

Iris popped two in her mouth and mumbled thanks.

DB watched as she strode down the hall and nodded his silent approval. She was the solid team player Nick had described but above that had an uncanny way of empathizing with the victims of the cases she worked on and using a simple way to connect, like giving a traumatized child a soft stuffed animal for comfort.

Valentine's Day

"Love is in the air," Jim said with a sarcastic snort on his way to his office. He'd passed flowers and candy and balloon bouquets being delivered several times as he walked through the building. "No love getting shown to the Brassinator 2012."

His office was dark with the blinds drawn and the door was already open and that irked him, knowing he'd locked it when he had left and thought note to self to contact housekeeping. He pulled up short as he came through the doorway. A small table covered with a white tablecloth set with candles and plates, goblets and silverware for two. Seated there was Renee in a stunning rose-red gown. He stood there a moment in shock before two hands pushed on his back and started him toward the table.

"Happy Valentine's Day, go on and sit down," Iris said behind him and continued to nudge him toward where Renee sat.

"How the…?" Jim was flummoxed but seated himself.

"Ecklie owed me a favor for my introducing him to Margot, so he called you in early. I told you back on New Year's you needed to have your date with Renee and she made herself available to be your dinner companion. Dinner will be served in a moment," Iris said and he saw her wearing a white apron with red letters saying Chef d'Amor.

She then brought in from hallway a metal cart with covered dishes having smells that set Brass' taste buds on alert.

Iris bustled between him and Renee as she set up their dinner. "For your palatal enjoyment, the following is served: frisee salad with bacon-shallot vinaigrette, filet with shallot-red wine sauce and garlic frites, and cappuccino soufflé for two. Your beverage will be Quinto do Crasto red wine that is non-alcohol since you're on duty. Bon appétit!"

Seeing that Iris was leaving, Brass said quickly to Renee, "Be right back."

Iris had gotten only a few feet from his office with the metal cart when Brass grabbed her arm. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"What are you up to?" he hissed.

"Nothing so like I said you needed to have your date and what better time than Valentine's to have dinner and be with a beautiful woman," Iris replied softly, focusing her eyes on his left earlobe. "Go on and enjoy yourself."

Jim stared at her for several moments trying to figure her out. "Okay, you're right and I appreciate your efforts for a day I historically haven't participated in these last few years."

Renee gave him a sultry look as he closed his office door and took his seat across from her. "You went to a lot of trouble for me."

"Uh, yeah, you ready to eat? I'm starving," Brass said and launched into the meal.

"Oh, leave room for extra dessert, lover, which is me, that is," Renee said with a silky purr.

"Precious, you don't understand, I work tonight so we, um, can't go anywhere," Jim said nervously.

"Who said we had to," Renee said before she gave him a tongue-probing kiss. She then swung her long legs to sit in his lap to face him. Her lips started a wet trail down his neck as she removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. "Do know how much damage I can do to you in just an hour and have you begging for more?"

Iris parked the metal cart in the break room and took a seat. She put her chin in her hand as she brooded, something she told herself she wouldn't do, but Valentine's was never her day anyhow. Renee would make the most of her time with Jim, of that she had no doubt. Nick was walking by and saw her.

"Iris, you okay?"

"Ack, sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Look what Mandy got me."

"Aw, chocolate roses, that was literally sweet of her."

"Yeah, took me by surprise totally."

"So will you get her something?"

"Sure to be nice but what last minute?"

"Come with me."

Nick followed her to the locker area as she quickly did the combination to the lock for hers. She pulled out a gift bag covered in hearts of different colors to give him. He looked inside and pulled out a small stuffed collie that held a card in its paws. As he opened the card, a gift card started to fall out that he caught to read and gave Iris a curious look. "Itunes?"

"Mandy uses an Ipod and that's what I was going to give her for Valentine's Day."

"Why?"

"Not everybody has somebody to look forward to spending this day with. I know Mandy's not seeing anyone right now so it only seemed right she get something. Didn't you have a speed date with that nurse from Desert Palm earlier?"

"Ouch, point taken, Iris. I'll get this to Mandy straight away. Say, why aren't you with someone?"

"This is a day I'd rather treat like any other for myself," Iris said while shutting her locker door.

She watched the tall Texan head toward the part of the crime lab where Mandy worked. Iris glanced at her watch with a heavy sigh to head back to the break room to wait on DB for her assignment. Suddenly t he shrill sound of a siren erupted from the break room where a crowd was gathering outside of it. Iris saw Sara and gave her a nudge. "What's going on?"

"Not sure, let's check it out," Sara replied and took Iris by the arm to push through the crowd where inside the break room stood a Hispanic LVPD firefighter with axe in hand standing next to DB.

"Showtime," DB said with a wide grin and stepped aside, while Sara made Iris take a seat next to him.

"It is getting muy caliente in here mi mujer fumando!" the firefighter exclaimed and Iris' eyebrows went into orbit as he hit a boombox on the table and "Love Rollercoaster" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers began to play. Putting the axe between his legs he began to do a slow bump and grind approaching Iris.

In the next few moments he set the axe down beside Iris, peeled off his firefighter coat and grabbed his pull away yellow pants. Clad now only in a yellow speedo with red flames, he began to give her a lap dance with a more potent bump and grind. The rest of the crowd including graveyard CSI's whooped and hollered as the firefighter pulled Iris to her feet who was blushing a fiery crimson. She was now pulled close as he proceeded to do "Dirty Dancing" moves, so she gave him a shy grin and matched him in time to the music. The firefighter returned her grin as they went into doing a 70's Bump. As the song concluded the firefighter kissed her hand as the crowd applauded and Iris tucked a $20 bill into the side of his speedo and then gave a shaky curtsy.

"Okay, folks, we've had our entertainment for the night, back to work," DB intoned with a wide grin as the crowd dispersed.

"Iris, thanks for being a good sport, I'm Eddie Cervantes from Chippendales, come in anytime for a personal birthday special," he said to Iris with a suggestive wink before he left.

Iris took her seat but her flush continued, her eyes narrowed at DB and Sara. Greg, Finn and Morgan had been in the crowd also and gathered at the table. "You all knew?"

"We were sworn to secrecy," DB said.

"Brass put you up to this," Iris surmised with a scowl.

"Don't be ticked off, Iris, he's had it planned for weeks, said he wanted to give you a special V-Day," Sara snickered.

Nick strode in, "Dang, I missed it?"

"Oh, yeah, it was one for the books," Iris nodded, "I can take a joke but wow".

"Yeah, I think you were getting into dancing with Eddie," Greg laughed.

"I was ready to if Iris wasn't," Finn declared.

"Me too," Morgan agreed.

"Closest I'm going to get to a male like that today for sure," Iris said with self-deprecating sigh.

Fifteen minutes later as Iris headed out to her assignment, she saw Brass walk Renee to the elevators and watch her leave. Her stomach clenched but she kept her face neutral as she intended to just wait for the next elevator or head for the stairs as her plan B.

Jim saw her and gave her a toothy grin, "So ya having a red hot Valentines?

"You have red lipstick on your fly," Iris retorted frostily.

"What!?" Brass gasped and looked down in panic where of course there was none.

"Gotcha, but check your neck and shirt. I'm going down are you?" Iris said airily, tossed him a stick of Tide stain remover from her bag before the elevator doors closed between her and Jim who was getting ready to reply.

"Game on, Iris," he growled.

As he came to his car in the parking garage, Brass stopped at what he saw. There on the hood of his Dodge Charger were two Teddy bears, one dressed like a cop and the other like Sherlock Holmes, between which was a flower bouquet of chrysanthemums, daisies, yellow roses, and some others he didn't recognize. The cop bear held a card in its paws that Jim took and opened. The card was of a cupid Teddy bear that said "Hope you have a very Special Valentine's Day" on the front. Inside it read: "I wanted you to have a unique Valentine's Day like you may not have had in a while with good food and a beautiful woman's attention. This is the best combination I could come up with for a homicide detective Teddy bear. The cop bear is a Vermont Teddy with your actual badge number on it. Always remember you're treasured! Best, Iris".

Jim carefully put the flowers and vase in his car so nothing would spill with the Teddy bears on each side for protection. He didn't have time to take them back to his office or swing by home. She had a head start he thought but not for long. His fingers drummed the steering wheel several moments before a thought struck him that followed with his cell phone dialing its target number. "Maxie, Jim Brass, I know it's late but I need a favor…"

The next morning after going through trace evidence with Sara on the same assignment, Iris got home as soon as she could and took the dogs for a long walk on the paths of the park nearby wooded trails. She needed a shower badly but wanted to hold off until she got done with her walk. Last night had been eventful enough as she had to endure the good-natured ribbing the graveyard CSI's had given her. She always liked working with the graveyard team even more than her swing shift and DB had had her working with them a lot recently.

Walking the dogs back home they started to pull on their leashes with excited whines and yelps as they neared the house, causing her to reprimand them in Navajo. The dogs resumed the heel position with ingratiating canine smiles. Iris now saw what had caused the dogs' excitement at the car in her driveway and its driver standing at her front door.

"Heard there was a little fire in the break room last night," Jim said smugly.

"I was mightily impressed by the fireman and his enormous hose," Iris returned with raised eyebrows. "Thanks for securing me some male companionship."

"I'd say the same," Jim grinned.

"Oh, like you were suffering," Iris snorted. "I had everyone and their brother there to see me being humiliated."

"Well, Renee did her best to make something happen but it wasn't the time or place," Brass shrugged, "but I can see it made you uncomfortable so here's a peace offering".

Brass held a flower bouquet of varied lavender flowers in one hand and a gift bag from Victoria's Secret.

"Um, thanks. What is it with you and Victoria's Secret?" Iris eyed the bag suspiciously.

"I'm on their mailing list, the magazines make for great reading material," Jim chuckled.

"Oh truly educational no doubt at least for the female anatomy," Iris grumbled as she opened the front door, "you might as well as come in."

The dogs once off their leashes went to lie down on the tiled floor of the living room. Iris put the flowers in living room window. Jim settled in his favorite chair and dangled the bag at her. "Come on, take your medicine."

Iris took the bag and pulled out the tissue paper wrapped contents. She kept a straight face as she opened them: a pair of fur-line handcuffs, a bottle of Victoria's Secret Rose de Mai perfume and lotion, and little Butterfinger bites.

"The Rose de Mai means May Rose," Jim translated, "I remember your birthday is in May."

"But fur-lined handcuffs?" Iris held them up.

"One day you may find them useful during an intimate encounter," Brass winked at her.

"Are you inferring that the only I could keep a man in my bed is with handcuffs!" Iris said perturbed.

"No, no, you're overreacting!" Brass replied with upraised hands.

"Excuse me," Iris said suddenly and ran to the master bathroom.

Jim waited several moments then decided to see how she was. The house was filled with zones of scents it seemed, none overpowering but in her bedroom it smelled of coconut and something else. Brass knocked on the bathroom floor. "Iris, you okay?"

"Just a moment," she replied and opened the door.

"You feeling bad?" Jim was concerned.

"No, it's just here recently if I get upset I've been having something like acid reflux and have to spit up," Iris replied. "I'm overdue in seeing a doctor so high time I see to that."

"You better take care of yourself. Can I say I like how your house smells, like aromatherapy I guess, what's in here besides coconut?" he asked.

"Oh, warm ginger. Makes me think of being on a beach in Hawaii," Iris smiled.

"You ever been there?" Jim queried.

"Hmm, in my dreams and on the Travel Channel, but I wouldn't want to be there alone," she said.

"The guy and 10 kids? Sounds crowded to me," Brass chortled.

"Well, that'd be well before the 10 kids and I think I'd put those handcuffs into service for an interesting trip," Iris allowed a small chuckle. "Thanks for helping me feel better."

"I gotta go but you're okay, see a doctor, right?" Jim said with a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, I will and thanks again for my goody bag and improving my mood," Iris said.

After Brass had left, Iris reached for her phone to scroll down through her list of contact numbers and said to herself. "Yes, that one will do. Jim's right, I've put off what I usually take care of."

It was the last week of February and Iris stopped off at the morgue to return a book that Doc Al Robbins had lent her. She saw Super Dave washing off a table with his back turned. "Hey, how's business?"

The bespectacled assistant coroner's reaction was of fight versus flight; he turned and nearly hosed Iris down as she ducked the erratic water spray. "Gosh, Iris, sorry about that!"

"No worries, Dave. Is your boss around? I've got one of his books," Iris held it up.

"Ah, forensic veterinary pathology, get a bite of out it?" Dave asked with a beatific smile.

"I did indeed and need a rabies shot," Iris said drolly and rolled her eyes.

"I thought I heard you," Doc Robbins said from his office doorway and beckoned with a wave of his cane.

Iris walked in and gave the pathologist his book. "It was a decent read. I got some great information in the event we have future cases involving animals."

"You're still working on forensic tracking?" Doc queried as he put the book in its place on his library shelf.

"Yes, I want that to be my strong area, but I still like my involvement with Mounted Search and Rescue. I have the only approved equine-canine team but others are showing interest," Iris said and suddenly felt woozy.

Doc Al saw her face pale and guided her to the loveseat in his office. He looked at her with narrowed eyes over his glasses. "You looked like you were going to faint!"

"It's nothing, Al, really! I've just been fatigued here and there," Iris declared.

"Weren't you going to see a doctor, remember, your family history…," he admonished.

"Yes, yes, I have an appointment scheduled for next week and that's the soonest I could get in," Iris assured him.

"I know you, Iris, you're not giving me full disclosure! Anything else unusual?" Doc Al pressed her.

"Uh, well, I've had heightened sense of smells, going number one more frequently, more thirsty, fatigued off and on, acid reflux symptoms when I get irked sometimes," Iris said with a concentrated look.

"How have your blood sugars been?" Al's look became more intense.

"I'm a type 2 diabetic! I'm used to seeing swings in my blood sugar, I just let myself get a bit run down," she replied in exasperation.

"Dave, can you bring me one of those?" Al stepped out of his office and pointed to an area of shelves in the morgue. Dave nodded and brought the requested container.

"Here, you know what to do next," Al said to Iris.

"You're going to find some ketones at best," Iris railed but obediently went to the bathroom.

She brought the sample to Al who turned and administered the test. Iris stood by expectantly with folded arms.

"Iris, what do you see?" Al held up the test strip.

Iris' eyes became as big as saucers and her voice trembled. "C..C…Could you please call Nick for me?"