Chapter 7
The neighborhood wasn't considered the best in Vegas. It was like the many low income neighborhoods that were considered a breeding ground for crime like drugs, gangs and prostitution just to name a few. There was also the cultural flare that wasn't usually evident to the naked eye; that is if people didn't bother to look. To Sage, she could see the bits of culture that were carefully integrated into the houses, like an attempt to show that the people living there could blend into American society.
It was clearly of voodoo heritage on the first house that she stopped at. She could recognize a few of the effigies related to the religion. She fingered her choice of collar for the day. Even on her days off she still wore a collar. It was something she embraced as a part of her as well as her fascination for other cultures. It was partially why she had earned a degree in behavioral psychology.
This is crazy. You have been on door to door duty before. What is so different about this?
Uh it is my day off and I am in a neighborhood without backup of any kind. That's the difference.
The idea came to her when she got home after clocking out. It had been a long and arduous drive home since her knee was achy. She had declined an offer to be driven home. She wasn't that helpless and she was still in two minds about what happened outside of Grissom's office. She was certain that it wasn't pity. That was below Nick and she could take that to the bank.
Anyway driving home, she thought about the case and what they had uncovered. She didn't know about the ID of the assailant yet or the ID of the second DB. Yet what was in her mind was why someone like Rivera would kill someone with no apparent gang ties. It did occur to her that the cicatrization marks could be off putting and maybe scare a few people.
The ideas people had of voodoo were what they gleaned from Hollywood. Few people outside of scholars understood it as a form of spiritual worship of the world around them. Priests and priestesses were labeled witches or devil worshippers and the appearance of representations of the loa were mistaken for evil things. That much could be said about other deities that were of other cultures. Sage could remember a lecture she had sat in on and a couple of the students with strong Christian backgrounds went crazy on the subject matter.
While driving, she thought about the identity of the victim. She was well aware that voodoo, true voodoo worshippers were tight, close knit communities. They wouldn't be so readily inclined to speak to outsiders. She knew that because it had taken a long time to build up trust with her friend in New Orleans to be allowed in on a ceremony and to learn the intricacies of voodoo and what made New Orleans voodoo different from the roots of the Caribbean. Still she knew she should have backup but it wasn't like her partner was going to listen.
While she sat at home, she went over a few things about the case and scribbled notes full of possibilities based on what they had collected. She hadn't had a chance to analyze anything so details were sketchy. First glance told her that Rivera was harassing the victim, a fistfight ensued. It escalated to weapons ultimately with Rivera shooting the victim but it didn't answer why someone would shoot Rivera. The best possibility was that it was retaliation but deep down Sage suspected that there was more to it.
Now she was back in the neighborhood and going door to door. Perhaps she could find something even though she was off the clock sort of. She knocked on the door of the first house and waited. She glanced around to find that there were kids out staring while going about their play. It was nerve wracking since she wasn't that familiar with Las Vegas and while her knee felt better, that didn't mean she was able to defend herself.
It wasn't too long of a wait for the door was opened by a dark skinned middle aged woman. She had cicatrization scars on her face done in a similar pattern as the John Doe so Sage was going to assume that they might know each other. She cleared her throat and said, "Excuse me, I'm Sage Parker and I'm with the Las Vegas Crime lab."
"Yes. I was expecting you but not alone."
"Uh… what?" Sage usually wasn't surprised when people flung things out of left field. It was part of the job; you learned that people were capable of just about anything. This though was a first.
The woman nodded and beckoned Sage to enter. Once she shut the door, she said, "You are expected as well as the one that watches your shadow."
Sage had no idea what to make of that. She didn't know who the woman was referring to since she had been eyeballed since she walked into the crime lab day one. "I have no idea what you are talking about but I was hoping you could answer some questions for me…"
"His name is Clarence and he is my son."
Okay that worked out well, Sage thought to herself. She recalled a few instances where she had people know what they were going to ask and answered before the question was out of her mouth. She was still in shock from the fact that she was expected and someone who always was watching. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be freaked out or what but she remembered she was the scientist so she went with that. "Okay. He has cicatrization in a similar pattern on his face like yours and he was wearing a gris-gris?"
The woman nodded as she looked out the window of her house before turning back. "Protection but not enough."
"I see. Did Clarence have any enemies Mrs…?"
"Suleiman. We have had many troubles here. Many think that with our practices we have drugs. Clarence organized a protection of our people," Mrs. Suleiman replied. She gently pushed on Sage to sit ad began offering tea. "All we want is to practice our ways in peace."
"I understand," Sage replied as she took a polite sip of tea. "It is hard to find people that understand that need. We forget the basics."
"A gift of expression and strong will. It's why he watches so much," Mrs. Suleiman said as she got up to go to a corner of the living room. "I saw Clarence that night. He had a knife and was going to make a point with the men from the south."
"La Guardia?" Sage looked at the woman while ignoring the fact that it was twice now that it had been mentioned that she was being watched. It was too much a reminder of what had been reiterated at Metro after what happened there. She would rather stick to the case.
"That is what they called themselves. They said we were encroaching on their territory and we needed to back off or they would mean business," Mrs. Suleiman replied. She looked at the pictures from where they had lived before and gently touched the one with her and her son. "We thought it would be easier here in a city where there are people who roam the strange and unusual."
"Your group had problems with another in New Orleans. It's why you moved, isn't it?" Sage held her cup and watched the woman as she looked at the pictures. It was a bold assumption but after her enlightening conversation, she had to be sure. If she was right, they had moved for their beliefs and settled in a place like Vegas where pretty much they would blend in except for the cicatrization marks. That alone would make them stand out and then there were the neighbors watching and that would also provide tension and the like.
"You would know. You are of the people there."
"I am from New Orleans, yes. I have a friend who is a priest of his sect and informed me about recent tensions. It's why I asked," Sage replied determined to be honest. Even though she shouldn't reveal too much of the investigation, she wanted to be as honest as possible about it.
"You know this and it is true. We are persecuted here. There we were arguing over tenets but never would we stoop to killing each other."
Sage blinked a bit at that. "I understand ma'am," her Southern drawl stressed itself a little more. Most of the time it was faint but when she got particularly emotional it made itself know. She never lost it even after spending five years in D.C. That kind of thing just didn't go away easily. "So Clarence was killed because he was telling them to back off?"
"Yes. They are very bad men CSI Parker. That is why I worry that you are not here with one who watches even though he doesn't want to," Mrs. Suleiman replied. She looked at Sage with a worried expression. "He is your gris-gris."
Sage made a slight face at that. She knew what a gris-gris was. She had one of her own that had been sent to her before she left for Vegas. She was not certain she was willing to go that far with Nick Stokes now that she was certain that was who Mrs. Suleiman was talking about. She pulled hers out from under her shirt, "I have one already. My friend from New Orleans gave it to me."
Mrs. Suleiman inspected the gris-gris. She took her time looking at the scrollwork and the time and energy put into the gris-gris. It was quality work and the bokor who made it did it with absolute care. She was familiar with the work and the bokor. She replied, "You must be a very good friend to the bokor who made this for you. It was made out of love."
"He taught me much about voodoo," Sage replied as her drawl correctly pronounced the word. She had worked long and hard to make sure that it came out right and had been pestered by her friend to make sure she pronounced it correctly. "How did you know that he is a bokor?"
Mr. Suleiman gave a slight smile at that. She liked the young woman. She was full of passion for her job but also had respect for things that were strange and unfamiliar. She replied, "I know this bokor well by his work. He was one of the few that tried to resolve the differences within the community. He was all about peace."
"He still is," Sage affirmed. She wasn't uncomfortable with the woman holding her gris-gris. She wore it all the time under her shirts out of respect and because she felt she would need it since she was leaving the familiar for the not so familiar. "He told me about what happened more or less. I am sorry. All serve the loa but opinions differ."
"Very much so," Mrs. Suleiman agreed. "In the end it was peaceful to leave. We were wished well. The loa have been kind to us." She finished fingering the gris-gris and gently put it back so that it hung around Sage's neck. "This will protect you from most things but your other gris-gris; that is one you should keep close."
"Um… forgive me but I think gris-gris are supposed to be amulets of the sort. My partner is hardly that and we don't really see eye to eye on much." Sage knew she was being polite about her relationship with Nick. It was oil and water, plain and simple. "It's oil and water."
"Sometimes they make the best gris-gris," Mrs. Suleiman replied with a knowing expression on her face. She refilled the cups of tea and sat to take her cup and sip. "We in the community see much but we don't speak. Many do not understand us and many think that the elder is crazy. There is no respect except from you and your gris-gris."
"You must be mistaken," Sage replied a little confused. "Detective Vega and I questioned her and while she rambled, I was able to help pick out what happened."
"You show respect and the gris-gris does too," Mrs. Suleiman repeated her earlier assessment. She took a sip of her tea as she studied Sage. "Watches he does. In the end he will be your gris-gris."
Sage wasn't sure of what to make of it. True Nick did show concern when they ran into each other and even helped to make sure she didn't fall over but that in of itself was nothing to get excited over. It just showed that they were able to put aside the other stuff and work together; essentially play nice. What Mrs. Suleiman was suggesting… she wasn't sure.
Sage was familiar with the concept of watching the six. Her father taught her that as much and it was what she did growing up with Cassie. She looked after her sister though she could hardly say the same for Cassie but she did it in her own way. For her father it was a Marine thing but it was also a family thing and one her mother was familiar with and that was related to the whole Southern thing. She carried that over to watching her partners' backs and they watched hers. True she would backup Nick since they were on a case and grudgingly he would for her. Anything else was like a cold day in hell.
She was about to reply when her phone rang. She pulled her cell phone out and didn't recognize the number. She knew the number for the lab and she switched numbers to keep Cassie from bothering her. Looking at Mrs. Suleiman, she apologized and answered, "Parker."
Mrs. Suleiman watched for a moment as Sage talked with the person at the other end. She got up and went to the chest on one of the dressers. She opened it and looked at the contents. She knew that when the CSI showed up, she was going to walk into a world that could spell trouble if she wasn't careful. She had given what she needed to save but perhaps she could give a little more.
Sage hadn't noticed but was listening to none other than Nick on the other end. She replied, "Okay. I'll come in." She looked at her watch and noted the time. She was going to have to hurry if she was going to make the shift start. "Give me twenty minutes."
She listened to the reply on the other end and retorted, "I never said I couldn't drive I said I don't like to drive and there is a difference. See ya in twenty."
"You must leave?"
Sage nodded as she put the cup on the coffee table. "Yeah. Thank you for your time. Any other information you know or others of the community might know, please have them call me at the crime lab. I will try to make sure that they are treated fairly."
"It is all we could ask for," Mrs. Suleiman related as she showed Sage to the door. "Be careful CSI Parker. Those that killed my son seem to have a long reach. Keep your gris-gris close."
Sage knew that there was no changing the woman's mind about that so she nodded. She was surprised when Mrs. Suleiman handed her a gris-gris. She raised her brow as she held it in her hand. "Mrs. Suleiman?"
Mrs. Suleiman gave a slight smile, "Even a gris-gris needs a gris-gris." She closed Sage's hand over it. "You will know when the time is right. I will ask the loa to watch out for you and hope that you will find whoever did this and bring peace to our community." She held Sage's hands to make her intentions be known.
"We will try," Sage replied as she nodded. When Mrs. Suleiman released her hands, she left the house and headed to where her car was. She was surprised that no one tried to defile it since it was a nice car but she got the feeling that Mrs. Suleiman had more influence over her community than meets the eye. She wondered if she was a bokor herself since she did say that she would speak to the loa.
Fingering the gris-gris that was supposed to be for Nick, she put it gently in her jacket pocket and got in her car. Something had come up and judging from Nick's tone over the phone, he was not happy that he had to call her in. She didn't know what to make of it as she turned on the ignition and headed in the direction of the lab, unaware that she was being watched from windows and a nondescript car that had been parked down the street.
"I thought Grissom gave you the night off?"
Sage looked at Catherine as she walked into the lab. She was by the main desk since there was a message for her. She looked at it but diverted her attention to the older CSI. "He did but something came up."
Catherine watched as Sage read the note and in a deft movement tear it into tiny pieces. "That's the second one you've torn up."
"Not important," Sage replied as she dumped the pieces in the nearby wastebasket. "Just someone I told not to bother me at work."
Catherine noticed how defensive Sage got and figured that it was in that realm of personal territory. She wasn't going to pry but she was going to make a few points clear. "Okay, well I won't ask but can you make sure that you and Nick tone down the insults?"
Sage raised her brow at that. "I will if he does. We may not like each other but we will work the case."
"That's good cause I hate to have to clean up the aftermath though I would root for you," Catherine replied with a slight smile. "Nice to see a woman that can hold her own."
Sage was confused but she gave a smile at that. She knew that Catherine had seniority over her so she had to be the disciplinarian. It seemed though that she liked the animosity a bit. "Um… I try on that account." She gave a slightly puzzled frown at her response since she wasn't sure what else to say to that comment.
Catherine was still smiling, "Relax Parker. It's rare that we see Nick get so flustered by someone who isn't afraid to say what they mean." She leaned in a little close and whispered, "Between you and me, I think that you will show us a thing or two."
Sage gave a slight smile at that. "Well I guess I'll stick to being me. Thanks Catherine." She started walking towards the conference room with a confused look on her face.
Catherine had meant what she said. She truly did like Sage but she wanted to know more about her just in case. That was twice she had thrown away a message and that was after looking at who it was from. She hadn't bothered to read it. Knowing that it was going behind her back, she fished the pieces out of the wastebasket. She had some time to kill.
Meanwhile Sage walked through the lab pausing to greet Greg who thanked her for her help with the B&E samples. She couldn't help but smile at that. Greg was like the little brother that she wished she had. She was used to the hero worship from her days of running a lab but Greg's acceptance and his enthusiasm endeared him to her. It enabled her to say that she would like to go out again next week. It was a nice lift to what was surely waiting for her.
She was walking better since her pounding the pavement earlier eased the pain. It was still a nasty color and it was a dull throb sometimes but it was bearable. She was just going to have to deal like she was going to have to deal with Nick.
"Parker, weren't you supposed to have the night off?"
"I was Warrick," Sage replied as the tall CSI fell in step with her. She couldn't help it, "Does everyone follow my comings and goings like they do celebrities?"
"Well you're kind of a celebrity," Warrick admitted. "Most of the lab rats and a few of us know about your work on blood analysis and profiling. I bet Doc Robbins and David have read every article you wrote."
"I'm not a pathologist but DNA is my specialty and the profiling just… is gravy," Sage admitted. "I guess I'll be under scrutiny until I just become another face in this sea of people." She emphasized her drawl to be funny.
Warrick gave a chuckle. "Like that's gonna happen. Listen, maybe after shift I could buy you a cup of coffee and we could exchange stories or something."
"Are you asking me out?" Sage studied the tall CSI with an inspecting look. He was the fourth that asked her out. The two from days she rejected on the dates but did say maybe hang out at a club or something. Greg was a breakfast date and now they were going to a movie but that still wasn't a date. Now Warrick was asking her out and she wondered if it was a group effort to make her feel welcome but also pick her brains or something.
"Just coffee and getting to know you," Warrick replied with a shrug of his shoulders. It had been a spur of the moment thing and he could say that he like Sage Parker. Plus he was curious as to what was it about her that got under Nick's skin. His conversation with Greg was some revelation but he wasn't sure since Greg had just met her like everyone else and now it was like they were friends for life or something.
"Cause that did sound like one," Sage teased as she paused in the hallway. She was aware that she shouldn't tease too much since she was the new kid on the playground. "And I know you know that I have been asked out by others here."
"Yeah day shift."
"And Greggo," Sage added. She was chuckling a bit at that. "Makes me feel like I was dumped on ship out at sea full of nothing but sailors. Male sailors."
Warrick gave a sheepish grin. No doubt she would be feeling like that. There were plenty of females in the lab but he could see her point. "I get it. Hope that doesn't affect your decision?"
Sage was still smiling as she teased Warrick by pretending to think about it. Finally she said, "Okay, I'll take it for what it is which is coffee and storytelling time but only if you can match that with a story or two."
"I can do that and raise it to asking your opinion on the team," Warrick replied after thinking about it for a spell.
Sage thought about it. The way it was worded could mean that he could ask her just about anything. She was willing to take the risk and she was going to find out more about them as time passed and she did more cases with them. "Call," she replied and held out her hand.
Warrick took her hand, impressed at her application of poker terms. "Deal."
"Let's hope that doesn't turn out to be a straight flush," Sage replied, liking the firm grip Warrick had. "Then again I was always good at a round of stick."
"You shoot pool?"
"That is for me to know and for you to find out when you want to cash in on that coffee," Sage replied. She started to head to where the conference room was, "Just give me leeway."
Warrick couldn't help but smile. Sage was definitely something else and had a surprise around every corner. In his opinion she was going to fit in well… well he had to take that back as far as Nick was concerned. That was something that he definitely wanted to see in terms of it working out and maybe Greg would be right in his assertion. He turned to head back to what he was doing before he spotted Sage walking in.
Sage in the meantime made it to the conference room where Nick was waiting outside the door. She had dropped her happy look before getting close since she didn't want anything to spoil the good mood she was in. It helped temper the reaction Nick gave as he checked his watch and said, "Two minutes to spare. Is that a record?"
Sage gave a slight narrowing of her eyes as she replied, "An improvement over my last one and I didn't even run over a curb." She wouldn't do that. Not with her baby but Nick didn't have to know that and she wanted to milk the drive she gave him back to the lab for all it was worth.
"That's a surprise," Nick deadpanned. "So what did you do this time?"
"Me? What about you?"
"Don't give me that," Nick replied indicating he wasn't going to fall for her cute act. "Tell me you had nothing to do with this."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sage couldn't help but put a little heat in her words. She followed Nick in and was a guy in a suit that was not a LVPD detective. "What's going on?"
The man in the suit greeted her, "Agent Culpepper, FBI. Pleasure to meet you Sage Parker."
A/N: Looks like Sage followed a lead and the FBI is onto the case. What is it? Stay tuned for more Sage Business...
