THIS WOMAN'S WORK
A tragedy strikes Nick and the only way he copes is by finding out why!
Story type: Angst/Tragedy/AU
Characters: Nick Stokes and the team.
Rated M for mature subject manner and violence.
Disclaimer: All the characters, songs, and references do not belong to me, but I thank them dearly for their use.
A/N: All mistakes are mine. I haven't been able to track down a beta, am willing to take volunteers if anyone is willing.
I did as much research on foresnics as I could, but I'm sure there are big mistakes. I'm still learning folks. Be gentle with me in your reviews.
A/N: This next chapter is for Sara lovers. I dedicate it to Jorja Fox who is rumoured to be leaving the show. I hope she doesn't.
CHAPTER 7
Going through video clips on a lap top of a colleague's sex life has got to be the most uncomfortable part of a CSI's life.
But Sara had no choice.
Together with Archie, she had gone through the media files-all of them. And The CSI knew she'd never look at Nick the same way feeling guilty about part of the most personal elements of his life. Archie wanted badly to stop during their most intimate moments, but Sara felt she needed to see something.
"You know I'll just leave," Archie finally blurted out, "And come back when this part is over."
"Fine." Sara answered eyes glued to the screen not feeling the least big embarrassed. This was simply another case. Although a small part of her twinged at bit at the loving Regine was getting.
The Stokes' bed was near a window,. If someone was stalking Regine, they would have been peeping before. She narrowed it down on the screen and looked closely.
Nothing other then an angry looking dog staring at them: the dog that hated Nick more then anything in the world.
Sara sighed with frustration and exhaustion. Night and day she'd been eating, breathing, sleeping and living this case-driven to solve it; the drive being one part career, one part friendship with the final part being guilt-pure guilt.
Why Regine would keep these files on a lap top was beyond Sara's comprehension! However, the girl was a complete scatterbrain or perhaps she was planning to burn them, but never got around them.
Sara finally finished this intricate part of her investigation and burned the personal onto a history files onto a disc for Nick, knowing he'd want them someday, then she went to another media player on the lap top she had and that is where they had found the clips that showed crowds on onlookers, and sounds of growling, yipping, squealing.
That's when she notice the history on the Nero system.
A file had been burned already.
The brunette CSI raised an eyebrow in confusion. She paged for Archie to come back and let him know it was safe and to go through this file.
There were at least three clips that were shaky. One of a guy praising his dog, and others of just crowds of onlookers cheering to the sounds of animal screams, growls, therefore Archie would have to go through and try and clean it up. It would be hard. The video was shot between bodies and at a very low angle, probably from a cell phone.
Whose cell phone? She looked through the records and they were to Tre, Nick, Humane Society and her vet clinic.
Text messages a clue? Not much on Regine's phone nor ws there any video recording on it, but did have photos.
Sara picked up the Samsung and scrolled through the photos. Nick, the dogs, the cats, Nick again, more Nick. The CSI smirked at the photos seeing a playful side of Nick she'd rarely seen her at work.
Then she looked back to the clip. They would be downloaded from a website, but who knows but the question was: Why were they on there to begin with?
Was Regine involved in an illegal activity that no one knew about?
It didn't sound like the social activist she was, but Sara had met many contradictions in her long career.
Sara ran through the e-mails again. They were so vague. It was obvious that Regine was ultra-paranoid about being found out. A lot of slang which sounded familiar to Sara in her own animal rights journey. Terms like liberating were common.
Was Regine involved in an animal rights group?
Some vets took in animals that activists stole from the labs and treated them for free for 'injuries' sustained in experiments.
Sounded like something Regine would do?
Suddenly something clicked in Sara's mind as she pulled the list of suspects out from under the files.
Robert Blainey was the Director of Development at Research at Proportional Pharmaceuticals outside of Vegas. And they had been cited recently by Humane Society Officials for not providing adequate care of their lab animals.
Eureka! Sara smiled brightly as a connection was made. A missing piece found that was leading the way to the completion of the puzzle.
However, she had to contain herself for she could already hear Grissom saying, "It's just a coincidence Sara."
But what did it have to do with the videos on Regine's lap top and nowhere in her files was there any mention of the citation by the humane society other then an e-mail to Lee about it saying, 'Yeah what else is new! Blainey will do whatever it takes to cut corners, so cutting the animal care staff in a lab is just one of not-so-brilliant ideas of making more money for his research.'
Archie peaked in, "Safe to come back in?"
Sara smiled, "Yes it is."
As Archie sat back down down Sara said, "You know I hate to sound rather callous given the circumstances, but Nick could give Ron Jeremy a run for his money!"
"Oh..let's not go there please!" Archie groaned as flopped onto a chair.
"I've burned them for Nick." Sara said holding the discs up for Archie.
"Thanks, so let's look at the clips that you paged me about." Archie began to scan through them.
While viewing the clips Archie told her, "It's definitely from a cell phone because of the low quality of the video. Cell phone videos are almost like low-end digital cameras and video cams."
"But," Sara responded, "They are easy to whip out then a camera or a video cam."
"Not to mention easier to hide if you don't want anyone to know your video taping it." Archie aid as he tried to sort the images out.
Sara looked at the people in the video. Definitely not a high end group, these guys looked straight of 8 Mile the Eninem video.
Not Regine's crowd, but definitely her little groupie's, Tre Smith, type.
Tre Smith-age 20-rap sheet of minor crimes. Cleaned himself up real good though through two things he shared with Regine: Animals and music.
Tre being the youngest on the list would be more inclined to use a video phone then say someone in their mid 30s like the missing Lee Leadbeater.
Still no clues as to his whereabouts which tops him on the suspect chart. Tre was up there too.
Which means Nick is pretty much cleared. His alibi is tight and the evidence had shown that Nick had relations with his wife and that she died shortly after he'd left.
Sara made a note to bring Tre in with his cell phone; if he still had it. The kid was sullen and full of piss-and-vinegar and had an absolute distrust of authority.
Archie looked at her, "It's gonna take a while to clean these up."
She stood up, "Yeah I need to go get Brass anyways. Page me when you're done. But before I go, can you tell if someone has copied these clips already."
Archie looked at the data from the Nero software she used, "Yes, some software programs such as the one she used, Nero, allow to create a project file which automatically saves details about files copied and the drive they were saved on. According to this, the files we just looked at were burned onto a disc at about 6: 30 a.m. today."
Sara groaned, "Nick burned these files before giving them to Grissom."
The Asian raised an eyebrow in concern, "Wouldn't that be tampering with evidence?"
"I don't know, we didn't have the lap top at that point, so it's a grey area." Sara answered, "I guess the DA could make a case that that we didn't know about the lap top and such. I'm not a lawyer, but the real question is: Why did Nick make a copy for himself?"
As she started out, she pulled her cell phone, looked back at the Asian and pleaded, "Archie please keep this information between the three of us."
"Absolutely!" Archie answered nodding his head earnestly.
Walking through the halls, Sara put in a quick call to Brass, asking if he could get a hold of both Tre and Blainey.
"I'll get a hold of Sofia to find the corporate dude while I see Tre. We got a personal relationship already."
"Thanks." Sara clicked off the phone and went into the Break Room to grab some carrot sticks and read through some more of the files.
Stretching out on the couch, Sara allowed her mind to wander and thought for a second thinking about the red-haired woman beyond her status as a vic.
She sniffed something and pulled at her cotton T, it smelled and her well-worn jeans felt grimey. Lord knows she hadn't had much time to do laundery with this case and she never trusted Grissom to do the way she like it.
Sara smiled. This is the kind of attire Regine wore like a glove. She had a rocker chick thing going. Hoop earrings and that hair that spanned down to her waist.. Nick loved his red-heads and that was probably the clincher for him when he started to date her. The curls were a bonus.
However, Regine and Sara never clicked and the CSI could never figure out why? She resented the girl for some reason. Distrusted her. Felt that she had too many secrets.
Regine certainly tried to be friends with her, but being the stubborn Sara Sidle was and was not one to let up on people easily.
And Nick was true to the song 'When a Man Loves a Woman." -the part about a man turning on his best friend if they put her down.
"Sara what is your issue with Regine." Nick demanded in the Parking Lot one morning after a long tedious shift.
"I don't know Nick." She answered nonchalantly, "I don't think she's your kind of girl."
"You don't know what my kind of girl is." He said packing his weapon.
"I don't know Nick." Sara smiled, "Tall, blonde, thin, thinner the better. Regina's kind of ordinary looking with the average American's girl's waistline. A plain Jane so to speak. You don't go for those kinds of girls. Plus she's kind of got a rocker chick thing going."
"Sara!" Nick said laughing, "In the years we've worked with each other, have you ever seen me with one of those girls you just described to me. "
"Not on a long term basis."
"Then that's my point. And may I remind you, she's a musician. They tend to dress a little different."
"Well, she's a step up from Kristy Hopkins." Sara smiled innocently yet words with laced with venom, "She's not a prostitute, so that's a start for you Nick!"
Nick frowned. Kristy Hopkins was one of many of Nick's untouchable subject.
"Who's Kristy Hopkins?" A voice asked.
They turned and saw Regine standing there holding a Taco Bell bag. She'd obviously brought lunch for Nick.
She was dressed in scrubs a white jacket with real-life looking kittens printed on them. A photographer friend had specially made that jacket for her.
Sara sucked her in breath and played it cool while asking her, "How long have you been standing here Regine?"
"Long enough Sara and thank you for pointing my..flaws..out..to Nick!" She answered, "I'm glad in your eyes, I'm seen in a fairer light then a hooker…and I'm French-Canadian, as well as American. So I'm an average French-Canadian-American girl as you are too Sara. From what I see I don't think you'll be hitting the stands on the cover of Maxim magazine any time soon."
Her eyes were dark, preparing for a fight.
Sara glared back, "Oh really!"
"Yeah really."
Nick trying to stop the potential cat fight stepped in between the two angry woman hands held up, "Regine, babe, .she didn't mean anything."
Regina stepped back from Nick and shook her head holding up her hand.
"Nick, you dated a hooker?" A look of severe judgment and disgust was clear on her freckled face as she yelled, "And waited till now to tell me? After we slept together!! How fucking selfish is that!!"
Out of her peripheral vision, Sara could see some of the Lab rubber-necking the potential crime scene given Regine's state of mind. Hodges stood at his car parked directly across form the scene pretending to be examining it for a ghost scratch showing it to Mandy and Wendy who feigned interest.
Nick stared hard at Sara and then said to Regine, "Can we talk about this in my truck? Reg. Please?" His voice strained as he pulled off his shades and looked at Regine earnestly, his hound dog eyes pleading for peace.
Regine dropped the bag onto the ground raced back into her minivan jumped in and roared off. A small dog barking angrily at Nick could be seen on the other side of the window.
Turning to Sara, Nick's face was filled with fury his brown eyes indignant a look he usually reserved for criminals, now he threw at her-his best friend.
"Thanks a fucking lot Sara!!!!" He yelled oblivious to Hodges and the gossip crusade around him, "I don't know what your fucking issue is with her, but as far as we are concerned-that's finished!"
With those words, Nick jumped into the Denali and raced off.
Shaken by Nick's rage and stung by the words, Sara watched the drama unfold, feeling a heavy weight fall on her. The lab geeks quickly made their way to the office trading glances with one another.
Sara called to them, "If you want drama, go watch the Young and the Restless!"
She talked with Grissom about it that of all people was the least sympathetic.
"You don't have to like her Sara, but you could at least treat her with respect."
Sara lay back on the couch feeling a twinge of sadness as she recalled the day she and Nick parted ways. Their relationship then becoming nothing more then professional.
She didn't why she slipped in the jest about Kristy Hopkins-Nick's ill fated trite with a hooker. She herself never forgave Nick for that bad judgment he made. In fact, afterwards she distanced herself from him for the time being not wanting her own career jeopardized by Nick's impulsiveness.
Maybe she was worried Regine would leave him nothing but pain, Sara never trusted Nick's judgment after that, yes it was so long ago.
And yet, it was more then that. It was almost like the green monster was lurking about when Regine and Nick appeared looking so damn happy.
Sara was happy too, so why didn't she want the same for her friend?
But there was a silver lining in the fall out, Sara held a belief that everything happens for a reason-even science. And perhaps it was best that there was a strain between Nick and her as it made Sara far more objective about the case then had it been Catherine or Warrick.
If Regine Stokes was involved in something illegal, she'd be open-minded enough to see it. She wouldn't allow the anguish she felt for her friend's loss, cloud her objectivity.
She closed her eyes for a second and allowed herself a moment of respite off until she heard footsteps walk towards and she opened her eyes and looked up.
Grissom
Sitting up, she smiled and invited him to sit down beside her.
"When Archie and I looked first started going through the computer, he could tell that someone has already gone through the files Grissom." She told him solemnly.
"Nick said he'd looked at the files on the computer." Grissom answered.
Sara looked at him then said, "Would have helped if you told me."
Shrugging he answered, "Didn't think it was necessary."
"One of the files was burned onto a disc shortly before you dropped it off." Sara said her voice strained with fatigue.
The entomologist raised an eyebrow.
"And Nick was the last person who had the lap top Grissom." Sara looked at Grissom with concern and a bit of worry. Tampering with evidence was a serious offense.
"Well maybe he burned the personal ones?" He asked hopefully.
Sara shook her head, "No, it was a man with a brindle pit bull terrier as well the crowd scenes."
Grissom pulled off his glasses and rubbed the skin between his eyes.
"It's in real rough shape, but Archie's going to clean it up as well as some others on their that looked out of norm from Regine's..personal..stuff." Sara smirked at Grissom, "I've seen more of Nick then I ever thought possible." She wanted to desperately skirt around the issue of possible tampering.
"And that will stay between us and Archie. Am I clear about that?" Grissom ordered.
Sara looked at her boss/boyfriend, "I think you know me better then that Gilbert!"
"Just making sure, it took a lot of strength for Nick to hand this over to us given that he'd knew we'd have to look at those intimate aspects of his life. I'd like to protect that for him if possible." Grissom told her.
"I understand." She said, "And what about the possibility that Nick might have a burned copy of this."
Blowing out a breath, Grissom weighed the thought heavily before answering, "I'll talk to him about it. But we can't be sure it was him."
"He got the computer at about midnight and it shows that between midnight till the time you received it, something was burned from there Grissom. That's tampering with evidence."
"I'm not sure what to do about it Sara. But please leave it with me." Grissom pleaded. "Nick does not need anymore stress in his life."
"But it begs to differ Grissom. Why did Nick want a copy of these files? Is he doing his own investigation? That could fuck the case Gil! Big time!" Sara tried to keep her voice down, but fear was driving it up an octave.
"Sara, you stay focused on this case and let me worry about Nick." Grissom told her, "I'll take care of him."
"Hey kid!" Brass called as he walked over to Tre sitting outside the back of the humane society on a park bench smoking a cigarette.
Tre's dark bangs hung in his eyes making Brass wonder if he'd ever be mistaken for a sheep dog and put up for adoption.
"Just want to talk to you a little more about something. Do you mind coming down to the lab with me?"
The kid straightened up in defiance, "Am I being arrested?"
Brass laughed, "Not at all, I'd have two uniforms with me. You know the drill Tre. No I need you to come down and look at some videos with me."
"I told you I only looked at Nick and his wife doing the nasty man! Sorry I ain't got a girlfriend and I..kind of had a crush on Regine you know. Just wanted to see what she looked like naked. I mean she was old enough to be my aunt or a young man, but god she was so cool..and.." Tre rambled nervously.
"Uh..no..that's not what I need you for..but thanks for sharing that with me." Brass cut him off, "Just come with me. I'll buy you lunch while you're there."
Tre jumped off the table, "Let me go get my boss."
"I took care of that already kid, don't worry about anything and don't mention those personal videos of Nick and his wife again with me..I really would rather not know anymore about my friend that I need to.."
"Oh, sorry" Bangs blown out of his eyes, "Okay..I'll come down..but if I'm being arrested I want a lawyer."
"Yes Tre, everything will be taken care off." Brass lead the kid to his car.
Sofia sat in the waiting room of Proportional Pharmaceuticals.
The leather couch was cold and unfeeling as it was black.
Her piercing blue eyes scouted the surroundings. Black desk where an East Indian receptionist young enough to be her daughter sat answering a busy switchboard when she then looked over at Sofia and said with English accent in tow, "Mr. Blainey will be right with you."
Sofia chuckled sardonically, "That's what you told me ten minutes ago."
"He's in a meeting."
"I don't care; I want to see him now!" Sofia stood up and walked over, "If he's not out I'll have some uniforms bring him in for question."
"That won't be necessary!" A soft, monotone voice rang out complete with an accent. An upper crust type.
Sofia turned to see a tall, thin, bald as bald can be approach her dressed in a white-button up shirt, and black slacks.
His eyes were piercing blue, and he had no eyebrows to speak off.
Blainey reached out to shake Sofia's hand, "Miss Curtis, you wanted to speak with me about Regine LeBourdais? Or Regine Stokes."
"Yes, let's have a seat in the waiting room." Sofia decided then and that despite all her self-defense training, she would not be alone with this man. He was almost 7 feet tall and despite his thinness there was strength in that handshake that contradicted the lankiness of this guy.
He smiled in agreement and gestured for her to have a seat on the leather couch then he looked at the receptionist who cringed in fear of him.
"Rashmin, why don't you put the switchboard on auto and have a lunch break."
Without question, the young woman hastily left the desk darting gazelle-like out of the reception area.
Sofia smiled, "So what can you tell me about your relationship with Regine."
Blainey leaned back into the leather couch, one arm stretched across the back, "We go back quite a ways. She came to work in my clinic in New York after she and her husband moved there. She was quite popular with the clients. Then I left the clinic to open up one her in Vegas and then offered her partnership when her husband died."
"And that's before she forced you out."
Blainey smiled, "Yes, we differed on certain ways of managing the clinic."
"Yes, your putting a foot on a dog to give it an injection seemed to be a bit inhumane?" Sofia asked her smile as equally cold.
"Oh Regine just overreacted is all."
"And stealing money from the clinic for personal use was just an overreaction."
"I was never charged for that."
"NO, you weren't." Sofia said, "Nor was nothing done about the sexual harassment?"
"Sorry, Regine was not my type. I like my women long and lean." Blainey said leering at Sofia.
"That's not what I was told by some of the vet staff." Sofa answered sharply and professionally.
"They'll say anything Regine wanted them to." He scoffed, "She had a cult-like following with the kids in the clinic."
"Really." Sofia snorted writing down the notes.
"Yes." He answered heavily accented. Now the detecitive could decipher it. Boston. He pronounced his vowels sharply.
Sofia pressed her lips together before moving on, "Mr. Blainey why haven't you come to talk to us about your relationship with Regine?"
"Well, I'd assume you'd come to me given our history." He stretched his arms above his head casually.
"But wouldn't want to rule yourself out?" Sara asked carefully not wanting to put him in defensive mode.
"I have nothing to defend myself against." This guy was cool as a cucumber.
"Then come and do a DNA sample. We would like to compare it to some blood marks we found at the door."
Sofia noticed as he was stretching am old wound on one of his hands. It was on his index finger and thumb. She imagined a dog biting it, its incisors grazing at the digits.
"I got that while hiking." He told her noticing her stare.
"You hike?"
"Yes, and that's what I was doing the night Regine died."
"Do you have anyone to verify it with."
"No I don't. I was alone."
"Then why don't you come in for a DNA test?"
"Because I have no reason to and you have no court order to compel me to." He said, "And I'm sure you would have a hard time getting one given that I'm just merely a person of interest. Now I need to get back to work."
He stood up and motioned for Sofia to leave who then asked, "Do you know anything about the disappearance of Lee Leadbeater."
"No, I don't." Blainey answered harshly, "Now please if you excuse me, I need to get back to work."
Sofia complied her mind ticking. This man was more then a person of interest .
In her car, she called Sara and left a message on her voice mail.
"Listen Sara, how long do dog bites take to heal? I just talked to Blainey and he had a wound on his right hand-index finger and thumb? We could try and get a DNA sample from him."
"Tre, these were taken from a cell phone which we believe belongs to you." Sara asked showing the clips of the crowds and gang-looking guy with a dog.
He shook his head, "My camera doesn't have a video recorder."
Tre quickly laid it on the table. Sara looked through the menu at all the options and sure enough there was none for recording.
Brass asked, "Tre, do you know this guy on the clip." Brass laid some blurred photos on the table between them.
Taking one of them, the kid nodded, "Yeah we hung out years ago, but I ain't seen him sense. I don't know what his real name is, but his street name was Vicz with a Z."
"Was he in a gang?" Sara asked writing the information down.
"Yeah! But I didn't mix with him much." Tre's fingers trembled around the pack of cigarettes he played with, "I ain't seen him in years man! Regine would have fired me if I hung out with them again."
Sara smiled, "You..really..cared about Regine didn't you?"
Tre smiled, embarrassed, "She was so cool. So hot..I mean..for an older woman..she liked the coolest music."
"Were you in love with her?" Sara gently asked ever-so sensitive of unrequitted loves.
The kid looked down at the table, "I'm only 20..she wasn't interested in me like that.."
"She cared about you enough to get you out of trouble."
"Yeah, but she was in love with Nick." Tre said his face darkening at Nick's name.
"Were you jealous of him?" Sara asked wondering if there was more to Tre's shy demeanor.
"Yeah, but I like guy. Nick's a cool guy and he made Regine happy. That's all that matters."
Brass jumped in, "But you would have been happy if Regine divorced Nick wouldn't you of."
Tre laughed, "I see where this is going..look..I would never hurt her or Nick okay. So stop trying to pin this on me. I gave my DNA to you guys okay."
Jim and Sara looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The kid was clean as far as Regine's murder, but both could tell he knew more about the possible reason behind her death then he lead on and some street habits were hard to break including 'no snitching to the cops."
"You know Tre, if you really, really care about Regine." Sara looked into the young man's dark eyes, "You'll tell us everything you need to know. You're hiding something Tre and it's not gonna help."
Tre trembled, "I don't..know..anything.." His dark eyes were reddening, lips pressed tightly.
Something dawn on Sara as she smiled at him, "You look a lot like Nick you know. Kind of younger version."
Tre laughed slightly, "Yeah I been told that, but I ain't got the square jaw you know..that's kind of a southern thing.."
"You care about Nick too, don't you Tre. I mean if it weren't for him, you'd still be on the streets?" Bras asked.
"More like in jail!" The kid played wit the cigarette pack.
"Precisely." Brass retorted, "So don't you want to find out who killed his wife."
"I don't know!" Tre sobbed, "I mean..I don't..know..who did it. Got no clue. None."
That was enough. Sara nodded at Brass. Any more pressing and they'd need to bring a lawyer in and right now they had nothing to connect the kid with other the assumptions based on his backgrouind.
"Listen Tre, I'll have a uniform drive you home. If you know anything more please let us know." Sara said as she stood up, "And think about what we said. If you're scared to tell us just be honest. We can help you."
Wheels were churning in Tre's head, but the street survival mode was on full.
Sara walked out into the hall as Brass took the kid to find a cop to drive him hom.
She listened to her message from Sofia. Interesting. She'd find Doc Robbins and ask him about the healing period of dog bites.
A/N: Nick is back in full throttle next chapter.