Laws of Motion – Book 4

Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT

Chapter 8

Saturday, December 11, 2005

The Sanders Home

9:09 am

"Hey, Scott." Tony gave a polite wave before anxiously asking, "Is Greg here? He's not answering his cell and I really need to talk to him."

"Was that you calling?" Scott took a step back and waved in the detective. "I heard Greg's cell ringing when I was on the patio reading the paper earlier. He must have come home and jumped in the hot tub last night, because I found all his clothes out there with the phone. I assume he's upstairs sleeping, because his truck is in the garage." After a quick check of the time, Scott grabbed his suitcase. "I was actually on my way out to the airport when you rang the doorbell, so I need to run. Lily's flying in for a couple of days. Feel free to head on upstairs and wake Greg. If he's not there, just lock the door on the way out. Do you still have a key from when you were staying here?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, I left this all in a note, but remind my son that in case he or Tawny needs me, Lily and I will be at Spa Mandalay all day and we're checking into the hotel this afternoon."

"Will do, and from one formerly miserable guy to another…have fun with the new woman in your life."

"I fully intend to," Scott confirmed on the way out the door. "See ya."

"Bye." After shutting the door, Tony raced upstairs and knocked on the master bedroom. "Greg, could you open up? Greg?!"

"Coming." Forcing himself out of bed, Greg padded across the room, wishing he had an ice cold glass of water to quench his dry mouth. "What is it, Dad?" he asked upon swinging open the door.

"Ever think of putting some clothes on before you answer the door?"

"It's not the front door, and I thought you were my father." Rubbing his sleep-filled eyes, Greg trudged to the dresser for a pair of boxer-briefs. "I didn't know we were going to the gym this morning."

"We're not." The observant detective stepped into the room and promptly gasped. "What the…I can't believe you, Sanders! I'm gonna rip your friggin' head off and shove it up your…"

"What did I do now?!"

"I guess this explains why your clothes were out by the hot tub." Pointing to the bed, Tony's stomach knotted in disgust. "You make me sick. If you think I'm not gonna tell Tawny about you screwing around with…"

"It's a doll, Super Sleuth."

Tony hurried over and yanked off the covers. "Whoa. I really thought it was a chick's hair." An amused smile danced on his face as he knelt before the lifeless body. "It's so real."

"It sure as hell should be for seven grand."

"Your wife goes into the hospital, and you have to run out and spend seven grand on a look-alike sex doll?"

"It was a gift actually."

"What kind of sick freak gave you a sex doll?"

"Your wife," Greg answered with a full dose of smugness. "Kind of makes you wonder what she'd do if you ever got sidelined from the sack, huh? By the way, Becca told me they make male versions of those dolls. I wonder why she'd care?"

"Alright, alright." Suddenly reminded of why he was there in the first place, Tony stood and cleared his throat. "You know that woman Becca cursed in the parking lot?"

"Lana Marcus."

"She dropped dead at The Monte Carlo last night after winning the progressive."

"Oh! That's so cool!" Greg backpedaled, "Not for Lana Marcus. It's cool that it proves Becca's got the gift."

"Would you stop? You know I don't believe in that garbage."

"Why do you still attend Church, pray the rosary, go to confession, and make the sign of the cross on the sly sometimes?"

"Because I'm a brainwashed Catholic. My mother started laying on the guilt when I was in the womb and hasn't stopped."

"Nah." Fishing through a drawer for a clean t-shirt, Greg grumbled, "That's just another one of your tough-guy defenses. You do all that stuff because you believe that God and the devil exist, and if you believe that God and the devil exist in a realm beyond Earth, it means that you believe there are supernatural forces at work in the universe, and if there are indeed supernatural forces at work in the universe, it's very plausible that certain people have the ability to tap into supernatural energy."

"Slow down, Stanford, I haven't had my coffee yet."

Lady Heather's Dominion

9:25 am

"Would you like more tea, Gil?" Without waiting for an answer, Heather reached for the china pot.

Grissom lifted his cup and saucer. "Breakfast was delicious, thank you." It would have been better if his hostess had been wearing something other than a black leather teddy and matching robe.

"It's the least I could do after learning how you tore this place apart last night looking for anything to help us." Sensing her attire was making her ex-lover uncomfortable, she explained, "I would have dressed differently, but a reporter from an adult entertainment magazine is due here any minute to take photos."

"I have no problem with your attire."

"I must be a little rusty when it comes to reading you then."

"Apparently." Still groggy, he was grateful for the refreshing breeze suddenly blowing across the open patio. "What time did Jim leave?"

"The Sheriff called him at eight-fifteen for an impromptu meeting. When he saw you dozing in an armchair, he didn't have the heart to wake you. He called Sara and told her you had fallen asleep here…alone."

Stirring his tea, Grissom asked, "Have you finished the list I requested?"

"A list of people who might be holding a grudge against me? Yes." Heather set down her cup and stood. "I left it in my office, because it was quite large. Shall we go?"

Nick and Carrie's

9:42 am

"Yeah, let's play some fetch." Now that her puppy had finished her business, Carrie threw its favorite rope toy across the yard. "Atta, girl!" She slapped her robe-covered thigh. "Bring it here! Bring it here, girl!"

The Labradoodle promptly returned with the toy in her mouth.

"Good girl." Carrie crouched down to give a pat.

"How are my two favorite girls this morning?!" Pulling on a sweatshirt, Nick crossed the yard. "You coulda woke me, Carr." Scooping up Binda he asked, "How long have you been up?"

"Nah, I thought you could use the rest before doing all the work for the BBQ tonight."

After placing the pup on the ground, Nick slipped his arms around his fiancée's waist and pressed his lips to hers. "But I missed wakin' up with you in my arms."

"I think that's code for 'I woke up in the mood, but you weren't there to help me out'?"

"I can't help it, Sweetheart, I'm a red-blooded male." Pressing his body to her thigh, he goaded her, "How are you feelin' this morning?" Hmm? Are you feelin' a little…tense? Because let's think about this, we don't want to be pent up later and have to sneak off during the BBQ, do we?"

"Nicky, stop." As he nibbled her neck, she pushed out of his embrace. "I said stop!"

He chuckled until he saw she was tensely cinching her robe tighter. "Carr? What's goin' on?"

"Last night wasn't funny. Lindsay's off the hook, but your brother could still lose his kids because of what happened at the party."

"I was jokin' about sneakin' off during the BBQ."

"Really? Well maybe it's hard to believe you, because you suggested it at Thanksgiving and..."

"Excuse me?" Her judgmental tone riled him. "I didn't hear you complainin' at Thanksgiving."

"I didn't, but last night got me thinking. Catherine and Warrick were in the throes of foreplay on the dance floor while your niece was two feet away. That wasn't appropriate for a family party." Continuing to use Steve's speaking points, she said, "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy shouldn't have been played like a rebel yell to go find a dark corner and fool around."

"I didn't ask the band to play that song." Feeling like he woke in the Twilight Zone, Nick said, "Why are you pissed at me? Where is this comin' from? You were fine when we got home last night. Hell, you were all over me in the hot tub."

"Because I was wasted last night." Holding her throbbing head, she said, "I'm just as guilty as you. Do you hear me? I'm not saying this is your fault, or you corrupted me, I'm a grown woman with a brain and I make my own choices."

"Then what are you sayin' exactly?"

"I feel trashy."

"You feel trashy?" The words stung and fueled his only recently overcome Madonna/Whore complex. "How do you feel trashy exactly?"

"I'm sneaking off for sex at family gatherings, I'm wearing a sexy red dress to compete with Tina Marchello for Best Babe at the LVPD Formal." Her gaze hit the ground. "I'm leaving work at lunch to have sex in the back of your truck."

"I didn't want you to wear that damn dress! Remember?!" He grunted in frustration. "Now that's on me?! And what we did in the back of my truck the other day wasn't planned, we were jokin' around pretendin' we were in a soft core film with a stupid plot between a lawyer and a CSI and we got carried away. It was a silly one time thing."

"Really? One time? You've never played 'lawyer and CSI use their break time to have quickie' before that afternoon?"

"Sorry, Counselor, if I had known I was on trial, I would have answered more accurately." Narrowing his gaze, his irritation grew. "My new answer is, I've had sex with different lawyers in many places, and I've had sex in the back of my truck with many women who weren't lawyers, but you are the only lawyer I've ever had sex with in the back of my truck, and out of all the sex I've had in my truck, I enjoyed the sex with you the most, although at the moment my fondness for the memory is rapidly dwindling. Better?!"

"Nicky…" She pressed her palm to her chest. "I don't want to fight."

"What?! That is the most ridiculous thing you've said yet! If you don't want to fight, then why are you accusin' me of stupid shit and making me feel bad?!" Women! How can she be so smart and so friggin' irrational sometimes? Stuffing his hands on his hips, Nick took a walk around the patio. "Sorry, I really wasn't expectin' to hear this and I need a minute."

"Come on, it's just communication, I'm not handing back the ring." Realizing she had caught him off guard, she said, "I love you, Nicky."

"Except when I'm making you feel trashy apparently, which I didn't know I was until now. I thought we were having fun, mutual fun."

"We were. We are! I still want to! I'm just saying that I no longer want to have it in public places, at family gatherings, or in the back of your work vehicle, because we're going to be parents and we both have career ambitions that will require us to maintain a high level of peer and public credibility." Softening her voice she said, "I'm saying that puberty has been a blast and I loved every hot minute of it, but I think it's time for us to grow up." She stepped closer. "I still want the lovin', I just want it in our home…unless my nephews and Lindsay are hiding behind our couch." She closed in with another step. "Aren't I kind of right?"

"No! You're a lot right." Holding his head, Nick muttered, "But you could have let me have a damn cup a coffee before makin' me think about all this. And you could have been nicer about it, especially since you know how much I hate gettin' ambushed."

"Sorry."

He acknowledged her with a nod. "And I'm sorry for yellin', Sweetheart."

"In case I've confused you…" Slipping her arms around his waist, she breathed her remaining words into his ear, "When we're in the privacy of our bedroom, I don't expect or want it to be sweet all the time, I still want it hot sometimes, red hot. My inner bad girl still wants to wear sinful lingerie and she wants you to know that there are a few things that she hasn't done yet that she wants to try. Is that clear enough?"

"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled, "I heard you loud and clear. So did the boys apparently. They're volunteering to help you with your check list right now as a matter of fact."

"How about I bring you breakfast in bed to make up for pouncing and stressing you out before you had your morning coffee? After that…I'll whip out my list."

"If you insist." His smile returning, Nick headed for the house. "Stay out of the kitchen, Binda! Mommy's cookin' and you know how dangerous that is."

Drew's House

9:47 am

Working at the kitchen counter, Marta caught a glimpse of her engagement ring's glint. "I keep thinking last night's proposal was a dream," she told Katie, Jean, and Jillian, who were helping her bake Christmas cookies with Matt and Cassie.

"Nope. It's all true." Cassie selected the star cookie cutter. "You're gonna be my step-mommy, but you're gonna be a nice one, not a mean one like in Cinderella."

Decorating a tree cookie, Matt remarked, "It's gonna be weird calling you StepMommy instead of Nanny Marta."

"You don't have to say the step part, silly," Cassie corrected her naïve brother, "She'll just be Mommy."

Looking to his grandmother for advice, the boy said, "But we already have a mommy. How can you have two mommies?"

"Our baby will."

"Jean!" Katie couldn't believe her ears. "We had a plan. What happened to the plan?"

"Sorry, sorry. I got caught up in the moment."

Staring at her daughter, Jillian asked, "Is there somethin' you want to tell me?"

"Kids!" Marta pointed down the hall. "I need to you check on your sister for me. Peek in and see if she's still sleeping."

"Yes, ma'am." Matt led the way.

Once the kids were gone, Katie took Jean's hand. "Now that we're living together openly, kids became an option."

"I've always wanted to have a family."

"We're not pregnant yet, but…"

"Well, we might be," Jean corrected through an excited smile. "Tomorrow is the first day I can test. It's me by the way, I'm the one who wanted to get pregnant."

"Much to my relief," Katie laughed, "Because I wasn't up for it."

"Uh, I think we need to back up a bit." Jillian looked to Marta for empathy. "Don't you feel like you're missin' some critical information?"

The sheltered farmgirl nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure I understand how you would get pregnant. I mean, I know how a woman gets pregnant, but not by another woman, I mean I know you can't, but what I'm trying to say is…"

"Where'd you get the swimmers?" Jillian asked, in her trademark 'cut to the chase' style.

"Quentin volunteered to be the donor when he heard Jean say she always dreamed of having a baby." Katie chuckled, "Because we could work out everything in private with Quentin, it was easy, but I'll spare you the gory details."

Marta secretly wished the details had been shared, since she was still confused.

"Quentin was always was my favorite son-in-law, but don't tell your sisters I said that." Off balance from the news, Jillian pushed out a smile. "So, you and Quentin got your fake marriage annulled so you could openly live with your gay partners, and then decided to talk about bringing a baby into this world. That's…hmm." As much as she wished she didn't have mixed feelings about the idea for her daughter's sake, she did. "I'm not quite sure how to broach this with the Judge, so could we wait..."

"It's okay, Mom. Our plan was not to say anything to the family until we knew for sure that we were expecting."

Crime Lab – Grissom's Office

10:02 am

"I wasn't expecting to see you here this morning." Removing his glasses, Gil walked to greet his wife properly, as proper as he could at work anyway. Squeezing her hand on the sly, he quietly said, "You look tired. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

"Not because I was worried you were going for a reprise with Heather."

"Sara." Gil gave an all-telling glare.

"Kidding." Much to his chagrin and surprise, she pecked her husband's lips with the blinds surrounding his office wide open. "I fell asleep in the bathtub and had my weekly Mike Rodgers nightmare."

"You already had one this week."

"I guess seeing him at the party last night prompted my subconscious to churn out a second." She plopped into a guest chair. "There was a rather humorous part if you can believe it."

"Let's hear it." He returned to his desk chair.

"He was screaming at me because I chose you over him. He compared it to George Clooney losing out to Santa Claus."

"Why wouldn't George Clooney lose out to Santa every time? Clooney thinks he's God's gift to women while Santa actually gives gifts to women. Women may say having a hunk is more important than gifts, but everyone knows that diamonds are a girl's best friend." Gil winked. "Santa is fat and jolly because Mrs. Claus is so grateful of his lovin' that she spends all her time baking for him and fulfilling him sexually."

"I think you've been hanging around Greg a little too much."

The Vartanns

10:15 am

"Hoj! Tony!" Becca lit up when she saw her friend walking into the house with husband.

"I thought you'd still be sleeping, Becks."

"Just woke up."

"Aww, you two are best buddies again. Pouring herself a cup of decaf coffee, she filled with happiness. "I felt a serious energy disturbance when you fought last night. I think that's why I was so off balance and going on and on about my psychic gift." She continued for her husband's benefit. "But fear not…I promise to stop and sound as close to normal as I can manage, especially when Detective and Mrs. Suldano are here for dinner tonight. Yep, you don't have to worry about me droning on about visions and other nonsense." Noting how drained they both looked, she asked, "Were you working out? You look spent."

"We were shooting hoops in the park," Greg lied, "I wanted some private lessons away from the guys."

"Yeah." Tony was thankful that his buddy had lied for him. "Hey, Honey, because Hoj was pissed at my insensitivity, and I was ticked at him for being a gullible idiot, we made an agreement last night. My penance for being an ass is going to see Brokeback Mountain with you guys." And while I was hoping on getting out of it, I figured it would be a great way to keep you occupied and away from the TV today, so we can avoid having a big drama before dinner tonight.

The idea of homophobic husband sitting through a movie about gay cowboys had Becca choking on her coffee. "I had no idea you were that drunk last night, Honey. I could see you agreeing to root canal sans Novocain before going to see that movie with us."

"Yeah, well, this is the new, open-minded me you're looking at." He tapped his watch. "You need to get showered and dressed, because we have to leave in a little over an hour." Tony took her by the elbow.

As Greg raided the fridge he said, "Besides Daniel and Wade meeting us there, I talked to Katie and Jean last night and they're coming too. Afterwards, we're all going back to my house to analyze the film. I'll order pizza."

As her husband whisked her out of the room Becca teased her husband, "Depending on the amount of sex in the movie, I predict you may not have an appetite afterwards."

Crime Lab – Breakroom

10:32 am

"Ooh, who made the muffins?" Sara picked up one to sniff it. "I'm starving."

"Tami, that new night shift AV girl. You haven't met her yet. She's a veggie, so you'd like her. I think she has crush on Archie." Catherine filled her jumbo coffee mug for the third time. "As soon as I heard those muffins were tofu zucchini bran, I steered clear."

"Mmm," Sara took a second bite. "They're really good."

"Ugh." Her hangover and churning stomach getting to her, Catherine glanced away. "You preggos will eat anything."

"So how much trouble is Lindsay in after last night?"

"She's grounded until the Senior Prom."

Sara took a seat on the couch. "So glad I'm having a boy."

"You think boys don't cause trouble?" Catherine took great satisfaction in bursting her friend's bubble. "Just because he's the product of two social misfits, doesn't mean he'll be one. Sometimes kids rebel to be the opposite of their parents. I call it the 'pastor's promise-ring wearing son turns rebel and has cheap sex with the class bad girl behind the bleachers while drunk off his ass' scenario'."

"Let me guess…you were the bad girl who corrupted him."

With an all-knowing grin, Catherine replied, "All I'm saying is…don't count on Baby Griss to follow in his parents dysfunctional footsteps."

"There you are." Grissom hurried into the room.

"Perfect timing." Sara tore off another bite of muffin and shared, "Our friend here was just informing me that our son might want to have cheap sex behind the bleachers to prove his apple fell far from the Geek Tree."

"We'll get back to that." Grissom stepped closer. "I just got a call. Macie Thomas is dead."

"Wait. What?" Sara jumped up. "She was in police custody. How did she die?"

"We don't know. There are no signs of foul play and her cell was locked when they found her. The officer who found her suspected drug overdose because there was a small amount of foam in her mouth."

"Did they strip search her?" Catherine asked.

"No, they just patted her down."

"They video the holding cells," Sara said, "let's play it back."

"They did. She was found dead on the bench on the far side and the parameters of the camera are such that it doesn't capture that part of the cell. It only focuses on the door."

"Wow." Leaning her weary body against the wall, Catherine said, "So the only key witness to bring down Lady Heather, the girlfriend of the Crime Lab's Director, just died in police custody. That doesn't look too suspicious."

"My thoughts exactly." Grissom turned for the door. "Doc's coming in for the autopsy. Hopefully we'll know more soon."

Don Schultz's Home

11:01 am

Readying his pen, the eager lawyer instructed Teresa Valenzuela, Drew Stokes's maid, "I want to know everything you know about Marta Mueller and her relationship with your employer, including any deceptive or manipulative things she may have done to engage him in a physical or emotional capacity. I'd also like you to think about things she may have done to put Lissa in a bad light with the children and her husband."

The forty-two year old held up her cigarette case. "Mind if I smoke?"

"You do whatever you need to do to feel comfortable and remember as much information as possible."

After her first puff, Teresa said, "So I'm guessing that you want to prove Marta Mueller is a gold digging whore."

"Isn't she?"

"No. She's a young, sweet woman who loves children. She reminds me of Maria from the Sound of Music."

"Have you seen that movie?"

"Watched it every year as a kid."

"Then you'll recall that Captain VonTrapp was set to marry Baroness Schrader until the sweet, young nanny very cunningly stole him away."

"That's not how I saw it," Teresa laughed. "The Baroness was a middle-aged gold-digging bitch and Maria was a non-materialistic naïve virgin. The Captain knew that once the Baroness married him, she'd squander his money and not put out. Maria, on the other hand, would be happy if he gave her a dress made from old curtains and think it was normal to screw like rabbits and swallow. It was a no brainer, he sent the Baroness packing."

"Tell me again, how much do you owe your creditors, Ms. Valenzuela?" She had told him a sob story about her ex-husband maxing out her credit cards before he fled to Mexico.

"Sixty-two thousand dollars," she droned.

"Now tell me your opinion of Marta Mueller."

"She's a manipulative gold-digging whore."

"Much better," Don chuckled like a naughty school boy. "Won't everyone be shocked?"

Nick and Carrie's

11:07 am

"I'm still stunned, Sis. Call me back after and let me know what he says." Walking out of the closet with a towel wrapped around his waist, Nick called to his fiancée, "Hey, Carr!" He tossed the cordless phone on the bathroom counter and proceeded to the bedroom. "The Judge asked to go see Brokeback Mountain with my mom, Katie and Jean. They're meetin' up with Greg, Daniel and Becca to see it at noon. Can you believe it?"

"No way!" She stopped making the bed and ran over. "Let's go with them."

"Let's not." Nick shuddered at the idea. "Watchin' a gay cowboy movie would be disturbing. Watchin' it with real gay guys would be disturbing and uncomfortable. Watchin' it with my dad would be…"

"Priceless!" Carrie hurried to undo her robe. "Come on, Stokes. Let's get dressed and meet them."

"I have to get this place ready for the BBQ tonight, remember? I have meat to tenderize, a yard to tidy." ESPN to watch, Xbox to play, a nap to take. After kissing her cheek, Nick said, "But you go right on ahead without me, Sweetheart."

"Don't you want to support your sister?"

"Huh? My sister's not a gay cowboy," he boisterously laughed on the way to the bathroom. "Sorry, I don't think seein' Brokeback Mountain is a real good way to show my support of Katie's lesbianism. No, if we really want to support my sister's love of another woman, then I think we should go to the Rialto to see the Triple X Girls on Girls Movie Marathon." Nick swore he heard her eye roll from twenty feet away. "Hey, Attorney Blake!" Returning to the closet to get dressed, he yelled out, "Isn't it a little hypocritical for you to be ticked that I won't sit through two guys gettin' their freak on, when you won't watch two chicks together?"

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror fiddling with her hair, Carrie froze. Damn. He's right. Or is he? "There's a difference between porn and an Academy Award level movie with a real plot. The screenplay of Brokeback Mountain is adapted from an acclaimed literary work. Therefore the movie is art."

"Art is subjective. Didn't you learn that in college, Smarty Pants?" He stepped out of the closet shirtless and buttoning his Levis. "Take Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can art for example. Some people hate it, others think it's genius, and me…it just makes me want Chicken Noodle-Os." Brimming with satisfaction, Nick said, "Look at you all pissed off that I'm right. I love it."

"I'll go without you."

The Vartanns

11:13 am

"I'm just about ready to go." Becca approached her husband who was sitting on the bed clutching the remote control with a vice grip and watching ESPN like a zombie. "Hello!" Laughing at him, she dropped onto his lap. "What's with you and the TV today? You're obsessed."

"Sorry, I missed the scores last night, so I needed to catch up." Stroking her raven hair, he hated the thought of telling her the news of Lana Marcus's death and how it would send her spiraling into obsession. "I wasn't ignoring you." He had already traded shifts with Vega, so he could stay home the next day in case she needed calming down. "I love you, Becks." He didn't want to let go of her just yet, so he buried his face in her hair and hugged her tight. "You smell really nice. Is that a new perfume?"

"Very observant, Detective. Yes it is. Wow, aren't you snuggly this morning?" Initiating an Eskimo kiss, she said, "Little do most people know, but behind the tough guy bravado, you're a great big teddy bear."

"Only for you." After a few minutes of passionate kissing, he whispered, "We better get going."

"Hoj probably thinks we're getting it on." Giggling, she slid off his lap. "Uh oh," Becca teased when she saw an obvious bulge in her husband's trousers. "You better get rid of that before we go, or it could pop up during the movie and be taken the wrong way."

Tony shook his head, confident there wouldn't be a problem. "Trust me, one longing gaze between two guys and it'll be down for the duration, maybe the entire day."

Don Schultz's Home

11:32 am

"If I'm going to be here all day, I'll need more cigarettes." As her panic grew, Teresa shook the empty pack. "There's a market down the street, I'm uh…I'm going to run and get some."

"Here." Don reached into his wallet. "It's on me."

"That's okay!" The tape recorder that she had stuffed in her bra was just about to fall to the ground and she had to leave before it did. "I have cash." She coiled her fingers around her purse.

"No, take it. I want you to grab some sandwiches and chips while you're there too."

"Okay." The maid stood, anxious to get away before getting caught. "Shit!"

"What the…" Don stared at the small tape recorder that had fallen out of front of Teresa's blouse.

"Stokes has a lot of money," she gulped. "I was going to proposition him later today."

The shocked lawyer sat back in his chair. "You were going to take our money and then sell that tape to Stokes."

"I'm sorry, but I'm desperate for cash. I know this will sound like BS, but it's true. My niece has cancer and insurance won't pay for an organ transplant until her cancer is in remission, but if we wait, she'll be dead. I planned on giving her the money you gave me, but then I'll still need to pay off my debt or I'll wind up in jail." Tears pooling in her eyes, Teresa's pulse rate skyrocketed, "Oh God. Can I go to jail for this too? I don't want to go to jail."

"Did you tell your sister your plan?"

She shook her head.

"Have you told anyone about our deal? About my clients? Or that we were meeting today?"

"No. No, I swear. No one knows." She vehemently shook her head. "I was too afraid I'd jinx our deal if I talked about it. And no one knows about my financial problems, because I'm too embarrassed." Wiping her tears, she explained, "They all warned me Larry was using me when he came back, but…I didn't listen. I told my sister I was going to Pahrump today. I like to play at the Nugget, the penny megabucks." Wiping her eyes, she asked, "Did you hear about that lady who hit the progressive at The Monte Carlo and dropped dead? That would be my luck."

"Okay, just calm down. No harm's been done." Don stood and waved her to follow him. "If you needed more money, you should have asked us for a new deal. Let's go into the kitchen and have some iced herbal tea. It always calms me down."

"Thank you for not calling the cops."

"I'm a sucker for a sob story, and kids with cancer break my heart."

"Samantha is such a sweet kid. That's my niece, Samantha." She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Thank you for being so good about this."

"Just sit down and breathe."

Nodding, she dropped into one of the oak chairs and sucked in a jagged breath. "God, I'm such a loser."

"When I get stressed I close my eyes and count to ten in between deep breaths." While Don drugged the unsuspecting woman's tea, he sweetly coached, "Good, just like that. You'll feel better in no time."

Vision Cinemas, a popular independent theater in Vegas and THE place to see Brokeback Mountain, because it was showing on all four of its screens, had stadium love-seats, and the best gourmet snack bar

11:45 am

"Suddenly I feel faint," Tony whispered in his wife's ear when they stopped in front of the movie poster depicting cuddling cowboys. "Seriously, you don't think they're actually going to show them naked and pounding each other, do you? It would have to be NC-17 then, not R, right?

Becca pointed to the rating box on the movie poster. "It says it's rated R for sexuality, nudity, language and some violence. I suppose that could mean naked pounding."

"Okay. No popcorn for me." Standing in the snack bar line listening to two gay guys ordering non-fat lattes with extra whip, he cringed.

"Hey, check it out." Always one to needle her husband about his insecurities, Mrs. Vartann pointed to the menu. "Would you rather have a foot long hot dog?"

"Cute."

"We're here!" Carrie waved and yanked Nick into the lobby. "Look who decided to come with me."

"Hey! What bet did you lose?" Tony asked his pal.

"I don't want to talk about it." Nick anxiously glanced around. "Where's my family? Where's Greg? They sure as hell better not be backing out of this."

"They all got their food and went inside already. Becca couldn't decide what she was craving." He stared her down. "Make up your mind, Honey."

"Popcorn and a mango smoothie," she confirmed. "Ms. Blake, do you need to powder you nose before..."

"Definitely, because the movie is over two hours long."

Nick and Tony exchanged pained looks and mouthed 'two hours'.

"Nicky, can you get me a hot dog and a Diet Coke?" Carrie pecked his cheek. "Be right back."

When the women were gone, Tony nudged his buddy, "Can you believe how excited they are over taking us to see this freak show? What's the deal?"

"No kidding. I swear, Carrie's more giddy over this than her damn birthday gifts."

"Why do straight chicks go ga-ga over watching C Gobblers anyway?"

"Hell, don't ask me." Nick shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why would anyone want to watch two people of the same sex gettin' it on?"

"Unless they're chicks."

"Well, yeah, I thought that was implied, man."

"Hey, Nick!" A man's voice shot through the lobby.

"Friend of yours?" Tony pointed and wondered.

"Uh, an acquaintance." When Nick saw Tawny's burly stripper friend on approach with three other guys, he forced a smile, "Hey, Todd Stanton, right?"

"Right. I heard from Mimi at Tweeters that Tawny's in the hospital. Are the babies okay?"

Nick straightened up as the six foot-four suntanned stud loomed over him. "Yeah, yeah, they had a little scare, but she's on bedrest now and they expect everything will be fine."

"Tell her I was asking about her and wish her well."

"Will do."

"Where are my manners?" Todd pointed to his friends. "This is Ty, Mason, and Hugh, they work with me at the club. Guys this is Nick Stokes, he's a CSI and…sorry, I don't know your friend's name, but he looks really familiar."

"Detective Tony Vartann," he firmly stated without offering his hand. "Our women are in the bathroom"

Hugh laughed into his fist. "Another hetero forced to the mountain by his woman."

"Vartann? That's where I saw you." Finally Todd placed the face. "You were working with Greg at Hidden Cove Apartments, when Dante was found dead. How could I forget? You bad mouthed Tawny and Greg popped you in the jaw."

"Ah." Tony nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. I married Greg's childhood friend, Becca, shortly after that. We're all good friends now. Greg's here with us actually."

Todd got irked as he recalled more details. "You were a real ass to me and my friends that day. I debated reporting your badge number."

"That's why he's here." Nick rescued his buddy. "Seein' this movie is part of his sensitivity training. Yeah, it's a new thing. LVPD wants to make sure their cops are empathetic to people of all creeds, races, and sexual orientations."

"Wow!" Ty was thrilled by the news. "That's so cool! I just may have to find myself a man in blue after all. Is this your first trip to the mountain, cowboy?"

"Uh." Nick roughly cleared his throat. "Yeah, the one and only trip."

"It's my third. Oh! I laughed, I cried, I mostly cried." The flamboyant cocktail waiter tapped his shirt pocket. "Take my advice, keep some tissues ready, boys. It's not exactly a happy ending."

The Morgue

11:56 am

"How did she die, Doc?" Gil buzzed into the room and over to the table.

"Who am I? Karnac the Magnificent?" The Coroner pushed up his sleeves. "I just got started, and I have a hunch that it will all come down to Tox anyway."

"A guy can ask."

"A guy can back off."

"Problems with the wife again?"

"Noooo." Doc snipped as he readied to make the first cut. "We were having a lovely weekend as a matter of fact, then one of my co-workers called and asked me to drop everything to save his ass."

Gil secretly enjoyed this crabby shade his long-time friend showed now and then. "It's important to me, because it's important to Jim."

"Maybe Jim should take dating advice from you and shit where he eats rather than at the Dominion."

"I'll be sure to pass your advice along."

"Thank you." Doc pointed to the door. "Now get out of here and let me get started already."

Vision Cinemas

12:12 pm

"It's starting," Carrie excitedly whispered in her man's ear as the previews came to a close.

"Yay." Nick slumped a little lower in his seat, which was strategically far away from his parents. "I can't believe I'm watchin' this movie with my mommy. I still squirm watchin' straight sex scenes with her." Sandwiched in between his fiancée and Greg, he knew he could safely cringe without offending the gay patrons or his sister.

Munching on popcorn, Greg leaned in and told his buddy, "I heard the cinematography is wonderful. Have you ever been to Wy…"

"Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't be leanin' in and whisperin' on me in the dark during this movie."

"It hasn't even officially started yet," Greg laughed, until he saw his buddy's irritation. "Do you want me to switch seats with your mommy?"

"I'd smack you, Greggo, but this crowd might mistake it for foreplay."

"Shhh!" An elderly woman sitting in the next row turned and scolded, "There's no talking after the previews end! Everyone knows that! I paid ten dollars to see this film and will not have it ruined by your smart mouth."

"I'm very sorry, Ma'am. I promise it not to do it again." But as soon as the woman turned around, Greg silently mimicked her, causing Nick to laugh out loud. Once again he faced the irritated woman's wrath, this time in the form of a burning glare.

"Nicky!" Jillian Stokes snapped at her boy. "Do you need to sit next to me?"

"No, ma'am." Feeling five again, Nick assured his mother, "I'll be good."

Don Schultz's Home

12:43 pm

"I have bad news." Don walked Mike back to the kitchen. "We have to kill the maid."

"Excuse me?"

"She was secretly taping the meeting, so she could collect from us and then sell the tape to Stokes."

The criminal mastermind stopped dead in his tracks. "Wow, I didn't see that coming. Honestly, I didn't think she was capable of thinking up something like that."

"Me either. I feel so used. Her sister's kid has cancer and she wanted extra cash to help her out and pay off her debts." Don pointed to the floor where the drugged maid was conveniently snoozing on a plastic tarp. "That was her excuse for double dipping."

"Greedy bitch," Mike laughed.

"She told her sister she was going to Pahrump to gamble at The Nugget, so here's what I'm thinking." Don grabbed a handful of pretzels to nibble on as he shared the devious details. "We stuff five grand in her purse wrapped in a note from Marta. The note says something like 'Here's your cash, now keep your mouth shut about what I did to break up Drew and Lissa'. Naturally that type of note would be unsigned, but they'll be able to match it to a true sample of the nanny's handwriting. We have Bart drive her out to Pahrump, taking a turn into the desert, and have it look like she was assaulted and killed on the way to the Nugget, where I'm sure she was going to parlay the five grand into more for her poor sick niece. The cops find the purse and note, which means they'll have to pull the nanny in for questioning. It's not as good as the original plan, but considering the circumstances, I think it's a pretty good bang for our buck. And we still have the tape from when we initially questioned Teresa. On that tape she says Marta and Drew are doing it like rabbits, having sex with the kids in the next room, drinking, lots of good stuff there. Thoughts?"

"Are we typing the note or is our favorite flawless forger available for the job?"

"He's already working on it," Don boasted. "What do you say?"

Mike broke into a satisfied smile. "I love you, man."

Vision Cinemas

12:54 pm

"No man love so far," Becca whispered to her husband. "It just feels like a good buddy pic, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised," Tony replied before returning to silence. Leaning forward slightly, he saw Nick was engaged by the film, so he didn't feel bad for not being revolted. I really thought this was going to be much worse. Suddenly having an appetite, he picked up their half-full popcorn bucket from the floor and started chomping. Uh oh, the sun's going down and they're drunk. He stopped munching. Okay, good, one's sleeping in the tent, one's outside. Keep it that way boys. Maybe this is why the gay guy thought the movie was sad…the guys never drop trou.

When he saw the cowboy sleeping outside start shivering, Nick's spidey sense activated. Here it comes. He leaned into his fiancée, who had her legs draped over his knee. "Carr, could you move your…"

"Shh, not now."

"Seriously, I have to pee," he pleaded in a whisper. "Let me out."

"Hold it until after this scene," she mindlessly ordered, sensing something huge was about to happen.

She's controlling when I can pee. When did I become this whipped? Nick sat back and folded his arms across his chest. Oh Lord, he's goin' into the tent with the other one. This is it. He gulped, but was relieved when he saw the cowboys immediately settled down to sleep. Whoa! I can't believe he just…oh, yeah, I'd be pissed too if I was sleepin' and the other guy put my hand on his parts. He's gonna kick your ass now. "OH!" His yelp echoed in the theater and he quickly brought his palm to his gaping mouth. He's not gonna kick your ass he's gonna…holy hell, he's usin' a quick spit to…damn…my ass hurts from watching. When he glanced over for a split second, he was relieved to see Greg was just as stunned by the rough sex occurring on the big screen. "Definitely not a recruitment film," he whispered to his buddy.

"No." Greg broke the rule and leaned over. "Hey, how much spit do you think he had in his mouth after drinking all night in freezing temperatures? I mean, he had to have cotton mouth, right?"

"I think you've been hangin' around Grissom too much if you're capable of analyzin' this scene scientifically…and you're leanin' on me."

"Sorry."

Watching the dark-haired cowboy take it, Nick suddenly felt bad for every woman he had ever done that to, regardless of the amount of preparation he had put forth to make the act pleasurable, or their proclaimed level of enjoyment during and after. "Daylight never looked so good," he mumbled in relief when the scene was over. How the hell is that poor boy gonna ride a horse now?

"Nicky," Carrie anxiously whispered in her fiancée's ear, "Sorry, I'm crossing that activity off my To Try list."

"Darlin' you couldn't pay me."

Worried about his brother's reaction, Greg glanced over his shoulder to check on Daniel. Just as he suspected, the virgin looked as white as a sheet next to Wade.

"Are you okay?" Becca whispered to her husband who looked like he wanted to flee with the dozen or so other people hurrying out of the theater. "Tony?"

"Not talking."

Crime Lab

1:44 pm

"Talk to me, Hodges!" Gil stood in the doorway waiting for good news.

"Peanut flour."

Grissom cocked his head. "Why would there be peanut flour in the holding cell?"

"I tell you what. You find out why."

"Goodbye, Hodges." Grissom huffed down the hall, answering his ringing cell when he reached his office. "Yes, Doc. The COD is…"

"Anaphylactic shock."

"The substance on her hands and in the cell was peanut flour, not drug powder. My guess is that Macie Thomas was severely allergic to peanuts."

"Wow. How did you make that leap?"

Grissom grumbled into the phone, "Go home and pick up where you left off with your wife, Albert."

"Too late. She just called, she wants to go to some wine tasting event in Pahrump."

On the road to Pahrump

1:56 pm

Bart Danson, expert kidnapper, hit man and cleaner, hummed along with the radio as he drove Teresa Valenzuela's Ford Taurus out of town. The car's owner was lounging in the passenger seat looking stylish with her dark designer sunglasses covering her closed eyes. "Are you having fun, Sweetheart?" He always enjoyed women most when they were unconscious.

"It won't be much longer now." They were on their way to a nice patch of desert he'd used once or twice for a similar job. Why mess with success, right?

Turning up the radio, he relaxed and contemplated how he would spend the money he had just received from his good buddy Mike and how he'd invest the huge sum he would be receiving in the future…the small fortune that Mike promised would be his upon completion of the biggest job of his life.

Crime Lab – Grissom's Office

2:07 pm

"It had to be an inside job," Catherine stated as she sat across from Sara and Grissom. "Someone had to put peanut flour in the right places and that person had to know that Macie would be in there and that she was severely allergic to peanuts."

"Could be suicide," Sara stated while munching on licorice bites.

"Suicide by peanut flour?" Gil couldn't remember a case like it, but humored his wife. "Let's explore that just for fun. She didn't leave a note, and why would she be suicidal? She was in the process of making a deal to give up Heather and a list of Dominion clients."

"I was joking, Honey."

"Back to the inside job," Catherine chuckled at the irritation on Gil's face. "Do you think…"

"Hold that thought." He answered his phone, "Grissom."

"Hey, Grissom, it's Sergeant Pike. We were bringing someone into the holding cell next to Macie Thomas's when we noticed a folded piece of paper sitting on the bench. We opened it up, and it said 'Lady Heather is a lying whore. I did what I could, but now it's time to die. See ya in hell, Suckers!' and it's signed 'Macie Two Facey'. She musta tossed it through the bars before she died. We dropped it on the bench as soon as we realized what it was, so if you want to send someone over here to process it."

"We'll be right there." Gil snapped the phone shut. "They found a suicide note in the empty cell next to where Macie died."

Catherine tossed the file she was holding. "Come on, that's crazy."

"Grissom!" Jas ran into the office waving a yearbook. "Macie Thomas is still alive."

Catherine jumped up from her seat. "I personally watched Doc slice her open."

"Don't worry, the girl in the morgue is dead," Jas explained, "but she's not Macie Thomas. Here's a photo of the real Macie Thomas who I just got off the phone with. She had no idea someone had been using her identity."

"We didn't get a DNA or print match when we ran Macie's for priors. I guess we're calling her Jane Doe now."

"Maybe that's why she referred to herself as Macie Two Facey, she wasn't the real face of Macie Thomas." Catherine headed for the door. "Well, one thing we know for sure is…the girl had issues."

"And she disliked Lady Heather," Sara added with an unintentional smile, "but so do a lot of people." She winked at her husband. "Not me. I don't have a problem with her."

Don Schultz's House

2:41 pm

"Do you think it's believable that Sara would have a problem with these photos?" Don held up a few of the shots stealthily taken that morning. "We've got Gil and Lady H having an intimate tea time while the Dominatrix is decked in sinful black leather. And we've got Gil sleeping at the Dominion. Gil using the bathroom to freshen up at the Dominion."

"They're great, Schultzy. Well worth offering up Macie as a sacrificial lamb." Mike enjoyed every frame. "We know that Sara trusts Gil and she would believe these photos are bullshit, but to anyone outside their circle…they look incriminating as hell."

"I still prefer the shots of Nick and Sofia. The one where she's on her knees at his crotch is a gem."

Mike pretending to be a crying little girl, "I like Steve Ogden wiping Carrie's tears in her office."

"I like that one, but it's too sweet. I'm hoping to catch something more lusty when they're on the business trip next week."

"Lusty? From Ogden?" Mike couldn't imagine it. "If we slip him some X, maybe there's a slim chance but..."

"It's worth a shot. We have him drugged and tripping all over himself."

"So Carrie has to bring him to his room."

"Maybe she'll even walk him inside and place him on the bed. Maybe even lose her balance and fall on top of him."

"I'm really glad the Nick and Greg queer thing fell apart, because this new plan is far superior."

"And thanks to Becca's big idea, we'll be able to move months earlier than planned."

"To Becca!" Mike raised his beer.

Don tapped his bottle to his buddy's. "To Becca."

After a gulp of cold brew, Mike smacked his lips. "It's all coming together, Schultzy."

"It's about damn time."

"Yeah," Mike grinned as the bottle left his lips. "And the best part about it is…they don't suspect a thing."


Next Chapter Posting: Sunday, April 15

I hope everyone had a nice weekend (a nice long one if you had Friday off or will have Monday).

Maggs