Masquerade Love

Chapter 10:

"I'm so glad that things are getting better between you and your father M." Morgan heard her red-head friend's voice over the phone.

Even though Morgan and Emma were currently living in different states, the two women often conversed over the phone. It helped them to keep abreast of things that were going on in each other's lives. Emma also frequently sent the CSI pictures of baby Dominic. Morgan was amazed as how quickly her god-son was growing. The red-hair, blue eyed baby was now four months old!

Currently, it was early afternoon in the month of November. Morgan was in her apartment, relaxing before shift would start. And to have a much needed catch up session with her crazy best friend who was back in Los Angeles.

"I hope so. We made plans to meet for lunch tomorrow." Morgan sat back against the couch, cradling the phone tightly in her hand.

"Things will be okay Morgan. Don't worry. Is his injury okay though?"

"It's been two days since he sprained his ankle. I think it's healing quite well, for he has been taking it easy. Everyone at the Crime Lab also helps look out for him."

"That's nice. So anyway, how are things going between you and Greg?" There was a teasing tone in her friend's voice. Morgan could feel her face heat up slightly despite the fact that Emma wasn't there with her.

"What do you mean?" She tried to skirt the subject.

"Come on M! After everything you've told me about Las Vegas, he seems like a nice guy! And you admitted to having a tiny crush on him!" Her friend urged.

Yes, while Morgan had shared many stories about her colleagues in the crime lab, she had never told Emma about Greg being the man from the ball. Heck, she had never even broached the subject with Emma that she had a rendezvous with a masked man during the dinner and dance.

The subject of the Dinner and Dance still rankled for Emma; she was still reeling in guilt about the scary incident. Morgan didn't want to add an extra burden to her friend by telling her about the man she had met (and then lost, and then met again).

"Things are just normal." Morgan told Emma firmly as she tried to erase the memories of the hug from her mind. She had felt warm, safe and protected in his arms.

"Nice try Brody." Emma's resort came back quickly. "Have you told him how you feel? From what you've shared, it sounds like he has the hots for you too."

"No I haven't," she sighed. "It's just…I cherish our friendship a lot. What if telling him ruins everything? I'll still have to see him every night for shift. AND we share an office!" The blonde CSI moaned, hating how she sounded like a whinny teenager right now.

"I understand…Just a gentle reminder to cherish what you have." Emma replied.

Emma's words jolted Morgan's memory to what her father had told her the day he got injured…

Flashback.

After Conrad had been given the all-clear by the doctor, Morgan had coffee with her father at the coffee house nearby. They had talked. Conrad gave her the abridged events of what happened on his end twenty years ago when he divorced Morgan's mother. As much as the burden still weighed in her heart, Morgan found that she just didn't have the energy to be angry at her father any longer. Plus, the little scare from just now had helped her to sort her priorities. She didn't want to regret not forgiving her father until it was too late.

The air cleared, father and daughter settled and drank their beverages in a comfortable silence. And any observer would quickly realise that they were related. It was their actions and their body language that gave it all away. Both of them would take a quick sip then a long drink each time, and they liked to alternate between biting on the cookies as well as drinking.

Conrad shifted his leg, wincing slightly when he felt his ankle protesting in pain. Morgan, being the observant CSI she was, had picked up on her father's discomfort.

"You okay dad?" The concern flowed smoothly from her lips.

"Yeah…I'm fine." Conrad grunted in reply. "I just can't believe I tripped over a trash can…" He muttered, shaking his head.

"Greg said you took quite a tumble." She commented. "It's lucky that it isn't too serious though."

"Yes Sanders…" He trailed off, taking a sip of his coffee. Conrad Ecklie watched his daughter from the corner of his eye. He wasn't blind, he could tell that in the few months that Morgan had started working her, she and Greg Sanders had gotten close.

"He's a good guy Morgan…I've been working with him for many years now…He is committed, dedicated and respectful." Sheriff Ecklie mused.

Morgan could feel embarrassment growing within her. "He's a good friend." She tried to explain.

"That could change." The corner of her father's mouth twitched into a smile. "And if it does, he has my stamp of approval."

End of flashback

"See! Even your dad agrees with me!" Emma cried out in triumph when Morgan relayed the story to her friend. Morgan couldn't help but giggle at her friend's enthusiasm.

"We sound like a bunch of high-school girls." She stated.

"Seriously though." Emma said, as their giggles subsided. "I've heard nothing but good things about him from you. Consider it."

"I'll see how things go…" Morgan answered instead, hating how she was so uncertain about this. The pair exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

Morgan flopped onto the sofa. Now what should she do?

Taking the next step with Greg was appealing, but she would be walking into uncharted waters if she did so. And there was the problem with her alternate identity from the dinner and dance… She knew that if Greg and she did get together, she would definitely come clean about when they had first met.

He's going to hate me when he finds about that… She groaned. When did things become so complicated?

A week later, Greg took the Friday shift off. The annual CSI Convention had arrived, and was to be held over the weekend in New York. The male CSI had long ago volunteered to attend. He hadn't forgotten the reason why he had volunteered though. An image of a blonde haired woman in a stunning aquamarine gown and mask floated into his mind. Five months had passed since the CSI Dinner and Dance, and he had to admit the image of the mystery woman was sketchy. He could only remember the basics, but specifics such as what colour her eyes were, had long ago faded in his mind.

Greg hoped that besides learning more about the latest techniques and technologies, he could have another chance to encounter the mystery woman once more. If not as a potential romantic partner, then at least as a friend. He told himself.

As such, it was with great hope in his heart did Greg leave for New York that afternoon. One of the day shift CSI was also coming along too, and a lab technician.

That evening during shift, Morgan found the atmosphere to be a little strange. Greg had never taken a day off from work before in the three months she was here. She was always so used to having Greg around, that the silence without him was very prominent. Morgan told herself that it was only for the weekend, but still she half expected for Greg to appear in their shared office the next moment.

Morgan sighed, and shook the negative thoughts away. Perhaps she should occupy herself with some work, which should keep the negative thoughts at bay…

The weekend passed by quickly. Greg had managed to gather quite a few valuable insights from the Convention, and it was a good time to relax as well. However, he was quite disappointed not to spot the mystery woman. Perhaps she wasn't selected to attend this year's convention. He reasoned with himself.

Get a grip Greg! It has been four months, and yet you're still harping on it like a high school student! He chided mentally. An image of Morgan popped up in his head. She's not the only blonde beauty. There is also Morgan.

Greg was surprised at how much he was missing Morgan's presence. His colleague exerted such a presence in his life that a weekend away from his life in Las Vegas was weird. He kept feeling like he was missing something. Normally, they would talk or text about life, and sometimes meet up for a drink with the rest too. Something just felt missing that weekend.

Little did he know, Morgan felt the exact same way.

Two weeks later, the team was called on a case of a murdered pimp found in a nightclub. Dispatch had been notified at one in the morning. Nick and Morgan were down at the scene of the crime to collect the evidence.

"Looks like this party is over." Nick commented dryly as he and Morgan ducked under the police tape. The main lights had been switched on. Police officers were littered all over the nightclub, and the group of partygoers were being briefed by Captain Jim Brass.

"Not much of a party if someone drops dead." Morgan replied. The duo were escorted to the backroom, where a man was sprawled on the ground.

"Body was found by one of the dancers who wanted to take a break. Brass will question her." The officer told them.

"Any ID on our vic?" Morgan inquired.

"One of the bartenders said that he went by the name of Lionel. None of them knew his last name."

"And his connection to the nightclub?"

"He was a regular." The officer replied, before leaving the two CSIs to their work. Morgan took in the scene before her eyes. The man was probably in his early forties, although that could be an over-estimation, because such a lifestyle of partying could take a toll on one's body. Caucasian male, dark brown hair and a beard. There was a stab wound on his abdomen, and a pool of blood all around him. A bloody kitchen knife was on the floor a few feet away.

Nick snapped a couple of photographs of the body.

"He must have bled to death." Morgan commented. The room seemed to be a breakroom of some sorts for the dancers. In one corner there was an old leather couch and some chairs, while a dresser was against another wall. She caught sight of multiple bags too. While Nick worked on the body, Morgan walked around the room to see if there was anything of interest.

There were definitely signs of a struggle, for there were items that had been tipped over. Then again, it wasn't as if the room was neat in the first place. There wasn't any security camera outside or in the room too. Morgan let out a breath. Seemed like they would have to question the dancers that used the room to find out its' state before the crime.

Next question.

Was it crime of passion? But then again, who would carry a knife wherever they went? Unless the dancers kept a knife in this room, this was a pre-mediated crime.

Just then, Super Dave arrived to examine the body. The assistant coroner put the time of death to be approximately two hours ago, between 11.30pm to 12.30pm.

"The party would have been at full swing then. Anyone could have arranged a meeting with our pimp and then kill him." Nick said.

"Well, someone had it bad for him. This stab wound, is pretty deep." Dave announced.

The male CSI was also able to find a wallet on the victim with an identification card. The victim's name was Seth Lionel, and he had been thirty-six. Morgan was right about the over-estimation in his age.

After Dave left, Nick and Morgan did a careful inventory sweep of the room. Many photographs were taken, both of the body and the room. They bagged several items, including the knife, cigarette butts and several hairs. It was just their luck that the murder had to take place in the dancers' dressing room. Nick and Morgan would have to take samples from them to rule them out. But as of now, everyone was a suspect. Once they were done, the duo decided to take a quick mingle and see if they could find out something about Seth Lionel.

"You wanna take the bartenders? I'll take the ladies." Nick offered with a smirk, eyeing the scantily clad dancers.

Morgan sent her colleague a look and rolled her eyes. "Nice try Nick." Before he could reply, Morgan had strode over to the group of dancers.

With a good-natured sigh, Nick approached the bartenders.

"He was a regular." One of the bartenders said. "Always ordered a whisky."

"Did he hang out at the bar alone? Take to the dance floor? Were there any other patrons he was close to?" Nick asked.

"He was kind of the quiet guy, but watchful if you know what I mean. He'll be observing everyone. He always came alone, except for this one time, on Saturday, there was another man with him. Tall, spiky blonde hair. I didn't like him, he had this…aura of power and anger. Anyway, they chatted at the bar for a while over some drinks."

"Did you recognise the other guy. Was he a regular?"

He shrugged. "Never seen him before. If he's a regular, he doesn't come during my shift nights."

"I'll check with the other bartenders. Thanks man." Nick said, his mind reeling with the new information. Could this blonde guy have any links to the murder?

Morgan went up to the group of glamorous dancers, trying hard to ignore how much more over-dressed she was compared to them. Their faces were caked with heavy makeup, but they huddled closely and protectively over one of the other girls, who was visibly still shaken.

I think she's the one that found the body.

"CSI." Morgan showed the group her badge. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?" She was careful to keep her eyes adverted from the dancer whom found the body, not wanting to add additional pressure to her.

"We've already spoken to the police." One of them answered.

"I understand. But as a Crime Scene Investigator, my job's a little different. I just want to know a little more about Seth Lionel. Does anyone know him well?"

"He's a regular. Comes in on Tuesdays and Thursday nights."

"I've served him once or twice; he doesn't speak much, but he's pretty nice."

"Is there anyone that might have a closer connection to him?"

The girls all looked at one another, then shrugged. "There are so many patrons here, it's hard to keep track of everyone."

After a few more questions, Morgan thanked the dancers for their help, even though she didn't learn much.

Back at the lab, a more in-depth digging into victim's background proved that he had mob ties as well, which just increased the number of potential people of interest. The blonde man that the bartender had seen was also from the same mob.

With so many parties involved, D.B had assigned the entire team to work together to convict the murderer as soon as possible. Plus, D.B knew that mob related murders could potentially further escalate into full blown violence, if the murderer messed with the wrong mob. They had to solve the case ASAP to prevent more deaths.

Currently, Morgan and Sara were back in the lab analysing some of the evidence, while Greg and Nick were out tracing the man's movements during his last night on earth. They were hoping that retracing his movements could give a clue of his attacker.

Morgan worked on obtaining fingerprints from the rusty kitchen knife (the murder weapon) while Sara tried to work out the angle of the entry of the weapon given the blood spatter. The ebony haired CSI wasn't a blood spatter analyst, but she had worked on enough crime scenes to know a thing or two.

While the women waited for the results of their testing, they took a short breather in Sara's office and chatted over coffee. Currently, Sara had an office to herself, but Morgan had heard that D.B was looking for a new second in command to supplement the team.

Moments later, Nick and Greg entered. The former was spotting a broad grin, while the latter had his head down, as if in slight embarrassment.

"You girls have to hear this." Nick declared, his grin never fading.

Greg only groaned, shaking his head before plopping down into a nearby chair.

"What's the good news?" Sara asked curiously.

"Greg snagged himself a date." Nick stated smugly, acting like a proud father.

Uh oh! A date? What about Morgan?

Thank you all for continuously supporting this! It is a motivation to keep writing! I was very surprised at the number of reviews I've gotten. So a big thank you to all of you!

Review replies:

FlipChick23: Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it!

Kristen: Thank you so much for your constant reviews and for taking the time to elaborate your thoughts and ideas. Morgan's big reveal won't come until maybe Chapter 14 or 15, there will still be a lot of mini-moments to occur until then. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Guest: Thank you!

Bailey1ak: Thank you for your review! I'm happy to hear that you like it so far! More chapters to come!

Peterpan15596: Thank you for your review!

NickyCatherineStokes2442: Thank you for your enthusiasm! I hope you liked this chapter!

Till the next chapter!

-TrixieNancy124