Chapter 11
"Asphyxiation." Doc Robbins explained easily.
"The rag in his mouth." Grissom noted.
"Umm hmm. One corner slipped down his throat, cutting off his oxygen supply. Extensive internal damage from the broom stick, but COD is asphyxiation."
"So," Grissom began slowly, the thoughts forming in his head like train cars hooking up with each other "It's possible the killer didn't intend for him to die."
The doctor shrugged. "I suppose it's possible, yes."
--
Nick stepped out of the locker room after dropping the broomstick with Hodges to analyze and the swabs of the blood caked on to the handle with Wendy in DNA, he'd slipped into the locker room to hang up his jacket. Nick stepped out into the corridor intent on finding Brass to check on progress of the background check on their victim, Howard Whitmere. His peripheral vision caught sight of a mass of blonde hair as Eve came out of Catherine's office and headed down the hall. She turned the other way, reading from a file folder open in her hands as she walked.
Nick caught himself grinning, and glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to him. "Eve," he called out to get her attention, but she kept walking. "Eve," he tried again. She turned, walking into the trace lab.
He cocked his head as he walked toward the doorway she just slipped through. About a foot away from the door, he heard an unmistakable voice, an arrogant semi nasal tone.
"So, how're you getting along?" Hodges asked.
"Uh, ok," Eve answered, a little confused by the question.
Nick snuck up to the door, peeked quickly in. Hodges back was to him, Eve was facing both Hodges and the doorway.
"No, really, are you making friends here in Vegas?" Hodges asked, not realizing Nick had placed himself in the open doorway, leaning against the jam with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yeah, of course." Eve answered, not daring to take even the briefest glance to Nick.
"How 'bout a man?" Hodges asked, and cocked his head, the picture of concern.
Eve nodded, "Some of them are men, of course" and licked her lips, holding back the laugh she felt building as Nick put a fist to his mouth, holding in his own laughter at her avoidance of the true meaning of the question.
"No, no." Hodges shook his head and adapted a tone as if he was speaking to a child. "I mean a boyfriend, anyone like that?" For some reason, he chose that moment to look into the microscope, giving Eve the chance to make actual eye contact with Nick.
"Yeah," she said slowly, watching Nick's chest move with his deep breath. "There's someone like that."
"Serious?" Hodges asked, sounding disappointed and hopeful at the same time.
Eve gazed at Nick for a moment, weighing her answer. "I think it may be, yeah."
"Well, if this jerk doesn't-"
"Hodges," Nick spoke up a little louder than he intended. "Leave Eve alone man."
Hodges jerked with the sound of Nick's voice, coming up from the microscope quickly. He did a double take; seeing Nick leaning comfortably in the doorway, it was obvious he'd been there and heard the whole thing.
"I was just offering to introduce her around, let her meet some people outside the lab."
"I know what you were offering," Nick peeled himself off the doorjamb.
Looking at anything other than either man's eyes, Eve walked past Hodges and out the door, Nick right behind her. She waited until she turned the nearest corner before she stopped and turned slightly, putting her back against the wall.
"Hey," she said as Nick came to a stop next to her, gazing up at him through her lashes, a sly, very unprofessional grin on her lips.
"Hey yourself," Nick returned the smirk, and again glanced around them. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"
Eve blinked, "No, sorry." She held up the folder she was carrying. "Deep in thought, I guess."
"Whatcha got?" Nick asked as they began walking again.
"Report on a grand theft auto Sara and I had a few weeks back, a stolen BMW, the guy tired to heist another one yesterday, but got caught in the act this time. Day shift processed his prints and my case came up." She let the folder drop to her side.
Nick nodded once, "Good guys win again. Hey," Eve brought her hand to her mouth and yawned widely, Nick grinned brightly at her. "You wanna grab some breakfast when shift is over? Promise I'll let you get some more sleep."
"Now why would I want to do that?" She asked, the sly smile returning. "Besides, I'm off tomorrow night, I can always sleep then."
"You're off tomorrow?"
"Ummhmm."
"Yeah, uh, I am too, I think."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well. Isn't that…lucky." The glint in her eyes made Nick chuckle and look at the floor.
"Hey you two." Warrick came around the corner, still dressed from court. The blazer was off and slung over his shoulder, hanging from a hooked index finger. His tie was loosened, the knot down around the second button of his shirt. And the unbuttoned collar exposed his neck and part of his collarbone.
Warrick quickly took in the sight of his fellow CSI's huddled in the hall, their body language and rather guilty expressions told him he'd interrupted a conversation about something other than evidence and crime scenes. He shot Nick a congratulatory grin, and damn near clapped his friend on the back.
Nick and Eve took a step apart from each other, just before Sara turned the corner, also dressed in going to court clothes, looking almost alien in a skirt and heels. "Hey," she said slowly, noticing the odd atmosphere.
"Hey Sar," Eve said brightly "How was court?"
"I think Judge Reingold was flirting with me," Sara said, stepping through the little triangle the CSI's bodies had formed in the hallway, and headed toward the locker room to change.
"Isn't he like eighty something?" Eve asked, following Sara, glad to have an excuse to get out from under Warrick's amused gaze, shooting Nick a quick apologetic glance as she passed him.
"Yeah, he is." Sara answered Eve's question.
"Ew, that's kinda gross" Eve began to chuckle at the thought.
The men stood still, listening to the women's conversation dissolve into laughter as they headed down the hall. Nick avoided Warrick's eyes by looking at the floor again. "So…" Warrick began. "I guess you got over your 'company ink' problem, huh?"
Nick shook his head, as he lifted his gaze from the floor to his friend. "I'm not telling you anything," he said strongly, but his smile betrayed him.
Warrick snorted, still amused "You don't have to, man."
"Hey, 'Rick" Nick tried changing the subject "are you off tomorrow?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I need you to switch with me."
--
Catherine found Brass in his office and on the phone; Brass looked up, and waved her in, gesturing to one of the chairs that faced the desk. "Yes sir," Brass said into the phone then paused, listening.
Cath chuckled; she could hear the Sheriffs' voice coming through the earpiece of the desk phone. "They will," Brass said, then pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the handset. His expression told Catherine the Sheriff had hung up abruptly.
"Sheriff on your ass?" She asked, with no attempt to keep the humor out of her voice.
"Like I'm a five dollar hooker," Brass replaced the handset back in its cradle and folded his hands on the top of the desk. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"Background check on our victim, Howard Whitmere."
Brass picked up a folder and handed it to her. "Here's the info I came up with, Howard Whitmere, 39, architect, moved to Vegas from Reno two years ago. Divorced, ex still lives in Reno, no kids."
"Girlfriend or … anyone like that in Vegas?" Catherine asked, flipping though the pages in the file.
Brass considered the CSI for a moment. "You thinking he was gay?"
She shrugged. "Only a possibility, given the circumstance of his death."
The captain gave her nod of agreement, and lifted his coffee cup. "It's possible, but if it is a gay thing, he was covering his tracks; girlfriend dropped by the house after you left this morning." He took a slug of coffee and grimaced as he put the cup down. "Cold. Both the ex's and the girlfriends name and numbers are in the file."
Catherine closed the file as her cell phone rang. "Willows," she answered and paused a moment listening. "Ok, I'll round them up." Closing the phone with a snap, Cath looked across the desk to Brass. "Grissom," she explained. "Wants to meet on the case." She stood; walking to the door and tossed a, "See ya," back over her shoulder.
--
On her way to Grissoms office, Catherine pulled her cell phone back out, ready to dial Nicks phone to tell him Griss wanted to see them in his office, when she turned the corner and saw both Nick and Eve in the layout room. Two for one Cath thought to herself, making rounding everyone up all that much easier, and she took one step toward the doorway, when something stopped her.
If anyone would ever ask, Cath wouldn't be able to explain what it was that made her stop, something in the air, perhaps, the invisible bubble that seemed to surround the two of them. Or maybe it was the smile of Nick's as he leaned down with his elbows on the table, running a finger under the edge of the sleeve of Eve's shirt, saying something that made Eve grin.
Catherine watched the two of them, folding her arms against her chest, unconsciously embracing the report from Brass. She's very aware of him, Catherine thought, his presence, his nearness to her. Catherine watched them through the glass, safe in the knowledge that neither were aware of her, or of anyone else. Cath observed Eve watch Nick's hands, like he was a magician with the secrets of the world hidden in his palms. And just like that, Catherine's suspicions from the morning turn in to full fledged knowing.
Thank you, wraiths-angel, yourdarkestsecret13861, Jen Lennon and last but never least AlwaysWrite for the reviews and a big Thanks to Miss-Andromache for the beta. I hope you're all enjoying the story.
