Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY" they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.

Author's Note: Okay, time to liven things up a mite. For iluvcsi4ever and lily moonlight, who have been hounding me to no end (everybody has, but them more than the rest :), the Halloween party is finally here, and I'm only two weeks off the real holiday. Not bad. If I used your costume idea, thank you so very much!! I don't remember who sent me what, exactly, but there's quite the interesting mix!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"You can't be serious."

Hawkes sighed. "Lindsay, Stella and I have been all over McLaren's apartment. There's nothing there from our killer."

"But there's always something," Lindsay protested. She looked up at Stella. "How could there not be anything?"

Stella shrugged. "We could be looking at a professional."

"Stel, he's a history major. He's a college kid."

"Yeah, and the last college students we dealt with got in way over their heads."

Lindsay shivered.

Stella handed the folder over to Lindsay. "You're welcome to go back through it, see if we missed anything. Sometimes it helps having another pair of eyes."

"Yeah," Lindsay said, but she knew Stella was basically placating her.

Stella checked her watch. "Well, I'm officially off the clock." She grinned at Lindsay. "I'll see you in a few hours downstairs?"

"Sure, sounds good," Lindsay said, returning the smile. Her own costume was tucked away in her locker, as she knew everybody's was. All but Adam and Kendall-they were both off for the day. She wondered how they'd finagled that.

Hawkes looked at her. "Maybe I'll go take a look at the crime scene inventory again."

"Thanks," she said appreciatively. "I'm sorry I'm being such a jerk about this."

He smiled. "It's fine. Everyone else here would be the same way." With that, he waved and disappeared into Layout.

"Montana."

Lindsay turned to see Danny coming up the hall, in a pair of jeans and a green T-shirt. "Hi," she said.

"You don't sound happy to see me," he pouted teasingly. "How 'bout I go get my costume and try it again?"

She laughed. "Tempting as that sounds..."

"Anything on the case?" he asked her, turning serious.

She shook her head. "Nothing. This guy left no trace of himself at McLaren's apartment. Stella thinks it could've been a professional hit."

"Your boy into somethin' heavy?" Danny asked her. "Drugs, porn, somethin'?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I guess I don't know him all that well, but he sure seems like a straight arrow history geek to me."

"Well, don't worry about it. We'll get something."

"It's just frustrating. I mean, between Callan and McLaren..."

"Hey." Danny gave her a tight one-armed hug. "We'll get it all straightened out, remember?" He looked at his watch. "All right, I've got a meeting downstairs with Sid on another case. I'll see you in a couple hours?"

She nodded. "I can't wait."

He winked. "Me either!"

When the announcement had first been made that the Halloween party was going to be down in the morgue, Stella Bonasera was sure that someone was joking. But now, as she threaded her way through the mix of sexy nurses, vampires, Playboy bunnies and gangsters, she had to admit that there wasn't a better place to have it. And Sid and his staff were unbelievably meticulous, so there wasn't a trace of the fact that just that afternoon, the morgue had been a full house. Everything was put away, and Sid had replaced all the overhead lights with black lights, so the morgue had an eerie glow to it. Someone had popped in a "Spooky Sounds" CD, and so shrieks and moans and classic Fright Night movie themes filled the air. The overhead monitors, usually reserved for that in-depth look at a body, had been attached to a laptop and were now playing classic scenes from horror movies. Stella was watching Norman Bates go after the woman in the shower when someone called her name.

"Meee-owww, Stella, you look hot!"

Stella turned at the sound of Angell's voice. She grinned. "You don't look half bad yourself, there."

Angell had straightened her hair so it fell straight down her back. She wore a bright pink headband, white tennis shoes and pushdown white socks. Her pants were tight straight-legged jeans and her top was cut to just above her navel. It was black, and over the top of the shirt was a bright pink cropped jacket. She turned around so Stella could read the back-Pink Ladies. Stella grinned. "Nice! Where's your T-Bird?"

"Right behind you," Don Flack's voice said. Stella turned and burst out laughing. Flack had copied Kenicke's hair from Grease, and wore a pair of black jeans, tennis shoes, a tight black T-shirt and a leather jacket. He pulled a comb from his shirt pocket and slicked it through his hair in his best Jeff Conaway impression. Stella shook her head. "You guys look awesome."

"Have you seen everyone else?" Angell asked Stella.

"Adam and Kendall aren't here yet, and neither are Danny and Lindsay...come to think of it, I haven't seen Mac, either."

"Get a load of Hammerback," Flack said, pointing across the room.

Everyone turned. Sid Hammerback sported a black pinstriped suit with a black tie. A gold chain hung from his pocket, and a black fedora with a white stripe was tilted just over one eye. He spotted them staring at him and threaded his way through the crowd. "Damn fine shindig," he growled, Al-Capone style. "Tonight's the only night I ain't gonna be puttin' anyone on ice."

Flack applauded, and Sid grinned. "What were you expecting?" he asked Stella, who hadn't quite gotten over the shock of this dapper Sid Hammerback.

"The stories you tell?" Stella shrugged. "Guess I figured a mummy or a zombie or something." She chuckled. "But you clean up real nice."

"And you should wear that to work more often," he replied. "Might be one black cat that'll bring us some good luck instead of bad." He smiled. "Well, you'll have to excuse me, I need to get back to my wife." He pointed to a woman in a nurse's costume that would make any hot-blooded male require CPR. She waved.

Flack and Angell exchanged surprised looks.

Stella looked down at the skintight Catwoman-style leggings and bodysuit she wore. A velvet black tail hung down to the back of her knees, and she'd drawn whiskers on her cheeks to match the velvety ears stuck in her hair. It was a very un-Stella thing to wear, and she found she was enjoying it a lot.

Just then, Angell burst out laughing. She grabbed Flack's arm and jerked her thumb at the door. Flack, Stella and Sid all turned as Adam Ross and Kendall Novak stepped into the party.

Adam was wearing a suit and tails with a tall black top hat. In one hand, he carried a thin black wand. And hanging on his arm was Kendall Novak in a white Playboy bunny costume, complete with furry ears and poofy white tail. She wore a pair of white boots that went up past her knees.

"I didn't think Ross had it in him," Flack noted.

Angell hit him in the arm. "Stop staring at her tail," she chided him.

The two newcomers stepped up. "Hey, everybody," Kendall said, not shy at all.

"I wanna see you pull her out of that hat!" Flack said to Adam, and the group laughed.

Someone gave a low whistle. "We-ell," a thick Texan-style accent drawled, "this is a hell of a party, ain't it."

Everyone turned around.

Angell whistled. Flack put an arm around her. "And you told me to stop staring?" he teased.

Danny Messer had arrived. Danny was wearing a pair of dark blue Wrangler jeans and a pair of black cowboy boots. He had a black button-down Western-style shirt with white embroidery and a tall black Stetson. He even had a lariat hooked to his belt, which was sporting a HUGE silver belt buckle.

"Holy hell, Messer," Flack said. "You've crossed over."

"Where'd you get the buckle?" Adam asked him.

"It was Lindsay's dad's. She gave it to me last night."

"That's what you were carrying in the plastic bag!" Adam said. "I wondered why you kept trying to stay out of everyone's way."

"That certainly would've made people talk," Angell agreed. "Danny, you've got a great Wrangler butt."

"A what?" Danny and Flack asked at the same time.

Angell raise her eyebrows. "Messer, ask your girlfriend about Wrangler butts sometime." She looked around. "Speaking of Lindsay..."

Flack was still working on the Wrangler comment. Must be a chick thing, he decided.

"Wait 'til you see what I roped me today," Danny drawled. He picked up the lariat off his belt, turned, stepped outside the door, and lightly swung the lariat around something in the hall and began pulling it in.

The rope around her shoulders, he pulled Lindsay Monroe into the room and right up next to him. Lindsay had let her hair down and curled it, wearing a black and red lacy saloon-style dress with a corseted top. She had a simple headband around her head with a big black feather and rhinestones. She wore a simple black choker around her neck and long black gloves. She wore black fishnet stockings and a pair of dark red cowboy boots. She winked at Stella, Angell and the rest of the group. "Howdy," she said. "Didn't I find myself a damn fine cowboy for tonight?"

Everyone was in shock.

"I need a drink," Flack declared, and the group moved over to the refreshment table to dig into the black cherry punch and Halloween-themed goodies.

"Hey, guys-whoa. We're gonna need a group shot after this," Sheldon Hawkes said as he joined the group.

"Who's he supposed to be?" Stella asked Angell. Lindsay shrugged.

But Adam, Flack and Danny were all grinning. Hawkes was wearing a purple and black number with a purple cape and tall black boots. He'd been letting his facial hair grow just the right way, then trimmed a neat mustache. On his belt was a futuristic-looking black gun.

"Lando?" Flack said with a grin. "Nice work, Doc."

Hawkes's eyebrows shot up. "How in the hell do you know who Lando Calrissian is?" he demanded.

"Star Wars? Are you kiddin' me? Best damn movies ever," Flack declared.

"Flack, I didn't realize you were a Star Wars nerd," Angell said as she came up next to him.

"'Fraid so," he replied. "Are you okay with that?"

"Actually, yeah," she replied. "I think it's hot. I always had a thing for Han Solo."

"Oh really," Flack said with a smile. "More of a thing for Han Solo than for a...what did ya call it? A Wrangler butt?"

"It's a close call," Angell admitted. "You go buy a pair and then I'll tell you what it means."

"All right, you two, save it for the janitor's closet," a new voice said, and the final member of the team joined them.

Stella's eyes lit up. She couldn't believe he'd actually shown up in costume. Well, more or less, anyway. They're right, she thought dreamily, there really is something about a man in uniform.

"Wow, Mac," Danny said to his boss. "I didn't realize you were so decorated."

Mac Taylor had gone full Marine Corps dress-blues for the party. Aside from the photo in his office, Stella had never seen Mac's full uniform. She was pretty sure he hadn't gotten married in them. He even wore his cover. The brass and his shoes were polished. "I thought you hated Halloween costumes," Stella said.

He raised an eyebrow. "I do," he admitted. "But this isn't really a costume."

"Say what you want," Stella said, "but you're still dressed up. And deep down, I think you're maybe even enjoying yourself a little bit."

"Maybe I am," Mac agreed.

Someone switched the music from the Halloween soundtrack to something a little more danceable. Flack and Angell were already on the floor, along with Danny and Lindsay, who now sported Danny's Stetson, and Hawkes, dancing with a lab tech in a Playboy-made cop uniform from Ballistics. "So to add insult to injury tonight," Stella said, taking one of his white gloved hands, "would you like to dance with me?"

He didn't answer right away. "Oh, come on, Mac," Stella needled. "Show the lab you can loosen up a little." She grinned. "What better way to do it than to dance with possibly the raciest costume here?"

"Stella," Mac began, "yours isn't the raciest costume here, there's a girl I know from DNA that's wearing a Disney princess dress I know Walt wouldn't have approved of." But then Stella felt herself being tugged toward the dance floor. "But," Mac said, "yours is definitely the best costume I've seen tonight."

"Ow, Danny, take it easy for a sec so I can find my keys."

"Hurry up, damn it," he growled. "I can't wait to get you out of that dress."

Lindsay finally located her apartment keys in her purse. "I just hope you stay in those jeans for a while," she teased back. She unlocked the door, and she was barely a foot inside before Danny had his hands on her. She had just unbuttoned the Wrangler shirt when a voice interrupted the silence.

"Miss Lindsay?"

Lindsay and Danny jumped apart like they'd been shocked, and Danny groaned.

Lindsay flipped on the kitchen light...and gasped.

Her apartment was in shambles. Pots and pans were strewn over the kitchen floor-she was surprised she and Danny hadn't tripped over them. In the living room, she could see her couch cushions thrown on the floor. She looked up at Callan, who was standing amid the mess in her living room. His face was a mixture of apology...and fear.

And then she saw it.

The Defoe painting was on the floor. Someone had shredded the canvas right down the middle.