A/N: New chapter! Enjoy!

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The Day of Love and Friendship

Chapter 2

The policewoman stayed on the motorcycle, idling it down as she rode off with Sara and Grissom jogging behind her. She'd introduced herself as Officer Lewis before saying, "Lissette—that's what everyone calls me." Briefly, she explained the "death" as that of the butcher. "Juan says it is murder."

The store was on a side street in the middle of a block mixed with small shops and houses; the smell of cooking was strong—grilled meat, empanadas, and the always present fried onions. As they slowed because of people in the street, Sara recognized one of the shops as a favorite for pancakes—a beautiful building with a wall of purple flowers covering one side of it. Several of the places, like the pancake café, had an apartment on the second floor.

The butcher shop was one of the few places Sara had never noticed so she was surprised to find a picture-perfect store, painted bright white, blue shutters on upstairs windows. A glass-topped food cooler at the front window displayed chicken parts, sausages, and a few cuts of beef. There were two blue painted doors—one opened to the shop; the second door led to a flight of stairs.

A small crowd had gathered—shoppers curious about the closure of the store and the presence of a policeman at the door who was announcing the store would be closed for a while.

When Lissette got off the motorcycle, she said, "Chief Barton flew to Quito this morning—he is trying to return tonight, but told us to find you as quickly as possible."

Grissom ducked his head, giving a side-long glance at Sara who was biting her bottom lip. Stepping closer to her, he whispered, "We will never get away from—from our previous life."

Her mouth lifted in a slight grin before she said, "We can help—maybe it's an accident."

As they approached the shop with the policeman standing at the door, Sara asked Lissette, "Have you been inside?"

Removing her helmet and giving her dark hair a shake, the young woman looked like a teenager as her face lightened with surprise. She said, "Oh, no—not me. The daughter found him and Juan went in to check. I—I was sent to find you."

The officer had moved into the street attempting to disperse the crowd. Another policeman on a bicycle arrived with a roll of yellow tape and he and Lissette began taping it around the front of the store using several crates from another store.

Extending a hand, the police officer shook Sara's hand, saying, "I'm Juan Roberto—we've met right after you arrived—the chief said to get you two here." His English was excellent, as he continued, "We don't have murders here—we work stolen bicycles mostly—or drunk fights." He turned to Grissom and shook his hand.

"Do you know its murder?" Sara asked. She noticed the tape had worked to push people farther away but the crowd had grown in size in minutes.

Juan nodded, saying, "Definitely—blow to the back of his head."

The policeman who had arrived on the bicycle handed out gloves and shoe covers, motioning for Sara to lift her foot so he could fit covers over her shoes, before Juan opened the door for Sara and Grissom to enter.

"His daughter found him—she screamed and her mother's friend who lives upstairs came running down here. One of them called his wife before calling us—they—all three were in here crying when I got here," said Juan. "They were very upset so I sent them upstairs to wait." He motioned to an area of the counter, adding, "The wife was banging her head there when I arrived."

Sara slipped between the counter and the wall to look at the body, kneeling near the man's head. She remained there so long that Grissom finally said:

"Sara, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I'd say a meat mallet hit him several times." She stood and looked around the shop.

Following her gaze, Grissom was surprised she knew what a meat mallet would look like but both pairs of eyes stopped at a rack of tools—knives, cleavers, saws—and three meat tenderizer hammers.

"Those three," Sara said. "Looks like the side with sharp blades was used."

Juan reached for one, giving it a quick exam before looking at the other two. "I don't think it was one of these—or else cleaned."

As Grissom looked around the space, he saw a bucket sitting under a table behind the body. He said, "Sara, check the bucket, please."

Carefully, she edged around the body and made a face when she looked into the bucket. "Bloody water," she said but then bent over and sniffed. "Bleach water and guess what." She pulled two meat tenderizers out of the bucket and held them above the bucket. "We need to take photos of everything."

Juan asked if they should talk to the women upstairs or call the local funeral director to remove the body. He said, "I don't know what to do—none of us have worked a murder scene—I—I—there is a book of what we are suppose to do."

For a long moment, Sara and Grissom looked at each other before Grissom said, "Let's take photos first—and someone should be upstairs with the women—getting their statements." He glanced outside at the two officers. "How about Lissette doing that?"

A phone chimed and Juan reached for his. A few seconds later, he handed the phone to Grissom. "The chief wants to talk to you."

After several minutes of a mostly one-sided conversation, Grissom handed the phone back. He said, "Looks like we've got a murder investigation, dear. The Quito airport has been hit with torrential rain and he can't get a flight out tonight—he should get out tomorrow. Meanwhile, he—he's asked if we will do all we can."

After Juan ended the call, he said, "The chief says we are to do what you ask." He gave them a smile of obvious relief and said, "The Grissom's are in charge, the chief says."

Puffing his cheeks as he blew out a long breath, Grissom pointed at Sara. "You've done this much more recent than I have…"

It took her a second to respond, saying, "You and Juan go upstairs and talk to the three women. Lissette can help me in here. What's the other guy's name? He can talk to some of the people outside. Who else do you have working?"

"That's Sebas—Sebastian. We only have six people in the department and one has to stay at the station to answer calls and one works nights."

Grissom was impressed that Sara's face remained composed as she said, "We'll do all we can. If this guy's wife and daughter know he's dead—any other next of kin who should know?"

A shake of Juan's head was her answer.

"Okay," a hint of a smile, "Would you make a general announcement outside—if anyone saw anything—anything strange or different—please give their names to Sebastian."

In five minutes, the two men had gone upstairs and Lissette was getting directions on photography of a crime scene from Sara. A line had formed outside of people who thought they had something to tell about the tragic death of the local butcher.

As Lissette used her phone to take photos, Sara stepped to the window and took several photos of the crowd. She thought most of them were recalling when they had been in the shop, of words spoken to the dead man. She also thought about reports of a murderer revisiting the scene of the crime—and the likelihood that one person would have useful information.

A/N: They have a murder to solve! Thanks for reading! More to come-