Catherine was driving, following Warrick's directions to a part of Vegas she had never visited before. The closer they got to the bar, the more nervous grew Warrick. More and more he doubted it was a good idea to go there, with Cath, that is.
"You, ah, you wanna wait outside?" he asked, fumbling with the seatbelt and deliberately not looking up at her.
"No. Why should I?" Cath wondered why he would want her to that.
"Ahm..." Warrick ruffled his hair, "a woman isn't exactly a frequent sighting in there."
"I'm sure they won't go up in flames right away, hmmm?" Cath grinned, locked the door and set off. Her co-worker had no choice but to follow her.
+++
The place was not as dark as Cath had suspected. Walls in black and red, tables and booths, a bar and in the back a sofa along the wall where young men cuddled or were busy making out. Many pictures of nude men lined the walls, most of them tasteful photos of gorgeous bodies. Loud music resonated in her stomach. Some eyed her suspiciously, most ignored her completely. They seemed certain the odd couple would soon realize they tried to anchor at the wrong dock and leave.
Warrick greeted some guys with a curt nod as he strutted directly to the bar.
"Hey Ricky-babe! How's it hangin'?" The man behind the bar wore a skin-tight black polyester tank-top on a body that spoke of intense work-outs. He was a real eye-candy though not her type. Cath couldn't help but throw a glance at Warrick, to see how the CSI reacted, but he kept a dead-pan.
"So-so, Jack. Honestly I'm here for business." He waved his CSI-ID, "You heard about Angel?"
Jack seemed extremely uncomfortable, "Heard rumors, but nobody wanted to confirm anything. Is it really true?"
"Yeah." Warrick nodded gravely.
"Oh my God! I should get myself a gun. Should have done so a long time ago!" the man bit his fist. Warrick winced in sympathy for he knew that Jack had already gotten into two really bad bashings and the man was very disturbed by the fact that there was another wave rolling over the community. Jack then looked back at Warrick, "now you're looking for clues – HERE?"
"Do you know a man by the name of Caruthers?" Cath jumped in.
Jack looked at Catherine as if he hadn't noticed her before, "I'm not the local phonebook, lady. If you tell me what he looks like, I maybe could tell you if I have seen him here before."
Cath looked sourly and before she could return some sharp-tongued comment, Warrick jumped in:
"We don't know. We only have that name. Probably used to hang out with Angel?"
In an intimate gesture Jack put his hand on Warrick's forearm, "Hey, Ricky, you know I would really want to help you, but you know as well as I do how crowded this place is usually. I know regulars but – " the man shrugged.
Warrick sighed, "Yeah. Listen: this is my card. If you happen to find somebody, give me a call, OK? We all would appreciate if you kept your ears open, Jack. See ya, man."
"Bye, honey!"
Catherine had followed the conversation quietly but very attentive. After all, this was a part of Warrick she had never even dreamt it existed. Now the tall man gave her a nod towards the doors: there was nothing more they could do at this moment. The two CSIs turned and walked towards the door that opened suddenly. Five men in black leather entered the bar. Cath got surprised stares but Warrick was greeted with big helloes and hugs before he could escape the place.
Neither of them spoke a word before they were back in the car.
Cath revved the engine up, "So, what's your type?"
"You don't really wanna know, do you?" Warrick gave her a nervous glance. Man! She could ask questions!
"I do. This is... pretty new to me. I mean, I've seen a lot but this side of yours is completely new to me. I'd like to know, really." Cath wanted to get to know Warrick better and now that she had gotten a glimpse into a well kept hidden secret part of the younger man's life, she was curious.
"Leather." He said simply. Then he hurried to ad some explanations to avoid wrong impressions: "Not those S/M guys, I don't like pain! I just like the smell of leather and the way it snuggles up against the body." Then he laughed: "Pretty boring and disappointing, huh?"
"No." Cath made a mental note to wear her leather-jeans on their date – if that should ever happen.
They both were frustrated and the rest of the trip back to the lab was made in silence. They had hoped that name would have led them to some real person, if not to the killer. They trotted to the break-room where they nearly bumped into Grissom.
"So, what were you two doing and where?" their supervisor asked them.
"Looking for a guy." Warrick said curtly as he headed over to the coffee-maker, "Cath?"
"Yeah, I'll have a cup, thanks. Gris, we found a note in the boy's backpack that mentions a Jones by the name of Caruthers. We went to the Golden Gate to see if they know that man there." She shrugged.
Grissom knew that face Cath made right now, "But they did not."
"At least that's what he said." Cath snorted.
"Ah, come-on! He brushed you off, but Jack would never help a killer. He's a really nice guy!" Warrick came over with the coffee.
"Except he's already threatened. Looks like even I could do that." Cath snatched the coffee from her colleague's hand. It nearly spilled. Gris arched one eyebrow, wondering what was going on between those two.
"Oh, a guy must be gruff and tough to be a man, huh?" Warrick said mockingly.
"I didn't say that. But he doesn't need to be a sissy either. Jack's afraid of his own shadow" Cath shot back.
"Being honest, if I had to choose, I'd surely choose Jack 'ere I'd fuck someone like Eddie." Holy fucking shit! Had he said that? The moment it had slipped off his tongue Warrick froze. "Cath, I'm sorry –"
"This is enough! I want you both to stop quarreling over private issues. There's a job to be done!" Grissom broke the quarreling co-workers up "Warrick, I want you to get over Marcus' clothes once more. Really good looking. Catherine will come with me to question the parents."
Warrick nodded, unable to produce any intelligible sound. He stared at his coffee, grimaced and walked to the sink where he poured it out. Leaving the break-room he nearly ran Nick over.
"Whoa, brother!" Nick jumped aside. Warrick didn't even seem to notice as he stormed away to the dry-room.
"You, ah, you wanna wait outside?" he asked, fumbling with the seatbelt and deliberately not looking up at her.
"No. Why should I?" Cath wondered why he would want her to that.
"Ahm..." Warrick ruffled his hair, "a woman isn't exactly a frequent sighting in there."
"I'm sure they won't go up in flames right away, hmmm?" Cath grinned, locked the door and set off. Her co-worker had no choice but to follow her.
+++
The place was not as dark as Cath had suspected. Walls in black and red, tables and booths, a bar and in the back a sofa along the wall where young men cuddled or were busy making out. Many pictures of nude men lined the walls, most of them tasteful photos of gorgeous bodies. Loud music resonated in her stomach. Some eyed her suspiciously, most ignored her completely. They seemed certain the odd couple would soon realize they tried to anchor at the wrong dock and leave.
Warrick greeted some guys with a curt nod as he strutted directly to the bar.
"Hey Ricky-babe! How's it hangin'?" The man behind the bar wore a skin-tight black polyester tank-top on a body that spoke of intense work-outs. He was a real eye-candy though not her type. Cath couldn't help but throw a glance at Warrick, to see how the CSI reacted, but he kept a dead-pan.
"So-so, Jack. Honestly I'm here for business." He waved his CSI-ID, "You heard about Angel?"
Jack seemed extremely uncomfortable, "Heard rumors, but nobody wanted to confirm anything. Is it really true?"
"Yeah." Warrick nodded gravely.
"Oh my God! I should get myself a gun. Should have done so a long time ago!" the man bit his fist. Warrick winced in sympathy for he knew that Jack had already gotten into two really bad bashings and the man was very disturbed by the fact that there was another wave rolling over the community. Jack then looked back at Warrick, "now you're looking for clues – HERE?"
"Do you know a man by the name of Caruthers?" Cath jumped in.
Jack looked at Catherine as if he hadn't noticed her before, "I'm not the local phonebook, lady. If you tell me what he looks like, I maybe could tell you if I have seen him here before."
Cath looked sourly and before she could return some sharp-tongued comment, Warrick jumped in:
"We don't know. We only have that name. Probably used to hang out with Angel?"
In an intimate gesture Jack put his hand on Warrick's forearm, "Hey, Ricky, you know I would really want to help you, but you know as well as I do how crowded this place is usually. I know regulars but – " the man shrugged.
Warrick sighed, "Yeah. Listen: this is my card. If you happen to find somebody, give me a call, OK? We all would appreciate if you kept your ears open, Jack. See ya, man."
"Bye, honey!"
Catherine had followed the conversation quietly but very attentive. After all, this was a part of Warrick she had never even dreamt it existed. Now the tall man gave her a nod towards the doors: there was nothing more they could do at this moment. The two CSIs turned and walked towards the door that opened suddenly. Five men in black leather entered the bar. Cath got surprised stares but Warrick was greeted with big helloes and hugs before he could escape the place.
Neither of them spoke a word before they were back in the car.
Cath revved the engine up, "So, what's your type?"
"You don't really wanna know, do you?" Warrick gave her a nervous glance. Man! She could ask questions!
"I do. This is... pretty new to me. I mean, I've seen a lot but this side of yours is completely new to me. I'd like to know, really." Cath wanted to get to know Warrick better and now that she had gotten a glimpse into a well kept hidden secret part of the younger man's life, she was curious.
"Leather." He said simply. Then he hurried to ad some explanations to avoid wrong impressions: "Not those S/M guys, I don't like pain! I just like the smell of leather and the way it snuggles up against the body." Then he laughed: "Pretty boring and disappointing, huh?"
"No." Cath made a mental note to wear her leather-jeans on their date – if that should ever happen.
They both were frustrated and the rest of the trip back to the lab was made in silence. They had hoped that name would have led them to some real person, if not to the killer. They trotted to the break-room where they nearly bumped into Grissom.
"So, what were you two doing and where?" their supervisor asked them.
"Looking for a guy." Warrick said curtly as he headed over to the coffee-maker, "Cath?"
"Yeah, I'll have a cup, thanks. Gris, we found a note in the boy's backpack that mentions a Jones by the name of Caruthers. We went to the Golden Gate to see if they know that man there." She shrugged.
Grissom knew that face Cath made right now, "But they did not."
"At least that's what he said." Cath snorted.
"Ah, come-on! He brushed you off, but Jack would never help a killer. He's a really nice guy!" Warrick came over with the coffee.
"Except he's already threatened. Looks like even I could do that." Cath snatched the coffee from her colleague's hand. It nearly spilled. Gris arched one eyebrow, wondering what was going on between those two.
"Oh, a guy must be gruff and tough to be a man, huh?" Warrick said mockingly.
"I didn't say that. But he doesn't need to be a sissy either. Jack's afraid of his own shadow" Cath shot back.
"Being honest, if I had to choose, I'd surely choose Jack 'ere I'd fuck someone like Eddie." Holy fucking shit! Had he said that? The moment it had slipped off his tongue Warrick froze. "Cath, I'm sorry –"
"This is enough! I want you both to stop quarreling over private issues. There's a job to be done!" Grissom broke the quarreling co-workers up "Warrick, I want you to get over Marcus' clothes once more. Really good looking. Catherine will come with me to question the parents."
Warrick nodded, unable to produce any intelligible sound. He stared at his coffee, grimaced and walked to the sink where he poured it out. Leaving the break-room he nearly ran Nick over.
"Whoa, brother!" Nick jumped aside. Warrick didn't even seem to notice as he stormed away to the dry-room.
