A.N. And now back to our regularly scheduled program. OK, I added a
"nameless" lab tech character because I needed one.
* * * * * * *
Grissom was early. That was normal. What was abnormal was that he was only five minutes early, and he was the last member of the night shift to arrive in the break room. He could hear them laughing all the way down the hall, something about a club, the back seat of a Tahoe, and a movie. He was sure it all made a great deal more sense in context. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know exactly what that context was.
As soon as he entered the break room, all eyes turned to him. He nodded hello to everyone, and headed for the coffee machine. The smell wafting up from the pot was an indication that someone had twisted Greg's arm into sharing again. He poured himself a cup, and went over to sit with his team. Their banter continued, until finally Grissom looked and the clock, and stepped into his role as official wet blanket.
"OK, people, here are your assignments." Grissom began. "Greg, I want you to run DNA analysis on the hand and see if it matches our body. And see if you can't dig up what happened to that print Archie got off of the camera. Sara and Nick, I want you to find out who sells Dacron in Las Vegas, and go visit them. Brass has a list for you. Warrick, Catherine, I need you to find out who that tire belongs to. I'll be in autopsy."
He looked around the room and saw nodding heads. Then they broke off, and went to work.
Grissom headed off down the hall towards the morgue, where Dr. Robbins was waiting for him.
"Mr. Grissom." He heard a voice from behind him and turned around. "I finished that analysis of the bundle you recovered at Lake Mead. It was Dacron, the glass inside it was from the window and the blood was from the crocodile."
"Thanks Leanne." Grissom said, taking the report she held out to him. He continued on down the hall, and into the morgue.
"Well doc, what do we have tonight?" Grissom asked by way of hello.
"Victim is male, Caucasian, and missing both hands." Robbins began. "He has also been flayed."
"Someone peeled off his skin?" Grissom replied incredulously.
"Yes, and the knife wasn't too sharp either." Al replied.
"What killed him?" Grissom asked.
"Bullet to the head, execution style. Whoever did this was right on top of him."
"Can you get the bullet out?"
"Already did, and sent it to ballistics."
"Right. Thanks doc." Grissom headed out the door for ballistics.
* * * * * * *
Greg was in the lab waiting for the DNA results to print. He heard the door open and close quietly, and turned around to see Mandy standing behind him looking nervous.
"What's up?" He asked.
"It took me all day to find the time to run Grissom's prints." Mandy said "I have the results, but I don't want to give them to him. I just want to go home."
Greg smiled understandingly and held out his hand for the report.
"Thanks Greg, I owe you one." Mandy said. She walked to the door of the lab, looked both ways, and then exited towards the locker room.
Still smiling, Greg turned to the printer, which had begun to hum in its warm-up sequence. He waited a few more seconds, and then pulled the piece off of the tray.
He was just giving them a cursory look when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID, and discovered that it was Heidi. Back to the door, he sat down and pressed the receive button.
* * * * * * *
Sara slammed the door of the Tahoe closed with a force that bespoke her feelings. Getting in the driver's side, Nick winced on behalf of the door, but decided it was better it than him. Four stores visited, and none of them had been any use at all.
"How does it end?" Sara asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Nick answered, bewildered.
"The movie." Sara elaborated. "How does it end?"
"I am not going to tell you that Sara." He replied laughing. "It isn't my fault you fell asleep on my chesterfield in the middle."
"Well, then I'll just have to come over and watch the end some other day." Sara said. "We want this street."
Nick turned and spotted the store that was their destination. He found a spot to park and the two of them headed in.
"Why is this place still open? It is 10:00 at night!" Nick said "Get a load of those stickers."
"That's Vegas for you I guess." Sara answered his question and then countered. "What, you have a problem with animal rights activists?"
"Well, no, I was just making a comment."
"I belong to some of those organizations. Or, I get their mail-outs anyway."
Nick raised his eyes in an 'oh really' sort of a gesture and held the door open for her. The store they entered was different from all the others they had visited thus far. The others had all been outdoor/adventure clothing and equipment stores. This one looked more like an art supply store. Sara double checked to make sure that the address was right, answering Nick's unspoken question.
A salesman bearing a name tag reading Jaden made his way over to them. "Can I help you?"
"Yes." Said Nick "I am Nick Stokes, this is Sara Sidle. We're with the Las Vegas Crimelab, and we are looking for some Dacron."
"We don't have any." Jaden replied, his face losing its salesman smile.
"Have you sold out recently?" Sara asked.
"No. We don't carry it." Jaden sounded rather exasperated. "Are you two planning to purchase anything, because if you aren't, I'd like you to leave."
"OK, take it easy, we're going." Nick took Sara's arm and walked with her out the door. Once outside he shot her a glance and asked "Do you buy it?"
"No." her answer was quick "He is definitely selling us short."
* * * * * * * "Who sat down and did this?" Catherine asked incredulously as she watched the computer screen analyze the tire tread, and match it up to trucks in the Las Vegas area.
Warrick laughed, "It was probably someone's grad school project. But it really doesn't matter where it came from, so long as it tells us what kind of truck we are looking for."
Catherine studied the screen as it stopped scanning and flashed 'match' at them. "So we're looking for a Chevrolet Silverado. How many of those are in Vegas?"
"I'll get Brass to look into it for us." Warrick said "There could be quite a few though, it's a popular model."
"That may be," Catherine replied, "but there can only be so many with a bald tire."
Warrick nodded, and went off in search of Brass.
* * * * * * *
Grissom sent out a page for everyone to come to the layout room as soon as they could. It took about fifteen minutes for everyone to assemble.
He began "Greg, what did you find."
"Well," the lab tech started "The DNA in the hand is the same from the body, and Mandy finished analyzing the print. AFIS tells us it is from Andrew Sagget, ex-con, small time thief."
Noting that Greg was finished, Sara jumped in. "We found a store that sells Dacron, but not for sails. They use it for signs instead."
"Except the owner kicked us out." Nick interjected, "And the place is absolutely covered with 'Save the Whales' stickers."
Sara glared at him. Grissom saw, but let it pass. "Catherine?"
"Tread belongs to a Chevy Silverado. Brass got us a list of who owns one in Las Vegas, but it is going to take us a while to sort it all out."
"Wait a minute." Warrick said "What did you say the DB's name was?"
"Andrew Sagget" Greg replied.
"And he was shot to death execution style." Grissom added.
"Well, one of the names on the list is Jaden Sagget." Warrick said.
"Hey, and Jaden was the name of the guy that kicked Nick and me out of the store!" Sara exclaimed. "Gris, you have anything to add?"
"The bullet is .45 calibre. It is a little messy, but Bobby says if you find him the gun he can do a comparison." Grissom said. "Nick, come with me. We'll get Brass and go talk to Jaden. The rest of you, see what you can put together."
* * * * * * *
A.N. I would really like some reviews. REALLY like reviews.
* * * * * * *
Grissom was early. That was normal. What was abnormal was that he was only five minutes early, and he was the last member of the night shift to arrive in the break room. He could hear them laughing all the way down the hall, something about a club, the back seat of a Tahoe, and a movie. He was sure it all made a great deal more sense in context. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know exactly what that context was.
As soon as he entered the break room, all eyes turned to him. He nodded hello to everyone, and headed for the coffee machine. The smell wafting up from the pot was an indication that someone had twisted Greg's arm into sharing again. He poured himself a cup, and went over to sit with his team. Their banter continued, until finally Grissom looked and the clock, and stepped into his role as official wet blanket.
"OK, people, here are your assignments." Grissom began. "Greg, I want you to run DNA analysis on the hand and see if it matches our body. And see if you can't dig up what happened to that print Archie got off of the camera. Sara and Nick, I want you to find out who sells Dacron in Las Vegas, and go visit them. Brass has a list for you. Warrick, Catherine, I need you to find out who that tire belongs to. I'll be in autopsy."
He looked around the room and saw nodding heads. Then they broke off, and went to work.
Grissom headed off down the hall towards the morgue, where Dr. Robbins was waiting for him.
"Mr. Grissom." He heard a voice from behind him and turned around. "I finished that analysis of the bundle you recovered at Lake Mead. It was Dacron, the glass inside it was from the window and the blood was from the crocodile."
"Thanks Leanne." Grissom said, taking the report she held out to him. He continued on down the hall, and into the morgue.
"Well doc, what do we have tonight?" Grissom asked by way of hello.
"Victim is male, Caucasian, and missing both hands." Robbins began. "He has also been flayed."
"Someone peeled off his skin?" Grissom replied incredulously.
"Yes, and the knife wasn't too sharp either." Al replied.
"What killed him?" Grissom asked.
"Bullet to the head, execution style. Whoever did this was right on top of him."
"Can you get the bullet out?"
"Already did, and sent it to ballistics."
"Right. Thanks doc." Grissom headed out the door for ballistics.
* * * * * * *
Greg was in the lab waiting for the DNA results to print. He heard the door open and close quietly, and turned around to see Mandy standing behind him looking nervous.
"What's up?" He asked.
"It took me all day to find the time to run Grissom's prints." Mandy said "I have the results, but I don't want to give them to him. I just want to go home."
Greg smiled understandingly and held out his hand for the report.
"Thanks Greg, I owe you one." Mandy said. She walked to the door of the lab, looked both ways, and then exited towards the locker room.
Still smiling, Greg turned to the printer, which had begun to hum in its warm-up sequence. He waited a few more seconds, and then pulled the piece off of the tray.
He was just giving them a cursory look when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID, and discovered that it was Heidi. Back to the door, he sat down and pressed the receive button.
* * * * * * *
Sara slammed the door of the Tahoe closed with a force that bespoke her feelings. Getting in the driver's side, Nick winced on behalf of the door, but decided it was better it than him. Four stores visited, and none of them had been any use at all.
"How does it end?" Sara asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Nick answered, bewildered.
"The movie." Sara elaborated. "How does it end?"
"I am not going to tell you that Sara." He replied laughing. "It isn't my fault you fell asleep on my chesterfield in the middle."
"Well, then I'll just have to come over and watch the end some other day." Sara said. "We want this street."
Nick turned and spotted the store that was their destination. He found a spot to park and the two of them headed in.
"Why is this place still open? It is 10:00 at night!" Nick said "Get a load of those stickers."
"That's Vegas for you I guess." Sara answered his question and then countered. "What, you have a problem with animal rights activists?"
"Well, no, I was just making a comment."
"I belong to some of those organizations. Or, I get their mail-outs anyway."
Nick raised his eyes in an 'oh really' sort of a gesture and held the door open for her. The store they entered was different from all the others they had visited thus far. The others had all been outdoor/adventure clothing and equipment stores. This one looked more like an art supply store. Sara double checked to make sure that the address was right, answering Nick's unspoken question.
A salesman bearing a name tag reading Jaden made his way over to them. "Can I help you?"
"Yes." Said Nick "I am Nick Stokes, this is Sara Sidle. We're with the Las Vegas Crimelab, and we are looking for some Dacron."
"We don't have any." Jaden replied, his face losing its salesman smile.
"Have you sold out recently?" Sara asked.
"No. We don't carry it." Jaden sounded rather exasperated. "Are you two planning to purchase anything, because if you aren't, I'd like you to leave."
"OK, take it easy, we're going." Nick took Sara's arm and walked with her out the door. Once outside he shot her a glance and asked "Do you buy it?"
"No." her answer was quick "He is definitely selling us short."
* * * * * * * "Who sat down and did this?" Catherine asked incredulously as she watched the computer screen analyze the tire tread, and match it up to trucks in the Las Vegas area.
Warrick laughed, "It was probably someone's grad school project. But it really doesn't matter where it came from, so long as it tells us what kind of truck we are looking for."
Catherine studied the screen as it stopped scanning and flashed 'match' at them. "So we're looking for a Chevrolet Silverado. How many of those are in Vegas?"
"I'll get Brass to look into it for us." Warrick said "There could be quite a few though, it's a popular model."
"That may be," Catherine replied, "but there can only be so many with a bald tire."
Warrick nodded, and went off in search of Brass.
* * * * * * *
Grissom sent out a page for everyone to come to the layout room as soon as they could. It took about fifteen minutes for everyone to assemble.
He began "Greg, what did you find."
"Well," the lab tech started "The DNA in the hand is the same from the body, and Mandy finished analyzing the print. AFIS tells us it is from Andrew Sagget, ex-con, small time thief."
Noting that Greg was finished, Sara jumped in. "We found a store that sells Dacron, but not for sails. They use it for signs instead."
"Except the owner kicked us out." Nick interjected, "And the place is absolutely covered with 'Save the Whales' stickers."
Sara glared at him. Grissom saw, but let it pass. "Catherine?"
"Tread belongs to a Chevy Silverado. Brass got us a list of who owns one in Las Vegas, but it is going to take us a while to sort it all out."
"Wait a minute." Warrick said "What did you say the DB's name was?"
"Andrew Sagget" Greg replied.
"And he was shot to death execution style." Grissom added.
"Well, one of the names on the list is Jaden Sagget." Warrick said.
"Hey, and Jaden was the name of the guy that kicked Nick and me out of the store!" Sara exclaimed. "Gris, you have anything to add?"
"The bullet is .45 calibre. It is a little messy, but Bobby says if you find him the gun he can do a comparison." Grissom said. "Nick, come with me. We'll get Brass and go talk to Jaden. The rest of you, see what you can put together."
* * * * * * *
A.N. I would really like some reviews. REALLY like reviews.