Chapter 4
Sitting in a surprisingly comfortable low backed chair, I watched as Grissom's long fingers flicked deftly through the case file, his eyes moving along the words, comparing them to another file on the left.
He was of average height, had what I would call a teddy-bear build, and yet to see him in action was to see someone elegant, fluid, in control. His glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose, and with one finger he pushed them back in a gesture almost childlike in its simplicity. I couldn't bite back a smile, finding this man in front of me far too becoming.
But then his eyes caught mine and the naked intelligence and curiosity in them made me pause. I opened my mouth to speak, but a knock at the door stopped me.
'Hey Grissom.' Greg poked his spiky-haired head through the door. I grinned up at him, registering the appraising flick of his eyes down my seated form.
'I've got something for you, and I think you'll be pretty pleased.'
Tilting my head I realised that Greg was playing, and looking at the expression on Grissom's face I could tell this was the norm for them all. Hey, I thought in amusement, maybe being a scientist isn't as dull as some might think.
Grissom turned his eyes on me.
'Would you care to join us?'
'Of course. Thank you.'
I stood up, feeling the tension in my body set off in high relief when next to Greg's bubbly, enthusiastic form. Jeez, he loves his job, but this was thought with a smile.
'Ok.' Greg's voice had lost some of its earlier playfulness as he pressed his eyes against the microscope, his handing deftly searching out needed files and instruments.
'Two samples of blood were taken from the scene.' He looked up, fixing us both with his gaze, though I noticed it flicked most of all to Grissom. I could understand why Greg had chosen him as his hero. Greg was, despite his actions, highly cerebral, and after meeting Grissom there was no doubt in my mind about where Gill's soul liked to reside.
'One from victim 1; the guy who was stabbed. And two from victim 2; the man Jo here shot.'
I clenched my jaw, telling myself that he was just speaking the truth, but it didn't stop the little jab which went through my chest. I guess it takes sometime to get used to the fact that I had shot a man.
'Now vic 2's blood came back clean, nothing interesting there, though Nick and Warrick are running it for a match.'
Grissom nodded.
'But vic 1's blood was a mixture of three, I had to separate them out.'
I watched as Grissom's right eyebrow rose quizzically, before turning equally intrigued eyes back to Greg.
'Now,' and once again there was a sense of showmanship to Greg's voice,
'after taking a sample of Jo's blood. Thanks Jo.' He sent a winning smile my way.
'I've determined that one of the XX samples belongs to Jo here.'
'One of the samples?' Grissom's voice had taken on a commanding quality. Get to the point, it clearly said.
'Yes. The other sample has over 50 markers identical with victim 1.'
'They were related?' I knew this wasn't my place of work but I couldn't help but ask.
Greg nodded, turning his gaze to the thoughtful look on Grissom's face.
'What do you think? Siblings?'
'Exactly.' Greg nodded his head, pleased that Grissom was so involved, pleased that once more he was being a help to a man he admired.
'So victim 1 had a sister there at the scene. Interesting.' Grissom's eyes had a far off look; he was lost there in the evidence.
'Now what we need to know,' I spoke, my voice sounding oddly serious,
'is who the hell they were.'
I flashed a tight smile at Greg, feeling a ball of tension in my chest, one that I was familiar with; I was itching to figure this all out. I turned to Grissom, prepared to tell him that I would start looking straight away, when my phone jangled in my pocket.
'Excuse me.' I said instead as I walked out the door and into the hallway.
'Ok, Greg. This is good.' Grissom said as he looked down at the print outs in his hands.
'You know what those fibres are yet?'
Greg shook his head. 'I'm just getting on to that now.'
'Good.' Grissom turned to go.
'She's great, isn't she?' Greg's eager voice stopped him. 'Jo, I mean. She's just so smart and attractive.'
Grissom turned, both eyebrows raised, amusement flashing in his eyes.
'Hmmm.' He murmured ambiguously, purposefully ignoring the huge grin on Greg's face.
He stepped out the door, eyes on the paper in his hands.
'Jo, why don't you. . . . .' Grissom looked up, only to take in an empty corridor.
Sitting in a surprisingly comfortable low backed chair, I watched as Grissom's long fingers flicked deftly through the case file, his eyes moving along the words, comparing them to another file on the left.
He was of average height, had what I would call a teddy-bear build, and yet to see him in action was to see someone elegant, fluid, in control. His glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose, and with one finger he pushed them back in a gesture almost childlike in its simplicity. I couldn't bite back a smile, finding this man in front of me far too becoming.
But then his eyes caught mine and the naked intelligence and curiosity in them made me pause. I opened my mouth to speak, but a knock at the door stopped me.
'Hey Grissom.' Greg poked his spiky-haired head through the door. I grinned up at him, registering the appraising flick of his eyes down my seated form.
'I've got something for you, and I think you'll be pretty pleased.'
Tilting my head I realised that Greg was playing, and looking at the expression on Grissom's face I could tell this was the norm for them all. Hey, I thought in amusement, maybe being a scientist isn't as dull as some might think.
Grissom turned his eyes on me.
'Would you care to join us?'
'Of course. Thank you.'
I stood up, feeling the tension in my body set off in high relief when next to Greg's bubbly, enthusiastic form. Jeez, he loves his job, but this was thought with a smile.
'Ok.' Greg's voice had lost some of its earlier playfulness as he pressed his eyes against the microscope, his handing deftly searching out needed files and instruments.
'Two samples of blood were taken from the scene.' He looked up, fixing us both with his gaze, though I noticed it flicked most of all to Grissom. I could understand why Greg had chosen him as his hero. Greg was, despite his actions, highly cerebral, and after meeting Grissom there was no doubt in my mind about where Gill's soul liked to reside.
'One from victim 1; the guy who was stabbed. And two from victim 2; the man Jo here shot.'
I clenched my jaw, telling myself that he was just speaking the truth, but it didn't stop the little jab which went through my chest. I guess it takes sometime to get used to the fact that I had shot a man.
'Now vic 2's blood came back clean, nothing interesting there, though Nick and Warrick are running it for a match.'
Grissom nodded.
'But vic 1's blood was a mixture of three, I had to separate them out.'
I watched as Grissom's right eyebrow rose quizzically, before turning equally intrigued eyes back to Greg.
'Now,' and once again there was a sense of showmanship to Greg's voice,
'after taking a sample of Jo's blood. Thanks Jo.' He sent a winning smile my way.
'I've determined that one of the XX samples belongs to Jo here.'
'One of the samples?' Grissom's voice had taken on a commanding quality. Get to the point, it clearly said.
'Yes. The other sample has over 50 markers identical with victim 1.'
'They were related?' I knew this wasn't my place of work but I couldn't help but ask.
Greg nodded, turning his gaze to the thoughtful look on Grissom's face.
'What do you think? Siblings?'
'Exactly.' Greg nodded his head, pleased that Grissom was so involved, pleased that once more he was being a help to a man he admired.
'So victim 1 had a sister there at the scene. Interesting.' Grissom's eyes had a far off look; he was lost there in the evidence.
'Now what we need to know,' I spoke, my voice sounding oddly serious,
'is who the hell they were.'
I flashed a tight smile at Greg, feeling a ball of tension in my chest, one that I was familiar with; I was itching to figure this all out. I turned to Grissom, prepared to tell him that I would start looking straight away, when my phone jangled in my pocket.
'Excuse me.' I said instead as I walked out the door and into the hallway.
'Ok, Greg. This is good.' Grissom said as he looked down at the print outs in his hands.
'You know what those fibres are yet?'
Greg shook his head. 'I'm just getting on to that now.'
'Good.' Grissom turned to go.
'She's great, isn't she?' Greg's eager voice stopped him. 'Jo, I mean. She's just so smart and attractive.'
Grissom turned, both eyebrows raised, amusement flashing in his eyes.
'Hmmm.' He murmured ambiguously, purposefully ignoring the huge grin on Greg's face.
He stepped out the door, eyes on the paper in his hands.
'Jo, why don't you. . . . .' Grissom looked up, only to take in an empty corridor.