If Bobby had taken Alex's bet, he would have lost. The Detectives from New
York and the Las Vegas CSI's watched the video from the hotel lobby
security camera. They watched at the woman who now lay dead in the morgue
walked across the lobby. The man who walked next to her wore a large ten-
gallon cowboy hat, and it covered most of his face. Alex and Bobby had
watched the LA video so much, they were familiar with the perps walk, the
way he held and moved himself. "It's him." Alex said quietly. Bobby
nodded in agreement, still watching the video screen as the couple made
their way across the lobby floor and waited by the bank of elevators. The
woman stepped in closer to the elevator, pushing the call button, and in
doing so, turned her back to the man she was with, the man who was about to
kill her. As she did, the cowboy turned his face toward the ceiling,
looking directly into the camera. The brim of the hat, and its shadow
covered the distinguishing features of the face, but the smile could be
seen. A big, broad smile, one that even in the grainy black and white
film, showed off horrible teeth. His hand came up, pausing for a moment
near the hat. No wiggling fingers, no movement, just up, pause, and back
down. It was a wave nonetheless.
"You know who he is?" Catherine asked, turning her attention away from the screen to look at the NYPD detectives.
Alex shook her head. "No. But there was video of him and the second victim, Cheryl Zimmer, he waved at that camera too."
The other CSI's in the room glanced back and forth among themselves. The tallest of the group, Warrick asked: "How's he picking his victims?"
"He's using an Internet fan group of Mark Prices. We think he corresponds with each girl, probably telling them he is Mark." Bobby began.
"That's why Gabrielle drove all the way from Utah, she thought she was meeting a movie star." Sara Sidle interjected.
"Utah?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, we found her car in the hotel parking lot." Sara answered.
Bobby nodded his head. "If it is Mark Price, or an imposter." Bobby paused, not liking to say what he was about to "We don't know." He finally admitted.
"We've joined the fan group, and posted messages, hoping that he'll take the bait, and ask us to meet him." Alex interjected.
"He hasn't answered yet, probably working on another one of the members." Bobby continued Alex's thought. The room got silent, everyone thinking about the consequences of not finding this killer.
Grissom broke the silence "Do you want to start with the crime scene or the body?"
"The crime scene." Bobby answered simply, remembering the contaminated first LA scene.
"Let's go." Grissom answered.
~~
The hotel room proved to be as disappointing as both LA scenes. What little there was to be found, had been and was being analyzed at the CSI labs. Alex and Brass had about the same amount of luck interviewing witnesses in the lobby. Intent on gambling, no one had noticed anything. Even the hotel staff had no recollection of Gabrielle or the man she was with.
At the morgue, Bobby watched silently as the sheet covering Gabrielle's' body was pulled back, revealing her branded stomach. Bobby leaned down, his face inches away from the gashes that spelled out Mark Prices name. "Any idea what he used?" He asked with out looking up.
"Razor blade, most likely." The doctor answered.
"Sleeping pills in her system?" Alex asked, as she watched Bobby trace his fingers around the words carved into the dead girls flesh. He found an area not damaged, and just like he'd done with Cheryl, he pushed slightly. Grissom stood at the foot of the table, watching Bobby with great interest.
"Yes. Tox screen show's an abundance of them, she probably was unconscious moments after ingestion." He'd turned away from the table to look at Alex as he answered her question. "Were the other victims drugged as well?"
Alex nodded. "Alcohol, too. But no capsules in their stomachs. The LA ME thought the killer probably put the stuff in their drinks."
The doctor nodded as he turned back toward the table. "I'll keep that in mind when I do the autopsy." He jerked his thumb toward Gil. "Grissom asked me to hold off on it til you had a chance to see her."
Not raising from his bent over position, Bobby turned his attention to the end of the table, meeting Grissom in the eye.
"Whiskey?" Alex asked moving up toward the table.
"Scotch." Bobby answered as he straightened up.
"That jives with the order from room service, two scotches, neat." Catherine told them from where she stood at the head of the table. Bobby and Alex both turned sharply at this revelation. "Room service?" Alex asked, her voice rising a little.
Catherine held up both her hands in a 'hold off' gesture, "We've already spoken to the waiter who brought up the booze, he didn't see anyone in the room but her." She gestured toward Gabrielle lying on the table in front of her. "But he said the bathroom door was shut, and he heard the toilet flush just before the door closed behind him on his way out." Catherine paused a moment, gauging the detectives dispositions. Sensing she should continue, she said "Both glasses have been brought down to our print lab, as well as the bottle. We found prints of the vic, the waiter, and two other members of the kitchen staff. All three employees were in the kitchen when Gabrielle was killed."
"What about the toilet handle?" Alex asked.
Catherine nodded her head as she answered, "Dusted. Nothing, either wiped clean, or he used a towel when he flushed."
"Damn." Bobby murmured and turned away from the rest of them, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"We work the night shift . . ." Grissom began "But you've been up all day. We'll get you to a hotel."
Alex glanced behind her, finding Bobby's back still turned. Looking back to Grissom, she nodded.
~~
Terrance took one last look in the mirror over the dresser before he answered the knock on the door. His hands tightened the knot in the tie at his throat and then turned the knob.
Mindy stood just outside the door, enveloped in an air of excitement. Her eyes sparkled and she wrung her hands together. "Mark!" the name came out in a breathy, eager voice.
"No. . ." Terrance paused, not quite sure what to say. He'd had his practiced story ready for her, how Mark was running late, and he, Terrance, was to keep her company until Mark arrived. None of the other girls had mistaken him for Mark, and he was momentarily thrown. "No, I'm Terrance, I grew up with Mark . . ." he began.
"Oh Mark!" Mindy giggled and playfully slapped his shoulder as she breezed past him, and into the room. "Wow!" She threw her arms out to her sides, as if to hug him, instead, she spun in a circle. "Wow!" She repeated, in that same breathy voice. "I knew movie stars lived in luxury, but . . . Wow!"
Terrance, still in the open door way, his hand still on the knob, watched her, not understanding. He glanced around the room, it wasn't his idea of luxury, but then again, he told himself, he didn't know Mindy's circumstances in Minnesota. "Uh . . .Yeah, it's something isn't it?" Smiling, he shut the door, walking into the room to join her.
"You know who he is?" Catherine asked, turning her attention away from the screen to look at the NYPD detectives.
Alex shook her head. "No. But there was video of him and the second victim, Cheryl Zimmer, he waved at that camera too."
The other CSI's in the room glanced back and forth among themselves. The tallest of the group, Warrick asked: "How's he picking his victims?"
"He's using an Internet fan group of Mark Prices. We think he corresponds with each girl, probably telling them he is Mark." Bobby began.
"That's why Gabrielle drove all the way from Utah, she thought she was meeting a movie star." Sara Sidle interjected.
"Utah?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, we found her car in the hotel parking lot." Sara answered.
Bobby nodded his head. "If it is Mark Price, or an imposter." Bobby paused, not liking to say what he was about to "We don't know." He finally admitted.
"We've joined the fan group, and posted messages, hoping that he'll take the bait, and ask us to meet him." Alex interjected.
"He hasn't answered yet, probably working on another one of the members." Bobby continued Alex's thought. The room got silent, everyone thinking about the consequences of not finding this killer.
Grissom broke the silence "Do you want to start with the crime scene or the body?"
"The crime scene." Bobby answered simply, remembering the contaminated first LA scene.
"Let's go." Grissom answered.
~~
The hotel room proved to be as disappointing as both LA scenes. What little there was to be found, had been and was being analyzed at the CSI labs. Alex and Brass had about the same amount of luck interviewing witnesses in the lobby. Intent on gambling, no one had noticed anything. Even the hotel staff had no recollection of Gabrielle or the man she was with.
At the morgue, Bobby watched silently as the sheet covering Gabrielle's' body was pulled back, revealing her branded stomach. Bobby leaned down, his face inches away from the gashes that spelled out Mark Prices name. "Any idea what he used?" He asked with out looking up.
"Razor blade, most likely." The doctor answered.
"Sleeping pills in her system?" Alex asked, as she watched Bobby trace his fingers around the words carved into the dead girls flesh. He found an area not damaged, and just like he'd done with Cheryl, he pushed slightly. Grissom stood at the foot of the table, watching Bobby with great interest.
"Yes. Tox screen show's an abundance of them, she probably was unconscious moments after ingestion." He'd turned away from the table to look at Alex as he answered her question. "Were the other victims drugged as well?"
Alex nodded. "Alcohol, too. But no capsules in their stomachs. The LA ME thought the killer probably put the stuff in their drinks."
The doctor nodded as he turned back toward the table. "I'll keep that in mind when I do the autopsy." He jerked his thumb toward Gil. "Grissom asked me to hold off on it til you had a chance to see her."
Not raising from his bent over position, Bobby turned his attention to the end of the table, meeting Grissom in the eye.
"Whiskey?" Alex asked moving up toward the table.
"Scotch." Bobby answered as he straightened up.
"That jives with the order from room service, two scotches, neat." Catherine told them from where she stood at the head of the table. Bobby and Alex both turned sharply at this revelation. "Room service?" Alex asked, her voice rising a little.
Catherine held up both her hands in a 'hold off' gesture, "We've already spoken to the waiter who brought up the booze, he didn't see anyone in the room but her." She gestured toward Gabrielle lying on the table in front of her. "But he said the bathroom door was shut, and he heard the toilet flush just before the door closed behind him on his way out." Catherine paused a moment, gauging the detectives dispositions. Sensing she should continue, she said "Both glasses have been brought down to our print lab, as well as the bottle. We found prints of the vic, the waiter, and two other members of the kitchen staff. All three employees were in the kitchen when Gabrielle was killed."
"What about the toilet handle?" Alex asked.
Catherine nodded her head as she answered, "Dusted. Nothing, either wiped clean, or he used a towel when he flushed."
"Damn." Bobby murmured and turned away from the rest of them, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"We work the night shift . . ." Grissom began "But you've been up all day. We'll get you to a hotel."
Alex glanced behind her, finding Bobby's back still turned. Looking back to Grissom, she nodded.
~~
Terrance took one last look in the mirror over the dresser before he answered the knock on the door. His hands tightened the knot in the tie at his throat and then turned the knob.
Mindy stood just outside the door, enveloped in an air of excitement. Her eyes sparkled and she wrung her hands together. "Mark!" the name came out in a breathy, eager voice.
"No. . ." Terrance paused, not quite sure what to say. He'd had his practiced story ready for her, how Mark was running late, and he, Terrance, was to keep her company until Mark arrived. None of the other girls had mistaken him for Mark, and he was momentarily thrown. "No, I'm Terrance, I grew up with Mark . . ." he began.
"Oh Mark!" Mindy giggled and playfully slapped his shoulder as she breezed past him, and into the room. "Wow!" She threw her arms out to her sides, as if to hug him, instead, she spun in a circle. "Wow!" She repeated, in that same breathy voice. "I knew movie stars lived in luxury, but . . . Wow!"
Terrance, still in the open door way, his hand still on the knob, watched her, not understanding. He glanced around the room, it wasn't his idea of luxury, but then again, he told himself, he didn't know Mindy's circumstances in Minnesota. "Uh . . .Yeah, it's something isn't it?" Smiling, he shut the door, walking into the room to join her.
