A/N: Look at this! Chapter THIRTEEN! Wow! Whoa, that's a good feeling. So, I don't own any of the CSI characters or anything. Too bad. I'll have to kidnap them. Heh. Piangevole means "plaintively".

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Last Voice: A Concerto
13: Piangevole

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It got very, very quiet.

"We can get this guy. He wants us to get him," Nick said.

"He wants us to know it was him," corrected Grissom.

"Nobody wants to get got," Sara scoffed. "This guy is insane. In a sane sort of way."

"That makes sense, in a senseless way," Nick put in. He looked at the note (bagged) in the middle of the layout room table. The photos were still up behind us.

"'Not like I'll live very long anyway'? There's a good attitude," Warrick scowled.

I glared at him.

No, don't do that.

He doesn't understand. None of them do.

The guy had run away.

I can understand that.

No excuse for murder, though.

"'Come and get me…'" Catherine read. "Is he serious?"

"He's teasing us," Grissom said.

"We don't have a murder weapon," Nick pointed out.

"Maybe he's got it with him…?" suggested Sara. "Like a prize?"

"Or he's gonna use it again."

"Gruesome Grissom," Catherine said disgustedly. "This guy is sick."

"Okay, so, one more time," Nick said. "What happened?"

"Five days ago Samson murdered Kasey," Grissom started. "Chased her into the alley."

"And two days after that, he murdered William in his apartment," Catherine continued. "We think he got in with the 'pet needs in' excuse – William's cat had the run of the place. Went in and out whenever there was someone to open the door."

I thought about Miki. Even if my building had allowed her to run around the hallways, I couldn't have let her. FIV is contagious. More contagious than HIV.

Still, it was another reason I was like her.

"So he used the same weapon. Both bodies were discovered yesterday, but no connection was made until Greg and I were talking in the break room," Nick added.

"And Samson's blood was obviously left by him in both apartments," Warrick analyzed. "And interpreting from this letter, he had some B.S. story all made up about stubbing his toe."

"Part of his 'catch me if you can' bit," Catherine said. "We were supposed to try to prove him wrong."

"Except Kasey gave him a bloody nose in the alley." Sara paused. "Why did he go ahead and leave the blood in the apartments if he did that? Why go to the extra trouble? And pain?"

"The blood was already in Kasey's apartment and had been for a while. Or that's what viscosity told us," Grissom replied. "He probably sneaked it in there while 'visiting' with that key we found."

"But why…?"

"And what he did to one, he did to the other," Grissom finished. "They had to be even."

"So, where did you get that?"

"Speculation, Nick. It's just that he did several things the same – the same weapon, for one."

"That's why he kept it," said Warrick, catching on. "He's compulsive."

"The same thing over and over. You're probably right, Grissom. He might intend to use it again."

"Gruesome Grissom meets Sick Sara," Nick said humorlessly.

"So, motive. Jealousy," Catherine said. "Samson, being compulsive, was obsessed with Kasey. But Kasey was involved with William. She was pregnant."

"Oh, and about the quote-unquote 'virginity' thing?" Nick contributed. "Well, it doesn't happen too often, but since we didn't find any sort of protection in either vic's apartment, we can figure their either had unprotected sex, or were just, umm, 'messing around' and didn't really…"

"We get the picture," Sara interrupted.

"Well, anyway, sperm can swim," Nick said, turning slightly red. Obviously this was not a topic he was enjoying. "It, umm, does happen. Get anywhere in the vicinity…"

"So that would be motive," Warrick said, a little too loudly. "Boy gets girl, murderer wants girl, murderer kills boy and girl."

I shook my head, speaking for the first time. "That's not all. Remember—" I took a deep breath. "—Samson is HIV positive. He knew he could never have that kind of relationship with Kasey."

Nick gave me a look. I pretended the wrinkled note was extremely interesting.

"Good observation," Catherine said, slightly suspicious. Or maybe it was my imagination.

"I'm going to the little CSI's room," I said quickly, leaving abruptly without looking at them.

For a few seconds, I was zoned out. Didn't pay any attention to where I was going.

I wish I could just tell them.

I wish they would just confront me and a say, "Yo, Greggo, what the heck is wrong with you?"

They didn't.

I realized I was back at my lab.

It was empty.

Thank God. I didn't think I could have taken Vincent's attitude or Abbie's come-ons,

I leaned an arm and my forehead against the glass, swearing under my breath.

"Hey, Greggo?"

I didn't look up.

"Go away, Nick."

"No."

"Dammit, Nick, go away."

"No."

There was a pause.

"Don't breathe so hard – you'll hyperventilate."

"Why don't you just—"

"Greg, you are such an idiot."

I glanced at my friend out of the corner of my eye.

"Why?"

"You think we'll hate you if you tell us. You don't trust us. Well, you know what? We trust you. You don't have to suffer by yourself. I don't. Cath doesn't. Even Warrick doesn't to an extent."

There he went with the trust thing again.

I glared at my reflection in the window.

"Someone… someone the other day told me I was like Grissom."

"You are."

"I know."

There was a pause.

"We won't get him."

"We will."

"We won't. All he has to do is get out – it's not like he can't do it." I stood up straight. It was painful. "Just wish I knew why people do this."

"What? Murder?"

"No. Well, I mean, that too, but…" I looked down. I was shaking. I continued, even though my voice sounded pathetic and plaintive again. "I mean this. This job. Why do we do it if… if it hurts so bad?"

Nick thought for a minute.

"Well, not to let Grissom think for me or anything, but he says that we're the 'victim's last voice'."

"'Last voice'," I repeated.

"Yeah. If we can't look at the evidence, if we can't help it speak… We are the last chance for justice. The last voice."

I blinked.

Last… voice?

"Holy—"

"What?"

"Last voice! Of course!"

I slapped my forehead.

"Nick, I think I know where we can find proof for our theory. From Kasey herself."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Back to the apartment!"

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A/N: The next chapter has the climax, everyone! Write that, write the last one, and I'm done. Done! And I can start on a sequel – I mean, umm… Ya'll didn't hear that, okay?