Nick found Sara sitting up in the break room still holding her forehead.
In addition to the contusion she now had a mark left by leaving the ice
pack on too long. It was all Nick could do not to laugh. "Hey, Sara,
Grissom's got something for us."
She looked up and noticed the grin he was trying to stifle, "What's so funny?"
Nick did his best to suppress a grin, "There's nothing funny about frostbite, Sara."
Sara looked at him perplexed, "The vic has frostbite?"
Nick couldn't hold it back any longer, he laughed as he reached to touch Sara's forehead, "No, but I think you might."
Sara swatted his hand away and tried to glare at him, "You know, you could have woken me up, it's not safe to let someone with a concussion sleep anyway."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Didn't think you needed a babysitter, Sara."
Her eyes narrowed at him, "I don't. Now what did Grissom say?"
Nick brought a hand up in surrender, "Ok, the vic didn't have any defensive wounds and since the medicine cabinet was empty he wants us to track down what was in there. As soon as the tox screen comes back we'll have more to go on."
Her eyes lit up, "Let's hit it, Stokes." She sauntered out of the break room toward one of the computer labs.
Nick followed with a grin on his face.
After several hours of going through pharmacy records, Nick and Sara had compiled a very short list. Aside from Claritin for seasonal allergies, the vic had no prescriptions in her name. Dr. Vargas was very much the same way.
Sara's eyes were ready to glaze over when Grissom popped his head into the computer lab. "Tox screen came back negative." Grissom stated, eyebrows raised, slight smile on his face.
Nick studied him momentarily, "But you have something, don't you?"
"What is it, Gris?" Sara asked.
Looking a bit like a kid in a candy store, Grissom replied, "I compared the ligature marks that I made the impression of, it matches your necklace."
"So, it was the murder weapon?" Nick inquired.
Grissom shook his head, "The bruising pattern from the necklace is perimortem. The vic had no broken bones in the throat area."
Nick and Sara exchanged a perplexed glance. Sara queried, "But she died of asphyxiation."
"True." Grissom continued.
"You know something else," Nick interjected.
"Very good, Nicky." Grissom smiled, "Al found a pair of small burns on the vic's shoulder about 2 inches apart."
Nick contemplated the information that Grissom shared with them, "You know a tazer gun would leave similar marks and render the vic paralyzed. She could have been smothered by something as simple as a pillow at that point."
Sara looked at Nick first with surprise and then with a look of admiration.
"I was thinking the same thing, Nick." Grissom replied.
"We still don't have a suspect do we?" Sara inquired.
"Just follow the evidence." Grissom answered.
"Where are Warrick and Catherine?" Nick asked.
"I've assigned them to another case with Vega. This one is yours and Sara's. I'll act in an advisory capacity." Grissom answered.
Sara raised an eyebrow as if to say something.
Grissom looked over at her, "Don't worry, you two can do it, you might want to wear helmets, but you can do it." A small half smile tugged at his mouth.
She looked up and noticed the grin he was trying to stifle, "What's so funny?"
Nick did his best to suppress a grin, "There's nothing funny about frostbite, Sara."
Sara looked at him perplexed, "The vic has frostbite?"
Nick couldn't hold it back any longer, he laughed as he reached to touch Sara's forehead, "No, but I think you might."
Sara swatted his hand away and tried to glare at him, "You know, you could have woken me up, it's not safe to let someone with a concussion sleep anyway."
Nick raised an eyebrow, "Didn't think you needed a babysitter, Sara."
Her eyes narrowed at him, "I don't. Now what did Grissom say?"
Nick brought a hand up in surrender, "Ok, the vic didn't have any defensive wounds and since the medicine cabinet was empty he wants us to track down what was in there. As soon as the tox screen comes back we'll have more to go on."
Her eyes lit up, "Let's hit it, Stokes." She sauntered out of the break room toward one of the computer labs.
Nick followed with a grin on his face.
After several hours of going through pharmacy records, Nick and Sara had compiled a very short list. Aside from Claritin for seasonal allergies, the vic had no prescriptions in her name. Dr. Vargas was very much the same way.
Sara's eyes were ready to glaze over when Grissom popped his head into the computer lab. "Tox screen came back negative." Grissom stated, eyebrows raised, slight smile on his face.
Nick studied him momentarily, "But you have something, don't you?"
"What is it, Gris?" Sara asked.
Looking a bit like a kid in a candy store, Grissom replied, "I compared the ligature marks that I made the impression of, it matches your necklace."
"So, it was the murder weapon?" Nick inquired.
Grissom shook his head, "The bruising pattern from the necklace is perimortem. The vic had no broken bones in the throat area."
Nick and Sara exchanged a perplexed glance. Sara queried, "But she died of asphyxiation."
"True." Grissom continued.
"You know something else," Nick interjected.
"Very good, Nicky." Grissom smiled, "Al found a pair of small burns on the vic's shoulder about 2 inches apart."
Nick contemplated the information that Grissom shared with them, "You know a tazer gun would leave similar marks and render the vic paralyzed. She could have been smothered by something as simple as a pillow at that point."
Sara looked at Nick first with surprise and then with a look of admiration.
"I was thinking the same thing, Nick." Grissom replied.
"We still don't have a suspect do we?" Sara inquired.
"Just follow the evidence." Grissom answered.
"Where are Warrick and Catherine?" Nick asked.
"I've assigned them to another case with Vega. This one is yours and Sara's. I'll act in an advisory capacity." Grissom answered.
Sara raised an eyebrow as if to say something.
Grissom looked over at her, "Don't worry, you two can do it, you might want to wear helmets, but you can do it." A small half smile tugged at his mouth.
