This story is based on characters created by Anthony E. Zuiker for the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Remuneration, Part 3
by Cheers

Catherine Willows and Sara Sidle stepped out of a Tahoe that was the twin to the vehicle that Gil Grissom had driven to the scene. Glancing at their supervisor's SUV and then back at each other, the only two female CSIs of the night shift team started toward the storage unit that was reported to house a DB.

"Isn't it Grissom's night off?" Sara asked. The sharp brunette who had joined the Las Vegas Criminalistics team on an invitation from Grissom three years before gathered several more than interested looks from the collection of male officers who secured the perimeter of the scene - in this case, the parking lot.

Catherine, who was the next most senior CSI on the night shift besides Grissom and whose blonde good looks garnered their own appreciative looks from the bored officers, simply shrugged. "Workaholic," was all the wisdom she had to offer.

Field kits in hand, the two women moved down the alley that led to Unit 71. Stopping just behind the halogen flood lamp, Catherine placed a restraining hand on Sara's arm. They looked at the scene in the unit. Gil Grissom crouched beside a chair that held the badly decomposed body of what appeared to be a man. Their supervisor was collecting the insect evidence that would provide a timeline for the PMI, or minimal post mortem interval. Grissom was a forensic entomologist of some repute in criminology circles. Watching him take notes and collect specimens was like watching a kid building his first model airplane. There was a singled-minded delight for the work in Grissom's manner that was endearing. Neither of them could think of anything that brought more true contentment to the enigmatic scientist than the puzzle a crime scene provided.

Catherine gave Sara a knowing grin and stepped in front of the light. The interruption of illumination brought Grissom's attention away from the bugs. He looked up at the two new arrivals.

"Hey," Grissom said, standing.

"Hard at it, I see," Catherine replied.

He looked over his shoulder at the body and then back to Catherine. He gave them a half-shrug. "Brass called me when the first officer on the scene noticed spiders under the door."

"Rolling stones and bug experts gather no moss," Sara offered, amused.

"That's right," Grissom said, matter-of-factly.

"So what do we have?" Catherine asked, moving toward the body.

The three CSIs turned back to the interior of the storage unit. "I'm just finishing with the entomological evidence," Grissom informed them.

"Any ID?" Sara asked.

"Nothing on the body."

"First impressions?" Catherine inquired.

Crouching back down at his previous location next to the chair, Grissom returned to the task of collecting and cataloging the evidence from the body. "It appears to be a single gunshot to the face," he told them. "We'll have to wait for the post to be sure."

"Odd choice for a dump site," Sara commented.

"Not for a hit," Catherine offered almost admiringly. "Cap the victim in an out of the way unit, shut and lock the door, and wait for the rental company to serve for non-payment. Not a bad way to dispose of a problem. If I didn't know better, I'd say this had all the earmarks of a mob hit."

Sara nodded. "It does, doesn't it?"

"Old Vegas may not be as dead as previously believed," Gil said.


She tried to not cry. She really did. It was so hard. He was angry because she couldn't stop crying. But it hurt ... down there. She wasn't sure what was being done to her but it hurt - bad. And that made her cry. And she was scared. No one was supposed to touch you down there. The lady police officer who had come to her school last year said so.

But the hurt was so deep and the tears were so hot and her heart was beating so fast. She wanted her gramma to come and get her. She wanted her mommy and her daddy. She wanted to run away and be gone from this place.

She cried as the pain got even worse, and when she did he hit her again.