Once again, I'd like to thank my beta-readers. Allie and Janet, you gals are just THE best. This story and I both benefit from your insight and wisdom. Thanks so very much!

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

Remuneration, Part 20
by Cheers

The evening sky, now a dark grey, caused the scene on the playground to resemble that of a 1950's newsreel. The colors that had been so vibrant in the sunshine were now washed to muted tones of grey. Robin Freeman was sitting in the sandbox and playing with her Malibu Barbie and Jeep. She didn't notice how dark it was getting. She did notice the pretty doggie that came right up to her and joined her in the sand. The dog had a leash that was dragging on the ground.

"Hello," she said to the dog. The dog wagged his tail and licked her hand. Robin laughed.

"There you are," a man said to the dog as he walked up to the sandbox. He reached for the end of the dropped leash.

Robin looked up at the new arrival and smiled. "Is this your doggie?"

The man smiled back. "Yes. Do you like him?"

Robin looked back at the dog and nodded. She petted the dog's back. "He's nice."

The smile on the man's face faded to a look that was more often seen on a hunter's face who had finally spied long sought after prey. "He thinks you're nice, too."

"What's his name?" Robin wanted to know.

Before the man could answer, their attention was drawn away from the dog.

"Robin?" a voice from a nearby house called. Across the street, the light on the porch of the Freeman home came on and a woman stepped out of the front door. She called again. "Robin! Time to come inside!"

"I have to go now," Robin said dejectedly. She didn't want to leave the nice man with the pretty doggie.

"That's okay," the man said. The expression on his face had not changed. "Maybe we will meet again and you can play with my dog."

"Robin! Now!"

Robin got up and collected her toys. "I'd like that," she said. She gave the doggie one last pet and then ran for home before she got into real trouble.

He watched the little girl go and wound the leash a little tighter around his hand. She would do nicely. Finding her had been all too easy.

"See you soon, Robin," he said quietly.


Grissom had to fight the media circus not once but twice in order to make it into his office. The local members of the fourth estate had him surrounded at home and at work. It was a pleasure to finally arrive in the relative quiet of his own office, even if he wasn't the actual supervisor on shift. Those duties fell to Catherine until his innocence was proven. His current duty had been restricted to the entomological analysis of this one crime scene. Grissom looked forward to the analysis but felt a bit odd being at the lab and being unable to assist with any of the myriad other things going on. He dropped his briefcase on his desk and sat down. The certainty that he would be found innocent was something that Gil never questioned. He believed in the criminal justice system and, more importantly, in the Las Vegas Crime Lab and in Nick. Grissom wasn't ignorant of the fact that sometimes innocent men went to jail. This wouldn't be one of those times. If there was any exculpatory evidence to be found, Nick would find it. The time it would take to do so was the issue. The longer the media and everyone else wasted time centering their attention on him the more uncomfortable he became. At least in his office he could spend time thinking about something else. He could do what he did best of all. He could solve a puzzle.

The current puzzle involved developing an entomological timeline for the crime scene in the storage unit case. Multiple bottles all labeled 'Evidence' awaited him in his office. Half of the collected insects had been immersed in an alcohol solution for preservation, the other half of the insects were alive. Sara had been true to her word and had placed the maggots in petrie dishes with food and moisture. This gave him the best chance of determining the post-mortem interval. He would do an entomological regression as soon as the maggots developed. Until then, he would focus on identifying the species he was dealing with and then determining the represented stages of development.

Ruminating about his current status at the lab wasn't helpful, so Gil decided to spend no more unproductive time on it. He started preparing for the analysis immediately. He hadn't gotten far when there was a knock on his office door. He looked up at the door and frowned.


Martha Danbridge welcomed her son and daughter-in-law into her home and her embrace. She apologized for the umpteenth time only to have her son tell her, "It's not your fault, Mom."

Detective Paulson stayed only a moment before taking his leave. He had been able to assure Shelly's parents that the department put the highest priority on this case. When they asked if they could see Shelly, Paulson had made arrangements for the family to view the body at the morgue later that evening. Dr. Robbins, the chief medical examiner, would be there personally to answer their questions.

Right now, the Danbridge family needed time to comfort one another. Martha Danbridge had been fending off the press all day. Questions about her granddaughter and her neighbor assaulted her from all sides. She didn't want to believe that Dr. Grissom was responsible. It just didn't seem possible. She told her son as much as soon as the detective left. If her neighbor was the one who had killed Shelly, Martha didn't think she would ever be able to forgive herself. How could she live right next door to a killer and not know? How could the man who had been so kind after her husband's death and Shelly's disappearance be the same man who took her granddaughter's life?

Martha had promised she wouldn't cry again. It was a promise she couldn't keep. She had worried that her family would blame her as much as she blamed herself. Martha wasn't sure she could bear their disdain. As if to prove her fears were unfounded Cheryl Danbridge, her son's wife, Shelly's mother, put her arms around Martha. They all cried together.