Chapter Nine: It's All in the Evidence

In the coroner's office…

Alexx sipped at her cup of coffee, trying to keep awake and alert after pulling an all-nighter. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she stood over Jennifer Lewis's still body.

"Sweetie…just when you put your guard down…" Alexx said as she shook her head, her face sympathetic.

Before turning away, she noticed that Jennifer's face was still rosy. Alexx leaned down to get a better look, squinting slightly. She noticed that there was still a soft layer of makeup on the mid-section of the woman's face: a light foundation covered with a tiny bit of rouge. Alexx then quickly headed for her cell phone, dialing Horatio.

"Yeah?" he answered plainly.

"Horatio, I just noticed that Jennifer has a small layer of makeup on her face. It might be helpful since it follows the pattern of the other victims," she commented.

"Okay, thanks Alexx," he said before ending the call.

* * * * *

A little while later, Horatio stepped into the room with Robin following close behind, "Alexx, show me what you've got."

She went up to the body, moving the covers slightly past the shoulders where the shape of the heart was shown, "I couldn't find anything new or different about the cut--no useful evidence or hints either."

Robin watched as Alexx brushed some dark hair from the woman's face. Horatio asked, "You said that you found more makeup on her face? That it followed a pattern?"

She nodded then pointed to the area around the victim's nose, "Yeah, there's a very light layer of mascara covering the center of her face from her cheekbones to her nose. A soft cover of blush was also put on to give her face a livelier tone…so to speak."

"So now all the main facial features have been marked by the killer…the eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks…you think he'll keep going through this cycle over and over again, or will he move on to other parts of the body?" Robin questioned uncomfortably.

"As of right now, there aren't any signs that can give us a lead on that. Maybe we should start thinking about who this guy is…and catch him before he can start a 'cycle'," Horatio reasoned with her, his voice low. He looked back at Alexx, "Thanks, we'll keep you posted on what's going on."

She simply nodded, covering up the body as both Robin and Horatio exited the cold room.

* * * * *

Tim Speedle looked up as Horatio, accompanied by the young Robin, pushed through the doors, "Hey, H. Long time no see!"

Horatio seemed to have missed the joke, "How's the investigation coming?"

"Actually, I'm just getting started on some of the details. Calleigh and I went back to the scene of the crime after Alexx found a new kind of fiber in the Lewis woman's bullet wound."

"So what did you find?" Horatio asked, interested.

"Well, Calleigh lifted some prints--she's getting those to Erik right now. Um…I was looking through the victim's closet for silk blouses or dresses that I could use for a comparison. But! I found more than bargained for…there was a blood smear near the hem of a dress. The killer was feeling the fabric for some reason." Speed reached for the bag, "Here--right in the corner."

Horatio examined it closely, Robin leaning in beside him. "Were you able to pull any prints or DNA from it?"

Speed flashed a skeptic face, "Like I said--I'm just getting started. I wanna get all the fiber analysis out of the way first."

Robin interrupted, "Hey, if the killer took off the gloves before touching the dress…then why is there still blood on it?"

Speed glanced at Horatio, who showed a confident smirk, "That means that he came in contact with the victim…and we know that he puts the makeup on them after committing the crime…"

There were a couple seconds of lasting silence, until Robin realized what Horatio was getting at, "You mean that there might actually be more evidence in the cosmetics?"

Speed nodded, "I get it! He'd need to turn the body over to put on the makeup--and since there was blood on his hands, it means the gloves were already off when he did it. As for the makeup--The foundation traps oils from the skin…and if the killer touched Jennifer Lewis's face while putting on the makeup, some of the oils from his hands would also get trapped."

"And there's your comparison," Horatio stated, impressed with Speed's decision.

"Great, I'll stop by the morgue as soon as I'm finished with checking out the fibers," Speed said as he went back to the microscope.

"Don't worry about it, Horatio and I can go for ya," Robin offered.

As they headed out of the lab once again, Horatio turned to give Speed a quick word of advice--knowing that he was getting frustrated, "…I know it's a lot of work, but you can pull through--this case is tough. Just keep at it, okay?"

Speed looked over his shoulder, smiling contently, "Thanks, H."

Horatio nodded once, then exited the now-quiet crime lab. After a few steps, he turned to Robin, "I think we should give the crime scene another visit."

"Why? Speed just said that he and Calleigh combed through the place," Robin reasoned.

"I've got a feeling we can go one more step--literally."

She lowered her eyebrows, lost at what he was getting at. Once they were at the front door, Robin looked at him again, "Horatio, I thought we were gunna get the information about the cosmetics from Alexx?"

Horatio was silent--he enjoyed keeping Robin on her toes, feeling she worked best that way. As they stepped out into the beaming Miami sun, Horatio pulled out his sunglasses, setting them on the bridge of his nose. Robin held back a smile, peering from the corner of her eye at Horatio. His stern face, tightened eyes, and professional aura were always comforting to her.

They approached the CSI Hummer--the massive vehicle always seemed to stick out like a sore thumb when on the road. Its silvery hue and boxy features always seemed to overpower all the other cars on the road.

Robin lifted herself inside, pulling the door closed after her, "So…it's back to the apartments?"

"Yep, I've got a feeling there's one more person that can help us," Horatio said, turning the key to start the ignition.

Robin also pulled out a small pair of sunglasses. He chuckled when she imitated him--putting on and fashioning the glasses. She looked at him jokingly, "Okay, H…let's roll!"