Disclaimer : Please see chapter one for disclaimer.
Authors note: Thanks for the reviews. This story started out pretty serious and will get serious towrards the end, but no-one said I couldn't inject a little humour along the way. Hope you enjoy.
SIX
Grissom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Catherine sat in the chair looking across at him, but stayed silent. Brass sat himself on the edge of the desk between them both. Finally Grissom spoke.
'Mud Bath,' he announced triumphantly.
'A what?' Brass wrinkled his nose.
'Where do you soap yourself down?'
'In the shower usually.'
'You never take baths?'
'Only if I'm shar.....' Brass caught himself before he could finish the sentence and incriminate himself further.'Occassionally. If I have the time.'
'Runny clay,' continued Grissom.
'Mud,' finished Catherine for him. 'Mud bath.'
'And where on this map would you find a mud bath?' Grissom scrutinised the torn map.
'Hotel Nevada.' Catherine leaned back in the chair with a knowing smile. 'The spa has been advertising a new mud bath.'
'And you'd know this because?' Grissom removed his glasses and began chewing on the end of the frame. Catherine shrugged and held out her hands in mock surrender.
'I got a free invite in the mail?' She ventured.
'What does this guy want with me?' Brass stood up and began pacing the office floor. He removed his tie and shoved it into his jacket pocket, opening the first three buttons on his shirt as he did. 'Revenge for something?'
'Humiliation?' Grissom nodded his head at his own conclusion.
'Why would a well spoken, articulate white guy of medium height in his
twenties want to humiliate me?'
Catherine looked across at him with a glint in her eye. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it when Brass waved a warning finger at her and remained tight-lipped. Picking up the telephone instead, she called the switchboard and moments later she was speaking to the reception desk of the Hotel Nevada. After a brief conversation she replaced the receiver and stood up.
'Come on boys, we're booked in for a session in the mud bath in less than an hour.'
*********************************************************
'This is nuts!' Brass stood by the side of the mud bath afraid to move as if he was a first time swimmer seeking the comfort of the pool edge. He was stripped down to his under shorts, waist deep in a sea of thick, tepid mud. Catherine and Grissom stood by the side of the bath fully clothed looking down at the detective.
'Okay,' said Catherine crouching by the side of his head, 'There must be something in here that'll lead us to the next clue.'
'It's too deep to bend over and feel with your hands,' interjected Grissom,'So best guess is try walking about and feel with your feet.'
'Can't believe I'm doing this,' groaned Brass with a look of sheer torture on his face.
'Shut up whining. Sooner you find the item, quicker you can get out.'Grissom started pacing the perimeters of the bath as the cop began taking small steps, sliding his feet ungracefully through the mud like a strange ice skater.
At the half way point, Brass stopped and froze.
'You found something?' asked Catherine with interest.
'No.'
'Well get on with it.'
'Hey! You're not the one with their shorts full of mud!'
'They say it's good for your skin.'
'Yeah? Well I think they meant it to go on the face baby!'Brass flicked some mud in her direction causing Catherine to back away laughing. He statred again but stopped almost immediately.
'What is it?' Grissom halted his pacing.
'I can feel something. Plastic. Like a wrapping.'
'Becareful,' warned Catherine.
'Oh! I've been in here over a half hour and NOW you're concerned about me?'
'Can you reach it?' Grissom came as close to the edge as he could without falling in. Brass cautiously dipped his arm into the mud, stretching his neck in the opposite direction in an attempt not to get his face in. It coated his chin.
'Got it!' He pulled out a brown envelope wrapped in plastic. Wading as quickly to the side as was possible, he handed it to Catherine before Grissom took his clean hand and hauled him from the bath. Carefully taking out the envelope, she removed the paper from inside.
'As a member, the Marquis of Queensbury feels right at home here.Six and four. Three across. Write it in Gil.'
Grissom dutifully took out the crossword puzzle and a pen. 'Member. You join something to be a member. Four letters. A club.'
'Marquis of Queensbury invented boxing as it is,' Catherine offered.
'There's boxing club three blocks from here,' said Brass. 'It's the only one in vacinity that'd come up on that map.'
'Well, let's go there then,' said Grissom filling in the clue.
'Let me get showered first,' pleaded Brass.
'Okay we'll wait outside in the car,' said Catherine making towards the door.' Oh by the way Jim you were right earlier.'
'About what?' A quizzical expression passed over Brass' face. Catherine pointed towards his shorts which now clung to his skin.
'Not so little!' She winked at him before following Grissom out of the door leaving Brass staring after her, the heat rising in his cheeks for yet another time that evening.
tbc...........
Authors note: Thanks for the reviews. This story started out pretty serious and will get serious towrards the end, but no-one said I couldn't inject a little humour along the way. Hope you enjoy.
SIX
Grissom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Catherine sat in the chair looking across at him, but stayed silent. Brass sat himself on the edge of the desk between them both. Finally Grissom spoke.
'Mud Bath,' he announced triumphantly.
'A what?' Brass wrinkled his nose.
'Where do you soap yourself down?'
'In the shower usually.'
'You never take baths?'
'Only if I'm shar.....' Brass caught himself before he could finish the sentence and incriminate himself further.'Occassionally. If I have the time.'
'Runny clay,' continued Grissom.
'Mud,' finished Catherine for him. 'Mud bath.'
'And where on this map would you find a mud bath?' Grissom scrutinised the torn map.
'Hotel Nevada.' Catherine leaned back in the chair with a knowing smile. 'The spa has been advertising a new mud bath.'
'And you'd know this because?' Grissom removed his glasses and began chewing on the end of the frame. Catherine shrugged and held out her hands in mock surrender.
'I got a free invite in the mail?' She ventured.
'What does this guy want with me?' Brass stood up and began pacing the office floor. He removed his tie and shoved it into his jacket pocket, opening the first three buttons on his shirt as he did. 'Revenge for something?'
'Humiliation?' Grissom nodded his head at his own conclusion.
'Why would a well spoken, articulate white guy of medium height in his
twenties want to humiliate me?'
Catherine looked across at him with a glint in her eye. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it when Brass waved a warning finger at her and remained tight-lipped. Picking up the telephone instead, she called the switchboard and moments later she was speaking to the reception desk of the Hotel Nevada. After a brief conversation she replaced the receiver and stood up.
'Come on boys, we're booked in for a session in the mud bath in less than an hour.'
*********************************************************
'This is nuts!' Brass stood by the side of the mud bath afraid to move as if he was a first time swimmer seeking the comfort of the pool edge. He was stripped down to his under shorts, waist deep in a sea of thick, tepid mud. Catherine and Grissom stood by the side of the bath fully clothed looking down at the detective.
'Okay,' said Catherine crouching by the side of his head, 'There must be something in here that'll lead us to the next clue.'
'It's too deep to bend over and feel with your hands,' interjected Grissom,'So best guess is try walking about and feel with your feet.'
'Can't believe I'm doing this,' groaned Brass with a look of sheer torture on his face.
'Shut up whining. Sooner you find the item, quicker you can get out.'Grissom started pacing the perimeters of the bath as the cop began taking small steps, sliding his feet ungracefully through the mud like a strange ice skater.
At the half way point, Brass stopped and froze.
'You found something?' asked Catherine with interest.
'No.'
'Well get on with it.'
'Hey! You're not the one with their shorts full of mud!'
'They say it's good for your skin.'
'Yeah? Well I think they meant it to go on the face baby!'Brass flicked some mud in her direction causing Catherine to back away laughing. He statred again but stopped almost immediately.
'What is it?' Grissom halted his pacing.
'I can feel something. Plastic. Like a wrapping.'
'Becareful,' warned Catherine.
'Oh! I've been in here over a half hour and NOW you're concerned about me?'
'Can you reach it?' Grissom came as close to the edge as he could without falling in. Brass cautiously dipped his arm into the mud, stretching his neck in the opposite direction in an attempt not to get his face in. It coated his chin.
'Got it!' He pulled out a brown envelope wrapped in plastic. Wading as quickly to the side as was possible, he handed it to Catherine before Grissom took his clean hand and hauled him from the bath. Carefully taking out the envelope, she removed the paper from inside.
'As a member, the Marquis of Queensbury feels right at home here.Six and four. Three across. Write it in Gil.'
Grissom dutifully took out the crossword puzzle and a pen. 'Member. You join something to be a member. Four letters. A club.'
'Marquis of Queensbury invented boxing as it is,' Catherine offered.
'There's boxing club three blocks from here,' said Brass. 'It's the only one in vacinity that'd come up on that map.'
'Well, let's go there then,' said Grissom filling in the clue.
'Let me get showered first,' pleaded Brass.
'Okay we'll wait outside in the car,' said Catherine making towards the door.' Oh by the way Jim you were right earlier.'
'About what?' A quizzical expression passed over Brass' face. Catherine pointed towards his shorts which now clung to his skin.
'Not so little!' She winked at him before following Grissom out of the door leaving Brass staring after her, the heat rising in his cheeks for yet another time that evening.
tbc...........
