Disclaimer : Please see chapter one for disclaimer.
Authors note: Thanks ever so for the reviews. Glad some folks are enjoying a Brass centred fic. Hope you continue to enjoy. Sorry this has taken an age to write but gosh, darn, doesn't work just get in the way of the things you want to do in life!(Oh and in case you were wondering, Cath has a flirty way with Brass. She isn't going to end up with him.........personally I think they'd be good for each other but that's just my two cent's........unless I get a review to the contrary.........on with the action......)
EIGHT
The lights in the Golden Nugget Casino flashed brilliantly and were accompanied by what felt like a constant, deafening beeping. The group of CSI's stood huddled by a closed gaming table.
'Where the hell do we start in here?' bemoaned Brass rubbing his black eye gingerly. He was suffering the onset of a headache and more than anything wished he was stretched out on his couch at home watching the sports channel and necking back a beer, or several.
'We split up.' Gil Grissom took the paper from his pocket again and scoured the clue. 'We have to work out what we haven't got to be fooled over, and what Jim has to take a pop at.' He looked about him at the busy casino again. 'Warrick and I will take the slots, Nick, Sara you guys take the bar area and the south side. Jim, Cath, you take the tables at the far end of the room. I'll take the tables as well at this end.'
Catherine looked at her watch. 'Okay, we meet back here wether we have anything or not in a half hour.' Sara nodded as Nick and Warrick touched fists.
'What we on the look out for?' asked Nick.
'Anything that might relate to the clue. You all know what it says. Any problems call each other on the cell.Good luck.'
With that the tiny group of friends split in to three and went in the opposite directions.
Brass and Catherine headed off towards the open poker and blackjack tables. Warrick and Grissom began walking up and down the aisles of the the slot machines and Sara and Nick headed off to the bar and open plan customer spaces where the toilets were.
The tables were full of players so eager to lose their money thought Jim. Catherine had left him watching a middle-aged, balding man with a badly fitted toupee, quite happily losing a fortune on the turn of a blackjack card and the young twenty-something squealing with delight and hanging on to his arm when he won. Lost in his own thoughts, he was brought back to reality by a gentle hand on the small of his back.
'Hey you jealous?' Catherine whispered softly in his ear when she saw the couple his eyes were fixed on.
'No way,' he replied with a grin. 'You jealous I'm looking at other women?'
'Should i be?'
'You come up with anything?'
'Naw. You?'
'Only a sure way of getting a woman like that.' He jabbed a thumb in the twenty-somethings direction.
'And how's that?'
'I win the lottery.'
Catherine smiled at him as she slipped an arm through his and directed him back towards the meeting place. 'You win the lottery and you can have me!
'I won ten bucks last week, does that count? I mean come on Baby, you never said how much I had to win.'
'Come on Casanova, time's up.'
The table where they met was now open and four players had sat about it with a stack of chips in front of them. Congregating together the CSI's held their hands out in the gesture of finding out nothing.
'This is hopeless,' drawled Nick. 'I mean there's gotta be what? a thousand folks in here.'
'Yeah, not to mention the hundreds of slots, tables and other ways to lose your hard earned cash,' chipped in Sara.
'Well we tried,' sighed Jim now looking rather dejected. 'Maybe if we don't follow it up this creep will just give in.'
'Or maybe not.' Grissom pushed past Warrick and Brass to the table which had been closed on their arrival and stood over one player staring down at the table.
'Hey what's your problem buddy?' complained the player.
'Excuse me ma'am.' Grissom addressed the croupier and pointed to the sign on the corner of the blue baize table. 'Is that the name of this table or the game you're playing?' The rest of the group came and stood around. One player eyed catherine and reached an arm about her waist from where he sat on his high chair.
'Hey gorgeous, you wanna sit here and bring me some luck?' A large hand dropped on his shoulder and gave a gentle sqeeze.
'Touch her again pal and you're luck will run out.' Brass growled in almost a whisper at the man whilst nudging his jacket to one side revealing his badge and gun. The arm hastily withdrew and Catherine shot Jim a 'thank you' look. He winked with his good eye.
The croupier looked at the small group gathered about her table and considered calling security.
'Ma'am?' Grissom asked again. 'What is is this sign?'
'It's the game we play here at this table. Fools Gold Blackjack.'
Grissom looked at Brass who in turn looked at Warrick and raised a questioning eyebrow.
'It's just a name for the game,' answered Warrick. 'Some places give standard card games names. Makes it sound more interesting than it perhaps is. See over there,' he pointed at the next table. 'Carribean poker. It's standard five card draw. Then that one over there, Devil's Advocate, just poker with deuces high.'
'That's right,' the croupier explained feeling a little more at ease. 'This is just normal Blackjack. Standard rules, house must draw on sixteen and stand on seventeens.'
'You think this is it?' asked Sara pushing herself between Warrick and Nick to get a better look. Nick shrugged by her and dropped an arm about her shoulders.
'I see you have a seat reserved,' said Grissom.
'Yes. A gentleman called yesterday and asked us to reserve a place at this particular table for his friend Mr Brass.'
'His name?'
'Mr Grissom.'
The huddled group looked at each other and Catherine found it hard to supress a smile. This guy was one smart ass, she mused.
'I'm Jim Brass' Jim took his place at the table. 'What's the minimum?'
'Twenty.'
'And how much do I have to lose to get that envelope I bet you have waiting for me.'
'You lose a hundred or you win two hundred are my instructions.'
Jim sighed and took his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket. Flicking it open he removed thirty dollars.
'That's all I have in cash,' he sighed. Nick handed over a twenty, Sara parted with ten, Warrick threw across a twenty as did Catherine.
'That should be enough,' said Catherine. 'Hey Gris, you not chipping in.'
'I only have five dollars on me.'
'Why does that not suprise me.'
Lady luck appeared to be on the detectives side. Within seven draws he had accumulated the required two hundred dollar win and decided tactfully to call a halt there and then. With his final set of winnings, the dealer pushed across a manilla envelope with the chips and the party of investigators drew silent, yet heavy sighs.
'I'll cash these in,'said Jim holding up the stack of chips. 'Then we can head back to base.'
'Hey do we share?' asked Nick excitedly.
'Sure thing. You gave me twenty so you get back forty and so on.'
'Cool.'
Grissom took the envelope and turned it in his hands. Taking out the paper inside he inhaled and closed his eyes. By his very reaction, Catherine had an idea that this was going to be a very long night.
tbc......................
Authors note: Thanks ever so for the reviews. Glad some folks are enjoying a Brass centred fic. Hope you continue to enjoy. Sorry this has taken an age to write but gosh, darn, doesn't work just get in the way of the things you want to do in life!(Oh and in case you were wondering, Cath has a flirty way with Brass. She isn't going to end up with him.........personally I think they'd be good for each other but that's just my two cent's........unless I get a review to the contrary.........on with the action......)
EIGHT
The lights in the Golden Nugget Casino flashed brilliantly and were accompanied by what felt like a constant, deafening beeping. The group of CSI's stood huddled by a closed gaming table.
'Where the hell do we start in here?' bemoaned Brass rubbing his black eye gingerly. He was suffering the onset of a headache and more than anything wished he was stretched out on his couch at home watching the sports channel and necking back a beer, or several.
'We split up.' Gil Grissom took the paper from his pocket again and scoured the clue. 'We have to work out what we haven't got to be fooled over, and what Jim has to take a pop at.' He looked about him at the busy casino again. 'Warrick and I will take the slots, Nick, Sara you guys take the bar area and the south side. Jim, Cath, you take the tables at the far end of the room. I'll take the tables as well at this end.'
Catherine looked at her watch. 'Okay, we meet back here wether we have anything or not in a half hour.' Sara nodded as Nick and Warrick touched fists.
'What we on the look out for?' asked Nick.
'Anything that might relate to the clue. You all know what it says. Any problems call each other on the cell.Good luck.'
With that the tiny group of friends split in to three and went in the opposite directions.
Brass and Catherine headed off towards the open poker and blackjack tables. Warrick and Grissom began walking up and down the aisles of the the slot machines and Sara and Nick headed off to the bar and open plan customer spaces where the toilets were.
The tables were full of players so eager to lose their money thought Jim. Catherine had left him watching a middle-aged, balding man with a badly fitted toupee, quite happily losing a fortune on the turn of a blackjack card and the young twenty-something squealing with delight and hanging on to his arm when he won. Lost in his own thoughts, he was brought back to reality by a gentle hand on the small of his back.
'Hey you jealous?' Catherine whispered softly in his ear when she saw the couple his eyes were fixed on.
'No way,' he replied with a grin. 'You jealous I'm looking at other women?'
'Should i be?'
'You come up with anything?'
'Naw. You?'
'Only a sure way of getting a woman like that.' He jabbed a thumb in the twenty-somethings direction.
'And how's that?'
'I win the lottery.'
Catherine smiled at him as she slipped an arm through his and directed him back towards the meeting place. 'You win the lottery and you can have me!
'I won ten bucks last week, does that count? I mean come on Baby, you never said how much I had to win.'
'Come on Casanova, time's up.'
The table where they met was now open and four players had sat about it with a stack of chips in front of them. Congregating together the CSI's held their hands out in the gesture of finding out nothing.
'This is hopeless,' drawled Nick. 'I mean there's gotta be what? a thousand folks in here.'
'Yeah, not to mention the hundreds of slots, tables and other ways to lose your hard earned cash,' chipped in Sara.
'Well we tried,' sighed Jim now looking rather dejected. 'Maybe if we don't follow it up this creep will just give in.'
'Or maybe not.' Grissom pushed past Warrick and Brass to the table which had been closed on their arrival and stood over one player staring down at the table.
'Hey what's your problem buddy?' complained the player.
'Excuse me ma'am.' Grissom addressed the croupier and pointed to the sign on the corner of the blue baize table. 'Is that the name of this table or the game you're playing?' The rest of the group came and stood around. One player eyed catherine and reached an arm about her waist from where he sat on his high chair.
'Hey gorgeous, you wanna sit here and bring me some luck?' A large hand dropped on his shoulder and gave a gentle sqeeze.
'Touch her again pal and you're luck will run out.' Brass growled in almost a whisper at the man whilst nudging his jacket to one side revealing his badge and gun. The arm hastily withdrew and Catherine shot Jim a 'thank you' look. He winked with his good eye.
The croupier looked at the small group gathered about her table and considered calling security.
'Ma'am?' Grissom asked again. 'What is is this sign?'
'It's the game we play here at this table. Fools Gold Blackjack.'
Grissom looked at Brass who in turn looked at Warrick and raised a questioning eyebrow.
'It's just a name for the game,' answered Warrick. 'Some places give standard card games names. Makes it sound more interesting than it perhaps is. See over there,' he pointed at the next table. 'Carribean poker. It's standard five card draw. Then that one over there, Devil's Advocate, just poker with deuces high.'
'That's right,' the croupier explained feeling a little more at ease. 'This is just normal Blackjack. Standard rules, house must draw on sixteen and stand on seventeens.'
'You think this is it?' asked Sara pushing herself between Warrick and Nick to get a better look. Nick shrugged by her and dropped an arm about her shoulders.
'I see you have a seat reserved,' said Grissom.
'Yes. A gentleman called yesterday and asked us to reserve a place at this particular table for his friend Mr Brass.'
'His name?'
'Mr Grissom.'
The huddled group looked at each other and Catherine found it hard to supress a smile. This guy was one smart ass, she mused.
'I'm Jim Brass' Jim took his place at the table. 'What's the minimum?'
'Twenty.'
'And how much do I have to lose to get that envelope I bet you have waiting for me.'
'You lose a hundred or you win two hundred are my instructions.'
Jim sighed and took his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket. Flicking it open he removed thirty dollars.
'That's all I have in cash,' he sighed. Nick handed over a twenty, Sara parted with ten, Warrick threw across a twenty as did Catherine.
'That should be enough,' said Catherine. 'Hey Gris, you not chipping in.'
'I only have five dollars on me.'
'Why does that not suprise me.'
Lady luck appeared to be on the detectives side. Within seven draws he had accumulated the required two hundred dollar win and decided tactfully to call a halt there and then. With his final set of winnings, the dealer pushed across a manilla envelope with the chips and the party of investigators drew silent, yet heavy sighs.
'I'll cash these in,'said Jim holding up the stack of chips. 'Then we can head back to base.'
'Hey do we share?' asked Nick excitedly.
'Sure thing. You gave me twenty so you get back forty and so on.'
'Cool.'
Grissom took the envelope and turned it in his hands. Taking out the paper inside he inhaled and closed his eyes. By his very reaction, Catherine had an idea that this was going to be a very long night.
tbc......................
