Nick arrived at a gruesome scene along I-15. Jim Brass met him as Nick
pulled up in his department issued Tahoe.
"Hey, Nicky, this one should keep you busy." Brass had a wry smile on his face.
Nick raised his eyebrows as he took in the scene. "Obviously not our primary crime scene."
Brass chuckled. "I knew you were my favorite CSI for a reason."
Nick just smiled in a lopsided fashion. "How much did they find?"
Brass gestured toward the roadway. "I little bit here, a little bit there."
Nick glanced over at him. "Got lights?"
Brass nodded. "Yeah."
Nick spent the next several hours photographing and bagging pieces of mangled flesh. He was glad for the assistance the cadets that Brass had called out provided. They did a grid search of the area and by the time they were done, they had found thirty-seven pieces of what Nick assumed were parts of several appendages of human origin.
David the assistant coroner arrived on the scene to take the body parts and bring them into the morgue. Hopefully, there were viable prints on some of the fingers and they would be able to make an identification through AFIS or make a DNA match through CODIS.
Nick was fairly certain of one thing. The pieces had been purposely cut up and disposed of. Whether this had been a homicide was yet to be determined, however, the primary scene where the death had occurred was still a mystery.
He made his way back to the lab thoroughly exhausted and smelling like decomposing flesh. As he walked into the building, Catherine caught a glimpse of him. "Looks like one hell of a crime scene."
He glanced at her and just shook his head. "Hellacious is a good way to describe it. Pieces of body parts everywhere. I just hope we have enough to figure out who they are."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "They?"
Nick smiled. "Remember, assume nothing. I'd like to think that it's just one person, but you know how this job is."
Catherine smiled. "Yeah." She wrinkled her nose at him. "No offense, Nick, but you smell."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I was hoping to get a shower."
Catherine gestured toward the locker room. "By all means, don't let me stop you."
As Nick walked toward the locker room, he glanced back at Catherine. "There aren't any lemons around here are there?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Uh, no, I think you're going to have to go to the grocery store for that."
"Crap." He glanced up with a sheepish expression on his face. "A shower's not gonna help much then."
Catherine just chuckled. "Let's just hope shift gets over fast."
Nick just shook his head and went to the locker room to at least change his clothes.
******************************************
Meanwhile about three miles away from the lab, Sara had made herself at home in Nick's house. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Harvard T-shirt eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream with her feet propped up on the coffee table. She was thoroughly engrossed in a marathon of 'The Brady Bunch' on Nik at Nite. As soon as she finished the ice cream she planned go sit in Nick's hot tub.
******************************************
Warrick and Greg glanced up as Nick walked into the DNA lab. They had been talking before Nick walked in, but the conversation stopped abruptly.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Did I interrupt something?"
Warrick just chuckled. "Nick, man, didn't anyone ever tell you about the benefits of showering?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Funny." He turned his attention to Greg. "I hate to do this to you, man, but I've got thirty-seven separate tissue samples that I need to find out if they're from the same body."
Greg's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds like one hell of a crime scene."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, somebody cut somebody up and dumped them. But not far enough off the highway. The highway crew thought it was road kill at first."
Greg grimaced at the thought.
Warrick glanced at Nick. "Hey, how did you get Sara to take the night off?" His eyebrows were raised curiously.
Nick had a smug expression on his face. "I told her she could use my hot tub and watch my cable."
Greg looked confused. "You don't have a hot tub."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, I do. I had it installed a few weeks ago. We've all just been working so much I haven't had time to invite anyone over to use it."
Warrick stood up and patted Nick on the back. "Whatever works. She was about ready to blow a gasket." Warrick started to chuckle.
Nick and Greg looked at him curiously. Nick queried him. "What?"
Warrick continued. "Of course, you might never get her out of your house now. That might put a cramp in your style while you're trying to put the swerve on the ladies."
Nick just shook his head and chuckled. He looked over at Greg and his expression became a bit more serious. "Page me when you get those results, Greg."
"Alright, Nick my man. I'm putting you at the front of the line. You saved us all from Hurricane Sara." Greg was literally smiling.
Nick just rolled his eyes and left the DNA lab. He just didn't understand why everyone else was having such a hard time with Sara. Even when she was sleep deprived, he had no problem communicating with her.
Greg and Warrick watched Nick head down the hall. When he was safely out of earshot, Greg glanced over at Warrick. "Ok, I think we should go double or nothing."
Warrick chuckled. "You're on."
********************************************
Sara had polished off the Chunky Monkey ice cream and was considering whether or not she was still hungry when she decided she might as well try out the hot tub. She went into the bathroom and changed into her suit, pulling a large towel out of the linen closet before heading out to the hot tub on Nick's back deck. She pulled the cover off of it and turned on the jets. As she eased herself into the hot water, she glanced up at the stars and for the first time in months she felt like she was truly relaxing.
After about a half an hour she decided that a glass of wine sounded good. She climbed out of the hot tub, turned off the jets and replaced the cover. Wrapping the towel around her bikini-clad body, she headed back into Nick's house. She pulled a wine glass out of the cupboard and found an open bottle of wine in Nick's fridge. She poured some into the glass and made her way back into the living room and settled herself on the couch to watch a little more TV as she sipped her wine.
A short time later, Sara fell asleep curled up on the couch, while 'The Brady Bunch' marathon continued.
"Hey, Nicky, this one should keep you busy." Brass had a wry smile on his face.
Nick raised his eyebrows as he took in the scene. "Obviously not our primary crime scene."
Brass chuckled. "I knew you were my favorite CSI for a reason."
Nick just smiled in a lopsided fashion. "How much did they find?"
Brass gestured toward the roadway. "I little bit here, a little bit there."
Nick glanced over at him. "Got lights?"
Brass nodded. "Yeah."
Nick spent the next several hours photographing and bagging pieces of mangled flesh. He was glad for the assistance the cadets that Brass had called out provided. They did a grid search of the area and by the time they were done, they had found thirty-seven pieces of what Nick assumed were parts of several appendages of human origin.
David the assistant coroner arrived on the scene to take the body parts and bring them into the morgue. Hopefully, there were viable prints on some of the fingers and they would be able to make an identification through AFIS or make a DNA match through CODIS.
Nick was fairly certain of one thing. The pieces had been purposely cut up and disposed of. Whether this had been a homicide was yet to be determined, however, the primary scene where the death had occurred was still a mystery.
He made his way back to the lab thoroughly exhausted and smelling like decomposing flesh. As he walked into the building, Catherine caught a glimpse of him. "Looks like one hell of a crime scene."
He glanced at her and just shook his head. "Hellacious is a good way to describe it. Pieces of body parts everywhere. I just hope we have enough to figure out who they are."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "They?"
Nick smiled. "Remember, assume nothing. I'd like to think that it's just one person, but you know how this job is."
Catherine smiled. "Yeah." She wrinkled her nose at him. "No offense, Nick, but you smell."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I was hoping to get a shower."
Catherine gestured toward the locker room. "By all means, don't let me stop you."
As Nick walked toward the locker room, he glanced back at Catherine. "There aren't any lemons around here are there?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Uh, no, I think you're going to have to go to the grocery store for that."
"Crap." He glanced up with a sheepish expression on his face. "A shower's not gonna help much then."
Catherine just chuckled. "Let's just hope shift gets over fast."
Nick just shook his head and went to the locker room to at least change his clothes.
******************************************
Meanwhile about three miles away from the lab, Sara had made herself at home in Nick's house. She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Harvard T-shirt eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey Ice Cream with her feet propped up on the coffee table. She was thoroughly engrossed in a marathon of 'The Brady Bunch' on Nik at Nite. As soon as she finished the ice cream she planned go sit in Nick's hot tub.
******************************************
Warrick and Greg glanced up as Nick walked into the DNA lab. They had been talking before Nick walked in, but the conversation stopped abruptly.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "Did I interrupt something?"
Warrick just chuckled. "Nick, man, didn't anyone ever tell you about the benefits of showering?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Funny." He turned his attention to Greg. "I hate to do this to you, man, but I've got thirty-seven separate tissue samples that I need to find out if they're from the same body."
Greg's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds like one hell of a crime scene."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, somebody cut somebody up and dumped them. But not far enough off the highway. The highway crew thought it was road kill at first."
Greg grimaced at the thought.
Warrick glanced at Nick. "Hey, how did you get Sara to take the night off?" His eyebrows were raised curiously.
Nick had a smug expression on his face. "I told her she could use my hot tub and watch my cable."
Greg looked confused. "You don't have a hot tub."
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, I do. I had it installed a few weeks ago. We've all just been working so much I haven't had time to invite anyone over to use it."
Warrick stood up and patted Nick on the back. "Whatever works. She was about ready to blow a gasket." Warrick started to chuckle.
Nick and Greg looked at him curiously. Nick queried him. "What?"
Warrick continued. "Of course, you might never get her out of your house now. That might put a cramp in your style while you're trying to put the swerve on the ladies."
Nick just shook his head and chuckled. He looked over at Greg and his expression became a bit more serious. "Page me when you get those results, Greg."
"Alright, Nick my man. I'm putting you at the front of the line. You saved us all from Hurricane Sara." Greg was literally smiling.
Nick just rolled his eyes and left the DNA lab. He just didn't understand why everyone else was having such a hard time with Sara. Even when she was sleep deprived, he had no problem communicating with her.
Greg and Warrick watched Nick head down the hall. When he was safely out of earshot, Greg glanced over at Warrick. "Ok, I think we should go double or nothing."
Warrick chuckled. "You're on."
********************************************
Sara had polished off the Chunky Monkey ice cream and was considering whether or not she was still hungry when she decided she might as well try out the hot tub. She went into the bathroom and changed into her suit, pulling a large towel out of the linen closet before heading out to the hot tub on Nick's back deck. She pulled the cover off of it and turned on the jets. As she eased herself into the hot water, she glanced up at the stars and for the first time in months she felt like she was truly relaxing.
After about a half an hour she decided that a glass of wine sounded good. She climbed out of the hot tub, turned off the jets and replaced the cover. Wrapping the towel around her bikini-clad body, she headed back into Nick's house. She pulled a wine glass out of the cupboard and found an open bottle of wine in Nick's fridge. She poured some into the glass and made her way back into the living room and settled herself on the couch to watch a little more TV as she sipped her wine.
A short time later, Sara fell asleep curled up on the couch, while 'The Brady Bunch' marathon continued.