Alla Prima, chapter two
This is a longer chapter than the first, sets up the plot line. Enjoy!
"Alright," Catherine sighed as she set her crime scene kit down on the linoleum of the townhouse bathroom. "One dead man, naked, lying on his stomach at the foot of the toilet." Grinning, she raised an eyebrow at Warrick, who was standing beside her. "Oh, the possibilities."
He smiled back at her and bended down to look at the body. "My guess is he slipped or fainted while taking a leak, hit his head on the sink," he pointed to the white ceramic sink beside the toilet, "and died an untimely death."
"That would explain the gash on his head," David commented, tilting the victim's head so the two CSIs could see the wound.
"And the blood on the edge of the sink," Catherine added, swabbing it.
"But not the stab wound in his lower abdomen," David said, and the two others frowned. "I'll take him to the morgue, find out the cause of death, and get back to you to ASAP." The young coroner smiled, and he and a few others began to take away the body.
After Warrick and Catherine had been working for almost an hour alone in the bathroom, Catherine spoke. "Who takes a leak naked?"
He chuckled, collecting hairs from the floor mat. "Maybe he just came out of the shower," he added, watching as she gave him a pointed look and bent down to collect footprints.
"Okay, but still, how does he get a stab wound in his abdomen? What, he's going to the washroom and somebody jumps out from behind, swings him around and stabs him in the stomach?" She shook her head, flipping her hair back. "I'm not buying it, babe."
"Well," he said, "so my theory is a bit off, but I don't see you thinking of any smarter ideas."
She threw him a devilish grin. "He was taking a shower...with a woman. She gets out before he does. Then he gets out, and as he's walking over to the cupboard for a towel, she stabs him. He stumbles over, hits his head on the sink..." She flicked her wrist. "End of story."
"You're kind of cold and heartless, aren't you?" Warrick asked, pretending to be serious while he dusted for fingerprints.
"Yeah," Catherine conceded, listening to him laugh out loud behind her, "But in a sexy way."
He just nodded, not wanting to go too far, but in his mind he was agreeing with her wholeheartedly. She bent over to get something out of her kit, and it was all he could do not to stare. Jeez, he thought to himself, this is starting to get ridiculous. "Catherine...?" he started, watching as she turned to look at him curiously.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Do you think sometime we could-"
Grissom opened the door of the bathroom, then, cutting him off. Warrick was about to finish, but Catherine practically jumped when she saw Grissom, and started getting flustered, acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"Just...thought I'd butt in," Grissom said, looking a little lost. "They wouldn't give me a case of my own, said I had to work with you two."
"Gil," Catherine said, concern edging her voice, "You're not supposed to be working for another week yet. You're on paid leave, why are you here?"
He stared her straight in the face for two brief seconds and then began darting his eyes around the scene. "I got bored," he said, shrugging. "So how far are you guys?"
"We're almost done," Warrick said, looking at Catherine from the corner of his eye. "It's pretty straightforward, murderer left a lot of evidence behind."
"Great," Grissom exclaimed, "let's finish up then."
***************
When Grissom had left in his own Tahoe and Warrick and Catherine were walking to theirs, Warrick slipped an arm around Catherine's waist and looked at the side of her face as she walked.
"What were you going to ask me in there?" she asked. He was surprised she even wanted to continue the conversation, what with the guilty way she had acted when Grissom had walked in.
"Just if you'd like to have dinner sometime, or go to see a movie," he answered, her confidence erasing his nervousness.
"Is that allowed?"
Warrick smiled. "I never heard it wasn't, so I'm assuming it is."
"I like the way you think," Catherine said, grinning, and pulled him closer. "So, what, tomorrow night good?"
He nodded. "Sounds great to me, I'll be looking forward to it."
"Good," she said, grinning.
"Oh, and get dressed up," Warrick added, "I've got somewhere I wanna take you."
She threw him a coy look and leaned into him. "I've got somewhere I want to take you, too, but let's not move too fast."
"Alright," Catherine sighed as she set her crime scene kit down on the linoleum of the townhouse bathroom. "One dead man, naked, lying on his stomach at the foot of the toilet." Grinning, she raised an eyebrow at Warrick, who was standing beside her. "Oh, the possibilities."
He smiled back at her and bended down to look at the body. "My guess is he slipped or fainted while taking a leak, hit his head on the sink," he pointed to the white ceramic sink beside the toilet, "and died an untimely death."
"That would explain the gash on his head," David commented, tilting the victim's head so the two CSIs could see the wound.
"And the blood on the edge of the sink," Catherine added, swabbing it.
"But not the stab wound in his lower abdomen," David said, and the two others frowned. "I'll take him to the morgue, find out the cause of death, and get back to you to ASAP." The young coroner smiled, and he and a few others began to take away the body.
After Warrick and Catherine had been working for almost an hour alone in the bathroom, Catherine spoke. "Who takes a leak naked?"
He chuckled, collecting hairs from the floor mat. "Maybe he just came out of the shower," he added, watching as she gave him a pointed look and bent down to collect footprints.
"Okay, but still, how does he get a stab wound in his abdomen? What, he's going to the washroom and somebody jumps out from behind, swings him around and stabs him in the stomach?" She shook her head, flipping her hair back. "I'm not buying it, babe."
"Well," he said, "so my theory is a bit off, but I don't see you thinking of any smarter ideas."
She threw him a devilish grin. "He was taking a shower...with a woman. She gets out before he does. Then he gets out, and as he's walking over to the cupboard for a towel, she stabs him. He stumbles over, hits his head on the sink..." She flicked her wrist. "End of story."
"You're kind of cold and heartless, aren't you?" Warrick asked, pretending to be serious while he dusted for fingerprints.
"Yeah," Catherine conceded, listening to him laugh out loud behind her, "But in a sexy way."
He just nodded, not wanting to go too far, but in his mind he was agreeing with her wholeheartedly. She bent over to get something out of her kit, and it was all he could do not to stare. Jeez, he thought to himself, this is starting to get ridiculous. "Catherine...?" he started, watching as she turned to look at him curiously.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Do you think sometime we could-"
Grissom opened the door of the bathroom, then, cutting him off. Warrick was about to finish, but Catherine practically jumped when she saw Grissom, and started getting flustered, acting like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
"Just...thought I'd butt in," Grissom said, looking a little lost. "They wouldn't give me a case of my own, said I had to work with you two."
"Gil," Catherine said, concern edging her voice, "You're not supposed to be working for another week yet. You're on paid leave, why are you here?"
He stared her straight in the face for two brief seconds and then began darting his eyes around the scene. "I got bored," he said, shrugging. "So how far are you guys?"
"We're almost done," Warrick said, looking at Catherine from the corner of his eye. "It's pretty straightforward, murderer left a lot of evidence behind."
"Great," Grissom exclaimed, "let's finish up then."
***************
When Grissom had left in his own Tahoe and Warrick and Catherine were walking to theirs, Warrick slipped an arm around Catherine's waist and looked at the side of her face as she walked.
"What were you going to ask me in there?" she asked. He was surprised she even wanted to continue the conversation, what with the guilty way she had acted when Grissom had walked in.
"Just if you'd like to have dinner sometime, or go to see a movie," he answered, her confidence erasing his nervousness.
"Is that allowed?"
Warrick smiled. "I never heard it wasn't, so I'm assuming it is."
"I like the way you think," Catherine said, grinning, and pulled him closer. "So, what, tomorrow night good?"
He nodded. "Sounds great to me, I'll be looking forward to it."
"Good," she said, grinning.
"Oh, and get dressed up," Warrick added, "I've got somewhere I wanna take you."
She threw him a coy look and leaned into him. "I've got somewhere I want to take you, too, but let's not move too fast."