Nick and Grissom drove to the Monaco hotel in silence. The wet streets
glistened reflecting the bright sunlight and in patches they were slowly
beginning to dry.
Nick watched the people around them on the sidewalks or in their cars. He marveled at the fact that they were completely oblivious to the fact that there were those among them, he included, who were suffering a loss. He looked at a few random faces and wondered whether they had ever lost a loved one whether it was to sickness, random accident, old age or at the hands of another. What had he been doing when it happened, at the exact same moment that someone's life had been taken away? When he had been making love with Sara last night, experiencing what he could only describe as true bliss, had someone else had had there life shredded and thrust into misery upon learning someone they cared for had been cruelly torn from them?
He was pulled from his random thoughts when Grissom pulled into the hotel's driveway, parking the Tahoe off to the side behind Brass's sedan. The Captain climbed out of his car and greeted the two CSIs with a curt nod.
"How you doing Nicky?"
"Alright Jim, thank you."
"Your brother-in-law is upstairs in his room," Brass informed them. "Room 1013."
They followed Brass through the crowded lobby to the elevators and rode up in silence. The doors opened onto a nicely decorated hallway that was eerily silent in comparison to the dinging bells and whistles of the casino below. They stopped when they reached John King's room.
"You sure you're up for this?" Grissom asked, looking at Nick.
"Yeah," Nick replied. His throat felt dry.
"Sure?" Grissom queried, remembering how upset Nick had been earlier but the younger man nodded.
"Okay then, but just remember, you have to let Jim and I handle the questions regarding the case okay?"
Nick nodded again and Brass knocked on the door. They waited a few moments before the door opened to reveal a tall man in his early forties with thick chestnut hair and hazel eyes that seemed shallow and empty. A five o'clock shadow covered his cheeks and neck. He looked at the men blankly a few seconds before blinking as realization set in.
"Nick," he finally said, his voice a rough flat monotone. "Um, good to see you."
"John," Nick greeted, extending his hand. He was about to ask how the other man was doing then stopped himself, realizing what a ridiculous question it was. "It's been a while. I uh. I wish it was under better circumstances."
John glanced down at Nick's outstretched hand and took it in his own, then slowly pulled Nick into a hug. The action seemed rather forced at first but then both men embraced each other, trying to give and receive comfort at the same time.
"I'm sorry Johnny," Nick said quietly and pulled away, clearing his throat.
John nodded slowly, "I'm sorry too."
Nick nodded and dropped his eyes. He turned to his colleagues standing patiently in the hallway.
"Uh, John this is Gil Grissom from the crime lab and Captain Jim Brass, LVPD," he introduced and the men exchanged handshakes. "They work with me and are working on Rachel's case. They're just going to ask you a few questions the we'll fill you in with what we've got so far."
"Yeah sure, of course," he motioned them to enter his room. "Please come in."
The men spread themselves around the small room, Jonathan sitting on the foot of the bed, Grissom and Brass sitting in the room's only two chairs and Nick opting to stand, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"First off, Mr. King, I'd like to say that we're terribly sorry for your loss," Grissom said kindly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his legs, the pads of his fingers pressing together.
"Thank you, Mr. Grissom."
"Mr. King is there any reason you can think of that you're wife would come to Las Vegas?" Brass asked, pulling a notebook and pen out of the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Um, no, no," he replied brushing his hand through his hair. "I mean, not unless she was coming to see you?" John said, looking at Nick questioningly.
Nick shook his head no, "If she was I didn't know it."
"Then I have no idea," John said, shutting his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "She told me she was going to visit her girlfriends. One of them has a cabin on a lake near Boulder and a small group of them go up there often, whenever they got the time off. Girl's weekends, you know? No boys allowed." He trailed off, a small sad grin playing on his features while his eyes stared into space.
Brass pulled out his notepad and pen.
"Do you know the names of these women Mr. King?"
John nodded and listed four names for Brass who scribbled them down. "Sandi Quinn is the woman who owns the place."
Nick nodded, recognizing the names he had heard his sister mention in conversation in the past.
"God, no one - None of them knows what's happened do they?" John asked, large tears welling in his eyes. "I mean, how could they? I haven't told anyone. Jesus how am I going to tell them?"
"You let us worry about that for now Johnny," Nick said quietly, moving to place a hand on John's shoulder. The other man nodded weakly, swallowing his emotions back.
A shrill ring pierced the air causing all the men to look up.
"Excuse me," Grissom said, noting the call display. "It's the lab."
"Grissom," he answered exiting the room and closing the door softly behind him.
"Hey Gil, it's Catherine. Listen, I've got some news for you from Al Robbins."
"From Al?" Grissom questioned puzzled. "I thought he had already completed the autopsy?"
"Well he did," Catherine confirmed. "But he just got her tox-screen back."
"And?"
Catherine hesitated a moment. "Rachel King was a few weeks pregnant."
"What?" Grissom stopped his pacing in the corridor. "How did he miss that?"
"Well like I said, Al's estimating she was only a few weeks along," Catherine explained. "The pregnancy was only detectable through a blood test."
"Well," Grissom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This case just keeps getting harder and harder doesn't it?"
"Yeah, no kidding. God, poor Nicky," Catherine agreed, emitting a sigh of her own. "How about at your end? Any luck?"
Grissom explained what they had learned from Nick's brother-in-law. After wishing each other good luck they said their goodbyes and hung up. Taking a deep breath Grissom went back into John King's hotel room.
Nick watched the people around them on the sidewalks or in their cars. He marveled at the fact that they were completely oblivious to the fact that there were those among them, he included, who were suffering a loss. He looked at a few random faces and wondered whether they had ever lost a loved one whether it was to sickness, random accident, old age or at the hands of another. What had he been doing when it happened, at the exact same moment that someone's life had been taken away? When he had been making love with Sara last night, experiencing what he could only describe as true bliss, had someone else had had there life shredded and thrust into misery upon learning someone they cared for had been cruelly torn from them?
He was pulled from his random thoughts when Grissom pulled into the hotel's driveway, parking the Tahoe off to the side behind Brass's sedan. The Captain climbed out of his car and greeted the two CSIs with a curt nod.
"How you doing Nicky?"
"Alright Jim, thank you."
"Your brother-in-law is upstairs in his room," Brass informed them. "Room 1013."
They followed Brass through the crowded lobby to the elevators and rode up in silence. The doors opened onto a nicely decorated hallway that was eerily silent in comparison to the dinging bells and whistles of the casino below. They stopped when they reached John King's room.
"You sure you're up for this?" Grissom asked, looking at Nick.
"Yeah," Nick replied. His throat felt dry.
"Sure?" Grissom queried, remembering how upset Nick had been earlier but the younger man nodded.
"Okay then, but just remember, you have to let Jim and I handle the questions regarding the case okay?"
Nick nodded again and Brass knocked on the door. They waited a few moments before the door opened to reveal a tall man in his early forties with thick chestnut hair and hazel eyes that seemed shallow and empty. A five o'clock shadow covered his cheeks and neck. He looked at the men blankly a few seconds before blinking as realization set in.
"Nick," he finally said, his voice a rough flat monotone. "Um, good to see you."
"John," Nick greeted, extending his hand. He was about to ask how the other man was doing then stopped himself, realizing what a ridiculous question it was. "It's been a while. I uh. I wish it was under better circumstances."
John glanced down at Nick's outstretched hand and took it in his own, then slowly pulled Nick into a hug. The action seemed rather forced at first but then both men embraced each other, trying to give and receive comfort at the same time.
"I'm sorry Johnny," Nick said quietly and pulled away, clearing his throat.
John nodded slowly, "I'm sorry too."
Nick nodded and dropped his eyes. He turned to his colleagues standing patiently in the hallway.
"Uh, John this is Gil Grissom from the crime lab and Captain Jim Brass, LVPD," he introduced and the men exchanged handshakes. "They work with me and are working on Rachel's case. They're just going to ask you a few questions the we'll fill you in with what we've got so far."
"Yeah sure, of course," he motioned them to enter his room. "Please come in."
The men spread themselves around the small room, Jonathan sitting on the foot of the bed, Grissom and Brass sitting in the room's only two chairs and Nick opting to stand, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"First off, Mr. King, I'd like to say that we're terribly sorry for your loss," Grissom said kindly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his legs, the pads of his fingers pressing together.
"Thank you, Mr. Grissom."
"Mr. King is there any reason you can think of that you're wife would come to Las Vegas?" Brass asked, pulling a notebook and pen out of the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Um, no, no," he replied brushing his hand through his hair. "I mean, not unless she was coming to see you?" John said, looking at Nick questioningly.
Nick shook his head no, "If she was I didn't know it."
"Then I have no idea," John said, shutting his eyes and rubbing his forehead. "She told me she was going to visit her girlfriends. One of them has a cabin on a lake near Boulder and a small group of them go up there often, whenever they got the time off. Girl's weekends, you know? No boys allowed." He trailed off, a small sad grin playing on his features while his eyes stared into space.
Brass pulled out his notepad and pen.
"Do you know the names of these women Mr. King?"
John nodded and listed four names for Brass who scribbled them down. "Sandi Quinn is the woman who owns the place."
Nick nodded, recognizing the names he had heard his sister mention in conversation in the past.
"God, no one - None of them knows what's happened do they?" John asked, large tears welling in his eyes. "I mean, how could they? I haven't told anyone. Jesus how am I going to tell them?"
"You let us worry about that for now Johnny," Nick said quietly, moving to place a hand on John's shoulder. The other man nodded weakly, swallowing his emotions back.
A shrill ring pierced the air causing all the men to look up.
"Excuse me," Grissom said, noting the call display. "It's the lab."
"Grissom," he answered exiting the room and closing the door softly behind him.
"Hey Gil, it's Catherine. Listen, I've got some news for you from Al Robbins."
"From Al?" Grissom questioned puzzled. "I thought he had already completed the autopsy?"
"Well he did," Catherine confirmed. "But he just got her tox-screen back."
"And?"
Catherine hesitated a moment. "Rachel King was a few weeks pregnant."
"What?" Grissom stopped his pacing in the corridor. "How did he miss that?"
"Well like I said, Al's estimating she was only a few weeks along," Catherine explained. "The pregnancy was only detectable through a blood test."
"Well," Grissom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This case just keeps getting harder and harder doesn't it?"
"Yeah, no kidding. God, poor Nicky," Catherine agreed, emitting a sigh of her own. "How about at your end? Any luck?"
Grissom explained what they had learned from Nick's brother-in-law. After wishing each other good luck they said their goodbyes and hung up. Taking a deep breath Grissom went back into John King's hotel room.