Grissom was sitting on his desk facing Catherine and Warrick who were
sitting in the office's two chairs.
"I still can't believe it's him," Warrick said, trying to hide the skepticism in his voice, but truthfully he was doubtful. "We've had had no breaks in the case whatsoever for nearly two months now. And for the solution to just drop into our laps like this, well it just seems way too easy."
Grissom only shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Evidence doesn't lie, Warrick. We can't ignore what it's telling us."
The trio looked up at the sound of hurried footsteps in the hall outside. Nick noticed the team seated in Grissom's office and stepped through the doorway, Sara right behind him.
"Where is he?" Nick demanded, his eyes flying to each face in the room. "Where is he? I want to see him."
"Take it easy Nick," Grissom said, his voice carrying its gentle authority. "They're not here yet. Brass has to bring him in from Henderson."
Warrick stood and urged Nick to take his seat. "Here man, you look like you should sit."
Nick exhaled and nodded, gratefully dropping into the chair. His hand wiped his face and ran through his hair. "How did they even find this guy?"
"You're not going to believe it," Catherine commented, shaking her head, still incredulous. "I sure as hell wouldn't have if I hadn't seen it for myself."
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, feeling her impatience start to grow. "Who is he?"
Grissom reached behind him and picked up a folder from his desk that he handed to Nick. Sara went over and stood behind him so she could read over his shoulder.
"His name is Alex Connor, convicted in '98 for sexual assault. He has a record of other offenses as well, from assault and battery to robbery to car theft," Grissom explained, watching Nick as the younger man looked over the folder's contents. "Prints were recovered from a break-in last night, and after they were run through CODIS his name popped up."
"Okay, but how does he link to Rachel?" Nick asked, looking up skeptically at his boss. "I mean, sure he fits our description but so could a million other guys."
"You remember that partial print Warrick found on the cigarette butt?" Grissom inquired and Nick nodded. "Well when it was run through the database on its own, their wasn't enough ridge detail to bring up a match and it came back unknown. But when we saw that he fit our suspect's profile I had Jackie run a comparison between Connor's prints and our unknown. And guess what?"
"Perfect match," Sara said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Grissom nodded crossing his arms over his chest.
"But still," Nick said hesitant to get his hopes up just yet. "It could just be a coincidence. This guy could have just been at the scene at some point."
"No!" Sara protested, her enthusiasm climbing. "No because, remember? Greg had said that the DNA from the cigarette-"
"Matched the DNA under Rachel's fingernails," Nick finished, realization dawning in his eyes.
"But what I don't understand is how someone who was so careful about covering his tracks when it came to committing rape and murder could forget something as simple as wearing gloves when he broke into someone's house," Catherine said, shaking her head. "I mean anyone who watches television or the movies nowadays knows about fingerprints."
"Greediness leads to sloppiness I guess," Grissom reasoned with a shrug. "All he took from the two homes he broke into was money from a purse or wallet while the homeowners were asleep."
"Everybody screws up sooner or later, gets careless," Warrick stated, leaning against the metal shelving unit. "Especially if they're desperate."
All of them turned to watch Nick. He stared at the black and white mug shot of Alex Connor glaring coldly up at him. This was him, the man who had deprived his sister of the rest of her life.
"Got you, you son of a bitch," he muttered. A myriad of emotions were flowing through his body, relief, anger, sadness, fear and hate. But most of all, satisfaction because in his heart he knew, without a doubt, that they had caught his sister's killer. "We got you."
"Well keep in mind that this isn't airtight yet," Grissom reminded them. "Although we have a pile of evidence that suggests that Alex Connor was the one who killed her, all we've really proven for certain is that he and Rachel were having an affair. We need a confession or we may have a hard time convincing the D.A. of murder. We don't want this guy getting away with anything less."
The phone on the desk rang loudly and Grissom picked it up; it was Brass. All the heart rates in the room accelerated and adrenaline started pumping as he hung up and met their eyes.
"Alex Connor is here."
*** A/N: *gasp!* coming up, the interrogation of Alex Connor!
"I still can't believe it's him," Warrick said, trying to hide the skepticism in his voice, but truthfully he was doubtful. "We've had had no breaks in the case whatsoever for nearly two months now. And for the solution to just drop into our laps like this, well it just seems way too easy."
Grissom only shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Evidence doesn't lie, Warrick. We can't ignore what it's telling us."
The trio looked up at the sound of hurried footsteps in the hall outside. Nick noticed the team seated in Grissom's office and stepped through the doorway, Sara right behind him.
"Where is he?" Nick demanded, his eyes flying to each face in the room. "Where is he? I want to see him."
"Take it easy Nick," Grissom said, his voice carrying its gentle authority. "They're not here yet. Brass has to bring him in from Henderson."
Warrick stood and urged Nick to take his seat. "Here man, you look like you should sit."
Nick exhaled and nodded, gratefully dropping into the chair. His hand wiped his face and ran through his hair. "How did they even find this guy?"
"You're not going to believe it," Catherine commented, shaking her head, still incredulous. "I sure as hell wouldn't have if I hadn't seen it for myself."
"What do you mean?" Sara asked, feeling her impatience start to grow. "Who is he?"
Grissom reached behind him and picked up a folder from his desk that he handed to Nick. Sara went over and stood behind him so she could read over his shoulder.
"His name is Alex Connor, convicted in '98 for sexual assault. He has a record of other offenses as well, from assault and battery to robbery to car theft," Grissom explained, watching Nick as the younger man looked over the folder's contents. "Prints were recovered from a break-in last night, and after they were run through CODIS his name popped up."
"Okay, but how does he link to Rachel?" Nick asked, looking up skeptically at his boss. "I mean, sure he fits our description but so could a million other guys."
"You remember that partial print Warrick found on the cigarette butt?" Grissom inquired and Nick nodded. "Well when it was run through the database on its own, their wasn't enough ridge detail to bring up a match and it came back unknown. But when we saw that he fit our suspect's profile I had Jackie run a comparison between Connor's prints and our unknown. And guess what?"
"Perfect match," Sara said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Grissom nodded crossing his arms over his chest.
"But still," Nick said hesitant to get his hopes up just yet. "It could just be a coincidence. This guy could have just been at the scene at some point."
"No!" Sara protested, her enthusiasm climbing. "No because, remember? Greg had said that the DNA from the cigarette-"
"Matched the DNA under Rachel's fingernails," Nick finished, realization dawning in his eyes.
"But what I don't understand is how someone who was so careful about covering his tracks when it came to committing rape and murder could forget something as simple as wearing gloves when he broke into someone's house," Catherine said, shaking her head. "I mean anyone who watches television or the movies nowadays knows about fingerprints."
"Greediness leads to sloppiness I guess," Grissom reasoned with a shrug. "All he took from the two homes he broke into was money from a purse or wallet while the homeowners were asleep."
"Everybody screws up sooner or later, gets careless," Warrick stated, leaning against the metal shelving unit. "Especially if they're desperate."
All of them turned to watch Nick. He stared at the black and white mug shot of Alex Connor glaring coldly up at him. This was him, the man who had deprived his sister of the rest of her life.
"Got you, you son of a bitch," he muttered. A myriad of emotions were flowing through his body, relief, anger, sadness, fear and hate. But most of all, satisfaction because in his heart he knew, without a doubt, that they had caught his sister's killer. "We got you."
"Well keep in mind that this isn't airtight yet," Grissom reminded them. "Although we have a pile of evidence that suggests that Alex Connor was the one who killed her, all we've really proven for certain is that he and Rachel were having an affair. We need a confession or we may have a hard time convincing the D.A. of murder. We don't want this guy getting away with anything less."
The phone on the desk rang loudly and Grissom picked it up; it was Brass. All the heart rates in the room accelerated and adrenaline started pumping as he hung up and met their eyes.
"Alex Connor is here."
*** A/N: *gasp!* coming up, the interrogation of Alex Connor!