Chapter Dos
Catherine was inside the Stevens household, and immediately knew something was wrong.
"The murder was committed in here," Grissom had told her half an hour ago. "Dust for prints, and spray for blood. I'm certain it was either in the hallway or the kitchen, near where the murder weapon was picked up."
But now, as she examined the blood patterns, she saw something was wrong. Very wrong. Collecting up her tools, she exited through the front door, back to where the poor dead child was being taken away in a body-bag and her sister - the suspected murderer - was being subdued by Social Services.
"Where are the parents?" Catherine asked Grissom breathlessly.
"They weren't present at the murder," he answered shortly. "Looks like they'll be going to prison for gross negligence anyway, if not murder."
"You think they were involved with the murder?"
Grissom looked at her. "All options are always open, Catherine."
"But the little girl - Minnie - she's holding the murder weapon, she's not denying it, she's covered in the victim's blood!"
"All options are open," Grissom repeated. "What have you found?"
"Well," said Catherine, "I just thought I ought to tell you - the murder can't have been committed in the house. I've analysed the blood and it's too dry in the hallway to have been connected to the murder. The blood in the kitchen is fresher, but not enough loss to have caused death."
"So what are you saying?" asked Grissom, looking her in the eye.
"I'm thinking struggle in the hallway and serious injury in the kitchen, before death on the lawn. Looks like the killer was taking the victim outside."
"But why would that happen?" said Brass, walking up to join them. "If the little girl killed her sister, surely she'd do it in the house, where she knew her parents weren't? Why drag her out?"
"There's still the case of the struggle," Grissom murmured thoughtfully. "If you're a couple of arguing six-year-olds, do your struggles go far enough to draw blood? Then how do you cause massive injury with your bare hands before killing with a knife? It just couldn't have happened."
"There's no alternative," Catherine reminded him.
"Catherine," Grissom said. "There is always an alternative."
* * * * * * *
After Sara had relayed her story, she left the lab and ran straight into Warrick.
"Where have you been?" she enquired. "I saw Grissom give you another case before I went out to the Stevens place, but I never knew the exact details."
Warrick sighed. "I'll bet your case isn't as gruesome as mine."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I'll bet otherwise. What's yours?"
"Young boy, run down by a truck in the city. The driver's a nervous wreck. Says he never saw the boy running. Alcohol and drugs tests negative - but the parents say the boy was being bullied. I'm looking for the bullies and a decent alibi, or I'll bet anything he was pushed."
"Second degree murder," Sara muttered to herself.
Warrick nodded.
"No... second degree murder," Sara repeated. "I've just had an idea." And with that she left Warrick standing in the hallway as she thundered back to the lab.
She burst in through the door, and Greg stood up as she did.
"Is it-" she began, and, knowing what she was about to say, Greg nodded.
"There's three types of blood on this knife," he said. "Two match the vic and her sister, but there's another. Someone else was at the crime scene, that doesn't match the family blood."
"But I've been at the scene!" cried Sara. "No signs of forced entry, all signs point to the sister. She's not even denying it!"
"Is she admitting it?"
"Well - no, but she seems under massive shock. I thought it might be the parents, but..."
"Their story fits," said Greg, sitting back down. "They did indeed leave the girls alone in the house. But it looks like this murder isn't as neat and simple as it seemed to be."
"How could it look so much like the sister did it, though?"
Greg shrugged. "Blackmail, maybe?"
"She's six years old!"
"Then look for someone who knows children!" Greg replied, exasperated. "Listen, Sara, as Grissom always says, you have to leave the options open. You could be dealing with an amateur underage killer, but then again..." He looked her dramatically in the eye, "...you could be dealing with a criminal mastermind."
Catherine was inside the Stevens household, and immediately knew something was wrong.
"The murder was committed in here," Grissom had told her half an hour ago. "Dust for prints, and spray for blood. I'm certain it was either in the hallway or the kitchen, near where the murder weapon was picked up."
But now, as she examined the blood patterns, she saw something was wrong. Very wrong. Collecting up her tools, she exited through the front door, back to where the poor dead child was being taken away in a body-bag and her sister - the suspected murderer - was being subdued by Social Services.
"Where are the parents?" Catherine asked Grissom breathlessly.
"They weren't present at the murder," he answered shortly. "Looks like they'll be going to prison for gross negligence anyway, if not murder."
"You think they were involved with the murder?"
Grissom looked at her. "All options are always open, Catherine."
"But the little girl - Minnie - she's holding the murder weapon, she's not denying it, she's covered in the victim's blood!"
"All options are open," Grissom repeated. "What have you found?"
"Well," said Catherine, "I just thought I ought to tell you - the murder can't have been committed in the house. I've analysed the blood and it's too dry in the hallway to have been connected to the murder. The blood in the kitchen is fresher, but not enough loss to have caused death."
"So what are you saying?" asked Grissom, looking her in the eye.
"I'm thinking struggle in the hallway and serious injury in the kitchen, before death on the lawn. Looks like the killer was taking the victim outside."
"But why would that happen?" said Brass, walking up to join them. "If the little girl killed her sister, surely she'd do it in the house, where she knew her parents weren't? Why drag her out?"
"There's still the case of the struggle," Grissom murmured thoughtfully. "If you're a couple of arguing six-year-olds, do your struggles go far enough to draw blood? Then how do you cause massive injury with your bare hands before killing with a knife? It just couldn't have happened."
"There's no alternative," Catherine reminded him.
"Catherine," Grissom said. "There is always an alternative."
* * * * * * *
After Sara had relayed her story, she left the lab and ran straight into Warrick.
"Where have you been?" she enquired. "I saw Grissom give you another case before I went out to the Stevens place, but I never knew the exact details."
Warrick sighed. "I'll bet your case isn't as gruesome as mine."
Sara rolled her eyes. "I'll bet otherwise. What's yours?"
"Young boy, run down by a truck in the city. The driver's a nervous wreck. Says he never saw the boy running. Alcohol and drugs tests negative - but the parents say the boy was being bullied. I'm looking for the bullies and a decent alibi, or I'll bet anything he was pushed."
"Second degree murder," Sara muttered to herself.
Warrick nodded.
"No... second degree murder," Sara repeated. "I've just had an idea." And with that she left Warrick standing in the hallway as she thundered back to the lab.
She burst in through the door, and Greg stood up as she did.
"Is it-" she began, and, knowing what she was about to say, Greg nodded.
"There's three types of blood on this knife," he said. "Two match the vic and her sister, but there's another. Someone else was at the crime scene, that doesn't match the family blood."
"But I've been at the scene!" cried Sara. "No signs of forced entry, all signs point to the sister. She's not even denying it!"
"Is she admitting it?"
"Well - no, but she seems under massive shock. I thought it might be the parents, but..."
"Their story fits," said Greg, sitting back down. "They did indeed leave the girls alone in the house. But it looks like this murder isn't as neat and simple as it seemed to be."
"How could it look so much like the sister did it, though?"
Greg shrugged. "Blackmail, maybe?"
"She's six years old!"
"Then look for someone who knows children!" Greg replied, exasperated. "Listen, Sara, as Grissom always says, you have to leave the options open. You could be dealing with an amateur underage killer, but then again..." He looked her dramatically in the eye, "...you could be dealing with a criminal mastermind."