Part Six
"Ok." Grissom started. "We've got three bodies, all found half buried in sand or treated soil." He looked around the table as he opened the top case file. "What have we got Hannah?"
"As you already know, they were bound and naked when found. I tested the soil and got a few hints of sand-"
Greg sat forward with furrowed brows. "Wasn't the third, found, in the desert?" It was Greg's first day on the case since he got back from vacation and was still catching up on the open cases.
Hannah sent him a stern look and carried on as if he never interrupted. "- stone. I was curious how sandstone got into the fine sand that was disturbed around the third victim. I went with a hunch and tested the other two soil samples that were collected and found the same sandstone."
Catherine was sitting back and taking in the new information, but was trying to figure out where the sandstone would have come from and voice her thoughts. "Isn't sandstone found everywhere?"
Grissom nodded, but let Hannah explain. "Yeah, but this was pure, like freshly quarried."
"Then the next thing, other than examining the third victim's body, would be to search for sandstone based quarries." Catherine suggested.
Sara chose that moment to speak up. "I checked Cath, I couldn't find anything that hadn't been contaminated by the soil or sand they were buried in. The best I could get was a partial thumb print from the third vic, but it was smudged."
Grissom looked at the file and sighed. "We could have missed something at the crime scene or on the bodies." Stopping to check the list he'd made, he tapped his pencil on the notepad. "Hannah and Greg, you start with the Crimble case. Go through the evidence again and check for something you may have missed." He let them leave before continuing. "Sara. You stay with the Jooles Case. It's fresh and perhaps the killer's slipped up. Check the body again, just to be sure." He gave her a small smile before turning to Catherine.
"Are you checking the Fowler case?" She asked.
"Yeah. I figured something was strange about the way the parents were avoiding my questions." He explained.
They split up and went about finding clues they may have overlooked. When daylight finally broke through the windows of various rooms in the lab, Grissom made his way from one layout room to another. He had spoken to Catherine a few hours ago about the crime scene she went back to comb.
"Did she find anything?" Sara asked when he passed the layout room she was working in. Giving her a strange look, she clarified. "Catherine went back to the third crime scene. Did she find anything?"
Grissom shook his head and entered the room. "She didn't talk to you about it?"
Sara shook her head and turned to the autopsy and tox reports that were strewn across the table. "She was in a hurry to pick Lindsey up from the airport." She looked up and frowned. "You did remember Lindsey starts interning tonight?"
He stared at her, then made a show of looking at the reports she was previously studying.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed with a large grin. "Oh god, Gil! You know she's gonna have your ass."
"Maybe." He muttered, moving to stand beside her. "I actually remembered, just forgot that's why Catherine had to leave." He excused, though it was lame, Sara saw right through it.
She turned to him and leaned her hip against the table with her arms folded over her chest. "Catherine never said a thing, did she?"
Grissom sighed and turned to face his wife. "What if I told you that I planned a little party, not just because of Lindsey, but. because you never had a celebration party last week?"
Sara turned away and pulled a tox results for victim one towards her. "I'll believe you, but there was no celebration needed for me."
"Sara-" He said softly as he reached for her hand. "They will find out soon, either way."
"It's not like I'm gonna be getting promoted or anything Gil."
He nodded and pulled her against him, her shoulder bumping into his chest. "I know, but it's still something to celebrate."
Relenting, she leaned her hand against his shoulder. "Fine, just don't tell anyone until later."
Hannah and Greg rushed into the lab later that day with huge grins. "Guess what we found?" Greg asked comically.
"Let's not." Grissom deadpanned as he removed his glasses.
Hannah sighed and placed a piece of paper that was inside a plastic sheet for protection, in front of him. "Spoilsport."
Grissom pulled his glasses on again and picked the paper up. "What's this?" He asked as he started to read.
"A letter found in the Crimble girl's apartment. Greg and I found it behind a cabinet in the living room." Hannah said proudly as she clapped Greg playfully on the shoulder.
Thoroughly reading the A4 crisp piece of paper, Grissom raised his eyebrows before he finished and looked at Catherine, who was sitting across from him. "We may not have a serial, but a to-do-list." He stated curiously as he handed the pocket to her.
"Yup." Greg chirped. "A boyfriend with too many girlfriends."
Grissom finally removed his glasses and set them on the table. "Did you call Ian?" He asked Greg and Hannah as they sat.
Hannah nodded. "Of course. He's getting a warrant for a search..."
"He's gonna call us when he's got it and we'll go see the boyfriend." Greg finished.
Catherine nodded and looked up. "Maybe boyfriend. It doesn't say boyfriend. Besides, this could be Alexandra's Crimble's List. She may have written it for someone before she died, or she planned these herself."
"And get killed as well?" Greg asked with a frown, feeling his spark of finding a fresh lead fading.
Grissom shrugged. "Possible, but let's get this to questioned documents and find out for sure who's writing this belongs to."
"Ok." Grissom started. "We've got three bodies, all found half buried in sand or treated soil." He looked around the table as he opened the top case file. "What have we got Hannah?"
"As you already know, they were bound and naked when found. I tested the soil and got a few hints of sand-"
Greg sat forward with furrowed brows. "Wasn't the third, found, in the desert?" It was Greg's first day on the case since he got back from vacation and was still catching up on the open cases.
Hannah sent him a stern look and carried on as if he never interrupted. "- stone. I was curious how sandstone got into the fine sand that was disturbed around the third victim. I went with a hunch and tested the other two soil samples that were collected and found the same sandstone."
Catherine was sitting back and taking in the new information, but was trying to figure out where the sandstone would have come from and voice her thoughts. "Isn't sandstone found everywhere?"
Grissom nodded, but let Hannah explain. "Yeah, but this was pure, like freshly quarried."
"Then the next thing, other than examining the third victim's body, would be to search for sandstone based quarries." Catherine suggested.
Sara chose that moment to speak up. "I checked Cath, I couldn't find anything that hadn't been contaminated by the soil or sand they were buried in. The best I could get was a partial thumb print from the third vic, but it was smudged."
Grissom looked at the file and sighed. "We could have missed something at the crime scene or on the bodies." Stopping to check the list he'd made, he tapped his pencil on the notepad. "Hannah and Greg, you start with the Crimble case. Go through the evidence again and check for something you may have missed." He let them leave before continuing. "Sara. You stay with the Jooles Case. It's fresh and perhaps the killer's slipped up. Check the body again, just to be sure." He gave her a small smile before turning to Catherine.
"Are you checking the Fowler case?" She asked.
"Yeah. I figured something was strange about the way the parents were avoiding my questions." He explained.
They split up and went about finding clues they may have overlooked. When daylight finally broke through the windows of various rooms in the lab, Grissom made his way from one layout room to another. He had spoken to Catherine a few hours ago about the crime scene she went back to comb.
"Did she find anything?" Sara asked when he passed the layout room she was working in. Giving her a strange look, she clarified. "Catherine went back to the third crime scene. Did she find anything?"
Grissom shook his head and entered the room. "She didn't talk to you about it?"
Sara shook her head and turned to the autopsy and tox reports that were strewn across the table. "She was in a hurry to pick Lindsey up from the airport." She looked up and frowned. "You did remember Lindsey starts interning tonight?"
He stared at her, then made a show of looking at the reports she was previously studying.
"You didn't!" She exclaimed with a large grin. "Oh god, Gil! You know she's gonna have your ass."
"Maybe." He muttered, moving to stand beside her. "I actually remembered, just forgot that's why Catherine had to leave." He excused, though it was lame, Sara saw right through it.
She turned to him and leaned her hip against the table with her arms folded over her chest. "Catherine never said a thing, did she?"
Grissom sighed and turned to face his wife. "What if I told you that I planned a little party, not just because of Lindsey, but. because you never had a celebration party last week?"
Sara turned away and pulled a tox results for victim one towards her. "I'll believe you, but there was no celebration needed for me."
"Sara-" He said softly as he reached for her hand. "They will find out soon, either way."
"It's not like I'm gonna be getting promoted or anything Gil."
He nodded and pulled her against him, her shoulder bumping into his chest. "I know, but it's still something to celebrate."
Relenting, she leaned her hand against his shoulder. "Fine, just don't tell anyone until later."
Hannah and Greg rushed into the lab later that day with huge grins. "Guess what we found?" Greg asked comically.
"Let's not." Grissom deadpanned as he removed his glasses.
Hannah sighed and placed a piece of paper that was inside a plastic sheet for protection, in front of him. "Spoilsport."
Grissom pulled his glasses on again and picked the paper up. "What's this?" He asked as he started to read.
"A letter found in the Crimble girl's apartment. Greg and I found it behind a cabinet in the living room." Hannah said proudly as she clapped Greg playfully on the shoulder.
Thoroughly reading the A4 crisp piece of paper, Grissom raised his eyebrows before he finished and looked at Catherine, who was sitting across from him. "We may not have a serial, but a to-do-list." He stated curiously as he handed the pocket to her.
"Yup." Greg chirped. "A boyfriend with too many girlfriends."
Grissom finally removed his glasses and set them on the table. "Did you call Ian?" He asked Greg and Hannah as they sat.
Hannah nodded. "Of course. He's getting a warrant for a search..."
"He's gonna call us when he's got it and we'll go see the boyfriend." Greg finished.
Catherine nodded and looked up. "Maybe boyfriend. It doesn't say boyfriend. Besides, this could be Alexandra's Crimble's List. She may have written it for someone before she died, or she planned these herself."
"And get killed as well?" Greg asked with a frown, feeling his spark of finding a fresh lead fading.
Grissom shrugged. "Possible, but let's get this to questioned documents and find out for sure who's writing this belongs to."