A/N: Apologies for the delay. Writing a lot at work means I don't feel like doing much of it at home, even if this is more fun. I have decided to make Grissom cheerful/willing to matchmake b/c I have just been watching the first season on DVD. Grissom was much more cheerful in those days. So was Sara, for that matter. What's with the chip on her shoulder? If I ran the world…
The next night, Grissom sat at his desk, looking at the case slips for that night's assignments. He had a few minutes before going in to distribute them. There was a case out in Barstow that could use both his and Catherine's skills, and Nicky could take Greg with him on a homicide at the Bellagio. That conveniently left Warrick and Sara with a double homicide at the Tangiers. Two victims, two CSIs, right? Made sense.
He wasn't so sure Warrick and Sara agreed with him, a few minutes later. Neither of them openly protested, but both looked dismayed, and Sara sent him a nasty look. Using as few words as possible and without meeting each other's eyes, they agreed to meet out front in 5 minutes with their kits. Warrick would drive.
Arriving at the Tangiers, Warrick and Sara were directed to a large suite on one of the top floors. "Fill us in?" Sara asked the detective that was taking them to the suite.
"Housekeeper discovered the victims this morning when she went to clean the room. A young man was found shot in the bathroom, and an older woman shot on the bed. According to the hotel, they were newlyweds. Coroner will be here shortly. I'll bring you the printouts from the hotel database. Has their credit card information, among other things." the detective said as he opened the door.
"Thanks" Warrick said absently, as he surveyed the bedroom. Sara had already moved inside. The detective nodded, backing out and shutting the door behind him. An uneasy silence settled over the room.
"I'll take the bedroom, you take the bathroom?" Sara was the first to break the silence. Warrick nodded and headed towards his part of the scene. The two worked in silence for an hour, finding traces of their victims all over the suite, but precious little of the killer.
The coroners arrived, and the two CSIs regrouped in the entryway while the bodies were removed. "I got some blue fibers and a partial handprint on the wall by the bathroom. Don't think its enough for CODIS" Sara said, frustrated. "You?"
"I also have some blue fibers, and GSR on the bathtub. Body wasn't moved. It looks like our killer was in and out of here pretty quickly." Warrick sighed.
"In and out of here, huh?" an idea had obviously struck Sara. She moved toward the door that connected to the next room. "Anyone check this?"
"No, because they had only booked one room, and they were alone." Warrick said. "That'll teach us to assume anything."
Sara bent down to examine the door. When she turned back towards Warrick, he gave her fingerprinting powder and a brush. She looked at him and smiled, and some of the awkwardness they had been feeling since the picture was published faded.
The fingerprints on the room side of the door were too smudged to be useful, but just above the knob on the other side was a perfect set. "Bingo" Sara breathed, as she lifted the prints. "We should-"
"Yeah, Detective Martin? This is CSI Brown. Can you find out who reserved the room next door?" Once again, Warrick had read her mind.
Back at the lab, Sara dropped off the fingerprints – the full set from the connecting door and the partials from the wall – and started working on the other evidence. Warrick started looking in to the background of the person who had paid for the room next door.
Before long, they had matched the prints to the man registered in the room next door—who had used his real name in registering, not bothering to hide his identity. Detectives were sent to bring him in. Warrick gave Sara a rundown on the suspect while they waited.
"This guy's moved around a lot lately. Before Vegas, he was in Jackson Hole, WY, Park City, Utah, Reno…"
"All vacation spots" Sara mused, clearly struck by something. 'Why don't you go in and talk to him, I need to check something."
"Bingo." Sara muttered about an hour later. Every place their suspect, Jim McHenry, had lived, a honeymooning couple had died. She went to pull Warrick out of the interrogation.
"And all of the couples are visually mismatched." She said, laying down pictures of the couples. "An older woman with a younger man. A heavy man with a thin woman. An Asian woman and a white guy. He's picking them based on looks."
"That's gonna be hard to prove, Sara." Warrick said, frustrated. "Any of this is going to be hard to prove. He is as cool as a cucumber in there, even admits to being in the room. He says that he knew the woman from when they both lived in LA, and the three of them had drinks one evening. Any indication why he's targeting these couples?"
"Not that I've seen, but I'm still looking…" Sara said.
"Let me know as soon as you find anything." Warrick said "I'm going back in."
Fifteen minutes later, Sara found it. Jim McHenry was once just Jim Henry, and he had been divorced by his very attractive wife, who quickly remarried to a man 15 years her elder and not at all attractive. Sara headed back to the interrogation room to tell Warrick.
Warrick, meanwhile, was getting more and more frustrated with Mr. McHenry, who was betraying not the slightest hint of anxiety about being in a police interrogation room. Warrick had not yet mentioned their suspicions about McHenry's other killings, preferring to wait for more data before tipping his hand. Inspiration struck when he saw Sara heading back into the room. McHenry had not yet met Sara, knew nothing about her…
"Warrick, can I see you outside for a minute?" Sara said, coming into the room.
"What's a matter, honey? Its not something with the chapel?" Warrick sounded worried, as he headed across the room to her. Sara had just enough time to look puzzled before he said "And hello to you too." and kissed her soundly, right in front of their suspect!
"I'm sorry," Warrick said, turning back to McHenry, as Sara struggled to regain her breath. "We're getting married next month, and all this wedding stuff is such a hassle."
It didn't take Sara long to catch on, especially after seeing the stormy look on McHenry's face. "I'm sure you know, Mr. Henry. It says here you were once married." Turning to Warrick, she handed him McHenry's file and said "I just wanted to give you this info from the caterer before I forgot." Leaning into him on her tiptoes, she kissed him back and said softly "I'll see you later…" before slipping out of the room. Behind her, the suspect exploded.
THE END/TBC in the next (possibly final) chapter