Chapter 3

"Do you want the semi-good news, the bad news or the other bad news?" Doc Robbins asked Sara and Grissom as they strode into the morgue the next evening.

Grissom glanced at Sara, who frowned a little, before he answered, "What's the good news?"

"You get an ID?" Sara added before Robbins could continue.

Robbins smiled at her and nodded, "I did - AFIS popped out one Melissa Tanner, on record for a couple of DUI offences."

"Did you contact the family?" Sara asked.

"Her parents have been in during the day to see her and complete all the formalities - nice couple."

"Okay - so what else can you tell us about Miss Tanner?" Grissom asked.

"Twenty-three, originally from Las Vegas - went to UNLV and studied dance."

"And how about how she died Doc?" Grissom asked, a hint of impatience to his voice.

"Bruises on her neck indicate strangulation - by hand. But. she was also sexually assaulted," he watched both Sara and Grissom flinch before continuing, "But she put up a good fight - bruises on the hand and knuckles indicate she punched her attacker and fought against him."

A dark emptiness crept into Grissom's eyes, "And the mark? The removal of the patch of skin on her leg?"

Robbins nodded, "Yes - I can't tell you 100% certain but it looks to me like it was removed by a knife of some sort." Silence filled the room and Robbins shifted uneasily. "Any theories?" he finally asked.

They both shook their heads, mumbled their thanks to the coroner and shuffled out of the morgue. 

~~

They'd just finished talking to the parents of Melissa Tanner and were leaving the Tanner residence when Grissom got the call.

"We've got another one down by lake mead," Brass said into the phone.

Grissom sighed, "Okay, I'll get Catherine onto it."

"Actually Gil, I think you should come down and take a look at this one yourself - you and Sara."

Grissom frowned and met Sara's gaze as they both hopped in the car. She raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question. He turned away, "You think there's a connection to the Melissa Tanner case?"

Sara buckled her seatbelt and watched Grissom's stoic face as he spoke into his phone, "Okay. yeah okay we'll be there in ten."

He turned towards her again, "Brass wants us down by Lake Mead - they've found another body."

Sara started up the car, "There's a connection? To Melissa's case?"

Grissom shook his head, "Brass just said we should come - it might be related but he was fairly vague."

~~

"Might be related?" Sara asked with a hint of sarcasm.  She looked up at Brass from where her eyes were fixed on a patch of removed skin from the twenty-something year old female victim.

Brass shrugged, "Hey what do I know anyway?" he grinned a little, "And I've heard enough from this guy," he motioned towards Grissom who was down on all fours examining the body, "About jumping to conclusions."

Sara rolled her eyes and grinned back at him before snapping off another couple of shots of the scene.

"So what do you think Grissom? We have a serial on our hands?" Brass asked, crouching down beside the entomologist.

Grissom looked at him and studied his face, "Maybe."

Brass puffed out a small laugh and rose, shrugging his shoulders and the typically deceptive answer, "Okay," he said, more to himself than Grissom.

Sara crouched down next to Grissom and pointed a gloved finger to the point on the victim's shoulder where a patch of skin had been removed, "Different location, and different size, smaller, I think - come on Grissom, tell me what you're thinking?"

Grissom smiled a little and raised his eyebrows at her, "What are you thinking?"

Sara smiled and stood up - assessing the scene once again. "Maybe he takes souvenirs?" she frowned in thought, "Maybe. he. maybe it's more of a personal symbol for him?"

Grissom watched her from his place on the ground next to the body, "He?" he asked innocently.

She smiled at him, "Well - if this is the same guy from the Melissa Tanner murder - which I don't mind telling you I believe it is - then yes - he. Sexual assault. rape - the evidence Doc Robbins gave us is indisputable."

He nodded at her assessment and stood up next to her, "Just between you and me," he said and touched her arm, "I think the cases may be connected too."

~~

"Anything?" Grissom asked as he walked into the morgue the following morning. Both he and Sara had stayed overnight; waiting on results, questioning family members and friends.  Sara was currently combing both girls for any evidence they may have missed.

She shook her head and looked up, "No - well, apart from the wallet that we initially found. That's strange isn't it - that the killer left ID on the second victim - Paula Randal - and not on the first."

"Maybe the killer didn't actually take Melissa's ID," Grissom said as he sat down on the other side of the table. The second victim, Paula, lay on the table between them.

"Doc says she was raped as well - strangled too.  There's no denying it Grissom, it's the same guy."

Grissom nodded, "I'm bringing Nicky on board to help us sort out all the information both families have given us.  Now - what we need to do is find out what these two girls had in common.  What do we know so far?"

"Well, after talking to both sets of parents last night it doesn't appear that they knew each other socially.  Melissa is 23; a socially active party girl, Paula is 27; a girl with a few close friends, focused on her work.  Melissa graduated last year from UNLV - a dancer, classical; Paula never went to college and managed a fast food place out on Columbia Street.  According to Melissa's parents, Melissa went missing a couple of weeks ago - Brass confirmed a missing persons report was filed 12 days ago. What have your bugs told us?"

"Ten days from when we found her. Doc says Paula's time of death is approximately 36 hours ago," Grissom sighed and looked down the length of Paula's body and then back up at Sara, "Both girls are completely clean?"

Sara nodded, "I haven't found a single fibre that seems out of place, a single hair. nothing," she sighed violently and stood up quickly. She turned to walk out the door but stopped and came back to stand in front of Grissom.  "This isn't going to end here - I can feel it, can't you?"

Grissom closed his eyes and tilted his head down to the floor, "Sara. your." he sighed and looked back up at her, "You need to keep your cool on this one, remember - can you do that?"

Sara, overcome with a sudden defensiveness, glared at Grissom, "Of course I can."

Grissom just looked at her, pleading to her with his eyes that she understand he was just worried about her.  The glare on Sara's own features softened as she sighed lightly and looked down at her feet.

"Let's go find Nicky, bring him up to speed - sit down in the conference room and start brainstorming everything these two girls had in common - the people they may have known, the places they visited - everything."

TBC