Title: Frozen Moments
Author: meg
Rating: PG – so far
Disclaimer: I don't own them. That should be obvious.
Author's Notes: I stole the song and gave it to a creation of mine. So apologies to Anastacia. I did a bit of research on the hotels, but any errors are my own.
The crowning jewel of Caesar's Palace was its Garden of the Gods pool complex. On this morning, however, the Palace and Venus pools had been closed off to visitors. Film crews had set up their equipment at various locations around the pools, and numerous people waited around for their cue. All were dressed in traditional Roman costume, although there was a possibility that it had been tailored to appear slightly more sexual than was traditional.
In the centre of the Palace pool was an island crowned by a tall and elaborate rotunda, from which water usually cascaded, but which for now had been turned off. On the rotunda stood one cameraman and another Asian man, his persona giving him away as the director for this production. The woman with him, also clad in a Roman toga, was stunning, with fiery red curls cascading down her bare back, her long and shapely legs exposed through not so traditional slits in the dress, and bright and extraordinary green eyes dancing with their smile.
"You ready Tamin?" the director asked.
"Let's go," Tamin replied.
"Role music," the director called.
Music started, played over the p.a. system around the pools. It began slowly, and Tamin began to move with it, and as the lyrics kicked in, she began to lip sinc, facing the camera as she did so, her face betraying a sorrowful look.
"All my life I've been waiting for you to bring a fairytale my way. Been living in a fantasy without meaning. It's not okay, I don't feel safe."
As the music began to pick up the tempo, Tamin picked up her own pace, moving more sensually with the beat that blasted its way across the complex, her face becoming set and determined. Just as she started on the verse proper, a screamed let rip across the garden.
"Cut!" the director yelled, frustration showing on his face. "Who was that?"
The culprit, in this case one of the dancers hired for the shoot, continued screaming, pointing to the second of the two pools closed for the day.
Tamin, concerned, walked over to the edge of the rotunda, and directed her attention to an older white male how had run to the side of the dancer.
"Thomas, what is it?" she called.
Thomas looked at the pool, then turned around to a near-by flunky. "Call 9-11!" he yelled, before turning back to the dead body in the pool.
****
"What is this, a three ring circus?" Grissom asked, as he, Sara and Warwick approached Detective Brass.
"Film shoot. Some singer decided on a Roman theme for a new film clip."
"Which one?" Sara asked curiously.
"Tamin?" Brass offered.
"Really? She's cool," said Warwick. "Really talented. Writes all her own stuff, from pop right through to jazz. She's only 23, and she already has four albums."
"I love Five to Midnight," Sara offered. "Great for when I want to relax."
"I hope you two aren't going to be starstruck.," Grissom said, looking at the other two.
"She's not the vic or the suspect is she?" Warwick asked.
"Not the victim," Brass supplied, "and probably not the suspect. She was filming on the rotunda in the Palace pool. Victim is Matthew Harris. 23. He'd been hired as a dancer for the film clip. One of the other dancers spotted him in the pool."
The trio of investigators came to a halt at the edge of the pool, and in their usual professional detached manner, considered the body floating in the pool.
"Apparently he wanted to make an splash," Grissom stated.
****
Once the body had been removed form the pool, David gave the preliminary cause of death as blood loss from several stab wounds to the chest. Warwick, realising he was the only one who would do it, stripped and got in the pool to search for evidence. Sara merely grinned at him, threatening to take photos to distribute to the female staff at the lab. Sighing, Grissom moved to work the perimeter, while Sara went with Brass to talk to the hotel staff about security cameras.
She hadn't gotten far when Thomas Stepford, Tamin's manager, approached them.
"How long is this going to go on?" he demanded. "We've got a shoot going on here."
"It will take," Sara said slowly and deliberately, "as long as it takes. We're processing a crime scene."
"And we're trying to film a video clip. Do you know how much this delay is costing us? This single is a guaranteed. . ."
"Thomas!" Thomas was interrupted by Tamin herself. She and the director walked over. "What's the problem?" she asked as they approached.
"I'm trying to get us filming again," Thomas explained.
Tamin looked at him incredulously. "Thomas, a man is dead. One of our dancers, for god's sake. Show some respect." She turned back to Sara. "I'm Tamin Lyle. This is James Chen. He's directing my clip."
"Sara Sidle, criminalistics. This is Detective Brass." Sara replied.
"Can you give us a time for this?" she asked.
"It really depends on the amount of evidence we need to collect. Probably a few hours yet."
Tamin nodded thoughtfully, before turning to Chen.
"Do we have any day shoots left?" she asked.
Chen shook his head. "The Treasure Island shoot is at night, as is the Luxor, although they can't have us till tomorrow."
"Could we do the pirate shoot early? Maybe at dusk?"
Chen smiled. "I've got five ideas already."
"Okay then. Jenny!"
A blonde woman, older than Tamin, looked up from where she was talking to some of the crew.
"Yes boss?"
"Call Treasure Island. We'll film there at sunset. Need to let me know the time for that. I'll get some sleep in the meantime. See if you can get a couple of hours at the studio this afternoon. And tell the studio I'm not happy with five, seven and eight."
Jenny rolled her eyes, but noted down all the instructions on her clip board.
"We're staying here," Tamin told Sara. "I'll instruct the staff to let you up if you need to talk to me if you need to. Otherwise, I'll have Jenny give you her card. You can contact her."
"Tamin," Thomas protested.
"Thomas, this industry has enough of a reputation with the law without us adding to it. We co-operate. End of story."
Thomas decided that it was best not to argue, and turned his attention to unfortunate members of the crew.
"Thanks for your help," Brass said, grateful for the singer's attitude.
Tamin smiled. "My father's a cop. Won't retire, even though I could happily support him. I know better than to argue with you guys. In the meantime, although it may sound cold, I can get some sleep. I've been getting maybe three hours a night for the past week."
"I know the feeling," Sara commiserated. "We'll be in touch, probably when we finish the scene."
"I'll leave you too it, then." Tamin then moved off with James.
Sara looked after her for a moment, and smiled. It was nice to know some stars were grounded in reality. She shook her head, knowing what Grissom's reaction would be if she seemed at all star struck, and turned back to Brass.
"Let's get those tapes," she said.
