"Damn," Sara muttered as she made her way to the interrogation rooms.
Brass was waiting outside.
"Whoa, what's wrong?" Brass asked.
"I just left the morgue. Robbins says it's homicide."
"It's a doozy," Brass said. "They're all denying up one side and down the other."
Sara groaned. "Great."
Brass patted Sara's shoulder reassuringly before leading her into one of the rooms.
"Come on, Nicole. What else happened?" O'Reilly prodded as Sara slid into an empty chair.
"I'm telling you, I don't know."
"Something else happened, didn't it?"
Nicole looked from the detective to the criminalist. "He deserved what he got," she said, her voice low. "But I swear to God I didn't kill him."
"What happened, Nicole?" Sara asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"He was bragging about how his picture was going to win the grand prize. So he climbed a pyramid to take a picture of a sunrise. Big deal."
Sara and O'Reilly exchanged glances.
"And you ended up winning," Sara said.
"Yes." Nicole swallowed. "I did." She looked at her clasped hands. "And Michael looked like the wind had gone out of his sails. So I suggested that we go and hit the casinos."
"What happened then?" O'Reilly asked.
"We were doing well. It was like the old days, you know? Michael and Dave were cracking jokes, and Tara and I were gossiping. I almost forgot what happened earlier. Then Michael's luck just turned. He started losing. And when we left the Oasis Towers, he..."
"He what?"
"He started acting odd. And then, outside the hotel, he said something that scared me."
"What?"
"He asked Dave if he had a sword in his room. I wasn't expecting it, you know?"
"What were you expecting?"
Nicole smiled sadly. "I thought he'd ask if we wanted to drink a toast. I wasn't expecting him to ask if Dave had a sword."
"But he did."
"I asked him what he was thinking. What would it do to his family, his friends? And he told me that he had stained his honor and that he had to remedy the situation. "
Sara instinctively reached for her cell phone.
"Later that night, we met in Tara's room for drinks and conversation. And I went to bed shortly after. I didn't know until the morning after."
Sara dialed the morgue number.
"Robbins," the familiar voice said.
"It's Sara. Is Grissom in there?"
"Yes," the coroner said.
"I'm coming down. I think we might have something."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"And she said that she didn't find out until the morning after," Sara concluded. "But something's not right, Grissom. She heard Michael ask Dave if he had a sword in his room. She had to have known what he was planning to do."
"What are you getting at, Sara?"
"Think about it, Grissom. Say I'm bummed over getting rejected for some position. Say I ask you if there's a knife in the breakroom. Say you just go back to your townhouse and don't check to see if I'm okay. What's wrong with this picture?"
"I don't follow," Grissom said.
"I just gave you the answer. Nicole met the others for drinks, right? What did she do afterwards?"
"She went back to her hotel room and slept."
"Exactly, Grissom. She went back to her hotel room. Doesn't that sound just a little fishy to you?"
"Whoa, what's wrong?" Brass asked.
"I just left the morgue. Robbins says it's homicide."
"It's a doozy," Brass said. "They're all denying up one side and down the other."
Sara groaned. "Great."
Brass patted Sara's shoulder reassuringly before leading her into one of the rooms.
"Come on, Nicole. What else happened?" O'Reilly prodded as Sara slid into an empty chair.
"I'm telling you, I don't know."
"Something else happened, didn't it?"
Nicole looked from the detective to the criminalist. "He deserved what he got," she said, her voice low. "But I swear to God I didn't kill him."
"What happened, Nicole?" Sara asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"He was bragging about how his picture was going to win the grand prize. So he climbed a pyramid to take a picture of a sunrise. Big deal."
Sara and O'Reilly exchanged glances.
"And you ended up winning," Sara said.
"Yes." Nicole swallowed. "I did." She looked at her clasped hands. "And Michael looked like the wind had gone out of his sails. So I suggested that we go and hit the casinos."
"What happened then?" O'Reilly asked.
"We were doing well. It was like the old days, you know? Michael and Dave were cracking jokes, and Tara and I were gossiping. I almost forgot what happened earlier. Then Michael's luck just turned. He started losing. And when we left the Oasis Towers, he..."
"He what?"
"He started acting odd. And then, outside the hotel, he said something that scared me."
"What?"
"He asked Dave if he had a sword in his room. I wasn't expecting it, you know?"
"What were you expecting?"
Nicole smiled sadly. "I thought he'd ask if we wanted to drink a toast. I wasn't expecting him to ask if Dave had a sword."
"But he did."
"I asked him what he was thinking. What would it do to his family, his friends? And he told me that he had stained his honor and that he had to remedy the situation. "
Sara instinctively reached for her cell phone.
"Later that night, we met in Tara's room for drinks and conversation. And I went to bed shortly after. I didn't know until the morning after."
Sara dialed the morgue number.
"Robbins," the familiar voice said.
"It's Sara. Is Grissom in there?"
"Yes," the coroner said.
"I'm coming down. I think we might have something."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"And she said that she didn't find out until the morning after," Sara concluded. "But something's not right, Grissom. She heard Michael ask Dave if he had a sword in his room. She had to have known what he was planning to do."
"What are you getting at, Sara?"
"Think about it, Grissom. Say I'm bummed over getting rejected for some position. Say I ask you if there's a knife in the breakroom. Say you just go back to your townhouse and don't check to see if I'm okay. What's wrong with this picture?"
"I don't follow," Grissom said.
"I just gave you the answer. Nicole met the others for drinks, right? What did she do afterwards?"
"She went back to her hotel room and slept."
"Exactly, Grissom. She went back to her hotel room. Doesn't that sound just a little fishy to you?"