DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I profit when I write stories about them. This is only for my personal enjoyment. Thank you…
CHAPTER THREE
"Thank you, Mr. Barton, for receiving us at such an ungodly hour." Grissom said. O'Riley called Martin Barton before they set off to his house to fetch him. He was being very cooperative.
"Eleven pm is not really late for me at this moment." He replied.
"Mr. Barton, we called in because we found your fingerprints all over the metal bars for the aerial ballet. The company manager informed us that none of the dancers are allowed to assist in the changing of the sets. You are the only company dancer who has their fingerprints on the bars." Catherine started as he showed him a comparison of his fingerprint and the fingerprint they found on the metal bars.
"Can you please explain to us why your fingerprints are on the bars?" Grissom asked.
Martin Barton looked at the printouts and then sighed.
"I… I can't tell you that." He replied.
Grissom, O'Riley and Catherine looked at each other.
"Sir, if you don't tell us, you are going to be considered as a suspect. Your career might as well be over." Catherine said.
"If I tell you why my fingerprints are on those bars, my career will be over for the Las Vegas Dance Company."
"Mr. Barton, what you tell us is not going to go out of this room." Sgt. O'Riley said.
It took a long time before he answered.
"I am an aerial dancer for another company."
"So?" Catherine asked.
"That's not allowed! If my company knew that I'm doing another thing than ballet, especially that I am a principal dancer, and might lead to me becoming injured, I'll be let go." He answered.
"But why are your fingerprints in the metal bars?" Grissom asked.
"I was testing them out. One night, I was rehearsing and there were a few people around. I asked that the bars be lowered as if there will be someone performing. Then I did the aerial dancer's routine."
"You said there were a few people. How can you be sure that you weren't seen?" Grissom asked.
"They were stage hands, employed by the theater. They aren't really familiar with the rules the company has." Martin Barton looked at them and asked uncomfortably, "May I go now?"
O'Riley sighed then looked at Grissom and Catherine. "Okay sir, you may go." They watched as he stood up and left.
"You believe him?" O'Riley asked.
"I don't know." Catherine answered then looked at Grissom.
"No." Grissom said. "He's hiding something."
"Well then, you CSI's have to get more evidences to prove he's hiding something, right?" O'Riley said.
"Yeah." Catherine said and stood up.
"We'll call you when we have something." Grissom said as he went out of the room. Catherine was already out.
"Something's bothering you." Catherine said to Grissom. They were on their way to the lay out room.
"Nothing. We just have no suspects." Grissom answered.
Catherine looked at him. "Someone's going to turn up soon."
"Let's just hope it's the right person." Grissom said.
They reached the lay out room and found it empty. The computer was still on the table and there was a note. There was also a thick folder on the table.
"Chris's is finished with the simulation." Catherine said after reading the note.
"Where is she?" Grissom asked as he took the folder.
"Well, it said here DNA lab." Catherine replied as she read the note again. She then opened the laptop and accessed the simulation mode. "You know, Chris is a bit surprising. She's very good with multi-tasking."
"She's very bubbly too. You wont really know that she works with death." Grissom answered as he looked at Catherine.
"I've noticed that she seems to know everything about us but we don't know everything about her." Catherine replied.
"She's just shy that her background isn't exactly the same as ours. Nor will it come close to ours. You know how some people are."
"Yeah. She's from an influential family, super rich, talented, well traveled. I heard some police officers talking about her, and sometimes, I don't know if they are complimenting her or not." Catherine said. "Here's the simulation."
Grissom closed the folder and went closer to Catherine. He looked at the computer.
"That's quite long. Do you have any popcorn?"
*********
"Hey, do you have anything on those glasses we found on the crime scene?" Nick asked as he went inside the DNA lab. Christianna and Greg were there.
"Nope. I have fingerprints but no DNA, which is a bit weird." Greg answered.
"What about the cigarette butts?" Nick asked.
"Still working on it."
"Cindy Ryan?" Nick asked again.
"Well, she's been arrested several times for fencing stolen goods but nothing that might point to it being the motive for her death. No relatives and no address." Greg answered.
"Okay. What are you doing here?" Nick asked Christianna.
"Waiting for something." Christianna answered. "I heard you've been visiting Sara everyday."
Greg looked at her then to Nick. "Really?" he asked.
Nick's face reddened. "I was just visiting."
"The nurses said that you bring her food everyday and that they don't really expect to bring in breakfast anymore, just plates and glasses." Christianna said.
"I know what hospital food taste like. Its disgusting." Nick answered.
Christianna looked at him and raised her left eyebrow.
"Okay, whatever you say." She said, and then turned to Greg. "Just call me when you've got the results." And went out.
"Okay." Greg answered.
Nick sat down on the empty chair and mulled around.
"Nick, we've got nothing on the glasses." Greg said.
"We have fingerprints. We can start on that." Nick replied.
"Yes, we have fingerprints but we don't have a match."
Nick sighed. "Call me when the cigarette's done. I'm going to dig more about Cindy Ryan."
"Okie dokie."
***
"Where did you get these?" Catherine asked interestedly to Christianna, showing the papers in the folder. They were still in the lay out room.
"The computer." Christianna answered.
"How did you get them?"
"Connection to the internet."
"You got Martin Barton's psychological profile in the Internet?" Catherine asked.
Christianna looked at her. "Not really. But don't worry, I didn't hack into computer programs to get that." She answered. "What did Martin Barton said to you earlier?"
"He said he was into aerial dancing. That was his reason why his fingerprints appeared on the metal bars."
"Did you know that he and Alaine Tripman used to date?" Christianna asked.
"Now where did you get that?!" Catherine asked.
"Its there. On the papers in the folder and the surveillance pictures."
Catherine looked at the papers. There were black and white pictures taken by a surveillance camera and e-mail trails.
"Are you sure you obtained them legally?" Catherine asked.
Christianna smirked. "Of course, Catherine. I have a friend who owes me a favor and he got them from me."
"This won't hold up in court if you got them through hacking." Catherine said.
"Catherine, I didn't hack computers nor did I bribe people to give those information to me. My friend can testify in court if you want him to."
Catherine sighed. Then, Grissom entered the lay out room followed by Nick, Warrick and Greg.
"Hey. You're going to hold a troupe meeting?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah. Sara's doctor just called…"
"At this hour?" Christianna asked.
"Yes. Anyway, Sara is ready to be discharged by the hospital. Now the doctor is asking if she has any place to go since she can't live alone."
"Why discharge her if she can't live alone?" Greg asked.
"It's a matter of relearning and remembering things, Greg. You can't expect Sara to remember part of her life when she's inside the hospital." Grissom explained.
"Anyway, she can't live alone because as everybody know, Sara doesn't know how to cook and currently, she's on a sick leave. She also refuses to go to her parents." Grissom looked around to his team.
"So she's going to stay with any of us?" Nick asked.
"That is what the doctor suggested."
There was a pause.
"She can stay with us." Christianna said.
Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick and Greg looked at her.
"Wait, you live with your parents. Do they know?" Nick said.
"Yeah, do Aunt Camille and Uncle Samuel know?" Greg asked.
"Yes. I wouldn't be volunteering my house if they didn't volunteer it first. I mean, I told them about the accident and they told me that if Sara needs to live somewhere not her house, she can stay with us." Christianna said. "But then again, you can ask Sara who she wants to stay with."
"Well, Sara said to her doctor that she could stay with anyone in this team." Grissom said.
"Don't worry, Nick. You can visit her." Greg said teasingly. Everybody looked at Nick.
"Okay, I guess its settled then." Grissom said after a few embarrassing seconds.
Nick, Warrick and Greg streamed out of the lay out room to go back to their respective works. Grissom then turned his attention back to Catherine and Christianna.
"So, I heard something about hacking."
