Trick or Treat
A breezy October night, Nick is sitting in the break room reading the flyer on the table.
Annual Halloween Party
When: Oct 31
Where: The Luxor
Time: 10:30- whenever you get tired
Host: Catherine Willows
R.S.V.P. 702-387-5526
P.S must dress up
He is wearing a blue polo shirt with dark blue jeans, Warrick walks in to meet him followed by Sara. Warrick is wearing black shirt and dark blue jeans. Sara is wearing a red long sleeve shirt and black slacks.
"So what is everyone coming as?" Nick asks holding up the flyer from the table
"We have to dress up?" Sara asks
"Yeah, that's all the fun." Warrick replies.
Sara sits down across the table from Nick.
"I guess I'll be a scientist." Sara replies to Nick's question
"Sara, you are a scientist, you gotta be something other than your profession." Nick says smiling at her
"Oh, ok I'll be a..... witch." Sara replies
"Fits your perfectly." Warrick says making himself a cup of coffee and joining Sara across from Nick.
"Hey! So who's hosting this thing?" Sara asks taking the flyer away from Nick.
"Catherine and Grissom, they or rather she decided to do it again this year. Technically it is supposed to be organized by the supervisor but since Grissom is bad with people and he doesn't have the slightest clue as to how to throw together a party he has Catherine making all the shots." Nick explains.
"Poor Catherine." Sara says, "That's what you get for marrying the boss." taking a quick drink from her coffee realizing that she just said that
Nick and Warrick shoot Sara a look.
"Sara, they're not married." Nick says calmly realizing that he hit a soft spot with Sara.
"Well they might as well be." Sara says smiling slightly.
Catherine walks in with a basket of candy. She is wearing black slacks and a black shirt, her blazer hanging over her arm. She sets down the candy and Greg walks in behind her, following the candy.
"Trick or Treat?" Catherine says taking the candy away from Greg.
"Are you the treat?" Greg asks smiling his devilish smile.
"No I'm the trick." Catherine says then stops to think about what she just said, "Too dirty?"
Sara holds up her index and thumb pushing them close together.
"Just a little." Sara replies taking a piece of candy from the basket and sitting back down.
"So Cath what are you gonna be?" Greg says trying to flirt with her. "Are you gonna dress up in one of your stripper outfits?"
"Why no, Greg, otherwise I'd be wearing nothing, actually its a suprise. The hostess never reveals her secrets." Catherine replies teasing Greg with her eyes, he smiles in return. She pours herself a cup of coffee and sits down next to Nick.
"What is Grissom going to be?" Nick asks grabbing a piece of candy.
"A mad scientist, Dr. Frakenstein, original huh?" Catherine replies taking a sip of her hot coffee.
Sara's eyes light up and she sits forward in her chair.
"HEY! I wanted to be a scientist, but they wouldn't let me." Sara exclaims.
"Be original, at least Gil is gonna be mad." Catherine replies taking a piece of chocolate, unwrapping it and putting it in her coffee. "Nothing like chocolate and caffeine to start a shift."
"Fine, fine." Sara says sitting back in her chair.
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"WELCOME TO DR. DEAD'S HOUSE OF HORROR!" the crypt keeper yells taking the money of two boys letting them in.
"Dude, this is awesome." One boy exclaims running through the haunted house, his friend follows closely behind.
"Billy don't leave me." the second boy says. His friend returns to him.
"Kyle it'll be ok." Billy says. "Come on I've been in this one a hundred times. Look there is this guy here." Billy says pulling his friend through the house pointing to all the scary guys.
They come across a body unfamiliar to Billy.
"This one must be new, look at how real it looks." Billy says
"Yeah, they have good makeup artists." Kyle says shaking the body.
As soon as he shakes the body, the head falls off rolling on the floor, eyes still open.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" they scream running out of the haunted house.
Grissom enters the building and sees everyone sitting in the break room contemplating the party.
"Sorry to interrupt your party planning, but we've got a DB." Grissom says getting everyone's attention
"Where?" Nick asks taking one more piece of candy.
"In the perfect place to hide a dead body." Grissom says.
"Where?" Nick asks again standing up from the table.
"In a haunted house filled with fake dead bodies and screams coming from every which way." Grissom replies.
Catherine stands up joining Nick.
"It's that time of year again." Catherine says, "You up for double duty, Greg?" Catherine asks.
"If you're offering I'll take it." Greg says following Catherine out to her Tahoe.
The rest of the team leaves and follows Grissom. They arrive at the haunted house, standing on the outside they look at the house. A large skull is the entrance, fake blood drips from its mouth and pieces of brain lay on the ground. They all stand there looking up at the skull.
Catherine and Greg as standing next to Grissom, while Nick, Sara and Warrick are standing behind them. The put on latex gloves and protective footwear.
"We have to walk through that?" Sara asks looking at the skull.
"It's the only way to get to the body." Catherine says turning around and smiling at Sara.
"I hate haunted houses." Sara says looking at the entrance with fear.
"Don't worry I'll hold your hand." Nick says taking Sara's hand.
"I love haunted houses." Greg says
"I bet you do, Greg." Catherine replies.
"We used to make the best haunted houses as a kid." Greg explains.
Greg and Catherine walk in first flashlights in hand, followed by Grissom who looks at every piece of the house admiring it as if it were art. Nick leads Sara into the house and Warrick follows.
"Come on, remember you're the one with the gun." Nick says, "Now don't shoot anyone they are actors."
Wooden walls smeared with fake blood leads them through the house. They walk through a cemetery, and fog creeps out from the ground.
"Now Sara that's not real fog, it's just dry ice." Greg says.
Sara shines her flashlight at him.
"You're so funny." Sara says.
Catherine walks through the cemetery and shines her flashlight on different headstones.
"Freddie Kruger, Jason, and oh, Michael Myers...." Catherine says reading the names.
Just as she says Michael Myers he steps out from behind his head stone and walks toward Catherine, bloody knife in hand, like he's going to kill her. Catherine suddenly becomes a little startled.
"Yeah, I said your name I wasn't calling you, you can go back now." Catherine says pushing him back inside the cemetery.
Sara looks up and sees Catherine pushing Michael Myers. Sara walks up to Catherine and grabs her arm.
"I hate Michael Myers, of all the scary movie guys he's the worst. Why couldn't you have said someone funny like Beetle Juice?" Sara asks.
Grissom turns around at hearing Beetle Juice, "Beetle where?" he asks turning around to face the girls.
"No Beetle Juice, Gil." Catherine says.
"Oh." Grissom replies turning back around.
Catherine turns to walk away shining her flashlight at the ground before stepping.
"Guys, I think I found where she was murdered." Catherine says showing everyone the ground and the bloody trail that leads further into the haunted house
"I'll follows the bread crumbs." Grissom says.
Grissom continues to walk forward, followed by Nick and Warrick. Sara, Greg and Catherine stay behind and collect the blood evidence.
"We need to seal off everything from here, to the exit of the haunted house." Catherine says.
"I guess I'll do it." Sara says as she takes crime scene tape from her kit. She strings it from where the cemetery is, and they walk avoiding the bloody trail, to the room containing the body.
They walk into a room that looks like Dr. Robbins' coroner's lab.
"A room I'm familiar with." Sara says with some delight.
"We all are, but not like that." Catherine says shining her flashlight on the table.
A doctor is standing over a body that is still alive. The man being autopsied on is wiggling on the table and screaming bloody murder. The doctor pretends to cut into him, then he stops and walks over to Sara holding his bloody scalpel in his hand.
"What a turn?" the doctor asks.
"No thanks, I'll stick to living." Sara says pushing past the doctor.
"Hey Doc, tell me something you see anyone carry a body through here?" Catherine asks stepping over the wooden beam and into the doc's stage.
The doctor puts down his fake tools and his victim stands up. He takes off his costume and lifts his shield that protects his face from blood.
"Yeah, but I thought it was part of the house, I only work one section I don't know what goes on, in the other rooms. The person carried a body through there." the Doc says.
Catherine shines her flashlight at him.
"Thanks. Would you mind going with this officer and telling him what you saw" Catherine says.
"Sure no problem." the Doc says following the officer out of the haunted house.
Catherine, Sara and Greg continue walking, they walk through a room that contains a wooden coffin. Mud is on the ground covered in hay, and a scare crow is standing above the coffin. It reminds them of a corn field. Grissom walks in and sees the head on the floor. Lying on the floor is the head of a girl, long blonde hair and blue eyes stare from the head at Grissom. In the coffin the body is dressed in jeans and a pink shirt.
"Finally." Sara says walking up to the body.
The body laying in the coffin one leg over the edge as if it were thrown in the coffin while the murderer ran out.
"Well I can say this for just walking into a crime scene." Catherine says.
"What" Sara says.
"She knew her killer, this was an intimate killing." Catherine says.
"Boyfriend maybe." Sara says walking over to Grissom.
Catherine doesn't respond she just walks over to the wall, shining her flashlight seeing the blood spatter. She reaches in her kit and pulls out her hem sticks.
"What's real and what's fake." Catherine says.
Greg takes his camera and as Catherine finds the real blood, he photographs it. The team splits up. Catherine and Greg take the blood spatter and after figuring what's real and fake, they are able to determine where the victim was killed and where the killer was standing.
"Greg, look at that void." Catherine says taking a picture.
"The killer or someone was standing right there." Greg says holding his flashlight up to the spatter.
They walk over to the muddy hay that is directly under the bloody wall. Greg shines his flashlight as Catherine looks around.
"Footprints, we need to make a casting." Catherine says.
Greg looks in Catherine's kit and gets the dry clay mixture.
"We need distilled water." Greg says.
"Check my kit, again." Catherine says smiling at him, her blue eyes easily seen in the dark.
He checks her kit and finds water and a mixing container. He holds up the materials.
"Everything but the kitchen sink, huh Cath." Greg says taking the mixture and making the casting.
Sara and Grissom take the wooden coffin, the body and the blood that has soaked through onto the ground. Sara collects the blood soaked hay and puts it in an plastic evidence bag. Grissom goes over the body with his flashlight.
"Can't touch it until David gets here." Sara says.
Just as she says that they all turn to a scream coming from the entrance, then the sound of running feet. Suddenly David comes barreling around the corner.
"You ok, David." Sara asks finally someone who is more scared than her.
Wiping sweat from his forehead.
"I hate haunted houses, I see the head where's the body?" David says
Sara shins her flashlight at the body in the coffin and David follows the light. He steps up to the body and sticks a thermometer in the liver of the body.
"Well she's defiantly dead, according to liver temp she died no more than two hours ago." David says
"What was she doing her all by her self?" Sara asks.
"Let's find out." Grissom says.
Grissom and Sara take the area around the body, while Catherine and Greg take down the blood stained wall, they take it back to CSI.
"I hope the owner has a spare wall." Catherine says as she and Greg cart the wall out.
Nick and Warrick look around for potential weapons. Lying around the ground are all types of weapons, a chain saw, a knife, and an ax.
"We'll take all these potential weapons, back to CSI." Nick says referring to him and Warrick.
"Good idea, once the body is at the coroners I'll call you, we need to figure out what tool marks are on her neck so we can narrow down the weapons." Grissom says as Nick and Warrick take the weapons and leave.
Catherine and Greg arrive back at CSI with the wall from the haunted house. They take it to the DNA lab and Catherine sets it on the table.
"Well Greg you said you're up for double duty." Catherine says.
"Anything to get field experience." Greg says.
Catherine picks up her flashlight and shines it on the wall.
"Well because of this, I'd say that whoever stood here was about 5' 7" give or take and inch." Catherine says taking out her camera and taking more pictures of the wall.
"Well that's pretty short for a guy but pretty tall for a girl, that doesn't help us much." Greg says taking some swabs of the wall to determine how many donors there.
While Greg is collecting blood swabs, Catherine fingerprints the door and finds a set of prints.
"We've got prints. I'll run them through AFIS." Catherine says leaving the lab.
"I'll stick to DNA." Greg says looking up to see Catherine no longer standing there. "She gets more and more like Grissom everyday." he finishes going back to his wall.
Sara and Grissom return to CSI also, they bring in the bloody hay, the wooden coffin and other evidence to be processed. They take the hay to Greg.
"Hey Greg, we need you to see if this is victim blood or killer blood or both." Sara says dumping the hay onto another clear table.
"Sure I've got nothing else to do." Greg says putting down his swabs so he can seep through the hay.
"Great thanks." Sara says as she and Grissom take the coffin into another room.
Nick and Warrack come back as well, they walk into Greg's lab and stop before entering.
"Don't come in, don't have time for you right now." Greg say holding up a hand to stop them from entering.
"Sorry boss." Nick says stepping out. "We'll do it ourselves, Warrick you got your luminal." Nick says.
"Yeah. Always." Warrick replies.
"Ready to do it in bulk again." Nick says holding up all the weapons.
"I'm all over it." Warrick says following Nick into another lab.
They walk in the lab and set the weapons on the table, turning on the light. They get out their luminal and spray it on the blades of the weapons. Only one florescent, the knife.
"Looks like we found our murder weapon." Nick says as he takes a swab and swabs the blood off the knife. "Now I'll get this to Greg, this won't take him long." Nick says leaving with the swab.
When he leaves Warrick pulls out his brush and print powder and proceeds to print the knife. He finds one set of prints, and takes it to Mandy in the fingerprint lab.
Warrick walks into the print lab to find Catherine already there.
"Hey Cath, what's up." Warrick says.
"Nothing my prints were a miss." Catherine says.
"Damn, sorry." Warrick says "Mandy give me something dandy." Warrick says handing Mandy the prints from the knife.
"I'll try." Mandy replies.
"Where are you going next?" Warrick asks Catherine.
"I'm going to meet Grissom in autopsy." Catherine replies leaving the print lab.
Catherine arrives in the coroner's lab.
"Sup Doc." she says walking in and finding Grissom and Doc Robbins already hard a work.
"Hi Catherine, I was just informing Gil of my findings. The knife cut her carotid artery, the killer slit her throat from right to left. I'd say your killer is left handed, and since lefty's are few and far between you're search is already narrowed." Robbins says.
Catherine picks up the girls hands.
"No defensive wounds." Catherine observes.
"No she was attacked from behind." Robbins explains.
"Gil, was there any id on the vic?" Catherine asks.
"Yeah, her name is Cali Procter, she's 18." Grissom replies "Hey why don't you take Sara and go to the mother's house, see if she knew who Cali was with last night." Grissom says
"Yeah, all right." Catherine replies leaving the lab and going to find Sara.
Catherine turns the corner and runs into Sara.
"Hello." Catherine says.
"Hey, what's up?" Sara asks.
"We're gonna go talk to the mother." Catherine says.
"Ok." Sara replies.
Catherine and Sara leave CSI and meet Brass at the mother's house.
They arrive at a two story house, a jack-o-lantern sits on the front porch and the front yard has been turned into a grave yard.
"Lindsay is doing the same thing on our house." Catherine says.
"You like Halloween?" Sara asks.
"Yeah, its one of my favorite holidays besides Christmas, but Lindsay really gets into it, the house is decorated every year, and ever year I spend more money on decorations." Catherine says. "'Mommy it's gotta be better than last year, come on' Lindsay always says to me." Catherine finishes as they walk to the front door.
"Can I help you?" A woman asks.
"Mrs. Procter, I'm Sara Sidle and this is Catherine Willows we're with the crime lab, we have some bad news." Sara begins.
"Oh my God, is it Cali what happened?" Mrs.Procter asks.
"Mrs, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but Cali has been killed." Catherine says gently.
"Oh my God!" Mrs. Procter begins to cry.
"We need to ask you a few questions." Catherine says
"Sure come in please." Mrs. Procter says letting Catherine and Sara into her house.
They are shown into the living room and Mrs. Procter sits down next to her husband, while Catherine and Sara sit across from them.
"Do you know where your daughter was last night?" Sara asks.
"The reason we ask is because your daughter was found alone, did she go alone?" Catherine asks.
"No, she was spending the night with her best friend Alex Alexander, I think she said that they were going to go to a haunted house. Where did you find her?" Mrs. Roberts inquirers
"In a haunted house." Catherine replies "Do you have Alex's number and address?" Catherine asks.
"Yes of course." Mrs.Procter replies leaving the living room for a moment then returning with an address book. "I never got used to those palmpilots, old fashion address books work for me." she says handing it to Catherine.
"Thank you." Catherine says taking the address book and writing down the girls address and number. "We'll give Alex a visit see if she knows who did this."
"Does your daughter have a boyfriend?" Sara asks.
"Yes, Tim Cochrane, I have his number and address too. What haunted house did you say she was in?" Mrs. Procter says.
"Dr. Dead's House of Horror." Catherine replies and Mrs.Procter begins sobbing uncontrollably.
"Her boyfriend works there." Mrs.Procter replies.
Catherine and Sara look at eachother like "how'd we miss that," they thank Mr. and Mrs. Procter and are shown out of the house.
"Lets talk to the best friend first." Sara says jumping into Catherine's Tahoe.
"Yeah." Catherine says starting the car and driving to the best fiends house.
They drive a few blocks and arrive to a single story house, decorated very similar to the Procter's house.
"Best friends think and act alike." Catherine says as they walk up to the front door.
"Mrs.Alexandar we are from the Las Vegas Crime Lab and we need to speak with your daughter." Catherine says to the woman who answers the door.
"What's this all about." Mrs. Alexander asks.
"Cali Procter has been killed and we understand that your daughter was the last to see her, may we speak with her please?" Sara replies
"Yes come in, she's in her room. Alex!" Mrs.Alexander yells down a hall.
"Yeah." a girl answers.
"There are people here who need to talk to you." Mrs. Alexander replies.
A girl about 5' 7" walks down the hall, brown hair and brown eyes, she is wearing jeans and a blue shirt.
"Hi Alex, I'm Catherine Willows and this is Sara Sidle, we need to ask you some questions about your friend." Catherine explains.
Alex swallows hard and sits down in a nearby chair.
"Your friend was found dead in a haunted house. Did you go with her?" Sara asks
Alex begins crying, she brushes tears off her face and looks back at Catherine not Sara.
"Yes, we went together." Alex replies.
"And what, you lost her?" Catherine asks
"Well no, we turned a corner and I looked back and she was gone, I thought she went to find her boyfriend. He works there, you know." Alex replies
"Yes we know." Sara says.
Alex's face turns from being sad to angry. "She's always doing that." she snaps.
"Doing what?" Catherine questions
"Leaving me for Tim." Alex replies
"That obviously makes you mad." Sara observes.
"Well at first yes but now, no its ok I just want her to be happy, it's my fault I should've realized her disappearing." Alex says starting to cry again. "Look I've got to call Cali's mom, are we done?"
"Sure we'll be in touch." Catherine says as they leave the house.
They get into Catherine's Tahoe and just sit. Suddenly Catherine's cell phone rings, she picks up and the volume is up so loud that Sara can hear the person on the other end talking to Catherine.
"Hi dear." Grissom says, at hearing that Sara rolls her eyes in disgust.
"Hi Gil." Catherine replies looking over at Sara. "What have you got?" she asks
"The blood from the door, the hay, and the knife all belong to the vic, we also found an unknown donor on the knife suggesting the killer cut themselves. The prints on the handle came back also unknown." Grissom replies.
"Cool, we're on the way to the boyfriend's house now." Catherine says.
"Ok let me know." Grissom says hanging up the phone.
"Let's go talk to Tim." Sara replies as Catherine drives heading for his house.
They arrive at Tim's house and walk up to the front door. Catherine knocks on the door and a woman answers.
"Can I help you ladies?" the woman asks.
"We're from the Vegas Crime Lab, we need to talk to your son." Catherine says cutting the introductions.
"Oh, ok come in, what is this all about?" the woman asks letting them in the house.
"We are investigation the murder of Cali Procter, we understand he was your son's girlfriend." Sara says.
The woman leaves for a minute and comes back with her son. A young man about 5' 8" walks next to his mother, brown hair and brown eyes he is wearing jeans and a black t-shirt.
"Tim Cochrane." Catherine says.
"Yeah." Tim replies.
"We have bad news, Cali has been killed and her body was found in your haunted house." Catherine says.
"Oh, no Cali, I loved her" Tim replies sitting down in a chair.
"Can you tell us where you were last night?" Sara asks.
"It was my night off, I...uh...I...uh... Oh!... I went out with some of my friends." Tim explains.
"Well we need to talk to those friends." Catherine replies.
"Sure I'll get you their numbers." Tim says leaving and going to his room, he returns with a list of names and numbers.
"Thank you." Catherine replies holding open a minlla evenlope as Tim slides the paper into it, Catherine seals it shut.
"We'll be in touch." Sara says as they leave the house.
They get back in the Tahoe and drive back to CSI, jobs done for now.
"So what's with this party thing?" Sara asks as they drive back to CSI.
"Did you read the invite?" Catherine asks.
"Yeah." Sara replies
"Well, that's all you need to know." Catherine says.
"Oh, so why are you doing it and not Grissom?" Sara questions.
Catherine just looks at her. Catherine knows that Sara is somewhat jealous of the healthy relationship between her and Grissom, and for some reason Sara can't seem to make the same connection with Grissom that Catherine has.
"Well, he got the e-mail from the department asking him if he wanted to have the party. He wasn't going to do it because he hasn't a clue as to how to throw a party and he knew I did, so he asked me to head it up. Is that a problem?" Catherine says.
"No it just seems that he is always giving you the lead, the lead in planning the party, the lead on high profile cases.. what's next is he gonna give you his job too." Sara says.
"Come on, Sara. You don't know Gil like you think. He is constantly testing people, I know sometimes its not right and he could be nicer and less of a bully but that's the only way he knows. He asked me to host the party because he knew I'd want to and he knew I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Sara, its just a party one night only. Don't do this job because you want to impress anyone, do it for the victims and their families. That's why I do this job, and that's why I get the cases. The reason you and Nick wanted the Julie Waters' case was because you knew it would put you on the front lines for the promotion. I love promotions don't get me wrong but not why I do this job." Catherine finishes
"Sometimes I feel like I'm being overlooked because of you." Sara replies.
"I know and that's not my fault." Catherine replies.
"You just seem to have this great relationship with Grissom and it's like no one else can be included in the group that the two of your have formed. He treats you like an equal and he treats us like employees." Sara says.
"I don't know what you want me to say." Catherine replies. "Let's just solve this case and enjoy the upcoming party."
"Deal." Sara replies and they sit the rest of the ride in silence.
They arrive back at CSI and Catherine takes the paper with the boyfriend's friend's numbers to Mandy.
"Mandy, see if there are any prints on this paper and then run them against the prints lifted from the wall." Catherine says.
"Ok." Mandy says.
Catherine sets the paper down and Mandy takes it and prints it. While she is doing that Catherine is writing down the names and numbers of the friends.
"I'll fax these to Brass at PD, he can follow up on the alibi." Catherine says leaving the print lab.
Mandy dusts the paper and finds a set of prints, she runs them through the system and gets a hit, she immediately calls Catherine.
"Yeah." Catherine answers.
"Got a hit, the prints match prints on the wall but the blood was on top of the prints so he was there not long before she died." Mandy says.
"Thanks." Catherine says hanging up the phone.
She walks into Grissom office and sees him sitting at his desk.
"He the boyfriend's prints were on the wall, I think we've got enough to bring him in." Catherine says.
"Ok I'll call Brass." Grissom says picking up the phone.
They bring Tim into an interrogation room and sit him there waiting for Catherine and Nick. They arrive and enter the room, the only evidence they currently have in their hands.
"Tim we know you were at the haunted house last night, your prints were on the wall covered in Cali's blood." Catherine begins. "Why would you lie if you have nothing to hide?" Catherine asks.
Nick thinks to himself.
"I think I know." Nick replies. "You wanted us to believe you were out with your friends because you were at the haunted house with someone other than Cali, right." Nick says.
Tim's face relaxes.
"Yeah, we never agreed on a monogomous relationship." Tim replies.
"You're not a murderer, you are a creep of a different sort." Catherine replies.
"I took Emily my other girlfriend to the haunted house at 8 on my day off, but at the time there was no blood on that wall. We were walking through the house and we found a dark place." Tim begins.
"I bet that was hard to find in a haunted house." Catherine says sarcastically.
"And I pinned her against that wall and we were..... you know." Tim says.
"Spare us the details." Catherine replies holding up her hand for him to stop talking.
"I didn't kill Cali, I swear, Emily and I left the haunted house and Alex and Cali must have come in soon after we left." Tim says. "You can ask Emily, we went to a movie then out to eat, I wasn't even near the haunted house past 8:30." Tim concludes.
"We don't have anything to hold him." Brass says, "Thanks you can go."
Tim gets up and leaves the interrogation room.
"Well then our only other suspect is 5' 7" and Cali's bestfriend." Catherine says
"Lets go get Alex." Nick replies.
They inform Brass and Brass goes to the judge to secure a warrant for Alex's fingerprints. Brass goes to her house and transports her along with her parents down to PD so Alex can be fingerprinted. Catherine makes her 10 card and faxes them to Mandy. They sit in the interrogation room and wait for the results. Suddenly a message prints out along with the evidence. Two fingerprints are on a piece of paper with the words match on the bottom of each print. The note reads.
"The girl's prints match the prints on the knife."
Then out prints the picture of the prints on the knife. Catherine takes the papers and lays them infront of Alex.
"These are the prints from your left hand we have matched them to a set of prints on a knife that was used to kill Cali. So what you didn't like her having a boyfriend so you killed her?" Catherine says.
Alex's face turns cold with anger.
"Since she's been with Tim she's blown me off so much, its always the same thing. Sorry Alex, Tim has invited me to a concert, or Tim and I are going to a movie she didn't even know that the bastard was cheating on her. I knew, she was so busy blowing me off that she didn't take a good look at the "love of her life."
"Not only did you kill her but you tried to frame Tim for the murder." Nick says. "You screwed up, people usually plan up to a murder but rarely do they plan after one. I'd say that's what you did." Nick concludes.
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Alex and Cali enter the haunted house. Cali walks in front of Alex, and Alex slowly follows Cali. They walk to the first scene, the graveyard, and before Michael Myers can come up from behind his headstone, Alex pulls out the knife from her pocket. She runs up behind Cali and slits her throat from behind. Cali quickly grabs her neck as Alex hits her over the head knocking her out, she carries Cali through the haunted house, past the doc's autopsy room and into the room with the wooden coffin. She throws Cali into the coffin and proceeds to cut off her head. When she does this arterial spray, sprays on the wall and gets on her clothes, when Alex thinks she's done enough she runs out dropping the knife behind her. She runs out of the haunted house with blood on her shirt but because people think its part of the scare no one notices. She goes home throws away her clothes and stays in her room.
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"I hope you understand that you killed someone's daughter, someone's friend and as far as she knew someone's girlfriend. Yeah you wanted her to be happy, I wonder if Cali is happy dead." Catherine says as an officer comes up behind Alex, arrests her and reads her her rights.
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Catherine spends the rest of the week decorating the Egyptian Ballroom she has rented. She and Lindsay go out and buy most of the decorations and the rest of the decorations are donations from the hotel/casino. The Ballroom is amazing, when they walk in there is a skeleton hanging from the ceiling, spider webs almost block the entrance. When they are finally inside the room straight ahead is the stages where the band is setting up, to the left is the refreshments. On the table sits a fountain of bones with little spicks coming out of some of the bones, when someone is getting a drink they turn a little knob on the bone and out comes red wine. If the person has another drinking preference there is bloody Mary punch, beer, water and wine coolers. Next to the drinking fountain is a table filled with finger foods, literally. Sandwiches in the shape of corpse fingers, eye ball olives, a spider dip bowl where you dip your chips into the body of the spider and get salsa, and other foods. On the dessert table are caramel apples, marshmallow skeleton bones, spider cookies, pumpkin face cupcakes, popcorn balls, and a giant spider web cake.
All the tables are draped in white cloth, and a vase of black roses sits in the middle of the table along with a disposable camera one for every table. The chairs are strung with spider webs and dead bodies lay about the ball room. The tables are lit by two candles and the dance floor is the only thing that has some light. In one corner of the ballroom is a small graveyard with the names of all the CSI's. Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Sara and Grissom's gravestones look worn, old and tattered like they've been dead for a while but Greg's gravestone is shiny new, like he's been dead a few days. Dead body outlines are in various parts of the ballroom. Black and Orange streamers hang from the high ceiling. The stage is made to look like a gallows, where people are hanged. At the edge of the stage is a rope and hanging from the rope is a body.
Lindsay and Catherine spend all night carving pumpkins, they carve witches, vampires, traditional pumpkin faces, trick or treat signs, they are very creative. They haul all the pumpkins to the ballroom setting them up and lighting them. People begin arriving, all the people from day shift and half of the police department are the first to arrive.
Catherine is wearing a form fitting full length red dress, a Queen of Hearts card is sewn in the top right part of the dress. A gold chain belt excentuates her waist and a gold septer hangs from the belt. Her hair is curly and a classic gold crown sits nicely on her head. She stands and greets people as they enter the ballroom.
Lindsay is wearing a pink flowing dress, her hair is straight and a tiara sits on her head. She looks like a mini- Catherine in her Princess out-fit. Like mother like daughter, she stands next to Catherine and also welcomes people to the party. Catherine leaves her to greet people and she goes to socialize with people. She checks on the band and makes sure the food is still plentiful. She turns around and sees Grissom standing in the doorway, she saunters over to him.
Grissom is wearing brown suit. Complete with a white shirt, a brown buttoned up vest and brown tie. He has a brown fedora on his head and a huge cross in one hand and a wooden stake in the other.
"So who are you Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Catherine jokes.
"No, I'm Abraham Van Helsing, you know the one who killed Dracula... Braum Stoker books." Grissom says.
"Yeah, I know who Van Helsing is, everyone knows who Van Helsing is. I was just kidding." Catherine replies.
"Oh.....who's Buffy?" Grissom asks.
"Nevermind." Catherine replies.
"So what are you?" Grissom asks.
"I'm the Queen of Hearts." Catherine says pointing to the card sewn on her dress.
Grissom looks her up and down.
"Not like any Queen of Hearts I've ever seen." Grissom observes.
"I'm the new and improved." Catherine flirts winking at Grissom.
Nick walks in and he is dressed as a Texas Ranger baseball player, tight pants, shirt nicely tucked in and a hat with a Texas T on it, caring a baseball bat. Warrick walks in wearing a black and white tuxedo, his shoulder holster visible. He walks up to Nick.
"So what are you, head waiter?" Nick jokes.
When he says that two women come up behind Warrick and they each take an arm.
"Bond, James Bond." Warrick replies leaving Nick and going to the dance floor with the girls.
Sara walks in her hair straight as a board, she is wearing a short black flapper dress, black stockings and shoes. Nick sees her and can't stop staring.
"Sara, I thought you were going to be a witch?" Nick says.
"Well I was but Catherine said be original, so I did." Sara replies.
"Well all I can say is.... Damn." Nick says.
"Oh Nick I think you sat in something, turn around." Sara says.
"Oh really where?" Nick asks facing his back to Sara who checks out his ass.
"Nope looking good." Sara replies smiling.
Greg walks in the door, he is wearing a blue brocaded vest, a gold tassel hangs from each shoulder, no shirt and no shoes. The vest ends in the middle of his rib cage, and he is wearing blue silk Arabian pants with a gold brocaded belt which matches the vest. He walks in and sees Nick, then his eyes focus on Sara and her costume.
"Sara, you wish is my command." Greg flirts.
"How many wishes do I get, Greg?" Sara asks.
"For you, dressed like that.....how many you want?" Greg offers.
Sara blushes at Greg's response, then she thinks to herself and has that "light bulb" idea across her face.
"Greg, you wanna dance?" Sara asks.
"Do I... let me think.. yeah." Greg replies and they walk to the dance floor.
The music stops and Nick walks to the stage where the band is set up.
"How's it going everyone. Let's get this party started with a little word from our hostess, The Queen of Crimesolving, Catherine Willows." Nick says introducing Catherine, everyone begins clapping as Catherine takes the stage.
"Thanks Nick, actually I'm the Queen of Hearts, but Queen of Crimesolving works too." Catherine begins "Thanks for coming everyone to this years party. Enjoy the live music and free food. I do accept tips, so anyway have fun." she finishes and leaves the stage.
Suddenly in walks Doc Robbins wearing scrubs covered in blood followed by David wearing the same thing. Catherine walks up to Robbins. The music starts up again playing a slow song, Greg and Sara continue to dance.
"Very original, Doc." Catherine says.
"Well, this was all I had." Robbins replies.
Catherine leaves Robbins and saunters up to Grissom taking him by the arm.
"Dance with me, Gil." Catherine says.
He has no time to respond and Catherine already has him on the dance floor. He just stands there no knowing what to do. She takes his hands and puts them around her waist.
"Like this, Gil." she says.
She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls her body closer to his.
"See its not so bad." she says, "have you never danced with a woman before?" she asks.
He stands there holding Catherine realizing that this is the closest he has ever been to her. He has never realized how blue her eyes are or how soft her skin feels.
"Gil, Gil." Catherine says trying to get him to come back from Grissomland.
"No, Catherine you are my first and I have to say..." he pauses for a moment and looks into her eyes allowing his hands to wrap tighter around her waist, bringing her closer, "it's not all bad." he finishes smiling at her, and you throw on hell of a party." he concludes
"Thank you, it is one of my best parties if I do say so myself. Gil did you know that there is a rumor around CSI that we are secretly married?" Catherine says.
"I had no idea." Grissom replies, "Catherine, what are you and Lindsay doing tomorrow?" he asks.
"Nothing its my day off." she replies.
"Well, would you like two come to my house for dinner? I'll cook." Grissom offers
"Are you asking me on a date?" Catherine teases, "Hold on, Lindsay.. come here a minute." Catherine yells across the room.
Lindsay abandons her post to join her mother.
"Yeah." Lindsay says.
"Would you like to have dinner at Grissom's tomorrow?" Catherine asks
"Is he cooking?" Lindsay asks back.
"Of course." Grissom replies.
"Sure." Lindsay replies running back to the door to meet her friends.
Catherine looks back at Grissom when Lindsay leaves.
"I guess that's a yes." Catherine answers.
Greg and Sara dance toward Grissom and Catherine.
"You two look rather chummy." Greg observes holding Sara in his arms.
"Yeah so, what's your point, Greg?" Grissom asks.
"No point, just never seen you so comfortable with something other than bugs." Greg replies.
"I'm very comfortable with Catherine." Grissom defends.
"A little too comfortable." Sara mumbles into Greg's shoulder.
"Have either of you seen Brass or O'Reilly?" Catherine asks pretending not to hear Sara's mumble.
"Nope." Greg replies "Cath, I totally forgot to give you props, nice party."
"Thanks Greg." Catherine replies as Greg's eyes move up and down her body.
"I'd let you rule my kingdom." Greg replies
Just then the entrance doors burst open, lights begin blazing through the doors and fog envelops the room. Brass walks in wearing a blue zoot suit, complete with a hat and cigar, carrying a fake machine gun. O'Reilly walks in behind Brass wearing a purple zoot suit. They walk through the doors and they close behind them. They walk up to Sara who gets excited.
"We so match." Sara says to Brass.
"Schweetheart you wanna dance?" Brass asks holding out his hand.
"Absolutely." Sara says taking his hand and walking to the center of the dance floor.
The band begins to play 20's music and Brass and Sara do the Charleston in the middle of the floor with a circle of people around them cheering. Catherine stands next to Grissom her hand resting in the loop of his arm. Lindsay stands in front of them, Catherine's other hand sits on her shoulder. Warrick and his girls stop dancing to cheer on Brass and Sara. Nick and Greg soon join the group followed by Robbins and David.
"Cath, this is one hell of a party." Warrick yells over the loud music.
"Yeah, we must do this next year." Nick says.
"Count on it!" Catherine replies looking at Grissom, "Gil, happy Halloween." she finishes kissing him lightly, they break away and realize that the attention has been turned on them.
"Go Grissom!" Greg says smiling, "Finally."
The band stops playing and everyone applauds Brass and Sara's dancing skills.
"Sara you never told us your could dance, and Brass what's up man." Nick jokes.
"I used to take dancing lessons with my ex-wife." Brass replies.
"I took a class in college, I thought I forgot everything." Sara says.
"Apparently not." Warrick says.
The band begins playing again. Catherine and Grissom take the dance floor, Warrick and his Girls, Greg and Sara, Nick being the stud he is walks up to the bar.
"Would you like to dance?" he asks one of the girls.
"Turn around." she says. He does what she asks, and the girls takes his hand.
The lead singer begins to speak into the microphone
"I put a spell on you and now you're mine...." the lead singer begins..." you can't stop the things I do, I ain't lying, I put a spell on you and now your MINE!"
The band begins to play.
"Hello Vegas my name is Billy Bones what's yours. I put a spell on you and now your mine, I put a spell on youuu and it was strong so strong so strong so strong, your retched little lives have all been cursed because of all the dead men working I'm the worst, I put a spell on you." the lead singer pauses.
The backup singers begins.
"What out, watch out, watch out, I say itapie come on baby up and die." the back up singers sing.
Suddenly a woman comes screaming from the bathroom causing the music to stop.
"Call for help, call for help!" she screams.
Catherine and Grissom stop dancing, Catherine turns her head to see where the scream is coming from. Catherine hikes up her dress and follows Grissom to the bathroom.
"Lindsay stay close to me." Catherine says reaching for her hand.
All the CSI's follows Catherine and Grissom into the bathroom.
"Cath, this was not on the invitation." Greg says.
"Cause this is not part of the party, Greg." Catherine yells back.
"Halloween...."Nick begins.
"Yeah its a scream." Grissom replies as he and the team walk into the bathroom.
THE END. HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!