Match Game
June 21st, 2004
It was becoming endlessly frustrating. She wasn't going to drop dead yet people insisted on hovering! Yeah, she may have thrown up and yeah, she hadn't been feeling well but her headache had gone away with the little nap Grissom had made her take and her nausea was gone. Not to mention she knew she wasn't pregnant. Aunt Rose had come to visit only yesterday. Yet Grissom rarely left her side and Sara must have told Nick and Warrick because even they constantly checked to see if she was okay. She was thankful for their concern but it was getting on her nerves and she was having a hard time getting any work done.
"Catherine…'
"Yes! For the last time I am fine!" she exclaimed, spinning to face Warrick. He looked surprised and Catherine deflated.
"Are you sure?" he asked with a half grin. Catherine smiled lightly in response. She and Warrick had always been close and she knew Warrick constantly worried about her, especially on child cases.
"I can't get any work done with everyone asking if I'm okay. I'm starting to get frustrated," Catherine said by way of apology. Warrick nodded solemnly.
"I'll make a note of that. I was actually here to tell you two things. Your print is back – I think Grissom's been trying to page you for fifteen minutes – and the bullet comparisons are in." Catherine looked sheepishly down at her pager and phone, both of which she'd turned off. She'd been getting called non-stop to see if she was all right and that she didn't want to go home.
"People kept bugging me," she said in explanation. Warrick nodded knowingly and left down the hall towards Greg and the DNA lab. Catherine sighed, leaving her crime scene photos of both the kidnapping and the murders and wandered to the ballistics lab first. Bobby was there, leaning over a microscope and Catherine smiled fondly. After all, if it weren't for Bobby she wouldn't be alive. She grinned as she entered, looking towards the microscope inquiringly.
"You owe me," he said, pushing back in his roller chair.
"I already do, no?" she quipped back, peering into the lens, twisting the bullets until she found matching striations. Lifting her head from the microscope, she smirked triumphantly.
"I love it when there's a match," she said, pushing herself away, leaning against the desk instead.
"To about half of the bullets. I'll do you one better."
"You're never anything but thorough."
"I ran the serial number. Your gun has an owner."
"Jenna Kyriacos?" Bobby raised an eyebrow.
"Who?" Catherine deflated slightly.
"Sister in the case. She was sitting at the same table where the gun was found."
"Actually the gun's registered to a Craig Brent." Catherine smiled at him anyway.
"Thanks Bobby, I really appreciate it," she said as she strolled out, off towards the print lab. Grissom was there when she entered, looking a little ticked.
"Catherine! I've paged you six times!" Catherine smiled sheepishly.
"Warrick told me but with all of the badgering I was getting I turned my phone and pager off so I could get work done," she admitted taking a seat next to him.
"I heard Bobby got the ballistics…"
"Gun is registered to Craig Brent and half of the bullets match."
"Well we have matches on our prints too, well, at least to each other. The print off of the gun," he said pulling the image up on the computer screen in front of them, "and the print off the windowsill." He overlapped them to show a match. Then, he turned to face her.
"However, we don't have a name."
"I have a water bottle for Jenna. We can see about prints," she suggested, already moving to get up. Grissom nodded absently, his eyes trained on every movement of her muscles. She smiled at his not so subtle attempt to make sure she was okay. Of course, the perusal held other uses for him as well.
"I'm fine Gil," she assured him, watching him shiver as his name rolled off her tongue. She smiled predatorily.
"I'll get Nick working on that print from the bottle. Did you want help with some of your leftover papers?" Catherine asked innocently, swaying her hips as she left, not waiting for an answer. He followed her, as soon as she was out of sight, and found her seated comfortably in his chair. He closed the door, locking it.
"I think I can handle the few papers, Catherine," he said, leaning over the desk and watching Catherine's eyes darken with desire. She watched him make his way around the desk.
"Mm? I don't know about that, Mr. Grissom. The last time I left you to do paperwork, not much work got done."
"That would be because you didn't leave me, did you?" She smiled at the memory of christening his desk. He moved behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders and pushing his fingers into the muscles in her back. Instantly her head fell forward as he moved about his task of working out the kinks in her upper back and neck. There was silence for fifteen minutes as he worked.
"I still… oh!… have all of the pictures… mm… from Livvie's bedroom… god!… in a layout room," she managed as his hands worked wonders on her numerous knots.
"Find anything?" he asked huskily, the sounds Catherine was making having a distinct effect on his body. She groaned.
"It seems to clean," she replied. They both knew her conversation topic was a way of diverting their attention to more serious matters but both went along with it. Grissom removed his hands and she groaned at the loss of contact. He pulled her up and took her seat, situating her in his lap.
"We've got a dead wedding party and a missing girl. What's the connection?"
"A fingerprint," Nick said, entering the room. Catherine glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed. She raised an eyebrow.
"The print on your sill matches the print on the gun that matches the print on the water bottle," he responded to the eyebrow. A smile blossomed over Catherine's face.
"Where's the bottle from?" Grissom inquired. Nick shrugged as Catherine stood.
"Jenna Kyriacos."
My Goodness! I'm really really sorry this took so long. I've had a couple of bad days and then I had to finish Blossoming before I allowed myself to get caught up in this one again. Now, however, this is top of my story list. Hopefully I'll get another chapter out for you soon but I'm not making any guarantees.
PS I know a lot of people thought Catherine was pregnant… no. That's the next one. This one's just the wedding.
Kavi Leighanna