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Chapter 15: CSI: Charmed Style

Darryl stood over Steve's body, shaking his head. "Phoebe, the man broke his neck! Do you really think that would happen just because he tripped?"

Phoebe, Paige, Leo, Chris, and now Darryl stood in the attic, trying to figure out how to explain Steve's death without exposing the girls as witches. Piper took a hysterical Melanie to Phoebe's room to take a nap.

Piper soon returned, joining in the discussion. It didn't feel right to any of them, trying to cover up Steve's death. But it had to be done, regardless of what anyone thought.

After several minutes and several rejected ideas, a small voice broke through the discussion. "He fell down the stairs." Melanie, with red-rimmed eyes, broke through the crowd

Darryl looked at her sadly. "But we're on the top floor of the house. He couldn't have fallen down the stairs."

"Not if you move him," Melanie said quietly, trying to hold back her tears.

Piper felt sick to her stomach. She didn't know if it was the suggestion, or the baby.

Darryl just shook his head. "Lividity would show that the body was moved."

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo looked at him as if her were crazy.

"You obviously never watched CSI," Melanie said, and the group shook their head.

"So now you have to come up with a new theory," Darryl told them, but everyone was out of ideas.

But Melanie was adamant about her theory. "I will work."

"But we can't move him," Darryl, reminded her, getting frustrated.

"Yes, we can. We have magic on our side."

Piper looked to Phoebe, who in turn looked at Paige, who finally looked at Leo.

"How me? No." The girls kept looking at him. "Not me."

"Who else?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." he muttered. He made Melanie, who was holding her dead father's hand, take a step back. She did so, and Leo raised both of his arms, and Steve's body was orbed to the bottom of the stairs.

The people in the attic slowly filed out onto the stair case, where Steve now laid at the bottom of. Melanie, no longer able to contain her grief, ran to her father and cried over his dead body. Piper tried to go to her, but Leo held her back. "Let her be with him," he said. "She needs to be." Piper nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to call this in," Darryl said, his voice thick with emotion.

He radioed it in, and three squad cars were here in minutes, along with a coroner's vehicle.

The police made Melanie step away from her father's body, and she put up a fight. She began kicking and screaming until Piper came to her and calmed her down. She collapsed, sobbing in Piper's arms.

Meanwhile, they all gave their statements to Detective Vermillion, and all their stories were the same:

Steve and Melanie were visiting from out of town, and as they were planning on going P3, Steve fell down the stairs.

The detective closed his notepad and went and talked to the coroner. After telling him the time of death, the coroner suggested, "He fell with quite a force,"

"As if he was pushed down the stairs?" Vermillion said, eyes aglow.

"No, there are no marking to suggest that." The detective's face fell, and the coroner suggested, "He may have been running when he fell."

"Running from what?" Vermillion asked of no one in particular. He made his way back over to Darryl, Piper, Paige, Phoebe, Leo, Chris, and Melanie.

"Detective Morris," he said slyly. "You colleagues tell me you left the station house more than an hour ago. Did you stop for lunch before reporting to the scene of a crime?" Darryl opened his mouth to protest, but Vermillion held up a hand. "I don't want your excuses. I plan to find out what happened myself."

He then turned to the girls. "Fourth dead body to be found in this house. Inspector Andy Trudeau, Doctor Griffiths, Prue Halliwell...your sister, right? And now him."

"What are you getting at?" Piper snapped. She was in nor mood to put up with his antics.

His sly manor dropped and he became gravely serious. "What I am getting at, Mrs. Halliwell, is that people keep turning up dead in your house. And I intend to find out why. No matter what."

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Author Note: Do you like? I hope so. I just came up with the officer Vermillion part about five minutes ago... I think he will gradually be causing problems for the girls. Next chapter is Steve's funeral and a few loose ends to tie up. After that, I have a HUGE surprise for the next two chapters. I'm going to start writing it now so I can get it posted soon. Please review, I enjoy and appreciate all your comments. If you have any ideas for my story, please let me know.