A/N: Beta-ed again by LibraryLady61. I couldn't have done it without you.
Summary:Warrick's in trouble. Sara and Brass follow his trail. Cath and Nick doubt the evidence of their case and call in for support. Sam Starck, a profiler helps out.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Come on, you know them probably better than I do.
CHAPTER TWO
"Get out of the car!" Someone shouted at him. "Move! Hands on the back of your head, buckwheat! Now." A young officer, by the look from the local County Police, pointed with a gun on Warrick. Nervously he directed Warrick to step out and to put hands against the car. A second officer, a fat sweating guy, had his back, while he holstered his weapon to cuff him up. He searched him for ID and weapons but didn't find any of it.
The young officer turned to his superior and shook his head. "Nothin', Gus."
"Well, Jimmy. Step back. And let this dork turn around. He's cuffed, and we are two against one in case, he might get the wrong idea." Sheriff Gus Ferguson said, pulling out his night stick.
"Ok, pal. Do you have a name?"
"Hey, Sheriff. What's going on here? I did nothing wrong." At least nothing I am aware of, Warrick mused. "Where am I?"
"Don't make me ask you twice." Gus stepped forward, pressed the stick against Warrick's throat, and forced to turn his face to look at him. Warrick glared at Gus and smelled his unpleasant odour but decided better not to comment on that. This police man was certainly a bad ass.
"Ok, my name is Warrick Brown, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime lab."
"And I believe you, because…?"
"Well, I don't know where my wallet is. Call my boss in the lab, take my fingerprints to ID, whatever!" Warrick said.
"Yeah, smart ass. You know what? Save it." Gus snorted. "You're under arrest. We take a ride in the black- and-white first. And you will have all time in the world to tell us again, who you are, what you are doing here and why this nice young lady right beside you looks pretty dead. I mean, with that shooting hole in her head and such." He added cynically.
"She is dead? I swear to god! I did nothing to that woman. I have never seen her before." Warrick was shocked.
"So do me a favour and explain what she had been doing in your car?"
"Not. My. Car. Listen, I was…" Warrick answered, suddenly everything was a blur and he collapsed.
"Whoops! Heat stroke?" Instead of catching, Gus simply stepped away and let Warrick fall hard on the ground. The rough underground caused a laceration on his temple and blood started oozing into the desert sand.
"Jimmy, get that coloured crap in the car but take care that he doesn't bleed on the seat. Go, ask for back up. Call Highway Patrol, report the incident and let them clean up the mess and recover the dead body. You stay with the scene. I'll drive the suspect back to the office."
Brass waited in front of the Tahoe when Sara arrived with her kit and a duffle with her personal items.
"Road trip. Great!" She looked over her sun glasses and gave Jim a smirk showing her adorable gap in her teeth. "It was always my dream to do it with you. I mean, scooting." Sara added sarcastically.
"I so believe you. Thanks for that. Pleasure is mine." Jim quipped. "You are obviously in a wonderful mood today, Miss Sidle. Come on, let's hit the road and head to Warrick's place first. Cath gave me the key to his apartment."
They entered the Tahoe and Sara left the parking lot leaving skid marks on the hot tarmac.
"I was wondering, how come that Catherine has a key to Warrick's apartment?" Sara frowned.
"Sara, you're not serious." Brass laughed at her. "What do you think?"
"It makes me think that…" Sara blushed slightly. "…um, that the team takes care of each other. I mean, for help or in case something like this happens." She muttered.
"Ok, let's go prove your theory." Jim answered playfully. "Do you keep a key to Sander's apartment?"
"No!" Sara called out in disgust. "I wouldn't even go there if one day it turned out to be a crime scene. His place is totally messed up. Garments thrown all over the place, I mean the dirty ones, underwear and stuff. Not to mention the expired contents in his fridge." She scoffed.
"Well, that makes me ask why did you even go there first time?" Jim continued teasing her. "No wait, I have another one. Does Grissom have a key to your place, I mean, just in case? Just to prove your theory, right?"
"James Brass! Don't go all detective on me." Sara gave him a short glare while trying to keep attention on the road and to recall the quickest way to Warrick's home.
Brass snickered. "I'm sure you would give him one right away if he'd asked. It's just that we both know that hell will freeze over first, right, Sara?"
Sara sighed in resignation. "Brass, will you please stop that. I just can't handle that right now and drive safely. Just, just stop talking, will you?"
"Sure, kid." Jim said understanding. The rest of their ride passed in silence.
The rest of the graveyard and swing shift was supposed to gather in the break room. Grissom was already waiting for them, while Greg was preparing some new coffee.
"Grissom, you will like this one." Greg tried to be at ease with his superior. "I discovered a new brand from Chile. Comes 20 bucks the package. But it's worth every penny of it."
Greg didn't expect any answer as he realized that his boss was completely distracted.
"Boss, what are you thinking?" he asked carefully, partly afraid to hear a lament what he could have done wrong this time while collecting the evidence in the field.
"Nothing, Greg. It's just that I'm worrying about what could have happened to Warrick and how I can find a way to improve things with S… the team." Grissom quickly corrected himself.
Then Nick and Catherine entered the room and Greg turned around rather furiously. "No. Not now!" I nearly had him, Greg thought. He was again one step away from opening up to me, at least a tiny bit, remembering his not so innocent question about what Grissom would turn on. Something who doesn't judge me. I still don't have a clue what he meant by that. Greg mused.
"What's up Greggo?" Nicky patted his shoulder. "You look like somebody emptied the coffee pot again before you had a chance to pour yourself one." He added with a meaningful side glance to Grissom.
"Cath, Nick thanks for joining us. You all know well why we are now two persons short. And while Sara and Brass try to find Warrick we need to unite and work as one team. I already cleared that issue with Ecklie. He assigned the lead to me for the time being, if you are ok with it, Cath." She nodded in quiet acceptance.
"So what's with the case you've wrapped a couple of weeks ago? That dead woman Cynthia Whatshername found shot in a car, suspect taken into custody at the crime scene. Tomorrow is court day and now you start doubting your interpretation of evidence?"
"Grissom, I know what you are thinking. Evidence seemed to be leading to Will Garner, the immediate suspect, found asleep behind the wheel, with that dead woman still sitting beside him. But after the interrogation my gut feeling screams, that something isn't right here. This guy is…" She stopped searching for the right words. "I'm not that sure that he's the killer. Garner has no record of violence, he never even possessed a weapon. It's just that his profile doesn't fit with the image of the cold blooded killer who takes a quick nap after shooting a random hitchhiker."
Grissom looked to Nick, well knowing that it had been him to first become suspicious with the obvious evidence probably accusing the wrong person.
"So, if we can't trust the evidence any more. What can we trust?" He asked Nick and Catherine quizzically.
"Profiling, Gris." Nick answered simply. "We first got suspicious when we found out that three other cases, three in Arizona and one in Nevada have had somehow the same signature. Female hitchhiker killed by gun shot in the right temple and always a guy picked up at the crime scene claiming that he wasn't the murderer. All were convicted and will be sentenced to death. "But, I mean," Nick blushed slightly, "what if they are innocent and someone else is responsible and used innocent guys to get busted instead of him?"
"If evidence is sometimes not enough we should want to ask a profiler to help out." Catherine explained further. "Gris, we asked Judge Anderson to adjourn the prelim, which he just granted and want to bring in Samantha Starck."
"Yeah, I remember her. Profiled the guy on the child abuse case. Cath, your case. Your rules." Grissom stated. "I do not agree with your methods, but if you want to go this round and Vega as the lead detective is ok with it, do it. And by the way, I have learned that gut feeling from time to time seems an appropriate method to analyse a case." He answered with a hint of a smirk and winked at Nick.
A knock on the door interrupted them. "Hi, I'm Sam Starck. I was requested on review for a suspect's profile." The blonde introduced herself and looked expectantly at Grissom, whom she had immediately identified as the group leader.
Grissom shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like profilers and their approach to work. That's no scientific approach. Always wanted to talk and learn about the people they are working with. They always want to invade everybody's privacy, find out about one's thoughts and feelings. I don't like being examined. I don't like the level of intimacy which profilers are used to creating in their environment. Fortunately I don't have to work together with her. It's Catherine's issue and she likes to share feelings anyway, if one like it or not.
When it was obvious that Grissom wasn't going to answer Sam, it was Nicky who jumped in to break the awkward silence and introduced the others to her. They immediately agreed on first name basis and started talking about the case, leaving Greg and Grissom to themselves.
While Cath and Nick explained the case and their doubts to her, Sam focussed each member of the team with her intense green eyes as if reading their minds, her eyes lingering on Grissom for a moment, who stood with his back to her, while pouring some coffee.
"Does he talk?" she ask Nick.
"Well, occasionally he does." Nicky chuckled.
She nodded. "Fair enough. Anyway, back to the case. We'll find out if Garner is innocent and if there could be something hidden behind the obvious. You know, sometimes evidence is not enough." She repeated Catherine's words from before. Nicky agreed with a side glance to Grissom remembering the discussion about taking a certain 'people factor' into account.
"Greg. Finish with your coffee and let's go, we have a DB in the desert." Grissom stopped, while reading the note and reluctantly continued. "Female victim, gun shot wound. Right temple. Found in a car. And the suspect was captured on scene, trying to escape." He looked at the others in surprise. "Strange isn't it?" and then he turned to Sam and demanded a bit bluntly "Call me as soon as you have the profile ready."
Sam frowned and looked at Catherine who simply shrugged and mouthed "That's him in a good mood." So Sam decided not to argue with the supervisor and shook her head in silent agreement, when Grissom left the room followed by an eager Greg.
