A/N: My apologies for the lack of updates. I was occupied with the CSI marathon and then out with a nasty case of the flu my kind thoughtful aunt decided to share with me. You'll see the preview line is not yet in this segment, sorry about that. It will be in the next installment.

10:00AM

"Mrs. MacLean? I'm Detective Andersen with the Las Vegas PD, this is Robyn Mackie from the Crime Lab. We need to ask you a couple of questions about your husband."

"I'm not saying a word without an attorney." Jeannete MacLean moved to shut the door.

"Mrs. MacLean, that is certainly your right, but——"

The woman cut the detective off in mid-sentence. "My husband already told you – he went to the shooting range to practice, then tried to shoot a porcupine on his way home. He admitted that was stupid and he regrets frightening that child. But he had nothing to do with what happened to your Mr. Griswold or whatever his name is."

"Grissom," Robyn interjected quietly.

"Whatever. Now if you really want to waste your time further I will call my attorney. His name is Richard Mobley – perhaps you recognize the name?"

Amy smiled pleasantly. "Any relation to our sheriff?"

"His brother. And after our conversation there will be a nice family reunion, which will no doubt be followed by an instructive session from your superiors on the difference between actual suspects and circumstantial evidence. Now if that's really what you want, I'll go make a phone call. Otherwise, I suggest you get off my doorstep and go find the real killer."

Amy looked at Robyn. "Didn't you say you borrowed a book from the sheriff that you needed to return?"

"Yes, actually, I keep meaning to find the chance to talk to him and return it."

"That's what I thought." Amy turned and smiled pleasantly at Jeannette MacLean. "I believe I saw the phone sitting behind you in the hallway."

10:15AM

"I just want to make sure that I'm hearing the two of you correctly." Brass paused and looked at Nick and Warrick, both of whom were standing in front of his desk. "You would like to want to work Grissom's shooting?"

"Yes sir," Nick replied.

"You got that right," Warrick confirmed.

"You do remember the rule in the lab handbook, stating that working a case where the victim or suspect happens to be a personal or professional acquaintance constitutes a conflict of interest?" Both CSIs nodded. "And that CSIs are not allowed to work cases that are considered conflicts of interest, including gathering, processing, or even handling any evidence?"

"Brass, come on," Warrick began, but the detective fixed him with a glare.

"I said are you aware of that rule?"

"Yes," Warrick replied with clenched teeth.

"I thought so." Brass reached into his desk and pulled out two envelopes, handing one to each of the two CSIs. "Open these for me and read me the evidence tag numbers."

They did and each pulled out two objects. One was a photograph of Gil Grissom, the other a copy of the St. Cecilia's yearbook. The men looked up at their supervisor in confusion.

"Brass, there is no evidence tag numbers on here," Nick said slowly. The detective nodded.

"My mistake. Just like your mistake was believing you were on duty at this time and were required to report to the lab. You are not on shift, you have the freedom to go and do whatever you please. If there are any conferences or workshops in Las Vegas, or one of the neighboring cities, now would be a good time to go check them out, before you come on duty."

The two CSIs exchanged smiles.

11:30AM

"Excuse me, are you attending the Entomology conference?"

The woman turned to look at Nick in surprise. "Yes, I am. Why?"

"A friend of mine was at the conference as well, a Dr. Gil Grissom. This is his picture. And he might have been with a friend, this gentleman here." Nick pointed to MacLean's photo in the yearbook. "Do you remember seeing either of them?"

"I remember seeing Dr. Grissom, but I don't believe I've ever seen this other gentleman. Sorry."

"No problem, ma'am. Thank you very much for your time."

11:35AM

"Hello there, sir. I'm trying to find a couple of friends of mine, who I believe may have been attending the conference. Do you recognize either of these gentlemen?"

The elderly professor studied the two photos Warrick handed him. "Mr. Grissom, yes, I sat next to him at the lecture last night, although I don't remember seeing him this morning. That other man – no, I don't believe I saw him."

"So he wasn't attending the conference?" Warrick replied. "Funny. I'm sure he had plans to come. Thanks anyway."

12:30PM

"Sir, my name is Detective Andersen, this is Detective Brass. Were you working here at the shooting range yesterday?"

"Yes, I'm the manager. I'm here every day. Why do you ask?"

Amy held up a photo. "Do you remember seeing this gentleman come in to shoot?"

The manager looked at MacLean's photo, then nodded. "Yeah, he was here for a couple of hours. Why?"

The blond-haired officer gave him a big smile. "Just had to verify some information, sir. Procedure you know. Thanks for your time."

Outside the range, Brass looked at Amy. "So at least part of his story checks out."

"Unfortunately. But why in the world would he come to a shooting range on the day he planned to kill someone? Last-minute practice?"

"Well even if we couldn't recover the bullet, we'd still ask to check his gun in case it was recently fired. This would give him an excuse."

"I spoke to some of the other teachers at St. Cecilia's – they verified he has been training in competitive shooting for the last six months. That makes this premeditated. First degree."

Brass nodded. "Still doesn't explain how he ran into Gil, though."

Amy shrugged. "Maybe the entomology conference. Want to head over there now?"

"Sure. Oh, by the way, a couple of my friends had some time off today and they offered to go over and check around at the conference, see if anyone saw MacLean with Grissom." Brass opened the door of the vehicle. "Unofficially, of course."

1:00PM

"Unofficially, huh?"

Amy and Brass had just entered the lobby of the hotel, where they had immediately spied Nick and Warrick walking towards them. The female detective turned to look at her companion, amusement in her eyes.

"Unofficially. They had the time off and their photos came from independent sources."

"Right."

Nick and Warrick approached them, uncertainty on their faces. "Hey, Captain, Detective."

"Nick, Warrick. Interesting choice of places to spend your time off," Amy remarked. "Any luck?"

"Almost everyone we talked to saw Grissom, but nobody remembers MacLean – including the instructor." Nick shrugged. "Either he had an accomplice, or MacLean kidnapped him somewhere else."

"Grissom lives here in Henderson. Maybe MacLean stopped him on the way home," Amy suggested. Just then her cell phone rang. "Andersen. Yes, what can I do for you?" The blond-haired detective's heart skipped a beat as she listened to the person on the end of the line. "Yes, I'm working the shooting of Gil Grissom."

There was a long moment of silence as Brass, Nick, and Warrick studied the other officer, trying to get some kind of clue from her expression. "I'll be there right away." She snapped the phone shut.

"That was Detective Wendy Bruce, with the Henderson Police Department. She's working the robbery and shooting death of a store owner that happened about a block over from here. She ran the bullet through the computer and pulled up a match." She took a deep breath. "To the gun used to shoot Grissom."