At 7am precisely Nick and Sara pulled up to the curb outside the house of Katrina Morgan's parents. Jim Brass was already there and waiting for them.
"Ready?" Jim asked.
Both Nick and Sara nodded and headed up the short walk to the front door with the Detective. Jim stepped forward and knocked on the front door and waited for an answer.
Nick and Sara both look around taking note of their surroundings. The house was a large 3 storey Mediterranean style and the gardens well manicured and in keeping with the style of the house. Situated in one of the more affluent suburbs of Las Vegas it was obvious this family had money. And plenty of it.
The door was answered by a small Asian woman in a black skirt and cardigan. "Yes please." Her accent was heavy, most likely hired help.
"Yes, would Mr or Mrs Morgan be available please." Jim asked politely.
Opening the door she let the visitors into the foyer of the house. "Yes please, name please."
"I am Jim Brass of the Las Vegas Police Department and this is Nick Stokes and Sara Sidle of the Las Vegas Crime Lab."
Nodding and bowing the woman left the room and returned shortly after followed by a distinguished middle aged Caucasian male. "I'm Mr Morgan how can I help you?"
Doubting that Mr Morgan received more than instructions that police were at the door Jim reintroduced himself and the CSI's. "Is there somewhere we can talk Mr Morgan?"
"Yes please follow me. Cindy can you please have Mrs Morgan join us in the lounge room." Cindy bowed and ran off to do his bidding.
Leading the way Mr Morgan lead the three CSI's into a spacious living area with leather lounge chair and open fire place. The entire house was decorated in a light creamy white with just a splash of colour here and there in artwork or decorations. Very tasteful if a little sterile.
"Please take a seat, my wife will be here shortly. Is there anything I can get you. We have orange juice or soda, water or something stronger if you like."
Nick and Sara both shook their heads and let Jim take the lead in the conversation.
"Mr Morgan…" he began.
"James, please." Mr Morgan responded.
"James, we are sorry to interruption you so early in the morning but we……"
"Is it Katrina… have you found her? Is she OK?" The three PD employees turned around to see an attractive middle aged woman enter the room. She stood only about 5 feet5 inches talland had light but greying hair pulled up in a French roll at the back of her head.
Nick and Jim both stood as the woman entered the room, both being gentlemen at heart. As she drew closer Nick noticed that she was probably a little younger than first thought but her face was heavily lined. No doubt stress of having a missing child had played heavily on her for the last three or so years.
"As I was just about to tell your husband, we have located someone who fits your daughter's description and were hoping we might be able to collect some personal items to make a definite identification."
"Just take us too her, we will be able to tell if it is her. How is she, is she hurt?" Mrs Morgan's eyes looked pleadingly from Jim to her husband. Obviously she did not come to the same realisation that her husband already seemed to grasp.
"Unfortunately that won't be possible. I am afraid this person is deceased." Jim advised her gently.
"Then it isn't her. It can't be. She ran away. She is alive. If this person is dead it can't be her. It can't be.. Tell them James." Taking his wife in his arms, James Morgan lead her out of the room.
Nick, Sara and Jim shared a few looks. It was hard enough to give this sort of news to people with a firm grasp on reality, but when someone was obviously disturbed it was harder still. "Looks like she took it hard." Nick observed to the other two.
Nodding Sara and Jim waited patiently for James Morgan to return.
"I'm sorry about that. She has just not been the same since…. Since it happened. Are you sure it is her?"
Jim explained that they recovered a body matching his daughters description including the starfish birthmark on her left hip. "If you have some personal belongings we might be able to take with us to help us positively identify her would be greatly appreciated."
"Of course, what do you need?"
Nick took the initiative and advised James of what was required, "A hair brush would be our best bet,but a toothbrush might also assist. Also, we noted that her room wasn't thoroughly searched at the time the report was made. If you would give us permission to have a look at the room we could dust it for prints that could be a possible match?"
"Um, I will have to get the key from my wife though. She had the room locked just after Katrina went missing. She doesn't allow anyone to enter it not even me. I'm not sure how she will react." Mr Morgan through a nervous look up toward the ceiling, no doubt where his wife was located.
"We understand this may be difficult for her but if we don't receive her permission we will have a search warrant issued. This is now a homicide investigation, regardless of if your wife wants to come to terms with that or not." Jim advised him firmly but gently.
"OK, come with me please." James lead the trio through the house and up to the second floor. "Katrina's room is third door on your left. I will just go into get the key from my wife."
Nick, Sara and Jim waited patiently outside the room, neither speaking and all feeling very uncomfortable. Soft voices could be heard coming from the main bedroom and then sobs. A short time later James Morgan joined them and unlocked his daughters bedroom.
Just as he was about to step over the threshold, Nick placed a hand on his chest and stopped him. "I'm afraid you will have to wait out here sir."
"James, come back down stairs with me and let's talk about what happened." Brass held out his arm indicating that James Morgan should precede him down the stairs.
Casting a last look over his shoulder he complied with Jim Brass's request and headed off.
Nick and Sara entered the room and got to work.
The room was decorated again in the light creamy colour with splashes of salmon and gold as highlights. The room looked untouched.
"Why didn't the CSI's process the room back when she first disappeared?" Sara asked Nick who was collecting brushes and other possible DNA samples from the adjoining bathroom.
"File indicated that she went out in the morning and never returned. Her boyfriend was known to be with her until 5pm and then she disappeared. Therefore, this room was not really a crime scene. With no body there was no use collecting finger prints or DNA." Nick informed her, his voice echoing off the tiles.
"The boyfriend a suspect?"
"Yep but again, no body, no evidence. No doubt we will be paying him a visit later today."
"Maybe that is who is in the photos?" Sara asked hopefully.
"Highly doubtful, her boyfriend was a 25 year old African American."
"Oh."
"According to the file, Mom and Dad didn't think much of him. He does, however, come from a very affluent family."
"If it wasn't his social position the what was their problem?"
"Quote 'they just didn't like his type' unquote."
"Ah, like that is it."
Nick just shrugged. "I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he hit her or had a smart mouth or something."
"I'm glad Warrick isn't working this case, I hate it when a finger of guilt is pointed at the only African American player in the bunch. I always feel like I have to over compensate."
Nick just chuckles, "Warrick's OK. He knows when to be offended and when not to. How you going in there?"
"Not much to look at. Lifted a few print which will hopefully match our vic. Collected a sample of the carpet here but it doesn't look like the right colour for a match to the ones you found on the clothing. I did find this though." She stepped into the bathroom and held up a high quality SLR camera. "Could be the camera that took the photos."
"Any film in it?"
Sara turned the camera over and looked in the view window at the rear. "Yep, Kodak 200. Take it and develop the photos? Can't find any other photos or negatives that might match our photos though."
"Sounds like a plan. I have her hair brush and toothbrush and also lifted some prints. Lets get these back to the lab and get Mia to work on a match."
They left the room and headed back down to the lounge room where Jim and James Morgan were finishing up the interview. Seeing the two CSI's Jim nodded and stood. Just before saying their goodbyes though, Jim withdrew the photographs Nick and Sara had studied and showed them to Mr Morgan. He had wanted to show the photos in Nick and Sara's presence so they might be able to catch any expression that might quickly cross his face.
"Mr Morgan, can you tell me if you recognise the young man in these photos?" James Morgan looked down at the photographs in Jim's hand. A small frown crossed his face.
"No I'm sorry, I don't. Does he have something to do with Katrina's murder?" he asked.
"We don't know at this stage I am afraid. Well thank you for your time and if you can bring your wife down to the station to talk when she is feeling better, we would really appreciate it."
Hands were shaken all around and the three left the residence.
"Do you think he knew the boy?" Jim asked his co workers.
Nick shrugged his shoulders, "Hard to tell, I personally thought there was a flicker of recognition but, I couldn't swear to it."
"I couldn't tell." Sara admitted.
"OK, well I am going to try and track down this old boyfriend of hers. Father says he was the last one to see her alive. What are you two up to?"
"Once we drop off this evidence we are going to swing by Sierra Vista High and see if we can't ID this kid, and then I am going home to bed." Nick advised.
"OK, let me know how you go with that."
"The kid or bed?" Nick asked.
"Whichever is more interesting." Jim shot back.
"Well it won't be his bed." Sara responded with a nasty grin at her parner.