Greg waited impatiently for Nick to return. He couldn't keep his mind on his work and Nick kept him in line. All he could think about was Candi and Grissom. They had been in there a while and no one had heard from them.

"Maybe if I take a coffee break, I'll feel better." That's where Nick had disappeared to. When Greg turned the corner, he saw Nick and a pregnant lady in the hallway. Deciding to check into it and see what it was all about, he headed their way. On approaching Nick, he noticed he was as white as a ghost. He looked from his co-worker to the lady. "I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later," he murmured quietly.

After realizing it was probably none of his business, he entered the coffee room. He poured himself a cup and took a seat in the white sofa. He couldn't figure out why Lucas Harper just wouldn't confess. They had his DNA all over the sheets and the victim's blood on his shirt. He had motive for murdering Sandra Collins and lived three doors down. But the D.A insisted on more incriminating evidence. Lucas' DNA was under the victim's fingernails and he had been charged before with the same crime. "He should be strung by the balls," Greg thought bitterly as he flipped through a dirt bike magazine he'd found on the floor. Rape was a serious crime in this country and with Harper's DNA all over the crime scene and inside the victim, it was impossible to get any closer to the truth. He claimed it was consensual, rough, but consensual. He swore in his statement that when he left, she was very much alive. But they had no other suspects. No witnesses saw another man or woman enter the apartment. There was no evidence of another body. They'd been back to the crime scene four times and searched every nook and cranny. Not even a hair or a skin sample could be found. There was no trace of cleaners or disinfectants anywhere in the room. Bleach or CLR hadn't been used. Evidence showed that the killer had washed their hands in the bathroom sink before leaving. They had tested the soap and the only DNA on it was the victims and Lucas Harper's. All was very recent at the time. They only had a few more days before Crime Scene Cleanup moved into the apartment and it was up for rent again.

"I don't know," he thought. He was ready to give up. Though he had a feeling there was something they were missing. There had to be something they had missed in that apartment. "Maybe Grissom will OK it to go back there." Deciding to brave his boss, he left the coffee room and headed to Grissom's office

When the color finally returned to Nick's face, he stared at Anna. He must have heard wrong. Lucas Harper? Not the Lucas Harper? This couldn't be happening. Placing his hand in his forehead, he closed his eyes and went back into the coffee room. He motioned Anna to follow him. Offering her a seat, he placed his cup on the counter and leaned against the sofa.

"You're kidding?" he blurted. She stared at him with those big brown eyes and shook his head.

"I'm serious Nicky," she said solemnly. "Lucas needs your help." Nick shook his head.

"I'm not at leisure to discuss an on-going case, but Lucas Harper is guilty. All of our evidence points to him. We've tried, but there are no other suspects and no other evidence to indicate a third person." Anna's shimmering brown eyes filled with tears.

"I thought you could help him. He's innocent. I know where he was that night. He was with us. He went out with Sandra and came to our place around seven," she told him.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Nick asked as he took a sip of his coffee. She nodded.

"All of our poker buddies." Nick took in a deep breath.

"How long was he there?" he asked. She met his gaze with tear stained eyes.

"Until three am. I remember because that's when we ran out of party favors. He ran to the corner store and was back within five minutes. Sandra's apartment is on the other side of town," she explained. "He stayed another ten minutes and then left with our friend Nancy."

"Can she confirm that?" he asked. She nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of her bag.

"Here's her number."

"How come we never spoke to you before? Lucas never mentioned a brother, his records don't show one either," Nick said, puzzled. She wiped her tears away.

"They're step brothers and we only see him once in a while." Nick frowned and put the sheet of paper in his pocket. "They didn't grow up together."

"Well, you write down the names of those poker buddies and we'll talk to them, is that OK?" he asked as he took a seat next to her. She nodded as she pulled a notebook out of her purse. After she did that, he escorted her to the front desk and let her go. Knowing he had to relay this information to Grissom, he headed for the bosses office. Upon rounding the corner, he noticed Greg standing anxiously outside the door.

"What are you up to Sanders?" he asked curiously. Greg played with his lab coat and pointed to the door.

"I need to ask Grissom something. I think we should go back to the crime scene. I think we're missing something." Nick smiled and held up his papers.

"And I think I found it." Greg snatched the papers from his co-worker.

"What is it?" he asked.

"My ex-girlfriend had some information that we seemed to have over looked. It turns out our suspect has a step brother we knew nothing about," he explained. Greg stared at him.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Grissom's got to know."