This Chapter is for, DrKerryWeaver, jtbwriter, Firebird Phoenix and ToMyGrave thank you for your reviews, they make me write faster. Keep them coming!
CASE OF THE SPONGE MAN
Sara's stuff had begun to take over Grissom's house pictures of insects and bugs had made way for paintings, Watson had being relegated to the basement and they had possibly the biggest collection of forensic textbooks in the country on several bookcases. They had become a proper couple, with their little rituals for getting ready in the morning and getting to work. Everyone at work had gotten over the fact that the two were dating and Ecklie and Sofia were now the talk of the lab. Warrick and Catherine were sort of dating, if asked they would avoid the question which showed everyone they were actually dating. Sara had almost come to terms with being kidnapped, the odd sound would sometimes take her of guard when she was alone, but the nightmares had gone and she didn't jump every time the door went, so it was a definite improvement.
"Right, body dump in the woods, Sara, Greg come on," said Grissom appearing in the break room.
"Favouritism!" shouted Greg getting up. He loved t make fun of the two of them, Sara simply stuck her tongue out at him and left.
It was cold, dark and wet walking to the body, although the rain had stopped it was like walking through a bog.
"Decomp" called Dave pointing. Sara screwed her face up.
"Not another liquid man!" Sara said causally looking to where the body was.
"Not so much liquid man as sponge man" said David poking the skin, as he did it made a sucking sound as it went back to it's shape.
"Ergh" Greg laughed at Sara, who seemed surprisingly effected by the sight.
"Hey Gris we got bug's". The body was around twice the size it should be and red raw. It was laid in a pond, which probably caused it to bloat.
"Ok you can take the body now" said Grissom collecting a beetle from the body, along with some other bugs lying around.
"Does he show you bugs when you go out for walks?" asked Greg.
"You're not taking them home" Sara told Grissom.
"Why would I their evidence" he replied not getting the joke.
"Hey, I got a curtain, transportation maybe," said Greg pulling what appeared to be a once red curtain from the swamp.
"Cheek for foot prints, rain probably washed them all away though" said Grissom watching the beetle crawl around the jar. Twenty minutes and no footprints later the group headed back to the lab.
"Greg get Nick go with the body" Grissom told Greg on returning to the lab.
"Sara go with so you can get a ID. That was not were that man was killed so we need to find the primary crime scene.
"And where will you be?" asked Sara not pleased at the thought of seeing the body again.
"With the bugs" he said walking away.
"Wow I bet you have the best discussions," said Greg getting punched in the arm for doing so.
"Hey interesting body" said Nick already waiting in autopsy.
"Yes it is interesting" replied Doc Robbins. Sara screwed her face up the smell in here was worse than out side, she didn't understand how Greg and Nick weren't bothered.
"He's being burnt," continued the Doc. "which explains the strange way he's bloated I sent some of his skin of to tox."
"Wait tox?" said Greg
"Yes it seems he's being burnt with some sort of cleaner, killed two days ago"
"COD" asked Nick.
"Shot, bullet entered through the back and got lodged in, I'll get it out and to ballistics" he said rolling the body over to show the entry wound, as he did mud and blood ran from the back.
"Sara you ok" asked the Doc. Sara's face had turned paler than normal and she looked to have stopped breathing.
"Yer" she managed sounding chocked.
"I got a ID through codes, Matt Searing" said the Doc giving Sara an excuse to leave.
"I'll go get a address and tell Grissom" she said in one breath practically running from the room. Leaving Nick and Greg to wonder what was up with her.
"Hey Gris we got an ID and address" Sara called to him. He was sat with several bugs on the table going through books.
"Take Catherine and Warrick" he said
"Your not coming"
"No. You know this was not supposed to be with the body" he said holding up a jar with a beetle in it.
"Right". Sara gave up; talking to him when he had bugs was useless.
"Nice house" commented Warrick. Matt's house was around twice the size of any normal persons.
"Robbery" Cath suggested idly.
"I'll take out back" Said Sara picking her kit up and walking off.
"I got down stairs" said Warrick.
"Well I guess I'm upstairs then" said Catherine picking up her kit and heading upstairs.
"I got nothing" said Sara appearing in the doorway of the bedroom "but looks like you have" the bedroom, was covered in blood, spray across the back wall and a pool on the bed sheets.
"Curtains missing, matches the one we found at scene," said Sara pointing to the curtain.
"I'll see if I can get any prints of the rail" Warrick began printing the curtain.
Sara wondered into the adjoining bathroom.
"Baths full" she said looking "and we got blood". The bath was full of bloody water with drips run down the side. "Smells like he cleaned it but seemed to forget the bathwater" Sara said wrinkling her nose at the smell of cleaner.
"Blood?" questioned Catherine coming in.
"He shot him in there, why is the bath full of bloody water?"
"I'll get a sample" said Sara sticking a cup in.
"OW" she quickly removed her hand and pulled the glove of to revel the skin was red raw where water had run in down her glove.
"It burnt. Damn" she said waving her hand around. Catherine grabbed it and stuck her hand under the cold tap for her.
"What happened" asked Warrick coming into see what the fuss was.
"The bath water burnt Sara" Catherine said looking down.
"The body was burnt right, well what if the guy fills the bath with water then pours in cleaner and bleach then dumps the body. Burring it to get rid of prints"
"Great you couldn't have come up with that theory before" said Sara watching the water run over her hand.
"Well I didn't know what was happening till I heard you screaming like a girl" Sara gave him a shocked face.
"I do not scream like a girl," she said definitively.
"Ow, that hurt". Her right hand now had a patch of red raw skin on the far side going down her little finger.
"I'll get someone in to get rid of this, you take her to the emergency room" Said Warrick "maybe Gris will kiss it better". Sara shot him a death glare before being dragged away by Catherine.
"Nick what you got?" Asked Grissom standing in the doorway.
"Nothing from this" he said holding up the curtain.
"I however have" Greg appeared in the doorway. "Bullet is from a registered gun belonging to a Mr David Right, only now married to Mr Searing Ex" he finished proudly.
"So maybe he got jealous of the Ex" added Nick.
"Yer, but if your going to go to the trouble of burning and dumping the guy afterwards why use a registered gun" added Warrick appearing.
"You found something?" Nick asked him.
"Yer, Sara discovered the bath water burns, Cath's taken her to get her hand looked at"
"Is she ok" it was the first time Grissom had really looked up from the jar containing a beetle.
"Yer, minor burn, but it seems every house hold cleaner was in the bath tub" he held up a bag of empty bottles. "He was shot dragged to the bath, then burnt, wrapped in the curtain and dumped" he finished
"Nick, go talk to Mr Searing's son his on his way in. Warrick when Sara gets back you and her interview David Wright. Greg take Catherine and talk to the Ex, see if she's seen Mr Searing recently" he began to walk of.
"Er Gris what will you be doing?" shouted Nick.
"I'm finding out where Ringo belongs" he said holding up the jar.
"Ringo!" Nick looked confused, "is it me or is he getting weirder!"
