9
Warrick knelt down and gazed at a single set of tire tracks tht was pressed into the dirt off the side of the pavement. He snapped a few pictures and dug into his kit for his casting materials. After mixing the plaster, Warrick poured it over the section of the tracks that he had enclosed and let it sit.
A few feet away, Warrick spotted another impression in the dirt. He took a few more photos and search in his kit for more plaster. When his search came up empty, he went over to Catherine, who was still searching the truck bed.
"Hey, Cath, do you still have any casting materials in your kit?" he asked. Catherine pointed to her kit absently, caught up in what she was processing.
"Yeah, near the bottom," she replied distractedly. Warrick thanked her and opened up her kit. He sifted through it and extracted her casting equipment.
As he waited for his second mold to dry, he examined the first. The track was too thin to be a car tire and it was in a single line. He guessed it belonged to some kind of motorcycle. He bagged it carefully and put it with his things.
Nick and Sara moved to the inside of the cabin after all the glass pieces had been bagged. "We'll dust for prints when we get back to the lab," Nick had sighed when he bagged the final piece.
As it was near evening, Sara decided to use the UV lamp in hopes of finding blood. Grissom was in the bedroom, processing as Nick joined him silently. Grissom was in the middle of dusting the cooler lid for prints when Nick took out his UV lamp.
"Don't bother. Our rapist wiped down the place; you can smell a faint aroma of bleach," Grissom told him without looking up. Nick ran a finger on the wall and sniffed it. Grissom was right; the bleach was there.
Grissom pulled a partial print off the cooler carefully and examined it. It should be enough for comparison, he thought as he did.
He then proceeded to open the lid. A small triumphant smile crept onto his face; although the cooler contained no objects, it did have many blood stains along the sides. This evidence might help link the Phantom to the seven previous cases; at least, that's what he hoped.
He took out a swab and ran it along one of the stains. Grissom tested it for blood, just to be safe, and smiled even wider when the swab turned pink.
Nick had taken a sample of vaginal fluid from the bedsheets when he noticed a large, black case beneath the cot. Curious, Nick slid it out from under the cot and opened it. Inside was an assortment of medical equipment; everything from seringes that might have carried sedatives to saws sharp enough to amputate limbs.
He picked up one of the three saws and saw that there was an engraving on the handle. "Sunrise Veterinary Clinic," Nick murmured to himself. He bagged it and set it aside to bag the rest of the equipment.
The afternoon had passed by slowly, but it finally ended as everyone packed up and headed off. Grissom and Catherine headed off to the lab, along with Sara and Nick. However, the two couples were asked to go home for the evening. Riley climbed into the driver's seat of her car, Greg in the passenger's seat. He smiled at her, but she showed no emotion.
After an awkward silence, she sighed and glanced at him. "Greg, may I ask why you threw Jaiden's shoes in the reservoir? Are you trying to make our lives harder?"
Greg slid down in his seat, his expression similar to that of a puppy with his tail between his legs. He didn't look at her as he whispered, "I didn't mean to make a fuss. We were just joking around as we used to. I used to torment her something terrible, and she didn't care. Now she's all infatuated with her shoes, which really looked like they deserved to be drowned anyway, in my opinion."
Riley couldn't help but smile, but she knew she needed to confront him more. "Look, Greg, I think she's changed since you two were younger…she's changed even more since that night. I know you still have your playful self, but she doesn't. You gotta think about things a little more. If Warrick had done that to me, how would you feel right now?"
Greg scowled. "They were just shoes, big deal. I would've gotten you another pair."
"Greg, Warrick and Jaiden are higher class. They buy expensive things. Why? I don't know. But we still have to respect their things. Alright?"
He nodded slowly, still not looking at her. "Does this mean I have to go buy her another pair of shoes?"
Riley laughed, and he smiled too. "I'm gonna leave that up to you. Let your conscience tell you what to do, not me."
He blew a raspberry at her, but bit his tongue when they hit a pothole. "Ow, ma tonguesh!" he cried in a piteous tone, his words nearly impossible to comprehend. Riley just laughed as they pulled onto the highway.
Later that night, Greg was sitting in the bathroom, needing a quiet place to think. His nerves were next to shot, his hands shaking. He heard Riley walk by the door, and his reflexes proceeded to make him lean over the toilet quickly. When he finished, he rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, wanting to make a good impression while he had the chance.
Slowly, he emerged from the bathroom, fidgeting with something. Riley was sitting on the couch, a book in her hand, and he walked over to her. Looking up at him, she saw sweat dripping down his face, and cocked her head in wonder.
He bent down, trying to get on one knee, but his knees gave out, and he fell. Riley leaned over the couch to look at him to make sure he wasn't hurt. He winced a little, but smiled, holding out his hand. She went to grab it to help him up, but was surprised when she felt something in his hand instead. A small cardboard box sat on her palm, and she just sat there, staring down at it.
"Open it, if you think that you really love me," Greg whispered as he climbed up next to her. She did, a little curious as to what it was. To her astonishment, a silver and diamond ring slid out when she tipped it.
"If you think that you really love me, then please say that you'll marry me." Riley looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "Look," he said softly, "I know that today was a little screwy, but the more I think about it, if you can say yes to marry me when I acted completely stupid only a few hours before, I know that you will always be there for me."
A tear finally fell down her face, and she leaned over against him. "Greg, I would be honored to marry you."
He smiled as he squeezed her against his body and kissed her tenderly, slipping the ring on her finger in the process.
"Hey, Nick," Grissom asked, "did you get prints from that black case?" Nick looked up from the ID print-off and grinned.
"Apparently, Mr. Gabriel Bronson was doing some moonlight operations," he replied, showing Grissom what he was grinning about.
"Is he related to Blake Bronson, the guy whose blood was on one of the previous victims?" Grissom asked, immediately interested after noticing the last name.
"Brother, in fact. Works at the Bellagio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and the Sunrise Veterinary Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays," Nick answered. Catherine strode up beside them, holding another print-off.
"You know how we found traces of ketamine in Jaiden's blood? Well, I've been doing some research and found that ketamine is legal in the United States and is used as an anesthetic for humans and animals. You'll find that it's mostly used on animals, though," she remarked. Grissom thought for a moment, and grinned.
"I think we ought to pay Gabriel Bronson a visit," Grissom said to them.
Grissom thought it would be best if the CSIs split into two groups; Warrick, Greg, and Nick went to the Bellagio, in case Gabriel Bronson was there. Grissom, Sara, and Catherine headed over to the Sunrise Veterinary Clinic. Lucky for them, it was a sunny Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas.
At the clinic, Grissom spoke with the receptionist, who told them that Gabriel's supervisor was with a patient, but would be paged immediately. After ten minutes of waiting, a man in his late thirties appeared.
"Good afternoon. I'm Dr. George Dobson, Gabriel's supervisor. How can I help you?" the man asked politely. Grissom shook his hand.
"We're looking for Gabriel in hopes of asking him a few questions about his brother," Grissom told Dr. Dobson with equal politeness. "Do you know where he is?" he added. Just as Dr. Dobson was about to answer, Catherine's cell phone rang. She excused herself and answered it quietly.
"Willows," she murmured into the mouthpiece.
"Bronson isn't here, Cath," Warrick's voice told her plainly. "He's off today."
"Right, thanks," Catherine replied. She relayed the information to Grissom who looked at Dr. Dobson, waiting for a reply.
"Gabriel took off for lunch, just a few minutes ago," Dr. Dobson said to them. Sara looked behind him and saw that the supply closet door was slightly ajar.
"Sir, do you keep all your surgical equipment in the supply closet?" she asked, her eyes on the door the whole time. Dr. Dobson looked at her curiously, but nodded.
"Yes, at least our new shipments are until we need them," he replied. "Why?"
"We have reason to believe that someone has been taking pieces of your equipment and giving them away," Catherine replied slightly evasively. "May we have a look in your supply closet?" she added politely. Dr. Dobson led them to the barely ajar door and opened it for them, revealing a surprised Gabriel Bronson amidst the surgical supplies. A black duffle bag lay at his feet, filled with a few pieces of utensils.
"I-I… uh…." Gabriel was stunned. Catherine gave him a wry smile.
"Yeah, we thought as much," she said as she grabbed him by the arm and handed him over to the pair of officers behind them. "Take him to Brass."
"So, Mr. Bronson," Captain Brass said calmly, "care to explain why you were stealing from the clinic?" Gabriel simply looked at the man.
"We found this at the crime scene at Eagle Valley Reservoir. Maybe you've heard of that place, it's where your brother goes and rapes women before killing them," Catherine said as she shoved a photograph of the saw in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel's veins in his forehead were throbbing then. "My brother didn't do anything," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Leave him alone."
Behind the one-way glass, Jaiden and Riley watched quietly. The girls saw the resemblance between Gabriel and the man who raped them, who, they learned, was called Blake Bronson. It was hard to miss, really, seeing as they were identical twins.
Riley, putting her skills to good use, composed a headshot of their rapist, using what she remembered of his face. When she showed it to Jaiden, her immediate reaction was, "Brad Pitt, that's why I remembered Brad Pitt! They look a lot alike!"
"I don't think we can, Gabriel. You see, he didn't get a chance to kill the recent prey. They ran off while he was getting gas for his truck, which we found at the crime scene too. And one of the girls happens to be a sketch artist and composed this for us," Catherine told him flatly, showing him the sketch of Blake. She also showed him Blake's driver's license picture, putting it right next to the sketch. You could tell that the sketch was of Blake; they were a perfect match.
"I always thought that those pictures never did anyone justice," Brass commented, motioning towards the driver's license photo. Gabriel was silent. "Not going to talk anymore? That's alright, we have enough evidence to get a warrant to search your house. You shouldn't have driven that motorcycle to work, bud."
"We found tracks that matched your tire treads at the crime scene, Mr. Bronson," Catherine explained. "That's a very bad thing for you and your brother."
Gabriel spoke up then. "You don't have anything to convict my brother of rape." Catherine gave him a knowing smile.
"I'm afraid we do. We found hairs in the truck, which was left at the scene. A partial fingerprint on the cooler containing numerous blood stains linking him to the other murders. A blood drop on the neck of one of the previous victims. And partial prints found on the handles of the surgical gear under the cot. That should be plenty to convince a jury that he's guilty. That and the eyewitnesses who supplied us with this sketch." Gabriel's face contorted slighty with anger. He was helpless; his brother was doomed.
"I want a group in the back and sides as well," Brass said the the officers that were around him. He strode up to the front door and knocked. He glanced over his shoulder to where the CSIs stood waiting to follow.
When nobody answered, he nodded at the two officers next to him, who forced the door open. "Las Vegas Police!" Brass shouted as he rushed into the room that lay before him. His gun was raised and he was ready to fire as he cleared the room. He headed into the kitchen, where a man was stooped over to look into the refrigerator.
Blake Bronson looked up and scowled. He dashed to the door next the the refrigerator, hoping to get away. Brass groaned and sprinted after him. When he cleared the door and made it into the back yard, Brass leapt and tackled Blake to the ground. Blake didn't stop struggling until Brass pressed the end of his gun into his neck.
"Now why would a group of officers bursting into your brother's home with guns scare you into running, Blake?" Brass asked as he handcuffed him. Blake said nothing as the officers who followed the racket escorted him to the squad car.
Brass got up slowly, rubbing his knees. "I'm getting a little old for this," he muttered as he followed the officers to the front. "Too old."
Jaiden was disturbed by the man's lack of regret. She knew better than to expect any but that didn't stop her emotions. When they had brought him in for questioning, Jaiden was sitting with Riley in the lobby. She only caught a glimpse of him, but that was enough to make her shudder.
"I'll be glad when this is all over," she muttered as they were escorted to the room next to where Blake Bronson being interrogated. Warrick and Greg were there, along with Sara and Nick. Catherine and Grissom had entered the interrogation room with Brass, determined to at least get a reason why out of him.
"I think we all will be, Jaiden," Riley replied. Jaiden stood close to the glass, her arms folded protectively across her chest. Warrick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and watched as the trio tried aimlessly to crack him.
"You know, we don't need a confession. The evidence does that for us. All we want is a reason as to why you attacked these women," Catherine said sharply.
"They represent those who raped you, don't they?" Grissom asked quietly. Blake shifted his gaze towards him. Grissom continued. "You thought that if you raped those who raped you, you'd feel better. It would get rid of the terrors within your mind; satiate the demons. But what I don't understand is why you switched their heads and limbs."
Blake looked at the glass pane, his face expressionless. "She would tear the heads off my stuffed animals and sew them onto a different body. Eventually she tore off the arms too, then the legs. I wanted her to know that what I was doing was for her."
Jaiden felt her eyes brimming with tears. It was as though he was looking right at her, threatening her. She felt her heart begin to race. "I need to get out of here," she gasped as she tried to breathe steadily. Warrick looked alarmed and helped her out of the room and outside into the sun.
Once they were outside, Jaiden buried her face into Warrick's chest. "I hate him," she sobbed. "I hate him, hate him." Warrick wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"He's going to pay, don't worry. The jury'll see to that," he murmured into her hair. "You'll just have to be patient for the next few weeks." Jaiden took a shaky breath, but refused to lift her head. "Then, everything'll be okay."