Note: and chapter nine is done! i'm trying to make sure all my bases are covered...trying to connect all the early evidence to the end here. hopefully it comes off smoothly! thanks again for reviews!
Nick left Warrick in the observation room and made his way into the interrogation room.
"Hey Chris, I'm Nick Stokes," the criminalist said taking post at the table. "Tell me about Don Henson."
"The guy at Skate City?" the boy's father asked.
"He lets me into the park to practice. He's a cool guy," the kid shrugged.
"You want to tell me why I found your fingerprint on the steering wheel of your father's car?"
"I borrow it every now and then," he shrugged. "Especially if I need to practice."
"Did you borrow the car Wednesday night?"
"Yeah, I practiced Wednesday night."
"At Skate City?"
"Yeah."
"Don Henson lets you in the park after hours?" Nick asked.
"Sure," the kid nodded. "He lets a lot of us in. It's where we all practice. He lets us stay as long as we want, especially before a tournament. I was there till ten. I have a key to lock up."
"So tell me something," Nick said pulling a chair up to the table. "Why do we have your Suburban pulling away from the Durango Hills skate park at nine o'clock Wednesday night?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. He was becoming increasingly nervous.
"Here's what I think," Nick said leaning back in his chair. "I think you went to Skate City to pick up Don Henson. You may have stuck around for a while, worked on some tricks. Around eight thirty, you and Don got in your Suburban and drove across town to Durango Hills," the CSI narrated as Warrick silently entered the room, handing his partner another file. "You got to the skate park around eight forty-five. Don knew what he had to do, it was all planned out. You waited in the car while he climbed a tree waiting for Christian and James to walk by. Just as they past, he jumped down. He killed Jason with Christian's skateboard, in the process knocking Christian Shroll unconscious."
"Hang on a second," Dave Eubanks spoke up. "You think my son had something to do with Jason's murder?"
"It's not what we think," Grissom said with a tilt of his head. "It's what the evidence is telling us. We have record of your son communicating with Christian Shroll and now Don Henson arranging for the little meeting in the park," he said reading over the files.
"If all you have is a couple e-mails," Dave said anger present in his voice.
"We have more than just a few e-mails," Nick said. "We have more than a dozen e-mails nailing out every detail. We have tire treads from your vehicle in the parking lot. That places it at the scene that night. We have your SUV in a parking lot at Lake Mead, with a trail of blood leading to the site where we found Christian Shroll bound and gagged. Christian wasn't supposed to stick around at the park was he?"
"We've heard enough," Dave said. "We need a lawyer."
"No," Brass smirked. "Your son needs a lawyer."
"First, we need a DNA sample," Grissom said pulling out a cotton swab.
The man must keep a supply in his pants pocket, Nick thought as he watched the man collect the sample. The criminalists and detective left the interrogation room, leaving the father and son to hash things out.
"I'll get that swab to DNA," Warrick said taking the evidence from Grissom.
"So where does all this leave us?" Grissom asked.
"We've got Don Henson's DNA. It's being compared to the third donor on the skateboard wheel," Nick started. "If we can get a match, we can place the murder weapon in Henson's hand."
"Speaking of murder weapon," Grissom nodded. "Have we actually found anything more than a wheel?"
"No," Nick sighed. "Warrick and I went over the SUV and found nothing. There was nothing out at the lake either."
"Brass, let's get a warrant for Don Henson's apartment. If he's our killer, perhaps he took the murder weapon with him to get rid of."
"I'm on it," Brass nodded heading to the nearest phone.
"This kid's not exactly Einstein," Nick nodded. "Warrick and I'll head over there with Brass."
"I want in on this one," Grissom nodded. "Let me know when you've got the warrant. I want a piece of these guys."
"You got it," Nick nodded making his way back to the A/V lab. He needed to check on the ransom tape. "Archie, tell me you have something on that ransom tape," he said patting the man on the shoulder. The lab tech nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Man, you can't sneak up on me like that," he said taking off his headphones.
"Sorry, dude," Nick laughed. "Tell me you have something on that ransom tape."
"Yeah," the young man nodded flipping through a few disks before finding the one he wanted. "I was able to get a pretty good voice analysis. Using a couple different algorithms I was able to work through the cheap voice changer the guy used. This is what we've got," he said playing the tape for the CSI. "What do you think?" the tech asked.
"I think we've got Chris Eubanks," Nick smiled. "Thanks man. Can I take this with me?"
"Sure, no problem."
Nick rushed out of the A/V lab in time to catch Grissom before he headed into the DNA lab.
"Griss! I've got something for you," he smiled. "Check it out," he motioned leading Grissom into the man's office. He quickly rigged the media file player and prepared to play the tape for his supervisor.
"What is it Nick?"
"Archie was able to clear up the ransom note sent to the judge's cell phone. Check this out. This is the unaltered version of the message," he said playing the original message. "Now, this is the message after Archie cleared out the distortions," he smiled allowing the tape to continue its play.
"Sounds like our guy Chris Eubanks," Grissom grinned.
"I thought you'd like that," Nick grinned as Brass entered the office.
"Hey guys, I've got the warrant. Let's roll," he said holding up a piece of paper. "Where's Rick?"
"Here," the CSI said joining the group as they moved toward the parking lot. "Hey, Henson's DNA was a match."
"That was quick," Brass said.
"It was a priority," Nick nodded. "Let's go get our murder weapon," he said allowing Warrick to drive. He slid into the passenger seat of the Denali, while Brass and Grissom took the backseat.
The motley crew pulled up to Don Henson's apartment complex with fifteen minutes of leaving the crime lab. After locating the super, they had full access to the kid's apartment.
"Man, this place is a dive," Warrick shook his head as he pulled on his latex gloves.
"Guess he wasn't much for cleaning," Brass said inching his way into the apartment.
"We're looking for a skateboard," Grissom said from the doorway. In usual Grissom form, the man began to wander away from what was assumed to be their primary search zone.
Nick had already found his way into the bedroom. With his Maglite in hand, he commenced on a thorough search of the room.
"Hey Warrick, check this out," Nick called.
"A bloody shirt," Warrick said entering the room.
"What do you want to bet this blood matches the blood we found at Lake Mead?"
"I'd take that bet," Warrick smirked.
"I thought you gave that up years ago," Brass smiled entering the bedroom behind the CSI.
"Yeah," the CSI nodded as he watched Nick get on his hands and knees to search under the bed.
"Anything?" the detective asked.
"I've got some receipts, some food wrappers, dirty clothes," Nick rattled off. "Wait a second," he paused taking a closer look at a piece of crumpled up paper.
"What's that?" Brass asked.
"A receipt from Warner's Food Mart."
"The supermarket across from the skate park?" Brass asked.
"Yeah, looks like our boy bought a soda, some duck tape, and a pack of sunflower seeds," he grinned returning to a standing position.
"Hey guys!" Grissom called from outside. "You're gonna like what I've got."
Nick bagged the bloody shirt and sales receipt and followed Warrick and Brass to Grissom's location. Their supervisor was knee deep in the dumpster at the end of the row of apartments.
"Trash gets picked up every Monday," the man said.
"That's two days from now," Brass shrugged.
As if on cue, Grissom pulled out a bag and placed it on the ground in front of Nick and Warrick. He then jumped out of the dumpster and opened the bag revealing its contents.
"A roll of duck tape," Grissom started handing the tape to Warrick who then placed it in an evidence bag.
"And a skateboard," Nick said.
"And it's missing a wheel," Grissom nodded.
"So we've got our weapon," Warrick said. Was that a hint of a smile on the man's face?
"Let's get this back to the lab. We need to match the splinters from our vic's head wound and then print it. We need to be able to place this in Henson's hand," Grissom said.
"I'll get it to Hodges," Warrick said.
"Were you guys finished inside?"
"Yeah," Nick nodded. "I found a bloody shirt and a sales receipt that places Henson at the supermarket on the night of the murder."
"Let me guess," Grissom smiled. "He bought sunflower seeds?"
Nick smiled a sign of affirmation as the men packed up their gear and headed back to the Denali.
There was only one more question to be answered, Grissom thought to himself. It was on Nick's mind as well. How exactly does Christian Shroll play into all of this?
"We need to talk to Christian Shroll," Grissom said as Warrick started the vehicle and pulled away from the apartment.
"I'll bring him in," Brass nodded.
It was twelve thirty in the morning. With any luck this case would be closed by the end of shift. For now, it was time to give an early morning wake up call to the judge and his son.