Note: and another new chapter...this one's a little more tense. let me know what you think about it...i hope i got things right in it!
Monday 1:45 a.m.
"Man, you're getting the next one," Warrick grimaced as he stood knee deep in the rubbish filled dumpster. He and Nick were in the alley behind the fourth grocery store involved in the recent string of robberies.
"Keep looking," Nick said from the ground. He was busy searching the ground surrounding the metal bin.
"Man, I can't see anything in this kind of light," he said readjusting his coveralls, his Maglite in hand. They'd already been through three dumpsters and come up empty handed. Their chances of finding any kind of weapon were slim. Though, they were hoping to get lucky. Trash pick-up didn't happen until Monday afternoon. "Hang on a sec," he said as his light brushed the corner of the dumpster.
"What have you got?" Nick asked rising from his crouched position.
"Check this out. Could be blood. Hand me a swab."
Nick complied and grabbed his camera in the process. Warrick took a quick sample and tested the sample.
"What are the odds?" Nick asked with a smile in his eyes as Warrick revealed the test sample.
"Hand me the luminol," he smiled with a nod. He proceeded to spray down the inside of the dumpster, revealing streaks, though only trace amounts, of blood running down the inside wall. "Camera," Warrick said tossing Nick the spray bottle and reaching for the object. He quickly snapped several photos and tossed the camera back to his partner before diving back into the muck. He had a feeling he'd be rewarded this time.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner," Nick smiled, this time his entire face lit up, as Warrick stood to reveal a Colt .45.
"Wonder whose prints we'll find on this?" Warrick asked as Nick opened an evidence bag for the gun. Warrick dropped the gun in the bag and finished his search of the dumpster.
"Or whose blood," Nick smiled noticing the dried blood on the butt of the gun.
"No shit," Warrick said taking a closer look.
Nick smiled and nodded. "Well, that's one down."
"Yeah, one more to go. Hope your ready to get dirty my friend," Warrick said giving his friend a pat on the shoulder as he landed on his feet on the asphalt. "Hey, Metcalfe, we need to tape this area off," Warrick called down the alley to the cop. As of late, the CSIs never returned to a crime scene without at least one officer on site. Just one officer was a rarity even, but tonight was a busy night in Vegas. Metcalfe, notorious for being a prick, had been assigned to this particularly dead scene.
"Hey, Rick watch where you're going," Nick said shining his light on the ground. "We've got a blood trail here."
"What?" he asked pointing his light down. "How'd this not get washed away in the rain this afternoon?"
Nick pointed his flashlight up. They were under a fire escape. The trail was washed away on the outlying areas, but protected from the rain underneath the grated stairs.
"Who cares, let's just get the sample and hope it matches what we found in the dumpster. Maybe our shooter got injured trying to get away from this last robbery," Nick shrugged pulling a swab from his kit and collecting the evidence.
Warrick looked down the alley where the officer was taping off the area around the dumpster where he'd found the gun. "Hey, Metcalfe, when you're done there come make yourself useful," he said as he watched the cop tie off the last of the crime scene tape.
"Four different homicides tonight and I get stuck babysitting you guys," Metcalfe said under his breath as he approached the two criminalists.
"You know the drill," Warrick said glaring at the man. Nick was busy taking photos of the blood drops and had apparently not heard the man's comment, or at least had chosen to not let it affect him.
"Look at the directionality of these drops," Nick pointed as Metcalfe began taping off the new area. "They're heading south down the alley."
"Whoever they were," Warrick nodded as he turned his attention back to the evidence, "they were running."
"Did either of our guys have any cuts or…"Nick asked.
"Nah, man, nothin'," Warrick shook his head.
"So we're back to our mystery third suspect." Nick stood up, draped the camera around his neck, and placed his hands on his hip.
"What are you thinking?" Warrick asked.
"We're looking for a ghost."
Monday 2:30 a.m.
"Alright, that's the last dumpster," Nick said brushing off his coveralls as he jumped out of the dumpster at the far end of the alley.
"Man, maybe the punk didn't ditch the weapon," Warrick sighed.
"Or maybe we're just looking in all the wrong places."
"Well, that much is obvious. Where else is there to dump a gun back here?"
"Wait a second," Nick said heading back to grocer store.
"What?" Warrick asked picking up the field kit and following his partner.
"We were so busy looking in the dumpsters…" he trailed off picking up his step. "Did you notice that broken window back by the second dumpster?"
"What broken window?"
"Exactly," Nick nodded. "Check it out," he said shining his light up to the second floor of an abandoned building. Warrick followed with his own light. "What if the weapon was tossed up? There's no blood evidence before the fourth dumpster," he said. "Someone had to cut themselves before dumping the other gun."
"Come on, man, you think the suspects were smart enough for that? I mean, they'd have to have pretty good aim, not to mention a good arm."
"Maybe," Nick shrugged looking around on the ground. Finding what he hoped he would, he picked up a decent sized rock. "Let's see," he said chucking the rock toward the window. It easily flew through the open glass.
"Man, you just love to show me up," Warrick shook his head making his way to the nearby fire escape. "Whoa! Check this out, bro. I've got some shards of glass here. It's not much, but could be from our window."
"I'll bag it up," Nick nodded as Warrick sidestepped the evidence and pulled down the ladder and began is ascent. "Let me know what you find," he smiled watching his friend climb up.
"You know you're coming up here too, right?"
"Right behind you," Nick laughed securing the evidence in his field kit and pulling himself up the ladder. "Why don't you chill for a little, Metcalfe?" he smiled at the cop who obviously wanted to be anywhere else but that dark alley.
There was more glass on the inside of the window. It made sense, since the window had apparently been broken from the outside. Warrick was already making his way into the darkened room when Nick climbed through the window, careful not to disturb any possible evidence. Nick collected a few pieces of glass to make a match to the glass found on the ground below.
"Here's the rock you threw up," Warrick noted scanning the area for a possible weapon. "And what do ya know?" he smiled holding up the subject of their search.
"A 9mm semi-automatic," Nick smiled joining his friend near the center of the room. "Let's get these things back to the lab, he said turning to exit the room the way they'd entered.
Nick was halfway across the room when he heard the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked. Stopping mid-stride, he slowly turned to face his partner. It only took a second for him to register the sight of his friend being held at gunpoint.
"Reach for your gun and I'll shoot him," said a voice from behind the tall criminalist.
Nick froze, trying his best to think quickly on his feet.
"Drop all that shit," he said putting Warrick in a choke hold. This made it easier for Nick to see the man they were dealing with. He was no more than a kid, possibly in his early to mid 20s. This had to be Lil Mo. He was using Warrick's gun against him.
"Look, man, you don't want to do this," Nick said slowly lowering the evidence to the floor. "There's a cop right outside the window," he motioned to the window over his shoulder.
"You think I give a damn?" he asked tightening his grip on Warrick who grimaced in pain. He had turned the gun on Nick, now. "You're not gonna take me down for this," the squirrelly kid said.
"You shoot a cop you'll go down for a lot more," he said calmly. There was a fire in his eyes as he saw the anger and desperation in his partner's. They had to get out of this situation.
"You don't want to do this," Warrick said between gritted teeth.
"Shut up," he said tightening his hold one more time. "You think I don't know what you guys do? Man, you're the punk that sent me away two years ago."
Nick didn't know what to say for fear of making the situation worse than it already was.
"You're a real punk, you know that?" Warrick said looking at Nick. What was he doing? "You're just standing there letting this kid get the best of us? Some partner you are, can't even have my back?"
"Shut up," the suspect said nervously his eyes shifting from one CSI to the other. He wasn't sure on which man he should train the gun.
"Man, I'd have…" he trailed off weaseling his way out of the kids grip and pulling out a massive right hook. The kid flew back taking the brunt of the hit to the face. The gun fell to the ground as the kid fell hard. It all happened instantaneously.
"Metcalfe!" Nick called out running up to his partner. "You alright?" he asked kicking the gun away from the suspect who lay moaning on the ground. Warrick had quickly tackled and subdued him on the ground.
"Punk didn't even take off the safety," Warrick smirked digging a knee into the suspects back. Metcalfe was in the room within seconds surveying the scene.
"What the hell?"
"Arrest this prick," Warrick motioned with his head. He stood as the officer handcuffed the kid and lead him out of the room.
"You alright?" Nick asked the room now empty.
"Yeah. You?" Warrick nodded rubbing his hand.
"Yeah. Let's get this stuff to the lab," Nick nodded as Warrick picked up his gun and put it back in his hip holster.
Nick followed his partner out of the room, collecting the evidence as they left. They secured the scene and rode back to the lab in silence. It was a dark night, no stars, no moon. As they pulled into the parking lot and climbed out of the Denali lightning lit up the sky. It was raining again.