A/N: Okay, someone told me I always say enjoy the reading, not the story, so this time - Enjoy reading the story:-)

Deceptive Intentions

by Nicol Leoraine

Chapter 9

The night shift was coming to the end when the team reinforced at the conference room. Grissom called them there, feeling the need to discuss their cases. It was easier to do so together, then just waiting for everyone to leave some report. And it also gave them all a chance to get some food.

Sitting around the table, eating the slices of pizza and drinking soda, the five of them were getting through their reports. Grissom was in the head of the table, watching his team, surveiling each one of them. Warrick was munching over his slice and showing them all the photos of the dead body, which both Sara and Catherine commented with disgusted looks, muttering something about food. Warrick grinned with satisfaction and put the photos back to the file. While he was speaking about some fingerprints found on the container, Nick put his pizza back on the plate and frowned at the file he was reading. He wasn´t paying much attention to the discussion, knowing well enough by now that the important things will be spoken of after the food.

"Nick?" Grissom noticed the frown and was curious as to what brought it on. Although he was paying attention to Warrick, he mostly concentrated on the younger CSI sitting right next to him.

"Huh?" Nick looked up, distracted from his thoughts.

"Something wrong?" Grissom asked, trying to sound casual and not alert the others. He didn´t had much success, as all heads turned at Nick.

"Uh, nothing," Nick said, still confused and suddenly also a little annoyed at all the stares he received.

Grissom coughed and glared at the others. Sara had the grace to blush. Catherine didn´t budge, she still had her eyes on Nick, same as Warrick.

Thinking it was best to say something, Nick looked right at Grissom, although his question was directed at Warrick and Sara.

"I just wondered... did you find any computer at Brenda Lacke´s place? Or at Gonzales', for instance?"

"Computer?" Catherine repeated the question, not understanding.

Sara exchanged a look with Warrick, then shook her head.

"No, no computer, notebook or even a PDA at either place. Why do you ask?"

Nick shrugged.

"Only curious. I'm reading through Brenda´s statement. She said that she meet with Paul Mason in person for the first time the week he was killed, but that she knew him through the internet for quite a time now. So I´m just asking - how did she know him if she doesn´t have a computer?"

"You can get to the net on most places, Nick. Starting from the library, ending with a PC players club," Sara said, but it wasn´t the answer Nick wanted to hear and he shook his head.

"There is no evidence that Brenda was speaking the truth. Given the circumstances, I highly doubt it. If she´s right, we should see the e-mails they exchanged. I know that Mason probably deleted them as he was married, but Brenda wasn´t engaged. I think one of them would´ve kept the e-mails."

"You have a point Nick, but Sara´s right too. Brenda could´ve read her mails at the nearest internet cafe," Grissom spoke, trying not to discourage Nick, but the exact opposite. He was glad the CSI was once again concentrating on the case, rather than his own demons.

"That´s a possibility, yeah. But I would take a look at it. I just think it´s a little weird that two people from so different places and economical backgrounds met for the first time after writing with each other for something over a year. They were together for a week and bang - Paul Mason was dead. Gonzales stole the murder weapon, then when you caught him, he just couldn´t recall where he put it. Two weeks later someone paid the bail and twenty four hours later, Gonzales turns up dead. And Brenda Lacke vanished."

"Brass already put an APB on her," Warrick said and Nick was relieved to see that everyone was concentrating on the case rather than on him.

"I am curious if she´s more of a victim or the culprit," Nick spoke thinkfully.

"Both, I guess," Sara replied, thinking about the girl.

"It´s a shame they were both released. Did Brass found out who paid that bail for Gonzales?"

"His lawyer, of course. And he got the money from a "friend of Pete Gonzales", of course, it was an anonym," Warrick shook his head, annoyed by the system and people who used it to their advantage.

"Did anyone of you talk with Mason´s wife?" Nick spoke out of the blue.

"I did," Brass said, suddenly appearing in the door. All heads turned and he walked in with a tired sigh. "What do you want to know, Nicky?"

"I still don´t understand why Mason came to Vegas. He had a wife, two kids. He had a good job in California, but he still ended up in a hotel with a girl he knew only through the net. And someone killed him."

"Yeah well, his job get him enough money, but it wasn´t without trouble. It seems Paul Mason had some problems at work."

"What troubles can an insurance agent have?" Nick asked, his eyebrows arched.

"I didn´t get much details, the cops in California feel a little offended the guy was killed here and not at home," Brass said with sarcasm. "Anyway, Mason worked for a private insurance company. He wasn´t a regular agent - he was an insurance investigator. His specialization was property insurance. Seems like he asked for a transfer two days before he left for vacation."

Nick looked up at Brass who was now pouring himself a coffee.

"Can this be a motive?"

Brass shrugged.

"The folks there won´t talk to us much. We sent them what we´ve got and they agreed to take a look at the company."

"Do we got a list of employees?"

"Trying to get it," Brass said sourly, grimacing at the not so great liquid in his mug. "But they don´t want to cooperate. I have a feeling something´s amiss in that company - or that there´s some kind of internal investigation going on."

"Well, that gives us something. Jim, can you try and get that list?"

"I´ll do my best," Brass said and Grissom nodded.

"Now, do you have any news on the whereabouts of Brenda Lacke?"

"She just vanished. Took out five hundred dollars from the ATM near her job at three p.m. She had to know Gonzales is dead or that something happened to him. Her apartment looks normal, but there were some clothes thrown on the bed, as if she wastrying to pack really fast and forgot a few things. There was no bag or suitcase but I remember that two weeks ago she had a pretty Stratus suitcase in her bedroom. I would say she fled town."

"Whew, how could she knew Gonzales was dead?" Catherine asked surprised at the quick retreat.

"Well, either she was the one that killed him or she knew who did it," Grissom spoke and looked at Catherine, who started to shake her head.

"Cath?"

"I talked with Doc Robbins. Gonzales was killed sometime between one and four in the afternoon. He clearly fought his attacker, there were several defense wounds on his upper right arm as well as raw knuckles. But he wasn´t lucky. You know about the pool of blood I found several yards from the container? Seems that Gonzales fell and hit his head on the curb. Cracked skull, but he was still alive, although probably unconscious. The killer used the time and slashed his throat. He waited a moment, then picked up the body and threw it into the container."

"That had to leave some evidence," Nick wondered.

"I found some hair on Gonzales´ clothes. They were light, so I assume they´re not his own. Greg is running the DNA test as we speak." Catherine looked at Grissom, waiting for the next question, knowing there´ll be one.

"Were there prints on the body?"

"Yeah, I was just about to put them into the computer along with the ones I picked up from the container. We´ll see if there´s a match."

Grissom nodded. They had enough evidence to convict the killer, they just needed to identify and then catch him. Simple as it looked, that wasn´t the easiest part.

"Did Robbins said more about the killer? I mean - could it be Brenda?" Sara asked, still trying to decide if the girl was innocent or not.

"He was able to tell me the killer was right handed, but not much more. Gonzales was already laying when his throat was cut and the rest of the injuries didn´t indicate much. It could´ve been a woman but I doubt it. Looks more like a work of a man - the same one that killed Paul Mason." Catherine said and looked at a decidedly pale Nick, who suddenly stood. He let out a sheepish smile, realising that everyone was watching him, but he just felt a need to get out of the room. The talk about how was Gonzales killed brought back the images of his own attack and while he tried to ignore them, assuring himself that Gonzales wasn´t planning to kill him, he couldn´t really stop the shivers running through his body, nor the sickening feeling in his stomach. He was sure that pizza didn´t bode well with his nerves and the last thing he wanted was to start retching there, in front of his team.

"You guys... continue, I am just... I just gotta get back to the lab." Without waiting for an approval, he said a rushed "excuse me", then fled from the room.

It took five seconds for the others to realise that something was wrong with their friend and another two to bring Catherine and Warrick to their feets, heading for the door.

"Leave him," Grissom stopped them, earning a matching pair of glares.

"What? Did you see him? I bet he´s gonna throw up whatever little he eat," Catherine protested, her mother instincts kicking in.

"Yeah, man. Why the hell is he working on this case anyway?" Warrick asked, his anger flaring. He wasn´t glad to learn Nick assigned to the case of Paul Mason, and as they were coming to the conclusion it was one killer in both cases, he liked it even less. Seeing Nick getting pale all of a sudden just reminded him of the earlier incident at the scene.

"Because I think it´s the best thing for him," Grissom spoke, trying to stem his own irritation. Didn´t they see he was just trying to help Nick? Didn´t they know that worrying about Nick right now was the last thing the boy needed? Grissom already realised what troubled Nick the most and in a way, he understood him. And the only thing that could help Nick now was giving him the feeling he was trusted.

"If you´ll crowd him, he´ll feel smothered," Grissom tried to explain, though it was hard on him. "Give him space and time. That´s all he needs. And a little trust that he´s able to handle a case." He wanted to say more but stopped at the surprised looks of his team. It hurt him a little that they all thought he´san unemotional workoholic, or in better cases a man that just can´t convey his emotions, nor understand those of others. It hurt because that meant his team still didn´t know him that well. It wasn´t that Grissom couldn´t feel - he just didn´t like to broadcast his inner feelings as much as other people.

Catherine still stood in the middle of the room, not letting her eyes off of Grissom, until he cocked his eyebrows as if daring her to disagree. Catherine sighed and slowly walked back to her seat. It wasn´t so easy with Warrick, though. The man was on a guilt trail from the moment Nigel Crane sent Nick flying through the window not so long ago, and he wasn´t about to leave his friend alone now. He glared at Grissom.

"Give him space, that´s okay with me. But I don´t think we should leave him to just deal with this alone. Letting this be is the same as letting him think he doesn´t matter to us." Without another word, Warrick turned and walked out of the room, following in his friend´s steps.

Grissom watched the door close, then let out a sigh. He looked at Brass who gave him a half-grin, understanding well enough what the other man felt.

"Take a seat, Jim. We still have a killer to catch."

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