Dr. Al Robbins stared at the face of the dead singer for a moment before gently pulling the white sheet up, letting it fall over Carly's face. If the woman hadn't been a friend of Warrick's, he would have taken that moment to snap a photo, adding it to his collection of pictures of famous people who had died in Vegas and wound up on his table. Out of respect for his friend the CSI, he let this opportunity pass, and pushed Carly into one of the refrigerated cubbyholes that lined the wall of his morgue. Shutting the latch tightly, he slipped an identifying card into the slot on the outside of the door, giving the dead body the name Celia Walker, just in case any of his co-workers weren't as scrupulous as he was and snuck down to take a picture.
"Hey Doc" Catherine came though the door of the morgue.
"Catherine." Robbins returned the greeting, "You got my page I see."
"You determined Carly's cause of death?"
"There was massive trauma to the internal organs; her ribs were broken, puncturing both lungs." As he spoke, he walked past Catherine to his desk, steadying himself on his metal crutches. After pausing a moment to ease himself into the chair, and prop his crutches against the desk, he continued. "But that's not what killed her."
Catherine cocked an eyebrow at the revelation. "It's not?"
"Nope. She fell asleep."
"Well, pending an examination of the vehicle, that was one working assumption of the cause of the accident…" Catherine began.
"You're not listening to me." Robbins interrupted her. "I've determined that she did indeed fall asleep at the wheel, that was the cause of the accident, not her death. The lab identified the prescription sleeping aid in her stomach contents, specifically, Zoipidem, the brand Ambien. Based on the report" he picked up a brown folder from his desk "which says the only other substance in her stomach was water, no trace of the capsules, the dissolvable coating, it's my guess that someone put the medication into her water. I checked the report on the evidence found in the car, there was a water bottle listed. She would have begun to feel the effects in ten, fifteen minutes, if she started sipping as she left the parking lot after the concert, timing seems about right."
"How much was in her system?"
"Hard to say for certain, with out the capsules." He read the report in his hands again, "Best educated guess is 40 milligrams, or four times the recommended dose."
Catherine's mouth fell into an open 'o' shape in her surprise. "Ah…Ok." Regaining her thoughts, she remembered the other thing she'd come to the morgue for. "Doc, did you happen to do a pelvic exam on her?"
It was the doctor's turn to look surprised. "No. Why would that be necessary?"
"Just a hunch I have. I need you to do one. There's something I need to know."
"He just didn't do it." Archie said, a hint of regret in his voice. Half a step behind Warrick as the two of them walked into the break room. "If the car was tampered with, during the concert, then Peter couldn't have done it."
"You're sure?" Warrick didn't like double checking Archie, he knew the a/v tech was one of the best, but he just couldn't help himself.
Archie almost pulled a face, but reminded himself in time how personal this case was to Warrick. He hid his expression as he sat down at the table. "Yes, I'm sure. Video surveillance has him at the Mirage he walked in at 9:17 last night, and didn't leave until after midnight."
"Carly was already dead by then."
"Hey." Nick walked in, holding several folders in one hand, hanging down at his side. He brought the hand up, almost shaking the folders at Warrick. "Damage to the car wasn't deliberate, it happened with the crash."
"You're sure?" Warrick asked again, before he could help it. Nick blinked, and glanced at Archie, who shrugged in return. Warrick caught the exchange between his two friends. "Sorry. Of course your sure." He sunk into the sofa against the wall, and brought his hands up to his face, wishing the cushions would engulf him, drag him into its softness, muffling out everything in the outside world. He'd never been so tired.
"It's alright man. I understand." Nick said more gently than he'd intended. He tossed the reports onto the table, then plopped himself down in the chair next to Archie. Stretching, he lifted his arms high above and behind his head and felt the vertebra crack one by one.
"You're gonna need a chiropractor if you keep that up." Sara walked in, empty coffee mug in hand, and headed directly to the coffee pot.
"Nope. That's why I do it, so I don't need a chiropractor." He beamed a thousand watt smile at her.
"Hey, Sar" Warrick pulled his hands away from his face and met her eyes as she turned around, stirring the coffee. "what've you found in the evidence from the car?"
"Not much for the context of what we have so far…"
Which is nothing Warrick thought to himself.
"But there was a bottle of water in the cup holder. "I also dusted the bottle, found Carly's prints, and prints that came up as a Susan Renwald, she's in the system for a shoplifting charge years ago. Gave it to Brass, he's chasing her. The bottle was almost empty, but I sent a sample to trace, just in case." Nick and Archie both grinned at the unintended rhyme. Sara seemed not to notice.
"I can tell you what they'll find in the water." Catherine walked in, and slid into the chair at the head of the table. Sara hadn't intended on staying, but changed her plans, and settled herself in to the chair next to Nick. "Zoipidem, name brand Ambien, probably about forty milligrams."
"Ambien?" Warrick asked.
Catherine nodded after taking a moment to analyze Warrick's face herself. "Sleeping pills. She fell asleep at the wheel. Doc Robbins says only water and the drug were in her stomach, and it would have put her to sleep, killed her, in about fifteen minutes."
"Scene of the accident is about fifteen, twenty minutes from the theatre." Nick remarked, recalling his own drive home the night before, he'd passed what was to become an accident site, then a shrine to the dead singer.
Agreeing with Nick, Catherine went on. "So, we can assume that whoever spiked the water, gave the bottle to Carly just before she left the theatre."
Sara didn't like having to say what she was about to say, but it was her job, and she was going to do it. But she couldn't seem bring herself to look at Warrick while she said it, so she focused on the empty chair across from her. "Are we sure it wasn't suicide?"
Warrick grunted under his breath and stood quickly, walking around the table to the counter, grabbed a clean cup, and poured some sugar into it. Sara watched him; the muscles in his back and neck rigid, she moved her eyes, not wanting to see the effect her words had on him.
Nick made a face, his doubt and disagreement evident. "Not likely." He gestured around the room with his hand. "We all met her, I mean, I didn't get the impression she was depressed or suicidal."
Catherine shook her head, considering Sara's question. "And if she was planning on killing herself, she wouldn't get behind the wheel of a car and risk the possibility of hurting others."
Grissom walked in, hearing only the last part of Catherine's sentence. "I take it we have a cause of death?" He slipped into the chair next to Catherine, and as he did, she slid Doc Robbins report across the table until it rested in front of him. He glanced at it, then up to Catherine. "Sleeping pills?" She shrugged, and Grissom began to read further, flipping a page, losing his self in the findings.
"Rick?" Sara's voice was cautious, as if trying to gently wake an irritable tiger. His back was to her, his attention focused on the mound of sugar at the bottom of his coffee cup. Two muscles in his neck jumped, the only sign he'd heard his name. She saw a bit of shake of his head, just before he reached for the pot of coffee and refilled the mug, dissolving the sweet crystals. He didn't answer Sara, only sipped from his mug as he made his way around the table and back into the sofa.
"You've got the DNA comparison running already?" Grissom looked up from the report, and Catherine wondered if that was surprise or admiration on his face.
"Well..." Catherine began, and paused to choose her words wisely. "Considering the circumstances…"
"What DNA comparison?" Warrick asked, the life returning to his voice.
Catherine and Gil looked at each other; like parents on the verge of breaking the news about Santa. Grissom arched an eyebrow, as if to say He's going to hear it sooner or later. Catherine cleared her throat subtly, and looked Warrick straight in the eye. "Well, it was your suspicion of the niece. I had Robbins do a pelvic examine on Carly's body." She paused another moment, letting her words sink into Warrick skin. "There's evidence of carrying a child and giving birth."
"So the niece is the daughter?" Sara asked.
Catherine shrugged, "Only time, and the DNA test, will tell."
"Timing has always been one of my strong suits." Mia said, walking in, and placing herself at the closest corner of the table, between Grissom and Catherine. She held a mud-brown folder in her fingers, and seemed hesitant on which of the supervisors to hand it to. Catherine solved her dilemma by holding out her hand. Mia gave her the folder, and proceeded to share the results with the rest of the room. "DNA's a match, 7 out of 13 in common, younger female donor is the daughter of older female donor."
"Ok, thanks Mia." Catherine glanced down the table to Archie, who took the hint.
"I'd better get back to work too."
After waiting for Mia and Archie to leave the room, Catherine explained to the group, "I deliberately left the names off the samples, had her run a blind comparison."
Warrick jumped up from the couch and stopped himself short of ripping the report out of Catherine's hands. "Ginger is Carly's daughter?"
Catherine raised her eyebrows as Warrick towered over her. "Looks like." Catherine studied the face of her friend, her co-worker, as a variety of emotions flicked though his expression like the lights of a Christmas tree. She glanced toward Sara and Nick who were also watching Warrick's face. Nick was already gathering his things. "Uh, guys, give us a minute."
"Yeah." Nick agreed, "Com'on Sar, I'll…" he was about to say buy you a cup of coffee until it occurred to him it was the break room they needed to vacate. He let the end of the sentence hang in the air, and followed Sara out of the room and into the hall. The two of them stopped several feet from the door, to confer with each other, gather their thoughts. Instead, they watched as Mia, halfway down the corridor, stood next to a young woman with unruly dark blonde hair. The young woman's hands were clenched together in front of her, and to Sara it looked like she was literally trying to hold everything together. They watched as Mia glanced around, twisting her body first one way, then another before spotting them and pointing, saying something to the girl as she did. Kinky curls bounced around the younger woman's face, deceptively giving her a playful look, as she turned her head toward them, following Mia's still outstretched arm. Glancing back briefly to Mia, probably thanking her for her help, Sara guessed, the two CSI's watched the girl as she approached them, her hands still clenched together in front of her, slightly throwing off her walk, giving her the vague appearance of a penguin.
"Excuse me?" she asked, still a few feet away. "The lady said you might be able to help me." She tossed her fingers back over her shoulder, pointing to where Mia had just been.
"Yes ma'am, what can we do for you?" Nick asked, startled by the brightness of the girls blue eyes.
"I was looking for Mr. Grissom….he asked me to wait, but I don't know how much longer I can hold myself together."
"Are you Ginger?" Sara asked.
"Yes, Ginger James, my aunt…" she brought one of the clenched fists up to her mouth, and Sara saw a ratted tissue clasped in her fingers. Slow trickles of tears wound down her face, and Sara was impressed at how well the girl was keeping it together, at least on the outside.
Nick and Sara exchanged a glance; neither was about to tell this girl the truth they had just learned. Nick reached for Gingers shoulder and gently steered her back around. "Grissom will just be a few more minutes. Why don't we go back, and wait." He let Ginger slip away from his grasp as she headed back down the hall; he hung back a few steps, and traded another glance with Sara. "Did you see…?"
"Her eyes? Yeah, I did."
"Just like…"
"Yeah, they are."