"What do you mean thirteen people just died for nothing?" Replied Greg, sounding confused.
She stood up.
"From the little information the council has, we know the order of Issasi existed for one purpose- self sacrifice. They believed that sacrificing themselves in a specific ritual would heal the world, so-to-speak. They did it on a rare occurrence, the one night when all the planets align. Problem was, their calculations were off. The planets were not aligned, and so the whole ritual was pointless."
Greg didn't know what to say, keeping pace with this whole occult ritual thing was proving difficult.
"Are you saying then that if the planets had been in order, it would have worked?"
"What would have worked?"
The door opened, Grissom entered. He had been checking other parts of the house but hadnt found anything of importance. Mel explained to Grissom what she had just told Greg. He was dubious to say the least.
"So they killed themselves to save the world, but they do it on the wrong day? It seems odd that they would go to such lengths to then go and make a simple mistake"
"It wasn't their mistake. It was the astronomers. They mis-calculated. It was two thousand years ago, no one questioned things back then"
"Well im questioning this" Grissom said flatly.
"Fine" she said, packing her kit. She was used to disbelief, but it still didn't make her feel any better. She turned and left.
Outside
"Mel, wait up!" Called Greg.
She stopped, and turned around.
"Why did you leave?"
"Ive done my job, ive interpreted the evidence and your boss doesn't believe me. There's nothing more I can do"
"Is just Grissom, he's….. a scientist. He likes to find a logical explanation"
"And mine isnt?"
"Not to him, but that doesn't mean its not"
She sighed.
"It doesn't matter. It will be declared a mass suicide and the world will move on"
"It matters to you"
"I wish that mattered more"
"It does- remember what you said to me? That my CSI level one opinion counts just as much as these three and fours?"
She smiled. "I knew that would come back to haunt me, pardon the pun"
"Well then!"
Greg smiled, before grabbing his kit and heading back to CSI. She stood there a while, thinking about both the crime scene and Greg, one more so than the other. She smiled to herself, before getting in her car. She had work to do.
In the coroners office
"They were stabbed" Doc Robbins declared.
Greg sanders was looking at one of his thirteen dead bodies. He couldn't believe quite what he was hearing.
"That makes no sense. Melanie said this was a result of a ritual of self sacrifice" He retorted.
"Maybe, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Take a look" Replied Doc Robbins, pointing to the chest wound.
Greg inspected the wound. The angle and tissue did seem to suggest that the injuries were not self inflicted.
"So, someone tried to cover up a mass murder by making it look like an occult ritual?"
"That's your area. Im ruling cause of death as a blood force trauma, that was not self inflicted"
Greg looked at the victims hands.
"There's no defence wounds. So what these people just let themselves get stabbed?"
"Again, not my area"
Greg stormed out, annoyed and confused.
"Aren't you a little old for tantrums Greg?"
He looked up, Sara was looking back at him.
"Im not having a tantrum, im just confused"
Greg ushered Sara into the breakroom and told her all about Melanies theory and the contradicting evidence.
"Greg, you know you have to follow the evidence. Simple as"
"I know Sara but something is off, and I'm going to find out what"
What's Gregs plan? Read and Review to find out!