Okay, thanks for all the comments and reviews. Yes, I have now noticed that I misspelled Greg's surname and will be correcting that in future chapters. Someone noted in a review that Ryan seemed a little bit cold in the previous chapter; that wasn't exactly what I intended; what I intended was that he's upset about the kid being involved and he's quietly angry about it in the previous chapter. My fault, should have made that more clear but it was a good point and will be working on that in the future, so thanks!

Chapter Eight: Working The Case

'I don't believe this.'

Sara rolled her eyes. 'You've already said that.'

'I just don't.'

She paused in the act of pouring a cup of coffee. 'You going to explain why or just sit there repeating the same thing over and over?'

'I can't believe I'm stuck in the lab whilst everyone else has a crack at this case!'

'Ah.' Sara added sugar to her coffee and considered her next move.

Greg was not happy. Already irritated that he had being shunted back into the lab when he wanted to be in the field, he was now even more miffed because he was going to be stuck in the lab during the biggest case of the year. If - when – the case got solved, it was going to mean big positive publicity for the lab in Vegas and the one in Miami. This was the kind of case that helped careers on their way up the ladder, gave the department more funding, enabled them to catch more bad guys.

'I want to be out helping,' Greg said eventually. 'I don't want to sound selfish – '

'You got a point, Greg,' Sara said. 'We need everyone we can get in the field, but right now you're the only person who can sit in the DNA lab and that's vital too. There will be other cases.'

'That's the point,' Greg complained. 'You haven't got any DNA for me to test, all I'm doing is catching up on the work already here. I could still be in the field.'

'Best not to argue right now,' she advised.

He sighed. 'Yeah. Oh, well.'

She gave him a sympathetic slap on the shoulder and left.

'What are we all doing?' Catherine said.

'Since Grissom wandered off, I guess that puts you in charge,' Warrick said.

She shrugged. 'Okay. How do you two want to play this?' she asked Calleigh and Ryan.

'You got a strategy in mind?' Ryan asked.

'Have you?' she replied.

Calleigh and Ryan exchanged glances.

'I'd like to see the crime scene,' Ryan said.

'Fine. Warrick will show you the photos – '

'No, I'd like to see the crime scene itself,' he said.

Catherine smiled. 'Sure. Nick?'

'Let's go,' Nick said to Ryan. They got up and left.

'And I'd like to look over any evidence you've collected,' Calleigh said.

Catherine nodded. 'I can show you that.'

'Good.' Calleigh smiled and stood up. 'Lead the way, then.'

'Well, this is the crime scene,' Nick said, setting his field kit down on the floor. 'We already processed it but we're going over it a second time. Fresh eyes, Grissom says.'

'Okay,' Ryan said. 'That's a good idea.' He crouched down next to his field kit, opening it. He already had his gloves on.

'Wow,' Nick said, looking over his shoulder. 'That has got to be the most organised field kit I have ever seen. It's even more tidy than Warrick's and trust me, that's saying something.'

Ryan smiled. 'Saves time in the long run. Not having to search for stuff, having everything I need at hand. Besides,' he added, a little self-consciously, 'I'm a bit OCD.'

'Fair enough.' Nick looked around. 'Okay. I suppose we should make a start.'

Ryan looked around the room, which had obviously been very thoroughly processed already. 'Not matter how many times you process, there can always be something left over,' he said, almost to himself.

'Let's hope that's the case,' Nick said dryly.

Calleigh examined the knife carefully. 'No blood under the handle?' she said to Catherine. 'You know how often killers cut themselves on their own knife.'

'Yeah,' Catherine agreed. 'This guy is too smart. He either wore gloves or he was very careful, knows how to handle a knife without cutting himself.'

'Unfortunately for us,' Calleigh murmured. She turned the knife over again, trying to see something she hadn't seen before. 'And no prints?'

'Not a single one. Not even a partial,' Catherine said, sounding disgusted. 'This guy knows forensics. He knows how to cover his tracks.'

'Can't cover them all the time,' Calleigh said absently, her eyes not moving from the knife. Eventually, she was forced to concede that she wasn't going to find anything simply by staring at it. 'I'm assuming you already tested all the blood to make sure there's none of the murderer's on it.'

'Of course.'

'Just grabbing at straws, I guess,' Calleigh said, sighing. 'Let's process the clothes and bed sheets, then.'

'For about the fifteen times,' Catherine said wearily.

'Did you dismantle to drain?' Ryan said.

Nick stopped and looked at him. Ryan was looking for at the bath with a faint frown on his face.

'Well…no…' he said lamely. 'We processed the bath itself, there was nothing there and he washed it down with bleach. Anything would be degraded.'

'Maybe not, if it was stuck part of the way down the drain,' Ryan said. He gave Nick a wide grin. 'What do you say we do some plumbing?'

'I'm up for that,' Nick said. 'If it means we find something, I'll dismantle this entire house.'

'Great.'

The two CSIs exchanged grins.

'Any luck?' Sara asked, coming into the lab. Catherine and Calleigh looked up. Both were wearing almost identical expressions of frustration and anger.

'Nothing,' Catherine said. 'I've been over this evidence ten times and together we've been over it another ten times. There's nothing here. Nothing on the clothes, the knife, nothing.'

Sara smiled. Catherine saw the expression and said, 'Something's come up.'

'Nick and Ryan found something,' Sara said, unable to hide her excitement. 'Could contain murderer DNA. Greg's processing it now.'

Greg glowered at the group of CSIs peering at him through the window and made complex 'go away, I'm busy and you're distracting me' signs at them, which they all ignored. He scowled and went to Plan B, which was ignoring them back.

'How did you guys find it?' Warrick asked.

'We tore the bath apart and ripped up all the pipes,' Nick said cheerfully. 'And there it was – one tiny little hair that definitely did not belong to the victim.'

'Could be useless,' Ryan put in. 'Could belong to a boyfriend – '

'She doesn't have one,' Sara said.

'Ex, then,' he said. 'Friend, anyone.'

'But it's pretty likely it belongs to the murderer,' Calleigh said.

'I heard you guys found new evidence!' Grissom exclaimed as he hurried up. He looked harassed and fed-up, but definitely invigorated by news of fresh evidence.

'We don't know if it's anything yet,' Nick said.

'It's something,' Grissom said firmly. 'Has Greg got the results?'

'No, but they should come through any second now,' Catherine said.

There was a beep as the printer started.

Everyone held their breath.

Greg examined the piece of paper and they all saw his shoulders slump. He came to the door and said, 'I'm sorry guys, but your sample was too degraded for me to get a DNA sample from.'

There was a long silence.

'Greg, this is one of the few times I would ever appreciate you joking about this,' Grissom said.

Greg shook his head. 'I wish I was, Grissom. I really wish I was.' He handed the paper over. Grissom took it, read it, screwed it up and threw it on the floor before walking away.

Catherine picked it up, unrolled it and examined it. 'Damn it,' she whispered.

'Do you still have the hair?' Sara said to Greg. He nodded. 'Give it to me. I'm going to have it processed. See if there's any other information we can get from it.'

'Like what?' Warrick said sourly.

'Any medical conditions, for one,' she said impatiently. Seeing their expressions, she said, 'Come on, guys. It's a long shot, but it might work. I'll see to it. Give me the sample, Greg.' She looked around again and said, 'There might be something. Anything we can use.'

Well, hopefully it won't take me quite so long to get the next chapter up but I am incredibly busy right now, so I'm not going to make any promises. Hope you enjoyed!