AN/ So I'm writing this just after I finished the last one, I'm going to see how many chapters I can write, and see how good they are. I've had great help from my friends Sean and Planzer, who have kept me on track. Thanks guys! This is pretty much for you two and I, but I really hope others like it too! Onto the story we go
3. May 30th: A good player with bad luck.
Grissom looked around the room in his normal curious frame of mind. The owner of the restaurant, Robert Green, along with his wife, Jia Ling were found, shot twice each in the head, lying on the floor of their private room naked, loud sensual music obviously to have sex to playing on the stereo system, and a drawer opened, with it's contents out of the same order others were in upon inspection.
Brass walked into the room to speak to Grissom
Brass: "Just finished talking to the bartender, apparently Ling and Green had invested in another building that a Triad were grooming to be a base of operations for a counterfeiting ring. Maybe they took matter into their own hands."
Grissom looked at the surroundings
Grissom: "That doesn't add up. A theft and a hit, with 30 people downstairs and 10 staff members, all armed ready for aggro against them up here, not to mention police and investigators downstairs, and still got away? Too professional to be a gang hit."
Warrick was processing the scene with Nick, while Grissom joined Brass to further question the witnesses.
Catherine was dealing with the window scene, when another woman holding a similar case to hers walked behind her
Catherine looked straight up at the tired red-head "Came away from the computer to help us then? Heard anything from Greg recently?"
Sarah paused for a second… "No, passed him by briefly when I went to the bathroom, but that's it."
Catherine: "Do you think we could get him here then?"
Sarah: "Possibly, but he's seemed very busy with something recently"
Catherine: "So were you, and you still managed to get here" she smiled back "So he'll be here no problem"
They found a partial of a muddy shoe print on the drainpipe, but several other prints on the ground, seeing as the structure of the roof meant it was close to the back door and under shelter for people to smoke outside. So they had to go off of the drainpipe print. Far more substantial.
Warrick couldn't find any shells on the floor. The killer made a point to take them with him. He found something very interesting when going through the contents of the dresser.
He found an amulet in the top drawer, alone. It looked very expensive, yet also it had the kind of glow that gives the impression it has value other than money wise. He bagged it and took it in.
He also found a picture of his wife with a man commonly believe to be connected to the Red Sparrow Triad. Lim the Inquisitor. This man was speculated to be involved in both the Red Sparrow's and Blue Dragon Triad's actions towards buying a casino recently made vacant. The Martian Paradise. The purchase of the casino was to symbolise a truce between the relatively tense Triads.Lim saw to it that the deal could take place, and was involved in keeping tabs on all other buyers.
Further searching found that Jia Ling and her husband had bought 40 of the shares, effectively giving them more power over the two Triads. The Inquisitor had been assigned to watch them and eventually have them either co-erced them into selling the shares, and killing him, making the shares fair game again.
Warrick: "This guy, huh? Wondered when we'd get to link him to something substantial enough to deal with him." He said out loud
Brass walked back in with Grissom and asked "Who you talking about 'Rick?"
Warrick looked to him and started explaining everything he had read
Grissom "Well it's obvious this casino has something of value, we just need to find it."
Sarah walked in "hey guys, this guy's left us nothing outside apart from a partial show print. What we got here?"
Catherine followed her in mid sentence
Brass repeated the summary of what Warrick went through
Catherine's ears pricked up at the mention of Lim and the fact that the casino was being repurchased.
"Guys, I have to go, I'll be back in about 3 hours or so."
Before anyone could speak up she'd already gotten out of the room, and quickly drove off.
Brass: "I think I might know where she's going."
Nick spoke up "Shouldn't we stop her? His involvement will look awful for the case. How can we trust his information?"
Warrick: "The man knows much more about casino politics than I ever will. I say she's doing the right thing"
Grissom: " To catch the hunter, know the game"
Sarah: "I swear you've said that before"
Grissom: "I have, how did you remember?"
Sarah: "I tend to remember everything my teachers have told me"
Grissom nodded in agreement and carried on speaking to the others
"So, we find whatever we can about the victims and this restaurant, and then we go back. David took their liver temperatures and confirmed that they died at roughly 11:30, ten minutes after I saw that man…"
Nick spoke up "So do we think it's him?"
Grissom "It's almost as if I know it's him. Only the evidence can confirm that however"
May 30th 01: 20
Grissom had gone to see Doc Robbins
"So Doc, what have we got?"
"Well there's evidence that they were killed during sex as you had no doubt realised. Both were killed by two bullets to the head, very professional. Both bullets were through and through, so nothing to dig out I'm afraid. I've sent a blood sample to Trace and Tox, so we're waiting on those to come through. I heard you got a good look at the suspect. Do you know it's him?"
Grissom paused for a second then spoke "It's almost troubling. I saw his face, he had that air of a killer. Yet we've got no proof of it, so far. Frustrating."
Albert sympathised with him "I know what you mean. I feel the same. This man is too good. I've examined hit targets before, but not this efficient. It's un-nerving. I'm just thankful I'm not in your position, where it's my job to find him."
Grissom "We'll find him, there's no such thing as the perfect murder. I'll be in my office. I'll speak to you later. Thanks Albert" he parted with those words and returned to his office.
In the late afternoon, Grissom was told to report to Ecklie.
"Ah Grissom, just who I wanted to see. Now you may not know since you've been so busy with this hitman business, but someone was killed at Mayor Forsyth's mansion during a party. He was drowned in his pool and dosed up on speedballs. Well everyone was tested for drugs. The only other person who came up positive for drugs, was the Mayor Forsyth, again he had speedball in his system. He has just been removed from his position. I am to take his position, meaning someone will have to take my place as Assistant Director. I thought you might like the opportunity to rise a little out of my strength in position and charity. Also, as I am still acting Director, I am relieving David Hodges from his position as Lab Technician. And his resignation comes in the next month. He already knows, and he's agreed to go quietly. Just thought I'd let you know of the opportunity."
"Thank you Conrad, but I must decline. This position is where I feel I should be. To be honest, I don't know how I could go with simply working in office, and not actually contributing to the CSI unit."
Conrad took slight offence, but was too pleased with his new position to care "I understand. I'm sure someone else will be able to fit my position. I've been able to do it well while running for Mayor, surely someone can manage it alone" he said smugly.
Grissom simply nodded, to avoid having to say anything more to his sort-of rival
"Well best of luck on your new position. When do you move there?"
Conrad: "My last day is in 5 days time"
Grissom: "I'll bear that in mind" Grissom said as he walked out to go to his car to go home to sleep for maybe a few hours before his next shift
The next nightshift
Grissom returned to his office after a few hours light sleep and sat down, coffee in hand, before Nick walked through the door
"Grissom, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Of course Nick, what's the problem?"
Nick felt awkward talking to Grissom about this, he always felt he had to impress him when working, and this wouldn't really impress him in Nick's eyes.
"Do you think this the one we're never going to get? I don't think we can possibly get this guy. And… when we don't find him, and he keeps killing, we'll look incompetent. Do you think this could finish CSI here?"
Grissom felt hurt by one of his prized CSI's questioning their ability " Nick… we may not get this guy, but how many other people do we catch and put away every year? When I came here we were the 14th best CSI unit in the country. Now we are 2nd best. We've done a lot for this city and for it to turn a blind eye, would be for the city to lose a key part of it's security from crime and justice. The only thing that will finish CSI is the abolition of all crime. Which is not humanly possible. So for every crime that occurs, another reason for CSI to exist is born. We're never going to solve every case we get given to us. 'All the best writers struggle writing.' But as long as crime exists in Las Vegas, so will CSI."
Nick smiled at this "Thanks Grissom, I need to get back to work, Sarah needs me in the lab"
Warrick came in as Nick left "Griss, just talked to Bobby, he was searching for possibilities about the identity of those guns he saw on the surveillance footage of the casino, and now we know about the tattoo being what it is, we may have a conclusion"
Grissom looked intrigued "Go ahead."
"Well, those weapons are very similar to a kind of pistol used only specifically by a special group of hired assassins, who were rumoured to be clones. However, nearly all of them died in a mental asylum, in Romania. The weapons recovered were very similar to this gun seen being carried by the killer. They all had the same suit as that man you saw. And they all had barcodes on the back of their heads. When the SWAT team of that city burst in, nearly 50 of them were found killed"
Grissom "So these men were all assassins, cloned to kill without emotion and with high efficiency. What could possibly of killed them?"
Warrick: "Well the newspapers reported that one of the mental patients kept screaming 'Save me, save me from that monster…' If that's to be taken seriously…only one man did all this. And who else could blend in so well except from our killer?"
Grissom: "If this is true, then this man must be tracked down. Yet if we find him, he'll only kill our officers. So we need a different approach. We need to approach Lim."
"Brass is already on his way there to question him"
Brass arrived at the Dyong Pou teahouse where Lim was waiting for him, to talk with the police himself. Lim was a sly motherfucker, and even when absurdly guilty would always talk to the police himself. He either talked his way out of it, or managed to bribe the officer. If he tried it, it wouldn't work on this man. Even if he attempted it, he had two officers with him
(now I know you love it, script format entirely for now)
Brass: Ah Mr Lim, it's nice of you to invite me here.
Lim: Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Now, I know you know about my involvements with Miss Ling and her husband, and I know how it must look. I am not involved with the murder. You see, the White Tiger Triad have tried to pin us to the ground many a time before. Why just recently our chief negotiator was executed and his medallion stolen. We believe that they planted the amulet at the crime scene to make us appear guilty. But I assure you it is not our business.
Brass: How did you know about the amulet being there? And how did you know we were coming to you?
Lim: It is my duty to foresee such things when my enemies act. To know your enemy is to win the war
Brass: Well we have evidence enough for a warrant. So expect a search of these premises very soon.
Lim get up and looks at Brass
Lim: What warrant? You haven't even been here yet. You certainly don't have a warrant
Brass gets up to match him in stature
Brass: What do you mean?
5 guards with silenced guns walk through and take down the officers escorting Brass, forcing Brass to give up.
Lim: You'll be going downstairs now. Guards, take him away.
Lim then left the building and got into his limo to be driven away.
There are two officers in a nearby coffee shop across the street, watching the teahouse. After seeing Lim leave, and not seeing Brass leave, it's clear something's gone wrong. They make an emergency call signalling that Brass may be in trouble and called for a SWAT rescue team.
30 minutes later, the team had arrived, ready to strike…
But they didn't have to.
They came in to find a bloodbath.
30 Red Sparrow Triad members had been killed, including 4 lieutenants under Lim. They went down into the basement to find Brass blindfolded with a roll of cloth in his mouth. After ungagging him he went upstairs, wrapped in a blanket and spoke to Grissom who raced to the scene, even taking his gun for once to assist his old friend. The rest of the team were there, even Greg, who had been tied up with lab work due to Hodges neglecting the job, due to being dismissed. Brass started to speak
"They started beating me, telling me they were going to kill me for meddling in their affairs, and after a while I heard one of them loading a revolver, and just as they were through trash talking a door burst open and two muffled bangs were followed by slumps of two bodies. I assumed they were dead, and the guy said to me 'Tell your CSI friend to watch his back' "
Grissom's mind was filled with images of this enigmatic killer, and his eyes.
Brass continued "He sounded in his mid 30s, very calm. Sounded part American, part European. He intimidated me, yet made it clear he wasn't going to kill me"
Grissom looked to the team "Well, we have one re-assurance; this man doesn't kill anyone particularly good. With the possible exception of the restaurant owners, yet we still don't have much of a motive. Officer, have someone take Brass home."
Brass looked ready to protest but Grissom interrupted him "Please Jim, you need to rest. Those Triads seemed to rough you up pretty bad"
Warrick spoke up "Yeah Brass if you don't rest you won't get your pretty face back"
Everyone, including Brass chuckled.
Greg had waited for the moment to tell the team, but was interrupted by this crisis.
"Uh guys, something I haven't had time to mention amongst all this. Test results came back for blood test on the restaurant owners. Ling was with child."
Everyone turned shocked to look at Greg at this startling news
"And, we've got a match to DNA in our database. But we don't have a name. It was a blood sample from a wall in a Triad shoot-out a few years back. 3 guesses which Triad he appears to belong to. Big hint, it's White Tiger."
Brass: That's who Lim said was trying to make them appear guilty.
Grissom: So then White Tiger ordered the execution of the restaurant owners?
Warrick: I think Lim did himself, ordered their killing, and more specifically, her's and then pinned it on his enemies. Seems as good an idea as any.
Grissom then received an emergency call from the CSI headquarters. It was Libby the receptionist.
Grissom: "Grissom"
Libby (very panicked): Oh my god Grissom, there's been an accident at the lab, Hodges was incinerated. He's dead
Grissom: What? What happened?
Grissom runs to his care and shouts for everyone to get to the labs
Libby: And that's not all, someone went to inform Ecklie, and he's been assassinated
Grissom: WHAT! HOW!
Libby: Well David the coroner was here to drop off some evidence and was called in. He said Ecklie's only been dead less than half an hour…
AN/ Well I'm very tired now. I hope you're enjoying it kids.
I'm enjoying writing it, that's for sure!