Danny jumped at the sound of a phone ringing. He had dozed off while scanning the results of his latest news search.
"Reid." He could hear Spencer talking in the hall. A moment later he returned to the office.
"You look happy."
"Garcia thinks she might have found something."
"Alleluia." Danny laughed.
They found Mac and Lindsay in the trace lab. A couple of quick phone calls and Stella, Sheldon and Flack joined them in the conference room.
"You have a lead?"
"Possibly." Spencer tapped a couple of keys and a newspaper article filled the wall screen.
"Garcia pulled this from a newspaper archive. Seems it was a big deal at the time."
"Quick version," Danny tried to hold back a grin, "gives us a hit and run, seriously drunk car driver versus a stupid kid on a motorbike.
"Damien Stokes, 22, was out for a spin on a friend's bike -- with no helmet on. DUI comes around a bend, smashes right into him. Stokes was left in a coma. A little less than a year later, his parents filed to have him pulled off life support, citing test results that their son was brain dead."
There was a strained moment of silence.
"Is there something I should know about." Spencer glanced around the room.
"My older brother was beaten into a coma." Danny said as nonchalantly as he could. "Two weeks later he died of a blood clot induced stroke. Never woke up."
"I'm sorry."
"Shit happens." Danny sighed. "So. Here's the really interesting part of the story. Damien had a twin brother. Russell. When the parents announced they were going to pull Damien from life support, Russell filed a law suit trying to get custody of his brother. Claims his brother was still alive and would wake up if they just gave him more time."
"Russell lost the suit and his brother was pulled from the machines. But not until after the doctors began harvesting his organs."
"Wait a second. They took out his organs while he was still alive." Lindsay grimaced.
"Keeps the organs viable."
"And fits the crime."
Spencer nodded. "Indeed. The belief that his brother was still alive would explain why he harvested the organs before killing the victims."
"Quid pro quo."
"Gross is more like it."
"Check this out." Sheldon jumped in. "Lisa Stansfield's accident was just outside of Vegas. She was taken to the same hospital where Damien Stokes was in the critical care unit."
"That explains why they could use Damien's skin for Lisa's grafts."
"It's not proof positive."
"No, Mac, it's not." Danny shot back. "But we ain't going to get that."
"I know. Which is why we should follow what leads we have. So we need to find Russell Stokes."
Spencer's phone beeped. "Garcia was already tracking him." He flipped open the phone. Moments later, his face fell.
"No way." Danny shook his head.
"Russell Stokes died in a car crash three years ago."
"Son of a b----"
"We'll figure it out." Mac laid a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder. "We still have the victim."
