Chapter 4: Reassessment

CSI Roberta "Bobbi" Flannery exited the crime lab's evidence locker and headed down the hallway toward Catherine's office. The white athletically-built short-haired brunette criminalist was in her early 50's and she was dressed in her black CSI identification vest with a black and white camouflage print shirt underneath, gray cargo pants, and black steel-toed work boots.

Bobbi was a Las Vegas native who all but grew up around the both the LVPD and the Crime Lab hugely thanks to her father, the now late criminalist Terry Flannery. Terry, a single father who worked very hard to raise and provide for Bobbi and her younger sister Siobhan, was one of the first criminalists in Las Vegas to ever receive the designation as a Crime Scene Investigator back when the then very small and understaffed LVPD Field Services Division first became the much larger and better equipped crime lab that it now was.

The veteran CSI reached Catherine's office and knocked on the door, at which point Catherine waved her inside through the small window in the door. Bobbi entered the office to find Catherine engaged in a heated phone conversation with someone. She sat down in the small chair opposite Catherine's desk and waited patiently.

"Okay", Catherine said into her phone receiver, "Okay then. Thank you."

Catherine then angrily set the receiver back down on its cradle and sighed deeply before seemingly changing her demeanor on a dime as she gave Bobbi a welcoming smile. "Hi Bobbi", she greeted, "Thanks for coming in."

"Long night, boss?" Bobbi asked with a certain amount of sarcasm in her voice.

Catherine chuckled in retort. "You have no idea", she replied, "I'm trying to get ahold of the juvie file for my suspect in the Lewick murder. It's like pulling teeth."

"No kidding", Bobbi said, "Morgan filled me in on the phone. She also said you wanted to reassign me to the Watson case. I read the file in the evidence room after Dawn checked it back in."

"I would appreciate if you and Morgan supervised the case", Catherine explained, "The Sheriff wants my hands to be completely off this one, and you have seniority since I need Dawn to help me and Greg on the Lewick case. First things first, though. How'd your burglary call go?"

Bobbi shrugged her shoulders. "It's looking pretty straightforward", she said, "There's been a rash of petty break-ins in that particular neighborhood with that MO over the past few days. Windows smashed in with something such as a rock or a brick with laptops, tablets, or gaming consoles being boosted. The Burglary detectives think that the perps could be teenage kids looking to pilfer some high-end toys, and I'm not that inclined to disagree."

Catherine nodded. "I'll reassign it to Dayshift for the time being", she said before changing the subject, "I wanted to ask you a question. Before you came back here to Vegas, how long did you live out in California?"

"Ten years", Bobbi replied, "From about six months after my dad retired and moved back to Los Angeles in Oh-Three to about six weeks after we lost him in Two-Thousand-Thirteen. I was the crime scene reconstructionist for the LA County Sheriff's Crime Lab."

"I remember reading as much in your file when you applied here", Catherine said, "Do you know the San Diego area very well?"

"Somewhat", Bobbi said, "I testified in a few court cases out there back in the day. Plus, my sister Siobhan and her family live out in El Cajon which is near there, so I frequently spent my weekends up that way while I was out there. Why do you ask?"

"It would appear that our new chief suspect in Stephanie's murder is on the run out there", Catherine explained, "He's been identified by way of a CODIS hit as forty-nine-year-old Isaac Matthew Serain." She then slid Isaac Serain's case file toward Bobbi for her to examine.

"Oh great", Bobbi said with a scoff after skimming through the file contents, "A woman beater. It's a good thing I take enjoyment in taking down assholes like that. What's our game plan with this?"

"Nick Stokes runs the Crime Lab in San Diego these days", Catherine replied, "He used to work with us here in Vegas and he was even my Assistant Supervisor on Night Shift for a while. I spoke to him on the phone as soon as Henry, Morgan, and Dawn told me about Serain's DNA hit. He's putting together an impromptu task force with the San Diego authorities and he wants some people from LVPD on board to escort Serain back when they find him. I hope you don't mind, but I suggested you and Morgan. Greg, Dawn, and I can hold down the fort here while you're gone."

Bobbi smiled and nodded in retort, excited about the idea. "Cool", she replied, "Does Morgan know about this?"

"She's making your travel arrangements as we speak", Catherine said, "I suggest you go check in with her and then clock out, go home, and pack. Nick's expecting you guys to meet him at the San Diego lab at noon."

"You got it, boss" Bobbi replied as she got up from her chair, "I'll call you as soon as we arrive in San Diego."

"Great", Catherine said with a nod, "Thanks so much, Bobbi."

Catherine's desk phone started ringing once Bobbi had exited the office. "Director Willows", she answered after hurriedly picking up the receiver.

"Hi Catherine", the voice of medical examiner Dr. Albert "Al" Robbins replied from the opposite end of the line, "It's Doc Robbins. I've just finished the autopsy on Hanson Lewick and I'll be waiting on you and Greg whenever you're ready."

"Understood", Catherine said, "I'll grab Greg and will be down there in a few. Thanks Doc."

"You're welcome", Dr. Robbins replied from the other end of the line before both of them hung up.

Clark County Coroner's Office
10 Minutes Later

In the same building, just a few flights of stairs below the Las Vegas Crime Lab, was the Clark County Coroner's Office. This always busy, albeit almost always sterile clean, basement level of the building featured three very spacious autopsy suites, three smaller laboratories that were often utilized for various histological and pathological studies, several staff offices, and a separate loading dock area for loading and unloading the deceased.

Catherine Willows and Greg Sanders, both now clad in plain gray lab coats which they had procured just outside in the hallway, entered Autopsy Room I to find their longtime colleague, Dr. Albert "Al" Robbins, standing before the body of Hanson Lewick which lay face up on the autopsy table. The body was covered up to the collarbone area by a sterile white sheet.

Dr. Robbins, known affectionately by his co-workers as either "Doc", "Doc Robbins", or "Al", was a very kindly and incredibly intelligent Virginia-born forensic pathologist. He was a short balding white-haired man in his late 60's, dressed in his very typical light blue surgical style autopsy gown that was always complimented by his matching light blue scrub pants that covered his two prosthetic legs, as well as a pair of black hiking boots covered by a pair of surgical shoe booties. He also wore a forearm crutch on his arm for extra support to stand upright comfortably.

"Hey Doc", Catherine cordially greeted, "Thanks for coming in so early."

"Not a problem", Dr. Robbins said, "Judy and I were just leaving our daughter's house when the page went out."

Greg chuckled. "Visiting the grandson again, eh?" he cheekily inquired, "How's he doing?"

"Fine", Dr. Robbins replied with a smile, "Thank you. He spent half the evening showing us how some other boy taught him to do jumping jacks. We decided to stay late to keep Pam company since her husband's away on business."

"That's wonderful, Doc" Catherine said before switching back to business, "What's the story with Mister Lewick here?"

"His time of death jives with both the ER admission time and the attending physician's pronounced time", Dr. Robbins explained, "I found evidence of burning in his esophagus that's very consistent with the One-Hundred-Sixty milligrams of arsenic that was detected in his bloodwork."

Greg nodded. "That also coincides with the account of the motel maintenance guy who saw him collapse and tried to render aid to him at the scene", he said, "Let me ask you something, Doc. Could all that arsenic have been given to him in one big dose?"

"That is one possibility", Dr. Robbins replied, "However, it's also very possible that it could've been two separate doses with a total dosage of, say, eighty milligrams or so."

Something clicked in Catherine's head upon hearing that. "Like from two drinks being given to him", she said before turning to Greg. "Greg", she continued, "Didn't you say that you found something floating in one of those highball glasses from the motel room?"

"Yeah", Greg replied, "It was some sort of granular whiteish powder. I brought it to Hodges in the Trace Lab just before you came to get me."

Catherine nodded before turning back to Dr. Robbins. "What symptoms would Mister Lewick have been experiencing after he was poisoned?" she asked.

"Symptoms of proximate arsenic poisoning are very different from those of people who are poisoned with it over a longer time period", Dr. Robbins explained, "Hanson Lewick would've experienced gastric distress and stomach upset, bloody diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, a burning-type pain in his esophageal region, and low blood pressure. His skin would also have a cold and clammy feel to it."

"Bloody diarrhea", Greg parroted, "That would explain the blood I found inside the toilet bowl in the bathroom. I take it, then, that you were able to definitively confirm his COD as acute arsenic poisoning."

Dr. Robbins nodded. "You take it right", he replied.

"Was there anything else noteworthy?" Catherine inquired.

"Mister Lewick showed signs of very recent sexual activity", Dr. Robbins said, "I swabbed a foreign substance from his penis, which also showed signs of a recent abrasion. I sent the swab up to Trace for analysis."

Greg scoffed. "Looks like our threesome theory's holding up", he replied, "I found two used condoms in the trash can by the bureau. Pending DNA, I would guess that Hanson's semen is going to be inside them both with the DNA from his two female guests on the outside. The substance you found is likely a mix of spermicides and lubricants."

Just then, one of the morgue's histology techs, Michelle, stuck her head in the door of the Autopsy Suite. Michelle was a short freckle-faced redhead in her late 20's who was dressed in a plain gray lab coat with a matching green scrub suit underneath and white crocs. "Pardon the interruption, Doctor Robbins" she said before turning to Catherine. "Miss Willows", she continued, "the Sheriff is waiting for you out in the hallway. She'd like to speak to you."

Catherine nodded and gave Michelle a halfhearted smile in retort. "I'll be right out", she replied, "Thanks Michelle."

Michelle nodded and smiled back before stepping back out the door.