CHAPTER SIX

The next day Iris came into the CSI lab to check on the ballistics from the shell casings Grissom had recovered from the crime scene. Bobby confirmed them to be from the same handgun that was a .38 caliber pistol. Her daily routine was off she felt not having the nightly dinner with Brass. She was going to have to go by his office at some point during the day so she made a point to get it over with.

Brass was doing some paperwork when Iris stopped by to say "Good morning." He looked up and gave her a slow smile.

"Are you and Annie having a good visit then?" Iris continued in as light a tone as she could manage.

"Yeah, catching up on old times and all," Brass replied.

Iris stepped forward and gave him a tissue, which Brass accepted quizzically. She pointed to his left cheek beside his mouth. "Lipstick," she said quietly and turned to leave.

Brass muttered an oath. "Iris, wait, do you want to have lunch today?"

"As you wish…" Iris said faintly as she exited Brass's office without turning around.

Shaking his head, Brass sat down and looked at the corner of his desk where he had a picture of Iris that he recently placed. However, Iris was unaware he had removed the original from her home so he could have a duplicate made. It showed her leaning with her arms folded on a tree branch with a faint secretive smile playing on her lips. He called it his Mona Lisa. It sat beside his favorite picture of Ellie, taken as a little girl, drawing her daddy a picture with crayons. His two favorite girls, he thought, as he gazed at them.

As Iris came back out in the hallway at a good clip, she nearly ran Grissom down as he headed toward the autopsy room. "Want to come with?" Gil asked.

"Sure thing," Iris replied, stinging a bit from seeing evidence of Brass's encounter with Annie. She'd also overheard some other lab workers commenting about Annie staying at Brass's place the night before. She quickly put on the gown smock before entering the autopsy room where Dr. Robbins had completed his Y-incision on the male victim.

Doctor Robbins gave a summary for the cause of death of each victim essentially being from the sustained gunshots. The fact that the male victim had been shot "below the belt" and face he found somewhat amusing. The coroner gave Grissom the bullets retrieved from both victims. Gross visual examination indicated them to also be .38 caliber bullets. The male victim's wife was waiting to be brought in for formal identification after which she would have to give a statement. Iris felt her heart go out to her and her children. Her day was difficult but paled to the one this family was going to have to go through.

Gil and Iris left then to go to ballistics to give the bullets to Bobby Dawson for further analysis. That being done, Grissom returned to his office while Iris went on to review the hotel security camera tapes. Jackie, the fingerprint tech, had also informed them that a match had been found to one of the prints at the crime scene, those of the night clerk who it turned out had a record but nothing major as far as offenses went.