The next morning Brass was waiting for Lisa's older sister to come by. She had told the detective that she would inform their parents who lived in California. The young woman was devastated, but thought it would be best for her to tell her parents rather a stranger. Brass heard footsteps and looked up to see a woman who could have been Lisa Martin's twin sister except for the long black hair and blue eyes, she looked just like Lisa.
"Are you Detective Brass?" The young woman asked hesitantly of the rumpled looking detective.
"Yes, Ma'am, I am. You would be Lisa's sister I presume." He waited for confirmation before continuing.
"Yes, I'm Jessica Martin, Lisa was my older sister. Can I see her now?" Jessica looked down and sniffled, taking a tissue out of her purse and dabbing her eyes.
"Right this way Miss Martin. Is there anything I can get you?" Detective Brass asked quietly, feeling sorry for the lovely young woman standing before him.
"No thank you Detective." Jessica smiled slightly and then motioned for the Detective to lead the way.
Brass escorted the young woman to the viewing room and then knocked on the window to let David know that they were ready. The curtain drew back and Jessica started to sob as she looked upon her sister.
"That's Lisa, oh god, it's her." She continued to sob uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking. Brass motioned David to pull the curtain shut and helped Jessica sit down in the chair behind her.
"Miss Martin, I'm sorry for your loss. Do you want to go somewhere quiet so we can continue?" The Detective asked quietly as he waited for Jessica to calm down.
"No, no, it's fine, really. Do you have questions for me Detective?" Jessica asked sadly as she began to twist the tissue in her hands.
"Yes, if you're up to it Miss Martin." Jessica nodded and Brass continued. "Miss Martin, when was the last time you saw your sister?"
"Two days ago, we had lunch together at the Bellagio; she was really busy with work, but she was just about to close on a huge account that she was really excited about. She had been working pretty late at night to get everything finished up. We were going to go out on Friday for dinner to celebrate." Jessica sighed and dabbed at her eyes.
"Was Lisa seeing anyone or did she mention being interested in anyone?" Brass took notes and waited for Jessica's response.
"No, she hasn't really dated much since she and Brad called it quits. She really didn't have time to start a relationship. She said she didn't want to find some great guy only to lose him because she was working non stop. After this account closed she mentioned that she was thinking about cutting back on her hours." The young woman looked at Brass and then continued as an idea hit her. "She wasn't seeing anyone, but there was this guy at work who kept asking her out. He wouldn't take no for an answer and Lisa was going to go to her boss, Mr. Lewis about it if he kept on."
"Did she tell you this co-worker's name by any chance?" Brass's interest was piqued and he waited as patiently as he could.
"No, she didn't." A crestfallen Jessica replied as she began to cry again.
"Jessica, may I call you Jessica?" Jessica nodded. "Jessica, did your sister tell you about any other problems she may have had with her co-workers?" Brass continued taking notes while he waited.
"No, she got along great with everybody, she was a really sweet person, other than the creep who couldn't take a hint, and she said everything was going great with work. She was tired of working long hours, but that was it." The young woman replied.
"Okay, thank you Jessica. I'm going to give you my card if you can think of anything else. Can I arrange for an officer to take you home?" Brass stood and shook the young woman's hand.
"Thank you, but no, I have friend that drove me here. Detective Brass, will you call me if you find anything more about who did this to Lisa?" Jessica pleaded as tears streamed down her face.
"Jessica, I'll call you as soon as I know anything." Brass promised. He led the young woman back to the main lobby and watched as she made her way out to the parking lot. Chiding himself for letting his emotions get the best of him. He shook his head and made his way back to the dark recesses of his office.
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Meanwhile Nick, Greg, and Warrick were on their way to Lisa's workplace. The trio sat in silence as Warrick drove, each lost in their own thoughts about the case. Warrick was still working on the shoe print, but so far he had no luck and Greg was still scouring her financial records and Nick was had gone over the clothes again. They pulled into the parking lot and were met by Vega who was shading his eyes from the morning sun.
"Good Morning." Vega greeted and the three made their way to the entrance. They entered the building and were greeted by a good looking blonde man behind the front counter.
"Good Morning and Welcome to Starm Advertising, what can we do for you today?" He asked pleasantly.
"Good Morning, I'm Detective Vega, and these gentlemen are with the Crime Lab, we need to see Lisa Martin's supervisor, is that person in?" Vega flashed his badge as the three CSI's waited patiently behind him.
"That would be Mr. Lewis, I'll let him know you're here, would like some coffee or water while you wait?" The receptionist dialed Mr. Lewis's office and looked at the four expectantly.
"No, thank you." Vegas answered for the group as they moved to sit down and wait.
Five minutes later an older gentleman with gray hair entered the lobby and shook hands with the group.
"I'm Mr. Lewis, you're here about Lisa? Her sister Jessica called this morning and told us she wouldn't be in today. Please, let's go into my office and I'll answer any questions you may have." Mr. Lewis turned around and the led the group back to his office, his demeanor grave. They entered a large office of dark mahogany furniture and pale gold walls. Vega and Nick sat in the chairs in front of the desk and Warrick and Greg took a seat behind the two on the dark leather sofa.
"Mr. Lewis, did Lisa's sister tell you what happened?" Vega asked as he made himself comfortable.
"Actually she did not, she just said there had been a death in the family and that Lisa wouldn't be in today. Why, what happened?" Mr. Lewis's face paled in concern as he sat forward and looked at Vega for more information.
"Mr. Lewis, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Lisa was killed last night in her home." Vega let the information sink in before continuing.
"Oh God, Lisa." He murmured. "What do you need from me?" He asked in a grave tone.
"We just have a few questions for you Mr. Lewis. Did Lisa have any enemies here at work?" Vega took out his notepad and prepared to take notes.
"No, she was well liked by everyone in the office, she did an excellent job. Mr. Starm and I found Lisa to be a polite, personable young woman with a good head on her shoulders." Mr. Lewis pulled out a glass and a bottle of whiskey for himself. He took a long pull on the honey colored drink before clearing his throat.
"Did you notice anyone bothering her? Maybe a client, or a co-worker Mr. Lewis?" Vega took note of the glass on the desk top but kept quiet.
"No, not that I noticed, but you may want to talk to some of her co-workers, they would know more than I would." He answered.
"How long has Lisa worked here?" Mr. Lewis took another swig of the whiskey before responding.
"Lisa worked for the company for five years. She will be greatly missed by all of us here." Mr. Lewis began to sob quietly.
"Mr. Lewis, just a few more questions. What was Lisa working on last night?" Vega asked gently of the sobbing man.
"She was working on the Stein account; she just finalized the ad campaign before she left last night." Mr. Lewis drained his glass and poured a second glass.
"Stein, as in Stein Diamonds?" Nick asked in surprise while Vega took notes.
"Why yes, that's the one. We were launching their new ad campaign; we're going to unveil it next week." Mr. Lewis took a swig of his drink and looked down at his desk.
"Okay Mr. Lewis, if you don't mind we're going to talk to Lisa's co-workers. I'll leave you my card if you think of anything else. Thank you for your time Mr. Lewis." Vega handed the man his card and then walked out into the hallway followed by Nick, Warrick, and Greg.
"Okay, how do you want to do this?" Vega asked of the three.
"Let's split up, Greg, you go with Vega and Nick and I'll team up." Warrick decided. Greg nodded and Vega grinned.
"Alright Sanders, let's see what you've got." Vega began walking towards the lobby so he could get a list of employees. The three criminalists compared notes on the Lewis interview.
"So we know she was working on the Stein account and according to Mr. Lewis she was liked by everyone and had no problems." Warrick read over his notes.
"Yeah, so either Mr. Lewis is oblivious or she really was well liked by everybody." Nick looked up from his notes to see Vega heading their way.
"Sanders and I will take this half; you and Warrick will take this half. When we're done we'll meet in the parking lot, agreed?" Vega asked.
"Let's get started." Warrick said as he and Nick headed off to find those on their half of their list.
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Nick and Warrick were getting the same answers that Mr. Lewis had given them. They were down to the last person on their list, an Ashley Jameson, who had been working on the Stein account with Lisa and was close to Lisa according to those they had talked to. They found Ashley in her office, pouring over paperwork and writing notes furiously.
Nick knocked on the door frame and asked, "Miss Jameson, do you a moment?"
Ashley looked up in surprise, "How can I help you?"
"I'm Nick Stokes and this is Warrick Brown, we're from the Crime Lab. We're here about Lisa Martin." Nick spoke softly and Ashley stood up.
"Yes, come in." Ashley was soft spoken, tall, and had short brown hair and green eyes.
Nick and Warrick sat down and Ashley shut the door. She sat down at her desk and waited for the two CSI's to speak.
"Miss Jameson, I'm sorry to have to you this, but Lisa Martin was killed last night. You may have been the last person to see her alive." Warrick informed her.
"I had heard that Lisa had been killed, I just can't believe it. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her." Ashley had become pale and started to weep quietly.
"Miss Jameson, what time did Lisa leave here last night?" Nick asked his voice low.
"Somewhere between 9 and 9:15 p.m." Ashley continued to cry, wiping her eyes with a tissue from her desk.
"Do you know if Lisa was dating anyone or interested in anyone, maybe someone she worked with or someone she met outside of work?" Warrick asked as he continued to take notes.
"Not as far as I know. We were pretty close; we talked about just about everything. I think she would have told me if she were seeing anyone." The young woman blew her nose delicately and threw away the tissue before grabbing another one.
"Miss Jameson, did Lisa have any problems with any of her co-workers that you knew of?" Warrick looked up at Ashley and saw fresh tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Yes, Lance Billings. He works in Accounting, he kept asking Lisa out and she kept turning him down. He wouldn't take no for an answer. She was going to tell Mr. Lewis on Monday, as soon as the Stein account was wrapped up. He's such a pig; he kept hitting on her and leering at her." Disgust filled Ashley's voice as she described the man.
"When did he start asking Lisa out, do you remember Miss Jameson?" Nick asked in curiosity.
"About two weeks ago, the last straw was yesterday though. He sent her flowers and she took them set them on his desk. She told him that she wanted nothing to do with him and to leave her alone. Lisa told him that if he kept it up she would go to Mr. Lewis. She told me that Lance was furious and had called her a prissy bitch. We talked about over lunch yesterday." She began to cry again, wringing her hands in despair.
"Okay, that's all the questions we have for now. I'm going to leave you my card, give us a call if you think of anything else Miss Jameson and thank you for your time." Nick handed her his card and smiled softly at the young woman. She took the card and quietly thanked him.
Warrick and Nick made their way to the lobby to meet up with Greg and Vega. They entered the lobby and found the two men sitting in a corner going over interview notes, Greg taking notes.
"Get anything?" Warrick asked of the two.
"Nope, same answers that Mr. Lewis gave us, how about you?' Vega stood up and the group made their way to the parking lot.
"Yeah, Nick and I got a tip from one of Lisa's co-workers; a Lance Billings had been harassing her for about two weeks. She confronted him and told him she was going to go to Mr. Lewis on Monday. Seems he wasn't too thrilled with that." Nick said as he looked over his notes.
"Well, Mr. Billings was on our list, but he called in sick today. Looks like I'm going to be paying Mr. Billings a personal visit. I'll meet up with you after I interview Billings." Vega made his way quickly to his car and the three criminalists made their way back to theirs to return to the lab.
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Carl narrowed his eyes as he peered through the binoculars at the Detective and the three CSIs. He smirked as he watched them split up, the Detective leaving in his Taurus and the CSIs returning to their vehicle. Carl wasn't his real name; he liked to use a different identity for every town he hit. He would kill one, let the police investigate, maybe even find a viable suspect, then he would start to play. He would choose one of the officers or one of the CSIs, someone who was passionate and caring about their work. He would start to send them letters with false clues, taunts, eventually pictures of his handiwork. He would let them get within hours of catching him and then he would disappear, leaving them with a cold case and one of their own to deal with nightmares.
He liked to keep tabs on the one's he played the game with. The CSI in New Mexico had quit six months after his case; the Detective in Oklahoma had shot himself with his service revolver. He had left a simple note explaining that he couldn't get the pictures out of his head and he couldn't take it anymore. That was Carl's favorite, the Detective had been so easy to taunt and so easy to push over the edge. Carl smiled at his remembered and then shook himself; he had things to do, starting with choosing which CSI he wanted to play the game with. He made sure that the CSIs had pulled into the traffic and then started to follow. He had a feeling that he would have someone chosen by the end of the day. He just knew it.