Chapter VII

Latex and Blood

Sofia looked at the Doctor dubiously. "Murder weapon?"

He nodded, "He killed her and she killed him right back." Robbins lifted the pan higher, "This is what caused the damage to his penis, and from my initial examination he died from traumatic blood loss, therefore this is your murder weapon."

The two women looked at the pan, neither were particularly sure what they were seeing. The insert was about four inches long, cylindrical in shape and flesh-toned beige in color. It appeared to be made out of a thick latex rubber of some kind.

Sofia cocked her head, "It doesn't look particularly threatening, Doc. It's sort of vanilla compared to some of the things I've seen."

Al Robbins didn't comment, but he did crack a small smile. In the meantime, Sara had gotten a pair of latex gloves from the box on the nearby counter. She carefully picked up the item. "It weighs more than I thought it would." She turned the item over in her hands, "One end is rounded off, and the other is flat with a slit down the middle." She looked at the flap. "The flap is made of a thinner latex." She looked up, "Hey Doc, can I borrow your camera?"

In the seven odd seconds it took for Sara to ask her question, her forefinger slipped. Her finger moved less than an inch, it dipped into the slit and when she jerked it back, she felt a sting. Something had sliced through her glove and into her finger. White latex glove was tainted with red blood. A drop slid down to her palm. Quickly, more worried about evidence contamination than her finger, Sara put the dangerous piece of evidence back in the tray and backed away. "Jesus!"

Sofia moved back with her. "Son of a Bitch!" Moving with an efficiency born of practice, familiarity and drilled-in-procedure, Sofia went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a clear plastic evidence bag. At the sink, Sara dropped the cut and bloodied glove into the open bag. Sofia watched gravely while Sara washed her finger and used alcohol based hand sanitizer on the cut.

While David was looking for the first-aid kit, Doctor Robbins looked down at the deceptively harmless piece of rubber. Using forceps, he peeled back the flaps, his hands steady. He went about the procedure with the same precaution as a member of the bomb squad would with a stick of dynamite. Working carefully, keeping his hands out of harm's way, his eyes went wide as he opened up and turned the rubber inside out.

His voice wasn't quite steady when he spoke again. "Sofia don't touch her cut."

Sofia, her own hands covered with gloves, had been midway into putting a band-aid around the other woman's finger paused, "What's the matter?"

The ME turned around, "Sara you're going to need to be tested." Both women came closer to see what he meant.

Neither Sara nor Sofia had truly been ready for what they saw.

Hidden inside the almost vanilla, to quote Sofia, latex shell was something that the four gathered people had never encountered. Sara blinked and lifted the camera again to take pictures; it was just as automatic and reflexive as hitting the space bar when typing. She barely thought about it. David had gone pale and Sofia ran her hands through her hair. Doctor Robbins only stared at what he had revealed. A metal barb, like a straightened fishhook ran for the entire length of what Sara could only label as a device. The barb glimmered in the fluorescent light, stainless steel with blood and chunks of ragged flesh on it. Along the walls of the device, lined up in pairs, were bloody razor blades.

Sofia's breathless "Jesus Christ" summed up the room's thoughts completely.

David looked at Sara, then Sofia, "What kind of woman would do that. Its-it's a bear-trap in… well, you know." The coroner's face was turning red again.

Sofia shook her head, "I don't know, but I know why he killed her now." She looked at the device, "See right behind the flap, barbs. Four sharp spikes were embedded right behind the flap, pieces of flesh hung pitifully off them. He couldn't get out. He killed her hoping to get out."

The abused and severed penis was nearby and Sofia glanced at it, "Doc can you prove that this thing..." The Detective's voice betrayed her obvious disgust, "caused the damage that killed him?"

The ME looked from the device to the Detective, "I'll have to cut him open to be sure, and Tox hasn't come back yet, but I'm willing to bet my son's college fund that it at least contributed to his death."

They looked at the sheet covered dead man on the slab. "Any luck identifying him yet?"

Sara shook her head, "We're still waiting on prints." Her voice, too, was hushed and her eyes locked on the device that had cut her. It wasn't the first time something: a shard of glass, a discarded hypodermic needle, a knife, a splinter, had cut through her glove and into her skin. It wouldn't be her last either. It was a risk that every CSI knew and dealt with. It didn't stop the fear. A little cut could have been infected with countless diseases, including the big one, HIV. It wasn't an abstract fear, either, Sara knew it was a real danger. She had a friend, a fellow criminalist, back East, who had gotten HIV in just such a way. She ran her uninjured hand through her hair to clear her thoughts. "Okay, we need to find out where the hell she got that monstrosity."

Beside her, Sofia nodded, "A serial number or maker's mark, a distinguishing feature of some kind." She pursed her lips. "There's got to be someone who knows something about this. Grissom's dominatrix, maybe?"

For a moment there was a tense silence, then Sara cleared her throat. "It's a no-go, she's out of the spanking business."

David looked between the two of them, "Google it."

Both women groaned then started to snicker. "What are we going to type in, Super Dave -" Sofia looked at him, "Anti-Penis Device?"

Sara stopped snickering, "Or Anti-Rape Device." Her brows furrowed at the thought.

Sofia turned her head, "Are you serious?"

Sara looked down at the two dead bodies, with a cold look in her dark eyes, "Deadly."

Author's Note: I was somewhat concerned when I read that some of you lovely readers are finding some of the scenes funny. I would also like to say that I am not completly responsible for this device. There is an actual, factual patent out for just this sort of device.