Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 2
Sunday, September 25, 2006
The Campbell Residence
9:01 a.m.
Using the lavish dining room as their command center, the Master Criminalist gathered his crew and ran through assignments. "Because of who Bruce Campbell is in this town, the Sheriff has declared this case a top priority. That's why I'm in the lead, instead of Nick. The first round of assignments is as follows: Sofia, you're with me processing the vic and the room. Sara and Jas…you're questioning and taking samples from the party guests. Nick…you will be with Mr. Dwyer. After we finish those assignments, we'll divide up the house and the grounds. Any questions?" Gil looked to Sara to make sure she was still holding up and was relieved to find color had returned to her cheeks. "Okay, then…let's get to work."
The Marvelous Muffin – San Diego
9:06 a.m.
"So, Becca…tell me a little about your work." Retired Detective, Dennis Vartann, continued the interrogation of his rather eccentric daughter-in-law, hoping he'd come to see why his son had felt compelled to marry her.
"Well, I used to be in mergers and acquisitions…you know, squashing the meek and helping corporate greed flourish, but once I realized I was hosing my Karma, I made a promise to only help the needy. My new job is with BPAC, which stands for Bringing Peace and Comfort. The organization was founded by Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes, two CSIs who are good friends of Tony's. I'm the assistant to the Project Manager and later, once I pass the Nevada bar, I'll be offering my legal expertise."
Tony smiled at his parents, trying desperately to convince them he was happy, not insane. "Becca is quite a philanthropist. Just the other day, she made a substantial donation to The Make a Wish Foundation that will make it possible for seven families to go to Disney World. She also flits around town doing random acts of kindness."
Marge Vartann patted Becca's shoulder. "You remind me of Oprah Winfrey, Dear."
Puzzled by the statement, Becca lowered her coffee mug. "How? She's black, old, and has a big ass."
"I meant that you're both doers of random good deeds."
"Right! Duh! She gives away cars." Becca chuckled. "Sorry, I blame the Zoloft and the Xanax. You're just lucky I'm still not drinking."
"Oh, are you a…recovering alcoholic?" Marge asked while twisting her napkin under the table.
"No, I'm just trying to keep a clear head after having a nervous breakdown a few weeks ago."
"A nervous breakdown?" Dennis stated, while imagining his son had met the girl when he was called to talk her down from a ledge.
"It wasn't serious, Dad," Tony lied before taking his wife's hand and gave it a squeeze. "And she's been doing great ever since."
"Yeah. He's right, it was no big deal." Becca laughed. "I mean, who hasn't had one or six mental breakdowns in their lifetime, right?"
Staring at his son, who he wanted to believe hadn't lost his mind, Dennis sighed. She must be an animal in the sack.
The Campbell Residence
9:10 a.m.
Taking photos of Charlie, Nick said, "Those are some harsh claw marks on your back. How rough was the sex?"
"I…"
"Raise your arms over your head for me, please. Thank you."
"I can't remember it all, but I'm never rough with chicks, never…I swear. Ask any of my friends, that's why they call me Good Time Charlie, that's all I want…a good time. She was the animal, not me. We weren't in her room two seconds before she was lighting candles and tossing her dress. It was real obvious that she entertained guys all the time. She stepped into a pair of CFMs and said 'do they make you want to want me?'"
"Turn towards me, arms still up." As he snapped pictures, Nick continued, "We found two condoms in the room…both used, but only one had output. Are they both yours? Or was there someone else in the room waiting to take a turn?"
"I don't remember anyone else, but I woke up on the bathroom floor, so I don't know what went on when I was sleeping it off in there. My head is really killing me."
"You're a hell of a lot better off than Nina, so stop whining and try to remember what happened last night."
"Sorry, uh…I remember we were downstairs drinking Cristal and doing lines, then we went up to her room to continue the party privately. I told you she was talking about her shoes, when she was doing that, I turned my back and popped a Viagra."
"Is that normal for you? Or could that be why you passed out?"
"No, I've done the combo plenty of times. Coke gives me the mental rush, but screws with my performance, so I pop a Viagra."
"What happened after you finished having sex?"
"It starts to get fuzzy after that. Um…I definitely remember going back downstairs, and obviously we came back up, but..." The terrified young man strained to recall the events of the previous evening. "I...I have this vague memory of trying to be with her up against the wall, but it wasn't working…yeah, I was crashing."
Changing to a sensitive tone, Nick prodded, "Did she laugh at you? Make you feel bad? Maybe you got pissed at her reaction?"
"No, now that I'm concentrating, I remember she was nice about it. She said maybe it would help if I did some more blow."
"Did you?"
"Uh…I don't know." Clutching his hair he anxiously said, "It's a total blank after that…until I woke up on the floor."
"Several guests heard you flipping out."
"I've never seen a corpse before…the blood…the smell." The memory gave him chills. "I was terrified."
"You can cover up with the blanket for the moment while I prep to take samples." Setting down his camera, Nick said, "I have a trivia question for you …how old is Nina Campbell?"
"Twenty-one."
"Wrong." Nick curtly informed the young man, "She was only sixteen. You're twenty-six. Do you always go for the young ones?"
"No! No way, man!" Charlie vehemently shook his head. "I proofed her when I met her at The Royale yesterday. I learned my lesson the hard way with an underage girl, so now I'm extra careful. Ask any of my friends! I meet a chick, I ask to see her driver's license. I asked Nina at the Royale, and she showed me a Nevada driver's license and her age was twenty-one, she's going to be twenty-two on October thirty-first, I remember talking about her birthday being on Halloween."
"Exactly where were you in the hotel when you asked to see her license?"
"In the lobby, there's a section with overstuffed leather chairs. Casino-hotels have cameras everywhere! I bet they have it on tape!"
"You're in luck, Charlie. Unlike California, the age of consent in Nevada for hetero sex is sixteen." Nick readied a swab. "I need a DNA sample. Open up."
After complying he pleaded, "I didn't do it, Mr. Stokes. You have to believe me."
"How can you be sure you didn't do it, when you can't remember everything that happened last night? You can't even remember what poison you put in your body, Charlie. You mix the wrong stuff and crazy things can happen. I see it in the field all the time. Hell, we've had people turn into cannibals and not remember takin' bites out of each other."
"I'm squeamish around blood," the terrified young man cried. "I could never…I just know I couldn't do that to another human being, no matter how wasted I was. I know it looks bad, but…if Hoj were here, he'd tell you…I could never do that…never."
"Greg's in Maui, and the only thing that can help you is the evidence," Nick replied, while recalling his time spent in a similar situation. "Now I need to collect blood samples. Drop the blanket again."
The Blakes
9:34 a.m.
"She's still under the covers," McKenna sadly reported to her mother. Lindsay was assigned to sleep in her room on one of the inflatable air mattresses they used for camping. "She's not a fun sleepover friend. She didn't come to bed before I was asleep and I've been up for hours waiting to play and she's snoozing!"
"Aww." Wendy gave her daughter a squeeze. "I'll call Cassie's mom later and see if she can sleepover next weekend."
"Can you ask if I can sleep there instead? 'Cause Cassie told me she lives in a real stone castle and I never slept in one of those before."
After a stealthy eye roll, Wendy said, "Castles are overrated, Sweetheart. They're drafty and filled with spiders. That's why princesses are always desperate to escape from their towers."
The Four Seasons Maui
6:51 a.m. HST
"Morning, Princess," Greg cooed in his wife's ear. "Ready for another day in paradise?"
"I think I can put on my game face and muddle through." Rolling over she pecked her husband's grinning lips. "What's on Crazy Control-freak Carrie's itinerary for today?"
"In exactly two minutes, we take turns peeing, after which we have some hot morning loving. After that, we shower together, and then go downstairs for the daily buffet breakfast. We come back to the suite, have more red hot lovin' and then it's off to the cove to snorkel. After snorkeling, we return to the suite to fool around and…"
"Are you sure Carrie wrote in all that passion?"
"Of course she did, it's our honeymoon. Wait…are you accusing me of itinerary tampering?"
"Yes!" she giggled.
"Fine!" Laughing, he pounced. "In Maui, the punishment for itinerary tampering is for the accuser to make hot monkey love with the guilty party."
The Campbell Residence
10:02 a.m.
Walking into Nina's bedroom, where the private party with Good Time Charlie had taken place, Nick snapped on a fresh pair of gloves. "Hey, Gris, I just spent some quality time with our prime suspect and he says he proofed the vic at The Royale yesterday and she had a driver's license showin' she was twenty-one. Did you find Nina's wallet by chance?"
Sofia pointed to the dresser. "One Kate Spade wallet…photographed, tagged, but not yet inventoried or bagged, because The Master ordered me to stop that and start hunting for our suspected murder weapon."
Popping open the wallet, Nick fumbled through it, then heaved a sigh. "Looks like Nina really did lead a double life." Holding up two Nevada driver's licenses he said, "She's sixteen and twenty-one…student by day, party girl at night."
Sofia walked over to see for herself. "So, Charlie really didn't think he was bedding a high school girl."
"Nope. He said he asked to see her ID in The Royale lobby."
"Check this out…" Grissom held up a bagged gold sandal with a four-inch metal heel. "We have a hunch on the murder weapon. We found one on the vic and so far, the other is no where to be found."
"Death by shoe?" Nick remarked in disbelief. After all the shoe nonsense with Carrie it seemed eerie.
"The vic's jugular was torn open," Grissom explained, "And Sofia, having some first hand experience with pointy heeled bedroom shoes, told me that one time the rubber tip came off one of hers and it was quite sharp because there's a nail that holds the tip in place."
"Definitely sharp enough to rip through flesh if swung at a high speed," Sofia confirmed.
Grissom pointed to the spatter pattern. "High velocity, and the wound on Nina's neck was jagged, not smooth from a blade."
Nick stared at the evidence bag. "But if Charlie was locked in the room and the matching shoe isn't here..."
"Exactly." Grissom eased into a smile. "And that's why we never presume guilt, no matter how bad it looks for the guy who slept with the dead girl only hours before, right, Nicky?"
"Absolutely, Gris." Nick went to the window with his flashlight. "It's locked and I don't see any blood or obvious prints. I'll go down to check if it got tossed."
"I'm charged with searching every inch of this room!" Sofia yelled from the walk-in closet. "She has to have two hundred boxes in here. I can't believe a girl could have so many shoes."
Nick and Carrie's
10:16 a.m.
"How's the eBay auction, goin?" Katie asked when she saw Carrie sitting at the computer. She couldn't imagine there were people out in the world, crazy enough to want some of them.
"It's a bidding frenzy!"
"Awesome."
"How are you feelin' this morning?" Carrie peeled herself away from the computer screen.
"Still on edge." Katie took a seat on the end of the desk. "Andy called my cell an hour ago to tell me that Mama was still holed up in her room not wantin' to come out and eat or be with the family."
"She's in shock." Carrie nodded. "Shock takes time to wear off, but when it does, she'll be ready to hear your story."
The Campbell Residence
10:29 a.m.
Sara moved to the next couple. "Who are you? And what's your story?"
"I'm Tia Dixon," the petite red-head shyly answered.
The preppy blond took his girlfriend's hand. "And I'm Tad Harper."
"Tia and Tad…cute." Sara jotted the names on swab containers. "Open up, Tia." She handed it to Jas to close up. "Open up, Tad. Thank you, now tell me your story…where were you when you the body was discovered this morning?"
"The pool house." Tad pointed over his shoulder. "We were passed out on the lounger when my buddy Craig came out there to tell us what had happened."
"What time did you enter the pool house?"
"Uh…" The girl shrugged. "My memory is a little hazy. Maybe one?"
"Do you recall seeing or hearing anything unusual?"
"No," Tad quickly answered, "but all the cash in my wallet is gone. I think I had like five hundred bucks in there."
Sara exchanged looks with Jas and guided her away from the detained guests. "So far, seven guests had reported being robbed of something."
"This is freaky." Jas stared at the partiers across the room. "How can all these people sleep through getting robbed and a girl being horrifically murdered upstairs?"
"When someone's drunk enough they can sleep through an earthquake. My mom did twice."
"Sorry, Sara."
"For what?" She flashed a disarming smile. "It's not your fault my mother was a nutjob."
The Four Seasons Maui
8:07 a.m. HST
From behind a palm tree, Bev Sanders watched her son and his wife stroll toward the hotel's breakfast buffet. They looked even happier than they did dining under the stars at Spago the previous night.
Greg's life was truly going on without her and instead of falling apart, he looked stronger than ever. The realization reminded her of one of her son's favorite stories, How the Grinch stole Christmas. Just like the Grinch had done everything he could to take away Christmas joy from the Whos, she had taken step after manipulative step to throw a wrench into Greg's happiness…but it hadn't worked. Right before her eyes was proof: the celebration of his honeymoon and his marriage was going on as planned.
Unlike the Grinch, Bev didn't have an epiphany, no great urge to charge into the room and serve Roast Beast to the buffet crowd, proclaiming her old ways changed forever. All she wanted were things back the way they used to be, with her as the puppet master pulling the strings in her son's life. However, she fully recognized that a 'want' was just that, and it would never become reality if she kept her course.
Since she hadn't experienced a Grinch-worthy epiphany, and didn't have the energy to fake it, Bev did the only other thing possible. Putting her tail between her legs, she completed a walk of shame into the sunny buffet breakfast room, and much to her son and his bride's surprise, pulled up a chair at their table and admitted defeat. "You win, Gregory,"
"Oh my God!" Tawny exclaimed, dropping her croissant.
When her daughter-in-law shrieked and hid behind Greg's chair, Bev laughed. "What? Do you think I have a gun in my Gucci bag? Sit down, Blondie. If I had wanted to kill you, I could have easily done it last night on that desolate path you were strolling on under the stars."
"You've been watching us!" Tawny's hand covered her mouth as the two bites of eggs she had eaten before Bev appeared churned in her stomach.
"Stay right where you are, Princess," Greg ordered as he held out his hand. "Let's see exactly what you do have in your bag, mother." His eyes searched the area, taking in the exits and the positions of hotel personnel.
"If you insist on being dramatic, Gregory." Rolling her eyes, Bev passed him the bag. "Would you like to frisk me too?"
"I can't believe you came here to…" Greg's words faded as he dumped the contents of the bag on the table and saw a pamphlet for 'The Shores: A Rehabilitation Center'.
"That's what I'm doing here." Bev relaxed in her chair. "I'm checking myself in at noon today. It's one of those places celebrities secretly go when they lose their minds. I'm hoping for a famous roommate."
Tawny took the colorful brochure out of her husband's hand and stared at the photos. "This is really why you're here?"
Nodding, Bev reached over and plucked a strawberry from her son's plate. "After thirty-five years, I suddenly found myself without a job, a husband or a son, so I figured why the hell not? Maui's lovely this time of year and at least I'd get to see you before checking in."
Retaking her seat, Tawny asked, "How did you know we were here?"
"Money is power, Sweetheart." Bev snatched her daughter-in-law's untouched juice. "If you have the means, you can find out anything about anybody."
Don Schultz's Home Office
11:14 a.m.
Taking a seat in a leather guest chair, Ben Rodgers queried, "How can you be so sure the Sheriff will be willing to listen to what you have to say once you start ripping his people to shreds?"
Don grabbed a large manila envelope from his desk. "Because, right before the meeting I'm going to show him a few revealing photos of him and a young prostitute named Kyle."
Ben eyed the envelope. "The Sheriff's a fag?"
"A fag with a penchant for barely legal boys." Grinning, Don held up one of the photos. "This kid's eighteen, but I think he looks fifteen with those big eyes and cherubic blond ringlets, and how things look is what counts in the court of public opinion. Burdick won't want the good citizens of Sin City to see these pictures on the six o'clock news."
"Look at that…it's frickin' repulsive."
"So, you understand why my confidence level is high?"
Turning his gaze from the offensive photo Ben grimaced, "Whatever happened to people having morals?"
Don laughed at the unscrupulous man who was desperate to get his murderous brother out of prison. "Hey now, if everyone had morals, I wouldn't be rich from defending the pigs of this world. Not that Mike is a pig. He of course, is the innocent exception."
The Campbell Residence
11:22 a.m.
"I can't believe what that animal did to her," Greer Tilson, Nina's best friend, cried into her fourth tissue. "He'll get the death penalty, right?"
"It's too soon to determine who killed Nina." Sara watched the Social Services worker push a box of Kleenex across the kitchen table toward the heartbroken fifteen and a half year old who was waiting for her parents to return from San Francisco and claim her. "What makes you think Nina's date killed her?"
"Duh." Blinded by tears, Greer haphazardly snatched more tissues. "I'm the one who unlocked the door and saw him there covered in her blood, remember? I saw the way he looked…crazy and guilty." After blowing her nose hard she said, "I told Nina he was way too good to be true. I bet he's not even a movie star like he said. His Porsche is probably a rental and he's really just some Hollywood wannabe from Bakersfield."
"We ran the plates on the Porsche," Sara replied. "It's his. Was this the first party Nina threw here?"
"Are you kidding?" Greer wiped her eyes. "She's had at least six this year. People are still talking about her Labor Day bash. It was off the hook…a band by the pool…fireworks. We planned it for weeks. This party was spontaneous though, she threw it to show off her catch."
"You mean Charlie?"
"Yeah…some catch, huh?" Greer's tears fell harder. "She thought he was. When they came down from partying in her room, she was on cloud nine. She was going on and on about how great he was in bed and that he told her he never had such chemistry with a woman before. She was all excited because he promised to bring her to the Oscars. I told her it was a line he probably tossed at every girl. I told her to be careful with her heart, when she really should have been fearing for her life."
After letting the girl cry for a moment, Sara forged on, "What time was it when Nina came downstairs and talked to you?"
"Um…the first time was twelve-thirty. They came down together to reload. I know because I checked my watch and made fun of how fast Mr. Hollywood was done." Greer paused for a sip of water. "The second time, she was alone. She came down to…well, I guess I really can't get her in trouble now…she was asking around for coke because Superman was coming down and she wanted to keep going."
"Did she score the coke?"
"I don't know." Greer shrugged. "She got pissed at Celine and I can't stand listening to the two of them fight, so I walked off."
"Why was she mad at her sister?"
"Who knows, they fight all the time." A new cascade of tears fell. "I mean…they used to fight all the time. They won't be fighting anymore."
The Blakes
11:37 a.m.
"You change it back, Ryan Patrick Blake!" McKenna blasted her brother from the couch living room.
"I just want to see the scores!"
"Change it back!"
"Jesus, five freakin' minutes without Mary Kate and Ashley won't kill you!"
"Mom!" McKenna ran off to tattle, but was happy to find her mother already on the way into the room. "Ryan said 'freakin' and 'Jesus', but not the good way to say 'Jesus'."
Wendy looked to Sean who was sitting in the arm chair staring at an Entomology book. "What happened?"
"Uh." Since he had been daydreaming about Lindsay instead of paying attention, he fibbed, "Sorry, I was wrapped up reading about dust mites, so I didn't hear or see anything."
"Freak," Ryan muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Wendy glared at her boy.
"I said deep." The errant son nodded. "Reading about dust mites…that's pretty deep, I wish I could be as deep as Sean."
"You are deep, Ryan…" Wendy coiled her hand around the back of his neck. "In deep. You're not supposed to be watching TV, remember? You're still being punished for sneaking out to see Celine and taking an unsupervised joy ride in her limo."
"Saved by the bell," Ryan snickered when the house phone rang.
Wendy pointed to the TV. "Rewind Mary Kate and Ashley! You're to sit with your sister and watch the entire thing without making a peep. If you complain, then I'll make you rewind it again."
"Mom!" He gripped his hair, certain he'd be pulling every strand out if he had to do what his mother demanded. "It's the tape that has like six episodes on it! Including the Christmas one! That's the most annoying one ever!"
"Excellent." Smiling, Wendy picked up the phone. "Hello."
From the couch, McKenna shook her head at her annoyed brother. "When are you going to learn that crime doesn't pay?"
"Hey, Carrie…"
Since his mother was preoccupied on the phone with his aunt, Ryan stuck his tongue out at his kid sister. "You just wait until you screw up one day. I'll make sure they nail your butt to the wall."
"Oh my God." Wendy's free hand flew to her head. "Is she..."
Sean and Ryan exchanged curious looks and when their mother hung up the phone five minutes later Sean asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, um…" Not wanting to frighten her children, she quickly formulated a lie. "Binda accidentally got out of the house and was lost for an hour, but they found her and she's alright."
Sean and McKenna breathed collective sighs of relief while Ryan took a seat on the couch laughing. "I can't believe that dog would run away when it's spoiled rotten."
"I love you!" Wendy blurted to her children as tears formed in her eyes. The news of a sixteen year old girl being brutally killed brought back memories of her teenage sister Samantha being murdered by Mike. The painful memory quickly combined with the knowledge that Sean had been at the Campbell home only weeks earlier and Ryan had been riding in their family's limo in the middle of the night. The reality that the murder could have happened when her children were there became too much. "I…I need to check on Ashley."
"Mom's such a weirdo," Ryan groaned as he kicked up his feet on the coffee table.
"No feet on the table," McKenna and Sean sang out.
"I have to be adopted."
The Estancia – La Jolla
11:45 a.m.
Sitting on the balcony of Tony and Becca's suite, Dennis told his son, "If it didn't work this time, your brother said they were ready to give up and adopt."
"It's nice to get a happy ending for a change, isn't it, Pop?" In their combined forty-one years on the force, they had seen plenty of tragic ones.
"Yeah." The retired homicide detective nodded as he watched the soothing surf. "I hope you get a 'happily ever after' with this new wife of yours."
"I know you think I'm nuts," Tony said with a smirk. "I am, but honestly, it's a nice change of pace after a lifetime of being predictable and normal. That's what Becca's bringing to the table, aside from her beauty, bank roll and bed skills…she's fun, and having fun is a hell of a lot better than coming home to an empty house after every shift."
"But you don't love her?"
"The marriage didn't happen because we fell madly in love. It happened because we were both sick of being alone. The thing is…we've been hurt enough to know fairy tales don't really happen, and we know there's no one out there that can give us more than we can give each other. Since we know that, I think the odds that we'll split are a hell of lot lower than your average couple, because a lot of relationships end when the people in them think they can do better. It sounds wacky, but don't worry, I feel it in my gut, Pop…it's gonna work."
"You're forty, Tony, I've been done telling you what I think you should do for decades. If you say this is what you want and you're happy, then I'm going to support you a hundred and ten percent."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it."
"Honestly, I admire your strength. If I had been in your shoes that day you walked into your bedroom, I would have put a bullet in that son of bitch you used to call a friend. I'm grateful that you're a stronger person than me, and that I'm visiting with you here instead of Ely State Prison. Your mother was devastated enough, if you had…"
"They weren't worth going to prison…or burning in hell, on the off chance that Mom and old Father O'Neill are right about how things work. But you're wrong, I'm not that strong." His voice turning serious, Tony confessed, "Becca wasn't the only one who had a crisis recently. When I met her, I was polishing off a bottle of Scotch every night after my shift. It was getting ugly. Over time…best case, I had AA meetings in my future, worst case…who knows, maybe my pistol in my mouth."
After getting over the shock of the statement, Dennis confidently stated, "Then I like Becca twice as much."
"You like her?" Tony remarked in surprise.
"Don't get me wrong, she's a lunatic, but yeah…I like her. Hell, anybody is better than your witchy sister-in-law Janey, right?"
"No, shit." After knocking on the arm of the wood deck chair Tony said, "I know Christmas has been hard on mom because Matt has to go to his in-laws every year and Reggie switches off."
"Tell me about it." Dennis cringed, "And this year with the baby, it's Reggie's turn to go to Gina's parents in Denver. You know your mother…she'll be bawling her eyes out on Christmas morning, wishing there was a child in the house to watch open gifts."
"Tell Mom we'll definitely be there and I'd love it if she'd go all out. I'm talking the works…cookies, a tree in every room, the whole nine yards. Becca's never had a real Christmas and since she has enough money to buy anything she wants, I'm going to give her something money can't buy…a real family holiday. Since it will be her first, I think she'll fill the spot as the excited kid. I already secured the time off work."
"I'll put Santa on the roof."
"Reindeer too?"
"Shit, yeah. Tom Renella across the street won the neighborhood decorating contest last year." Dennis snickered, "This year he's not gonna know what hit him. Since I have plenty of time, I think I'll make a few more displays for the yard too."
Tony smiled at the memory of him and his brothers slaving with his father to make their house the brightest on the block. "But don't you go on the roof or hang the lights yourself, Pop. Your balance isn't what it used to be. I'll send you money and you hire someone."
"Listen to you." Relaxing in the cushy chair Dennis laughed, "You go and marry a rich girl and take every opportunity to flaunt your fortune. I can't believe you're driving a god damn Ferrari Spider. Hey…is driving it really better than sex?" the seventy year-old joked, relieved to see a smile on his boy's face again. "That's what people say."
"I prefer to combine the two actually."
"Oh!" High-fiving his son, Dennis said, "Old Father O'Neill was right about you, Anthony…you're going to hell."
"Yeah, well, to quote Billy Joel…I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, because the sinners are much more fun."
The Campbell Residence
12:37 p.m.
Standing in the bedroom of the young lady who died far too young, Jim Brass counted his blessings for the third time that day. The first time was when he checked Ellie's room that morning and saw she was still there. The second time was when he woke her to go to work and found she was sober.
It was only twenty-four hours, but it was a start, and he didn't have to worry about her for the remainder of the day because she was at The Dominion, receiving her employee orientation from Heather. He was certain she was having a grand old time laughing her ass off at the 'perv-freaks' as she called them. Not since she was a little girl getting ready for day camp had he seen her so exited to pack up and go somewhere in the morning.
Unlike so many days in the past, it felt great to be a father and be the parent of a child who wasn't careening into an abyss that had a point of no return. Ellie had come back from the brink of disaster and in spite of the bad odds he had been given, he was actually starting to believe there was hope.
Staring at the blood-soaked carpeting before him, Jim thought of the father who couldn't say the same that morning and even though he hadn't been religious for decades, he said a little prayer because it felt like the right thing to do. He didn't want to ignore a gut feeling, not when things were going so well.
"Hey, Jim," Gil called from the door.
Pointing to the floor, the stressed father said, "This is straight out of one of my Ellie nightmares."
"As a father-to-be I'm still concerned about the pregnancy. I expect worrying about this stuff will come immediately following delivery. Not that I don't have enough to worry about currently."
"Nicky told me about your run-in with Mrs. Rodgers." Jim finally moved his gaze from the blood. "What a piece of work that bastard is. I wish we had shot him in Tahoe when we had the chance."
"Uh…"
"I'm in a mood." Jim walked out of the room. "Where's the movie star?"
"Two doors on your left."
"You think he did it?"
Gil shot a warning glance.
"Just kidding." Heading down the hall he said, "We'll wait and see what the evidence says. But you should know, Burdick is already breathing down my neck and I expect it will get worse the second Bruce Campbell's plane touches down."
Before Gil could reply, his boss disappeared into one of the guestrooms.
"Gris…" Nick called from the top of the stairs. "We have fifteen pairs of eyes lookin' for that shoe now. I have every square foot of the house and grounds assigned."
"Good, because Jas just called from the lab and confirmed that the wound on Nina's neck matches the one she made on a test dummy's neck when running an experiment with the same type of shoe minus its rubber tip."
"At least somethin' came easy on this one."
"And the surveillance tapes?"
"They were just placed in Archie's capable hands."
"Excellent." Gil checked his watch. "What's Sara working on?" His curiosity was personal, not professional.
"The social worker gave her the green light to try and make some headway with Celine."
The Blakes
12:42 p.m.
"Ryan…" Wendy took a seat on the couch next to her bored son who had been left alone to watch Mary Kate and Ashley when McKenna skipped off to play Barbies in her room. "Your friend, Celine…"
"She's not my friend anymore, Mom, remember? She bit me…and not in a place that enjoys being bitten."
The concerned mother softened her voice. "When you spent time with her, did she talk about her sister?" Nick had called asking that she do a little 'off the record' probing.
"Just that she was a bi…bad girl."
"How was she a bad girl?"
"She was nasty and treated Celine like crap."
"Did she give you any examples?"
"She told her she was ugly and she'd never be as pretty as her, and that guys would never want Celine as much as they wanted her. That kind of stuff."
"Did they fight a lot?"
Huffing, the irritated teen asked, "Why do you care?"
She'd tell him eventually, but it wasn't the right time. "I'm just wondering what could make such a young girl so desperate to act years older than she really is. I'm not trying to get you in trouble, Ryan, I'm communicating. I already know what went on, I'm just trying to understand it."
Remembering Celine's sad words, Ryan replied, "I think she did stuff thinking it would make me hug her more. I mean…because all she ever asked me to do after she did stuff was hug her. I thought it was weird, but you're like an octopus, hugging us all the time, so maybe it's different when you don't have a mom and your dad sucks."
"I'm an octopus?" Wendy stated, not sure if it was negative or a positive. "Is that a bad thing?"
"Only when you squeeze me so hard that I can't breathe…or you make me watch Mary Kate and Ashley until my ears bleed…which is like two minutes from now."
"Thanks for being honest with me, Honey." Unsure if she felt better or worse, she headed to the TV and granted a reprieve.
"Thank you!"
"You can read instead."
"Ugh."
"I'll lift the ban on Harry Potter." She had prohibited it, because it was the one book he enjoyed reading, so she didn't think it should be allowed while he was fulfilling the terms of his punishment.
"Thanks, Mom." Ryan was five steps out of the room when he returned and spontaneously hugged his mother.
"What was that for?" Wendy asked while savoring the moment.
"You're acting really weird and you looked like you needed one." Without another word, he removed his arms and retreated to his room, not sure what was wrong with his mother, but hoping she wasn't going completely mental like he had heard his aunt say Greg's mother had.
The Four Seasons Maui
10:56 a.m. HST
"Chuckles…" Tawny snuggled up to her husband, who had been sitting on the balcony staring at nothing in particular since they had returned from the surprise breakfast with his mother. "Penny for your thoughts."
"You'd be getting ripped off." The conversation with his mother over trust funds and visitation rights had left him raw.
It had killed her to watch him plummet from the top of the world in a matter of hours. "Don't let her ruin this for you," she whispered in his ear. "Please…don't let her get to you."
"I'm not you," he huffed, wishing he had the wherewithal to move on without looking back like his wife had perfected over time. "I can't say 'whatever, Mother' and not think about her until she pops up in my face again. She's in my head again and I can't get her out. I want to get her out, but she's in there, making me feel guilty and making me think I should be holding her hand as she climbs the marble steps of that freakin' ridiculously opulent treatment center."
"Blossom."
"What?"
"Any time you want to get over feeling guilty over your treatment of your mother, think about poor Blossom dying alone in her room because Bev was a selfish bitch who couldn't let you think for yourself and make a decision. If that doesn't work, think about Becca and how your mother kept her two inches from your crotch for years while your self-esteem sunk faster than the Titanic. Or think of your father lecturing you on the evils of partying with friends while your mother sat there knowing you tried to kill yourself because you didn't have a friend in the world. If she makes progress, fine, but for now she's still a manipulative bitch and not worth you ruining your peace of mind."
"Damn." He was simultaneously impressed with and terrified of his wife.
Settling onto her back, Tawny focused on a palm tree swaying. "I focus on my mom purposely not calling me to the hospital in time to say goodbye to my father as he lay there dying. It works like a charm every time. The other day for instance…one minute I'm thinking 'oh my God, my mom almost got killed by a bus, I should rush to the hospital' and then I channeled that memory and suddenly I don't care if she lives or dies. You saw how it paid off when we went there and she tried to make both of us feel like shit a dozen times in ten minutes. She was the same old evil witch she always was and I was absolutely right about not wanting to give her the time of day."
"You're right."
"It's a learned skill, Greg…it takes time to toughen up and not let your abuser keep bringing you down, but it'll come with practice." Taking his hand, she returned to a sweet tone. "This will cheer you up."
"I'm really not in the mood to…"
"Pervert." Sliding his hand under the waistband of her capris she said, "I think all this classy food I'm chowing has made the bump double in size." She really didn't think it had changed at all, but every time they did this exercise, Greg ended up feeling like a million bucks.
Seconds after feeling the beautiful curve, Greg's smile returned. "You're right. How soon until we can feel them move? I know I keep asking the same question. I always get so excited thinking about it, and I forget your answer."
"Sixteen weeks is the earliest, so only a few more."
"I hope it happens when we're together."
She had already decided not to tell him if it happened when he wasn't around. She'd pretend it was as new to her as it was to him. "I think the girls are really enjoying Maui, the fresh pineapple in particular."
"Thank you for pulling me out of the hole."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she cooed as her palm landed on the back of his hand.
After they both yawned, he knew an island nap was fast approaching. "Mmm…wanna sleep in the bed?"
"Not if it involves moving."
The Campbell Residence
2:45 p.m.
Once his team had filed into the room and was standing at the foot of Nina's bed, Grissom started the run through. "Just before midnight, Charlie and Nina come in here, they have a little more champagne, on top of the coke and Cristal they consumed downstairs. We have a used condom that Max has confirmed matches to Charlie and to Nina, and Charlie admitted to having sex with her, so there's no mystery there anyway."
Nick took over, "The second condom belongs to Charlie too, but his fantasy went unfilled that time. He vaguely remembers having a problem right out of the gate."
Sara nodded, "That fits with Greer's account of Nina coming downstairs to score coke for her erection-challenged date."
Nick interjected, "See…that's a problem right there." When Sofia laughed at him he clarified, "I don't mean that in an empathetic manner, Ms. Curtis." His thoughts momentarily turned to a very awkward evening at her place when she patted him like a puppy and said the words no man ever wants to hear 'it happens to every guy now and then' then she followed it up with an equally humiliating 'You worked sixteen hours and you're beat, it's totally understandable that you can't get it up'. "Charlie popped a Viagra only an hour before, so he should have been good to go according to…"
"Personal experience?" Sara teased, trying desperately to be her old self.
"No, Ms. Sidle," Nick laughed, happy to see a glimpse of the confident wise-ass she could be. "The Sofia and Sara show is hilarious, really, but I have a job to do, so can it, ladies! According to Mr. Dwyer's previous experience, this 'Cristal, coke and Viagra cocktail' is somethin' he does all the time with great success, so he couldn't figure out why it wasn't working or why he passed out so soon after doin' lines."
"His tox report didn't show anything else," Grissom confirmed.
"What if it was already out of his blood stream?"
"Are you thinking GHB?"
Sara nodded at her husband and spoke from personal experience. "GHB would still be detectable in the urine the next morning. Thanks to Mike Rodgers, I know that first hand." Just like that, the psycho was back on her mind. "Normally, if it was combined with the amount of alcohol, Charlie would be dead or comatose, but if he had enough coke in him, it would have upped his heart rate enough to keep him alive. People actually do that combo on purpose sometimes…sometimes they actually die from it, sometimes they don't, they're idiots either way."
"Yeah, but only the first urine sample of the day, and it's almost three. I'm sure Charlie peed as soon as he came in the bathroom." Nick chuckled, "That's what every guy does the morning after."
Sara headed for the bathroom. "I remember something else hungover frat boys do the morning after." From the toilet she yelled, "They miss the seat! From the looks of it, Good Time Charlie peed everywhere but in the bowl. I'll get a sample."
"Why does Sara always get the glamour jobs!" Sofia pointed to the closet. "Lots of shoes, none that match. As far as what else is missing in here…who the hell knows, the girl had more assets than a Wall Street banker. If a robber was making his way through the house and came here, he missed a golden opportunity…no pee pun intended. There were diamond earrings on the vic worth at least ten grand and even better gems in the jewelry box on the dresser. Her purse and wallet were untouched and there are about a million other things worth stealing in here…cameras, I-Pods, etc."
Nick moved to where Nina was found. "Maybe the robber thought she was sleeping and ended up surprising her. Good Time Charlie was out in the bathroom, so he couldn't help. The robber kills her, accidentally or on purpose and leaves."
"Why bolt without the stuff at arm's reach?" posited Sofia. "I mean…at least take something to justify the killing."
"Maybe it was his first kill and he flipped out."
Gil shook his head. "If he flipped out, I don't think he would have covered his tracks this well. We have nothing…not a bloody footprint or fingerprint…and if he wasn't thinking and carried the shoe with him it would have had Nina's blood on it. What are the odds he wouldn't touch something?"
"Not if he tucked it away in something." Nick checked his watch. "When Archie has the tape analysis of the guests complete, we'll know more on who came and went."
"Could be a hit," Sara yelled from the bathroom. "Bruce Campbell is reportedly connected."
"Not a hitman's M.O.," Gil immediately countered. "It would have been a nice clean shot between the eyes."
"What about Celine?" Nick thought of her near-catatonia. "Maybe she walked in right after and the robber hid. Once Celine leaves, he takes off."
"No blood stains to indicate a hiding spot," Sofia stated. "I combed every inch of this room, remember? He would have had the bloody shoe and blood on him. It would have transferred on something if he wasn't thinking and hid spontaneously."
Although he had just joined the group, Jim asked, "Tell me again why it can't be the guy who was in the locked room with the dead girl?"
"No shoe," they all replied and then Gil clarified, "We know the murder weapon was one of the shoes the vic was wearing and if Charlie was locked inside this room the whole time then he couldn't have hidden it. We're not ruling him out yet, because…"
"Maybe he ate it."
"It had a four inch leather-covered metal heel," Sofia reminded the boss man.
"You say that like it's not possible to eat a shoe with a four inch metal heel. Freaks at the circus swallow two foot long swords." With that, Jim waved. "Call me with news."
As soon as Brass was gone, Gil instructed, "Nicky…go ask Mr. Dwyer if he ate a shoe in the last twenty-four hours and let the officer know that until he's cleared, Mr. Hollywood goes potty in a bucket."
"You don't really think…"
Gil conceded, "Wolves chew off their own leg to get out of trap, so what's stopping a guy from eating a shoe to save his ass? It's another way to keep Charlie off balance."
"I'm on it." Shaking his head, Nick walked out the door and when he stepped foot in the hall, Officer Suarez whistled, "Stokes! The Social Worker with the kid wants one of you."
"Yeah." Nick hustled down the hall. "What's up, Talia?"
Leaving Celine's side, the social worker whispered in the CSIs ear. "I noticed a bracelet in the bed."
"Okay."
Whispering again she said, "When Sara was in here, I read her list of missing items from the guests. It said 'Tiffany Hearts Charm Bracelet'. That's what's in the bed. I know because it's what I want for my tenth wedding anniversary…not that I have a snowball's chance in hell of actually getting it from my tightwad husband, but a girl can dream."
Nick glanced over his shoulder, and for a moment he swore Celine seemed coherent, but when he blinked, she was rocking and catatonic again. "Officer Suarez!" Nick waved her over. "Would you help escort Ms. Campbell and Talia to one of the cleared rooms? Thank you."
"Tag Heuer," Celine muttered as the officer helped her to her feet.
Nick watched for another blip, but nothing came. As soon as the teen was gone, he pulled his camera from his pocket and snapped two pictures of the expensive bracelet peeking out from under the bedding. "Could be hers." He struggled to remember what she was wearing the night of Greg and Tawny's wedding when she was Ryan's date.
With his initial photos taken, Nick reached forward and pulled back the comforter to get a full view of the bracelet. "Whoa." The surprise left him speechless for a moment and when he caught his breath, he radioed, "Gris…we have a new development."
"Go ahead."
"I believe I've ID'd the robber." His eyes focused on the photo of his nephew on the girl's bulletin board.
"Who do you think it is, Nicky?"
"I'm ninety-nine point nine percent certain it's Celine, but I'm leaving a margin of error in case she has an explanation for all the stolen stuff from the party being under her comforter."
"I'll be right there."
"Gris…"
"Yeah?"
Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "Remember how I said I had every inch of the house and grounds searched for that shoe? I was wrong. I didn't have anyone search in here." By the time he was done talking, Grissom was already in the room.
One look at the pile of goods and Gil ordered, "You take the bathroom and the closet, I'll get the rest."
"For once, I hope to hell we don't find what we're lookin' for."
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading!
NOTE: Because this Book is rated M (the two previous were T), new chapters will never appear in the 'Just In' section and it takes a while for them to show up in thegeneral listingafter they're posted. I will always list the next posting date below, but the best way to receive a chapter right away is to add this story to your chapter alerts.
About the case file…I hope the work scenes felt similar to what we see on TV, but with more a personal angle.
Hopefully you enjoyed the Blake and Vartann comic relief. Chapters 3 and 4 contain my favorite scenes with the family Vartann to date, so if you're a fan, you have that to look forward to. :D
Now you know why the Sheriff will be cooperating at the meeting!
Next Chapter: More case file and adventures in CA and HI! Posting: Saturday, July 1st
Thanks!
Maggs