Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 39
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Summerlin General
12:23 am
"Only a few minutes," the nurse warned Catherine while leading her to Mrs. Morales' room. "I warned them you were on your way and her sixteen year old daughter is ready to translate."
"Thank you." Catherine quietly entered, nodding at the bandaged woman in bed. "I'm Catherine Willows with the Las Vegas Crime Lab, and with me is Detective Dodd. I promise to make this as brief as possible."
"I'm Tori," the teenage daughter waved. "My mom wants you to know we're not illegals. She and my father were granted amnesty in the eighties and me and my brothers were born here and are citizens." Rolling her eyes she added, "She also insists that I tell you that I'm a straight A student and want to go to UCLA to study law. She doesn't have paperwork on her, but…"
"That's okay. We don't deal with immigration and I believe you." Catherine smiled.
She waited for the daughter to translate, and then asked, "Please tell me everything you remember about the Vartann's house when you walked inside. Was it locked? Was the alarm on?"
"Yes to both," the daughter confirmed and then kept translating as her mother frantically rambled. "It was very hot, like one hundred degrees. That was not right. The Vartanns always kept the house nice and cool. It was too hot for the rat…Mrs. Vartann loved her rat." The daughter chuckled, "Mama thinks pet rats are crazy because as a young girl in Mexico they smashed them with the tortilla skillet if they found one in the house. Mrs. Vartann walks around with it on her shoulder and feeds it on her lap. She says it's hard not to vomit watching that." When her mother smacked her hand, Tori laughed, "I wasn't supposed to translate that part, please don't tell the Vartanns I said that."
"I won't." Catherine smiled. "Personally I think they're pretty gross too. Does your mother remember the time she arrived?"
"Right about five o'clock."
"So at five o'clock the house felt like one hundred degrees." Catherine wrote quickly. "Did she change the setting on the thermostat?"
"Yes," the daughter answered while her mother grabbed at her arm. "She wants you to know that Mr. Vartann told her it was okay to make the temperature whatever she wanted when cleaning because he could pay the bill and he wanted her to be comfortable. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Mr. Vartann is a very, very nice man…she wants you to write that down too."
"I don't think she was doing anything wrong," Catherine kindly explained, "we use the temperature in the room to help us determine when the deceased was killed, that's all. So, if she remembers what it was set at, what she adjusted the temperature to, and the time, it will help."
"It was all the way to the top and she put it down as far as it could go…right after arriving to work, so around five."
"Thank you very much."
"Before I forget, my mother wants to know the name of the nice man who lives across the street who helped her when she got hurt in his yard trying to tell him about the dead woman. He didn't understand Spanish and her English disappears when she's under pressure."
"Well…" Catherine grabbed her cell phone. "You'll probably want to hold out on the thank you. After I call this information in, I'll tell you all about what that nice man did to help."
Sunday - November 13, 2005
Nick and Carrie's
12:31 am
"Aww, thank you, Nicky." Carrie reclined against his sudsy chest in the sunken tub full of bubbles. "The candles and the music are really nice, but you didn't have to do all this when you have to get up for work in six hours."
"Ooh, trust me," he snickered, "after the thrills you gave me tonight, I had to do somethin' special or I woulda felt guilty." Locking his arms around her, he closed his eyes. "I love you, Carr. As miserable as I was forty-eight hours ago, I've never been better. I don't think we've ever been better."
"I feel the same way," she cooed while running her fingertips through the snapping bubbles. "I guess it's true when they say 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'."
"Yeah," he sweetly chuckled in her ear, "and sultrier. God, I loved seein' you so relaxed and…huh?"
Loud knocking on their bedroom window had them both bolting up in the tub.
"That better not be your brother here to pick up his kids!" Nick stood and grabbed a towel. "I'll go peek."
"If my nephews are here I'll disown them!" Carrie hurried out of the tub to dry off.
"What the…" Staring at Jim, who was mouthing 'sorry' on the other side of the glass, Nick drew up the blind and unlocked the window. "What are you doin' in my shrubs at this hour, Uncle Jimmy? Are you trashed?"
"Ohhhhh how I wish I was," Jim wistfully replied. "You're not answering your phones or your front door. We've been trying to reach you for hours." When he saw bath bubbles dripping down Nick's chest, he chuckled, "I'm no CSI, but I think I can figure out where you were."
"Are you kiddin' me?! Today's my day off and I'm kinda in the middle of a real special night here, Jim! You said I could turn off my phone because I've been workin' nonstop for weeks, remember? You told me…"
"Yeah, yeah, I did." Jim smiled, "But like a virginal woman, I have the right to say 'no' when things get hot."
"Who is it, Nicky?!" Carrie whispered from the bathroom door.
"It's just Jim, Honey." Nick groaned, "It's okay. I wasn't answerin' his calls is all."
"But it's your day off." Clenching her bulky spa robe tighter, Carrie walked over shaking her head. "We were having the best night."
"Sorry, Carrie." Jim tipped an imaginary hat. "Amy Vartann was found murdered tonight at the Vartann residence, and all hell is breaking loose."
"Oh my God." Carrie gripped Nick's hand. "That's horrible. Good thing Becca and Tony were out of town."
"Yeah, well…they weren't far enough out of town is the problem. They were only four hours away and our ToD window is huge, not that you heard that from me civilian Blake. Nick, I've been calling to tell you that Greg has been placed on Administrative Leave pending investigation. He's on the persons of interest list and things just got more interesting."
"What?"
"Cover your ears, Carrie." Jim waited for her to fake it and said, "His prints are on the murder weapon, he doesn't have an alibi for two hours this morning, and his dear friend Becca called him last night at eleven fifty when she was driving toward Vegas alone. He says he was at his apartment playing Xbox while Tawny slept at the Stratosphere."
"Oh shit."
"Please tell me Greg lawyered up," Carrie cringed, "not that I was listening."
"Yeah." Brass nodded. "One more thing…our favorite sleazebag Mike Rodgers is right in the middle of the mess."
"Dammit!" Nick hurried off. "I'll get dressed, where should I be?"
"Anywhere but working this case!" Jim replied, halting Nick's retreat. "Your ties to Greg and Vartann are a no access pass, my friend, but you're needed to cover for Pete while he and his team work it, because like you, this city is not sleeping tonight."
"I repeat…dammit!" Nick bolted for the closet.
"Carrie…" Jim quietly said. "You're the one I really need. Sometimes the best defense is to know someone with a good knowledge of the home team's offense. I don't trust the DA and we know Rodgers has the Sheriff by the ass. How about you come back with me to the station and help me figure out what they're up to?"
A giddy smile popping on her face, Carrie snickered, "Just when I thought I couldn't get more action tonight! Give me ten minutes!"
LVPD – Trop Station Waiting Area
1:07 am
"Could you give me a minute, Becca?" Tony asked upon stepping into the building and seeing his former mother-in-law sitting in the corner of the empty room. In her ear he whispered, "That woman over there staring into space is Janet Dykowski, Amy's mom and…"
"Sure…yeah, um..." Becca pointed toward the door. "I'll wait on the bench down the hall for the rest of your family to show up. We'll stay there until you come and get us, okay?"
"Thanks, Honey." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before crossing the room. "Janet…"
The sound of her name snapped the grieving mother out of her daze. "Tony."
"I…" At a loss for the right words he confessed, "I'm really sorry. I can't believe she's…" Pursing his lips, Tony regrouped, "I'm so sorry this…this is awkward, you probably don't want me to…"
"I'm glad you're here." Janet extended two trembling hands. "Please."
Tony glanced over his shoulder and when he saw the room and hall was empty he squeezed Janet's hands and took a seat next to her. "Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?" He couldn't look at her, so he stared at the floor between them. "I know it happened at my house, but…"
"Tony, look at me." When he did, she said, "Without you, I would have been to see my daughter in the morgue six years ago. We both know Amy was only an overdose or a beating away from death when she met you. You straightened her out, you brought her back to me. You gave us years we never would have had. When you and I spoke a few weeks ago, you were still trying to help her and she didn't deserve it. You have a new happy life and you were still trying. Tony she didn't deserve you."
Holding his thoughts and emotions about Amy in check for seven hours caught up with him when he saw Janet's tears. "I tried so hard."
"I know you did."
"But last night…" His body trembled. For hours he had been concealing his emotions, but in the comfort of Janet's arms he let them out, "I gave up, I finally gave up. I had her served with a restraining order because I found out she…I had her served and now she's dead. If I hadn't, she might be alive. If I hadn't met Becca, I would have given her one more chance. If I had given her another chance…"
"No." Janet firmly replied. "She didn't deserve another chance." She held him tight. "Don't feel guilty, Tony. I know how much you loved her."
"I did, I loved her so much," he confessed, relieved that he could let out the words he didn't want to say in front of Becca. "I can't believe she's really gone."
"We both loved her, and in return she hurt us time and time again."
"I was so angry," he cried, "I found out something terrible she had done to me. When she called, I told her if she was bleeding in the street, I'd spit on her and walk by. My last words to her were…" His gut twisted every time he thought of them "I said…you're dead to me. I can't believe that was the last thing I'll ever get to say to her. I was angry and I really did want her to leave Becca and me alone, but I could have said it better. I needed time to calm down, I would have said it better…for all the good times, I should have said it better."
"You have to stop beating yourself up." Janet wiped his tears, wishing it was his guilt she could remove.
"Mrs. Dykowski…" Vega was three feet into the room before he realized who the victim's mother was holding. "Uh…"
Tony froze at the sound of his co-worker's voice and stayed with his back to the door.
"They're ready for you." Assuming Tony didn't want him to acknowledge him, Vega fell quiet.
"Could I have a moment, Detective?" Janet tearfully asked.
"Of course. I'll be in the hall, Ma'am."
"Thank you." Grabbing three Kleenex, she placed them in Tony's hand and said, "Promise me you won't let this ruin the happiness you've found. Your mother told me that Becca is has been wonderful for you. You've already sacrificed years of your life on Amy, don't let her take more from you beyond the grave. You've done enough. We both did. This probably sounds cold considering my daughter is dead, but I've spent the last six months in counseling, and I've come to terms with everything. We bought her time and we have some lovely memories because of it. We need to focus on that. The only thing you're guilty of is not giving up on her sooner and I'll always love you for that."
He accepted the tissues and the absolution, "Thank you." Seconds later his body stopped shaking. "I needed to get that out I guess."
"Yes, you did." After a hug she asked, "Do you think you could go with me to see her? I'm holding it together right now, but I suspect I'll lose it in the morgue. I just…I need to see her. It will probably give you some closure too."
"Yes, we'll do it together." Wiping his eyes, Tony nodded and took a deep breath. "I'll take a turn being strong for you now." Holding Janet's hand as they walked to the door, he wistfully said, "Amy hurt you even more than she hurt me. On the job I've met some really great parents with some really bad kids. I'm glad you've come to terms with everything, because you shouldn't feel bad. You were a great mother."
"Thank you." She squeezed his hand. "I hope you and your wife have a have a wonderful life together and that you finally get that baby you always wanted."
"We just found out that Becca's due in July." He felt bad for sharing the news in the middle of mourning. "Sorry, that just slipped out."
"Amy had the chance at a happy family life with you and she tossed it away." Janet slipped her arm around his waist. "Take the news of a baby as a sign. You're in the right place now."
Stepping into the hall, he glanced down and saw Becca alone on the bench. "I really think so."
LVPD – Interrogation Room A Observation
1:16 am
"What do you think he'll say?" Sara whispered to Gil as they stood behind the glass.
"With Rodgers, you never can be sure what angle he'll play." Anticipating a huge 'a-ha' moment, Gil's smile was uncontainable. "But with his DNA positively identified on the lingerie and a record of him paying for a room at the Duke Motel on October fourth, he can't deny he was with her."
"Here we go!" When she saw Mike enter the room with Don Schultz, Sara pressed her face to the glass. "We should have guessed the weasel would be with him."
"Did we miss anything?!" Nick breathlessly asked as he raced into the room with Carrie and Jim.
"They're just starting." Gil ordered, "Shh." He turned up the volume on the speaker. "Listen up."
"I have the statement you gave to your Commanding Officer," Fitch said while holding up the document.
Schultz quickly added, "And let the record show that Officer Rodgers informed his CO of his relationship with the deceased the second he identified her at the scene. He wasn't asked to give that statement. He approached his CO with that information on his own."
"Yes, I am aware of that," Fitch replied while staring at his notes. "You said that you and Amy Vartann had several physical encounters before you were sent to prison."
"Erroneously sent to prison," Schulz reminded the Detective. "There's a huge difference."
Nick clapped his hands, "Nice job, Schultz, you found a chance to say that within the first two minutes."
"On the day you were released, you met Amy at the Duke Motel." Fitch glanced up.
"That's correct," Mike solemnly replied. "I asked her to meet me there for sex, but my plan was to suggest we repent together. I had spent a lot of time preparing for the encounter with my mentor, Reverend Hawkins. He selected verses for me and we laid out an approach."
"But you say in your statement that your plan failed."
"Yes." Mike nodded. "I hadn't been with a woman since going to prison. I married Marlene platonically. After hearing how her estranged daughter refused to forgive her, I felt sorry for her. She was living with a man who physically abused her and she had no money or health insurance. I wanted to help her. Since Marlene wasn't comfortable consummating a marriage based on friendship, we didn't consummate our marriage on the day I was released from Ely. So, when I met Amy, I had a year's worth of pent up desire."
"What?!" Sara screamed at the sound proof glass. "He told his CO that he slept with her before we found the evidence?!"
Gil wore his disappointment like a neon sign. "Jessup told me he recused himself and gave his CO a full accounting of his phone call, among other things. I asked her what the other things were, but she told me to wait for the full report. I guess sex with Amy was one of the other things."
"Dammit." Nick plopped onto a chair. "I'm so tired of him always bein' one step ahead of us."
"It still connects him with the deceased, Nicky," Gil reminded him. "And I reported that I saw him coming home at five-thirty this morning, which is within the ToD range."
"Amy was wearing sexy red lingerie and she looked and smelled fantastic. I never thought I'd get the stench of prison out of my nose, but one whiff of her hair and it was gone. My body betrayed my mind. I was so desperate." Mike lowered his gaze to the table and shook his head. "She told me that violent role play was the only way she could get off anymore. That's why she had ended her marriage, her husband wouldn't get twisted with her. She wanted me to choke her and take her forcibly, but I refused. She handed me a switchblade and told me to cut the straps of her lingerie. Since my wife and I hadn't consummated the marriage, I didn't really consider it cheating. I rationalized it, saying I had been unjustly imprisoned for a year and deserved sex with a beautiful woman because I had been strong in Ely and not succumbed to practicing homosexuality like so many of the prisoners did. I told myself that all the people responsible for sending me to Ely in error had a love life for the last year while I suffered in prison, so it was okay to make up for lost time."
"How many times did you meet Amy Vartann for sex?"
"Four. We'd have sex and then she'd stay for Bible study, which I realize sounds a little crazy, but it did lead her to attend church."
"She did show up in church three weeks in a row," Carrie stated in disgust. "Ugh, he's such an adept lying snake in the grass I can't stand it!"
"I broke it off with Amy when Marlene and I had decided to make a go of our marriage. It worked out fine because she had decided to try and get Tony back. We parted friends and I encouraged her to call me anytime she needed a shoulder or spiritual guidance." Mike blissfully smiled, "I'm a happily married man now, Detective. Last night I took my wife to Top of the World to celebrate our happiness."
"Who brought the barf bags?" Jim queried while listening to Mike wax nostalgic about his romantic night. "Cuz I'm getting' queasy."
LVPD – Hallway
1:27 am
"Is your stomach any better?" Tony softly asked his ex mother-in-law. She had vomited twice in the morgue.
"Yes, the tea is helping."
Vega quietly led the way, still feeling awkward about witnessing the emotional display earlier. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Dykowski." Since the mother had not spoken to her estranged daughter in five months, she couldn't say much to help the case except that Amy was a troubled girl who liked to have rough sex with strangers and that Tony was a saint who had never laid a hand on her daughter.
"Mrs. D!" Randi Watson yelled down the hall. "Amy's dead, your prediction finally came true. Did you say 'I told you so' over her dead body?"
Vega wasn't expecting the insensitive remark.
Janet screamed while pointing at the woman on approach. "She killed Amy!"
LVPD – Interrogation Room A Observation
1:36 am
"I didn't kill Amy!" Mike snapped at Detective Fitch.
"You were seen returning to your home at five thirty-five this morning."
"Gil Grissom told you that, right?" Schultz motioned that he was taking over. "That man's sole purpose in life right now is to send my client back to Ely and if I were you, I wouldn't side with him. Mark my words, Detective; you'll end up looking like fool. My client was with his wife until he left his home at five am to go to CVS. Marlene was feeling ill and in need of Imodium. He went to the twenty-four hour CVS on Boyer." Don slapped a receipt copy on the table. "Check it out. He used his Visa Bank Card at five nineteen. The sales clerk's name was Monique."
"She'll remember me," Mike stated, "we spoke about Mexico. She told me about using Imodium while vacationing there and that it really works like a charm."
Schultz calmly told the detective, "We're going to make this as easy for you as possible. You can keep that CVS receipt copy and this recent photo of Mike to ask the clerk if she remembers him and discussing Mexico." Sliding over a file, he smiled, "In here you'll find a signed statement from Mrs. Rodgers attesting to her husband's whereabouts, Between the CVS documentation, Marlene's statement, and Grissom spying on him this morning, he's covered from five pm last night until he arrived for his shift today. That doesn't leave him enough time to commit murder at the Vartann home no matter how hard Gil and his cronies try."
Fitch remained silent while studying the receipt. As much as he wanted to push, he remembered the Sheriff's warning to proceed with caution since Rodgers was just exonerated.
"Other than Gil Grissom's wish for my client to be guilty of murder, you have nothing, so I suggest you leave Officer Rodgers alone." Standing, Schultz quickly gathered his things. "You people really have a lot of nerve. Mike just risked his own life to run into a burning building to save Nick Stokes, one of the guys responsible for putting him in prison in error. He's a hero, not a murderer." At the door he added, "If you're in any way conflicted about taking me seriously, call the sheriff and find out why you should. Come on, Mike. We're done here."
Mike turned to face the glass. "Sorry, Gil." He waved to the man he was certain had been listening and watching the entire time. "Better luck framing me next time. Maybe once your kid is born you'll be busier and won't spend all your time harassing me."
Behind the glass, all hope was gone…
While everyone fell silent, Nick yelled at the soundproof glass, "I can't believe I have to thank you for savin' my life! That just sucks! Anybody but you! You son of bitch! I want rip that shit-eatin' grin off your face and shove it up your lyin' ass, you twisted bastard!"
Brass slapped a palm on his hot headed employee's shoulders. "But how do you really feel, Nick? You shouldn't hold back so much."
"We were all thinking it, Nicky." Sighing, Carrie gave the group her expert opinion, "Unless a witness steps forward to say they saw Mike in the Vartann home during the ToD range and you find evidence of him on the vic, there's really no hope. Even then, I'd argue that a wife home in bed with her husband makes a much better witness than a stranger passing by who later ID's him in a line up. If physical evidence is found, I'd argue that it was transfer from clothes the victim might have had on around him from a previous time together, or from when he was there as part of the response team. The only physical evidence that would hold up would be his DNA found on or in her."
"Then forget it." Nick shook his head. "Mike's not gonna have sex with her before he kills her, he knows the evidence would be found during autopsy." After giving Carrie a kiss on the cheek he said, "I have a robbery in Summerlin to deal with. Have fun with Uncle Jimmy, Sweetheart, I'll catch you later."
When Sara caught her husband's eye, she anxiously said, "Maybe we are too eager to bust him. Maybe he really didn't kill Amy."
LVPD – Waiting Room
1:43 am
"I don't believe Randi really killed Amy," Janet sharply stated to Vega and the Vartann family members in the room. Now that she had been soothed by Tony, she could explain. "What I meant was, she's responsible for Amy not being happy in her marriage, and if Amy was still happily married to Tony, she wouldn't have been murdered last night."
"Give me a break, Janet!" Randi barked from her corner of the room where she was standing with Vega. "I am sick and tired of you trying to blame me for Amy's divorce!"
Watching her ex son-in-law lovingly hold his new wife, Janet explained to the crowd, "Randi was jealous of Amy's marriage, so she kept planting seeds of discontent in my daughter's head. She'd tell Amy that Tony was too controlling, that she should be humiliated that he gave her an allowance and didn't let her handle her own money."
"Hello?!" Randi yelled. "That is humiliating when you're in your twenties!"
"My daughter was a drug addict and a thief," Janet snapped back. "She stole and hocked the diamond ring my deceased husband had given me, my most sentimental possession, and used the money to buy cocaine! She couldn't be trusted with money and she needed to be controlled, Randi!" Janet's anger intensified. "But eventually Tony help her have independence and a new career, so you had to stoop lower and start in on their love life! Their love life was none of your business! You filled Amy's head with all the sex craziness! Taking her to that bondage place and suggesting she confront Tony about not being aggressive. He had saved her from an abusive man! Why on Earth did you think she needed to be roughed up?! No, no…the happier she got with Tony the harder you tried to tear him down. Don't bother denying it. It wasn't until you came back to town after your divorce that Amy started to get unhappy. It's no coincidence. Your husband left you. You were miserable and jealous. You couldn't stand that Amy was married to a great guy."
"A great guy who wouldn't let her think for herself and couldn't satisfy her in bed!" Randi felt totally justified. "This isn't Stepford! Women are allowed to want more out of their marriage than what their husband's dictate! They should be allowed to make a roast on a Tuesday, even though it's traditionally a Sunday meal! And doggie style with the lights on is not the epitome of kink for everyone! She wanted more! I couldn't make her want more! All I did was assure her that she wasn't crazy for wanting it! I'm guilty alright…of encouraging her to think for herself!"
As his co-worker's personal life was discussed in detail, Vega once again wished he could disappear.
"When Tony was thinking for Amy, she didn't end up dead!" The heartbroken mother cried.
Even though everyone was gaping at her like she was a crazed axe murderer, Randi stuck to her guns. "Sorry, Mrs. D, but I'd argue that Amy wasn't really alive when Tony was thinking for her. She's gone, but at least she got to live life on her terms for little while."
"You act like he made her wear a burqa!" Janet was reaching her limit. "Amy is not better off dead than…"
"Please…" Marge Vartann took Janet in her arms. "Let's take a walk." Living only thirty minutes from each other in Arizona, they had remained close friends even after the divorce. "Come on, let's get some air."
Becca overcame her shock just long enough to snip at the insensitive bitch, "Tony has saved me from self destructing. Some people really shouldn't have total control over their life. I'm one of those people, and from the little interaction I had with Amy, she desperately needed someone to tell her what she shouldn't do. Because I'm a lady I won't go into the details of my love life, but rest assured that I'm one happy, satisfied pregnant wife. You can say that Amy was miserable with Tony, but for the last seven weeks all she did was try to get him back. Why would she have done that if she hated life with him?" She shook her head. "Sorry, but any CSI will tell you the evidence never lies. I believe Janet and I think you're an insensitive bitch for causing her more pain on the worst night of her life."
Tony kissed the top of Becca's head and whispered, "Thank you, Honey." In that moment, he knew he'd love Becca until the day that he died.
"You're free to go, Ms. Watson." Vega quietly said to her, "I think it's best that you do. I'll have an Officer walk you to your car since it's late."
Greg's Soon-to-Be Former Apartment
2:09 am
"You really need your sleep, Tawny," Greg smiled at her on the couch while he packed his last boxes. As promised, Daniel placed everything in the living room before heading to bed. The plan had been to come by after the next work day, but upon leaving the station they decided to do it tonight since they were too tense to go home and go to bed. "Play some Xbox and nod out clutching the controls like me."
"I'm still too stressed to sleep," she confessed. "You're a murder suspect and I really don't want the girls to grow up without their daddy."
"I'm not a suspect, I'm a person of interest, and I'm not a murderer."
"Duh." Tawny grabbed the Xbox controller. "Teach me what I'm supposed to do here."
Grinning, Greg hurried for the couch. "First let me change it to the lowest level."
"You didn't help Becca, did you?" Tawny quietly asked. "I know you're not a murderer." Meeting his eyes she confessed, "But I know you still love Becca and you believe that she saved you from attempting suicide back in school, so…in the heat of the moment, in a panic…I'm sorry, I just want to be sure."
Greg replied with his eyes locked on Tawny's, "You're right about my feelings for Becca, but no one, not even you, could ever make me do something that could jeopardize me being around for my kids. I was playing Xbox."
Tawny took a deep breath in. "Thank God." Before she could ask her next question, the bedroom door opened.
Much to Greg's surprise, it was Wade from Wyoming who strolled out wearing only his birthday suit. "Uh…"
"Oh my gosh!" Wade dashed to stand behind the kitchen counter. "Totally busted. After the close call this morning, I can't believe I wasn't more careful."
"Did you just say 'close call this morning'?" Greg jumped up from the couch. "Were you here this morning too?!"
"I was coming out to the kitchen, but you were playing Xbox, so I just quietly shut the door. You were supposed to be at the Stratosphere, so I never expected to find you on the couch. Please don't tell Dan," Wade held up hands, "he'll be so embarrassed if…"
"You don't understand!" Greg shouted. "A woman who has been hassling a friend of mine was murdered. I was at the police station being questioned tonight because they think I might have helped her kill the woman. I have an alibi except for the time I spent here playing Xbox this morning. If you saw me, that's an alibi! You have to come with me to the police station right now and give a statement."
"Wow." Wade couldn't believe he was going to be critical witness in a murder case. "Let me throw on my clothes and tell..."
"I heard." Daniel was in the bedroom doorway wearing a robe and a look of total humiliation. "This isn't what it looks like. Oh…oh my gosh." His cheeks flushed a deeper red. "Tawny, I didn't know you were here too."
"Pretend I'm not!" She covered her face with a couch pillow.
"Sorry, Dan." Wade felt terrible. "But as it turns out, it's a good thing Greg found out I was here."
Walking behind the counter, Daniel handed Wade a towel. "I'm glad you'll be able to help Greg. I had no idea you were in trouble."
"I'll go get dressed." Wade darted off.
"Don't be embarrassed," Greg panicked that the incident would send him into another crisis.
"If you came home and told me the trouble you were in, I would have told you about Wade seeing you this morning. I never would have kept the secret."
"I know, Bro."
"You must think I'm a terrible liar since I told you I wasn't interested in anything but companionship, or that I don't trust you, but I didn't lie, I didn't plan this, it just…happened." Daniel gulped, "two nights in a row."
"It's okay." Greg's smile expanded, "I'm the one who got a girl pregnant on the first date, so I understand spontaneous urges, believe me."
"No! We didn't have…" Daniel dropped to a barely audible whisper, "sex. Last night, after studying together at the UNLV library we wanted to talk and it's difficult to talk in a public place, so I brought him here. We kissed," he confessed. "After so many years of convincing myself it would be terrible and that it would feel wrong…it shocked me that it felt so right. After that, I wondered if touching would feel right too."
"I'd bet my savings account that it did. And having a warm body wrapped around you when you fall asleep is pretty freakin' awesome, isn't it?"
Having reached his mortification limit, Daniel looked away nodding.
"Wow, second base." Greg pointed at his brother. "I bet you there would be a kiss by Christmas. That's twenty bucks you owe me, you over achiever, but of course you're an over achiever, you're my brother." Laughing, he said, "Keep the twenty, since your boyfriend is my alibi we'll call it even."
"He's not my boyfriend," Daniel covered his mouth.
"So you're just using him for physical pleasure then?"
"No!" When he heard Tawny giggling on the couch, Daniel found his sense of humor too. "This is just like on a TV show I saw the other day. The parents busted the son for fooling around with his girlfriend."
"So Wade is like your girlfriend then?" Greg teased.
"Would you give him a break?!" Tawny threw her pillow at her husband's head.
"No!" Greg caught the pillow. "I'm his big brother. Big brothers are supposed to give their little brothers this kind of crap."
"Ready!" Wade came rushing out of the bedroom ready to save the day. "I'm so psyched I can help you, Greg. After everything you and your father have done for Daniel, it's so nice to be able to help you. Danny, why aren't you getting dressed to come with me?"
Greg turned around to mouth 'Danny' at Tawny who mouthed back 'too cute'.
"Oh, I didn't know you wanted me to go with you," Daniel replied.
"Of course I do."
"Why's that?"
Greg and Tawny answered for him, "Because you're his boyfriend, Danny!"
"What they said," Wade laughed.
Daniel raced for his bedroom. "Be right back!"
As soon as Daniel was gone, Greg grabbed Wade by the collar. "If you hurt my brother, I'll rip off your Johnson and stuff it down your throat, got it?"
"Greg!" Tawny exclaimed in horror as she hurried to the kitchen counter. "Are you crazy?! Let go of him!" She smacked him upside the head. "Way to convince him you're not a violent murderer."
Releasing Wade, Greg cracked up, "Sorry, Dude, but I just had to see if I could do the protective big brother thing."
LVPD – Interrogation Room A
3:27 am
"So, Detective Vartann, you're certain your older brother was with you the entire time?" Jessup clarified while glancing over at Gil who hadn't said a word thus far.
"That's correct," Tony calmly replied.
"Do you know that your brother Matt threatened Amy on the night she died?"
"Yes, and as soon as I found out he had, I called Amy myself to assure her it was all just big brother talk. Matt's always been real protective of my brother Reggie and me." Grabbing his water cup, Tony suggested, "Check my phone records, you'll see I called her right after he did ."
"We did already." Jessup slid them over. "We ran your credit cards too. Care to explain a cash advance of forty five hundred dollars last night? Were you paying someone for a job?"
"Yes," Tony coolly replied. "Several people actually. If you contact Madam Charlene at Sheri's Ranch, she can vouch for me. My wife insisted that my brothers give me a belated bachelor party. The charge at those places always shows up as a 'cash advance', so you don't see the brothel's name or a description of services. "When he saw Gil's eyes widen, he explained, "Becca wanted it to be extravagant. We rented out their best suite and asked for six girls to dance and party with each other while we watched. Unfortunately, I passed out on the ride from Hesperia, so only my brother Reggie ended up staying. Ranch security wouldn't let me sleep it off in their parking lot, they're real strict up there. Matt and I were in his Camper truck about a mile off property until we woke up at eight thirty."
"What time did you arrive at the ranch?"
"Four."
"Were there any witnesses to you sleeping it off in your brother's truck?"
"Ranch security when they kicked us out, but after that I'm not aware of anyone, but I suppose there might be if we were to question folks up there."
Jessup quickly glanced at Gil before asking Tony, "You and your brother potentially have no alibi from four am until eight thirty."
"Just each other."
Jessup curtly asked, "How do you know what your brother was doing if you were passed out cold?"
"I know my brother," Tony replied without a hint of concern in his voice.
"Yes, you said he's always been protective. Maybe he thought he knew what was best for you? Maybe he knew you still loved your ex-wife enough to never really end it with her and he was afraid you'd eventually mess up your new marriage if Amy was around? New wives only tolerate their husbands helping ex-wives for so long, Detective. Your ex mother-in-law told Detective Vega that you were responsible for getting Amy into therapy last month."
Vartann shook his head, "Even if Matt thought that before, he wouldn't have after I served Amy with the TPO. He knew I was done helping her after I learned she messed with my fertility."
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. Maybe he didn't want to take any chances." Jessup leaned in to say, "It would have been logistically possible for Matt to drive to your home in Vegas, commit murder and be back in Pahrump before you woke up. We're both pros here, Detective. Your brother had motive and opportunity, plus the skill to do the job right and enough knowledge about crime scene investigation to know how to intentionally confuse the CSIs. How do you know your brother didn't put something in one of your drinks to keep you out?"
Tony laughed at the notion, "On the drive to Pahrump before I passed out, my brothers and me were having this crazy conversation. Somehow the subject of kidney donation came up. Reggie got pissed because Matt said even though he loves us, if either one of us ever needed a kidney, he couldn't put his family at risk by donating one of his. He was serious, Detective. My brother has one year left on the force to earn retirement. He has a wife, three kids and one on the way. He never would have risked all that to kill Amy. Never." He shook his head. "Matt's a great talker. He's been awarded a half dozen medals for his undercover work and he's great undercover cop because he's so convincing. He can intimidate guys in the roughest biker bar and then come home and play Barbies with his daughter. He's that good. He called Amy to scare her into leaving me alone. He did the very same thing after she cheated on me. It worked, she left Vegas and moved to LA for six months. That's all he was trying to accomplish with his phone call, Detective. He thought maybe she'd go back to LA and stay there this time. He didn't know I was serving Amy with a TPO that night and trying to accomplish the same thing on my own. Once he did, he said 'good for you', backed off, and never mentioned her again. He didn't kill Amy. I was so drunk, I wouldn't have even recognized Amy if she was two feet in front of me. There are plenty of witnesses who can attest to that. I didn't kill her either."
"That's all very good, Detective, but you know we stick to the facts, and the facts are…when you were passed out, you didn't know what your brother was doing. I have to go with motive, opportunity, a threatening phone call, and no alibi."
"Give me a break, Jessup," Tony snapped, "You're all over the board and you're grasping at straws here. Earlier tonight you thought Sanders helped my wife, but an hour ago you found out there was a witness who saw him home playing Xbox. How about looking at one of the hundreds of guys Amy screwed. Any one of them could have followed her to my house and killed her."
Upon seeing Vartann's exhaustion intensify, Jessup made her big play, "I think I was close when I thought Sanders helped your wife."
"What?!" Tony barked, while looking to Grissom, whose silence was starting to piss him off. "Close how?"
"I think your wife wanted Amy dead and she sought help, but not from Sanders."
"And you think this why?" Tony asked in a voice maxed with irritation.
"Grissom, show him what you found."
"Amy died somewhere between ten pm Friday night and ten am Saturday morning." With a stoic face, Gil presented a bank statement sheet. "At eleven am on Saturday, $200,000 was transferred into your brother's bank account from Becca's personal account, not the joint account you share with her."
Tony stared at the paper in shock.
Jessup reveled in her moment of glory. "I take it you didn't know about the transaction, did you, Detective Vartann?"
"I'm done here," Tony vacantly replied. "I need to get back to my wife, she's…"
"A murder suspect," Jessup answered with much glee. "Suspected of conspiring to commit the murder of Amy Vartann with your brother. You said it yourself. Matt is very protective of his family. He had three thousand in his savings account and a baby on the way. What better way to help his family than to get two hundred grand from his sister-in-law to kill a person he already hated? Think about it, was the bachelor party Matt's idea? Or Becca's? Or did they seem to be in on it together? Was it really a belated bachelor party or just a clever way to get you to pass out long enough to pull off Amy's murder? Maybe Matt left you passed out in the truck and paid to have Reggie placated in a whore house so he could get the job done without interference."
"No."
Jessup smiled, "Matt didn't think to tell Becca to stay at the hotel, so she wouldn't look suspicious, but we know there's no such thing as a perfect crime, right, Detective?"
"No." Tony dropped the paper and headed for the door. "There has to be another explanation."
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and for the reviews on the last chappie! I replied if you I could through the site or if you left an email. I appreciate your thoughts on the case.
Next Chapter posting Monday or Tuesday.
KJT edited the rough draft before vacation and I'd like to thank my guest editors/consultants: Michelle, Lora, Mr. M, Caro and Megan for helping me while she's gone!
Thanks,
Maggs