Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Guest Editor for Chapter 40 - Michelle

Chapter 40

Sunday, November 13, 2005
LVPD – Interrogation Room B

3:46 am

Matt Vartann stared at the bank statement in shock. "I had no idea Becca transferred two hundred grand into my account."

Detective Fitch burst out laughing, "Yeah, because your cop salary is so massive that it's easy for two hundred grand to go unnoticed."

Ignoring the bastard, Matt coolly replied, "No, because the transaction time is eleven am yesterday and I haven't checked my balance since that time. What I do know is, I didn't ask Becca for two hundred grand and she didn't offer me two hundred grand for any reason or service, so if you want to know why it's there, I suggest you ask her." Rising from his chair, he barked, "Unless you're gonna charge me with something, we're done here."

"I'm sure we'll be in touch."

When Matt reached the hall he heard his brother yelling.

"Unless you're charging her right now, I want her out of that room and getting some sleep!" Tony blasted Jessup, "She's pregnant and exhausted, not to mention innocent!"

Before Jessup could bark back, she saw Nash, the detective she had sent to grill Becca, standing in the doorway of Room C.

"The money's a dead end," Nash announced. "All we have left is her non-substantiated stay in San Marino."

When Tony saw Becca sitting at the table he pushed past the IAB guy and rushed over to his wife's chair. "Are you okay, Honey?"

"I'm really sorry the money caused a problem," Becca answered in a voice thick with exhaustion. "Janey asked me to consider floating them money for bridge loan with a really low interest rate because they wanted to build a new house. Their lender didn't qualify them to hold two mortgages until the build was done and the old house sold, so it's the only way it will be possible. I didn't have to think about it because it's your family, so I told her it wouldn't be a problem and I'd carry it at one percent. I would have done it interest free, but I remembered what you said about your brother not taking handouts. She gave me all the information, but I wasn't supposed to do anything until she talked it over with Matt and he agreed." Sighing, she admitted, "I just went ahead and did it, because your brother really seemed to like me and I hoped if it was already in there, it would be harder for him to say no. I was going to tell him to up the interest if he was that uncomfortable. I didn't want to bring it up at dinner of course, and then all hell broke loose. I got online and showed that Nash guy all the emails and correspondence, and then he called Janey and she confirmed everything I said. She faxed over all house stuff she had, that helped too."

"Thank God." Hugging his wife like a vice, Tony whispered, "I knew there had to be a logical explanation."

"Sorry for freaking you out."

"Come on, Honey, we need to get you some rest."

"But we can't go home." She tried to hold it together for her husband's sake, but started to slip, "I really can't stand the thought of hotel life again and we can't bring Lady Godiva into a…"

"Yeah, I knew you'd say that." Smoothing her hair he said, "Your family has a guestroom all ready for you."

"My family?"

"I talked to Greg earlier about the situation and he called his dad. Scott's been working overtime to make his guestroom comfortable for you and me."

"Really."

"Yeah, and after he was cleared, Greg took Tawny and Lady Godiva to the house, then he went shopping to pick up some things he thought you might want from the twenty-four hour Walmart. He said 'that should take me all of two minutes." The smile on his wife's face cured his broken heart. "You have family coming at you from every side now."

"A girl could get used to that," she beamed.

"Carrie even volunteered to go clothes shopping at Neiman Marcus with you tomorrow."

"That woman really is a martyr," Becca chuckled.

Helping his wife to her feet, Tony shared, "I got hotel rooms for Matt and my parents. Reggie was cleared, so he drove back to California to be with Gina and Sierra."

"Hey…" Becca pressed her palm to Tony's face. "How are you?" It was a ridiculous question and the answer was 'awful', she could see it in every circle under his eyes and every line on his face. Still, she wanted him to know she cared. "You're taking care of everyone, but are you doing okay?"

"I'm much better now, thanks for asking." He kissed the tips of her fingers. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

Drew's House

7:09 am

"Are you sleeping, Nanny Marta?!" Cassie yelled as she knocked on the locked bedroom door.

"No!" Marta answered from behind the door while she and Drew scrambled to get dressed. "Your Daddy was helping me change a light bulb. He dropped the old one and it shattered all over, so I locked the door so you wouldn't run in here and step on the glass. One minute sweetie!

"Okay!" Cassie leaned against the wall and fixed the hair on the new Holiday Barbie that Carrie had given her the previous day.

"Oh, Drew, you missed a big piece of glass!" Marta shouted for effect. "Right over there! That's it, that's the last of it."

"Wait," he whispered on the way to the door. "Good mornin', Sweetheart." After a proper kiss he winked, "I'll meet you for another in the pantry lookin' for chocolate chips for the kids' pancakes."

"Sounds like a plan." Marta floated to the door and opened it with a smile. "Good morning, Cassie." She swept the grinning girl into her arms and started down the hall. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Uh huh. How was your dancin' date?" the girl whispered while waving to her father.

"You knew he was taking me dancing?"

"Yep, I keep good secrets," Cassie assured her nanny. "Did you like it?"

"It was wonderful. We learned how to do the tango."

"Do you think you'd wanna go out dancin' with my Daddy again?"

"Definitely."

Drew hurried to catch them and excitedly said, "We liked it so much, I signed us up for fourteen more lessons."

"Yay!" Cassie mischievously asked Marta, "Could I talk to my Daddy alone for a sec?"

"Sure, Sweetie." Marta pecked the girl's cheek before handing her over. "I'll be in the kitchen starting breakfast."

Once they were alone, Cassie asked her burning question, "Did you kiss her goodnight, Daddy?"

"Well, I'll tell you what, we had a great time dancin' and eatin' dinner, but when I walked her to the door I suddenly got real nervous."

"You chickened out?!"

"Hold on now." Drew whispered, "I said goodnight and was about to chicken out when I saw her smile at me and open her eyes real big. I kinda thought she might be wantin' a kiss, so I took a chance and puckered up just like you told me."

"Did she kiss you back?!"

"Yes, ma'am," he sweetly boasted. "I think she likes me a lot."

"Is Nanny Marta your girlfriend now?"

"I really would like that." He started walking them down the hall. "I'll need to work up some more courage and ask her."

The Blakes

7:22 am

"Lindsay is going to ask you to the 7th grade dance," Celine whispered to Sean upon taking a seat at the kitchen table next to him. "She told me last night."

Sean choked on his freshly squeezed organic orange juice while Ryan exclaimed, "You better say yes when Lindsay asks you to the dance, Dude. Who knows when another girl will like you that much? Maybe never."

"Dance?!" Wendy whirled around to probe. "Trinity is having a dance? Why didn't you tell me, Ryan?"

"Because I'm not going," he grumbled.

Celine quickly explained, "I'm leaving Friday, the dance is Saturday." Feeling bad all over again she said, "I asked if we could fly to Pennsylvania on Saturday instead, but they already have a party planned with the extended family and we couldn't."

"What she said," Ryan huffed before downing his OJ like a shot of whisky.

"Aww, that's too bad, Honey. I'm sorry that…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Since Nick had shared that Ryan was struggling with Celine's departure, Wendy left him alone and concentrated all her over the top mothering on Sean. "Your first dance! How sweet! What are the kids wearing to 7th grade dances these days?"

"Uhh…" Sean didn't have a clue.

"Not dork wear," Ryan snipped. "So you better take him shopping, Mom."

"I want to speak to you outside." Wendy grabbed her obnoxious son by the hand and led him out the back door. "Look, I know you're upset that Celine is leaving, but this is your brother's first dance and I won't have you ruining the experience for him, do you understand?"

"Yes," he droned. "But seriously, you need to get him some new clothes."

Grissom's Office

7:49 am

"I brought you a change of clothes," Sara announced as she strolled into her husband's office refreshed and ready to solve Amy's case. When she saw his haggard appearance, she decided against a kiss. "Wow. You look like hell."

"Good morning to you too, Honey," Gil gruffly replied while peering up from the piles of information on his desk. "I haven't slept yet."

With a delightful smirk on her face, Sara reached into the small brown shopping bag she was holding. "I figured you probably wouldn't get any rest, so I brought you a big black coffee and a Morning Glory muffin."

"At least he'll be regular," Brass snickered as he grabbed a seat in one of the guest chairs. "You're a lucky guy, Gil. Heather never surprises me with a Constipation Special."

"Fiber equals love," Gil replied.

"Aww, Poor Jim. Can't Heather just scare the crap out of you by wielding her whip?" Sara laughed at her own joke. "See how far we've all come. I can joke about Heather with you."

"Maybe we should invite them to our Thanksgiving dinner, Honey?" Gil asked putting his wife on the spot and loving every minute of it.

"Actually Heather works at the big Salvation Army homeless dinner all day every year," Jim explained. "Ellie and I are going to do a shift, but we can schedule it before or after your dinner. What time are you eating?"

"Five." Sara answered suddenly feeling bad that she hadn't considered volunteering. "Maybe Gil and I could take a shift too. We've always worked on Thanksgiving, so it didn't cross my mind."

"I'll have Heather email you the information."

Greg walked in just in time to be a smart ass. "Should you really be soliciting business for your girlfriend on company time, Sir?" After a series of whip crack noises he said, "Speaking of dominance, my boss isn't here. Not that I'm complaining, because I was late."

"I'll be happy to dominate you this morning," Sara cheerily informed her pal. "Since you can't be a part of the Amy Vartann case, you'll be joining your boss in the field. Nick's working a rape case at the Lucky Cuss on Fremont. And he already knows you're late because he called ten minutes ago and asked where you were. He's very cranky."

"That would be my fault," Jim informed the group. "I broke up his romantic night with Carrie and the more I think about it, between the baby and him slaving for me the past month, they probably haven't had much quality time together. Yeah, I feel bad now. Maybe I should do something about it."

Greg had a quick answer, "Report to Lady Heather for a spanking."

Jim gave the smart ass a shove out of the office. "I meant for Stokes."

"Uhhh, you want Nick to spank you?"

"Sanders, we've learned that you confessed to playing Xbox while your gorgeous wife was waiting for you in bed. I'm afraid that dorkish faux-pas is going to cost you. You're no longer a part of the inner-sanctum." Jim waved, "Buh-bye."

Lucky Cuss Motel

8:07 am

"Stokes!" Officer Trenton called from the tape. "Are you in there?"

"What do you mean am I in here?!" Nick yelled while hurrying out of the bathroom. "If I've been in here and you're watchin' the tape, how could I not be in here?" When he saw the cop was holding a coffee cup, he snapped to anger. "You did not go get coffee and leave me in here without anyone at the door."

"I just ran into the lobby for twenty seconds."

"Oh, well good thing no one could blow my head off in twenty seconds, oh wait…yeah they could."

"It's broad daylight and…"

"Huh?" Sarcasm dripped from the corners of Nick's mouth, "Right, sorry. No one ever kills anyone in broad daylight, oh wait…they do."

"Please cut me some slack. I have a newborn at home and I got like ten minutes of sleep. I need the caffeine."

"Well cry me a river, whiner!" It was the last thing Nick wanted to hear. "I haven't slept in over twenty four hours and my fiancée just miscarried our first baby last month, so stop complaining and do your friggin' job. I'm too busy to have my head blown off or be kidnapped." He snatched the cup of coffee and sipped. "All you had to do was tell me you were goin' and I woulda watched the door for you. Now whadya want?"

"To tell you that your fiancée just showed up with breakfast." Trenton pointed to the CSI's truck. "Sorry to hear about the miscarriage."

"Thanks." When Nick saw Carrie holding up a Starbucks coffee and a bag from his favorite breakfast burrito place, he cracked a huge grin. "Here." He handed back the half empty Styrofoam cup. "That shit's nasty by the way."

"Yeah, and you get Starbucks." The cop moaned into his now lukewarm cup of nasty coffee, "Go enjoy your hot delicious coffee while I drink this crap."

"I will, and you enjoy your healthy baby!" Nick jogged across the parking lot. "Thanks, Darlin'!"

"You're very welcome!"

"I wish I coulda woke up with you this mornin'." He hugged Carrie, burying his nose in her freshly washed hair to counteract the rancid motel smell that had been filling it all morning. "When you didn't call I called Sara to ask her where you were so I could surprise you."

"I didn't call ya, because I was sure you'd be sleepin' in after last night." He gulped the premium brew and enjoyed Carrie's bright smile. "Mmm." After spending the past four hours in a filthy room where a woman had been brutalized, a little happiness was just what he needed. "This coffee, like the surprise, is great."

"Bad case?"

"Yeah, twenty-one year old waitress grabbed on the way home from work last night." Opening the paper bag his stomach rumbled. "Some freak had her in there for hours. Luckily he went out to grab a fix. He left her bound with duct tape and tied to the leg of the bed. She was able to slice open the tape by rubbin' it on a sharp piece of the broken bedframe and break free. If this place wasn't such a dump, the bed might not have been cracked. She's devastated and busted up, but alive."

"Any leads?"

"He left a used condom in a plastic bag."

"Not too clever."

"He didn't expect her to break free. My guess is he was comin' back for a second round before killin' her, because he let her see him." After his first bite of burrito, Nick said, "Soon as Greggo gets his lazy ass over here, he's goin' back to the lab to process it, because DNA is tied up with Amy Vartann's sex souvenirs. I don't know when I'll be done here if I'm solo. The place is a sty that hasn't been cleaned in a week."

Kissing his cheek, Carrie said, "Call me if you want me to bring you lunch too. I'll be at church with the family until noon, and then I'll be shopping. That is unless a Vartann family member gets called to the station. They've retained me as their legal counsel."

"Woo hoo, clients who can pay ya." Nick winked. "Baby needs shoes."

The Sanders Home

9:03 am

"So, Becca's having a baby too," Scott remarked to Tawny as the two of them shared a quiet moment in the kitchen.

"Yep." Tawny poured a big glass of orange juice while biting her tongue.

After Scott glanced over his shoulder to ensure they were still alone, he whispered, "That's really frightening, isn't it?"

"Yes!" the daughter-in-law laughed, happy to know she wasn't just being a bitch by thinking the same. "Good thing Tony's relatively normal. Assuming of course he isn't a murderer."

"I don't think he could be." Scott popped open an egg carton and held one up. "He's a good egg." Slamming it against the rim of a metal bowl, he sighed, "hopefully he won't crack under all this pressure."

"Too bad Lily isn't visiting this weekend." Tawny's tone turned mischievous, "She wouldn't have a guest room to sleep in."

Tossing a blueberry at his meddlesome daughter-in-law, Scott replied, "I slept on the couch before I got that bed for the guest room, remember? Not every Sanders man is impulsive when it comes to going all the way in the bedroom."

LVPD Crime Lab – Conference Room 1

9:10 am

"Here's a breakdown of who we can place in the bedroom." Gil stepped to the first chart with a marker.

Around the large oval table, Sara, Brass, Catherine, Warrick, and Sofia were snacking on donut holes and hoping they'd make some progress on the case.

"We found prints from all the obvious ones, Becca, Tony, Marcella the maid, and the victim." Gil marked their names. "Greg's prints were on the murder weapon and the picture frame that held the Vartann's wedding photo. Greg has accounted for both prints. The Cupid statue was his and Tawny's wedding gift to the Vartanns. One evening when Greg and Tawny were visiting the Vartanns for dinner, Becca took them into the bedroom to see where she had placed their gift. While there, Greg said he picked up the wedding photo to compliment the picture. Becca and Tony both independently substantiated this information."

The next name on the board sent Sara's eyes rolling.

"Officer Mike Rodgers was so overcome with grief when he saw his friend and ex-lover Amy dead on the bed, that he forgot not to touch anything and gripped the door frame of the bedroom. Later he proceeded to trip over an unidentified object on the floor and grab the bed post."

"So, Mike's a klutz." Trying hard to find something positive to say, Sara shared, "That's good. Maybe one day he'll trip over the right thing and die." When Gil shot her a look she chuckled and covered her mouth. "Oh, did I just say that out loud? How unprofessional. Good thing we didn't invite IAB to this super-secret meeting. Me bad."

"That's it as far as prints go." Grissom pointed to the board. "There weren't any additional people identified on doors or windows. Marcella was a very thorough house cleaner, and she had been there the afternoon before the Vartanns left town. The whole house was spotless except for the bedroom. Sara, walk us through the temperature."

"Both Becca and Tony stated they leave the house set at seventy-four. The thermostat was set on ninety-nine when the maid arrived at approximately five pm, and she reported that it felt like a hundred degrees. She promptly changed the setting to fifty to cool the place down. The ambient temperature in the house at eight-fifteen was down to seventy. When tested, the house heated very quickly from seventy-four to ninety nine, so it knocked less than an hour off the start of our huge ToD range." Glancing up, she smiled, "Thanks for intently listening to my information that doesn't help us solve anything."

Grissom moved to the next chart. "Let's talk alibis. Sofia that's your segment."

"Real alibis?" Sara queried. "Or are we including the ones written by wives not to be trusted?"

Catherine snickered at the statement, "Pregnancy hormones are doing wonders for your wit, Sara."

"I was thinking the same thing," Brass concurred. "It's taking the pressure off me always being the Quip Meister. Now I can just focus on looking important." Sitting regally he waved his arm. "Proceed, my loyal subjects."

"Yes, Milord," Sofia replied on her way to the next chart. "With a signed statement from his wife, a receipt from CVS, and an eyewitness account from Grissom, Officer Rodgers has accounted for every minute except five am to five nineteen. Nineteen minutes is not enough time to get from his home, to the Vartann home, and then to the CVS on Boyer."

"Has anyone personally spoken to Mrs. Rodgers?" Brass queried. "She's not the brightest bulb, so maybe if she was pressured, she'd slip up."

"I did," Warrick answered. "At eight this morning. Her exact words were 'You have a lot of nerve harassing me on the Lord's Day. I already gave you people a signed statement, now get off my property, Buckwheat'. She's a real piece of work, and she's sticking to her story."

"Greg Sanders was at the top of IAB's list," Sofia continued, "because they couldn't believe anyone would be a big enough loser to play Xbox at his apartment while his beautiful 'bride' was alone at the Stratosphere. Fortunately, he was cleared at three o'clock this morning when his adopted brother's boyfriend, Wade, who Greg knows from gay and lesbian Bible study, gave a statement saying he saw Sanders playing Xbox like a total loser until seven this morning. Stratosphere surveillance has Greg in the lobby at seven twenty-five. Twenty five minutes is not enough time to get from Greg's apartment, to the Vartanns and then on to the Stratosphere."

"Freakin' Xbox while Tawny's at the Stratosphere." Warrick uncharacteristically cracked up. "Sorry, I'm slaphappy from lack of sleep and that's just pathetic. I'd have more respect for him if he had been in bed having a threesome with gay guys. What about Mrs. Vartann?"

"Lucky for her a neighbor in San Marino told Vega this morning, that they remembered seeing her pull into her garage. They also confirmed lights were turned on in the house when it had been dark for the past month. It takes five hours to go from Disneyland to Becca's house in San Marino and then to Vegas. That's if she spent no time in the house. It would have been at least five-fifteen before she arrived in Vegas, and she was back at the Disneyland Hotel for breakfast at eight-thirty. It's logistically impossible."

"Okay, so Mike, Becca and Greg are out," Warrick summarized, "that leaves the Brothers Vartann."

Grissom took over from there, "We know Tony couldn't have acted alone. We have two witnesses who said he was so trashed when he left the strip club in Hesperia that he got sucker punched in the parking lot when he tried to save a prostitute from being raped on the hood of a car. He almost got stuck with a blade, but his brother Matt pulled a gun and scared the guy away."

"He had the drive to Pahrump to sober up," Warrick countered, playing Devil's Advocate.

Catherine teased her husband, "Are you trying to pin the murder on him because," she pointedly stared at Grissom, "you found out I slept with him in a previous life?"

"I'm just thinking out loud."

"Here's more to ponder," Grissom said, "Security at Sheri's Ranch confirmed Vartann was asleep in the truck when they kicked them off property, but he could have been faking. He also had another hour 'til Vegas to sober. With no alibi other than the brother who threatened Amy hours before her death, a strong motive, and his pubic hair found on the victim, it's not looking good. The hair can be explained away as transfer, but the rest…"

"Yeah." Brass quietly informed the group, "The head of homicide is playing hardball on Tony's behalf or he'd be in holding. It's good to know that sixteen spotless years on the force counts for something."

"We still have to check out Amy's sex souvenirs guys and the guys she's slept with over the last twelve months," Sara shared, "but that's taking a while because she didn't know all of their names." She held up a photograph of one of the bags. "Joe/ChokeMen'sRoomBehind/1o/2S."

"What does the S stand for?" Brass asked.

"According to Randi, 'stars'." Sara tossed the photograph on the table in disgust. "Being choked in the men's room while Joe took her from behind was only a three star faux-rape experience, as opposed to her sleazy hotel switchblade encounter with Mike, which earned five stars. I personally think it speaks to Mike's previous rape history that he was able to fake it so much better than Bathroom Stall Joe, don't you?"

Shaking his head at the concept, Warrick said, "A woman who rates her faux-rapists is bound to attract real freaks."

"The problem with 'The Freak Did It' theory is the burglar alarm and 'no forced entry'." Grissom took a seat at the table explaining, "The alarm was armed when the Vartanns left and only they and Marcella knew the code. Only Marcella and the Vartanns had keys."

"But Marcella's clients had access to her keys and book of codes," Sara held up a list. "I have all the clients on here. A match between a client and someone in Amy's souvenir box, would be good news for the Vartann brothers."

"This sucks." Catherine tossed back her head and stared at the ceiling. "I don't care what the psycho ex did to his balls, I still can't picture Tony as a calculating, vicious murderer. From everything we've learned, Amy was the unbalanced nutcase to his calm savior. Hell, even the mother-in-law spoke in defense of Tony at the expense of her dead daughter. That speaks volumes. Why serve her with the TPO on the same night he kills her? If he was going to go to the extremes of bringing bugs to the scene to throw us off, why not just stage it to look like self defense? That would have been a piece of cake with a psycho chick who just rec'd a TPO. He could have told her to meet him and then accused her of stalking him and coming at him with a gun or a knife. That's how I would have done it if I were him."

"Don't move, Catherine!" Grissom ordered as he stared at her leaning with her neck exposed. "Hold that position."

"What's going on?" Sara asked her husband, who had that crazy look in his eye he only got when having an A-ha moment.

"Maybe we need to look at this case from a different angle." Grissom pulled up a chair behind Catherine.

"Don't get freaky with my wife," Warrick warned when he saw his co-worker putting his hands on her neck.

Grissom rambled, "Amy called Tony after receiving the TPO and told him she'd make him pay. Her exact words were 'I'm gonna make your life a living hell. You and that prissy bitch of a wife will be sorry'. Tox and autopsy revealed she had taken anti-depressants and consumed a large quantity of alcohol on an empty stomach. She goes to the home to trash it, focuses on anything to do with the marriage and doesn't leave a stitch of Becca's clothing untouched, hoping it will give her the vindictive satisfaction she craves…but it wasn't enough. She decides to go through with her bigger plan. With that combination of drugs and alcohol, she had to be out of her head." Glancing up at the group he said, "She ups the thermostat, climbs onto the bed, spills the bugs, grabs Cupid with something over her hands, lies back with her head dangling off the mattress just like we found her, and kills herself, hoping that Tony is accused of murder. What better way to make life a living hell than to have him doing life and Becca losing her man forever?"

"Damn." Brass remarked as he watched Gil grabbed a pen to use in lieu of Cupid.

"With the point on that statue, twelve inches and determination would do the job easy." Grissom brought the closed pen to Catherine's neck. "Anywhere in the immediate area would be good enough, she didn't need to be accurate. Upon impact, her hands released, and then gravity did the rest. The statue pulled to the right, causing the damage to the neck, and then fell to floor. That's why there weren't any signs of struggle." Standing up, he sighed, "If you can't have the one you love, send him to prison, so Becca can't have him either. As an ex-cop, he'd have to be housed in Administrative Segregation, with an hour of daylight tops. She had to know that would have been hell for him. And considered this as a bonus, we learned from Randi's statement that Tony refused to indulge Amy's desire for anal sex, because he thought of it as something disgusting that gay men do to each other. Maybe she was fantasizing he'd get raped in prison? It's a really good revenge plan if you think about it. He'd be forced to endure his worst nightmare and her biggest fantasy…a fantasy he refuse to fulfill for her." Retaking his seat, Grissom smiled approvingly, "Soooo…who wants to buy a bunch of Cupid statues and try to kill herself?"

"Me! Me!" Catherine raised her hand high. "Pick me, Master! Sofia hates you and it would look bad if you asked your pregnant wife to try and off herself."

"Give it to Cath, Gris." Warrick needled his wife a little more, "It's quite obvious she wants to save her Searchlight Screw Buddy's ass."

"Would you stop! It was many years ago!" Catherine blasted her man with words and a punch to the arm. "Get over it! Geeeeeez, Gil slept with Lady Heather four years ago and you don't hear Sara snarking at him every five minutes."

Sofia's eyes bolted open. "Grissom slept with Lady Heather?!"

Catherine winked at Gil, "Maybe next time you won't leave the volume turned up on your private radio channel, Pal. See…women are vindictive bitches. I think your Amy Vartann theory is dead on

Gil made a quick and easy decision, "Catherine, go try to kill yourself."

"Hold up, People!" Warrick stopped the banter. "Even if we prove Amy could have killed herself, we still have the issue of how she got into the house and past the alarm."

"I say Mike." Sara posited, "What if he encouraged her by giving the key and the code? Gil's right, the revenge plan is good. Maybe that's a sign she didn't come up with it on her own. Maybe that was what their conversation the night she died."

"You think Rodgers could convince Amy Vartann to kill herself and frame Tony?"

"I think he could give her the opportunity and plant the idea in her head when she was highly vulnerable, absolutely." Sara nodded, "He had me under his spell and I graduated from Harvard. How much effort would it take to get a troubled woman like Amy to listen to him?"

"I don't know." Catherine put the brakes on. "I think it could be your desire to implicate him talking now. That's a huge leap."

"That's what you said to me when I told you I saw Rodgers eating a hot dog and leapt to the conclusion he was trying to kill Sara. Look how well that turned out." Grissom opened the conference room door. "Sofia, go show Amy Vartann's photo to Marcella she if she remembers seeing her anywhere near her bag with the client information. Sara and Warrick, grab an IAB guy and go to Amy's house. Start looking for anything that ties to this suicide theory. We didn't check her computer, maybe she wrote a note. The bugs were released from a Tupperware container, see if she has any that match."

"Anything for me?" Jim asked, feeling useless.

"While we're working on all this, you can make sure the Sheriff and the DA don't get impatient and go after Tony."

The Sanders Home

11:08 am

"Quick, before Tony comes in here," Becca waved Scott closer. "I really wanted to get his mind off everything today, so I made a one o'clock tee time for you, his dad and his brother. Can you play?"

"Well, yeah, but do you really think it's a good idea for him to be seen playing golf while he's under investigation for his ex-wife's murder?" The LA County native said, "It's so…OJ Simpson."

"Ooh, I didn't think about that."

Scott placed his hands on Becca's shoulders. "I know you meant well, Honey, but I don't think he would have been able to concentrate anyway."

"Yeah, you're right." She rolled her eyes. "Duh." Hearing her husband in the hall she whispered, "Here he comes, act natural."

Tony entered the kitchen, trying to be as upbeat as possible, "Hey, whatcha doing, Honey?"

"Not making a tee time reservation for you today, that's for sure!" Becca broke into riotous laughter. "As if!"

Desert Springs Church

11:12 am

"What do you mean 'if'? Of course he'll say yes," Wendy whispered in Carrie's ear as they watched Lindsay and Sean walk to the park across the street from church. "His first D, I can't believe it. I know he can slow D, but I can't imagine him fast D'ing."

"Why are you using the letter 'D' instead of saying dance?" Carrie laughed, "Did it suddenly become taboo to say 'dance'? I didn't get that memo."

"No, Celine told me all the kids are using letters instead of words now. Like 'That really S's instead of saying that really stinks, or I had a hard time S'ing in church today because my throat is sore."

Eyeing her nephew Ryan, who was playing volleyball on the church court, Carrie's ire grew. "They didn't happen to start that little trend on Saturday morning, did they?"

"Yes, actually it was Saturday morning, what made you…"

"Ryan!" Carrie marched to the volleyball court ready to kill. "I want a word with you, right now!"

"We're in the middle of a game here, Aunt Carrie!" Ryan whined.

"Game's over!" She pointed to the ground. "Right here, right now, Mister. I need to T to you, ASAP! Don't even think about R'ing away because I am PO'd, you big fat, L'er!"

"Uh oh." Ryan handed the ball to Jake. "Take over, Dude. I'm in deep S with my aunt."

When her nephew was at her side, Carrie harshly whispered, "You lied! You heard everything!"

"How'd you figure that out?"

"You tricked your mother into thinking that letter talk was cool and she was T'ing to me in L's just now!"

"Oh." A deep breath later he said, "Yeah, we lied, but honestly, wasn't it better when you believed we didn't know? I mean, now that you know we heard everything, aren't you like totally mortified to look at me?"

"Oh God." She wanted to die on the spot.

"See."

"Pretend we never had this conversation," Carrie ordered, "let Sean keep thinking that I don't know."

"You want me to lie to my brother?"

"Yes!"

"But you just yelled at me for lying. That doesn't make a lot of sense, Aunt Carrie." Ryan sighed, "I mean, it's kinda hypolitical, doncha think?"

"The word is hypocritical and…just…ugh!" She marched off, feigning a smile and waving to Wendy. "Nicky called, gotta go!"

"I'll C you later and let you know if Sean said he'd go to the D!"

Desert Springs Park

11:22 am

"Of course I'll go to the dance with you!" Sean yelled in Lindsay's face with enough force to spray her sunglasses with spittle. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I…"

"It's okay." She removed the glasses and wiped them on her shirt. "I'm excited too."

Afraid he'd say the wrong thing or spray her again, Sean decided it best to reply with only a smile

LVPD – Grissom's Office

1:04 pm

When Grissom saw Catherine's grin he knew it could only mean one thing, "You killed yourself, didn't you?"

"Twice, and then I impaled a dummy a few times to get more precise, before killing myself a third time." Holding up a disc she asked, "Wanna watch me die?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." Smirking, Grissom removed his glasses and turned his eyes to the Computer screen.

"The IAB guy shadowing me gave me the heebies. I swear he was getting off on the faux-suicide thing." Pressing play she chuckled, "I'd love to get a peek at their personnel files and psychological profiles for a change, wouldn't you?"

"Christmas isn't that far away, too bad you've been naughty this year."

"This year? Ha! Okay, here we go. I had everything arranged as it was, with the void being Amy's body. I climbed onto the bed holding a Tupperware like the one we found at the scene containing bug residue. I used a long silk scarf so I wouldn't leave prints on the container."

"We found one magenta silk scarf tied to a mattress handle on the left side of the bed, but not one on the right."

"Exactly." Catherine pressed pause. "A woman who enjoys that sort of thing always has them ready to go on both sides of the bed and tucked under the mattress, because when you're in the mood, you don't want to waste time. I called Mrs. Vartann and she confirmed that she had two magenta silk scarves, one on each side of the bed. For the record she wanted me to know it's her that enjoys a hands-off experience every now and then, not Tony, and that despite what people are yelling in police station hallways, there's nothing wrong with her husband's performance and she's one very satisfied lady. Becca's really quite a riot to talk to, I might add."

"I think it's a riot that she was telling you about Tony's performance when you've been there, done him."

"Well…a lot can change about a guy's sex life in six years, Gil. Take yours for example, it was non-existent for years, but now you have a wife who stripped for you in the back of limo."

"Touché." After a glance over the shoulder Grissom said, "In reference to the deceased issues with her ex-husband, did you notice any quirks or issues when you were with Vartann that could be relevant to the case?"

"Oh please," she cracked up, "you're just a gossip disguised as a heady scientist."

"No, I'm a Biologist and an avid student of Human Nature."

Catherine glanced over her shoulder before telling her old friend, "Between you and me, he did it like a cop…by the book and without losing control of the situation. It was satisfying in that I was physically spent, but a snooze in all other respects."

"Ah."

"Now tell me about the night with Lady Heather."

"Sorry, I'm a gentleman. I don't kiss and tell."

"You suck." She hit the play button hard. "Moving on! After I got rid of bug container, I kept the scarf handy for Cupid."

"Where are the bugs in your simulation?"

"You may enjoy that sort of thing, but I wasn't about to cover myself in real bugs. They're not critical to the death scenario, so I felt they could be eliminated." Grinning at the screen she suggested, "If you want to rerun the test with Sara playing the bug covered suicidal, be my guest. She's used to being surrounded by vermin."

"Thanks," he groaned.

"I meant your roaches, not you."

"Uh huh."

After a snicker, Catherine continued, "I flung the container in the direction of where we found it and then grabbed Cupid, sans deadly arrow, with the scarf. I dangled my head over the mattress and brought Cupid down on my braced neck, with the same amount force it took an arrowed Cupid to penetrate the test dummy's neck and make the same negligible spatter we saw on the vic. I released both hands upon impact and didn't get the statue falling to the right, but when I did it this second time, I released my left hand a second before the right and it fell only inches from the 'X' marking the real spot." Forwarding to the next sequence, she showed the full dummy simulation. "Once I had all the variables, I straddle the dummy, inserted the Cupid at the correct angle and speed, released it using the one second left-right delay and…"

"Look at that." Grissom froze the frame.

"The scarf caught the back end of the arrow and goes down with the statue, but falls off before it hits the floor." She produced an evidence photo. "The vic bled out all over the second magenta scarf. It didn't look magenta because of the blood. It wouldn't have any spatter, because it's drenched. Epithelials will be gone too."

"I think the simulation, Amy's mental state and Tox results at the ToD, and good ol' Occam's Razor is enough to convince the DA we're looking at a suicide."

"The only piece that remains a mystery is how she shut down the burglar alarm," he stated while reaching for his ringing cell. "Grissom."

"I found a pack of Post-it notes on Amy Vartann's kitchen counter," Sara cheerily announced. "The top one was blank, but I lifted an impression. A number, 12174030, which matches the alarm code for the Vartann home."

"Any way that Amy could have figured it out on her own?"

"Doubtful. Becca said it's comprised of her and Tony's ages at loss of virginity, and the first time they were together, twelve, seventeen, forty and thirty. That's hardly a common alarm code formula, so I have a hard time believing Amy guess it, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm sure the DA will too. So, we're back to who gave her the code? She was at home on the phone with Tony."

"Yeah, but after that, she was home on the phone with Rodgers, who had access to Marcella's book of alarm codes. It makes no sense for a guy who just served his ex-wife a TPO to give her his alarm code, but it does fall within the realm of possibility that Rodgers, who has been at odds with Vartann lately, might give it to Amy, so she could sneak in and do a little property damage while the Vartanns are out of town."

"He'll never admit that."

"We can still press it."

"Come back to the lab, Sara." Grissom smiled at Catherine. "It's time to pitch our theory to Jessup. If all goes well, we'll have the Vartann brothers cleared by dinner."

The Sanders Home

5:18 pm

"The key to really good Chicken Parmesan," Tony lectured Scott, Becca and Tawny as he grabbed the meat mallet, "is in pounding the chicken to the proper thickness and not overdoing it during the sauté stage. You want the chicken to be golden and crusty, not dark brown, otherwise you'll overpower the fresh garlic and basil."

"That's where I always go wrong," Scott nodded. "I don't pound enough and then I brown the pieces."

When she saw her husband relaxing more by the minute, Becca knew her cooking lesson diversion was working. "Watch me chop onions, Mr. S. After a few lessons from Tony, I'm right up there with Emeril." Before she could grab a knife, her cell phone rang and she was dashing to grab it from the counter. "It's Carrie."

Tony tensed, knowing that it could be the news that a charge was coming down. "Answer it, Honey."

"Hi, Carrie, please tell me it's good news, not bad."

"Very good!" Carrie jubilated. "Well, I mean, good for the Vartann family. Amy's death was officially ruled a suicide."

"A suicide?!" Becca saw everyone gaping. "Let me put you on speaker, so Tony can hear too. Oh, Tawny and Scott are with us also."

"Hi, everyone. It's true, the forensics team presented a suicide theory to the DA and it's all very plausible and provable apparently. Tony, I'm sorry to say that Grissom believes Amy's plan was to die and frame you for her murder."

"Oh my God," Tawny shouted at the cell phone. "That's horrible. And it almost worked! She almost got Becca and Greg charged with murder too!"

"Tony, you'll be getting a call from your boss shortly and you're all clear for duty when your vacation is over. Your house will be released in an hour and all the evidence collected will be ready for pick up tomorrow." Carrie somberly informed her friends, "Gil suggested you hire a cleaning service for the bedroom before returning. I can handle that for you, if you'd like. I've done it for victim's families before."

"Thanks, Carrie," Tony vacantly replied, "that would be great." The thought of seeing his ex-wife's blood on his bedroom floor was more than he could bear. "So, um…I take it she didn't leave a note or anything if she was trying to frame me."

"No, she'd didn't leave a note."

"How'd she get past the alarm though?" Tony asked, still coming to terms with the horribly twisted conclusion.

"They found evidence of her writing your alarm code combination down at her house, but who gave it to her remains a mystery. Gil has a theory though."

The Grissoms

5:56 pm

"Hey, neighbor!" Mike waved at Gil from his driveway. "Tough day at the office?"

Shutting his car door, Gil decided that, unlike most days, he was indeed in the mood for some neighborly conversation. "A very good day actually. We solved the Amy Vartann case."

"I heard." Mike walked to the curb to meet his nemesis. "Such a shame. Amy was a smart, beautiful woman, but she was very, very troubled. I feel bad for Tony. That's a lot of baggage to be carrying around, having his ex-wife kill herself in his bed trying to frame him for murder."

"Your compassion is overwhelming," Gil replied, almost sounding sincere. "I know you got the Vartann alarm code from Marcella and gave it to Amy."

"Is that what you really think happened, Gil?" Mike shook his head. "You have quite an overactive imagination, you know that."

"Good night." Gil started for his house.

"Night!" Watching his adversary cross the street, Mike smiled. Oh, okay, you're right, I gave her the code. His grin intensified. I also met her at the Vartann home and killed her. The stupid bitch thought it was just another role play. What a mess though, huh? I never thought Tony wouldn't have a friggin' alibi while on vacation with his family. Then I found out that Becca went to San Marino and Greg took a break from his second honeymoon to play Xbox. Jesus, I had no idea my geeky son-in-law was that pathetic. All I needed was for you to suspect me for a few hours and then have you conclude it was suicide. "Say hi to the wife for me, Gil! Hey, do you guys have any plans for Thanksgiving?!"

Author's Notes:

Add Amy Vartann's murder to Mike's secret rap sheet, but the good news is…he's a psycho, but not infallible. He was surprised at how many wrinkles there were in his perfect little plan. I was hoping that would inject hope into the creepiness. Perhaps his luck will run out one day.

I hope the case and chapter were enjoyable rides. I tried to put as much levity as possible in this one because I know the drama gets to be a bit much after a while. Any feedback on the wrap up is appreciated!

Next up – we're jumping ahead to the LVPD formal and the Trinity Christian Dance. After two chappies, we jump to Thanksgiving. There will be 4 Thanksgiving Dinners: The Grissoms with Brass & Ellie, Ron & Lina , The Sanders Family with Lily, Wade, Hodges&Celeste, the Vartanns (because they are the family that makes us feel normal for having those little tiffs and irritations at family events LOL) , and The Stokes/Blakes/Marta's parents AND Cath, Warrick &Lindsay(who I am CERTAIN will feel VERY normal after being in the midst of the Stokes-Blake-Marta's parents madness for a day HA!) .

THANK YOU:
Michelle for editing the entire chapter in KJT's absence!!

Everyone who reviewed, I've replied :)

Next Chapter Posting – Saturday/Sunday

Thanks for reading!

Maggs