Laws of Motion – Book 3
Written by: Ms. Maggs/Edited by: KJT
Chapter 44
Sunday – November 20, 2005
The Blakes
12:26 am
"Lindsay didn't leave a message or anything?" Sean asked in a deflated voice.
"Sorry, Son." Paul hugged his boy, relieved that the damage wasn't too serious. "She was probably worried that she'd wake the house."
"I guess."
"Come on, let's get you set for bed."
LVPD Crime Lab
12:31 am
"You're all set, Sweetheart. Except for..." Nick searched for a place to clip the guest badge on Carrie. "Uh, can I have lanyard?" he asked the clerk. "Thanks."
Carrie smoothed her hands over her gown. "I don't think the designer expected the wearer to clip a guest pass to this dress."
Grinning, he placed the badge around her neck. "Let's go, Consultant Blake."
"How much are you paying me for my consultation services, CSI Stokes?"
"One pair of ridiculous shoes should do it, don't you think?"
"Ooh, hold up a sec." As they walked past a row of vending machines, Carrie opened her clutch to find change. "I need a bottle of water."
The Sanders Home – Guest Suite
12:42 am
Holding a glass of water and a pill bottle, Tony walked into the bedroom and shut the door. "Becks?"
"Brushing!"
After setting everything on the dresser, he undid his bowtie. Dreading the much needed confrontation that was about to take place, he leaned against the wall and mindlessly popped open his shirt buttons.
"Hey! That's my job." Becca bounded over in the new lemon yellow lace halter babydoll that she had purchased on her most recent wardrobe replenishment trip to Victoria's Secret. "Like my new jammies?"
"I do," he replied while she slipped his dress shirt off his shoulders. "The color really brightens your eyes."
"I have the dark eyes of a sorceress," she teased while swirling her fingers over his chest. "Very fitting considering my special powers, don't you think?"
After a delicate kiss to her cheek, Tony whispered, "We need to talk, Honey."
Lowering her hands, she panicked, "What's wrong? Is it about Marlene? About me cursing her? I swear, I'm not evil. If I had known I really had the power to curse her to death, I never would have done it."
"You know, I have special powers too."
"You do?"
"Yeah." Stroking her cheek with his thumb, Tony whispered, "I can see the future."
"Really?" The edges of her mouth perked. "What can you see? Is our baby healthy? Do we live happily ever after?"
He loved the focus of her questions. "I do see us living happily ever after, the kind of couple who still holds hands after forty years together."
"What about our baby? Boy or girl?"
"It's wrapped in a blanket, so I can't tell, but he or she looks very healthy."
"How do I look after giving birth?" she asked, mesmerized by the gentle cadence of his voice. "Ragged I bet."
"No." Lacing his fingers in her hair, Tony said, "Even after hours of labor, you look beautiful." Still not seeing a segue, he cut to the chase. "Honey…stopping your meds, it isn't working. I wanted to support your decision, but I can't. I never should have, but all that talk about me controlling Amy…I didn't want to tell you what to do."
Becca pushed back, out of her husband's embrace. "I'm fine." Seeing the bottle on the dresser, she grabbed it, flinging it in the trash. "End of story."
"You're not fine. Come on…deep down you know I'm right. You've been going a hundred miles an hour since we found out about Marlene, talking crazy and…"
"Don't call me crazy!" Tears formed in her eyes. "That's what Peter used to call me…right before he started screwing the maid."
"I didn't say you were crazy, I said you were talking crazy. There's a huge difference." Taking her hands, he pleaded, "Becks…you know what happens when you stop taking your meds."
"Yeah, but how do you know?"
"It's…"
"What did Hoj tell you?" She stormed out of the room and up the half flight of stairs to the shared kitchen. "Hoj!" She was happy to see him, so she could rip him a new one. "What did you tell Tony?!"
Standing in front of the fridge wearing boxers that said 'Have Fun Storming the Castle', Greg wasn't expecting company. "Tell him about what?" he asked while lowering his beer.
"Don't play stupid with me, genius!" Becca blasted, "At the hospital you asked me to check on Tawny so you could entertain him with stories about me off meds."
"Sorry, Greg." Tony grabbed his wife's hand. "We don't need to drag you into this."
"Answer me!" Before he could, she screamed, "You told him I burned down Professor Flynn's house when I went off Prozac, didn't you?!"
"No!" Greg slammed the fridge. "I swore I'd never tell anyone that and I meant it, but he knows now, thanks to you."
"You burnt down your professor's house?" Tony said, never realizing things had gotten that bad.
"Only part of the first floor actually," Becca replied, hoping it didn't sound as bad. "And I knew no one was home!" Watching her husband massage his temples, she meekly explained, "He didn't press charges, because his wife would have found out he was cheating on her. He lied to me about being married and I got a little upset."
Tony dropped his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, a little upset is keyin' a guy's car. You committed arson."
"Stop looking at me that way!" She took off pacing. "I'm not crazy!"
"Becks, come on." Greg saw no point to beating around the bush. "You gave it a shot, it's not working, and now you need to go back on your meds. The research out there…"
"I don't care what Scientists or you say, Hoj! I'm the one who has to listen to Gina the Perfect Organic Mom repeatedly telling me, and every member of Tony's family, that I'm poisoning my baby with Zoloft. She haunts me every damn day on the telephone and…"
"Is that why you stopped taking the Zoloft?" Tony asked, never making the connection. "Because of Gina?"
"Yes," Becca confessed as her eyes drilled into the wood floor.
"What's going on down here?" Tawny asked while cinching the pink satin robe covering her chemise.
"Go back to bed, Prom Queen! Becca snapped. "I can't deal with Mrs. Best Boobs 2005 and the mother that everyone wants to…"
"Hey! What did I do to piss you off?" Glaring at her husband, Tawny droned, "I hope you guys told her she needs to start taking her meds again."
"Oh my God!" Becca felt the heat of their stares. "Did you guys plan this behind my back?! Is it some kind of freaking intervention?!"
Greg signaled for Tawny to back off when he saw Becca drop into a kitchen chair in tears.
"We're all just worried after watching you at the hospital." Kneeling before his wife, Tony reasoned, "Honey, why do you care what Gina thinks? Huh? Her husband just paid two grand to sleep with a prostitute behind her back because she wouldn't touch him. She's the last person you should feel inferior too. Please listen to me."
"I just…" With tears slipping down her cheeks, Becca looked at Tawny, standing there radiating pregnancy perfection. "Look at you…glowing. Your childhood sucked, but you don't need medication. You were molested by your mom's boyfriend. Had to drop out of school and strip to make ends meet. You were raped by a customer. Dumped on by how many guys? But you suck it up and bounce back with flying colors." Sniffling, she admitted, "I want to suck it up too. I'm tired of being the spoiled country club brat that's too pathetic to deal with life. I'm tired of people looking at me the way all of you are looking at me!" Pleading with her husband, she said, "It's only been a week. You're not giving me a chance to prove I can do it. I can do it. I can! Maybe the problem is that I went cold turkey after only two days of tapering. I…"
"No," Tawny sharply answered, grabbing Becca's attention. "No, Sweetie, you're losin' it….a little more every hour. The whole way home you were non-stop about your magic powers. You even leaned out a window at a red light and tried to cure a stranger's blindness. Take the pills. We're not going to think any less of you. Hell, I should probably share the bottle with you, since I was beating my dead mother with my purse a few hours ago. My point is…no one here is perfect. Your husband has raging OCD for example."
"What?" Tony asked in surprise, "What makes you say that?"
"You alphabetized our spices and you keep bending down to adjust the rug fringe."
"Don't most people do that?" From the look on her face, he knew the answer was no.
"Don't feel bad, just look at the idiotic boxers Greg is wearing." Tawny sighed, "The truth is, we'd all blend in real well on The Island of Misfit Toys."
Laughing at his wife's statement, Greg knelt down next to Tony in front of Becca. "How many times have we had this conversation over the years, Becks? Your brain needs a daily fix, big deal. It's no different than a diabetic needing insulin to stay balanced. You were doing so great on the medication. And you already gave up the Xanax and booze, right? That's fantastic progress right there. Come on, you finally have the life you wanted, don't rock the boat over something as silly as what your sister-in-law thinks about you."
"He's right, Honey." Squeezing his wife's hand, Tony assured her, "Don't worry about Gina. I'm going to call her first thing in the morning and tell her in no uncertain terms that she better leave you alone about this. If she doesn't heed my warning, she'll have to deal with me. Or, here's another idea, we don't have to go to my parents for Thanksgiving."
"You're more than welcome to celebrate with us," Tawny sweetly offered.
"Thanks, but I like Tony's parents and I know his brothers are looking forward to seeing him." Standing up, she took a deep breath and faced her reality. "Thanks for caring about me. I…I'll go fish my pill bottle out of the trash."
Tony yanked it from his pocket. "Already did."
"I've got the water!" Tawny hurried over with a fresh glass. "Hey, if you're hungry, I ordered two pizzas before this blow up. I couldn't decide if I was craving meat or veggie."
"I'm starving actually," Becca announced after downing a 50mg pill and snuggling into Tony's chest. "That would be great, thanks."
LVPD – Crime Lab
1:05 am
"Thanks, Darlin'." Nick took a sip from the steaming mug Carrie had just handed him. Sitting at his desk, he continued studying the photos in Samantha Hatcher's case file. "Are you havin' fun readin' the court transcript? You were there every day, so I doubt you missed anything."
"I miss work," Carrie stated. She had planned to break the news tomorrow, but in the quiet of her fiancé's office, she decided to go for it. "I miss trials, nailing the bad guys…that moment when I know the jury's on my side. Life has been crazy these past few months. I feel like I lost myself and became an extension of you."
He froze, dropping his work. "Uh…are you sayin' I stole your identity, Carrie?"
"No, no…you didn't let me finish. I've had the time of my life, and look at me," she chuckled, "I tied for sexiest tonight! Not that I approve of those silly awards. The point is, I stood up on a stage in an outrageously sexy dress and didn't feel scared. You gave me that confidence. I love every second of being Nicky's girl, even the arguments, because every one of them teaches me something about myself and about us." Grinning, she whispered, "And the sex…I think today proved how far I've come in that department. I was afraid to touch my own body when I met you, but this afternoon I gave you a show. Your work is done, now it's time to take this part you've helped me find and combine it with the part I already had. I'm complete and ready to tear up the world with you by my side." She knew he was panicking, so she got to the point, "I want to go back to the DA's office. I've wanted to on and off, but tonight, DA Sinclair handed me an offer that I can't turn down. They're finally opening a dedicated Sex Crimes Division, and he wants me to lead the…"
"You're serious?"
"It's the same job I left in Seattle, so I can do it in my sleep. To open a division and…"
"What about BPAC?" Nick leaned back in his chair to gape.
"C'mon, Nicky…BPAC is busy work to me. I love helping, but it's hardly a challenge. We'll have no problem getting a young, eager bleeding heart attorney to do that job well. You get to keep your job and volunteer for BPAC, I'll do the same."
"What about the baby comin' in June?"
"That's part of the deal." She excitedly explained, "When the baby comes I get the full twelve weeks of family leave and then I make my own hours. I run the show, consult where I'm needed, pick and choose my trials and the attorneys, and I can work from home a lot. Marta has already agreed to watch the baby on the days Wendy can't. Wendy's dying to make extra money babysitting so she doesn't have to work outside the home. Between them and our days off, childcare won't be a problem. This is big, Nicky. I'll be right up there with Ogden and Davis. I get the title, Assistant District Attorney Blake…ADA Stokes in February. If once the baby comes, I have a change of heart and want to be home, then at least I've made my goal of ADA by the time I'm thirty." Watching his expression, Carrie's excitement evaporated, "You're not happy for me."
"Of course I'm happy for you," he huffed. "You deserve it. It's what you wanted when you joined the DA's office here. It was our plan, you workin' towards DA while Jim grooms me to take his place one day."
"Then werule the town," she chuckled. "Your office finds the guilty party, my office gets the conviction. The dream's alive. Uncle Jimmy couldn't be more pleased with your work."
"And after watching Ogden watch you tonight, it's safe to say he couldn't be more pleased with you."
"Yeah, but he won't be my boss, he's my colleague."
"That's not what I meant."
"Huh?"
"What's his story?" Nick snipped, "Because I'm gonna admit that I don't like him. I don't like the way he looks at you. I don't trust him. He's hidin' somethin'. If he's this devout Mormon guy, why the hell isn't he married by now? There's somethin' wrong with him, he has this look in his eyes, that I…I'll tell you what I think. I think he's really a twisted perv and he's cozyin' up to you for more than…"
"He's a widower, Nicky. His wife and two daughters were killed three years ago when a drunk driver plowed into their van in Utah. He relocated to Sin City for two reasons, to get away from the memories and to prosecute the plethora of drunken idiots in this town. That's his story. He's committed to his job and he likes me professionally. He's not pursuing a relationship with anyone, because his wife was his first love, they met in junior high, and he's not ready to move on."
"Oh."
"Feel like a schmuck?"
"Totally. Yeah. A really big one." He nervously cleared his throat. "I'm thrilled about the job offer, Sweetheart." Unfurling his best 'aw shucks' smile, he stood. "I was just in shock is all. We'll celebrate tomorrow night, how's that? Anywhere you wanna go."
"You're adorable when you screw up, you know that?"
"I'm used to women calling me an asshole when I screw up, but I like adorable much better." Walking around his desk, Nick tugged Carrie to her feet. "Congratulations. It'll be hard fillin' your shoes at BPAC, but you're right, you can't pass up this opportunity. The city needs you in that position, the victims too. You're gonna be great."
"Thank you."
"So, do you tell 'em in morning, or…" Chuckling, he said, "You already told 'em yes, didn't ya?"
"I told them yes, pending your input." She giggled until her mouth was bumping his. "But they know you find me impossible to say 'no' to, so…they took it as a definite yes and I signed the contract." Between his parted lips, she whispered, "I start Monday."
"Hey!" Catherine yelled from the door. "Why the hell are you two here when you could be home in bed?"
The Sanders Home
1:17 am
"All the lights are on," Sara stated while stepping out of the limo, "and a delivery man is just leaving."
"Still," Grissom reluctantly followed, "it's awfully late, even for a heartfelt apology, and…"
Sara asked the pizza guy, "They were wide awake, right?"
"Yes," Devraj Limbachia, a Forensics and Microbiology student at UNLV confirmed for the woman. "But you are very overdressed." Seeing the man coming up the walk behind her, he shrieked like a little girl. "Dr. Gil Grissom of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, one of the nation's most respected Entomologists and publisher of twenty-three papers! I can not believe I am meeting you on this sidewalk. I am very, very happy to meet you. Humbled. I've had the great privilege of listening to your lectures on more than one occasion, Sir. I am sorry I stink of pizza when we finally converse."
"You have a fan," Sara desperately tried not to laugh. "Bask in the glory, I'll meet you inside." By the time she rang the doorbell, she was in stitches from listening to the Grissom groupie.
"Tony! You tipped the guy, right?!" Greg yelled over the old Chumbawumba song he was playing at Becca's request.
"Ten bucks! Jeez, if he's complaining, tell him to bite me!"
Laughing, Greg threw open the door. "Hey!" He raised his beer bottle. "It's not the pizza dude! It's Sara!"
"Hey." Sara heard Becca singing 'I get knocked down, but I get up again' over and over, and glanced into the living room. "Gil will be right here, we just stopped by for a minute because we saw the lights on and…" Sara's eyes flew to Greg's crazy colorful t-shirt first, and then continued down to his boxer shorts. "You're wearing shorts that say 'Have fun storming the castle'." Seeing everyone in some form of pajamas, she anxiously asked, "Sorry, have I interrupted something?"
"Yeah, and now you can join in!" He grabbed her wrist, yanking her through the doorway.
"This isn't…you're not…"
"I get Sara!" Greg cracked up. "Who wants Grissom?!"
Becca and Tawny both covered their mouths, so they wouldn't blurt the truth.
"I'm yankin' your chain." Greg ended the rouse. "We're just flying our freak flags to make Becca feel more comfortable about the one flapping above her head."
"Oh. That explains the attire." Her cheeks flushing, she waved to Tony. "It's going to be difficult to think of you as a tough cop after seeing you in moose-covered jammie bottoms, Detective."
"They're not jammies," Tony clarified, "they're Lounge Pants. My wife bought them for me. They're very comfortable."
"Abercrombie and Fitch," Becca shared as she retied the hot pink thigh-high robe covering her lace babydoll. "In case you want to get a pair for Gil."
"I guess they don't come with a shirt," Sara teased, while peeling her eyes away from the Detective's muscular chest that she never pictured to look quite that good under the suits he wore to work. "Or you'd have it on in mixed company."
"No, there's no shirt," Becca answered. "They'd probably look cute with a white tee I suppose, but I prefer my men to be topless while lounging, in case I get the urge to run my fingers through their chest hair."
"I'll go grab a t-shirt," Tony hurried off.
"Thank God." Turning down the music, Greg explained, "Him not wearing a shirt is the reason I put one on. Standing next to Vartann I look like the pathetic 'Before Ad' for Miracle Chest Grow."
"All you have to do is go to the gym five days a week, Hoj." Becca razzed, "A gym is a place filled with heavy things that jocks lift to get jockier. After Tony is done teaching you how to cook, maybe he could help you go from scrawn to brawn."
"I'd much rather have him teach Greg how to iron." Tawny snickered, "I lovvvve having Tony around, Sara. He's like all the good parts of Nick, but he's domestic and isn't annoying. Oops, don't tell Carrie I said that." When she saw Sara staring at the pizza boxes, she said, "One of them is veggie, Sara." She grabbed a stack of plates. "Can you get the napkins, Greg?"
"Yep." Greg hustled to the pantry. "What can I get you to drink, Mrs. G? Tony and I are boozing, but for the preggies we have caffeine free soda, juice, non-alcoholic beer, or water."
"Like I said, we just stopped by for a minute." Staring at Tawny, she said, "I wanted to make sure you were okay, that we were okay…because of what happened. I thought you might be upset, but you seem…happy." Which seemed very surreal considering her mother had just died.
"Oh!" Tawny felt horrible for not realizing the reason Sara came. "I'm not upset with you, Sara. Not at all. Catherine told us that the tape clearly showed my mom harassing and grabbing you. She got what she deserved. Do I look the least bit upset?" She shook her head. "I got my closure at the hospital, so I was fine by the time we got home. Then Becca needed some support, so we're having a good time for her benefit and celebrating our guys getting medals tonight. You know…life goes on." Hugging Sara, she said, "We're great."
"Thanks." Sara breathed out. "That's what I needed to know." The aroma of the pizza filling her nose, she said, "Uh…maybe I will take a slice and a faux beer. That sounds really good actually."
"Wanna borrow some jammies?" Becca cheerily asked. "I have extra."
"No, thanks. I'm good."
"You should have been at our last pajama party." Becca laughed at the memory, "We stole penguins!"
"Really?" In spite of how good the pizza smelled, Sara started rethinking her decision to stay.
"They were sooooo cute."
Worried that her pal was also going to spill the beans about the whipped cream and chocolate sauce, Tawny chimed in, "Yep, we stole penguins." She gave Becca a warning glare. "But don't worry, that's the only outrageous thing we did."
"The penguins were plastic," Tony lied as he rejoined the group. "We used them in a tribute at Charlie Dwyer's funeral, but gave them back to the aquarium the next day. It was really sweet. Mrs. Dwyer was so moved by it, she made a hefty donation to the aquarium."
"Ooh!" Becca pointed to her husband. "See, I was right. The moose jammies look adorable with a white cotton tee and, Sara, you can have this whole ensemble for under fifty dollars."
That's when Grissom stepped into the living room. "Is modeling sleepwear your second job, Detective Vartann?" Noting the laughter and seeing his wife at the counter eating pizza, he felt it safe to assume all was well.
LVPD – Crime Lab
1:32 am
"I'll be damned," Nick lowered his magnifying glass. "Check this out, Sweetheart." He scooted over, and when Carrie was at his side, he returned the magnifying glass to the photo. "Look at Mike's hair in this picture. It was the one that ran in the paper. The resolution is bad, but it's clear enough to see that his hair looks matted."
"Dried blood?"
"Could be." He glanced up at Carrie. "There's no way of knowin', but it's in the same place as that damn scar he showed me earlier."
Leaning on the edge of his desk, Carrie quietly said, "He's playing you, Nicky. He's appealing to the part of you that remembers what it felt like to be accused of murdering Kristy…how bad things can look for an innocent guy. If the DA goes to him, he'll laugh and say 'I was yanking Stokes' chain' and make you look like a fool."
"You think I don't know that?" He grabbed the next photo. "That's why it's important to me to find the evidence I need to prove his story is bullshit and shove it in his face. Just keep playin' devil's advocate with me."
"Okay."
"Now, from the look of Mike's scar, the rock had to be jagged, at least on one side." Nick fished through the photos on his desk. "Check out Samantha's hands. No sign of struggle or breaking her fall with 'em, which supported the theory that she didn't know she was gettin' pushed. They're not bloody. If she forcibly bashed him with a rock, I'd expect one hand to have spatter, cut up if the rock wasn't smooth where she was grippin' it. Unless there was enough time to clean her hand in between hitting him and falling."
"In trial you testified that both the medium and low velocity spatter was found on the back of Samantha's jacket."
"Here's that pic."
"If she came at him with a rock, then his blood would be on the front of her jacket, not the back."
"That's the obvious answer, but there are others." Taking Carrie's hand, Nick stood and walked her across the room. "What if Samantha wasn't wearin' the jacket, but holdin' it in her left while she held the rock in her right?" He used his tux jacket to demonstrate.
"Yeah, but I find it hard to believe that a suicidal girl who just bashed her cheating fiancé's head in with a rock, would take the time to put on her jacket before jumping to her death."
"Maybe she was shiverin' and she did it mindlessly, because she was out of her head as she stood there watchin' him bleed. What does ADA Blake think of that theory?"
"Professionally, ADA Blake thinks you're wastin' her time, because there's no case. We can't try Mike Rodgers for murder because of double jeopardy. If Samantha killed herself, there is no crime." Placing her hands on Nick's shoulders she smiled, "Personally, ADA Blake is very interested in finding out the truth and thinks the theory works if CSI Stokes can show that the spatter pattern on the jacket gels with the idea that Samantha was holding it at the time she struck the blow."
"Wow. Hearin' you talk shop in that dress…in that sultry voice…" He gushed a smile. "Bond Girl comes to mind. You know, I'm gonna demand a recount. There's no way you shoulda tied for sexiest with Tina Marchello tonight."
Carrie shrugged. "She got the swinger vote."
"And you're funny too." He sucked in a breath.
"Go to Evidence and get the jacket." She shooed him. "The curiosity is killin' me."
"Can't." Shaking his head he confessed, "I'm uh…havin' a moment here."
"Nicky! Seriously! You're such a teenage boy sometimes." Grabbing his jacket, she shoved it at him. "Hold this over your crotch."
"That's it! What does a guy do when his girlfriend looks chilly?"
"Hands her a jacket."
"Carr…what if Mike's story really isn't bullshit? At least not all of it."
"Nicky, you're not serious."
"I am." His eyes lit as his wheels turned. "Maybe she did hit him with a rock, and maybe he didn't kill her. What if Mike didn't confront Samantha at all? What if she had already found out that morning from someone on campus, and when they got to a private spot on the mountain, she confronted him?"
"And he snapped."
"Exactly." Nick grabbed a paperweight from his desk. "What if she threw the rock at him in self defense as she tries to escape? No spatter then, no damage to her hand."
"Then, in her panic, she falls over the edge?"
Nick thought of a similar case. "It happens. People panic trying to escape one danger and wind up dyin' another way all the time. We had a kid last week race in front of a garbage truck runnin' from a bee."
"We're still back to the jacket."
"When the rock hits him, he drops her jacket and falls to the ground, stunned. She's disoriented, crying…shaking. She picks up the jacket and puts it on, because it's a long hike out and she'll need it and what's inside the pockets. She's puttin' it on while starin' at him on the ground to make sure he doesn't get up…and she's walkin' backwards. Suddenly he jumps to his feet and she panics. When she turns to run, she falls off the edge. It fits with all the evidence, most importantly, the lack of evidence that he pushed her. He'd have plenty of time to cleanup the scene and make it look like there was no altercation."
"If that's true, then he really didn't kill her."
"But I'm sure he was going to." Nick sighed, "He got a break when she did it herself. Kind of like Marlene tonight."
After a minute of contemplative silence, Carrie asked, "Why didn't the person who told Samantha about Wendy and Mike tell anyone after Samantha died the next day?"
"What if the person who told her was Wendy?"
"Nicky…"
"She was a drug user, Carr. We know that part's true, she's admitted it, witnesses corroborated it at the trial. She could have gotten high enough not to remember what she did or said that morning. Or maybe Samantha overheard Wendy cursing Mike out over the phone or somethin'."
"Wow." She dropped into a guest chair. "That would confuse the hell out of a jury. With a skilled attorney like Schultz…establishing reasonable doubt would have been a cake walk."
"But if he used that story, then his reputation as a golden child would have been tainted and, most importantly, he would have admitted he lied in the first place. He's able to get away with everything he does, because he has a perfect record with no history of deception. So…" Nick shrugged, "he took his chances and said she fell."
"And it almost worked."
"But Carr…" Nick sat on the edge of his desk, "if he really didn't kill her, then no matter how evil he is, he shouldn't have gone to prison. We got it wrong. That makes me feel a little better about him gettin' out because of what Schultz had on all of us. Now we can nail him for perjury."
"You think the DA is going to pursue the perjury charge? Ha!" Carrie squelched her laughter and shared, "The DA isn't going to admit the office erroneously sent him to prison in the first place just to pursue a perjury charge, and the Sheriff will back him because Rodgers still has all the same blackmail, remember?"
"I guess I got a little caught up in…" Nick gaped at his fiancée. "How the hell does one evil bastard catch so many breaks? You know he's probably got a mutili-million dollar policy on Marlene just like he did with his first wife. It sucks."
When she saw him head for the door, Carrie asked, "Where are you going?"
"To Evidence to get the damn jacket and see if the spatter is consistent with him holdin' it, just so I can be a little more pissed off when the answer comes back 'yes'." Throwing open the door, he grumbled, "I'll be right back."
The Sanders Home
2:17 am
"We better get going," Gil announced to the group, while tapping his watch. "As much fun as this gathering is, it's really late and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I'm leaving in the afternoon for a conference and I still have some prep work."
"Don't be a wuss, Gris," Greg teased as he shuffled cards. "You're pushing fifty, not eighty. Alternate Red Bull and Coffee in the morning and you'll be fine. I was only kidding about this round being strip poker."
Sticking up for Gil, Tawny asked her husband, "How do you know his 'It's late and I have a long day ahead of me' comment isn't secret code for 'Hey, Sara, I'm tired of hangin' with these losers, let's go home and make love for hours'."
"They're on to us, Honey." Gil winked at Sara and took her hand, anxious to go home and pass out. "Thanks for inviting us inside when we showed up on your doorstep unannounced."
"And for the pizza," Sara added. "I'll see you guys on Monday."
"Thanks for stopping by." Tawny hurried to give her pal another hug. "I'll walk you guys to the door."
"I'll go with you." Greg jumped up from the table.
"Have a good night," Tony waved while holding onto Becca, who was poised on his lap.
"Bye!" Becca was secretly relieved the gathering was breaking up. "I'm sleepy," she whispered in her husband's ear. "We need to get some rest for furniture shopping tomorrow." They were scheduled to close on their house in two weeks and wanted to get a jump on furnishing the place.
Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Tony smiled, "I hope that's not secret code for let's go make love for hours, because I'm exhausted."
"No, it's code for I want to snuggle up and pass out in your arms."
"That I can handle."
"Hey…" With an Eskimo kiss, she whispered, "Thanks for handling me earlier. I'm sorry I lied about tapering when I really went cold turkey after two days. I hope you're not too mad at me."
"Knowing the reason, I'm not mad." He thought Gina had been calling daily to be supportive, not destructive. "I just wish you would have told me what was bothering you."
"The whole dead ex-wife, murder suspect fallout had you maxed, so I thought it would be a really good week to try out the new and improved less needy me." Tracing a worry line on her husband's face, she suggested, "How about we just agree that I need your guidance and you shouldn't feel bad about guiding me?"
"Okay." After a kiss he suggested, "How about we continue talking under some blankets?"
"Good plan, it's getting chilly in here." She rubbed her arms when she stood.
"Want anything to drink?"
"At the risk of propping my needy little girl persona, I'd love a cup of cocoa with marshmallows."
"Ooh!" Tawny smacked her lips as she shivered from the chill she got standing at the door saying goodnight. "Sounds perfect!" She giggled. "That's how it's working lately…I hear it, I crave it."
"Hoj!" Tony waved him to the kitchen. "Lesson Eighteen…cocoa with marshmallows. I'll bring it to you, Becks. Go get warm under the blankets."
Greg scoffed at the idea, "That's okay, I can rip open a packet and boil water in the wave as good as the next guy."
"We're making it from scratch."
"Whoa, I never even considered that was possible." Greg took his usual position at the counter, ready to fetch.
"Vanilla extract, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder."
"Unsweetened cocoa powder, let's see…in the OCD spice cabinet arrangement would I find that between the cinnamon and the cumin, or do we go by the letter U and…"
"Want me to tell you where you'll find my fist if you don't shut up?"
"Ooh, very effective," Greg grabbed the cocoa powder. "I'll make good use of that one in the field."
Saying goodnight to Becca, Tawny laughed, "I love how he manages to work in tough guy lessons while they wear aprons."
The Blakes
2:30 am
Donning her favorite apron, Wendy headed to the oven to preheat it for a batch of banana bread.
"Mom…" Sean weakly called from the doorway.
"Honey, are you okay?"
"My eye is hurting really bad."
After a check of the clock, Wendy nodded. "You're due for another dose of pain medication." She hurried to get a glass of water. "You need to eat a little something before taking it though."
"I'll have a banana," the teen vacantly replied. "How long do you think it will take for my face to look normal again?"
"Unfortunately, the bruising will get worse before it gets better, Sweetie." Hugging him, she lied for his benefit, "But Lindsay doesn't strike me as the kind of girl who would get hung up on appearances."
The Willows/Brown Home
2:35 am
"He's totally hot!" Lindsay whispered into her cell phone. Talking to her best friend at Trinity, Callie, she ecstatically said, "And he likes me!"
"You're so lucky!" Callie replied, "There are girls at Trinity who have been crushing on him for years and you're only there two months and he likes you!"
"Do you think he'll still like me on Monday?"
"I saw the way he was looking at you," Callie giggled. "He'll still like you on Monday…and Tuesday."
The Grissoms
2:41 am
"I get back late Wednesday." Gil slipped into bed, hoping Sara would gravitate toward him instead of away like she had been lately.
"We'll miss you." She snuggled close, gently resting her head on his shoulder.
"Will you be able to get everything you need for Thanksgiving without me?"
"Translated that means, do you know your way around a grocery store well enough to cope?"
"Well…there is precedent." Gil savored her warmth, knowing it would be several days before they could laze in bed again.
"I think the statute of limitations is up on me not being able to find persipan last Christmas for you to make your mother's gingerbread fruit squares recipe." She rolled her eyes remembering how she went from store to store thinking it was a specialty baking pan because Gil had left a tiny space between 'persi' and 'pan'. "No one knew what it was at the lab."
"Except Hodges."
"Okay, no one who isn't paid to know every obscure substance on the planet."
"One day you'll go on Jeopardy and the final Jeopardy answer will be 'what is persipan' and you'll thank me."
"I could thank you right now," she purred while swirling her fingers over his chest. "Mmm, I agree with Becca. Men should always lounge topless for easy chest access."
"I feel the same way about women, Honey, and yet you keep wearing a top."
"How dare I? Especially when I'm always going on about equal rights." Sara promptly tossed her pajama top. "Better?"
"Much."
Grinning, they resumed the embrace.
"It seems that hanging around with the hyper youngsters earlier has made an impact." He nuzzled into his wife's neck, until he elicited a giggle.
"What about your big day tomorrow?" she reminded him, while hoping he didn't stop. "Hmm?" Running her tongue over his ear lobe she murmured, "All that hard work you have to do…"
As he swooped in for a passionate kiss, Gil relieved his wife's concern, "I'll alternate Red Bull and Coffee."
LVPD Crime Lab
3:09 am
Putting down her coffee, Carrie readied to throw another rock at Nick. "All set?"
"Did you log in the weight of the rock?"
"Yep."
"Okay. Scenario seven…jacket in left hand extended two feet while you throw from ten."
"What the hell?" Catherine asked when she stepped into the demonstration room. Nick was wearing a chest protector and face shield while Carrie readied to hurl a large rock. "If you're having relationship issues, why don't you go see Dr. Myers with the rest of us nutcases?"
"We're tryin' to match a spatter pattern."
"Yeah, I get that, but why? Other than the fact that you two strike me as a secretly twisted couple."
"We do?" Carrie giggled. "I swear we're not."
"I'm reviewing the Samantha Hatcher casefile," Nick explained, "because Rodgers changed his story tonight."
"Seriously?" Catherine motioned for Carrie to give her the rock. "May I do the honors? Because I've wanted to do something similar to him on several occasions."
Laughing, Carrie handed it over. "I can empathize."
"Hey!"
"Aww, we both love ya, Nicky, but sometimes…you're really annoying." Catherine pushed up her sleeves.
"Okay, Pot," Nick grinned behind the plexiglass shield. "Kettle says, take your best shot."
"Where am I supposed to hit you?"
"Above my left ear." He pointed to the sack of fake blood product attached to the helmet he had on.
Catherine launched the rock. "Perfect hit!" She brushed her hands. "I'm good."
Nick removed the mask and checked the spatter of fake blood on the test cloth. "Nope, not even close. There's no way. His bullshit story is just that."
"What did he say?"
"That Samantha hit him with a rock and then jumped to her death, but the spatter was on the back of her jacket." Nick explained, "We were going on the assumption that he was holding her jacket out, handing it to her."
"Not that I believe him, but have you tried one with the jacket over his shoulder?"
"No."
"I wouldn't mind nailing you again. Let's give it a shot." Catherine grabbed a new test cloth. "Did you win any secret awards at the formal tonight, Carrie?"
"I tied Tina Marchello for sexiest."
"Carrie shoulda won," Nick stated while pulling the shield on. "I think it was rigged."
"Nah, Tina's slept with half of LVPD, Nicky." Catherine grabbed a fresh rock. "She has groupies, and hosts some very interesting parties. But you do you look lovely tonight, Carrie."
"Thanks."
"Hit me!"
Catherine wound up and nailed Nick again. "It's easy to see where Lindsay gets her softball skills, isn't it?"
"Nope, that didn't work either." Nick removed his gloves. "He was lyin'. The scar he showed us probably had nothin' to do with Samantha Hatcher."
"Surprise, surprise." Catherine stuffed her hands on her hips, "You know what I think? I think he made up a story because he knew it would drive you crazy and you'd spend the whole night trying to prove him wrong instead of having fun when you're all dressed up to party."
"Well, then he failed miserably," Carrie said before cracking an outrageous grin. "Because I've had the best time playing CSI with my man and we still have the limo ride home."
"Look at you, bringing the sexy." Catherine smiled approvingly. "Little Carrie finally grew up."
"That's ADA Caroline Blake to you," Nick proudly announced.
"Congrats."
"Thank you."
Nick kissed the back of Carrie's hand. "Starting Monday, Rodgers and every other lying piece of scum in this town better watch out, because I'm gonna bust 'em and my better half's gonna lock 'em away for life."
"Yeah…well…that's a really sweet dream," Catherine sighed. "Good night."
Author's Notes:
I hope it was a good read! A little levity after the angst at the hospital in the previous chapter. Some nice bonding, a little romance and some set up for the coming chapters.
Nick and Carrie fans, I hope you're enjoying this turn in the road for them. I was going for a feeling of tranquility between them like they've reached a point where they know without doubt they're each other's lobsters.
I'm trying to keep it real for Becca. As much as she wants to believe that love cures all, it's not going to work that way for her, and she finally needs to come to terms with that and love herself and trust that Tony will love her no matter what.
Persipan is real! Just in case it comes up in Scrabble LOL
Next Chapter: It's the day before Thanksgiving. Lots of prep and bonding! Sara goes shopping, Greg gets a gift, Becca's on a new tangent. While the Vartanns leave town, Marta's parents come to town…but they're not the only ones arriving. Posting: Thursday
Thanks KJT for jumping back full force into the plotting and editing now that you're back from holiday!
Thanks for your feedback,
Maggs