"Sorry." Lindsay apologised to Mac. "It seems the FBI has a little issue with their e-mail."
"What were you e-mailing to the FBI?" Mac inquired.
"Agent Howard wanted a list of any suspects who had had a problem with me in the last six months."
"We got a print but there was no match in the system."
"Okay." Lindsay sighed. "So where did you need me?"
"The department counsellor is there if you need to talk." Mac told her.
"I already talked to someone."
"A counsellor?"
"A priest." Lindsay replied.
"I didn't realise you were Catholic."
"I'm not." Lindsay replied. "But I went for a walk and ended up in a church. We talked for a while he gave me perspective. Then Danny tracked me down and we went for Tacos."
"It's okay if you need some time."
"I just need to do my job." Lindsay said.
"There's a woman in a stairwell with a broken neck, we need to figure out whether she was pushed or accidently fell." Mac gave her the address. "Hawkes will meet you there."
"Thank you."
CSI NY CSI NY
"That's got to hurt." Hawkes said seeing the contorted position the woman was in as he reached
"I would say so." Lindsay was taking pictures of the position she was in. "What do you think about lividity?"
"Have you taken enough pictures?"
"Yes."
Hawkes moved up to the side of the woman and moved her body slightly so he could look at her back.
"Lividity is consistent with her laying here on the stairs. But she's cold, and rigor suggests that she's been here for at least 10 hours."
"Her name is Maya Tomlin. 23" Lindsay said. "She lives two floors up. There is a lift so the stairwell doesn't get used much. One of her neighbours decided to be healthy after he went for a run and ran up the stairs and found her body and called it in. He lives in 3D."
"Looks like cause of death is a broken neck." Hawkes concurred with the reported information. "We need to bag her hands."
"If you're okay with the body, I'm going to head up the stairs." Lindsay suggested.
"Go ahead."
By the time Hawkes caught up with Lindsay had just entered Maya's apartment.
"Did you find any money on her?" Lindsay asked. "Or ID?"
"No. Why?"
"She was dressed up like she was going out or coming in."
"So?" Hawkes asked.
"Where is her purse?" Lindsay asked. "If you're going out you at least take a cab fare with you."
"Maybe she left it here." Hawkes suggested.
"I took a cursory look around I can see it."
"So if she was pushed or some opportunist stopped by and took the purse." Hawkes surmised.
"It's a possibility." Lindsay stated.
"How about we get some of your brethren in blue to take a look through the trash cans near here?" Hawkes suggested.
"We should make certain that it's missing first and then you can suggest it."
"Don't you think it would be better coming from you?" Hawkes suggested.
"I'm sure if you really ask nicely and smile at them they'll do it for you." Lindsay patted his arm. "Or suggest it to Detective Gears."
"Who is Gears?" Hawkes asked.
"That would be me." A deep southern accent came from behind him. Hawkes turned around. "Bryan Gears."
"Dr Sheldon Hawkes." Hawkes shook his hand. "Let me guess you're new."
"First day back in homicide after a stint with Homeland Security." He clarified. "So do you have anything new for me Detective?" He asked Lindsay.
"I told you Lindsay is fine. We're looking for her purse which seems to be missing; Hawkes can tell you what else you need to know about the body for now." She explained. "I'm going to keep looking around."
TBC