Offing Ecklie
Pairings: Nick and Sara; Grissom and Catherine
Spoilers: Mea Culpa
A/N: All of my CSI fiction never mentions Conrad Ecklie's promotion and the split of the graveyard shift. My stories occur as if these two things never happened.
A/N2: I don't know if the state of Nevada has the death penalty or not. Sara's account is pure fiction.
Sara's story takes place the modern day Wild West. She and Catherine are modern cowgirls and leaders of a vigilante group while Grissom, Nick, Warrick, Brass and Greg are modern cowboys.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of CSI. If I did, Ecklie would have never been promoted and the team remained intact. In fact, if I had things my way, Ecklie would be demoted to traffic cop or dog catcher.
Sara's Chapter – Doing It Vigilante Style
"Sara, let's listen to your story," Nick said as he chomped on a slice of pizza.
"I thought of basing mine on the 'Wizard of Oz'," Sara confessed. "However, my muse thought of something even better."
"Am I going to be your husband or boyfriend in this story?" Nick asked.
"You're my husband," Sara smiled. "I am keeping you as my husband in my story. Catherine, I don't mean to ruin your story."
"Sara, I understand," Catherine beamed.
"How about satisfying the fantasies of a lab rat turned CSI and make me your husband?" Greg asked.
"Greggo, the excess alcohol has gotten to your brain!" Warrick said.
"Maybe, I'll do it for my story," Greg retreated.
"That won't happen!" Nick chuckled.
"Guys, let Sara tell her story," Grissom said. "Before we drag Greg to the guest room, so he could finish sleeping off the alcohol."
My story begins.
Nick Stokes ran to my office and he was huffing. The expression on his face told me that something was urgent.
"Hey Sweetie, what's up?" I asked.
"There has been another bank robbery," Nick said catching his breath. "Only this time, there are fatalities."
"Do you know how many?" I asked.
"As far as I know there are three dead," he said. "Two others have been taken to Desert Palm fighting for their lives. It's very bad, Sara!"
"Who do we have at the scene?" I asked.
"Grissom, Greg and Warrick are already there," he replied. "Captain Brass and Detective Vega are waiting you, Catherine and me."
"Let's get there before Brass gets a coronary," I told him as I grabbed my CSI vest and put it on.
"Nick and Sara, I was just about to see you," Catherine said. "They are waiting for us."
"I already told Sara," Nick beamed. "So, who's driving?"
"I am," I swiped the keys off my husband's jeans pocket.
"That's not fair!" he whined. "That's my Denali!"
"Nicky, you are 33 years old," I hissed. "Stop whining! For your information, it's our Denali. We have a Tahoe also, but the Denali is in the parking lot!"
Catherine, Nick and I got into the Denali and we were on our way to the bank. As soon as I parked the car, we got out with our kits. Brass and Vega approached us.
"This damn fucking fool is playing mind games with us!" Vega snapped.
"It is the same as the previous ones," Grissom suddenly materialized.
"I know," I told him. "Nick mentioned that there were three killed."
"You can add two more to the body count," Warrick said. "The wounded couple is dead, the husband died first in the ER. The wife died on the operating table."
"Great! Just what we needed a quintuple homicide," I shook my head. "Did the doctors collect the bullets from those two victims?"
"I am on my way to pick them up and bring them to Bobby," Greg said as he headed towards his Tahoe.
"Greg, since you are going back to the lab," Grissom said. "Bring the surveillance tapes to Archie."
"What am I, everyone's favorite gofer?" Greg asked.
"Greggo, you practically volunteered to drop off and pick up evidence," Nick smirked giving the new CSI a slap in the back. "However, you aren't going pick up and drop off everything, just a few pieces of evidence."
"Nick, let's process some evidence here," I said. "Don't tease the newbie."
"I sure as hell hope that you haven't started any newbie hazing rituals, Nicky," Catherine said.
"I plead the fifth," Nick chuckled.
We spent a good few hours collecting evidence, talking to shaken up bank employees and clients. Warrick's sophisticated electric nose machine that Grissom didn't want to have in the crime lab for fear of it running up to the suspect and biting his or her ass. That apparatus picked up a plethora of aromas, some good and some totally disgusting. My cell phone rang just as I was walking with Nick and Catherine.
"Sidle-Stokes!" I answered after the second ring.
"Sara, this is Greg," the voice on the other end responded. "I just got back to the crime lab after stopping over at Desert Palm to retrieve the bullets. I am bringing them to Bobby as we speak."
"We are on our way to the lab ourselves," I told him. "Nick is bringing the copies of the surveillance tapes to Archie. There's plenty of other evidence that we are taking to the other labs. We should be there within an hour."
"I'll have the Blue Hawaiian ready," he said and we hung up.
"Who was that?" Nick asked.
"That was Greg," I smiled. "The bullets are in the capable hands of our favorite ballistics expert."
"I would be happy to drink some Blue Hawaiian," Nick chuckled.
An hour later, we were in the crime lab analyzing the evidence. Nick and I visited AFIS to see if we got a hit off of the fingerprints. As the database scanned for a matching fingerprint, Nick's pager went off.
"I'm going to the A/V lab to see what Archie wants," Nick smiled. "I hope it something about the surveillance tapes from the bank robbery/homicide."
"Go right ahead," I said. "AFIS is taking its sweet time giving us a hit. Let me know what Archie tells you."
Nick left to speak with Archie. A minute after he left, AFIS finally gave me a hit. I couldn't believe whose fingerprints they were. They belonged to Conrad Ecklie, the newly promoted assistant director of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I ran to the A/V lab where Nick and Archie were looking at the tapes. Nick must have heard me coming because he turned around and had a partial smile on his face.
"AFIS finally gave you a hit," Nick said.
"Yeah, and you wouldn't believe whose the owner of the fingerprints," I smirked.
"It's Ecklie," Archie said. "He's the robber! Do you see him holding up the bank?"
"That son of a bitch thinks he could do something like that and get away with it," Nick hissed.
"Sara, you might want have a look at this," Bobby ran into the room.
"Bobby, I am kind of busy here," I hissed.
"Sara, I'll deal with the video," Nick intervened. "You go with Bobby to see if he has a ballistics match. If Archie see anything else of interest on the tapes, I'll let you know."
I went with Bobby to the ballistics lab. When we saw the comparison between the test bullet and the ones found in the victims, we made a shocking discovery.
"The bullets matched police issued one I had test fired," Bobby said. "The gun belongs to-"
"Conrad Ecklie's the owner!" I nearly shrieked.
"Yes, he is," he shrugged. "It's hard to believe that we have a serial robber and a killer as an Assistant Director of the crime lab."
"I can't believe it," I was in shocked. "That damn Sheriff promoted the wrong person."
"Who do you think will take over once Ecklie has been arrested?" he asked.
"Maybe it'll be Grissom or Catherine," I replied. "I have a strong feeling it will be Catherine since Grissom is politically tone deaf."
Warrick came running into the Ballistics lab with a smile on his face.
"Nick told me where to find you," Warrick huffed. "I tried to find Catherine, but she left with Grissom to revisit the past bank robberies. Hodges and Mia gave me the results of the DNA and trace."
"Have they been able to place Ecklie at the bank at the time of the robbery and murders?" I asked.
"You are going to love this," Warrick smirked. "Not only did they place him there, but they placed him in the other bank robberies. Archie had a look at the other tapes and saw Ecklie robbing those banks. Bobby, do you have any of the bullets that might have been fired in the previous robberies? If you do-"
"I'll compare with the test bullet," Bobby smiled. "If the two of you could wait, it won't take me too long."
Warrick and I waited as Bobby compared the other bullets to the test fired one. They were all a perfect match. Nick joined us looking like he needed something to say that was extremely important.
"I just called Catherine," Nick said. "Brass had just caught Ecklie in the act of robbing a bank. The son of a bitch has been arrested and will be booked. I would love to see the look on that fucking bastard's face when he sees the evidence against him."
"I would love the see the look on Atwater's face when he realized what a mistake he made in appointing the scumbag as Assistant Director," I said. "Let's get to meet everyone at the station. Page Greg, he'll want to be there when the bastard is booked."
About fifteen minutes later, we were at the station confronting Ecklie about his actions and their consequences. He confessed to the crimes, but he told us that we will never know or understand why he committed them. Nick told the officers to send Ecklie to jail until a trial date would be set.
A few weeks later, a jury convicted Conrad Ecklie of all charges against him. The judge thought that a lengthy prison sentence was too good for him, she let us decide what to do. We decided to hang him.
A week after the verdict, we gathered at the local jail near a tree along with the victims and the families of those killed in the recent bank robbery. The noose was prepared and stool was below it. The guards escorted Ecklie to the area. He had a peacefully sinister expression on his face and it made me want to lose my breakfast. He laughed sadistically at our disguises: masked cowboys and cowgirls.
"You all look ridiculous," one of the guards commented on our choice of costumes.
"Shut up and get this hanging done and over with!" Catherine hissed.
Grissom, Nick, Warrick and Greg help Ecklie up the stool. Catherine placed the noose around his neck.
"Conrad Ecklie, you have been sentenced to be hanged," Grissom said. "Do you have any last words before the stool is kicked and the noose constricts around your neck?"
"I am sorry for what I've done to the people I work with and the rest of the city of Las Vegas," Ecklie sighed.
Catherine placed a pillowcase over his head. Brass gave me the signal to proceed with the actual hanging. With all my might I kicked the stool, the noose tightened around his neck and he came almost crashing down. David Phillips was there to make sure Ecklie was dead. With some help from Grissom and Warrick, David was able to get Ecklie's body to the truck to be taken to the morgue. We were lauded with thanks from the victims and their families.
After he was buried, there were some changes at the crime lab. Sophia was promoted to Assistant Director. I was disappointed that Catherine didn't get that job. However, Sophia reunited the Graveyard shift and we invited her for a champagne brunch celebration. Atwater would eventually resign in disgrace.
Here ends my story!
"Wow, that's a neat story, Sara," Warrick said. "Hanging Ecklie was cool!"
"Thanks, Warrick," Sara smirked.
"Sara, you kind of took my idea," Nick whined.
"Oh, I am sorry, Nicky," Sara softly said. "Do you forgive me?"
"Does this answer your question?" Nick asked as he leaned towards Sara and kissed her.
Sara nodded and Nick smiled.
"Can the two of you stop with the display of affection?" Greg asked with a pained whine and received a slap on the back from Sara.
"Keep it up and you will be sent home by taxi," Grissom hissed at Greg.
"Anyway, I have a few back up stories just in case," Nick beamed.
"Nick, it's your turn to tell us one of your stories," Catherine smiled.
"Sure," Nick smiled back at her.
TBC