A/N: Yay! Another 1,400 words for all you fans! Thank you very much for reading, by the way. I'm very excited about this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable. Still. Every chapter.
Chapter Nine
Nick surveyed the outside of the house. I really don't want to be here again, he thought. Warrick cut the tape, and opened the door. Nick snapped his gloves over his hands and stepped inside.
"I'll get the shoes," Warrick said as he headed for the stairs. "You get the dishes."
Nick nodded. He went straight to the dining room and picked up the plates. As an afterthought he bagged the silverware and wine glasses, too. He surveyed the kitchen once again. The dishwasher hung open containing only a few dishes; they looked clean. The pots and pans for the dinner were still on the stove, but nothing was in them. Nick pulled the refrigerator open.
Everything was labeled with what the container held with the date neatly printed underneath. Nick pulled the contents labeled for Friday and dusted for prints. I'm in luck, he thought as he lifted two partials. He walked through the living room again and started for the stairs. About halfway up was a palm print on the left hand side. A right palm print on the left hand side? he wondered. He rotated his right hand to match the print and left it hovering above the print.
"Hey Warrick!" he called. "Come check this out."
Warrick appeared at the top of the stairs. "What you got, Nicky?"
"Check out this hand print. If the attacker made this on the way up, he would have been under some sort of influence." Warrick walked down the stairs and held his right hand above the print.
"So, what you're saying," clarified Warrick, "is that the attacker, or at least one of them, started upstairs." Nick nodded. "Well, I got all the shoes, Tammy's too. I'll compare these to the mud tracks I found. You can swab those plates and get them to Greg. Then you can go through the garbage I found out back."
"Fat chance," retorted Nick.
"I'll flip you for it." Warrick pulled out a quarter. "Heads or tails, Nicky?" Warrick tossed it in the air.
"Heads!" Warrick caught it and slapped it on the back of his head. Nick leaned over. Of course it landed on tails, thought Nick.
"Looks like you're on trash duty," Warrick bragged.
Nick surveyed the house once again. Light poured in from the east facing windows. He was already starting on a double shift. The tension in the house was still thick and his nostrils still burned with the coppery smell. Nick suppressed a shudder. "Let's get back to the lab," he finally said.
The car ride was silent and strained.
xxx
After swabbing each dish, Nick strolled into the DNA lab. Greg was leaning over the computer, staring intently at his screen. "Craig's list, Greg?" Greg laughed and Nick read over his shoulder. Their close proximity made Nick's heart beat a little faster.
"Well, there's this thing called missed connections," answered Greg. "It's if you see someone somewhere and wanted to get to know them, you can write a missed connection." Nick raised an eyebrow. "Say you're some young, hot blooded male looking for some lovin'." Nick laughed. "And the girl in line in front of you at Starbucks is really hot, but just as you're about to speak to her, she leaves."
"Sucks for me, I guess," he replied.
"But you could write a missed connection in hopes that she sees it, contacts you, and you guys go out, get engaged, married, make hundreds of mini Nicks."
Nick exploded with laughter. "One or two might be nice, but hundreds Greg?"
Greg gave his million watt smile. "So you came in here to spy on me?"
"No," replied Nick. "I actually have a ton of swabs that need to be processed and identified." He held up several small baggies, each containing a single swab.
"Do you have something for me to compare it to?" Nick held up another group of bags. "More swabs. I'll have that for you as soon as possible."
Grissom ambled in, holding a small bag of his own. "Greg, I need you to see if there's any DNA on these fingernail scrapings. Find out if any of them match anything relating to this case."
"Yes sir, right away sir."
Grissom turned to Nick. "Did you get any prints off anything else at the crime scene?" Nick nodded and opened his mouth to speak. Grissom cut him off with, "Give them to Sara. She and Jaqui have that palm print. I hear that you have a date with some trash?" Grissom turned and walked out the doors. Nick resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Stupid coin flip, he thought. Sara gets finger prints, Warrick gets shoe prints, Grissom gets to boss everyone around, and I have a date with trash.
"Rough case, huh?" Nick shook himself from his thoughts.
"Yeah," he sighed. "A family and we think they knew the attackers; at least well enough to have dinner with them." Nick ran a hand through his hair.
"I'll make you a deal." Greg licked his lips and smiled. "If you solve this by the end of shift on Tuesday morning, I'll take you to Pandora's to celebrate."
"Greg, I don't know if that's a good idea."
"I'll pay," volunteered Greg. "And drive." Nick weighed his options.
"Okay," he said slowly. "But I'll be looking for…her."
Greg grinned. "And if you see her, I can write a missed connection for you," answered Greg. Nick did roll his eyes that time, even though a small smile crept up the corners of his mouth.
"It's settled then," he said.
"A date?" offered Greg as he quirked an eyebrow.
"Are you flirting with me?" Greg laughed and waved his hand. Nick smiled for the first time that night as he meandered to Evidence Room 3.
Nick threw himself into work for the next four hours until Grissom stepped in. "It's almost noon." He jumped at the sound of his supervisor's voice. A wave of exhaustion crashed into him. "Get some sleep, Nick. The case will be waiting for us tomorrow."
Nick glanced at the clock and nodded. "Okay, Gris," he finally said. "I haven't found anything yet."
Grissom nodded solemnly. "We'll find more tomorrow."
Nick forced a smile and thought, I hope so.
When he finally made it home, sleep didn't come easily. Nightmares and horrific images plagued his thoughts. In the end, Nick turned on ESPN and spent the afternoon considering his case. When five o'clock rolled around he decided to call his sister, Annie.
She answered on the third ring. "Hello?" inquired Annie.
"Hey, Annie."
"Oh, Nicky!" she cried. "It's been so long since we talked. How are things going in Las Vegas?"
"Crime happens," answered Nick. It's why I still have a job.
"Yes." She paused for a moment. "I meant, how is your personal life?"
"Not so good right now, but I did meet this girl. Don't get excited," he added hastily. "I don't even know her name and she isn't exactly the easiest person to find."
"She's no good for you."
"Annie, you don't even know her," he scoffed. I don't even know her.
"I'll let this one slide. Tell me about work."
"We just got this back breaking case. I actually called to see how everything was going with the baby. How's Josh takin' everything?"
"Oh, we already have two." Nick could hear her smile through the phone. "It's a little sooner than we planned, but we're going to be just fine. I think he's secretly excited too."
"I'm really happy for you," he said softly.
"Nick," she turned serious. "You don't deserve anyone that you have to track down. Besides, I thought you were leaning the other way." Nick choked on his coffee.
"Annie!" he squeaked.
"Well," she stated, matter-of-factly, "either way you deserve someone who will treat you well. Tell me about this girl."
"She's beautiful, smart, mysterious." Elusive, sexy, mistrusting, he added as an afterthought. "I've only met her once, but the next time I find her, I'm going to ask her out." Annie chuckled.
"Men do love a good chase," she murmured.
Nick smiled. Yes we do, he thought. "Annie, I have to get to work, but keep me posted about the baby."
"Sure thing." He could hear her smile again. "Be safe, Nick."
"You too." He set the phone in its cradle and grabbed the keys. On the way to work he thought about Greg's offer to visit Pandora's with a smile. Now if I can just crack this case today or tomorrow, he thought.
Author's Note (take two): Funny story- there's a difference between silverware and silverwear. The first one is correct. My beta and I had a fun time with that. Also, does anyone read these? Anyway, thank you to my fans, and again, I apologize for the long wait on that last chapter.
Don't forget to Review! I treasure my reviews. "My precious…" Haha.