Hunters and Collectors
Disclaimer: CBS owns CSI
A/N Looks like Sara can't handle her anaesthetic very well, but at least none of our stars are dead so far.
Chapter 3
"She guessed correctly, now let's get her out of here, Nick, oxygen on her first then we'll check her neck, Greg run up and get a cervical collar from the paramedics and tell them why, bring it back down here, those guys can't come in here it will compromise the entire scene so it's up to us."
Greg was back in a flash with the collar which he placed gently around Sara's neck, Nick placed the oxygen mask on her face and turned on the life giving gas. Catherine gently turned her over onto her side and waited for the oxygen to take effect, placing a gauze plaster on her forehead gash.
Sara slowly opened her eyes and stared groggily around at blurry faces.
"Let me sleep some more, it's not time to get up yet, come back in an hour," she slurred.
"She really is out of it Cath," replied Nick, "wonder what else she might say if we give her some ideas."
"Let's get her to her feet and see what that does."
Together they lifted Sara to her feet and tried to get her to stand but it wasn't going to work. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she was out again.
"No time to lose now, it's not just the drug, she has a concussion as well I think, let's get her up to the ambulance guys, they can take it from here."
Between the three of them they carried Sara out to the ambulance and let the paramedics treat her and slowly she regained consciousness but had trouble speaking, she felt drunk and not in control of her own body, a feeling she hated.
"Don't even think about taking me to hospital guys, I'm not going, I'm fine and I have a job to do here," she slurred angrily.
"Sara, David is back, Nick and Greg are here and we can finish up, now go and get yourself checked out or I'll have Grissom take you off this case right now."
"You wouldn't, would you Cath?"
"For now yes, now get to hospital and you can check on Sofia as well, Grissom is there as well, he'll be expecting you. I called him to let him know you were on your way in," she lied.
"Thanks Cath, but I still owe you one, you know I hate those places."
"Just go, no more whining, you would do the same thing in my place, and you know it."
Sara shut up and let the ambulance drive her to hospital. Catherine called Grissom, who was actually at the hospital for the bullet from Sofia.
"Grissom it's Cath, Sara is on her way in, in an ambulance. No she's ok and found out how the job was done but got herself knocked out when the attachment to the pump blew up in her face, concussion and thiopentone gas don't mix too well. I told her I'd already phoned you and you'd be waiting for her."
"Ok Cath, need any more help out there? I feel like I'm running out of CSIs here. Good news is, Sofia is looking better and her odds have increased, the shooter is in surgery and her clothes are all bagged ready for the lab and we'll have the bullet soon."
"Her clothes?"
"Yeah surprise, the shooter or killer is a woman, we are still waiting on an ID though, I'll catch up with you later, keep me informed."
Catherine, Nick and Greg worked swiftly upstairs once David had removed the bodies of the three children, the last one was the worst, it was a combined effort to remove the sword from both bed and child without damaging the scene but it was accomplished. Everyone felt sick to their stomachs but they knew that at least no one would have felt anything due to the gas. The last murder weapon was a knife from the kitchen, used to slash one child's throat and stab another. That in itself was curious, why use three murder weapons? They'd have their answer once they found out who owned the sword.
In the master bedroom was a huge walk in wardrobe which in turn led to another room, Greg walked in and let out a low whistle. Decorating the walls was a large private collection of swords and knives, it would a museum curator faint with excitement if they were all real. Civil War Cavalry Sabres, Japanese Samurai Swords, Royal Navy Officer's Swords and Dirks, British Army Swords from various time periods, broadswords, cutlasses, even German Military Swords, all were represented here either in authentic form or replicas. One item was obviously missing due to a bare space on the hooks in the Japanese collection. The murder weapon was taken from here. It all started to make sense and began a sequence of murders. They could now piece together part of the puzzle.
The room was dusted for prints, few were found although one seemed out of place just by looking closely at it, it was radically different from the others. The killer's print perhaps.
Theories ran rampant, Catherine's pet theory was that the husband was a collector and the killer was also and had been outbid on something she really wanted, so she killed him. If that were true, why not take the item, spare the kids and leave. Bah nothing made sense now, two people down so far tonight and still nothing was making sense.
Detective Vartann entered the premises to find Catherine with some news.
"Catherine can I borrow a CSI off you for a moment? One of my officers found a car a few blocks down, he ran the plates and it comes back to a woman who lives on the other side of Vegas. She is also a rather wealthy woman so something doesn't quite sit right having that car over here. When we heard that the shooter of Sofia was a woman, well you know, 2 and 2, best to check things out."
"Sure Lou, I'll do it myself, I'll let Nick and Greg know." She flashed that patented Willows smile at him and went to find Greg and Nick.
She let the boys know where she was going and a grin flashed across their faces in a 'have fun' look that was greeted with a 'death glare' back at them. Was it so obvious?
She drove with Lou a few blocks to the car and started processing the exterior of the car, a flashy 57 Mercedes gull wing.
"Pop the doors and the trunk guys, carefully, don't scratch this beauty."
Prints were lifted off the steering wheel, the glove compartment contained a SIG Sauer P232 380 handgun, the same model as Catherine's own weapon. If the weapon were registered it should give an ID to the killer if it was the same person. Inside the trunk was a different but more incriminating story. Small gas cylinders and other equipment was found all printed, boxed, bagged, tagged and the car itself was towed back to the lab. Nearly everything here was done.
A/N Oh dear the shooter was a woman, one with a Mercedes Gullwing too, where does that leave everyone. Do you want any more of this one? Or should I hang up my keyboard now, before it gets really interesting.
I do love feedback, so PLEASE REVIEW!