Disclaimer: not mine
Spoilers: any episode that has all ready aired in the US
LT. Caine looked down at the scruffy young CSI that had dropped at his feet, not sure what to make of his odd remark. "Hello, I'm Lt. Horatio Caine, from Miami-Dade County."
Nick surveyed the scene, forgetting the dark for a moment, and trying hard not to laugh at Greggo silly greeting.
Greg climbed to his own feet, suddenly aware of the fact that he was now covered in dust. It certainly made for an interesting first impression. "Hi, I'm…"
The brunette standing behind Caine interrupted him. "Greg Sanders. It's been a long time."
Greg finally remembered why she looked so familiar. "Natalia? What brings you out here?"
Caine answered, "Chasing down a lead. Your mummy fits the description of a young woman who has been missing from Miami for quite some time. Her family claimed that she had connections in Las Vegas."
Nick cut in. "And you think this is your girl."
Caine nodded. "Have you made an ID yet?"
"At this point it sounds like you know more then we do." Nick grinned at him. "I'm Nick Stokes, by the way."
Horatio nodded in greeting. Greg was still staring at Natalia, trying to think of what to say. The two hadn't seen each other in years.
"Uhm, Greg? Are you going to process that bat or just stand there?" Stokes snapped him out of it. "This is your case, remember."
"Right." Greg set down his flashlight and tested the bat to see if it had blood on it. "Positive for blood. This could be the murder weapon." He photographed the bat, and then bagged it to take it back to the lab.
The three CSI continued to process the scene in silence. Stokes looked around the cave floor, and found something very odd. "Did the hiker that found the body have a dog with him?"
Just then, Jim Brass appeared at the entrance, squinting to read his notes. "No. Why?"
"I just found a bunch of paw prints here. Looks like they come from a small dog, with a very odd gait. I'll take some impressions."
Greg walked over and studied them. "I bet they came from a Shetland Sheepdog."
"And how would you know that?"
"They walk more like a cat then a dog, by stepping toward the inside. They are the only breed that does that."
Jim looked at him.
Greg explained. "I happen to own one of them. Got him from a shelter a few years ago. Good dogs." He turned toward Horatio. "Did your missing person or your suspect have one?"
Caine nodded. "I believe so, Mr. Sanders. The young lady had a female Sheltie named Peanut registered with the AKC. She was a champion show dog. Our victim's family were dog breeders."
"So if we can prove that these prints came from her Sheltie, it makes the ID a little easier. I don't know if we'll be able to get one through DNA. Vic's been dead for a while, and the heat wouldn't have done us any favors." Greg thought out loud.
Nick nodded, "and if Peanut is a show dog, then she would be worth something. She may still be alive."
They were just finishing processing the scene when Greg noticed something else. There was some foreign soil in a few shoeprints leading up to the body. They were too big to be from David's boots, so he made some impressions and took samples, hoping that they would a get a suspect to match it to soon.
When the team finished, it was about two in the afternoon. Greg pulled his sunglasses out his pockets when they went outside, but it turned out that he didn't need them.
One look at the sky told him he should have packed in umbrella. On the rare occasion when was raining in Vegas, it poured. Greg was glad to be getting out. He had a feeling the crime scene would be underwater soon anyway.
His growling stomach suggested that a quick stop at Frank's Diner would be a good place to start comparing notes.
That suggestion went over pretty well with his colleges. Nick and Greg climbed into Greg's car and Horatio and Natalia accompanied Brass.
Nick shook his head when he saw the interior of Greg's old Volkswagen. "Dude, you really should clean out your car more often."
"At least no one will want to steal it." Sanders laughed. "Like yours is that much better."
Nick rolled his eyes, "Actually, Greggo…"
"Forget I said anything." Then he got a little more serious. "Any thoughts on the crime scene?"
Nick considered it for a moment. "I think that was just the dump site. I found shoeprints, but no sign of a struggle. What about you?"
"I agree. What I'm wondering about is the dog. Those paw prints won't do much good without it."
Nick replied, "What I want to know is where you know that girl from. She seems to know you."
"We met on spring break a long time ago. We hung out for a week, stayed friends for a few years, but kind of lost touch when I left San Francisco."
"Okay." Nick said.
"Now I get to ask you something."
Nick rolled his eyes. "If you must."
"Are you okay? You seem jumpy as a cat back in the cave."
Nick looked over at his friend. "I'm fine. Still don't like being underground, but I can deal. It's not that bad with someone else there anyway." Especially someone that can joke about shoes after falling directly on the feet of another CSI and make it seem normal.
"Glad to hear it."
"I have one question."
"What?"
"Why did you tell Lt. Caine you like his shoes?"
Greg thought about it. "Because they were the only thing that I could see clearly."
"But now he thinks you're nuts." Nick shook his head.
"So?" Greg shrugged.
They pulled into the parking lot of Frank's. The Denali that Brass was driving was right out front. Sanders parked his car beside, and headed for their usual table by the window.
Brass waved them over. After ordering some French Toast, Greg got right into business.
Caine had all ready pulled out the case file.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I intend to put up two chapters tomorrow, but no promises. Please leave some more reviews. I really do love hearing what you think.