Worst day since Yesterday

Las Vegas-2005

"Hodges is trying to get the phone number off his hand and onto a piece of paper, but he was sweating and the ink ran and now all he can make out is a two and five. God it's the funniest thing I've seen since coming here," said Wendy pouring herself some coffee.

"I wish I could have seen the look on his face when she did it. Greg what did Hodges look like when she did that?" asked Archie. The lab rats were getting ready to start and Greg was getting ready to start his double shift and was getting ready to go over the stuff brought back from the bakery with Grissom, Sara and Nick. Word of what Hodges had done at the scene and Jenna's reaction were spreading like wildfire through the lab. It was great because Hodges was always such an ass and the fact that a civilian had brought him down a peg was priceless.

"I don't know, wasn't really paying attention." Greg turned his back to get creamer and missed the looks between Wendy and Archie. Greg should have been loving the hell out this, Hodges never missed a change to take a dig on Greg and here was the chance of a lifetime and Greg didn't seem to care.

"Okay…where is Sanders and what have you done with him?" asked Wendy.

"What?" asked Greg.

"Greg, Hodges got owned and you're not feeling it, that either means you're ill or you're not Greg. I'm leaning towards not Greg, because even sick Sanders would give a smile to the falling of Hodges," said Archie.

"Just really tired that's all. I see you guys later," Greg walked out and Nick waked in for his coffee fix and was caught by the lab rats.

"What is wrong with Greg?"

"What did Hodges look like when she wrote on his hand?"

"Seriously is Greg sick, the man looks like someone kicked his dog or there not growing Blue Hawaiian anymore," said Archie. Nick shook his head, the kid must be feeling down after that run in. He really must of liked her to be feeling this shitty.

"Greg is fine, early morning roll outs are still new. But Hodges looked like he couldn't believe a woman was touching him and he looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Has he called her yet?"

"All that he can make out from his sweaty little palm is two numbers. Not much to work with," said Wendy.

"I wish I could have seen it,' said Archie.

Greg downed his coffee quickly, it burned slightly but it took the edge off how shitty he did feel. The Jenna who wrote a probably fake number on Hodges's hand was the Jenna he remembered when the first met at the job entering data for telemarketers. The Jenna who put other people's stuff in ice, got him hide dirty magazines in the office and made him laugh till he cry was right in front of him when she wrote on Hodges's hand. When she looked at him, it was like she was trying to pull him back in time, when they were still friends…well at least still speaking. He couldn't go back their though, it hurt too much.

"I asked her to wait for me, god damn it and she goes off and plans to marry some jackass that wasn't good enough for her from the second I heard about him. Than she acts like nothing happened…fucking hell women make no sense," thought Greg. He headed over to Grissom's office to get an update on the case. Grissom and Sara were deep in conversation and didn't notice when Greg walked in.

"Remember when you and Jenna would talk like that, not caring who saw, just focused on the words and way she would laugh and get giddy when a prank was being planned." Greg cleared his throat and sat down in a chair. Grissom moved away calmly, but Sara seemed to jump slightly.

"Yeah Jenna used to jump away when people saw you huddled like that. She didn't want people to know what was going on, even though the only one who didn't see it was me, because I was a dumbass."

"So any luck retracing the Stesiak credit card?" asked Greg. Nick walked in with a report from the credit card company.

"The only activity was at the bakery when she paid for her tasting, other than that no hotel rooms in her name, no car rental, nothing," said Nick.
"You're kidding…how did she get to Vegas?" asked Sara.

"Mom could be footing the bill; I have someone running down anyone with the last name Stesiak. Still looking through, it could take awhile," said Nick.

"Try to step it up a little," said Grissom. "What can you tell me about the pink crystals near the kitchen door Greg?"

"Good work…now you don't have to think."

"The crystals are Swarovski Crystals, the diamonds of crystals. They could have come from a piece of jewelry the victim was wearing or anyone who likes shiny things."

"Nope the only jewelry the victim had on was her engagement ring and that was the diamond of diamonds," said Sara.

"So it could have come from a random person or the girls who work their?" asked Nick. Grissom nodded.

"The crystal could have fallen off when the prep attacked the victim. I'm getting ready to talk to Robbins to see if the cause of death is crystal clear yet," said Grissom.

"Oh that was lame," said Sara. Grissom shrugged and headed out, Sara and Nick trailing him. Greg looked at them and felt like he had been hit with a rolling pin.

"When the hell did Grissom and Sara hook up?!?!?!" Greg saw it, he and Jenna had done the same dance for over a year before they got together and now Grissom and Sara were doing it, a whole hell of lot better than him and Jenna had.

"Why can't you bring me more cases like this Gil? Simple, clean cut blunt force trauma to the back of the head. Weapon is a little crude, a rolling pin," said Robbins holding up the bag with the weapon.

"It was in a bakery doc, you use what you can find," said Grissom.

"Well it could have been worse, could have been a frying pan. Help me roll her over," said Robbins. Grissom and Nick rolled her to her side so they could get a better view of the head wound. "The back of her skull is almost completely caved in, suggesting a very brutal beating. The first blow took her down, the second crushed everything killing her, but there is more than two blows here, suggesting the killer was very, very hateful towards our victim."

"The owner got into a fight the day before with our victim. The victim attacked her. Maybe the victim came back for round two and the owner defended herself," said Sara. Robbins shook his head.

"This attack was from behind, no defensive wounds, no marks on the face or anything on the front, like I said the first blow took her down, everything after that was just hateful," Robbins covered up the body and handed them the bag with the rolling pin and some evidence bags. "Some skin under her nails, no signs of sexual assault though, some hair found on her person. Found this piece of crystal in the wound that was a bit odd. Sorry there isn't more to work with."

"Gave us more than we had before Doc," said Grissom. The group headed out.

"So what do you think?" asked Nick.

"Not sure yet. Nick can you start doing background checks on all the employees at the bakery and the owner? Greg can you help Nick with that? Sara run these skin and hair to Hodges and tell him to quit wasting time on a fake phone numbers we have a murder to work and suspects are not for dating than give these to Mandy for finger prints," said Grissom.

"You're saying that the Mrs. Bianchi is a suspect?" asked Greg. Grissom turned and looked at Greg raising an eyebrow. Greg tried not to go red.

"Everyone is always a suspect, however when you have a small motive and means, plus finding the body first, it puts you at the top of the list," said Grissom. Greg nodded and Grissom walked off.

"Sounded a little worried, something up?" asked Sara.

"Nope, let's get to work," said Greg.

"Jenna has changed a lot, but she would never kill someone," thought Greg.

Unaware that her life was under the microscope of CSI, Jenna headed home after calling someone to fix the back door and get a security system in place tomorrow morning and making sure that a cleaning crew was coming out. She made sure everything was under control at the Henderson shop before leaving towards home. She got in the car and found her Flogging Molly cd, finding the track she wanted she started driving home to Henderson.

Well I know, I miss more than hit
With a face that was launched to sink
An' I seldom feel, the bright relief
It's been the Worst Day Since Yesterday

Yeah it had been the worst day since yesterday; she thought having her hair pulled and punched in the face by some spoiled rich bitch in her own bakery was shitty. Poor Lissa freaked out and had to be sent home, other customers in the shop left in hurry and Jenna was left nursing a sore spot near her eye and a bloody patch where the bitch pulled out a clump of hair. She came in this morning after a rough night, simply wanting to work only to find a dead body in her second home and finding out it was the spoiled bitch who hit her.

If there's one thing I have said
Is that the dreams I once had, now lay in bed
As the four winds blow, my wits through the door
It's been the Worst Day Since Yesterday

And fucking Greg Sanders marching in and acting like, he didn't know her, being an ass to her in her own bakery and than throwing her decisions in her face. Like he was the king of smart moves.

"Yeah the last time I checked he was the one who got his girlfriend…well probably his wife now…knocked up and he hated being with her and decided to stay with her anyway. Hell I had my doubts that it was his anyways, but it was his decision, I didn't throw it in his face…could have. What the fuck gives him the right to judge me. Fucking rich ass white boy from college who worked for beer money. I quit to see my mom through endless chemo, radiation treatments and two surgeries. I stayed after she got better to make sure that the business didn't go bankrupt because she didn't have the energy to deal with everything," thought Jenna stepping on the gas a little more.

Fallin' down to you sweet ground
Where the flowers they bloom
It's there I'll be found
Hurry back to me, my wild calling
It's been the Worst Day Since Yesterday

She tried to stay in touch with him, wrote him every day when her mom was in the hospital. He sent the letters back. She tried e-mailing him, they bounced back to her. Phone calls went unreturned; her last resort was going to California, pound on his door and demand to know what his problem was! But her family came first and she wasn't leaving until she was sure her mother was okay. She was hurt and lonely, falling back in with Andy was dumb, but she was just tired of being alone. Her best friend, the person she fell in love with wasn't their when she needed him most and Andy was.

"Saying yes to marrying him after being back together for only six months was dumb…it goes on the top ten list of Dumb Shit Jenna has done, but silly old me believed he changed, I mean he was with me at the hospital damn near everyday, he really seemed to care about me. He cared enough to stay engaged to me for years than waits till I leave town to see Frankie, Karen and Anya and tires to steal money from my bakery…shame that glass dish didn't hit him in the head when I threw it at him."

Though these wounds have seen no wars
Except for the scars I have ignored
And this endless crutch, well it's never enough
It's been the Worst Day Since Yesterday

Hell says hello, well it's time to I should go
To pastures green, that I've yet to see
Hurry back to me, my wild calling
It's been the Worst Day Since Yesterday

Jenna got out of her car and headed into the house. The house was her mom's but with her dancing around Europe like a teenager on Spring Break she agreed to let Jenna stay in it. It was silly for Jenna to have an apartment in Vegas when only seven miles away was her childhood home that would either sit empty or be sold for well under market value due to the current housing market. Jenna collapsed in a chair, grabbed a pillow next to her and screamed into it, sometimes it helped on really shitty days just to scream, and sadly it wasn't working today. She sighed and headed to the back yard and started taking her clothes off the line.

"Yeah laundry…you never let me down or act like an asshole." She was almost done when Ofilia came in the yard through the back gate.

"Everything went over a little bumpy at the shop here, but cakes went out, orders came in and now we're going to have adult drinks and you're going to tell me your deal with that cute little blond CSI." Jenna looked at her watch.

"It's hardly past noon." Ofilia shrugged.

"I think finding a dead body in our place of work throws out the rules of 'thou shall not drink before noon.' Besides you look like you could use a drink or several." Jenna tossed the last towel into a basket and followed Ofilia inside. Another perk to living back in Henderson was Ofilia lived two houses down, the two had grown up together and Jenna was the god mother to her daughter Millia, Ofilia had been working for Jenna's mother while Jenna went to school and was a great source of help and comfort when Jenna's mother started chemo. Jenna sat down and Ofilia made her a rum and coke.

"Now spill, what happened between you and the CSI?" Jenna took a huge drink before speaking.

"We met while I was in California, we worked at this same office, remember that little hell hole that paid around eight bucks an hour?"

Ofilia nodded and Jenna continued.

"I had the hugest crush on him and than I fell head over heels for the little nerd, but he was seeing someone else, one of those uptight valley girls that we hated and due to the fine proper upbringing I had I wasn't going to make a move and ruin someone relationship, plus he was my friend. I didn't have lots friends at school so I didn't want to mess it up, you know? So we were friends and than one day it finally clicked in his little brain that she was a bitch and that I was head over heels for him and that I would make a much better girlfriend. And he kissed me and it wasn't one of those little peck kisses, it was one of those, 'I may die in five minutes and I want a good one to remember' mixed in with 'I want you in so many ways right here and now' kisses. God I haven't been kissed like that in…forever." Jenna took another chug on the drink and thanked god for liquid courage.

"So we started seeing each other and two months later, Valley Bitch comes knocking on his door and tells him that he's her baby's daddy. Being the up right mature person he ended things with me to be with her and baby's mama. I had my doubts, I didn't think it was his or she was jerking his chain. But, he decided and I went back to being his friend, until he stopped talking to me. He didn't write me and all communication from my front got sent back to me and my final letter was the engagement announcement, hoping that he would realize that I was feed up and either come here and explain himself or just talk to me again, tell me why he wasn't talking to me. It was a petty, childish move on my part, but sending me back my letters without reason was really shitty. So thus ended my almost two-three year love affair with the white boy from California." Jenna finished her drink and Ofilia looked shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me this when you came home? I've known you since our diaper days and you're just now telling me about the love of you life."

"He wasn't the love of my life and when I came home, you had a toddler to take care of, I had my mom and I just didn't wanna talk about it," said Jenna going to make another rum and coke, maybe even call out for pizza she wasn't in the mood to cook, drowning her day in booze and pizza did sound great however.

"That is such bullshit; you two had a serious thing even if it only lasted a few months, I can hear it your voice. You still love him don't you?"

"He's probably married." Jenna poured more rum into the glass than coke and started drinking.

"Oh my god, you are still in love with him," shrieked Ofilia.

"No I'm in shock over seeing again after not seeing or speaking to him in almost eight years." Ofilia gave her a hug.

"He hurt you really bad didn't he?"

"He outdid Andy on the 'Let's screw Jen over scale.'" Jenna found some Skittles she had in the cupboard and started munching on them. "I should call my mom and talk to her before I get too hammered. Can you order a pizza, with lots of meats and stuffed crust and other things that will kill me someday?" asked Jenna.

"Sure." Ofilia took the landline phone and started placing an order. Jenna popped some more Skittles in her mouth and used her cell phone to call her mother.

"You know I wouldn't have fallen for him if not for the damn Skittles."

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