Once they got to L.A. Warrick called Annie Kramer, reintroduced himself, and arranged to meet her at the PD.
Gil called one of his friends from when he was in the coroner's office so many years ago.
"Hey Sid, Gil Grissom."
"Gil," the other man responded surprised. "Long time…"
"Yeah. Look I need your help on something…"
"What's going on Gil?"
Grissom explained why he was in L.A. and told his L.A. counterpart what he needed.
Sid agreed to help once Gil had the evidence for processing. After he hung up, Gil went across the hotel hallway to Rick's room.
"Hey, it's all set on the CSI side. Did you find Jim's friend?"
"Yeah. We meet in an hour at the PD."
"Okay, well…let's grab a bite to eat and head down…."
Back in Vegas, Sam Vega was busy too. Every cop at LVPD was questioning their sources, looking for information that Frankie Salvino or Nicky Thermopolis might have people in Vegas. Finally one of the uniforms, Angelo Martin, turned something up. He called Vega with an address.
Vega called for backup and headed over. As they surrounded the small motel, His phone rang and it was Nick from CSI.
"Hey Vega," said the Texan. "I got a hit on one of those sets of prints form Jim's house. It matches Vince Mason. He's in the system in New York for a drug bust back in the 80's. Current address has him in New Jersey. But he does have connections with Salvino's crowd."
"Thanks Nick," replied the detective just before he got to the door of room 213. Hearing no response, they charged in. There on the bed, covered in blood was one Vince Mason, the guy they were looking for. Sam called it in and Catherine Willows got the call at CSI. Knowing it was related to Jeb's case, she headed straight over.
Sam filled her in as she arrived at the scene. "He's Vince Mason, small operator originally from New York. Mostly an odd jobs kind of guy. Anyway, this is how we found him."
Catherine began her inspection of the room as David finished his exam of the body. Just then Ronnie Lake hustled in. She's been called away from another scene to assist here. Catherine pointed and immediately Ronnie went to work.
Sam pulled out his phone to call Jim. "Brass," Jim answered the phone a little too quickly.
"Jim, it's Sam. Ever heard of a Vince Mason?"
"Ah…well yeah…I got a cousin Vince. Why?"
"I'm at his place."
"His place? Last I heard he was back in Jersey. But that was a few years ago. He got busted on drug charges back in New York in the 80s. His mother, my mother's sister, said that he was minding his P&Qs. What's he doing here?"
"Well, not much right now. He's dead Jim."
"Damn." Last thing Jim needed was to be calling his family back East with the news. "Need me to identify the body?"
"Well, it wouldn't hurt, but your story matches what we have on the guy, except I didn't know he was your cousin. I'm sorry Jim."
"Wait…is he part of Jeb's kidnapping?"
"Don't know for sure but his prints match some we found at your house. And a snitch gave him up as one of Salvino's crew."
"I thought Ellie was running with Salvino. Why would his people have my son?"
"I don't know Jim. It doesn't make sense to me right now. Look, the coroner's packing up the vic to head back to the morgue. See you there"
"Yeah, in about an hour. Thanks Sam."
Jim decided to wait on his call to his family until he was sure it was his cousin. But it sounded like Vince, so he knew he was delaying the inevitable. Quickly he got dressed as he explained to Sofia what was happening. "I won't be long, I promise," he assured her. "I'll be back in time to take the next phone call. But I need to see about Vince. He was drug scum, but his mother is a nice lady and she deserves…well, better than she ever got from him, anyway."
Sofia pictured a grey haired old lady sitting at home worrying about her son. Sofia knew too well what worrying about a child was like so she hugged Jim and told him to go, but to hurry back. Jim nodded grimly and headed to the morgue.
"Yeah, that's him." Jim said as he stood next to Doc Robbins, staring at the lump of trash on the slab. "Cousin Vinnie….His Mamma is gonna be so proud."
Doc looked from Vince's face to Jim's." I see a family resemblance" was all he said.
"Closer than you think, Doc. I got busted when I was seventeen for joy riding with a couple of my classmates. We had…uh, 'borrowed' old man Hartley's car. Turns out my classmates had borrowed cars before and used them in liquor store heists. The judge let me off easy and gave me the choice of jail or the Marines. My two buddies went to jail. The Marines straightened me out and now I'm the stellar guy you see before you. Vince grew up in the same neighborhood and we ran with a lot of the same crowd." Jim paused a minute to reassess his judgment of Vince. "There but for the grace of God and the United States Marine Corps go I. That could be me on that slab, if things had gone a little differently."
Doc nodded negatively. "Somehow I can't believe it Jim. You're too good a man to end up like this one did."
"Yeah…well, maybe." Jim shrugged. "Thanks Doc," he said as he turned and headed home. Memories were spinning through his head. Vince had been a couple of years younger than him and had looked up to him when they were growing up. Had he hooked up with the guys because he'd seen Jim running with them? Jim hoped not. Actually he had only been involved in the ride in old man Hartley's car as a prank, a teenage stupid assed prank. It was supposed to be for fun. He had no idea that Mike and Terry were planning to use it in another heist, with Jim as the driver. As miserable as that night had been, what with getting arrested and all, Jim knew that in some respects it was the luckiest night of his life because it put a stop to his downward spiral…well, at least one of them.
Sofia saw him pull into their driveway. She watched as he slowly climbed out of his car. He looks so tired, she thought. So weary. Her stomach pitched as she watched him walk toward the house. All of this was eating at him; she wondered how much more of life could his broad shoulders handle? As she watched him step onto the porch, she loved him with such an intensity that tears formed in her eyes. He was a good man and didn't deserve all the crap that life threw at him. When he opened the door, she was there and gathered him into her arms, holding him tightly as if she would never let him go.
Surprised by the intensity of her greeting, he asked if she was okay.
"I just…I missed you," was all she said. He knew there was more to her hug. But he let it go. They both were so….raw right now. Their feelings were sensitive and they both were a little off balance. If she needed to hold onto him as if her life depended on it well, he could use a little hugging right now too.
She sat next to him on the couch as he dialed his aunt's number in Jersey. Sofia arms were wrapped around his left arm and her head rested against his shoulder. He was concentrating on just how he was going to break the news to his 80 something year old aunt and Sofia's closeness, her physical support, gave him strength.
As he began talking to his aunt, Sofia withdrew just a little, giving him the space he needed for the conversation. But her hand still rested on his shoulder, letting him know that she was there for him. As the conversation continued, Sofia heard Jim take on the task of arranging for Vince's body to be shipped back to Jersey, as soon as the coroner's office had finished its examination. One more thing piled on those shoulders, she shuddered.
As the conversation wound down and ended, Jim closed his cell phone and turned his now dark blue eyes to his wife. "Thanks," he said softly. Her hand caressed the side of his face, careful not to press to hard, fearing that his jaw might still be sore. "I'm worried about you, Jim," she murmured quietly. "Funny," he said, a small sad smile at the corners of his mouth, "I was thinking the same about you." The couple sat, two sets of blue eyes quietly gazing at one another, waves of love and care being carried over the unseen wavelengths between them; each gathering strength from the other.
Finally Sofia broke the trance. "You're a good man, Jim Brass. I don't tell you that often enough."
Something inside of Jim gave way and floods of emotions washed through him. He pulled her to him, burying his face in her neck as tears slipped out of his eyes. "I try, Sofie…I really do try. Things just keep getting so screwed up. If it weren't for you, I'd have given up a long time ago. You make me want to be a better man."
"Dammit Jim, you are the best kind of man. You have been the whole time I've known you. How could I possibly make you better than you are? I wish you could see yourself the way others see you, the way I see you."
"I just….everything keeps getting so messed up…shit just seems to happen even when I try to make it stop."
"Because you don't hide from life, Jim. You meet it head on, squaring those broad shoulders of yours and butting heads with the worst there is. You live life like you used to play hockey, straight up and skating toward the puck, piling into the mix, never giving an inch, taking your hits and cross checking whenever you get the chance. But you've more than paid your dues in the penalty box and its time life cut you some slack."
Jim looked at her as he listened to her hockey analogy. God, he loved it when she got all steamed up and on a roll. Her face was so intense, her eyes smoldering, and her outrage so evident. He couldn't help but smirk.
"What?" she glared at him.
"You have been listening when I talk hockey," was all he could manage before a grin worked its way onto his face.
A smile broke across her countenance too as she responded to his change of mood. "Yeah, I have. Had to since for months out of the year, it's all you talk about."
"Sorry," he shrugged unabashedly.
She studied him for a moment and then chuckled. "Damn Jim, how do you manage to be so cute and loveable all the time?"
"Somehow I doubt that the guys down at the station would see it that way," he chuckled.
Their banter was cut off by the ringing of the phone. Nervously, Jim picked it up. "Brass," he said as he listened for what came next.
-------------------------------------------------
Sorry, this one got a little long. I was struggling with it at first and then it just took on a life of its own. As always, reviews equals interest. The little button is still there.