Chapter 8:
The next morning Grissom heard a soft knock on his door.
"Miss Dunn," he said.
Casey handed him back the bank card and thanked him.
"Anytime," Grissom said.
"Sir, the card, is it only for kids that are in your classes?" Casey asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"No," he said, "Do you know someone who needs some help?"
"I do," she said, "My roommate, Karen. She was working part time to pay for her supplies but her job ended. She was helping Professor Davis with his book, you know research and typing."
Grissom smiled, "It just so happens that I know someone who is looking for just that kind of help." He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Have her call this number and mention my name. A former co-worker of mine is writing a second book about old Vegas."
Casey smiled and thanked him, assuring him she would pass on the information.
Grissom handed her back the card, "Tell her to get the things she needs until she gets some more money."
"Thank you so much, Professor Grissom," Casey said heading for the door.
"Doc. Doc, I got it," a very excited voice yelled running into his office and almost knocking Casey down.
"First you apologize to Miss Dunn then you tell me what you have Mr. Jones," he said.
"Sorry Cas, didn't see ya," the young man said, helping Casey pick up the books she had dropped.
"The case we are reviewing," he said between gasps for air.
"Do tell, please," Grissom said.
Patrick Jones blew out a breath and sat, "The blood. You remember they found several drops of blood by the back door."
"I do. It was assumed that the intruder cut himself on a piece of the broken glass," Grissom said.
"They ran it to see if they could get a DNA match," Patrick said, finally breathing normally.
"I remember. They didn't get a hit," Grissom reminded him.
"I know. But this morning I was assigned to follow your wife around the lab. She got a call out and told me it wasn't safe for me to go. She said to wander around the lab and stay out of trouble," he said.
"I assume there is a point to your story?" Grissom asked.
"I'm sorry. There is. I was walking around the lab and the only one doing anything exciting was one lady who was running DNA from a John Doe that Mrs. Grissom and Mr. Stokes found behind that bar yesterday," he said, getting excited again.
"And?" Grissom inquired.
"The machine starts going crazy…." Patrick said.
"Crazy? Really," he interrupted.
"Well 'crazy' is a little overstating it," Patrick said with a smile, "The machine said the DNA was a match to a cold case. Ours! So who ever the John Doe is, is the same guy who broke into them homes."
"Did you tell anyone?" Grissom asked.
Patrick blushed, "No sir. I was so excited I ran over here to tell you."
Grissom grinned, "Good work." He picked up the phone and called D.B., just to make sure that the information was passed on. D.B. told him that the information was just placed on his desk and he intended to tell Brass and Nick about it. Grissom told Patrick to report to class.
"Do you remember when we first started I told you that one way a cold case can be solved is with new evidence?" Grissom asked the class, "Well Mr. Jones has something to tell you. Mr. Jones, the floor is yours."
While Jones was retelling the story Grissom's phone vibrated, it was Nick. He excused himself and went out into the hall to take the call. By time the he got back into class Jones had finished telling his story.
"That was CSI Stokes," Grissom said, "The John Doe has been identified as Russell Parks. It appears like he overdosed."
"It is kind of strange that he had not been picked up before," Molly said, "I mean with him being a drug addict."
"According to his mother he has been living in Mexico with his girlfriend until just a few days ago," Grissom told them, "The couple got into a fight and Mr. Parks came back to Vegas. His mother said he went to met an old friend, when he didn't come back home she got worried and filed a missing person report. That was how they were able to identify him. As best as we can surmise he got the drugs from his friend and overdosed."
One of the boys in the back stood and said, "A cold case closed."
Grissom just smiled.