Yellow crime scene tape covered the doorway to room four. Nick pulled some of it aside, unlocking the door and letting the other two C.S.I.'s inside the room. As Maggie went inside behind him, she noted her surroundings. Despite the outside appearance of utter carelessness, the inside of the room seemed adequate and quite neat, but also empty of personal belongings. As the cars whizzing by shook the building, so did the pale red room. Decorated with only light red curtains, a bed and nightstand, a T.V. and remote and a small dresser with a vase full of fake flowers, it also hosted a small bathroom and a large window at the other end, dropping down to the roof of the changing rooms for the pool in the back.
All three put gloves on. Greg then took out a camera and started taking pictures, carefully dismantling each piece of furniture in both rooms. Nick only took the door and then the bathroom, but called out within a few minutes that he found nothing, not even fingerprints or evidence that somebody had been residing in the room. Maggie quickly surveyed the bed and the windows. First pulling apart the fake flowers on the dresser when Greg was done photographing, she only saw a light coating of dust, as if the piece was not disturbed for some time. Then, she moved to the bed, noting the clean sheets. She knew that the lab had the sheets found at the time of the crime, so would find nothing on them.
What was Grissom thinking? Hell, what was I thinking? We would find nothing here. "Has anything else in the room changed, other than the sheets?" Maggie asked Nick, who had just come out of the bathroom.
"Not that I know of," Nick replied carefully, also seeing that that the bed was no longer stripped. He then stood next to Maggie. "They put them on after Grissom, Catherine and Sara came in and they already bagged the other set."
"But why is the question. Why change the sheets when this is clearly a crime scene?" Maggie shook her head, trying to piece the puzzle together.
Then, grabbing some equipment from his kit to answer the next unspoken question, Nick plugged in the familiar lights that check for sex stains. Asking Greg to stop photographing and to pull the curtains aside for darkness, Nick put aside the pillows and sheets and slowly waved the ultraviolet light around, finding nothing. Telling the younger C.S.I. to resume his work, Nick put everything away, facing Maggie.
"Nothing here obviously," Nick said, rolling his eyes with frustration and taking off his gloves.
"No, but there's one more place I wanna check." Maggie motioned to the window, also noticing that Greg was done storing the pictures he took of the two rooms, looking bored. "Greg, head to the manager downstairs and get that copy of the drivers' license. Maybe we can get something."
Muttering an agreement and realizing that it was waiting for somebody to bring in for evidence, Greg packed up some of the equipment that was his and walked out of the room, pictures almost fluttering out of his hands. This allowed Maggie to be alone with Nick, to voice her concerns and worries. She didn't quite like Greg being privy to their conversations, despite all of them being co-workers and having the ability to work together without secrets.
"What's on your mind?" Nick asked Maggie walked to the window, pulling the curtains aside carefully. Those, too, looked clean, but the C.S.I. was more concerned with the window itself.
"Nobody could have gotten in and out, right? Nothing seemed to be disturbed, of course, except for the sheets. And the only way out is the window. So…" Maggie carefully looked at the edges and crevices of the window. Then, seeing nothing again, she went to open it, seeing something thin and shiny in the sunshine as she did.
"Do you have an evidence bag?" she asked with excitement when seeing the hair.
"See something?" Nick handed her a bag and a pair of tweezers.
"A hair…and I think it's somebody's." Maggie's optimism was contagious, making Nick even smile at their break, despite her opening it up to the heated outdoor catastrophe. "There's no way out the door, so there's gotta to be a way out the window obviously. But, it's a long way down."
Nick took the tweezers and the evidence bag from Maggie's hands when everything was securely sealed, putting on a new set of gloves as that was put away. Suddenly behind her as the hot air reached beyond the opened glass, he grabbed Maggie's waist quickly as she leaned forward thoughtlessly, looking down at the roof of the changing rooms for the pool outdoors.
"You think you can do your job without trying to kill yourself?" Nick sharply asked Maggie, wanting it to be more sarcastic than angry.
"You think you can do yours without criticizing mine?" Maggie huffed and puffed, but controlled her own anger, not enjoying being suspended above a steaming, black tar roof. It certainly wasn't one of her smarter moves, but she needed to see what was down there at a closer angle. She also felt lucky that Nick grabbed her before she hit her head.
"Not really, but I'm sure you can't help your predicament here."
"I can so. It's just that danger likes to follow me around. I don't search for it, like people have claimed I did."
"I don't doubt it, Maggie. But, is there a reason why I'm holding you around your waist as you look down at some roof? See anything down there or can I pull you back in 'fore my hands get slick and let go?"
"Not yet, not yet, I see something. Something…shiny?"
"There is a lot of shiny things on a hot Las Vegas day, Maggs. Mind telling me what's down there?"
"It's…confetti, like the type they use in a night club or someplace at the Strip. There's isn't a lot here, just a colony of glitter here. No, that's it! Reel me back in, Nick!"
Panting, the C.S.I. pulled his co-worker back inside, shutting the window behind him. "And what does a 'colony' of glittery confetti have to do with this case?" he asked her, his irate words plainly showing on his face. "It could have gotten there in any way."
"Everything, seeing as how Quentin Tanner is a Strip Club manager," Greg interrupted suddenly, coming back into the room with the paperwork Rick Moren had given him. "It could have accidentally been dropped from his clothes when he took Ursula Kearns."
Maggie smiled, patting Nick on the back and handing him an evidence bag from her kit. "So, Nick, you want to get that stuff from the roof?"
~00~
Brass, coming with them after finding their suspect's home to be empty, locked up and almost homeless, followed Nick and Maggie as they headed to the Strip later that evening, where Quentin Tanner worked. The Pure Night Club flashed lights, buzzed with music and hummed with patrons as the small dance floor filled up and the terrace held mingling friends. Drinks were served at the bar, where the two met after separating in the parking lot. Brass waited in the dark corners as the undercover couple drank slowly, his ear piece hidden as he carefully watched the two C.S.I.'s, talking to them.
"You hear me over this ruckus?" Brass asked the two through the wireless communication set.
"Loud and clear," Maggie answered quietly for herself and Nick, trying to put her attentions on her partner, as according to the plan. Why we do this together, I don't know. Grissom is busy again with another case with Sara and Catherine has Greg on another. It's me and Nick on this one, as Ecklie requested. Dammit.
"I can't hear much over the music in these crowds," Nick said randomly, looking for Quentin Tanner at the same time as he scanned the bar area and dance floor. He then grabbed a waitress and asked her something, but Maggie could not hear what they were saying.
"I can't either, Nick. Let's just listen in for Brass and keep up with the scene." Maggie looked around as well, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.
Yo, listen up: here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees is
Just blue like him inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette and everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
'Cause he ain't got nobody to listen
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
"Hey, look over there. See the guy with the paperwork and drink?" Nick asked as he let go of the waitress, nudging Maggie in the arm with his elbow. Maggie herself was already felt a little woozy with the drinks she had…too many on the job, she thought, as she watched the waitress walk away and followed Nick's directions.
"I think so," she replied, squinting her eyes to see what Nick was talking about. Seeing it, she added, "Oh, him! He's been doing that all evening. Why?"
"Just askin', Maggs. Nothing to get excited about. I just asked one of the waitresses who he was and got what we wanted. I already told Brass and he's on it right now." Nick sipped his drink. "Come on, let's go dancing on the floor."
"Ok…sure…Nick, hold on…Nick!" Maggie felt dizzy as she was practically picked up from her seat and dragged to the dance floor. Swirls of color went passed her eyes, but she seemed to enjoy it.
I have a blue house with a blue window
Blue is the color of all that I wear
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue
Blue are the people here that walk around
Blue like my Corvette, it's standing outside
Blue are the words I say and what I think
Blue are the feelings that live inside me
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
"When should we approach the suspect?" Maggie asked Brass a few minutes later through her communication set as the music reached a point where it allowed them to talk. "We spot him now. He's in sight."
"In a few minutes," was the soft answer followed by more curses about the music and how loud it was already.
"Not in a good mood, are we?" Nick asked, referring to the detective as they continued to dance wildly.
"I don't think so, Nick. And I don't think I want to drink on the job again, even if it is undercover. I'm starting to feel sick as hell."
"Oh ho, so our Maggie can't hold her liquor. Can you hold it in or do you need to be escorted to the ladies' room?"
"Duh, I'm still dizzy and need to sit down. And I can hold my alcohol, Nick. I'm just…"
"Tired? Needing me?" Nick moved in closer, quickly putting his arms around Maggie and kissing her on the mouth when she looked up at him with a questioning stare. And, not knowing if it was part of the act or not, Maggie returned the kiss, a tingling feeling running up and down her spine.
Dammit, I missed that. No, Maggie, you don't need. You put Nick away three years ago. And now, there you are, kissing him again, just like we were together once more.
"Ok, you two lovebirds, move in. Suspect is about to bail. He's gathering up his paperwork and leaving." Brass' confident voice filled both of their ear pieces. It motivated them off of the dance floor, albeit shockingly getting their lips untangled, and they headed over innocently enough to the table where Quentin Tanner was about to leave. However, the manager of the club took it as a threat and saw them and Brass on the other side, knowing who they were. He then started running, abandoning his papers on the table.
"Suspect is running! I repeat, suspect is running!" Maggie yelled as she pushed people out of her way to reach Quentin Tanner. "Las Vegas C.S.I.'s! Move aside!"
I have a blue house with a blue window
Blue is the color of all that I wear
Blue are the streets and all the trees are too
I have a girlfriend and she is so blue
Blue are the people here that walk around
Blue like my Corvette, it's standing outside
Blue are the words I say and what I think
Blue are the feelings that live inside me
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
I'm blue, da ba dee die…
"Mr. Tanner! Las Vegas police!" Brass yelled as he ran towards the suspect, flashing his badge quickly, the two C.S.I.'s coming in from the other side.
"Take one end and I'll get another," Nick yelled at Maggie as they separated into two different directions. Nick moved to the right, where an exit was, leaving Maggie to the left, where the bar was. It made her circle, but there was also another exit by the bar, which led to an alleyway.
Pulling herself out into the cool night air as she passed through the bar without incident, Maggie stood out in the alleyway, waiting only seconds for the suspect to come out from the other door. As expected, Quentin Tanner did. With Maggie behind him, he had an escape past her, but a fence to climb, the other side leading out into the parking lot. However, when Brass and Nick came out of the same door he exited not even a second later, Tanner was trapped. All three picked up their guns and surrounded him.
Tanner raised his arms in a quick surrender.