Warning! Spoilers for Mea Culpa S5 E9! I haven't received any reviews for this fanfiction yet, I know it has to take off still but it would be nice to know what you all think of Rachel :) I own nothing of CSI! Please R&R! :D
"I'm back at work tomorrow night, so I'll leave you the spare key and you guys can come and go as you please," I told my mum and dad as they finished their lunch off at the breakfast counter.
"How many hours do you have to work?" My dad, Richard asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"The shifts vary so it depends who I'm working with, tomorrow night I have to go in at six and then I'm finished at eight the next morning but I usually get wrapped up in a case and pull a double,"
"I'm not sure I'm happy with you being put in danger like that," My mother, Judy, announced worriedly.
"Mum, I'm safe as I possibly could be, I'm not going to lie, accidents happen but I have a bullet proof vest and I'm armed, plus there's no way I'm leaving this job so I wouldn't waste my time if I were you," I refrained from rolling my eyes as I checked the drawer in the coffee table where I usually keep the spare key. "I think I left the spare at work," I mumbled more to myself than to my parents.
I cleaned up after my parents and then we got in the car and drove to the lab. Greg was working a case so I wasn't sure if he would be at the lab or not. I pulled into my usual parking space and led the way into the lab.
"Hey, I thought you were off today?" Wendy greeted me as we walked by her lab.
"Yeah I am but I left the spare key in my locker and I want to leave it with my parents so they're not stuck in the apartment while I'm at work or sleeping," I explained nodding my head in my parents direction.
After Wendy had introduced herself to my parents she announced that she had a pile of work to do and left.
"Rachel, a word, please?" I turned my head to see my supervisor, Grissom walking towards me. "I was just about to call, what are you doing here?"
"Needed to collect something from my locker," I explained. "This is Richard and Judy my mum and dad, mum, dad, this is my supervisor Gil Grissom,"
"Pleasure," Grissom shook hands with my parents before turning back to me. "As you know I'm in court today, I was presented with a matchbox that I found at a crime scene from five years ago and there's a fingerprint on it, a fingerprint that's not acounted for in my files," He explained.
I felt my frown deepen. "Is it consistent with the defendant?"
Grissom shook his head confusing me further. I looked behind Grissom at the sound of footprints coming up the hall. Ecklie was making his way towards us, his ever present frown placed firmly on his face.
"Walk with me," He said, I followed alongisde Grissom as we walked through the lab, my Mum and Dad following close behind us.
"I heard we have a problem," Ecklie started, I watched as Grissoms facial expression turned indifferent, he wouldn't let Ecklie talk down to him about this.
"The middle east has a problem," Grissom replied shortly, I had to fight the small grin that was threatening to stretch across my face.
"You missed a fingerprint on a key piece of evidence," Ecklie stated the obvious sounding impatient. Try as he might he knew he wouldn't get the better of Grissom.
"I'm trying to keep an open mind," Grissom replied.
"Then how do you explain it?"
"At the moment I can't," Grissom said simply, shrugging his shoulders.
"Conrad, with all due respect the lab couldn't have missed that fingerprint, it's a complete mystery," I piped up, coming to Grissoms defence.
"Well then could someon have substituted a different match book?" Ecklie suggested. I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes.
"Well the evidence bag seal isn't broken and the match book appearence is consistant with the crime scene photos," Grissom explained shortly.
"Well since your original testimony differs from the actual physical evidence I thought I'd inform you, I've opened a supervisory inquiry," I felt my eyes widen at Ecklies words, this wasn't good.
"Thanks very much," I muttered just loud enough for Ecklie to hear me, I could have sworn I saw a slight grin on Grissoms face at my words.
"Well that's good Conrad, y'know I can't recal a lab director as expeditious as you," Grissom said very patronisingly as he turned to face Ecklie.
Ecklie had opened his mouth to answer back when a loud explosion sounded from down the hall accompanied by a few screams.
We ran towards the ballistics lab, people were staring through the glass trying to find the source of the noise.
I followed behind Ecklie and Grissom as they entered the lab. I hung back a bit, keeping mum and dad at bay of any underlying danger.
"You okay Bobby?" Grissom asked, staring at the broken tinted glass that lay a few feet a head of Bobby Dawson.
"I've been better," Bobby sighed as he placed his ear muffs down on the counter in front of him.
"What the hell happened?" Conrad asked sternly, glancing at Bobby in disbelief.
"I was about to test fire the Mac 10 but it accidently discharged," Bobby explained quickly, reminding me of a small child that had been caught breaking his mothers favourite vase. "I don't know how it happened," He shrugged. "I should have been more careful,"
"Whose case are you working on?" Conrad asked, his hands placed firmly on his hips.
I saw Bobby glance at Grissom before sighing.
"Sara Sidle and Greg Sanders, a gun was found next to a dead body at an off-strip parking lot,"
"Make sure you file a report,"
I couldn't help but groan unwardly at Ecklies words, Greg had only been working out on the field for a short while, a report filed against his case wouldn't look good.
"Keep me informed," Ecklie sighed impatiently to Grissom before stalking out of the lab.
"Rachel, I know you weren't here during the case I'm in trial for but I need all hands on deck for this one, would you mind staying?" Grissom asked, I had a lot of respect for Grissom so I often found it hard to say no when he asked me favours.
"Yeah sure, I just need to drive my mum and dad home first," I pointed towards them, if I hadn't been in such a serious situation I would have laughed at the expressions on both of their faces. They looked like cartoon characters as their heads swivelled to and fro between Grissom and I.
"I need you here, they can wait in the break room and I'll assign an officer to drive them back to your apartment," Grissom said, shaking his head.
I nodded and asked them if they were okay with that, once they agreed I collected the spare key from my locker and led them to the break room.
"There's coffee in the presses, food in the fridge, if any of the Grave shift workers or lab rats come in just tell them who you are, they wont mind. Oh and don't eat any food that has stuff labelled on it because it's usually samples or belongs to someone else," I explained to them, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and fished for it.
"Nick, Warrick, Catherine and I are in lab 4, meet us here - Grissom"
"I have to go but I'll talk to you guys in a bit, text me when you get back to the apartment!" I called as I raced out the door.
I had a bad feeling that this case wouldn't end well.