Author's notes: The next few chapters will be slow coming, so please don't forget me! I appreciate the reviews, keep them coming.
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With the departure of the others, Nick and Catherine got busy processing the remainder of the scene. Nick had photographed the body and the surroundings and was ready to turn the body. Grasping the hips and shoulders, Nick rolled the slight woman onto her back.
"I might not be a coroner, but I'm guessing that COD is extreme blood lost due to multiple stab wounds." Nick reached for an object that had been hidden by the body. "I'm also guessing that this knife is going to be the murder weapon."
Catherine walked over to Nick and peered over his shoulder. "Looks like at least seven different wounds. Someone was angry with her."
"Usually stabbing is a personal crime. Why would a casual hook-up result in stabbing?" Nick speculated. "You know Cath, there are plenty of things that don't seem to make sense in this case. Doesn't seem kind of convenient that a federal agent comes to town, a beautiful girl throws herself at him and then she ends up dead in her room. "
"Ok Oliver Stone, it must be a conspiracy." Catherine joked darkly. "Come on Nick. Granger is a good looking guy, he gets a girl, they have sex and then something happens and she winds up dead."
"I'm glad you didn't have this negative attitude when Kristy ended up dead. I'd be looking at life in prison." Nick's tone was tight.
"Hey, I know you Nick. For all we know this Granger could be a serial killer who uses his job to cover his murders."
"Oh, who's watching to much tv. That sounds like Dexter."
"What!? Nick Stokes watching something besides Animal Planet?" Catherine was working on bagging the victim's clothing.
"Hey, professional curiosity. The guy works in the crime lab." Having finished the photos, Nick had started bagging the hands of the victim; a precaution designed to protect any trace evidence. "Besides, it's like any other cop show. Everything happens too easy, wham bam they find the evidence and catch the killer in 47 minutes."
"Hey, we're that good. Look at tonight, we were in that gas station for less than a hour and we broke the case." Catherine stacked the evidence in a larger sack. Moving on, she began bagging the clothes of the suspect.
"I'll agree, with some crimes we get lucky but most of them take days or weeks." Nick stood and stretched the kinks out of his back. "When's the coroner's office going to get here for the body?"
"Must be busy tonight. Well, at least we know he believes in safe sex." Catherine held up a used condom.
"No love without a glove. Words to live by." Nick placed more bagged evidence into the sack.
"Always the philosopher, aren't you Nick." Gil Grissom remarked dryly as he walked into the room. "Are you almost done here?"
Catherine smiled at her boss, Nick's earlier teasing about relationships forgotten. "Not quiet. Are you here to help or rub it in?"
"No, I finished up on my case and thought I would stop by on my way to check on Warrick and Greg. Their db turned out to be a total of three vics."
"That answers your question on the coroner Nick." Catherine quipped.
"Do you need anything from me?" Gil looked at his crew.
"Not right now." Catherine inwardly cringed at the possible double message of her words.
"Nope, I think we're good boss." Nick was busy bagging the bed sheet.
"I'll see you later then." He looked at Catherine as he spoke. Holding her gaze for several seconds, Grissom then turned and left the room.
Nick shook his head as he looked at Catherine who was a little flushed. "Yeah, nothing going on with you two. Nothing at all."
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David had spoken with Don briefly on the phone after they had arrived at the hospital. Don had encouraged them to get some sleep because he would want David and possibly Charlie, to be fresh in the morning. From the looks of it, they were going to need to help because in Don's opinion, LVPD had already decided upon Colby's guilt.
After hanging up with Don, David had filled the others in on what was happening.
"I knew that girl was trouble." Marcus shook his head. "She had a shifty look to her."
"Didn't want to be with you is what you mean." LaVarn couldn't help but get in a dig.
"Anyway," David broke back in. "I'm going to have to cut the party short. Don wants Charlie and I ready to help tomorrow." He crossed to his brother and gave him a hug. "Thanks bro. Guys." He turned to his cousins. "I really appreciate you coming out. I'll see you all at the wedding right?"
"You couldn't keep us away." Lucas replied. The others all agreed and then quietly went back to their rooms.
David crossed to the room that he was to have shared with Colby and spoke with the officer still posted at the door. "I'd like to talk to the CSI's if possible."
"Hold on a minute, I'll check Agent Sinclair." The young patrol officer replied and stepped into the hotel room. Quickly he returned. "Yes, you can go in."
"Thanks." Said David as he walked into the room. "Hey. I was wondering about my luggage. Are you keeping it as evidence?" He pointed towards the bag sitting next to the desk.
Exchanging glances, Catherine and Nick both decided that the overnight bag could be released. Nick spoke up. "Sure man. Go head and take it."
Grabbing the bag, David took the opportunity to back his friend. "I know it looks bad, but Granger is a real stand up guy. He wouldn't do anything like this."
"You guys buddies?" Nick asked.
"Yeah, you spend as much time together on cases and you either become good friends or hate each others guts."
Nick nodded, he understood. He thought about the number of times he and Warrick had worked and played together. "I hear you there."
"Thanks. Let me know if I can do anything." David picked up his bag and left the room. As he walked down to his brother's room he noticed the coroner's office coming down the hall with a gurney. Stepping aside he watched as they entered the other room and with a tired sigh opened the door.
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Colby felt like he had been drug backwards through a knothole. Sitting on the hospital examination table he waited for the nurse to finish drawing his blood. Once she had left the room, he looked up at his boss. "You don't have to be here Don. I'm alright." He rubbed at his chest; the dried blood was becoming itchy.
"Colby, I'd do the same for any of my other friends so don't worry about it." He could see his friend's discomfort. "As soon as the doctor comes back in I'll see if there is some place where you can shower up."
"That detective thinks I did it."
"He's an idiot if he makes a judgment before he investigates. Everything right now is circumstantial. Being with the victim doesn't make you the killer."
Don held off on any other comments as the door opened. Brass walked in along with the examining doctor. The detective looked like he was put out over the delay in questioning Colby.
"Mr. Granger." The doctor began. "I've got the blood tests running and I'm going to let you go. I'll get back with you when the results are in."
"Is there somewhere he can take a shower and get a change of clothes?" Don inquired.
"What?" Brass's tone was less than pleased. "I've already wasted time waiting. I'd like to get down to the station and ask some more questions before the sunrises."
"A few more minutes isn't going to make a difference, especially since Colby is going in to talk to you voluntarily. Or do you want to charge him with something?" Don fired back.
Brass waved his hand. "Fine, go ahead."
"I can have a nurse show you where you can shower. We should be able to find a set of scrubs you can borrow." The doctor was sympathetic.
Within less than 15 minutes Colby was showered and changed, wearing a pair of loose fitting blue scrubs. The ride from the hospital to the police department was silent as all three men were lost in their own thoughts.
Brass pulled into a marked spot and showed the agents into the interrogation room. "I hope you don't mind," Brass inquired. "It's standard procedure for all questioning."
Colby glanced at Don and replied. "No problem."
Brass left the room to start the tape and Don and Colby settled themselves at the table. Don glanced at his watch and wasn't surprised to see that it was seven in the morning.
Brass led the young agent through many of the same questions that he had asked earlier. Where were you? Who saw you? What happened?
Colby calmly supplied the answers even though he felt that Brass was asking the same answers with the hope that Colby would slip. "Can't screw up an answer when you are telling the truth," Colby reflected.
Looking down at several sheets of paper, Brass shuffled through them. He then raised his gaze to let it fall on Colby. "I see that you were a member of Special Forces. That training is pretty intense isn't it? They teach you guys how to kill with your bare hands, so I'm sure you're deadly with a knife."
He went instantly on high alert. What in the hell did his Army training have to do with this? Colby took a deep breath and calmed himself, "Yes the training included using weapons and hand to hand combat. I'm sure that many people including myself are familiar with it."
"So you saw combat in Afghanistan? Have you ever been diagnosed with any post traumatic stress?"
"I was in the Kunar Province and saw combat, but I haven't had a problem with it." Colby's voice was tight.
"Look," Don inserted, his tone sharp. "Colby has been screened and cleared, if here that been a problem we would have noticed it."
"Sometimes it can take years." Brass continued. "I understand that you had a traumatic experience last year, have you noticed any flash back episodes?
"No."
"I see that after a friendly fire incident you went in for some counseling. So it's not like you're a stranger to mental health issues."
Colby slapped at the table and stood suddenly, "Damn it. That was a fuck up with intelligence. We did what we had to do. I'm not going to sit here and let you accuse me of this or anything else."
"Could you have snapped? Not realizing what you were doing? She make you angry?" Brass tried to push buttons.
Don stood up and leveled a dangerous look at Brass. "I think this interview is over."
"I still have some questions." Brass stood and leaned across the table. "If Granger refuses to answer I can hold him on obstruction."
"Try it." Don fired back.
"Don, I need a break." Colby was slightly shaky. The adrenaline and lack of sleep were affecting him.
"Good idea." Brass spoke. "Take 10 minutes and then we'll start again." He stood up and walked out of the room.
Colby sank into the chair slowly and lowered his head into his hands. "I'm sorry I lost it Don."
"Don't worry Colby. We'll finish up and get some sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow." He looked at his watch, almost eight. "Alright later today everything will be better."
"Can it get worse?"