Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY. Or Scooby Doo.
Series: None.
Spoilers: Fare Game.
Chapter Seventeen – Fare Game
Staring at the crime scene in front of her, Jess couldn't help being certain that she'd been told about it.
"Anything?" Hawkes prompted.
"Give me a minute." Jess frowned. "I'm getting there."
Their victim was lying on her bed, her nightdress hiked up around her waist, blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back.
"Hey." Aiden murmured suddenly. "What's this?"
"What?" Jess asked, curiously.
"Look." Aiden gestured her closer and shone her penlight into the victim's mouth. "Weird abrasions."
Jess peered at them. I don't believe it. She took a step back, shook her head, and started to giggle.
The three CSIs halted in their actions to turn to look at her. "You wanna explain what's so funny?" Danny asked. "A woman's dead."
Jess forced herself to control her laughter. "You're right. I'm sorry; it's just …" She swallowed hard. "Don told me about this case when we first met; I thought he was messing with me."
"Anytime you feel like explaining." Danny rolled his eyes.
"She made her living suing restaurants." Jess explained quietly, so the officers outside couldn't hear them. "Last night, she was at Exotic Cuisine; the chef there owned a restaurant in San Francisco that she shut down. He changed his name and moved to New York."
"That's not that unbelievable." Aiden prompted.
"Those abrasions," Jess smirked, "came from a live octopus."
Aiden stared at her for a few seconds. "I'm not surprised you didn't buy it."
Having a lot of the information for this case meant that Jess's part of the investigation was finished relatively quickly. Once she'd confirmed that the chef at Exotic Cuisine could easily have recognised Kathleen Dunley from the papers, but she wouldn't have known him, because the case was settled out of court, she had to leave it up to the CSIs to analyse the forensic evidence that would get them a conviction, which gave her enough time to go home, grab a shower and fix herself some lunch.
She didn't look round as her door opened, or when a pair of arms slid around her waist.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Hey yourself." Jess tilted her head back so his kiss landed on her lips rather than her neck.
"I take it your case is going well." Don commented, resting his head on her shoulder. "Since you've got time for lunch."
"You're here." Jess pointed out, laying her knife down so she could turn to face him.
"Uh huh." Don agreed. "Because I need some info."
"I knew it." Jess pouted. "You only want me for my brain."
Don knew she was kidding, but he took the bait anyway. "Oh no, sweetheart. I just want you." He proved his point by kissing her again, pulling her flush against him. His hands wandered down her sides to slip under her shirt, tugging it out of her pants.
Jess broke the kiss with a sharp intake of breath as his fingers caressed her lower back. "Behave, Detective." She warned breathlessly.
"Make me." Don retorted childishly, with a grin.
"Trust me, Don," Jess ran her hand down to his ass and squeezed, before slipping out of his embrace, "you don't wanna go there. What did you want?"
"Right now, just you." Don answered and she could feel his gaze travelling down her back as she searched the fridge.
Jess smirked. "You still owe me dinner." She reminded him over her shoulder. "And, as much I don't want to stop you, we're both still on shift."
Don groaned. "We're both off this evening, right?"
"I will be once this case clears up, which shouldn't be too long." Jess answered. "I just need to plant a few ideas in Messer's head."
"What kind of ideas?" Don asked warily.
"Bugs." Jess stated.
Don looked at her for a few seconds, then evidently decided that he didn't want to know. "Then I'm taking you to dinner tonight."
"Don …" Jess sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We don't have to …"
"I want to." Don told her quietly. "I want to take you to a nice place, see you all dressed up, watch you blush when I tell you you're beautiful and know that I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I'm the one taking you home." He kissed her softly. "This has nothing to do with sleeping with you, Jess; if it was, I wouldn't have stopped you the other night."
"Alright." Jess sighed dramatically. "I suppose I can consent to that." She kissed him quickly and pulled away again. "I really do need lunch now, though. What did you want to know?"
"Hmm?" Don watched her for a second, distracted as she carefully balanced the sandwich, filling barely staying between the two slices of bread. "Are you gonna get your mouth round that?"
"You'd be surprised what I can get in my mouth, Detective." Jess teased with a wink. "'Sides, this is nothin'. You wanna see some of the concoctions my mom comes up with; they're straight outta Scooby Doo."
Don chuckled. "I used to wish I could make sandwiches like that."
Jess smirked. "I bet you did." She snickered at the slightly hurt expression on his face. "Oh, come on. Everyone knows you think with your stomach." She swatted his arm. "Now what do you want?"
"Oh right." Don cleared his through. "Kyle Vance. Shot dead at the cemetery, but no bullet and no relation to the grave he was standing at."
"He was waiting for the granddaughter." Jess told him. "Or niece. Or daughter. It was a woman, I know that."
"Granddaughter said she didn't know him." Don frowned.
"She didn't." Jess took a bite. "They both played 'Water Gun Wars'. He was waiting to 'assassinate' her."
"That's what the balloons were for." Don realised. "I told you about this one."
Jess nodded. "You found her picture in his briefcase. When you went to talk to her, she assumed you were another player and ran. Very nearly got herself shot when she pulled out a water gun. Did actually, I think." She amended.
"So who killed him?" Don asked.
Jess frowned thoughtfully. "I think he'd pretended to be a casting director or something to lure his 'victims' …"
"And a wedding planner and travel agent." Don nodded.
"He set a wannabe actor up with an audition; let him get all the way through it before telling him the truth." Jess explained. "He caught up with him with a movie gun intending to scare him …"
"But blank guns can be just as fatal when they're close contact." Don finished. "I got it. Alright, thanks, Jess; I'll see you this evening."
"What should I wear?" Jess asked.
"Dress up." Don told her.
Jess raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"
Don grinned at her. "You'll see."
AN: Okay, seventeen chapters and over 200 reviews! That's pretty damn impressive! Right, now, my lovely readers you, I need a little help. I have three options ahead of me and I'd like YOU to pick which route I take:
A) Chapter Eighteen is Cool Hunter, as I planned, and I mention something in the beginning about how their date went.
B) Chapter Eighteen is about their date, I leave after dinner activities to your imaginations and Chapter Nineteen is Cool Hunter.
C) Chapter Eighteen is Cool Hunter, as I planned, but I do a separate M-rated oneshot about their date and after-dinner activities.
D) Chapter Eighteen is about their date, with an M-rated 'after-dinner' oneshot separately, and Chapter Nineteen is Cool Hunter.