And Now The Rest Of The Story

And Now The Rest Of The Story…..

Hank watched out the window as his master, Gil Grissom drove off, leaving him in the care of his favorite vet, Ms Deb. He looked up at her and saw her shaking her head. He wasn’t happy and it appeared neither was Ms Deb. Hank left out a howl that sounded so pitiful Ms Deb could do little but wrap her arms around the large boxer pitbull mix.

“He’ll be back sweetiepie…..I hope.” She turned and headed back to her office. “You are staying with me, no pen for you.” He put his paw on her knee and licked her face. “I know, I know, you’re welcome.”

Gil Grissom had gone off to find his ‘wove’, Sara Sidle. One of the things Sara taught Grissom was how to be totally unethical. Like most blind being led around by their balls males, he fell for her crap. He soon found himself doing things he never in his wildest imagination would have. But, he was thinking with his lower brain and not the intelligent one.

He had recalibrated his GPS system to keep track of Sara’s cell phone. It was still working only because he had not cancelled the account. He had been paying for it himself, and even tho Sara said she had “moved on and was happy”, she kept using the phone. Hell, if he was stupid enough to keep paying for it, she was smart enough to use it….ya gotta give her that.

Anyway, Grissom tracked Sara down in Costa Rica where they spent a solid month frocking thru the rain forest and chasing down monkeys that Grissom noted in his journal, seriously had a remarkable resemblance to Sara. Especially since she no longer shaved any part of her body. She made the personal decision to “go back to nature”, not that she did a great job when working.

But after the month they decided to go back to Las Vegas and sell the rest of Grissom’s things and start traveling the world. Sara figured he would run out of money in about two years. She could hang in there that long and after that, she’d ditch him like she had done twice or what that three times before. She couldn’t remember, she just knew that she could lead him around with his balls….not the ones she ‘ball jarred’ in his office.

As the plane landed Grissom was getting antsy, he wasn’t sure what kind of reception he would get from the members of the Lab nor what little friends he had left in Vegas. They all told him that he was fucking crazy to go after that piece of trash, and leave such a great dog, but did he listen? Oh hell no.

“You got a problem?” Sara looked over at him and tried to smile, wetting her teeth before spreading her lips.

“You still got that lettuce on your tooth.” Grissom looked at her while his stomach flipped. He was wondering where else they could go that he wouldn’t run into people he knew. It was bad enough in Las Vegas, but the rest of the world didn’t know his poor taste in falling for this one woman.

“Better?” Sara had run her pointer finger over her front teeth and then licked it clean. Grissom just closed his eyes wondering if there was some kind of ‘be a lady’ class he could enroll Sara in while they were in Vegas. But then he figure, what was the use? She’d never learn anything, why waste the money.

“Can’t wait to see Hank. I’ve missed him.” He looked out the window. “I hope he remembers me.”

“How could he not?” Sara looked over and batted her eyes, trying to look sexy and failing really bad. She patted his leg. “I wonder if he will remember me. Remember I would give him those wonderful soy bones.”

“And he’d bury that just as fast and look for something with meat on it.” Then under his breath Grissom whispered “like I should have.”

***********

Grissom paid for the long term parking fee and drove back to the landfill errr apartment that they had shared. He opened the door to a mountain of mail. He pushed it all to the side so they could get in. “We were going to be staying here a while, I’ve got to cancel all these magazines, it should be another five months before Hank will be able to travel with us. You know the six month quarantine period.” He stretched. “I think I’ll just put things downstairs and go get us something to eat next door. I’m bushed.”

When he came back up from the basement bedroom, he saw Sara sitting on the duct taped sofa. “What would you like for dinner? We’ll go see Hank tomorrow. I’ll call Deb in the morning and let her know. We can’t bring Hank back here, since he has to stay there for six months total.”

“A veggie salad is fine. Well, maybe it’s a good thing he can’t come here. We got to get rid of all these great things. It’s a shame.”

“Well, most of it might end up in the dumpster. I doubt that anyone would want it. Smells musty and ….”

“Really? I don’t smell anything.”

Gil’s eyebrows knitted together. How could she NOT smell it? “Be right back.” He headed out the door and next door to the carry out shop to get their dinner. Sara sat there on the sofa and started going thru some of the magazines that were in a pile. She just threw them on the floor when they didn’t interest her. “Oh the cell, gotta charge that puppy up.” She took it out of her backpack and plugged it in. “Can’t believe he was stupid enough to keep paying for it the whole time. Still can’t figure out HOW he found me so easy. Gotta remember to ask him.”

“Dinner !” Grissom walked thru the door and locked it behind him. “Ahh, you couldn’t clear the table?” She looked down at the coffee table filled with mail and other items.

“Sure.” She took her hands and pushed everything on the floor. “Done.” Gil just rolled his eyes.

*************

The next morning Gil called Deb bright and early, he knew she would be up. “Hi Deb, it’s Gil Grissom.”

“Oh, Doctor G, how are you?”

“Fine and back in Vegas. Is it okay that I errr WE come out to see Hank this morning? I’ve REALLY missed my buddy.”

“And I’m sure he’s missed you. Sure I’m here all day. Whenever you want, just come on out.”

“Great, see you in a few hours then.”

Deb rolled her eyes and looked at Hank. “Well buddy, Dad’s home.” Hank’s head lifted and a whine came out of him. “He said ‘WE’ are coming for a visit. Guess you know what that means.” Hank did a low growl. “My feelings exactly.”

A few hours later Grissom came thru the door after holding the door for Sara. “Deb! HANK! Where’s my old buddy?” Grissom rubbed his hands together. He knelt down on one knee waiting for a wet, sloppy greeting.

Hank came out trotting and Deb not far behind him. “Doctor G, how are you?” Before she could say much more Hank was over looking at Sara.

Sara held out one of those horrible soy bones for Hank. He sniffed it and backed away. “Oh come on Hank you remember these, you love them.” Deb swore she saw one eyebrow go up on Hank in disbelief that Sara was that dumb. Hank just sat down for a second and then made his displeasure known. He quickly got up and raised his leg and pee’ed all over Sara’s leg.

Deb turned quickly to get paper towels and to muffle her laughter. Hank was good at holding himself until he found just the right tree or catus plant. Guess he found the right one. She handed the towels to Sara and smiled over at Doctor G. “Hank did you say hello to Dad?” Hank looked up at her, and again she swore one eyebrow went up. Hank walked over to a now standing Grissom and bit him in the balls.

It wasn’t Hank who howled that time.

Meanwhile across town, the members of the Lab were just walking out the door. They heard a high pitched howl. “What the heck is that?” Riley, the newest CSI inquired.

“Grissom’s home and Hank just said ‘fuck you’.” Catherine smiled as she kept walking to her car. “Served him right, the idiot.”

And now you know the rest of the story.

One To Go…the real ending

One To Go…The Real Ending.

One by one, in his own way Gil Grissom said goodbye to his team members. It totally took the last two nights of one last continuous shift to do it. He HAD to finish this one last case before he left the Las Vegas Crime Lab.

Has he walked thru the hallways looking at everyone for the last time, he smiled and patted the paper from Warrick Brown’s funeral in his pocket. Gods how he missed that man. He saw Catherine Willows in the Break Room talking with Jim Brass. They were trying to sort out the fact the Conrad Ecklie was now the Undersheriff, and at the least, no longer their boss.

Gil started to leave and then turned to Catherine. She looked up and winked at him after giving him one of her lovely, warm smiles. He stopped just for a second and smiled back, then started to walk again. But rather then continue down the hall, he turned on his heels and walked into the Break Room. He gently put his hands on her shoulders and looked at Jim.

“You’ll have to excuse us for a second.” Catherine felt the pressure of his hands and stood up looking puzzled. Gil wrapped his arm around her waist and put the other behind her head and hugged her so tight. He quietly whispered , “Goodbye my dear.” He felt Catherine wiggle her head in agreement. Then he loosened his grip and pulled her head back and laid a good one on her. She did not move a muscle. The members of the Lab were all looking on and smiling. Finally, things were what they should have been. Mom and Dad were having a little smooch.

***********

Grissom had asked Lindsay to keep an eye on Hank for a while until he could sort out what he wanted to do. He did say he wanted to travel for a bit. His first stop was Costa Rica.

He was walking thru the thick jungle and hearing what he thought were snickers of laughter. He was enjoying the vegetation and insect life buzzing around him. He could smell something cooking. He thought maybe ….just maybe he was going to encounter the native life on this remote island. Oh, how he was feeling like Darwin at the moment.

He came to a small clearing and a large crowd of natives dressed in loin cloths with tattooed faces looking up at him. He was rather surprised when they all started to point and laugh at him. One came over and pulled at his clothes and the silly hat he was wearing. A little girl came over to him and pointed to his hat. He took it off and gave it to her. She turned and ran towards the crowd and disappeared into it. He slowly walked his way towards the people and they parted as he came near. Soon he saw where the little girl had gone with his hat.

In the center of a fire with a large black kettle, the little girl threw the hat on top of something that was still too big for the pot. He couldn’t quite tell what it was. But he kept walking. The natives were yapping in their tongue and Gil was trying to make some sense of it. He realized he had stumbled on their meal prep time. It looked almost like they were going to have a celebration of some kind. He thought it would be a friendly gesture if he offered them something he had. He slowly put down his backpack and opened it, pulling out an apple. He held it up for the closest woman who looked at him and the apple. She slowly took it and turned it in her hand. Gil motioned for her to put it in the pot. She did so and the others cheered.

One of the little children came up and in halting English spoke to Gil. “Eat, join.”
Gil nodded his head in agreement. They offered him a log to sit on and he watched as they continued to prepare the meal. Finally several hours later it was time to eat. Gil was busy with the young boy learning to say several words of the language. The elder tribal members were nodding happily of his progress, when a woman handed Grissom a bowl of the ‘pag dehoot wets’. He took the rugamentary spoon and smiled his thanks to the woman. Everyone waited for him to take the first bite. He did so and smiled slightly and made a ‘mmm’ noise. In truth, the broth was bitter and tasteless. There was no body to it other then greasy slime he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The others were digging into their bowls and murmuring. Grissom looked to the young boy for help in what they were saying.

“Puos nwolc” he said. He thought for a few moments and said haltingly, “soup not much meat. Tastes funny.”

Gil laughed and said “Oh Clown soup.” He laughed at what he thought was a joke the young boy made. “Yes, it is an old joke. The natives boiled a clown for a meal and then said it tasted funny.” He roared with laughter and so did the others. Grissom then took another spoon full of the soup and placed it into his mouth. There was something thick and hard to chew. He pulled out a rectangled piece of material from his mouth. He looked at the material, it had something on it. ‘edlis’. The little boy who was teaching him pointed to the pot. Gil looked puzzled and stood up heading towards the pot. The material turned over in his hands and he looked down at it. Then it hit him, he slowly added the letters together. ‘S…..i….
d….l…e.’.

The Applesauce Murders

The Applesauce Murders,

Della was sitting in the visitors lobby near the nurses station on the fourth floor of the Icantrember  Nursing Home.   She wanted to let Maggie have some private time with her favorite and quite elderly aunt, Henrietta.   Henrietta had been a resident of the home for some forty of her one hundred and eight years.  Like Maggie, she had a strong constitution and wasn’t the least bit ready to die.  She had the ‘Energizer Bunny’ tapped out.

“That’s the fourth one today.”  Della half heard the comment.

“Yeah, four deaths on one floor…same day.  Making me uncomfortable.  So far the doctor on call has posted ‘natural death, age’.  I’m beginning to wonder.”  A second  voice sounded concerned.   “Well, we’ll be getting replacements soon I’m sure.”   The paper rustling snapped Della out of the unfocused concentration.

“Wow, four in one day, maybe it’s the food.”  Della smiled in the direction of the station.  “Would you like to eat that stuff?”  Della waited for an answer and got none.  “Didn’t think so.”  She stood up and headed back towards Henrietta’s room.
She counted off the number of openings and then quietly spoke, “Magg?”

“Yeah Dell, come on in.”  Maggie got up and ushered Della to the end of Henrietta’s bed.  Just about ready to try and get Aunt Hank to eat.”

“I wouldn’t.”  Della looked towards Maggie.

“Why not?”   Maggie tried again to put a spoon into Henrietta’s mouth.  She just turned her nose up at it.

Both Henrietta and Della said at the same time, “You try that crap.”  Della held out her palm and Henrietta smacked it.

“It can’t be that….”  Maggie put a spoonful in her mouth.   “….thoh thdear thGod.”  She was looking for something to spit into.

“Oh just swallow it.”  Then Della thought better.  “Wait!  Spit, woman SPIT!”  Maggie finally took Henrietta’s napkin and emptied out her mouth of the nasty tasting whatever.  Maggie wasn’t too sure as to what it was either.

“Why …yeck that stuff is horrible!”

“And deadly.”  Della smiled.

“What?”  Maggie looked over at Della.  “Deadly?”

“Yeah heard the nurses talking.  Said four people died today alone.  ‘Natural causes’.  Believe that and I’ll sell you a bridge in Brooklyn.  It’s not flu season, so that’s not it.  Something smells funny around here.”

“Did I crap in my pants again?”  Aunt Hank shifted in her bed.  Della busted out laughing.  “Oh come on Maggie get a sense of humour.”  Maggie just hung her head and shook it from side to side.  “Woulda thought hanging around Della you would have been laughing more.”

“Thanks Aunt Henrietta!”  Both Maggie and Della said at the same time but for different reasons.  Della just smiled at Maggie.

“Oh come on!  You DO need to lighten up some.  But seriously it is odd that four people die in a short time.  Maybe we need to do some snooping.”

“You? Snoop?”  Maggie started laughing.   “That’s about a unobvious as a bull in a china shop.”  Della just stuck out her tongue.  “Naugg, not gonna worry until it looks like a pattern.”

“So how many is a ‘pattern’?  Ten more deaths?  Twenty?”

“Hey, as long as it’s not me, I don’t care.”  Henrietta looked at them.  Maggie opened and closed her mouth.  “Got a point there didn’t I?”

“I’ll go talk to the nurses.  Dell, stay here and keep Aunt Hank company.  And try to get her to EAT !”  Della used her hands to motion Maggie out of the room.

“Is she gone?”  Dell asked quietly.

“Yeah.”  Della heard the covers being moved.  “Get up so I can get out.”  Della moved and felt for the wheelchair.  “Well bring it over here.”  Dell pulled at the chair and aimed for the voice.  “Closer you blind bat.”  Della normally wouldn’t put up with that from people from old Aunt Henrietta….Della knew it had love attached to it.

“Better? You old dried up prune?”  Della smiled and then… “Ow!  You old goat.  Ran over my foot on purpose.”

“Damn right, now bring your purse and take me down to the machines.  I’m hungry.”  Della caught up with Henrietta and put a hand on the chair handles and followed her down the hall.

Henrietta stopped in front of the soda machine.  “Give me a buck.”  Della undid her purse and handed over the money.   She heard the dollar going into the machine and then metal clanging as the ‘Diet Coke’ can down.    “Now let’s see what they got in here.  Ooooh, ‘SkyBar’.  Give me another buck.”   She held out her hand.  “Come on I ain’t getting any younger.”

“Here.  Good Lord it’s like you haven’t eaten in….oh yeah.  One enough?”

“Hey they got Knoxberry Farm cookies!”   Della didn’t say a word but fished out another dollar and handed it over.   “How much you got in there?”

“Not enough to buy the machine out.   Maggie’s gonna have a cow if she sees you with all the good food.  Got some place to hide it?”   Della heard a loud ‘burp’.   “Ahhh fresh ‘Diet Coke’.  Nothing like it hey Hank?”   Henrietta was too busy opening the cookie bag and stuffing her face to answer.   “God those cookies smell good, what kind are they?”

“Goners.”

“Never heard of them.”

“They’re GONERS.”

“Gods you are a vacumn.  Did you chew them?  Or are you waiting to burp to taste them?”   Della didn’t hear an answer but heard the snapping of the fingers and handed over again another dollar.  “Am I getting ANY of this back?”

“Sure, sure, next Social Security check.”

“Oh HERE you are.  AUNT HANK!! Put that junk food DOWN!  Della!”

“What?  I didn’t do anything!”  Della looked at Maggie.

“Rrrright, you dragged me outta bed and threw me in this chair and pushed me down here.  I dragged my feet trying to stop her.”  Henrietta smiled sweetly at Maggie.

“Funny Aunt Hank.”

“Damn and I almost had that bridge sold.”  Snapped Della.    “So what did the nurses say?”

“Not much, but it does seem odd.  Four yesterday and four today.”

“ODD?  I think it’s murder.”  Della sat on a chair she found.  “Ssssso are we gonna start snooping or wait until Hankie old broad ends up with a toe tag?”

“HELLO?  I’m in the room, and if I die you’re not getting that money back.  Oh shoots.”  Maggie folded her arms across her chest.  “Damn.”  Henrietta blew it.  “Oh go on start at one end of the hall way and work your way down.  Get to the bottom of this before I’m pushing up  daisies.”

*************

“Is there anything the same on all the menus of the dead ones?”  Della waited for Maggie to go thru the slips of paper from the trays.

“Umm, not that I can….just applesauce. “   She rattled some dishes.  “Funny not a one of them have the applesauce cup on the tray. Uuuummm.”

“So all the dead people are missing their applesauce?  Ooooh the case of the ‘applesauce  murders’.”  Della giggled slightly, “Don’t think Quincy would pass that up.  Gil Grissom would probably say ‘that’s mush’.”

“Oh you listen to WAY too much tv.   No I don’t see anything else missing.  The drinks are all gone.  Not much if any of the food’s been touched.  Mmm.”

“Think maybe the nurses should ask to see if any of the drinks contain medicine?”

“What? You think someone’s spiking the drinks and stealing the apple sauce?  Get a grip Dell.”

“Hey, people kill for less.  Look around ya.  Murder for no reason all over Boston, hell the world.”   Della thought for a second, “Seriously, maybe the drinks were spiked.  I think we should maybe let the nurses KNOW.”  Maggie gathered all four of the emptied glasses.  “Are you wearing rubber gloves?”

“Oh GODS girl you are so NOT going to watch CSI anymore.  Come on.”  Maggie headed down the hallway and to the head nurse.

“You want me to keep these glasses ….in case there’s more deaths?”  She had one eyebrow way up in the air.

“Yes.  If there are any deaths say within the next week and they are in groups….you may have a problem.”  Maggie had a serious look as she handed over the plastic glasses.

“Apple sauce murders,”  Della smiled, “catchy name, don’t ya think?”

“Ethel call the doctor on call, tell him we have two escaped mental cases.”  The nurses chuckled.

“I’m serious.  What would it hurt if you kept these in the refrig for a few days?  Better yet, ask the lab to check out and see if there is anything in the drinks.  Well what’s left of them.  Is it normal for a person to drink their entire drink and not eat anything?”  Maggie’s head cocked sideways.

“What?”  The head nurse questioned her.

“None of the food was touched, all of the drinks are gone, and SO are the apple sauce  cups.  A little strange if you ask me.”    The nurse just opened and closed her mouth.  “Thought so. Soooo, gonna put them in the refrig or lab?”

“I’ll hold them until day after tomorrow.  If nothing else happens….”

“Fair enough.  Now I’m going to go and get my Aunt some food.  Have you tried eating this stuff?”  Maggie headed towards the elevator.  “Della are you coming or staying here?”

“I’m coming, I’m gonna make sure Aunt Henrietta gets something decent for dinner.  Can I borrow five bucks…I old girl took my change.”

“Get in there!”  Maggie pushed Della into the elevator.

“So what ya thinking, I smell smoke.”  Della waited for the ding of the floors.  “And what are we getting the old bat?”

“I’m going to get her some decent food and… I don’t know.  Does seem kind of odd doesn’t it?  Four deaths, yesterday AND today.”

“Maybe the management wants to clean out the ‘dead wood’ and being in fresh meat at more per month.”

“What?”

“Well once  they are in here…they can only take all but twenty bucks of the Social Security checks.  So that leaves a lot of unpaid bills?  No? Yes?”  Della waited for an answer.  “Okay…next theory.  Ahhhh, Are all the dead geezers or bats?”

“Geezers? BATS?”

“Yeah are the dead geezer IE men or bats…broads? Gods Maggie.   Henrietta’s sharper then you sometimes.”

“Hello, they are PEOPLE.”

“Ahhh old geezers and bats, just like we’re gonna be if this blasted elevator EVER gets to the first floor.  How about a nice pizza for Henrietta?”  Della’s ears rang at the echoing ‘NO!’  Maggie screamed at her.  “Thought I’d ask.”

****************

“Here we are, nice soup and fresh salad and…..”

“Damn I wanted a pizza.”  Aunt Henrietta pushed the tray back from her.  Della made a ‘pffft’ sound towards Maggie.  “Thought YOU would have beaten some sense into her.”

“Hey I WOULDA gotten it for you if you hadn’t used all MY money for the good stuff in the machines.”

“Will you two STOP!”   Maggie just closed her eyes.  “Worse then two kids.”  She heard stereo ‘pppfffff’s’.    “Well TRY and eat something while it’s warm.  We got to go and head back to work.  We’ll see you tomorrow. “   Maggie leaned over and kissed her aunt on the forehead.  “Love you.”

“Don’t order any applesauce.  Wait on second thought drink all your milk!”

“DELLA!”

*******************

After lunch the next day, Maggie got a phone call from the head nurse, then she walked into Della’s office.  “Think there’s something going on over there.”

“What?”  Della looked up and put in another cheese curl and gulp of ‘Diet Coke’.  She belched loudly.

“Oh Lord.  That was the nurse at Aunt Hank’s,  four more died this afternoon.  They’re calling for a review.”   Maggie leaned on the desk.  “I’m beginning to….”

“Think there’s something rotten in Denmark? Other then the old people crapping in their diapers?”

“Gods I hope you NEVER get to that point.  I wonder how you’d deal with it.”

“Crapping in my diapers?  Oh heck, I wouldn’t  have to clean it up. Besides it will be interesting orange poop.”

“DELLA!”

“Sorry not gonna give up cheese curls until I die.  ‘Diet Coke’ will just add a gas bubble to the mix.”

“Oh I can’t take you ANYWHERE!”  She grabbed Della’s arm, “Come on!”

*************

“All women?  All the dead people are women?”   Maggie was listening to the nurse reading the names off.  “Mmm, interesting.  What has the doctor on call say?  Are they going to autopsy them?  What about the ones that died yesterday?”

“Seems to be ‘natural causes’.  Can’t seem to convince him. After all this IS a nursing home and these people are old.”

“So is Doc on the list of suspects?”  Della looked toward Maggie who just ‘mmm’ed’.  “Okay who visited the rooms other then the people delivering the lunch  trays?”

“No one.  We were just on our way in to hand out meds and …there  they were. Dead.”

“So did they all drink the entire glass of whatever?”  Della heard the nurse looking on the trays.

“Yeah.”

“What’s on the menu and tray?  Got everything?”    Again the nurse checked out the trays.

“Applesauce is missing again.”  Edith checked the trays.

“Ahh a toothless suspect.”  Della rubbed her chin.

“Just the applesauce.  Interesting.  Someone who can’t chew?” Maggie looked perplexed.  “Well THAT narrows down the list to a few hundred.  HELLO Dell, we ARE in a nursing home.”  Maggie’s hands were on her hips.  “Gotta be something else tied in there.”

“Well…just a thought.  Is anyone missing their teeth?”  Della turned towards the nurse.

“Most of the patients, yes.”

“I mean false ones?  Has anyone lost their false teeth and reported it?”

“No.”  The head nurse turned to the others who stood their heads also.  “Nope.”

“Now what is the crazy brain of your’s thinking?”  Maggie stood in front of Della.

“Well, applesauce is good, sweet, and doesn’t need chewing.  Someone’s hungry and can’t find their teeth…easiest thing to eat.  Bet their teeth are sitting in a glass somewhere…they can’t remember where.”  She started laughing.  “Well at least they aren’t sitting on their heads like old Hank couldn’t find her glasses.”

“DELLA!!”    Maggie started thinking.  “Maybe we should be talking to some of the other ladies here.  Since all the dead are women.  I’ll start on the right side, you go down the left.  We can cover more ground that way.”  Maggie put Della’s hand on her shoulder and headed to the end of the hall.

***************

Maggie crossed off several people on her list of suspects right away since they had their teeth.  She heard laughing coming from across the hallway.  Della was teasing an elderly man confined to bed.  She pinched his cheeks before leaving the room.   “Anything?”  Della shook her head, and they moved down another room.

“You old goat, I told you to stop!”  Maggie heard a married couple’s ‘discussion’ before she knocked on the door.   “See you old geezer, they’re coming to throw us out!”  The elderly lady turned and saw Maggie.  “You’re not the nurse.  What ya want?”

“I’m Henrietta’s niece I just came to ask some questions if I can.  I don’t mean to disturb you.”

“Hello there Sweetie.  Come on in, and take a load off.”  The husband patted the bed.  “Just finishing up my lunch.”  Maggie looked down on the tray and saw several applesauce cups.

“My, you do like applesauce.”  She picked up a few empty containers.

“Well, I seemed to have misplaced my teeth and this is the only thing I can get down without chewing.”  He grinned his toothless smile at Maggie.   She was biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing.

“Would you excuse me just a second.”  Maggie darted out and found Della.  “Listen, I think I hit on something.  Can you take the wife and get her out of the room and question her?”  Della just followed Maggie into the room.   “This is my friend Della, Della these nice people are the Johnsons.  I think Mrs Johnson would like to take a walk to the sunroom.”

“I would?  Yeah, you’re right, anything to get away from this old geezer.  You BEHAVE your self for once.”  She turned to Della.  “Well I guess I have to lead you around by the nose too.”

“No my leash is fine.  Come on Mzzz Johnson, sounds like we got some yapping to do….or do you need me to buy you some batteries.”   The joke wasn’t lost on Mr Johnson.   Della heard him laughing as she took the wife’s shoulder.  “Crap you shrunk a lot in your old age didn’t ya?  Bet those perky little rose buds are hanging baskets now.”

“Kneeknockers.  You’ll find out soon enough.”   She led them into the sunroom.  Meanwhile Maggie was chatting with Mr Johnson.

“Oh call me ‘Sweetiepie’, all the ladies on the hall do or did.  Well until they died.”

“Mmm, did you know all those ladies?”

“Oh of course.  I’m the errr I was the ‘boyfriend’ of them all.”

“And Mrs Johnson was okay with that?”

“Ahhh that old bat didn’t want sex from the time we had our first kid.  Said it wasn’t worth the grunting.”  Once again Maggie bit the inside of her lip.  “Bet you’d  be a hoot in the sack.  Lock the door.”

“No…no thank you.  I …no.”

“Don’t know what you’re missing.  Got me a reputation of being pretty damn good.”  Once again his toothless grin tickled Maggie.  “Ah, it’s the quiet ones that scream the loudest.”

“I..errr…”  Maggie coughed and wondered if she should have taken Mrs Johnson.  Something told her Mr Johnson and Della would have brought the house down.   “So your wife KNEW you ‘played around’.”

“Sure, told her from the beginning that if I didn’t get it when I wanted it…I was going out.”

“Why didn’t you just be kind and divorce her?  Then she couldn’t complain.”  Maggie looked at him.

“Divorce?  Never, murder…it’s an option.”  He opened another applesauce container.  “Gotta find me them teeth.  I’m getting tired of this stuff.  I swear I left them in the cleaning jar in the bathroom four days ago.  But I can’t find them.”

“Mmm odd the deaths started about that time.”

“Deaths?  What deaths?  You mean the ladies in 103, 107 …”

“A total of twelve so far. On this floor alone.  You wouldn’t happen to have…..”

“She wouldn’t….”  The old man put the container back on the tray.  “Would she?”

“Who?”

“On first.”

“What?”

“Second.”

Maggie just hung her head, now she was sure she should have taken Mrs Johnson.   “Okay, the ladies in those rooms, were you ahhh how do I put this nicely?”

“Screwing them?  Poking them?  Making whoopie? “   He looked at Maggie who was slightly red.  “Mercy, you are an old fashion one.  Bet I could make you howl.”

“MR JOHNSON!  I’m trying to get some answers here.”  Maggie cleared her throat and started again.  “Now you were intimate  with those ladies?”  He nodded.  “Did your wife know about it?”   Again he nodded.  “And you’re still alive?”  He just grinned.  “Okay, your teeth went missing about the same time.  May I look around the room?”

“Sure go ahead.  What ya looking for?”

“Your teeth.”   Maggie opened the closet door and patted some clothes in a drawer and quickly moved on to the next one.  She held up Mrs Johnson’s handbag, Mr Johnson nodded it was okay.  Maggie opened it and saw a handkerchief wrapping something.  She placed the bag on the bed and pulled out the white lace edged cloth.  As she unfolded it…

“Well that little…there they are!”  He smiled and held out his hands.  “Come on give them here.”

“Sorry but this is evidence…sorta.”

“Hey them’s my teeth and I’m hungry.  Give them here!”

“Did you find something?”  The nurse walked in.

“Yes, Mr Johnson’s teeth were in his wife’s bag.  Mr Johnson here has been eating all the applesauce..  I think we found a reason, and I’m sad to say the possible killer.”  Maggie still had the teeth.

“Give me my teeth!”

“Oh dear.  Mr Johnson, this …means it seems  your wife did something to the ladies.  This isn’t … oh dear.  I sent the glasses to the lab and they had enough liquid in them to identify the drug.”  The nurse was trying to figure out what to do.

“So what was in it?”  Maggie kept the teeth slightly out of Mr Johnson’s reach.

“The strongest sleeping pill we are allowed to give AND belladonna.  The combination knocked them out fast and I doubt that their hearts could take it.  It’s too late to do autopsies on some of them but….”   She sighed, “…we don’t need a scandal here.  I sure don’t want to have to deal with the police on this.”

“This is MURDER !”  Maggie was looking at the nurse.

“Well, they WERE old.”  She looked back at Maggie.  “Not like they had much to live for and long.”

“TEETH! I want my teeth.”

“Just a minute Mr Johnson.  I’m sorry, but these were people.  They died sooner then they should have.  It’s murder.  It appears Mrs Johnson is the killer.”

“Naggguh, she wouldn’t hurt a fly.  Hell she’s never open mine!”  Again Maggie’s eyes bugged out at Mr Johnson’s statement.  “She’s too dumb to kill anyone.  At least I think so.  She woulda killed me along time ago.”

“That’s true.  Besides, how would she get those drugs?”  The head nurse asked.  Maggie was puzzled and hadn’t thought that out yet.  “Maybe if we talk to her and get her NOT to do this again….we can let this go?”

Maggie was dumbfounded.  “Sorry but… I don’t….”  Just then Della and Mrs Johnson came in the room.

“Hey! You trying to steal my stuff?”  She grabbed the bag from Maggie.  “Oh crap.”

“Yeah, she found MY teeth.  Now hand them over!”  Once again he grabbed for them and managed to get Maggie’s sleeve and pulled.  He then took them and put them back in his mouth.  “Ahhhhhh.  Now I’m ready for some FOOD!   When’s dinner?”

“Mr Johnson, food can wait, we still have some murder to deal with.”  Maggie stood with hands on hips.  “Mrs Johnson, I think we need to…”

“Maggie!  Let’s go to the sunroom for a bit.” Della smiled broadly at Maggie and motioned for her to lead her own.  “You guys go about your business, we’ll be back.”

“Della, it’s a cut and dry case.  Mrs Johnson put the pills in the drink and….well Mr Johnson was doing those ladies.”   Maggie was telling Della as they walked.

“I know he was screwing around, Mrs Johnson said he’s been doing they since they got married.  Why now?  She was saying the other ladies were coming to her AFTER they said yes and wanted to know how to STOP him.  He was wearing them out.”  Maggie looked at Della as if she had three heads.  “Yeah I’m blind but I did the same ‘DUH’ look at Mrs Johnson.  That old geezer?  Damn.  Why isn’t he forty years younger, I’d give him a run for….”

“DELLA!”

“Okay back to the case.  She didn’t do it.  She knows nothing about the pills.  She’s not sure what she takes.  The nurses come in a couple of times a day dump the pills and they take them.  Any time they ask …they are told ‘vitamins’.  Right sure.  Still I think we’re looking for someone else.  But who?”

“Back to square one.  Mr Johnson?”

“Motive?”

“Ahhh applesauce?”

“No, don’t think so.”

“Who or how did he get all of the applesauce ?”  Della looked in Maggie’s direction.  “Think we need to ask a few more questions.”   They headed back to the Johnson’s room.

“Can we ask a few more questions?”  Maggie smelled as she walked in with Della in tow.

“Do I  need a lawyer?”  Mrs Johnson was looking scared.

“No, we’re just asking questions here.  Where’s the nurse?”

“She had to get back to work.”  Mr Johnson smiled a tooth fulled grin.  “Pretty aren’t they?”

“How did you get all those apple sauce containers Mr Johnson?  Did you go around and collect them or did someone bring them to you?”

“Hannah there brought them.”

“Hannah?”  Mrs Johnson looked at him oddly.

“Yeah the nurse’s name is Hannah.”

“Since WHEN are the patients allowed to call staff by their first name?”  She stood up off the bed and pulled her hand from her husband’s.  “Don’t tell me you are bagging her too!”   Mr Johnson just opened and closed his mouth.   “Sweet Mother of God!  Is there any woman you AREN’T ?”  Della started to raise her hand and was stopped by Maggie’s arm pushing it down without her looking as to where Della was.   “That’s the LAST straw, I’m getting a divorce.”

“Now Mrs Johnson, let’s think this thru.  You’ve been married for what?”

“Seventy five years.”  Mr Johnson quipped up.

“You …remembered.”

“Oh course I do.  You were SO pretty then.  I still see it.  Just….”

“Just what?”

“Well you don’t want me to show you how much I love you, so I got satisfaction else where.  I got needs, I wanted it to be you, but you didn’t want me.”

“Well, Mr Johnson, you are a bit much for …..well you exhausted me every time.  I needed some rest,, but you were ready at the drop of a hat.”

“That’s a problem?”  Della asked.

“Not three times a day!   I never could get any work done.  What with the kids and the house.”

“THREE times a day?”

“Della.”

“Maggie….three…three times a ….okay I can feel the boring eyes.”  Della did a ‘zip the lip’ motion.

“Ya mean….if I’d let you ‘rest’ more you woulda…”

“Yes you old bat.  I love you. Only you.  I thought you didn’t want me.”

“I did as often as I could get ya.”

Maggie heard Della whimpering.  “DELLA!”    Then she sighed.  “So…you didn’t kill the ladies…Mrs Johnson, and Mr Johnson? “   He shook his head.  “Then who…”  Maggie’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Hello?  Mr Johnson.  It’s Juanita, time for your massage.  Oh Mrs Johnson. Why aren’t you asleep?  Didn’t you errrr…”   Juanita looked at the food tray.  “You ahh didn’t drink your milk.  We need to keep those bones strong.”  She looked at Maggie and Della.   “Who are you?”

“We’re talking to the Johnsons right now, the massage will have to ….wait.”  Maggie was thinking, Della could feel the wheels spinning.  “Juanita, do you deliver the meal trays?”

“Yes.”  She suddenly turned defiant.  “Why?”

“Pick them up?”

“Yes.”

“Give massages.”

“Just to Mr Johnson.”  Della’s eyebrow shot up.  Maggie was thinking the same thing as Della.

“Mr Johnson…..” the head nurse Hannah came in the room.  “Oh, you have company.  What are YOU doing here?”  She looked at Juanita.

“Massage for Mr Johnson. “ Juanita looked Hannah up and down like she was a dish rag.

“I’m blind but I can see it.”  Della cocked her head towards Maggie.

“Yeah.   So Hannah, you knock out the women why?”

“I BEG your pardon?”   Hannah was shaking slightly.  “I give them their meds.  I’m a nurse I don’t kill my patients. I’m not the ONLY nurse that hands out meds/”

“Just knock them out so they won’t be so bothersome?  Sleep most of the time?  Less work?”  Della looked towards the nurse.

“Well I…errr.  I’m not going to say another word. I didn’t kill those ladies.”

“Still doesn’t answer all the questions.”  Dalla remarked.

“Yeah, what’s with the applesauce?  Why take and give Mr Johnson all the applesauce?”  Maggie was still puzzled.

“That I didn’t do.”  Hannah stood there still trying to figure out how to get out of this mess.

“Juanita gave them to me.”  Mr Johnson piped up.  Maggie turned to him and then to Juanita.

“Well, once the old biddies were sleeping, I just took them off the tray and….he was missing his teeth.  Who would do that to this sweet man?”

“Me.  To keep him from visiting all those other women.”   Mrs Johnson was looking at Juanita with an evil eye.

“You…you were doing all those women!”  Juanita looked at Mr Johnson.  “Why you .. You…old geezer you told me I was the only…..”  She stopped.  Della whistled.

“How did you get the extra meds?”  Nurse Hannah spoke up, beginning to see she was losing her spot on the suspect list and wanted to eliminate herself all together.

“I didn’t put anything in te drinks.”  Juanita was inching her way towards the door.  She didn’t see Della had gotten up and was standing in front of it.  “I errr….really I didn’t do anything wrong!”  She started crying.

“Man this is getting…OW!”  Della’s back was hit with the room’s door opening.

“Oh, “   Nurse Ethel came in, “are we having a meeting?”  She looked at Mr Johnson, it’s time for your …..er bath.  Right a bath.”   Mr Johnson felt the handbag hitting him on the head.

“Ethel.  Hand me over your keys.”  Hannah stood there in full supervisor mode.

“Why?”  Edith began to look suspicious.

“Hand them over NOW!”    Hannah held out her hand waiting.  “Now or I’m calling the police.”   Edith handed over her keys.  “How?  How did you get a set of keys for the med cabinet.  Only supervisors have them.”

“You left them in the door one time.  So….I took them….for safe keeping.”

“And……”Maggie said to bump her along.

“Got a set made?”  Della finished the sentence.  “So you could knock out the other ladies horring in on your stud muffin over there?   Getting rid of the competition?”

“HER TOO?”  Mrs Johnson was hitting Mr Johnson over the head repeatively with her bag.  Maggie grabbed it from her and stopped it.

“Why you old son of a…. ALL of these women TOO, along with those others?”  Edith looked over at Mr Johnson, who sat there will a grin as big as Texas on his face.  Once again Della mumbled something Maggie didn’t want to know.

“I think the police need to be called and….”  Her sentence was interrupted by the on call doctor coming thru the door……this time Maggie heard Della crying.

A Quiet Night At The Lab

A Quiet Night At The Lab.

Since the writers of CSI have butchered just about ALL of the characters, their morals, their relationships, and killed the show, we might as well have the whole gamete.   So here is CSI in ‘silent film mode’.   Gil Grissom would pay money to see this one.  So set your mind to a flickering black and white mode…….

**************

It seemed the entire staff at the Lab were not talking to each other.  Some were having work related problems, other personal problems with each other.  It was going to be a quiet night at the Lab.

Cue in cheesy piano music here playing “Who Are You?”  as opening credits roll.

Gil Grissom sits at his desk at the Las Vegas Crime Lab and looks at his watch.  He sighs wondering if it’s going to be another ‘silent night’ treatment from Catherine Willows.     She usually showed  up a good half hour before the shift just to sit and chat over a cup of tea and coffee.  Not the past few weeks.  She’s still pissed at Gil for his lack of ethics and leaving her out of the loop with ‘the relationship’ between himself  and Sara Sidle.   She surely did NOT approve, after all fishing off the company pier and with one of your direct employees, was at the least STUPID.   She thought better of Gil, but was proven wrong…yet again.  She wasn’t sure if she was mad at herself for not seeing what was in front of her, or the fact that he kept it from her for so long.  He raked HER over the coals for a personal relationship that interfered with a case.   Tic for tac, she should be allowed to rub HIS nose in it.

Gil looked up just as Catherine knocked on his office door.  She didn’t say a word, so Gil didn’t either.  So typical of a man, never, never saying that they are sorry first.   He just handed her the case folders that she had to work on.  She took them and left the office.   Not a word.  Gil just sat back in his chair and rested his chin in his ‘L’ shaped fingers.   He was trying to figure out what to do.   He had little time to ponder  when Detective Jim Brass knocked on the office door and thumbed him, turned and left.   Gil just closed his eyes and got up.  He shook his head as he removed his Lab coat, picked up his keys and kit and followed Jim down the hall.   He saw Catherine in the ‘Evidence Room’ and held up his kit to let her know he was going out.  She just nodded and returned to what she was processing.

Both Jim and Gil took their own cars so there was no talking between them.   Once at the crime scene, Gil saw David Phillips, the assistant coroner, he was just rolling the body over.  There was no doubt as to what killed the man, he had little of his face and no back to his head.   David just looked up to Gil and signed off on the paperwork allowing Gil to start processing the scene.   The only sound Gil heard was Brass crackin his gum and the rookie cop throwing up in the bushes.   Gil processed all around the body and waited.  Soon he heard the sound he was waiting for….a buzz.  His buddies were on the way, he knew the flies would always come and help him out with the time line.  At least THEY were talking to him.

***********

When Gil got back to the Lab, he found a note taped to his computer, Catherine was on a run.  He sighed again, when was this going to end?    He looked up to see Sara glaring at him leaning against the doorframe.    Gil opened his mouth to speak and Sara held up her hand for him to stop before he started.  Then she shook her head and walked away.    She didn’t see Greg Sanders on the other side of the hallway.   He watched her walk away with a lost puppy dog look.  Then Greg turned to look at Grissom and squinted one eye slightly closed.  The look of ‘how could you hurt her like that’ came across to Gil, who just closed his eyes.

Nick Stokes walked into Archie Kato’s ‘Audio Lab’ handing him a video tape.  Without a word, Archie put it into the machine and hit play.  Both men watched silently as the killer shot his victim.   Archie printed out photos  of the tape, frame by frame, for the folder and handed them to Nick.  All without a word, Archie handed back the VCR tape to Nick.  Nick patted Archie on the shoulder and left the room.

Several hours passed and people got a lot of work done in the Lab.  There was not a peep to be heard.  Catherine finally came back and started to process her new evidence.  Gil tapped on the glass wall and pointed to his watch.   It was getting late and neither of them had eaten, he made a motion with his hands as if he was eating something.  She pointed to the table full of evidence.  Gil pulled one side of his face to the side and walked into the room and started to help her.  She was pleased that he was doing this and nudged him slightly with her shoulder and smiled.  He nudged her back and then went at clearing the table full of evidence.   Three hours later, almost done, Gil heard his office phone ringing and took off after it.  He was in his office for a good twenty minutes before hanging up.  He looked up and saw Catherine looking up at the same time.  He pointed to his watch and saw her puzzled look.  Then he made a motion with his hand as if he was eating.  She smiled, nodded and pointed towards  the front door.   He smiled back at her and picked up his keys.  Catherine came outside a few minutes later and hopped into Gil’s car.  She buckled her seat belt and BOTH their phones went off at the same time.  Both just closed their eyes and looked tired, then sighed.     Gil turned off the engine and opened his door as he heard Catherine doing the same.    Brass met them at the front door carrying their kits.

Once again at the crime scene both partners worked without words.   Gil would hand Catherine a bindle bag just as she would need one.   Catherine would hold a flashlight just in the spot Gil needed to see into, and need  both hands to pick up the evidence.  A well oiled machine the two of them.  No words were needed.

After returning to the Lab and processing the evidence for the new case,  it was almost time to go home.  Neither Catherine nor Gil had gotten time for a dinner break and both decided to knock off work early and use their dinner break time at the end of their shift.

Gil headed back to his office just to pick up his jacket and book.   He didn’t realize that Sara had planned a little surprise for him.   She was so pissed off that he cancelled several ‘dates’ in a row.    She wanted justice.  In her feeble brain she wanted Grissom with her twenty four seven.  She would not allow him a life without her.   Talking to ANY woman was reason for her to get pissed off.  Gil finally got to the point he just let her rant and ignored her.  He learned to turn a deaf ear, NOW he was sorry he had  the ear operation.   Granted it allowed him to keep doing his job, but the cost was also hearing Sara.  Nag, nag, nag.  The old expression, ‘treat you other half like a throughelbred and they will not turn into an old nag’, didn’t hold true with Sara.   She stated off that way.  An old, old, greasy haired nag….who hated water.

He sat down hard in his chair, just for a few seconds to lock his desk.   He stood up and walked thru the office door, turning to close it.    Catherine saw it first and gasped from across the hall.  She ran as fast as she could.  She KNEW who orchestrated this murder.  SHE KNEW.   She quietly put her hand on Gil’s arm and pushed him back into the office.  Gil looked at her puzzled.  She closed the door behind her.   Tears started to roll down her face.   Gil looked puzzled yet very concerned.  He started to speak but she shook her head no and turned him around.   He felt her doing something to the back of his pants.  His eyes shot open and he turned.   His dirty minded thoughts turned into sheer horrour when he realized what she was holding up with two fingers.

Ziggy.

A squashed Ziggy.  What was he doing on Gil’s pants squashed?  Gil realized Ziggy was on his chair when he sat down.  But WHY?   He had his own little ‘home’ in the back of Gil’s office.  Gil’s little red knuckled tarantula buddy, flat as a pancake.  Catherine gently placed him into Gil’s hand.  He walked over and pulled out his chair and saw the telltale squash stain on the seat.   His eyes closed for a moment and then opened with pure anger in them.  HE KNEW who did this.  HE KNEW.

He put Ziggy back into his little home and turned to Catherine.  Before he could even speak…she was standing there with pure hate in her eyes.  She nodded, she was in with Gil on this, no questions asked.

Sara was nowhere to be found in the Lab.   Gil and Catherine raced to her apartment.  Gil pounded on the door.  Sara opened it with a gappy smile and her ‘granny’ night gown on.  She didn’t have time to speak, Grissom grabbed her neck and started to twist and twist.  Catherine started to look, the apartment was so dirty and disheveled she decided that they didn’t need to make it look like a burglar and ransacked the place.    Gil finished his job quickly and quietly and took all of his personal items with him.  Once they closed the door and returned to the car, they both took off their rubber gloves.    Finally justice was served, for more then just Gil.  Catherine smiled, she finally was rid of Sara too.  She was sure the Conrad Eckley wouldn’t mind Sara no longer being at the Lab.  Nick and Warrick….nope.  The Lab Rats and police officers, hell they would cheer not having to deal with her.  The only person they could think of was Greg.  Then again….Ziggy was gone.  Poor Ziggy.   Gil slowly drove back to the Lab.

He sat looking into the glass cage at the flatten tarantula.  He sighed and tears rolled.  He felt Catherine coming up behind him.  She was holding something red and lacy.  He looked at it and realized she had taken her lacy bra and sewn a small shroud for Ziggy to be buried in.  She held it open as Gil placed Ziggy into it.  Then they drove to Gil’s townhouse and dug a hole in the back yard and buried him.

In the background they heard sirens blaring.  They were ready to face whatever, together silently.  But the sound faded away.  They high five’ed each other and FINALLY had dinner….at ‘Chucky Cheese’.  They couldn’t hear a word the other said.

Cue in ending credits.

William’s leaving CSI so….

Dear WILLIAM is FINALLY going to stop whipping a dead horse.  He’s leaving CSI in mid season.  it’s news to some of you but to others no.  Wheeee !! Now he can move on to bigger and better things.  There is no Gil Grissom left for CM and RAMBO  to butcher.  So it’s no big lost.   POD GIL will be gone !!  Bravo for William  pulling the plug.  Granted he will be back as “”special guest star”".  So now what could be a good reason for him to leave?  Mmm  now i’m going to think like the soap opera CM and Sara fan ass kisser RAMBO is.  Let me think  Awwww I got it.

Sara walks into Gil’s office.  “Hey.”

He looks up and is shocked.  Sara had waddled in with a stomach the size of Texas.  Sorry don’t mean to insult Texans.   “What the F…?”  Grissom is shocked and horrourfied.  “You’re …you’re….PLEASE tell me it’s not Hank’s errr mine!”

“Well now come on Grissom, who else would it be?”

“You’re right.  No one with taste would…” he waved his hands. Then the phone rings.  “Grissom.  Really, that’s great!  I mean, yes, I’ll let everyone know.  Bye and THANKS!”

“What was that?”  Sara askes as she plopped herself loudly into a chair.

“Nothing  but a gift from above.  What do you want now?  Surely not marriage.  Too late there.  That was a one shot delusional mistake.”

“Just wanted to let you know i’m going to drain you, financially this time.”

“Like you didn’t before?  Do you have any idea how much that strip mall apartment costed me to buy and then dump?”

“Grissom!”  Jim Brass yells thru the door, “Get your kit.  Oh hey …ah…ahhh.”  Jim snaps his  fingers.

“Sidle.”  Sara glares.

“Whatever.  Ready Gil.”

They leave and then Grissom comes back and grabs Sara and pulls her along.  “You are coming too.”

**********

For the next few days and nights, Grissom drags the waddleing Sara from case to case.   He takes all the cases that aare out in the boonedocks.  Finally he gets lucky.

“Natalie!”  Grissom smiles.  “I was told you broke out of the instituation.  I’m proud of you.  I KNEW  you would find a way to do that.  You are SO SMART !”

“Hey, Grissom CALL someone!  She’s dangerous!”  Sara feels the fear and gets hit with the first contraction and once again lands on her knees in front of Natalie.

“Seems we’ve been here before Saa Saa.”  Natalie smiles knowingly.  “Guess it’s time to fix the mistake i made earlier.”

“May I help you?” Gil smiles.  “But…one condition.”

(Throw in organ music here…..remember it’s a soap).

“What?”  Both women say together and then look at one another in disgust.

“Natalie, YOU must run away with me and help me raise this..this….” Grissom points to a contracting stomach.  “You are the most mental person I’ve know since Sara.  I wouldn’t know HOW to raise a kid that’s this werid.”

“SAY WHAT?”  Sara looks at Grissom and realizes she’s up shit’s chreek.  “Crap.  And I thought I screwed up your life.”

“Oh you did screw it up Sara.  And millions of other people’s lives, hopes, and dreams.  You screwed it up royally.  Now it’s payback and it’s a bitch.”  Gil turns to Naialie,  “In the nicest way of course.”  Natalie nods.

Another contraction and Natialie gets begind the whaleish Sara.  “Gods does she EVERY wash her hair?”

“Not often.”  Gil looks over getting a blanket from the SUV.  “Ready?”  Natalie nods and Sara’s wondering what’s going to happen.   Then next contraction, the pain was unbearable for Sara.  She didn’t know which end was hurting more.  But then it was all gone.

And so was Sara.

A nice snap of the neck and Sara was dead.  Gil did an emgerency C section and pulled out a screaming rugrat…errr baby.

“Shall we?”

Gil and Natalie drive off into the sunraise.  For once Gil doesn’t work overtime.

**********

Now let’s see if CM and Rambo do something like this for the kiddies, fangurls, and rugrats.

CSI season nine preview

Giggles.

Epi  one season nine.

Scene at the funeral of warrick brown.  The team sets down the coffin and seats down.  Pod gil puts his arm around Catherine’s shoulder to comfort her.  The sky darkens and people think it’s going to rain.  They look up to see Sara flying in on her broom …Sara sees gil’s arm around Catherine.   She glares and snaps her fingers.  The broom sends out a smoke stream.  She dips and dives.  People gasp …a message in the air

“”I’ll get you …bitch.”"

Everyone gasps ”who’s the bitch?”  they wonder.  Gil looks up and rolls his eyes.

“she’s bbbbbbback.”  he mumbles so the rest of the team hears.

Ecklie bops gil on the side of the head “ya shoulda had a V8 you idiot.”

Brass looks and shakes his head.   Catherine removes gil’s arm with two fingers..like it’s dirty.

****

Epi 2 Season 9

“whyne whyne whyne..”  Sara is standing in front of gil’s desk.  He’s nodding off at the droneing sound.  Outside his office the glass windows all over the building are cracking.  Ecklie is furious.

“how the hell did SHE get into the building?”  he roars.

Doc Robbins walks in and goes  “Conrad we got a problem.  One of the stiffs walked off.”

“no it’s in gil’s  office.”

“oh crap it’s saa saa?  I didn’t lose anything …phew.  Tell him to keep her away from the morgue.  The DB smell I can get used to.  The unbathed and over use of “natural body scent”  is a bit much even for this nose.”

*************

Epi 3 Season 9

“hey grissom.  Remember how I used to take the rubbers from you and “toss them” for ya?  What I didn’t toss them I froze them and guess what DADDY?”

Gil gives her the “grissom stare”  and slowly gets up and comes around to the front of his desk.  Saa saa thinks he’s coming to kiss her.  His arm reach up and wrap around her neck like a vise.

Fade to black….

Slowly clearing we see gil spreading ashes over the Las Vegas  dump.   The entire gang is standing behind him.  Catherine smiles.  “Finally, she’s where she should be.   Now  let’s get back to a decent show.  Shall we?”

A motocycle roar is heard.    Gil smiles and looks at the gang. “sorry but I need to straighten out things in my life.  I screwed up royally.  See ya.”

He puts on a helmet given to him by Heather.   They ride off.

“”"”"”"”"WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHO are you ? Who who who who?”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”"”

That’s MY story and I’m sticking to it.

It’s War Now

It’s War Now.

Nick Stokes came out of Lucky’s  Diner and headed to his car.  Earlier the entire team was one big happy family.  They proved that Warrick Brown had not murdered the mobster Lou Gedda..  They proved that he was framed, they worked together as a team like NEVER before.  They were all happy and glad to be together.   Having breakfast together for the first time in years….as a family.  It felt wonderful.

Nick headed to his car and home, he passed Warrick’s car and noticed the driver’s side window was shattered.  He had to think twice, WAS that Warrick’s car?  He left over an hour ago, he should have been home.  He stopped and looked into his rear view mirror, but couldn’t make out the license plate.  He killed the engine and decided to check it out.  The least he might have to do is report a possible vandalized vehicle.  As he walked to the car the air grew thick, he felt strange.  He came up on the driver’s side and looked at the hole…his instincts kicked in.  A bullet hole.

His breath sucked in and he broke into a slight sweat.  “Warr…NNNNOOOO!”
He saw his best friend laying in the front seat in a pool of blood.  He knew there was nothing he could do.   He fell to his knees and was screaming and crying at the same time.   He fumbled for his cell phone and hit the number one speed dial button.   He heard it ringing far away for the vomit was coming up in his throat.  He dropped the cell and let his breakfast make a speedy return.

“Grissom.”   Gil was just about ready to pull into his townhouse garage.  He repeated himself and then listened as he heard someone vomiting quite a long period of time.  He waited for a few moments before speaking again.  He heard the cell being dragged across the street.  “Hello?”

“Grrrrris?”

“Nick?  What’s wrong?”  The fatherly voice coming back.  Did Nick get food poison from the diner?  Did he and Warrick go drinking?  A few scenarios went thru his mind quickly.

“Warrick.”   Nick was breathing heavy.

“What about him?”  Panic was beginning to set in to Gil’s brain.  “Where are you?”   He started to back out of the driveway and head back to Las Vegas.

“Thhhe alley, by Lucky’s.  Warrick…..dead.”  Nick was breathing hard between statements.

“WHAT?”

“War…dead…car…bullet.”

“Nick, don’t touch anything.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Leave your cell on.”  He hung up and called Jim Brass and told him what Nick had said.  Then he made a call to Archie Kao to trace Nick’s location.   Once he got that he called dispatch and had them send a black and white, an ambulance, and Doc Robbins.

He didn’t call Catherine Willows or Greg Sanders, he didn’t want them in the middle of it.  The last call me made before hitting the Interstate was Conrad Ecklie.

**************

Gil pulled up after breaking the land speed record between Hendersen and Las Vegas.  The yellow ‘Do Not Cross’ tape was already up.   He saw Jim Brass standing near Nick who was sitting on the curb.    He ducked under and headed to the car.  Jim stopped him before he got there.

“Don’t Gil.  Don’t.”  The look on Brass’ face said it all.  “Tend to the living right now.   Did you call Catherine?”   Gil just shook his head.   “Think this is a personal visit.”   Gil just nodded.   “Seemed to have been at least one thru and thru.   Ecklie has called in the day shift.  We have to stay outta it.”   Again Gil nodded.   “Talk to Nick, he needs you.”   Gil blankly looked at Brass and walked towards Nick.

Gil sat down next to Nick on the curb.  He didn’t say a word just put his arm around Nick’s shoulder.  Nick lost it again and cried uncontrollably in Gil’s arms.  Gil felt the tears rolling down his face.   His ‘Rock’ was gone, somewhere in the back of his mind he KNEW this was going to happen.  They had been friends for some fifteen years, Warrick was in and out of trouble and Gil was always there to help him out of it.  Warrick never denied Gil any request he asked.   However Warrick did draw the line when it came to Sara Sidle.   He just tolerated her because she was a coworker.  He thought her totally wrong and bad for Grissom.  Warrick KNEW Grissom could do better then Sara, and told him that.  So when Sara left, the first person  to say anything was Warrick.  He did so as his friend and it hit home with Gil.

Doc Robbins showed up and when he saw Warrick laying in his car, a single tear rolled down his cheek.  “God no.”  Then he went about his job….a total professional.  He waited for them to finish taking the pictures and said he would accompany the body back to the morgue and start processing right away.   He looked at Nick still sobbing in Gil’s arm and then at Brass.   “Can you drive Nick home?  I’ll give him a shot, it should knock him out by the time he gets home.”

“Don’t think he’s going to want to go home.  We’ll take him back to the Lab.”  Doc nodded at Brass.  “We gotta go get Cath and Greg yet, so keep that needle handy.”  Doc just patted Brass’ arm as the officers helped to load Warrick into the morgue wagon.   Doc heard Brass sigh.

“You okay?”  Brass nodded.  “God I never thought it would come to this.”

“Yeah, well gotta be tied in with what’s been  going down.”   Brass looked at Doc and walked towards Gil and Nick.   “Hey, Doc wants to give Nick something, but I told him we’d be in your office as soon as we get Cath and Greg.”   Gil looked up and nodded, Nick’s head came up slightly.  “Come on Buddy, I’m driving.   We’ll get your car back to the station.  Let’s let these guys do their work.”

Brass got ahold of Nick’s arm and pulled him up.  Gil stood up like an old man.  Brass saw the change in him immediately.  “You’re  gonna get thru this, WE’RE gonna get thru this.  We WILL find this bastard.  It’s war now, them and us.”   Gil just nodded.   “Okay, let’s hit Greg’s first and then pick up Catherine.”

*************

Nick and Greg were in the back seat of Brass’s car consoling each other.   Gil and Brass left them there as they headed to Catherine’s front door.  “Hey, you haven’t said one word.  Are you okay?”   Brass stopped his friend before he rang the bell.

“I can’t do anything right now but deal with what’s in front of me.  Catherine and finding this son of a bitch.  The rest will come later.”   Gil spoke so coldly it gave Jim the chills thinking about it.  Gil rang the doorbell several times in rapid session.  He knew she would be asleep.  He waited and rang again, he saw the hall light coming on and then a voice.  “Catherine, Gil…open…”

Catherine pulled the door opened after releasing the chain.  “Grissom? Brass?”  She stood back and brushed her hand thru her hair.    She blinked sleepy a few times.

“Get dressed now.”  Gil’s voice was hard as he gave her an order.

“Excuse  me?”

“Get dressed NOW.”  He went inside the house.  “Jim, head back to the Lab, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”  Jim opened and closed his mouth as Gil closed the door.

“Gil what the hell…”  Catherine just looked at him.

“I told you get dressed.”

“Can I take a shower?”

“No.”

“Gil, I’m not going anywhere…..Gil who’s hurt?”   She finally was coming to realize something wasn’t right.   “WHO?”

“Get dressed, I’m driving.  Don’t ask anything else PLEASE.”

Catherine ran to the bedroom and changed as fast as she could and headed back out.  Gil had written a note for Lindsay and Lilly and left it on the kitchen table.  He just told them Cath wouldn’t be back for a while.   She came out of the hallway as Gil exited the kitchen.

“Did you leave them a note?”  He nodded.  “Are you going to…”  The look on Gil’s face told her the answer.  She wasn’t going to get anything from him until they got to the Lab.  “Let’s go.”

*****************

The Lab was deadly quiet.  Catherine was still clueless as to WHO was hurt.  Everyone was looking at them and quickly looked  away as they walked thru the hallways.   If someone tried to speak the look on Gil’s face silenced them.

“Gil, I’m REALLY not liking this.  If someone is hurt,, we should be at the hospital, not here.”

“No one’s hurt…yet.  But….”  He closed the door as they reached his office.   Doc Robbins was there and had given Nick a shot.  Greg was helping to lay him down on Gil’s sofa.  Brass covered him with an afghan.    “…give her one now Doc.”   He looked at Catherine.

“Oh hell no… where’s Warr….oh God no!”  See looked at Gil and the rest of the people in the room and did the mental list of who was missing.  “No.”   She didn’t feel the needle going in.  “Noooo, not Warrick…no.”    She did feel Gil’s arms wrapping around her and setting her into his lap as he sat on his chair.  She started to look loopy to Gil and he was holding her tight so she wouldn’t fall.   “Warrick?”  Gil just put her head on his chest and she started to cry.

The family that was so happy together a few hours ago, was now in the same room crying together.

*********

Brass walked a still sleepy Nick and Greg to his car.  He drove them home as another officer drove Nick’s car back to his apartment.    After making sure they were tucked away in bed, he returned to the Lab.  Gil had put Catherine on the sofa and wrapped her in the same afghan Nick was in.   Brass quietly came in and sat with the brooding Gil.

“You okay?  And don’t just nod.”

“Yeah.  I’m …not surprised somehow.”  He sighed,   “I’m going to find that son of a bitch who did this and kill him with my own bare heads.”  Gil spoke quietly and coldly enough it sent shivers down Brass’s spine.  Gil looked over at him with daggers in his eyes.  “I’m not going to rest until we find that mole and kill the bastard.”

“I didn’t hear that.”  Brass looked at his friend.  “But I’m gonna be right thru with ya.”

“So will I.”   A weak voice from the couch.  “God help him if I get to him first.”

Gil picked up the phone and dialed.  Brass just waited to figure out who he was calling.  “Hey, I need you to get back here now.  Warrick’s been killed.  I need you to work this.  Make it sooner.”  He hung up.   Brass raised one eyebrow, he knew.  “She’s a good CSI.”

“Yeah but they hated each other…well okay, tolerated each other.”  Brass just raised one side of his mouth in a sneer.

“She better NOT come to the funeral.  I’ll knock her block off.”  Jim turned at the voice on the couch.

“Damn truth serum mixed in with that relaxer?”  He looked at Gil who smiled ever so slightly.  “Yeah, kinda gotta agree with that.   It wouldn’t be a good thing if she shows up.  I mean, for you maybe, for everyone else…no.”   Gil just nodded.  “Crap, we’re back to the silent conversation?”   Gil raised an eyebrow.  “So how are we gonna flush this bastard out?”

“By using Sara as bait I hope.”  Once again Brass turned to the couch.

“Will you PLEASE get a nap in so you’ll be good when Grissom collapses?”  Brass put his fatherly voice on.  “I don’t need BOTH of you down at the same time.   If we’re gonna nail him, it’s gotta be as a team. OKAY?”   Brass looked at the sofa and saw Catherine’s head bobbing and then at Gil who was doing the same thing.  “Ya know, I could put you two in the back of the car window.  You can just nod as I drive.  A little bobble head Grissom and Catherine.”    That set off Catherine giggling.    “She needed that mental picture.”

******************

“What the hell is SHE doing here?”  Conrad Ecklie looked at Grissom and then Sara.  “I will NOT put up with her being here.  She quit, she’s NOT welcome here any more.”

“I need her here, she’s one of the most objective CSI we have.  She can dig into things and ruffle more feathers faster then anyone.  She’s got you rattled already.”   Grissom sort of smiled cocky at Conrad.

“Just keep her the hell out of my way.  She’s YOUR problem, not mine.  The minute she’s in the way, she’s gone.”

“Agreed.”  Gil took Sara by the arm and lead her into his office.

“So am I staying with you?”  Sara smiled slightly.

“No, I booked a hotel.  You’ll stay there.  I’m back in Hendersen.  This isn’t happening.  You will NOT attend Warrick’s funeral.  You’ll be here, working.  Got it?”

“You don’t have to be so….cold.”  Sara folded her arms across her chest.  Gil just looked up and raised one eyebrow.  “So how’s Hank?”

“A lot happier.  He’s over at Heather’s during the evenings.  He’s got a nice yard and Allison’s there.”

“Are you…that bitch.”

“She’s been there a lot for me.  I may even bring her in on this.   She called as soon as it was on the news.  She got thru my fog and got me thinking slowly and clearly again.  So deal with it.”   He opened a folder and handed her a piece of paper.  “Your salary and papers, sign them and let’s get started.”  He handed over her ID badge.

Sara scribbled her name and tossed the pen back and didn’t bother returning the paper.  “Same locker?”   She didn’t wait for an answer, but picked up her duffel bag then headed to the locker room.

Gil just sighed.   He figured he might have just signed Sara’s death warrant.   He called Heather quickly and she once again agreed that having Sara there was a good idea and yes she was a good CSI.  Gil felt better just hearing Heather’s voice.   She reminded him that she would be more then happy to help.   “Just be there, at the funeral…for me.”

David Hodges knocked on Gil’s door and didn’t wait.  “Hey I just saw…..”  He stopped at the look on Gil’s face and he turned around to see who Grissom was scouring at.  When he realized it was him,   he turned and walked out without a word.

Gil called Brass and told him Sara was back.  “Yeah, I hope this works Buddy.  You’re  skating on thin ice.”  Brass wasn’t thrilled about it but he realized Sara did dirty work once before, she’d do it again.

“Well Jim, I don’t want to see another of my guys  get into trouble.  She’s so far removed from everyone  here, she’s probably going to become the mole’s best friend.”

“Better him then me.”   Brass snickered.   “WHAT did you she in her anyway?”

“Easy lay.  Nothing else.”

“Should just brought the fancy asked car.”

“Yeah twenty hind sight is amazing isn’t it?”

***************

The funeral was one of a joyful going home type.  The boys at the club Warwick spent a lot of time at came.  The Graveyard Shift members were pallbearers.  Catherine was treated like his widow, she was given his state flag that draped his coffin.  Gil squeezed her hand tightly when the twenty one gun salute went off.  Heather was holding Gil’s other hand to give him strength. For once Sara listened and did not show up.  She figured she could do far more snooping in the Lab with fewer people there.

There was a large wake after the funeral, but the guys didn’t go.  Instead they headed over to Warrick’s apartment.   Gil had a copy of his will and Warwick had left everything to Catherine.  She was slightly taken back as she thought it would go  to Tina.  Seemed everyone else knew better.  Catherine cried for what could have been, the time they wasted.  But at least she could stand tall and proud that she didn’t betray anyone, unlike Gil.

She walked about the apartment while the rest sat in the living room talking quietly over coffee.  She picked up his pillow and smelled it.  She let the tears roll freely.  Then she heard the piano, and  returned to the living room.  Nick had found the tape still in the recorder and hit the ‘play’ button.   They listened to Warrick’s last composed piece.  A copy of it sat on the piano, the title was ‘My Catherine’.  Nick stood there and held out the paper filled with notes of love for His Catherine.  Catherine looked at it and returned to the bedroom.

“How about we all go home now?” Brass just looked at each of them, “We got work to do tonight.  I’ll stay with her until she’s ready to go home.”  Everyone quietly got up and left.  Brass poured himself a stiff drink and started to clean out the refrig.  On the way back from throwing out the trash, he picked up packing boxes he had in the car.    He started to take down the pictures from the wall and pack things.  After a few hours, a red eyed Catherine came out.

“Where’s everyone?”

“Home.  I’m just packing and …gonna drive ya home Sweetheart.”  He held out a bottle of water, which she took.  “Since we’ll need to clear this out by the end of the month…”  he pointed to the boxes he had packed.   “Figured you could go thru it at your pace at home.  Decide what you want done with the furniture, but the small stuff, pictures…take your time.  Wonder if Warwick hid stuff.”

Catherine smiled and went to the piano, lifted the lid and there was a small hidden compartment.  She slid it open and a folder fell out.  “Thanks for reminding me.”  She handed it to Brass.  “We’ll go over it together at the Lab tonight.  Right now,  we both need to go home and get ready for work.”  They packed up a few more boxes and headed to Catherine’s.   After leaving the boxes, Jim headed to his apartment to try and rest.

The folder on the table kept calling him.  He finally went thru it.  He quickly turned on his computer and scanned the papers.  He made several copies on CD.  He kept  having to lower his eyebrows after reading what was on the papers.   “Damn Rick, you were asking for it.”

****************

Everyone showed up before shift started, they wanted to get moving on this.  Greg Sanders wanted to cancel his meeting with the publishers of his Las Vegas Mob book, but Catherine and Gil wouldn’t let him.  “Do it for Warwick.”, was all Cath needed to say.  Then and there, Greg changed the dedication page.  The rest of the team started to look over the papers Catherine found.  Before they started to talk Jim turned on Gil’s tape player at a higher then normal volume.  Everyone looked puzzled at first, then it slowly dawned on them why he was doing it.  The mole just might have a bug planted.  Gil did a quick scan as did the rest of them, but didn’t find anything.  Better safe then sorry, they kept the music going.  Everyone’s eyes started bugging out the more they went thru the papers.  The PI Warwick hired had found a lot of information, it was a small wonder he was killed.  Catherine scribbled a note saying that these papers were NOT the originals.  Where were they?  Jim wrote back he put them in his lawyer’s office for safe keeping, also he made a CD copy of them, which went to Grissom’s lawyer.  Gil’s one eyebrow went up.  Jim just smiled.  Gil burned the papers they wrote on and then flushed them down the toilet.

Sara knocked on the door and Nick let her in.  She just nodded to everyone in the room.  They were waiting for her to inform them of any findings.  She quietly spoke directly to Grissom and no one else.  She didn’t see anything from any of the officers nor in Ecklie’s office that was unusual.  She left out mentioning she had visited the Undersheriff Jeff McKeen’s office.   She was able to get into his personal computer files.  Sara had learned enough form Archie to cover and erase her tracks.    Since they were not to be working this case, they had normal cases to work on.  Gil assigned them as well as redistributing Warrick’s case load.  He would have to hire a new CAI.  He really wasn’t looking forward to going thru countless interviews, Catherine was going to help, but still, the final decision was his.  No one could fill Warrick’s shoes.

Sara headed out on her own time to track down some people she found in McKeen’s computer.   She even tapped into his voice mail.  She followed him several days and started to pull together information.  The missing police officer, Daniel Pritchard, was one of the people McKeen saw after hours.  They didn’t see Sara and her camera.  She kept everything to herself, she didn’t want anyone in on this bust.  This was going to be her proof that she was the best CSI.   She wanted to show them all up, including Grissom.

Grissom asked over and over what she had found and she would answer the same,  “Nothing worth mentioning.”  But Gil knew better.  He warned her several times that she needed to talk to him so he could keep an eye on her and watch her back.  She brushed him off unlike her dandruff.  Gil would just shake his head and walk away.

After two weeks Sara decided to make her move.  She wanted to talk to the Undersheriff.   She used the pretense of Warrick’s case to set up an appointment.   She asked him to meet her at Lucky’s.    She sat there waiting for him in a booth, a small pile of photos and papers setting next to her.  She spotted him as he hit the door and motioned for him to come over.   She noticed him nodding ever so slightly to a waitress.

“Sara, have you found anything out?”  He didn’t even bother with formalities.  “Have you told Grissom of your findings?”

“What makes you think I found anything?”  She tried to smile but was unconvincing.

“You’re a lousy liar Sidle.  What’s up?  I don’t want anyone to see me here.  People think I have better class. And I do.”

“Okay, I’ve been working on Warrick’s murder as you know and came across interesting ….information.  I’m hoping you can explain some things to me.”  She pulled out pictures of McKeen and Pritchard talking.  “He’s been MIA since Warrick’s death.  He’s the prime suspect too.”   McKeen flipped thru the pictures and handed them back.  “Also, the gun that killed Warwick was from the stolen property department.”  She pulled out the log book photocopy, “Seems you signed out the gun under an assumed name.”   She handed that photocopy over.

“That’s NOT my name.”  He chuckled, “You’re slipping Sidle.”

“That’s your signature.  You’re left handed and have a distinctive handwriting.  I checked with the handwriting analyst and he said it’s one and the same.  Why did you kill Warwick?   Not that I blame you.   He was a thorn in my side.”

McKeen looked at Sara without emotion.   “I didn’t kill him.”

“Yes you did.  If you didn’t do it yourself, you ordered  Pritchard    to do it.  I don’t think it’s going to take too long before he’s found by Brass.  He’s going to give you up like a greased pig.   Unless you can figure a way to hide all this evidence….which by the way, is backed up and labeled if something happens to me.”  She tried to smile again.

“Please, my stomach can’t handle much of your face, let alone hearing that damnable whistle.”   He sat back in the booth.  “So what do you want?”

“Ecklie’s job.  My own condo and I think one and a half should do it.”

“You are kidding right?  I could have you knocked off in a nano second.”

“Yeah, and all of this will hit the papers and Grissom’s office the minute you do.”

“I’ll get back to you.”   With that he got up and walked out.   Sara sat back and smiled.  She would be Grissom’s boss.  Finally.

***************

Archie called Gil on his cell asking him to come to his Lab.  Gil was walking in with Brass as Archie looked up.   “Great, both of you are here.”  He turned back to the computer and started to type.  “I finally broke into Sara’s computer and phone line.  She’s got a lot of stuff in here and it’s all pointing toward  Pritchard and the Undersheriff …”

“That bastard.”  Jim just looked at the screen and saw  the Undersheriff’s picture with the missing officer.  He reconized the background, so he knew which motel he was hiding in.

“Hold on Jim, we’re gonna need proof.”  Gil looked down as Archie scrolled thru several pictures and e mails.   “Where did she get all this?  She told me she had nothing, not that I believed her.”

“I guess she was a better student then I thought, or I’m a better teacher.”  Archie gave Gil an odd look.  “Yeah I taught her how to hack.  Sorry.”

“Long as it wasn’t on company time and not with our equipment.”   Grissom just look at him.  “Remind me to change my passwords.”

“Yeah, right, sure.”  Archie turned quickly and burned everything on a CD and handed it to Gil.

“Make three more copies, then make sure your tracks are covered.”  Gil looked at Jim.  “Think we need to make several appointments and talk to the DA.”   Archie handed Gil the CD’s. “Thanks Archie.”

Gil and Brass headed out the door and into Catherine. “We’ll be back in a few hours.  Cover for us.”   Catherine’s mouth opened to say something but they were gone.   Gil was on the phone already.  Brass called the DA, Gil the Commissioner, and the Mayor.   Both called their lawyers home phones and told them to hit their offices.   In this town all the lawyers were on call twenty four seven.   Their first stops were to the lawyers offices, they promptly placed the CD’s into fireproof vaults.   Then they headed to the Mayor’s house, as they pulled up they saw the Commissioner’s car already there.  The DA pulled in behind them.

The front door opened without them knocking.  Both Jim and Gil took deep breaths.

*************

“You better be damned sure of this…getting me out of bed at this time of night.”  Both the Commissioner and the Mayor were not happy.

“Where’s your computer?”  Gil asked quietly.   The Mayor led them to his study.   Gil sat down and turned on the computer and waited.   “I think you all will find this interesting and informative.”   He popped in the CD and started to show them pictures of McKeen and Pritchard.  McKeen and several other known Mob leaders,   the paperwork Sara found.  Her cell phone records AND the Undersheriff’s cell phone records.

“My God, I appointed him.   Does the Sheriff know about this?”  The Mayor was sweating.

“No,  our next stop,  a Judge for an arrest order.  We have got to find Pritchard before any of this goes down.  And Sara.  I think she’s in danger now.  She swore she had nothing.”  Gil was talked thru gritted teeth.

“Get going.”  The Commissioner Robert Carvelli just looked at them.  “Now!   Get this done before anyone else get’s killed.”

“We need to know who else is in on this.”  Brass looked at them.  “Give us a few hours to get things together.   We’ll do this is one sloop.”

“Just do it.  We’ve got damage control to talk about.”  The Mayor nodded at the Commissioner.

*************

“Don’t call Sara until the last.  We don’t want her running or telling McKeen we’re on to him.  I thought he was really tolerant of her.  You didn’t know did you?”

“Hell no, it never came up.  I knew she had a brother but…..I would have never suspected Jeff.  Their last names….”

“People change them for a lot of reasons.”  Brass chewed on some gum and cracked it.  “Wonder if she’s giving him the benefit of a doubt or milking his ass.”

“Well I don’t think he would kill his own sister, but Pritchart,to save his own ass. He would kill his Mother.”

“A dirty cop is a dirty cop.  He’ll do anything to save his own ass.”   Jim drove swiftly thru the streets towards the Lab.  “When ya gonna let the rest in on this.   We all wanta be there to bring them down.”

“Catherine as soon as we get back to the station.   Nick and Greg, best they stay out of this as long as possible.  I don’t want them in trouble if this backfires.  Their careers….too fresh.  Handpick with officers that are going with you.”

“I think we need a same time hit on a couplea places.”   Gil nodded at Brass.  “Gonna take a few hours to set up.”

“Just do it Brass.”   Gil let out some air he was holding.  “Finally, Warwick will be able to rest in peace.”

“And maybe the rest of us.”

***************

Gil saw the fury in Catherine’s eyes.  He held on to her shoulders and spoke softly.  “Honey, hold it together.  Don’t blow this, Jim’s getting things ready to take them down.  We need to act like it’s nothing different.”   She nodded slowly.  “Don’t shoot him.”  Catherine just glared at him.  “Yeah, I want to do the same thing.”   He let go of her.

“Did you know he and Sara were related?”  Gil shook his head.  “Bitch.  I laid odds she planned this whole thing.  What the hell does she want?  She HAD you and then left?  What it wasn’t good enough she destroyed your credibility, you honour?”

“Dig the nails in deeper, I’ve been waiting for it.”  Gil looked at her and adjusted the sound on the radio a tad higher.  “Get it out now so that when this goes down you’re calm.”

“I’m fine.  Somehow I think you kicked yourself enough for the both of us.”   Gil nodded slowly.   “But at least you came to your senses and are seeing Heather.  It’s mind blowing she’ll have you.”   The door was rapped on, Catherine unlocked it and let Brass in.  “Well?”

“Mmm, Griss is still alive?  Sweetheart you’re slipping.”  He clipped Cath’s chin.  “Everything is set up.  I’ve got black and whites outside Pritchard’s motel room, McKeen’s house is being watched, got a few watching the bad guys.  So where’s Sara?  She’s not answering her cell and she’s not at the hotel.”

Gil looked up.  “She should be, it’s her off time.”

“Got an APB out on her car, find and watch with no approach.”  Gil nodded at Jim’s statement.  “But she’s not where she should be.  Ya don’t think….”

“Knowing Sara…I wouldn’t doubt it.”  Catherine just looked at Jim.  “She’s gonna get herself killed,”  She turned to Gil, “and you SURE as hell better NOT blame yourself for her stupidity.  You got enough of your own.”  She stood up to leave.  “How the HELL could you NOT know McKeen was her brother?”

“You thought I was secretive?   Getting something out of Sara was like pulling teeth.”  Gil picked up his keys, “Let’s get this over with.”

Meanwhile in another part of town, Sara was meeting McKeen in a dark bar.   He called her and suggested they meet for a drink.   He knew Sara couldn’t and would turn down free booze.

“Okay Sidle…”  McKeen once again didn’t bother with formalities.

“Are you ever going to say something nice?  I AM your sister you know.”  She sat down in the booth with a thud.

“Mother is spending her ENTIRE life in jail for you.  YOU killed your father.  YOU stabbed him to death, she just washed you off and then smeared the blood over herself.  Things would be different if my father hadn’t died and she remarry so quickly.   Things were great, until YOU came along.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t ask to be born.  Dad was being mean to me and….”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass.  Mother is in jail and until you come clean, she’s gonna rot in there.”

“She did it willingly.”  Sara pouted like a spoiled child.  “Well, what did you decide?  Are you giving me what I want?  Or do I go to the press?”

“You’ll get what’s coming to you don’t worry.”  McKeen held out a cashier’s check for one and a half million.  “Here’s a deed for the condo.   I haven’t told Ecklie YET so be nice until I do.”

“Glad you came to your senses.”    Sara took the papers and looked them over.  “So I guess you will want the photos and things?”

“Fuck yes AND the copies.   I’ll walk you to them.”   He stood up and waited for her to down the drink.

“I needed that. Thanks.”  She got up,   “I’m driving.”

“We’re going in separate cars.  I can’t be seen with you.”    He headed to his car.

“That’s not your car.”  Sara looked at him strangely.

“It’s a rental, took mine to the shop this morning.”   McKeen was a good liar.  Right now his life depended on it.  “Let’s go.”   He followed Sara in her car to her lawyer’s office.

“He’s not here.  Where the hell is he?”

“I can get in with no problem, I got a key.”  Sara smiled.

“You got a key to the lawyer’s office?  Either he’s an idiot or he trusts you way too much.”

“SHE’S a friend from way back.  It took me a while to bring her over to my side but I did.  That’s why I want the condo.”  She smiled that gappy grin.  “I finally found someone that makes me happy.  She moved back here from San Francisco a couple of weeks ago.”

Sara let them into the office and the got the envelope from the safe.  Sara turned and closed the safe and felt a sharp pain in her back.  Her knees buckled and she slid to the floor.  She could feel herself floating but was aware of her surroundings.  She felt herself being picked up and placed into the chair behind the desk.

“God you are a stupid bitch.  Do you seriously think you would get away with this?”   McKeen looked at his half sister with disgust.   “You should bleed to death before the office opens.  As you can tell, you can’t move can you?”  Sara’s eyes widen.  “Had a hell of a time aiming just right in the skinny assed body of yours.  Had to get the spinal cord just right.  So you can slowly die.  I’ve been waiting for this for years.   I can tell Mother now, she can tell the truth and get her a new trial and her freedom.    Oh don’t worry, Pritchard is being taken care of too.  Not by me but one of my ‘friends’.  This town was built on Mob money.  If you’re not on the right side…well as you now see, you’re dead.”   Sara was beginning to have trouble breathing.   Her eyes were getting wider and wider.  “See ya Sis.  It’s been a bitch knowing you.”

McKeen cleaned up all traces of him being there before he left.  He saw Sara breathe more swallow and knew it was just a matter of time.   He smiled as he closed the door and locked it using Sara’s key.

He headed out the door and got into his rental car and headed back to his house.   About a block away he saw the unmarked car of a detective and black and whites.   He made a turn and headed in the opposite direction.   He went to several of his Mob friends and found the black and whites waiting.    He began to realize the team had figured things out.

“That son of a bitch Grissom.  I should have killed him along with Brown.”  He pulled over and was trying to figure out what to do.  He took the fake check and deed and ripped it to shreds and threw them into a trash can as he drove thru a fast food parking lot.   “Gotta think….where to go.”      His cell rang and he flipped it open.   “Grissom.”

“You might as well give it up.  We have all the information Sara had.  Where is she?”

“Some place you will never find her.  You bastard, I’ve covered my tracks for years.  You and your damned team are too good for their own good.   You KNOW you are going to die if I do.  My friends will protect me.   The Mob is too much a part of this town.”

“We will  take as many down as we can before we go, starting with you.   Where is she?”

“What do you want Grissom?   Ecklie’s job?  Money?  What?  Everyone has a price.”

“And what was yours?   Power?  That corrupts.   She’s your SISTER for God’s sake.”

“Half sister, she killed her father, NOT my Mother.   Mother cleaned her up and took the blame for it.  She’s been in prison for over twenty years for that bitch.   Payback.  Pure and simple, payback.”

“Then we can get her a new trial, but without Sara’s confession, it’s going to be hard to prove.”

“Too late.”

“You killed her?”

“Not yet, but she’s slowly dying.”  He let out a evil laugh.    He could tell Grissom was feeling pain right then.  “You pathetic wimp.  You didn’t know how she was using you to destroy you.   She wanted Ecklie’s job so she could systemically destroy you.   You’re a sad excuse for a man.  Women are good for one thing.”

“Where is she?”

“Goodbye Grissom.”   MeKeen hung up, he had more things to deal with like getting out of Las Vegas.   He decided to drive out.   He knew the airport would probably be watched.  They didn’t know he had a rental.   His car was safely sitting in his driveway.

“Son of a bitch.”   Catherine looked over at Gil as he spoke.  “He’s done something to her, said that by the time we find her it will be too late.   Did Archie get a trace on the cell?”

“Yeah and he’s probably tossed it by now.”   Catherine was thinking.  “You know this is NOT your fault.  Sara didn’t let us in on any information.  She did this to HERSELF.”   Gil nodded.   “No voice.  Tell me you realize this and it’s NOT going to…”

“YES !   I know Sara did this to herself.  The dumbass should have shared what she knew.  We could have taken all this down together and safely.  But no, she had to be the BIG CSI.  Damn it.”   He hammered the steering wheel.  “We don’t even know what kind of a rental he has, much less WHERE they went.  Damn it. Should have realized his car sitting outside of the garage was unusual.”

“Well the rest of this might as well go down now.”  Catherine phoned Brass and told him to start.   McKeen would have to be dealt with when they found him.

A large group of arrests were made at he same time.  Black and whites and unmarked scooped down on Mobsters and Priticard at the same time.   They were in shock and screaming for their lawyers.   They were swearing death threats at McKeen right and left.  He PROMISED them safety.   His ass was dead meat.

Brass met Gil and Catherine back at the Lab.   Nick and Greg had come in for shift.   They were not pleased that they were left out.  Catherine explained that the three of them didn’t want their careers in ruins should this go bad.

“Where’s Sara?”  Greg looked pained.

“We don’t know.  McKeen said he’s taken care of her and she’ll be dead by the time we figure it out.”   Catherine rubbed Greg’s shoulder.  “I know Sweetie, I know.   She coulda had a great guy like you.  But YOU deserve  MUCH better then that dog.”   Nick just put his arm around Greg’s shoulder and led him to the sofa let he did when Nick needed it.  Cath turned back to the other two men.   “So where could she be?  And where would McKeen head for?  No safe place in Vegas.  Think he’s heading out?”

Brass flipped his phone open and called Dispatch and had road blocks set up ASAP  on all roads leading out of Vegas.   He called the State Police Commander and had them working with them.   “He’s not gonna get far.”

“I think I know where he’s going.”   Everyone looked up at Archie Kato coming in the office.  “I found a bank account.  He really covered his tracks.  It’s in Michigan.  Money’s been going there for years.  Some small town….believe it or not McKeenville, it’s outside of Detroit.  He’s probably got connections there too.”

“Good job Archie.  Did you track Sara’s phone?”

“She’s got it off.  I’ll need to turn it on.  Thought it best to try and find McKeen first.”  Archie headed out the door.  “Think he’s off’ed her already?”   Gil just nodded.  “Damn, I wanted to know how she learned so fast.”  He shook his head and looked at Greg.  “Sorry Dude.”

Brass’s cell rang.   “Yeah?  Great we’re on the way.”   He flipped the phone closed.   He’s filling up at a gas station heading north.  Some grease monkey there listens to the scanner.  Heard the APB and knew McKeen.   He called it in.  He’s got a forty five minute head start.”

“Then we’ll use the helicopter and pick up a state car from there.”  Brass and Catherine looked at Gil.  “Let’s go.”   Gil had made a quick call to the Commissioner, who had agreed.  He wanted McKeen too, just for making him look like a fool.

The three of them headed to the helicopter pad, the pilot was getting it ready.
“Hurry up!”  Grissom helped Catherine in and waited for Brass to get in, before he jumped into the front seat.   “Take off NOW!”   The young man blinked and did what he was told.  He got a direct call from The Commissioner, he wasn’t going to ask any questions.

**********************

They reached the gas station within seven minutes of leaving Las Vegas.  They set down and the State Police officer piled them into his car and took off.   McKeen was driving as normal as possible so that he wouldn’t raise a red flag.  Little did he know that he was already found out.   He could have smacked himself for not remembering the police scanner in his car.   There was nothing on the radio, so he thought he was reasonably safe.   Who the hell would think of looking near Detroit?   He was set for life there.  Besides, there were enough Mob connections to help him fade away there.    The sun was beginning to rise when they spotted the car.   The officer stepped on it and flew past the rental car.   Catherine and Brass had ducked down as to not be seen.  McKeen looked as it flew past him.  For a second he broke into a sweat and then breathed a sigh of release when it kept going.

He came around a curve in the road and saw the State Police car turned sideways.  He stopped in the middle of the road.  He looked in the mirror and saw two more parked behind him.  There was no where for him to go.    He wasn’t going to give up without a fight.    Grissom got out of the car and stood in front of it.  Then McKeen thought he was going to take Grissom down with him if it was the last thing he would ever do.   Gods how he hated that man.   A total thorn in his side for years.   The lengths he had to go thru covering tracks to keep Gil and his damned team from finding out the truth in numerous cases.   Why did he have to be so damn ethical.   Well at least up until the last three years.  He chuckled how Sara managed to take Grissom down to a scum level after their affair was public.  Something he tried to do but failed.  All this time and all he had to do was have a pussy.

He raced the engine and headed straight for Gil who stood there without his gun drawn.  He didn’t see Brass or Catherine standing to the side of the road with the State Police officer.  McKeen got within fifty feet of Gil before Gil drew his gun and fired off every chamber,  then jumped out of the way.  McKeen’s car plowed into the cruiser and burst into flames.   Catherine and Jim came running towards Gil.

“Are you alright?”  Catherine was breathing hard.

“Yeah, I think I got him.”

“I emptied mine.”  Catherine nodded at Brass’ statement.  “You too?  Wonder which one of us gets the ‘Cracker Jack’ prize?”    The officer looked at his burning car.  “Sorry Buddy, promise you’ll get a new one.”   He felt Catherine’s arm go around his waist.   He just patted her hand.  Catherine’s head rested on Gil’s arm.   He was rubbing her head.

**********

The copter flew them back to Vegas after the coroner wagon picked up the body of the once powerful Undersheriff.  No one wanted to ride back with him.   There really wasn’t much to bring back.   It took a while to get a water truck out to the site.  Both cars were quite burnt by the time the flames were out.  McKeen’s body was looking like an overcooked hind quarter.

Gil hit his office to start on paperwork and see if anything else had happened in finding Sara.  Jim came thru the door.  The look on his face told him, Sara had been found.  “Can’t work this either.”  Gil just nodded slowly and returned to filling out the paperwork.  Catherine showed up behind Brass.  “The lawyer’s assitant found Sara sitting in the chair.  She reconized her and called her boss.  Seems they had been lovers for a couple of years.”  Gil showed no emotions when he heard that.   Catherine just sucked in air.

“I’ll take Greg home, Nick can help me.   We’ll get Doc to give him one of those shots.”  She patted Brass’ arm.

****************

The three of them met in Gil office again after Sara was brought into the morgue.  Doc Robbins had started on McKeen’s autopsy.   He found twenty four bullets in a variety of places throughout the body.  Each one of them were given to Bobby Dawson in Ballistics to check against their guns.  Doc couldn’t tell each bullet was the fatal one.

“Ya know, I think it’s time for me to retire.”  Brass sat back and sighed.  “It’s getting a bit too much for me.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing Jim.  Warrick’s pension and insurance policy….well it will keep me for a bit.  If I invest it right, I can do ok.   I could consult once in a while or go in private practice.”

“Or teach.”   Gil looked at them.  “It’s safer and hours are better.”   They all nodded in agreement.   Gil pulled open his file cabinet drawer and pulled out three retirement forms.  “We all got the time in for pensions.”   He sat down and handed the papers to Cath and Jim.   “The college has been asking for me to teach classes for years.   Cath, you and Jim could come in as guest lecturers.   We’ve taught everyone here all we can.”

“But there’s a crop of new ones out there that don’t know much.”  Catherine looked at them.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”  Jim filled his paper out.  “We stay together, as a family.”

“We ARE a family Jim.”  Gil looked at him.

“And we need to go pay someone a visit.”   Catherine looked up at the men.   They dropped the paperwork off at The Commissioner’s office on their way out the door.

**********

“His favorite.”  Gil smiled as Catherine arranged the white roses in the vase.

“Like the strawberry coloured ones thrown in there.”   Brass chuckled.  “They are you?”  Catherine nodded.  “Yeah strawberry and creame….too bad there’s no chocolate syrup coloured ones.”   Catherine playfully punched Brass’s arm.  “Ahh Sweetheart, you know he loved you.”

“Yeah.”

The three of them stood there looking at the flowers for a few minutes.

“So want to get breakfast?   It’s back to the three of us.”   Gil looked at his friends.

“We’ve come full circle haven’t we.  Twenty years ago we started doing this.  We’re right back to it.”  Catherine smiled.

“But not at Lucky’s.”   Brass quietly said.  “I can’t go back there again.  Just not the same.”

“No, we’ll find a new place.  We’re starting a new chapter in our lives.”  Gil put his arm around Catherine.  “Mind if I call Heather?”  Both smiled.

“There was a time before Warwick and a time after Warwick.  Weren’t we lucky to have been in the middle when he was here?”  Catherine smiled sadly.   “Rest easy my sweet friend.”

“Yeah Rick. Be seeing ya…but not too soon I hope.”   Brass smiled.

They walked off together to start their new lives, ever changed by knowing one Warwick Brown.

Did Ya Get Wet?

Another Maggie & Della piece.
“Come on Dell, it’s the LEAST you can do.”  Dan  was trying to get Della to off her duff and help him wash Alex and Maggie’s cars.

“Why? I don’t drive and I don’t care what the car looks like…I can’t see it!”

“Makes no difference, Maggie takes you everywhere just about. There’s just about enough pollen on that car to make anyone squeeze their heads off.  Let’s go.”   Dan found Della and was dragging her off the couch.  Alex and Maggie were fixing dinner in the kitchen.  “Hey you two, we will be back soon.”   He pulled Della out the front door with the aid of Samson.

“So smartie, where’s the soap and bucket? “ Della stood with her hands on her hips at the bottom of the steps.  “Like me, you don’t see them. DUH.”

“Well Missy, I heard Alex saying he’d wash the cars after dinner and he set the bucket down so it’s here somewhere.  Start feeling with your feet till ya hit something.” Dan suddenly started as Della walked behind him.  “OUCH!”

“I hit something.” Della smiled, all teeth.

“Snartass.”

“Well you didn’t say WHAT I should hit.  Right Samson?”

“Woof.”

“Traitor.”  Dan looked downward at his dog.  He didn’t see the dog rolling its eyes.  But he did hear the kicking of a bucket.  “Find it?”

“Ow, son of a ….yeah.  Sponges in there and, uh, here’s a plastic bottle with a top pop lid.  Guess it’s soap.  Smells like it.”  Della put far too much in the bucket.  “Where’s the hose?  Gotta be close to the house.  Don’t think they would let them use the fire hydrant…could blast the car into the next block.”  Della chuckled at herself.

“You are a sick puppy you know that?”   Dan didn’t see Della holding the hose out so she wouldn’t get sprayed.  She turned it on. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Whoops. Samson are you okay?’

The dog spit out water from his mouth… GGGGWWWooof.”

“What about ME?”  Dan was dripping.

“Ahh you’ll live.  Think the bucket’s full.  Now find the car.”  Della walked out with her hand in front of her.  Neither one of them brought their cane for the short trip outside.  She ran into Dan and spilled soap on him.   “Oops.”

“You are SERIOUSLY trying to kill me.  Samson!”    Dan heard a ‘woof’ from a slight distance.  “TRAITOR !!”  He turned towards the sound of cars going up the street.  “This way.”

“Oh now that’s like the scarecrow in the ‘Wizard of Oz’….that way.”  Della pointed her arms in both directions at the same time.  “Not like you are gotta see me doing that or this.”

“Watch that finger girl!”

“Damn.”

“I can tell when a woman’s giving me an opinion finger.”

“Damn.”  Della made her way over to the car…at least the car she found.  “I’ll do this half if you do the other half.  That way we won’t kill one another.”

“Sounds good. “   Dan took a sponge and started on Maggie’s car.  Della was up way too far and was unknowingly washing someone else’s car.   There wasn’t too much conversation while they worked.  Samson, on the other hand, was looking back and forth between the two wondering which of them was more in need of his help or if he should just let them figure it out.  In truth the dog was laughing inside.

“Ready for the hose?”  Dan shouted as he picked it up.

“Fire away.”   Della stood back too far and heard a car honk and jumped back inwards.  “Too far.  I said FIRE!”

“I AM hosing off the car.”

“Really?  Then how come I can’t feel any spray?”

“Where the heck are you?”

“Boston.  You?”

“Arlington.”

“Smartass, where on the street?  And don’t say in-between two cars!”

“Samuel Street.”  Dan smiled knowing it would piss Della off.

“Where’s that damned hose?”   They heard a ‘woof’.  Both of them turned toward Samson and at the same time….

“Be quiet.”

“Okay I think it’s rinsed off enough.”    Dan turned the sprayer off.

“What? I can still feel soap!”  Della was roaring.

“What car are you washing?”

“One with four wheels.  A mirror I keep hitting.  Ahhh one door….wait Maggie has a four door.” Della stood up suddenly. “Shit -  I’m washing somebody else’s car! Damn it.”

“Well maybe they’ll pay you something.  Best hose it off.  Then get BACK this way and do the FRONT of Maggie’s car.  I’ll start on the front of Alex’s car.   Think you can handle that?”

In a tiny voice Della retorted, “Think you can handle that…”

“I heard that.”

“Woof!”

“Oh shut up.”  Della glared in what she thought was Samson’s direction but she was facing the road again.   She grabbed the soapy sponge and started to walk.  She ended up on the other side of the narrow street.  She started washing Maggie’s neighour’s car.  She had the front half done and was looking for the bucket.  “Now where is that damn bucket?”

“Dell?”

“Dan?”

“Why is your voice coming from the OTHER side of the street?”

“Oh shit.”

“BE CAREFUL !!  Listen to see if another car is coming.  Follow my voice.”  Dan kept talking to give Della some direction.  She was walking arms out and sponge in hand.    “Keep coming, keep …..glub glub….”   Dan started spitting out soap and sponge.

“Oops.  Well I DID find you.  Ha ha ha.”   Dan had the hose in his hands.    “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”  Della screamed as the cold water hit her.

Samson looked up to Maggie and Alex standing in the doorway watching the entire thing happening.  So were the rest of the neighours.

“Think it’s time to move.”  Alex looked down at Maggie.

Maggie looked over at Dan, then back at Alex. She nodded. “I’ll start right after dinner.”

“Then again….let’s see how Della does with waxing the car.”  Alex had a smirk on his face.   “She’s got the low cut cotton tee shirt on and no bra again.”

Maggie looked at the dripping Della.  “DELLA !!!”

Della raised her hands. “Well, it’s comfortable!”

Alex shook his head. “I hereby declare Della Peterson winner of the wet T-shirt contest. Dan, old buddy, those pectorals don’t even come close.”

The neighbors clapped and each one, in turn, thanked Della for washing their
car….and the show.

The End Is In Sight

The End Is In Sight.

“Hey Mr Brown!” The fourteen year old shouted at Warrick Brown on the basketball court at the Lower West Side Boys Center. Warrick volunteered there a lot. He grew up in the neigbourhood and always came home to it to help out. He thought today would be no different.

He thought wrong.

Before he could see or say a thing a blinding white light hit him. After that there was nothing. The kid that shot him didn’t move. The others on the court ran in many directions, some actually called 911 for help, those were the kids Warrick was helping the most. This kid, Keja Jones, was acting strange, as if he didn’t care what was going to happen to him. He just sat on the ground and waited.

The police showed up and called the paramedics but realized soon that the coroner would be needed more. They also called Jim Brass.

****************

Jim Brass felt all of his years as a police detective. He saw death so many times it did not faze him….but this one did. He tried not to let it get to him on the way over to Gil Grissom’s townhouse in Hendersen, but he was failing. His eyes brimmed with tears and once in a while one rolled unchecked down his cheeks. He pulled into the driveway and sat there for a few minutes gathering his strength. He knew he had to get moving or someone would call Gil and he did NOT want the guys on graveyard to be told by anyone but him. This was personal.

Gil was just about to head up to take a shower and bed. He put in a long shift and just got back with Hank from a mind clearing walk. The doorbell rang and he made a face at the door. He knew he wouldn’t get sleep wondering WHO it was. Hank just looked at him. “No bark? Must be someone you know.” He opened the door. “Jim !”

There was dead silence.

“Jim? What are you doing here? I…mean, of course you are welcome but you didn’t call…..Jim?” Gil could see the lost look on Brass’ face. “Come in. What’s wrong?” He held the screen door open. Jim walked thru the door almost like a robot. “Jim…WHAT’S WRONG?”

“Ahhh there’s no easy way to say this but….”

“Jim?”

“I didn’t want you to find out over the phone….you are the first one. I think it would be better if we ahhh….”

“Spit it Jim.”

“Warrick.”

“What about him? He had off last night. He was going to work with the kids.”

“Yeah. He did and ahhh….”

“Jim.”

“Yeah, one of them had a gun.” Jim was choking on the words now. “I came here to get….”

“How bad is he?”

“He’s ….gone.” There was dead silence in the room. Jim saw Gil go pale. “Yeah I had the same reaction. Stomach taking the fast route to you feet and back.”

“Where…is he?”

“Still at the place. I thought we should get Catherine and….”

“Gods Cath. I don’t want her to see him like that. What about Nick? Greg?”

“I haven’t called them yet. I wanted to get you first and head over there. Ecklie said you guys can NOT work this case.”

“Why not?”

“Too close and…well….he thinks a sleazy ass lawyer might get the fucking asshole off on a techno. For the first time in my life, I just wanna shoot the bastard. He’s FOURTEEN!”

“Is he in custody?” Brass nodded. “Then there are witnesses?” Again Brass nodded. “Then there’s really not much to do is there but collect the evidence, process it and hand it over.” Gil ran his fingers thru his hair. “I’ll drop Hank off and ahhh Catherine.”

“Maybe we should see her together.”

“Yeah, I think that might be good. I don’t want her seeing Warrick like that. She’s been on a tight string lately. I’ll be right down. If you need a drink…you know where it is.”

“No…thanks. I ..ah.. No.”

Gil ran up the stairs and changed his clothes quickly and washed his face. Downstairs Hank sat next to Jim with his head on Jim’s knee as he stroked it over and over. “Thanks Buddy, I need that.”

**************

Gil and Brass drove to the Lower West Side Boys Center and stood behind the yellow tape. It felt strange being on the other side of the ‘Do Not Cross’ tape. Gil saw the new day shift supervisor and nodded. He came over to them.

“Sorry I can’t let you under. You understand.” Brett Johnson looked at Gil and Jim. Both just nodded. “Has your whole team been notified?” Gil shook his head. “I would tell them before it hits the noon news. We’ll be here a while longer and….”

“Can I see him?” Gil just looked past him.

“Don’t think it would be a good idea. Really.” Gil just looked at him. “Just don’t get in the way.” Both Jim and Gil ducked under the tape, and followed Brett. Gil heard air being sucked in when Brass saw Warrick laying there. David Phillips, the assistant coroner was just finishing up and he was trying hard not to let the tears roll. He looked up at both men and then quickly finished up. “We’ll bring him back shortly.” David nodded and left quickly. This was one field job he never wanted to do. “From the looks of it, he died right away. I don’t think he suffered.”

“No.” Gil just looked at the lifeless body in front of him. He whispered ‘Catherine’, then turned. Jim had to trot to catch up to him.

“How are you going to tell Cath?”

“There’s no easy way. But I will NOT let her see him that way. She’ll never get it out of her mind.” Jim followed Gil to Catherine’s house in his car. They both felt like it was the longest drive of their lives.

*****************

Gil saw Catherine pulling out of the garage and sped up. She almost ran into his car while backing up. She threw the car into park and got out. “Grissom ! Didn’t you see…..Gil… what’s wrong? GIL!”

“Get back into the house Catherine. Just do it.” Gil looked straight ahead. He couldn’t risk looking at Catherine just yet. Cath started to open her mouth but Gil cut her off. “NOW!” She blinked and returned to the car and pulled into the garage again. Gil met her at the front door.

“JIM !” Catherine saw Brass getting out of his car and she turned and looked at Gil. “NO!! NOOOOOOOOO!” Catherine felt Gil’s arms on either side of her shoulders. “Who? WHO?”

“Open the door Catherine.” Gil was ordering her thru the fog. She was shaking so bad she kept dropping the keys. Jim finally got them and opened the door.

“Which one?” A sob came from Catherine. “WHICH ONE?”

“Warr.” Gil felt Catherine’s body go limp in his arms. He just picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the sofa. “Jim….”

“Getting the water….and the whiskey.”

Catherine woke a few minutes later to Gil’s blue eyes looking down at her and moving a cool washcloth over her face. “Slow. Get up slow.” She looked at both men’s eyes and saw the red puffy eyes. She allowed Gil to help her sit up. “Here drink this.”

Catherine took the glass of whiskey and downed it in one gulp and made no face. Jim gained a bit of admiration for her at that moment. Gil knew Catherine could drink anyone under the table and look good doing it.

“WHO? WHERE? WHEN?” She looked at them and her voice was like ice.

“The kids’ place he volunteered at. One of the boys, seemed to have no known reason and Warr…. It was quick, he didn’t suffer.” Brass sounded almost flat.

“I’m going…”

“No, Honey you are not.” Gil’s hands pushed her back down. “I don’t want you to see him like that….”

“You already did! Why can’t…..”

“Because you’ll never get that out of your mind. I know you loved him too much to want to remember him that way. Ecklie’s orders too. For once, we are in agreement.”

“What about Nick, Greg…the rest of the Lab?” Catherine’s eyes were wide and she was fighting back the tears.

“We wanted you to know first. We’ll go to Nick and Greg’s in a few minutes. Right now it’s you we are worried about.” Brass looked at Cath while he poured her another drink. “After this one, you can’t drive.”

“Wanta bet?” Catherine downed it just as fast as the first one. “I’m not letting you guys tell the boys without me.”

“Cath….” The look on her face told Gil he wasn’t going to win. “Fine, but I’m driving.”

***************

Brass had called Greg’s place and got his answering machine. They would head over there after talking to Nick. The three of them stood ramrod straight as Gil rang Nick’s doorbell at the apartment. They could hear country music behind the door. It turned down and the door opened.

“Hey! Come on in! Greg it’s Cath, Gil ….and Brass.” Greg came out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands. “We’re just getting lunch, we hit the bowling alley. Want some?” Then he saw the pale looks and one eyebrow came up Greg just dropped the bowl. Nick turned quickly and then back at the group. “Warrick?” Gil slightly nodded. Nick wasn’t holding back the tears and Greg wasn’t either.

Nick stepped back so they could enter the apartment. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. “What happened?”

“Shot by a kid, at the rec center.” Brass spoke plain and simple.

“Cath.” Nick looked over at her. She just stood there. Nick took her arm and led her to the sofa. “Greg….” Greg had already turned and was bringing in cups with the coffee pot. Once he handed those to Gil he returned to clean up the dropped bowl and it’s contents. He needed to keep busy at the moment.

“I didn’t get to tell him how much…..” She looked at Nick who put his finger on her lips.

“He knew Cath and felt the same way. But he wasn’t going to make things hard for you at work.”

“Unlike some people” Brass could have kicked himself for saying it. Gil acted as if he didn’t hear it. Catherine just put her head on Nick’s shoulder and he just hugged her.

“I really loved him.”

“We know Sugar and he loved you….a lot. You were his dream lady.” Catherine finally started to cry. Gil had to sit down on the sofa behind Catherine. His hand just rubbed her back slowly.

“Do they have everything at the scene?” Greg looked to both men. They nodded. “Then all we can do is sit and wait?” Nods. “I feel useless.” Again everyone nodded. “Warrick doesn’t have any one but us. I don’t think Tina cares one way or the other.”

“He’ll be buried with full honours rest assured.” Gil looked straight ahead. “I’ll break Ecklie’s neck and Robert’s if they say otherwise.”

“Yeah and WE will carry him. God knows he carried us more then once.” Nick was wiping Catherine’s tears with a tissue.

“I’ll be right back.” Greg got up and headed to the kitchen. Everyone could hear pots and pans banging together. Nick just chuckled slightly. “He cooks when he’s stressed out. He’s put a bit of weight on me.” Slowly his real meaning begin to sink in to Gil and Jim. Neither of them said a word.

*****************

Gil took Catherine home and told her to stay home or he would nail her to the floor. She was exhausted and promised. She just didn’t want to face going in right then. She knew she would at some time during the night have to go into the Morgue and just did not want to do so. Gil kissed her forehead before he left. She promised to call him if she needed anything. What she needed no one could give her.

Gil headed back to the townhouse and had just enough time to get something to eat, shower and head back to Las Vegas. Gods he was tired but he knew he couldn’t sleep. Besides he was now one CSI short, hell he was down two since Sara Sidle left. He sat in his office and started to fill out th paperwork in Warrick’s personnel folder. He noticed the beneficiary was Catherine and smiled. It should allow her to take a few months off and not worry about things. He looked and realized Warrick had never changed it to Tina, even he married Tina.

His phone rang and it was Sofia Curtis. She had heard on the news in Tucson. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do. “No, but it’s nice you called. Ahh, you are coming in for the funeral?”

“Of course and if it’s okay with everyone else, I’d like to help take him home.” Her soft voice made it easier for Gil not to have to say much.

“I think he’d like that. We’re all going to too. You were and still are one of us….anytime. You know that.”

“Yeah, and I love you for that. Well, I’ll be there tomorrow after my shift’s over.”

“Why don’t you go home after your shift, sleep and then come. My place is open for you.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

Gil hung up and saw Conrad Ecklie just about to walk into his office. “Gil, I….”

“Don’t say a word Conrad. Just sit.” Ecklie sat down and folded his hands over the folder he held. “WE are going to be the pall bearings in Warrick’s funeral. I don’t want to hear anything to counteract that. He’s going to have a FULL police service. But WE are taking him home. The graveyard shift. Period. “ He handed over the personnel folder to Ecklie. “Paperwork’s done. Final review and I’ll reassign his cases. I’ll start looking for a replacement in a few days. I still have all the applications when Sara left. Now I can just picked two instead of one.” Ecklie just nodded. “Are you going to say something?”

“No. I think we’re all just a bit shocked and…..” Gil’s phone rang. “Go ahead and get that, we can talk later. I’ll tell The Commissioner what YOU decided. I’m sure he will be interested.” He left as Gil picked up the phone.

“Hello. How did you know I needed to hear your voice?”

Heather Kessler’s soft voice spoke at the other end. “Gil, how are you? Why aren’t you home? Or here?”

“Because I need to work. We’re short handed now and….”

“You need to keep busy.”

“Yeah. I’ll have to pick up the slack and look for a new CSI in the mean time. Two actually. Interested?”

“What about Ms Sizzle?”

Gil chuckled as Heather’s pet name for Sara was used. “She’s not coming back here. She’s caused enough trouble in enough lives in Vegas. Besides Warrick was NOT her number one fan. I don’t think he ever forgave her for digging into his private life when I brought her here. Or me.”

“You were just doing your job. Do you want or need some company later? You know my door is always open to you.”

“How’s Allison? And Jerome?”

“They are both fine. Jerome has gone back to the judge and asked for an amended order. He wants joint custody.”

“So you two are….”

“Still friends. Nothing more. He’s seeing someone and is serious. I really am not interested in Jerome that way. I just want to spend my time with Allison…..and you.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be over after work. Want me to bring anything?”

“Just you. That’s all I need. “

“I’ll see you then.” He hung up and rubbed his eyes. He was getting ready to leave the office when the phone rang. He didn’t look to see who it was. “Grissom.” The voice at the other end left him cold. “What do you want?”

“Just checking in and seeing if you need something.” Sara Sidle’s voice sounded dull after Heather’s.

“We’re fine thanks. I’m really busy Sara. What?”

“Need another CSI I hear.”

“No.”

“Why not? I’m the best you ever had there.”

“Best at causing trouble. No.” He started to hang up.

“GRISSOM!”

“What? “

“I want to come back. I want to be a part of this. I liked Warrick too.”

“Well he wasn’t fond of you and ….everything is settled. Good bye Sara.” Gil hung up and left the office quickly. The phone rang again and Gil let the answering machine get it.

Sara was fuming at the other end. She wasn’t thrilled Grissom hung up on her.

*************************

Doctor Albert Robbins took a deep breathe before uncovering the sheet. “I’ve done too many of these.” He was speaking to himself softly. “This is one of the hardest.”

“I know.” Doc turned slightly to see Gil standing there. “Want me to go?”

“No, I think somehow…you can keep me focused.” Gil just nodded and stood on the other side of Doc. “This will be simple, we know who, what, where and when. Just collecting and …”

“Yeah. Have you and David down as pallbearers.” Gil saw Doc just nodded as he lowered the sheet to Warrick’s waist.

Doc lowered the microphone and started to speak. “Case number 08-823. Brown, Warrick. CSI, Las Vegas Police Department…..”

Gil didn’t hear anything after that he was lost in doing his job. He didn’t even hear Doc making a slight joke about Warrick nickname should have been ‘Magic Johnson’.

Gil put Warrick back into the refrigerated locker and called the funeral home. Then he headed up to his office. Everyone was walking about in dead silence. People in the Lab were working hard just so they wouldn’t break down. Even David Hodges was being unlike himself and not pestering people.

“Want to look over the transcript?” Jim Brass held out the paperwork folder on Warrick’s case. “I mean just to check it over…you know see if all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed? Not that I don’t trust day shift….well I don’t but…”

Gil held out his hand and took the case. He flipped thru the pages for the interrogation. The kid admitted right out he shot Warrick but didn’t give any reason. Brass saw Gil’s forehead wrinkle at that point.

“Yeah no damned reason. Not that any would be good. But for NO reason?” He shook his head. “Sad thing is, he goes to jail until he’s twenty one and then it’s as if nothing happened. He’s out and starts his life over again. Unless we get lucky and someone shoots him while he’s in jail.”

“Something just isn’t right here. There’s something else going on. He said he didn’t have a grudge against Warr. WHY?” Gil looked up at Brass. “Is he still here?”

“Yeah, but you can’t see him. Robert’s orders AND the DA’s. Not until after the trial.”

Gil just looked at Brass. “I smell a rotten fish in Denmark.”

“Yeah. Ain’t a damn thing we can doing about it.”

“For now.” Gil sighed, “Right now we have to bury my ‘Rock’.”

*************

Officers from all over the country can to the funeral. The graveyard shift was treated as the main family. Gil the father, Catherine the mother and the others as Warrick’s brothers and sisters. Catherine and Gil did everything down to the seating arrangements. Catherine was given the state flag from the Sargent of Arms. She even help to carry Warrick to his final resting place. Later Catherine would recall not remember much but hearing the rifles shooting off. She almost jumped out of the chair, but Gil had a good grip on her one arm and Nick was on the other side holding her. Gil thought he saw Sara in the background but his concentration was pulled away by what was going on in front of him, besides it was a guy looking back at him. He had a speech to give and he pulled it off without breaking down. They waited for everyone to leave the cemetery. Until it was just the grave yard shift. They all had their CSI vests on instead of fancy clothes.

The all stood there as his coffin was placed inside the wall. Catherine walked over and put in pictures of them together and a couple of roses. She took off her CSI vest folded it and placed it in the vault. Greg and Nick put in a pack of latex gloves and fingerprint powder, then took off their vests and folded them. Brass put in a poker chip and shot glass. Gil walked up and put a small colourful rock along with his vest. He touched the coffin one more time then turned and waited for them to seal the wall. They all walked out in silence and headed to Catherine’s house. There was a large wake at one of the hotels for the rest of the police and visitors, but the graveyard shift wanted to pull in the ranks and be alone.

Greg made enough food to feed an army but no one was eating much. They just shoved the food around their plates. The room was filled with silence. Catherine couldn’t handle it anymore. She walked over to the tv and turned it on and hit the remote. A video came on. She had been watching them the past few days. Trying to burn Warrick’s face into her memory alive….not laying in the coffin. ALIVE.

Greg was the first one to chuckle. “Oh I remember that Kitty Kat! He’s going to pick you up and……into the pool !” He laughed out loud and then covered his mouth.

“No Greg please, help me remember him alive.” That was enough to get people talking and laughing about things they had done with Warrick. Soon the pain was beginning to ease. They would never forget him, but they had to live on without him. It would be hard, especially for Catherine, but they would.

************

Several weeks later the trial was booked in the court system. Gil was surprised at the speed AND that one judge in particular wanted it. Gil reminded The Commissioner, the DA, Ecklie and Brass that this judge often dismissed Warrick’s cases for what appeared to be no reason. Gil was sure there was something more to this. But he was ordered to leave it alone. They couldn’t stop him from being in the court room every morning and sitting thru the trial each day. It was no surprise when the verdict was handed down as guilty. The young man was sentenced to prison until he tuned twenty one. Then he was out scot free. It didn’t sit well with Gil. But the law was the law and he had to swallow it.

“What are you processing in that brain of yours?” Brass looked at Gil sitting in a darken office. “I know you, something is sticking in your throat.”

“No reason. The kid gave NO reason. Did you notice his Mother? She wasn’t crying, screaming or acting out. Not like a normal Mother would. Something just isn’t right. She isn’t living in the same place now. She’s moved to an upscale home. Driving a new car too.”

“Came into some money did she? Well this is Vegas.” Gil looked up at him. “Maybe if I keep talking I’ll convince myself.”

“I’m paying Keja a visit tomorrow. They can’t stop me now.”

“Mind if I come along?”

****************

The young man was led into the room wearing an orange jumpsuit. He didn’t look any worse for wear being in a juvie jail for three months. Seems the other inmates were somewhat in awe of him, killing an officer of the law. Word spread he was not to be messed with because he had connections. His legs were chained to the floor across from Brass and Gil.

“Being treated well?” Gil was trying not to reach over and choke the life out of this kid.

“Can’t complain. Who are you and why you want to talk to me?” His arrogant tone made Brass grit his teeth.

“I’m Gil Grissom. Supervisor and a friend of the man you killed. I just came to get some answers.”

“Ain’t got nuthin’ to say.”

“Then you can sit and listen.” Gil opened up a folder with pictures of Warrick laying on the table. The pool of blood. Gil watched as the kid turned slightly pale. Then Gil put pictures of his Mother on the table. Pictures of her driving around in a new car, outside her new house. Wearing expensive clothes.

“You leave my Mama alone.”

“Who paid you off? What was the deal?” Grissom spoke softly enough Brass barely heard him. When Keja didn’t answer fast enough for Gil, his fist hit the table. “WHO?”

“Can’t tell ya. Promised. Besides, he said he’d take care of Mama and I’d be out and free in a few years.”

“So you sold your soul for your Mama? And she LET you? She’s some piece of work your Mama.” Brass was spitting venom

“Don’t you talk about my Mama like that. She’s had it rough and I wanted her not to have to work no more. I wanted her out of that place.”

“And you succeeded. But payback isn’t quite what you were thinking is it?” Gil looked at the wide eyes on the boy. “Not being able to do what you want, when you want. No cells, dvds, computers. Sitting in a eight by ten space twenty three hours a day. Has your cellmate tried anything yet?”

“Like what?”

“Making you his bitch.” Brass smiled. “Or is that something you like?”

“No ! I ain’t like that. NO!”

“Well dude, it’s coming.” Brass smiled slightly. “Just wish I could see your face afterwards.”

“No! No! The judge ain’t gonna let it happen.”

“Which judge is that?” Gil just looked at him.

The kid realized he let is slip. “Not suppose to tell.”

“Makes little difference now. You’re in here. Your Mama’s taken care of and you got plenty of time to kill until twenty one. A lot can happen between now and then. Mama could get arrested for something and….”

“Leave her alone!”

“Can’t promise that the same judge that tried your case would get your Mama’s case, then what? All that for nothing. She’s lost everything.” Brass was baiting the kid who didn’t realize it.

“No, that judge …Ensign said Mr Cohen would take care of my Mama if I took care of Mr Brown.”

“Judge Cohen?” Both Gil and Brass said at the same time.

“Was he a judge too? Didn’t care what he was, I promised and he’d take care of Mama. That’s all. And he did. Mama’s out of that hood in a nice place now.”

**************

Brass and Gil didn’t bother to knock as they hit The Commissioner’s office. Both were not in the mood for being polite. Ecklie was just standing after having a short meeting with Robert Carvelle.

“Forgot how to knock Grissom?” The Commissioner looked up for his desk.

“I knew there was something going on. Did you know about this?” Gil hit the pocket sized recorder. They all listened as the conversation in the jail was repeated. “Now tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t know a damned thing.” Robert reached for the recorder but Gil was faster.

“I’ll keep this. You better figure out what side you are on.” Gil stormed from the room and Conrad just looked at The Commissioner. Brass followed Gil to his office and closed the door.

“So you think Robert’s tied in with this?”

“I’m beginning to wonder.” Gil looked up at Jim. “I’m going to make a call better you not be here.”

“Oh no, I’m in on this the whole way.” Brass sat down as Gil picked up the phone.

After calling his lawyer and the Mayor, Grissom and Brass headed out the door of the Crime Lab Building Brass in tow. Jim was on high alert, he felt like eyes were watching them.

***************

Gil played the tape for the Mayor in front of several lawyers for the City and his own. Afterwards, he handed the tape over to his lawyer for safe keeping. “If anything happens to me, you will know what to do with this.”

“I think we need to put this on tv right away.” The Mayor’s eyes almost bugged out at the suggestion from Gil’s lawyer.

“Do you know what kind of lawsuit you are opening up here?” He was turning pale at the thought of his friends, judges and The Commissioner doing these things. People he appointed. The City lawyers were quick to say that the City of Las Vegas would be best served by getting it out in the open via the Mayor’s office and not some television station. So it was agreed several that several tapes would be made and everyone would have copies for safe keeping.

It hit the news within an hour.

***********

The Commissioner was ‘escorted’ from his office and processed like a common criminal. Judge Ensign was escorted from his chambers and given the same treatment. Judge Cohen was already in jail thanks to Warrick wearing a wire years ago. It took the Mayor one phone call to the FBI’s local office to get things moving. The FBI had not said a word to anyone that they had been investigating for months and was looking for the ONE lead that would break the case of corruption in the Las Vegas Judicial System. They also informed the Mayor that, yes the Commissioner WAS involued.

Catherine called Gil when she heard the news. “You did Warrick proud. You made his death count for something.”

“I would give anything if it was otherwise.”

“Yeah.”

“So, feel like coming back to work yet?”

“I’ve been thinking. I got a job offer from someone to work in the private sector….as a CSI on the other side. Sorta of a way to keep it honest. I think I’m going to take it. I’ll have better pay and shorter hours. More time….for me.”

Gil just sighed. “I know, I’m feeling the age myself. We both have enough time in to get a pension. Why don’t you take that route? You can pick and chose the cases on a consultant basis. Might work out better for you financially.”

“Great idea. What about you? I think it’s time for you too.”

“Yeah, I’m going to retire. I’m not going to say anything about it. Just walk in and put the badge on the new Commissioner’s desk. I’m just tired Cath. Maybe Nick or someone else can fill in our shoes. I just have had enough. I want to do some traveling and work with my racers.”

“And Hank.”

“And Hank.”

“Heather?”

“Yeah. I think it’s a good thing. She’s been there for me a lot lately.”

“About time damn it. What about Jim? Think he’ll stay?”

“I think maybe he’d be lost without the job. Who knows. When are you coming in to do the paperwork?”

“Tonight too soon?”

“See you.”

***************

By the time Gil got to his office at eleven the place was in a buzz. Grissom was walking thru and people were patting his back and strangely enough also saying that they were sorry things were what they were. He was puzzled and every time he went to ask what they were taling about someone else would come up to him. He finally got to his office and there were quite a few message slips on his desk. Nick and Greg were waiting for him too.

Catherine walked in and hugged the boys. Small talk for a few minutes and Gil said it was time to buckle down and start work, that Catherine had come to reassign. Nick and Greg looked at each other and nodded.

“Griss, we came to a decision.” Nick looked sheepish. “Don’t know how to say this without sounding ungrateful.”

“Just say it Nick. You know we’re family here.” Gil looked up after taking his glasses off and handing Catherine the paperwork.

“Okay, can you give Greg and I the same papers that you just handed Catherine?”

“What?”

“Nick and I decided we want to move on. We want to go somewhere else and work. We don’t want to be here when….”

“Hey guys!” Jim walked in and closed the door. “So what’s up? CATHERINE !!” He went over and hugged her. He looked around and realized something was up. “Wanta clue me in or is this a private party?”

“Catherine is retiring…..Nick and Greg just said they want to leave….I wasn’t going to say anything but….” Gil looked at them all.

“Oh guess you didn’t hear the news.” Jim smiled a cocky grin. He looked at each of them as he rocked on his heels.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m NOT going to like this?” Gil once again took off his glasses after getting Nick and Greg’s paperwork.

“We have a new boss.” Jim smiled devilishly.

“Well of course.” Gil looked at Jim, “That’s to be expected.”

“Guess. Come on guess!” Jim started swinging his hands. “While you are guessing, hand me some of that paperwork too. I’m retiring.”

The entire group shouted “JIM !!” at the same time.

“Ahhh come on someone GUESS !!!” He sat down and started to fill out the papers. “Fifty bucks say you can’t figure it out in three guesses.”

“I’m surprised the Mayor found someone so quickly.” Gil looked at Jim filling out the forms. The others were just about finished. “Come on Jim who.”

“Guess, come on!!!”

“Enie, Meenie, or Myie?” Catherine smirked. “I’ll PAY you fifty bucks to tell us.”

“I’d stay if it was Grissom.” Greg smiled and Nick nodded his approval.

“Thanks but…no thanks. I’m not doing the politics.” Gil looked at Jim again. “WELL?”

A knock at the door and no wait for entrance approval was given. Conrad Ecklie just opened the door. “Grissom, we need to talk now.” He saw the entire group standing there. “Oh, you are handing out assignments….good. Hello, Catherine, glad you are back. I need to ….”

“I’m not back Conrad. I’m retiring. I just filled out the paperwork and Gil’s signing off on it now.” Gil grabbed the pen and put his name on the paper.

“Oh , well sorry to hear that because you were going to be promoted to Assistant Director.” Ecklie thought the idea would be enough to make her change her mind. When she didn’t jump at the chance he was surprised. “What? That’s not enough?”

“No Conrad not any more. I’m done.” She stood up. “Jim we’re still waiting.”

“I’m not finished yet.” Conrad looked at her. “Since YOU are not taking the job. I guess it leaves it to….”

“Wait Ecklie….” Nick piped up. “Why are YOU offering YOUR job to Catherine? It’s not like you are……” He looked at Brass who put on a shit eating grin. “Holy Mother of God.”

“Grissom quick PLEASE sign the papers for Nick and I !! PLEASE !!!” Greg looked like a deer in headlights. “Ppppplease!!!”

Gil took the papers and signed them and Jim set his on top after he signed his name on the bottom line. “Mine too.” Gil just added his signature to the ever growing pile.

“What the hell is going on?” Ecklie looked at the men sitting there.

Gil pulled open the drawer again and got out yet another paper. “They are all leaving effective immediately Conrad.”

“Why?” Conrad was totally clueless and looking back and forth. He didn’t notice Gil filling out paperwork for himself. “What am I to do without a graveyard shift?” Gil stood up and handed all of the paperwork to Conrad, who looked down at the top one. “YOU TOO!”

“Well Conrad, there’s this new CSI from San Francisco. I saw him at Warrick’s funeral. Name’s Sam. You might like him. Then there is always Hodges. You can promote him. You two have a lot in common, total ass kissers. “ Gil started to take down the items from the wall, Catherine was helping him.

“But…but….”

“Grissom?” A voice from the doorway made Conrad’s few hairs stand on end.

“SIDLE? “ Ecklie turned and looked at a man standing there with a mustache. “SARA?”

“It’s Sam now Conrad. Grissom said there was an opening. I had my application in and he rehired me. So here I am, ready to work.”

Ecklie turned and looked at Gil. “You bastard. You can’t get away with this. I’m not going to let you.”

“Can’t do anything about it Conrad. We’ll all retired, it’s signed sealed AND delivered in front of witnesses. You have to put the paperwork thru or… and as of now Sam here is your Senior CSI on graveyard. I hired him this morning.”

“Get out. GET OUT! And take that……with you.” He pointed to Sara/Sam.

“After I collect my things. Guys boxes?” They all scattered out the door. Ecklie just turned and stormed out of the office. Each one of them just looked at the newly changed Sara and left without a word.

“Grissom, what’s going on? Where are they going? Where are YOU going?”

“We’re all retired now. Jim, Catherine and I retired. Nick and Greg are moving on. You now have control. Remember when you THOUGHT you were in charge of the shift because you were sleeping with me? Well now you are. Enjoy it. I’m leaving, I’m starting my life before it’s too late.”

“With the bitch?”

“Heather yes, you no.” Catherine came in with several boxes and started placing Gil’s treasures in them as she spoke. “I have my car with me. We can load it up. I’m sure Ecklie isn’t going to let you take the SUV home…” she smiled, “..and I called someone who was just on her way over here. She should be here shortly.” Gil smiled at Catherine, he knew. “Sara err Sam you might want to go over the slips and get moving. There’s a lot of work to do. We’ll be out as soon as we can. You can probably move right into Gil’s office here.” Gil just closed his eyes at the horrour. “Sorry.” Nick and Greg brought in more boxes and started to take down Gil’s wall of jars. “I think we’ll need something bigger for the crew.” She pointed to the live gallery of insects.

“Maybe I can help.” They all turned to see Heather standing in the doorway. “Ms Sizzle?” She walked past Sam. “Hot wax does wonders.” She motioned her upper lip and kept moving as Sam glared at her. Heather kissed Gil’s lips. “I brought packing material and my SUV for the pets.”

“You always know what to do.” Gil smiled down at her.

“It’s about time you two got it together. I think the end is in sight for this CSI unit. It was a good run….most of the time. I think things started to go downhill when…”  Catherine spoke softly.

“Nick got shot.” Greg touched Nick’s arm and Nick nodded.

“Nope, it went downhill when Griss over there got DUMB.” Brass did his best smart aleck smile. The rest of the crew nodded in agreement.

“Okay, okay. I’ll admit I was thinking with the wrong ….head.” Gil looked at them individually. “I’m sorry. I really am sorry. I have NO idea what I was thinking.”

“You LOVED me !!” Sam looked at him. “I changed FOR YOU! I thought you liked me more…..butch so I made it permanent.” Sam/Sara was practically screaming now.

“No Sara err Sam. I want my woman to be one. I lost internet because I didn’t like YOU wearing the pants all the time.” He touched Heather’s face softly. “I like knowing who the man is in a relationship.”

They finished clearing out the office quickly and found they could fit everything in all of their cars with not too much of a problem. Several of the officers who were just getting off duty also pitched in to help Grissom.

They were just about out the door when Hodges came up to Grissom and was dumbfounded as everyone was saying goodbye.

“Who? Who is going to be our new boss?” Hodges was blinking.

“Grissom!” Everyone turned to see Doc Robbins walking up the hallway. “Can you sign this?” He handed Gil is retirement paperwork. Gil smiled and signed it. “Thanks, I’ll drop it off as I go by the office. I’ll slip it under the others on the secretary’s in box. See you at ‘Lucky’s’.”

“HIM TOO !!” Hodges looked around. “Next thing you’ll be telling me that bitch Sidle’s coming back. He stood there with his hands on his hips.

“Hodges.” The voice came from behind him.

The last thing Hodges saw was the entire team walking down the hall together for the last time…. they didn’t look back. The last thing the gang heard was Hodges’ scream.

Hank’s Story

Hank’s Story.

Gil was really beginning to feel his age over the last few years.   That along with feeling somewhat lonely.   He and Lady Heather had a falling out and he just had not been the same since.   His bed was cold and lonely.  He missed her but let too much time go by and figured she would slam the door in his face should he have the guts to visit her.

He rolled over in his white bedroom and hugged the pillow tight.  There was no sense in trying to sleep, it wasn’t going to happen this morning.  Maybe he could catch a few winks before the shift started at eleven that night.   Right now there was just no way.   He got up and headed to the kitchen.  He opened the refrig and just stood there.  Nothing interested him, since there was little to chose from.  He started talking to himself.   “Maybe a trip to the grocery store would be a good idea.  Food’s not gonna walk it’s way here.”   He started going thru the cabinets checking and seeing what he needed.  He headed back up the stairs to get dressed.  He added toilet paper to the lis when he ran out in the middle of a good book.    “That will teach me.”, as he reached for some tissues.

He grabbed the keys and headed out the door to the local store.  This time of the day it was almost empty.  He decided to go up and down the aisle rather then just getting what was on the list.  Maybe SOMETHING would spark his interest to make.    He saw several cuts of meat and fish and threw them into the cart.  He tossed in fresh fruits and vegetables along with some of his secret downfall, ‘Cherry Garcia’ ice cream.   He made a mental note to stop at ‘Krispi Kreme’ on the way home too.  He knew what those foods did to his waist line, but right now he needed comfort food.

After loading up the SUV and heading back to his townhouse, he saw a sign in front of the local Humane Society asking for old newspapers, food, and toys for the animals that were housed there.     Gil remembered he had a pile of newspaper he didn’t get out to the recycle bin that week and hated the idea of them sitting there for another two weeks in the garage.    He put away all the groceries and headed back into the garage and loaded up the SUV with the papers.  He headed back to the shelter.

One of the staff saw him coming and opened the door for him.  “Hi !  It’s been a while since we’ve seen you Doctor Grissom.”   The perky blonde pony tailed girl named Deb smiled at him.  “You look lost.  You okay?”

“Yeah, just tired I guess.  How are things going here?”

“Well, you know, never enough…..food, papers, money, people to adopt.  I wish we could sort of go out of business. …that is if people would get their pets fixed like they promised, and stop throwing animals out like they were yesterday’s newspaper.   We got a few in this morning, found on the side of the road just sitting there. “ she shook her head.  She held the inner door open so Gil could bring the papers into the cage area where they were to be used.   “Here’s fine.  Thanks.  Like to stay a while and play with a few while I clean out the cages?”   Gil looked at his watch and nodded.  Not like he was going anywhere …or was going to sleep.   “Great, I’ll start down this end.”  She walked him down to the smallest dogs sitting up eye level.  “You can open the cage from that side and I’ll yell when you can put them back.  Take three or four of them.”

Gil opened the cages from the front and placed the puppies on the floor.  Some of them just sat down and looked up at him.  “Well, play.  Do something.”  He just looked down at them.  He took a few steps and they followed him.  He took a few more and the puppies had to run to keep up with him.  Gil chuckled at the way they were sliding on the waxed floor.    He found a ball and tossed in down the hallway and let out a laugh when they all ran after it and slid right past the ball.   The looks on their faces when the ball passed them going in the opposite direction after bouncing off the wall  made Gil realize he was missing out on having a little friend.

“Fun aren’t they?”   Gil heard the voice from behind the cages.  “Okay you can put them back and get the one underneath.”    He just nodded and picked the puppies up one at a time and gave them each a tummy rub as he put them back in the cage and closed the door.

“I’m beginning to feel like they do.  Caged and no where to go.  Hoping someone will do something with me.”  Gil blinked a few times realizing he said his thoughts out loud.

“Feeling a bit lonely are we?”

“Yeah, you know every once in a while it hits you.”  He looked sheepishly at  Deb  on the other side.  “My crazy hours of work, hard to find someone to have dinner with at eight in the morning.”   He opened the bottom  cage.  “Whoa, this isn’t a puppy, he’s a  horse.”   He heard a chuckle from the other side.

“Yeah and he put out some winners.  Good Lord!  I’m going to change the name on that one to Stinky Pete.   Gods he can put some crap out for a little fella.”

“He’s NOT little.  What kind of dog is he?”

“Boxer mixed with a pitbull, maybe a bit of St Bernard.  I don’t think he’s going to get adopted too easy.  Size and well….look at that face.”

Gil opened the cage more and the puppy just sat there.  “Come on boy.  It is a boy isn’t it?”

“Are you blind?  Look at his….”

“Whoa.  Yeah, make your father proud.  Wow.  Come on boy.”  Nothing happened.
“Typical male.  All balls and no brains.”

“Ouch!”

“Sorry about that.  But all the men I meet are like that.”

“Well not all of us.”

“So….which are you brainy or…..”  She roared with laughter when Gil blushed.   “Play with him.  I got shit to do.”

“Come on boy.”  Gil reached in and gently pulled him out by the collar.  The brown, black and white puppy sat there and looked up at Gil with a tilted head.   “I do that too when I’m thinking.”   Then the puppy’s tongue came out.  “That too.”   Gil walked down and got the ball and tossed it to him.    The puppy watched as it rolled by.  “Not too bright are we?”  He heard a whine.  “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean too hurt your feelings.”   He realized he was talking to the dog.  Again he heard laughter from the other side.  “Oh you are enjoying this aren’t you?

“Yeah.  Why don’t you take him outside?  There’s a lead hanging on the side of the door.”  She pointed towards the outside  door.   “Maybe he can dump out there.”

Gil walked and got the lead and came back.  The dog watched Gil the whole time Gil  was leashing him  up.  Gil stood and started to walk towards the door.  He came to a dead stop  he was pulling dead weight.  “Come on!”

Nothing.

“Are you that dumb?  Come. “

Nothing.

“Maybe he’s waiting for his name.”

“What is it?”

“We haven’t given him one yet.  He just came in this morning.  Found him sitting with two others.  They didn’t make it, starved to death.  Broke my heart.  He’s doing great after we fed him.  And by the looks of it making up lost time in the shit department.”

“Come boy.”

Nothing.

“Start with the A’s and work your way thru the alphabet.”

“Adam.  No.  Buster?  No.  Chuck?  Damon, Eddie, err Frank?  Greg?  No.  Hank?”

The puppy got up and came over to Gil and sat down at his feet.   “HANK?”  Gil heard a yip coming from the guts of the dog.  “Okay, Hank it is.”   He turned and opened the door and headed outside with the puppy  in tow.

They played for over an  hour before Gil realized it.  Deb had  finished cleaning all the cages without him playing with the other puppies.   She was standing in the doorway watching.  He whistled and the puppy came running.  Gil headed back to the door and the puppy sat on the ground.  He wasn’t going back in.  He knew if he did, that was it.  He was going to lose this human.

“Come on Hank.”  Gil patted his leg.  “Come on…gotta go.  I need to go home and get some sleep.”

Nothing.

Finally Gil walked over and picked him up.  “Whoa., you are going to be a killer aren’t ya Buddy.”   He placed him back in the cage and the puppy turned his back and leaned into the corner. Gil swore he heard a sigh coming from Hank.    “Oh now don’t do that.”   He heard laughter coming from behind him.  “That’s NOT fair.”

“What?   I didn’t do a thing.”  A not so innocent look was on Deb’s face.  “YOU did it to yourself.  You KNOW he’s YOUR dog.”

“I CAN’T have a dog.  I work double shifts and it’s not fair that he’d be home all day…..by himself.   Not to mention he’d pee and dump all over the place.  No. NO!”

“We have several doggy daycare places.  Teaches them social skills and ….”

“NO! NO! NO!”

“Unconditional love and companionship.   Weren’t   you just saying how you wanted some?”

“Yeah but…”

“Great way to meet ladies.”  She spun the leash around in her hands.  “Walks in the park, charity socials to raise money for US.  Mmm…”

“No.”

“Okay, YOU tell him he’s not wanted.  Go on.  Bend down and tell him.”   She stood there with hands on hips.   Gil learned from Catherine Willows that when a woman does that pose, it’s easier just to do what they want.

“Okay.”   Gil bent down to the cage and spoke.  “Sorry Hank but no.”   Then stood up.  “There see?”

“That sucked.  Open the cage and look him in the eye and say it.”

Gil just sighed and bent back down.  “Hank….Hank….turn around and look at me.   HANK!. “   Gil reached in and felt the puppy moving away from him.   “Oh now don’t do this.  Come on. “    He found himself on his knees with his head inside the cage.  “Hank.”   He watched as the puppy shifted on his feet.  “Oh for Pete’s sake.”
Gil closed the door and went around to the other side, only to find out that Hank had walked to the freshly closed door and now had his back to Gil on the other side.  “Why you little…..”    A peal of laughter came from the young lady.   “NOT ONE WORD!    Hank.  Turn around.”

Nothing.

“Okay, I’m coming back around.”  He got up and walked back to the main aisle.  He didn’t realize he left the cage door on the other side open.   Gil bent down to talk to Hank and realized he was gone.  “HANK?  Where did you go? HANK!”

“Look down.”

Gil did and found Hank sitting right beside him looking into the cage.

“I’m cooked.”

“Sure are.   Sign the papers.”   Gil just sighed.  “Here’s the doggy day care phone numbers and certificate to get him fixed,   can you get him ‘Puppy Chow’?  I’m out of it.   And I would suggest a shoulder harness lead.  He’s going to be a strong one.”  She bent down and rubbed Hank’s head.   “Did good boy.”

“You planned this didn’t you?”

“Yeah.  God sends angels down in strange shapes.  Just finding the person that needs one is the trick.  Do come back and visit once in a while.  Bye Hank!”

“Woof.”

“So NOW you speak?  Come on boy, I got to stop at the store again.  ‘PetSmart’ or the grocery store?”

“Woolf woolf.”

“‘PetSmart’ it is.  Hop in.”  Gil opened the passenger’s side of the SUV.   It was over the puppy’s head.  “Go on.  You can do it.”   A whine came out.  “Oh  no, I’m NOT going to pamper you.  UP!”

Whine.

Gil just closed his eyes and picked the puppy  up and set him in the front seat and closed the door.  He mumbled the whole way around the car.  He opened the driver’s door and found Hank sitting in the seat looking at him.  “Move, unless you are driving.”

Nothing.

Gil just pointed,  Hank tilted his head.  “Oh don’t give me that.  MOVE.”  Hank put his head on his paws.  “Oh great now I hurt your feelings.  PLEASE.”  Hank stood up and walked to the passenger’s side.  “Oh gods am I in for it now.”

***************

After coming out of the store and hearing a howling coming from his SUV, Gil realized this was the first time the puppy was completely alone.  “Oh Buddy, sorry about that.  But you better get used to it.  I’m not going to be around ALL the time.  I work a lot of doubles.”   Gil pulled out a lead and a nice bed and was showing Hank what he brought.  “OH FOR PETE’S SAKE.’

Once they were home Gil put out a bowl of water and some food which Hank ate in a hurry.  “Slow down Buddy, there’s more.  I’m not going to starve you.”    Gil looked around trying to figure out where to put the bed and figured why not up in his bedroom?  He wasn’t going to let him sleep in his bed….that’s for sure.

Right.

*****************

He took Hank out for a walk and rubbed his head when he took a pee and a dump.  Gil picked up the mess with a ‘Pooper Scooper’ and headed back home.  “Time for bed Hank.  I got a few hours before work.  Come on.”   He headed up the stairs and Hank sat at the bottom of the open staircase.  “Hank?”

Whine.

“Oh come on.  You can make the stairs.  Come on.”

Nothing.

Gil swore he heard Deb laughing as he came back down he stairs and picked Hank up and carried him.  “You ARE going to learn to go up and down.  I’m NOT going to lift a hundred pounds of dog everyday.”     He left Hank into his nice new bed and turned off the lights.

Gil felt something warm on his hand hanging over the side of the bed.  Then he heard snoring.  He had to stop and think for a second and remembered he had a puppy now.  Once he moved his hand from over the side of the bed, the snoring stopped but the whining started.  “No, you have your own bed.  Go lay down in it.”  Gil fell back to sleep with whining in his ears.   His alarm went off and Gil turned on the light and saw snow.  White feathers and little tiny styrofoam beads where everywhere.  Hank was sitting in what was left of his bed covered in the static filled mess.  Gil just covered his face and laughed.   “Well Ollie, here’s another fine mess you got me into.”   Gil got up and not bothering to get dress, pulled out the vacuum from the hall closet.   Once he turned it on he saw Hank running for the hills.  “NO!  Sit !    Shit.”  A trail of beads led down the hallway.  Once he got to the stairs Hank stopped cold.  “Good stay there.”   Hank was howling the whole time Gil vacuumed his bedroom.  Once finished he started the hall way, working his way towards the frightened puppy.  The closer Gil came with that noisy machine the more Hank howled.  Gil finally got to him and started vacuuming the shaking fellow.  The beads came off as Gil rubbed him.  Hank liked that part but that mean nosie machine, no.   “It’s okay Buddy, it’s not gonna hurt ya.  I won’t let it.”   Once finished Gil looked down at him.   “How about breakfast and out while I take a shower?”  Hank just looked up at him.  “Works?”   Gil picked him up and carried him down the stairs.

“Okay you eat while I shower.”  Hank didn’t hear him, he was too interested in the food.  Gil had left the back door opened to the fenced in yard so that MAYBE Hank would get the idea.    After getting dressed Gil came down to an empty kitchen.  “HANK?”  He looked outside just in time to see him finishing up.  “That’s a GOOD BOY!!!”    Hank walked around the yard while Gil ate.  Finally it was time to head off to work.  “Come on boy, sitter time.”   He put Hank’s new collar on and tucked him under his arm and headed to the SUV.   Every few seconds Gil found himself rubbing Hank’s head.

Once at the sitters Gil felt a twinge of guilt leaving him.  The lady behind the counter chuckled.  “First time is like leaving your kid in kindergarten.  I think the parents have more fear then the kids.  He’ll be fine.  You can check on the webcam anytime you want.  He’s got a few new friends to meet.  Right Hank?”

“Woof.”

“Well, you got my number if you need me.”  Gil just closed his eyes at the crazy sounding statement and left for work.     He only checked the webcam twenty times during the first couple of hours.   He didn’t work a double, he told Catherine he had personal matters to get done.

Once he hit the door of the puppy sitter’s place he realized he missed Hank.  In that short of time, he really missed him.  “Hank!”  The puppy turned from playing with his new found friends and ran to Gil’s open arms.   Gil received enough puppy kisses to require a tissue.

“My, my, I wish all these guys would greet Mom and Dad that way.”

“Was he a good boy tonight?   He didn’t do anything to get him thrown out?”  Once again Gil realized what he said.

“No,” trying to hold back laughter at the new parent, the sitter continued, “he was a good boy and did well on walks, played quite well with the others, shared his toys.   You can breathe easy he’s welcome back anytime.   We are open twenty four seven.”

“Thank heavens, I don’t think I would be comfortable leaving him home alone.  He already ripped his bed up.”

“Ahh, snow.  Did you take a picture?”  Gil chuckled and laughed.  “Well then that will be your picture for the desk.  Until you get a nice portrait done of the two of you for Christmas cards.   Hey !!  That picture WOULD be a great card!”

“Errr no.  I errr… no.”   He ruffled Hank’s head.  “Ready to go home Buddy?”

“Woof.”

*************

“Now you ripped your bed up so you sleep on the floor.   Good night.”  Gil flipped off the lights and settled down for sleep.

Whine.

“No.”

Whine.

“NO!”

A long and high pitched howl came from the other side of Gil’s bedroom.   He TRIED to ignore it but Hank wasn’t letting up.   About ten minutes of it and Gil couldn’t stand it anymore.   “Get over here.”   Hank scrambled to the side of the bed and put his front paws up.    Gil leaned down and cupped his butt and Hank ended up on the bed.  “Now lay down.”    Hank just stood there looking at Gil in the darken room.   “WHAT ?”    Gil reached over and turned on the light and turned back to the puppy.  “What?”   Hank looked at the pillow and back at Gil.  “Oh for….”   He pulled back the covers and Hank settled down with his head on the pillow.  Gil then put the covers over Hank.  “What? No bedtime story?”

Whine.

*****************

Catherine watched Gil from the doorframe.  He was so intent on whatever it was on the computer….and laughing!   She just stood there….waiting for the right moment.   “Well she must be something pretty special to make YOU laugh like that.”    Gil quickly turned the screen off.  “No, no, don’t stop on my account.  Keep watching you kinky thing you.”   She sat down in front of his desk.  “Soooo who is she?”  She took a big drink from the coffee cup.

“It’s a he.”

Catherine’s coffee came flying out of her mouth.   Coughing and wiping herself off, “EXCUSE ME?”

“It’s a he.”

“Errr all this time, I thought you were a ….errr ….”

“His name is Hank, and I got him at the Humane Society.”  He folded his hands on the desk.

“Oh thank God.”

“So if I were….”  His hands motioned in the air, “…you would be upset?”

“Err no, just surprised.  How old is he?   What kind?  When can I meet him?   Can I….”

“Whoa! Whoa!  I need time with him.  I just got him two days ago.  We’re still feeling each other out.”

“He snores.”

“Horribly.”   Gil and Catherine both chuckled.

“In your bed yet?”

“Last night.”   Gil rolled his eyes.

“That’s sweet.  At least he’s keeping you company.   You know Heather could keep the bed warm too.”

“Catherine.”

She held her hands up.  “Just trying to get you motivated.   So….can I come over and play with him?  Errr can Lindsay?”

“You BOTH can come over and wear him out for me.   He’s really good about the peeing and dumping outside.  He’s not got the stairs yet.  But….”

“Today when we get off okay?”   Gil nodded and Catherine got up.   “How about we bring breakfast?”   Again Gil nodded.   “Okay, see you about nine.”

******************

“Mom….”

“No, you don’t take care of the cat, we’re NOT getting a dog.”  Catherine looked at her daughter playing with Hank.  “You’re off to college in a few years and I’m not going to be dealing with the dog.  One animal is enough.”

“Well Grandma could use company.”  Lindsay stood there with her hands on her hips.

“Like mother like daughter.  Wow.”   Gil’s comment gained a raised eyebrow from Catherine.  Gil sucked in a lip to keep from laughing.  “There’s always day care.”

“No.”

“Funny I said the same thing.”  Gil smiled at her.  “We can run up to the shelter.  Hank can visit Deb while you look.”  Gil’s voice had a slight singsong tone.

“You’re rotten you know that.”  Gil’s look was ‘who me?’   Catherine sighed and got her handbag.  “Come on.”   Lindsay, Gil and Hank let out a yip.

******************

“Hey Deb brought you another sucker….errr adopting parent!”  Gil fended pain when Catherine’s  elbow hit him.   Hank ran over to Deb and was licking her face.

“Welcome, take your time and look the new ones over.   Play with them for a bit.  I’ll get the paperwork ready.  I know you will not be a problem, you’re Dr Gil’s friend.”

“Thanks.”  Catherine and Gil said it at the same time but for different meanings.

“So how about a little gift for Heather?”  Catherine looked up and down the cages.

“Heather?”

“Yeah, a nice new puppy, with all the trimmings, she can’t slam the door on that.”  Catherine’s fingers went thru the cage doors and tickled some of the puppies sitting there.    She could see the thought wheels spinning in Gil’s head.   “Cute, little err BLACK ball of fur.  Something that would sit on a pillow and not be too yappy.”

“Mmm I think we just might have something.”  Deb walked a ways farther.  “Here we go.  She’s alittle shy.  She was from a puppy mill and the runt of the litter.  Normally they kill them but we got to them first.”   Deb handed Catherine a little ball of black fur, no bigger then her fist.

“Oooooh.”  Catherine just hugged the puppy close to her heart.  “Poor baby.”  Gil looked down at Catherine.  “She…”  Catherine looked questionably to Deb who nodded, “…would be perfect for Heather.”  Gil’s finger rubbed the puppy’s chin and a tiny pink tongue came out.  “Ahhh, she likes you.  That’s half the battle.  Hank?”   Gil was surprised when Hank came trotting over.  Catherine bend down.  “What do you think?”   Hank’s head tilted from side to side.  He looked up to Gil.

“Woof.”

“See?  Even Hank agrees.”  Deb started smiling.  “Yeah, we women are in this together.”

“Wrap her up….I mean….oh heck you know.   Tell me what else I need.”

“A little basket for a bed, leash…wait Heather probably has a lot of leather around for one.  Collar…she’s got those too.”

“CATHERINE.”

She was laughing at him.  “Aww come on.  You know I’m kidding.   Get her a couple of boxes of food and what are those things….”

“Puppypads.”  Deb smiled.  “Great for little dogs.  They learn to do their business in a litter box.   And NO it will not work for Hank.  He’d flood the box.”

“Make a list.  This better work Catherine.  It’s costing me enough.”  Gil signed the papers and they headed out the door.

***************

“Come on  Hank.”   Gil put the little puppy in the back seat and picked up Hank. “You ride in the back and keep what’s her name company.”   Gil found himself whistling as he drove to Heather’s.   “Wait a second….Catherine didn’t get a puppy.  Why that little ….”   He heard a few yips from Hank.   “Ahhh, you were in on this too weren’t you?”

“Woof.”

“Figures.”   Gil pulled into the Domination’s drive way.   He hadn’t called but figured Heather would be doing her books.  He rang the bell and waited.  Finally the door opened.

“Mr Grissom.”  It was slightly cold sounding but at least she didn’t slam the door.

“I..got …I got you something.”  He held out the basket with the tiny puppy in the middle.

“Woof.”

“Okay, WE got you something.  Happy?”  Gil looked down at Hank.

“And the occasion?”  Heather stood there looking at them with one eyebrow raised slightly.

“Sorry, begging forgiveness.  Just thinking you might like a little companion.  Hank here approved the choice.”

“And I’m suppose to believe ‘Hank’?”

“Woof.”

Heather couldn’t help but to chuckle.  She looked into the basket.  “Oh the poor thing is cold.   Come in Mr Grissom. “    She opened the door farther.

“I have a box in the car too.  It’s got enough food and toys for….for….”

“Go get the box.”  Heather took the basket.  “Come on in Hank.”   Gil let the leash go as Hank was pulling on it to follow Heather.  “Close the door when you come in.”

Gil quickly got the box and came into the house.  Heather had gone into the kitchen where it was warmer.  She was just about to sit down to breakfast.  “Will you join me for some tea?”   Gil smiled and nodded.  Heather sat the basket on the floor and Hank sat next to the puppy watching them move in the kitchen together.

“Heather…”

“Some things are best not repeated.”  She handed him a basket of muffins.  She filled the china tea pot with the dark amber liquid.  “Maybe we should start fresh.  After all we are new parents now.  I’m sure Hank here will want to visit his ….”

“Little sister?”

Heather nodded slightly.  “That can be arranged.  Right now I think we need a name.”

“Hank?”

“Mr Grissom, I do believe it’s a female dog.”

“No…I was asking Hank for a suggestion.”  Heather looked down at Hank and raised an eyebrow.   “You’d be surprised Heather.”

“Muffin?”

“Woof.”

“See, told you.”  Gil looked at Heather.  “Hank would get the right name.”

“I was offering you a muffin Mr Grissom.”   Once again Hank barked.  “Muffin?”

“Woof.”

And then a tiny yip came from the basket.  Hank looked down.

“Woof?”

“Yip.”

“You’re cooked Heather.”