"If I don't have you with me I'm alone, you know I never know which way to go. I think I need you with me for all-time, when I need new direction for my mind. I've got something to confess; I'd keep you in my pocket to use. You're my only compass. I might get lost without you"
After living alone in Las Vegas for a while, I could safely say that I could already feel at home. Obviously, I missed my family and friends but the new path I was taking, was the right one. So, when Grissom told me at the start of the shift that I was going to handle a new case on my own, I couldn't believe it. Grissom thought I had learned enough to trust me with something like that. He wanted to see me fly by myself and that kind of trust placed in me, meant a lot. Evidently, I was still an intern, not an official CSI, so everything would be supervised by my colleague on this case, Sara Sidle.
I put the field kit in the trunk and opened it to check that I was missing nothing. Warrick parked his car next to mine and when he got out he came over to greet me with a caress on the back.
-What are you doing?
-Checking the field kit –I answered him with a smile- See something missing?
-Evidence bags, gloves, tape, fingerprint dust, flashlight, magnifying glass.. No, I don't see anything missing although in the field you really only need three powders; black, magnetic and dragon's blood.
-I know, but I want to be prepared –I closed the kit with excitement- Grissom wants me to lead this case, with Sara's supervision but still it's a big step.
-¡That's great! –Warrick smiled and gave me a little hug- That means that he's seeing progress and believes in you. I know that you are going to be with Sara, but if you have any doubt, call me.
-Will do –I smiled back- Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a 402 to attend.
I got in the car and following the GPS directions, I arrived at the scene where Brass and Sara were waiting for me at the entrance. I parked the car, got out and took my field kit and camera from the trunk.
-The place was called Superla Spa, it was a full-service establishment.. –Brass explained while we walked in- Massage tables, salon chairs, mud baths.. The explosion went off a little after three. The fire department was able to respond in four minutes.
-Not that it helped.
-Place was fully engulfed by the time they arrived. They were just lucky to keep it contained to jus this building –Brass pointed to a man who was leaning out of a corner- The gentleman in the corner there is Pete Baxa. His company owns Superla Spa.
-Hi! Pedro Baxa, Ba-ha, like Baja, California –he introduced himself with a certain sad look- But call me Pete, everyone does.
-You in charge of this place, Pete? –I took the initiative, after Brass and Sara looked at me to do it.
-I'm the CEO of Miel LLC, it's less impressive than it sounds. The company owns Superla Spa.. what's left of it.
-We'll need to know you're insurance provider.
-We'll have to notify the claims adjuster when we've released the scene –Sara added to my petition.
-Actually.. this is kind of embarrassing, but the policy on this place has lapsed –he bowed his head embarrassed- We sent them a payment, but they said they didn't get it. Then they wanted us to pay a late fee and raise our premium.
Sara and I exchanged looks.
-I have some things I need to take care of –he took out a card from his wallet and gave it to me- Here's my card, at least until the next board meeting. You can reach me at my office.
From our position, the first thing we did was examine the two mud baths. In-between the baths there was a smoky part of the wall and with a collection tool I processed it.
-Laura, check this out –Sara pointed at both baths- One mud bath contains a lot more mud than the other.
-That mud is baked solid, but I don't know the way to examine it, inside and out, without actually breaking it up and compromising potential evidence.
-You know, the other day, Grissom was telling me that we have access to an industrial ultrasound device –Sara nodded- It sounds perfect for this problem, I'll give him a call.
Meanwhile Sara made the call, I continued examining the scene. I photographed a rock with a hole in the middle and used the casting. I walked into the kitchen and I found a burnt muffin inside the microwave, if it was on last night, we could have our ignition source. I took a sample from the ceiling because it looked old and it could have asbestos in it and then I took samples of soot from the walls. Finally, I found crimping along the edges of the split gas line; I'd say it was cut. So far, there were signs of arson. Sara went to the lab to grab the ultrasound device and when she came back, Brass was with her.
-Now, we're living in the future.. –Brass spoke while we installed the device- I'm still waiting for my flying car, but seeing through walls isn't too shabby. How does it work?
-We turn it on and point the wand at whatever we want to scan –I grabbed the wand and held it above the mud- The sound waves it emits penetrate at different speeds depending on the density of the material. Then, the onboard computer translates that into a picture.
Brass got a call, so he had to be absent, but I started to run the wand across the surface until Sara told me to stop. Then, she turned the onboard computer screen and looked at me with a serious face.
-Does that look like a human body to you?
-It looks like we have a victim after all –I nodded in agreement- I'll call Doc Robbins for a pickup.
-Just what we needed.. –Brass let out an exhausted exhalation- Seems your case may be crossing into the FBI jurisdiction. Two agents are already waiting for us in my office.
***
Sara handled checking in the evidence we found and taking it to each department for analysis. On the other hand, Brass and I returned to his office to speak with the FBI agents. We were walking down the hall on our way to his office, when Brass stopped me.
-You've been biting your nails all the way back –he said directly but kindly- Laura, you need to calm down.
-I know, I know –I breathed out- It's just that this is the first case I'm in charge of and I didn't think that I'd have to deal with the FBI.
-Then just ask Grissom or Sara what to do, but if it means something, I think you can pull this off –I raised my head thanks to Brass's pretty words and smiled at him- You know your stuff and you are ready, just be confident. ¡Oh, and don't look them straight in the eye!
He said that last sentence to make me laugh and relax before entering the room. He entered first and I followed him inside. Both agents were standing, observing Jim's various decorations hanging on the wall. The first agent I saw was in his 50s, with white hair and gray eyes. He wore a black suit with a tie and matching shoes.
The second agent was younger, dark brown hair and blue eyes. His beard had a reddish hue. He didn't dress like his partner; he was wearing a plain black shirt, a black bomber jacket and black jeans. I have to admit it, he was very attractive.
-Captain Brass, pleasure to meet you –the first agent held out his hand- Special Agent Huntby, this is my partner Special Agent Hayes. I presume you're the CSI in charge of the investigation.
-Correct –I replied back as I shook the hand of both agents- Laura Serrano. How can we help you?
-It's our understanding that there's been a fire at the Superla Spa directed by Pedro Baxa –Agent Hayes spoke, noting his Irish accent- Is our information correct?
-Yes, we are looking at him for a possible arson and homicide.
-Is that right? –The two agents exchanged worried looks- Let me explain why we're here.. Are you familiar with La Reina de la Colmena? Unfortunately, as a member of the law enforcement you should be. In Spanish, it means..
-"The Queen of the Hive" –I finished the sentence for Agent Huntby- I'm Spanish.
-It's the alias for a woman named Beatriz Salazar, now the most dangerous drug lord in Mexico –he continued- We believe Pete Baxa was in her employ.
-So, is this the part when you tell us to back off and let you do your job? -Brass asked, which caused the smile of the two agents.
-No, not at all, we want you to get your man. We want you to get him so bad, he'll have no choice but to cut a deal. You see, in the entire universe of La Reina de la Colmena's drug trafficking operation, Baxa's just a satellite.
-A small time money launderer through those little shops of his. But, for some reason, we have him on wiretaps in direct communication with Salazar –Agent Hayes explained- The 'taps themselves are useless because Baxa and Salazar communicate in code, but if we can bring him down, then we have our best shot yet at taking down The Queen of the Hive herself.
-I don't need more convincing, I'm on board –I nodded, wanting to help as much as possible, since it was the right thing to do- The thing is that I can't get ahead of evidence and if it indicates that Pete Baxa had nothing to do with what happened, I will have nothing to pressure him with.
-We understand. We are just requesting the opportunity to keep tabs on you for a while and run this one as a joint jurisdiction.
-No problem –I smiled at them, and then I got a message from Dr. Robbins- Looks like the autopsy from the burnt victim is completed.
-Do you mind if I join you? –Agent Hayes asked me, and with those blue piercing eyes and that sexy Irish, how could I say no?
-Not at all.
I left Brass's office with Agent Hayes by my side. Not knowing what to talk about, since I didn't want to give me away as a rookie in front of him, I silently made my way to the morgue. Then he spoke.
-So, Laura, how come is that a rookie is in charge of an investigation?
-It is that obvious, huh? –I smiled sheepishly, looking at him momentarily- What gave me away?
-While you were talking you stiffened your fingers and interlaced them, even for a moment you moved your hands back and forth –he explained with a certain vain attitude- What I haven't managed to figure out yet is if you are nervous about the situation or because of the devilishly handsome FBI agent that is walking next to you?
I frowned and narrowed my eyes to understand what he had just said. Leaving aside the immense self-esteem he had, he made me smile.
-Well, you'll have to crack that code by yourself.
I pushed open the door to the autopsy room and headed straight for Dr. Robbins. I made the introductions between both strangers and we began with the results from the autopsy on the victim.
-Do we know who is she?
-Well, the bikini probably left no room for imagination nor an I.D, but I did collect her fingerprints and DNA. Her name is Portia Weismann.
-Cause of death?
-Take a look at the third degrees burns on your victim's hands and face –As he said, I approached the body and observed them- You can probably tell that they were above the surface of the mud during the initial explosion. In addition to the burns on her skin, he suffered thermal injury to her upper airway.
-She inhaled a substantial amount of smoke and hot gasses from the fire.
-That's right; carboxyhemoglobin levels in her blood exceeded seventy-three percent so the cause of death was suffocation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
-In a fire that intense, carbon monoxide levels would spike rapidly –Agent Hayes added to the explanation- She probably fell unconscious pretty quick.
-Time of death is going to be difficult to determine –Robbins continued- Even without the fire, the initial temperature of the mud bath complicates my ability to offer an accurate estimate. Although, I was able to extract samples of the vitreous humor from both eyes, potassium accumulation in the tissue indicates time of death between three and four.
-That's consistent with when the fire started. Anything else we should know?
-Your victim had advanced mesothelioma; it's a type of cancer that attacks the lining of the vital organs. It's thought to be caused, most often, by exposure to asbestos.
-You know.. the whole ceiling from the crime scene might be coated with asbestos.. I took a sample to analyze it –I remembered- Maybe our victim set the fire, revenge and suicide all in one.
-Doctor, did she know she had cancer? –Hayes asked.
-I ran an expanded tox screen and she hadn't been taking any cancer medications and I didn't find any tissue damage from possible radiation treatments. I did, however, find evidence of a persistent use of cannabis.
-Well, now the idea that "weed cures cancer" is spreading far and wide.
-Thanks, Doc.
***
When we left the autopsy room and went upstairs again to enter the Lab, Sara crossed our path with papers in her hand. She was surprised to see someone unknown next to me, but as soon as she saw the badge and remembered what Brass said about the FBI, she introduced herself.
-So, I've analyzed the soot samples you took from the spa and they are mostly carbon but there were traces of acetone in all samples.
-Acetone? –I asked while I grabbed the paper- That's an anomaly. Acetone is sometimes used as an accelerant. What about the chemicals from the ceiling?
-Calcium sulfate and asbestos –she answered while she showed me the paper with the results- That explains why the ceiling didn't burn.
-We just came from the autopsy, and the victim had a type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos –Hayes added himself to the conversation.
-So we've got a gas leak that looks to be the result of tampering.. –I thought out loud trying to put the puzzle pieces together- Throw a muffin in the toaster oven at 450 degrees then just leave it in there without setting the timer.
-Sounds like a recipe for arson.
We went straight to Brass's office, where we told him and Agent Huntby what we knew so far. Brass consulted the victim's name and it turned out that Portia Weismann worked at the Spa. As expected, Brass called our prime suspect, who agreed coming to the police station and answer a few more questions. While I was waiting for Pete to get to the police station, I thought it was going to be my first interrogation that I was going to do and I started feeling nervous.
-It's your first interrogation, I presume.
-Oh my god, can you stop doing that? –I asked annoyed- Stop analyzing me.
-I can't love; it's my job and if I'm not wrong.. it's also yours.
The word love came out of his mouth gently and directly. His attitude was charming and intoxicating. He had facility to communicate, all he had to do was be interesting and get his Irish accent noted to get what he wanted. That attitude was surely the reason he was an FBI agent. He could easily convince someone of anything. What led me to think that he was a player.
-Look Laura, in the interrogation room you have the upper hand. You know the cards you're dealing with, you just have to play them –Hayes got up from the chair he was sitting in and approached me with a tender look- Avoid overly harsh questions and look at the body language. Remember you are in control of the mental state of the person being questioned.
-But what if I screw it up? –I asked uneasily- Or if I forget to ask something important for the case? Or if I say something that I shouldn't?
-You are not going to be alone; your partner is going to be there with you. If you miss something, which I don't think you will, she's going to bring it up. So, don't worry about that, the important thing is that you get the experience.
He took a step and slowly placed his hands on my shoulders. Due to his proximity, I breathed slowly, which managed to lower my heart rate. He realized that and smiled sideways while his eyes were connected to mine. The front door opened and Pete Baxa entered through it.
-Do you want a good luck kiss? –he said in a funny way, but I couldn't say if he had meant it or not.
I smiled at the comment but I didn't answer, instead I entered the interrogation room with Sara, Brass and Pete. Jim had already told Pete that the victim was Portia Weismann, which saved us time. My main strategy was to be nice.
-Did Portia have any reason to start the fire? Had she mentioned any kind of health problems?
-No, nothing like that. Why?
-She had mesothelioma, a type of cancer cause by asbestos –I explained- The ceiling of the spa is coated with asbestos-laced paint.
-Really? I.. I guess I'll have to take your word for it. You really think Portia got cancer from working at the spa? Uh.. she never said anything to me about it.
-Was there anything unusual about Ms. Weismann's recent behavior? Did she ever seem unusually angry or depressed?
-Well, we weren't exactly close, but I got the feeling she was in a troubled relationship. I think he hit her. Portia always seemed to like showing off her body, I even had to ask her once to wear more than just her bikini to work! But one week, a while back, she wore long sleeved shirts every day.
-What do you know about Portia's boyfriend?
-Portia was a very private person; I know almost nothing about her boyfriend.
-Could you give us Ms. Weismann's address?
-Oh, yes. I know where she lived, let me write it down for you –Brass gave him a paper and a pen- So, I hate to ask, but is everything you need from me right now? I may have some errands to run, but I'll be in the barber shop if you need me. The address is in the business card I gave you.
When we got to Portia's apartment, we found that the entrance door was busted. Brass and a couple of officers entered to check that no one was inside. Luckily, it was a Code 4; under control. Once everything was clear, Sara and I started to examine the scene. The first evidence we found it was a shoe print at the entrance step, we took a picture and a sample. Using a casting on the broken door handle, we got the markings from the tool used. Sara found in the drawer under the oven a lot of pads of financial records showing that the Superla Spa did a little business. We found some broken beads with a black hair entangled between them.
-Hey, I ran a background on Brian Reid, the victim's boyfriend –Brass approached us with his phone in hand- Turns out that, up until last week, he was a captain with the Las Vegas Fire Department. His Chief told me that Reid had a mixed service record; multiple commendations for bravery, but the guy was also on probation for insubordination. Well, when Reid failed a random drug test last week for the use of cannabis, they fired him.
-This reminds me.. The notorious serial arsonist John Leonard Orr.. was both a fire captain and an arson investigator –Sara added.
We returned to the Lab with all the evidence found at Portia's apartment, we registered them and began to examine them. Sara wanted to analyze the markings from the tool used to bust open the door while I took care of the black hair and the sample from the shoe print. I gave the hair to Greg and headed straight to the trace lab.
-Hey! I didn't know you were back –Hayes greeted as he walked in the room.
-Yes, it was pretty fast.. –I nodded while I waited for the results to arrive- Where were you? Let me guess, talking about X-Files!
-No, we do that on Wednesdays –he laughed at the joke and sat next to me- Actually, my partner and I couldn't sit still doing nothing, so we brought you a gift.
-Diamond ring, diamond ring.. –I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers.
-It's in the interrogation room –he answered with a smile.
-At least tell me it's Brian Reid.
Hayes nodded. We stayed silent, looking at each other with dumb smiles as we waited for the results. Suddenly, I remembered I didn't know his name.
-Now that I'm thinking about it.. you haven't told me your name.
-Killian.
-Killian Hayes.. –I repeated his name- That sounds more like a pirate, not a Special Agent.
-Maybe in another life I was –he answered surprised, then he grabbed the bottom of the chair and pulled me closer- I do certainly know how to keep precious things close to me.
I couldn't see me but I was turning red as fuck. I wasn't used to deal with men who knew how to flirt. I heard the printer making its sound; the results were ready but I couldn't care less. In that moment I wasn't in the Lab, I was imagining Killian's lips on mine. Suddenly, he moved forward, coming dangerously close to me, and when he was ten centimeters from my face, he took the paper from the printer and returned to his place.
-Feldspar, clinopyroxine and acetone –he read out loud.
-The minerals are found in volcanic ash, which is what they use to make mud for the baths –I explained when I came back into my senses.
-So that means that the person who was at Portia's apartment, was also at the Spa –I nodded in agreement- And acetone was the accelerant used at the Spa.
Nick entered the Lab, catching us smiling at each other, but when our eyes met, he tried to turn around but I stopped him. I got up from the chair and approached him.
-You don't need to go, we were just leaving.
Nick nodded with a strange smile. Awkward. Uncomfortable.
-Special Agent Hayes –he introduced himself and shook hands with Nick.
-Nick Stokes, CSI –Nick looked at me uneasily- I've heard that your case crossed jurisdictions with the FBI, but I didn't expect to see an agent working with a CSI. Normally, you tend to take us off the case and ignore us.
-That's not me, mate –Killian replied with a defensive tone- Laura can assure you, all my eyes are on the case.
Nick cleared his throat and after looking askance at me he nodded. We left the Lab to let him work and we went to look for Sara to see how she was doing or if she needed any help.
-The markings from the door match a Denver Tool, is a multi-purpose tool used by firefighters and emergency personnel. It is a combination axe, sledgehammer, pry tool, ram and D-handle pull tool –Sara explained.
-Guys, I think it's time we talk to Brian Reid.
Second part from this chapter soon! Hope you enjoyed it!