CSI: Dark Past
A constant vibration stirred Grissom from his sleep. He was initially confused and it took several moments to shake the cobwebs from his brain before he realized the source; earthquake. It wasn't very strong, but enough so to dislodge several items from a shelf which noisily crashed to the floor.
* * * * *
Grissom sat at his office computer and evaluated an article he had written on two species of endangered butterflies. A tap at the door distracted him. Without looking up he invited the visitor inside. As the door opened Big Mouth Billy Bass sang in welcome.
"Working on a case?" He recognized Sara's voice.
"Of a kind," he responded as she patiently waited. "Are you aware that last fall's wildfires resulted in the loss of nearly 70% of the Thorne's hairstreak and Hermes copper butterfly habitat?"
"I was completely ignorant until now," she admitted as a half-smile appeared on her otherwise serious face.
He completed his final edit, closed the file, and gave her his full attention. When he glanced up he was surprised to say the least. Her naturally attractive face was further enhanced by make-up applied too heavily. Her normal casual attire had been replaced by an excessively short bright yellow skirt, a revealing white pullover half-top, and black stiletto-heeled shoes that were open at the toe. His mind quickly assessed her appearance.
"Going fishing?" he inquired.
He hadn't seen her dressed in such a manner before or since she volunteered to be bait in a case that almost went sour. Luckily they were able to catch the Strip Strangler in time. And he hadn't found a reason to draw his service weapon since.
"I'm hoping they might be biting." Sara walked over to the fish board and retrieved a note that listed a brief case description for one that had gotten away.
"My case load is taken care of and I thought I might go back over to Willie's and see if I can attract some unwanted attention and loosen some lips. I want that bastard caught. Not only does he rape women, he kills their animals too."
The phone rang. Grissom picked up, listened, and acknowledged as Sara refreshed her memory with details of the case.
"It appears your case load isn't as light as you think."
"I can't go to a crime scene dressed like this!" she protested.
"I don't think the Vic will complain." The tone of his response immediately ended the discussion.
* * * * *
A sea of flashing red and blue illuminated the area. Grissom and Sara walked towards Sgt. O'Riley who was directing two uniformed officers. She felt ridiculous in the provocative attire, and was greeted with looks, raise eyebrows, and a few cat-calls from unformed officers who couldn't help but notice her. Sara dismissed them with a most un-lady like gesture.
They reached him as the officers walked off.
"It seems the earthquake was the last straw for this place. It collapsed this afternoon. When the west wall gave way several human bones were discovered," Sgt. O'Riley reported.
"I've been here several times, back before they closed," Grissom commented as he recalled the look of the club and casino in years past. "It was a local hangout called Pair-A-Dice. It exchanged hands several times and at the end was a combination casino and strip club."
"At the end it was more than that," O'Riley pointed out. "It was managed by a local thug and the dancers did anything asked of them."
"You mean the interview process was stiff?" Grissom commented.
O'Riley countered "Let's just say they danced for a hard crowd."
Grissom noticed a floodlight was pointed at a small opening in the wreckage. "Who's inside?"
"Catherine," Sgt. O'Riley answered, and then explained "She arrived just a short while ago. She said she was familiar with the layout and wanted to see if she could locate anything more."
It was no secret that in a previous life Catherine had been an exotic dancer. She made no effort to hide it. But what surprised Grissom was what O'Riley said. Had she crossed the line? That was something any woman would keep well hidden, and it caused him to wonder.
"Who called it in?" Sara asked.
"A couple of kids took a pelvis home and claimed it was part of a dinosaur, but lucky for us the father knew otherwise," O'Riley answered.
"Catherine appears to have the inside covered, so let's check out the initial discovery point," Grissom suggested to Sara.
The ground was uneven at best, and littered with fragments of the building. She had a difficult time maintaining her balance, and when she teetered on the edge of falling Grissom reached for her left hand with his right and grabbed it.
Whether intentional or otherwise, their fingers interlocked like love-struck teens. As she steadied herself a brief smile formed at the edge of her lips as the innocent gesture sparked a jolt of excitement.
"Hold on until I get you there," Grissom instructed in a calm voice.
As Sara looked down at the ground and carefully picked a path that avoided as much of the debris as possible, tingling warmth filled her supple loins. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and she wondered if any of this was affecting Grissom as it was her. Did he realize her hands were clammy, and why?
Once out of view of the flashing emergency beacons and squad car floodlights, Sara pretended to fall…again. Grissom was in a more awkward position for any attempted rescue, but that didn't stop him from trying. They both tumbled to the dusty ground, hidden in a small depression formed by a mountain of surrounding debris.
Grissom landed fully on top of Sara in an embarrassing position. His legs were between her thighs, which were shamelessly exposed and parted. The force of the fall forced his lips to hers in an unplanned kiss.
Neither of their mouths retreated, and for a brief moment they each gave in to the sexual tension that always enveloped them. She was so tempted to thrust her tongue inside of his mouth that she found it emotionally painful to deny herself the pleasure.
Her heart raced with excitement as she felt his weight upon her body. Her thighs shifted apart slightly more in anticipation, hoping the kiss they shared would lead to more.
His mouth pulled away from hers, and for a second their eyes locked. When he glanced around at their hidden location and at the pile of debris that surrounded them, he remarked "What a fortuitous spill."
Sara couldn't suppress the wide grin that appeared on her face. She was convinced that the moment had finally arrived. Almost immediately wetness seeped from her fur-fringed pussy, and the outer lips swelled and moved apart beneath the thin panties that clung to her crotch.
Grissom removed most of his weight from her body as he propped himself up on his left elbow and reached his right hand down.
Sara reached her hands down between her thighs and anxiously slipped the narrow strip of cotton away from her pussy, exposing the moistened pink folds and dark curls of pubic hair. Her breathing quickly grew labored as she was filled with a thrilling rush. When she heard the metallic sound of a zipper, a second surge of essence followed. She imagined his swollen penis entering her tight canal and forcing the long-dormant walls apart.
"Do it," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
"No, I'll let you," Grissom's voice announced. "You have a passion for bones."
Her eyes immediately popped open and saw the plastic evidence collection baggie that he dangled above her face. Her eyes followed his gaze, which led to the discovery of a partial bone fragment half-hidden in the debris pile that masked them.
The detective in her immediately surfaced as she grasped the baggie and meticulously collected the evidence without introducing any contamination. All thoughts of sex evaporated.
* * * * *
The lingering wetness in her panty crotch was a reminder of what almost was. Sara laid the bones onto a backlit table. With the recovered pelvis the bones formed a human skeleton, but one remained. She re-examined her work but saw no place for it. The jigsaw was complete, yet a piece remained. It was only a partial, which made it difficult to identify.
When Grissom entered the room Sara turned and faced him. "I can't figure this out."
Grissom took the extra bone from her and placed it on the backlit table below the pelvis and between the femurs. "It appears he died with a boner."
Sara displayed a wry smile. "When's the last time you had one?"
"Just a few hours ago, actually," he honestly admitted. And then his voice turned serous. "I could lie, Sara, but I won't. I know that there's been a tension between us. It's been difficult at times for me, and even perhaps for you. It's much like the mating habits of a…"
In an act of frustration that Sara suspected she would long regret she lashed out. "I'm not some damned endangered bug! Fuck you, Grissom. No, better yet, fuck me!"
They both knew the night shift had vacated the premises and would soon be occupied by the morning crew. In that between-shift lull, they surrendered to desire and coupled. Grissom's arms encircled her slender waist and lifted her into a sitting position on the backlit table.
Sara's slender thighs automatically parted and revealed the stained crotch of her panties. She wasn't embarrassed in the slightest as she levitated her legs up. When his fingers grasped the thin fabric and peeled them down her smooth legs she shamelessly exposed the pussy she'd wanted to reveal to him for so long.
"Somebody might…" he started.
"Then fuck me quick!" Sara answered before the question was finished. "Dammit, Grissom, don't deny me now. I'm more fragile right than your most treasured specimens."
This time when she heard the zipper she knew it wasn't from the evidence collection kit. It was finally going to happen. Her eyes closed as she concentrated all her attention on the throbbing lips of her pussy. At long last she wasn't going to be denied.
"Oh, Grissom…" she started. As the head of his penis thrust between the protective walls her desire liquefied into a flood of hot nectar. "Please…I need you more than ever."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she lay upon the backlit table, the skeleton and misplaced bone illuminated upon the same surface only inches away. Both realized that no such thing as secrecy existed among the members of CSI, and it was only a matter of time before others smelled the sex in the room and discovered the secret it held. Grissom would be annoyed if any missed such a clue. But such knowledge didn't keep his hardened spear from seeking its target.
The rounded tip pressed at the narrow opening. As her hands clutched the edge of the table his grasped her soft, slender waist and pulled her closer to the table's edge. His hips thrust forward and drove his penis into her juicy canal. The tight walls reluctantly yielded and allowed some penetration, but delightfully resisted any more. She softly groaned and breathlessly panted as her supple form shuddered in excitement.
He partially withdrew and thrust again, pushing deeper inside. Her tight walls enveloped the shaft and squeezed around the invading flesh. They eased into a slow rhythm of thrust and retreat, and as her pussy grew juicier an audible squishing sound surrounded them interspersed with soft moaning. Sara bit down on her lower lip to muffle her voice and reduce the risk of attracting unwanted attention.
Their interlude was brief but passionate. All of the pent-up sexual tension was released in the form of a powerful orgasm that clutched Sara. Initially she tensed, and then erupted in uncontrollable spasms of sheer ecstasy.
Overwhelmed by the intense delight, tears formed in her eyes and spilled down the side of her head as her writhing form shifted on the backlit glass tabletop in the otherwise unlit room. Bizarre shadows were created and danced on the ceiling like ghostly apparitions.
On the heels of the first, she was blessed with a second release. It was significantly less intense than the first and it quickly dissipated but not before Sara enjoyed momentary waves of tingling pleasure. It was as if thousands of tiny electric fingers suddenly caressed deep inside her belly and triggered a surge of essence that now dripped from her swollen pink folds and onto the table below.
Grissom didn't hold back. They both realized time was short, and the longer the act was delayed the higher the risk of discovery became. It was Vegas and they were gambling on not being caught, but at some point the odds were stacked too high on the wrong side of the bet.
He made no effort to extend the act and thrust his full length into her pussy and ejaculated. A brief stream of DNA-laced semen was gratefully released. He pulled back and thrust forward a second and final time, grunting in delight as the remaining milky contents of his balls were emptied.
"We better clean this up quick," he whispered as he withdrew his softening penis from between her still-quivering thighs.
"I'll get it," Sara volunteered as she slid off the tabletop. "Maybe you can check with Greg and see what he came up with."
"Yeah, I'll do that," he agreed to her suggested pairing of assignments. He looked down at the floor and noticed the soiled panties partially obstructed by the table. "And don't overlook the obvious."
The air in the room was tinged with sex, but the continuously circulating fans of the environmental control system would quickly disperse any noticeable traces. After closing up his pants and straightening his clothing he left Sara to complete her self-assigned duties.
* * * * *
After Catherine emerged from the ruins and left Grissom and Sara to finish up the crime scene, she returned to her car. She could barely keep herself together long enough to get the door closed before tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
Her entire body trembled as she reflected on her dark past. Images of a previous life returned and overwhelmed her, triggered by her search of the collapsed club. It was an unexpected and steep emotional cost.
"So, how bad ya wanna work here, huh?" that detestable voice sounded in her head. "Show me the goods and what ya can do with'em, and then we'll see."
She should've turned and run. Catherine still couldn't understand why she stayed and slowly peeled the clothes from her body, revealing everything to two Italian wise guys that spelled nothing but trouble. Maybe it was the smell of trouble that attracted her, just like when she hooked up with Eddie. The men she chose were all alike; disrespectful and disingenuous, to put it kindly. And assholes to the core.
Hands grasped and pulled her forward and down onto a lap. Her nude body continued to writhe in rhythm with the music that played in the background in an effort to earn herself a position as an exotic dancer in the newly reopened club. Her eyes closed as she desperately struggled against the mix of emotions that clashed in her heart and echoed in her mind. Somehow she found the courage, or stupidity, to follow through.
She felt hands on her breasts, squeezing the supple mounds. The guys exchanged cruel words as they assessed her physical attributes. After sizing up her breasts, hands were placed between her thighs. Fingers sifted through the soft curls and casually rubbed against the pink folds. A single finger worked between the lips and into the narrow canyon, fully exploring her pussy.
"Okay, get off," the man decided as she passed his physical examination. "Be here Friday at seven with a smile on ya face and nothin' else."
Why she ever returned was a sign of her desperation. She showed on time in a skimpy outfit that revealed more than it covered. As music blared from a jukebox on steroids one girl danced on stage as three others provided individualized entertainment.
Even in the dimly illuminated club it was apparent that the men's hands were all over the nude girls. Their lithe, glistening bodies writhed as they wore fake smiles on pretty faces. The men stared in breathless amazement at the gorgeous bodies that tempted them and freely caressed whatever caught their attention.
Catherine distinctly remembered wondering if she could go through with it. It was easy imagining herself in the same position. She didn't have long to wait for an answer. Even before her first dance, Vinnie accosted her by the arm and directed her to a table to perform a personal favor.
Although she didn't know it then, the rotund middle-aged man was Big Lou. He looked at Catherine with lust in his eyes. His large hands guided her onto his lap and fat fingers groped at her breasts through a red lace bra.
Why she shuddered and why her nipples excitedly hardened eluded understanding, because he was otherwise offensive. But he seemed genuinely pleased by her reaction. His right hand reached up and gestured to who Catherine guessed was Vinnie, and the pair was quickly ushered into an enclosed private party room.
Speakers inside mimicked the same music that played in the main bar. The man knew what he wanted, and with an unmistakable gesture requested her to disrobe. Catherine nervously complied and felt more naked than ever as his dark, cold eyes thoroughly explored her bare flesh.
When his hands reached for her she initially recoiled but the look he flashed her indicated a fierce intolerance of being denied any request. As if to emphasize the point that he, and he alone was in control, a hand sharply slapped across her face. That was when Catherine realized the depth of the hole she now found herself in.
And that was how it all started. When he reached for her a second time she willingly complied, and when he placed a hand on top of her head she sank to her knees and loosened his slacks with trembling fingers. By the time her fingers reached inside and withdrew his throbbing penis it was fully hardened.
Her heart raced as never before as Catherine's mouth opened and she took him inside. A grimace appeared on her otherwise beautiful face as a foul musk flavor assaulted her senses. More frightened than disgusted she gave him the best head she was capable of and hoped her efforts would please him sufficiently. She knew that anything less would be costly.
Thankfully the big man didn't last long. Catherine's head bobbed up and down as her lips and tongue licked and sucked on the pulsating mass of flesh that was as hard as his heart. Within just a couple of minutes he climaxed. When he felt the semen rising from his balls, he firmly grasped her head in both hands told her to swallow it all if she knew what was good for her.
Catherine heeded the warning. When he ejaculated his hands pulled her head down. She swallowed the sudden surge of thick, warm semen that flooded into her mouth. No sooner had she forced down the initial load, a second and third followed. Her stomach turned as she ingested every drop of seed that squirted into her mouth. As if that wasn't enough, he instructed her to pump the shaft and suck the rest of it out.
She was too frightened not to obey. Her mouth continued sucking on the round tip as one soft hand gently stroked the shaft from the base and all the way up to the tip. Each long, slow stroke worked a few drops of semen through his penis and into her mouth. When the supply dried up, she hesitantly pulled her mouth away.
"That was pretty good," he commented as he tucked himself back inside his clothing. "Vinnie knows how to pick'em, I'll give 'im that."
It was an initiation into the dark side of Vegas, where sex and money was covertly exchanged between the current ruling underworld power and those who tried to carve out a niche of their own. And each time Catherine returned for another shift, the deeper the hole grew. It was a miracle she ever escaped at all.
Several years later a missing man made the local news headlines. That was when she was able to put a name to the face; Big Lou. The police suspected foul play given his links to the mob. But when the body never surfaced, as so often they never do, it was eventually forgotten.
* * * * *
The sound of electronic keyboard music drifted down the hall from the lab. It grew louder with each step. It wasn't anything recognizable, but rather a rhythmic mix of odd unnatural tones, chimes, and beeps arranged in a method that simulated something like music. Grissom found it irritating, and wasn't surprised to see Greg gyrating in time to the elusive beat.
"You realize that's annoying," Grissom commented as he approached the lab technician.
"It's my friend's work," Greg explained. "It's good, if you're into electronic synthesis."
"How about a little less synthesis and a little more scrutiny," Grissom suggested.
"You're just in time. I recovered two different DNA samples from the bones. And you'll never guess who." Greg loved holding back potential surprises, much to the chagrin of his CSI team members, Grissom included.
"I shouldn't have to guess. That's why I have you. And I may be looking for a replacement sooner than expected if you make another attempt to withhold evidence."
Greg dismissed the implied threat and handed over two computer print-outs. As Grissom looked them over Greg filled him in on the details.
"Louis Salvatore was the Vic. DNA confirms that he's the skeleton. The other bone was a partial from an arm. It was the only thing found, but it was enough to get us a match with one Vincent Leone."
Grissom recalled the cold case and picked up where Greg left off. "Big Lou went missing nearly a decade ago and turns up inside a wall of the Pair-A-Dice club that was run for a short time by Vinnie Leone. Maybe we should have a talk with Vinnie, if he's still around."
Greg's eyes lit up as he passed a note to Grissom. "Try the Shady Oaks retirement village. Maybe time has loosened his lips."
* * * * *
Grissom noticed the redness that rimmed Catherine's eyes when she returned. He knew better than to ask any questions. She was still having a time of it with Eddie, who continued to fight for custody of their daughter Lindsey. He decided to ask her to accompany him on the drive out to Shady Oaks in case she wanted to talk.
The sun had already risen as they got into his black Chevy Tahoe. The morning rush hour had already started and it delayed their arrival at the retirement village. He filled Catherine in on the details of the case. He never saw the look of shock and dread that appeared on her face as old skeletons fell out of the closet door that his discoveries had inadvertently opened.
When Catherine asked if she could skip the interview he obliged her request and spoke with Vinnie alone. Nearly an hour elapsed before he returned to the SUV and revealed what Vinnie had related.
"It seems Vinnie wanted a piece of the action and was wooing the mob," Grissom related as he summed up their discussion. "But booze and the girls stopped working after a while, and the money wasn't coming in fast enough. The mob wanted a bigger cut, but Vinnie couldn't afford to give what they demanded and keep the doors of his place open.
"When they got impatient Big Lou showed up with an associate and they cut off his left arm at the elbow as a warning. The next time Big Lou showed up he was a little too over-confident that his lesson had worked. Vinnie ambushed him from behind and hid the body inside the wall along with the arm."
He was surprised that Catherine didn't respond to the revelation. He suspected she may have known Vinnie but didn't want to pry or make any assumptions.
"He has advanced emphysema, he's on oxygen, and according to his doctor his health is rapidly failing. I don't see any need to take this to the DA."
The tone of his voice said everything his words didn't. Catherine knew he was protecting her past, but how much was he aware of?
Finally she spoke. "Never doubt and never look back. That's how I live my life."