Concatenation

Rating: PG, just to make it sound racier than it is.
Category: Drama
Archive: Please ask first I might say yes.
Disclaimer: Insert random legal mumbo-jumbo here.

Author's Note: Thanks to Mossley for betaing, but more importantly, for pushing, pulling, teasing, cajoling, and any other verb you care to use that means she enticed me to finish it.

Summary: Sara's mentoring Greg on an unusual case.

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Chapter 6

"Greg, tell me we didn't just set ourselves up to be crucified later," Sara said, sliding into his DNA Lab.

"No, I'm all over it. I swear."

"Get any reports back yet?"

"Yeah, I just got one back from Trace." He opened the interoffice envelope, scanned the page, and grinned. With a self-satisfied look, he handed the report over to Sara.

"It's starting to look like your theory could be right," Sara said, smiling her approval with him.

"It helps to have a good teacher," he replied, taking on a look that managed to balance the unlikely combination of innocence and salaciousness.

"Okay, what else do you have out for testing?"

"I've got the firearm with Bobby, and he's setting up the ballistics tests for us later. He so wanted to do them all by himself. I was all 'No, way!'"

"You know, speaking of firearms, you're going to need to get certified at the range."

"I already am," Greg replied.

"Yeah?"

"Wasn't hard, considering that I've been playing war games and urban assault with paint ball guns for years. Once I got used to the kick, it was all gravy."

"You're really getting into this whole CSI thing, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I feel like Grissom would rather me fail, so that he can keep me in DNA and I wouldn't be able to complain. So I'm trying to make sure that I've got all my ducks in a row. Not to be a drama queen, but sometimes I feel like he's gunning for me, and I've got to try to make myself as small a target as I can. Paranoid much?"

"Hey, I'm not the one to tell you you're paranoid. I came in here on everyone's shit list, if you'll recall."

"It's you and me against the world, baby," Greg said in his best attempt to mimic a film noir private detective.

"Back to what you laughingly call reality... What about the DNA from the floor swabs?"

"They're in the soup now, cooking up genes as we speak. With any luck at all, I'll have the results tomorrow. PCR is so much faster."

"What about photolab?"

"They said I'd have the infrared pics later today."

"Greg, you're doing a great job, covering all the angles."

"Considering my hypothesis, I better have a ton of evidence or I'll be the laughing stock of the LVPD."

"Just don't commit yourself to a single theory until all the evidence is analyzed. It's great to have a working hypothesis, but you can't let it limit you."

"Not a problem. In this case, I'd love to find out that I'm wrong."

"How we coming on the vic's ID?"

Greg pulled out a small notebook and flipped through the pages.

"Um, let's see. Vartan said that the house was a rental, and that the name on the lease was 'John Smith'."

"Unique."

"Six-month lease, paid in advance in cash."

"Wow, that's not suspicious."

"The wallet didn't have any ID or credit cards, just more cash. Lots of it, by the way."

"Missing persons?"

"Vartan hasn't gotten to that yet. I thought I might browse through them later."

"Fingerprints?"

"Jacqui's been tied up with Grissom's case, but she said she'd stay late today and run our vic's prints. She messes with me, but I think she secretly wants to help."

"Yeah, probably to get you out of the lab and away from her!"

"That's so very hurtful," Greg said, feigning a pout.

"What are we overlooking?" Sara asked, her eyes narrowed in thought, looking out into empty space.

"Let's see, Trace, DNA, ballistics, toolmarks, photolab, fingerprints. That's every lab we've got, other than tox and audio."

"Yeah, and Dr. Robbins will run a tox, just as a matter of course, even though the cause of death isn't exactly the mystery of the ages," Sara said. "Oh, what did they do with the cat?"

"Animal Rescue took it. They told me it was in great shape, like it was really well cared for. But it's an adult, so they aren't sure how adoptable it'll be. Everyone wants kittens."

"Tell them to hold it as long as they can, that it's part of a crime scene. Maybe that'll buy it some time."

"Is that a good thing?" Greg asked uncertainly, earning him a glare.

"Just kidding!" he said, but more to deflate her annoyance than because it was true.

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