“How are you taking all this?”
“I’m okay. I mean, they say they’re gonna have counselors come in and talk to us, but that’s-I guess that’s for people who really knew him.”
“You didn’t?”
“Not really.” He hesitated.
Riley waited; it was one of the best methods she knew of to get someone to talk.
“Actually, he was kind of a jerk,” he said after a moment, glancing at her to see how she’d take it.
“Not a big surprise,” she said. “Football star, right? I knew a few guys li ke that in high school. None of them impressed me.”
“They all act like they own the world and you’re supposed to pay rent,” he said. A little anger had sparked in his tone. “It’s like, they already have everything, but they have to find something of yours to take away. Even if it isn’t something they want-they just like taking it away.”
“I know. Well, Keenan’s days of taking things away are over.”
“He wasn’t the worst. I mean, yeah, he was a jerk, but he didn’t go out of his way to make my life hard. Not like some of the other guys.” He met her eyes. “You know what? When I heard he was dead, I felt sad just like everybody else. But then I started thinking about it, and I was glad. Not that he was dead… but that all his friends were hurting. Because somebody finally took something away from them.”
“Gentlemen, this is Nick Stokes,” said Grissom. “Nick, this is Professor Nathan Vanderhoff, Doctor Roberto Quadros, Doctor Jake Soames, and Doctor Khem Charong.”
Nick smiled broadly and shook everyone’s hand in turn. “Grissom tells me you’re going to be lending us a hand. We appreciate the help.”
Nick knew what was going on and understood the reasoning behind it. They were taking things one step farther than normal, though, by actually letting suspects into the lab-it was Brass who’d com e up with the idea of giving the killer enough rope to hang himself with by allowing access to the inner workings of the investigation. This guy obviously has a scientific bent, he’d said. We let him roam around and touch the equipment, he might give himself away.
Nick had suggested they could do even better. They could lay a trap.
“Over here is our fingerprint lab,” said Nick, leading the experts through the facility. “That’s Mandy, one of our techs. And here’s where we analyze DNA.”
Wendy Simms, an attractive, brown-eyed brunette, looked up when they entered. “What’s up, Nick?”
He performed another round of quick introductions. “They’re here to consult on the Harribold case-you know, the one with the millipedes.”
Wendy nodded. “Right. I was just running the DNA on that.” She held up a glass slide, then carefully set it aside.
“Yeah, we got lucky,” said Nick. “Found a hair caught in one of the handcuffs that didn’t match the vic. We’re hoping we can match it to one of our databases.”
“Excuse me,” said Khem Charong. “Isn’t it quite difficult to derive a DNA sample from human hair?”
Wendy smiled. “It depends. In this case, we got a follicular tag, a layer of skin around the root. It should give us all the informati on we need.”
“Sounds like you might not need us after all,” said Soames.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” said Nick. “Grissom thinks you’ll be a big help…”
“And this,” said Nick, “is Hodges.”
Hodges crossed his arms. “What are all these people doing in my lab?” he said with a pleasant smile.
Nick took him by the arm and led him a short distance away. “Look, don’t make a fuss, okay?” he said under his breath. “This is only temporary-”
“What’s only temporary? What’s going on?” His eyes widened. “OMG. They’re outsourcing my position, aren’t they?”
“No, that’s not it.” Nick paused. “Did you just say OMG?”
“I’ve been texting a lot lately. Is the lab being sold?”
“It’s a government facility, Hodges.”
“So what-everybody knows privatization is the wave of the future. Are those our new corporate masters?”
Nick rolled his eyes and gave up. “Yes, Hodges, that’s who they are. One of them’s an eccentric billionaire with a passion for science, and the other three are his entourage. Treat them nicely or they’ll make you play the new corporate mascot.”
“We’re going to have a mascot?”
They rejoine d the others. “Mr. Hodges is our expert when it comes to trace. He’s currently busy on another case, so-”
“I’d just like to say,” Hodges blurted, “that I really admire Richard Branson.”
They all stared at him.
“And that if the application period isn’t over, I’d appreciate being allowed to offer a few ideas in the mascot arena. I mean, something obvious like a talking DNA spiral or giant fingerprint might seem like a good idea up front, but something based on trace evidence offers far more possibilities-”
Grissom, who’d been standing in the back, stepped forward and cleared his throat. Hodges shut up.
As the scientists filtered out of the Trace lab, Nick whispered to Grissom, “Maybe we should have told him.”
“Have you ever seen Hodges act?” said Grissom. “The real thing may be odd, but at least it’s genuine.”
Grissom thanked all of them for coming in and assured them he would keep them apprised of the investigation. They filed out together, Soames already suggesting they adjourn to a bar. Only Nathan Vanderhoff lagged behind, turning at the last instant to retrace his steps to Grissom’s office.
“Gil? A moment of your time?”
“Of course, Nathan . What is it?”
“Something that occurred to me about the case. I was hesitant to bring it up while the others were around; it seemed presumptuous of me. Foolish, I know-you did say any insights were appreciated.”
“That I did. You have one?”
“Perhaps. It has to do not so much with the method of homicide as the resulting effect.”
“The riot.”
“Yes. And how the news of the murder was disseminated: the graffiti. Many social insects like bees and ants use chemical markers to communicate, and that’s what the graffiti reminded me of.”
Grissom nodded. “Leading to the victim’s school attacking its rival-like one anthill raiding another.”
“Yes. It may simply be my admittedly biased perspective as an entomologist, of course, but I thought I should mention it.”
“Thank you, Nathan. I appreciate the input.”
“My pleasure.” He nodded his head good-bye and left.
Grissom kept his eyes on Vanderhoff’s back until he was out of sight.
“Dr. Oki,” said Catherine, “thank you for coming in. Saves us the trouble of a warrant.”
Oki looked at Catherine. Then he looked at Greg. Then he looked back at Catherine. His face held as much expression as an ice cube held heat. He wore a short-sleeved brown shirt, and his hair was dyed a reddish blond.
“No problem,” he said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” said Catherine. “Another one of your patients has wound up in our morgue. I’d say that’s a pr oblem.”
“People die,” he said. His voice was as impassive as his face.
“Good thing, too,” said Catherine. “Otherwise I’d be out of a job. But your job is supposed to be keeping them alive. Not very good at it, are you?”
“I get by.”
Catherine gave him a slow smile. She loved a challenge. “Right. So far, that’s exactly what you’ve done. But I’m about to put up a big red stop sign, Doctor-one with you on one side and your medical license on the other. Think you’ll still be able to get by after that?”