#401 - ASSUME NOTHING, part 1 (Sep 25 2003) (#402)
Synopsis: The team finds themselves faced with a serial killer who prowls on couples looking for a good time. The first victims are Checco and Alice Dominguez. She's found in a hotel room at the Sphere - her throat slit, blood spattered on the walls. The tox results show a lot of alcohol and Ecstasy in her system.
          While checking out the parking garage, Nick runs into his old college chum Kenny Richmond who is now a valet at the Sphere hotel. The two used to play baseball together, and Nick inadvertently lets slip what he's doing - investigating a murder. Meanwhile, Dr. Robbins found a clue on the woman's toe that he recognizes - a piece of glitter from Shimmer, a strip club (one that he frequents himself).
          The team scours the parking garage. While Sara and Warrick check different levels, Nick finds the husband in an SUV. His throat's been slit, but from behind. Grissom and Catherine, meanwhile, follow up on the strip club clue, talking to Orphelia, a stripper who saw another couple pick up the decendents. There was a lot faction (lap dances) and drinking going on with the couples. And that stripper puts the moves on Grissom... "You sure don't want to dance? I could be your specimen. You could be my mad scientist," to which Catherine counters, "He always is, sweetheart."
          At the lab, Nick is horrified when he sees reporter Paula Francis run a story on the murder, repeatedly exactly what he told Kenny. Warrick advises that Nick talk to Grissom before Grissom finds out, as what would Nick then do? Lie? "Lie about what?" says Grissom, who walked in on the conversation.
          Grissom and Catherine talk to a couple (Kent and Natasha) who had been seen on one of the hotel videos. They were looking for some sexual excitment, and went up with the couple - Mandy and Cameron - but left because the situation got too weird. When they start fighting, the couple booted htem out of the room. "I don't know how much fighting works for your marriage," says Grissom, "but it probably saved your life."
          Catheirne has problems of her own. When she goes to the courthouse, she sees Sam Braun walking out - a free man. In the locker room at the CSI, Warrick talks with her. She's worried about the backlash from the San Braun case as she circumvented the evidentiary chain when she suspected she was Sam's daughter. case. she's afraid the backlash.
          Grissom and Brass investigate another murder. It' similar - a married woman found in a hcair, her throat cut. Only this time it's the lower-end motel, The Fez. When Grissom goes looking for the husband, he finds a guy in a car, only he gets startled when the man moves. Just a tourist who feel asleep. A motel guest getting ice out of the large ice machine watches the police action, then freaks out because the husband's bloodied corpse is in the ice machine. It's daytime by the time the medical examiner gets out to removing the body, which takes a bit of effort, but while digging through the ice, Grissom finds the murder weapon. Grissom, along with Nick, goes into the motel room, where Nick suspects he'll be reamed out by his supervisor, but it's not the case. Grissom just wants to check the room. When Nick makes a comment about the 'magic fingers' device on the bed, both men realize the killer might have used the device. They begin taking fingerprint samples from all the quarters. When that's done and the evidence is taken away, Grissom pops a quarter in the machine and lies down on the bed. "I need 15 minutes to think," he tells Catherine, as he's never tried out the device himself.
          The team deduces that somehow, the killers get the husband to kill the wife, perhaps to save her from a worse fate. The fingerprints come back - they belong to Mandy and Cameron Klinefeld. Nick is rarely to go get them. ""Who stays at a motel if they live here?" Grissom replies, "Assume nothing, Nick." They find the couple at a hotel, where they admit they were at the hotel, they're into sex with hookers. Grissom spots a piece of glitter on the man's shoe - which ties him to the strip club. However, none of this, nor a mixture of blood at the ice machine crime machine, is enough for Judge Slater to give Brass and Grissom a warrant. He's wants convictions, and a Federal appointment.
          Nick's in the doghouse, stuck doing lab work, but when he's talking with Catherine and watching a video of the couples in the hotel bar putting the moves on each other, they both realize that if Mandy licked one victim's ears, she could ahve licked the other man's ear as well. They get down to the autopsy room right before the body is thoroughly washed. The DNA matches. Mandy is the killer.
          Brass gets his warrant, but by the time he and Grissom arrives at the Klinefeld's residence, the couple is dead. Stabbed to death.
          TO BE CONTINUED
          Guest Cast: Scott Wilson (Sam Braun), John Doman (Judge Slater), Rudolf Martin, Brian Bloom (Kent), Nicole Hiltz, John Kassir (Hotel guest), Romy Rosemont (Jacqui Franco), Archie Kao (Archie Johnson), Moon Bloodgood, Josh Holloway, Scott Allan Smith, David Berman (David Phillips), Terry Bozeman (Lewis).Michael Azria (California Kid aka Kenny Richmond), Lydia Blanco (Maid), Paula Francis (herself), Sue-Ling Garcia-Hyde (Alice Dominquez), Sandra Hess (Mandy Klinefeld), Jim Jenkins (Reporter #1), Brandon Kirsch (Officer Almada), Michael Lopez (Checco Dominquez), Maureen Muldoon (Reporter #2), Breck Wilson (Fred Laggerman).
          Written by Anthony E. Zuiker & Danny Cannon
          Directed by Richard J. Lewis
          Production Credits: Editor: Tom McQuade. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Frank Byers, A.S.C. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#402 - ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY (Oct 02 2003) (#403)
Synopsis: Conclusion. Brass tells Grissom (who is unarmed) to get out while he secures the house. It's empty. He calls in rescue to 11546 Blackbird Lane for two gunshot victims, but since they're dead, it's no rush. Grissom notices two scuzzy looking guys loitering outside – they're undercover cops who, alas, never saw a thing.
          The two undercover detectives – Jesse Commons and Bill Nowlan - were called away to investigate a 444 call - officer down - but came back when they couldn't find anything. Grissom asks for their guns to check. They bristle at the suggestion, but Brass makes them comply. Once Warrick and Nick arrive, they begin taking samples. Grissom finds linens and towels from the Sphere, and sheets from the motel. “What's the big deal? There were no humans involved,” says one cop.
          Sara's ticked they've been pulled off the serial case, but instead, her and Catherine investigate a college kid who can afford a pretty decent house. Inside, it's raining. They're given an umbrella and boots. “It's raining man juice?” Apparently the shower was on for a long weekend while the body decayed in the tub. “Soup's on,” says O'Riley. Only the hot water faucet was on, and a lot of evidence has been washed away.
          Warrick listens to the 911 call about the officer down, and he alerts Grissom to the caller's identity. Grissom heads toward Harmon Hill and hears the cellphone beeping. The caller dumped the cell into the bushes, not far from the crime scene. It was a set-up.
          A kid, Bradley Small, was watching everything and said he saw the two bad guys leave, then saw a cop walk up and go in. Trouble is, the bad guys he's talking about were the undercover cops.
          Robbins finds trace evidence in the body, which means he was possibly shot through something. Hubby shot in front, wife shot in back, while fleeing. “The couple that slays together, lays together,” remarks Robbins.
          Meanwhile, Sara and Catherine (assisted by EMS workers) get the body out via the window using a crane. They get to work on the nasty soup in the tub. No drugs, just normal aspirin. They're at a loss as to what happened.
          Nick and Warrick are still picking up pieces at the crime scene. They ran the odd plastic substance through an analyzer – and it's a 'soda silencer,' a poor man's silencer, in which a person shoots througha bottle to muffle the sound. The ballistics don't match to the undercover cops.
          Greg gets to help out on the scene, searching for evidence. Nick compares footprints. Greg follows a path, which leads him to a sewer grate. Sara works on the floater's shirt. There's blood on it as well as other residue. Traces an outline which turns out to be a backwards seven, which is odd on the inside of the cloth. Rubbed off on the body. Catherine deduces: a sports freak would paint their body.
          Grissom and Brass ponder who might have done it. Brass doesn't believe the child witness, as he doesn't like the story that a cop might be a killer. Greg, covered in dirt, arrives and insists that both men must come and see what he's found – a uniformed cop's shirt! “Sorry I didn't find the soda bottle.” Grissom's okay with that.
          The cop's shirt came from a uniform store that everybody uses. Various clues abound… such as it has buttons. New uniforms have zippers.
          Roomies couldn't ID Daniel O'Hennessey (aka the floater), who is completely macerated with some head injuries, which means he could have slipped in the tub and cracked his head. Meanwhile, his brain is green – steamed.
          Brass and Grissom talk to the terse Officer Dave Fromansky, whose badge number matches the one on the uniform. He lost his badge. He's got a 'few entries' in his jacket (as in problems). Fromansky doesn't care for Grissom, whom he thinks sits on his butt all day. Grissom, meanwhile, wants a swab for DNA reasons, which he gets.
          Grissom pushes his team to get cracking. Warrick thinks the 911 caller is far too calm, plus he knows cop lingo.
          O'Hennessey was a big Green Bay fan but didn't make the local football game, says roomie Tom Bell. But, O'Hennessey was a “real Bluto” says a roomie – as he had a temper and liked to drink. The last time the waitress at the bar saw him and his buddies get into a fight while watching the Rebels game on the bar's TV. Meanwhile, the dispatcher weedles drinks at Warrick's place in exchange for a copy of the tape. The things Warrick must do for his job.
          Grissom gets into his SUV at night when Fromansky comes up to the vehicle. He claims innocence, and cautions nastily that some day Grissom could need a cop, but gee, they'll all get stuck in traffic on that day.
          Archie analyze the tapes and it's clear that Fromansky doesn't match the mystery 911 caller. Nor, says Greg, dos the sweat on the uniform below to him.
          Brass finds Grissom in his office. Grissom thinks he's messed up, made it personal and doesn't know why. Brass understands it, but kind of liked it. Brass recalls some drug dealers/gangbangers getting let off - by Judge Slater - and they were later shot dead. It's someone inside, but possibly not a cop. So they go to visit Judge Slater with a warrant.
          Catherine and O'Brien talk to a young guy, Wayne Handley, who got involved in a fight with O'Hennessey. The guy says O'Hennessey left before they did so he sure didn't kill him. Cahterine wants to borrow his college ring, as it matches an imprint on the body.
          Grissom checks out the shoes at the courthouse - Slater and the bailiff are cleared, but the clerk's shoeprints match.
          The ring matches the blow to Daniel's skull. Wayne was responsible for Daniel's death.
          Brass talks with Stewart Gardner, the county court clerk, who was once a cop. The DNA implicates him, but why did he do it? Stewart things the CSI are "sleazy civilians." He doesn't think much better of the jury system. He'd prefer to enact his own brand of justice. Grissom and Warrick watch through the one-way glass, disturbed by what they see.
          When Grissom leaves the room, he passes by Fromansky, who coldly ignores him. Next thing we see, Grissom practices at the firing range. He's a pretty good shot.
          Guest Cast: John Doman (Judge Slater), David Andrews (Officer Dave Fromansky), Scott Allan Smith, Paul Francis, Marisol Nichols (Dispatcher), Lombardo Boyar (Bill Knowlan), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Jessee Commons), Archie Kao (Archie Johnson), Skip O'Brien (Sgt. O'Riley), Blake Shields (Wayne Handley), Patrice Fisher (Waitress), Andrew Leeds, David Berman (David Phillips), Patrick Stogner (Bradley Small). Sandra Hess (Mandy Klinefeld), Brandon Kirsch (Officer Almada), Nate Torrence (Daniel O'Hennessey).
          Written by Andrew Lipsitz & Carol Mendelsohn
          Story by Richard Catalini.
          Directed by Richard J. Lewis
          Production Credits: Editor: John Ganem. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Frank Byers, A.S.C. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#403 - HOMEBODIES (Oct 09 2003)
Synopsis: Night. Two punks crowbar their way into a home, robbery on mind, but they think the old woman who live there is loaded. However, they flee when the cops arrive but they're surrounded. Grissom is at the closet door, which is locked by a chair being shoved up against it. The prints are all smudged. The cops called them as they thought the chair was suspicious. However, nobody is prepared for what's inside – the mummified remains of Madeline Foster, the retired schoolteacher who lived there.
          Brass questions one of the robbers, but doesn't get much out of him.
          Grissom and Warrick check out the house. The old woman tried to claw her way out of the closet so she was alive when she was locked in. The mail has piled up, there's a tea set on the counter, and a piece of chocolate cake – missing a piece. Grissom checks out the closet.
          “Live alone, die alone,” says Robbins, “of massive dehydration.” There's no other determination of death so far. He removes the woman's dentures and snips off a fingertip for Grissom to work with.
          Across town, Deputy Irons leaves the scene after showing Catherine a gun found in a grassy backyard. It was fired once, and left where it fell. A small boy, Nathan, found it and fortunately only nicked it. Emily Kimmel says no, they don't own a gun, and never would. Seymour is the imaginary friend who found it.
          Meanwhile, Madeline Foster's newphew – Conner Foster – wants to see his aunt's remains. He's shown the body. “Oh, this is messed up,” he says, and then thinks the body moved. He's high on something, so he's not going to leave. Conner is unemployed, and two years ago he was caught trying to pawn one of his aunt's necklaces. However, he never bothered to call her while she spent a month in the closet. They only talked or met during holidays. Grissom persuades him to make a dental ilmpression to see if it matches the cake.
          The ballistics tech checks the gun - .32 caliber, which means not many are in circulation, which could prove advantageous. The bullet matches to one of Warrick's cases from the week before – the shooting death of bounty hunter Frank Maddox.
          Greg is dealing with a bunch of fingers in a jark, and he thought Warrick was supposed to do the fingerprints. It's a bit too gross, but it's part of the job as he learns how to print from rehydrated fingers.
          Meanwhile Sara and Nick have a 406 – a breaking and entering – in Henderson. Mr. Kirkwood answers the door, says it's a mistake – that his daughter brought over friends who started drinking, so that's it. Sara sees the daugther in the background, and she looks upset until she leaves. While Nick and the uniformed cop talk about an upcoming uniformed cops vs. CSI ballgame, Sara goes to the car and finds Suzanna , the teenager daughter, in the back of the Tahoe. She wants to go to the hospital.
          At the hospital, all Suzanna wants is a morning after pill. She's not being too cooperative, and Sara tells the nurse to take complete photos as it was definitely a rape.
          Greg gives the 'mummy prints' to Grissom. “Warrick's getting sloppy,” notes Grissom as he works on the chocolate cake. Greg doesn't bother to correct this oversight.
          Sara and Nick come back to the Kirkwood's house to tell them their daughter was raped, and that they have a warrant to search the house. Nick finds pictures of Suzanna as a child in her parent's room, and the glass has been broken in each frame. The doorknob on the closet is loose as well. When Nick puts a table against the closet, it matches the piece out of the surface. Someone had been locked in the closet. There are blood marks on the inside of the closet.
          The cases seem to match in some respect. Home invasions are meant to terrorize people. People were locked in closets in each case.
          O'Brien and Catherine check out the park where the bounty hunter was shot at 2:00 a.m.
          Nick and Warrick check out fingerprints with the lab tech. Grissom and Sara work separately on their cases. The bite mark on Suzanna's neck looks like an attack from behind. And the bite mark on her neck matches the bite from the cake, and it's not the nephew. However, fingerprints point toward Steven Jansen, a real slimeball. While he does odd jobs for them, he denies having committed any crimes. Sara asks for a dental impression.
          Meanwhile, back to the bounty hunter. Due to a business decline in bounty hunting and loss of reputation, Catherine wonders if Maddox didn't commit suicide. Catherine gets an idea from the block of red found on the trigger guard.
          The dental impression from Steve Jansen is consistent – but not conclusive. Alas, the semen doesn't match either. It could have been more than one suspect involved in the rape.
          Grissom visits the Kirkwoods. Kirkwood oddly does not seem to want to help. The police know what happened. He says that if Grissom had a family, he'd know why Kirkwood can't help.
          The CSI team is going through the Kirkwood trash in the layout room. But how did the attackers get in? Warrick finds a bag – from the Lavish Café. A link to the victims. The chocolate cake at Madeline Foster's home was from the same cafe.
          Ryan, the helpful young waiter, says that Mrs. Kirkwood and Mrs. Foster always came in alone so he tried to be nice with them. However, he's got an alibi, but maybe somebody else there doesn't.
          At the park, Catherine talks to the balloon man, who does recognize the bounty hunter. Bought four big red balloons. Catherine buys the same selection and ties the exact weight of the gun to it and lets the balloons fly off.
          The team says Kelly James went to the same high school and juvie center as Jansen, so he's a suspect, but not enough to get a DNA sample. Grissom gets a page. It's Suzanna. She's willing to look at a line-up. Sara takes her aside to make her more comfortable and talks with the girl. Suzanna says that she and her boyfriend were thinking about having sex, but she said no, fearful her parents would find out. Grissom talks with Mr. Kirkwood, realizing that the man never saw his attacker. Kirkwood always thought he knew how he'd protect his family in a situation like that, not that he and his wife would be locked in the closet as the rape occurred. Meanwhile, Suzanne froze up and couldn't identify him. Their hands are tied now. The suspects will walk free.
          Catherine invites Warrick out for a ride. Maddox had lost it all, but chose suicide. He picked an area known for trouble, tied the balloons to the gun and shot himself. The gun simply floated off until the balloons popped on a tree in a family's backyard.
          At the Kirkwood home, the police are there. Suzanna lies dead on the driveway, blood pooling under her head. She'd been shot while bringing in the groceries. While Grissom prepares to examine the body, a visibly shaken Sara retreats to the car, a single tear flowing down her cheek.
          Guest Cast: Stephen Root (Kirkwood), Jeanette Brox (Suzanna Kirkwood), M.C. Gainey (Frank Maddox), Paul Francis, Romy Rosemont (Jacqui Franco), Skip O'Brien (Sgt. O'Riley), Vince Vieluf (Conner Foster), Thomas Wilson Brown (Johnson), Ron Melendez (Ryan), David Berman (David Phillilps), Zachary Throne (Balloon Vendor), Noah Segan, Candace Edwards, Mia Wesley (Emily Timmel), Lois Hall (Madeline Foster), Francis Capra (Tough Punk), Bill Jacobson (Deputy Irons), Brandon Kirsch (Officer Alamada), Keith Pillow (Public Defender), Christine Romeo (Linda Kirkwood), Barry Sigismondi (Uniform Cop #1), Ross Simanteris (Nathan Timmell).
          Written by Sarah Goldfinger & Naren Shankar
          Directed by Kenneth Fink
          Production Credits: Editor: Alec Smight, A.C.E. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Michael Barrett. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Kenneth Fink., Richard J. Lewis. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.
NOTES: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazzette stated that they asked the network publicist just what happened at the end of this episode: They replied that she had killed herself. I agree with those of you who say that makes no sense. - celia _ storey@adg.ardemgaz.com

#404 - INVISIBLE EVIDENCE (Nov 13 2003)
Synopsis: Warrick is in court, discussing where he found the knife under the passenger seat in a car. Michael Fife was the owner – and he's the defendant. He explains how he processed the case, and how the knife was connected to 19-year-old Rachel Lyford, a rape/murder victim who lived in the same apartment complex as Fife. The defending attorney pounces on Warrick, and suddenly it's discovered that Officer Watson never got a warrant. Warrick didn't either. Fruit of the poisonous tree applies, and there appears to be no other evidence. The rapist/killer is going to walk. Grissom asks for 24 hours, and Judge Brenner complies. The officer jumps all over Warrick; but Grissom breaks it up. File a complaint if you've got a problem.
          Sheriff Atwater runs into Grissom and Warrick. He talks to Grissom. Warrick goes into the locker room and bangs his head on a locker in frustration. Grissom defends Warrick's actions but Atwater says the public will only see an improper search. He gawks at a radiated fetal pig in a jar before turning toward the CSI. Atwater appreciates Grissom's efforts, but… he's going to dump all the blame on Grissom. He does it very smoothly, however.
          The whole team is working on it. The outstanding warrant was for marijuana possession so he checked the car for that but found the knife. They ran the blood, matching it to Catherine's case – a 19-year-old Rachel Lyford murdered in her apartment. The DA rushed the preliminary but now they've got 24 hours to solve it. Nick is told to search the car as the knife and towel it was wrapped in are invisible evidence. Everybody is pulled off other cases. When Sara protests, Grissom states firmly, “I'm handing out assignments, Sara. This not a negotiation.”
          Nick and Sara wait for the car at the impound area. Sara is pissed off as hot cases get priority. Nick understands the chain of command and says that no matter what the supervisor asks, you do it. “You don't have a career without a job.” However, when the flatbed arrives. Nick is as crushed as the car. The BMW has been 'pancaked' AKA flattened.
          The body was cremated at Desert Haven, but was first identified by her sister Rita. They were very close until she moved out. She was raped – but no semen evidence, and a ligature mark of some sort on the neck, and multiple stab wounds in the neck and upper torso area. The fatal wound was in the neck. She bled to death.
          Warrick talks to David about the Lyford girl. The flaky stuff on the wrists was sent to Trace, which Hodges is still running. He's still a jerk, saying how embarrassing it must have been for Warrick in court. Warrick leaves, running into Brass, who had a run-in with Rita, who wants her sister's silver chain back – it had her father's Army dogtags on it. That probably explains the mark on her neck.
          Grissom is dusting a beer bottle found in the garbage in the apartment. Both Grissom and Warrick check out the sheets and other items found in the apartment. More 'flaky' stuff, like the material found on Rachel's wrists. Grissom tells the CSI to stop watching the clock as otherwise the case won't get solved. “Not even you can stop time,” says Warrick. Grissom just gives him an odd look. Who knows?
          Officer Kelly Ray lets Catherine in to Rachel's apartment, which she searches. The cop is reading the same book – a romance novel - that Catherine finds. The bed mattress still has bloodstains on it. The phone rings and the answering machine goes on. Walter Burke leaves a message, asking for a date. Catherine went over the apartment for 12 straight hours. Couldn't sleep. Ray's sister, a CSI in Bakersfield, calls it the 'CSI diet.' Both women think about it for a moment, then realize a condom was never found. Catherine searches further, and finds a semen-laden fingerprint on the toilet's flush handle.
          In a perverse turn of events, Nick and Sara use instruments such as the Jaws of Life and an inflatable airbag to open up the car and make it accessible. Sara finds a parking ticket from the Saturn Arms. Nick finds white threads with reddish-brown stain on it. Blood? Sara isn't as upset about her case being put on hold.
          Warrick talks to Jacqui Franco about the print from the bottle. It's definitely Fife's. Fife denied ever being in the apartment.
          Warrick and Brass talk to Fife and Margaret Finn, his lawyer, and discuss the bloodstained fibers. It's evidence. He says Rachel was a neighbor, that's it. Denies again being inside her apartment. Fife explains away the bottle – a party in the courtyard. He thinks he took the trash back inside her unit. The lawyer's positive his client will walk.
          Rita Lyford wants to see Warrick. She's agitated. He walks past her and she stops him. She needs to know that Fife will pay for his crime. She's annoyed he's taking a coffee break, even if it's the first chance he's had since court. She screams about it, and Nick comes over and calms her down. All she wanted to hear was that they were working on it.
          Nick sees Warrick. Warrick doesn't like having victim's family in his face. If Nick wants to commiserate with the victim, that's his problem. Nick says all the woman wants to know is that someone gives a damn. Warrick storms out, leaving Nick a frustrated Nick by himself.
          It's 5:13 a.m. Catherine finds Warrick washing his face in the bathroom - the women's bathroom. He didn't realize it and is flustered. She's amused, but assures him that they'll break the case. He's not giving up. He's being realistic.
          Hodges motions Grissom into his office. Grissom tells Hodges to tell Warrick about the results, but finally pries the info out of the man – the flaky substance was wax. Hodges is still trying to circumvent the chain of command. Grissom tells Hodges if he needs someone to talk to – “What time?” asks the eager Hodges – “we have a psychologist here on Tuesday and Friday” replies Grissom, which sure deflates Hodges.
          The DNA from the semen doesn't match. Not good. The sheriff is also looking for more information.
          7:06 a.m. The CSI team goes over the evidence. Could the semen have come from a prior encounter? There's no real evidence against Fife. If Fife didn't do it, how did the knife get in the car? Fife's wife is gone. The only outstanding evidence is the wax that “what'sname” (Hodges) is analyzing. They can still use the knife if they have another suspect. Grissom actually sighs when the Sheriff shows up. Nine hours left. Grissom says dinner next week is fine, and he'll have the fish. Grissom does his best to annoy the sheriff but not telling him anything. “Okay… for now,” replies the Sheriff before leaving.
          Nick works in the lab, checking over the knife again. Grissom comes across Sara staring at the bloodstained bed sheet pinned to the wall. There's a void mark where the victim was held down. Sara asks him to “pin me down.” Grissom obliges and they re-enact the struggle, where the woman gave up and the killer put his hands on the sheet for leverage, leaving wax prints. But, Sara also wants to talk to him about something, and pulls away. She applied for the promotion for a position (the file is on his desk). She wanted to make sure that anything that happened – or didn't – between them wasn't a factor. She realizes she's flustered about her feelings about him and leaves, and Grissom is also disconcerted about the topic.
          Hodges is looking up body wax on the web when Catherine comes over. It's research, says Hodges, as a firewall would prevent him from going to nasty sites such as the one he's visiting. The wax is not body wax, but Axion car wax. He already paged Warrick, but gives her the information when she motions for it.
          Grissom, Warrick and Catherine study the wax information. Fife is an electrician, but where does Fife get his car waxed? If they let the lawyer know, Fife will walk. They decide it's worth the risk to pursue the real killer.
          10:11 a.m. Brass talks with Fife again, and they run over the night before the killing until he was arrested. He hung out, drank, hit on some girls (struck out), passed out in his apartment. Drove up to Green Valley, did some work, went back to his apartment at noon, and ate lunch. Grissom and Catherine watch. She says she liked his 'tough act' about the 'negotiation' talk at the meeting the day before. Fife mentions the car wax. Was the broken taillight mentioned by the car wash attendant? Nope. The lawyer suddenly realizes what's going on and ends the talk.
          Car wash. Catherine thinks the taillight got busted in the car wash and the evidence was planted inside. So the fragments of the taillight must be somewhere. Fortunately for them, Catherine must clean their trap. If he doesn't let them do it now, they'll do it on Saturday, his busiest day. He complies. Warrick and Catherine search the trap and find the taillight. The manager says there's no way two cars could hit each other in the tunnel due to safety technology.
          The CSI are going to do DNA samples on everybody who works at the car wash. The manager hates it as it's holding back his business. Catherine is doing swabs. One blonde guy, Lenny, seems a bit anxious. When Lenny leaves, Warrick sees a chain around the man's neck.
          Lenny is hauled in to talk. Alas, his DNA matches the semen sample in Rachel's apartment. HE says he knew “a Rachel,” but not her last name. Rachel hired him to wax her car for $25. And then she came on to him, but Catherine thinks it was rape, plain and simple. And because she knew who he was, he killed her. He denies it, but Lenny took the murder weapon with him, and he planted the knife in Fife's car, broke the taillight, and set him up for the fall. Lenny recognized the parking permit. Plus, he's got her father's dogtags. Aaron Lyford. He says Rachel gave them to her, then why did he try to hide them in the men's room at the car wash? Warrick found them, and Officer Acres can confirm no one else was in the men's room.
          In court. Everything has been done by the book, confirms Warrick. And Margaret Finn, the defensive attorney, has no questions. Lenny is being sent to trial for the rape and murder of Rachel Lyford. Warrick assures Rita Lyford that her father's dogtags will be returned. The Sheriff shows up, hoping to use Warrick as press fodder. Warrick hesitates, as he's not good at talking with the press. Grissom smiles. “You won't have to talk much,” knowing how the Sheriff hogs the limelight.
          Guest Cast: Xander Berkley (Sheriff Rory Atwater), Christian Camargo (Michael Fife), Lochlyn Munro (Officer Hal Watson), Wallace Langham (Hodges), Romy Rosemont (Jacqui Franco), James Marshall, James Patrick Stuart (Fife's Attorney), Erik Jensen, Andrea Roth (Officer Kelly Ray), Kayren Butler (Rita Lyford), Michael Ensign (Judge Brenner), David Labiosa (Car Wash Manager), Gary Anthony Williams (Flatbed Driver), David Berman (David Phillips), Palmer Davis (Margaret Finn), Victoria Prescott (Judy Tremont), Autumn Reeser (Rachel Lyford), Larry Sullivan (Officer Monohan aka Akers).
          Written by Josh Berman
          Directed by Danny Cannon
          Production Credits: Editor: Alec Smight, A.C.E. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Michael Barrett. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.
          Notes: This episode did not air October 16, 2003 as originally slated. CBS showed the third season repeat "Play With Fire" as there was competition from Fox's World Series baseball games.

#405 - FEELING THE HEAT (Oct 23 2003)
Synopsis: The scorching hot sun rises up over Vegas as a heat wave bakes the city. A young woman walking through a parking lot spies a baby in a car seat and goes over, then cries for help. A businessman comes over and breaks the window with a skateboard. The cops are there now. The baby is dead in the car heatstroke. Brass is unable to find the car registration. “When are parents going to learn a car is not a babysitter?” says Catherine. It's 108 degrees outside. This is the 12th case they've encountered. A man, Paul Winston, asks what's going on. It's his car. Distraught, he realizes it's his son, Joshua, to whom the police are attending. It's 145 degrees, inside the car. The baby baked to death.
          The desert, and Vegas is in the background. In the parking lot, David Phillips estimates the baby could have been dead an hour ago in that heat. They put the baby in a sheet, treating as though it's still alive for the sake of all the people who are in the parking lot, watching.
          Nick and Sara deal with a floater found by a ranger at a lake. The cops had to pull her out or else she would have floated away. And she didn't drown. Head is split and neck looks broken.
          Father was supposed to drop him off at daycare, but that's usually his wife's job, but things were so hectic that he simply forgot. His wife Vicki always does that. His job just eats up his time and all. He's an agent for the gaming commission. A “25 hour a day” job. His wife's in L.A. on business, so she doesn't know yet what's happened.
          Sara finds a green fiber on the woman's body. Nick takes photos. No birthmarks or tattoos but he finds a locker key tucked in her shorts. They talk about promotions. Both have applied but neither has heard back. David comes in to undress the body and clean it up for the autopsy. He finds a strange something on her side.
          Her neck was broken, a “savage hit”, says Robbins. But it doesn't look like rape. She'd had a meal 2-4 hours before death. Meanwhile, Ranger Stone came through. He found the locker to match the key.
          Jeffrey Sinclair, a young, good-looking chief deputy D.A., comes in on the Joshua Winston case. Paul Winston starts work at 10 a.m, but the baby was in the car for two hours. It's going to court. He wants the man behind bars as an example to parents who think about leaving their kids in scorching cars. He wants the case documented thoroughly.
          Catherine and Grissom go over the car and it's bizarre. There's no indentation in the back seat of the car indicating the baby seat was normally there. However, they find blood spatters on the back floor.
          Warrick takes pictures inside a house. Grissom arrives, having handed the dead baby case over to Catherine. There's a fat dead guy sitting in a chair. He's dead. The super came in to check the AC and Wesley Jones, age 33, is dead in his massage chair. Robbery wasn't a motive considering all that's been left. Grissom remarks he once had a case where the suspect used a soda can to kill a guy. Grissom finds a workout schedule – today was a 3-mile run – and he has Ephedra tablets. Not good at all. Obviously the guy was looking to lose weight but going about it the wrong way. They think it's heat stroke. “Yeah, feel the burn,” says Grissom.
          Greg is working on the swab. Catherine thinks it won't be a murder charge but child endangerment, etc. Greg thinks it shouldn't be. However, the blood turns out to be cough syrup.
          On the lake, Nick and Sara check out the locker key. Sophia Renatta, 20 years old, is the victim. Finds a guy's wallet with money, and some underwear, double XXL. Possibly from a suspect. Morris, a wave runner rental guy , recognizes Mark Young (from his credit card they found in the wallet) - a guy who came by to 'rescue' the girl. Rented the wave runner in the a.m. but didn't use it until the afternoon, which meant something was going on. “Boy meets girl, girl ends up dead,” says Sara.
          Mrs. Winston is horrified. All her husband had to do was one thing. She's in horticulture, designing gardens for hotels, and had to go to Anaheim. She's got a baby seat in the vehicle, and put it in Paul's car before she left. Did Joshua have a cold. A slight cough, she agrees, and gave him some cough syrup. She let her husband give him the medicine. When she sees him comes by, she goes to him. She then yells at him, beating him, but then he comforts her in her grief.
          Sara and Nick talk to Mark Young's father as they can't locate him. He's got a job so he shouldn't be on the lake during the day. Alas, Mark called in sick. Dad hasn't seen him since the day before. He's positive his son is not a criminal. They don't think so, but they would like a warrant to search the house, but if they could just collect some of his things, get a DNA sample, it would exclude him as a suspect. The father agrees.
          Robbins says Mr. Jones wasn't dehydrated, his heart was good, but… the fingertip bruise Warrick found earlier indicates “nuclear streaming” – electrocution. It was ventricular fibrillation, not a heart attack, caused by just a little current. And a point of contact. Now Warrick just how to find out how it occurred.
          The strange splot on Sophia's side was suntan lotion. Hodges, the annoying technician, says the green substance in her head wound was algae, the kind you find on rocks. They figure an accident occurred, and Mark Young panicked and ran off.
          Greg comes in to the layout room, hearing that Sara and Nick had narrowed their search area to 44 square miles as that algae grows on all the rocks around the lake. The body washed up on Windmill Cove, but Greg points out some 'hot' dating spots. If they need any extra help to comb the area… but Nick declines the help.
          Catherine looks at the car again. Finds a nice family photo. The trunk contains a blanket, some dry cleaning, and a blue bag with a baby blanket in it. The name Howard Aston Winston is embroidered into it.
          Howard Aston Winston was born August 12, 2003, would have been 3 years old. He died 3 years ago of Tay Sachs disease. It's a genetic disease, passed on by the parents, which condemns the child to an early and painful death. It's odd that the parents didn't mention the other child, thinks Catherine.
          Archie and Warrick check out the electronic equipment from Jones' apartment. Archie wouldn't want to die of electrocution' he'd prefer a burst aneurysm while sleeping. Warrick would rather be surprised when his time comes. Warrick believes he has found the answer when he opens up the phone receiver – lightning hit the phone and zapped the guy.
          The ranger takes Nick and Sara out on the lake and they find the wave runner in a spot that Greg recommended they check. They find a picnic blanket. Sara takes a swab and while there's a sign of sex , there's no sign of blood. However, where is Mark? Why would he leave the wave runner after killing her? There's an access road two miles east, says the Ranger, but indicates only a fool would try that in that kind of heat. They decide to check it out.
          Warrick has a strike map from a weather bureau, and there's no strike in three days, so… a fried phone but no lightning. Or maybe the phone was the way out for the electricity. Archie and Warrick check out the room. They've ruled out the fan and the chair. Checking the floor, Warrick finds a footprint, and another, which leads to wires behind the big-screen TV – and a surge protector. “The path of least resistance.,” says Warrick
          Sara and Nick follow the footprints to the edge of a cliff and a 50-foot drop. Perhaps Mark pushed her off. The answer lies beneath the water.
          Catherine looks at pictures of Lindsey that she's got in her locker. “Super mommy” says one cartoon. Greg comes in with results. Cough syrup was fine, but the combination of that and the heat… but Greg also found organophosphates – pesticides – in the baby's body.
          Brass and Catherine have a warrant to check the Winston home, specifically, gardening supplies. At the lake, two cops in SCUBA gear go searching for signs of where Sophia might have struck her head in the water. The evidence is found: Catherine finds pesticides with the exact ingredients. The cops surface, with a digital camera that shows a photo of Mark Young at the bottom of the lake. The Winstons are taken in for questioning. The wife doesn't want Howard brought up. She blames her husband for the son's death. Paul says he was negligent, but he wants Howard left out of it. Brass says he'll get a court order to exhume the boy's body – to test for pesticides. Robbins says the body is very well preserved. There are classic signs of Tay Sachs, even in the tiny corpse.
          Greg runs the sample Catherine took from Howard's body. No cough syrup or pesticides, but anti-inflammatories, which just buys time with Tay Sachs. Greg wonders if they killed the baby to prevent it from suffering. But the baby was healthy says Catherine.
          Catherine talks to Dr. Garner, Howard's pediatrician. He felt it took the parents a lot of courage to have another child as the odds weren't good; however, the baby seemed fine, until a few days ago. He seemed to be exhibiting early signs of Tay Sachs, so it was like Howard all over again. It was possible the fetal test was negative. The results hadn't come back yet on the test.
          Mark Young drowned. His only injury was a ruptured eardrum. So she probably went off the cliff first, and when she didn't surface, he went in after her, rupturing his eardrum when he went too deep. It was simply a bad accident, says Nick. They found him 26 feet down, what else could it be?
          Warrick tells Grissom they found a trail of water from the chair to the power strip. He'd put a fan on a block of ice, which leaked down to his bare feet, and voila, instant electrocution. The guy was just trying to stay cool.
          Nick tells Mr. Young his theory. Sara comes over, wondering what he did. Tell the guy his son died a hero? Sara just warns Nick to be careful about telling the father theories the evidence might not support.
          Catherine and Brass talk to the Winstons again. Was Joshua with them when she was gardening. Paul confirms he was as they'd had an argument, but she took him inside. She can't recall if she washed her hands. Catherine talked to Dr. Gardiner. Catherine says repeated exposure to pesticides can mimic symptoms of Tay Sachs in infants; the mother was exposed to it through her. Catherine speculates they couldn't deal with it again, and killed their son, but not before giving him enough cough syrup to put the boy to sleep. It was a mercy killing in their eyes. Catherine says it was unnecessary. The enzyme test came back negative. Joshua didn't have Tay Sachs. “You killed a perfectly healthy baby.” Mrs. Winston begins to cry.
          Catherine goes out to her Denali SUV and checks the inside temperature. 135 degrees Fahrenheit. It drops one point.
          Guest Cast: Arye Gross (Paul Winston), Stacy Edwards (Linda), Wallace Langham (Hodges), Archie Kao (Archie Johnson), Chris Mulkey (Mr. Young), Carlos Jacott, Erik Jenson, Rick Ravanello (Stone), James Leo Ryan (Morris), David Berman (David Phillips), Cam Gigandet (Mark Young), Jacy Gross (Young Woman), Paul Rae (Wesley Jonas), Adrienne Smith (Mother), Ryan Starr (Sophia Renatta).
          Written by Anthony E. Zuiker & Eli Talbert
          Directed by Kenneth J. Fink
          Production Credits: Editor: Tom McQuade. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Frank Byers, A.S.C. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#406 - FUR AND LOATHING (Oct 30 2003)
Synopsis: Vegas at night. A long stretch of dark highway. A woman drives along in her car, hits something, and veers, going headfirst into an 18-wheeler. The truck driver says he was in the proper lane. The woman looks pretty good for a head-on, but she's definitely dead. Catherine and Grissom follows the long rubber burn and comes across the reason very large footprints, and then find the animal off the road: it's a raccoon. Or more precisely, a dead man in a full-length raccoon costume. Definitely a new one for our CSIs … even Grissom has no witty remark this time.
          At the scene, they remove the head, and there's not much padding. Grissom thinks the costume is pretty detailed. Catherine says she once dated Dutch, a Detroit Lions mascot (during the off-season), but, yeah, the costumes can get detailed. “The breadth of your social experience never ceases to amaze me,” replies Grissom. Even David Phillips is disturbed, as he fondly remembers Stripey, a raccoon host from a TV show as a child. This raccoon, however, died of blunt force trauma from a vehicular accident.
          Across town, Nick and Sara deal with a “frozen stiff” in an industrial freezer. He was hit with a shotgun blast. “This has got to be the coldest place in Vegas,” remarks Sara as they leave the freezer. Det. Vega is talking to a security guard who was in the guard shack during the shooting. He confesses that he left and got a burger, and Nick knows the place that he went to, and it takes at least 20 minutes to get the 'fast food.' Petey, the guard, tells them that some guy George came by looking for Al Seato, the dead guy in the freezer.
          The dead woman has been identified as Linda Jones, and David leads Grissom and Catherine into the autopsy room, where they find clues. The man was an alcoholic. Catherine admires the hand stitching of the costume. Once it's removed, blood pours out. “This isn't a costume, it's a six-foot condom.” Grissom finds the means of death – a bullet wound in the back. High-velocity round. “So he was shot and hit by a car,” says Catherine. “Bad night,” adds David. “Even for a raccoon,” agrees Grissom.
          Robbins says the last time this happened was 1989 when a guy was frozen to a floor. They tried to chop him out. “How'd it go?” asks Nick. “Lost an arm and a leg,” replies Robbins. He advises using boiling water to melt the ice around the body in the freezer to loosen from him the floor. Nick picks up some shotgun pellets from the floor and finds another embedded in a container. Outside in the vending machine area, Sara dusts for prints on the broken machine.
          Warrick's busy at a microscope when Catherine walks into the lab. AFIS confirmed that Robert Pitt is the deceased. Court-ordered to AA, which explains the 30-day AA chip he had on him at the time of death. Perhaps he went off the wagon after 31 days, ponders Catherine. “If I had to walk around dressed like Rocky Raccoon, I'd drink too,” says Warrick, but Catherine says people come to Vegas to be “animals.” Greg comes in with his findings: trace findings of ipecac and civet oil. The latter is prized as an aphrodisiac.
          Brass and Catherine visit Pitts home; he was single and a computer programmer. She finds the bedroom full of stuffed raccoons. Lots of them. Brass sees a calendar on the wall with Paf Con written down and circled. As the event is still running, they decide to check it out.
          Paf Con is running away, full of guys and gals and lots of animals. Grissom and Catherine come in the dealer's room. Grissom finds the plushies and furries fascinating, especially because these are people who prefer to interact as animals instead of human beings. Grissom talks about native tribes and they used animals. Grissom decides to take in a lecture while Catherine feels decidedly 'weirded out.”
          A lab tech talks with Sara and Nick. Hodges says the gray stuff on the gun tock is adhesive. Some cheap guy just broke in and killed Al Seato for $600 in change, it seems.
          Meanwhile, a guy with blood on his hands comes into the police station to report a crime. It's George, the guy who had been looking for Al but was missing. He's been selling expired ice cream (which he says is still good). He was going to give Al a piece of the action, $88, and when they walked into the break room and ran into the burglar, who shot Al and knocked out George and stuffed him into a car trunk. Al doesn't seem too swift, but he broke out of the car using a tire iron. Sara checks him out and takes some samples off his jacket. Alas, there's blood on his pants.
          At the lecture, Grissom is about the only person not in a costume. They're there to “embrace their inner animal,” says the lecturer. Grissom turns to the horse sitting next to him and shows him (or her) a picture of Bob Pitt, wondering if the horse recognizes the man – the horse shakes its head..
          Catherine doesn't have much better luck in questioning con attendees. When Grissom is back in the dealer's room, he finds a picture of Robert Pitt in his raccoon shot, alongside a 'lamb,' and buys it. At the costume competition, people are snapping pictures of a bikini clad blue cat and more. Catherine shows her badge but the cat ignores her so she ends up bringing the cat out to the main room, where Grissom comes up with other blue critters. “Hello, this is racial profiling,” protests the bikini cat in a sultry voice. The other two animals remove their heads when Grissom asks them to, but the bikini cat won't comply, so she's dragged down to the station. And no wonder she wouldn't remove her head in public – she is a he. Sexy (aka Sexy Kitty) is the name of this cat, and he finally removes it. “Hello, Sexy,” says Catherine. Bud Simmons isn't a criminal and doesn't want to talk to them. Grissom sniffs him. Interesting odor. Blue fibers were found in the stomach of a dead man. Rocky was 'skritching' him – like grooming – friendly scratching.
          Grissom and Sara go over the bikini cat costume. They wonder what else Bud was doing with the costume and Rocky Raccoon. Catherine runs a light over the costume and finds evidence of ... semen. Both CSIs look revolted. “Whatever happened to normal sex?” says Catherine. “What is normal sex?” replies Grissom and then begins quoting Freud, saying that the only unnatural sexual behavior was to have none at all, and that many prefer the texture of fur to human skin. Catherine, with hands on hips, states emphatically “Well, I like hairy chests, but I'm not about to bop a six-foot weasel.”. Greg comes in with more evidence – “Bud is starting to look like a pretty bad cat, “ as the trace from the costume matches what was in Rocky Raccoon's vomit.
          Nick and Sara wonders what kind of idiot walks into the police station with blood on his clothes. There's only one drop of blood, but the murder scene was splattered. They decide to conduct an experiment of spurting blood into a 22-degree situation. It bounces off the wall like marbles, which would explain the single drop in the inside cuff of the pants, but it proves George isn't the shooter. Hodges examined paint chips found at the scene – they're from a car – car paint covered with house paint.
          When confronted with Bob Pitt's semen on his costume, Bud admits they ended up in a fur pile, a pile of people scratching and whatever, and some people just get too excited. Bud says he was there for the yiffing. “If I don't have my costume on, I pretty much can't get yiffed.” “Enjoy your new costume,” says Brass of the county's bright orange jumpsuit. “What are we going to do, put out an APB on Tom and Jerry?” says Brass.
          Back at Paf Con, a sexy white rabbit goes outside for a rendezvous with a wolf. Grissom, Catherine and a cop go to a private party and they've got a warrant. The polar bear or dog lets them in. It's a fur pile. “Whoa, Nellie!” shouts Catherine. “Is this a raid?” cries one animal. Grissom wants the costumes off and names read aloud.
          At the lab, Catherine says some could have used deodorants. Grissom talks about pheromones, etc., which Catherine finds a little boring. Since only Bob threw up in the fur pile, it's easier to sniff a scent. One animal's paw smells like civet oil and ipecac. They're looking for a wolf, “in wolf's clothing.”
          They've got the wolf in an interrogation room. He admits to applying the mixture to Sexy Kitty, because Rocky wouldn't get enough of her. The guy thinks raccoons are low-lifes, they just 'screw' and eat garbage. At last year's convention, Rocky stole his girlfriend. In the wild wolves are monogamous, and raccoons are promiscuous. He just wanted Rocky to go home and leave his 'ex-mate' alone. His mate was a 'lamb.' They were co-workers and when he found out what she did on the weekends, he joined the furry community as he enjoyed it. Her real name is Linda Jones.
          Grissom and Catherine open up Linda Jones' car truck and find the lamb costume. They had no reason to check the trunk. So Linda ran over the 'philandering raccoon.'
          They map out the crash scene and the hotel location. Catherine wonders if the pair had a car fight – squabbling in the car – so he either left or she chucked him out. But why turn the car around? Catherine says car fights already end with picking up the person who was dumped. Catherine finds a clue – a valet check.
          The gunstock adhesive was analyzed, and granite glue was used, and fortunately few places carry that particular glue. Nick and Sara go off to check out some address.
          The valet remembers the raccoon alright. There was a fight. Linda probably thought he was drinking again, due to the vomiting from the ipecac. Figure he got out of the car to throw up, but then what? “You don't think they allow plushies in the NRA?” teases Catherine, when Grissom says he thinks the animal folk didn't do it.
          The cops have rounded up Virgil, owner of the badly painted blue car and there's lots of incriminating evidence from the scene that matches up to Virgil. The man has little to say except that he wants a lawyer.
          The CIA and police are using metal detectors to comb the highway where Rocky Raccoon got shot. Catherine finds a bullet. It looks like he was shot from above, and was on all fours. It was a hunter, who mistook Rocky for an animal.
          At the police station, cops are escorting Virgil when he runs into George in the hallway. Amazingly, confessions are blurted out. Virgil was the thief/shooter and George didn't know it. His cousin set him up. He really is dense.
          On the highway, Grissom and Catherine talk to a guy at a house near the highway. Spotted a coyote that night – he has purebreds – so he “took care of it” and watched the end of Jeopardy.
          Brass is astounded by the resolution of the case. He was accidentally shot, then hit by a car, and dead before he hit the dirt. The wolf gets a misdemeanor. Catherine at first thought it foul play when she saw the fur suits, but then realized it was just a domestic disturbance that went awry. “Hmm, fur and loathing in Las Vegas,” concludes Grissom.
          Guest Cast: Willie Garson (Bud Simmons), Patrick Fischler (Wolfie), Wallace Langham (Hodges), Brad Henke (George), Geoffrey Rivas (Det. Sam Vega), Paul Francis, Todd Robert Anderson, Steven Barr (Breeder/Shooter), David Berman (David Phillips), Kim Robillard, Chad Einbinder, Evan Arnold (Robert Pitt/Rocky Raccoon), Traci L. Crouch (Linda Jones), Kimble Johnson (Valet), Edmund Wilson (Officer on Duty).
          Written by Jerry Stahl
          Directed by Richard J. Lewis
          Production Credits: Editor: John Ganem. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Nathan Hope. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#408 - AFTER THE SHOW (Nov 20 2003)
Synopsis: A Vegas Showgirl revue is shown on a big screen on the Strip. Someone is watching a young woman on TV talking about becoming a showgirl. Julie Waters - an aspiring model - is profiled on the news as she's been missing nearly a week. Meanwhile, a guy in his living room is basically worshipping the TV and the model's image. He's talking on the phone with the cops, saying he never meant to hurt her. He puts a gun to his mouth.
          The scene changes. SWAT cops have surrounded a house. The man, gun still in hand, comes out onto the lawn. He drops the weapon and is captured. Soon the CSI are there, looking for evidence of the missing girl. The man – who is drunk - won't tell Brass, and the woman has been missing for six days. It doesn't look good.
          Howard Delhomme is the supsect. Catheirne watches Sheriff Atwater do his press conference on TV while she and Sara search the man's house and his obsessive items on Julie's disappearance. They find his darkroom, full of photos of Julie's eyes. He's a photographer, but a very obsessive one.
          Brass is trying to crack Howard in the interrogation room, but Howard isn't talking.
          Julie's mother reported Julie missing. Catherine and Sara go over the slides of Julie's house. Everything was left behind, including birth control pills. Apparently Julie had a meeting with producers of a Vegas reality show on showgirls. Her car was found. No sign of foul play. Only her purse is missing. They're called to see Brass. Apparently the uniform cop left Howard alone for a minute, who then cut himself and wrote a bloody message on the wall on how he never meant to hurt anyone. They fear this could mean more victims. When Howard is brought back, he stares at Catherine but is taken to another room.
          Sara and Brass talk with Howard. He'll talk, but only to Catherine, “the pretty one.”
          Daytime. Police cars are out in the desert, and along with police cadets, they search for the body. Howard is tagging along, in red coveralls and chains. He'll only communicate to Catherine, and he figures out she was once a dancer but she won't go along with that chatter. He's already obsessed with her. Blood hounds are there as well, but as the sun sets, Sara talks with Grissom. Since when do suspects pick criminalists? Grissom thinks it could be helpful, but Sara doesn't think so. Night has fallen, and they're nowhere. Howard is confused by all the people searching, and the police shove him in the car and take him away. Alas, the public defender will have Howard out by the morning and he's their only clue to what's going on. The team begins to squabble over who should run the case. Nick and Sara are both in for a promotion and want to work the case as it will put them on the 'radar,' and the case was originally theirs to begin with. Meanwhile Catherine believes she should work, it, and Grissom is no doubt getting a headache. He's going to let it stand. Sara says “fine” rather tersely and walks off, as does Nick. “Are you going to have my back?” Catherine asks Grissom. “I always have your back,” he replies.
          The police cover the fruitless search on TV as the members of the forensics department watch. Sheriff Atwater and Grissom talk as they walk in the corridor. When Atwater spies Greg with Catherine in a layout room, he wanders who he is. When Grisosm explains, Atwater says “helluva time to breka out the B team, isn't it?” which is a big insult to Greg, and of course, Grissom's command.
          Catherine talks to Greg while they search evidence. She talks about how she screwed up the Sam Braun case and how Greg helped her. They go over Howard's receipts. She finds a car rental receipt.
          This leads Catherine to Oliver Micelli, a smooth-talking Mazzerati dealer. Alas, the car Howard borrowed has been detailed three times. When Catherine mentions what she did to the last car she searched (cut up all the seats), the salesman reluctantly relents, letting her have it for a few hours to search, but he needs it back tomorrow. When Greg sees the car, he's in love with it. Catherine tells him to stay focused and stop gawking as she gives him samples.
          Nick and Sara talk as they go over files in an office. Sara is still pissed they aren't running the caes, which was theirs, and which can push either one to a promotion. Sara says “…Catherine knows I can do this case.” Nick remarks “So can I.” Then Sara says “I would take you and me over Catherine and Greg, any time.” When Nick hears that Greg is assisting Catherine, he says he's fine with that – after all, Greg needs to get out in the field - but you can see his jaw tense. The pair are definitely not happy campers.
          Catherine watches a video of Julie. Grissom comes in. Nothing new, but Atwater wants to know why Catherine is using Greg, and not Warrick. Or Nick. She wants someone without an agenda. She says she knows what she's doing.
          Nick and Sara dig further into twelve missing girls over the last decade, ten of whom were found dead. Robyn Knight, one of those girls and the only model, was found six months ago. At least her skeleton was. They washed down a gully. In going through the case files, it seems she went on a photo shoot – with Howard.
          Catherine finds Nick and Sara going over the case at a computer. Sara is cold when Catherine asks how it's going. “It's your case,” Sara says. The car had 133 extra miles on it, so they've got a 66-mile search radius. Julie's car was found at a pizza place. And if they went off for a photo shoot, where are the photos? Greg arrives. He found out what the household item was on one receipt – a shovel. They suddenly realize Julie was was already dead and Howard was disposing of the body. Catherine found a bloody hair in the back of the car. They decide to check Furnace Creek area as that's where Robyn's remains washed up.
          A night search ensures. The place is swarming with off-duty cops as well, as Catheirne says, it's “their chance to rescue a princess.” Catherine rushes up to the scene. It's a body. She tells the cadets and cops to search for the shovel and purse. The team, even Greg, go over the rock-covered corpse, slowly unburying the body. “Sleeping beauty,” says Catherine as they look at Julie's remains.
          Dawn has broken on the desert crime scene. Brass shows up. The sandy soil and dry temperatures helped preserved the body. She's got no makeup, which means he cleaned her up. Nick mentions the rocks were used so the body wouldn't wash up in a storm, like Robyn Knight's. It's possibel the two cases are connected.
          Brass and Catherine talk to Howard. Howard's lawyer, Michael Scott, tells him to stay quiet. He'd like to photograph Catherine, however, and admits that Julie's death was an accident… that he accidentally struck her with a car and killed her. The trouble is that the car dealer did not hire a model for the car shoot. Howard said it was just a good opportunity. But where are the photos? Oddly, he can't recall that important detail. Catherine says to let her know.
          Alas, the autopsy rules out a car accident. She died of positional aspyhxia – someone sat on her chest. She'd been struck around the ear right before death, and was possibly raped. Her blood alcohol was high, but that could be the result of the decomposition. But she had to have at least three shots of liquor.
          Grissom and Cahterine look over the autopsy photos. Catherine talks about how thousands of girls come to Vegas. Some make it, others don't. It's sad. The autopsy shows the rape was possibly done with a foreign object.
          Apparently Howard has a previous record. Two years ago he was busted for forced oral copulation, but was found not guilty. As for the alcohol in Julie's blood, Howard said Julie wanted to loosen up, so had some drinks. And didn't want to stop.
          On the even-running TV in the forensics area, some folks watch as Howard's lawyer says the Sheriff is persecuting his innocent client. Catherine is called away. James Delhomme, Howard's younger brother, has arrived with a package he says Howard sent to him. He recognizes the handwriting on the package, and inside are four rolls of film, as well as a note that said “If I get arrested, use them to help me.”
          The five rolls of film contain nothing but shots of Julie in white shoes and black stockings. It's not what she found in dead. They find an odd shot on the negatives, a double-exposure (perhaps) of a nude against a dashboard? Archie will print them to find out. Sara comes in, says that they've got a trash can to go through. Should she, asks Sara rather snarkily, get Greg to help? Catherine leaves Archie with the film. The two women go through the trash, finding headshots of Julie. That puts hole in Howard's story that Julie had none left. They also find material used to remove Julie's makeup. Catherine wonders if Sara was ever told if she pretty, or smart? Catherine says that when all you've ever told is that you're gorgeous, everything else falls away, leaving you in a dangerous place. Julie's daytimer shows only a meeting with the Real Vegas Showgirls producer and Howard at 2 p.m. at Dante's pizza. Catherine finds the clothing Julie wore in the shots; models often bring a change of attire just in case. And the stockings have blood on them, confirming that Howard has lied. Sara is surprised that headshots cost $65. Catherine isn't, as it gets you to see the right guy, for dinner, and whatnot. Sara thinks that's a tough way to get ahead. Catherine:“Your father ever tell you were pretty?” Sara: “I guess.” Catherine: “Ever tell you you were smart?” Sara: “Yeah.” Catherine: “So it probably never occurred to you that you wouldn't be successful. If all you ever hear is that you're gorgeous, you can let everything else fall away, and leave you in a dangerous way.” Catherine tries on the stockings, then does an experiment with blood drops, which proves Julie was standing when she bled.
          Archie shows Nick the double exposure off the fifth roll of film. The dashboard belongs to the car he'd rented. Two different dashboards.
          Catherine and Sara study the developed photos. There's a progression of shots of Julie, looking worried. She knew what was going on. Nick comes by and they go back to look at the odometer shot. Different cars. It's possible one car is from another woman's demise. Catherine decides to look at Julie's autopsy photos for comparison, and asks the others to leave. Nick and Archie do, but Sara says it doesn't bother her. However, it does bother Catherine, so the junior CSI leaves. It takes a while, but she determines it's not Julie in the photos. She talks with Sara as they go over the evidence, trying to figure out what foreign object was used to rape Julie. “Do you want me to leave you alone so you can do it yourself?” asks Sara. Catherine decides to air her grievances. She didn't think it was appropriate for the entire lab to see Julie's intimate parts. “So, Nick and I are the whole lab now?” But that's not really the problem. Catherine says it was the look in Howard's eyes. She'd seen it before. He wanted her. They needed him, so she decided to exploit the situation. Even though it made Sara angry, Catherine is sure she'd do the same thing. Catherine studies the gun case, and realizes, it was the gun that's elsewhere due to his charge of brandishing a firearm. Howard used the gun on Julie.
          Howard's in an interrogation room with a uniformed cop when Catherine comes by and enters. He's fired his lawyer. Catherine wonders if that's what he likes, being alone with a woman. “One like you,” he replies. He says he never forced Julie to do anything, but evidence says otherwise. There was cervical tissue on the gun sight. “What's the matter?” she asks. “Couldn't swallow it when you saw her all over the TV?” He lunges at her but is held back by a cop. He swears at her, but his goose is cooked.
          Grissom and Catherine watch the television news. Howard is being taken away, the D.A.'s office is looking for life without parole. Grissom wonders how things are going with her, Sara and Nick. Good, replies Catherine. If Howard had not talked, he'd be a free man, but he couldn't stay away from Julie, who they watch in a clip on television. She's achieved the fame she sought, but not the kind she wanted.
          Guest Cast: Xander Berkley (Sheriff Rory Atwater), Martin Donovan (Howard Delhomme), Jamie Ray Newman (Julie Waters), Archie Kao (Archie Johnson), Paul Cassell, Gildart Jackson (Car Dealer), Brandon Morgan, Sean Christopher Davis (Cadet #1), Paula Francis (herself), Bradley James (SWAT Leader), Maureen Muldoon (Female Reporter), Tom Warden (himself), Edmund Wyson (Officer Devine).
          Written by Andrew Lipsitz & Elizabeth Devine
          Directed by Kenneth Fink
          Production Credits: Production Credits: Editor: Tom McQuade. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Michael Barrett. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#409 - GRISSOM VS. THE VOLCANO (?? 2003)
Synopsis: Night in Vegas at the Orpheus. Carhops are busy parking cars, while Sheriff Atwater comes out to get his car. Another car, a Camaro arrives, and a valet goes over. The driver says he'll take care of the bag on the seat, but the valet can get the one in the trunk. When he goes for the trunk, the car explodes, throwing the valet (now on fire) across the tarmac. It's absolute bedlam. The CSI arrive – Grissom and Catherine – to find the burned out car and dead driver (who has since been removed). It was a car bomb, says Atwater. One valet is dead, another in critical condition, over a dozen people are injured. Atwater was just coming out at that point and realizes how lucky he is. Bomb Squad has cleared the area. Another series of explosions suddenly occur and people panic and run, even Grissom shields Catherine against a car. What is going on?
          Grissom examines the car. Ammo in the trunk shot off when the heat cooked them. Glass then went through front through the driver, cutting off his feet, which were still in the car. Yech. David Phillips must collect them. Grissom sees the VIN number, which should help them identify the poor driver. David picks up the man's hand. He was blown apart. Catherine takes pictures of bits and pieces scattered around the hotel front area, including a gun – a Sig Sauer. Nick arrives. He got stuck in traffic, but he'll get to work. The press arrives and Grissom decides to leave the Sheriff to deal with them.
          Meanwhile, across town, Amelia Reubens, 25, is face down in a very nice jacuzzi bath. Detective Vartan explains to Warrick and Sara that she's Myles Reuben's wife. He's a famous singer. The maid found the dead body. Myles is still on stage, entertaining a crowd. He doesn't know. Warrick finds a nearly empty wine bottle. Alcohol and hot tubs don't mix. Dr. Robbins arrives, estimating death at less than an hour. Amelia's body is carted off. Warrick just realizes Reuben's biggest hit was the song “Amelia,” for his wife. Warrick and Sara wait at the fringes of the stage, and Reuben's manager, Sam Hopkins, says he'll tell Reuben about Amelia. The manager can't get the words out, but Sara tells him. Myles says to turn up the lights as there will be no encore tonight. Outside, the crowd chants “Amelia,” the song they want him to sing.
          Greg has arrived at the garage to help Grissom check out the car, so he gets to go under the car to find the switch that set off the bomb. He finds it, and Grissom matches it up to the digital clock. Nick must now reconstruct the bomb, no easy feat. Pipe bomb, attached to the fuel tank. Nick will go off to determine what the bomb was made of, but that leaves Grissom and the Sheriff to figure out why the bomb was set off. To Grissom, it's just a bomb thus far. Nothing unusual at all.
          Amelia didn't drown, says Robbins. It was cardiac arrest, but her heart was in perfect condition. He can't explain it yet.
          Bobby Dawson says the Sig Sauer is pretty non-descript, and the stuff encrusted around it are from the bag. As for the ammo, that's better. They're copper-jacketed, but designed to enter a target – but not exit – which is unusual – unless you're a U.S. air marshal.
          The fingerprint they find on the hot tub was Sam Hopkins, Myles' manager. Greg comes back – she had a rust cleaner in her system, so she was poisoned.
          Hopkins is yelling at the lighting guy to get it right. Meanwhile, he tells Warrick that yes, he turned on the hot tub. He does a lot of different things. He kept them both happy, as that meant Myles was happy. If Myles is happy, they're all happy. But she's buck named in the tub? He doesn't 'squat where he eats,' so to speak, so he minds his own business. He'll do just about anything for Myles. They tell him she was poisoned.
          Mel Press, the airport manager at Thrift Rite Rental says the Camaro was rented to Mr. Adam Watson, a U.S. air marshall, who was pissed when told he was out of compacts. The car had just gone in 9 minutes before he rented it. Brass talks with Grissom, and says he'll flip with Grissom to see who tells the Sheriff. Grissom thinks the bomb was already in the car when it drove off, so it meant the bomb was in the car when it was returned, which meant…
          Roger Dunbar is the suspect. The police break into his house but it's empty. Grissom and Catherine get to work processing for evidence. The place is very sparse, except for some clothes and and a paper shredder. Brass goes outside to check the garage. Grissom finds a used bandaid in the wastebasket. Catherine finds a Vegas magazine with imprints on it; someone used it for a backing when writing. Dr. Amerian, 4:00 p.m. today. Catherine will go check it out.
          Dunbar is pissed off that he's been accused of planting a car bomb. He says he has double miles, he's a premiere car member, why would he blow up a car? Catheirne produces a warrant for his clothes, which he has to hand over.
          Nick is busy checking out the composition of the bombs from the fragments that remained. He hits paydirt as Grissom arrives. It's rocket fuel and gasoline. Anybody could concoct that bomb. The Sheriff arrives, wondering what the connection was between the air marshall and Dunbar. And what about the clock? Nick can answer that. It was simply a short in the wire, so they may never know when the real time of the explosion should have bene.
          Warrick visits Greg, who has been examining the wine. There was acid in the wine.
          The room service waiter says Amelia was drinking a lot. He thinks the manager is a scumbag, no tip, while Myles is a prince. He was actually there briefly and tipped the the waiter to leave. He felt bad for Amelia, as she was lonely. Never saw the fight, but heard it. But he won't bite the hand that feeds him.
          At the lab, Catherine checks Dunbar's clothing. There are traces of rocket fuel on his t-shirt. He says his son has been working on a science project, building a volcano, and some of it spilled on his shirt. He's in sales so he travels, but he got the empty apartment because he needs his space. He's not cheating, he just needs space. He just doesn't want the cops to blow things with his wife.
          The cops show up at his home in Mesquite, and armed with a warrant, conduct a search while Beth Dunbar and her son Timmy wait outside. And there's the volcano, which has a sort of Harry Potter-ish décor to it, on the kitchen table, as well as all the ingredients, which add up to make lava flow. Catherine made one in fifth grade, but lost first place to some kid with a “lame red ant colony.” She staress at Grissom and then says “That was you!” but he says no, he did black Argentinian ants at his science fair, as he learned at an early age that the bugs always win.
          Actually, Roger watched Timmy made the volcano, she's the teacher, says Debbie Dunbar to Catherine. Her husband is with the state department, not sales. She said that a few years, when they both drunk, Roger confessed he was with the CIA. That could be a motive.
          Grissom is checking out the volcano at the lab. Whatever tool was used to make the volcano was not used to make the bomb.
          Ronnie Litre, the QD guy, has put together the shredded paper found in Roger's apartment. Roger A and Roger B Dunbar. Three different gas meters on the bills, though, in three different towns. Greg comes back – the DNA on the bloodied band-aid indicates a family member, and since Debbie said that Roger was an only child, it looks like Roger has been living a secret life – with another family, in the town of Henderson.
          Nighttime at a house in Henderson. They find Mrs. Debbie Dunbar (#2), who is worried about her husband. He's a suspect in a criminal investigation. Meanwhile, he asks if she has a daughter. Yup, Amy Dunbar, a cute blonde girl, is building a volcano to enter into the science fair, and helped her build it. Her science fair is Friday and they'll do their best to get it back to her by then.
          Warrick and Sara check out Myles' home, which is decorated in bold red and white. Warrick briefly plays the piano. While there are advantages to being rich – the waiter, butler, maid, etc. – it's still a fishbowl. Warrick finds some glass cleaner, which contains hydrochloric acid. Fatal if swallowed.
          Myles is brought in. He cleans his windows himself at night as he writes his music on them. They're his chalkboard. He says he opened the wine so it couldn't have been poisoned. Yes, they've fought in the past, but not lately, because they loved each other – passionately. He says it was fate that they met, that he picked her out of the audience to be his inspiration for a song. They fell in love. Warrick, Sara and Vartan listen. Myles has to leave for a late show. Now, the room service waiter, Myles and the manager are the three suspects.
          Oops, Roger Dunbar has been caught for bigamy. He married Beth, she got pregnant. So he timesshares Debbie and Beth, and neither wife realizes what's going on. And the empty apartment? He used it so he could have a night to himself. However, they found a bandaid with Amy's blood on it. She just handed it to him and he'd stuck it in his apartment. They checked out both volcanos, and the pliers he used. Beth said he couldn't build a volcano, yet Debbie said he did it all. He just copied what he learned. He forgot to return the pliers, and seems horrified.
          Alas, it's wife #1 who is guilty of building the bomb. Tsk tsk. She found out about wife #2 and decided to kill off hubby.
          Warrick and Sara have new evidence and check out Amelia's body. There are acid burns on her hand. She killed herself, perhaps too despondent over her loneliness.
          Myles knew she wasn't happy, and blames himself. He spends most of his time making everyone else happy, but not her. The audience is chanting for him to come out. “The show must go on,” says Myles, so he goes out and sings “Amelia.” The women in the crowd are drawn to him like moths to a flame.
          Beth must explain the pliers, which she used to fix the car, and make a bomb. She's known about Debbie because once or twice a year Roger would slip up and call her by the wrong name. He was a good husband, but… one day he asked her to get the dirty landry out of the trunk of the car, and she found found volcano supplies, realizing that there could be another family. So two weeks ago she followed him to his apartment, then to Henderson. Catherine wonders she Beth didn't just leave him. Beth said because he had made a fool of her, a mockery of her marriage. But she killed three innocent people. Beth said the bomb was supposed to go off at 8:30 on the way to the airport. When Grissom asks why a bomb, Beth simply replies that making a bomb is only a little harder than making a volcano.
          Guest Cast: Xander Berkeley (Sheriff Rory Atwater), Randy J. Goodwin (Myles Reubens), Billy Keane, Susan Diol (Beth Dunbar), Don Stark (Sam Hopkins), Tom Gallop, Alex Carter (Det. Vartan), Louis Lombardi, Tricia O'Kelley, Eric Stonestreet (Ronnie Litre), Daphnee Duplaix (Ameila Ruebens), Gerald McCullough (Bobby Dawson), David Berman (David Phillips), Benny Nieves, Marc Valera, Vincent Corazza, Benjamin Bryan (Timmy Dunbar), Ashley Lauren Cunningham (Amy Dunbar), Emory Livers III (Second Valet), Joe Kelly (Officer Metcalf).
          Teleplay by Anthony Zuiker & Carol Mendelsohn
          Story by Josh Berman
          Directed by Richard J. Lewis
          Production Credits: Editor: John Ganem. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Frank Byers, A.S.C. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#410 - COMING OF RAGE (Dec 18 2003)
Synopsis: A housing development under construction. Carpenters are busy nailing, hammering, etc.. One worker goes into a section walled-off by plastic to find a corpse and blood all over the place from a nasty head wound. He calls his boss. Next thing you know, the CSI are there. Grissom enters. Brass is already there. “Well, clean surfaces make for good analysis,” says Grissom of the plastic walls. However, there's no ID on the body. The dead boy has a piece of cloth in his hand. He's a minor, perhaps 15, and his pants are pulled down. Grisosm ponders if it's a crime of passion, but considering the brutality, it's also a crime of rage.
          The foreman doesn't care about kids hanging around the site, but now Brass has cordoned it off as a crime scene. Sara arrives at that point, along with Warrick, and they come to the dead body. Both junior CSIs study the head. Sara identifies the wound as a hammer head. Perhaps someone on the site committed the crime, so now Sara must look for a hammer – amongst a sea of carpenters! Warrick finds a bloody shoeprint.
          A carpenter jokes “Trade ya a jammer for a screw?” to Sara, who doesn't appreciate the ribald joke. She's got to collect all the hammers from a line of carpenters.
          Across town, Nick is at the death scen eof Marlene Mitchell, shot once through the chest in her front yard in a nice neighborhood. She was breaking up a fight when she was shot. Nobody seems to have seen anything. Both the husband (Stewart) – and her ex- (Todd)- are there. The ex- stopped by while the woman and her current spouse were moving in. The current hubby is understandably upset, they'd just gotten back from the honeymoon. Todd is supposed to stay away, but he didn't. At first current hubby thought she'd had a heart attack until he saw the blood.
          A bloodhound (Penny) is now working at the development crime scene, and the K9 officer, Sara and another officer follow… into a mall, where the dog is able to continue tracking. They go out a side door, into an alley, to a dumpster. Paydirt. A T-shirt with a mising piece. And foolishly, the killer left behind her receipts.
          At the autopsy, Robbins find the bullet lodged in the heart of Mr.s Mitchell. Nick thinks it's a 9 millimeter. They measure the depth – 4” That's odd, as bullets usually go in a lot deeper, and it's from an odd angle as well.
          Warrick is busy checking ALL the hammers for blood traces. Bingo. One of them shows traces – Gregory Curtwell.
          Archie and Sara go over surveillance tapes from the mall. The girl they're looking for bought her clothes at 8:31, and Sara spots the sweater and the girl. Archie said it was a 'walk-off' – you wear the clothes out – just hand the tags to the clerk. Archie says he shops with his girlfriend, which surprises Sara. But now they must match up a teenage girl to the construction worker.
          Curtwell is brought in. He's got some bruises on his hands, etc. etc. and says the blood on the hammer, well, it's a construction site. People get hurt. However, DNA proves the blood is from the dead kid. Curtwell is agitated by the photo, and when shown the photo of the girl from the mall's videotape, says it's his kid sister, Ashley.
          Ashley Curtwell explains how her parents died in a car accident, and brother Greg is her guardian. Ashley says she cuts through the construction site to get to the mall, and a guy from school, Brian Haddick, came out of nowhere. He said he was looking for his lost cat, but he lured her into the development where he raped her. Bruises are visible on her wrist. But then, she says, someone clubbed Brian with the hammer and killed him. She says she got new clothes, but Sara questions the coffee and earring purchases. Ashley doesn't remember doing that. Brass, watching through the glass, thinks she's covering for her brother.
          At the autopsy, the damage to Brian's head is consistent with Ashley's story. But, Brian punched someone, and he's got some post-mortem bruising.
          Mr. Haddick identifies his son's picture (fortunately, not a mangled shot). They don't recognize Ashley's photo, but the wife says they had to ground Brian for a while, for out-of-control behavior. But he got better, got a job bussing tables, cash. Mrs. Haddick is very distraught.
          Bobby says no GSR on either of the husband's hands. But they're still confused as to what slowed down the bullet. In another lab, Greg is working other samples. So far Ashley and Greg appear to be innocent.
          At the housing development crime scenes, Sara, Warrick and Grissom figure out that at one point, Brian was crawling during the attack. Except that there's blood on all the walls, unless, ponders Grissom, there were three hammers, and three attackers.
          Nick finds Catherine in a file room, doing research. He asks her about the shallow bullet question, so she gladly helps do some research. She creates a gelatinous mass into which a bullet can be shot (for measurement purposes) while Nick makes bullets of varying degrees of strength (powder-wise). They bring it all to Bobby Dawson and then they fire the bullets, one after another, into the gelatinous blocks. A 100% load gives them 12 inches and as the percentage of load decreases, so does the depth of penetration. So she was shot by a bullet traveling 550 feet per second. Bobby runs a program that estimates the bullet was fired from 1,800 feet away. They have to check a whole neighborhood. Good luck.
          Warrick has found the shoeprint – on a sneaker currently worn by teenagers. Which leads the CSIs to a nearby high school, full of hundreds of sneakers. Principal Thomas isn't thrilled, and then the Well-Dressed Dad comes in, yanking his son Tyler out. The man is a lawyer with a really snotty attitude. Grissom isn't thrilled at all with the man, who rants on about rights and police abuse. As the kids leave, Warrick spots one kid – a young boy – with blood on his sneakers. Benny Luisio says his father is at home, probably drunk. They'll be glad to drive him home.
          Mr. Luisio isn't thrilled when he sees cops in his house, and thinks Benny is a thief. Brass asks to test Benny's shoe for DNA. The father doesn't mind, so Warrick runs a 'scam' test (as neither the kid or his father seem competent) and says it's Brian's DNA on his shoe. Benny says he goes to the construction site to hang out, and just happened upon the body. He didn't report it as he was trespassing. Warrick checks out the rest of the home, with permission, and finds a lot of smashed-in watermelons in one room, along with a hammer. “Practice makes perfect,” says Warrick to himself.
          Brass has Benny in the interrogation room. The boy waived his rights to have his parents present. He knows Brian, Greg Curtwell, Ashley, etc. Brass offers to cut him a deal. Benny refuses to be a 'snitch.' Plus brian's blood – and DNA – were all over the hammer they found at his home. Benny wonders if a juvenile facility has cable. It's better than home. He figures since he's a minor, he'll be scott-free by 21.
          Grissom tells his crew that the kid is looking forward to going to jail. Warrick has all of Benny's stuff on the layout table. Greg says the 'spaghetti-O's' are brace bands – Greg wore them and thought his braces worked wonders. Everybody gives him an odd look. There's a third kid, possibly with braces, who is the killer. Aaron Gilbert might be htie rman.
          Nick and Vega talk to a woman who complains that her neighbor, Johnnie, was playing his gun. He shot it once, then stopped after she complained. He gladly gives it to the cops, unware of what he inadvertently did. Nine holes in the rabbit target. When the neighbor yelled, he aimed up high and the bullet traveled, then felld own to earth, killing Marlene Mitchell. Vega cuffs him and takes him way.
          Brass finds Aaron Gilbert, and then his brother, Jared, wearing brace (and a split lip), comes up. Oops. Brass drags them in. Brass talks to Aaron, while Warrick points out irrefutable evidence to Jared. There's a lot of DNA evidence against Jared.
          Sara says they have a problem. Three hammers and four suspects. The kids all seem to have a lot of extra cash, and Brian was making $500 every two weeks under the table, and Gregory has no motive. But Ashley did. Sara confronts Ashley with the evidence. She still maintains Brian attacked her, but Sara knows better. The whole attack was premeditated by the three boys and the girl. She actually borrowed her brother's hammer. She says that before Brian went all straight, he'd party with them, but now, he was too good for them, escept he still wanted sex from her. So he was literally caught with his pants down. Ashley coldly admits she was counting on nobody questioning her rape story. Sara wants to see her prosecuted as an adult, but Ashley doesn't care. She'll play the pity party.
          Guest Cast: Brian A. Green (Gregory Curtwell), Kimberlee Peterson (Ashley Curtwell), Jack Conley (Well-Dressed Dad, Brian Sites, (Benny Luisio), Chip Zien, Archie Kao (Archie Johnson), Geoffrey Rivas (Det. Sam Vega), Gerald McCullouch (Bobby Dawson), Basil Wallace (Principal Thomas), James DuMont, Bari Hochwald, Susan Chuang (K9 Officer), David Berman (David Phillips), Marcus Mitchell (Stewart Mitchell), Todd Jeffries, Will Schaub, Roxanne Beckford (Marlene Mitchell), Miranda Black (Young Mother), J.J. Dashnaw (Brian Haddick), Chris Fogleman (Johnnie), Justin Lanning (Aaron Gilbert), Connor Ross (Jared Gilbert), Nicolas Roye (Todd).
          Teleplay by Sarah Goldfinger
          Story by Richard Catalani
          Directed by Nelson McCormick.
          Production Credits: Editor: Alec Smight, A.C.E. Production Designer: Richard Berg. Director of Photography: Michael Barrett. Co-Producer: Eli Talbert. Consulting Producer: Elizabeth Devine. Producer: Bruce Golin, Richard J. Lewis, Kenneth Fink. Supervising Producer: Josh Berman, Andrew Lipsitz. Produced by Louis Shaw Milito. Co-Executive Producer: Naren Shankar. Co-Executive Producers: Cynthia Chvatal, William Petersen. Executive Producer: Danny Cannon, Jonathan Littman.

#411 - ELEVEN ANGRY JURORS (Jan 08 2004 )
Synopsis: Evening. A couple are arguing, nastily, and he strangles her. The flashback vanishes and now it's day. In a room, twelve jurors are arguing over the evidence in the murder trial. They'd like to put it to another vote, but Chris Gibbons, a young LVU grad student and jury foreman, doesn't want to vote. He still thinks the cable guy could have done it. The tempers flare as it's obvious he's the one hold-out. Someone suggests they break for lunch (before it gets violent). They go out into the corridor and in time, the bailiff calls them back into the room for lunch. It's then they discover the lifeless bod