Grave Matters

'Then I compared his prints to the ones we had from the coffin? His prints are on the casket Kathy Dean was in.'

'Also good. If to be expected.'

'Well, maybe that is. But I lifted prints off the gun-'

'Really? You got prints off the gun? Unusual.'

Nick shrugged. 'Being packed away in that box, all those smaller boxes on top of it, kept the gun cool and safe from the weather. Desert Haven's garage being air-conditioned didn't hurt, either.'

'So,' Grissom said, 'is that the unexpected development?'

'Not really.' Nick's expression was apologetic. 'I printed Black, and his prints don't match the ones on the gun. Indicates Black is not the shooter.'

'Well.'

'And the hairs found in the casket with Kathy? Not the undertaker's either. Sorry.'

Grissom shook his head, then said, 'Never apologize for the evidence, Nick. We listen to it, it doesn't listen to us.'

Nick said, 'Well if it did, it'd hear me saying, 'Huh?' '

'Is the weapon with the firearms examiner?'

'Yeah, I dropped it off. We haven't confirmed it as the murder weapon yet, though the caliber is right.'

'One step at a time,' Grissom said. 'Now, here's what I want you to do next….'

He laid out a plan and Nick nodded, and went off to carry it out. Grissom was about to head back in to the observation booth for the rest of the Grunick interview when his cell phone chirped.

'Grissom.'

'It's Sara. Got the results of the DNA tests-Dustin Black is the father of Kathy Dean's baby.'

'Not really a surprise.'

'And I finally tracked down Janie Glover. Off to interview her now.'

'Janie Glover? Remind me.'

'Kathy Dean's friend…who told our Habinero's waitress about 'FB'?'

'Ah. Good.'

'Is Black looking more guilty, or less?'

'Too early.'

They rang off.

As he turned back toward the booth, the interview-room door opened and Mark Grunick filed out, followed by Brass. A free man, the slightly shell-shocked-looking Grunick kept going, while Brass fell in alongside Grissom.

'Well,' Brass said cheerfully, 'young Mr. Grunick seems to like his boss for the body switch. And so do I.'

'Don't get ahead of yourself, Jim.'

Exasperated, Brass invited the CSI supervisor into the observation booth so their discussion wouldn't be in front of the whole world.

Forcefully, the detective pointed out, 'The murder weapon was found in Black's place of business.'

'We haven't confirmed that it's the murder weapon.'

'It's the right caliber, it's been fired….'

'Probably is the murder weapon. Probably isn't enough. We'll know soon.'

'For the sake of argument, then. Say it's the murder weapon.'

'All right,' Grissom said. 'Let's say it is.'

'Now we're getting somewhere….'

'Black's fingerprints weren't on it.'

Brass's eyes popped. 'What…? Well, then Black wore gloves, or wiped it clean.'

'Someone else's prints are on the gun.'

'Who in hell's?'

Grissom shrugged. 'We don't know yet. May I make a suggestion?'

'Please!'

'Get the prints from the other mortician's assistant-Doyle.'

Brass's eyes narrowed. 'What about the other assistant-Grunick?'

'I posted Nick up around the corner-waiting to bump into Mr. Grunick, as he exits. My guess is when they separate, Nick will have some helpful fingerprints.'

Finally Brass seemed to like something Grissom had said. 'Sneaky,' he said with admiration.

'And if Black is innocent,' Grissom said, 'these two are our next most likely suspects. They're the only other ones who had access to Rita Bennett's casket.'

'Makes sense.'

'And Kathy Dean was seeing a younger man, in addition to Black-the assistants are in that age range.'

'Now you're talking….'

'If one of them's the killer, Jim, we can't put too much stock in what they individually have to say in interview. We can't expect either one to be cooperative or honest, when it comes to helping us catch him.'

'One should be telling the truth….'

'Right. Not to tell a skilled interrogator what to be looking for, but inconsistencies between Grunick's interview and young Doyle's could be…helpful.'

Brass's cell phone rang. 'Brass…Yeah, all right, interview room one.' He hung up. 'Doyle's here,' he said.

As if those words were the starting gun, Grissom dashed off, leaving Brass wondering what the hell that was about. In the breakroom, the CSI got a can of soda out of the fridge; he wiped it down with a towel and held it gingerly by the top edges and took it to the interrogation room, where Brass was waiting for Doyle to come in.

'For me?' Brass said, looking at the soda can. 'I didn't think you cared.'

'I do care,' Grissom said. 'About this case…' He placed the can on the table, touching only the sides of the top. 'Offer it to Doyle, a few minutes in.'

Brass, smiling knowingly, nodded.

Then Grissom exited to assume his position in the observation booth. Moments later a uniformed officer escorted Jimmy Doyle into Interview, depositing him at the table.

Unlike fellow mortician-in-the-making Grunick, Doyle's attire was unfunereal-navy blue Dockers, a lavender dress shirt, open at the throat, loafers with no socks. His black hair was slicked back. The anonymous funeral home helper suddenly struck Grissom as a young man who might have looked attractive to affection-hungry Kathy Dean.

Brass hit RECORD again and filled in Doyle about the body switch and the discovery of Kathy Dean's body. He put the dead girl's photo before the interview subject-the same in-the-coffin shot.

Doyle glanced at the photo of the deceased Kathy Dean. 'Never saw her before-good-looking girl, though.'

Brass twitched a smile. 'Considering she was dead for several months when this was taken, you mean.'

The young man shrugged. 'I work in a funeral home. I can see past that.'

'Ah…Tell me what happened with the Rita Bennett service.'

Doyle lacked Grunick's sullenness; he seemed fine with helping the police.

'Mark and I closed the casket, right before the service. Afterward, Mark rolled the coffin back, Mr. Black and me pushed it, as we went from the chapel…to the side door where we load, y'know?'

'I'm familiar,' Brass said.

'Mr. Black said that the flowers from the top of the casket were missing, which they were. I said I was sorry, that I thought he'd put 'em back on after we closed the coffin. He said no, and sent me back, toot sweet, to the chapel.'

'For the flowers?'

'For the flowers.' Doyle shrugged. 'It was just a small spray, and no one noticed it during the service, but a good mortician pays attention to details, and Mr. Black's a good mortician. Anyway…I catch up, and the coffin's sitting alone in the corridor. And there's no sign of Mr. Black.'