Morning, CSI Labs, Icene and NPC CSI's.
Icene had come into work on the Friday, straight from the scene at Riverwalk Park, she'd taken an hour's nap at her desk before the shifts had changed over, and was currently locked into her lab and working on the four casings they'd found. They'd found two rounds as well, through and through shots that had been quite a way from the bodies. Those had been found nearer dawn, and given the location of the bodies, the damage, and the distance from them to the rounds Icene was confident they'd both been shot at point blank range.
Rubbing tiredly at her eyes, and knowing she needed coffee, she headed for the staff lounge, hoping that someone sensible had made a jug.
There was a jug, and tea as well. It was well known that the field teams needed a little pampering when they came back from a job so some trouble had been taken to welcome them. Sally poured the coffee's and passed them around then picked up the tea pot. "Am I the only one for tea again? Damned if I don't give up making it."
"If it's better than the coffee someone was making last week, I might switch to it." Icene took a cup of coffee and slumped into a chair. "Does everyone have their assignments for today? Callum, can you take field I need to stay in the lab and work on last night's evidence."
"Sure," Callum grunted. "You made a list of what you want us to cover or shall we just double check? See if anything shows up by daylight."
"Go over everything, just in case, the tent should still be up, have them take it down and once you're done get the clean up crew in and re-open the site." Icene sipped at the coffee, "Sally, don't go making such good coffee, or you are never going to make field, we'll keep you in here." She smiled tiredly, "However, thanks, I do appreciate good coffee."
Sally eyed her apprehensively as though expecting a joke at her expense. "Er - thanks," she said, "least I can do."
"Coulda brought cookies," David pointed out and Sally made a face at him then added two sugars to her tea.
"David, you put on any more weight and I'll make you run behind the Hummer to scenes." Icene chuckled, "You're looking rather more overweight than you were at your PT review when they said to you, lose weight." She sipped again at the coffee, "So, did I miss anything in the changeover? Or did they not find anything else after I came back here?"
There was a general shaking of heads. "Nothing that showed in that light," Callum said.
"Excellent, can someone stay awake long enough to pass on my regards to the night shift, they did well considering the state of the place last night." Icene had another, larger, swallow of coffee and smiled a little, "So, Sally, have you got everything you need to get analysing? I have all the ballistics stuff, so concentrate on the DNA, get me an ID for those kids, and Leisa, liaise with the coroner's office, see what they have to give us. Gray, work with Sally, and Callum, David? You're out on the field scenes today. Me? Once I've done the ballistics on this one I'm calling it a night since I haven't really slept since I got up yesterday to come to work."
Icene pulled a face, "Does anyone have any issues with any of that?"
Again there was a shaking of heads and Callum said, "Why not go home? We'll survive without you for a few hours."
"I want to finish up the ballistics first," Icene sighed, "That way, I can avoid coming in tomorrow and scaring the shit out of the weekenders."
"You're the boss lady," Callum said and finished his coffee. "Okay, people, we ready to get back to work."
They drained their mugs and began to move, chaffing each other, but quietly.
"Go on, I'll just have another coffee though if there's any left Sally?" Icene didn't even move, she knew she had to, but just then she didn't feel up to it. She did hold out her mug though, just in case. Sally poured the last inch of coffee into Icene's mug then went to wash out the pot prior to filling it for later. Like most police departments CSI was fuelled by coffee and cynicism - at least Sally had the hang of one of them.
Icene smiled up at Sally, a rare occurrence anyway, and muttered "Thanks," before leaning back and letting her eyes drift closed as she considered how much she had to do and how long it would take. She was so calling Alvin in early today. After all if he'd been in yesterday she wouldn't be feeling like this today and there was no way she and Peter could continue to cover 24Hrs between the two of them.
Callum looked at her then jerked his head to the door and left the staff room followed by the rest of the team. "Okay," he said, "you all know what to do, so do it. And NO mistakes, okay." He looked around them all, his expression sober. "Not if you want to stay on the team."
"Pressure, much!" Gray said and turned and headed for his part of the lab. Sally gulped and followed him, then peeled off to the area where she worked. the other's dispersed as well and got their heads down. It wouldn't do to be seen chatting when the boss woke up.
Icene listened to them go, and barely restrained an evil grin as Callum recited one of her favourite lines. She waited until all sounds of them moving off had faded, then sat up, rubbing at her temples with one hand. All this working just was not good for her.
She drained the coffee from the mug, swallowing it down in the hopes it would lift her enough to make it to lunchtime, then washed up the cup and set it to drain. Quietly, she headed back down the corridor, her feet making no sound in the socks she was wearing, her boots were under her desk, and her heeled shoes were in her Hummer with her dress from last night.
The team worked in silence and quickly, only coming together briefly, if at all, to cross check information or borrow items of equipment. They didn't have leisure to talk until Marcia entered the room with mail and began going round the desks.
"Thanks, Marcia," Calum said. "Oh - I was expecting more than this. No journal yet? Damn."
"Sorry Callum, I wouldn't hold your mail back, unlike some other people's, you know who I mean, that's what pigeon holes are for in my book." Marcia smiled and wandered over towards Sally, "And for you hun I have all these little bits and pieces, and a couple of sales brochures." It wasn't unusual for Marcia to wander about with mail, but she never delivered any mail to Icene's office, not if she was in it anyway. Today Marcia felt lucky, since Callum and Sally seemed to be in the same room, she hoped the rest would be so easy to get to.
"Thanks," Sally said and stepped to the next door along. "Gray, Leisa - mail call." she turned back to Marcia with a smile. "How're you doing? How's that man of yours?"
"Oh he's fine," Marcia grinned widely, "busy right now, but that's because it's spring and he wants to do more. Oh, but did you hear who has a man, or two, in their life," Marcia leaned against the wall, and waited for the inevitable question. She really was the mistress of gossip around here, other people usually came to her to get theirs.
Sally opened her mouth to ask then caught Callum's eye and flushed. She turned back to her work and muttered, "Er no, I didn't."
"Neither did I," David said, coming through from the lock up. He put a box on the table and said, "Who's character are we assassinating today, Marsh?"
Leisa came in with Gray, "I bet I know, it's that couple who are working swing and nights, right Marsh?"
"No, they're too settled to be gossipworthy don't you know Leis?" Gray smirked, "Come on Marsh, spill those gossip beans, and fast, before Callum here stops you."
"We-e-ell, I heard if from Sara who does the night admin? That someone turned up at a certain scene with a man in a tux, none other than Officer Kennard, that hunk from the Training Academy who's been working cases lately?" Marcia nodded sagely, "Oh yes, in a rather swish party dress she was as well, until she saw the scene that is." She snickered slightly, and handed out the post, "But that's not all," she gestured them closer, "Taylor on Swing admin apparently told Sara that the same person was carried out of here yesterday by an absolute dreamboat guy in military uniform, and she wasn't fighting him."
"That's true?" David said, opening the box and taking out a dozen test tubes. He began to slip them into the holder. "I'd heard as much from Rick but thought he was on crack."
Sally glanced at him and nodded, "Mitchell told me he'd said that. I didn't believe him."
Leisa smiled slightly, "Anna was full of it this morning, thought she was dating Kennard, but, come on, who'd date the Ice Queen? At the very least they'd need all thermal clothes." She was smarting from a conversation earlier in the week, and figured that at the end of the day nobody was that stupid as to willingly date her boss. "Gray, did you catch anything?"
"Yeah," he grinned, "The night lab, Niki? She said something about last night, and how Brett came in after collecting stuff from the scene full of the gossip from the field staff out there. Apparently Kennard guarded her Hummer while she changed clothes."
Out in the hallway, out of sight of her team, Icene's eyes widened, but she stayed put for a while, intrigued to find out just what else was supposedly happening in her life that she didn't know about. Besides, best to give the lot of them enough rope to hang themselves with...
"Let's hear it for Brett, gentleman that he is," David said.
Callum cleared his throat and turned the page of the report that had been delivered. Sally looked at him and said, "Well, if she has got someone to go out with, why not? Maybe she's - different at home Or maybe she doesn't make HIM nervous."
"A cop or a soldier," David mused. "I wonder which has the stronger nerves?"
Marcia dug into a pocket, "I er, took the liberty of getting Serrika on the Swing shift to give me copies of some photo's she was working on, you can see how much she was struggling from these, I mean, not struggling of course, Serri says a limpet has less grip." She chuckled and handed the photo's round.
"Oh yes, she was really struggling," Gray chuckled, "There could be a few charges being levelled over this, say, kidnapping? Or, we could just take up a collection for the guy to get him some winter wear?"
Leisa took the photo's, "Oh my god, she looks, happy? That can't be right, iron-knickers isn't ever happy."
Callum's lips thinned and he reached for and took the photographs then patted them into a block. "I don't see that Miss Callan's social life is any business of ours," he said and passed them back to Marcia. "She can do as she likes in her own time, as can we all, but nine to five the City owns your asses."
"Lighten up, Cal," David said, busy at his desk. "I can gossip and work at the same time."
"I can't," Sally said nervously. "And I can't afford to make any more mistakes. Just worrying that I might is doing my brain in."
"If ya can't stand the heat stay outa the kitchen," David said, without much sympathy. Icene's glares and iciness had little effect on him, he knew what he was worth and could shrug them off.
That was more than enough, Icene glided into the doorway silently, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees, "I believe Callum has the right of it, and the rest of you should be working, Marcia, my office, now please. The rest of you, get me something they can use to pin those kids murder's on someone, and be quick about it."
Without another word Icene turned and went back to her office, the temperature of which dropped quite considerably as she moved round to the back of her desk. Seriously, did any of them think they would get away with this? Even Adam, honestly, she'd known this would happen, and yet, she had to admit, looking at the photos in her hand that she did look happy in them. She tucked them into her purse, meaning to show them to Adam later, and looked up as Marcia appeared at the door. "Come in Marcia, and close the door behind you."
For once, Marcia did exactly as she was told without arguing, and the door thunked gently closed behind her.
OOC: Many thanks to Sal for the writing of some of the NPC CSI's.