After a quick call to Percival, I’m now climbing into the back of his car, cell phone plastered to my ear as I receive directions to the body. “The Hilton” My driver looks slightly perplexed but nods and we pull away from my put out looking family. I need better transport than continuously relying on Perce. My elbow is resting against the frame of the window as I stare out, fingers tapping my chin in thought, “Percival, I want you to buy me a bike. Nothing to heavy, it has to be easy to move about on okay?” The balding man nods, “Yes Mr Taylor, oh, your things are in the front pocket”. I look down at my hands before opening the glove compartment and sliding out my badge and gun. The hotel, it seems, isn’t as far away from Liberty as I thought because, before I know it, I’m being pushed out the door and told to ‘go get them tiger’. That’s slightly worrying coming from Percival and I’m scared. A crowd has formed around the door and I find myself sighing as I slip the sunglasses on over my eyes, “Excuse me, coming through!” Some of the older people sneer at me, until I pull out my badge and push past them. Some people are so narrow minded. Just because I look 18...which I am…they think they can boss me about? Yeah, as if. “So what have we got?” Dr Erikson is inspecting the body warily before he looks up at me, “White Caucasian male, mid thirties. Bruising about the neck suggests death by asphyxiation but I can’t tell out here”. I nod slightly as I cock my head to look at the body. Something about him looks familiar. Where have I seen him…”Brian!” I blurt out, causing looks of confusion to be thrown my way, “Excuse me Taylor? This is Brian?” I blink but shake my head furiously, “What?! No, this isn’t Brian. I’ve seen this guy with Brian before. I think he’s Mr…Telson?” Horvath appears at my shoulder and sighs, “Witnesses claim the last person they saw our vic with was Brian Kinney…” he trails off, looking at me in worry as I rub my temples, trying to push away the impending headache as I pull off my glasses, blue eyes misty. Brian wouldn’t do this. Not to one of his biggest clients. That’s not his type. Sure I’d heard about the trip to Babylon but that wouldn’t lead to Brian killing him. I know Brian, I know him better than anyone, “We’re bringing Kinney down for questioning”, a voice says and I sigh, “Bri wouldn’t kill anyone. That I know…” “Oh yeah? Then why is his wallet here?” Maybe I was wrong about Brian. Maybe I didn’t really know him at all. ~~~~~~~~ I’m glad he can’t see me through the glass as I watch him being questioned. I’ve always been able to read people and I’m one of the only people who can read Brian. He’s confused. He doesn’t know what’s going on. That and he’s close to losing it with the interrogator. I have to talk to Brian, maybe he’ll talk to me? “I’m going in…I’ll talk to him…” Carl looks over at me, mulling over my request before nodding, “Okay, go on in”. I leave the small room behind the glass and walk down the corridor slightly, stopping by the door to one of the labs, my eyes resting on the photo up on the screen that’s being inspected. They marks all look the same, as if I’ve seen them before. Maybe I have…wait…it’s exactly like the unsolved case is Las Vegas. The one Gil sent me on! I’m halfway in the door of the interrogation room when that fact hits me. Both Brian and Detective Rodriguez look up at me as I freeze, “Fuck…no…Emilio, get me Las Vegas on the phone. NOW!” I bark, the young woman nodding before she shuffles past me and out the door. “Hello Mr Kinney. I’m with the Crime Lab. I need to ask you a few questions…” Brian’s looking at me as if I’m a stranger. I suppose I am. I’ve never once called him ‘Mr Kinney’ nor have I ever been this formal. I frown, “Where were you at lunchtime today?” I ask, though I already know the answer. He was with me. At Debbie’s. So many people can vouch for that. Yet I have to ask that. “I was at Deb’s, you know that Sunshine…” his voice is bordering on defeat. I almost feel sorry for him, but then I don’t. This is Brian Kinney, he won’t want me taking pity on him. He’d probably kill me. I best not say that aloud, we are in the police station after all. The door opens and I look over from my perch on the table, “Emilio?” The phone is handed to me and I take it, “Taylor. Yeah Grissom. It’s about our case…” I place my hand over the phone, “Take Mr Kinney to my office, now!” God, I may as well be talking Chinese so, with a shake of the head, I motion for Carl and explain to him I want Brian in my office for a second before I disappear out the door, a heated discussion with my old supervisor beginning. I’m in the corridor, a hand rubbing my neck as I get reamed about not telling them I was leaving. I don’t have time for this. I have a dead body and a possible serial killer loose in my city and my ex lover…boyfriend….partner…whateverthefuck is the prime suspect. And, of course, I tell Griss that. In as many words. Cussing and all, which he, of course, tells me off about. In the end, after me slamming my fist into the wall and yelling at him, he agrees that him and the team will fly out this afternoon and I have to say, I’m glad when he hangs up. Time to face Brian. The door to my office is open and I wander in, slinging my phone across the room and onto the chair in the corner as I shut the door. Brian’s casually lounging in my desk chair, feet on a clean spot on the metal desk between the pictures from the morgue and fingerprint samples. My office is really a lab but no-one but me uses it. I push his feet off and sit where they were, arms folded across my chest as I stare down at him, “Okay Brian, care to explain to me why the fuck your wallet was at my crime scene?” He looks confused before slipping something out his trousers pocket, “No Sunshine, THIS is my wallet”. And what do you know, it’s identical to the one we found. Even down to the ‘BK’ sown onto it in gold. I should know, I bought him it for his 30th. So who would go as far as to duplicate Brian’s wallet. And his credit cards which were ALL under Brian’s name and even a fake drivers license. It was all so mind boggling and I was starting to get a headache. I knew this wallet was real, because the fake one didn’t have the one thing Brian always carried with him in the small pocket at the back. A condom. How typically Brian. I lick my lips as I furrow my brow, a look of deep confusion crosses my features, “Do you have any…enemies? You know, tricks who would take things to far. Over dramatise things, maybe even frame you for murder?” When I said ‘over dramatise’ he’d looked pointedly at me and I’d had the grace to blush but I pushed it aside, “Because either way Bri, someone wants you put away and they’re pulling out all the stops to ensure it!” He rolls his lips into his mouth and looks distracted, “Earth to Brian?” I tease, waving my hand in front of his face. He looks at me and bites his lip, “If I think of anyone, I’ll get back to you okay?” he says hurriedly, getting to his feet and heading out the door with me hot on his heels, “Brian!?” Wow…personality change much. He stops, hesitates then turns about and kisses me softly for the first time in almost 5 months, caressing my cheek softly before he walks away leaving me to stare after him. I feel eyes on me, some shocked, some curious and of course, the angry eyes of the chief. Stockwell had always hated that I was such a good CSI but was still so young and now… I’d just kissed the murder suspect. “Oh…shit…”