Gil stood staring down at the dead body. `She was beautiful' he thought to himself, `she looks…she looks like Catherine.'

Gil closed his eyes and opened them again. "Catherine?" he whispered to himself bending down for a closer look. "It. It can't…."

"I found Id on her" Brass broke his daze "Elizabeth Brown, aged 36, she worked for Liza's Escort service."

"Escort service?" Gil repeated

"Yeah" Brass added "Are you okay?"

Gil nodded he still hadn't taken his gaze from the victim but he soon realized that his eyes were playing tricks on him. The body was obviously not Catherine.

"Yeah" he replied "fine" he added clicking on his flashlight "Defensive wounds" he turned the hand.

______________________________________________________

"Mom?" Lindsey called from the kitchen "can I go or not?"

Catherine sighed and slowly climbed off the couch she had remember Lindsey asking her to go to the movies earlier the evening but she still hadn't answered.

"Do you really need to do that tonight?" she asked her daughter

Lindsey nodded " Of course I do, and Melanie's mom said she'll pick up and drop off so you don't have to even drive " she paused " Mom please." She whined

"Alright" Catherine decided "What time is she coming?"

"six-thirty" Lindsey replied

"Six-thirty?" Catherine mimicked "Linds' that's in like ten minutes. You haven't even eaten!"

"I don't have to eat now; I'll grab something later with Melanie and the others."

"Alright." Catherine smiled as Lindsey headed toward the front door "Have fun, be home by 10:30."

"Mom!" Lindsey protested

"The movie will be over by then Lindsey, 10:30!"

"Fine" Lindsey shrugged and ran out the front door.

Catherine stalked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, a box of wheat thins and headed back to the sofa.

Before she even had a chance to sit back down her doorbell rang. Catherine turned and slowly headed in the other direction toward the door. Wondering who could be at her door.

"Catherine!" the man called as the door opened

"H...Hi..." Catherine began wondering where she had seen this man before and if she even knew him

"It's Mark." He smiled

Catherine didn't reply

"We met yesterday; I'm the bartender at The Acid Drop?"

"Oh..." she replied "Yes..." the man was right the day before she had been working a case and she stopped by the Acid drop to check on a suspect with Chris.

"Can we talk?" Mark asked

Catherine sighed "Alright" she answered slightly confused.

"So." She motioned toward her kitchen "What brings you here" she asked wondering how he knew where she lived, although she figured if possibly wasn't that difficult to find out.

"Chris. I think he's in trouble"

Catherine nodded "If he killed that girl I would say yes he is."

"But he didn't" Mark paused "He couldn't have."

Catherine nodded "Well Mark that's fine but why would you come to me?"

"He loves you. He needs your help. And I know you work with the crime lab."

"You right. I do work with the crime lab, but it doesn't change anything." Catherine replied a little annoyed.

"You're his girlfriend. You're telling me you're not going to help him?"

"I'm not his girlfriend anymore. He cheated on me. Whatever mess he got himself in to he will have to get himself out."

Mark shook his head "Look. He didn't mean to hurt you. He's just…"

"I don't care!" she cut him off "You should go." She stood up and headed toward the front door to let him out.

"Catherine!" he grabbed her arm "You don't understand he could go to jail."

"I understand" she pulled away tears threatening to break free yet again. "It's not my problem."

"Just here me out." He began leading her to the couch. "If you don't want to help then tell me what I have to do to clear him."

"If Chris is innocent" she wiped her eyes "then he has nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry." Mark began "I'm sorry he hurt you." He inched closer "But Chris. Chris is a great guy. And he's cares about you so much. Sometimes he doesn't think how important things are until he loses them. He didn't mean to hurt you. I know this. He talks about you all the time." Mark sighed "Catherine?" he turned her face gently so she was facing him. "You have to trust me and you have to trust Chris."

Catherine sighed and gave a small smile "I …Thank you for..." she began but was halted when Mark came at her.

"What are you doing?" he pushed him off before his lips touched her

Mark fell backward " I'm sorry." He stammered "I...I...don't know what came over me."

"It's time for you to go." Catherine snapped this time making it the entire way to the door.

"Think about that I said." Mark sighed "Don't let my stupidity change your decision to help Chris."

Catherine nodded but didn't reply. There was no way in hell she was helping Chris.

____________________________________________________________

"So?" Gil began "COD?"

Doc sighed and pointed toward the laceration on the side of the victims head. "Blunt force trauma. I count six open wounds but the victim was dead after the second strike."

"Overkill?" Gil commented

"Extreme overkill." Doc replied." Who ever killed her tried to strangle her first. She was also stabbed." He pointed "Three stabbed wounds in the back which all punctured her left lung rendering her almost helpless."

"What about Time of death?"

"She's been dead a few days. I'd say about sixty-eight hours."

"Sixty-eight" Gil raised a brow "So late Wednesday?"

Doc nodded "I'd also state that judging by the pattern around your victims next your two cases are now one."

TBC..