The doors to the lab opened with the familiar whizz. After they had left the autopsy Tony hadn't said a word and judging his expression Sacks had chosen not to break the silence.
„No, no and no!"
Tony stopped and raised one eyebrow before he entered completely. The music was turned down to something you still could hear yourself think but the atmosphere in the lab was tensed.
„Abby!"
Her haid popped up behind one of the monitors, and her dark expression darkened even more when she saw Sacks.
„Agent..."
„Sacks. FBI. What the hell is he doing in my lab?"
„He's alright, Abby."
She opened her mouth to say something about it but Tony raised his hand.
„We talked about it, Abs. Now, what have you got for me?"
„Em...ok, let's see...the DNA Jimmy sent me is still running. And...em...the message on her thight was written with her own saliva."
„Anything new, Abs?"
She took a deep breath but then shook her head.
„Whereas our lover hasn't been very careful, the murderer was. No fingerprints in the room, no other signs of him...or her...not even of Jen. The room's been wiped clean. The bedcloth has been changed and apparently he had taken the stuff with him since there was nothing in the washing room, as Tim told me."
„Wait...how do you know that they have been changed?"
Sacks asked and all others rolled their eyes.
„You're married, right?"
Tony asked but Sacks didn't get it.
„Yeah?"
„How often does it happen that you sleep with your wife and the bedcloth is as clean as freshly washed?"
„Oh..."
Tony nodded as finally the coin dropped and turned back to Abby.
„So, it all looks as if the murderer had been the same person that slept with Jen."
„True enough...though I don't get why he didn't use a condom."
Tony sighed deeply.
„Couldn't it be that he had used a condom but it leaked?"
„We would have found latex residue. And I tested for it."
Tony changed a look with Sacks but then something caught his eyes.
„Purple gloves!"
He exclaimed. Gilliam who had just carried some evidence over to the table they stood at looked first at his boss and then at his hands, which were in purple gloves.
„Em...yeah?"
„Latex-free condoms!"
For a moment they still looked puzzled at him but then Abby slapped herself on her forehead.
„God, you're right! Latex-free condoms! I'll test it right away!"
She ran over to the massspectrometer and started hammering onto the buttons.
„Gilliam! I need you on your desk! I want to know if Kramer has a latex-intolerance!"
Stuard nodded and was off a moment later. Tony took another deep breath as he slowly exited the lab.
„What you wanna do now?"
„Well, I'm still waiting on a full report on Kramer."
„You shouldn't only think about him."
Tony shot Ron a look that said more than a thousand words.
„I'll go up and give Jethro a head up."
„Ok, let's go."
Tony put his hand on Ron's chest to stop him.
„ I will go."
„I know how to work with somebody like him."
„No, you know how to work with Fornell. But Fornell had time to get used to be director. Jethro's director for not even two days and his term started with the murder of a good friend! He won't be easy now. And believe me, I'm the only one who knows how to work with him right now."
Without waiting for Cynthia Tony opened the door to Jethro's office and was about to rush in but he stopped in the doorway. Jethro sat as expected behind his desk, but in front of him sat their daughter.
„Very good, Tony. Did Cynthia reach you?"
„Em...no...I wanted to give you a report..."
Lish turned to him with big blue eyes.
„Ok, what did she do?"
„Actually, she did nothing. That's the problem. She didn't do her homework for the fifth time this week and she didn't spent attention in class."
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
„I was just about to talk with her about it. Her teacher told me when I called because of the Agent who should pick her up."
Tony nodded and sat in the other chair in front of Jethro's desk. He turned the chair so he was facing his daughter and raised an eyebrow.
„Explanation, young lady?"
„Itsbornnn..."
„Excuse me?"
„It is boring."
Lish repeated, this time loud and clearly. However, for the first time when she was in trouble, she didn't look at them. Probably she knew that this time she was knee-deep. Jethro was about to open his mouth but Tony was quicker.
„Lish, go down into day care. Tell Agent Sullivan I told you to."
She nodded, knowing that it wouldn't help to argue. The moment she had closed the door Jethro went all over Tony.
„Why the hell did you send her down? This time she did it! This is serious, Tony! I think we did it wrong when we let so much pass. Apparently she doesn't have respect for us!"
„Jethro, didn't you hear what she said? She said school is boring."
„So? Most kids think school's boring!"
Tony shook his head, forgetting about the case for a moment.
„I did homework with her for a while. She had it done in no time. Maybe this class doesn't ask enough of her or..."
„Or?"
Jethro urged on and Tony looked for the best way to say it but he didn't find another than the obvious.
„Or she doesn't have respect."
Jethro sat back in his chair and licked his lips.
„So? What do you wanna do? Tell her that it's ok?"
„No. We talk to her but not as if she had done it all wrong. We should have checked that she'd doing her homework...we talk to her and ask her why she is bored in class. And depending on what she tells us we can talk to her teacher."
Finally Jethro nodded.
„Works for me...you wanted to give me a report? Does that mean you actually found something?"
„Yes, we did, well actually it was Jimmy who found something. Good news first."
„That means there are bad news."
Jethro raised one eyebrow and Tony nodded.
„Good news. We got Kramer's DNA...I take that back. We have the DNA of Jen's lover. It's still running."
„Well, that's only good news if the perp is in a databank. Though it will tell us if it had been Kramer or not."
Tony chewed his tongue and then decided to just go on.
„Anyway, since the bedroom was that clean, Abby's checking if the perp has worn a latex-free condom which leaked. And the bad news are that Jimmy found a note written with Jen's saliva on her right thigh."
„Which said?"
„Not the last."
Jethro closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at his computer screen. For a moment Tony wondered what was there, if anything was there.
„Yeah...I expected something like that...ok, tell me if there's anything new. Dismissed."
„Sure, boss."
Tony stood and went to the door.
„Tony."
He turned around and Jethro stood and walked over to him.
„Keep looking after yourself. And I'm not just talking about work."
He put a hand on Tony's belly, which the younger man covered with his own.
„No caffeine, no sugar, no fa..."
Jethro put his finger on Tony's lips and the words died away. The older man smiled softly as he got a little picture of the man he had married. Tony had changed a lot and although Jethro's love to him was still the same, if not more, he sometimes missed his old Tony and was more than happy to see little glimpses of the person he fell in love with. He kissed his husband softly.
„I wasn't talking about that, either."
„I'll take care."
Tony promised and smiled slightly before he finally left the office.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.