Leila

Chapter 1 - Silver Writing and Crimson Blood

Chapter 1 – The Silver lake Hair Salon.

There was an oak door, and behind it were two people. It sounded as though they were arguing. The voices were muffled for a little while, and then it sounded as though they moved towards the door. Now you could hear their argument. ‘Oh, please, for god sake, Katie!’ said a man. ‘What the hell did I do?! I just went on holiday for a week, Tony!’ said the woman called Katie. ‘Oh, yeah?! And you forgot to include me?! You took the whole team with you! To Barbados!’ said the man called Tony.

The oak door burst open, and a short, skinny, straight chocolate brown haired, and formally dressed woman walked out. She looked quite angry, and she was red in the face. Her dull, blue eyes were squinted and watery, and her shoulder length hair was flying behind her as she walked out of the room, into the really windy corridor really quickly. She was wearing a white shirt, and a black, pinstriped blazer, and her trousers were matching. She was wearing formal, black heels that made her look taller than she really is. She looked very agitated, and she carried an expression that showed that she was quite bitter about something.

A middle aged man shouted from behind her. ‘Katie! I need to see you in my office about an investigation.’ Katie turned around, in astonishment. ‘What?!’ I only got back this morning! Give me a break, Jim!’ The middle aged man called Jim, walked to Katie and said in a whisper ‘You and I both know that your job is on the line here, ever since your team miscalculated the death of Harley Billing, and framed the accused, and got him a death sentence. So I suggest you do a good job with the investigation I’m about to give you to make a better impression for the mayor.’ Katie had a tear in her eye. ‘The equipment that was used to take the samples was handled in the factory without gloves!’ said Katie, ‘you and I both know that my team DIDN’T jeopardise the investigation in hand.’

‘Just come with me, Katie. I don’t want to lose someone like you in this CSI centre. The mayor is considering firing you, because you allegedly “messed up” the investigation of the death of his own brother. Unless you prove yourself worthy, you don’t stand a chance, Katie.’ Jim said, looking very troubled.

This was a warning. Jim never got troubled when he was around Katie. After all, Jim watched Katie grow up. Katie was his niece, and he was the head of the CSI center. He appointed Katie the head of team #21, when the previous head of team died because he was shot in the head by his very psychotic ex-wife.

Katie looked at Jim in utmost dislike. ‘OK then, Jim, I will come with you.’ And she walked behind him in an extremely awkward silence. They walked in front of a glass door. The door had a metal, round handle. Jim pulled it, and walked through after Katie. Katie sat down. She though, I feel like a criminal, thanks to Mrs. Psychotic Manchester. She messed up my chances of getting a medal from Mr. Billing, the mayor. Only if the victim of my last case was NOT Mr. Billing’s own brother, what position would I have been in?!

She stopped thinking, and she looked at Jim, who sat behind the desk. He was holding a thick file. It said: ‘Leila Smith – Silver Lake Hair Salon, Los Angeles.’ Katie groaned. ‘Silver Lake?! Seriously?! It’s like 40 miles!’ ‘Katie, stop being so reluctant, please. Pull your act together. Before you get into really serious trouble! ’ said Jim, with a look of exasperation. Katie suddenly got the picture. I really am going to be fired unless I really do pull my act together, but how do I do that? She looked up, at Jim, like Jim looked at her just now. ‘How do I do that?’ she wanted to say, but she might as well have swore at Jim and walked out, and he would still have that brick, expressionless, exasperated look that drove Katie mad all the time. She said ‘Look, Jim, I’m tired, and I could do with a solid, undisturbed, 12 hour sleep. Just tell me about this Vic and I’ll go and do it.’ ‘OK. Leila Smith, 24, Law student, stabbed a few times in the stomach, and a severe bruise on the face indicates a fight or beating. Your tem is already there, except Tony. I think you just had an extremely huge argument about the team’s cheer up holiday?’ ‘Yeah. He wants to know if I would ever include him in the team, even though he is a part of the team. Oh, I’m so useless, why can’t Mr. Billing just murder me? I’m sure no one will miss me, at all! I’ve had enough! I won’t be able to work as effectively as I usually do, if I keep getting pushed into a bad mood all the time!’ she said, looking at Jim as if he was a thief who was trying to rob her.

‘I’ll tell Tony.’

‘You’d better, or I’d resign,’

‘Empty threat, Katie.’

‘Not really. I’d really resign. His behavior is Unbearable’

‘Are you serious?!’

‘yes,’ said Katie, at her hands, in an offhand voice. Jim looked scandalized.

‘Very well, I promise you, I will speak to Tony, and I will make sure he behaves…’ he put a great emphasis on this word, to make sure he understood what to do.

*

Katie's POV

I was looking at a sign, and it said, 'Silver Lake Hair Salon' in silver, over a purple background. It made the writing stand out. Underneath the sign, was a very harrased looking woman. 'Hello,' I said to the woman. 'Are you detective Rogers? 'Cos if you are, I need to have a word with you.'

I stared at her. What? 'Yes I am. May I help you?' I said in a voice that clearly showed my reluctancy and frustration.

'Would you be kind enough as to tell me as to why there's a part time employee of mine, dead, in the broom cupboard?' She said, cold anger badly concealed in every syllable. 'I own this salon, and I never, in the name of God, have had a police officer enter my salon to search it. I have been running this place for thirty years. And I never, ever, had a police officer searching for a concealed weapon.'

'Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think the victim found a better place to die than in your salon. And actually, I'm a CSI, and if you don't watch your words, you'd end up in police custody.'

The woman's expression changed from cold anger to frightened.

'Sorry. I was just worried about my salon's reputation. Business just went up hill, see, that's why I was like that.'

'It's ok, I understand. I get a lot of that, and sometimes I do have to arrest people as well...'

'Janis. Janis Lotusby