This story follows up on "A day at the video rental store". Please read the story before you go on with this one :)

You can find it at my profile or here: .net/s/6502149/1/A_day_at_the_video_rental_store (just put the fanfiction-url in front of it, I can't publish it that way, I'm sorry!)

"You're on this case with Nick. Brass and David are already at the scene."

"Yeah..." Greg took the file from Catherine's hand, not looking her in the eyes.

Five weeks after the hostage situation, almost all of Greg's bruises in his face had already faded. But the pissed look on his face he just developed two days ago didn't. He was mad at Catherine and Brass.

As he walked out the door, Catherine gazed after him with a worried face. She knew he was going to calm down eventually, but she didn't know exactly why he was mad at her.

"Let's go, Nick," he said to his older colleague while getting in the car.

As they were driving to the crime scene, they didn't talk for over 15 minutes. Nick wanted to find out what was going on with his friend, so he tried to start a conversation. "So what's been going on between Brass, Catherine and you lately?"

"Nothing..." Greg muttered.

"Come on Greg, you've been running around the lab with a frown for two days now. Something's up, what is it?"

Greg sighed, "It's none of your business, but since I know you won't give up until you know..." he said, giving Nick a look. "They did something that kinda hurt my feelings."

"What is it?"

Nick stopped the car. They arrived at the crime scene. It was a dark back alley in one of those neighborhoods you don't want to walk through alone at night. "I don't want to talk about it, Nick," he said, convincing Nick to drop it... for now.

"Hey Superdave," Nick said, coming up to him.

"Oh, hey Nick. He's been dead for at least five hours," David said, leaning over the dead man lying on the ground.

Brass was coming up to them. "Officer Ramirez over here found the body when he was trying to break up a fight over there." He pointed a few feet away from the body.

"Did he make any arrests?" Nick asked.

"No, when they heard him coming they all ran away. One of them dropped their cell phone. It's turned off, but I think we might find out who it belongs to. You think they have something to do with our John Doe?" Brass suggested.

Nick pointed his flash light on the body. "Well, who's fighting over a dead body they don't know? Let's get to work," he said to Greg. "You want the body or the alley?"

"I'll take the body, if you don't mind," he said, already leaning over it, helping David examine the dead man.

"Sure..." Nick said, looking at Greg for a moment.

"Ligature marks around the neck..." David said thoughtful, looking at the dead man's eyes. "You see the petechial haemorrhage? I think he was strangled..."

Greg pointed his flashlight next to the body. "There's a condom..." He bagged it. "Maybe his date changed his mind?" He looked at David.

"Women usually don't strangle their victims, though." David objected.

"She may have had help." Greg sealed the bag the condom was in.