Wheels Up

Roller derby superstar Connie Briggs, otherwise known as ‘Wrath of Connie’, is found dead in the locker room of the roller derby stadium in Miami. She’d been competing at the top of her game but on this occasion had left the track mid-action, suffering from severe stomach pains. However, Horatio Caine is soon able to conclude that her death was due to blunt force trauma.

Dr Loman’s autopsy finds traces of vomit-inducing ipecac in her stomach and notes that Connie had several partly-healed bone fractures at least six months old. A piece of bone had broken off as a result of her beating and had ruptured her aorta, causing instant death.

Analysis of her mouthguard finds DNA from a Vince Kessler, a fan of the opposing roller derby team and he soon admits to lacing it with ipecac to put her off her game, though he swears he didn’t kill her.

Connie’s roommate and fellow roller derby enthusiast, Lucy Strickland, mentions Tara Warner, one of Connie’s skating opponents but when the CSIs interview her they find she’s wheelchair-bound. Tara had broken her back in the roller derby as a result of Connie’s actions… and her brother is Vince Kessler! Had he been out for revenge?

Then Lucy guides the team to Connie’s former boyfriend, biker Jake McGrath. He denies harming her but the agents notice a punch bag in his apartment with puncture marks similar to that found on Connie’s body. McGrath had rigged it for Connie and Lucy to practice on. The CSIs analyse Lucy’s elbow pads and find their impact marks match the marks on the bag and on Connie’s body, and Lucy is soon forced to confess.

With Connie becoming so successful at the roller derby Lucy felt she’d become cold to her. She’d met Connie in the locker room that fateful night and had snapped, killing her friend as she’d been vomiting.