Death And Chocolate Mix In 'Like Water For Murder'

See Also: 'Like Water for Murder' Episode Guide

A shark takes a bite out of the Big Apple.

According to CSI Files sources, "Like Water for Murder" opens at dawn on Rockaway Beach. Two bodies are lying motionless beside a sand dune. A few empty beer bottles that tell the tale of the night before surround a young man and woman. A seagull caws, and the young man opens his eyes. He's not dead after all.

Tim Campbell looks up and sees the sign above his head. Anybody caught on the beach overnight will be fined $300--they shouldn't be here. He turns to the woman next to him, Jessica Hughes, and tries to wake her. She doesn't stir. He shakes her, getting panicked. Did something happen, is she okay?

Jessica surges to life and gasps for air, grabbing at Tim's arm. He is startled, but she breaks into giggles--she was only joking. Tim isn't amused. He tells her that they need to leave. As if on cue, a lifeguard cruiser starts to drive in their direction. They need to split.

Tim pulls Jessica to her feet and they start to run. Jessica says she feels sick, but they don't have time to stop. They stumble over the sand dune with Tim in the lead. Jessica is coming up behind him when he trips on something. He turns to see what caught his foot and stumbles away from what is lying on the beach: a ten-foot sand tiger shark, beached and dying. Tim backs up as the water rushes up toward him, partially submerging the shark. Tim turns away from the sight only to see something worse: another body, this time human.

A dead woman in tattered clothing is sprawled on the beach. Her head is nearly severed, and there are chunks of her body missing. The waves lap at her feet as Jessica catches up to Tim, who is shocked by what he sees. Jessica lays eyes on the body and lets out a scream.

Flack leads Mac and Hawkes to the scene through a crowd of gawkers. Flack tells the two CSIs that this is the second time a shark has washed up on the beach. The first one appeared last year, and nobody knows why. This time, though, the dead shark didn't show up alone--he brought their victim with him.

While Mac examines the dead shark, Quinn Shelby (Kristen Dalton) shows up. She is a member of the State Forensics Board, and it's been five years since the crime lab was reaccredited. She tells Mac she'll stay out of the way and observe, but Mac knows better. The two have history: they both applied for Mac's job years ago.

The victim found on the beach was strangled, and she had chocolate in her stomach--chocolate mixed with a yellow substance. Stella analyzes the substance and shares her findings with Quinn, who is surprised to be invited to take part. The substance is known as Damiana. The herb is best known for being used to make the first shot of Tequila. Stella and Quinn theorize that the Damiana was introduced to subdue the victim before she was strangled.

Things get trickier when a second victim is found with the same contents in her stomach and it is discovered that both women were real estate agents. Reed (Kyle Gallner), the son of Mac's late wife Claire, is back again. He was last seen in "Some Buried Bones", when his roommate at Chelsea University was murdered. This time Reed is working as a journalist. He shows up at the lab asking questions: are they dealing with a serial killer? Things aren't peachy within the lab, either. As Quinn observes Danny and Lindsay working, she sees Lindsay walk away from her evidence--which is against protocol. She tells Mac about it, and when he tells her his team members' personal lives are none of his business, Quinn reminds him that sometimes it's hard for colleagues to keep their personal lives from affecting their work.

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Like Water for Murder" is expected to air April 16 on CBS.

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