Boys And Girls
Chapter One - Mislaid Scars.
Sara Sidle was enjoying her two days off. It was the first weekend that she didn't have to work in months, and she was planning to mope, watch lots of T.V and order takeaways. Once she took the trash out anyway. Still in her pyjama's, she pulled on her robe and grabbed the bag of trash that sat beside the front door, before padding downstairs. It was a nice bright day but that was hardly rare in a place like Vegas. She headed to the side of her apartment block where the large bins were stored and lifted the lid of the closest one. For some reason, she had no idea why, she paused after she lifted the lid. She placed the lid back down carefully, hoping that what she saw was nothing more then a fragment of her over tired, over worked imagination. She dropped the bag to the ground and went back upstairs and found the latex gloves that she kept laying around her house, before heading back downstairs. She carefully lifted the lid again and pushed aside some rubbish, her breathe catching in her throat. So much for a nice day off. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled 911.
Sara waited for the small team to arrive. She had given Brass her statement, watched as they taped off the area which unfortunately included her apartment and watched the crowd gather. She had never in her life been so relieved to see Gil Grissom come striding towards her purposefully, his case in hand, Greg Sanders, Nick Stokes, Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown following in single file behind him. Gil Grissom was the one thing in her life that she could not explain. He was like the bad habit she could not recover from, the one thing that kept her on her toes. If she thought about it long enough, Sara knew that her real feelings would come to surface, and that was the one thing she wanted to avoid, she knew that her true feelings would leave her without the control she counted on to keep herself within the boundaries she had set herself. For her sake as much as his.
"So this is your idea of a day off is it?"
Grissom gave Sara a world weary smile, his eyes travelling over her attire.
"Don't look at me like that. Don't tell me that you don't lounge around in your PJ's on your day off."
Grissom just shrugged and moved toward the bin, pulling his gloves on.
"What happened here?"
"I came out to take out the trash and I found a body in my bin. I didn't see the face, just a leg. Called 911, knew you guys could not stay away."
Grissom gave Sara a small nod before moving under the tape and closer to the open bin. He took some shots of the surrounding areas, the blood he found on the side of the bin and next too it, before allowing Catherine to help him examine the body somewhat.
"Ok she's naked, severe head injury. We have a wallet here. Elizabeth Jennings"
Sara was at his side in an instant pulling on another pair of latex gloves.
"Did you just say Elizabeth Jennings?"
Grissom nodded, letting Sara through as she reached her arm into the bin, turning the victims head slightly. She let out a gasp and pushed herself away from the bin and back under the tape, her eyes filling with tears. Grissom glanced at Catherine, who nodded, and then he followed Sara who was leaning against one of the police cars, her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Sara?"
Sara turned to face Grissom, tears falling from her eyes unchecked.
"I know her Grissom. She lives on the same floor as me. I just saw her last night…"
Sara started crying again. Large tears falling onto her robe, making the light blue a shade darker. Grissom took of his gloves and fished around in his pocket before handing her a large white handkerchief.
"It's clean."
Sara took the handkerchief, wiping her eyes and then blowing her nose, taking some deep breaths.
"I want to work this case Grissom. Please."
Grissom took a moment to consider his options. Saying no to Sara wasn't a choice. He knew that she would find a way to be involved, so he was better off with her full on the deck. And she might have a better chance of talking to the parents. Sometimes a friendly face is easier then a strangers.
"Fine. But if you fee like you can't go any further at any point, I need you to tell me. That is my only condition."
Sara nodded, giving herself a few more seconds to gather her wits before moving to where Brass was standing.
"Hey Brass I need to go and get dressed. Pyjamas are not so good for interviews."
Brass nodded and made a clear way for her to get back into her building without disturbing evidence. Sara dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt, her heart pounding. She was nervous about talking to Elizabeth's mother. What was she meant to say? How do you tell someone that their only daughter is dead? She had told people before that people that they loved were dead but she didn't live in the same building as those people. Those people she could leave behind in their grief. After shoving her feet into her boots, she ran back downstairs to meet up with Grissom. Her hands were still shaking slightly, and her mind was still trying to process what she found and what was coming next. She waited while Grissom left instructions for the others and lead him to Elizabeth's apartment, pausing before she knocked on the door. Elizabeth's mother, Mary opened the door immediately, as if expecting them, as if part of her knew what was happening. She said nothing when she saw Sara, her eyes flicking over her shoulder, taking in Grissom and Brass as they stood silently behind her, before moving aside to allow them access to the apartment. Even though Sara had been in the home before, for some reason today it seemed duller, less lively now that she knew that Elizabeth would never be back here.
"So what did Elizabeth do this time? Shoplifting again?"
Grissom exchanged a look with Sara, wanting to know if she could do this herself. Sara took a seat beside Mary, making sure to face her and that she held the women's eyes in her own.
"Elizabeth's body was found this morning. We believe that she was murdered."
Mary looked at Sara for a long moment, looked at Brass and Grissom, taking in their serious faces, and then she started to shake, as if her whole body had been hit by a cold breeze.
"Elizabeth's dead?"
Sara nodded and watched as Mary started to cry, her body folding in on itself so that her head was in her own lap, her shoulders buried in her neck, her body now shaking from the sobs that tore from her throat. It took a few minutes before the sobs stopped, Mary taking a few deep breaths before looking at Sara again.
"What happened to her? Who found her?"
Sara took the woman's hands in her own, making sure she was looking at her again.
"I found her Mary. She had been hit over the head judging from the initial findings, but the coroner will be confirming that later. We're not sure what happened yet, that's why we're here. We need to know about what Elizabeth was doing, who her friends were and if she had any enemies."
Mary clutched at Sara's hands, as if she where her only anchor.
"Elizabeth had many friends. She was meant to stay at her best friends place last night, her name is Melissa Guthrie; she lives in an apartment on the strip. She helped Elizabeth at school when she was having trouble settling in."
Grissom stepped forward at that point, kneeling down so that he was eye level with Mary.
"Mrs Jennings, was Elizabeth into anything suspicious?"
Mary rolled her eyes at Grissom.
"She's sixteen. I knew only what I was allowed to know. This of course was nothing. The only friend I knew about was Melissa. She will know a lot more then I do."
Grissom nodded and moved away from the women again, hearing Sara talk in a low voice as the woman broke down again. Grissom pulled Brass aside and talked in a low voice.
"Track down this Melissa Guthrie. We need to find out everything about Elizabeth."
Brass nodded and moved out of the room, and back down stairs. Grissom turned back to the women; Sara now had her arms around Mary as more sobs shook her body. She indicated Grissom closer with a hand over Mary's shoulder.
"Can you call her husband and her son? Her husband is Frank, he works at the local high school, and Lucas should be there too. Tell them to hurry would you? I don't want to leave her alone."
Grissom nodded and moved into the hallway to make the calls. He needed a moment to figure out that to say.
Sara waited patiently for Mary's tears to subside again, but they never did. Frank and Lucas arrived in moments; their faces in a state of shock, Lucas gathered his mother into his arms, giving Sara a chance to talk to Frank.
"Sara is it true? Elizabeth's dead?"
Sara could do nothing but nod as tears slipped from her own eyes as the big man crumbled before her, his big arms wrapping themselves around his family, encasing them from the world. Sara followed Grissom out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her, leaving the family to deal with their grief. She paused for a moment, leaning against the closest wall, trying to gather her bearings; she was shaky and no longer in control of the tears that were falling from her eyes. She could feel Grissom watching her, was deeply aware of his presence now that she didn't want him there.
"Are you okay, Sara?"
Sara shook her head, unable to speak for fear of sobbing out loud. She had left the handkerchief he had given her on her bed, wishing she hadn't. She could just imagine what a picture she was, all snotty and bedraggled. Before Grissom could say or do anything else, Warrick had come bounding up the stairs. He took in the sobbing Sara and the startled Grissom standing in front of her before pulling Sara into a gentle hug. When she opened her eyes again, Grissom had gone and it was just her and Warrick standing in the hall.
"You okay?"
Sara nodded, wiping her face on the back of her hand. She took some deep breaths, trying to shake the horrible feeling of weightlessness, Warrick's arm still loosely around her waist. Warrick began leading her down the hall towards her apartment, his voice low and gentle.
"Why don't you go and get yourself sorted, get a coat and stuff. You going to be ok, or do you want me to keep you company?"
Sara nodded, giving Warrick a watery smile.
"You can come with if you want. Just ignore the mess will you? I was going to clean up today."
Warrick gave her a small smile before following her into her apartment, making himself comfortable on the sofa, while Sara moved into the bathroom. When she came back into the living room, Warrick was flicking through the TV channels, switching it off when she came further into the room.
"So how long have you known the Jennings family?"
Sara paused before she grabbed her cell phone and keys.
"About four years I think. Elizabeth showed up with cookies just after I moved in. You wanna take this spare key? Just in case anyone needs the bathroom or anything?"
Warrick nodded as he followed Sara back out of her apartment and out of the block where Catherine and Greg were just finishing off the scene, Nick helping load the body and Grissom talking to Brass. Sara put her coat on, the shock of the events making her feel cold. She put the packet of tissues she had decided to bring in her front pocket and moved over to Grissom and Brass.
"Did you find Melissa?"
Brass nodded.
"I was going to send an officer but Grissom said that you may want to be in on this. So here's the address. I'm off to interview the victim's family, see if I can make any ends meet on her death. Call if you need anything."
Grissom nodded and watched as Brass disappeared in the building again, before turning back to Sara.
"You okay?"
Sara nodded, pulling the tissues from her front pocket, waving them at Grissom.
"I'm prepared for next time."
Grissom nodded.
"So shall we go and see Melissa then?"
Sara nodded and hopped into the truck with Grissom, waving at Warrick as they pulled away from her apartment. She was feeling a lot more stable now that the shock had worn off somewhat and the scientist in her was demanding an explanation for Elizabeth's death. This was why she did what she did.
"So can you tell me anything about Elizabeth?"
Sara thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"Nothing substantial. I'm always working and she's got school. I only really saw her on my days off or before she went out on the weekends."
Grissom nodded as he negotiated the traffic which was getting thicker.
"So how come dayshift isn't doing this case?"
Grissom swung to the left as a red car decided to pass without looking.
"Brass mentioned the address and how it was you who called it in and we decided to take it."
Sara sat silently as Grissom pulled in front of the block of apartments that the report Brass had given them indicated. It was nothing flash, the building's flaking paint and rusty steps the same as any other on the strip. It was cheap housing for those without much money. Grissom and Sara both stepped carefully into the building, choosing to go up the stairs then in the elevator which looked like it hadn't been used in over a decade. They found Melissa's apartment easily and waited for a response to their knock. A small dark haired girl pulled the door open, the chain still across the door, her dark eyes hidden behind some thick glasses.
"Yes?"
Sara moved forward, holding out her ID for the girl to see.
"I'm Sara Sidle, this is Gil Grissom, we're here to talk to you about Elizabeth Jennings"
The girl said nothing, eyeing them up for a full ten seconds before the door was closed, the rattling of chain heard then the door swung open with a loud creak. The apartment was small; the living room was a mess, a TV sitting in the corner, a sofa and not much else. There were chip packets, and soda cans laying everywhere.
"Are you Melissa?"
The girl nodded, her hands slipping into the pockets of her faded jeans, which hung on her rather slim frame.
"I've heard about you from Elizabeth. What is going on with her?"
Sara glanced at Grissom, mentally questioning who would tell her. Grissom moved forward, relieving her of the job.
"She was found murdered this morning. According to her mother, she was meant to be here last night."
Melissa said nothing, just sat heavily on the sofa behind her, her hair falling in front of her face.
"She wasn't here. We hadn't spoken in a few weeks."
Sara exchanged a look with Grissom, before looking back at the girl.
"What do you mean? Her mother claims you guys were the best of friends."
Melissa looked back up, a smirk on her face.
"We were. Until some of the popular kids at school started paying attention to her and then we stopped talking but it looks like she's been using me as a cover to go out with those idiots."
Sara moved closer to the girl, kneeling beside her.
"We need their names. We need to find the person or persons who did this to Elizabeth. Do you know their names?"
Melissa looked at Sara nodding, her eyes filling with tears.
"How did she die?"
Sara pushed some of her own hair away from her face with the back of her hand, irritated by the little strands that kept escaping from behind her sunglasses.
"We don't know for sure until the coroner looks at her, but it looked like she was hit over the head."
Melissa nodded and took a pad the was lying near her feet and began writing.
"I'll also list some of the boys I know for a fact were sleeping with her. Find them and you are bound to find who killed her."
Sara watched as she wrote the list of names furiously.
"Why do you say that?"
Melissa kept her head down, her tears occasionally dropping onto the page.
"It's high school Miss Sidle. There are separate groups, rich snobs do not mix with normal kids. Elizabeth scared them."
"Why was that?"
Melissa gave Sara a watery smile.
"You knew her Miss Sidle. She was smart, really smart. Then they started paying attention to her and that was the end of the Elizabeth I knew. She still got good grades but that was it."
Sara took the list, handing it over to Grissom before turning back to Melissa.
"We're going to find who did this to Elizabeth. I'm going to make sure that they get what's coming to them."
Melissa nodded, pushing her glasses from her face as she rubbed her eyes.
"You had better find them before Mr. Jennings or Lucas does, otherwise there will be nothing left."
Sara handed the young girl a card with her cell phone number on it, making sure she had the girl's attention before she continued.
"You need anything, or remember anything else important, call me ok?"
The Melissa looked at Sara for a moment, studying her before she nodded slowly, obviously choosing to trust Sara.
"Just find the guy who did this to Elizabeth."
Sara nodded and moved back towards the door, following Grissom out, giving the girl a slight wave before closing the door behind them.
Sara had gotten a little bit of a rest since arriving back at headquarters three hours ago. Well to be precise, Grissom had dragged her into his office and made her lay down on the couch. She hadn't slept, couldn't sleep now that the past events were unfolding. Grissom had made some phone calls and after they heard back from Doc, they were going to interview some of the students. Sara was remembering the last time she had seen Elizabeth, how she was dressed and how she seemed. To Sara she seemed perfectly happy, her normal cheery self. She had been wearing a red miniskirt and a dark blue tank top when Sara had last seen her alive, she had come over for some advice on her math homework. She had stayed an hour, Sara had shown her how to work out the question and then with a quick hug, she had left. That is what broke her heart. The fact that Elizabeth had so much to offer the world, so much talent, and then some shallow ass took that away from her. Now it was up to Sara and the rest of the team to make sure that that person paid for what they had done to Elizabeth.
"Did you actually sleep?"
Sara was so busy thinking that she never heard the door open, or noticed Grissom standing over her, a coffee in each hand.
"Nope. I was just sitting here thinking about Elizabeth. She wanted to be a CSI just like us. She worked so hard on her grades, and if she got stuck she always came to me for help. She was so excited when she first found out I was a CSI."
Grissom said nothing just sat behind his desk letting her talk, placing the cups of coffee on the desk. Sara had now sat up, the rug he had placed on her before now around her shoulders. She looked so tired, even though not much time had passed in the day, the grief she felt was on her face, which was now drawn and her eyes rimmed red from the crying. She had paused for a breath long enough to take a sip of coffee, her eyes flicking open in surprise.
"This is Hawaiian Blue. You found Greg's stash?"
Grissom shook his head, his own hands wrapping around his cup.
"Nope. He said that you could drink as much as you needed. His way of offering his condolences I guess."
Sara nodded and took another sip of the strong brew, silently sending her thanks to Greg for his thoughtfulness.
"I'm sorry about before"
Sara narrowed her eyes at Grissom.
"What? Did you do something?"
Grissom shrugged.
"I'm not used to seeing you cry. It still startles me sometimes. I should have done something in the hallway…"
Sara smiled a little.
"I never want you to get used to seeing me cry. It still surprises me when I do it. And don't worry about it, Warrick saved the day. How come you left?"
Grissom picked up a pen and began to doodle on a piece of paper near his hand, wanting to avoid her gaze.
"You look like you needed to be alone with him."
He heard Sara sputter on her coffee, heard what sounded like laughter come from within her. When he finally looked up, Sara was leaning back against the couch, tears streaming down her face, laughter shaking her body. It took a few minutes before she pulled herself together, wiping her face with the edge of her sleeve.
"Man, I needed that. Do actually believe that there is something between Warrick and me?"
Grissom said nothing, but he didn't have too. Sara could tell by his body language and by the way he was looking at her, his blue eyes serious that he fully believed that there was something between her and Warrick.
"Grissom, rest assured there is nothing there. Warrick is well Warrick. I know him to well to be interested. Same goes for Greg and Nick. How did you come around to thinking that?"
Again Grissom said nothing, and Sara could see that he was now feeling foolish, his whole attention now on the mug of coffee before him. Sara felt the sudden urge of regret, making Grissom feel foolish was definitely not on her to do list. Before she could say anything, her beeper sounded, followed closely by Grissom's. It was Doc. Sara exchanged a quick glance with Grissom before standing, and pushing the rug off of her shoulders and moving out of his office, moving swiftly toward the morgue. Her dark mood came again, the laughter in Grissom's office now forgotten as her true purpose again came into view. Justice for Elizabeth and her family.
"What you got for us?"
Doc raised his head as Sara and Grissom both entered his place of work at the same time, instantly taking in Sara's tear stained face and hollow eyes. Brass had told him that this girl was a neighbour and friend, and important to Sara. Doc had made sure everything was in place to try and close this case as soon as possible.
"Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, which in all essence crushed her skull. There was no sign of sexual trauma, no signs of torture or binding. I did however find something that is rather surprising. Elizabeth was pregnant."
Sara gripped the table that held Elizabeth's body, trying to keep her balance as the world spun around her.
"How far along was she?"
Doc handed Grissom the examine results.
"Five months. When you catch the person who did this you can have them up for two murders. It wasn't just Elizabeth that they killed. I took a sample from the baby to try and get match to your perps that you have coming in for questioning. Sara are you ok?"
Sara nodded as she continued to clutch at the table. She was looking over Elizabeth's body, her eyes going from the wound on her head to the long red hair that she had seen more often then not, tied back in a ponytail.
"Was there any evidence of a struggle?"
Doc shook his head.
"Nope she knew the person who did this. There was nothing under her finger nails, no defence wounds anywhere."
Sara nodded again and moved out of the morgue, stopping at a rubbish bin, her stomach rejecting what little food she had eaten recently. She heard Grissom approach her, felt him pull her hair back, holding it loosely in his hands. She stayed where she was until she was certain that the wave of nausea had gone before she stood up, her hair moving back into place as Grissom released it.
"You ok?"
Sara nodded, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.
"I am going to go and brush my teeth. I'll meet you in the interview rooms."
Sara turned on her heel and left before Grissom could answer. He watched her leave, her steps brisk and long as always, her head held high. But today there was no spark. She had her drive and determination but her spark was absent. This case was going to be hard on her. Harder then she may even expect. Grissom went to the interview rooms, and watched through the glass at a young girl that was sitting there, her mother by her side. The girl was pretty by society's standards, with long blonde hair, a slender figure and wide blue eyes; she was what most would call 'teen dream'. Her name was Brooke James, and she was according to Melissa on of Elizabeth's new 'friends.' Grissom entered the room quietly; there was no need for any kind of fear tactics, not at the moment anyway.
"Hello Brooke, my name is Gil Grissom and I'm one of the people working on this case and I would like to ask you a few questions."
Brooke said nothing, just nodded ever so slightly, her blonde hair falling in front of her face. Her mother gave her a jab and Brooke pushed her hair off her face and sat a little straighter.
"Sure Mr Grissom, whatever way I can help."
Grissom looked between mother and daughter for a second, an idea forming in his head.
"Mrs James, do you mind if I talk to your daughter alone?"
Mrs James looked a little taken back, a scowl forming on her face.
"And why would you want to do that?"
Grissom eased forward, a small smile playing on his lips, his tone friendly and light.
"We were both sixteen once; surely you remember what it was like. I don't want to invade your daughter's privacy anymore then I have to, and having you here might keep her quite when I need her to talk. Do you understand?"
Mrs James passed a glance between Grissom and the pleading eyes of her daughter.
"Well alright. But don't answer anything you don't want to ok honey?"
Brooke nodded and as soon as her mother closed the door behind her, she visibly sagged, her body half slipping down the chair, sitting in the fashion of a sixteen year old.
"Thank goodness she has gone. What do you want to know?"
Grissom sat back in his seat, matching the young woman's body language.
"How long have you known Elizabeth Jennings?"
The young girl started playing with the loose threads on her sleeve, taking on a bored unconcerned look.
"Bout 10 years. She is a nerd though so I never was friends with her really."
Grissom took out the picture of Elizabeth on the morgue slab, pushing in front of the girl. It took her a second or two to register what was in front of her, Grissom used this to his advantage.
"Elizabeth was found dead earlier this morning. Do you know anything about her death?"
Brooke continued to stare at the picture, tears swelling up in her eyes. She took a deep breath before responding to Grissom's question.
"I was out at the club with her last night. We danced, had a few drinks then she left, said she was going to get a taxi. How did she die?"
Grissom pointed to the visible wound on Elizabeth's head.
"Her skull was crushed. We need you to sign a statement and give us the clothes you wore last night. What was the name of the club Brooke?"
Brooke signed the piece of paper and paused before leaving the room.
"Dream Weaver. The club's name is Dream Weaver"
Sara entered just after the door closed.
"Who was that?"
Grissom took Elizabeth's picture off the table and slipped it into the folder he had with him. Even though Sara had just seen Elizabeth's body there was no need for her to see it again.
"First name on the list, Brooke James. She said that they went out last night, had a few drinks then Elizabeth went home. Caught a taxi apparently."
Sara nodded and took a seat next to Grissom, looking at the paper in front of him that had the club name written on it.
"Dream Weaver, sounds like a drug hot spot if you ask me. Who's next on our list?"
Grissom looked at the paper in front of him.
"That would be Jessica Anderson. Brass is bringing her in now."
Sara sat back in her seat and waited, something she had never been very good at. As a scientist, you are expected to wait for a lot of things, but it was a skill that Sara had yet to master. She wanted to get up and move, wanted to do something to feel productive, but decided to sit still, making a conscious effort to stay quite.
"Once we have interviewed the last of these kids, I'll give you a ride home."
Sara shook her head.
"Nah I'll get a ride with a taxi when I'm ready to go. I don't think I can sleep at home anyway."
Grissom turned to Sara, his eyes questioning.
"Why is that?"
Sara shrugged.
"Because Elizabeth's family will be wanting answers. And they'll come to me and I don't want to have to tell them that we have nothing as of yet."
Grissom nodded his understanding, shocking himself with his response.
"Understandable. You came come and stay at my house if you like."
Sara said nothing, the shocking offer rendering her silent. Grissom on the other hand was scrambling to pick up his verbal mess.
"I mean, I have a spare room, it has an ensuite. The offer is there if you want it Sara. It will be no inconvenience to me."
Before Sara could string together a response, Jessica walked into the room, heels clattering loudly. Sara got into interview mode, welcoming the distraction from Grissom's offer.