Cosa Nostra
ON THE NORTH SIDE OF LAS VEGAS 7:40 p.m.
Robert Vanzetti sat at a card table in the back of the family owned Italian restaurant. He would be ready for the business that he was about to take care of on this night. Who did Nicholas think he was for him to try and run the Vanzettis out of Las Vegas? Sin City was their town, it had been for the last thirty years…All of a sudden he wanted it now? Robert was not going to give up his father's claim to the city.
Robert heard the footsteps of what sounded like several more men than Robert had.
"Stand your guard," he commanded. "Be ready to defend this family."
As soon as the rival clan stepped through the door, a bloody shoot out began…
***
AT THE BELLAGIO HOTEL 7:45 p.m.
Sara felt self conscious in her new blue strapless dress. Her bare shoulders, arms, and Cross Country legs were showing. She wrapped the chiffon shawl around her as she looked around for her date. It wasn't particularly chilly, and it was a nice night to enjoy a formal dinner at the Bellagio Hotel's exclusive new restaurant, Poolside Manner. They were literally at the poolside. A small cement island was in the middle and the live band played tropical music for the patrons of the restaurant. It was a very classy place, and the waves from the pool created a nice relaxing environment.
"Hello," a man's voice said from behind her.
Sara grinned before turning around.
"Evans," she said.
"Sidle," Evans retorted good naturedly.
Sara walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Shall we?" He asked.
"We shall," Sara said.
Evans was a gentleman as he pulled out the seat for her. Sara threw her shawl over the back of the chair. Sara smiled at Evans.
"This is very nice," she commented as she settled in. What she said didn't seem to process because he was ogling at her.
"You look beautiful," he said.
"Thanks," she said, blushing like crazy. "You don't look too bad yourself."
Detective John Evans had been on the LVPD for seven years. He was a good detective, and it took him a while to get used to seeing dead bodies every night. The day he met Sara Sidle, he was smitten immediately when they had the serial killer three years back. She was amazed at some fingerprint concoction that her boss gave to her. Not only was the woman brilliant, but she was a attractive, which was a plus for her being a scientist. Tonight she looked especially beautiful. He could see the soft, glowing skin of her shoulders and her hair was swept up in a nice bun with small ringlets framing her face.
"You know Sara," he started. "From the first day I met you, I was blown away."
Sara smiled at his diction. She didn't know what to say.
"I was blown away because not only are you the most intelligent woman I've ever known, but there's something unique about you."
"That is so sweet John," Sara said. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"Well, it's true," he said with a smile.
Sara smiled brightly as she picked up the menu.
"Well, I made sure that this place is vegetarian friendly, and it is," Evans explained. "And, they've got an awesome wine list."
Sara ordered their shrimp salad and Evans, being a man, ordered their sirloin.
"Are you having a good time?" Evans asked.
"Of course I am John," Sara answered. "I'm having a very good time. I like the food, I like you, everything is nice."
He nodded and then he went back to his steak. Sara was just finishing off her shrimp salad when her pager vibrated in her purse. Evans looked at her rather forlornly. Sara chuckled nervously as she picked up her purse and looked at her pager. She knew exactly who it was, but she was not going to respond…at least not at the moment. She erased the number and put her pager back into her purse.
"Anyway," she said. "How's work treating you?"
"I should be asking you that question," he chuckled. "All I do is fill out paperwork, interrogate the suspects. You guys at CSI are the real McCoys."
"Most people don't look at us that way," Sara said. "Thanks for appreciating what we do."
"Hey, I could never do it," he said. "It takes gall to walk up to those scenes every night."
"That's why I have tonight off-"
Sara's pager interrupted again. Sara was trying her best to ignore it, not wanting to disappoint Evans. It was her night off after all…but if Grissom…and Warrick paged her, it must have been serious.
Sara looked at Evans apologetically.
"Work callin' ya?" He asked.
"Yeah," she sighed. "John, I'm so sorry."
"That's okay," he said. "I understand, duty calls."
"Yeah," she said bitterly. "And it hurt my ears."
***
Sara rolled her eyes at all the cat calls she received walking down the halls of CSI to get to the locker room to change. Nick was beaming as he made his way over to the primped Sara Sidle.
"Sexy," he chuckled. "Hot date?"
"Obviously," she growled. "What did Grissom want anyway? It's my night off."
"Obviously," Nick retorted.
Sara glared at him.
"Well, where is he?" Sara asked.
"Grissom's at a crime scene," Nick explained, turning serious. "He said that he would have serious hell to pay if he let you miss out on this one."
Sara looked at Nick before going into the ladies' changing room.
"Oh, he's gonna have hell to pay whether the case is hot or cold," Sara promised with poison.
Sara decided to leave her hair swept up as she wiped most of the makeup off of her face. She applied fresh lipstick and put on a little more eye shadow before grabbing her kit and heading out.
She couldn't get a few strides in before her cell phone rang.
"What do you want?" She asked Grissom in irritation.
"Are you on your way yet?" Grissom asked.
"Well, if you'd stop paging me and calling me every ten seconds, I'd be there by now," Sara retorted.
On the way to the scene, Sara reflected on her rather brief date with Evans. She could tell that he was disappointed when she had to leave. He said that he understood, but the hurt in his eyes betrayed that. Sara was actually enjoying herself, and for once, she forgot about work. A few months before, she and Evans had gone out, but at her request, they stopped seeing each other. Evans was so patient with her on so many levels. He had the patience of Job.
When she saw several police cars, ambulances, and lights, she knew that the scene was pretty bad.
Sara grabbed her kit and stepped out of the car. She met Warrick first at the tape. He smirked and looked at her strangely.
"Were you out tonight?" He asked as he lifted the tape for her.
"Don't start," Sara warned. "I've got a bone to pick with Grissom."
"And some bodies to process," Brass added. "Five bodies, several gunshot wounds, blood all over the place. It's a mess in there. The restaurant owner, and his four amigos. Strange message left on the ringleader. It's all yours."
Sara followed Warrick into what looked like a nice restaurant, but when she got to the kitchen, she was appalled not only by all the bodies and blood, but by the kitchen itself.
Grissom looked up at her.
"Hello Sara," he said, regret in his eyes.
"This is the third time Gil Grissom," Sara said. "It was supposed to be my night off."
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry, but, you don't want to miss this case. Catherine's at a seminar, Nick is finishing up a missing persons, I-"
"I know," she said bitterly. "You needed me."
Warrick looked uncertainly between the pair.
"Wow, did it just get a little cooler in here or is it just me?" He said. "I think I'll go outside, talk to some witnesses."
He shook his head at the pair, who were staring each other down.
"Sara, please," Grissom said.
Sara shrugged her shoulders. "What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to take good photos of these bodies," Grissom stated. "This is a very messy crime scene."
"Someone apparently didn't like these poor fellas too much," Sara said, as she snapped photos of the victims. "Hmm…were they victims, or were they expecting to make victims of the assaulters? I see fire arms on all these guys."
"What are you thinking?" Grissom asked.
Sara didn't answer him. She focused on the message that was left on the boss. Cosa Nostra. Sara's eyes grew wide and she stepped back. Her heart sped up and she felt her breath catch.
"Hold it!" Grissom yelled, making her jump. "You're about to step in blood."
Sara turned and she noticed that another small step could have contaminated the blood, and implicated her.
"What's wrong?" Grissom asked.
"That phrase," she said in a small voice. "Cosa Nostra."
"And?" Grissom asked.
"Nothing," Sara said as she tiptoed around him to photograph the other bodies.
She knew that Grissom was looking at her strangely.
"Okay, so we've got five bodies," she started, pulling herself together. "Looks like all of the victims were expecting the killers…"
"Are you calling it?" Grissom asked, coming up behind her rather closely.
"Yeah," Sara said. "I'll say it's a mob hit."
***
Sara tapped her fingers lightly on her cup of tepid company coffee. She kept running that phrase in her mind over and over: Cosa Nostra, Cosa Nostra…
She knew its origin and what it meant. The very thought scared her and she had never been more scared than this in a long time. For now, she would keep her secret to herself.
"Hey," Warrick said as he walked in to the break room to help himself to the same tasteless coffee.
"Hey," Sara said, trying to sound cheery.
"I'm sorry about your date," he said sincerely. "Gris is sorry too, in his own way."
Sara chuckled.
"What do you think of that crime scene?" Warrick asked.
"It was gruesome," Sara said. "I told Gris that it was a mob hit."
"I figured that too," Warrick said. "What do you think we're dealing with? Organized crime isn't exactly the thing anymore."
"You'd be surprised," Sara said. "Besides, this is Vegas, anything goes."
"Grissom told me that you freaked out a little at the crime scene," Warrick started.
"Oh," Sara said nonchalantly. "It was just that phrase, Cosa Nostra that kind of made me go a little loopy there for a sec."
"What does it mean?" He asked.
Sara was hesitant to say anything about what the phrase meant and who it belonged to.
"Um, I have to look it up before I tell you," Sara lied.
***
Grissom opened the door for Sara as they entered the morgue.
"Doc," Sara greeted him cordially.
Doctor Albert Robbins looked at her strangely. "Like the hair."
"Thanks," she said with a smile. "It was my night off, but I just couldn't resist this case," she said, looking over at Grissom.
Grissom only glared at her.
"Anyway," he started. "I would like you to meet Robert Vanzetti, Angelo D'Antolini, Troy Catali, Georgio Zeta, and Herman Funicelli."
"All Italian names," Sara mentioned first. "Goes along with my mob hit theory."
"Actually, there are all kinds of mafia," Grissom said.
"Yeah, but the original gangsters were the Italians," Sara said, with some pride, despite the circumstances. "Viva Italia!"
"Okay," Doc Robbins said with some exaggeration. "All of the vics died from multiple gunshots to the head, neck, chest and abdomen areas. I had ballistics check their weapons, none of these Goodfellas ever got one shot in. The assaulters took them completely by surprise."
"So the official causes of death is by shooting," Grissom observed. "Whoever it was wanted to make sure they were dead."
Sara looked at all of the bodies.
"You know," Sara started. "This shooting is rather uncharacteristic of a mob hit. I mean usually hits are calculated and clean. This one was messy, and there was no dump, no looks of self defense at all."
"How do you know so much about mafia style hits?" Grissom asked with interest.
"I had a case like this about five years ago," Sara said. "It was clean, body dump, of course, the preps involved got off."
Sara observed the pattern of the shooting. From what the bodies told her, it made the whole incident look like the Valentine's Day massacre. The shooting pattern, according to what the dead bodies were telling her, looked sporadic, and the shooters had no mercy.
"Did ballistics say anything about what kind of weapons were used?" Sara asked as she pored over the bodies analyzing the pattern.
"I believe he said semiautomatics were used on these guys," Doc Robbins answered. "And about the phrase on the body, I sent the paper to Greg to analyze for fingerprints and what not."
"Thanks," Grissom said as he and Sara walked out.
Sara regressed into her own thoughts as she went over the phrase Cosa Nostra. She felt the familiar chill of fear crawl down her spine like a thousand spiders. It was happening again, and this time, she knew that she was not safe; it was way too close to her comfort zone and she would have to confront her past and face off with something she had been running from her whole life. She refused to live her life in fear any longer.
***
Evans lifted the tape for Sara to go under.
"Look, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked. "It's pretty gory in there."
"John, I'll be fine," Sara assured him.
Sara stepped cautiously into the crime scene. She scanned the darkened kitchen with her flash light. She noticed bullet holes all over the ceiling . That indicated that the shooter was not only sporadic, they were inexperience as well. It became obvious that the shooter did not know how to operate a semiautomatic.
Sara looked over the blood stained floor. She was hoping to find some trace materials on the floor so that they could at least put the aggressor at the scene too. She was thinking that their phantom shooter would remain as such. No, Sara would not allow that to happen.
Sara put down her kit and continued to scan through the scene. The chairs had several bullet holes in them, and some of the cooking utensils had dents from ricocheting bullets.
She marked where each of the victims was sitting so as to catalogue the blood spatter. As Sara made her way through the tiny kitchen, she noticed a trail of blood. She took out one of her swabs and took a sample.
She followed the blood all the way to the back door. It had been an escape route.
Sara turned and went back to the primary scene.
"This whole place is a mess," Sara commented to herself.
She scanned the room with her flash light again. She noticed something shiny in the corner. She went over to the corner tentatively and she picked up the glowing something with a pair of tweezers. It looked like a missing clasp of some sort. It was weighted down because of its gold deposit. Sara bagged it.
Sara collected her things and then she called Evans. As he was heading toward her, she looked back on the scene. She could still feel the victims' spirits in there. Something had gone terribly wrong with the whole situation, and Sara intended to find out what it was.
Evans lifted the tape for her again and she stepped out.
At the lab, Sara dropped the blood off with Greg.
"So Sara," he started with a smirk. "I heard you were on a date."
"I'm not discussing this," Sara said firmly.
"Oh, touchy subject," Greg teased.
Sara just glared at him. "Greg, I'm busy."
"Okay, I'll have the results as soon as I can," he conceded, knowing that she wasn't in a playing mood.
Sara ran into Warrick on the way to the break room.
"Hey Sara," he said cordially.
"Hey," she said.
"Did you ever find out what that phrase was? Cosa something?" Warrick inquired.
"Cosa Nostra?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said. "What does it mean?"
Sara froze in the middle of her route to tepid coffee and a stale doughnut. She decided that she would only tell the meaning.
"It means 'All our own'," she explained. "It's Italian."
"You know Italian?" Warrick asked incredulously.
"My family's Italian," Sara explained. "I'm not that fluent, but I can understand the language."
"That's cool," he commented. "I had no idea."
You're right about that one,
Sara thought to herself."Why do you think that they left that message at the crime scene?" Warrick asked.
"To show that they won't stop until they get what they want," Sara said bitterly as she left the room.
***
Grissom caught Sara in the hallway.
"Hey," he said. "Where have you been?" He asked.
"Oh, I went back to the scene," she explained. "I found some trace material, and an extra trail of blood leading to the back door of the kitchen. Could place another suspect or victim at the scene. The guy is obviously hiding or he's dead."
"Good," he said. "Uh, Sara, can I talk to you about something?"
"Depends on what it is," she said.
"Well, I've heard…rumors about you and Evans," He started. He could hear her sigh and she rolled her eyes. "How long have you and Evans been dating?"
"Grissom that is NONE of your business," Sara said angrily. "Why does everyone want be involved in my love life? Listen Gris, I know that you're jealous, but that's your own damn fault. You blew it! You treated me like I wasn't even there and you still want a hold on me?"
"Sara, that's not what I meant and you know it," Grissom tried to defend, but he knew that she knew the truth.
"That's exactly what you meant," Sara said bitingly. "I'm not just some toy that you can pick up or put down depending on where the wind blows. I'm a human being with feelings, and quite frankly, it hurts Gris. It hurts when you draw me closer then push me away. That's not a good feeling."
"Sara, I can't talk about this with you right now," he said rather dismissively. "I was just asking you a question-"
"And you got your answer," she said quietly. "Yes, I'm with Evans right now. End of discussion."
***
Sara was glad to be home that she smiled. She reveled in the space and the less lonely feeling. Sara went into her kitchen and opened her fully stocked fridge and grabbed a tub of cottage cheese. It was her comfort food, and she sat on her couch, kicked her shoes off, let down her swept up hair and dived into her snack. A pleasant smile crossed her face.
Just as she was really starting to relax, her door bell rang.
She put down her cottage cheese and got up to answer. It could have been Evans, so she decided to stay pleasant when she answered. The person at her door was not who she thought it would be, and all pleasantness ceased to exist. Her brother, Vincent Sidle, was at the door, smiling like the snake she knew he was.
"Well hello little sis," he said.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sara asked as she tried to close the door on him. He stuck his foot in and pushed the door back open and entered her apartment, inspecting unabashedly. "
"Nice digs, sis," he said. "I could use a place like this."
"Get out!" Sara yelled.
He came over to her and grabbed her at the nape of her neck and he jerked her head back violently.
"Hey, either you listen to what I got to say, or I snap your neck like a chicken," he threatened. "You got me?"
Sara nodded in fear.
With a firm hold on her nape, she could not move.
Just like when they were kids. Vincent Sidle was a violent child, and he shared fascination in their father's business of killing and stealing, and Sara showed disdain for it. Cosa Nostra. The Sidle family's insignia with the picture of St. Anthony. Her whole family was involved in the mafia in one way or another and she told them that she wanted nothing to do with their crimes. She wasn't a CSI for nothing.
"Stay out of my way sis," he said. "Just like when we were kids. You stay out of my way, I stay out of yours and no one gets hurt…too badly."
"You're despicable," Sara spat. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because," he started, pulling out some pictures. "You wouldn't want your friends to get hurt, now would you?"
Sara noticed a picture of all of her team mates. Catherine and Lindsay along with herself, Warrick, Greg, Grissom, and Nick. Her heart sped up in fear.
"If you hurt them," she threatened. "Just like when we were kids, right?"
"Yeah," he said. "Is that a challenge geek?"
Sara couldn't help but smile at his comment despite the very tense situation she was in.
"You bet your sorry ass it is, asshole," she said bitingly. "I'm not who you think I am anymore."
"What? You think this tough cop act is going to scare me?" He asked.
Sara did not respond.
He released her and pushed her down onto a chair.
"Later little sis," he said, then he walked out.
Sara got up and closed her door. She had found a new breed of fear. That picture of the nightshift was in the break room. If he got into the lab without being stopped, Sara didn't know what her brother was capable of. She knew that he would be happy to kill five people that were close to her.
She wasn't going to let that happen. She went over to her door and closed it while rubbing the back of her sore neck. It was obvious that Vince was involved. Ever since they were little kids, he'd always been abusive toward her, and her mother and father never did anything about him. Vincent was always going away with their father to handle "business" when they were teenagers. Sara just kept focusing on school.
She moved to San Francisco on the sly and she hoped that her family wouldn't get in touch with her. Then, an even bigger opportunity arose and she came to Las Vegas. For four years she was in peace, and now, her brother had found her, and there was trouble.
Sara tried to get those thoughts out of her head. She sat back down on her couch and then she picked up her cottage cheese again. Just as she was about to enjoy her snack again, there was a knock on the door this time. Sara growled in frustration and abandoned the idea of being polite.
She swung the door open.
"What!?" She yelled at Evans.
"Hi," Evans said nervously. "Is this a bad time? I mean-"
"No, no," Sara said, calming down. "I'm sorry. I had a little brush with someone. Come in."
"Thanks," he said. "I uh, brought you some flowers."
He handed her a bouquet of roses. Roses weren't her favorite in particular, she was a sucker for lilies, but Evans bought her flowers nonetheless.
"Thank you," she said with a bright smile. "You're so sweet."
She put the roses in some water and sat them next to her plant.
"Uh, was I interrupting something?" He asked.
"No, John," you weren't," Sara assured him.
He smiled and then he came over and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You know, we never did get to finish our date," he whispered.
Sara smiled into their kiss. Evans leaned down and kissed her cheek then her neck. He sighed against her.
"You're so perfect and beautiful," he whispered. "You're lovely as those roses."
"John," she whispered modestly as she blushed like a fool.
"Do you have to be so modest?" He asked with a chuckle. "I would rather you just scream and shout how beautiful you are to the whole world."
Sara actually threw her head back and laughed.
They danced around to their own secret melody. They'd been close like this before. John was a nice man, and Sara was feeling something that she never felt with Grissom; she felt wanted and loved. She was in a relationship based on truth and trust. She told Evans that she knew she made a big mistake when she decided that they should stop seeing each other. She told him the truth about her feelings for Grissom, and she assured him that he wasn't her rebound man. Sara saw something truly wonderful in Evans that she was comfortable with.
Sara leaned up and kissed him again.
"You're wonderful," she whispered as she took his hands. "Let me show you how immodest I can be."
She knew that she had a look of seduction in her eyes, and he responded with a curious smirk.
John had his eyes closed tightly as Sara rode him wildly. The sweat was beading and it ran down his temples.
"Oh God…Sara," he strangled through the haze of pleasure.
She smiled when he called her name.
"Open your eyes," she whispered.
He complied with her request and they never broke contact until they climaxed. John shuddered violently under her and she moaned in pure ecstasy. She smiled again as she leaned down to give him an affectionate kiss. She leaned her sweaty forehead against his and nuzzled her nose with his.
"You are incredible," he panted. "You make me feel so…" he couldn't find the words. "Sara, I can't even-"
"Shh," she whispered as she put a finger to his lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," he whispered.
They kissed tenderly and he leaned her back a little to kiss the tops of her breasts. For some reason, it fueled him seeing her in just her bra and nothing else. Maybe it was the fact that it was one of those Victoria's Secret wireless push-ups. Either way, she didn't care. She knew in her heart that John was the one and that she loved him. Love wasn't a word that she flaunted too often, but at the moment, it was slowly becoming a part of her vocabulary.
She tangled her fingers in his hair as he kissed her chest and neck and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.
***
Catherine was glad to be back at home. She missed Lindsay something awful, and she was back at the lab. There was no telling how much gossip she missed. The only person she could rely on for good scoop was Nick. He had a mouth the size of his homeland, Texas. If she wanted good gossip, he was the source. She didn't go to Warrick because he simply wouldn't tell and she wouldn't go to Grissom because he never had a clue.
She was disappointed to only see Sara in the break room. She was hoping to greet everyone there.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey, good to see you again," Sara said a little too brightly for Sara. "So, how was New York?"
"Crowded and cold," Catherine commented. "Sometimes I don't realize how much I love this city until I'm away from it for a while. Anyway, you look particularly radiant. I've heard you and Evans have been dating."
"Yeah," Sara said.
Catherine peered at her.
Sara had done her hair in a neat curly way, not in the humidity hair way, she had on a little brighter lipstick, and her eye shadow and choice of clothing was a little more provocative than her usual. Sara was known to be rather drab and so it was always noticeable when she wore something that most wouldn't think she would even consider picking up off the store rack. And as for her makeup, it was always modest. In a word, any changes she made were noticeable.
"Spill," Catherine demanded.
"There's nothing to spill," Sara said with a chuckle. "We've just been on a few dates."
"Really?"
Sara glared at Catherine.
"Okay," Sara conceded. "We made love earlier this morning-"
"Made love?" Catherine repeated incredulously. "Since when does Sara Sidle use the word love?"
"Since I had the most amazing sex with John," Sara admitted. "He called out my name."
Catherine smiled itching for more.
"And?"
"And," Sara continued. "We had a killer orgasm. I felt like I was on drugs and John shook like an earthquake."
"Sounds hot," Catherine commented.
"It was," Sara said fleetingly. "I have finally taken a lover."
"As far as size," Catherine started. "Medium or large?"
"EXTRA large…" Sara said as Nick and Warrick walked in. "Package of pepperoni."
Sara and Catherine snickered as they walked out together, leaving Nick and Warrick dumbfounded.
"Women," they said in unison.
***
Sara filled in Catherine on the mass shooting case. They were driving to the Vanzetti residence. The house was in Summerlin, and it was humungous.
"Wow," Sara commented. "Nice house."
"I wish, I wish," Catherine giggled. "These people have it made."
Evans was already there. Sara smiled at him as she stepped up onto the porch.
"Hi," he said with a look and tone of a satisfied man.
"Hi," Sara said sweetly.
Catherine rolled her eyes at the pair who had puppy dog eyes for each other.
"Get a room," Catherine mumbled as she rang the door bell.
Catherine decided that she liked Sara better when she was sexually frustrated. Now that all that tension was resolved, Sara was like silly putty.
The door opened, and Sara turned her attention away from Evans.
"Yes?" A sad looking woman of about twenty five answered.
"Hi, I'm Catherine Willows, this is Sara Sidle and Detective Evans," Catherine introduced. Soon I'll probably have to introduce Sara Evans instead of Sidle. It has a nice ring to it, she thought. "We're with the crime lab. May we ask you a few questions?"
Margarita Ybanez was twenty five years old. She was a beautiful import from Italy, and she wasted no time flaunting that. It made Sara red in the face when she started flirting with John unashamedly, which made John very uncomfortable. Margarita was the girlfriend and heir of Robert Vanzetti's estate which was worth almost five million dollars.
"Would you like something else to drink?" She directed at Evans.
Evans gulped audibly as Sara's glare burned a whole right through the side of his head like a bullet.
"Um," he said nervously. "No, thank you."
"Miss Ybanez," Catherine started. "Before Robert died, was he acting strangely in anyway? Was he evasive with his information or answers to your questions?"
"No, I don't get into any of his business," she answered in a thick Italian accent. "He told me that I shouldn't worry, so I didn't. Please, accompany for a walk in the garden."
They all followed her out to the garden. It was beautiful.
"Robert wasn't much the talking type," Margarita explained. "He just gives me whatever I want, his kids whatever they want. They're off at boarding school."
"So, you don't even know what he did for a living?" Catherine asked.
"No," she said, rather unconcerned.
"But you like to milk him of all his cash?" Sara asked rather bitingly.
Margarita looked offended at Sara's question.
"Miss Sidle," she said. "Milking is hardly the word I'd use."
Sara stared her down.
"Sidle," the woman said. "I've heard that name before."
Sara ignored her statement and went on to another question.
"Miss Ybanez," Sara started. "Do you own a Rolex?"
"Yes I do, why?" She asked.
"I found a piece of the watch, possibly the clasp, at the crime scene, placing you at the murder," Sara explained.
Margarita's eyes grew wide.
"You don't think I had anything to do with Robert's murder?" She asked incredulously. "Look, I was at the restaurant, but I was there in the afternoon at around three. I got upset at one of the waiters and I slammed my hand down on the sink and my watch to all the slack and it broke."
Margarita looked nervously at Sara.
***
"That Ybanez woman is definitely a suspect," Sara said angrily as Evans unbuttoned her shirt while kissing her neck.
"Mmhm," he murmured.
"I mean, she's going to inherit five million dollars! If that doesn't scream," she paused to unbuckle his belt. " 'SUSPECT!' then I don't know what else does, and the way she was flirting with you!"
He silenced her with a kiss.
"Calm down," he said against her lips.
"I am calm," she said as she kissed him again.
"You're not at work," he said as he caressed her shoulders.
Sara moaned as she kissed him. She immediately forgot about work and the stress.
He carried her to bed.
They made love furiously, trying to relieve all the pent up sexual energy. They rolled around the bed, messing up the sheets and throwing the pillows off. This time, it was Sara's turn to scream out Evan's name.
"Oh yes John! God yes!" She screamed.
His eyes glazed over as he thrust into her one more time before making them both go over the edge.
Sara collapsed onto the mattress beneath her.
"John," she said, trying to catch her breath. "That was unbelievable."
He caressed her cheek and he smiled.
"You are so beautiful," he said. "I love you."
"I love you," she said happily. "And I love what you do to me."
John smiled and he kissed her.
Reveling in their afterglow, they lay in each other's embrace, the sheets and the comforter rustled around them. Evans liked Sara's bedroom. It was a reflection of her. The light yellow walls, the lily comforter, the faint smell of lavender that graced the room, and the brightness from the morning sun made her room fit her personality. He looked down at the goddess that was Sara. She had fallen asleep with a faint smile on her face. He was glad that he could satisfy her. He wanted to make her happy.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, the phone rang, and Sara groaned.
"No, please don't let it be work," she groaned miserably. She reached over and answered. "Hello? Yeah…no I can't, I just got home…this case isn't even closed…I'm sorry Grissom I can't come in, I just got off from work. Give it to Catherine…bye."
Sara hung up the phone and yawned. She laid her head back down on Evan's shoulder and sighed contentedly.
"Sara?" He inquired.
"Yes?" she purred, sitting up and getting on top of him.
"Is it okay if I can call you honey now? Or baby, or whatever you prefer?"
Sara smiled. "Of course it is sweetie," she giggled. "I'm your anything you want me to be."
She leaned down and kissed him.
***
Sara walked into the trace lab.
"Get anything off that piece of gold I found?" She asked Greg, the crazy, young lab technician.
"Why as a matter of fact, yes," he said. "It's part of a gold Rolex. I found some good DNA off of it. It belongs to a Miss Margarita Ybanez. She sounds hot. Would there be any chance that-"
"No, Greg," Sara said firmly. "Besides, she's Italian."
"Even better," he said.
"No, she'll kick your ass every night," Sara quipped.
"Oh, I like 'em fiery," Greg said.
Sara rolled her eyes at him. "What about the blood?"
"Belongs to a guy named Richard Santini," Greg explained. "He was a waiter at the restaurant. He's recovering from a gunshot wound to the shoulder at Desert Palm."
"Thanks Greg," she said.
Sara met up with Warrick in the hall.
"Hey," she said.
"What's up?" He said cordially.
"Nothing," she said as she saw he lover in the front. "I'll catch you later."
Warrick watched as Sara greeted Detective Evans with a long, passionate kiss. He'd never seen Sara show her feelings openly like that. He'd known for months now that they were dating. He just shook his head at the pair and walked off.
Sara pulled away from the kiss with a big smile.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey," he greeted back. "That was the best part of my day."
"I'm glad," Sara purred. "Wait 'til we get home."
Evans only arched his eyebrow.
"So, how has your day been so far?" Sara asked.
"I was thinking that we could talk about that over lunch," he said.
They had a pleasant ride over to Cantina Mexican Grill. It was a very nice place to gather for lunch.
"So," Sara started. "I was thinking that after this whole case blows over, we could go on a little vacation."
"That sounds nice," he said. "Where to?"
"I was thinking that we could go down to southern Nevada to my friend's ranch," Sara said. "It's beautiful."
"That would be great," he said.
Sara smiled. "Good," she said. "I love you."
"I love you too," he said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.
When they got back to the lab, Sara kissed him long and deep again before leaving.
"See you tonight?" Sara asked.
"You bet," he said with a smirk.
On the way to the layout room, Sara saw Grissom staring at her.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he said rather forlornly. "Sara, we need to talk privately."
Sara entered Grissom's odd office and sat down in the chair.
"Sara," he started. "Are you in love with Evans?"
Sara rolled her eyes. "Don't you think that's a personal question?"
"I know, but I was just wondering," he said.
"Yes I am," she said.
His face showed a look of sadness; betraying his interest.
"Grissom," Sara started. "I can't wait on you anymore…one minute you lead me on, the next you push me away…how long do you think I can take that? I do love you Grissom, just no the way I used to."
"I love you Sara," he admitted. He got up and kneeled in front of her. "I'm sorry for the way I've treated you."
"No Grissom, don't do this," Sara said, tears welling in her eyes.
She found her heart slowly falling again for her first love. She couldn't let him do this to her. She was in love with Evans.
Sara got up and began to leave until he spun her around and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Sara melted. She couldn't help it. Gil Grissom was still the object of her desire. Why did this have to happen now? She was in love with Evans.
Sara pulled away.
"No, don't do this to me," she cried. "You had your chance Grissom. I can't just run back to you because we both know that you don't want to take the risk. You can't do it."
The words not only stung him, they surprised him because they came out of Sara's mouth, which indicated that she heard what he told Dr. Lurie.
"Grissom, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm in love with Evans."
Sara cried as she walked out.
Catherine saw Sara exit Grissom's office in tears. Catherine knew exactly what had just happened.
She went into his office, Grissom looked crestfallen,
"What did you say to her?" Catherine asked in anger.
"Nothing, I mean, I asked her if she was in love with Evans," he admitted.
Catherine sat down in the seat across from his desk. She'd known Grissom for fifteen years and for four of those years she knew that he was deeply in love with Sara. Catherine wished that they would get together, but they never did. Not saying that Sara and Evans weren't a good match, she just wished that Sara had waited on Grissom a little longer.
"I told her that I loved her," he said. "Then I kissed her."
"Why are you doing this to her Gil?" Catherine asked solemnly. "The girl's in love with Evans. She truly is. If you love her, then let her go."
"I can't," he said.
"Try to," she commanded. "Grissom, you can't expect her to just drop Evans like a hot potato because you just finally admitted what she wanted to hear. Let her live her life. You had your chance and you blew it, and I don't know how many times Sara can keep picking up the pieces of her heart for you."
"You're right," Grissom conceded. "I'm happy for her, I love her, and I'll miss her."
"She's not going anywhere Gil," Catherine said. "Just be happy as long as she's happy."
***
What Sara saw in the locker room scared her. Her family was involved. A little note hanging on the door of her locker shook her straight to the core.
Keep your eyes peeled, Sara Maria Sidle.
You're a part of this family too, you can't run forever.
Cosa Nostra
Sara walked out to her car when all of a sudden, she was pushed up against the car and she felt a body pressed up against her.
***
Sara and Catherine went back to see Margarita Ybanez.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Hi, we have a warrant," Sara said before pushing aside.
Sara and Catherine searched the entire house high and low for anything that might suggest that Margarita was involved.
"Miss Ybanez," Sara started. "Can you explain why I found a piece of your watch at the crime scene?"
"I don't have to tell you anything," she bitingly.
"I think you do," Sara said. "Five men are dead. Unless you want to go down to the station with Officer Brass, you better tell me something right now."
"Okay, I was there, but in the afternoon," she confessed. "I never got into what Robert was doing. I got into an argument with one of the waiters and when I slammed my hand down on the counter by the pick up station, my watch broke."
"Well unless the pieces of your watch have wings, I found a piece five feet away at the stove," Sara said. "Try again Miss Ybanez."
Margarita looked nervously at Sara.
***
When Sara arrived back at the lab, she saw Vincent in the waiting room.
She stormed in there and got right up in his face.
"What the hell did you do?" Sara asked.
"Well, if it isn't my tough guy cop little sis," he said with a smile that was anything but pleasant. "I was just comin' to warn you. Stay the hell out of my way."
"Get the fuck out of my life!" Sara yelled.
He slapped her then pushed her up against the wall.
"What did I just say?" He whispered.
"You're despicable," Sara spat back. "You don't deserve to live."
He slammed her harder against the wall.
"Hey!" Warrick yelled as he and Nick ran up to assist her. "GET OFF OF HER!"
They pulled him back.
Sara rubber her cheek.
"Sara, you okay?" Nick asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Arrest his ass."
Vince stared daggers at Sara. Nick noticed that the stare looked just like Sara's.
"Who is that guy?" Nick asked.
"He's my brother," Sara admitted.
Sara slammed the door to the interrogation room.
Brass was in there.
"Tell me what the fuck you're doing in Las Vegas," Sara demanded. "And don't lie to me Vince. I can always tell when you're lying."
"I ain't saying shit to you," he said. "I had nothing to do with that murder, if that's what you're thinking."
"Dammit Vince!" Sara said. "Why are you bothering me? Why can't you just leave me alone? I told you I don't want to have anything to do with you or the family!"
"The family is not involved in this," he said.
"Our fucking insignia was at the scene!" Sara yelled. "Cosa Nostra. It was on Robert Vanzetti's person. Care to explain?"
"Look, all I know is that there's a war going on, and it's going to go down here in Vegas," Vince said. "I swear sis, that's all I know."
The siblings stared each other down. Brass could see the resemblance from the death stare.
Sara walked out.
Nick and Warrick heard the whole conversation.
"Wow," Warrick said. "I had no idea Sara had a brother."
"I had no idea she knew words like that," Nick commented.
***
Brass knocked on the door to Richard Santini's apartment.
"Mr. Santini?" He called.
Warrick was standing by waiting for the area to be cleared. The apartment complex was run down and dilapidated. The whole side of town was scary and they needed protection on all ends.
After a few more knocks, Richard opened up.
"How can I help you gentlemen?" Richard asked.
"I'm Jim Brass, and this is Warrick Brown from the crime lab," Brass introduced. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"
Richard let them into his tiny apartment.
"Okay, just run through the entire evening," Brass said.
"Okay, I was there," Richard said. "But I didn't do anything. I was just serving up plates for the guys. They were armed for something, but I knew I had to get outta there fast. All of a sudden, there's shooting everywhere and I was trying to get out. I got shot in the shoulder and then I ran out the back door."
"That would explain your blood at the scene," Brass said.
"Yeah," Richard said. "You know, this is going to get ugly real fast. Vanzetti owned this town and there were a lot of people who like him, and plenty of people who didn't like him."
"Thanks," Brass said.
***
"Sara, why didn't you tell me before when the case first started?" Grissom asked.
"I didn't want to alarm anyone," Sara answered honestly. "Look, I can handle this case."
"It's not a question on whether you can handle it or not, it's a question of safety," Grissom said.
"I promise that I won't let anybody get hurt," Sara said. "If anybody gets hurt, it should be me."
Sara inspected the bruise she received from her brother. He was an awfully violent fellow. It was a reddish-pinkish spot right on her cheek. She was afraid of what was going to go down. The families had been fighting for control of Las Vegas for years, and now, it was coming to a head. There was just something not right about the whole case. There were only three suspects, no gunman, no weapon, and no motive as of yet. It could have very well been Margarita since she was the heiress. She didn't look like she would know how to operate a machine gun, not with the acrylic nails she probably spent a fortune on.
It could have been her brother. Vincent was capable of that type of thing except, he probably was experienced with a gun. He was out.
Then, it could have been Richard. Richard was the only survivor, and he had access to all the victims. The only thing wrong with that was he escaped through the back door, and he was shot in the shoulder. If he was the gunman, that would have been physically impossible.
Sara sighed and decided not to worry about the case. It was giving her a headache.
John came into the bathroom and kissed her shoulder.
"Hey, how are you doing?" He asked, stroking her hair.
"I'm fine," she said. "Just think of it as sibling rivalry that's been long overdue."
She chuckled, but John did not think it was that funny.
"Sara, I'm worried about you," he said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Honey," Sara sighed. " I promise that I'll be careful. I know what I'm dealing with here."
To seal her promise, she leaned up and kissed him.
John joined her on the couch after they had a light supper. The only lights on in her apartment were her lamp and hall lights.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "Just make love to me."
They christened the couch, the kitchen table, and then finally they made it to her bedroom.
John held her hands above her head and muffled her groans with a deep sensual kiss as he slammed into her.
She whimpered with each thrust. Then her whimpers turned into almost animal like growls as she drew ever closer to her climax.
"Yes!" She whimpered. "Oh…John…yes…"
He had found her G-spot and she went crazy.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She shouted.
"Oh Sara," he groaned. "Just…a little…" he strangled as he gave the last few thrusts his all. "Oh!"
"Oh John I love you!" Sara moaned as she climaxed at the same time he did.
His sweaty body collapsed onto hers and they both moaned a mixture of a sob and a laugh. They both felt about a thousand feet away from their bodies.
"Oh God," John panted into her neck. "You are amazing."
Sara blushed like a fool. Her sweaty face turned beet red.
"You were awesome," Sara commented. "You found my G-spot."
She put her hand on her forehead, still trying to recover from her orgasm. It was her third consecutive orgasm for the night. They were both sweating like pigs and even though they knew that they probably smelled musty, to them, it was the sweetest thing.
John pushed a sweat dampened strand of hair from her neck and kissed the spot. Then he came up to her lips and he kissed her passionately.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you," she whispered back.
He looked deep into her dialated eyes. He saw so much love and passion in them.
They separated and faced each other.
"You're beautiful," he said.
"Stop making me flush," she said with a smile.
"You are," John said. "I'd be a fool if I didn't remind you of that everyday."
Sara smiled and she leaned in and kissed him sweetly.
***
Sara woke up to the shrill sound of her telephone the next morning. She felt John stir next to her. He leaned over and kissed her shoulder.
Sara leaned over and answered the phone.
"Hello?" She answered sleepily. She sat up abruptly at the voice that was over the phone. She quickly hung up and sat in bed stunned.
"Sara, what's the matter?" John asked.
Sara smoothed down her tussled hair as she got up out of bed. She immediately began to get dressed.
"Honey, what's the matter?" He asked again.
"Nothing," she said. "I just have to take care of some business at work. Go back to sleep."
***
The sun was bright over the park, and Sara had to put on her sunshades. She spotted the familiar aging man sitting on the bench, looking out at the empty playground.
Sara sighed before heading over to him.
"You never cease to amaze me," her father said.
Sara said nothing as she sat down next to him.
"Hi daddy," she said emotionlessly.
"I never would have thought you'd become who you are," he said.
"Just get to the point daddy," Sara said getting agitated.
"Okay," he said. "Why are you messing with Vince? He's your brother."
Sara chuckled mirthlessly. "Why am I messing with Vince? The question should be why is he messing with me? I told both of you that I don't want to have anything to do with you or the family! Just leave me be."
Nicholas Franco Sidle's anger boiled over.
"Sara Maria, you never accepted who you are!" He yelled. "What we are! Just because you're some hot shot cop now doesn't make you any less a Sidle. You're a part of this family."
"Why should I be loyal to a family that operates entirely on fear?" Sara yelled.
"Sara, I want you to understand our history and our family," Franco said. "I want you to know the truth!"
"I don't care what you do!" Sara screamed. "I have my own life now! I have a career, a man that I love deeply, a real family that supports me. I don't need you anymore, and I hate being a Sidle!"
He stood up and slapped her.
"You never say that again!" Her father commanded. "I gave you everything!"
Sara scrunched down and picked up her sunglasses.
"See, you'll never change," Sara spat. "Good bye daddy."
"Sara!" He called in a fury. "Sara! You can't run away forever!"
Sara put her sunglasses back on with pride.
"This whole family's going down," she vowed.
***
John became concerned for his rather vengeful girlfriend. She came back into her apartment in a rage and she quickly took a shower and then urged him not so nicely to get up. She drove like a mad woman to the public library.
"Sweetheart, what are you looking for exactly?" He asked cautiously.
"Any articles about the Vanzetti fortune," Sara said. "Look, my family's involved in the mafia. I'm sorry I never told you before."
"Wow," he said. "Must've been a rough childhood."
"You have no idea babe," Sara said through her concentration. "What is it about this town that made my brother want to kill five people?"
"How do you know it's your brother?"
"Because he's a sick son of a bitch," Sara said coldly.
John figured that there had to be more to the murders than met the eye.
Sara pushed a book away and leaned her head down on the table and cried.
John sat next to her and pulled her to him.
"I hate not knowing the truth," she said simply before burying her head in his shoulder.
***
TWO WEEKS LATER…
"Mr. Santini, open up," and officer called…
"Ms. Ybanez? Are you here?" Brass called from around the house.
"Mr. Sidle, are you alright?" A bellboy called from outside the suite.
Sara and Nick searched the crime scene again.
"It's gotta be in here somewhere," Sara said, determined.
Sara backtracked and found herself at the stove.
"Ah!" She said. "Nick help me with this."
They pushed the stove aside. What they found astonished them.
"I see now," Sara said in shock.
***
ON TH NORTH SIDE OF LAS VEGAS 7:40 p.m.
"You cheap whore!" Richard Santini yelled at Margarita Ybanez in the kitchen. He tore the watch from her wrist and slammed it against the stove. Part of the clasp fell to the floor.
"I do not have time for this!" She yelled and stormed out the room.
Twenty minutes before…
Richard milled around the back, misplacing all the men's weapons. Then he cooked up a dinner and put cyanide in the spaghetti sauce.
"Here you go gentlemen," he said. "Enjoy."
Within minutes, all the men were dead. He picked up the plates and then Margarita entered bearing a semiautomatic. With each of the men poised in their chairs, she fired off sporadically, making it look like she was inexperienced, but she was really trigger happy.
Once the men had fallen to the floor, Vincent Sidle entered from below.
"Good job," he said. "Thirty minutes. Not bad."
He opened the freezer and hid the firearm. They heard a groan outside.
"I've been shot!" Richard growled. "You gotta be careful with that thing Margarita!"
"Sorry," she said.
"Thanks for helping me out on this one guys," Vincent said. "I owe you for helping to save my sister's life."
"Anything for family," Margarita said. "Make sure she doesn't get on this case."
"I'll try," he said. "My sister's a stubborn ass from hell."
"Is the list secure?" Agent Culpepper asked from the other end of the two way radio.
"Everything's secure, I repeat, everything is secure."
All the parties involved cleared out of Las Vegas.
***
Sara's mind was dizzy with confusion.
"Sara, they would have gotten to you," Vincent explained. "They would have come after you because they knew that I was involved with the FBI."
"What?" Sara asked in tears.
"Sara, dad and I were involved in the FBI," Vincent said. "You never understood that. I guess you were too little. But that's what was going on."
The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for Sara. All of the shadowy memories and the instances were beginning to make sense.
"There was this list that one of our own stole from the local FBI branch here in Las Vegas. It was a list of all the FBI families in the area. They would have come after you first, and then, The Vanzetti's would have blown the cover of every federal agent in this city. I took the case because I didn't want anything to happen to my little sis. We recovered the list."
"So, we weren't involved in the mob?" Sara asked quietly.
"No," he said. "Our insignia, that's to help identify us as an FBI family."
"Cosa Nostra," Sara repeated. "Then why did you leave it at the scene."
"I wanted to throw you guys off," he said. "Steer you on the wrong course so that our cover wouldn't be blown."
Sara buried her face in her hands.
I had no idea," she said. "Why didn't you just tell me in the first place? You let me grow up thinking that my family was despicable and you let me hate my own family."
"You were so stubborn and young," Vincent said. "If you could have seen yourself at sixteen. You were so combative, it was ridiculous."
"That's because you were too busy trying to kick my ass," Sara chuckled.
"Hey, I'm sorry for hurting you," he said sincerely. "For all the times I've hurt you. I love you and I want to you to be safe."
An officer came in. "Hey, you got three minutes left."
Vincent nodded.
"Thanks Vince," Sara said.
"Hey, no problem," he said.
Sara hugged him before he headed out.
"Hey Vince?" She called.
He turned.
"You'll drop by every once in a while, won't you?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, sure," he said with a smirk. "I'll see ya around sis."
Sara grinned as she watched her brother head down the hallways of CSI. She had never felt more proud in her life.
THE END? MAYBE. Cosa Nostra…BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER