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Whisper Something Fragile: Chapter Three
Grissom and Warrick rushed into the lab their suitcases in tow. They had rushed back from a conference when Catherine had called to tell them what had happened to Sara. Catherine's voice had been in shock as she had told them what had happened and how Sara had been found.
It had taken them the flight from Phoenix for what had happened to fully sink in. They had both sat next to each other in dazes, not speaking while figuring out how they would react when they saw Sara. And what they needed to do to get the guy.
The pair found Catherine as she looked at the torn clothing had been wearing with a magnifying glass in the hope there would be some trace which would shed light on who her attacker was. It wasn't until Grissom loudly cleared his throat that Catherine looked up from her work.
"How is she?" Grissom asked the worry clear on his face.
"Not good...she wasn't talking...responding...she can't remember a thing about what happened last night...Greg's with her now, it's his day off..." Catherine explained.
"How is the investigation going?" Warrick asked eyeing the clothes that were laid out.
"Well...Mia has the SAE kit, Hodges is going through trace I collected from...Sara...Nick is at the club where she last was known to be collecting statements and CCTV tapes. I'm looking at the clothes Sara was found in that night but nothing yet..." Catherine paused when she said "Sara" because the victim wasn't a stranger, a Jane or John Doe, it was someone they knew and worked with.
"What can we do?" Grissom asked letting Catherine continue with the lead knowing that as a CSI she was fully capable of organising an investigation and as a friend she would do everything in her power to ensure whoever did this to Sara was put behind bars.
"Sounds like a long shot...but could you go to Sara's...see if there is anything there to indicate where was she last night...or if she went back there then at least we can build up our time line a bit." Catherine explained. Grissom and Warrick nodded and headed out of the door their suit cases still in tow- they decided to leave them in the locker room before going to Sara's apartment.
As they stepped out of the lab Vartann was waiting for them, squinting against the sunlight, he had a grim expression. He was one of the people that seen Sara in the unconscious state she was found in and he couldn't get the images of her bruises and scars out of his mind.
xxx
Nick and Vega walked into Lava a bar that seemed like it was intended for a younger crowd but hadn't quiet made it. They noted how strange it was seeing a place you drink in the day time, and empty. A bar tender was arranging brand new bottle of various liquors, he paused to look at them with a questioning expression.
"Nick Stokes, I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab." He introduced himself in what had turned into the only way he knew how.
"What can I do for you?" He asked politely now giving them his full attention. Nick handed him a picture of Sara and watched for a few moments to see if there was a reaction. There was a slight flicker of recognition over the man's face but it quickly disappeared.
"Do you remember seeing her in here last night?" The man studied the photo for a few more minutes and then handed it back to Nick.
"Yeah...she was in here with a blonde...I think her name was Sara...her friend left...but she stayed pretty late...got really hammered." He shrugged as if this was something he was used too.
"Do you remember any guys taking particular interest, did she leave with anyone?" Vega asked not letting his professionalism falter.
"A woman like that, alone, in a place like this...she was getting hit on a lot...but she stuck to the bar...it got quite busy in here I don't remember what time she left, or who she left with. Why is she okay?" He added, guessing that there must have been something wrong if they were asking him these sorts of questions. Vega and Nick shared a quick look.
"She was sexually assaulted." Vega offered. Nick clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth, his hands curled into fists. The bar tender looked shocked and apologetic but it wasn't enough for Nick, there was something about what he said that wasn't right.
"And what do you mean a woman like that?" Nick asked the anger clear in his voice.
"I mean...she's attractive...obviously single...this place isn't really known to be the best place to pick women up...and she was drinking like there was no tomorrow...the perverts...well...they saw it as a weakness...and trust me there are a lot of sad, desperate men that drink here..." The bar tender thought back to last night attempting to dredge any memories he had that might be useful. "There was this one guy...kept trying to feel her up, she twisted his arm behind his back and pinned him down...he looked pretty pissed off when she finally let go of him."
"This arsehole got a name?" Nick asked. The bar tender was a little unnerved by the hostility that was radiating from the law enforcement officers that were standing in front of him but he had no intention of getting on their bad side.
"Yeah...wait a sec." The bar tender found a small black book and opened it to a page covered in scribbled notes. "A friend of his left a name and address so that if he turned into trouble we could send him packing...Brian Fielding...he lives in on Bow Island Avenue..." Vega wrote the name down and turned to Nick as if to ask whether there was anything else he needed from the club.
"Can we get the CCTV tapes?" Even though it was a question it sounded more like an order and without resisting the bar tender went and got the tapes for them.
Vega and Nick made their way back to LVPD with a name and potentially case breaking evidence but still they felt as if they were walking on thin on ice. Nothing would make up for what had happened to Sara.
All of the team knew what rape did to victims. They had given talks to female victims of assault and seen the way they could barely focus their attention because their minds were always lingering in the dark place they had been forced into. They had seen the way women that had once been outgoing and happy would shut themselves away from the world. They knew all too well of the consequences.
And with no guarantee that Sara was going to be okay, they feared that they might have lost their friend forever.