"Dispatch? Where's the officer who's supposed to be with CSI 2?" Catherine
glanced around the hulking stacks of wrecked cars and other appliances
surrounding their crime scene, a stolen Mercedes. A dim overhead light
wavered as Catherine waiting for an answer, watching as Sara walked around,
checking the ground around the car.
"The officer secured the scene and got called to a bar fight around the corner," the dispatcher reported, a little snippy. "He will return to your location shortly."
Catherine sighed and got out of the SUV, walking around to get her kit out. Sara was already taking photographs and getting a soil sample near the trunk. "I think our perp carried something away from the car." She flicked her light toward an old mobile home sitting on the lot. "Headed that way." She started to follow the tracks, looking intent. "You want to work the car?" she asked, already ten feet away.
"Sara? Where...?" Catherine looked around and realized Sara had already disappeared around a stack of crushed cars. Catherine sighed. Sara was getting more and more like Gil; he had a remarkably bad habit of just wandering off while at a crime scene, following wherever the evidence took him. Catherine resolved to talk to Sara at the end of shift. She couldn't do anything about Gil, but Sara was another matter.
She was just pulling out the slim-jim from her kit when she heard the shot. Catherine stopped herself before she ran blindly to where she had last seen Sara, and ran over to the SUV instead. Her blood was pounding in her ears, so much she could barely hear herself speak, as she called dispatch. "Shots fired. Request backup." She sucked a breath past a sudden lump in her throat. "Send an ambulance."
Procedure satisfied, she pulled her gun and followed the path through the piles where she had seen Sara disappear. As she glanced around the corner of the mobile home, she saw a man with a shotgun illuminated by Sara's maglight lying on the ground. For a moment, her heart stopped, but then she heard voices, too quiet to make out the words, but the husky tenor of Sara's voice was identifiable. Without hesitation, she stepped around the corner, turning on her light at the same time, and yelled, "Police. Drop your weapon." Blinded, the guy swung the gun toward her, but a voice froze him in his tracks. "She said drop the gun, asshole." In the silence, the sound of the safety clicking off preceded the shotgun rattling to the ground by just a second. Catherine ordered him to the ground and kicked the gun away as the sound of sirens converging on their location cut through the night.
"Sara?" Catherine called, keeping her gun trained on the suspect. Why didn't they carry handcuffs, she fumed, as she covered him, trying to look over where Sara had been standing. She pitched her voice louder. "Sara?"
Four officers came barreling around the corner as she began to panic. As soon as they had the suspect covered, Catherine grabbed a light and trained it on where Sara was slumped on the ground, a long streak of blood trailing down the side of the trailer. Before she could get over her shock, a paramedic pushed her back, already calling for a stretcher as she knelt by Sara's limp body. Catherine watched the scene numbly as they worked. She heard Sara groan as they put her on the stretcher and Catherine let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. An IV was already running, and a huge blood-soaked bandage covered Sara's shoulder and upper arm.
"Is she going to be alright?" Catherine asked as she followed the EMTs.
The woman who had been first on the scene fell in beside Catherine. "Yeah, she'll be fine. She got clipped in the shoulder with a shotgun blast and she lost a lot of blood, but she's stabilized." Sara seemed to be struggling in the stretcher. "See? She's coming around already."
"Cath?" Sara's voice was weak, but got stronger the second time she called Catherine's name. Catherine moved to follow them into the ambulance, but the medic stopped her.
"We're about to push a pain med. She'll be under in just a minute."
Catherine nodded, and watched as they closed up the doors and drove off. She stood there until she couldn't hear the sirens anymore, only coming out of the daze when one of the police officers came up to her. "We've secured the scene."
Catherine rounded on him. "Where's the officer who was supposed to have secured this scene earlier?" she yelled, glaring at him. "I want him here. Right now." The officer stammered something, but she didn't listen. "Right now," she snapped, cutting him off. She walked back to the scene, pulling out her cell phone as she walked. She got back to the scene and picked up her light, looking around the area where Sara had been shot and then back to where the suspect had been standing, ignoring the police officers standing around scene, overkill now that the perp had been arrested.
"Gil? Who do we have?"
"Catherine? What's going on?"
"I have..." her breath caught for a moment, "a secondary crime scene." She played her light over debris, and then bent down for a closer look. "Actually, make that three crime scenes."
"More cars? Can't you and Sara work those?" Her silence must have alerted him, because his voice was anxious when he spoke again. "Catherine? What's wrong?"
"Sara's on her way to the hospital. And I have a DB here."
Mercifully, Gil didn't ask any more questions. "Warrick and Nick are on their way."
Catherine closed the phone without another word and walked over to the officers, who seemed to gathering just beyond her reach. Brass joined the group just as Catherine reached them. "Who secured this scene earlier? Before my partner got shot?" Her voice was quiet, but lethal. A young patrolman stepped forward, meeting her gaze for a minute before dropping his eyes. She glared at him. "How did you secure the scene? How?" she demanded when he didn't answer. "And how did you miss a guy burying a body 100 feet away from where you were supposedly securing the scene? Did you even get out of the car? Or did you just survey the area with the spotlight?"
He shifted restlessly and she could tell her summarized his actions, or lack thereof, correctly. "Brass. I want this written up." He nodded. "Now I have a scene to work." She stalked back to the scene, shaking with anger as she surveyed the blood stain again. She snapped her phone open again, knowing Gil was probably wanting more details after her minimal report earlier. "It's me. Sorry. Sara started following some footprints leading away from the stolen car and must have come across the perp hiding a body. She was clipped by a shotgun blast. She's going to be ok. Yeah, the officer got called away after inadequately securing the scene." Her voice had been factual and emotionless, but it broke. "She, it was short range, and the perp, I don't know how he... missed. Six inches to the right and..." A hand took the phone from her and Warrick caught her just as she started to sob. "Gris? Yeah, we're here. Yeah, she's ok. Yeah, we'll keep you posted." He hung up the phone and held her for a few minutes while she got herself under control.
Her sobs lessened, and finally she broke free of the strong arms that held her. "Thanks. I'm ok." She met his questioning look. "Really. It was just all so sudden." She straightened and glanced around the scene. "Ok, the cops and paramedics made a real mess of our scene. There's the car, the DB, and the, uh, shooting. Nick, you have the body. Warrick, the car." Warrick started to protest, but she overrode him. "I saw the scene before they moved Sa... the victim. Now let's get this done." Nick and Warrick nodded and they got to work.
"The officer secured the scene and got called to a bar fight around the corner," the dispatcher reported, a little snippy. "He will return to your location shortly."
Catherine sighed and got out of the SUV, walking around to get her kit out. Sara was already taking photographs and getting a soil sample near the trunk. "I think our perp carried something away from the car." She flicked her light toward an old mobile home sitting on the lot. "Headed that way." She started to follow the tracks, looking intent. "You want to work the car?" she asked, already ten feet away.
"Sara? Where...?" Catherine looked around and realized Sara had already disappeared around a stack of crushed cars. Catherine sighed. Sara was getting more and more like Gil; he had a remarkably bad habit of just wandering off while at a crime scene, following wherever the evidence took him. Catherine resolved to talk to Sara at the end of shift. She couldn't do anything about Gil, but Sara was another matter.
She was just pulling out the slim-jim from her kit when she heard the shot. Catherine stopped herself before she ran blindly to where she had last seen Sara, and ran over to the SUV instead. Her blood was pounding in her ears, so much she could barely hear herself speak, as she called dispatch. "Shots fired. Request backup." She sucked a breath past a sudden lump in her throat. "Send an ambulance."
Procedure satisfied, she pulled her gun and followed the path through the piles where she had seen Sara disappear. As she glanced around the corner of the mobile home, she saw a man with a shotgun illuminated by Sara's maglight lying on the ground. For a moment, her heart stopped, but then she heard voices, too quiet to make out the words, but the husky tenor of Sara's voice was identifiable. Without hesitation, she stepped around the corner, turning on her light at the same time, and yelled, "Police. Drop your weapon." Blinded, the guy swung the gun toward her, but a voice froze him in his tracks. "She said drop the gun, asshole." In the silence, the sound of the safety clicking off preceded the shotgun rattling to the ground by just a second. Catherine ordered him to the ground and kicked the gun away as the sound of sirens converging on their location cut through the night.
"Sara?" Catherine called, keeping her gun trained on the suspect. Why didn't they carry handcuffs, she fumed, as she covered him, trying to look over where Sara had been standing. She pitched her voice louder. "Sara?"
Four officers came barreling around the corner as she began to panic. As soon as they had the suspect covered, Catherine grabbed a light and trained it on where Sara was slumped on the ground, a long streak of blood trailing down the side of the trailer. Before she could get over her shock, a paramedic pushed her back, already calling for a stretcher as she knelt by Sara's limp body. Catherine watched the scene numbly as they worked. She heard Sara groan as they put her on the stretcher and Catherine let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. An IV was already running, and a huge blood-soaked bandage covered Sara's shoulder and upper arm.
"Is she going to be alright?" Catherine asked as she followed the EMTs.
The woman who had been first on the scene fell in beside Catherine. "Yeah, she'll be fine. She got clipped in the shoulder with a shotgun blast and she lost a lot of blood, but she's stabilized." Sara seemed to be struggling in the stretcher. "See? She's coming around already."
"Cath?" Sara's voice was weak, but got stronger the second time she called Catherine's name. Catherine moved to follow them into the ambulance, but the medic stopped her.
"We're about to push a pain med. She'll be under in just a minute."
Catherine nodded, and watched as they closed up the doors and drove off. She stood there until she couldn't hear the sirens anymore, only coming out of the daze when one of the police officers came up to her. "We've secured the scene."
Catherine rounded on him. "Where's the officer who was supposed to have secured this scene earlier?" she yelled, glaring at him. "I want him here. Right now." The officer stammered something, but she didn't listen. "Right now," she snapped, cutting him off. She walked back to the scene, pulling out her cell phone as she walked. She got back to the scene and picked up her light, looking around the area where Sara had been shot and then back to where the suspect had been standing, ignoring the police officers standing around scene, overkill now that the perp had been arrested.
"Gil? Who do we have?"
"Catherine? What's going on?"
"I have..." her breath caught for a moment, "a secondary crime scene." She played her light over debris, and then bent down for a closer look. "Actually, make that three crime scenes."
"More cars? Can't you and Sara work those?" Her silence must have alerted him, because his voice was anxious when he spoke again. "Catherine? What's wrong?"
"Sara's on her way to the hospital. And I have a DB here."
Mercifully, Gil didn't ask any more questions. "Warrick and Nick are on their way."
Catherine closed the phone without another word and walked over to the officers, who seemed to gathering just beyond her reach. Brass joined the group just as Catherine reached them. "Who secured this scene earlier? Before my partner got shot?" Her voice was quiet, but lethal. A young patrolman stepped forward, meeting her gaze for a minute before dropping his eyes. She glared at him. "How did you secure the scene? How?" she demanded when he didn't answer. "And how did you miss a guy burying a body 100 feet away from where you were supposedly securing the scene? Did you even get out of the car? Or did you just survey the area with the spotlight?"
He shifted restlessly and she could tell her summarized his actions, or lack thereof, correctly. "Brass. I want this written up." He nodded. "Now I have a scene to work." She stalked back to the scene, shaking with anger as she surveyed the blood stain again. She snapped her phone open again, knowing Gil was probably wanting more details after her minimal report earlier. "It's me. Sorry. Sara started following some footprints leading away from the stolen car and must have come across the perp hiding a body. She was clipped by a shotgun blast. She's going to be ok. Yeah, the officer got called away after inadequately securing the scene." Her voice had been factual and emotionless, but it broke. "She, it was short range, and the perp, I don't know how he... missed. Six inches to the right and..." A hand took the phone from her and Warrick caught her just as she started to sob. "Gris? Yeah, we're here. Yeah, she's ok. Yeah, we'll keep you posted." He hung up the phone and held her for a few minutes while she got herself under control.
Her sobs lessened, and finally she broke free of the strong arms that held her. "Thanks. I'm ok." She met his questioning look. "Really. It was just all so sudden." She straightened and glanced around the scene. "Ok, the cops and paramedics made a real mess of our scene. There's the car, the DB, and the, uh, shooting. Nick, you have the body. Warrick, the car." Warrick started to protest, but she overrode him. "I saw the scene before they moved Sa... the victim. Now let's get this done." Nick and Warrick nodded and they got to work.