CHAPTER 9
Before Warrick and Nick arrived, Catherine had a chance to give Gil a brief rundown on what she'd seen on the tape. She didn't go into details, but from the blood he'd already marked he knew Sara had been hurt. He feels as if someone has just punched him in the gut and staggers back to sit on the opened rear door of his truck now. Catherine is concerned and comes to steady him. After a moment, Gil looks up at her with desperate confusion.
"Catherine... who would do this? Who would hurt Sara?"
"I don't know... but we'll find out. The video is good... don't worry, Gil... we'll find her."
Their eyes hold for a long moment and they both wonder in what condition they'll find her. Neither says it, but the doubt is in their eyes. Just then Nick and Warrick arrive and park outside the crime scene tape. They look curiously at the two CSI's trucks parked in the middle of the scene and wonder what happened. As they approach they can tell Grissom is upset and appears shaken. It is Catherine who steps forward to take control.
"Ok guys... this is our one and only priority right now... and we have to keep this quiet. Very quiet! Sara was coming out to her truck this morning... about seven-forty when she was attacked."
"Is she all right?!"
"We don't know. She was abducted from the parking lot by a man driving a dark colored pickup truck with a camper shell on the back."
"Oh God... No! How could that happen?!"
"All I can tell you Sara put up a good fight."
It suddenly dawns on them Gil is still sitting behind them in a daze. They both glance over to him and then back to Catherine as Nick lowers his voice to ask, "Was Grissom here when it happened?"
"He came out to his truck about thirty minutes ago and found this..."
She turns to motion towards Sara's truck, the case and the blood. The guys quickly come to the right conclusion that Grissom and Sara spent the night here. Why Sara was leaving before him is unclear, but at the moment it doesn't matter. They give Grissom one last sympathetic look and then turn their attention back to Catherine.
"Nick, I need you to photograph the scene and do a diagram. Warrick, you're on evidence collection. We've got the interior back storage area of her truck, the ground around the rear and this blood trail. The suspect parked his truck on the opposite side of the aisle... there."
She points to an empty space about six spaces down on the opposite side from Sara's truck. They both nod and turn back to scan the entire crime scene as she continues, "Her keys are under the truck by the back wheel. There was a struggle inside the rear storage area of her truck. Then he carried her to his vehicle where he put her in the back camper."
"Got it... and you'll be?"
"I'm taking Grissom back to the lab. We need to go over the surveillance tapes and analyze them. Nick, have Sara's truck towed in when you're done. And then drive Grissom's truck in for him."
"Sure."
She hands him the keys to Grissom's truck with a worried smile before she turns back to Grissom. He is still staring at the blood stains on the ground as if hoping they will tell him something important. When Catherine steps into his line of view he looks up, nods and follows her back to her truck. The guys watch them go, realizing how upset Grissom is by what happened. They were all upset, but being friends with Sara wasn't the same as being in love with her.
Back at the lab, Catherine gives the appearance of it being any other day. She and Gil walk directly back to the audio/visual lab to find Archie, the video expert. He is talking to another employee, but they stop as Catherine gives them a friendly smile.
"Hey, Archie... can we steal you for a few moments?"
"Sure, Catherine, what do you have?"
Catherine steps closer, but doesn't say anything as her eyes move to the other employee. She doesn't have to say a word as the young woman gets the message and quickly moves towards the door with her parting comment.
"Aahh... I'll talk to you later, Archie. I have to be getting back to Serology."
They wait until she is out the door, then Grissom closes it behind her and pushes a button that will darken all the windows to give them privacy. Archie is beginning to realize this is something more than the usual work request.
Catherine is holding out a disk to him as she explains, "Archie, this is a very high priority case... and very sensitive. I need you to cue up this disk... then leave us alone for a few minutes to watch it, okay?"
"Sure."
"Don't go too far though... we're gonna need you to do some enhancements on it after we're done."
"Okay... I'll just be outside... watching the door then."
"Thanks, Archie."
He puts the disk into his computer and keys it up on the big screen, but doesn't hit play. He then stands up, motioning Catherine into his seat as he says, "Just hit play."
She sits down and Gil comes to stand beside her as they wait for Archie to leave the room. When they are alone Catherine gives Gil a concerned look. "You want to sit down first?"
"No, just play it."
"Okay, but I'm warning you now... It's not pretty."
She punches the button and four cameras pop up different angles of the west parking lot. Catherine punches in a time and the video leaps forward to just before Sara's appearance. When she begins her walk through the parking lot, Catherine again types on the keyboard and the one camera enlarges to fill the entire screen. Gil stands tensely beside her, watching Sara walk happily towards her truck. He sees the smile on her face and recalls their conversation just before she left him in the room. He stifles a groan of pain as he now watches Sara opening her truck's rear door.
Even expecting the attack, Gil is shocked by how quickly the suspect is on her. She is thrown into her truck and held down by the man, but manages to fight for several seconds. Gil forces himself to stand still and watch when every fiber in his soul is screaming at him to do something. He watches the suspect punching her until she no longer struggles against him, then quickly hoist her onto his shoulder and hurry away.
Catherine gives him a quick glance when he lets out a long, tense sigh, but his eyes remain glued to the screen. She quickly types in the next command and the other camera jumps to full screen to show the suspect dumping Sara in the back of his truck and jumping in to pull her inside. A moment later he emerges with a roll of duct tape, looks around and tosses the tape back inside. He closes up the truck and drives off. Even when the tape is done, Gil stands staring at the screen intently.
"You okay, Gil?"
"Aahh... Yeah..." He clears his throat and finally lowers his eyes to hers, seeing her concern. He smiles shakily and places his hand on her shoulder for support as he adds, "Thanks... for stepping up on this one... I... I just..."
"Hey... you've been there for me lots of times in the past..."
There is a long tense silence between them as Catherine reaches up to cover his hand with her own. Gil lowers his eyes to study their hands and after a long moment sighs sadly, "I love her, Catherine..."
"I know you do... and we're gonna find her, Gil."
He nods his head and then turns away from her before she can see the tears clouding his vision. How could something like this happen... now, after the perfect night he and Sara had? His evening had all been a dream and now he realized it was turning into a nightmare.
He pulls himself together now, once again clearing his throat. There was something bothering him about all of this, but right now he couldn't get his mind to think past what he needed to do next.
"Can you handle this... with Archie? I have to tell Eckley what happened."
"You want me to handle Eckley?"
"No, I'll do it. I need you here." He points to the screen, indicating he wasn't able to watch Sara's ordeal over and over again while the video was being enhanced.
He turns towards the door, dreading his next task, but knowing the boss has to be told. As he reaches for the door, Catherine calls out softly some very good advice.
"Hey, Gil... remember... he only needs to know what happened this morning."
"Yeah... but how do I explain why we were there?"
"Simple... you were doing a last minute follow up at the end of your shift."
Gil smiles back and nods, realizing it would probably be best to be as vague as possible about the circumstances for being there. He just hopes Eckley doesn't ask too many questions about it. He pulls the door open and heads out, motioning Archie to go back inside with Catherine. As he walks down the hallway he pulls out his cell phone and punches his friend's number. When Captain Jim Brass comes on the line, Gil asks to meet him outside Eckley's office in ten minutes. He doesn't give a reason, but Brass knows him well enough to know it's something serious.
Grudgingly Grissom had to give him credit; Eckley had the entire lab on alert with this case taking top priority... just as Grissom would have done. They wanted to keep it low key and out of the press, but at the same time all the employees had to know they were working a case on one of their own. Grissom had gotten out of Eckley's office without too many probing questions, even though Eckley's narrowed eyes showed his concerns about why his two employees were there at all.
His friend, however, was more direct. Having inside knowledge about Gil's relationship with Sara, he barely waits until they are alone in his office to ask about it. Grissom isn't in the mood and snaps at his friend, but Brass isn't put off that easy.
"So, buddy... I didn't hear about any calls for service at the Rampart last night."
"Do we have to clear all follow ups with you now, Jim? Eckley is bad enough without you being on my case too!"
"No, but I tried to reach you last night... no answer. Just kept going to voicemail. And your team, well they just said you must be busy... with your follow up."
Grissom doesn't answer as he leans back in his chair to glare at Brass; recognizing the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. When Brass holds his stare, Grissom is the first one to look away... a big mistake. Brass knew he was hiding something as soon as he dropped his eyes and goes in to full interrogator mode.
"It was pretty slow last night... not much to do for you lab geeks. But you managed to get 'wrapped up' in your follow up. At the Rampart, right?"
Grissom can hear the double meaning in his words as Brass fishes for confirmation of what he already suspects. Grissom leans forward, resting his arms on the desk as he lowers his voice to growl, "Jim, I'm not in the mood for games... so if you have a question... ask it!"
Jim mimics his position, leaning in with his arms on the desk. He then nods, lowering his voice as well, "Okay. Was your follow up with Sara... successful?"
Grissom's first thought is denial, but then he realizes he doesn't want to deny what he had with Sara any longer. He gives Brass another long look, but this one without any animosity before he sighs, "Is my sex life really that important right now? Sara has been kidnapped, Jim... my priority is getting back the most important person in my life."
"Ordinarily I would say yes... hearing that you actually have a relationship... of a sexual nature would be important. But for now, I'll let that thought simmer in the back of my mind until we solve this thing." Brass stands up and heads for the door; stopping with his hand on the knob to look back before he leaves, "...then I want details."
"Thank you." Grissom's words are sarcastic and he knows Brass won't let it go for long. He couldn't worry about fending off his friend's prying questions now, he had to get his "A" game on if he was going to have any chance of bringing Sara back alive. There was still something bothering him, nagging at him like the first hints of a tooth ache coming on... not quite a glaring pain, just something he couldn't identify yet. He decides to head back down to Archie's lab and see what progress he and Catherine have had in enhancing the video.
He knocks first, then enters the room to see Catherine and Archie hovering over the computer screen, but the projection screen is black. They relax when they see Grissom and Archie taps a button to bring the images back to the large screen.
"What do you have?"
"We were able to clean up the resolution on the main camera... the one where she's walking out to her car. The other camera must have a dirty lens or something because no matter what, I can't clean it up anymore."
"Let me see it... from the start." Grissom comes to stand next to Catherine, but his eyes are glued to the big screen as Archie goes back to punching buttons.
While they wait, Catherine gives her friend a sideways glance, trying to gauge his emotional state. He looks down at her, knowing from the worry in her eyes what she is thinking and simply nods.
"All right... here we go from the beginning. Sara comes into frame here... on her way out... looks to have just showered since her hair is still wet... and smiling..." Archie's running commentary is cut short as Catherine leans over to smack him on the shoulder.
"Archie! Without the running commentary, please?" She glares at him and then turns back, hoping Grissom wasn't too embarrassed. To her surprise she sees the corner of his mouth curl up as his arm gently bumps hers.
His face turns red and he drops his eyes to his monitor as they all fall silent as the moment of the abduction nears. Grissom can't help holding his breath, praying it won't happen this time, but knowing he can't do anything to stop it. Just before the assailant enters the frame, Grissom clears his throat, "Archie... go to half speed. I want every frame with his face on it still-framed."
"You got it, Grissom." Archie goes to work on his keyboard and then a moment later the video is rolling as if in slow motion. They watch as the man comes up behind Sara, focused on his prey and the frame stops as Archie hits a button to freeze a shot of his profile.
A moment later it begins again and Grissom is forced to watch the assault in slow motion; which is harder than he expected it to be. Seeing it happen in a few seconds was bad enough, but watching his fist draw back and slam into her face repeatedly in slow motion was excruciating. Archie hits the freeze frame a few more times, but it isn't until the suspect flops Sara's limp body up over his shoulder and turns back towards his car that Grissom's nagging worry turns into a full blown throb.
"STOP! Freeze frame that! When he looks towards the camera!"
Archie jumps at his loud shout and has to back up the video a few frames to get back to the right spot. Grissom steps up to the screen, squinting at the blurry figure. "Can't you enhance this?! Make his face clearer... or zoom in or something?!"
"Gil, what is it? Do you know that guy?" Catherine is quick to pick up on her friend's tension.
Archie is typing furiously on his computer keyboard and they both watch as he narrows the focus to the man's face, then a flurry of pixels flutter across the image as he sharpens the focus as best he can. A few moments later, when the screen displays the newly enhanced close up of the man, the sound of Grissom's curse echoes off the silent walls.
"SON-OF-A-BITCH! IT'S HIM!" Grissom is stabbing his index finger at the screen in his agitation at recognizing the man who has abducted Sara.
"WHO? Do you know that guy?!" Catherine is worried now, not only by Grissom's uncharacteristic outburst, but from the way his whole body is shaking now as he glares at the screen. "GRISSOM!?"
At her raised voice, Grissom finally turns to face his two co-workers with an anguished look on his face. With all of the stress of the day... he is drawing a blank on the man's name! "It's Sara's ex-boyfriend... pre-Las Vegas."
