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In The Darkest Light

(9)

Greg wanted to ask her about the comment she had made but he knew well enough that any more words and Sara would be over the edge into a place no one would be able to reach her. He had seen Sara shut down- he had seen her hurt in a way that had torn apart her world. So he remained silent and began processing the things around him.

"Greg!" Sara called him over her eyes not leaving whatever it was that she had found.

"What have you got?" He asked peaking over her shoulder into a tatter old cardboard box.

"Louis Chamber's things..." She indicated to the wallet lying open on the counter.

"There's something missing..." Greg said quietly, unsure of himself as his eyes remained on the items in front of them.

"What?" Sara asked with a frown her eyes running over the items before her.

"Well he was working a case right?" Greg paused after asking the question waiting for approval for Sara, which eventually came in the form of a small nod. "Well... gun, handcuffs, flexcuffs, and a pen... there's something missing-"

"His notes..." Sara finished his sentence with a sigh.

"Everything we've found so far...suggests that this has something do with what happened in San Francisco." With that sentence Sara realised that her worst fears were being recognised. The case files she hoped were gathering dust somewhere were going to be opened and on display to her colleagues, her friends.

"Yeah..." She turned away from him and continued her search for some indication to who seemed so hell bent on bring up the past.

"Sara..." Greg's voice came softly behind her making her bite her lip, she knew what was coming, she knew he was going to try find out what had happened. And she knew that she should tell him, warn him now about all of the things that were about to come.

"Yes?" She responded without turning to look at him knowing that those hazel eyes would have her unravelling within moments. And she couldn't afford that. Not now. Not after everything that she had lied about so far.

"You know... you can tell me anything... you can talk to me about anything. I'm always going to be here for you Sara...no matter what." He spoke with a sincerity that she hadn't expected.

"I know..." Sara turned to face him her eyes on the ground but she could see Greg offering her his hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and stepped closer. "Tom... he made me do things... things I wish I could forget... things I want to forget..." She trailed off not being able to form any more words. Greg pulled her closer wrapping his arms tightly around her as if to protect her from the world.

"No one's going to hurt you...I'm not going to let them." He whispered in her hair with defiance, a knife to his heart as another dimension of hurt opened up. They slowly pulled apart their hearts heavy with all of the heightened emotions the case had placed on them.

"Is that what I think it is?" Greg frowned, his eyes focused on a plastic container hidden carefully under the counter.

"If you're thinking all of the things you need to cook meth- then yes." Sara replied her vision following Greg's gaze. The pipes, filter paper, phenyl-2-propanone and a bottle of clear liquid Sara assumed was hydrochloric acid- there were all things she was familiar with, things she had seen before. "You know, we can't get him for the murder..."

"Get him for distribution..." He nodded as his eyes scanned the shop floor. "We need to find the stash... Want to tear this place apart?"

"With pleasure" A smile crossed Sara's lips for the first time in days. She knew it was childish wanting to demolish Tom's livelihood because he had destroyed her childhood but she couldn't deny the satisfaction she felt as she tore things from the shelves and tossed the aside with little regard.

"Why meth?" Greg asked absentmindedly as he worked on removing a shelf from the wall to checks for hollow walls and hidden compartments. Of all the drugs he'd had encountered working in law enforcement he still couldn't understand crystal meth users. The cooking process was hazardous. The addiction itself physically at least resulted in anorexia, hypertension, numbness and the psychological effects were no better. And research had shown that it had the closest links suicide and depression, the impact being worse than other opiate.

"Well...Meth is good for ensuring some things..." Sara let the sentence linger in the air not giving away what she knew.

"...Because meth addicts are reliable customers?" His intonation suggesting he was asking a question.

"Exactly..." Sara's attention remained focused on the wall in front of her. "Greg, can you come over here?"

"What is it?" He asked moving across the room to stand beside Sara, his eyes attempting to gage what she'd found.

"What does that look like to you?" She asked in a low voice turning to face him.

"A sliding door..." Greg replied turning to look at Sara who was watching him with a careful smile.

"I'd bet anything... that we've found his stash. Want to do the honours?" She stepped out of the way letting Greg loose on the door- plaster and dust flying off the wall. He pulled loose the few items that were hidden in the small space and handed them to Sara.

"I say we get back to the lab and secure this..." She held up a small packet full with crystals that seemed only too familiar.

They gathered up all of the things that were of any use in creating a case against Tom and headed back to the lab. Shorting the correct items for the correct lab techs they made their way to PD for the interrogation.

"Sara where do you think you're going?" Brass asked stepping in her way.

"To interrogate Tom Gibson" She replied sternly not giving into his expression.

"If you think I'm going to let you walk in there and blow any chance we have of nailing this guy then you can think again." He retorted.

"You can't do this..." Sara knew she was wrong but she was going to do everything she could.

"I can... you're out Sara." Brass turned around and walked into the room before she had a chance to say anything else- Greg followed giving her a sympathetic look. Without any other options Sara stepped into the observation room and took a deep breath as the interview started.

"Where's Sara?" Tom asked leaning back in his chair- his eyes focused on the glass knowing full well that she would be watching him with anticipation- that she would be terrified of the things he could say about her.

"Not here." Brass replied shortly, Greg's frown deepened as he studied Tom. He couldn't help but think about the things that this man had done to his friend.

"That's a shame you know... me and Sara have a lot of catching up to do..." He smirked.

"Do you know Louis Chambers?" Greg asked attempting to force the images of Tom violating a young Sara out of his mind- he attempted to deafen his ears to her screams.

"No." His reply was brief.

"Then why did we find his things are your shop?" Brass questioned.

"Well it is a pawn shop- people bring things in." He shrugged. "Hey...Sugarbug you back there? I've missed you know."

"How about this?" Greg said through gritted teeth placing a picture of the Meth and cooking equipment they had found in front of him.

"Not mine." Another shrug.

"Do you have any evidence that specifically links to my client?" The lawyer beside him that had remained mainly silent spoke for the first time.

"The things are in his shop are they not?" Brass raised an eyebrow.

"The property is co-owned can you discount the other owners?" The lawyer tapped his pen against his note pad knowing that their answer would be 'no'.

"No." Greg replied with a stern expression.

"Then I think we're done here, you can speak to my client when you have something concert." He stood up causing his obviously guilty client to follow suit.

"I could tell you a few things about your little doll in there... and I assure you none of them are pretty." Tom turned to face them an undeniably smug look on his face as he did so, he indicated to the glass partition between the interrogation and observation rooms. "I'll be more co-operative next time... won't I Sara?"