Chapter 21:

The detectives continued questioning the suspects. All but three of the men had verified alibis. They collected their fingerprints to compare with the prints at the scene. Other than the hundreds of innocuous prints on the dumpster, all of the prints had pointed to Grissom. The bloody prints had been entered into the database, but had not yielded any matches. The suspects' prints were sent to the print lab for processing and comparison.

The viscous substance on the ground by the dumpster matched the garbage residue on Mark's clothing and body. They were able to place him at the new crime scene. The initial DNA report confirmed that the blood pooled on the ground and the blood splatter on the wall matched Mark's DNA. The blood on the glove and the jacket yielded a mixed sample, Mark's and an unknown male. The male DNA was entered into their search database, but no matches resulted.

Warrick followed the print evidence to the print lab. While they compared the new prints, he asked to see the results from the murder weapon. He printed out Grissom's prints to compare to those on the bottle. They were indeed a match. As he analyzed them further, however, he realized that their orientation did not make sense. If Grissom had been holding the bottle neck after it had been broken, his hand would have been at the point of the break, not on the neck. Looking at the bottle as a whole, the prints indicated that he had been holding the bottle upright, carrying it perhaps. There were no discernable prints indicating that he held the neck of the bottle after it was broken.

Jim Brass smiled to himself as he hung up his phone. Now he would be able to get some sleep! Well, maybe after a short conversation with the Sheriff. He walked upstairs to see if he would be available. Fortunately, he was between appointments.

"Jim, you look awful! When was the last time you slept?" the Sheriff greeted him.

"Nice to see you again too, Brian! Let's just say it's been a long week."

"What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to fill you in on what is happening in California… And to ask you a favor."

"Okay, how's Gil doing?"

"He and his girlfriend have posted bail, and are waiting for new developments. Warrick Brown has been assisting the defense attorney. Apparently the initial investigation failed to locate the actual primary crime scene. Once they shifted locations, they were able to find more evidence, which is being processed now. Preliminary results point to a suspect a good 4 to 5 inches taller than Gil. The investigators are planning on requesting that the charges be dropped, but they want to have additional evidence first – so that there are no lingering questions about their innocence. It should only be a matter of days until they are both fully exonerated."

"That's great news! I hear your team came together for the Sullivan trial as well. You've outdone yourself this week, Jim."

"Thank you, sir. I do have an additional concern, however."

"Go ahead…"

"You have approved a two month leave of absence for Gill for the summer."

"Yes…" the Sheriff replied tentatively, wondering where this was going.

Jim smiled, "Would you consider lengthening it to three months?"

"Why? I thought the University had agreed to amend their request to cover only the first two months of the summer term."

"Well, actually, the University of San Francisco canceled their contract when they heard about Gil's current situation."

"Well, won't his exoneration change their mind?"

"Um, no, their objection was to the age and status of his girlfriend, not their arrest."

The Sheriff looked worried, "What do you mean? She's a legal adult, isn't she? I know Gil's a bit odd, but I don't see him being into kids."

"No, no, nothing like that. God, no. If anything, Gil is obsessed with protecting kids from abuse. No, their objection is that she was a former student of his – that they met in class and began a relationship while he was still her teacher."

The Sheriff smiled, "So Conrad was accurate in his earlier accusations?"

"Um, yes, it seems he was…" Brass admitted grinning, "Anyway, I knew Gil would be disappointed, so I called the Dean of the Forensics' program at UC Berkeley. And he is interested in having Gil teach three courses this summer: two in forensic entomology and one in field work."

"Jim, what do you have against letting Gil work at the lab this summer? Do you want more time working alone with Catherine or what?"

Brass blushed, "No, Catherine and Eddie are struggling enough as it is. I've had my fill of unstable relationships. Actually, Gil expressed that he enjoyed teaching and wanted to complete some research this summer. It's been a long time since he has shown interest in anything other than working at the lab 24/7. I think if we want him to stay working here for the long term we need to make this allowance – otherwise he's going to burn out in a few years and we'll lose him altogether."

"So the fact that he has a… How old is she anyway?"

"Mid-twenties."

"And Gil is around forty? Hmm… Anyway, the fact that he has this vivacious young woman out in San Francisco isn't influencing his thinking? I'm sure teaching is fascinating when you're sleeping with your star pupil."

"He assures me that they didn't start dating until after the course ended, but I'm sure it was a factor for him. Heck, even at my age I'd have been distracted by her attentiveness in class."

"You've met her then?"

"Yes, briefly. But we haven't spoken."

"Okay, back to this decision. Why should I allow him this summer fling? We're short handed as it is."

"One reason. He's the best. If we don't keep him happy and healthy, we'll lose him, either to another lab, or to burnout. He was already headed in that direction when I sent him to San Francisco in the first place."

"I'll have to think about this and let you know my decision."

"That's all I'm asking. Thanks!"

Grissom and Sara continued their drive south, pulling into the small town of Cambria in the late afternoon. They drove to the realty office to pick up the key, and then followed their directions to the house. Pulling up in the driveway brought back memories for Grissom. While the house looked smaller and the trees larger, it reminded him of family vacations when he was a child. The cheerful yellow board siding, with its ornate white trim placed it squarely in the late-Victorian style shared by most of the region. There was a small garden pathway leading to the front porch and entryway. There were two windows facing the driveway from the second story. The white lace curtains appeared fresh and airy through the closed windows. A rock walkway skirted around the side of the house. The faint tangy smell the ocean and the rush of the waves in the distance caught their recently released senses.

"Oh, Gil, it's beautiful! Do we really get to stay here?"

Grissom smiled at Sara's joy filled reaction, "Yes! Come on, let's put our stuff away and then take a walk down to the ocean."

They hurried to unpack the car and carry their stuff inside. The inside of the house was as picturesque as the outside had been. They walked into a large open room, filled with comfortable unexpectedly modern furniture. There was a living room area, with a large sofa and love seat and a dining area with a casual round table. The kitchen was set to the back of the room, with an open breakfast bar separating it from the main living area. A stairway leading up to the second floor was located midway down the back wall, with a small half bath located under the turn of the stair. All of this was noticed in a passing glance, allowing their eyes to focus on the large picture window facing the ocean.

They quickly walked across the room to the door leading from the dining area. There was a wrap around porch off the back of the house. Walking out, they were greeted by the unending blue of the ocean, the crashing of the waves on the rocky beach, and the fragrant sting of the ocean mist. Sara looked up into Grissom's eyes.

"So this is where your parents found the blue for your eyes! No wonder I find it so easy to drown in their depths."

Grissom smiled with his eyes, losing himself in the warmth of her rich brown, "Don't worry, if your go under, I'll save you. I've been training in mouth to mouth resuscitation."

Sara grinned, "Help me, I'm sinking!"

Grissom laughed as he captured her lips with his, breathing life into her scarred heart.

Okay, I know the mouth to mouth comment was one of Grissom's off the wall comments to Sara in Season 6 or 7, but I thought I'd give it a little context!

Hopefully, another update or two this weekend.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.