36. No more bets (4.22)

"Are you still mad with me?" Grissom sat down and watched Sara, who had been reading in a newspaper while she waited for him in the diner.

"I've never been mad." An yet, she swallowed when she said these words.

"You were disappointed."

"I…I just don't understand your reason. You chose Nick because he doesn't care if he gets the key position or not? What kind of reason is that?"

"My reason."

"Yeah." His stupid reason, that made no sense at all. At least not to her. Give the promotion to somebody, who doesn't care. A promotion should be for the one, who is most qualified for it.

"Sara, why is it this important for you to get the promotion?"

"Because I'm qualified for it." And she wanted it.

"And Nick isn't?"

Bad question, typical catch-22. Nick was qualified for the position, no doubt about it. So what to say? Yes he is but I'm better? Because you asked me to come here? It had been almost four years now that she came from San Francisco to Las Vegas, maybe it was about time to let go of it and look for some other reasons. Like…I thought there is something between us? And it shouldn't affect our work relationship but…okay, I thought I'm special to you and you treat me special. Great, the close she came to the truth with her answer, the more she had to change it in order to give him an answer. An answer that justifies why she was better than Nick.

"Yes he is."

"But?" He knew, he had her.

"No but."

"I trust you Sara when you're doing your job and I need you to trust me when I do mine. Even when you don't always agree with my decisions."

She sighed. Needless to say it didn't matter if she agreed with his decisions or not, he was the supervisor and in charge. No matter if she liked it or not.

"Can we talk about the case?" Sara asked to end this. There was nothing left to say for her, nothing that made her feel better.

"Sure."

"I was surprised that Sam Braun let the boy leave. Apparently when he took him into the 'box' he never hurt him. Well, not in a way that ended his life. Or changed it forever."

"Like he did to Joe? We can't prove it." The man who killed the two boys, tried to frame his own son, claimed Sam Braun broke his hand.

"No. But between you and me, do you think Sam Braun did it?"

"I believe he did a lot of more things, worse than using a hammer on somebody's hand. As long as we have no evidence, we can't say it for sure." And even when there was evidence... Catherine had taken money from Sam Braun, nothing illegal but...Grissom wasn't sure if there were no strings attached. He was her father - which was bad enough - but when a man with his reputation gives you money, usually he wants something back.

"That's why we have a gut feeling."

"Which doesn't help you in court."

"No. But it des help at work, sometimes it makes you look in the right direction, when you don't have to evidence to get there." Not that she had any ambitions to come after Sam Braun because of what he did or didn't do to the man. Joe Greene killed two innocent boys, it was hard to feel sorry for him. At least for Sara.

He nodded. "True. Sometimes it's all about feelings." Like she felt bad because of his decision to pick Nick. No real reason, only feelings.