A/N: This chapter is a shorter one, as the last, but I wanted to update tonight, to keep the action moving. Hope it pleases. Your supportive reviews keep me motivated. Hoping to post again over the weekend. You remain great! -Kathy
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Andrew was an expert in thinking on his feet.
He advised the Sheriff that he had seen Ecklie sneaking into the storage area, had followed him unseen, and had taken this box to investigate what was being hidden within.
The Sheriff was also an expert in discerning the big picture and the untold story.
However, the fact was not lost on him that this might be the evidence they had been searching for all these years. The recovery of the evidence would go a long way in securing Sara's peace of mind, as well as helping to indict Ecklie.
So for now, the Sheriff demanded that Andrew turn over the container in question.
He planned to investigate Andrew's role in this drama at a later date.
Having the container safe in his possession, the Sheriff continued to grill Andrew over the contents of the folder on his desk. Satisfied that it had not been opened and the CSI had not seen the evidence indicting Grissom for the murder, the Sheriff caustically ordered Andrew to keep this matter private between them.
The Sheriff left hurriedly towards his office.
Andrew fell back into his chair and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
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Grissom led the parade towards the Sheriff's office.
Brass and Warrick suggested they wait in the office for the Sheriff to return, prompting Brass to try unsuccessfully to reach the Sheriff by cell phone.
A moment later, a surprised Sheriff flung open the door to his office to the clamor of voices vying for the first chance to speak.
Having chosen Brass to begin, the Sheriff was stunned by the detective's conclusion that Ecklie was involved in Sara's attack.
The circle is widening…I hope I can keep a lid on things for just a few more hours until I have an opportunity to check over the evidence in this box…
The knock on the Sheriff's door caused all four heads to turn.
Sofia appeared in the doorway, answering the Sheriff's barked command to enter.
Before she could speak, however, she was assaulted by comments from Warrick and Brass and by the Sheriff informing her there was a private meeting going on to which she was not a party.
Her gaze, however, fell on Grissom.
Surely, she thought, surely Grissom will defend me…he has shown me how he cares for me…our dinner was so lovely, even if that little …
Her musings stopped as she looked into his eyes.
The ice blue orbs were icier than she remembered.
Sofia felt a chill go through her spine.
She regrouped, however, as she felt that the Sheriff needed to know the information she had to impart.
Taking a breath and squaring her shoulders, Sofia pulled her gaze from Grissom, donned her best smile and began confidently, "Sheriff, I think…"
At this point, the Sheriff pressed the intercom button and a second later two armed officers appeared at the door.
Never looking at Sofia, he said hastily, "CSI Curtis was just leaving."
Sofia just stared for a moment before she felt the hand on her upper arm attempt to twist her around to move through the door.
Brass and Warrick looked like the cat that ate the canary.
Even the Sheriff felt a twinge of satisfaction at keeping Sofia out of his hair until he sorted things out.
Only Grissom had not looked her way.
His gaze was now on the old evidence box, his CSI training causing him to wonder about the contents – and their importance to Sara's situation.
Once she had been escorted to the end of the hallway and had turned the corner, Sofia found herself alone in the corridor.
So I am off "the team", am I? Well, Mr. Sheriff, I guess you don't need any input from a "has been" like me…
With that, Sofia whipped out her cell phone and responded to Ecklie's earlier call - and his somewhat unusual request.
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Grissom's current preoccupation with the storage container was not lost on him.
The Sheriff would have preferred to open the box alone, but time was of the essence.
He asked those present to continue filling him in on their suspicions about Ecklie, while he took off the lid from the box and seated himself – essentially blocking the file from their view.
When he opened the large manila folder, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
A cursory examination of the "evidence" confirmed that this was indeed the file that Sara had searched for these many years.
Immediately, however, the Sheriff realized that he had not recently inquired about Sara's condition.
More importantly, he suddenly realized that Grissom was seated solemnly before him.
If Grissom is here, who was with Sara?
The Sheriff was repacking the storage container as he was speed dialing the officer left on sentry duty in front of Sara's door.
The lack of an immediate answer caused the Sheriff to lock eyes with Grissom.
Gil's stomach turned.
It was as if the unspoken concern had revealed all the details he needed to begin to panic.
"Sara!" Gil gasped and was on his feet and out the door before the others could respond.
As they went to follow Grissom out the door, the Sheriff stopped them.
He was phoning the other officer assigned to hospital duty, who immediately began running towards Sara's room.
The Sheriff held his breath while he heard the officer puffing on the third flight of stairs, unwilling to break phone contact until he could assess the situation.
"Dammit!" the officer breathed as he rushed into through the door to find her hospital bed empty.
The hastily proclaimed exclamation had the Sheriff pointing to Brass even before the officer could report the details from the situation at the hospital.
"Get your units over to Desert Palms. And put out an APB on Conrad Ecklie."
Warrick felt the adrenaline surge throughout his system, screaming for him to do something, but his mind drawing complete blanks.
He looked over at Catherine's kit on the floor near where Grissom had been seated. He decided to take the evidence and process it now, making himself useful to Sara in some way.
Brass was already out the door, barking into his cell while charging towards his cruiser.
The Sheriff paged the lab techs from the CSI labs to come immediately to his office.
He planned to hand over the storage container which he was now sealing with crime scene tape with orders to let no one touch or open it until he returned.
Their next job would be to find Sofia and keep her under their surveillance until the Sheriff returned. The Sheriff could not define his overwhelming preoccupation with Sofia's involvement in this disappearance.
Meanwhile, though everyone else's attention was focused on Desert Palms hospital, Sofia was standing in the shadows at the morgue's rear garage entrance, awaiting Ecklie and his passenger.
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Grissom narrowly avoided a major collision in the first intersection he barreled through. He had already sideswiped a car in the lab parking lot in his haste to get to Sara.
He couldn't fully comprehend what was happening.
All the time he was rushing, his heart was racing and his brain was sending out messages that he hoped Sara would receive – wherever she was.
Honey…I'm so sorry, I never should have left you.
I am always screwing up, how can you keep forgiving me?
My pushing you away initially caused you to get a DUI.
My insensitive first dinner with Sofia caused your home accident.
My jealousy caused our first fight.
My ego prevented me from making it up to you.
My jealousy again caused you to flee.
This is all my fault…all my fault…if anything happens to you…it is…All. My. Fault.
As he turned the corner with Desert Palms in sight, Gil wished out loud that they could just get to their Better Place.
He promised himself that if Sara was indeed missing, he would race to the townhouse and recline in their special haven until he was asleep and could see her.
She must be so frightened.
Grissom knew that Sara Sidle was one of the strongest persons he had ever known.
But he also knew everyone has their limit. She had suffered so much in her lifetime, and he was committed to making her happy, with him.
Gil wanted to pledge on his life that no further harm would ever come to her.
If she...no…WHEN she is found, I am going to grab her and run as far away from Vegas as we can get.
We will not stop until we find our perfect place, and I will marry her, and we will live happily ever after…can you hear me, Sara?
Please, Sara…please hear me…stay safe…I'm coming, honey…don't be afraid…please…I love you so…please, Sara…don't be afraid…I'm coming.
Grissom was almost unglued by the time he parked his Denali haphazardly and was seen racing through the lobby towards the stairs.
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Somewhere in the haze of her drugged state, Sara could visualize him.
How handsome he is…that smile…a special one for me…wonder if he knows how sexy those graying curls are?
She could see him standing on a far off point.
It was as if she were watching a 3-D movie without the special glasses usually provided by the theatre.
He was turning towards her.
He was saying something, almost frantically yelling to her.
Sara tried to wave back, to assure him she was alright and really didn't feel much of anything, but she couldn't make her limbs or her voice work.
All she could do was smile for him, hoping he would know that she was alright, that she missed him…not to worry about her.
Somewhere from deep inside her, she could feel more than hear his message to her:
I love you so…please, Sara…don't be afraid…I'm coming.
He was coming? Coming where?
Where was she?
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At this moment, Sofia was opening the garage door to admit Ecklie and his passenger to the infrequently used garage area located in the rear of the CSI lab building.