Chapter 46
Everyone was silent. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the cracks under the tiers as the SUV bumped its way up the long driveway. The cabin was hidden away, almost to the top of Mount Charleston. If you didn't know where it was, there was no way you would find it. It was situated in such a way it would be nigh on impossible to stumble across it, even accidentally.
Tall trees surrounded them, lining each side of the nature beaten road. Curving around to meet above. It was creepy. Sinister. The lights from the SUV were catching on branches, convincing Sara that even the trees were watching her. She kept her eyes trained on the red lights of the black and white in front of her. Two more were coming up from behind. Along with Vartann, who had followed after Catherine.
Sara could feel the tension rolling off the other occupants in the car. Grissom sitting beside her, hands clench into fists on his lap. Catherine behind, her head constantly turning left and right. Her sharp eyes on the lookout for any ambush that might occur was they drove.
Sara switched off her lights as the cabin drew nearer. Though, she was in no doubt Jimmy already knew they were there.
The three of them got out of the car, Grissom instantly rushing to her side, as Vartann pulled up alongside them. A SWAT van and the bomb squad following closely behind him. The SWAT leader, Loper, walked over to them, already fully kitted out. Gun held against his chest.
"We're working with the bomb squad on the best course of entry," he said as he approached.
"What's the plan so far?" Vartann asked.
"We're going to surround the perimeter. Do a soft entrance," Loper said. "Because of the risk of explosives, we can't use the flash grenades. We could set them off, and there's no way of knowing just how much this guy has."
"Do you have a point of entry?" Catherine asked.
"Some of my guys are going to take the front, and some the back. The rest are going to stick to the side lines, to ensure the suspect doesn't escape through a window. Once we're in position, we'll go in. You lot need to stay back." He looked them all over, eyes lingering on Sara and Grissom for a fraction longer than the rest. She nodded, having no intention of disobeying the order.
He walked away, leaving the four of them to watch the scene around them. People were getting ready to move out, helmets strapped in place. Vest's secured, guns drawn. Grissom stood behind her, his shoulder brushing against hers. Crouching down, the teams made their way to the respective positions. The sounds of the clothing rustling filled the area as they moved. Twigs snapped under work boots and the bushes whispered when SWAT moved past them.
Sara took a breath. The smell of dirt and trees assailed her senses. Calming her as her eyes trained on the structure before them.
The cabin was large. Two stories with a porch lining the front. She could see a swing seat stationed next to a large set of French doors, which she guessed lead to a dining room of sorts. A few feet from them, was a wood hut. Logs piled up to the side with an axe sticking out of the top one. The garden was well kept, but not overly so. Just enough to keep the natural wildness from over taking the house.
Vartann stood next to Catherine. The redhead glanced up to him, before shifting so her arm was resting against his. A phone rang.
"Willows. What is it, Greg?" Catherine said as she held the device to her ear. "What? Are you sure?" She looked over to Sara. Shock etched over her face. Sara frowned. "We've just got here. Yeah."
"We've got movement!" Someone shouted. Sara whipped her head around. She made to move forward, but Grissom held onto her arm.
Jimmy was walking down the steps, his eyes fixed on her. Wide and predatory. Like a lion who had just spotted a gazelle. SWAT were moving around them. Red dots appearing on his chest. Sara pulled out her gun, holding it up as Jimmy's eyes switched to Grissom.
"Stay where you are," Loper called but Jimmy kept moving. Vartann came up beside her, his own gun drawn.
"You two should move back," he said, looking over them. Grissom nodded, putting a hand to her arm, and pulling gently. Sara didn't take her eyes off Jimmy. He was staring at Grissom, still moving forward, and his jacket opened slightly.
"Bomb!" Someone shouted. Jimmy smiled. "Stay where you are."
"I'd be careful, if I were you," Jimmy said, holding up a detonator. "I drop this, and we all go… boom." He waved the device.
"Let's just talk about this, Jimmy," Vartann said, moving forward. Sara lowered her gun as the detective walked in front of her. "Nobody else has to get hurt." SWAT started to pull back. Loper waving his hands, instructing his team into new positions. Catherine was still talking into her phone, her long hair falling over her face.
"No offence, detective, but you are not involved here," Jimmy said, shooting the detective a disdainful glare before transferring his gaze back to Sara and Grissom. Sara moved forward, Grissom keeping close by. His hand still on her arm, grip tightening the closer she got to the pseudo doctor. "Sara," Jimmy breathed.
"What do you want?" Sara asked, trying with all her might to keep her voice steady.
"What I've always wanted," Jimmy replied. "You. Everything I did. All of this. It was all for you. From the moment I met you, I knew." He looked over at Grissom, snarling when he saw his hand on her arm. "But you didn't see me. You never saw me."
"I see you now," Sara said. "I see you, Brian." Jimmy's eyes shuttered, his mouth dropped, and a frown formed in his brows. "That's you name, isn't it? Brian Colston. You've lied to us. To me. Nick. Greg. All of us. Jimmy Thompson doesn't exist. Does he?"
Jimmy's hand tightened on the detonator. "That's not my name," he spat.
"Yes, it is, Brian," Sara says. "Your name is Brian Colston. Your parents were Janet and Keith. Your father owned a garage, which he left to you." The colour in Jimmy's face drained as she spoke. She could hear his breathing, his chest rising rapidly. "You had a sister. Charlotte."
"Don't," he shouted. "Don't talk about her, she's not part of this. She left me."
"She didn't leave you, Brian," Sara said. "She met someone. Fell in love."
"No, he twisted her. Turned her against me."
"Marcus?" Sara asked. "He loved her, Brian."
"No," Jimmy almost screamed. "No, he didn't. I loved her. But she… she still…"
"She betrayed you," Catherine said. Sara turned. The FBI agent was putting her phone into her pocket. He flicked her gaze to Sara before settling it back on Jimmy. "Lottie. She was everything to you, wasn't she?"
"She loved me," Jimmy said, his voice breaking. "I know she did. She loved me." It was desperate, insistent. He was begging her to agree with him, to confirm what he had convinced himself to be true.
"But it wasn't enough, was it?" Catherine replied, walking past them. Grissom pulled Sara back. The couple making room as the red head kept Jimmy's attention. Vartann staying close to her as she approached the pseudo psychiatrist. "She met someone else. Left you. Was moving on." Catherine stopped, not once taking her eyes off the man before her. Sara looked to Grissom, who furrowed his brow in confusion. "After everything you did for her, after everything you meant to each other. You couldn't let that happen, could you?"
"I couldn't lose her," Jimmy said, his eyes flicked to Sara. Almost as if he was pleading with her. "I can't lose you."
"But you did," Catherine said. "You did lose her. You killed her, Brian."
"She gave me no choice." He almost shouted, a vain throbbing in his temple.
"And you saw Sara," Catherine continued. "So much like Lottie. Almost identical."
"She was my second chance," Jimmy said. "It was like my Lottie had come back to me. I wasn't going to screw it up, not again. I was going to take my time. But she… she…"
"She chose someone else," Catherine said, her voice sounding almost sympathetic. Gaining his trust.
"I had a plan, and it worked. It was working. But he ruined it," Jimmy rounded on Grissom. "Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone? Everything was going to plan."
"No, it wasn't, Brian," Catherine said. "Even after everything you did. All your plans and schemes."
"Because of him," Jimmy snarled.
"Do you really think killing Grissom would get you Sara?" She asked, her voice soft as she stared him down. "You know it won't, Brian. And having Sara won't bring Lottie back."
Jimmy said nothing. His eyes still on Sara, tears starting to gather as his hand dropped a fraction.
"It's over, Brian," Catherine said, holding her hand out for the detonator.
"I love you," Jimmy replied, voice thick with his unshed tears. Eyes begging, locked on Sara. "I love you. You… you could love me. You could still choose me." Voice halting, breaking. It was a pathetic sound. Almost heart breaking, if it had been anyone else.
"But she won't."
The silence that followed Catherine's statement send a chill down Sara's spine. Everyone could sense it. Even the wind died down as the last words were spoken. The trees still around them, not even a leaf moved. Sara could see the officers moving back, slowly. Grissom wrapped an arm around her waist, forcing her to step back. Everyone was retreating. Moving away. Everyone except Vartann. He kept close to Catherine, slowly holstering his weapon and moving behind her.
Sara watched as his hand gripped onto her friend's jacket. The detective was tense, ready to move at a moment's notice.
"It's over, Brian," Catherine said.
"You're right," Jimmy finally said. He looked down to the detonator. Vartann grabbed hold of Catherine. Half dragging, half carrying her, as Jimmy lifted the device and pressed the button.