Torn
By: Manigault
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Note: For continuity purposes the hotel/casino G/S visited is now called the Sunset Casino.
Crime Lab
9:00 pm
The hallways of the crime lab were deserted as Sara and Catherine left the break room. They moved past the trace lab where Sara could not resist casting a glance inside where she spied Greg dancing wildly to some alternative music.
"I'll catch up with you Catherine." Sara said, pausing at the doorway of the trace lab. Catherine raised her eyebrows and stared into the lab to try and ascertain what was so urgent Sara had to speak immediately with Greg who was the only one in the lab, it would appear.
"I'll meet you in Grissom's office." Catherine said, shaking her head, but deciding that maybe Sara would fill her in when she caught up with her.
Sara closed the door behind her, wincing as the music cut through her eardrums, but moving forward regardless of the discomfort. She tapped Greg on the shoulder and waited as he grinned back at her while turning the boom box off.
"Hi there!" Greg continued to grin in her direction, his eyes twinkling in delight. "What brings you into my area on this lovely night?"
"You have more information." Sara said. "What is it, Greg, please share."
"I'm told that when they showed the sketch on national television tonight they received several calls and are in the process of checking them out."
"National television." Sara repeated, resisting the urge to run back to the break room and flip on the television set to watch the late showing of the news. "Is that it?"
"I know that one of the callers says that they spoke with Bryant Thompson at a casino. Tried to pick her up but some people scared him off." Greg stared at the ashen face staring back at him. "Sara? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Greg." Sara felt queasy and wanted only to page Grissom to meet her in his office. She remembered that Catherine was already there, and wondered if she could speak with her concerning any of this. "I'll catch you later. Thanks again, Greg."
She left the trace lab and looked to her left in the direction of the break room where she could find Grissom who would share her concern about the witness that could identify them as being in the casino which in turn could lead to other problems. Or she could continue on to Grissom's office where she could have a heart to heart with Catherine whom she felt would understand the pain Erin Monroe felt at having her child torn from her and how difficult it was for Sara to let it go. 'Not that Grissom doesn't understand how upset I am.' Sara said to herself as she turned the doorknob and stepped into his office. Catherine was sitting in his chair, a fact that unnerved her in an indescribable way, making her disclosure that much more uncomfortable. Catherine appeared to pick up on her uneasiness as she stood up and moved around the desk towards Sara.
"I was checking out the view while I waited for you." Catherine joked. "Are you okay, Sara?"
"Why is everyone asking me that question lately." Sara mused, and then added with a roll of her eyes. "Don't answer that, I have an idea." She pulled out a chair and stared at it for a second before moving to stand behind it, keeping her eyes on smooth wood as she formulated her thoughts.
"How long have you and Gil been seeing one another?" Catherine asked as she silently scolded herself for blurting out her suspicions. She watched as Sara's chin snapped up and her eyes widened.
"We're not…" She sputtered. "We don't…" Sara gripped the back of the chair and glared across the room. "I don't think what Grissom or I do in our personal lives is any of your business."
Catherine smiled widely. "I didn't ask what you and Grissom do in your personal time, I asked you when you started doing it."
"That is the same thing." Sara eyed the door and felt like walking away from this conversation.
"I'm sorry, Sara." Catherine said with sincerity. "I'm happy that you and Gil have…" She searched for the elusive word. "Worked things out between you. I have noticed that he has been in a much better mood these past few months."
"I haven't admitted to anything Catherine," Sara folded her arms across her chest. "I hope that you will keep your opinions to yourself?"
"No problem." Catherine could not help the smile that tilted up the corners of her lips as she thought of how Gil had pulled the wool over her eyes. "Speaking hypothetically, how long would it possibly have been going on?"
"You're kidding." Sara had not planned on discussing her relationship with Catherine, and decided that hashing out her confusion concerning the Monroe investigation with Grissom was not such a bad idea. She mentally berated herself for allowing this too escalate out of her control.
Catherine waved her hand. "Forget it. Tell me what has been bothering you so much. Is it something to do with the Monroe investigation?"
Sara released a sigh that melted her annoyance a little. She thought of Erin Monroe lying in a hospital bed with not only the emptiness of knowing her baby was out there someplace, but that the main suspect was possibly the man she had a one night stand with. "I keep thinking about Erin and how much mental anguish she is going through right now. Her baby is out there with a maniac or with someone the maniac left her with and I can't help feeling that there is something that I can do to help."
"You have helped them, Sara." Catherine took a seat and motioned for Sara to sit in the chair beside her, and then waited until Sara was seated, to continue. "You have done everything you could with barely any evidence to go on. It is in the FBI hands now and you have to move forward."
Sara gritted her teeth. If one more person told her to 'move on' then she was going to scream. She realized they all had her best interest at heart but it was not what she needed to hear. "I'm trying to push all of this from my mind and maybe I will succeed, but right now it bothers me, Catherine, I mean what if that was you? What if some lunatic had cut you open and taken your baby and you didn't even know why? You didn't know where Lindsey was or if she was okay. What did you do to deserve this?"
Catherine stared hard. "If someone had done this to me and I survived the initial attack, I would search nonstop for the bastard that did it until I found my child." She leaned forward and gripped Sara's hands. "This didn't happen to me or to you for that matter, Sara. We have other victims to speak for now, but that doesn't mean we don't stop caring about how this case plays out. We can still hope the bastard is caught."
Sara nodded, finding a genuine smile lifting her lips. Agent Gibbes was following the lead that pointed towards Bryant Thompson and she was going after it with gusto. She also was being cautious where Erin Monroe was concerned, moving her to another room and having any visitors reported directly to her. The agent must be taking the case seriously to have jumped on the case so quickly. Feeling much better, she stood up as the door swung open and Grissom, Nick, and Warrick entered the room. Grissom held up his phone for them to see.
"Brass called me concerning a multiple near Reservoir Road."
The team of investigators stepped into the parking lot of the crime lab and met with Agents Gibbes and Curry who were rushing in. Gibbes came to a halt in front of Grissom, before waving Curry to go on ahead of her so she could speak with Grissom and Sara.
"I have a crime scene to lead, Agent Gibbes. We can speak when I return in a few hours."
"Agent Curry and I just left the Sunset Casino, we have some information that you may find interesting."
Grissom felt a dull pain behind his eyes. He turned to Catherine, asked her to go ahead and begin the investigation until he could catch up with them, then waited until the three investigators were out of earshot before turning back to Gibbes.
"What are you suggesting Agent Gibbes?"
"Is that the impression you have, Grissom, because I assure you that I'm not suggesting anything." She let her eyes travel from his set face to the tightlipped woman who stood beside him.
"What information would you like to share, Agent Gibbes?" Sara managed, as images of herself and Grissom in a hot tub flashed through her mind.
"I know how invested you are with the Monroe case," Gibbes began with a knowing smile. "I thought that you would like to know that we have a witness that came forward, who placed Bryant Thompson at the casino yesterday."
Grissom resisted the urge to look at Sara, who was growing agitated beside him. "Agent Gibbes, I appreciate the fact that you suddenly feel compelled to share your information with us, however, I have a case to investigate and I don't think this is the appropriate place or time."
"Have you found Bryant Thompson? Or did the woman give you any information that will lead you to finding him?"
"I never said that the witness was a woman." Gibbes narrowed her eyes and watched Sara backtrack in her mind. "The witness could not give us any leads that would locate the suspect; however she did enlighten me as to some other pertinent information."
"Pertinent?"
"She told us that the suspect was flirting with her when he suddenly excused himself and the next thing she knew a tall brunette showed up demanding to know who the man was and then taking a playing chip." Gibbes glanced over at Grissom. "She described a man that was with the brunette as looking remarkably like you."
Grissom quirked an eyebrow and said with deliberate humor. "I don't gamble. Is this the information you find so pertinent?"
"I think that you are gambling as we speak." Gibbes smoothed her hand over her dark blue skirt and kept her eyes on the couple staring back. "I asked a few questions that led me to be relatively certain that you are the two that initially spoke with the witness, and now I wonder why you didn't inform anyone that a possible suspect was seen and where he was spotted."
Sara opened her mouth to defend her actions, but Grissom spoke before she could unintentionally give them away.
"Do you have any proof for what you are accusing, Agent Gibbes?"
Anger flashed over her features and she quenched the desire to snap back. "The tape of the casino was conveniently erased during that time period. Interesting wouldn't you both say?"
Disbelief washed over the investigators faces before they could compose themselves. Thompson must have erased the tape. But why?
"Thompson must have known that he was recognized..." Sara hesitated, realizing how that must sound. "By someone and gone back to erase the tape." She ignored Gibbes, speaking directly to Grissom. "Those tapes are kept in security, how did he manage to get to it without being caught?"
"The security guard claims that he was distracted by a fight in the lobby. He claims that he locked the door behind him and was only gone ten minutes." Gibbes stared at them with distrust. "I would like for you to come with me to the interview with Jeanette Woodward."
"For what purpose?" Grissom asked.
"I would like for the witness to identify you as being at the casino, taking possible evidence, and not calling in a lead."
Sara's eyes widened. "You must be joking! First off, there was no suspect according to you and if we did see someone who resembled Thompson, someplace, then on what grounds would we report it at that time?"
"Sara," Grissom reached for her elbow and nodded slowly. "We will go see this witness and have this cleared up, okay?"
Sara could not believe what Grissom was saying. He had to know that everything would be out in the open when this so called witness identified them as being at the casino, not to mention the fact that they took what could have been evidence and for all intents and purposes tampered with it. She looked into his eyes and saw the fear reflected there, but also something else, resolution.