Continued from chapter four.
Disclaimers, notes in chapter one. Thanks for the continued feedback and support! Much virtual candy goes to Amber and Midnight Caller for their motivational techniques.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
07:30
Clark County Jail
There were 5,142 tiny holes in the ceiling panels above Sara's cell. She knew this because she had spent the last sixteen hours counting them; she had even done a proof for it in her head.
Other than that she had sat in the darkness, the only light in the room coming from the thin strip of plexiglass in the door to the hall outside her cell. She sat on the cot, her back pressed against the block wall. She had been in the same position since the previous evening; she had only moved twice, once to use the restroom and the other to call her lawyer. She had tried to reach Grissom, but had only gotten his voice mail. She shifted uncomfortably. She had tried to sleep, but her racing thoughts and atypical schedule made than an impossibility. She wrapped her arms around herself; the chill in the room was only emphasized by the cotton garment she was given to wear after she had been incarcerated. She was cold, she was stressed, and the gnawing in her stomach was only increasing. She had chosen to skip dinner and now her stomach was eating away at itself.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, only to reopen them when she heard the bolt slide on the door. She sat up straight as a uniformed officer entered, but sat back again as she saw Grissom come in behind him. He approached while the guard stood opposite from them. Instead of looking at Grissom Sara bent her head, limp hair falling into her face.
Grissom immediately recognized the body language; she wasn't crying, but angry. Her posture just conveyed that she was too tired to address it in her usual straightforward way. He took another step toward her. "Sara." No response. "Sara, look at me." He said, louder this time.
She looked up, her eyes dark and her lips pressed into a firm line. "It's about time you showed up," she stated without a hint of humor.
"I have a job to do." As soon as he saw her reaction he knew that was the wrong thing to say.
Her face blanched and she looked as though she might burst into tears, but instead she settled for a chilly "At least some of us do."
He met her angry stare with a neutral one. He reminded himself that in a course of three days Sara had lost her job, been arrested, and now had been through the demeaning experience of being incarcerated. He took a deep breath before replying. "You know that's not what I meant."
She regarded him a moment before softening her expression. "I know."
They looked at each other for a few silent moments before Grissom spoke again. "They granted the ROR."
Sara sighed, relieved. "So, I'm free?"
"Pending the outcome of the trial." He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. They walked to where the guard was holding the door open now. Sara winced under the bright light of the hallway. Grissom took in her appearance; the cotton jumpsuit hung loosely on her light frame and for the first time he saw bags under her eyes. She looked terrible.
The guard handed her a bag. "You need to change. Your clothes are in there and your other personal effects are in the manila envelope."
"Thanks." Sara motioned down the hall. "I'll meet you in the car, Grissom." She watched him walk away before pushing open the door to the restroom.
He sat in the car as she approached. He pressed the button to unlock the passenger door and she nearly leapt in. Once she had clasped her seatbelt she leaned back, looking happy to be anywhere other than where she just was. As he turned the key in the ignition he paused. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Relatively, yes."
"You're overdressed." He said lightly She was now back in the same clothes as she had worn to the hearing the yesterday. It seemed like days ago now.
She nodded and watched the traffic outside her window. "I can't wait to go home, put on some warm clothes, and sleep." She turned toward him as she saw a highway marker flash by. "This isn't the way to my apartment."
Grissom fumbled behind him with one arm and slid a small luggage bag from the back seat. He slid it onto her lap.
"This is mine." Sara said, confused.
"You are astute. I knew you kept an extra change of clothes in your locker." Grissom watched as Sara raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "I'd like you to come home with me." He smiled as he watched her reaction. "Catherine, Warrick, and Nick are coming over. I'd appreciate their help on this and they've agreed to donate some of their off time to your case."
Sara suddenly appeared uncomfortable. "I'm grateful for that, really, but I don't know if I'm ready to...process...this."
"You don't have time to not process it, Sara. I know what an overwhelming experience this must be for you, but take the last twenty-four hours and then imagine spending every day for the rest of your life like that."
Sara nodded and averted her eyes back to the street. They sat in silence for several minutes. The scenery changed again. They were in a residental area now; she recognized it as Grissom's complex. As they pulled into the driveway she reached over with her left hand and rested it on his knee. He looked down and watched her fingers tighten slightly, then returned his attention to her face. She spoke softly. "I just wanted to say thank you again. I'm sorry about earlier. I was trapped in my head, I had a bad night, and I felt alone. You're the only one..."
Grissom cut her off. "I thought you were fairly passive. I've seen angry Sara and that wasn't it." At her smile he continued, "I'm sorry for not getting there sooner. It was a busy shift and I can't be seen giving this precedence. If I have any hope of helping to clear you I have to be as objective as possible."
"I know." She removed her hand and opened the car door. She grabbed her bag and walked up the path to his front door. She waited while he fumbled for his key. As they stepped into the foyer the cool air blasted against her face. "It's cold in here."
"I can turn the air off."
"That's okay. Can I borrow a sweater or something?"
Grissom walked toward his bedroom. "Do you want to take a shower?"
She laughed mirthlessly. "Had one at check-in."
"Ah." He threw her a navy-blue sweatshirt. As she pulled it over her head she noticed it smelled of him.
"When are the others getting here?"
"Noon. It's a little after eight now. You could take a nap if you wanted." He offered.
"Yeah, cool." She suddenly couldn't keep her eyes open. "Do you have an extra blanket? I'll crash on the couch."
Grissom thought for a moment. "You can take the bed. My couch is hard as a rock. It essentially only has aesthetic value."
Sara looked at him, her face wary. "I don't want to take your bed from you. You need to sleep, too."
"No, I have some things to do. Really, take it."
"Okay." She responded softly. She surprised both of them by crossing over to him and resting her hands on his sides. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the side of the mouth. His curious eyes met her unreadable ones. As she turned to go get ready for bed she felt a hand encircle her wrist. She pivoted around and felt Grissom's lips capture hers, his hands trailing down her sides to land on her waist. She felt him deepen the kiss and she responded in kind, the contact making every nerve ending in her body on edge. She ran her hands up his back until her hands rested just under his shoulder blades. She reveled in the sensation for almost a full minute before she pulled back; the realization of what was happening struck her. She stepped back a foot and regarded Grissom, who looked slightly dazed. Sara spoke again. "I'm not sure we should be doing that right now."
"I'm sorry."
She smiled at the irony. "There have been so many times I've waited to hear those words from you, but this is not one of them."
He understood. "Later." It was an agreement, not an appointment. It could be that night, a week, or even a year. They couldn't afford to be distracted and the revelation of a relationship could be crippling to Grissom's participation in her case. He met her eyes again. "I'm going to go." He motioned toward the living room.
Sara nodded and sat on the bed, pulling off her shoes and she watched him leave. Any thought on what had just happened would have to wait; her exhaustion was suffocating now. She turned back the blanket and crawled underneath, burying her nose in Grissom's pillow. She felt warm for the first time in days.
12:10 PM
The doorbell rang and Grissom rose to answer it, pushing the folders on his lap onto the coffee table. He had spent the last four hours searching for some kind of break in the reports he had been given, but they seemed clean of any loopholes. Too clean. He reached the door and looked through the peephole to see his three colleagues. He unlatched the bolt and swung it open. "Hey."
"Hey." Catherine echoed as she walked into the living room, Nick and Warrick right behind her. She looked around the room. "Sara not here yet?"
"She's here." Sara said groggily from the hallway. The others looked up to see their friend and former co-worker rubbing her eyes; mussed hair completing the look set by her own pajama pants and Grissom's oversized sweatshirt.
Catherine looked at Grissom who looked back with no discernable expresssion. She returned her attention to Sara. "How are you?" She asked, internally wincing at how shallow her greeting sounded.
Sara shrugged and gave a self-conscious half smile at the awkwardness of the exchange. She was diverted on her path to the couch by Nick. "Hey Sara."
She smiled at his earnest expression. "Hey Nick."
"I'm really sorry about everything. We'll figure it out though, I promise." He gave her a quick hug. Warrick nodded and did the same.
"Thanks, guys." She spotted Grissom on the couch and immediately gravitated to him. Seeing books, papers, and pictures laid out on the remaining cushions she sat on the floor next to his legs. She watched as Catherine took the chair across from them and Nick and Warrick each took a stool from the bar in the kitchen. There was silence for a few moments before Grissom spoke.
"So, let's get started." He handed each person a sheet of paper. It was a copy of the original eyewitness report; the only difference was that the names of the witness and of the complaintant were blacked out. "I'm starting with this because it's the most subjective. The witness said they saw Sara introduce the sample post collection. The report is vague enough as to be almost dismissable, but the timeframe and context seem to fit in with the videotape. I think if we can find the key to one we can unlock both of them."
"What about the computer login records?" Nick asked.
"Same thing. If anything the login reports only tell me she was doing her job. If Sara didn't force an inconclusive--" Sara looked up at him; he rested a hand on her shoulder as reassurance "--the only thing she's guilty of is diligence. It's why this hasn't seemed right to me from the beginning."
Warrick shook his head. "Man, they have a strong case, yet no case at all."
Catherine noticed that Grissom had yet to remove his hand from Sara's shoulder. "Is there anyone in the lab that might have issues with you? Anyone who might want to get you in trouble?"
"It's all I've been thinking about. I don't think so. I don't know any of them outside of work. I've never had any contact with them that was less than professional. They do their work; I do mine."
"And that doesn't explain the tape." Nick reminded.
"It has to be a forgery." Warrick said, matter of fact.
Grissom shook his head. "I took it to Archie in A/V. He said he couldn't rule out that it was a fake, but the watermarks look to be authentic. It's very difficult to forge those without access to high-end editing equipment. That doesn't rule it out, but when you take into account that the same person would also have to have access to our surveillance system and have the motive--it's stacked against us there."
Catherine directed a question at Grissom. "Did you rewatch the tape?"
"Multiple times. I even examined the tapes from other parts of the building...the entrance, DNA, ballistics, anywhere she might have gone that shift."
The room fell into silence, each of them deep in thought. Grissom absently brushed Sara's hair back from where his hand rested. He felt her tense slightly as his fingers grazed her neck. He pulled them back and glanced at the back of her head. A clip she had worn the previous day still held some of her hair; the loose strands gave her a rather charming disheveled look. He narrowed his eyes in recollection of something he had seen only a short time ago. Sara jumped as he stood to his feet quickly, dislodging most of the paperwork sitting beside him. Startled, the rest of the team looked at him. He gave Sara an uncharacteristically big grin.
"I think I know how to clear you."
TBC
Disclaimers, notes in chapter one. Thanks for the continued feedback and support! Much virtual candy goes to Amber and Midnight Caller for their motivational techniques.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
07:30
Clark County Jail
There were 5,142 tiny holes in the ceiling panels above Sara's cell. She knew this because she had spent the last sixteen hours counting them; she had even done a proof for it in her head.
Other than that she had sat in the darkness, the only light in the room coming from the thin strip of plexiglass in the door to the hall outside her cell. She sat on the cot, her back pressed against the block wall. She had been in the same position since the previous evening; she had only moved twice, once to use the restroom and the other to call her lawyer. She had tried to reach Grissom, but had only gotten his voice mail. She shifted uncomfortably. She had tried to sleep, but her racing thoughts and atypical schedule made than an impossibility. She wrapped her arms around herself; the chill in the room was only emphasized by the cotton garment she was given to wear after she had been incarcerated. She was cold, she was stressed, and the gnawing in her stomach was only increasing. She had chosen to skip dinner and now her stomach was eating away at itself.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, only to reopen them when she heard the bolt slide on the door. She sat up straight as a uniformed officer entered, but sat back again as she saw Grissom come in behind him. He approached while the guard stood opposite from them. Instead of looking at Grissom Sara bent her head, limp hair falling into her face.
Grissom immediately recognized the body language; she wasn't crying, but angry. Her posture just conveyed that she was too tired to address it in her usual straightforward way. He took another step toward her. "Sara." No response. "Sara, look at me." He said, louder this time.
She looked up, her eyes dark and her lips pressed into a firm line. "It's about time you showed up," she stated without a hint of humor.
"I have a job to do." As soon as he saw her reaction he knew that was the wrong thing to say.
Her face blanched and she looked as though she might burst into tears, but instead she settled for a chilly "At least some of us do."
He met her angry stare with a neutral one. He reminded himself that in a course of three days Sara had lost her job, been arrested, and now had been through the demeaning experience of being incarcerated. He took a deep breath before replying. "You know that's not what I meant."
She regarded him a moment before softening her expression. "I know."
They looked at each other for a few silent moments before Grissom spoke again. "They granted the ROR."
Sara sighed, relieved. "So, I'm free?"
"Pending the outcome of the trial." He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. They walked to where the guard was holding the door open now. Sara winced under the bright light of the hallway. Grissom took in her appearance; the cotton jumpsuit hung loosely on her light frame and for the first time he saw bags under her eyes. She looked terrible.
The guard handed her a bag. "You need to change. Your clothes are in there and your other personal effects are in the manila envelope."
"Thanks." Sara motioned down the hall. "I'll meet you in the car, Grissom." She watched him walk away before pushing open the door to the restroom.
He sat in the car as she approached. He pressed the button to unlock the passenger door and she nearly leapt in. Once she had clasped her seatbelt she leaned back, looking happy to be anywhere other than where she just was. As he turned the key in the ignition he paused. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Relatively, yes."
"You're overdressed." He said lightly She was now back in the same clothes as she had worn to the hearing the yesterday. It seemed like days ago now.
She nodded and watched the traffic outside her window. "I can't wait to go home, put on some warm clothes, and sleep." She turned toward him as she saw a highway marker flash by. "This isn't the way to my apartment."
Grissom fumbled behind him with one arm and slid a small luggage bag from the back seat. He slid it onto her lap.
"This is mine." Sara said, confused.
"You are astute. I knew you kept an extra change of clothes in your locker." Grissom watched as Sara raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "I'd like you to come home with me." He smiled as he watched her reaction. "Catherine, Warrick, and Nick are coming over. I'd appreciate their help on this and they've agreed to donate some of their off time to your case."
Sara suddenly appeared uncomfortable. "I'm grateful for that, really, but I don't know if I'm ready to...process...this."
"You don't have time to not process it, Sara. I know what an overwhelming experience this must be for you, but take the last twenty-four hours and then imagine spending every day for the rest of your life like that."
Sara nodded and averted her eyes back to the street. They sat in silence for several minutes. The scenery changed again. They were in a residental area now; she recognized it as Grissom's complex. As they pulled into the driveway she reached over with her left hand and rested it on his knee. He looked down and watched her fingers tighten slightly, then returned his attention to her face. She spoke softly. "I just wanted to say thank you again. I'm sorry about earlier. I was trapped in my head, I had a bad night, and I felt alone. You're the only one..."
Grissom cut her off. "I thought you were fairly passive. I've seen angry Sara and that wasn't it." At her smile he continued, "I'm sorry for not getting there sooner. It was a busy shift and I can't be seen giving this precedence. If I have any hope of helping to clear you I have to be as objective as possible."
"I know." She removed her hand and opened the car door. She grabbed her bag and walked up the path to his front door. She waited while he fumbled for his key. As they stepped into the foyer the cool air blasted against her face. "It's cold in here."
"I can turn the air off."
"That's okay. Can I borrow a sweater or something?"
Grissom walked toward his bedroom. "Do you want to take a shower?"
She laughed mirthlessly. "Had one at check-in."
"Ah." He threw her a navy-blue sweatshirt. As she pulled it over her head she noticed it smelled of him.
"When are the others getting here?"
"Noon. It's a little after eight now. You could take a nap if you wanted." He offered.
"Yeah, cool." She suddenly couldn't keep her eyes open. "Do you have an extra blanket? I'll crash on the couch."
Grissom thought for a moment. "You can take the bed. My couch is hard as a rock. It essentially only has aesthetic value."
Sara looked at him, her face wary. "I don't want to take your bed from you. You need to sleep, too."
"No, I have some things to do. Really, take it."
"Okay." She responded softly. She surprised both of them by crossing over to him and resting her hands on his sides. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the side of the mouth. His curious eyes met her unreadable ones. As she turned to go get ready for bed she felt a hand encircle her wrist. She pivoted around and felt Grissom's lips capture hers, his hands trailing down her sides to land on her waist. She felt him deepen the kiss and she responded in kind, the contact making every nerve ending in her body on edge. She ran her hands up his back until her hands rested just under his shoulder blades. She reveled in the sensation for almost a full minute before she pulled back; the realization of what was happening struck her. She stepped back a foot and regarded Grissom, who looked slightly dazed. Sara spoke again. "I'm not sure we should be doing that right now."
"I'm sorry."
She smiled at the irony. "There have been so many times I've waited to hear those words from you, but this is not one of them."
He understood. "Later." It was an agreement, not an appointment. It could be that night, a week, or even a year. They couldn't afford to be distracted and the revelation of a relationship could be crippling to Grissom's participation in her case. He met her eyes again. "I'm going to go." He motioned toward the living room.
Sara nodded and sat on the bed, pulling off her shoes and she watched him leave. Any thought on what had just happened would have to wait; her exhaustion was suffocating now. She turned back the blanket and crawled underneath, burying her nose in Grissom's pillow. She felt warm for the first time in days.
12:10 PM
The doorbell rang and Grissom rose to answer it, pushing the folders on his lap onto the coffee table. He had spent the last four hours searching for some kind of break in the reports he had been given, but they seemed clean of any loopholes. Too clean. He reached the door and looked through the peephole to see his three colleagues. He unlatched the bolt and swung it open. "Hey."
"Hey." Catherine echoed as she walked into the living room, Nick and Warrick right behind her. She looked around the room. "Sara not here yet?"
"She's here." Sara said groggily from the hallway. The others looked up to see their friend and former co-worker rubbing her eyes; mussed hair completing the look set by her own pajama pants and Grissom's oversized sweatshirt.
Catherine looked at Grissom who looked back with no discernable expresssion. She returned her attention to Sara. "How are you?" She asked, internally wincing at how shallow her greeting sounded.
Sara shrugged and gave a self-conscious half smile at the awkwardness of the exchange. She was diverted on her path to the couch by Nick. "Hey Sara."
She smiled at his earnest expression. "Hey Nick."
"I'm really sorry about everything. We'll figure it out though, I promise." He gave her a quick hug. Warrick nodded and did the same.
"Thanks, guys." She spotted Grissom on the couch and immediately gravitated to him. Seeing books, papers, and pictures laid out on the remaining cushions she sat on the floor next to his legs. She watched as Catherine took the chair across from them and Nick and Warrick each took a stool from the bar in the kitchen. There was silence for a few moments before Grissom spoke.
"So, let's get started." He handed each person a sheet of paper. It was a copy of the original eyewitness report; the only difference was that the names of the witness and of the complaintant were blacked out. "I'm starting with this because it's the most subjective. The witness said they saw Sara introduce the sample post collection. The report is vague enough as to be almost dismissable, but the timeframe and context seem to fit in with the videotape. I think if we can find the key to one we can unlock both of them."
"What about the computer login records?" Nick asked.
"Same thing. If anything the login reports only tell me she was doing her job. If Sara didn't force an inconclusive--" Sara looked up at him; he rested a hand on her shoulder as reassurance "--the only thing she's guilty of is diligence. It's why this hasn't seemed right to me from the beginning."
Warrick shook his head. "Man, they have a strong case, yet no case at all."
Catherine noticed that Grissom had yet to remove his hand from Sara's shoulder. "Is there anyone in the lab that might have issues with you? Anyone who might want to get you in trouble?"
"It's all I've been thinking about. I don't think so. I don't know any of them outside of work. I've never had any contact with them that was less than professional. They do their work; I do mine."
"And that doesn't explain the tape." Nick reminded.
"It has to be a forgery." Warrick said, matter of fact.
Grissom shook his head. "I took it to Archie in A/V. He said he couldn't rule out that it was a fake, but the watermarks look to be authentic. It's very difficult to forge those without access to high-end editing equipment. That doesn't rule it out, but when you take into account that the same person would also have to have access to our surveillance system and have the motive--it's stacked against us there."
Catherine directed a question at Grissom. "Did you rewatch the tape?"
"Multiple times. I even examined the tapes from other parts of the building...the entrance, DNA, ballistics, anywhere she might have gone that shift."
The room fell into silence, each of them deep in thought. Grissom absently brushed Sara's hair back from where his hand rested. He felt her tense slightly as his fingers grazed her neck. He pulled them back and glanced at the back of her head. A clip she had worn the previous day still held some of her hair; the loose strands gave her a rather charming disheveled look. He narrowed his eyes in recollection of something he had seen only a short time ago. Sara jumped as he stood to his feet quickly, dislodging most of the paperwork sitting beside him. Startled, the rest of the team looked at him. He gave Sara an uncharacteristically big grin.
"I think I know how to clear you."
TBC