Chapter 6
He was confused, but there had to be an explanation. He had waited for her
all this time. She understood him, and he understood her. He knew
everything about her. 'Sara, Sara. Why did you hang up the phone. Those
bastards you work with made you do it didn't they. It wasn't your fault.
You love me. Don't worry, we'll be away from here soon. You won't have to
put up with them. We'll be ok, because it will be just us. No-one else.'
'That's it.'
'You sure?'
'I don't think I'm ever going to forget that conversation.'
'Alright. You've told us what he said on the phone, but,' Warrick wanted to be careful here. They couldn't risk having Sara refuse to explain the comments about Justin, 'what did he mean about the way Justin treated you?'
Sara knew this question had been coming, she had been thinking about it but she still had no idea how to answer it. As a result, she spoke slowly and carefully. Not because she was trying to present the facts in a favorable light, she knew that could impact on the investigation, but because she was scared of what she was going to have to say. 'Justin had a temper. He was fairly..volatile.'
It didn't take much for the others to figure out what she was saying. Grissom and Nick were sitting closest to her. Gil was the first one to speak, 'He hit you, didn't he?' It wasn't really a question, it was more of a statement. She nodded her head in response.
'How did it start?'
'A friend introduced us at a party. It was just after I moved back to San Francisco. At that time, Justin was a CSI in San Francisco. He helped me get my job'.
'You didn't need any help getting a job Sara, you're a brilliant CSI and you were at the top of your year at Harvard.' Normally this kind of praise from Grissom would have thrilled Sara, right now she barely noticed it.
'Justin's brother got caught up in a gang. He couldn't take cases because he couldn't investigate his brother. Eventually he just quit, it was more than just his brother. He had stopped loving the job a couple of months before that had even started. By then I was living with him, and I was still working as a CSI. One day I was handed a case, the victim was Justin's brother. When I told Justin he was devastated, he blamed himself. But when I couldn't find the killer, he started to blame me. The first time we really fought, he slapped me across the face. I walked out.'
'That's good, Sara, lots of people don't.' The minute Catherine had said this she realized that she may have spoken to soon.
'But I went back, and I stayed for another 3 or 4 months. I guess I blamed myself as well, Justin's brother was a great kid. I re-opened the case. The gangs found out and threatened Justin, in return Justin and I, had a fight.'
'You mean he hit you.'
'Yeah, it wasn't exactly an uncommon event.'
'So, what made you leave', asked Warrick.
'One day my cousin came over, she was really upset. Her mother died when she was little, I was like her older sister. She went to gave me hug and I grimaced from the pain. I couldn't even comfort the one person I had always promised to be there for. After she left, I grabbed some clothes and got out. I got some money, jumped on a plane, and ended up in Miami, then Boston, a couple of other places. Eventually I went back to San Francisco Criminalistics. That was about a year before I came here.' They were all surprised by how recent it was.
'Hold on, you were working with other CSI's, didn't any of them guess?'
'Justin was originally a CSI as well, he knew not to bruise the face or appear controlling. If any of my friends asked me I'd just tell them that I got mugged or something.'
'They believed you.'
'Despite what you think Grissom, I can be a surprisingly good liar.'
'Thank you for telling us Sara.'
'Hey, I have a thing about being killed, I'd prefer it not to happen. So, I guess I had to tell you.'
'So what does this mean?' Nick asked.
'Same thing as the eyelash.' Grissom stated.
'He's in control, he has the power.' Sara responded.
'How do you figure that.'
'Because knowledge is power, and he knows all about me.'
'That's it.'
'You sure?'
'I don't think I'm ever going to forget that conversation.'
'Alright. You've told us what he said on the phone, but,' Warrick wanted to be careful here. They couldn't risk having Sara refuse to explain the comments about Justin, 'what did he mean about the way Justin treated you?'
Sara knew this question had been coming, she had been thinking about it but she still had no idea how to answer it. As a result, she spoke slowly and carefully. Not because she was trying to present the facts in a favorable light, she knew that could impact on the investigation, but because she was scared of what she was going to have to say. 'Justin had a temper. He was fairly..volatile.'
It didn't take much for the others to figure out what she was saying. Grissom and Nick were sitting closest to her. Gil was the first one to speak, 'He hit you, didn't he?' It wasn't really a question, it was more of a statement. She nodded her head in response.
'How did it start?'
'A friend introduced us at a party. It was just after I moved back to San Francisco. At that time, Justin was a CSI in San Francisco. He helped me get my job'.
'You didn't need any help getting a job Sara, you're a brilliant CSI and you were at the top of your year at Harvard.' Normally this kind of praise from Grissom would have thrilled Sara, right now she barely noticed it.
'Justin's brother got caught up in a gang. He couldn't take cases because he couldn't investigate his brother. Eventually he just quit, it was more than just his brother. He had stopped loving the job a couple of months before that had even started. By then I was living with him, and I was still working as a CSI. One day I was handed a case, the victim was Justin's brother. When I told Justin he was devastated, he blamed himself. But when I couldn't find the killer, he started to blame me. The first time we really fought, he slapped me across the face. I walked out.'
'That's good, Sara, lots of people don't.' The minute Catherine had said this she realized that she may have spoken to soon.
'But I went back, and I stayed for another 3 or 4 months. I guess I blamed myself as well, Justin's brother was a great kid. I re-opened the case. The gangs found out and threatened Justin, in return Justin and I, had a fight.'
'You mean he hit you.'
'Yeah, it wasn't exactly an uncommon event.'
'So, what made you leave', asked Warrick.
'One day my cousin came over, she was really upset. Her mother died when she was little, I was like her older sister. She went to gave me hug and I grimaced from the pain. I couldn't even comfort the one person I had always promised to be there for. After she left, I grabbed some clothes and got out. I got some money, jumped on a plane, and ended up in Miami, then Boston, a couple of other places. Eventually I went back to San Francisco Criminalistics. That was about a year before I came here.' They were all surprised by how recent it was.
'Hold on, you were working with other CSI's, didn't any of them guess?'
'Justin was originally a CSI as well, he knew not to bruise the face or appear controlling. If any of my friends asked me I'd just tell them that I got mugged or something.'
'They believed you.'
'Despite what you think Grissom, I can be a surprisingly good liar.'
'Thank you for telling us Sara.'
'Hey, I have a thing about being killed, I'd prefer it not to happen. So, I guess I had to tell you.'
'So what does this mean?' Nick asked.
'Same thing as the eyelash.' Grissom stated.
'He's in control, he has the power.' Sara responded.
'How do you figure that.'
'Because knowledge is power, and he knows all about me.'