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Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, don't stop now.
A Little Love
Chapter Two
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"Nothing!" Catherine walked into the bedroom where Grissom was knelt down in front of a chest drawer, "No blood, no hair, fibres not even a speck of dirt, this place has been wiped clean…Did you find anything?"
He didn't turn around while he spoke "Not yet".
She walked over to him and knelt beside him "What's so interesting about the chest?" she asked curiously.
"Not the chest…What's underneath it" he lifted a loose tile and stuck his hand into the space he produced a small, decorated box carved with pictures on the lid. He set it on the floor and opened it.
"He didn't want anyone to find this box…Everything about this guy is violent but this box, it's beautiful, hand carved. This is a side of him that's long gone" Catherine surmised, Polaroid's where in a neat pile inside the box she began flicking through them. "This might be our guy…Doesn't look like a killer does he?"
"They never do"
She bagged the photographs having only looked through the first few then they left the now empty house.
*
"Sara, the prints came back on your killer" Nick met up with her by the lounge they walked in and he sat down while Sara poured a cup of coffee.
"From the pouch?"
He nodded.
"Well Abby Peters said Anna's boyfriend had hold of the pouch".
"According to AFIS he's dead, was killed a little over two years ago in San Fran" he threw the folder on to the table, Sara sat down with the coffee, "How can this guy have dated the victims, or at least this last one and be dead?"
"He's not dead Nick though I thought he was" She set the cup on the table and stood up "How's you're case doing? Did you win the bet?" she asked changing the topic of conversation.
"Yeah the brother confessed an hour ago…You look tired".
"I'm fine nothing a coffee won't fix" she left the room leaving her coffee on the table.
*
Catherine sat in front in front of the computer having lifted one of the prints she now tried to match it, she looked through the photographs while the computer searched through the database; you look so happy she thought to herself. The pictures for the most part showed Timothy with a pretty young blonde about 18 years of age, he looked to be a little older than her, his brown hair dangling in front of his eyes; the picture of innocence. The computer bleeped signalling a match, "The boyfriend" she said out loud she printed the results and looked through the remaining photos whilst she waited. She looked at one of the photos, the next to last, a little closer. The girl in it looked to be about 17 years old, her mid length brown hair draped over her shoulders. The three people where smiling, their arms draped across each others shoulders, Timothy in the middle, Anna on the right, her head leaning on her boyfriend's shoulder, and Sara Sidle on the left.
*
"Hi Sara it's me…Again, I gave you a contact number the last time I phoned, why haven't you called me back? You're mad about San Francisco aren't you look I'm real sorry about that okay, I, I want to make amends. Let me make it up to you, let me take you out to dinner…There's this hot little Italian place I think you'd love, call me and give me you're address and I'll come pick you up and take you there. Please, call me"
"Why do you insist on haunting me?" Sara said to the phone as if Timothy could hear her, he'd called every two hours so her answering machine was crammed full with his messages, his smooth voice echoed in her mind. She unplugged the answering machine and sat down somewhat satisfied, the phone rang.
*
Catherine surveyed the area outside Sara's place, her car was parked outside so she was home but no one was answering the phone when she'd called a few minutes earlier, she dialled the number again this time the phone was engaged.
*
Grissom, Warrick and Nick sat around the table in the break room folders on the murders and the information on their suspect cluttered the table. "The only bit of evidence we have is Timothy Andrews fingerprint on the pouch found at the last crime scene, and he's supposed to be dead" Nick filled them in on his news.
"But he can't be dead because he was at the vic's apartment last night" Warrick added.
"The pouch only proves he was at the crime scene it doesn't prove he murdered her, Catherine and I went to Timothy's home earlier apart from a few photographs it was cleared out".
"Now if he didn't do anything why would he empty of his place?" Warrick asked.
"That's what I want you to find out, look through the victim's notebook according to the friend there should be a number in there somewhere", Grissom instructed him.
"You got it" He got up from the table and walked out of the room.
"What about me?" Nick asked, waiting impatiently for his orders.
"Find Catherine she was checking the prints on the photographs and that was an hour ago. Then I want you to look find anything you can on Timothy Andrews there has to be some reason records say he's deceased, start with the SFPD".
"Consider it done" he too left the room and got to work on the task at hand.
*
Tim…Timothy, what are you doing in Las Vegas?" Sara asked over the phone "The last time I saw you, you were dead".
"Yeah I know uh I didn't die, obviously cause if I had I wouldn't be talking to you now…I was in a coma for a while, I guess everyone thought I'd die, huh?"
"That's what they said" he didn't hear the disappointed tone in her voice.
"I woke up a week later and you were gone…Took me a while to find you, people don't give information freely anymore" he started laughing like he'd just made a huge joke, "Anyway how about that dinner?"
"I, I really can't Timothy –" she started to say. She started pacing up and down the phone cradled between her chin and her shoulder.
"Why!" he shouted, "Why do you insist on avoiding me?" he was angry, angry and murderous.
Catherine knocked softly on the door of Sara's apartment no one answered and the door was slightly ajar so she walked right in "Sara?"
"Timmy please calm down" Sara said in a calming voice "The only reason I can't see you is because I'm working –"
Catherine walked quietly into the room "Sara".
Sara dropped the phone in surprise and spun around "Don't you know how to knock?" she said in a voice a little harsher than she intended, she picked up the phone and switched it off.
"Sorry, the door was open and you didn't answer…Grissom and I went to the boyfriend's apartment today…Found some photo's…One in particular was quite interesting" she held the photo out to Sara who took it, "Doesn't look very good Sara".
"Where did you get this!" the photo was a copy of the one she had, the one she'd left in the interview room earlier that day.
"Under the floor boards of Timothy's apartment, why didn't you tell us you knew him?"
"I thought he was dead Catherine, If I'd have known I would've said something" she put the photo on the kitchen counter.
"Would you?" Catherine had to ask.
Sara looked at her an annoyed look now on her face "Of course I would…Why would you think otherwise?"
"Protecting a friend…"
"Timmy Andrews lost me as a friend a long time ago".
"Timmy?" Catherine's pager starting bleeping loudly interrupting them both "Its Nick…Can I use you're phone?"
Sara nodded and pointed to where it sat by the sofa, she went to sit down. As Catherine went to pick it up the phone rang, "Are you going to get that?" Catherine asked.
"Machine will pick it up".
Catherine held up the unplugged wire, "Really?"
*
"That's what I'm telling you man…I called SFPD and asked them what they knew about Timothy Andrews turns out its not just in Vegas that he's been picking up girls in, he was in San Francisco for a year. The last girl he tried to kill there survived his attack, she was being looked after by a CSI when he went to the hospital to finish the job…The CSI was Sara, she shot Timothy in self defence…Their faxing us everything they have".
Warrick shook his head in disbelief "That girl has a lot of explaining to do".
"Yes she does" Ecklie stood behind them arms folded and a huge smirk on his face.
*
"Why did put the phone down on me!" Timothy screamed
"Please just calm down…I'll go to dinner, okay?"
"Really?" he sounded like a teenager again, a teenager who'd just been told he had a date to the prom; he sounded so innocent, gentle, the person Sara had known when she was younger. Catherine waited for her to finish the conversation, "That was him wasn't it?" she demanded to know as soon as Sara had got off the phone.
"Yeah".
"Sara you just made a date with a murderer!"
"I had to he was going crazy, if I said no he would've gone after someone else…I know how to deal with him, I know what to expect…He used to be my friend, he won't hurt me" she said trying to reassure the other CSI.
"No, he just wants to date you".
TBC…