This story is based on characters created by Anthony E. Zuiker for the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Ghost (Part 2/26)

by Cheers

Sunday Night, 10:17 PM

Sara Sidle unlocked Gil Grissom's office door and pushed the door open. Flipping on the light, she entered. "Grissom?"

The room was empty. There were files occupying both in and out boxes, a few forms on the desk blotter, and an empty coffee cup with the dregs now dry in the bottom. Grissom had not been here in a few days. That in and of itself was odd. Even on his days off, Grissom could be counted on to at least check into his office to feed his menagerie and make sure nothing big was happening without him. Not much got by him anyway.

Turning on her heel, Sara headed out of the office and back to the break room. Catherine Willows entered right behind her.

Warrick looked up at the two entering CSIs and closed his cellphone. He and Nick had been trying to raise Grissom on the phone. "He's not answering yet. We've tried his cell AND his home phone at least five times. He's not there."

"Well," Catherine informed the group now in the room. "He's not in the morgue and he hasn't checked in there since Friday."

"Has Doc Robbins seen him?" Warrick asked.

"Not since your boys' night out," she told him. "Which, by the way, you were going to tell us about when?" Catherine gave Sara an informing glance at this last.

Warrick looked at Nick with a 'we're busted' expression and shrugged. "It's a guy thing," was all he said.

Nick held up the case slips from the reception desk, hoping to hopscotch over the guys'-night-out issue and get back to the boss. "We have three calls pending and Krista says she has over a dozen messages waiting for Gris. No one's seen him in a few days."

"His office is the same," Sara said. "No signs of life in there for a couple of days either."

"Yeah," Nick continued, "and he hasn't called in to get his messages. He hasn't answered his pager either. Krista said they actually had to page Eckley on Saturday because an issue with the Caldwell case couldn't wait."

"And Eckley didn't bother to tell any of us?" Warrick asked, his contempt for the day shift supervisor barely contained.

Sara was really worried now. "That doesn't sound right. It's not like Grissom to give a case the brush-off."

Catherine didn't like the sound of that either. "No, it isn't."

They all paused for a moment. The silence was a bit tense in its implication. Where the hell was Gil Grissom and why didn't any of them know?

Warrick was the first person to speak into the tentative silence. "You don't think..."

They all looked at him.

"What?" Catherine asked.

Warrick stared into the room without really looking at any of them. "Well, Gris once told me that he was a ghost in high school."

"Yeah, I remember that," Nick said. "So?"

Warrick gave a half shrug. "Remember the shift he assigned me as acting supervisor?"

Sara and Nick nodded meaningfully.

"When he got back he told me he did that to see if I could step in when he left CSI. He said that when he left there wouldn't be any cake in the break room. He'd just be gone, like a ghost."

Warrick fell silent again and could tell the wheels were whirring in the heads of the present company. He looked at Catherine and prayed that the expression on his face was open enough that she would know he wasn't try to step on her toes. Catherine was next in line for the job of night shift supervisor and everyone knew that. What Grissom was thinking when he had Warrick sub was anyone's guess. Warrick just wanted to be as accurate as possible. Under the circumstances, it seemed like the most appropriate way to relay information. Grissom was enough of an enigma as it was.

Sara had folded her arms and was scowling. "That's crap," she said. "Like he can just walk off and no one would notice or care?"

Nick felt the same way. "Grissom actually said that?"

Warrick nodded.

"That is so bogus." This last came from Greg Sanders who was standing at the door. He had quietly opened the door and listened to the conversation for several minutes undetected. Now everyone was looking at Greg. He sheepishly took another step into the room and let the door close behind him. Technically, he wasn't a CSI but he had been a part of the night shift team for long enough to want to be included. Grissom hadn't checked in the lab for two days now. That, in and of itself, was weird. The conversation in the break room only made that fact weirder.

Catherine opened her mouth to say something to the lab technician and instantly thought better of it. Greg Sanders had as much right to be there as any of the CSIs on the shift. She was the one who had told Gil that as the supervisor people would build a family around him whether he liked it or not. Who was she to say who got to be a member of the family?

"All right," Catherine said. "Let's do this the logical way."

"How's that?" Warrick replied.

"First things first," Catherine told them all. "Nick, what cases do we have tonight?"

Nick looked at the assignment slips. "There's a 411A, recovered vehicle on Blue Diamond Road, a 407, attempted robbery at the Citgo on Trop by the San Remo, and a 403, possible prowler, at the Avendale Apartments on Decatur."

Catherine nodded and thought for a moment. There wasn't anything there that would require them to double up. That was good. "Okay," she said, making some quick decisions. "Nick, you take the 411."

"Got it," Nick said.

"Warrick," Catherine continued, "take the 403."

"I'm on it."

Turning to Sara, Catherine said, "Sara, take the 407."

Sara took the assignment slip from Nick and looked at it. "I'm there. But..." Sara looked up at Catherine.

"I'm going over to Grissom's house. I'll call Brass and have him meet me there. If there's anything, I'll let you know." Catherine had said this to the whole company. She was as concerned as they were. Maybe more. Grissom just didn't disappear. He didn't just not come to work. He didn't just not check in. Not the Gil Grissom that she knew. Something wasn't right and Catherine sure as hell wanted to know what.

No one had moved. They all wanted to go with her and she knew it. "Look," she told them. "Until we know anything we do our jobs. The sooner everyone clears their plates the sooner we have the extra hands if we need them."

This made sense to everyone and they all began to move. Grissom would have done exactly the same. They would do their jobs until finding Grissom became their job. Until then, the city of Las Vegas demanded some attention.