Chapter 21: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
"Don't you have other people to badger?" Elizabeth Clark hissed. She was clad in a nice blouse and tight jean pants. Her hair was a mass of curls this time like she managed to get her hair done. Funny how since her abusive boyfriend was gone she had the time to make herself up.
"Actually I like badgering you." I smiled again.
"Do you mind telling me why I am here?" She asked and she didn't try to hide her contempt.
"Just thought we could talk about how close you and Sara are."
"I am sure you care." Her words were bitter and sarcastic.
"But I do. I would just like to understand how you define friendship so I can fully understand."
"This is getting really old. I hate riddles Mr. Grissom and I hate you."
"Well I feel the same way about you so tell me what really happened and we won't have to see each other again." I leaned over the table. "Not that your word means anything to me, seeing as I don't trust you in the least."
"What's your problem Mr. Grissom?" Her voice got elevated with disgust. Good, I thought very good.
"Your my problem. I know what you did and I've got you." I said calmly.
She forced herself back into the chair and looked at me with pure hatred in her eyes. I started to wonder if it was just me she hated or the entire male population. No time for that though.
"You can't have me on anything if I didn't do anything wrong."
"Would you really let Sara go to prison for you? Is that what you call friendship?"
"What are you talking about? Sara isn't in any trouble. I know how it works Mr. Grissom. I may be a simple waitress without a college education but I know that no court will convict Sara. It has self-defense written all over it. Thomas was a jerk and with his history of assault charges, she'll be off before the end of the month."
"Nice fantasy, if the world really worked that way. What doesn't exactly fit into that theory is the fact that the judge has it in for Sara."
She took in a sharp breath. "What judge? Why?"
"Judge Randal Parks." I saw her release the breath she was holding. "Yes. Thomas's father. Sara killed his son so you can imagine his disgust. Granted he disowned his son and he was a loser, but a son is still a son."
"He can't do that besides like you said if his 'son' wasn't such a loser then he wouldn't be dead. Sara had every right to kill him."
"I know that, you know that, but he doesn't seem to care. And that really messes up your plan. That's what it was wasn't it, a plan. To kill your boyfriend and claim self-defense. Of course you yourself didn't have a gun so you called Sara. After all if you went and bought a gun that would imply premeditated murder. You shot him but didn't have the nerve to do it the whole way, so again Sara had to suffer. She had to pull you out of your mess and clean you off. Is this ringing any bells?" She didn't say a word so I continued. "Then let me keep going. You called her, right after shift coincidentally, when she would still have her gun and would come to help you. I can't believe that you would use her that way. You preyed on her compassion. How can you call yourself a friend?" I didn't plan on my last comments to materialize on my lips but I could no longer disguise my contempt.
"Nice fantasy yourself Mr. Grissom." She said trying to stay calm, but I could see the storm of fear ranging in her eyes.
"Oh mine isn't such a fantasy. I have all the proof I need to convict you for murder and an accomplice to Sara Sidle's attack."
"What proof?"
"Well your phone records for one. That call to Sara was interesting but even more so was the call to..." Catherine walked in just in time. Good now I had the evidence.
"Sorry did I interrupt?" She asked coolly.
"I was just about to get to your part."
"Well let me step in then."
"By all means." I pulled the chair beside me and Catherine took a seat.
"Miss Clark I have here your phone records. It shows that you called Judge Parks' house right before Sara's attack. You talked to Thomas I believe and that's when you told him that Sara was back in town and at the apartment, and you knew he would be there in a minute. You knew how much he hated Sara. After all she was stronger than him by leaving him, and he hated her for it."
Clark tensed up but relaxed. "I admit that I called Thomas at his father's house but that was so I could make sure he was still there and that Sara and I were safe to leave. I think you just filled in the blanks to fit your theory.."
"Judging by what you just said you didn't know about the phone tap."
Clark tensed again in her chair and even I did a double take. I wasn't planning on that at all. Nice surprises come in small packages.
"What phone tap?" She asked.
"The one put on his phone by the FBI because of his dirty dealings and misuse of taxpayers money. Well we got a hold of those tapes and we got your entire conversation. Would you like to hear it? Because I have it with me." Catherine started to fish out a small tape out of an evidence bag.
I smiled. Catherine really did a good job.
"I want a lawyer." Clark demanded through gritted teeth.
We looked at each other then back at Clark. "Of course." I said rising from my chair. "We have another appointment to attend anyway. I just want to know why you would hurt the one person that was there to help you. Sara offered you the help no one gave her. Why did you do that to her?"
"I don't owe you any explanation."
"No you don't but I just want to know what to tell Sara when I have to explain that her best friend set her up."
She rose from her chair and leaned over the table in my face. "You want to know why, I am sure you have seen my medical files; that's why. You have no idea what I had to live with."
"No I didn't but you could have just left. Sara was there to help you do that." I spit back in her face.
"And live in fear? You think Sara was peachy keen after she left him? She lived in fear Mr. Grissom. He would hunt me down too. It was only a matter of time before he found Sara."
"You don't know that. You were suppose to be her friend and you fed her to the wolves." The contempt in my voice no longer was disguised, and I didn't care.
"It wasn't suppose to be this way. I never wanted to hurt Sara."
"Well you did." I said coldly. "You have no idea how you hurt her. Officer arrest Miss Clark."
The officer came up behind Clark and pulled her into the cuffs.
"How is Sara?" Clark asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Save your tears for the jury Miss Clark. And don't worry about Sara, I think she has some very good friends, true friends, that can help her through your betrayal."
Clark was pulled away and out the door.
"And Miss Clark?" Catherine called after her.
"What?!" The tears running down her face.
"At trial avoid claiming self-defense, its not a black and white as you might think, especially in your case. Better go with justifiable homicide and hope for a sympathetic jury." She turned to me after Clark was lead away. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
"How did you know it was Clark?"
"No attempt to help Sara by calling someone, conveniently called her after shift, conveniently found her gun, and I knew she called Thomas."
"How?"
"I put myself in her shoes. She needed him to die so he had to be there. She just couldn't do it."
"How long have you known?"
"Right after you told me she called someone before Sara's attack. I figured that if she was innocent she would be packing not calling someone else, unless it was a setup."
"You knew about the phone tap too?"
"No. That was just icing on the cake." My eyes dropped to the floor.
"You're sure you're okay?"
I waited and consider my words. "I can't believe that I have to tell Sara what she did."
"We can tell her together after we finish up, if you like?"
"Thanks Cath but I need to tell her." I release the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Let's go. I think Nick and Warrick have brought in the our second accomplice in Sara's attack."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc...