Chapter 5
Grissom and Catherine walked back to their room in silence. Unspoken words electrified the air around them. Grissom sensed that there was something Catherine wanted to tell him. She was never one to bite her tongue, so the silence worried him slightly. Without looking down, he stretched his fingers a bit, making sure that she was, indeed, still holding his hand. He was sure that her hand in his could be justified as one of the most natural occurances in the world--it just felt right...perfect. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned towards her. She was moving her head about, curiosity playing along her features. She appeared to be looking for something, almost afraid of finding it. She looked scared... Grissom tried to shake off his concern and gently rubbed his thumb along her palm. When he succeeded in gaining her attention, he extended his free hand towards her, palm up.
Her features lightened and she asked jokingly, "Do you want to hold my other hand too?"
"Actually, I was hoping that you had the room key." He could feel the flush rising up his neck.
"Of course." She smiled, reluctantly loosened her hand from his, and reached into her pocket, pulling the silver key out. "Voila." Catherine was trying her best to hide her emotions from him. She hoped he didn't notice that anything was wrong. She wasn't sure if she could deal with this right now. There was still a lot to process before gauging his reaction.
"Thank you madam." He unlocked the door and held it open for her as she entered the room. When they were both inside, Grissom pulled the door shut behind him and moved to position himself in front of Catherine. "Now...," he sighed, "...you're going to tell me what's wrong."
"What?" She tried to move past him, but he stepped forward a bit and placed his arm on the wall behind her, effectively trapping her in place. "Grissom..Gil...it's nothing." She cleared her throat and spoke again, aware that her previous statement didn't sound convincing enough. "Nothing's wrong."
Her response didn't seem to phase him. "Tell me, Cat."
"I can't." She immediately saw the hurt in his eyes at her last remark. ~He thinks I don't trust him. Oh God, Gil, I do.~
A defeated look overtook his face as he stepped away from her. She reached blindly for him, grabbing onto the edge of his shirt. "Gil..I.."
"Catherine..."
"I.."
"Talk to me," he whispered.
"I.."
"Please?"
Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I know who did it."
"What? Who? Catherine, what are you talking about?"
A lone tear slipped down her cheek. "The sheriff...he...he killed those people, Gil. He did it. I know he did."
He was shocked by what she was saying. ~The sheriff? How does she know this? Did he tell her? Did he hurt her?~ His hands found her shoulders, and he pulled her to his body. He didn't want to push her, but he needed answers. And he needed them now... "It's o.k., sweetheart...tell me what happened."
"I...I didn't realize it until just a few minutes ago. I was...thinking about the case.." Nervous and scared, she was tripping over her words. "..and I remembered."
"Remembered, what?" Grissom pulled back to look into her eyes. He wiped the tears from her face and stroked her hair.
"I knew...I knew that something was off with him. I just couldn't place it. I brought up the murders--just that I had heard some people talking about them and that I thought that it was tragic. And he grinned, Gil."
Knowing that this was effecting her deeply, he tried to choose his words gently. "You can't convict the man for grinning, Cat. I noticed it too. He always had that silly smirk plastered on his face. That doesn't mean that he---"
"God, I know that Gil! That's not it. He told me...he mentioned what the murder weapon was for the first victim. A shoelace. Used to strangle her.."
Grissom's eyes widened as he shook his head fervently. "The murder weapon for the first victim has yet to be determined.." His voice dropped off.
"Exactly. But, he KNEW, Gris. He knew what it was."
"Cath, there could be some sort of mistake." He was trying to think of something logical..anything logical...
"No, Grissom. You know there's not. You...know."
"I can't crunch evidence to fit a theory, Cat. And right now, this is a theory."
"God damnit, Grissom, this is NOT a theory! We had nothing on this case. We have something--someone--now. We've got to go with it."
"Cat.."
"Grissom. There's more." Her mind was running in overdrive. Her lips couldn't seem to keep up with her thoughts.
"Remember the unidentified substance that was found on all of the victims?"
He nodded his head in realization. "His hair.."
"Yes." She was still scared to death, but excitement now ran through her veins. They were getting close.. "Grease...or gel...or whatever...it was caked on."
He looked down at his hand, remembering the sticky film from their handshake earlier. "But, he was at all of those scenes, Catherine."
"I understand that. But, he shouldn't have touched the victims. And, if he had, he would have been required to wear gloves. This substance was found on all of the victims--every scene."
Grissom pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. "Think we should call Greg and see if he has a reading on our mystery substance?"
She smiled at him and threw herself into his arms. "You believe me," she whispered the fact in his ear.
"It was never about not believing you, Cat." He nuzzled his nose into her hair. "I just didn't know what you had. You were upset. You were crying. I just thought you were scared and...grasping."
"I am scared."
"Me too."
Catherine looked up at him in shock. It was a very rare occasion that Gil Grissom would admit to being scared.
"When I saw you that upset, it scared me. I didn't know what was wrong or why you wouldn't trust me enough to tell me."
"No, Grissom..." She brushed her fingers along his lips. "I trust you with my life."
He kissed the tip of her finger gently before speaking. "I know." Their eyes met and the contact sent shivers down his spine. Breathing deeply and attempting to gather his courage, he tilted his head towards hers. He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently before pulling back slightly....
Their eye contact was suddenly broken by flickering lights. The two pairs of eyes looked about in confusion before the room was plunged into total darkness...
Tbc...
Grissom and Catherine walked back to their room in silence. Unspoken words electrified the air around them. Grissom sensed that there was something Catherine wanted to tell him. She was never one to bite her tongue, so the silence worried him slightly. Without looking down, he stretched his fingers a bit, making sure that she was, indeed, still holding his hand. He was sure that her hand in his could be justified as one of the most natural occurances in the world--it just felt right...perfect. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned towards her. She was moving her head about, curiosity playing along her features. She appeared to be looking for something, almost afraid of finding it. She looked scared... Grissom tried to shake off his concern and gently rubbed his thumb along her palm. When he succeeded in gaining her attention, he extended his free hand towards her, palm up.
Her features lightened and she asked jokingly, "Do you want to hold my other hand too?"
"Actually, I was hoping that you had the room key." He could feel the flush rising up his neck.
"Of course." She smiled, reluctantly loosened her hand from his, and reached into her pocket, pulling the silver key out. "Voila." Catherine was trying her best to hide her emotions from him. She hoped he didn't notice that anything was wrong. She wasn't sure if she could deal with this right now. There was still a lot to process before gauging his reaction.
"Thank you madam." He unlocked the door and held it open for her as she entered the room. When they were both inside, Grissom pulled the door shut behind him and moved to position himself in front of Catherine. "Now...," he sighed, "...you're going to tell me what's wrong."
"What?" She tried to move past him, but he stepped forward a bit and placed his arm on the wall behind her, effectively trapping her in place. "Grissom..Gil...it's nothing." She cleared her throat and spoke again, aware that her previous statement didn't sound convincing enough. "Nothing's wrong."
Her response didn't seem to phase him. "Tell me, Cat."
"I can't." She immediately saw the hurt in his eyes at her last remark. ~He thinks I don't trust him. Oh God, Gil, I do.~
A defeated look overtook his face as he stepped away from her. She reached blindly for him, grabbing onto the edge of his shirt. "Gil..I.."
"Catherine..."
"I.."
"Talk to me," he whispered.
"I.."
"Please?"
Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I know who did it."
"What? Who? Catherine, what are you talking about?"
A lone tear slipped down her cheek. "The sheriff...he...he killed those people, Gil. He did it. I know he did."
He was shocked by what she was saying. ~The sheriff? How does she know this? Did he tell her? Did he hurt her?~ His hands found her shoulders, and he pulled her to his body. He didn't want to push her, but he needed answers. And he needed them now... "It's o.k., sweetheart...tell me what happened."
"I...I didn't realize it until just a few minutes ago. I was...thinking about the case.." Nervous and scared, she was tripping over her words. "..and I remembered."
"Remembered, what?" Grissom pulled back to look into her eyes. He wiped the tears from her face and stroked her hair.
"I knew...I knew that something was off with him. I just couldn't place it. I brought up the murders--just that I had heard some people talking about them and that I thought that it was tragic. And he grinned, Gil."
Knowing that this was effecting her deeply, he tried to choose his words gently. "You can't convict the man for grinning, Cat. I noticed it too. He always had that silly smirk plastered on his face. That doesn't mean that he---"
"God, I know that Gil! That's not it. He told me...he mentioned what the murder weapon was for the first victim. A shoelace. Used to strangle her.."
Grissom's eyes widened as he shook his head fervently. "The murder weapon for the first victim has yet to be determined.." His voice dropped off.
"Exactly. But, he KNEW, Gris. He knew what it was."
"Cath, there could be some sort of mistake." He was trying to think of something logical..anything logical...
"No, Grissom. You know there's not. You...know."
"I can't crunch evidence to fit a theory, Cat. And right now, this is a theory."
"God damnit, Grissom, this is NOT a theory! We had nothing on this case. We have something--someone--now. We've got to go with it."
"Cat.."
"Grissom. There's more." Her mind was running in overdrive. Her lips couldn't seem to keep up with her thoughts.
"Remember the unidentified substance that was found on all of the victims?"
He nodded his head in realization. "His hair.."
"Yes." She was still scared to death, but excitement now ran through her veins. They were getting close.. "Grease...or gel...or whatever...it was caked on."
He looked down at his hand, remembering the sticky film from their handshake earlier. "But, he was at all of those scenes, Catherine."
"I understand that. But, he shouldn't have touched the victims. And, if he had, he would have been required to wear gloves. This substance was found on all of the victims--every scene."
Grissom pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. "Think we should call Greg and see if he has a reading on our mystery substance?"
She smiled at him and threw herself into his arms. "You believe me," she whispered the fact in his ear.
"It was never about not believing you, Cat." He nuzzled his nose into her hair. "I just didn't know what you had. You were upset. You were crying. I just thought you were scared and...grasping."
"I am scared."
"Me too."
Catherine looked up at him in shock. It was a very rare occasion that Gil Grissom would admit to being scared.
"When I saw you that upset, it scared me. I didn't know what was wrong or why you wouldn't trust me enough to tell me."
"No, Grissom..." She brushed her fingers along his lips. "I trust you with my life."
He kissed the tip of her finger gently before speaking. "I know." Their eyes met and the contact sent shivers down his spine. Breathing deeply and attempting to gather his courage, he tilted his head towards hers. He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently before pulling back slightly....
Their eye contact was suddenly broken by flickering lights. The two pairs of eyes looked about in confusion before the room was plunged into total darkness...
Tbc...