The 3rd Variable- Freedom
"Mr. Grissom?"
Grissom's red goggled eyes left the harsh blue glow of the black light to meet the officer's sickly face. "You don't look too good."
He shifted slightly. "Well the heat is gettin' to me but I'll be okay. I was wondering if you two are going to be finished soon."
Grissom looked at the man and then at his watch. They were collecting evidence for the past two hours straight. If it wasn't for the air current coming from the door he would be drenched with sweat. The bomb shelter became stuffy and humid as time passed. He surmised it was from the damp cool earth surrounding the walls and the hot air from the desert that floated through the door, but had no where to go. He debated finding the air conditioner, which he suspected there had to be one, but it wasn't too long until they were out of there. His eyes wandered to Sara's hunched form. She was fingerprinting the water jugs' spigot.
"Sara?"
She glanced over to him. "Yeah?"
"Are you almost done?"
"A few more minutes."
"Okay well we are going to pack up. We've exhausted the scene and David might have found something anyway."
The officer headed to the door. "I'll be outside."
"Okay." Grissom called as he went back to his search.
Sara finished lifting the one print she found off of the last water container with joy. She had been hunched over for the last half hour. Her tense back muscles protested every move. "Are you ready Grissom?" She asked without looking at him.
"Yes." He said packing his things then watched Sara pack up her kit. She moved uncomfortably from one piece of evidence to the next. "How long were you bent over?"
She turned to face him. "As long as you." She smiled.
He frowned at her. Typical Sara to ignore what her body was telling her and use Grissom's work ethic as a life line. "I'm ready."
With each other's help they carried all the collections to the Tahoe.
"I wonder what David found." Sara said placing her kit down next to Grissom's. "He didn't even call."
Grissom flipped out his phone and dialed the morgue. "Let's find out."
"Good idea because I don't feel like coming back here." Sara wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.
"Is it the heat or mild claustrophobia that makes this all too unappealing?" Grissom smiled.
"Both."
Finally Grissom's call was relayed to David. "This is the morgue, hello."
"What do you have on our body?"
There was a sigh. "Nothing. I just got here five minutes ago. He isn't even out of the bag."
"What? What took you so long?" Grissom's eyes focused on Sara's confused face.
"Flat tire." David confirmed.
Grissom removed his ball cap and wiped the sweat with the back of his hand. "Okay. See you whenever we get there."
"Okay. Bye."
"Well?" Sara asked impatiently watching Grissom disconnect the call.
"He got a flat tire on the way back. He just got there."
She folded her arms across her chest. "Two hours to change a flat?"
Grissom shrugged. "It's David." He said as if that explained everything. "Come on." He threw open the passenger door for her to crawl in. She settled comfortably in her seat. It was an exhausting case for both of them. Grissom signaled to the officer to pull out, who didn't hesitate to speed away. Grissom shook his head, but the truth was he couldn't wait to get in the air condition either. Just as he crawled in Sara jumped out.
"Be right back, I left my jacket."
He watched her jog away back to the now yellow taped bomb shelter. Sara found her way down the stairs counting the steps involuntarily again. Numbers acted on impulse most of the time. They just came to her.
She removed the chained lock and twisted the metal wheel to gain access. She just realized how heavy the door was. It had been propped open when they arrived, but she didn't think it would be that heavy. She found her coat where she left it and turned to run back up the steps until she ran straight into Grissom. She stumbled back into the room almost falling in the process but he stepped out of the doorway to catch her arm.
"God!" She shouted.
"No it's me Grissom." He replied dryly.
She glared at him. "You scared me!"
He realized his hand burning through her sleeved arm and released it in a hurry. "I didn't mean to scare you but you were taking too long." He left the rest of the sentence unsaid. She knew he came to make sure she was okay and it didn't need to be said.
"The door was heavy. It took we awhile." She said calming down some.
"Did you get it?"
She held up her jacket. "Yes."
Grissom turned back to the now closed door and attempted to pull it open but it wouldn't budge. "Sara how many clicks did you turn the wheel when you unlocked the door?"
"Huh?" She stared at him as he tried to open the door.
He dropped his hands from the wheel and turned to her. "When you opened the door, how many revolutions did you make to open it?"
"I don't know. One maybe two. Why?"
He sighed. "It's locked."
"What?"
Grissom jerked on the wheel trying to turn it. "L. O. C. K. E. D." He spelled it out in irritation.
She tossed her jacket to the floor and attacked the door with determination, as if she couldn't believe him.
"Oh no way! Great!" She pounded on the door with her sweaty fist. "Now what?"
He shrugged. "I'd say we're trapped."
(tbc)