Chapter 6

She awoke around 6 p.m. she had to be at work in a few hours. But where was Nick? She lifted herself up a bit and looked around the room. On the pillow where he had been was a note. 

Darla,

I got a page from work. Duty calls. 

Maybe we can do something later on when our shifts are over.

Love,

Nick

She crumpled the note in her hand. "Thank god it wasn't a dream!" she said to herself, laughing; she fell back into the bed then decided to take a shower.

The noise of the radio and the running water drowned out the noise of the opening door. Someone had broken in and was heading towards the bathroom.

As the CSI lab, Nick was up to his ears in work. Patrol had been searching for almost a day with no results.

"Any luck with that jewelry heist?" Grissom asked.

"No, none at all." Nick replied angrily. "I can't believe we can't catch this guy."

"Didn't you say he was seen last night?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, and I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"Darla said she saw our guy outside the jewelry store the day of the crime when we were collecting evidence and she was the one who saw him on the strip. She feels terrible that she let him get away."

"It's not our job to go after the bad guys ourselves, we're not cops." Grissom reassured.

"Yeah, but what if he got away?"

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Catherine Willows peeked her head in the lab.

"I can't find the thief." Nick said. "Darla saw him in two places but didn't say anything."

"In two places?" Catherine said, looking puzzled.

"At the store and walking along the strip."

"Do you think he's following her?" she asked reluctantly.

"Oh dear." Grissom and Nick said together.

"Where is she now?" Grissom asked.

"She's at her house, not too far off the strip."

"I'll drive." Catherine urged.

The mysterious shadow moved closer and closer to the bathroom where Darla was taking a shower. She stepped out and into her bedroom with a towel around her. She looked up and screamed but before any sound could come out he slapped her.

"You bitch!" he screamed then threw her across the room. "I'm not going to jail!"  

She got up and tried to run down the hallway. He grabbed and spun her around. Her arm brushed up against her music boxes, smashing the one she had shown to Nick.

He threw her into the living room and slapped her again, she passed out then he dragged her back to the bed and raped her.

She woke up in the middle of it.

"Stop it!!" she yelled. "I don't understand."

"I'm not going to jail over some god damn jewelry! You'd better stay out of my way!"  He threw her back against the bedroom wall, and then he heard the sirens.

She crawled up into the corner and lay against the wall sobbing and dazed.

"Darla, can you tell me what happened?" the doctor asked once more, snapping her back to reality.

She shrugged her shoulders and replied. "I solved my first case."