A short dark-haired woman in her mid-twenties pulled the door open and
faced the officers. She seemed non-plussed.
"What do you want?"
"We're looking for Charles Lee Dunn. Is he on the premises?"
"Nope."
"Do we have your permission to search the premises? We can get a."
"Go 'head," the woman stood to the side and waved them in. "I've got nothin' to hide."
As they fanned out through the apartment, Brass entered, followed quickly by Grissom. The CSI seemed to take in the contents of the apartment and size up the woman in one sweeping glance. He stroked his jaw in frustration and knew that Charles Dunn didn't live here
"And you are?" Brass addressed her.
"Patricia McClain," she answered dully.
"The place is clear, Det.," an officer alerted Brass.
"Told you. Charlie ain't here."
"How do you know Mr. Dunn?" Brass persisted.
"I was married to the jackass."
Grissom leveled her with a hard stare. "Well, where the hell is he now?" His words were spoken in an uncharacteristically harsh town, laced with emotion.
"Grissom," Brass warned.
The woman's face lit up and she pointed at the CSI. "Hey, I know who you are! You're Gilbert Grissom! I thought you looked familiar. Man, just imagine! Charlie would so freak over this shit!"
Grissom cocked his head in puzzlement and tried to fit this woman's verbal spew into any frame of reference.
"Ma'am, you know CSI Grissom?" Brass queried.
She ignored the question and continued staring at Grissom. "God, Charlie hates your guts. I mean not just normal hate, but stomp your brains out."
"Ms. McClain, how does your ex-husband know me?" Grissom managed in an even tone. It took everything he had, but he managed.
"You're jokin,' right?"
"Answer the question," Brass practically spat. He was quickly losing his patience.
"You got him booted from the academy. He's spent years hating your ass," she replied to Grissom.
"Ms. McClain, I don't even know your ex-husband."
"Well, he sure as hell knows you."
**************
Sara startled as Charlie grabbed her hands. He yanked her into a sitting position against the armchair. She tried to gauge his mood by his eyes. Rape? No, he probably would have done that already. Besides, junkies could never get it up, she thought with a hint of satisfaction. Shoot junk, get a limp dick. No, he wanted something else. What the fuck was he doing to her?
"Charlie?"
He left her propped where she was. Almost in horror she watched as he methodically began the preparations to inject . What? Her? No damnit, I don't like this shit. It makes me feel horrible. What the fuck? Heroin? No, not again. Please, not again! Sara struggled as he tied off her right arm with surgical tubing. A ripping sound. Jesus, please use a new fucking needle!? I hate this shit. Grissom, please help me. You would never let anyone do this to me. I hate this. Don't you know I hate this? What was she wishing for? She was going to die anyway. Grissom hadn't come.
He sat on her and held her arm taught. The needle was jabbed into her vein. She tried to kick him. Sara wondered if he had trained in medicine under the Nazis. Joseph Mengala probably taught him nursing. Something was wrong with her mind again. It was all too late as the drug washed through her like all of the sleep, dreams, and nightmares she'd ever had. She saw Charlie, smiling. Sick grin. She saw Grissom, stroking her cheek, telling her everything would be all right. Catherine and Warrick held hands as they stood over her bedside, urging her to break free from the duct tape and just walk. Greg laughed as Nick prodded her in the shoulder. Leave me the fuck alone. You didn't help me. I can't think now. You didn't help me. Grissom, please? Just make up your mind. If you don't love me, tell me. Damn you. I know you left me here. Sara's mind went to gray as her head hit the floor.
****************
Warrick, Catherine and Nick sat around the table. Grissom entered and took the last seat. He rested several file folders on his lap. The air was charged with tension. Catherine was the first to try and break it.
"Anything new for us, Gil?"
Removing his glasses, Grissom rubbed his temples. "You've all read the application on Chalres Dunn. Emergency Medical Tech dropout. LVPD Academy for two weeks. Misdemeanor Spousal Abuse. Dismissed after hearing.
"I'm going to guess this was right before spousal abuse became a felony?" Warrick ventured.
"Unfortunately, yes." Catherine responded.
Nick shifted in his seat. "I'm gonna play the devil's advocate here. Why was Dunn dismissed from the academy for what was then a misdemeanor?"
Grissom sighed, then looked every member in the face. "Because, I pressed to make it a felony. I'm not going to pretend I even remember this case. It was just another damn."
"Gil." Catherine stood and rested her hand on Grissom's shoulder. "Let yourself off the godamn hook here. Any of us would have done the same thing. He dislocated his wife's jaw. It should have been a felony. The wife was the one who."
"No, Cath, I'm the one who wrote on the report that she."
"What, Grissom?" Nick stood and paced the small room. "That she deserved to have the son-of-a-bitch charged with more than just, .just fucking normal abuse?"
"Don't do this to yourself, Griss," Warrick sighed.
"Why the hell not? Stop trying to let me off the hook. Sara is gone because of me. Because of words I wrote in a report on a case that I can't even remember. She's gone because I had some need to make everything A-OK in somebody's life." Because I was so consumed by."
"Stop it, Gil!" Catherine sat opposite him and leaned into his face. "You are not responsible for this. But, you are responsible for helping us locate a missing member of our team. Yes, Gil, our team. We've all known for quite some time how you feel about Sara. But damnit, we love her too. And we need you to find her." As her anger deflated, Catherine relaxed into the chair and looked at Warrick. He placed his hand over hers and massaged it.
Grissom stood and walked toward the door. He turned toward them before reaching the hallway. "I'm sorry, I want Sara back too."
"What do you want?"
"We're looking for Charles Lee Dunn. Is he on the premises?"
"Nope."
"Do we have your permission to search the premises? We can get a."
"Go 'head," the woman stood to the side and waved them in. "I've got nothin' to hide."
As they fanned out through the apartment, Brass entered, followed quickly by Grissom. The CSI seemed to take in the contents of the apartment and size up the woman in one sweeping glance. He stroked his jaw in frustration and knew that Charles Dunn didn't live here
"And you are?" Brass addressed her.
"Patricia McClain," she answered dully.
"The place is clear, Det.," an officer alerted Brass.
"Told you. Charlie ain't here."
"How do you know Mr. Dunn?" Brass persisted.
"I was married to the jackass."
Grissom leveled her with a hard stare. "Well, where the hell is he now?" His words were spoken in an uncharacteristically harsh town, laced with emotion.
"Grissom," Brass warned.
The woman's face lit up and she pointed at the CSI. "Hey, I know who you are! You're Gilbert Grissom! I thought you looked familiar. Man, just imagine! Charlie would so freak over this shit!"
Grissom cocked his head in puzzlement and tried to fit this woman's verbal spew into any frame of reference.
"Ma'am, you know CSI Grissom?" Brass queried.
She ignored the question and continued staring at Grissom. "God, Charlie hates your guts. I mean not just normal hate, but stomp your brains out."
"Ms. McClain, how does your ex-husband know me?" Grissom managed in an even tone. It took everything he had, but he managed.
"You're jokin,' right?"
"Answer the question," Brass practically spat. He was quickly losing his patience.
"You got him booted from the academy. He's spent years hating your ass," she replied to Grissom.
"Ms. McClain, I don't even know your ex-husband."
"Well, he sure as hell knows you."
**************
Sara startled as Charlie grabbed her hands. He yanked her into a sitting position against the armchair. She tried to gauge his mood by his eyes. Rape? No, he probably would have done that already. Besides, junkies could never get it up, she thought with a hint of satisfaction. Shoot junk, get a limp dick. No, he wanted something else. What the fuck was he doing to her?
"Charlie?"
He left her propped where she was. Almost in horror she watched as he methodically began the preparations to inject . What? Her? No damnit, I don't like this shit. It makes me feel horrible. What the fuck? Heroin? No, not again. Please, not again! Sara struggled as he tied off her right arm with surgical tubing. A ripping sound. Jesus, please use a new fucking needle!? I hate this shit. Grissom, please help me. You would never let anyone do this to me. I hate this. Don't you know I hate this? What was she wishing for? She was going to die anyway. Grissom hadn't come.
He sat on her and held her arm taught. The needle was jabbed into her vein. She tried to kick him. Sara wondered if he had trained in medicine under the Nazis. Joseph Mengala probably taught him nursing. Something was wrong with her mind again. It was all too late as the drug washed through her like all of the sleep, dreams, and nightmares she'd ever had. She saw Charlie, smiling. Sick grin. She saw Grissom, stroking her cheek, telling her everything would be all right. Catherine and Warrick held hands as they stood over her bedside, urging her to break free from the duct tape and just walk. Greg laughed as Nick prodded her in the shoulder. Leave me the fuck alone. You didn't help me. I can't think now. You didn't help me. Grissom, please? Just make up your mind. If you don't love me, tell me. Damn you. I know you left me here. Sara's mind went to gray as her head hit the floor.
****************
Warrick, Catherine and Nick sat around the table. Grissom entered and took the last seat. He rested several file folders on his lap. The air was charged with tension. Catherine was the first to try and break it.
"Anything new for us, Gil?"
Removing his glasses, Grissom rubbed his temples. "You've all read the application on Chalres Dunn. Emergency Medical Tech dropout. LVPD Academy for two weeks. Misdemeanor Spousal Abuse. Dismissed after hearing.
"I'm going to guess this was right before spousal abuse became a felony?" Warrick ventured.
"Unfortunately, yes." Catherine responded.
Nick shifted in his seat. "I'm gonna play the devil's advocate here. Why was Dunn dismissed from the academy for what was then a misdemeanor?"
Grissom sighed, then looked every member in the face. "Because, I pressed to make it a felony. I'm not going to pretend I even remember this case. It was just another damn."
"Gil." Catherine stood and rested her hand on Grissom's shoulder. "Let yourself off the godamn hook here. Any of us would have done the same thing. He dislocated his wife's jaw. It should have been a felony. The wife was the one who."
"No, Cath, I'm the one who wrote on the report that she."
"What, Grissom?" Nick stood and paced the small room. "That she deserved to have the son-of-a-bitch charged with more than just, .just fucking normal abuse?"
"Don't do this to yourself, Griss," Warrick sighed.
"Why the hell not? Stop trying to let me off the hook. Sara is gone because of me. Because of words I wrote in a report on a case that I can't even remember. She's gone because I had some need to make everything A-OK in somebody's life." Because I was so consumed by."
"Stop it, Gil!" Catherine sat opposite him and leaned into his face. "You are not responsible for this. But, you are responsible for helping us locate a missing member of our team. Yes, Gil, our team. We've all known for quite some time how you feel about Sara. But damnit, we love her too. And we need you to find her." As her anger deflated, Catherine relaxed into the chair and looked at Warrick. He placed his hand over hers and massaged it.
Grissom stood and walked toward the door. He turned toward them before reaching the hallway. "I'm sorry, I want Sara back too."