Sorry I missed posting yesterday, RL is hectic at the moment….thanks again for your feedback

Warrick and Catherine stood beside the evidence table surveying the objects spread out before them.

"I just don't get it War," Catherine sighed, "everything points to Richard Wells."

"Yeah I hear you," he nodded, his eyes scanning the bloodied shirt. "So let's go through what we know already."

Closing her eyes, Catherine took a deep breath as the images from the original case ran through her mind. "Okay. Richard James gets out of jail, lies low for a while then pays his brother a visit."

"The dead brother?" Warrick asked again, reaching down to the pile of photo's to spread them across the table.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Why did he wait so long to visit when his son was waiting for him? If it had been me I would have gone straight to my child."

"So the son lived with the dead brother?"

"Yeah, he lived with him while his dad was in jail. Poor kid." Catherine's mind drifted back to the boy who was found huddled into a corner. "Police found him cowering when they arrived. He wouldn't speak a word."

"So he witnessed the whole thing?" Warrick gasped, shaking his head in disbelief, "That's gotta do some serious damage to someone that age."

"It'd do damage to anyone," Catherine sighed. "We know that a neighbour called the police because she heard some kind of disturbance from the house. Lots of shouting and arguing."

"Hmm, great way to greet your kid when you get out of jail don't ya think?" Sighing heavily, Warrick leaned down closer with his elbows resting on the table.

"Yeah," she huffed, pushing the image of the scene from her mind. "I arrived in time to see Richard James led away from the scene in handcuffs. Apparently the brothers had been arguing over money."

'The bank job?" he queried.

"Yeah. They found marked money in the house along with the mask that had been used."

"What about the weapon?" Warrick asked, "Was it found?"

"Yeah in the vic's hand," she rubbed her hands over her face tiredly before she spoke again. "The casings from the robbery matched the gun found at the brothers house."

"So the brother shot himself?"

"That was the first impression, but at the autopsy it was proved that the brother was left handed. The gun had been placed in his right. And the gun had Richard James' prints all over it. I processed the scene then handed everything over to day shift because we were needed on a triple homicide. They handled it from there. It seemed open and shut, easy."

"I sense a but?"

"I looked in on Ecklie to see how things were progressing and he hadn't found any GSR on Richard James anywhere. Not on his clothes or his hands. Nothing." Looking down at the pictures again, she reached out to touch one of the victim lying in his own blood.

"But his prints were on the gun," Warrick groaned incredulously.

"Yeah I know."

"So what happened to the kid?" he asked, "Was he ever questioned?"

"He was in a catatonic state, severely disturbed. He wouldn't say a word, so he was placed in a temporary foster home. Poor kid was only wearing a pair of shorts when they found him."

"Yeah, poor kid," he sighed, turning his eyes back to the shirt again.

"You know, I'll always remember his eyes when they took his dad away," she whispered. "I don't think he really knew what had happened back there, but when he looked at me I felt…I don't know….cold."

Leaning closer, Warrick looked down to examine a smudge of blood on the shirt. "What does this look like to you?"

Bending over close to him, Catherine's eyes followed the path of his. "I don't know, it looks like it could be a larger spatter, but…" reaching over to the opposite side of the table, she grabbed a magnifying glass and held it over the smudge.

"Warrick?" she asked with a smile forming over her lips as she turned to look at him.

"I see it," he nodded, "I see it."

"How could this have been missed?" Catherine asked, her eyes scanning over the smudged blood fingerprint that had lay hidden for so many years. "Look at the size."

"You said the kid was never questioned right?" Warrick asked, feeling the flutter of excitement coarse through his veins.

"Not that I'm aware of, but you'll have to ask Ecklie, he handled the investigation."

"I'm on it," he told her, his skillful hands recovering the print before standing back to head towards the door. "I'm gonna head over and see if we can get a hit from this."

"Okay," she nodded, turning back towards the evidence on the table. Fragile hope started to fill her heart, opening the puzzle that had eluded this case for a very long time. Maybe this would all be over soon. Maybe her wish would be granted.

Sara smiled down at the little girl in her arms. Holding her closer, she leaned down to kiss her hair softly. "What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly, "You've been really quiet."

Lindsey closed her eyes tightly against the images that invaded her tired mind. A soft shudder coursed through her body as she tried to push the memories away. "My dad."

"Oh," Sara sighed sadly. She knew this would have to come out sooner or later, but she had hoped it would have been a lot later. "Did your mom explain to you what happened to him?"

"Not much," she sniffed, "just that some bad people hurt him."

"Yeah," Sara nodded quietly as she tried to swallow down the emotions that reared up inside her. "I'm sorry you lost your dad."

Lindsey heard the soft shaking in her voice and started to pull back to look up at her. "Are you crying?"

Shaking her head defiantly, Sara reached out a trembling hand to push a strand of Lindsey's blonde hair away from her eyes.

"I wish I could take your pain away honey, I really do."

"I didn't want him to die," Lindsey started, her small voice starting to crack. Leaning forward again, she sank into Sara's arms. Tears escaped to roll down her cheeks to sink through into Sara's hospital gown.

"Honey please don't cry," Sara whispered sadly, her own emotions escaping to cascade down her face. "I've never been all that close to my parents, so I can't even pretend I know how you feel. But you have so many people who love you."

"I miss my dad," Lindsey sobbed quietly, her hands balling into fists as she grabbed hold of some of Sara's gown.  "I want him back."

"I know baby," Sara soothed, as she tried to ignore the tremors of Lindsey's body causing stinging pain to soar throughout her lower body. Biting back a scream, she gasped in a deep breath and threw her head back against the pillows taking Lindsey with her.

"Sara?"

"I'm okay," she groaned through gritted teeth, "it'll pass in a minute. Keep talking…"

"I don't want you to die too," Lindsey said suddenly, her eyes wide and full with fearful tears. "Please don't leave me."

Pushing the pain aside, Sara reached out a hand to steady Lindsey's sobs. "I promised you I wouldn't die and I held on for you didn't I? We promised we'd help each other when we got out, and we are going to do that."

Hovering in the doorway, Grissom listened with intense emotions rising inside his heart. He could have lost her this time, really lost her. His mind had been battling with his heart for so many years, their constant thoughts and feelings conflicting with the other. He loved her, he knew that already, but why had he denied it to her and himself for so long? Stepping closer into the room, he walked slowly over to them.

"Hey what's all this?" he asked softly, his hand instantly reaching over to Sara's hair. Shuffling over slightly, Sara made room for him, silently seeking his comfort.

"I don't want Sara to die," Lindsey sniffed, holding tightly onto Sara's body.

"Sara isn't going to die sweetheart," Grissom smiled, "You really think she would want to leave you?"

"See I told you," Sara smiled tearfully. "We are going to get through this together, just like we promised. Okay?" she asked, pulling back Lindsey's body so she could cradle her face in her hands. "Okay?" she repeated.

Nodding, Lindsey started to smile, then leaned back down into her chest again. Sara wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly. Leaning her body back, she felt Grissom's arm tighten around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his warmth in his own subtle way offering her his undying devotion. He was here for the duration and nothing or no one would be able to force him away.

TBC……..