Through the Eyes of Another
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
"Can you tell me what you saw, Mr. Collins?"
"Like I told the other guy, it all happened really quickly. You guys were looking round the club so we were all outside, being interviewed and stuff. The police cars were right across the road from where we were standing."
"Yes?" Grissom asked irritably. Catherine shot him a warning glare.
"Well this guy came out of the crowd. He was carrying something. He went over to the police car closest to us and did something, I don't know what. Then he walked off. I guessed he was one of the cops or something. Then about five minutes later there was this explosion."
"Can you describe him? What was he wearing?"
"I dunno. It was dark. He was about the same height as me and he had a black hat and jacket on. Jeans as well I think."
"And which direction did he walk off in?"
"Well to begin with I thought he was going to go back to the crowd. He was heading towards us. Then someone moved in front of me and he turned. umm. left, yeah, left, he was heading towards the bank."
Grissom and Catherine took some more details before thanking the man and leaving. They were just heading back to Grissom's office to review some pictures of the scene when Warrick met up with them.
"I think I've found something important." He told them breathlessly. They followed him to the layout room where set out on the table were several blackened pieces of metal. "There was metal every where but this stuff isn't from the cars. It's too thick. I think this is what caused it."
"A bomb?" Catherine asked looking at Grissom.
"Maybe. There's writing on this. Let's try and find out what it says." He picked up a piece of the charred material. "It looks like some kind of Gas Canister."
"I'm onto it now." Warrick told them, gathering up his evidence and leaving the room.
"Find Nick, get him to help you with it." Grissom called after him. He was anxious to get this wrapped up as quickly as possible. If somebody was targeting the police and had hurt Sara how long was it until someone else got hurt.
"Will do." Warrick called back.
"Okay. What've we got?" Grissom asked his assembled team. They were standing around the table in the Drying room, pictures of the crime scene were hung about the walls, boxes of evidence were on the table and the group was one short.
"We've got a lead." Nick chirped quickly. "The metal which you guessed came from some kind of gas canister, it's from an Oxygen cylinder. The thing was pretty much blown apart but we managed to find a serial number. Brass is checking it out."
"Yeah. And the burn was mainly on the inside. The thing exploded after being exposed to heat. Could it have gone up after the main explosion?" Warrick asked.
"I doubt it. Everyone we've spoken to says that there was only one explosion. Let me see it." Warrick pulled out some evidence bags and handed them to Grissom. He held up the pieces and examined the markings on them.
"I had Jaqui look for prints, but there weren't even partials." Warrick told him; although he had a feeling that Grissom either wasn't listening or already knew this.
"Look at the burn pattern." He said after a minute. "Did you find the valve?" Warrick shook his head. "Get back there and see if you can find it. It could be anywhere."
"What're you thinking?" Catherine asked.
"I read about a case in Britain. Guy blew up his house by taking a gas cylinder and putting a lit taper into the valve." Grissom explained.
"Like a Molotov cocktail?" Nick asked. Grissom nodded. "So if we find the valve how will that tell us if that's how our guy blew the thing up? Wouldn't the taper burn up?"
"Yes, but the valve would be open and there would be burn marks on it. If the valve is closed, then the burn marks wouldn't be there." Grissom explained.
"Do we have anything else?" Catherine asked.
"Well there's that eye witness. But no one else seems to remember seeing the man he described."
"What about Sara?" That question had been inevitable. Warrick and Catherine looked first from Nick and then to Grissom.
"She's doing okay. They want to keep her in for the time being, just until they know she's all right. The explosion's given her some hearing loss, but they're confident that it'll return and she'll be just the same. I -" He stopped himself. "Let's get back to this shall we. Nick. Warrick. Go back to the scene. I want that valve. Remember. This person was targeting the police, but that doesn't mean that we're not targets. Just watch out okay. I don't want any more of my CSI's getting hurt."
Catherine followed Grissom without asking him where they were going. He went down to the parking lot and got into his car before acknowledging Catherine's presence. She guessed that it was only because she climbed into the passenger seat and strapped herself in, asking, "Where're we going?"
"I have to speak to Sara. She might have seen something." Catherine could see him tighten his hands on the steering wheel.
"You know none of this is your fault. Right?" She asked him.
"I called her in on her day off. Of course it's my fault. If I hadn't done that she could be here helping us right now." Catherine could see how white his knuckles were growing.
"We're handling this fine. Besides, you thought you'd need her help at the club."
"We're not 'handling this'. Did you know Mobley's talking about calling in the Feds? I'm not having them stepping on our toes. We're going to catch this guy." Catherine opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the engine starting. If it had been anyone else she probably would have insisted on driving, but Grissom, in his rage-filled state, was probably as focused as ever. He was the only person she knew like that, with the possible exception of Sara.
"What does an oxygen cylinder valve look like?" Nick asked Warrick as they re-combed the crime scene. The explosion had caused debris to be thrown at least three hundred and fifty yards, although it was hard to calculate as windows had been blown out and that added to the mess.
"It's kind of round, you know, like a pipe. It's got a little plastic tap on it which you turn to open and close the valve." Warrick explained from his position where he was crouched on the floor beside an alleyway entrance.
"But the explosion might have caused the tap-thingy to melt right, from the heat?" Nick asked. He was looking into Sara's car, it was still lying on its side, and the evidence from the boxes was thrown all over the inside and outside of the vehicle.
"Yeah. It's possible. Why?"
"I think I've just found it." Nick announced holding up the evidence bag with a grin.
Are you sure you didn't see anyone by the police cars?
"I'm sure. I honestly don't know if there was anyone there. It wasn't like I was looking."
Well did you notice anything unusual? People holding bundles? Acting suspiciously?
"Griss. This is Las Vegas. Everyone's acting suspiciously." Sara yawned.
"Come on Griss. She's tired. She didn't see anything." Catherine touched his arm.
"I'm fine." Sara told them as she frowned as she tried to make out what they were saying.
When are they letting you out? Catherine wrote on the notepad, which she had snatched from Sara's bedside table.
"Tomorrow, hopefully. They don't think there's any permanent damage to my hearing. It's temporary. The ringing has faded a little, well, it comes and goes. Still sounds like everyone is speaking through jello though." She smiled a little. "The doctor said that tomorrow morning they'll run some tests on my hearing and if they are better than the ones they ran last night then I can go home, if not then I have to stay for another night."
Do you need anything?
"I could use some clothes. I don't know what happened to the ones I brought in, don't think they're fit for wearing anyway. I think my keys are at work." She paused. "No." She sounded dreamy, her change in tone caused Grissom to look up. "I put them in my jacket. I must have left it somewhere." She paused and Catherine was about to put pen to paper again when she spoke. "I took my jacket off as I was getting out of the car. They were in my jacket. It's on the back seat of my car." Grissom touched her forearm and brought her out of her reverie. She looked at him blinking.
Are you alright?
"Uh-hmmm. I'm just tired. I think I have a spare key at work." She told Catherine.
We'll go now. You should rest. Grissom wrote on his own piece of paper. Sara nodded and pulled the covers up.
Outside the room Catherine turned to Grissom.
"She will be okay and we will catch this guy." Grissom nodded dumbly. He couldn't bring himself to answer.
"Will you be able to sort Sara out with some clothes?" He asked her as though she hadn't spoken. Catherine nodded. Grissom still had the dazed look on his face.
"I'll drive." She told him.
Catherine and Grissom headed first to the lab, then, as Nick and Warrick were still out and Brass still hadn't come up with anything from the serial number on the canister, they picked up Sara's key and drove out to her new apartment. It was the first time that either of them had been there and it took some time to find their way into the complex and to locate her apartment. The door opened into a room with a kitchen/living room. There were two doors leading off on the right hand side, of the living room and one on the left. Grissom stood awkwardly in the kitchen while Catherine took the left room, it was just the bathroom but she found Sara's hairbrush and tooth brush and pulled out some deodorant.
"Griss. Can you find a bag for me to put this stuff into?" She asked him as she left the bathroom, dumped the stuff she had collected onto the table and continued into the room directly opposite.
"What sort of bag?" He asked, but Catherine didn't hear him. She'd found Sara's bedroom and was faced with about fifteen boxes labeled 'clothes'. Most were open and over-flowing.
Grissom swept the living room looking for a bag but didn't find anything and so headed into the other room on the right, the spare bedroom. There was a foldout camp bed resting up against one of the walls, a half put-together desk was against the other, her computer was fully set up on the floor. There were boxes of books but no sign of anything resembling a bag.
"I can't find one." He told Catherine at last as he made his way into Sara's bedroom.
"Look in the closet then." Catherine instructed as she tried to put together a matching outfit for Sara, her clothes hadn't been sorted into boxes in any particular order so the task was proving to be a little difficult. On top of that she still hadn't located Sara's shoes.
The closet was one of the large, walk-in variety and was set into the wall. Sure enough, on the top shelf, Grissom was able to pull down a small rucksack. On the floor of the closet were some shoes. Catherine selected a few and told Grissom to pack the bag while she checked that Sara had food in her fridge for when she returned.
They were just leaving when Grissom's cell phone rang.
"Grissom?" He answered.
"We got it." Came Nick's excited reply. "The oxygen cylinder valve. The plastic on it is pretty much melted, but it's here, in one piece."
"Get it back to the lab then. We're on our way."
Grissom hung up and he and Catherine got into the car, slinging the bag into the back. They had just left Sara's apartment's parking lot when Grissom's cell phone rang again. It was Brass.
"Yes?" Grissom asked.
"Hey, Gil. We've got another one."
Well, I'd love to know what you think. I'm afraid this'll have to keep you going for a couple of days until I get a chance to post the next chapter.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
"Can you tell me what you saw, Mr. Collins?"
"Like I told the other guy, it all happened really quickly. You guys were looking round the club so we were all outside, being interviewed and stuff. The police cars were right across the road from where we were standing."
"Yes?" Grissom asked irritably. Catherine shot him a warning glare.
"Well this guy came out of the crowd. He was carrying something. He went over to the police car closest to us and did something, I don't know what. Then he walked off. I guessed he was one of the cops or something. Then about five minutes later there was this explosion."
"Can you describe him? What was he wearing?"
"I dunno. It was dark. He was about the same height as me and he had a black hat and jacket on. Jeans as well I think."
"And which direction did he walk off in?"
"Well to begin with I thought he was going to go back to the crowd. He was heading towards us. Then someone moved in front of me and he turned. umm. left, yeah, left, he was heading towards the bank."
Grissom and Catherine took some more details before thanking the man and leaving. They were just heading back to Grissom's office to review some pictures of the scene when Warrick met up with them.
"I think I've found something important." He told them breathlessly. They followed him to the layout room where set out on the table were several blackened pieces of metal. "There was metal every where but this stuff isn't from the cars. It's too thick. I think this is what caused it."
"A bomb?" Catherine asked looking at Grissom.
"Maybe. There's writing on this. Let's try and find out what it says." He picked up a piece of the charred material. "It looks like some kind of Gas Canister."
"I'm onto it now." Warrick told them, gathering up his evidence and leaving the room.
"Find Nick, get him to help you with it." Grissom called after him. He was anxious to get this wrapped up as quickly as possible. If somebody was targeting the police and had hurt Sara how long was it until someone else got hurt.
"Will do." Warrick called back.
"Okay. What've we got?" Grissom asked his assembled team. They were standing around the table in the Drying room, pictures of the crime scene were hung about the walls, boxes of evidence were on the table and the group was one short.
"We've got a lead." Nick chirped quickly. "The metal which you guessed came from some kind of gas canister, it's from an Oxygen cylinder. The thing was pretty much blown apart but we managed to find a serial number. Brass is checking it out."
"Yeah. And the burn was mainly on the inside. The thing exploded after being exposed to heat. Could it have gone up after the main explosion?" Warrick asked.
"I doubt it. Everyone we've spoken to says that there was only one explosion. Let me see it." Warrick pulled out some evidence bags and handed them to Grissom. He held up the pieces and examined the markings on them.
"I had Jaqui look for prints, but there weren't even partials." Warrick told him; although he had a feeling that Grissom either wasn't listening or already knew this.
"Look at the burn pattern." He said after a minute. "Did you find the valve?" Warrick shook his head. "Get back there and see if you can find it. It could be anywhere."
"What're you thinking?" Catherine asked.
"I read about a case in Britain. Guy blew up his house by taking a gas cylinder and putting a lit taper into the valve." Grissom explained.
"Like a Molotov cocktail?" Nick asked. Grissom nodded. "So if we find the valve how will that tell us if that's how our guy blew the thing up? Wouldn't the taper burn up?"
"Yes, but the valve would be open and there would be burn marks on it. If the valve is closed, then the burn marks wouldn't be there." Grissom explained.
"Do we have anything else?" Catherine asked.
"Well there's that eye witness. But no one else seems to remember seeing the man he described."
"What about Sara?" That question had been inevitable. Warrick and Catherine looked first from Nick and then to Grissom.
"She's doing okay. They want to keep her in for the time being, just until they know she's all right. The explosion's given her some hearing loss, but they're confident that it'll return and she'll be just the same. I -" He stopped himself. "Let's get back to this shall we. Nick. Warrick. Go back to the scene. I want that valve. Remember. This person was targeting the police, but that doesn't mean that we're not targets. Just watch out okay. I don't want any more of my CSI's getting hurt."
Catherine followed Grissom without asking him where they were going. He went down to the parking lot and got into his car before acknowledging Catherine's presence. She guessed that it was only because she climbed into the passenger seat and strapped herself in, asking, "Where're we going?"
"I have to speak to Sara. She might have seen something." Catherine could see him tighten his hands on the steering wheel.
"You know none of this is your fault. Right?" She asked him.
"I called her in on her day off. Of course it's my fault. If I hadn't done that she could be here helping us right now." Catherine could see how white his knuckles were growing.
"We're handling this fine. Besides, you thought you'd need her help at the club."
"We're not 'handling this'. Did you know Mobley's talking about calling in the Feds? I'm not having them stepping on our toes. We're going to catch this guy." Catherine opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the engine starting. If it had been anyone else she probably would have insisted on driving, but Grissom, in his rage-filled state, was probably as focused as ever. He was the only person she knew like that, with the possible exception of Sara.
"What does an oxygen cylinder valve look like?" Nick asked Warrick as they re-combed the crime scene. The explosion had caused debris to be thrown at least three hundred and fifty yards, although it was hard to calculate as windows had been blown out and that added to the mess.
"It's kind of round, you know, like a pipe. It's got a little plastic tap on it which you turn to open and close the valve." Warrick explained from his position where he was crouched on the floor beside an alleyway entrance.
"But the explosion might have caused the tap-thingy to melt right, from the heat?" Nick asked. He was looking into Sara's car, it was still lying on its side, and the evidence from the boxes was thrown all over the inside and outside of the vehicle.
"Yeah. It's possible. Why?"
"I think I've just found it." Nick announced holding up the evidence bag with a grin.
Are you sure you didn't see anyone by the police cars?
"I'm sure. I honestly don't know if there was anyone there. It wasn't like I was looking."
Well did you notice anything unusual? People holding bundles? Acting suspiciously?
"Griss. This is Las Vegas. Everyone's acting suspiciously." Sara yawned.
"Come on Griss. She's tired. She didn't see anything." Catherine touched his arm.
"I'm fine." Sara told them as she frowned as she tried to make out what they were saying.
When are they letting you out? Catherine wrote on the notepad, which she had snatched from Sara's bedside table.
"Tomorrow, hopefully. They don't think there's any permanent damage to my hearing. It's temporary. The ringing has faded a little, well, it comes and goes. Still sounds like everyone is speaking through jello though." She smiled a little. "The doctor said that tomorrow morning they'll run some tests on my hearing and if they are better than the ones they ran last night then I can go home, if not then I have to stay for another night."
Do you need anything?
"I could use some clothes. I don't know what happened to the ones I brought in, don't think they're fit for wearing anyway. I think my keys are at work." She paused. "No." She sounded dreamy, her change in tone caused Grissom to look up. "I put them in my jacket. I must have left it somewhere." She paused and Catherine was about to put pen to paper again when she spoke. "I took my jacket off as I was getting out of the car. They were in my jacket. It's on the back seat of my car." Grissom touched her forearm and brought her out of her reverie. She looked at him blinking.
Are you alright?
"Uh-hmmm. I'm just tired. I think I have a spare key at work." She told Catherine.
We'll go now. You should rest. Grissom wrote on his own piece of paper. Sara nodded and pulled the covers up.
Outside the room Catherine turned to Grissom.
"She will be okay and we will catch this guy." Grissom nodded dumbly. He couldn't bring himself to answer.
"Will you be able to sort Sara out with some clothes?" He asked her as though she hadn't spoken. Catherine nodded. Grissom still had the dazed look on his face.
"I'll drive." She told him.
Catherine and Grissom headed first to the lab, then, as Nick and Warrick were still out and Brass still hadn't come up with anything from the serial number on the canister, they picked up Sara's key and drove out to her new apartment. It was the first time that either of them had been there and it took some time to find their way into the complex and to locate her apartment. The door opened into a room with a kitchen/living room. There were two doors leading off on the right hand side, of the living room and one on the left. Grissom stood awkwardly in the kitchen while Catherine took the left room, it was just the bathroom but she found Sara's hairbrush and tooth brush and pulled out some deodorant.
"Griss. Can you find a bag for me to put this stuff into?" She asked him as she left the bathroom, dumped the stuff she had collected onto the table and continued into the room directly opposite.
"What sort of bag?" He asked, but Catherine didn't hear him. She'd found Sara's bedroom and was faced with about fifteen boxes labeled 'clothes'. Most were open and over-flowing.
Grissom swept the living room looking for a bag but didn't find anything and so headed into the other room on the right, the spare bedroom. There was a foldout camp bed resting up against one of the walls, a half put-together desk was against the other, her computer was fully set up on the floor. There were boxes of books but no sign of anything resembling a bag.
"I can't find one." He told Catherine at last as he made his way into Sara's bedroom.
"Look in the closet then." Catherine instructed as she tried to put together a matching outfit for Sara, her clothes hadn't been sorted into boxes in any particular order so the task was proving to be a little difficult. On top of that she still hadn't located Sara's shoes.
The closet was one of the large, walk-in variety and was set into the wall. Sure enough, on the top shelf, Grissom was able to pull down a small rucksack. On the floor of the closet were some shoes. Catherine selected a few and told Grissom to pack the bag while she checked that Sara had food in her fridge for when she returned.
They were just leaving when Grissom's cell phone rang.
"Grissom?" He answered.
"We got it." Came Nick's excited reply. "The oxygen cylinder valve. The plastic on it is pretty much melted, but it's here, in one piece."
"Get it back to the lab then. We're on our way."
Grissom hung up and he and Catherine got into the car, slinging the bag into the back. They had just left Sara's apartment's parking lot when Grissom's cell phone rang again. It was Brass.
"Yes?" Grissom asked.
"Hey, Gil. We've got another one."
Well, I'd love to know what you think. I'm afraid this'll have to keep you going for a couple of days until I get a chance to post the next chapter.