I wanted to avoid Nick the rest of shift. I couldn't bear being seen
through that clearly at the moment. I had plenty to do with this case, and
I made sure that I immersed myself in my task. Grissom interrupted me with
a curious expression on his face. "Sara."
I glanced up from the table I was working at realizing for the first time that my eyes were irritatingly dry from staring at the pages of the file in front of me. "Yeah?"
"Doc Robbins just finished the prelim on Mr. Williams." Grissom relayed succinctly. "There is evidence to suggest that he inhaled some of the fumes from the hydrochloric acid when he checked on his granddaughter and that it may have mimicked the symptoms of a heart attack."
I measured my words carefully. "What about puncture wounds?"
Grissom shook his head. "No, it doesn't appear that he was shot with the tazer gun."
I was beginning to get angry.
"Sara." Grissom continued, there was concern on his face and at the moment, I didn't want it, at least from him.
"What?" I steeled my jaw and felt my chin threatening to quiver.
"The husband, a Lieutenant Smith, will be here tomorrow afternoon. Uh, when I informed him that both his wife and child were deceased, he informed me that he wasn't aware that his wife was even pregnant." Grissom had a very Grissom-like expression on his face. "We need to dig a little deeper into Mrs. Smith's life and see if she was seeing someone else."
I think the expression on my face fell and a stream of curses shot forth from my mouth like a rock from a slingshot. I got up from my chair and went in search of Nick, not saying a word to Grissom as I left. I finally located him in the trace lab where he was examining a foreign hair that had been found on the body of the vic.
He glanced up as I entered the room, a flash of concern registering on his face before he smiled. "Hey."
"Hey." There was not even a hint of a smile on my face.
Nick's brow furrowed. "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you." I was pissed off and I hoped that Nick knew it wasn't directed at him. I turned and walked out of the trace lab down the hall toward the front door. Nick was on my heels as I breezed through the entrance to the building. I was all the way to my Denali before I realized that I didn't have my keys. I let out a stream of curses to match the ones I'd let loose a few moments before.
Nick held up his keys and wordlessly we made our way to his Denali. I climbed into the passenger seat and he started up the engine pulling out of the lot as I began to vent. "Dammit, Nick! I hate this. The prelim on Mr. Williams says he inhaled fumes from the hydrochloric acid. He didn't have a heart attack."
Nick swore under his breath.
I laughed bitterly. "Oh, and that's not even the half of it. Grissom said he talked to the husband. Apparently, he didn't even know his wife was pregnant."
Nick looked at me in disbelief. "How can he not know his wife is almost nine months pregnant? Even when they're at sea, they have access to email."
"Maybe she was having an affair. Apparently, nobody believes in being faithful any more." The tone in my voice was clearly irritated.
"That would give us a suspect if the husband isn't the father. We just need to find out who the father of the baby is." Nick continued.
"Oh, hell, that's gonna be easy. Let's just put an announcement on the evening news, whoever screwed our poor victim and then tried to cover it up by killing her, just come on forward, give yourself up! Why the hell can't people be faithful to each other anymore! Dammit!" To emphasize my point I slammed my fist into the dashboard, wincing at how painful it was.
Nick just studied me as I railed. He knew that Hank had used me to cheat on his longtime girlfriend, he knew I had a hard time trusting other people and I think he knew how much I trusted him. "Sara, it may mean we have another suspect though. If we can figure out who the father of the baby is, if it truly isn't the husband, it gives us something else to go on."
I knew he was right, but it pissed me off. I flexed my hand and winced at how much it hurt.
Nick looked at me with concern. "Sara, how's your hand?"
I wrinkled my brow as I looked back at him. "It hurts like hell."
"Can I see it?" He glanced at me as he pulled the Denali over to the side of the road and turned on the dome light.
I nodded and held it out to him. In the light of the vehicle, bruising was already becoming apparent. I winced and swore as Nick looked at it, trying to move it gingerly. He glanced up at me with worry. "I think you might need an X-ray, Sugar Ray Sidle."
In spite of my lack of sports knowledge, I did pick up on the boxing reference he threw at me. "Ok."
I don't know if it was because I agreed so quickly, or because my hand seemed to be swelling before my eyes, but Nick quickly let go of it and pulled the Denali back onto the road, heading toward Desert Palm Hospital. On the way, he kept glancing at me. "You might want to call Grissom and let him know what's going on, that is unless you want me to."
I swore under my breath.
Nick started to chuckle as he teased me. "You're just lucky that the Denali didn't suffer any traumatic injuries."
I would have slugged him for that statement, but thought better of it after the last thing I'd hit. Instead I rolled my eyes. "I'll let you call him."
He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and as we approached the entrance to the emergency room, his cell phone rang. He glanced at me as he looked at the display on his phone. "It's Grissom."
"Well, answer it." I was feeling annoyed as I clenched my jaw, trying to stifle the pain in my hand.
"Stokes." Nick answered the phone as we walked through the doors to the ER. "Yeah, she's right here." He was silent for a few moments. "Uh, we're at the emergency room at Desert Palm." Nick pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Grissom, she tried to beat up my Denali and her hand lost, I thought maybe an X-ray would be a good idea." He looked subtly amused and rolled his eyes as he pointed at the phone. "Ok, I will." He hung up the phone. "Let's go get you taken care of."
We waited for what seemed like an eternity, but Nick was able to sweet talk one of the nurses and got me an ice pack for my hand, which helped a little, but not enough to take away the pain. At the moment, that was fine with me. If I could focus on the pain in my hand, then I would be somewhat distracted at the pain I felt for our victim and her husband and the baby that would never have a chance to take a breath.
I glanced up from the table I was working at realizing for the first time that my eyes were irritatingly dry from staring at the pages of the file in front of me. "Yeah?"
"Doc Robbins just finished the prelim on Mr. Williams." Grissom relayed succinctly. "There is evidence to suggest that he inhaled some of the fumes from the hydrochloric acid when he checked on his granddaughter and that it may have mimicked the symptoms of a heart attack."
I measured my words carefully. "What about puncture wounds?"
Grissom shook his head. "No, it doesn't appear that he was shot with the tazer gun."
I was beginning to get angry.
"Sara." Grissom continued, there was concern on his face and at the moment, I didn't want it, at least from him.
"What?" I steeled my jaw and felt my chin threatening to quiver.
"The husband, a Lieutenant Smith, will be here tomorrow afternoon. Uh, when I informed him that both his wife and child were deceased, he informed me that he wasn't aware that his wife was even pregnant." Grissom had a very Grissom-like expression on his face. "We need to dig a little deeper into Mrs. Smith's life and see if she was seeing someone else."
I think the expression on my face fell and a stream of curses shot forth from my mouth like a rock from a slingshot. I got up from my chair and went in search of Nick, not saying a word to Grissom as I left. I finally located him in the trace lab where he was examining a foreign hair that had been found on the body of the vic.
He glanced up as I entered the room, a flash of concern registering on his face before he smiled. "Hey."
"Hey." There was not even a hint of a smile on my face.
Nick's brow furrowed. "What's up?"
"I need to talk to you." I was pissed off and I hoped that Nick knew it wasn't directed at him. I turned and walked out of the trace lab down the hall toward the front door. Nick was on my heels as I breezed through the entrance to the building. I was all the way to my Denali before I realized that I didn't have my keys. I let out a stream of curses to match the ones I'd let loose a few moments before.
Nick held up his keys and wordlessly we made our way to his Denali. I climbed into the passenger seat and he started up the engine pulling out of the lot as I began to vent. "Dammit, Nick! I hate this. The prelim on Mr. Williams says he inhaled fumes from the hydrochloric acid. He didn't have a heart attack."
Nick swore under his breath.
I laughed bitterly. "Oh, and that's not even the half of it. Grissom said he talked to the husband. Apparently, he didn't even know his wife was pregnant."
Nick looked at me in disbelief. "How can he not know his wife is almost nine months pregnant? Even when they're at sea, they have access to email."
"Maybe she was having an affair. Apparently, nobody believes in being faithful any more." The tone in my voice was clearly irritated.
"That would give us a suspect if the husband isn't the father. We just need to find out who the father of the baby is." Nick continued.
"Oh, hell, that's gonna be easy. Let's just put an announcement on the evening news, whoever screwed our poor victim and then tried to cover it up by killing her, just come on forward, give yourself up! Why the hell can't people be faithful to each other anymore! Dammit!" To emphasize my point I slammed my fist into the dashboard, wincing at how painful it was.
Nick just studied me as I railed. He knew that Hank had used me to cheat on his longtime girlfriend, he knew I had a hard time trusting other people and I think he knew how much I trusted him. "Sara, it may mean we have another suspect though. If we can figure out who the father of the baby is, if it truly isn't the husband, it gives us something else to go on."
I knew he was right, but it pissed me off. I flexed my hand and winced at how much it hurt.
Nick looked at me with concern. "Sara, how's your hand?"
I wrinkled my brow as I looked back at him. "It hurts like hell."
"Can I see it?" He glanced at me as he pulled the Denali over to the side of the road and turned on the dome light.
I nodded and held it out to him. In the light of the vehicle, bruising was already becoming apparent. I winced and swore as Nick looked at it, trying to move it gingerly. He glanced up at me with worry. "I think you might need an X-ray, Sugar Ray Sidle."
In spite of my lack of sports knowledge, I did pick up on the boxing reference he threw at me. "Ok."
I don't know if it was because I agreed so quickly, or because my hand seemed to be swelling before my eyes, but Nick quickly let go of it and pulled the Denali back onto the road, heading toward Desert Palm Hospital. On the way, he kept glancing at me. "You might want to call Grissom and let him know what's going on, that is unless you want me to."
I swore under my breath.
Nick started to chuckle as he teased me. "You're just lucky that the Denali didn't suffer any traumatic injuries."
I would have slugged him for that statement, but thought better of it after the last thing I'd hit. Instead I rolled my eyes. "I'll let you call him."
He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and as we approached the entrance to the emergency room, his cell phone rang. He glanced at me as he looked at the display on his phone. "It's Grissom."
"Well, answer it." I was feeling annoyed as I clenched my jaw, trying to stifle the pain in my hand.
"Stokes." Nick answered the phone as we walked through the doors to the ER. "Yeah, she's right here." He was silent for a few moments. "Uh, we're at the emergency room at Desert Palm." Nick pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Grissom, she tried to beat up my Denali and her hand lost, I thought maybe an X-ray would be a good idea." He looked subtly amused and rolled his eyes as he pointed at the phone. "Ok, I will." He hung up the phone. "Let's go get you taken care of."
We waited for what seemed like an eternity, but Nick was able to sweet talk one of the nurses and got me an ice pack for my hand, which helped a little, but not enough to take away the pain. At the moment, that was fine with me. If I could focus on the pain in my hand, then I would be somewhat distracted at the pain I felt for our victim and her husband and the baby that would never have a chance to take a breath.