The Baby Farm
by Bugs & Beauty
AN: Whee!
Chapter Six-Following Sara Sidle
Sara shaded her eyes as she stepped out from the lab. Some of the early shift police officers, lab techs, secretaries and fellow workers filed past her to clock in and get started on their shift. The only thing Sara could think of was a hot bath and the warm bed waiting for her at home.
For the second time that day, a warm male body pressed into her. Sara thought of Grissom but the build was slighter than his and the movements lacked his grace. Her brown eyes trailed up to the face-Jack Morgan's face. He was carrying a drink holder with four Starbuck coffees in it.
"Hey Sara. Wait here for me ok? I have something on that Small case for you." He hurried up the stairs and spoke briefly with one of the other officers. Handing off the coffees, he bounded down the steps and took her by the arm. "I was thinking about that girl last night." A shudder went through his body. "Something was bugging me about it." He looked down at her. "I can buy us breakfast."
Sara shook her head. "It's really not necessary." The dark haired man already shook his head to interrupt her.
"Actually it is because I need your help and I can tell you are tired from your shift." He steered her to his car. "I really have the day off but I wanted to get started back on the case." He unlocked the passenger side door. "Get in and I'll drive us."
Sara closed the door behind her. Mark started the truck and hit the gas a bit hard. Smiling an apology, he shifted gears. When they turned out of the parking lot, Sara could have sworn she saw Grissom standing in the parking lot giving her the evil eye. She shuddered and sat back into the seat. "I see the strangest things."
Mark drove them to a Denny's located on the second exit from Sara's apartment. She unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him inside. After they found a booth and ordered breakfast, Sara threw him a pointed look. "As much as I love Denny's, I think we should go over the evidence you found about the Small case."
The other man nodded at her. "Okay and I ask that you bear with me. Not all of us are as brainy as you CSIs." A smirk played about his lips. "I went back with Jim to talk to the Director of that place." He pulled out a black and white photo of a balding man in his forties. "Our dear friend here did not really say much so I did a background check. Seems that so-called center is really nothing more than a baby pound."
Sara looked at the picture. "I'm not sure I get what you are saying. You mean like a dog pound? People leaving their kids behind?" A pained look pressed her lips together. "Even if it were true, what does this have to do with Clara being killed?"
Mark nodded at her and pushed himself back from the table as their waitress arrived to serve them. The steam from his breakfast omelette plate was shooshed away by him waving the pictures towards Sara. "Some of these parents haven't been back to check up on their kids in months. When we got the warrant for the place, there were adoption papers already filled out with the parent's names on them." He paused "Including Clara's mother and father. I doubt they left her there to get rest as they said before."
Sara sat back in her seat. "But why have the surgery then?" She shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. "It does not make sense.Do you think she was in the adoption process and her new parents paid for it?"
Mark shook his head. "No. I checked that angle out too. There was no adoption process for her. She was admitted there just twenty-four hours before she had surgery."
"Sounds like a baby farm." The brunette commented idly.
"A what?" Mark choked on the image of babies growing up in cabbage patches. "What the hell is a baby farm?"
Sara chuckled at him. "I would have to show you. You would not believe me." She hesitated and looked down at her plate. "I um... I don't want you to take this the wrong way Mark."
He leaned forward. "I won't. If you want me out of it, I'll go." He started to rise from his seat.
"No! I meant... oh hell. Let's go back to my place. I'll show you the information about baby farms." Sara flipped her wallet open and dropped a ten on the table. "Just don't get any ideas Mister." She wagged her finger at him.
He raised his arms in the air. "No ma'am! I'll keep on driving though if you don't mind."
Sara laughed.
Sara's Apartment
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sara unlocked the door and let him inside. She nodded at her neighbor, Ms. Johnston, who looked disapprovingly at Mark. He caught the non-verbal exchange and gave Ms. Johnston a big farm boy smile. She slammed the door on them.
"Sorry about that. She's a bit old and thinks all of the women here are whores if they are single." Mark coughed and blushed at her words. Sara bit back another laugh.
"Sit over by the computer. I'll pull up those sites." She went into the kitchen and returned with two coffee mugs. "Hope you like it black. I need to go shopping soon." He accepted the mug and smiled at her. "I like it any way I can get it." It was Sara's turn to blush.
"What were you doing with the uh... baby farm you said?" He gestured to her computer.
"Oh yeah. Well you're not the only one who can play a hunch." She turned it on and scooted a chair next to his while pointing at the screen. She clicked on her bookmarks. A site popped up on the screen. "When I was in college, I had to turn in a paper on late 19th century and early 20th century crimes. Most people like to pick things like Jack the Ripper or Lizzie Borden. I was looking through some old newspapers and found a story about a woman who had an out of wedlock kid." Sara started to gesture as she spoke to him. "Well back during that time a woman simply did not have a child out of wedlock. especially in a place like Australia or England. So they would take their kids to another woman who was a nurse or nun and pay that woman to take care of her kid. Like a daycare only you never picked your kid up."
Mark started to nod his head. "But adoption is more accepted and let's face it-out of wedlock kids are the norm for Vegas. How does this help us?"
"Yeah but people still want their picture perfect families. All of the kids at that center had something in common. They were not perfect. Clara was deaf, the kid Nick questioned had behavioral problems and I would bet the others have a similar tale."
Mark shook his head. "It's hard to believe Sara..." He gestured at the computer.
"Maybe. But if we can get a warrant and talk to the parents, I bet one of them will crack. It would only take one to break this case open."
They were interrupted by a commotion outside. Both rose from their chairs. Sara opened her door. The noise was louder now. Grissom came into view with his hands up in the air.
Ms. Johnston advanced on him. When Sara spoke, she turned to her with a threatening look. "I told you to stop whoring around with all those guys." The older lady looked at Grissom. "This one has been in there doing God knows what with her. You the police?"
Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "Uh..yes. I'll take care of it from here." Ms. Johnston went back to her apartment and slammed the door shut. Grissom turned with a smile on his face that froze when Mark left the apartment. "I can always come back Sara if you are too busy." He stressed the last word with narrowed eyes.
Sara stared at him. "What?" Mark seemed to understand more than she did about the situation. "I was just leaving Mr. Uh...Grissom." He nodded to Sara and left the building in a rather hurried manner. Sara looked from Mark's retreating back to Grissom who looked severely pissed off at her.
"What did I do?" she asked him.
"I want you off this case Sara. You are spending too much time with your boyfriend and not enough time trying to solve it." He turned on one foot and walked off. Sara was left with her mouth hanging open.
by Bugs & Beauty
AN: Whee!
Chapter Six-Following Sara Sidle
Sara shaded her eyes as she stepped out from the lab. Some of the early shift police officers, lab techs, secretaries and fellow workers filed past her to clock in and get started on their shift. The only thing Sara could think of was a hot bath and the warm bed waiting for her at home.
For the second time that day, a warm male body pressed into her. Sara thought of Grissom but the build was slighter than his and the movements lacked his grace. Her brown eyes trailed up to the face-Jack Morgan's face. He was carrying a drink holder with four Starbuck coffees in it.
"Hey Sara. Wait here for me ok? I have something on that Small case for you." He hurried up the stairs and spoke briefly with one of the other officers. Handing off the coffees, he bounded down the steps and took her by the arm. "I was thinking about that girl last night." A shudder went through his body. "Something was bugging me about it." He looked down at her. "I can buy us breakfast."
Sara shook her head. "It's really not necessary." The dark haired man already shook his head to interrupt her.
"Actually it is because I need your help and I can tell you are tired from your shift." He steered her to his car. "I really have the day off but I wanted to get started back on the case." He unlocked the passenger side door. "Get in and I'll drive us."
Sara closed the door behind her. Mark started the truck and hit the gas a bit hard. Smiling an apology, he shifted gears. When they turned out of the parking lot, Sara could have sworn she saw Grissom standing in the parking lot giving her the evil eye. She shuddered and sat back into the seat. "I see the strangest things."
Mark drove them to a Denny's located on the second exit from Sara's apartment. She unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him inside. After they found a booth and ordered breakfast, Sara threw him a pointed look. "As much as I love Denny's, I think we should go over the evidence you found about the Small case."
The other man nodded at her. "Okay and I ask that you bear with me. Not all of us are as brainy as you CSIs." A smirk played about his lips. "I went back with Jim to talk to the Director of that place." He pulled out a black and white photo of a balding man in his forties. "Our dear friend here did not really say much so I did a background check. Seems that so-called center is really nothing more than a baby pound."
Sara looked at the picture. "I'm not sure I get what you are saying. You mean like a dog pound? People leaving their kids behind?" A pained look pressed her lips together. "Even if it were true, what does this have to do with Clara being killed?"
Mark nodded at her and pushed himself back from the table as their waitress arrived to serve them. The steam from his breakfast omelette plate was shooshed away by him waving the pictures towards Sara. "Some of these parents haven't been back to check up on their kids in months. When we got the warrant for the place, there were adoption papers already filled out with the parent's names on them." He paused "Including Clara's mother and father. I doubt they left her there to get rest as they said before."
Sara sat back in her seat. "But why have the surgery then?" She shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. "It does not make sense.Do you think she was in the adoption process and her new parents paid for it?"
Mark shook his head. "No. I checked that angle out too. There was no adoption process for her. She was admitted there just twenty-four hours before she had surgery."
"Sounds like a baby farm." The brunette commented idly.
"A what?" Mark choked on the image of babies growing up in cabbage patches. "What the hell is a baby farm?"
Sara chuckled at him. "I would have to show you. You would not believe me." She hesitated and looked down at her plate. "I um... I don't want you to take this the wrong way Mark."
He leaned forward. "I won't. If you want me out of it, I'll go." He started to rise from his seat.
"No! I meant... oh hell. Let's go back to my place. I'll show you the information about baby farms." Sara flipped her wallet open and dropped a ten on the table. "Just don't get any ideas Mister." She wagged her finger at him.
He raised his arms in the air. "No ma'am! I'll keep on driving though if you don't mind."
Sara laughed.
Sara's Apartment
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sara unlocked the door and let him inside. She nodded at her neighbor, Ms. Johnston, who looked disapprovingly at Mark. He caught the non-verbal exchange and gave Ms. Johnston a big farm boy smile. She slammed the door on them.
"Sorry about that. She's a bit old and thinks all of the women here are whores if they are single." Mark coughed and blushed at her words. Sara bit back another laugh.
"Sit over by the computer. I'll pull up those sites." She went into the kitchen and returned with two coffee mugs. "Hope you like it black. I need to go shopping soon." He accepted the mug and smiled at her. "I like it any way I can get it." It was Sara's turn to blush.
"What were you doing with the uh... baby farm you said?" He gestured to her computer.
"Oh yeah. Well you're not the only one who can play a hunch." She turned it on and scooted a chair next to his while pointing at the screen. She clicked on her bookmarks. A site popped up on the screen. "When I was in college, I had to turn in a paper on late 19th century and early 20th century crimes. Most people like to pick things like Jack the Ripper or Lizzie Borden. I was looking through some old newspapers and found a story about a woman who had an out of wedlock kid." Sara started to gesture as she spoke to him. "Well back during that time a woman simply did not have a child out of wedlock. especially in a place like Australia or England. So they would take their kids to another woman who was a nurse or nun and pay that woman to take care of her kid. Like a daycare only you never picked your kid up."
Mark started to nod his head. "But adoption is more accepted and let's face it-out of wedlock kids are the norm for Vegas. How does this help us?"
"Yeah but people still want their picture perfect families. All of the kids at that center had something in common. They were not perfect. Clara was deaf, the kid Nick questioned had behavioral problems and I would bet the others have a similar tale."
Mark shook his head. "It's hard to believe Sara..." He gestured at the computer.
"Maybe. But if we can get a warrant and talk to the parents, I bet one of them will crack. It would only take one to break this case open."
They were interrupted by a commotion outside. Both rose from their chairs. Sara opened her door. The noise was louder now. Grissom came into view with his hands up in the air.
Ms. Johnston advanced on him. When Sara spoke, she turned to her with a threatening look. "I told you to stop whoring around with all those guys." The older lady looked at Grissom. "This one has been in there doing God knows what with her. You the police?"
Grissom shrugged his shoulders. "Uh..yes. I'll take care of it from here." Ms. Johnston went back to her apartment and slammed the door shut. Grissom turned with a smile on his face that froze when Mark left the apartment. "I can always come back Sara if you are too busy." He stressed the last word with narrowed eyes.
Sara stared at him. "What?" Mark seemed to understand more than she did about the situation. "I was just leaving Mr. Uh...Grissom." He nodded to Sara and left the building in a rather hurried manner. Sara looked from Mark's retreating back to Grissom who looked severely pissed off at her.
"What did I do?" she asked him.
"I want you off this case Sara. You are spending too much time with your boyfriend and not enough time trying to solve it." He turned on one foot and walked off. Sara was left with her mouth hanging open.