Chapter 9

Nick had insisted that while Grissom was matching up the tire treads and Brass was organising the warrant, Sara should eat something with him in the break room.  She'd rolled her eyes at him and told him there was surely something better she could be doing and when he'd challenged her as to what, all she could come up with was helping Grissom.  Grissom had told her she should come and help him after she'd eaten and she'd given up the half-hearted argument and gone to down her food as quickly as possible.

It didn't take long, and it was still dark when Grissom matched the tire treads from the third crime scene to the make of a car owned by one of the employees at Jeremy's Body Art. He came running down the hall, physically bumping into Sara who was on her way down to help him.

"Sorry!" He said and then continued, "Sam Mitchel."

"This is our guy?" She asked with wide eyes.

"This is our suspect – tire treads won't hold up in court alone, Brass is getting a warrant for the guy's shoes – he'll meet us there," He continued down the hall and into the break room where Nick was packing up the meal he and Sara had devoured, and Warrick and Catherine were going over some photographs from a scene they were working.

"I want everyone," he announced to the room, effectively raising the heads of the three criminalists.

"Huh?" Warrick asked.

"I want everyone at Sam Mitchel's house, I want the whole place covered from top to bottom – the cleanest job all of you have ever done," he stated.

"This is a suspect in your case?" Catherine asked, getting up and ready to go.

"This is the suspect  - here's the address," he handed Catherine a piece of paper, "Brass is meeting us there with a warrant – you three get down there as soon as you can – Sara and I are going now," he left the room just as quickly as he entered.

Sara cast a glance at Nick who was standing there with two plates in his hand, mouth open.  "Stuff the plates Nick – come on!"  She fled after Grissom, leaving Nick to grin at her departing figure.

He dropped the plates down on the table and as he ran out of the room yelled to Catherine and Warrick over his shoulder, "I'll go with them, meet you there!"

Sara had caught up with Grissom as they both reached the car.

"Hang on Nick's coming," Sara said to him as he turned on the ignition, "He's working the case too remember?"

Grissom blinked at her and a look of understanding crossed his face before a slightly guilty one settled, "Oops."

The back door opened and Nick jumped in, "Alright lets go!" he said energetically.

Sara grinned at Grissom, telling him everything was okay, and he pulled out of the parking lot and into the traffic.

~~

"Brass isn't here yet," Sara said as they pulled up to the empty curb outside Sam Mitchel's house.

"Do we wait?" Nick asked Grissom.

Grissom thought for a moment and then glanced at Sara who was watching him, waiting for his answer.  "Well, why don't we just go and see whether Mr. Mitchel wants to cooperate on his own."

Sara and Nick grinned at him and they all got out of the car, walking up the pathway to the run-down looking shack.

"Nice little place," Nick said sarcastically, looking around the dilapidated yard.

"Hmm," Grissom hummed and walked up the couple of steps to the front door.  He raised his hand and knocked. They stood there in silence for a moment until Grissom knocked for a second time.  Sara shifted and bent down to look in the window next to the door.

"It's dark," she mumbled and looked back at Nick who had gone down the steps and was walking around the side of the house.  She looked at Grissom, who was looking in the other window next to the door.  Suddenly Nick came running back to them, eyes wide.

"I think someone's in there," he said breathlessly, "A girl – I think he's got a girl in there."

"What?" Grissom said, whispering back harshly.

"I heard a girl scream – I'm sure of it Grissom," he looked quickly between Grissom and Sara who were both unholstering their handguns.

Grissom looked at Nick, "Call Brass – tell him to hurry the hell up and bring some back up." Nick nodded and got out his phone, walking a little away from the house so he could talk louder into the phone.

Grissom looked at Sara who nodded at him, and he reached towards the doorknob, twisting it slowly.  To both their surprises the knob twisted all the way and the door creaked slowly open.

Inside the house was dark, with a gross musty type of smell filling their nostrils on their first inhale.  Both of them immediately decided breathing through their mouths was the best idea.  Grissom went in first, followed closely by Sara. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck and for a fleeting moment the thought that maybe it wasn't Sara breathing down his neck crossed his mind.  His heart beat faster.  Of course it was Sara.  He walked slowly, his ears straining to hear any slight sound.  The silence was deafening – until a small whimper crossed the room.  He felt Sara straighten and turn towards a door he could just make out to the left of them. He started to move with her towards the door when he heard a dull thud coming from the right side of the house.  He looked at Sara – she had heard it too.  She looked back towards the door to where they both suspected the whimpering had come from and then back at him.  He pointed to the door and nodded and then moved towards the right of the house.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw her reaching for the door handle before he completely focussed on where he was going – out of the room Sara was in and into another one, a kitchen.  His gun was pointed down, held in both of his hands – he had never heard such a deafening silence.

Then everything happened at once.  A dog howled outside, causing him to glance out of the window.  He heard a thud from the room he had left Sara in, and then a cry – a cry of pain.  Another thud. The front door was swung open and a dark figure could be seen running down the steps and into the front yard.  He heard Nick yell a 'Hey!' and then he heard another loud whimper coming from the room next door.  

"Sara?" he called, his voice seemed loud in the silence of the house but he didn't seem to notice.  "Sara!" he called again, this time more urgently.

He all but ran into the room, cursing the lack of light.  He looked around wildly and finally focused on a dark shape that was crouched by the door he had last seen Sara at. He raced over and immediately realised that the dark shape actually was Sara.  He heard her whimper again as he came over and crouched next to her, a hand on her back.

"Sara?" he said more softly, the fear in his voice was not masked.

She looked up at him, but quickly looked back at the floor – she was trying not to cry.  He suddenly remembered the torch he kept in his pocket and, cursing himself this time, pulled it out and clicked it on.

Red.  Blood.  She was covered in blood.  Whose blood?

"Sara?" he gently pulled her arms towards him and gulped at the fresh red stains that soaked her hands.

"God… Grissom," she managed to struggle out before she felt a wave of dizziness engulf her.  She reached out and he caught her quickly. His brain wouldn't work. Finally he had an epiphany and snapped out of his shocked state, reaching into his pocket, pulling out his phone and dialling 911.  He gave the address, told them to hurry, then hung up, bent down, gathered Sara in his arms and lifted her up.  She grunted in pain.

"Shhh," he whispered to her, as he carefully started moving towards the front door, "It's okay Sara – you're okay."

TBC

A/N – okay okay I have to apologise for hurting Sara all the time. I'm not sadistic I swear! It just happens! I have no control over a story once it starts running.  Oh, and since you're down here reading this… the review button is so close! Go on… click it, you know you want to…