Grissom and Catherine sat waiting anxiously.
"Grissom, Catherine! Good, you're here! Look this is what I need you to do. I can't get a warrant to search Sara until we either a body is found or Sara confesses - which ever comes first. It's been three hours since they went missing and they still haven't found him or his body. I just went to the DNA lab to find out that some numbskull didn't even put the blood on her hands in the first priority pile. It is now though. In the mean time, I need you both to interview her. If anyone's going to get an answer out of her it's you two. The psych said she is 'catatonic' but he said considering her age and her situation she might gradually begin to answer. On top of all that, when she does try to answer she can't get the answer out. He suggested that maybe the answer's the answer rather than what happened is the problem. But he said he could be wrong" Ecklie informed them.
"You mean she won't tell us because she did it" Catherine asked.
"If you could get yourself out of this wouldn't you say?" Ecklie replied.
"But your assuming she the gift of sanity, Ecklie" Grissom reflected
Grissom and Catherine walked into the interview room where Sara sat. Catherine had a cup of coffee.
"I thought you could do with this" Catherine gestured.
She gave it to Sara and smiled. Sara, surprisingly, managed to smile back.
Grissom and Catherine then sat down.
They waited for Sara to say something as they tried to work out how to deal with this situation. They knew all the protocol and training for this kind of situation but they couldn't for the life of them remember what to do. When faced with their work colleague, in not only a mess but also such a state, they froze.
Meanwhile, Sara said nothing. She just stared into space.
Grissom took a gulp.
"Why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning?" Grissom asked her sympathetically.
Sara just looked at him. As she did he could see the tears well up in her eyes. Suddenly, just as he thought she was going to say something, she burst into tears.
Catherine put her hands on her face in stress. Grissom sighed.
Catherine then did something unusual. She got up, went to the opposite side of the table and sat next to Sara. She put an arm round Sara and comforted her.
"Do you really think this is the best place?" Catherine asked Grissom. "It's private. At least we can make sure of that," Grissom suggested.
"O.k. Are you o.k. with this, Sara?" Catherine asked.
Sara nodded.
"O.k." Catherine reassured herself.
"I want my cousin. Michelle. For support. Just for support" Sara looked up and said.
"Um, o.k. I'll go get her. Then we can try to begin" Catherine replied.
Catherine got up and went out to get Michelle.
Grissom was left in the room with Sara for only a matter of moments, but it felt like it was forever. It wasn't the fact it was Sara. It wasn't the fact that Grissom wasn't good with people. It was the fact that Sara was a zombie.
"Wow! I think you asking us to get Michelle is the first full sentence you've said in hours, Sara" Grissom commented jokily to pass the silence.
Sara gave him a cold stare like his joke was inappropriate.
Catherine came back in with Michelle. Michelle sat next to Sara and immediately Sara fell into her arms crying.
Michelle immediate impulse was to ask Sara if she had done it. But she didn't. She didn't think Sara would answer her in front of Catherine and Grissom if she hadn't already told them. Plus she was afraid Sara would say yes. Michelle was pretty sure the answer was yes; she just didn't want to hear it.
Sara soon recomposed herself and Michelle took over Catherine's previous position of comforter.
There was more silence as Catherine and Grissom couldn't think what to say. The only thing they could think of was to come out with it and ask the obvious.
"Sara, when I ask you this. You don't need to explain your answer. You don't even need to give me a yes or no. I realise your finding it hard to speak so all I want you to do is nod your head for a yes and shake your head for a no. A simple shake of the head or a nod. That's all I ask for. Then I promise you we can go take a break again" Grissom explained.
"We'll get you some nice doughnuts and I even heard Greg is going to let you have some of his special coffee!" Catherine added.
"All we you for is the few seconds it requires for me to ask the question and for you to do the appropriate action" Grissom added on top of that.
Grissom gulped and took a deep breath.
"Sara, did you kill your father? Just nod or shake" Grissom asked.
Sara looked at Grissom again. She looked like she was trying to answer. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She just froze up. She couldn't say anything.
"You don't need to speak. Just nod or shake" Grissom begged her.
Sara looked at Grissom desperately and suddenly just burst into tears again.
"Please Sara! Just nod or shake and this will all be over" Grissom pleaded.
"I don't want to tell you!" Sara sobbed.
"Why?" Grissom asked intrigued.
"I'm too embarrassed. You'll think badly of me" Sara admitted tearfully.
Now, the other three were even more sure she had killed him.
Catherine took Sara's hand.
"You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. You did what a lot of people would have done. You just got caught" Catherine reassured her.
Sara looked Catherine straight in the eye.
"He tried to hurt Alaney and I-I-I" Sara sobbed but couldn't finish.
Grissom and Catherine sighed.
"Sara! The search team is going to find your father dead or alive any moment now. You may as well tell us what happened. You're not going to be able to prevent us finding out," Grissom told her.
"Well, I'd rather just wait till you find out. I just don't want you to hear it from me" Sara admitted.
"Why?" Grissom asked confused.
"For goodness sake Sara, are you like five or something?" Catherine shouted.
Grissom signalled Catherine to calm.
"Sorry. I only got angry because I care. We want to help you, Sara. But we can't help you if you don't help yourself" Catherine told her.
Sara did nothing. She just ignored them.
Grissom got a gun out a bag in his pocket and put it on the table.
"Do you know who's gun this is Sara? It's yours. The only prints on it were yours and your father's. They found one bullet missing. What did you use that bullet for?" Grissom asked.
Sara just ignored him.
"O.k. Sara. If your not going to tell us the truth then at least tell us where to find him. That's a big forest to cover. We've had a whole team of cadets and sniffer dogs out searching for the last two hours and they still haven't found anything. What a waste of resources when you could tell us where he is! You hate it when people waste police time! It's a pet hate of yours! You hate it when CSI time is wasted. How do you think the poor CSIs feel? All they want to do is solve this and go home to their kids. Just like you would want to spend more time with Alaney. Just tell us where he is so more time isn't wasted" Catherine pleaded.
"That's all I am to you isn't it? A case! I'm just another case. Solve, sign off and go home. You don't think about the implications or about how hard it is to admit to certain things? I have no idea how I can face Alaney after what I've done! I want to put this case being solved off for as long as possible" Sara admitted.
"I'll tell you what then! Why don't we put you into a police cell until we find him, huh?" Grissom shouted.
"Fine" Sara replied.
"You know what Sara? You wanna know another reason we can't wait around? If he isn't dead yet then we might be able to save him. You could still get away with assault if you just tell us where the hell he is!" Catherine shouted at her again.
"He doesn't need medical attention" Sara replied.
"Well, that's a start. He's either dead or uninjured" Grissom added to try motivate Catherine.
Catherine took a deep breath.
"Sara, maybe we're starting too hard. Let's start gentle. Just tell us what happened from the start. Why were you at your parents? How did you know Boby was going to hurt Alaney? How did you know where they were? Tell us step by step. Tell us as much as you can. We're going to need this for the report anyway" Catherine asked.
"Why were we there? I can't remember" Sara commented lost.
"Can I say?" Michelle asked.
Catherine nodded.
"You went to pick up Alaney's stuff remember? She had forgiven you" Michelle reminded Sara.
"Of course. That's why" Sara agreed.
"What happened when you got there?" Catherine asked.
"We argued" Sara snorted.
"Who? Who precisely? Just you and your dad? Give me the precise order of who argued and when?" Catherine asked.
"When Alaney and I arrived, things between me and dad were frosty but we didn't argue. Then Alaney went into her room and my dad followed. They argued. Yeah, I think you'd go as far as to say they argued. Then my dad pretended to be nice. We tried to have a nice lunch. I think that ended with either me or Alaney having a small argument with him. Then my parents went to the kitchen and they had a big argument" Sara remembered.
"A violent one?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah" Sara admitted.
"How did that they make you feel?" Catherine asked.
"How do you think it made me feel!" Sara replied.
"Were you angry? Did you want to get revenge? Make him feel like her? Were you sad?" Catherine asked.
Sara thought about it.
"At first, when I went in I was angry. But then I just acted angry. Really I was mainly scared" Sara admitted sadly.
"What happened next?" Catherine asked sad too.
"He ran out and so I chased him. I wanted to tell him off and tell him it was wrong to hit mom. Tell him to apologise. Tell him to stop hurting her! It was such a stupid idea!" Sara told Catherine but didn't spend much time looking at Catherine.
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"If I got him alone he'd want to talk about her" Sara answered.
"Who?" Catherine asked.
Sara burst into tears
"Alaney!" Sara admitted.
"Why were you arguing about Alaney?" Catherine asked. "He didn't want to let Alaney go. He wanted to keep her. Like she's some kind of pet! He thinks he can just pick her up and drop her when he pleases. He said it was better if she stayed with him. Better! Does he seriously think he can offer her a decent life?" Sara remarked.
"Why did he think he would be better?" Catherine asked confused.
"Because he's her father and now he wants her" Grissom commented.
Catherine looked at Grissom confused and Sara looked at Grissom shocked.
Then both women realised why he thought that.
"He still doesn't know Boby's not Alaney's child?!?!" Catherine blurted out without thinking.
"Well he does now!" Sara sniped back.
"Wait! So he's not her father or is he not your father? I'm confused. You said you were her sister and Boby was her father" Grissom responded.
"No my dad is my dad. Look, we're related to Alaney and that's why my dad could donate - that's all you need to know" Sara replied.
At that point, a man barraged through the door.
"That's quite enough. Stop right now!" the man demanded.
Sara was so relieved. She hoped this would change the subject.
"I am Miss Sidle's lawyer. You should never have started without me! Your taking advantage of my client's fragile state by not asking her for her lawyer" the lawyer perplexed.
"Marcus Taylor is your lawyer!" Catherine exclaimed to Sara.
"The top lawyer in Las Vegas. Well, with your grandparents money, it figures I guess" Catherine commented impressed.
"Mr Taylor, as no crime has been identified yet we are not holding Sara. She is welcome to come or go" Grissom informed Mr Taylor.
"Technically" Catherine added to finish Grissom's sentence.
The lawyer pulled up a chair from the side of the room and sat next to his defendant.
"All the same I'll be here" Marcus Taylor informed them.
"Me too" a male voice added.
Everyone turned to see Detective Regan. Everyone that is except Sara who couldn't really care what was going on.
"Great! Anyone else like to join us? This was meant to be a quiet little talk between the three of us" Catherine exclaimed.
"Do you want me to go?" Michelle asked.
"No! Please stay!" Sara panicked.
"No, your fine Michelle. Stay, Sara needs you. But them!" Catherine reiterated.
"Detective Regan, can we have a word with you outside?" Grissom asked.
Catherine, Grissom and Detective Regan left the room.
"Look Marshall, Catherine and I are dealing with this fine. Your presence is not needed. Understand?" Grissom informed him.
"I think what Grissom's trying to say is Sara doesn't need your bullying tactics right now" Catherine explained.
"That's not what Ecklie thinks" Regan answered.
"Who gives a damn what Ecklie thinks!" Grissom responded.
"Grissom! Look Marshall she needs to be comfortable and then she'll tell us what happened" Catherine jumped in.
"Ecklie's fed up waiting. He wants me to try her now. If you want we can all try. But I'm not leaving!" Detective Marshall Regan insisted.
The detective returned to the interrogation room, followed by Grissom and Catherine.
"Where were we? Oh yes. Sara, if your father is not Alaney's father then why did he think he was better suited to look after her?" Grissom asked.
"I don't know. You'd have to ask him" Sara replied defiantly.
"Look Grissom, ummm, could you go get us some coffees?" Catherine asked.
"Pardon?" Grissom responded annoyed.
"Look I can't explain but just please do it" Catherine insisted.
"No, I'm staying and I want to know what Catherine knows that you're not telling me, Sara!" Grissom insisted.
"Why should I tell you?" Sara asked annoyed.
"Because I care about you!" Grissom blurted out while shouting.
Grissom calmed down.
Detective Regan wanted to turn the situation around. He felt Grissom and Catherine were getting too emotional and not getting to the point.
"O.k., so you and your dad are having a argument. Even if he hit you - which it's quite clear he did from the cuts and bruises on your face - how did it turn into you trying to protect Alaney? Why did you want to kill him?" Detective Regan asked in a cold professional manner.
"You said earlier that he was going to kill Alaney. Why on earth would he want to kill her? A minute ago you were saying how much he wanted her and had grown fond of her and suddenly he wants to kill her?!?" Grissom asked.
"Did you mean you were scared he might kill her? Accidentally? They might start having a physical fight and things might get out of hand? You felt you had to stop him" Catherine asked.
"Stop!!!!", Sara shouted, "All of you just shut up! I'm not going to tell you! I'm not going to tell any of you! I don't need to tell you anything! I don't want to tell you anything!".
Sara put her hands over her ears and lay her face on the table. Catherine and Grissom turned to each other to exchange bemused looks. Sara was acting scarily too close to the boundary between sane and not.
"Exactly! That's it! That's enough! We're going! Come on Sara. They have no right to question you let alone upset you. Miss Sidle is going through a traumatic enough time without this harassment" Marcus Taylor insisted.
"Sit down, Mr Taylor!" Grissom shouted.
"Wait, Marcus. Can I have a word?" Sara Sidle asked.
Sara got up and went over to the corner of the room.
"Over here" Sara told him.
Sara was standing anxiously. Her arms where folded and she was chewing her nails.
"I just wanted to check. You do realise I need you to bill the Sidles not the Lintons, don't you? The Linton grandparents can't know about this! You haven't said anything to them have you? Anything?" Sara whispered.
"Don't worry, of course I haven't. I haven't spoken to them at all. I know the procedure. I called your Grandparents Sidle and they wanted to me to reassure you that they're a 100% behind you, O.K.? They said if you have killed him then they understand and he totally deserves it. They want you to call them when this interview is finished and tell them if you want them to come to Nevada. O.k.?" Marcus reassured her as he rubbed her arms in comfort.
Sara nodded.
"That won't be needed. I'm fine. It's best they don't come up" Sara told him.
"O.k." Marcus replied.
Grissom was quite surprised to see Marcus Taylor rubbing Sara's arms. He didn't realise they'd even met. But then again, Grissom knew Marcus Taylor and Marcus Taylor tended to give his high profile clients the personal touch if they needed it. He was a slimy so and so.
Marcus and Sara sat down again. Even though Sara and Marcus has tried to keep their voices down everyone else had heard every word.
Catherine tried to think of what to ask next.
"Umm, o.k. Let's carry on. Why don't you go back to telling us what happened in that hut?" Catherine asked.
"We argued. He walked out and I stayed in the hut. End of story" Sara lied.
"You knew he was trying to kill Alaney and you just let him go!" Catherine asked.
Sara gave Catherine a defiant and annoyed look.
"Yeah" Sara replied with attitude.
"How did you find the pair of them?" Detective Regan asked.
"It was really muddy and I saw his footprints coming out the hut. I just followed the footprints. It was worth a try and I ended up finding them before long" Sara replied monotonously.
"Lucky" Catherine commented.
"What did you see when you got to them?" Grissom asked.
Sara gulped and tears began to build up in her eyes.
"He was hurting her!" Sara answered introspectively.
"Hurting her? How?" Grissom asked, trying to control his rage.
"Umm. He was. Umm. He was kicking her! He just kept kicking her and kicking her and kicking her and he wasn't going to stop! She just lay there powerless. I had to stop him! I had to protect her!" Sara told them.
Sara was so introspective within herself at this point that she accidentally startled Grissom, out the blue, by saying,
"He can do what he wants to me! But I won't let him touch my daughter!" Sara confessed unintentionally as she sobbed.
As soon as Sara said it she realised her slip of the tongue. She tried to stop herself finishing the word but it was too late she'd said it. In her emotional state she had let her guard down and let it slip out. She looked startled but not as shocked as Grissom.
"Daughter?" Grissom reiterated.
"She means Alaney's like her daughter!" Catherine jumped in.
"No, I don't Catherine. It's all right. He may as well know. It's not like it matters him knowing or not anymore. It doesn't matter what he thinks of me" Sara responded.
"But how can she be? There's only fourteen years between you both!" Grissom asked.
"Do I need to draw you diagrams!" Sara retorted with attitude.
Grissom paused.
Grissom suddenly felt a twinge of de-ja-vu. He remembered a case of a girl who had admitted to being a mother at thirteen. In fact, the conversation almost went like this. Her father had raped her. Therefore, Boby came straight to Grissom's mind.
"Who's the father?" Grissom asked.
Grissom tried with every bone in his body to keep his rage under control.
"Just some boy. A nothing! He doesn't give a stuff about her! He was just a kid and so was I" Sara lied.
And for some reason Grissom accepted this as the truth. Even though all her past actions would suggest her words a lie. He accepted it because unconsciously he could not accept the truth.
"How did your parents not notice? How did you keep it a secret?" Grissom asked.
"They just didn't. I didn't even know. I was bulimic and anorexia. I was losing weight as fast as I was putting it on. I was throwing up and my periods stopped but I thought it was just the bulimia" Sara answered.
Sara looked at Grissom. He looked so betrayed that she hadn't told him.
"And now she has eating disorders. Just like her mother did" Grissom reflected in shock.
"But how did she survive when you had a eating disorder?!?" Grissom asked. "It's a miracle" Sara said as she shrugged.
"Of course, she does have quite a few medical problems. Her duplex kidney, lots of allergies, she used to have asthma, she has eczema. But then again so do many kids. She's lucky. I know she is. It's probably due to my mum, my aunt and this nice lady who helped me give birth - because they all looked after her really well. Plus she was in an incubator in hospital and that they probably saved her. She was quite ill when we got her to hospital" Sara explained.
"I can't believe it! Alaney is yours?!?" Grissom repeated again.
"You can't believe it! How about me? I was walking down an alley one day and got stomach pains and next thing you know I'm holding a newborn baby!" Sara added.
Grissom realised something.
"Does Alaney know?" Grissom asked.
"That was why she fell out with me. She found out and declared that she hates me and I ruined her life apparently. Well ditto darling! No I love her really. She's my world now. Technically she always has been. I couldn't move on without her with me and she wasn't was she? Like I said though. We've made up" Sara commented.
"So that's how your all related to her" Grissom reiterated.
There was silence for a while as everyone took the new situation in.
"Can we got on now, please?" Detective Regan asked insensitive.
Sara suddenly burst out crying again.
"What's wrong?" Catherine asked concerned.
Catherine took her hand over to Sara's and stroked it.
"Everything's such a mess" Sara admitted.
"Tell us about it, Sara. Tell us what happened when you saw him hurting Alaney" Catherine suggested.
Sara looked at Catherine, took a deep breath and decided to tell them.
"When I saw them, I went running at him and hit him over the head with something. I can't remember what though. I just remember seeing him and seeing red and I just grabbed something nearby - I think it was a branch" Sara told them.
"Then what?" Catherine urged her.
"Then I can't remember. It's like a blur! I just remember bending down to hug Alaney and then next thing I know he ran off and I got up and chased him" Sara admitted.
"Why? He was gone! He wasn't going to hurt your daughter anymore! He was of no danger!" Detective Regan asked her.
"I object!" Marcus Taylor interrupted.
"Shut up Marcus!" Grissom shouted.
"He would of her hurt Alaney later!" Sara sobbed to Catherine.
"Alaney told us that she told you he wasn't going to kill her anymore. So why did you run after him with a gun?" Catherine asked bewildered.
"I object!" Sara's lawyer continued.
"He would have hurt her in other ways" Sara told Catherine.
"To spite me!" Sara sobbed.
"But he wasn't going to kill her! Oh Sara! This is not looking good at all!" Catherine commented.
"I just wanted to get rid of him for good. I was so tired! I was tired of him constantly hurting mom. I was tired of him constantly trying to hurt me, whenever he saw me. And now! Now he was trying to hurt Alaney too! She would probably be his number one target! I just wanted to stop him! Stop him with something he couldn't beat!" Sara confessed sobbing.
"Miss Sidle, I advise you stop right there. You have the right to remain silent, remember. You haven't even been arrested! - they should not have you here! Come on let's go!" her lawyer insisted.
"I'm fine! We're staying! They need to know" Sara told him.
Sara looked back at Catherine and carried on,
"I was chasing after him - gun in hand - and I saw him look behind at me. And do you know how he looked? Scared! He looked scared! I have hardly ever seen him look scared! And I loved it! I loved the power. He was powerless. He wouldn't hurt anyone anymore! He couldn't hurt me. He couldn't hurt mom. He couldn't hurt Alaney" Sara confessed as silent tears ran down her eyes.
Sara paused for a second to visualise it.
"And then! He ran into that hut again. He thought he could make it in time! He tried to get in and lock the door behind him, but I beat him to it. So all he could do was hold me back by pressing his weight against the door. So I kicked, and I kicked, and I kicked, and I kicked, with all the strength in me! I don't think I've ever been that strong but it must have been the adrenaline rush because I kicked him away from that door!" Sara admitted smiling. "And when I got inside! I held that gun to him!. He looked so petrified! He looked like a rabbit in headlights. He was crying! Him crying! And he kept saying 'Baby, baby, I love you, don't do this!' and 'Don't be silly, darling! Your end up in so much trouble if you kill me!'. But he was being arrogant when he said it! Usually he's so arrogant! So big headed. No! He was petrified! He was begging me! Begging me of all people!" Sara admitted smiling to her at times.
"That hut! It seemed so prophetic to kill him there! There of all places!" Sara said.
"But then he said 'Baby I love you!' and I kept screaming 'Liar! Liar!'" Sara remembered.
"Miss Sidle, I really recommend you shut up now! I would just like to mention for the tape that my client is continuing against my wishes" her lawyer said.
Sara became to cry more heavily and confessed,
"I was aiming that gun straight at him and I could have shot him. I had the chance!" Sara sobbed.
Sara became crying heavier and heavier.
"But then he kept saying 'But baby! I didn't kill her! I didn't kill her! I couldn't kill her! I just couldn't do it! I wanted to but I just couldn't! I care so much about her! Just like you do!" Sara admitted.
Sara paused.
"And then I realised. I realised that I had no justified reason to kill him! He wasn't going to kill her! I had even heard her tell me that. I had known he wasn't going to kill her and yet I still chased after him! I would have been ten hundred times worse than him! Because the truth is I probably would have killed him out of angry not just to protect Alaney! I was angry for me! Not just Alaney and mom but me too! I knew that if there was even one shred of anger in my motive then I would not be justified. I probably wouldn't even of been able to do it! I don't think I could even do it!" Sara admitted.
"You didn't kill him?" Catherine asked shocked but delighted.
Grissom and Catherine sighed a huge sigh of relief. Michelle was glad too but she was more shocked than any of the others. Michelle knew Sara's state of mind the night before and she knew why Sara hated Boby.
"Oh thank goodness! Thank goodness! Well done Sara! Well done! That's brilliant!" Grissom exclaimed.
Grissom felt the overwhelming urge to come over and hug Sara. So he did. Sara was quite taken aback and didn't fully participate in the hug as she didn't feel proud.
Then Grissom returned to his seat.
"So what happened next? Where is he? Why didn't you just tell us that in the first place?" Grissom asked.
Sara began crying again.
"I was ashamed" Sara admitted.
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"Because I didn't protect Alaney! I'm meant to protect Laney and now he still might hurt her! I'm so selfish! I decided I wanted to keep my morality and my job over Alaney's safety"
"No, it's not like that! You did the right thing. You'd be no use to Alaney in prison" Catherine told her.
"I thought that too! I thought that!" Sara remembered.
Sara paused and went solemn again.
"I didn't mean to chose it over Alaney! I just meant I would protect her in other ways. I'll make sure he doesn't touch her I promise you!" Sara told them.
"Sara, you don't need to explain to us. We know you did the right thing. You're a brilliant. We think your brilliant" Catherine told her.
"Really?" Sara asked Catherine.
"Really" Catherine reassured her.
"Anyway, he's my dad! I just couldn't do it! But I will protect I promise!" Sara admitted.
"Where is he? Does he need help?" Detective Regan asked.
Sara remembered back,
"I needed to stop him somehow. So I held him at gunpoint and tied him up. I wanted to make him powerless and immobile so he wouldn't hurt anyone!" Sara remembered
"But you can't leave him there forever" Detective Regan suggested.
"I know. He's in the hut" Sara admitted sanely.
Suddenly there was a bang on the door and Ecklie stormed in without waiting for permission.
"She didn't kill him! We've found him!" Ecklie delighted.
"We know. He's in the hut near the house. We've just found out" Catherine told Ecklie.
"Wait a moment, where did that blood came from then?" Grissom asked Sara confused.
Sara looked away ashamed.
"I was just getting to that", Ecklie told them, "I don't know for sure. But I have a theory. You see I just got the results back from Saunders. The blood's not Boby's - it's hers!" Ecklie told them.
Grissom was confused.
"What? But how?" Grissom asked
Catherine and Ecklie exchanged looks.
"Oh no! You didn't, Sara!" Catherine declared before placing her face in her hands.
Ecklie went over to Sara and pulled her sleeve up. She had part of a white bloody blouse tied around her wrist where she'd cut herself.
Grissom was shocked. He sighed and placed his face in his hands too.
"Oh angel. Why Sara why?" Catherine responded.
Why didn't you tell us?" Grissom pleaded.
"I was so ashamed. I thought you might think I was a freak. I've never done it before, I promise! I was just so ashamed of not hurting him! I should have done! I punched him and punched him like he did to other people - but that was the only hurt I caused. I didn't feel satisfied. So I wanted to hurt myself for not hurting him enough and for not protecting Alaney. I'm such a bad mother! I didn't do enough for her!" Sara sobbed.
"No you did!" Grissom insisted to Sara.
"As soon as I realised how stupid it was, I took my blouse off and tied it round the bleeding" Sara told them tearfully.
"How could we have overlooked that?!" Grissom asked himself.
"She has a long sleeved black top on. We couldn't see the blood through the black and we never looked at any part of her body under her clothes, so - we didn't see it, let alone think it!" Ecklie suggested.
Catherine sighed.
"Interview terminated at - well now!" Catherine said into the tape machine and turned it off.
Suddenly Grissom didn't looked stressed anymore. He looked relieved. He gave a small smile. Everything was fine.
"It's going to be fine. I promise. It's going to be fine" Grissom commented.
Catherine saw this and realised everything was better. Catherine sighed with relief too.
"Come on Sara, let's get you a coffee. I think we all need one!" Catherine suggested.
Fifteen minutes later, Sara was in the waiting room drinking coffee with Catherine and Michelle. Grissom came over.
"I've just been talking to Ecklie and the D.A. It's looks like there won't be any charges placed on you. If your father tries to press kidnapping or assault charges against you then he'll find them impossible to stick" Grissom informed her.
"Thank goodness for that!" Catherine commented.
"He won't dare to place charges. I have too much on him and he knows it. He won't do anything, don't worry" Sara replied still a bit shaken.
"Well, he hasn't mention anything about charges to the police who are with him. As for him, we can't charge him with anything solid. We have no evidence except Alaney's word. We could get him for assault on Alaney" Grissom told her.
"No. Unless she wants to, then no" Sara responded.
"He's fine by the way. They took him to Dessert Palms to check him over and he's fine" Grissom told Sara.
"Whoopee do!" Sara replied sarcastic.
"The police are going to make sure he doesn't go anywhere near Alaney and hopefully your mother. But you know your mother, she'll go back to him. The police are going to try to get Alaney to get a restraining order against him when she wakes up" Grissom explained.
"Alaney! Oh my goodness where's Alaney?!? What do you mean wakes up? Is she asleep? Is she just asleep? Here?" Sara reacted.
Catherine and Michelle looked at Grissom.
"No one's told you yet!" Michelle added.
"Told me what? Oh no! What's happened?" Sara reacted on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry sweetheart but Alaney and your mother are at Dessert Palms too. They both collapsed. Once you'd run after your father your mother collapsed. Alaney collapsed later on from stress and with her new kidneys and all. But they're both going to be fine! They're still both unconscious but the doctors say it's just their bodies recuperating" Catherine explained.
"It's all my fault! This is all too much for Alaney to take!"
"It's not your fault, it's his fault!" Michelle reassured Sara.
"I need to go see them!" Sara announced startled.
"Daven and Janey are already down there" Grissom added.
"Daven? But his girlfriend's eight months pregnant! What's on earth is he doing coming to Nevada! He's such a idiot!" Sara commented.
"I'll drive you down" Catherine told her.
Sara nodded and got up.
"You coming too Michelle?" Catherine asked
Michelle nodded.
"I'm coming too but I need to fill in some paperwork with Ecklie. I'll follow you guys on in about half and hour. O.K?" Grissom told Catherine.
Catherine thought to herself and nodded hesitantly. She didn't think it was good idea him coming.
"Grissom, Catherine! Good, you're here! Look this is what I need you to do. I can't get a warrant to search Sara until we either a body is found or Sara confesses - which ever comes first. It's been three hours since they went missing and they still haven't found him or his body. I just went to the DNA lab to find out that some numbskull didn't even put the blood on her hands in the first priority pile. It is now though. In the mean time, I need you both to interview her. If anyone's going to get an answer out of her it's you two. The psych said she is 'catatonic' but he said considering her age and her situation she might gradually begin to answer. On top of all that, when she does try to answer she can't get the answer out. He suggested that maybe the answer's the answer rather than what happened is the problem. But he said he could be wrong" Ecklie informed them.
"You mean she won't tell us because she did it" Catherine asked.
"If you could get yourself out of this wouldn't you say?" Ecklie replied.
"But your assuming she the gift of sanity, Ecklie" Grissom reflected
Grissom and Catherine walked into the interview room where Sara sat. Catherine had a cup of coffee.
"I thought you could do with this" Catherine gestured.
She gave it to Sara and smiled. Sara, surprisingly, managed to smile back.
Grissom and Catherine then sat down.
They waited for Sara to say something as they tried to work out how to deal with this situation. They knew all the protocol and training for this kind of situation but they couldn't for the life of them remember what to do. When faced with their work colleague, in not only a mess but also such a state, they froze.
Meanwhile, Sara said nothing. She just stared into space.
Grissom took a gulp.
"Why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning?" Grissom asked her sympathetically.
Sara just looked at him. As she did he could see the tears well up in her eyes. Suddenly, just as he thought she was going to say something, she burst into tears.
Catherine put her hands on her face in stress. Grissom sighed.
Catherine then did something unusual. She got up, went to the opposite side of the table and sat next to Sara. She put an arm round Sara and comforted her.
"Do you really think this is the best place?" Catherine asked Grissom. "It's private. At least we can make sure of that," Grissom suggested.
"O.k. Are you o.k. with this, Sara?" Catherine asked.
Sara nodded.
"O.k." Catherine reassured herself.
"I want my cousin. Michelle. For support. Just for support" Sara looked up and said.
"Um, o.k. I'll go get her. Then we can try to begin" Catherine replied.
Catherine got up and went out to get Michelle.
Grissom was left in the room with Sara for only a matter of moments, but it felt like it was forever. It wasn't the fact it was Sara. It wasn't the fact that Grissom wasn't good with people. It was the fact that Sara was a zombie.
"Wow! I think you asking us to get Michelle is the first full sentence you've said in hours, Sara" Grissom commented jokily to pass the silence.
Sara gave him a cold stare like his joke was inappropriate.
Catherine came back in with Michelle. Michelle sat next to Sara and immediately Sara fell into her arms crying.
Michelle immediate impulse was to ask Sara if she had done it. But she didn't. She didn't think Sara would answer her in front of Catherine and Grissom if she hadn't already told them. Plus she was afraid Sara would say yes. Michelle was pretty sure the answer was yes; she just didn't want to hear it.
Sara soon recomposed herself and Michelle took over Catherine's previous position of comforter.
There was more silence as Catherine and Grissom couldn't think what to say. The only thing they could think of was to come out with it and ask the obvious.
"Sara, when I ask you this. You don't need to explain your answer. You don't even need to give me a yes or no. I realise your finding it hard to speak so all I want you to do is nod your head for a yes and shake your head for a no. A simple shake of the head or a nod. That's all I ask for. Then I promise you we can go take a break again" Grissom explained.
"We'll get you some nice doughnuts and I even heard Greg is going to let you have some of his special coffee!" Catherine added.
"All we you for is the few seconds it requires for me to ask the question and for you to do the appropriate action" Grissom added on top of that.
Grissom gulped and took a deep breath.
"Sara, did you kill your father? Just nod or shake" Grissom asked.
Sara looked at Grissom again. She looked like she was trying to answer. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She just froze up. She couldn't say anything.
"You don't need to speak. Just nod or shake" Grissom begged her.
Sara looked at Grissom desperately and suddenly just burst into tears again.
"Please Sara! Just nod or shake and this will all be over" Grissom pleaded.
"I don't want to tell you!" Sara sobbed.
"Why?" Grissom asked intrigued.
"I'm too embarrassed. You'll think badly of me" Sara admitted tearfully.
Now, the other three were even more sure she had killed him.
Catherine took Sara's hand.
"You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. You did what a lot of people would have done. You just got caught" Catherine reassured her.
Sara looked Catherine straight in the eye.
"He tried to hurt Alaney and I-I-I" Sara sobbed but couldn't finish.
Grissom and Catherine sighed.
"Sara! The search team is going to find your father dead or alive any moment now. You may as well tell us what happened. You're not going to be able to prevent us finding out," Grissom told her.
"Well, I'd rather just wait till you find out. I just don't want you to hear it from me" Sara admitted.
"Why?" Grissom asked confused.
"For goodness sake Sara, are you like five or something?" Catherine shouted.
Grissom signalled Catherine to calm.
"Sorry. I only got angry because I care. We want to help you, Sara. But we can't help you if you don't help yourself" Catherine told her.
Sara did nothing. She just ignored them.
Grissom got a gun out a bag in his pocket and put it on the table.
"Do you know who's gun this is Sara? It's yours. The only prints on it were yours and your father's. They found one bullet missing. What did you use that bullet for?" Grissom asked.
Sara just ignored him.
"O.k. Sara. If your not going to tell us the truth then at least tell us where to find him. That's a big forest to cover. We've had a whole team of cadets and sniffer dogs out searching for the last two hours and they still haven't found anything. What a waste of resources when you could tell us where he is! You hate it when people waste police time! It's a pet hate of yours! You hate it when CSI time is wasted. How do you think the poor CSIs feel? All they want to do is solve this and go home to their kids. Just like you would want to spend more time with Alaney. Just tell us where he is so more time isn't wasted" Catherine pleaded.
"That's all I am to you isn't it? A case! I'm just another case. Solve, sign off and go home. You don't think about the implications or about how hard it is to admit to certain things? I have no idea how I can face Alaney after what I've done! I want to put this case being solved off for as long as possible" Sara admitted.
"I'll tell you what then! Why don't we put you into a police cell until we find him, huh?" Grissom shouted.
"Fine" Sara replied.
"You know what Sara? You wanna know another reason we can't wait around? If he isn't dead yet then we might be able to save him. You could still get away with assault if you just tell us where the hell he is!" Catherine shouted at her again.
"He doesn't need medical attention" Sara replied.
"Well, that's a start. He's either dead or uninjured" Grissom added to try motivate Catherine.
Catherine took a deep breath.
"Sara, maybe we're starting too hard. Let's start gentle. Just tell us what happened from the start. Why were you at your parents? How did you know Boby was going to hurt Alaney? How did you know where they were? Tell us step by step. Tell us as much as you can. We're going to need this for the report anyway" Catherine asked.
"Why were we there? I can't remember" Sara commented lost.
"Can I say?" Michelle asked.
Catherine nodded.
"You went to pick up Alaney's stuff remember? She had forgiven you" Michelle reminded Sara.
"Of course. That's why" Sara agreed.
"What happened when you got there?" Catherine asked.
"We argued" Sara snorted.
"Who? Who precisely? Just you and your dad? Give me the precise order of who argued and when?" Catherine asked.
"When Alaney and I arrived, things between me and dad were frosty but we didn't argue. Then Alaney went into her room and my dad followed. They argued. Yeah, I think you'd go as far as to say they argued. Then my dad pretended to be nice. We tried to have a nice lunch. I think that ended with either me or Alaney having a small argument with him. Then my parents went to the kitchen and they had a big argument" Sara remembered.
"A violent one?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah" Sara admitted.
"How did that they make you feel?" Catherine asked.
"How do you think it made me feel!" Sara replied.
"Were you angry? Did you want to get revenge? Make him feel like her? Were you sad?" Catherine asked.
Sara thought about it.
"At first, when I went in I was angry. But then I just acted angry. Really I was mainly scared" Sara admitted sadly.
"What happened next?" Catherine asked sad too.
"He ran out and so I chased him. I wanted to tell him off and tell him it was wrong to hit mom. Tell him to apologise. Tell him to stop hurting her! It was such a stupid idea!" Sara told Catherine but didn't spend much time looking at Catherine.
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"If I got him alone he'd want to talk about her" Sara answered.
"Who?" Catherine asked.
Sara burst into tears
"Alaney!" Sara admitted.
"Why were you arguing about Alaney?" Catherine asked. "He didn't want to let Alaney go. He wanted to keep her. Like she's some kind of pet! He thinks he can just pick her up and drop her when he pleases. He said it was better if she stayed with him. Better! Does he seriously think he can offer her a decent life?" Sara remarked.
"Why did he think he would be better?" Catherine asked confused.
"Because he's her father and now he wants her" Grissom commented.
Catherine looked at Grissom confused and Sara looked at Grissom shocked.
Then both women realised why he thought that.
"He still doesn't know Boby's not Alaney's child?!?!" Catherine blurted out without thinking.
"Well he does now!" Sara sniped back.
"Wait! So he's not her father or is he not your father? I'm confused. You said you were her sister and Boby was her father" Grissom responded.
"No my dad is my dad. Look, we're related to Alaney and that's why my dad could donate - that's all you need to know" Sara replied.
At that point, a man barraged through the door.
"That's quite enough. Stop right now!" the man demanded.
Sara was so relieved. She hoped this would change the subject.
"I am Miss Sidle's lawyer. You should never have started without me! Your taking advantage of my client's fragile state by not asking her for her lawyer" the lawyer perplexed.
"Marcus Taylor is your lawyer!" Catherine exclaimed to Sara.
"The top lawyer in Las Vegas. Well, with your grandparents money, it figures I guess" Catherine commented impressed.
"Mr Taylor, as no crime has been identified yet we are not holding Sara. She is welcome to come or go" Grissom informed Mr Taylor.
"Technically" Catherine added to finish Grissom's sentence.
The lawyer pulled up a chair from the side of the room and sat next to his defendant.
"All the same I'll be here" Marcus Taylor informed them.
"Me too" a male voice added.
Everyone turned to see Detective Regan. Everyone that is except Sara who couldn't really care what was going on.
"Great! Anyone else like to join us? This was meant to be a quiet little talk between the three of us" Catherine exclaimed.
"Do you want me to go?" Michelle asked.
"No! Please stay!" Sara panicked.
"No, your fine Michelle. Stay, Sara needs you. But them!" Catherine reiterated.
"Detective Regan, can we have a word with you outside?" Grissom asked.
Catherine, Grissom and Detective Regan left the room.
"Look Marshall, Catherine and I are dealing with this fine. Your presence is not needed. Understand?" Grissom informed him.
"I think what Grissom's trying to say is Sara doesn't need your bullying tactics right now" Catherine explained.
"That's not what Ecklie thinks" Regan answered.
"Who gives a damn what Ecklie thinks!" Grissom responded.
"Grissom! Look Marshall she needs to be comfortable and then she'll tell us what happened" Catherine jumped in.
"Ecklie's fed up waiting. He wants me to try her now. If you want we can all try. But I'm not leaving!" Detective Marshall Regan insisted.
The detective returned to the interrogation room, followed by Grissom and Catherine.
"Where were we? Oh yes. Sara, if your father is not Alaney's father then why did he think he was better suited to look after her?" Grissom asked.
"I don't know. You'd have to ask him" Sara replied defiantly.
"Look Grissom, ummm, could you go get us some coffees?" Catherine asked.
"Pardon?" Grissom responded annoyed.
"Look I can't explain but just please do it" Catherine insisted.
"No, I'm staying and I want to know what Catherine knows that you're not telling me, Sara!" Grissom insisted.
"Why should I tell you?" Sara asked annoyed.
"Because I care about you!" Grissom blurted out while shouting.
Grissom calmed down.
Detective Regan wanted to turn the situation around. He felt Grissom and Catherine were getting too emotional and not getting to the point.
"O.k., so you and your dad are having a argument. Even if he hit you - which it's quite clear he did from the cuts and bruises on your face - how did it turn into you trying to protect Alaney? Why did you want to kill him?" Detective Regan asked in a cold professional manner.
"You said earlier that he was going to kill Alaney. Why on earth would he want to kill her? A minute ago you were saying how much he wanted her and had grown fond of her and suddenly he wants to kill her?!?" Grissom asked.
"Did you mean you were scared he might kill her? Accidentally? They might start having a physical fight and things might get out of hand? You felt you had to stop him" Catherine asked.
"Stop!!!!", Sara shouted, "All of you just shut up! I'm not going to tell you! I'm not going to tell any of you! I don't need to tell you anything! I don't want to tell you anything!".
Sara put her hands over her ears and lay her face on the table. Catherine and Grissom turned to each other to exchange bemused looks. Sara was acting scarily too close to the boundary between sane and not.
"Exactly! That's it! That's enough! We're going! Come on Sara. They have no right to question you let alone upset you. Miss Sidle is going through a traumatic enough time without this harassment" Marcus Taylor insisted.
"Sit down, Mr Taylor!" Grissom shouted.
"Wait, Marcus. Can I have a word?" Sara Sidle asked.
Sara got up and went over to the corner of the room.
"Over here" Sara told him.
Sara was standing anxiously. Her arms where folded and she was chewing her nails.
"I just wanted to check. You do realise I need you to bill the Sidles not the Lintons, don't you? The Linton grandparents can't know about this! You haven't said anything to them have you? Anything?" Sara whispered.
"Don't worry, of course I haven't. I haven't spoken to them at all. I know the procedure. I called your Grandparents Sidle and they wanted to me to reassure you that they're a 100% behind you, O.K.? They said if you have killed him then they understand and he totally deserves it. They want you to call them when this interview is finished and tell them if you want them to come to Nevada. O.k.?" Marcus reassured her as he rubbed her arms in comfort.
Sara nodded.
"That won't be needed. I'm fine. It's best they don't come up" Sara told him.
"O.k." Marcus replied.
Grissom was quite surprised to see Marcus Taylor rubbing Sara's arms. He didn't realise they'd even met. But then again, Grissom knew Marcus Taylor and Marcus Taylor tended to give his high profile clients the personal touch if they needed it. He was a slimy so and so.
Marcus and Sara sat down again. Even though Sara and Marcus has tried to keep their voices down everyone else had heard every word.
Catherine tried to think of what to ask next.
"Umm, o.k. Let's carry on. Why don't you go back to telling us what happened in that hut?" Catherine asked.
"We argued. He walked out and I stayed in the hut. End of story" Sara lied.
"You knew he was trying to kill Alaney and you just let him go!" Catherine asked.
Sara gave Catherine a defiant and annoyed look.
"Yeah" Sara replied with attitude.
"How did you find the pair of them?" Detective Regan asked.
"It was really muddy and I saw his footprints coming out the hut. I just followed the footprints. It was worth a try and I ended up finding them before long" Sara replied monotonously.
"Lucky" Catherine commented.
"What did you see when you got to them?" Grissom asked.
Sara gulped and tears began to build up in her eyes.
"He was hurting her!" Sara answered introspectively.
"Hurting her? How?" Grissom asked, trying to control his rage.
"Umm. He was. Umm. He was kicking her! He just kept kicking her and kicking her and kicking her and he wasn't going to stop! She just lay there powerless. I had to stop him! I had to protect her!" Sara told them.
Sara was so introspective within herself at this point that she accidentally startled Grissom, out the blue, by saying,
"He can do what he wants to me! But I won't let him touch my daughter!" Sara confessed unintentionally as she sobbed.
As soon as Sara said it she realised her slip of the tongue. She tried to stop herself finishing the word but it was too late she'd said it. In her emotional state she had let her guard down and let it slip out. She looked startled but not as shocked as Grissom.
"Daughter?" Grissom reiterated.
"She means Alaney's like her daughter!" Catherine jumped in.
"No, I don't Catherine. It's all right. He may as well know. It's not like it matters him knowing or not anymore. It doesn't matter what he thinks of me" Sara responded.
"But how can she be? There's only fourteen years between you both!" Grissom asked.
"Do I need to draw you diagrams!" Sara retorted with attitude.
Grissom paused.
Grissom suddenly felt a twinge of de-ja-vu. He remembered a case of a girl who had admitted to being a mother at thirteen. In fact, the conversation almost went like this. Her father had raped her. Therefore, Boby came straight to Grissom's mind.
"Who's the father?" Grissom asked.
Grissom tried with every bone in his body to keep his rage under control.
"Just some boy. A nothing! He doesn't give a stuff about her! He was just a kid and so was I" Sara lied.
And for some reason Grissom accepted this as the truth. Even though all her past actions would suggest her words a lie. He accepted it because unconsciously he could not accept the truth.
"How did your parents not notice? How did you keep it a secret?" Grissom asked.
"They just didn't. I didn't even know. I was bulimic and anorexia. I was losing weight as fast as I was putting it on. I was throwing up and my periods stopped but I thought it was just the bulimia" Sara answered.
Sara looked at Grissom. He looked so betrayed that she hadn't told him.
"And now she has eating disorders. Just like her mother did" Grissom reflected in shock.
"But how did she survive when you had a eating disorder?!?" Grissom asked. "It's a miracle" Sara said as she shrugged.
"Of course, she does have quite a few medical problems. Her duplex kidney, lots of allergies, she used to have asthma, she has eczema. But then again so do many kids. She's lucky. I know she is. It's probably due to my mum, my aunt and this nice lady who helped me give birth - because they all looked after her really well. Plus she was in an incubator in hospital and that they probably saved her. She was quite ill when we got her to hospital" Sara explained.
"I can't believe it! Alaney is yours?!?" Grissom repeated again.
"You can't believe it! How about me? I was walking down an alley one day and got stomach pains and next thing you know I'm holding a newborn baby!" Sara added.
Grissom realised something.
"Does Alaney know?" Grissom asked.
"That was why she fell out with me. She found out and declared that she hates me and I ruined her life apparently. Well ditto darling! No I love her really. She's my world now. Technically she always has been. I couldn't move on without her with me and she wasn't was she? Like I said though. We've made up" Sara commented.
"So that's how your all related to her" Grissom reiterated.
There was silence for a while as everyone took the new situation in.
"Can we got on now, please?" Detective Regan asked insensitive.
Sara suddenly burst out crying again.
"What's wrong?" Catherine asked concerned.
Catherine took her hand over to Sara's and stroked it.
"Everything's such a mess" Sara admitted.
"Tell us about it, Sara. Tell us what happened when you saw him hurting Alaney" Catherine suggested.
Sara looked at Catherine, took a deep breath and decided to tell them.
"When I saw them, I went running at him and hit him over the head with something. I can't remember what though. I just remember seeing him and seeing red and I just grabbed something nearby - I think it was a branch" Sara told them.
"Then what?" Catherine urged her.
"Then I can't remember. It's like a blur! I just remember bending down to hug Alaney and then next thing I know he ran off and I got up and chased him" Sara admitted.
"Why? He was gone! He wasn't going to hurt your daughter anymore! He was of no danger!" Detective Regan asked her.
"I object!" Marcus Taylor interrupted.
"Shut up Marcus!" Grissom shouted.
"He would of her hurt Alaney later!" Sara sobbed to Catherine.
"Alaney told us that she told you he wasn't going to kill her anymore. So why did you run after him with a gun?" Catherine asked bewildered.
"I object!" Sara's lawyer continued.
"He would have hurt her in other ways" Sara told Catherine.
"To spite me!" Sara sobbed.
"But he wasn't going to kill her! Oh Sara! This is not looking good at all!" Catherine commented.
"I just wanted to get rid of him for good. I was so tired! I was tired of him constantly hurting mom. I was tired of him constantly trying to hurt me, whenever he saw me. And now! Now he was trying to hurt Alaney too! She would probably be his number one target! I just wanted to stop him! Stop him with something he couldn't beat!" Sara confessed sobbing.
"Miss Sidle, I advise you stop right there. You have the right to remain silent, remember. You haven't even been arrested! - they should not have you here! Come on let's go!" her lawyer insisted.
"I'm fine! We're staying! They need to know" Sara told him.
Sara looked back at Catherine and carried on,
"I was chasing after him - gun in hand - and I saw him look behind at me. And do you know how he looked? Scared! He looked scared! I have hardly ever seen him look scared! And I loved it! I loved the power. He was powerless. He wouldn't hurt anyone anymore! He couldn't hurt me. He couldn't hurt mom. He couldn't hurt Alaney" Sara confessed as silent tears ran down her eyes.
Sara paused for a second to visualise it.
"And then! He ran into that hut again. He thought he could make it in time! He tried to get in and lock the door behind him, but I beat him to it. So all he could do was hold me back by pressing his weight against the door. So I kicked, and I kicked, and I kicked, and I kicked, with all the strength in me! I don't think I've ever been that strong but it must have been the adrenaline rush because I kicked him away from that door!" Sara admitted smiling. "And when I got inside! I held that gun to him!. He looked so petrified! He looked like a rabbit in headlights. He was crying! Him crying! And he kept saying 'Baby, baby, I love you, don't do this!' and 'Don't be silly, darling! Your end up in so much trouble if you kill me!'. But he was being arrogant when he said it! Usually he's so arrogant! So big headed. No! He was petrified! He was begging me! Begging me of all people!" Sara admitted smiling to her at times.
"That hut! It seemed so prophetic to kill him there! There of all places!" Sara said.
"But then he said 'Baby I love you!' and I kept screaming 'Liar! Liar!'" Sara remembered.
"Miss Sidle, I really recommend you shut up now! I would just like to mention for the tape that my client is continuing against my wishes" her lawyer said.
Sara became to cry more heavily and confessed,
"I was aiming that gun straight at him and I could have shot him. I had the chance!" Sara sobbed.
Sara became crying heavier and heavier.
"But then he kept saying 'But baby! I didn't kill her! I didn't kill her! I couldn't kill her! I just couldn't do it! I wanted to but I just couldn't! I care so much about her! Just like you do!" Sara admitted.
Sara paused.
"And then I realised. I realised that I had no justified reason to kill him! He wasn't going to kill her! I had even heard her tell me that. I had known he wasn't going to kill her and yet I still chased after him! I would have been ten hundred times worse than him! Because the truth is I probably would have killed him out of angry not just to protect Alaney! I was angry for me! Not just Alaney and mom but me too! I knew that if there was even one shred of anger in my motive then I would not be justified. I probably wouldn't even of been able to do it! I don't think I could even do it!" Sara admitted.
"You didn't kill him?" Catherine asked shocked but delighted.
Grissom and Catherine sighed a huge sigh of relief. Michelle was glad too but she was more shocked than any of the others. Michelle knew Sara's state of mind the night before and she knew why Sara hated Boby.
"Oh thank goodness! Thank goodness! Well done Sara! Well done! That's brilliant!" Grissom exclaimed.
Grissom felt the overwhelming urge to come over and hug Sara. So he did. Sara was quite taken aback and didn't fully participate in the hug as she didn't feel proud.
Then Grissom returned to his seat.
"So what happened next? Where is he? Why didn't you just tell us that in the first place?" Grissom asked.
Sara began crying again.
"I was ashamed" Sara admitted.
"Why?" Catherine asked.
"Because I didn't protect Alaney! I'm meant to protect Laney and now he still might hurt her! I'm so selfish! I decided I wanted to keep my morality and my job over Alaney's safety"
"No, it's not like that! You did the right thing. You'd be no use to Alaney in prison" Catherine told her.
"I thought that too! I thought that!" Sara remembered.
Sara paused and went solemn again.
"I didn't mean to chose it over Alaney! I just meant I would protect her in other ways. I'll make sure he doesn't touch her I promise you!" Sara told them.
"Sara, you don't need to explain to us. We know you did the right thing. You're a brilliant. We think your brilliant" Catherine told her.
"Really?" Sara asked Catherine.
"Really" Catherine reassured her.
"Anyway, he's my dad! I just couldn't do it! But I will protect I promise!" Sara admitted.
"Where is he? Does he need help?" Detective Regan asked.
Sara remembered back,
"I needed to stop him somehow. So I held him at gunpoint and tied him up. I wanted to make him powerless and immobile so he wouldn't hurt anyone!" Sara remembered
"But you can't leave him there forever" Detective Regan suggested.
"I know. He's in the hut" Sara admitted sanely.
Suddenly there was a bang on the door and Ecklie stormed in without waiting for permission.
"She didn't kill him! We've found him!" Ecklie delighted.
"We know. He's in the hut near the house. We've just found out" Catherine told Ecklie.
"Wait a moment, where did that blood came from then?" Grissom asked Sara confused.
Sara looked away ashamed.
"I was just getting to that", Ecklie told them, "I don't know for sure. But I have a theory. You see I just got the results back from Saunders. The blood's not Boby's - it's hers!" Ecklie told them.
Grissom was confused.
"What? But how?" Grissom asked
Catherine and Ecklie exchanged looks.
"Oh no! You didn't, Sara!" Catherine declared before placing her face in her hands.
Ecklie went over to Sara and pulled her sleeve up. She had part of a white bloody blouse tied around her wrist where she'd cut herself.
Grissom was shocked. He sighed and placed his face in his hands too.
"Oh angel. Why Sara why?" Catherine responded.
Why didn't you tell us?" Grissom pleaded.
"I was so ashamed. I thought you might think I was a freak. I've never done it before, I promise! I was just so ashamed of not hurting him! I should have done! I punched him and punched him like he did to other people - but that was the only hurt I caused. I didn't feel satisfied. So I wanted to hurt myself for not hurting him enough and for not protecting Alaney. I'm such a bad mother! I didn't do enough for her!" Sara sobbed.
"No you did!" Grissom insisted to Sara.
"As soon as I realised how stupid it was, I took my blouse off and tied it round the bleeding" Sara told them tearfully.
"How could we have overlooked that?!" Grissom asked himself.
"She has a long sleeved black top on. We couldn't see the blood through the black and we never looked at any part of her body under her clothes, so - we didn't see it, let alone think it!" Ecklie suggested.
Catherine sighed.
"Interview terminated at - well now!" Catherine said into the tape machine and turned it off.
Suddenly Grissom didn't looked stressed anymore. He looked relieved. He gave a small smile. Everything was fine.
"It's going to be fine. I promise. It's going to be fine" Grissom commented.
Catherine saw this and realised everything was better. Catherine sighed with relief too.
"Come on Sara, let's get you a coffee. I think we all need one!" Catherine suggested.
Fifteen minutes later, Sara was in the waiting room drinking coffee with Catherine and Michelle. Grissom came over.
"I've just been talking to Ecklie and the D.A. It's looks like there won't be any charges placed on you. If your father tries to press kidnapping or assault charges against you then he'll find them impossible to stick" Grissom informed her.
"Thank goodness for that!" Catherine commented.
"He won't dare to place charges. I have too much on him and he knows it. He won't do anything, don't worry" Sara replied still a bit shaken.
"Well, he hasn't mention anything about charges to the police who are with him. As for him, we can't charge him with anything solid. We have no evidence except Alaney's word. We could get him for assault on Alaney" Grissom told her.
"No. Unless she wants to, then no" Sara responded.
"He's fine by the way. They took him to Dessert Palms to check him over and he's fine" Grissom told Sara.
"Whoopee do!" Sara replied sarcastic.
"The police are going to make sure he doesn't go anywhere near Alaney and hopefully your mother. But you know your mother, she'll go back to him. The police are going to try to get Alaney to get a restraining order against him when she wakes up" Grissom explained.
"Alaney! Oh my goodness where's Alaney?!? What do you mean wakes up? Is she asleep? Is she just asleep? Here?" Sara reacted.
Catherine and Michelle looked at Grissom.
"No one's told you yet!" Michelle added.
"Told me what? Oh no! What's happened?" Sara reacted on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry sweetheart but Alaney and your mother are at Dessert Palms too. They both collapsed. Once you'd run after your father your mother collapsed. Alaney collapsed later on from stress and with her new kidneys and all. But they're both going to be fine! They're still both unconscious but the doctors say it's just their bodies recuperating" Catherine explained.
"It's all my fault! This is all too much for Alaney to take!"
"It's not your fault, it's his fault!" Michelle reassured Sara.
"I need to go see them!" Sara announced startled.
"Daven and Janey are already down there" Grissom added.
"Daven? But his girlfriend's eight months pregnant! What's on earth is he doing coming to Nevada! He's such a idiot!" Sara commented.
"I'll drive you down" Catherine told her.
Sara nodded and got up.
"You coming too Michelle?" Catherine asked
Michelle nodded.
"I'm coming too but I need to fill in some paperwork with Ecklie. I'll follow you guys on in about half and hour. O.K?" Grissom told Catherine.
Catherine thought to herself and nodded hesitantly. She didn't think it was good idea him coming.