DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me.
Chapter 11:
As Catherine waited in the Tahoe, Sara ran around her small, studio apartment putting down cat food bowls, and litter pans. She tried her best to 'kitty-proof' her abode before gently hugging the kitten, and settling him in on her bed. She hated leaving him alone in her apartment, but it had to be safer than where he came from. She ran down the stairs, out the door, and flung open the car door in a rush to get back to the scene.
"Relax. We've still got time. O'Riley hasn't paged me so the inspector isn't even there yet." Catherine started the car back up, and pulled out of the complex.
It was a slow ride back with the mid-morning traffic in downtown Las Vegas at a near standstill.
"I can't believe you have an apartment that's nearly downtown, and you never go to any shows or casinos." Catherine shook her head.
"I didn't know anything about the area when I was hunting for a place online. I just looked up affordable places that were within jogging distance from work." Sara studied the crowds outside the various tourist attractions as they drove by.
"Well, that's just sad." Catherine smirked. It was fun getting Sara talking. Might as well learn what she could while it lasted.
"I went to a few shows when I first got here." Sara added defensively. "Kinda looses it's glamour after a few cases involving show girls and magic acts." She shrugged.
"Yeah. I guess so. Ever catch any concerts at least?" Catherine startled Sara by honking at a little old man that cut her off.
"Concerts are at night. Haven't really had time." Sara tightened her seatbelt.
"Well, maybe that's something you and Grissom could do on a night off."
Sara laughed. The idea of going to a rock concert with Gil Grissom seemed so far fetched. Neither of them found being in crowds enjoyable, and she doubted very much they had similar tastes in music. She'd only ever heard him listening to classical at work. And he really freaked her out with his knowledge of show tunes at a crime scene recently.
"Finally!" Catherine gave a sigh of relief as the traffic opened up, allowing them to get off on the highway, and head over to the construction site.
As they drove up, kicking up a cloud of smoke in their wake, Catherine spotted O'Riley, David and the building inspector standing near the dirt ramp.
"'Bout time you ladies got here." O'Riley gave Catherine a smile that said he wasn't truly upset.
"What've we got?" Sara slung her camera around her shoulder, and pulled on a pair of sturdy working gloves.
"We're having trouble getting to the body. If we move the beam that's pinning him down, the whole structure could collapse." David gave the two CSI's a frustrated grin.
"Is it safe to scoot in there and get some photos at least?" Sara strapped on her hard hat, and tightened the chin strap expectantly.
"Should be ok. Always checking' my handiwork, eh, Cath?" The inspector winked at Catherine, and Sara looked at the two of them before shaking her head, and returning to the crime scene.
"Only when I have to. How've you been?"
O'Riley took this as his signal to go check on his men, and David followed Sara down to the site.
"You sure know how to get rid of folks, Cath." He smiled.
"Apparently too well. What'd you find out about the steel beams? Any sign yet of tampering?" She forced the subject back to work, making it clear she was on the clock.
"Ah, yeah. Looks like somebody placed explosives at a few points along the structure where the load is heaviest, and the stress on the beam is more unstable. Since they didn't have any floors or walls up yet on the ground floor, they didn't yet have all the safety reinforcement beams welded in place yet. They weren't going against code. The workers did everything they were supposed to."
"And somebody took advantage of that to try to hide a body." She looked over the blueprints he handed her carefully, noting the points he had marked in red detailing where explosives had likely been placed.
"Whoever did this knows his structural engineering. A good demolitionist would be needed. Braun got any of those on his payroll?"
Catherine winced. She had to stay objective, or she had to pull herself off this case. She was treading a very fine line ethically, and she knew Grissom would not be happy when he found out. Her 'father' was going to be a part of her life whether she wanted him in it or not.
"Guess we'll find out. Keep Sara posted with your findings. She's heading this investigation. Sara Sidle." Catherine wrote Sara's name on his drawings for him, and handed them back.
"What? You think our past is going to cause trouble with this case?" He narrowed his eyes and studied her face.
"No. That's not it at all. It's been her case all along." Catherine lied. "I have another case to follow up on. Keep her posted. And don't try anything funny. She's got a very jealous boyfriend." Catherine grimaced as she turned to find Sara and David.
"You Ok in there, Sara?" David was huddled down, looking into the wreckage as Catherine came up from behind.
"How's it going?" She kneeled down beside him, and peered into the near darkness to see the light from Sara's headlamp darting around twisted steel beams.
"Slow. It's a mess. Might not be much left once they finally get him out. Our best bet now is getting photos, and trace."
"Ha!" Sara smiled triumphantly, as she crawled from the opening covered in dust, and bloody dirt. She opened up her kit to show off the nearly clean set of prints she was able to get from the victim's right hand.
"Nice work!" Catherine grinned. "We better get this back to the lab for Greg. Might need him to help you out here as well. It'll be good training for him if Grissom will allow it."
"What about you?" Sara wiped her face off on her sleeve, and deposited her kit in the back of the SUV.
"I think this is officially too close to home. I've legally admitted to being Sam Braun's biological daughter. If it turns out he had anything to do with this, or even if he doesn't it'll look like departmental favoritism. Worse, important evidence could get thrown out."
Sara was floored. She'd known Catherine had been close to Braun, but she didn't realize how close.
"Ok. You want to tell Grissom, or should I?"
"Let me tell him." She sighed. She didn't want Gil accusing her of being unethical again.
"Well, I'll let you tell Greg he's working on this too." Sara grinned. Greg's appreciation might counter any negative confrontations with Grissom.
"Thanks. He'll probably promise me his first born again."
TBC
Chapter 11:
As Catherine waited in the Tahoe, Sara ran around her small, studio apartment putting down cat food bowls, and litter pans. She tried her best to 'kitty-proof' her abode before gently hugging the kitten, and settling him in on her bed. She hated leaving him alone in her apartment, but it had to be safer than where he came from. She ran down the stairs, out the door, and flung open the car door in a rush to get back to the scene.
"Relax. We've still got time. O'Riley hasn't paged me so the inspector isn't even there yet." Catherine started the car back up, and pulled out of the complex.
It was a slow ride back with the mid-morning traffic in downtown Las Vegas at a near standstill.
"I can't believe you have an apartment that's nearly downtown, and you never go to any shows or casinos." Catherine shook her head.
"I didn't know anything about the area when I was hunting for a place online. I just looked up affordable places that were within jogging distance from work." Sara studied the crowds outside the various tourist attractions as they drove by.
"Well, that's just sad." Catherine smirked. It was fun getting Sara talking. Might as well learn what she could while it lasted.
"I went to a few shows when I first got here." Sara added defensively. "Kinda looses it's glamour after a few cases involving show girls and magic acts." She shrugged.
"Yeah. I guess so. Ever catch any concerts at least?" Catherine startled Sara by honking at a little old man that cut her off.
"Concerts are at night. Haven't really had time." Sara tightened her seatbelt.
"Well, maybe that's something you and Grissom could do on a night off."
Sara laughed. The idea of going to a rock concert with Gil Grissom seemed so far fetched. Neither of them found being in crowds enjoyable, and she doubted very much they had similar tastes in music. She'd only ever heard him listening to classical at work. And he really freaked her out with his knowledge of show tunes at a crime scene recently.
"Finally!" Catherine gave a sigh of relief as the traffic opened up, allowing them to get off on the highway, and head over to the construction site.
As they drove up, kicking up a cloud of smoke in their wake, Catherine spotted O'Riley, David and the building inspector standing near the dirt ramp.
"'Bout time you ladies got here." O'Riley gave Catherine a smile that said he wasn't truly upset.
"What've we got?" Sara slung her camera around her shoulder, and pulled on a pair of sturdy working gloves.
"We're having trouble getting to the body. If we move the beam that's pinning him down, the whole structure could collapse." David gave the two CSI's a frustrated grin.
"Is it safe to scoot in there and get some photos at least?" Sara strapped on her hard hat, and tightened the chin strap expectantly.
"Should be ok. Always checking' my handiwork, eh, Cath?" The inspector winked at Catherine, and Sara looked at the two of them before shaking her head, and returning to the crime scene.
"Only when I have to. How've you been?"
O'Riley took this as his signal to go check on his men, and David followed Sara down to the site.
"You sure know how to get rid of folks, Cath." He smiled.
"Apparently too well. What'd you find out about the steel beams? Any sign yet of tampering?" She forced the subject back to work, making it clear she was on the clock.
"Ah, yeah. Looks like somebody placed explosives at a few points along the structure where the load is heaviest, and the stress on the beam is more unstable. Since they didn't have any floors or walls up yet on the ground floor, they didn't yet have all the safety reinforcement beams welded in place yet. They weren't going against code. The workers did everything they were supposed to."
"And somebody took advantage of that to try to hide a body." She looked over the blueprints he handed her carefully, noting the points he had marked in red detailing where explosives had likely been placed.
"Whoever did this knows his structural engineering. A good demolitionist would be needed. Braun got any of those on his payroll?"
Catherine winced. She had to stay objective, or she had to pull herself off this case. She was treading a very fine line ethically, and she knew Grissom would not be happy when he found out. Her 'father' was going to be a part of her life whether she wanted him in it or not.
"Guess we'll find out. Keep Sara posted with your findings. She's heading this investigation. Sara Sidle." Catherine wrote Sara's name on his drawings for him, and handed them back.
"What? You think our past is going to cause trouble with this case?" He narrowed his eyes and studied her face.
"No. That's not it at all. It's been her case all along." Catherine lied. "I have another case to follow up on. Keep her posted. And don't try anything funny. She's got a very jealous boyfriend." Catherine grimaced as she turned to find Sara and David.
"You Ok in there, Sara?" David was huddled down, looking into the wreckage as Catherine came up from behind.
"How's it going?" She kneeled down beside him, and peered into the near darkness to see the light from Sara's headlamp darting around twisted steel beams.
"Slow. It's a mess. Might not be much left once they finally get him out. Our best bet now is getting photos, and trace."
"Ha!" Sara smiled triumphantly, as she crawled from the opening covered in dust, and bloody dirt. She opened up her kit to show off the nearly clean set of prints she was able to get from the victim's right hand.
"Nice work!" Catherine grinned. "We better get this back to the lab for Greg. Might need him to help you out here as well. It'll be good training for him if Grissom will allow it."
"What about you?" Sara wiped her face off on her sleeve, and deposited her kit in the back of the SUV.
"I think this is officially too close to home. I've legally admitted to being Sam Braun's biological daughter. If it turns out he had anything to do with this, or even if he doesn't it'll look like departmental favoritism. Worse, important evidence could get thrown out."
Sara was floored. She'd known Catherine had been close to Braun, but she didn't realize how close.
"Ok. You want to tell Grissom, or should I?"
"Let me tell him." She sighed. She didn't want Gil accusing her of being unethical again.
"Well, I'll let you tell Greg he's working on this too." Sara grinned. Greg's appreciation might counter any negative confrontations with Grissom.
"Thanks. He'll probably promise me his first born again."
TBC