Sara dressed for bed and brushed her teeth. Her mind was swimming with the latest events. Just when she'd thought Grissom couldn't get any more confusing, his behavior over the last few days had completely flummoxed her.
He'd made it clear over the previous couple of years that he had no intention of becoming involved with her on a personal level. And yet this afternoon he had kissed her. He'd been warm and open, as much as could be expected given the circumstances. Was he genuinely trying to reach out to her? "I'm trying to let you in." His words had been sincere enough. Still, she cautioned herself that it was best to keep her guard up where he was concerned.
Despite the lack of sleep, rest didn't come to her easily; she wasn't accustomed to going to bed at this hour. After his lunch, Ecklie had informed her that Megan Phillips would not be available for questioning until the following day. Sara wanted to compel her to appear, but at this point, she was the alleged victim, not a suspect. While filing a false report was a criminal act, if they tipped their hand, she could flee and they wouldn't get the confession they needed. Defeated, Sara spent the afternoon completing paperwork and headed home.
Now she sat in her bed, alone, and let her thoughts drift to an unmade bed across town. What was he doing? What would it be like to share that bed with him, sleeping with his arms wrapped around her affectionately? What would it be like to make love with him? She tried to clear her mind of the thought, but his gentle kiss had stirred it all up within her again.
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Grissom sat on the edge of his bed, staring out the window at the evening lights. He didn't want to go to bed. He'd spent his entire life sleeping alone; as an only child, he'd never had to share a bedroom with anyone. He'd never minded. Looking back, he realized that he had merely convinced himself that he didn't mind the isolation.
Talking to Dr. Lurie, he'd been hit with the epiphany that he was tired of being alone. He'd spent nearly his entire life telling himself that it was all right not to connect with anyone, that he was better off not exposing his heart to danger, and now he had no one to share his life. He needed to connect with someone, to love and be loved. He'd chosen to remain low on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid, but now he felt the urge to ascend.
And all of this time, she'd been right there in front of him—wanting to love him, and be loved by him. He'd passed it off as a crush, or an infatuation, but he knew he had just been rationalizing. He always wanted her, and the thought terrified him. It still frightened him, but at this point, he realized that he was more afraid of a future without her in his arms than he was of the risks involved in a future with her. If the last few days had done nothing else, they'd served to hammer home to him the knowledge that the things to which people cling are fragile. He now understood the full meaning of the term carpe diem. Sure, he'd excelled in his classes and always knew the literal translation, but the true significance of the words had eluded him. Not any more.
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It was midmorning when Megan finally appeared for her repeat interview. Sara and Ecklie sat across from her, their faces neutral. For Sara, the neutral expression was very difficult; rage at the young woman was beginning to boil over in her heart.
Ecklie led the questioning. "Miss Phillips, good morning. I'll bet you're wondering why we've called you back in."
"I'm hoping you called me to tell me you're gonna nail that bastard."
"You understand, I'm sure, that rape is a serious charge, and we have to look at all of the angles."
Megan shifted nervously. "What do you mean?"
"Are you familiar with a man named Roger Harkness?" Sara asked evenly.
"No…I don't think so."
"You've never met anyone by that name?" Ecklie pressed.
"No. Why?"
Ecklie played dumb as he filled her in on the details. "He's a man who claims to have seen Dr. Grissom's vehicle near the site where you said you were raped the other night."
"You have a witness?" Megan's face lit up. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Sara took a deep breath. "You're certain you don't know him?"
"No, I don't know him. Do you think I'm lying?"
"We know you are," Ecklie pushed a file toward Megan. "These are the personnel records from KNB Construction. You both worked there at the same time."
"Doesn't mean we saw each other. I'm the victim here, remember? Why are you questioning me?"
"We, um," Sara's calm exterior was cracking slightly, "we talked to your supervisor there, one Mike Ellis. He said you and Harkness were an item. You moved to Vegas together."
Megan didn't respond, but the color drained from her face. Ecklie continued. "You want to know what we think? We think you and Roger cooked this whole thing up to extort money from Dr. Grissom."
"Grissom's father worked with Roger's father." Sara picked up where Ecklie stopped. "He cheated Roger's dad out of some money, and left it all to his son. Roger wants it."
"Since you think you know everything, how was my accusation against him going to accomplish that?"
Ecklie responded confidently. "You thought you'd make a quick hit, but when he didn't go for the initial demands, you upped the stakes—asked for more money."
"When? I never did that?"
"I was on the other phone when you called him at home, Megan. I heard you."
Megan decided to thwart the attention onto Sara. "What were you doing at his house? I knew you two were in cahoots! You're totally biased."
Sara gave her a pointed look. "I was there regarding this case. Completely legit." It took everything she had to remain controlled.
"You didn't really want him to accept the payoff, anyway," Ecklie continued, unfazed. "You knew you could get a lot more if you got a conviction and then filed a civil suit. Look, Megan, filing a false report is a criminal offense. We've got ample evidence against you. Why don't you just start telling the truth and maybe we'll go easy on you?"
"You don't have any proof of anything," Megan called his bluff.
"We don't have any proof against Grissom, either, especially when Harkness is disregarded."
"Just to let you know, Miss Phillips," Ecklie said sharply. "I've spoken with the District Attorney. The case against Dr. Grissom won't be pursued. It's effectively dropped."
"And I haven't given up on prosecuting you," Sara added.
"It seems we're done here," Ecklie declared, pushing his chair back from the table and rising. "Sidle?"
"I've got a few more things I'd like to say to Miss Phillips."
Ecklie departed the room and went to watch from the viewing gallery. He was stunned to find Grissom standing there. "I thought you were banished from the lab, Gil."
"I was. Cavallo called me this morning to come in to discuss some administrative issues." Grissom turned to him. "Thank you, Conrad. I owe you one."
"No, you don't." Ecklie shrugged. "It sure is fun to hear you say it, though. You'll go back to your shift, I'll go back to mine, and…game on."
They stopped talking when they heard Sara's voice again. "Can you imagine what it's like to be raped? The pain…the terror…the humiliation? So many women are afraid to come forward and prosecute because they think they won't be believed."
"You can't prove I wasn't raped."
"We both know the truth, Megan," Sara responded bitterly. "And you were willing to destroy the life of an innocent man—a man who puts away scumbags who rape and murder, makes the world a little bit safer for all of us."
"Can I go now?"
Sara said nothing, but waved toward the door and looked away. She sat for a few more minutes after Megan's exit and gathered her thoughts. She heard someone enter and sit next to her, but she assumed it was Ecklie and didn't look at him. "So I can go back to my shift now?"
"I hope so," Grissom said softly.
Sara blushed and grinned at him. "You were listening."
"Yes. I thanked Conrad and now I'd like to thank you."
"Just doing my job."
"Well, I'm grateful that you do your job so well. Can I buy you lunch?"
She shook her head. "You don't have to do that."
"I want to do it." He held out his hand to her, and she placed her own in it. "Let's go."
TBC