Pieces6
Observations
"Uhhn." Sara groaned in her sleep as she tossed about in her sleep. Her movements disrupted Warrick's peaceful rest, a fact that wasn't appreciated by him until he noticed the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead. Instinctively he moved his hand cautiously to her face and was alarmed when he found it burning hot to the touch.
Now he was fully awake. "Sara." He begged her to wake up from her feverish sleep. He bent his head closer to discover her shallow breathing. He was determined to wake her. "Sara!" he shouted as he gently but firmly shook her slight body. A fact that was exasperated by their lack of food and water.
She coughed violently as her eyes flew open. It was then that she realized how terrible that she felt. She had wondered if it were all some sort of nightmare. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Moaning she curled up into a ball as if that would make the pain go away.
"Drink this." He demanded, placing the water bottle to her lips, encouraging her to drink it. He managed to coax a few sips into her as he pulled the weakened woman into his arms and waited as she caught her breath, and her coughing to cease. She closed her eyes, but he refused to sleep, instead keeping close watch over this woman who had come to mean so much to him.
Warrick hated himself for not taking better care of her; he should have been paying attention attention to her health, not his physiological needs. As fear for her health increased so did his doubts of escape. Did anyone even know where they were? Why was it taking so long to find them? He pushed those alarming thoughts out of the way, but they refused to obey, still lingering in the back of his mind. He began praying instead for release. He wasn't sure how much longer they could hold out, especially Sara though she wouldn't admit it.
Brass drove Grissom, Nick, and Catherine to 17 Peakview Dr. The car was filled with a tense silence as the foursome made their way off the strip. All were caught up in their own thoughts.
Grissom was skeptical. He didn't want to believe that Sara and Warrick were dead, but someone had to be realistic. Skepticism gave way to anger as he vowed justice on whoever had done this to part of his family. He had not so fond memories of his own family, but somehow the last four years had changed his mind about caring for people.
Catherine was more hopeful than Grissom, but the evidence just wasn't there yet. She wasn't sure they could trust James' testimony, but at that point it was all they had.
Nick was having doubts. 'What if they were already too late?' The thought of his two friends ambushed and killed and abandoned made his stomach churn and his blood run cold. "Brass-pull over." He commanded from the back seat. Brass immediately brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt. Before he could quiz him why, Nick was out of the vehicle and doubled over as he vomited. When he was certain he had emptied his entire stomach's contents onto the grass, he climbed back into the car. His stubborn look of fierce determination on his face convinced Grissom he was well enough to continue with the investigation.
A 'For Sale' Sign caught their attention as they turned onto Peakview Drive. "That must be it." Catherine concluded without having to check the number on the house.
"James Conroy?" Brass asked when the door opened to reveal a young man with a shaggy appearance. The man nodded reluctantly. Catherine decided that he didn't look too surprised. Nick wanted to knock this punk down. He recognized him from work and always assumed that he was a quiet, unassuming man. 'Well, you know what you get when you assume.' he thought bitterly.
"Looks like you're moving." Grissom commented as they entered the house. "Might as well fire your realtor. We've got a nice one bed/one bath downtown."
"James Conroy, you're under arrest for the kidnapping of CSI's Sara Sidle and Warrick Brown. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in the court of law..." Jim Brass announced as he handcuffed the man and led him away to the waiting squad car.
Grissom and Brass escorted him into the private room, while Nick and Catherine watched behind the two-way mirror. James was quiet in the interrogation room. "I hope you don't think your sister and brother in law are going to bail you out of jail." Brass declared with a smirk. If James was surprised by their knowledge, he didn't show it, choosing to remain cold and impassive.
"You know I hope you keep up this façade." Grissom decided. "Maybe the jury will keep you in jail as long as Joy and Johnny." He declared forcefully. Now James was unable to hide his fear. They sounded so certain that they'd catch them. The look didn't escape Grissom or Brass either.
"How much did they pay you?" Brass pressed. "Half a million? More?" He suggested to the young accomplice as he strolled around the room.
Figuring he couldn't escape their questions he answered,"$250,000."
"So that's the going rate for cops these days." Catherine commented to Nick in disgust as they watched the suspect squirm under the intensity of Grissom and Brass. Nick felt helpless watching the interrogation and decided to check on the evidence back in the lab with Catherine following close behind.
"I'd say you got screwed pal." Brass stated simply. "You got the shaft with the money and now you're in jail." He observed.
"You'd better hope and pray that those two investigators are still alive," Grissom threatened with all sincerity. "Because if not, I will not rest until you spend every last minute of your life behind bars." He vowed purposefully. To his credit he did seem somewhat terrified of the CSI supervisor.
"The balls in your court now." Brass declared. "You help us, we help you." He promised.
The silence seemed interminable, but finally he spoke. "I don't know much." He admitted. Grissom and Brass didn't buy his story. "Honest." James affirmed under their scrutiny. "They paid me to tamper with evidence and to tell them when they were alone. I heard about the policemen's ball and called Joy."
"Do you know where they are?" Brass interrogated sharply.
"They're near Lake Tahoe." James told them reluctantly, hating to rat out his sister, who had been his only family for most of his life.
"Your parents house." Grissom guessed correctly. He flipped open the Adams file they had been studying relentlessly for the past few days to get the address.
"I want a lawyer." James complained as he realized the chaos around him. "Hewitt, take him to the phone before processing." Brass ordered the young policeman who was in the room. He nodded and led the young man down the hallway.
Brass left the room and got on his radio. "Attention all units: Missing CSI's Brown and Sidle suspected to be in the Lake Tahoe area. All available units proceed to 147 Willow Walk." He commanded sharply as he rushed to his vehicle.
"Catherine, Nick Let's go!" Grissom yelled into the lab. They looked up startled but followed immediately. "Where are we going?" Catherine asked quizzically.
"Lake Tahoe." He replied hurriedly, running faster than he probably had in his life. At least in the last five years, he amended. But Sara and Warrick had been missing for 4 days now, eclipsing the ever-important 72-hour mark, and time was ticking.
"Have we found them?" Nick asked hopefully. "We've got a lead." Was all that Grissom would say, not wanting to get their hopes up too high. It could turn out to be a dead end, but so far it was the only road they had to travel.
He was relieved when she awoke a few hours later, her fever apparently haven broken. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern as she stared up at him, eyes forcing themselves open. She smiled reassuringly at him as she saw the tender look on his face as he stared intently down at her. She made herself sit up, reluctantly untangling herself from his embrace, and stretching her weary muscles.
"I'm fine." She whispered when his look of disbelief told her he didn't believe her. "You, however look like you need some rest." She noted as she saw the strained look on his face. He tried to protest, but he couldn't fool her. He chuckled when their roles were reversed with her taking care of him. She gently pulled on his shoulder to encourage him to lie down, which he did with no further protests.
"What are you thinking?" She asked quietly as she ran her fingers through his coarse hair as she laid his head in her lap. He was surprised that she noticed, considering how well he hid everything from everyone else.
"Don't look so surprised, I've spent the last few days picking up a few things." Sara commented with a laugh when she noticed his inquisitive stare. "Like what?" he asked teasingly, daring her to reply.
"Well, when you're nervous you stick your hands in your pockets, and when you're thinking about something seriously you chew on your bottom lip." She gently traced his lips with her finger. "Or when you're really excited how your eyes light up like a Christmas tree, or how you try to pretend like you weren't looking at me, and how even when you're mad, you're not really mad." She offered up as proof as she rested her case with a knowing grin.
"Don't think that will hold up in court." He teased her affectionately. She was about to protest when he grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips before continuing. "Well you're not the only one who's been paying attention." He remarked with a smile.
Her eyebrows shot up in response, waiting to hear his observations. "I know that you like to cuddle when you sleep," she blushed at that comment, thinking about how quickly they had become so intimate. "Or how you think you're not beautiful. But you are." He began listing off his observations as he twined his fingers with hers.
"Or how your voice gets all deep and sexy when you're flirting with me. And how soft your lips are to touch." He murmured as his hand had moved up her arm to the base of her neck to pull her down to him to show her his proof.
This time Sara was the one to stay awake until she was sure that he had fallen asleep, the steady rhythm of his heart beating slowly lulling her to sleep with one arm casually tossed over his chest and her head nestled into the crevice of his neck. Unknowingly he moved his arm to lie on her hip, his hand gently but firmly holding her in place.
James looked around and noticed he was all by himself, the cop chatting up another young woman cop a few feet away. Dialing the familiar number, he was relieved when he heard the familiar voice pick up. "Hey Joy, its me. The cops know everything, they're on the way." He warned her, his loyalty to his sister too high to not tell her. He hung up quickly and followed the officer down to the processing part of the station where he would be booked.
The young woman on the other side of the telephone was troubled at the new information. "Johnny, we've got a problem." She reported to her husband as she hung up the phone.
