Issues by SLynn
Disclaimer: I own only the thoughts in my head and the characters you don't recognize.
Chapter 10: Building a Mystery
True to her word Sara had been waiting up for him. Greg had never felt more exhausted then he did at that time. She'd even made an early dinner but he was too tired to even eat. After the third time his head nearly hit the table, she forced him to bed.
"I can't sleep now," he nearly whined at her. "I'll be up again at two."
"Well," she said somewhat amused, he was so out of it, "I don't see what choice you have."
"It's that whole stupid shift," he said giving up and taking off his shoes as he sat on the foot of the bed. "You know they actually have a rule about the coffee pot?"
"Rule about what?" she asked, helping him off with his shirt as they spoke.
"Mmm," he said putting hands on her hips and smiling up at her mischievously.
"Greg," she said sternly. "Coffee pot?"
"Sorry, got distracted," he said before continuing. "Oh, yeah. No coffee after noon. Noon. Apparently it keeps everyone up too late at night."
Sara laughed a little.
"Yeah, it's funny to you," he said as he pulled off his pants. "I've been awake for almost twenty-four hours."
"So you didn't any sleep last night?"
"None," he yawned while crawling under the covers.
"Well, you'll be out before you know it."
Sara had started to walk out of the room when Greg called her back.
"Wait."
"No more stalling. Sleep now."
"Come lay with me. I missed you."
"If I lay with you you're not going to sleep," she said in a slightly accusatory tone.
Greg chuckled.
"Okay then, just wake me up soon. A few hours. I want to talk to you some time today."
"Alright," she said shutting off the light. "Just get some rest."
He didn't answer because he'd already fallen asleep. Sara shook her head and shut the door. She didn't have the chance to wake him up as he'd requested because before she had the chance he'd already woken up on his own. Screaming.
Greg hadn't had nightmares since that first night, almost a full week now, but they were back. Worse then before. For a few minutes he'd been delirious, he didn't know where he was. The room was already dark and until Sara got into the room and by his side, he hadn't known what was happening.
The images were still fresh. Horrifyingly fresh. He'd been in Dr. Sanchez's office, with her talking just like he had twice a week for so long now. Except even before it had gotten bad, he knew something was wrong. She kept asking him over and over about his job and no matter how he answered, she just kept asking. And then her eyes began to bleed. It was all he remembered from it but more then enough.
"Greg," Sara was saying now, loud and frightened. "Greg."
He was awake now. He tried to push that thought into his head. Awake. Awake. Awake. But it wasn't helping. He was panting and sweating and he couldn't breath.
Sara had run out of the room to the bathroom for his inhaler. When she got back he looked a little better, but he was still shaking and gasping.
"Calm down, it's over. It's over. It was a nightmare," she repeated to him again and again.
"I'm okay," he finally said acknowledging her for the first time, pushing the inhaler away. "I'm okay. I just need…"
"What?" she asked, moving away from him so he could stand up and get around. "What can I do?"
"I don't know," he said finally sounding a little normal. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to get rid of the lingering images.
She didn't have to ask what it had been about, that much was obvious. Sara just wasn't sure what to do now.
"Do you want to…" Sara let the question die on her lips. They'd hardly talked about any of it since it happened. Since knowing he'd be before a review panel and since Greg had nearly lost his job. What was there to say now?
"I…"
"No," she cut him off, "I understand. You don't want too."
"It's not that, I don't know if I can."
Sara saw that he was being honest with her. She did the only thing she could for him at the moment. Sara walked over to him and wrapped him in her arms.
Half an hour before she had to leave for her shift, Sara was trying to talk softly into the phone. Greg had calmed down since the nightmare but couldn't get back to sleep. He was in the shower right now, but wouldn't be for long.
"Just stop by soon and see how he is," she whispered.
The shower was still running in the background.
"I can't call in and Nick and Amy are both on tonight. Warrick, please."
Sara paced the floor. Greg wouldn't want anyone looking in on him, checking up on him. She really would have called in sick or something, but he'd insisted she go in like normal. He said he'd be fine, but he just didn't look it.
"You don't have to stay long."
The shower was off now.
"In about an hour. Thanks. Bye."
Sara hung up the phone and two seconds later Greg walked out of the bathroom.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she lied, "I just wanted to see you before I left." That part was true.
Greg smiled at her and she came over quickly and gave him a hug and kiss before heading off to work. Almost an hour later the doorbell rang.
"What's up?" Greg asked Warrick who had come over as promised.
"Not much, got the night off. Figured you weren't quite on a day shift schedule. Thought I'd stop by."
"Come on in," Greg said, a bit surprised but glad to see him. "What, did Sara send you?"
Greg had meant it as a joke, but when Warrick didn't laugh he knew it was true.
"You're kidding, tell me you're kidding."
"She's worried."
Greg nodded his head silently and sat down.
"If you want, I'll go."
"No, why don't you hang out. You can make it up to me by telling me about the case."
"You know I'm not supposed to," Warrick said taking a seat.
"Who am I going to tell?" Greg reasoned.
"Okay," Warrick smiled at him. "We've pretty much got nothing. We've ruled out all of the usual suspects."
"Her patients."
"Yes. Anyone who fit the profile had an alibi. Solid ones."
"And no DNA?"
"Not a drop. But, there were some interesting fibers at the scene. Near the tub."
"Synthetic or natural?"
"Natural."
Greg shook his head. They'd never catch this guy. Warrick looked as if he'd agreed.
"It's worse."
"How much?" Greg asked, he couldn't imagine it.
"We think we found two other victims."
"I didn't hear…"
"You wouldn't have. One was almost two years back. A prostitute in North Vegas. Black, a Jane Doe, about twenty-two or three. Wasn't much to it, strangled and dumped."
"Posed?"
Warrick nodded. Despite the situation, Warrick couldn't help but feel a little surge of pride mixed with disappointment. Greg was getting good at this. It felt good knowing he'd helped train him. If it wasn't for that stupid board Greg could probably be invaluable right now. He was good at sounding ideas off of.
"Didn't look like it at first, but her arms and hands were in the exact same position as Dr. Sanchez."
"No DNA there either?" he asked, knowing it was too much to hope for.
"None. It had rained prior to finding the body. Washed it all away."
"You said there was one more?"
"Yeah, four months ago. Break and enter. We're not sure this one is related."
"Why not?"
"Well, the victim was strangled and posed on her bed. Thirty-eight year old white woman. This time, he wasn't so careful. Swing shift picked this one up. They got a partial palm print inside the door and some hair samples not belonging to the victims."
"What, victims? So it wasn't just the woman?"
"That's why we aren't so sure about this being our guys. She was a single mother. He killed the child too."
Greg paused for a moment, uncertain he wanted to really ask it, but did. He had to know.
"How?"
Warrick took in a deep breath, knowing it wasn't going to be easy either way.
"Drowned. Tied up in the bathtub."
Greg closed his eyes and rubbed his head.
"Sara's going to kill me for telling you all this."
"No, it's fine. I need to know."
Warrick wasn't so sure he agreed.
"Let's not talk shop anymore," Warrick tried to change the subject. Greg didn't need this now.
"No, no wait. You said the first one you found was two years ago, then four months and then last week. That doesn't make sense. Usually these things escalate, right? They build. He wouldn't have waited nearly two years."
"We know it. We do. It's just this guy is all over the place. Most killers stick to a specific social group or even ethnicity, they either go for prostitutes or college girls or something else entirely, they don't wander all over the track. The only thing these victims have in common is that they're women. We don't know where to look. He may not have even been in Vegas the whole time. There's no telling at this point."
"Feds involved?"
"Not yet. Soon."
Greg nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Warrick stuck around for another hour before Greg shooed him out the door. He claimed he was going to sleep, but he couldn't. Not with so much on his mind. He'd never wanted anything more then he wanted to be involved in this case. He needed it solved.