Title: Wavelengths.
Summary: When great minds think alike and are constantly running off the same wavelength…anything is possible. Grissom and Sara work a bizarre case together, that forces them to get closer.
"It all comes down to the shoe prints," Warrick Brown, CSI level three, boasted proudly as he held up the photo of the prints that closed a particular case. He noticed Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes covering their smirks as they sat watching him explain Forensic Science to the group of High School kids. Half of them were zoned out, the rest actually seemed interested. Nick mentioned earlier the Miami Crime show, and Forensic Files on cable, he was probably right. People were interested in murder, he understood their fascination, but with the romantic style it's given on TV, it draws people in deeper.
After he finished his lecture, Sara and Nick made their way to the front of the room for the finale. Nick motioned to a young woman sitting in the second row, "Man, she can't keep her eyes off you…stud." Warrick frowned and shook his head. "Too young?" Nick chuckled.
"You think?" He whispered back then turned to the group. "My colleague's here will be showing you how we can find blood and fingerprints on just about any surface."
Nick and Sara began their demonstration, as Warrick headed to the back of the room for a break. He noticed the woman's eyes follow him, and now she was walking his way.
"Mr. Brown?" Her voice purred between her lips as she moved closer to him. "Do you have a moment for a quick question?"
"Sure, Miss…" Warrick extended his hand hoping to keep her at a distance."Swift, Sally Swift." She smiled, and he could see that she was older than she appeared. "I'm one of the student advisors here. I must admit your line of work is captivating. I have three to four students a day come into my office looking for information about Forensics."
"It has become popular in the past few years. The better the technology, the more interesting our jobs become," he answered trying not to look over at Nicks' questioning eyes.
"I see. I was wondering if you could provide me with some material that I can offer to my students when they come to me for advice. I'm sure your line of work takes a specific type of personality and some of my kids just don't have the knack for it, even though they think they do sometimes. Do you know of any books or articles I can reference?" Sally tucked a lock of her chestnut hair behind her ear and smiled up at the CSI.
"I'm sure we can find some stuff for you. I only brought a list of fiction based books for the kids to read." Warrick reached inside his bag, pulled out a three-page list, and handed it to her. "Some of the books are better than others, but they are all forensic based, and a good read if I do say so myself."
"I'm sure they are," she said taking the list from him. "Have you ever written a book?"
"Me? Nah…not really my deal. I'm all about the evidence." He grinned and felt himself begin to relax.
"Interesting…" She dug in her purse. "Here's my card. If you or your colleagues can supply me with more information, the school would be very thankful."
"I'll see what I can do." He nodded, and saw out of the corner of his eye Nick and Sara were finishing up. Sally extended her hand to him, smile and walked back to her seat. The room broke out into a moderate round of applause, and the three CSI's met with the Principal whom thanked them for offering their time.
In the parking lot, Warrick and Nick piled all the visuals and equipment into the SUV while Sara called the lab. The ubiquitous Grissom answered the phone. His voice was soft and calm, not the usual but a welcome surprise. "Grissom."
"Gris, It's me." Sara couldn't hold back her smile. "We're done at the High School, and we are heading home. You should get home too, shift was over hours ago."
"I know, I'm just wrapping up a few loose ends. How did it go?" he asked as he pulled off his wire-rimmed glasses and rubbed his third eye.
"Actually pretty good, although Warrick went into his sermon." She chuckled, and at the same time they both said, "It all comes down to the shoe prints." Grissom sucked in a laugh, and Sara let one out. She could feel Nick and Warrick's eyes on her so she cut the conversation short. "So we'll see you later Grissom."
Grissom hung up the phone and sighed. He didn't mind working the extra hours, even though the pay wasn't the greatest. However, he did mind when his CSI's were out and he was stuck inside. This day was one of them. Grissom had been going over inventory and ordering supplies for his shift. Ecklie, the Day shift supervisor, made a comment a couple days ago about how he already had his done, and was excited about a body found behind the Sands casino. Grissom did his best to convey a non-caring attitude, but Ecklie knew he was vexed. Nothing brought greater joy to the Day shift supervisor than pissing off Gil Grissom.
He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, and finished the last of his work. When he was through, he made his way to the locker room only to find Sara rifling through her locker. "I thought you were going home?"
"Oh, yeah. Hi." She smiled and continued to rummage through her things. She stopped only for a second and looked at him. "I left my planner here. Ahh…" She pulled it out and showed it to him. "I needed a phone number."
"Oh," Grissom replied. "I would have gotten it for you…you didn't have to come all the way back here."
"It's okay, it was only a short detour…"
"Gil!" A voice shouted from the corridor. Sara and Grissom turned to see Brass running towards them. "Hey." He stopped to catch his breath.
"What's up Jim?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Ecklie called in sick. All his CSI's are out in the field, and I've got a ripe one."
"So have someone else peal it Brass. I'm off duty," Grissom said with a slight smirk.
"Sara?" Brass looked at her, and immediately a huge smile formed on her lips. Grissom lowered his head in defeat and let out a long breath.
"Give me the details," Sara said as she followed Brass back to the lobby. Grissom stood in the doorway watching Brass talk with Sara. From this distance he couldn't even lip-read what they were saying. He huffed and walked up to them and put his hand on Sara's elbow.
"I really don't want you working a Days case alone Sara," he said softly.
"Then work it with me…" She grinned. He was surprised she didn't argue back, but he didn't answer quite fast enough for her. "…or not. I can handle this by myself Grissom."
"I didn't mean it like…"
"I hate to cut you two off, but I've got to go. Go see O'Reilly when you are ready." Brass nodded to Sara and tapped Grissom on the shoulder, then disappeared around the bend.
"I don't want Ecklie on your ass. I'll work with you." Grissom finally let go of her elbow and turned on his heel heading back to his office.
"Don't you mean I'll be working with you?" Sara put her hands on her hip and tilted her head to the side waiting for him to turn around. He didn't.
"No." And he kept walking.
Grissom and Sara arrived at the crime scene fifteen minutes later. O'Reilly had briefed them on what little information they had. "Frank Sheets, 35 found dead in his office by one of his waitress this morning when she came in to open. No weapon present, and no…I didn't touch anything."
The two nodded to the officer and made their way through the restaurant to the back office. Out of habit and not for need, they pulled out their flashlights and began to survey the room. Grissom made a beeline for the body, Sara circumvented the body for a better look around the room. On the walls were health certificates for inspection, a few photographs of the deceased with friends or family, a poster reading "You don't have to be crazy to work here, But it helps!" decorated the area above the desk. Sara chuckled inwardly at the poster thinking she should swipe it for Grissom's office. She circled around back towards the body, and crouched down as Grissom was examining the victims chest.
"Check this out. It looks like he was stabbed," Grissom said as Sara visualized something piercing the victims skin, slicing through muscle into the chest cavity and eventually piercing the heart, killing the man almost instantly.
"Is that what you are going with?" She smirked, as she looked closer with her flashlight. She noticed the wound was rather large and round for a stab wound, a normal knife wouldn't cause such a circular entry point. Using her finger as a guide, Sara pointed along the edge of the wound. "Grissom, look at the shape of this…It's not completely round, but round enough not to be from a knife."
"Take a look around the room, then check the kitchen area. Let's see if we can find the murder weapon." Grissom looked up at her, she nodded and walked around the room a second time.
Grissom snapped a dozen pictures of the body before letting the coroner in to move the body. He made sure to have the clothes sent to the trace lab when they were through with the body. He glanced over to see Sara heading toward the kitchen and followed. "Find anything?"
"The office is clean, no blood stains, hairs, fibers—nothing. I lifted a bunch of prints from around the room. Still it's strange, you'd think there would be something…unless he wasn't killed in his office." She raised a brow and glanced over.
"True, he could have been moved, but from where?" he asked as his gaze darted around the kitchen. The entire room was immaculate. Every counter top was clean, the floor was spotless, and all the kitchen appliances looked brand new. "Go talk to the waitress. Find out what their normal procedure is at closing. Who cleans what, who stays late, and who leaves. Get a list of employees from O'Reilly, and find out the last time anyone saw our Mr. Sheets alive."
Sara nodded knowing Grissom wouldn't be able to let her take the lead on a case and added, "Gris, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find out where our friend was murdered."
Sara stifled a yawn as she walked back into the kitchen looking for Grissom. She glanced at her watch; it was almost 1:00pm. She didn't see him so she stopped and listened for movement. Still nothing.
"Grissom?" She called out and took a few steps toward the back of the kitchen. Nothing. She sighed and began to walk towards the office. She walked past the enormous refrigerator and saw vapors coming from the edge of the unit. She peered around the corner to see a large white door half open, and the back of Grissom's head bobbing up and down. She felt the cold as she pulled the door open wider. She stepped in and Grissom whipped his head around obviously startled at the intrusion. "Sorry," she shrugged having broken his concentration. "What's this?"
"A freezer," he said flatly as he snapped a picture of the floor.
"I know that, what are you doing in here?"
"Surveying our crime scene, Sarah." Grissom motioned to the ground.
Sara's eyes lit up and she took a few steps closer and crouched down, "Blood." She pulled out a swab from her case and gently wiped it across the floor where the stain had landed.
"What did you find out?" he asked watching her taking a sample of the blood.
"Well…Sheets always stays till closing. That's what Wendy one of the waitresses said. The kitchen crew, who is…" She stood up and pulled out her pad to check her notes, "Miguel, John and Brooke, clean the kitchen before they leave. I called them all at home, all three of them said that Sheets was in his office from 9pm until the left at 1:30."
"So…" Grissom started, Sara promptly cut him off.
"Wendy said she saw Sheets at 12:30. There was a problem with her payroll check so she went to see him," she continued, "not a motive for murder in my eyes. Anyway, I got a list of the cleaners they use in the kitchen, and I've searched everywhere and I can't find anything that would cause that circular wound. What's next?"
"Examine the body and get this sample to Greg."
Grissom put his evidence bag on the top of the pile. Greg wouldn't be in for another few hours, so he had a choice, go second string or wait for Greg. He opted to wait, but left a nice note for the Lab Tech to page him as soon as he got the results back. Sara was already with the Chief Medical Examiner Al Robbins, when Grissom walked into the morgue.
"Al, you're hear early." He smiled at his friend.
"David called in sick, I hear Ecklie did too." Robbins shrugged and lowered the tarp from the body. "Something's going around. Take your vitamin C."
"Always do," Sara and Grissom replied, they glanced at each other and Robbins chuckled.
"No bugs Gil, sorry. But I found something out of the ordinary," Al began as Grissom and Sara leaned in to look. "Rigor set in per normal, but the body temperature is off. He's been dead for 7 to 9 hours. When was he found?"
"10:40 this morning," Grissom answered and looked at Sara. "Last person to see him alive was at 12:30. So he was killed between then and 2:30."
"Sounds about right." Sara nodded.
"I'd give you a better estimate, but the body temp readings aren't going to help." Robbins looked up at the two CSI's
"He was killed in a freezer and moved into his office," Sara added. "That probably messed with your temp."
"Possible." Al nodded, and motioned to the wound. "Now this is another puzzle. The weapon pierced the heart, killing him instantly, however if you look closely you can see little blood clots within the wound."
"What does that mean?" Sara asked.
"Not sure really. I've never seen blood clots inside a fatal wound before," Al replied. "Lots of things can clot blood, but this is strange."
"Indeed." Grissom nodded, then looked over at Sara as if to say, the game is afoot.
Grissom and Sara walked down the corridor back to his office. "Now what?" the eager Sara asked.
"I'm going home to get some sleep." He glanced down at his watch. "I suggest you do the same."
"I can always start with Trace," She stared blankly as if she didn't even hear him. Again, Grissom gently grabbed her elbow. "Huh?"
"Go home, get some sleep."
"Is that an order?" She grinned.
"Yes." He smirked back and disappeared inside his office, leaving Sara standing in the middle of the hall shaking her head and laughing.
Warrick and Nick were sitting in the break room playing Hot Pursuit on the Playstation when Catherine entered nibbling on a muffin. "Hey." They both said absently.
"Hey," She mumbled catching the last bit of muffin on her lip. "You guys see Grissom or Sara?"
"Sara's in Trace, and Grissom isn't here yet. They snagged a case from Days." Warrick answered never turning from the TV. "Oh man."
"Ha ha." Nick chuckled and turned to Catherine. "Eckile's gonna be pissed."
"Screw Ecklie," Catherine retorted and poured herself a cup of coffee. "So nothing's going on?"
"Not yet. Yeah, baby, come and get me." Nick punched the couch and taunted Warrick.
"Oh, bring it on!"
Catherine giggled and left the boys alone to finish their game, she headed down the hall and found Sara hunched over a microscope in the Lab. Sara didn't look up when Catherine entered. All the CSI's had the same habit. "Hey."
"Hey." Sara returned, keeping her focus on the scope. "Have you seen Grissom?"
"I was just going to ask you. Nick and Warrick said he's not here yet." Catherine brushed a lock of hair from her eye and glanced down at Sara's evidence. "Heard you guys swiped a Days case."
"Yeah, Ecklie called out and no one else was available. I offered, and Grissom being the gentleman that he is didn't want me to take it alone…Ecklie's gonna have a cow."
"Well, he shouldn't call out sick then." Catherine smiled as Sara finally looked up from her scope. "You guys need any help?"
"I think we've got everything covered for now, thanks. We are going back to the crime scene tonight. Hopefully we'll find some leads." Sara rose from the chair and crossed the room. She grabbed a stack of papers and headed for the door. "I'm sure something will pop up."
"Something usually does." Catherine followed her out into the hall as Sara walked back towards Grissom's office. She glanced back and pointed to the door.
"He's here," Sara offered.
"Good." She quickly walked down the hall and into his office. Sara made her way to the break room to wait for Grissom.
Twenty minutes passed. Sara happily ate a burrito and sipped on coffee, reading her output reports and waiting. When Grissom finally showed his face, he looked ready to go.
"You ready?" He poked his head inside the room.
"Yep," she answered, gathered her things, and followed him out.
When they arrived at the crime scene, it was exactly as they had left it. They proceeded to the freezer. Grissom propped open the door, while Sara broke out the luminol. She sprayed the floor thoroughly and Grissom plugged in the blue light and began to scan the floor. Inch by inch they covered the floor finding nothing but the one spot of blood from earlier. Not satisfied with the current situation, Sara began to check for prints—finger or shoes—again, nothing. She sighed and turned to Grissom, "I don't get it. We have no murder weapon and a drab of blood on the crime scene and an entry wound with clotted blood. No witnesses and our evidence sucks. What are we missing?"
Grissom pushed his glasses up on his nose and glanced over at Sara. "I don't know what we are missing, but we are missing something. Guess we should check his house."
"That sounds like a plan." Sara began to pack up her case when a loud crash made her and Grissom practically jump out of their skin. She turned to Grissom, "What the hell was that?" Grissom looked back at her and shrugged. They both turned to see the door to the freezer was shut. "Umm…" She groaned as Grissom walked to the door and attempted to push it open. He turned back to her with a sullen look on his face. "What?"
"It's locked," he replied.
"You're kidding."
"Do I look like I'm kidding? It's locked," he repeated.
"It can't be. It's a freezer." She stomped over to the door and began to push and pull at it. "Damn! I can't believe it. It's locked." Sara put her hands on her hips and grunted.
"Don't worry," Grissom said as he pulled out his cell phone and began to dial. "I'll get Brass to send some…Son of a bitch!"
"No…oh, come on." Sara looked at him as he moved around the freezer looking for a signal for his cell phone. She immediately pulled out her phone and attempted to do the same. "This isn't funny!"
"I'm not laughing," Grissom responded as he began to feel the cold of the freezer surround him. He zipped up his light jacket and looked over at Sara, who was still trying to find a signal for her phone. One arm wrapped tightly around her waist, a feeble attempt to keep warm, but an attempt at the least. He took off his glasses and put them in his pocket, then called out to her. "Zip up." He pointed to her jacket.
"You really think this is going to keep me warm?" she moaned, but obeyed, still trying to get a signal. "Grissom, how long do you think it will take for someone to notice we're not around?"
"Good question. I don't know."
Sara was beginning to feel the chill nip at her toes. She started to jump up and down. Grissom stood watching slightly amused. For the moment, she ignored him and concentrated on staying warm. She was about to start running in place when he turned to her and reached for her wrist. "What?"
"Don't. It will only make things worse," he said as if reading her mind.
She ignored his momentary ESP and pulled her hand from his grip."Don't what?"
"Start jogging or running. You'll start to sweat." He looked at her, she contorted her face comprehending what he said, but not fully understanding. "Sweat will freeze?"
"Oh-right. Gotcha. Well I'm up for suggestions. I'm cold and I don't smoke so I don't have a lighter or matches, and there's no other way out. It's the middle of the night and only a few people even know we are here. What are we going to do?" She could feel her emotions surface, and she forced them back down. Grissom walked up to her and pulled her to him.
"We stay warm." He unzipped his jacket and pulled her inside. There was just enough extra room for her to fit. "Wrap your arms around me. Our body heat will keep us warm." She didn't argue, she just wrapped her arms around his waist and he zipped the jacket.
Sara rested her head on his chest. The coolness of the room disappeared for a moment as she listened to the sound of his heart beating. This was the moment. She knew it. If it wasn't now it would never be, and she was scared to death. She repositioned her arms around him and locked her fingers together. "Is this okay?" she squeaked out the words barely.
"Fine," he answered fully aware of what being this close to her was doing to him. Her head pressed against him, her arms wrapped around him. This was the moment. He knew it. If it wasn't now it would never be, and he was scared to death. Grissom automatically wrapped his arms around her in a swift natural movement. "Don't worry someone will come looking for us before anything happens."
"Are you sure?" Her teeth began to chatter, due only in part to the temperature in the room.
"You said you trusted me didn't you…" He looked down at her.
"Technically I smiled and didn't answer…" She looked up at him.
"That smile…your smile…it's…" He searched for the word he was looking for, but it wouldn't come. He grit his teeth together already feeling as if he was blowing the whole thing.
She saw the frustration in his face and lowered her head. Should she do something or nothing? She couldn't think and she began to feel like she was blowing the whole thing.
"Grissom…" She whispered softly into his collarbone.
"Why don't you ever call me Gil?" he asked then mentally slapped himself for breaking the moment at exactly the wrong time.
"I think Grissom fits you better. It's more…you," she said looking deep into his eye, hoping he understood what she meant. His smile relaxed her some, but she felt her body ready to shiver next to him.
Sensing her about to shutter against him, Grissom held her tighter. She noticed and responded by untangling her fingers and letting them spread against his back. He looked down at her…she looked up at him. Again, their eyes met. They knew this was the moment…
"Hello?!?!" A voice called out into the open air. Grissom and Sara whipped their heads toward the door. "Hello?"
"In the freezer!" they shouted. Grissom quickly unzipped the jacket, Sara released her self from his jacket and ran to the door and began to bang on it.
"In here!" she shouted.
"What are you doing in the freezer?" The muffled chuckle called out to them.
"Long story, open the door!" Sara shouted back. She heard the clank of the lock, and slowly turned her eyes to Grissom. He was standing there, in the middle of their frozen prison staring as if he had lost a precious gem. He looked down at the floor. Sara took a step toward him, and the door suddenly swung open. She shifted to the side quickly to avoid being hit. "Easy!" she screeched.
"Are you guys okay?" Warrick helped Sara out of the freezer and nodded to Grissom.
"Cold…" Sara stammered and moved far away from the entrance and began to rub herself warm. "How did you know to come and look for us?"
"Greg paged you about 6 times before asking around for you. Then we called your cell..." Warrick glanced at Grissom, "then we tried yours Sara. Catherine didn't have a good feeling, so I came out to look for ya."
"Thanks." Grissom walked passed him, and patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks."
"Yeah." Sara smiled up at Warrick. "I'm ready to leave."
"Let's go." Grissom nodded and led the way.
Outside the restaurant, Sara kept on the coattails of Warrick. Not looking over, around or up, she kept her eyes center on the back of the much taller CSI. When he neared the Tahoe he veered off toward the driver side, and Sara went for the passenger's side.
Warrick noticed, "Sara you riding with me?" He asked flashing his adorable smile.
"Yeah sure, you mind?" She glanced up at him from the opposite side of the SUV.
"Nah, hop in." Warrick glanced back at Grissom.
"I'm gonna ride with Warrick, Gris," she said and quickly entered the vehicle. Grissom opened his mouth to respond but the sound of the car door slamming shut cut him off. He let the non-spoken words leave his lips in a breath of air, and walked towards the other vehicle not stopping for a split second. He didn't want to think about what had just happened, he wanted to push it away, far away…so he pushed.
Grissom arrived back at the CSI Lab twenty minutes after Warrick and Sara had already settled in their offices. He needed the extra time to push the thoughts far back into the recesses of his mind. When he walked passed the DNA lab, Greg bolted out of the room and chased him down the hall.
"Yo, Grissom!" he called out, just half step away.
"Yo, Greg!" Grissom replied without turning around.
"I paged you." Greg was now parallel to the bug man. "The blood you left me matches your victim, but it was highly diluted." Grissom stopped, and Greg took a few more steps before he realized.
"Diluted?" Grissom tilted his head.
"Yep." Greg rocked back and forth on his feet. "H2O and just a hint of NH3."
"NH3?" Grissom asked back.
"Yeah…ammonia," Greg responded with a blink then handed Grissom the folder with the results.
"I know it's ammonia, but what was it doing mixed with water and blood?"
Greg shrugged, "I don't know, you're the CSI remember?"
"Thanks Greg." Grissom shook his head at the confusing new evidence and headed straight for his office. Greg raised up his hand, then quickly rubbed it through his hair.
"Sure…" he mumbled. "Anytime…"
Grissom opened the door to his office. Sara wasn't there. That gave him a minute or so to gather his thoughts before she inevitably walked back into his office to jumpstart his heart again. He put down his case and removed his jacket. A quick glance at the clock showed only three hours had passed, which also meant five hours until the end of shift. He gathered the paper work Greg had just given him and the photos from the crime scene that magically appeared on his desk, and swiftly proceeded to the Layout Room.
Sara saw him enter the room, and sucked in a deep breath before exiting the break room. Warrick had sensed something, but kept quite as did Nick, who was still playing the Playstation. Apprehensively she walked down the hall, gathering her thoughts, with the ME's report in her hand. She reached the door, and considered knocking, but knew that wouldn't look right, so she put her hand on the knob and pulled open the door. Standing right there as the door swung back was Grissom, who looked just as surprised to see her and she did him.
"Hey," she said, "I've got some more info."
"Me too." He turned back and walked into the room. "I was just coming to find you." He handed her Greg's report and sat down in a chair as she read it.
"Ammonia?" She tilted her head to the side.
"Yeah…"
"Yeah…" She smiled then sifted through the file, she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Ammonia is on the list of cleaning products…but…could the ammonia be from the floor?
"Maybe…" He grinned back and waited for her reaction as he grabbed the solution he just concocted to detect the ammonia.
"No…" She shook her head. "Fine, let's go back. This time though, I'm standing outside the freezer."
The drive back to the restaurant was silent except for the slight sound of music coming from the radio. Neither felt completely comfortable, but the thought of the new evidence helped to ease the tension between them. When they arrived, Grissom walked into the freezer, Sara stood right outside the doorframe as promised. He looked back and smirked.
He swabbed the floor and then pulled a bottle from his case. He pressed the liquid onto the swab and waited for the reaction. Nothing happened. He glanced at her and she stared at the swab.
"Now that doesn't make any sense," she sighed. "What else…" She began to look around the freezer and her eyes searched the room. As she focused upwards, Grissom followed her gaze to the ceiling. "Nah…"
"What?" he said looking for a point of reference. He couldn't seem to locate what she saw and repeats himself. "What?" Sara moved into the freezer then stops. She put her case flat against the floor to stop the freezer from locking up on them again, and crossed the room. She stood in the middle and reached up to the ceiling, she swabbed it then looked at Grissom. She reached out to him and he threw her the liquid. She squeezed it out onto the swab and watched as the tip changed colors. She smiled then began surveying the entire freezer again. She zeroed in on something, and Grissom attempted to see what it was. She reached up again and when she turned around, he glanced at her quizzically. She straightened up and stuck her hand out revealing a large pointed icicle. "Is it even possible?"
"Icicles have killed people before, but to my knowledge never used as an actual murder weapon. Looks like we have a mystery, my dear Sara."
She smiled back, her face glowing. "How do we determine if it's possible or not?" She walked past him and back toward her case sitting snuggly near the door. "I can't bag this. It will never make it to the Lab."
"We'll make our own."
The incident still fresh in both their minds, Sara and Grissom rode back to the Lab yet again in silence. They exchanged glances and smiles, but never said a word. When they walked back into the Lab, Sara could feel the excitement between them. This case was going to be one for the books…and deep down she felt perhaps something more…if they could just find the right time.
Sara headed for the Layout Room, Grissom for the break room. Sara put down her case and grabbed the ME report. She met Grissom a few seconds later as he was filling up the coffee pot with water.
"How do you propose we do this?" Sara questioned when he turned around.
"Make a mold of the wound, then make an icicle the same size." He grinned from ear to ear.
"Then what?" she asked. He frowned.
"We'll think of something."
Grissom and Sara went to work immediately. Nick, Warrick and Catherine had finally snagged a case, and the Crime Lab was dark and quite. They were in heaven. No one else was around. Just them and a dead body. To most normal people it would be strange, but for CSI's it was like being home. Sara glanced over at Grissom as he slid the plaster out from the new mold he just made. He plugged up the pointed end with some tape and made sure the entire mold was secure, he added a second layer of plastic to give the icicle an extra few inches for the grip. "Now we just add water a drop of ammonia, shake and let it freeze."
"That'll be a while," she said looking up at the clock, then a thought struck her and her face twisted and a shiver ran down her spine.
"What?"
"Umm…" She attempted. "I thought of something, but it's weird."
"Sara…" he coaxed her for an answer.
"We could lower the temperature on one of the storage units and freeze it quicker." She glanced at him sideways and waited. His eyes lit up. They grinned at each other. They caught the moment for another second. Sara raised both her eyebrows. "Let's go"
An hour and a half, two cups of coffee each, a crossword puzzle for Grissom, another burrito for Sara later, and finally the icicle was ready. After they rescued it from the death freezer and adjusted the temperature back to normal, they retreated to the Layout Room.
"We need to test it to make sure it can withstand the impact…how are we going to do that Grissom?" She joked, knowing he'd been thinking about it the entire time. She put the icicle stake on the table, set a ruler next to it to prove length, and took a quick snapshot.
"Two options pig or dummy," he answered.
"Let's try the dummy first. We can always do it again tomorrow if it doesn't work." She cocked her head to the side.
"Deal." Grissom grabbed his glasses and placed them on his face. He searched for the mannequin they've abused before, and glanced at Sara. With a slight spring to her step, she hunted around for some foam to put in front of the dummy's frame. "This should work, if we fit it right," he adjusted it slightly, "here."
"Well we need to make sure it goes in at least 6 inches for the wound to be lethal." Sara nodded as Grissom positioned himself in front of the dummy. He reached back and with all his strength, he slammed the ice blade into the foam-covered dummy. Sara jumped back as the swing whipped past her. "Nice."
"Ice." He grinned and looked back. "Measure it."
Sara pulled out her tape measure and walked to the dummy's side. She held up the tap and beamed back at Grissom. "Nine and a quarter. Take into consideration muscle pull and the chest cavity, with three inches to spare that's plenty convincing it was the murder weapon."
"Not to mention the blood clotting inside the wound. The ice would have stopped it from bleeding on the walls of the wound, but because it pierced the heart there was no chance the guy would make it." Grissom rubbed his temple. As he finished his thought, Sara snapped another picture of the iced dummy, and another thought entered her mind.
"Put the ice down and turn over your hands," Sara ordered. Grissom complied and she proceeded to swab his hands. She again squeezed the liquid over the swab and it changed instantly. They nodded at each other, glad for their success.
"It all fits but…"
"We need a suspect with a motive." Sara frowned.
"Let's call Brass."
Brass met Grissom and Sara in the lobby of the Crime Lab. He chewed on a piece of gum and offered them both a stick. Grissom declined, Sara accepted. "What have you got?" He asked looking over the two CSI's who were now one hour into overtime. Together they recapped their case findings for him and asked if he has any suspects. "Actually two of the 12 people O'Reilly and I talked to seemed fishy. I'll bring them in."
"Let's hope they have bad hygiene…" Grissom added absently.
"Huh?" Brass turned back.
"Nothing, just bring them in Brass, thanks."
Sara and Grissom lurked in the safe room as Brass brought the first suspect into the room. Ronald Essa, 29 about 6'2" pushing 200 to 215 lbs. Sara thought to herself he certainly had the strength to pull it off, she couldn't wait to get started. Grissom noticed her anticipation, and motioned for her to follow. They walked into the room, and sat down. Ronald had his hands on his legs, and sat relaxed, slouched back on the chair.
"Mr. Essa, Detective Brass here tells us he can't confirm your whereabouts yesterday between 12:30 and 2:30 am. Care to bring me up to speed?" Grissom looked at him over the top of his glasses.
"I told this guy, man. I was home watching infomercials." Essa studied the two CSI's
"Do you remember what infomercial it was sir?" Sara asked evenly.
"I don't remember. It was some crap they are always trying to sell," he responded.
"Mr. Essa, if you could, please try and remember. We can verify the time frame with the local TV station and eliminate you as suspect. It would save us all a lot of time," Grissom said looking straight into the man's eye. He glanced away and looked at Sara again.
"I don't remember."
"Can I see your palms, sir?" Sara asked as she pulled two swabs out of her back pocket.
"What for?" He rubbed his hands on his thighs.
"Testing for residue, it could also help clear this up." Sara was very vague with her answer.
"Yeah, what the hell, I didn't shoot anyone." He shrugged and held up his hands. Sara swabbed one, passed it to Grissom, and swabbed the other.
"We actually aren't checking for gun shot residue. We're checking for ammonia." Sara glanced at Essa then back to Grissom. He squeezed the liquid onto the tips and they changed color immediately.
"Mr. Essa, you are a waiter correct?" Grissom asked, but didn't wait for the answer. "Do you ever stay behind and help clean the kitchen."
"No man, that's not my job." He smirked.
"How about the freezer?" he asked.
Essa paused and looked at Grissom, "Nope."
"Then what reason would you have for the ammonia on your hands?" Sara asked.
"I don't know."
"What would you say if I told you we even found the murder weapon?" Grissom glanced at Brass to pay attention, then looked back at Essa. Ronald Essa's eyes widened, then he looked at Sara, Brass, then back to Grissom. "That's right."
"Not possible," he blurted, and immediately regretted it by the sheer look on his face.
"Actually it's very possible once you know what you are looking for," Grissom continued. "See we found another similar large icicle in the freezer. Must be from a crack in the freezer roof or something. The icicle had traces of ammonia in it from cleaning the ceiling. When you stabbed Mr. Sheets in the chest and pierced his heart, the condensation from the ice and the ammonia mixed with his blood, and the ammonia got on your hands. The evidence points right to you."
"I want to see a lawyer," Essa said and looked up at Brass.
"Your wish is my command." He grabbed Essa by the arm and walked him out of the room to get a phone.
As the door closed behind them, Sara turned to face him, "I think we have to write a paper up on this one. Who knows maybe we can get it into a medical journal or something. Poor Ecklie's going to flip his lid when he hears about this."
"Just don't rub it in his face Sara." Grissom's smile was anything but innocent.
"Right, I'll leave that up to you." She grinned back.
Sara was walking out of the Lab when Warrick, Catherine and Nick came strolling in. "You guys on overtime too huh?" She play slugged Nick on the shoulder.
"Yeah, we're just bringing in prints and photos. Not much else we can do tonight. It'll have to wait." Catherine sighed.
"Okay, well good luck. See you guys tomorrow." Sara waved as she exited the building. She walked toward her car, and saw someone on the side standing in the shadow. Instinctively she pulled out her flashlight, turned it on and pointed it toward her car.
"It's just me, Sara." Grissom called out as the light caught his eyes. He shielded them, and she shoved the flashlight back in her bag.
"Sorry." She slowly walked up to the car and leaned against the hood. "Interesting case huh?"
"I'd say so…Listen, Sara, about the freezer…" he began. He could feel the need to withdraw from her. He stepped back only slightly then looked up at her. "About the freezer…"
"Grissom…" she whispered and moved closer to him. Damn it, say something, she screamed inside her head. This is the last chance…tomorrow the moment might be gone forever.
"Sara…" he whispered and moved closer to her. Damn it, say something, he screamed inside his head. This is the last chance…tomorrow the moment might be gone forever.
The looked at each other…the moment was back. They couldn't turn away again, anymore. He took a step and she did the same. He raised his hand to her cheek and brushed it softly. She tilted her head accepting his caress. Her hand slipped over his and she guided his hand down to her heart. She looked up at him and smiled. "The most precious thing I have is this, my heart. I trust you with it Grissom. If you want it." She lowered her head and breathed out. Grissom lifted her head with his hand and smiled at her.
"I want it, Sara. I have for a long time…I just didn't know how…what…" He
tried. She looked into his eye and put her finger on his lip.
"Shhh…I know…me too." She let her hand linger on his chest, and felt his arms wrap around her like they did hours ago. Slowly Grissom pulled her closer, feeling her weight crash against him. It felt right, it fit—this was the moment. He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek and leaned down. He kissed her lips gently, holding her tight. Sara touched his cheek with her thumb and traced down to his jaw. When he broke off the kiss, he could see a tear just in the corner of her eye and smiled. He knew exactly how she was feeling. Her face broke out into a huge smile and she leaped up and wrapped her arms around him. He let out a chuckle and spun her around in a half circle before releasing her.
"Sara…I…" he stammered.
"Grissom…just kiss me."