Part 22
Catherine sighed as Gil kissed his way down her body, nuzzling her neck.
"I'm so glad that we don't have to get up this morning," she murmured, her hands gently caressing his back.
"Me too," he replied, leaning up and capturing her lips with his.
The kiss was slow and leisurely, but no less passionate.
"You taste good," he commented, making his way back down her body.
"So do…" she arched up as his fingers caressed her intimately. "You," she finally managed to squeeze out. "Gil…stop teasing."
He moved back up her body and grinned. "I will…for now."
Catherine held him to her as she tried to get her breath back. "Wow. We need to have morning lie-ins more often."
"I definitely agree there," he murmured, kissing her gently.
Just as he was about to move, a tentative knock came at the door.
"Mom?"
Catherine's eyes widened. "Just a minute, Lindsey." She sat up, handing Gil his pajama bottoms and she disappeared into the bathroom.
Gil opened the window and went into the bathroom as Catherine came out and opened the door.
"Hey, baby, is everything alright?"
Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "What were you guys doing?"
"Nothing," Catherine replied, feeling guilty. "Absolutely nothing. We were…uh…talking." She took a deep breath, her body still tingling. "What is it?"
"Where's Katie?"
Catherine frowned. "Isn't she in her room?"
Gil came out of the bathroom.
"No. I checked and all her stuff is gone."
Catherine paled and hotfooted it into Katie's room.
The bed had been stripped and the linen had been neatly folded and placed on the bed. Everything that Gil and Catherine had bought for her and with her was still in its place, but the few paltry items Katie had brought with her when she first arrived where gone. The only memento from her current life that had gone was a picture from a frame. It had been one of the family.
"Oh God," Catherine said. "She's gone."
Greg stared at his phone and then at the clock. Something weird was going on. He and Katie had been going to go for a drive up to Lake Mead. She said she would meet him at 9. It was 11.30.
When it rang, he almost jumped out of his seat.
"Hello?"
"Greg, where's my daughter?" Gil barked down the phone.
"Grissom?"
"Where is she?"
"I don't know! I thought you were her calling me to tell me why she wasn't here for our date." Greg narrowed his eyes. "What's going on?"
Grissom sighed. "Katie's gone."
"Gone where?"
"I don't know. Her things are gone from the house and her locker at CSI is empty."
"Sir? Grissom? Can I come over please?"
Gil could hear the tremor in Greg's voice. It shocked him. Greg Sanders, the office Casanova had fallen for his daughter. Fallen hard. "Sure, Greg."
Catherine Grissom was royally pissed off. She stomped into the Tangiers.
"Good morning, Mrs Grissom. What can we do for you today? Slots, drinks? Hotel rooms?"
Catherine glared at the front desk clerk. "I want to see Sam Braun and I want to see him right now."
The woman gulped and nodded. "Certainly, ma'am."
"Catherine, I hear you scared the hell out of my desk clerk," Sam smiled amiably, as she stalked in his door.
"And now I'm about to scare the hell out of you," Catherine growled.
The smile left Sam's face. "Catherine?" He could see she was shaking. Whether it was with anger or tears, was too difficult to tell. "Catherine, sit down."
"I don't WANT to sit down!" she blasted him. "I want you to tell me what you said to my daughter!"
"What do you mean?"
"She's gone! I woke up this morning and my daughter was gone!" She began to pace. "So naturally, I begin to wonder where she's got to and more importantly, why she's gone. And you know what? The name that keeps coming to mind is yours!"
"Catherine…I swear…"
"But they don't hold any weight with me, Sam! I've been on the receiving end of your promises before, and it hasn't been good." She sighed. "Look, I don't care what you do, but I swear to god, if you did anything to make my baby girl leave me, I will come after you. I don't care how much weight you hold in this town. No one hurts my family."
Sam watched her leave and slam the door. He picked up the phone. "I need to find some information on a Kathryn Grissom. Yes, it's urgent."
When Catherine arrived home, she found Greg sitting in her lounge room. "Greg? Are you okay?"
He smiled wanly at her. "Grissom said I could come over. I was worried when she didn't turn up for our date. He said that all her stuff is gone and her locker is cleaned out."
Catherine sat down next to him. "Yeah." She glanced at him. "How long ago did you make the date?"
"A couple of weeks ago. Why?"
"Well, if I know my daughter, that means she wasn't planning this from then. She has very strong feelings for you, and I don't think she'd hurt you on purpose."
"You don't think she's hurt, do you?" Greg said, looking worried.
Catherine shook her head. "No. I don't know why she's gone, but I don't think she's hurt."
Grissom walked into the lounge room and smiled when he saw Cath there. "Hey. Where have you been?"
"I just had to check something. Did you call Jim?"
"He can't classify her as a missing person, Cath. You know that."
"I know. I just feel useless."
Greg stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I'm going to go and find her. I'll start at the lab and work my way from there." He waved goodbye and disappeared.
"Mommy?" Lindsey said, wandering into the room. "What's going on?"
"Everything's fine, Lindsey. Katie has just gone on a little trip somewhere."
Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "I'm not stupid, guys. I know she's gone. And I think I know why."
Catherine gripped her daughter by the shoulders. "Where is she, Linds?"
"I don't know," Lindsey said, struggling out of her mother's grasp. "And that hurt!"
Catherine sighed. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just…I'm just really worried about her."
"Last night, when that man came, and she heard you arguing, she was really upset. And then she said that everything was going to be fine."
Catherine and Gil looked at each other.
"I'll kill him," Catherine finally said, standing up.
Gil gripped her arm. "Catherine…we need to concentrate on finding Katie. Leave Sam for later."
"Fine then. I'll kill him later."
Katie stared into the fountains outside the Bellagio. She knew her mother liked to come here for some peace and quiet, and just like her mother, Katie found she was drawn to them.
It was better this way. She'd organise something, and then she'd go back to Chicago. She knew her parents now, and she was part of their lives. But the last thing she wanted to do was ruin family relations with her presence. She'd miss them terribly, but it had to be this way.
"Mr Braun?"
Sam looked up to the woman that stood in the room. "Yes Lara?"
"The information you wanted on Kathryn Grissom, sir." The woman strode over to him and handed him a file. "Mr. Stevens is still looking for her, sir."
Sam nodded and opened the file. "Thanks, Lara."