Privacy by SLynn

Disclaimer: It's all mine, because yeah, this is what I'd do with my free time if I actually owned these characters.

Chapter 21: Cover Up

Greg and Sara had both insisted on seeing the footage from their house once the servers were in the lab's possession. Archie, whose lab they were in, was also present. Nick, whose case had brought the whole thing forward, had to witness as well, as did Catherine who was handling the break in.

"Really," Sara said looking around, "can't we just review this ourselves and let you know if anything's off?"

"Yeah, I kind of feel like we should be charging admission," Greg added, feeling really nervous about the whole thing.

"Neither or you can be listed as investigators on this," Catherine said for the ninth or tenth time that evening. "We have to review it."

"All of it?" Greg asked.

"We'll stick to what's relevant," she promised.

"I've already done a preliminary review," Archie said, looking determinedly at his computer unsure if he could face either Greg or Sara right now. "It's about five to six days worth of footage. Looks like it was put in place during the break in."

Archie called up the first part of the footage, paused it on screen.

"Its date and time stamped," he said, indicating the numbers in the lower part of the screen. "The first frame is Sunday morning around four."

He didn't move the image forward and they all looked at it closely. The room was empty, the bed was made. You could clearly see the back door open in the shot and the master bedroom door was as well.

"Is that me?" Greg asked, uncertain he was really seeing what he thought he was.

In the doorway you could just make out a pair of feet. The camera angle just let them see into the hallway where they could make out the vague outline of a body. As everyone else leaned in to take a better look, Sara leaned back. She didn't want to see it.

"So they must have waited till it was in place and they were gone before starting it up," Nick guessed.

"Looks that way," Catherine agreed, not sounding quite right. Seeing Greg, unmoving on the floor was disturbing.

Greg leaned back now as well, this was crazy. It all had the feel of a very bad dream.

With an indication from Catherine, Archie started the video forward again on triple the normal speed.

"Stop and go back," Nick interrupted just after they'd seen Greg start to stir on screen.

Archie did and moved the video backwards, slower this time.

"There," Nick said, "Freeze it."

Archie did and they all looked trying to see what Nick did.

"The light changed," he said, "You can see him better now. Either someone flipped on a light…"

"Or opened a door," Catherine finished. "Start it up again in half time."

Archie obliged and they all watched in stunned silence as a figure could be seen crouching over Greg just out of sight. They really could only make out a shadow, but someone else was there. The video was now progressing frame by frame, hoping to catch something more.

At first it looked like they wouldn't, as the figure retreated down the hall and Greg's feet began to move slightly, but then it was back. They all watched in disbelief as the person stepped right over Greg, entered the bedroom and opened the jewelry box on the dresser.

"Right there," Catherine said.

Archie had paused it before she'd even gotten the entire sentence out. He knew what they were looking for. A face. They didn't even have to ask; he was already enlarging the image and cleaning it up as best as he could.

Greg let out a nervous laugh. Sara shook her head.

"Do you know her?" Nick asked them.

"Yeah we do," Greg said, "she lives across the street."

Jaime Hutchinson sat nervously next to her mother Betty in the interrogation room. Brass, Catherine and Grissom were inside with them, Sara and Greg behind the glass looking on.

"Miss," Brass began, "would you tell us where you were on this past Sunday morning around four a.m.?"

"She was home," Betty answered, "in bed. Where else would she be?"

"Ma'am, please," Brass said, "we need her to tell us in her own words."

Jaime looked at her mother who nodded her head in approval.

"I was at home," she said weakly, looking down. It was an obvious lie.

"How well do you know your neighbors across the street? You've met them right?"

"Yes," she answered, sounding a little more certain of herself, "we've talked a few times."

"Do you know that they work here, for the police?"

She just nodded and looked down again.

"You know that Mr. Sanders was attacked in his home then, Sunday morning?"

Jaime nodded again, staring down at her hands.

"Is that what this is about?" Betty asked, "I told the officer that morning that we didn't see anything. It's just terrible. That's the third robbery in our neighborhood inside of a month."

Brass ignored the outburst and continued to stare at the daughter. She looked like she might crack.

"Have you ever been inside Greg and Sara's house?" Grissom asked.

"No," she said almost as if she was asking him if it was true.

"We think you have," Catherine said more firmly.

"That's ridiculous," Betty said, sounding a little angry. She just now understood where this was headed. What they were accusing her daughter of.

Catherine took out a few pictures from an envelope and laid them out for them both.

"This is from a camera inside their home," she said by way of explanation. "That's the time and date in the lower corner and that is you going through Ms. Sidle's things."

"That could be anyone," Betty said, hardly looking at the first one.

"And this?" Catherine asked, showing the next image. The enlarged one that caught her face as it turned almost completely towards the camera.

Jaime burst into tears, unable to stop herself. Betty continued to look flabbergasted. Greg and Sara both turned to go having seen all they wanted too.

"She confessed to taking the video player and games and some jewelry but nothing more," Catherine said to them back at the break room a little before their actual shift started. "Said she didn't think anyone was home and had already grabbed the player before she even noticed you in the hall. She did check on you, made sure you were alright, we got that on video."

"Yeah, but she still came back for more," Sara said, really angry. "We saw that too."

"She's a kid," Greg countered, rubbing his eyes. They'd gotten no sleep today. Who could sleep after all that? "She's probably just lashing out at her over restrictive parents."

Sara looked at him in disbelief.

"She didn't plant that camera," he continued, "Right?"

Catherine nodded.

"Any more on that?" Sara asked, a little calmer.

"Nick and Archie are working it. Found a couple of regular PC's at the place, they may be yours, but the serials have been removed."

Sara and Greg both nodded.

"Let's go see if we can find Robert Eriksson," Greg suggested, tired of talking about cases that involved them.

"Sounds good," Sara said standing up, "I'll ask Jensen to join us."

Greg nodded and she left to get her things. He was getting ready to follow her when Archie came in.

"Got a minute?" he asked.

Greg nodded and followed him down to the tech lab.

"Okay," he said sitting down in front of the computer, internet up.

"Before you start," Greg said sounding serious, "if you've found like pictures of my naked ass on the internet, I'd rather not know."

Archie laughed and shook his head.

"No, nothing like that," he said, "but I did do a search on you. Someone obviously is keeping a close eye on you or Sara. Considering all things, I figured it was probably you."

"And?"

"And," Archie continued, "I found a few sites that reference the Fenton case. All of them have you on it, but one in particular has a lot more information about you then any other. Most have the basic stuff. Stuff that was in the papers, on TV, but not this one."

"Let me guess," Greg interrupted, "it's from the same domain?"

"Yep," Archie confirmed. "This is it."

He slid out of the way and let Greg move in for a better look. This site more or less had all of the details of the Fenton case. A lot them unreleased. A menu labeled 'Personal Descriptions' caught his attention. It was supposedly authored by victims, but seeing as Sara and he were the only known living ones he found it hard to believe. That was until he clicked the link.

"Oh man," Greg mumbled under his breath. "These are mine."

"What?" Archie asked, "They're real."

"You read them?" Greg asked, turning to him and getting defensive.

"I skimmed them; that's why I got you."

"Catherine said you found some PC's too?"

"Yeah, Jacqui's got them now. She's looking for prints."

"But this is still online," Greg said, "the video site is down, why is this one still up?"

"Because it's not hosted here. They uploaded those files to another server."

"Find out where," Greg said standing to go.

Archie nodded and sat back down, shutting off the browser instead of looking any longer. Greg was upset for a reason and he didn't need to know any more then that.

Greg was abnormally silent on the way to Eriksson's house. Sara just chalked it up to the stress of the day as she followed Officer Jensen's patrol car to the East side of town.

Arriving at his apartment Sara knocked once and the door cracked open.

Jensen motioned them both back as he pulled his gun and announced his presence in the doorway. He stepped inside and began his search, Sara and Greg stood just outside, curious as to what was going on.

"Found him," they heard him call and they both stepped in, still cautious and with their own weapons ready.

They met Jensen at the door of the only bedroom. He indicated just inside the door way and looked a little green.

The smell hit them both like a brick wall. They stepped inside the room and walked over to the open closet door. There he was, hanging from his neck by a belt. He looked as if he'd been dead close to a week.

"I'll call David," Greg said stepping back and turning away.

Sara shook her head and turned away as well. Their only two suspects were dead and it didn't add up. Someone was hiding something.