Disclaimer/Author's Note – See Chapter One
Chapter Five – Nowhere Fast
Over the next several hours, Sara did not stop for as much as a cup of coffee. She processed evidence like a woman possessed and more that once Catherine found herself watching the brunette worriedly. Sara hadn't said a word about Elaine's visit, or her conversation with Grissom.
So far they had managed to match the finger print which Sara found on the toilet seat to the print Catherine pulled off of the murder weapon. Unfortunately, there was no record of the print on AFIS. Mia, the new tech in the DNA lab, had pulled DNA from the sample of vomit Sara collected, and was running it through CODIS. Now, Catherine, Sara, Greg and Grissom sat round the table in the Layout Room, trying to make sense of it all.
'The prints we lifted at the scene aren't on AFIS. So we're either looking at someone new to the game, or someone who just hasn't been caught yet,' Catherine informed them.
'The disorganisation at the scene, the vomit, I don't think this prep would have had the wherewithal to have eluded the police for any length of time,' Sara stated. 'I vote for it being a newbie.'
Grissom nodded. 'I agree. The murder itself didn't go to plan. The Doc thinks that this was meant to be a long, torturous death. Multiple small lacerations were meant to bleed out over a day, at least. But the killer cut too deep, and the victim bled out in minutes.'
'Definitely not the work of someone who knew what he was doing,' Catherine agreed. 'Then he left the murder weapon behind, with prints all over it. Sloppy.'
'Well, we've now got the timeline sorted out,' Grissom told them. 'Brass interviewed McMann's next door neighbour, who saw him pull into his driveway at 10am on Monday. That's 30 hours prior to his body being found. That more or less fits with David's estimate for the time of death.'
'David said more than 24 hours,' Sara interjected. 'So time of death was sometime between 10am and 3pm, Monday.'
'The Doc's best guess is around 2pm. But maybe an hour or two before that, the victim was drugged with Valium.' Grissom replied, before turning to the newest CSI. 'Greg? How are you going with the prescription records?'
'Well, as I predicted, there were a lot,' Greg tried not to look too excited as he took centre stage. 'But Sara's been helping me. So far, we've narrowed it down to around a third of McMann's client list.'
'How many?'
'Well, there were around 200 hundred on his list, so about 66.'
'We have 66 suspects?' Grissom looked like he was getting a migraine.
'So far,' Sara cut in. 'We're trying to narrow it down by checking those who owed the most, were paying the highest rates of interest. But it's going to take a while.'
Mia bustled in with a sheet of paper in her hand. 'Hey, Sara, you said to get this to you as soon as.' She handed the printout to Sara. 'No record, I'm afraid.'
'Damn it,' Sara sighed, handing the printout to Grissom.
'Well, the chance of DNA being on file, when fingerprints weren't, was a long shot,' Grissom replied reasonably. Sara shot him a frustrated look, which he chose to ignore. 'Sara, you and Greg continue working through that list…' he paused as Jim Brass entered the room.
'Hey guys,' he greeted them. 'Apparently, Vinny's old business partner, Sam Hughes, had a grudge against the victim. Vinny left him high and dry and struck out on his own. A little bird told me Sam has a pretty bad temper, too.'
'Have you picked him up?' Grissom wanted to know.
'He's in interview room 2,' Brass replied with a smile. 'Thought you might like to have a little talk with him. The kind where you get his prints and DNA. I have a warrant all ready for you.'
'Thanks Jim,' Grissom replied. He looked at Catherine. 'Shall we?'
Grissom and Catherine got up from the table and followed Brass from the room. Grissom paused at the door and turned to look at Sara.
'You guys keep checking the lists,' he told them. 'But Sara, go home in two hours when the shift ends.'
'But Grissom, there's too much…' she began to protest. He didn't let her.
'No doubles for you for at least a week,' he told her firmly. 'If you won't follow your doctor's orders, at least follow mine. Go home and get some rest. The lists will be there tomorrow.' With that he turned and left the room, leaving Greg to suppress a grin at Sara's mutinous expression.
---
Sam Hughes was a small time thug, his face set in a permanent scowl of distrust and distaste for anyone but himself. Catherine and Brass sat at the table opposite, while Grissom stood against the back wall, his arms crossed, observing.
'So, tell me. Where you were on Monday, between 10am and 3pm?' Brass asked.
'I was washing my hair,' Hughes replied sarcastically.
Catherine took a look at the man's greasy mop before replying dryly, 'Somehow I find that hard to believe.'
'You can believe whatever you want, sweetheart.'
'Your buddy, Vinny McMann was found dead a few hours ago,' Brass told him. 'Got any ideas as to how he got that way?'
'Yeah,' Sam grinned. 'He probably pissed someone off. Vinny had a habit of doing that.'
'He ever piss you off, Sam?' Catherine asked him.
'I think you already know the answer to that, doll, else you wouldn't have hauled my ass in here for questioning,' was the reply.
'Vinny burned you pretty bad, Sam, right?' Brass said. 'Went into business on him own, took all your customers. You were partners, man. Friends. I think he more than pissed you off.'
'And what, you think I killed him?'
'You tell me, Sam.'
'I didn't. But I'd like to shake the hand of the man who did,' Sam replied defiantly. He nodded his head in Grissom's direction. 'Doesn't your friend ever speak?'
'Oh, I speak,' Grissom answered, moving away from the wall and towards the table. 'When I have occasion to. Say 'ah' please.'
'What?' Sam looked confused.
Grissom reached into his inside pocket and brought out a swab. 'I'd like a sample of your DNA. And Ms Willows here is going to fingerprint you.'
'Today's special, two-for-one deal,' Brass quipped, flashing Hughes a grin.
'You ever get depressed, Sam?' Grissom asked the man, as he swabbed the inside of his mouth.
'Who doesn't?' Sam replied as Grissom removed the swab and capped it.
'Ever take Valium?'
'I'm more of an amphetamines kinda guy,' he smirked back.
'This won't take long,' Grissom told him, indicating the swab in his hand.
---
Sara yawned and stretched but didn't look up from the sheet she was working on. Greg looked at the clock and then looked at her.
'Sara, shift ended 20 minutes ago.'
'So?'
'So, Gris said…'
Sara looked up impatiently. 'I heard what Grissom said.' She looked back down at the sheet and continued to work.
Greg sighed. 'Man, you're stubborn, Sara Sidle,' he told her. 'I've got this. Go home and get some rest.'
Sara looked up at him again, anger beginning to register on her face. 'Greg,' she warned.
'Hey, I'm all for the work ethic and everything, but Grissom's right this time. You need to ease yourself back into your working-yourself-to-the-bone routine. Go home, get some rest, come in tonight with a fresh perspective. Please.'
Sara opened her mouth to argue, but she saw the reason in Greg's request. 'Okay, okay. I'm going.' She told him. 'But call me if you turn anything good up.'
'You'll be top of my list. Now go home.'
Sara smiled at him from the door. 'You're spending too much time with Grissom, Greg. You're becoming bossy like him.
---
Grissom double checked the DNA results. He wasn't happy, but thanked Mia before leaving to find Catherine. She was coming out of the fingerprint lab.
'No match.'
'Me either.'
'We're back to square one.'
'There's still the Valium. Maybe we'll get a lead off of that.'
'Maybe,' Grissom replied. 'This is frustrating. The killer was sloppy and left us a ton of evidence and we still can't find him.'
'We will,' Catherine replied. She checked her watch. 'Tonight. We should go home and get some rest.'
'Yeah.'
'Want to have breakfast first?' Catherine suggested.
'In other words, you want me to cook breakfast for you,' Grissom translated.
'Thought you'd never ask. I have something I want to discuss with you.'
---
Grissom gave the eggs a final stir and turned off the burner. Spooning the scrambled eggs onto plates, he carried these and a plate stacked with toast to the table where Catherine was sitting.
'So, what did you want to discuss, Cath?' Grissom asked, placing her breakfast in front of her. 'I assume its not pertaining to the case…'
'You're right, it's not,' Catherine replied. 'I want to talk about Sara.'
Grissom swallowed a bite of toast. 'You think it's too soon for her to be back at work. To be honest, I agree. But, short of putting her on administrative leave, there wasn't a way I could stop her.'
'It isn't about work, Gil,' Catherine replied. 'Although you're right, I don't think she's ready to be back yet. But I know that nothing short of a Mac Truck would stop Sara from working.'
Grissom looked confused. 'Then what…'
'I want to talk about you and Sara.'
Grissom was surprised, but hid it, taking another bite of toast and looking at his colleague and friend with a furrowed brow.
'I don't see what there is to discuss.'
'I do. The girl is obviously hurting.'
'Catherine,' Grissom attempted a level response. 'Sara has just gone through a trauma. Of course she's hurting.'
'That's not the only cause of it, Gil,' Catherine replied. 'Call it woman's intuition, but I'm pretty sure the root cause of her upset has something to do with you.'
Grissom was silent at this, and Catherine decided to give him a few minutes to mull things over. She began to eat her breakfast, suddenly realising that she was starving. When he still hadn't said anything several minutes later, she looked up from her plate. Grissom looked distraught.
'Gil.'
'Did she say anything?'
'Nothing directly. Something about your choices… She didn't want to talk to me. But, I got the impression that something to do with you is causing her pain.'
Again, Grissom said nothing. Catherine decided to try a different tack. 'Gil, I know you care about her. More than care. But you're going to lose her if you don't let her in. If you don't talk to her. Soon.'
Grissom still didn't answer. Catherine shook her head at the hopelessness of the situation. After everything they had seen, everything they had been through, the members of their team deserved some happiness, perhaps more than most. And here were two people determined not to claim some happiness for themselves. Seeing she was getting nowhere fast, she gave in and returned her attention to breakfast.
TBC.
