Precious Things by SLynn
Spoilers: Up to 'Nesting Dolls'
Rating: R for violence and disturbing content.
Disclaimer: Not mine – well, some are mine, just not the ones you recognize.
Notes: You know, I've noticed the trend. You all think that something bad is about to happen. I can't for the life of me think why :grin: I'll be commenting in another chapter. Thanks again for reading.
Chapter 20: Appearances
Greg and Sara drove in separately at nine that night. Greg went right to the work up board for the 'rag doll' strangler as Sara set in on another case.
He was so intent on reviewing facts that he didn't notice that he had company.
"Aren't you off tonight?"
Greg looked over at Amy in the doorway.
"Aren't you working the wrong shift?" he asked noting that she already had her lab coat on.
"I switched with Thompsen," she answered, "He owed me one. Karen and I are going out later, kind of a celebration. She got the job. They hired her on the spot. As soon as she graduates she's moving to Vegas."
"That's great," Greg said hesitantly, "Karen's the sister we like, isn't she?"
"Yes," Amy said walking into the room and sitting down next to him. "We like Karen. And you didn't answer my question. Aren't you off tonight?"
"I am," Greg said rubbing his eyes, "Thought if I looked at this again I might see something new."
Amy nodded. This case was eating at all of them, Greg and Nick especially. She was still struggling to forget her night in the field.
"Well," she started, "why don't you take a break. Come out with Karen and me tonight."
"See, that's what I miss about the lab. I could just switch shifts whenever I wanted to go out and I didn't feel obligated to be here on my nights off."
"What? You don't miss the fume hood exploding and spending two weeks in the hospital with second and third degree burns?"
Greg stared at her stunned into silence.
"Okay," she resumed, "you and Nick aren't my only sources of information around here. That and the whole thing is documented. Well documented. You didn't think I'd never find out did you?"
"I hoped you wouldn't."
"I did. You should have said something. I mean, I get why it wasn't brought up in the interview process but really Greg, I'm your friend. I'd at least want to know because of that."
"Listen," Greg said lowering his voice and moving in a bit, "it's not that I was trying to hide it. I wasn't. I just don't talk about it. Granted, it's not the worst thing ever to happen to me but it's not exactly in my top ten favorite memories to relive on a rainy afternoon."
Amy gave him a small smile of understanding.
"Although," Greg said leaning back again, his voice back to its regular tone, "given everything that has happened lately it's certainly moving up."
She laughed with him for a split second but couldn't just drop it. Amy found it hard to believe Greg could so easily, but obviously he's had a lot of practice at it. Greg was very good at ignoring things she'd found. Especially things those were painful to him.
"So?" she asked once more, "Are you coming with us? We need an escort, someone to show us all the better spots. What do you say? Clear it with the boss and we go?"
"Hell, I'm off tonight. I don't need to clear it with Grissom."
"I meant Sara."
Greg nodded and smiled assuring her he would as Amy left the room. He'd gone out with Amy a few times before when they'd had nights off together and he was looking forward to meeting the 'nice' sister. It should be fun.
And besides that he really did need the distraction.
Three hours later it was Nick staring at the board instead of Greg. He was basically doing the exact same thing Greg had been doing before without knowing it.
"Hey," Warrick said coming inside the room, "we're waiting on you man."
"Sorry," Nick said still staring at the board, "You and Cath made this right?"
"Yeah," Warrick said with a nod, "all the murder victims are there. We haven't found any more…."
"I know who these are," Nick said pointing to the four high school girls, "but who is this?"
"The rape victim from three years ago, Ann Bosworth. The one Amy got a hit on, matched the semen."
"She looks familiar."
Warrick gave him a funny look.
"What?"
"Greg said the same thing. Stared at it pretty much the same way you are. Couldn't seem to place her."
"I feel like I've seen her somewhere."
"Well," Warrick tried, "could be you seen her in the case files before. We're always rooting around in them…"
"No," Nick said shaking his head, certain that wasn't it. "I mean like really seen her."
Warrick didn't know what to tell him.
"Mind if I borrow this?" Nick asked indicating her picture on the board.
"Take it," Warrick returned, "but hurry. Griss is already waiting on us."
Nick removed the picture and they both headed down the hall late for the handing out of assignments. Coming into the break room Grissom gave them both a slight glance before beginning.
Sara and Nick were being sent out for a fairly routine break and enter case. Grissom and Warrick were going to the Tangiers for a suspected suicide.
Before leaving Nick stopped by the computer lab and asked Archie to scan in the photo he'd taken from the board. He didn't have time to work on it now but hoped he would before shift ended.
The call was fairly routine and with the both of them there it went much quicker then it normally would have. Nick had grown fairly accustomed to working with Greg and forgotten what Sara was like on the job. Not that Greg was bad, he really was getting very good at it, but Sara was much more focused on her job and because of it worked quicker. That and Greg was still relatively new to it and still asked questions. His questions didn't come a frequently as they once did, just every once in awhile now, Greg was a quick study.
Back at the lab Nick had almost forgotten his earlier plan until Archie approached him about it. He had the photo scanned and loaded into the program and was just waiting for the word go.
"What did you want done with it?" Archie asked as they sat down in the lab. Sara joined them, curious at what Nick could want done with their rape victim photo.
"I just, I've got a hunch."
"Technical," Sara commented with a small smile.
Nick smiled back at her and said nothing.
"Can you change her hair?" Nick asked Archie.
"Take your pick," Archie responded pulling up a template of various lengths and styles of hair.
"Try shorter," Nick said sitting down now.
Archie changed the hair on the image from shoulder length it was then to a chin length bob.
"Short like…"
"Shorter," Nick cut in and Archie obliged.
"Better?"
Nick was still scrutinizing the photo. If anything it looked more familiar, but he still couldn't place her.
"Can you change the shade?" he asked Archie.
"Red, brown, black?" he asked in return, "I can do custom colors too like pink or green."
"Black," Nick answered as the image of who it was became clearer in his mind.
Archie obliged and Nick nodded.
"Glasses," he said positive now, "she's missing her glasses."
"We can do that," Archie said adding a basic frame to the face.
"They're tinted. Her pair are tinted."
Archie looked at him briefly before changing the glasses on the image once more with a lightly tinted frame.
"What is it?" Sara asked seeing Nick grow tense.
"Not what," Nick answered, "who. The first rape victim, that's the guidance counselor. Has to be. She must have changed, maybe some minor plastic surgery with her nose, definitely her name but that's her."
"From the school?" Sara asked coming closer to the image now herself.
"Anne Blanchard," Nick said standing up and nodding.
"Want me to print it?" Archie asked.
"Yeah, please."
"So, what?" Sara asked him. She understood why it bothered him, in part, but wasn't certain what else it. "What do you think this means?"
"I don't know," Nick admitted taking the picture and thanking Archie before heading out the door.
"Nick," Sara said following him, "a man did this. A man raped and strangled those girls."
"A man with help."
Sara nodded, reluctantly.
"I just want to talk to her," Nick said as they reached the break room. "I mean why'd she change her appearance, her name? Why didn't she tell us about the rape?"
"Probably because she didn't know it was the same guy," Sara said sounding defensive. "It's not like that's been released. How could she have known?"
"She would have known if we'd of been able to contact her."
Sara was shaking her head at him and Nick could feel the start of a fight.
"Yeah well, it was traumatic. You read the file. That's how some people respond, its how some people cope. They can't change what happened to them so they change who they are."
"Sara, I'm not unsympathetic, really, but it's just too big of a coincidence to ignore. The same guy that raped and nearly killed her is now back doing the same thing to students at the school she works at. Something's not right."
"Fine," she said with another curt nod, "when are you going?"
"As soon as it's light enough."
"Good, I'll go with you."
"Sara, Greg and I are…"
"Greg's off tonight and I'm on this case too."
Nick nodded knowing he wasn't going to be able to stop her even if he tried.
"Alright," he said, "we'll go as soon as shift ends."
