A/N: Beta-ed again by LibraryLady61. I couldn't have done it without you.
Summary: He aimed a 9mm at the approaching officer and shot him right in the face without warning.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Come on, you know them probably better than I do.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jim Brass called PD. "Were you able to locate the cell phone number I gave you?" He asked. "Good," He said satisfied with the answer. "Send the cavalry. Find her. Reason, you need a reason? Well, arrest her for possession. She will probably have some grams with her anyway. Also bring in whomever she's driving with. I need to know that guy. Maybe he's a suspect in a murder case. He might drive a high end vehicle, probably a Porsche Cayenne, Arizona licence plate is LKY BSTRD."
His gut feeling didn't stop screaming at him and he just could hope that he was proven wrong. In short words Jim told Sara about the unpleasant conversation he had with his daughter.
Grissom kept watching the familiar if not intimate conversation Brass had with Sara and her leaning close to him. It's not that I start worrying about me getting suspicious regarding the relationship Jim and Sara might have. He thought. Jim and Sara? Not possible or is it? I think I'm getting paranoid here. Jim actually looked very concerned if not sad. It must be something private, as Sara had mentioned. Could it be his daughter in difficulties, again?
"Dammit!" Angry Sam shook her head. "I so can't believe it. I thought I had been close." She looked at Grissom. "I'm sorry I failed, Gil. And you have been right. Profiling has been proven useless. Happy now?"
"What are you thinking, Sam." Distracted Gil met her desperate gaze. "This is not a contest, it's a team effort. Everybody does his best to help in the process and actually I quite enjoyed working with you. It was an intriguing experience."
"Yeah, but still we have nothing but slight hints of evidence." Sam scoffed.
"Hey, guys. Think I got something." Nick arrived excited. "I had just an interesting conversation with the general manager of an outsourcing company, called Brainpool. They are subcontractors for an engineering company down in Phoenix. IT consultancy, that kind of stuff. A freelancer matching the profile is working for them, a Robert Stelter. He also does some stuff for the Desert Palms hospital from time to time. Server maintenance, software updates. Two locations two crime scene areas. Guess what else? That Stelter guy also had a deal with a construction company in Page. And Desert Palms is actually expecting him to do a software update tomorrow."
"Do we have a suspect?" Warrick said. "Access to drugs, maybe under the table business at the hospital? And the other location would be definitely an explanation for the traces of metal found in the cars he used."
"It seem that profiling wasn't in vain at all." Catherine said appreciatively. "Sam, you rule. Great job"
"We just have to locate him." Vega reported. "Phoenix PD was at his apartment, he wasn't present. But something was. They found a high cabinet full of guns, rifles all kinds of shooting equipment. All black market stuff."
"No car registered on his name." Brass added. "No surprise here. He just acquired himself a new one on each crime scene. Smart ass." His brows where furrowed. "But I have a hunch. I've let Highway Patrol run a search on the missing Porsche Cayenne from Mike Mander, our latest fake suspect. If Stelter is not travelling side roads, we might get him…" his voice broke for a moment, "we might get him in time. For now that guy is UTL."
"Huh?" Sam and Greg asked at the same time.
"Unable to locate in cop speech. Comes usually with the MIA stuff." Sara explained.
"You gotta be kidding me, right?" Greg said.
"Come on you should know that terminology 'missing in action', Greg. We use it all the time when Grissom is looking for you while you are on a break or take a leak." She grinned, but then got serious with a concerned side-glance to Brass. When their gaze met he saw his eyes were watered. He turned away and left the room without a word.
"What's up with Jim?" Catherine asked.
"Ellie. Brass thinks she might be travelling with our Mystery Man Stelter and normally his gut feeling doesn't betray him." Sara explained in a low voice. "But keep it for yourself, he's afraid if somebody notices he might be withdrawn from he case immediately, ok?"
The team nodded in agreement.
"Evidence confirms that Stelter might be a viable suspect. Police is going to search for a high-end car, as we speak. Well, back to the next case, there's nothing more we can do on this one, for the moment." Grissom said.
"Grissom, how can you be so cold. I mean your friend's daughter's life is probably on the line and you just say move on?" Sara looked at him in disbelief.
"Sara." He said in his usual low voice, which still caused her goose bumps down her back, glancing at her with the deepness of his blue eyes. "I'm just realistic. Our hands are tied. The only thing we know for sure is that the unknown male person's profile and MO confirms that he carjacked the vehicle again from the crime scene. Stelter may or may not be a viable suspect. Just one open question though remains, why didn't he take Warrick's car, why did he just abandon it in the middle of nowhere?"
Warrick looked up, frowning and well aware of the tension between Sara and Grissom. In his best neutral tone he took a guess. "Perhaps he didn't want to be linked to a person working in law enforcement, I mean, look how he treated my badge. He had to be quite angry when he found out about my profession. So he dumped the car, went hitchhiking and found his next victim, or backup perp."
"Yeah, at least this time the car is far to high end to go unnoticed." Nick said.
"Ok, what are we supposed to do no?" Greg wanted to know his eyes expectantly resting on Grissom.
"Well, we have a hell of a backlog. Let's proceed it until uniforms report something new and get back to us." Grissom answered simply.
"Grissom, you can't be serious!" Sara stood up in anger.
"Guys, catch up with you later." Grissom made clear that the team better leave for now. Sara's face was showing rage. Frustrated he shook her head. "Dammit!" She growled and turned to leave.
"Sara. Let's talk for a minute, shall we?" Grissom asked in a dangerous low voice. The others left exchanging glances. Nick looked back to Sara in pity, well knowing that she would get a supervisor's wipe-down. She gave him a slight grin.
"What is it you want to say to me?" Gil leaned in the threshold, his arms crossed he prevented her from getting away.
"Look, Gris. I…I…need to do something, help Jim. It's just that I can't…" Sara stammered.
Jim, not Brass or the Captain she said. Is it out of concern or is it more? I don't dare to ask. I better not know. Grissom didn't know what to do about that, as always and did what he was used to do. Send her away. Be safe. Don't get involved. Without even realizing what he was doing he stepped closer to her, stood just in front and watched her carefully. Scenting her, indulging himself in her presence for one of these uncounted moments in time they had spent together, trying to read her mind.
"Grissom?" Sara asked.
"Sorry Sara, I was thinking. What is it you were saying?"
"I wanna go with Brass, hit the road and try to find out if things with Ellie are ok. Maybe it's false alarm, but…"
He nodded slowly although not agreeing inwardly. "Good, do that, find Brass. Offer your help. If he is ok with it you go with him. Take care, and make sure you carry, right?" he said.
"Fine." Sara shrugged. She didn't thank Grissom, she wouldn't have done it even without asking for permission, but Grissom probably knew that, she thought.
Gil didn't stop glancing at her.
"Anything else?" She snapped confused by the extended intense gaze they were sharing. Her heart was certainly beating faster, and she was too close to ignore the heat emanating from his body.
"Sara." Just one word. The way he said it made her even once more insecure. Why does he have to say my name this way? That's so not fair. It is supposed to be over, I am supposed to be over Grissom. Why did I undergo this damned therapy? It was supposed to help me! Fuck.
"What?" She asked bluntly.
"Come back safely. We…I…" Grissom lost his thoughts whenever he wanted to say something important, especially to Sara.
"You're not going to give me that 'the lab needs you' speech, Grissom." Sara said, her voice coarse from sarcasm. "Been there, done that, remember? I won't be alone Jim will be with me. So don't worry. We will be fine."
"Yeah, I guess so." Grissom said, but his words were in vain. Sara had already left the room.
Will it ever happen that I can do or say something right here? He mused when went back to his office.
"Hey Brass, take me with, will you?" Sara shouted and waved at Brass' Taurus. Jim slammed on the breaks hardly and cursed out of his open window.
"Sara, dammit, do you have a death wish? One doesn't jump in front of moving cars. Isn't that supposed to be something you ought to learn in school?"
"Can't remember, too long ago." She tried a joke. "Come on, Jim, ease up! I'm going with."
"Grissom ok with that?" Jim asked.
"Sure." Sara nodded.
"Girl, Gil will eat me alive if this turns out to be untrue." Jim sighed.
"Oh, Jim. I probably deserve it. So you don't trust me anymore, huh?" Sara responded in fake disappointment.
Jim took her answer seriously. "Sure I do, Honey. But Grissom, you know, he cares about…"
"I give a damn about who cares. Bad things can happen all the time. You should know best. Neither of you can protect me, that's why I made sure to protect myself. I'm carrying in case you're asking, Brass. So trust me." Sara changed the personal of their conversation into business tone.
Jim gazed at her with his dark eyes. "I trust you with my life, Sara." He said in a hoarse voice.
When she looked at him she read this truth in his eyes and she saw more than she wanted to deal with at the moment.
Slightly confused she cleared her throat. "Let's roll, boy."
They just had entered the I-15 when dispatch reported a 503 Auto theftescalating. It was the missing Porsche Cayenne. Seconds later it was one officer down and a call for an ambulance. The culprit could escape so immediate back up and roadblocks were requested.
"Guess we have our guy." Jim said grimly. "He's not getting away with it." He picked up the microphone to request helicopter backup. "Dammit!" He shouted hitting the wheel. "Copters are out for some VIP protection. We just have to deal with ground backup."
"What the fuck are you doing?" Ellie asked afraid and angry. First she found it pretty cool when Robert told her that he had stolen the car for a joy ride. She was impressed and even asked if she could drive that wonderful ride, but he wouldn't let her.
Robert was flirting with her and she felt that this guy was trying his fortune on her. Well, he's kinda good looking, besides out-aging her quite a bit. But she didn't care as long as it was fun. All thoughts about his father she put in the back of her head. She didn't want to think about him anymore, she could deal with that later.
Then everything happened so quickly. A roadblock forced them to queue and when the uniform asked for driver licence, Robert simply freaked out. He aimed a 9mm at the approaching officer and shot him right in the face without warning. Than he pulled out turned and left the road. Engulfed in dust clouds the Cayenne speeded in the desert. Police cars following him, reporting location every time he turned and twisted. But the chasing that car with conventional police vehicles was futile. They lost him.
Robert had one hand on the steering wheel. The other held the gun pointed at Ellie. He was seriously thinking of getting rid of her, but this would have spoiled his already tainted fun. He still wanted to have her. Maybe she could be the one to redeem him.
A couple of months ago he caught his girl friend with that guy working in law enforcement down in Phoenix. Alan Holding. That asshole fucked Sharon's brains out and he caught them in the act. She laughed at his face, at his anger. That's when it had started. He tried revenge but he couldn't keep up with the ladies of his choice. He became impotent. Nothing worked out to give him back his sexual strength and manhood. He has tried it on several women of his age, but when he failed to please them they laughed at him. So he approached younger women, girls. It was far easier to impress them. A nice car, some compliments and playing his charm would do the trick. But still he couldn't get go through with it. When they were ready he wasn't. It was their fault, they did everything wrong. So consequently he had to kill them so they wouldn't tell and gossip about it. Then it became so much fun to start playing his games with law enforcement.
Setting up these poor idiots who tried to help him. Most of them quite attractive guys even, probably no issues with pleasing a woman. He got jealous and angry. And made them a part of his bigger plan. He was very professional in setting up the look-alike crime scenes. In the media he followed the cases and laughed at the stupid results of police investigation. He was clever. He was slick. He was talented in that respect.
He entered a small service road. The luxurious car absorbed most of the potholes but he overlooked one big one. The vehicle was still on high speed, when it hit the ditch and overturned several times.
Ellie cried out hysterically "Dad! Oh my god!" then something hit her head and everything went dark.
Alert Jim Brass followed the police report, he knew where the absconding car was headed and cursed his decision to have taken the Taurus. He left the highway and followed a dirt road into the desert.
"Got something!" Sara pointed vaguely in southwest direction. "Dust, or smoke even?" Brass accelerated and steered the Taurus through the desert, skidding and sliding, he caught the car every once away back on the road.
"Ever did dirt races, man? You're damn good." Sara made sure once more that her seat belt was fastened and had one hand on the handle and the other on the dashboard for support.
Dusted in clouds they arrived at location. A heavily damaged vehicle was lying on the roof. It was the missing Porsche Cayenne. Brass exited the car, his gun and his telescope stick pulled out within an instant. He swung his stick, lowering it, broke the driver side window and opened the door. He grabbed the obviously unconscious driver, pulled him out of the wreck and looked in the car. There was no second person around. A released sigh left his chest.
Sara followed him angry, her weapon in aiming position. "Don't you wait for backup? Who's lecturing me all the time the careful approach to suspects, huh? Are you out of your mind, Brass?" Sara shouted and checked the area. Something was catching her interest; something red, quivering in the hot desert wind. With a few steps she ran over and began to curse when she identified a lifeless female. Her head was in a blood pool, oozing the sand.
"Brass!" She waved him over. With every step nearer his heart sank. He knew it was Ellie. He fell on his knees besides her, slouching; a deep sob left his throat. He checked her jugular vein in desperate hope to find a pulse. With croaked voice he asked Sara to call for an ambulance and get the first aid kit from the car. There was still life in her. His ultimate purpose was to keep it that way. Sara did as told and the worked quietly with him on Ellie to provide as much help as they could give. Jim whispered several times "Everything is going to be alright, my dear. I love you, Ellie. Come back to me." Sara felt for him.
None of them realized the silent movement behind them and when they did it was too late.
