Chapter 8

Driving into work only hours after her emotional episode with Grissom, Sara dreaded walking through the door. Not showing up would make her irresponsible; something she prided herself on never being. Secondly, it would prove Grissom's point that personal relationships cause problems in the workplace and should be avoided. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

No, she'd walk in with her head held high and ignore the fact that only hours ago he characterized her as an impulsive girl incapable of sustaining a lasting relationship. One who, without a doubt, would eventually dump him for somebody better. After all this time, after years of working side by side, it pained her to believe he thought she was nothing more than another Debbie Marlin. How he came to the conclusion was beyond Sara's comprehension. Looks aside, she had more in common with the nuns at St. Mary's than Debbie.

Parking her car she readied herself for the awkwardness that would surely follow. Everything will be fine, she reassured herself. This was part of the closure process and soon…well maybe not that soon but eventually…she would move past her discomfort like she had done in the past. It was good the cards were on the table. Now she could move on not only in theory, but in reality.

Walking into the building a tight knot formed in her stomach. It was much easier to downplay anxiety in the safety of the car. Only steps away from the locker room she heard her name.

"Sara!" Catherine hurried over. "We just got a call…DB in the pool at the Lucky 7. I want you and Nick to head out there right away. Warrick and I are on our way to a double homicide on Buena Puente…gang related."

Confused, Sara asked, "Wait…why are you giving the assignments?"

"Grissom called in to say he had to prep for an Entomology presentation in Seattle." Shrugging her shoulders she explained. "Something about dipterous maggots as toxicological indicators? Anyway whoever else was supposed to do it had a conflict and they tapped Grissom to cover so they wouldn't have to disappoint all the bug freaks. He left me in charge."

Not expecting this turn, Sara felt a tidal wave of relief. Thank goodness for bug freak conventions. "Oh…okay. That works for me. I'll find Nick and get going."

Holed up in his townhome for over a day, Grissom decided he had to leave…maybe take a drive and clear his head. He needed to pull it together because the Entomology seminar excuse would only buy him three days.

Once behind the wheel he realized that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. The day had been spent replaying the scene with Sara, wondering how it could have been handled differently. Now however, deep pangs of hunger forced him to focus on another matter. Turning the car into the parking lot of Windy City Dogs he was stunned to see none other than Officer Mike Rodgers sitting at one of the outdoor tables stuffing a chili dog in his mouth.

Hadn't Catherine said he was a vegetarian? Parking his car off to the side he'd wait until the supposed meat-avoider left.

As soon as Rodgers was gone, Grissom got out of his car and proceeded to the walk-up order window. "Just curious…do you have any vegetarian hot dogs?"

The greasy counter guy released a hearty laugh. "Are you freakin' kiddin' me?" Holding up a foot long, he said, "who the hell knows what's really in these puppies but there's meat parts for sure. Nothin' good probably…maybe some snouts and eyeballs."

Nodding, Grissom. "That's what I thought." Pointing to the recently vacated table, he continued questioning. "That guy who was sitting there just a minute ago..."

"Mike."

Surprised to hear the guy say the name, Grissom narrowed his gaze. "Yeah, is he a regular?"

Without hesitation the counter guy answered, "Foot long chili dog at least three times a week, no onions."

"Thank you for your time." Grissom quickly headed for his car.

"Hey, aren't you gonna order somethin'?"

"No, thanks." Grissom shook his head. "I lost my appetite." And it wasn't just the questionable contents of the hot dogs that made his stomach flip.

On her way home from shift, Catherine, as asked, showed up at Grissom's door carrying a cardboard box marked maggots. Only seconds after ringing the bell, the door opened and Grissom whisked her inside.

Chuckling she asked, "Miss your maggots that much, huh?"

"What?" Noting the box he remembered the ruse. "Yes, thank you for bringing them. I need the slides for my seminar." Motioning for her to follow him he raced toward the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat while you fill me in on the case load?"

"No, I grabbed a muffin on the way over here. Some coffee would be good though." Catherine leaned against the kitchen counter. "Are you okay? You look…troubled."

"Oh it's just a lot of work pulling together a presentation at the last minute." Busying himself making coffee, he asked his burning question. "Catherine…didn't you tell me that Mike Rodgers is a vegetarian?"

"Yeah, why?"

Grabbing two mugs from the upper cabinet, he casually replied, "I saw him earlier today eating a chili dog."

"So…I'm an ex-smoker but every few months I take a drag off a cigarette." She studied her boss's face. "Everyone falls off the wagon once in a while." Snickering, she teased, "Well everyone but you because you're not on a wagon."

Unphased, he continued. "When I talked to the counter guy he told me Mike's a regular."

Her eyes sharpened on Grissom. "Are you following Mike?" Could this rational man really be this unbalanced when it came to Sara? There was precedent to support the theory; Grissom's reaction to Debbie Marlin's murder for one. Debbie Marlin could have been Sara's identical twin and Catherine had never seen him as unstable as he had been while processing that case.

"No, I wasn't following him." Annoyed at the implication he turned to the coffee pot. "I just happened to be there." Concern quickly replaced the irritation in his voice. "If he's lying to Sara about being a vegetarian, it made me wonder. Is he lying about anything else?"

Sarcastically she replied, "Yeah, maybe he doesn't even have a dead wife."

Grissom spun around. "Maybe he doesn't. Has he shown any proof?"

Catherine couldn't believe the conversation she was having. "Most people, and I am speaking from experience, don't walk showing off their spouse's death certificate."

His curiosity peaked Grissom rushed over to his home office.

Trailing him Catherine shouted, "You can access death certificates from here?"

Taking a seat at his computer he threw on his glasses. "Not death certificates but I can pull up obituaries. He transferred from Dallas, right?"

"Yes." Catherine pulled up a chair. "You know how bad this looks, don't you?"

Raising his brow he commented, "Well no one is looking but you and you already think I'm nuts."

"I never said nuts." There were several other words that did come to mind but she didn't share them.

A few clicks of the mouse and Grissom had his answer. "She's dead."

"Mystery solved! Can we drop the Mike is a liar thing now?" Seeing him so desperate was beginning to bother her. Rising from her chair she decided to get that cup of coffee.

"Catherine." He grabbed her arm before she could escape. "Didn't you tell me his wife died of breast cancer?"

"Yes." Huffing she looked at the screen. "Why?"

"It says in the obit in lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to the Boys and Girls Club." Leaning back in his chair he pondered the new information. "Why wouldn't donations be requested for a cancer charity? Cancer patients, survivors and survivor's families are usually very committed to finding a cure."

Playing devil's advocate, she stated, "Maybe it was her charity before she got cancer and she remained loyal to it?"

Curiously he replied, "Then why not cite both charities and give people a choice?"

Resting her hand on his shoulder she sighed, "Maybe you are grasping at straws in an attempt to get this guy out of Sara's life."

"Or maybe Mike is lying."

Once again rising from her chair for that cup of coffee, Catherine said, "Well if you're that curious, pull yourself out from under your maggots, go into the office and access her death certificate on the system."

"Yeah." Joining her on the way to the kitchen, he reluctantly agreed, "I guess that's what I'll have to do."