Chapter 17

Upon returning to the station, Grissom made a bee line for the lab to see if Sara's credit card search turned up anything.

Before Grissom could ask, Warrick announced, "Still waiting on the report."

From the opposite end of the room, Nick followed with his update. "Greg has his nose to the grindstone and should have something for us in an hour. I've called every hotel on the Nevada side and now I'm working down the California list. Warrick has all the motels. Next we'll try cabins. Problem is there are also timeshare and condo rentals. Some are advertised some aren't. So let's hope the credit card pans out."

Grissom checked his watch. "I'll be in my office making flight arrangements. Come to me the second you have anything"

"You got it, boss." Nick affirmed as Grissom hurried out of the lab.

Minutes later Catherine walked in and took a seat next to Warrick who was hanging up from his latest disappointing phone call. "No luck, huh." From across the room she could hear Nick wasn't having any either.

"Nick and I have been dialing since you left and haven't found where they are staying. There are so many options; it's a needle in a haystack." Turning his attention toward Catherine, he said, "That was a nice thing you did, helping Grissom out at Sara's. It would have been rough for him to do it alone."

"Yeah." Running her fingers through her hair she released a labored sigh. "I just want everything back to normal around here."

"You okay?"

Flipping her hair off her shoulder, she faked optimism. "You know me…I'll keep plucking."

Seeing the truth in her eyes and the exhaustion in her body language, Warrick decided she could use a little relaxation. Standing up, he moved behind her and dropped his hands onto her shoulders. "Problem is…you're carrying all your tension right here." Under the red cotton of her fitted shirt, he could feel the knots. "Let's see if I can help."

Nick, on the phone with the Mountain View Resort, couldn't help but notice the tender moment occurring on the other side of the room.

As Catherine's eyes fluttered shut she purred with delight. The men she had dated recently lacked both the skill and the inclination to indulge her in such one-sided pleasure. "Oooh…don't stop."

Rubbing deeper, Warrick reassured her, "I can go as long as you need me."

The spa Catherine frequented charged $80 and hour for a massage, but this one from Warrick, she quickly deemed priceless. "Right there. Yes!" Catherine felt every muscle in her body release. "Oh…"

"There you go," Warrick whispered as Catherine's knots disappeared beneath his fingertips. From the euphoric look on her face he could tell she was in the zone. "I bet that feels better."

"Oh yeah." She always knew human touch was therapeutic but right now, Warrick's touch was bordering on spiritual.

Before punching in the next hotel phone number, Nick opted to relieve a little of his, 'I set Sara up with a Murderer' guilt-induced tension, with a joke. "Hey! After the two of you leave I'm shining the ALS over there and I better not find anything."

Grateful for the momentary respite from the Mike and Sara trauma consuming them all, the three pals shared a hearty laugh.

A laugh unfortunately cut short by Ecklie's appearance in the doorway. Catching Warrick removing his hands from Catherine's shoulders, Ecklie snipped, "Don't you think it's a little unprofessional to be giving back rubs in the lab? Is this the kind of stuff Grissom allows to go on around here?"

Catherine, pissed that Ecklie interrupted her bliss, but always focused on being politically savvy, calmly replied, "Actually Warrick was saving the county some money. You see, I have this thing with my neck and I'm supposed to go to physical therapy but that would require me to take off from work and use my insurance benefit. Before Warrick was a CSI hehad some training as a massage therapist. He takes care of my problem for free and I don't even have to stop working."

Holding up a random piece of paper, she flashed a brilliant smile. "I can proof my reports and get cured without spending a dime of taxpayer money. But if you prefer, I'll use paid leave and…"

Unsure how to respond, Ecklie disappeared down the hall.

Nick started clapping. "That was such beautiful bullshit, Catherine."

"Aww…thank you, Nicky." Facing Warrick, she winked. "Thanks for the rub down. I owe you one." Revitalized both physically and mentally, she was ready to go for at least another twelve hours. At the door, she announced, "I'll be with Brass finalizing the warrant."

Punching in the next phone number, Nick shouted over to Warrick. "Sounds like you have a marker to collect on in the future."

Picking up the phone, Warrick sighed. The unexpected interlude with Catherine had been a pleasant diversion from the task at hand but now his focused shifted. "Can't think about that right now." Checking his phone list he noted where he left off.

"I know what you mean, man." Until Sara was safe none of them could consider the future. When the hotel desk clerk answered the phone, Nick hoped they'd get lucky. "Yes, could you ring Sara Sidle's room for me, that's Sidle, s..i..d..l..e. No listing? How about Mike Rodgers? No listing for him either." Disappointed again, he sighed, "Okay, thanks."

Walking through Grissom's open door, Ecklie excitedly announced, "Gil, I think I know what happened to Sidle's missing vile of GHB!"

For the first time ever Grissom was ecstatic to see Ecklie. "What happened to it?"

"I think your staff is sharing it. I just came from the lab and Warrick Brown was giving Catherine Willows a neck rub while she giggled like a school girl." Pleased that Grissom fell for the ruse, he grinned uncontrollably. "Very unprofessional behavior, don't you think?"

Ticked that he could actually believe Ecklie would be helpful, Grissom snapped, "And I suppose joking about missing evidence is the pinnacle of professionalism."

"You're so moody, Gil. Would it have anything to do with your temporary reduction in staff?" When Grissom ignore him he needled, "Maybe you're hitting the wall? Just say the word and I'll get the retirement paperwork going. I've got six guys to replace you."

Picking up on Ecklie's verbal error, Grissom warmly replied, "How flattering. You think it would take six guys to replace me. I guess I better keep my job because the county doesn't have that kind of money in the budget." Once again he buried his head in paperwork hoping the pest would buzz off without snooping any further.

Infuriated with his mistake, Ecklie roared, "I don't have time to chat, I've got important work to do."

Without looking up, Grissom replied, "By all means go do it because we don't want the lab to fall apart." When he finally checked he was relieved to see the office empty. Knowing how the perfect quote for the occasion he said, "A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool."

Pleased he wouldn't be seeing Ecklie return for a while, Grissom reached over and pulled the flight confirmations from his printer…one for Catherine, Jim and himself. All they needed was the warrant and they'd be good to go.

Refusing to consider any other reality, Grissom soothed himself with one looping thought....Soon they would be in Tahoe and it was only a matter of time until Sara would be out of danger and everything could return to normal. Soon...

Catherine impatiently watched Brass review the warrant paperwork. "So if some of the blood on the jacket doesn't belong to the girl, then do you think the warrant will be strong enough?"

"Yeah, I think it will hold. Combined with the statement I got from Wendy Blake."

"Do you believe her story?"

"I do."

"You don't think there's any chance she's accusing Mike of murder because of the rape? Or maybe the rape never happened and she was just jealous that Mike picked her sister over her and wants revenge so she is making everything up?"

"Grissom went to her, she didn't come to us." Settling back in his chair Brass added, "Wendy Blake has a sweet life…husband, two kids, nice house, dogs. Why would she want to muck that up by lying about something that happened over twenty years ago?" Fondly recalling the visit to Wendy's house, he asked, "Did you have any of her banana bread?"

Rolling her eyes, Catherine groaned. "She offered but I couldn't eat after finding out about Mike."

Salivating from the memory, he said, "Too bad because it was better than sex."

Surprised at the comparison she chuckled. "Geez, Jim, how long has it been?"

"Decades!" From the shocked expression on Catherine's face he knew he needed to clarify his statement. "It's been decades since I had homemade banana bread."

"Ah!" That was a relief.

Brass resumed where they left off. "Bottom line…I think Wendy is good people."

Catherine didn't want to believe him. "It's just…if Wendy was lying then Sara wouldn't be on vacation with a murderer, Nick wouldn't be beating himself up over introducing Sara to a murderer, Grissom wouldn't be one step away from losing his mind while pretending he's not and I wouldn't be craving a double, you know?"

Brass gave a sympathetic nod before answering. "Although it would be nice if Wendy was lying, I firmly believe she is telling the truth. I also think she would have taken her secrets to the grave if she hadn't been pushed to tell it. My gut tells me she's not the vindictive type. She worked as a nurse in burn unit. What does that tell you? "

Shrugging she said the first thing that came to mind. "Wendy felt guilty that her sister was murdered so she devoted her time saving others to make up for not saving her sister?"

"Exactly. Wendy's a healer not someone who opens old wounds for spite." He smiled curiously. "Catherine, why do you your job?"

"Because life is a puzzle I've never been able to solve so instead I solve crimes."

"Makes sense to me."

She threw out a new riddle. "So why does a rapist and murderer become a cop?"

"To learn how not to get caught."

Their verbal volley halted when Greg knocked on the doorframe and started his own. "Who leaves the toilet seat up?"

As usual, Catherine played along. "A guy."

"Whose DNA did I find on the jacket besides Samantha Hatcher's?"

"A guy's."

Grinning, Greg added, "A guy not in CODIS."

Turning back to Brass Catherine quizzed, "Whose DNA isn't in CODIS?"

"Someone who has never been convicted…like a cop for example." Brass raised a brow. "Mike Rodgers may have learned the tricks of the trade after becoming a cop but he didn't know them when he killed Samantha Hatcher."

Grabbing the DNA results out of Greg's hand Catherine said, "Thank you very much."

Like a schoolboy wanting to join in a playground game Greg asked, "Are you uh…going to tell me what's going on? I just came from Grissom's office and he's still not talking. I think he'll actually harm me if I ask him again."

Greg's puppy dog eyes worked Catherine over until she relented and pulled out a chair. "Have a seat and we'll get you up to speed while we're finishing the warrant."

A grateful smile crested on Greg's face and he plopped into the chair.

"It's about time you get to see how we use your handy work to nail a guy's ass to the wall." Winking she added, "After you pass your next field proficiency you'll be working on these anyway so why not get a preview."

Her vote of confidence was music to his ears. "Thanks, Catherine."

Brass rolled his eyes. "Okay enough…I'm getting a cavity."

Fired up, Nick burst into Grissom's office, "We got a hit! Sara used her credit card yesterday at Max's Adventure Rentals. It's on the east side of the lake."

A mixture of hope and fear stirred within Grissom. "Did you call the place? Were the rentals returned? Did they see Sara come back?"

Beaming with delight Nick gave his report. "I spoke with one of the employees and they pulled up the rental record. The record shows the bikes were returned at two o'clock. Sara signed the return receipt." Handing over a fax, Nick said, "I compared the signature on the rental paperwork to Sara's and it's a perfect match so we can be certain she was fine after the ride."

Reviewing the document, Grissom nodded. "Good. That's less than twenty-four hours ago. Very good." Looking up he asked, "Did the employee you spoke with know where she was staying."

"Unfortunately, no. The guy didn't remember overhearing anything about where they were staying."

"Did you ask him how Sara looked? Did she appear nervous or tense?"

"I did." Taking Grissom's feelings into consideration, Nick gave a guarded answer. "He said she seemed a little tired and stiff from the ride but nothing out of the norm considering the difficulty of the trail." He left out several details like the rental guy saying Mike and Sara were a real cute couple.

"So no signs of distress?"

"None."

Relief flooded his voice. "That's good. Very good. Um…Catherine is finishing up the warrant and as soon as we have it approved we'll pull Rodgers' credit cards and hopefully learn where they're staying."

"Yeah." Feeling a bit awkward, Nick continued to stand in the doorway. "I'm uh… about before…in the locker room. I shouldn't have been so rude when you asked where Sara was. You caught me off guard and I don't know what I was thinking. I should have known better than to assume I knew the reason you were asking. I'm really sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, Nicky." Removing his glasses Grissom sat back in his chair. "I was the one with the misplaced anger who got in your face. At the time I didn't know why you weren't telling me what I needed to know but I get it now. I understand what you were doing."

Glancing up at the ceiling Nick shook his head. "You know…Sara didn't want to have coffee with Mike. She even asked me to go to the shop and tell him she couldn't make it but I forced her to go. Sara is a great girl. I care about her so much, the last thing I would ever want…"

"We can't turn back time. If we could I…"

"Warrant's done!" Catherine hustled over to Grissom's desk. "Signature please!" She handed him a pen while tossing the paper on the desk. "Judge Romley's clerk knows we're on our way."

Having said his peace, Nick retreated down the hall.

Returning the papers to Catherine, Grissom smiled. "Romley…excellent. He likes you."

"He likes me because I kiss his ass. In case you were wondering, I kiss his ass so when I need a warrant ASAP I'll be sure to get it." Flipping her hair off her shoulder she said, "You're so lucky you have me around to do the schmoozing."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Laughing as she strutted towards the door she replied, "Ahhh…so you're finally admitting you don't know it all."

At the three mile trail marker, Sara dropped her backpack. "Mike! I'm taking a break." Easing down to the ground she rested against a boulder. This vacation was starting to feel like boot camp and she was craving the routine of the lab.

Glancing over his shoulder Mike said, "Already? It's only two more miles to the top."

"What, two miles straight up?" Her lungs ready to burst, Sara groaned, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Chuckling he slipped his pack off his shoulders and tossed it next to hers. "Now why would I want to do that?" Sitting down beside her, he flashed a brilliant smile. "I'm having far too much fun to want you gone."

Suddenly aware of Mike's steady gaze, she nervously glanced around pretending to admire the scenery. "This place is really beautiful."

"So are you." Realizing he made her uncomfortable he covered, "Did I just say that out loud?"

Off balance from the compliment, a tense giggle tumbled from her lips and Sara attempted to joke her way out of the situation. "Is it the beads of sweat on my forehead or the disheveled hair that's doing it for you?"

Smooth as silk Mike replied, "It's everything about you." Moving closer he lowered his voice. "I really don't think you know how beautiful you are Sara." Pausing, he studied her eyes. "I know I said you look cute in a lab coat but out here…with the sunlight in your hair and a healthy glow on your cheeks…you're absolutely gorgeous."

Certain the healthy glow on her cheeks he referenced was the bright blush of embarrassment, she squirmed. "I…I don't know what to say."

Locking his eyes on her lips, he softly replied, "You don't have to say anything."

"Wait!" Pulling away before he could kiss her, Sara saw the disappointment on Mike's face. "Sorry. I'm a little confused. We said we were coming as friends and now…"

Shaking off his frustration, he sweetly replied, "Sorry, I thought we were having a moment. I guess you didn't feel it."

Not wanting to hurt his feelings she searched for the right words. "No, it's not you. I'm trying to make some decisions and until I do I can't really start something new." The truth was she wasn't ready to start something new.

"What kind of decisions?"

"Remember the other day when we were sitting on the dock and you said maybe Vegas was where I needed to be for a while but maybe now I needed a change. Well…I made some calls yesterday and I might be making a change…to San Francisco. My old boss called me back this morning and offered me a position. I have a week to think about it."

Chuckling he said, "Why the hell did you listen to me?"

"Because it was good advice!" Past the awkward feeling she smiled back at him. "So that's why I stopped you. I have to decide whether I'm staying or going and I don't want to be influenced by anything."

"Well then I guess I'm flattered." Jumping to his feet he grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. Next he grabbed her pack. "Stand up and let me help you with this."

Rising, she stood with her back to him. "Wait…why did you say you're flattered?"

After securing her pack in place he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and tauntingly whispered in her ear. "I'm flattered because you're afraid that one kiss from me could make you decide to stay." Allowing his lips to brush the lobe of her ear, he added, "But really, you should be the one who is flattered, because one kiss from you, Sara, and I know I wouldn't want you to leave."

Her affection-starved body betrayed her cautious mind and her occupied heart. "Uh…"

Feeling her quiver, Mike stepped back smirking and switched to a carefree tone. "Okay…it's two miles to the top. Let's go."

"Yeah…I'll uh…be right behind you." Her heart urging her to turn back, she looked down the trail from where she had come. It would be much easier to return than go forward. Lifting her eyes toward the summit, she could only imagine how difficult it would be to press on.

As she stood sideways on the trail, carefully considering her options, a midnight blue butterfly crossed her path. It reminded her of the one she liked at Grissom's and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Fixated on it she tracked it, watching it dart and weave. The elusive creature never stopping long enough to let her fully appreciate its markings.

Before she knew it, the butterfly was gone and she realized she was walking down the trail instead of up. Unsure of how she could have been so distracted near the edge of a cliff, she paused to get her bearings.

"Sara?!"

Mike's voice called out to her but she didn't reply. Moments later he showed up, breathless.

"Why didn't you answer me? I thought something happened to you."

"Sorry." Trying to snap out of her daze, Sara stammered, I…I guess I got turned around."

"We can go back if you're not up to going forward."

"I…uh…" Down the trail she knew what to expect but up ahead it was all new territory and it frightened her. "Maybe…"

"Sara?" Placing his hands on her shoulders he looked into her eyes.

Remembering the promise she made to herself the night before, you can't look back, you have to move on, she finally answered Mike." I can do it." Nodding she adjusted her pack. "Really."

"Great." Smiling, Mike moved behind her. "You lead the way so we go at your pace instead of mine."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath she focused on the trail ahead and took a step forward.