Chapter 20

Shock and humiliation vying for his attention, Grissom dropped into the nearest chair.

"You're wondering how I know about the DUI." Enthusiastically Mike announced, "I was there. I saw it and enjoyed it. Cops love seeing CSIs screw up because you guys always think you're smarter than us. When I met Sara a few months later I remembered who she was...the drunk CSI chick. I never forget a face.

Locking eyes with Grissom, he said, "After Nick told me Sara was upset about a guy forgetting her birthday, I knew the next day when I saw you and her together, the guy was you. Yes, it was that obvious...well at least to me but then again, I read people real well. Just to be certain, I did some checking; tapped into the gossip mill and confirmed my suspicions."

Gripping the arms of the chair, Grissom searched for the truth in his head and his heart. Was Sara really crying out for attention? Was Mike the pawn in her game? Am I the pawn in her game, he wondered? Is she really that damaged? From something? From me?

Thoroughly enjoying the moment, Mike kept going. "You wish you could believe with one hundred percent certainty that I'm lying about Sara taking the GHB but you can't. And you know why you can't? Because everything I said is plausible."

Grissom squirmed in the chair as his head swirled with doubts. Mike was a lifetime liar so there was no compelling reason to start believing him now and yet…everything he said had a thin layer of truth.

"Hmm…is it plausibility convincing you my story is true? Or is it something else?" Snickering Mike offered an alternative reason. "Maybe you believe Sara would harm herself to get your attention because it gives you a rise…pumps your ego. Maybe Sara has it all wrong and that's why her plan didn't work last time. She's not the one who gets the payoff from these stunts…it's you."

As he listened, Grissom struggled to sort the fact from the fiction.

With a lethal calmness in his eyes, Mike kept pushing. "Do you enjoy it, Gil? Watching Sara pine and suffer over you? Is the look in her eyes when you disappoint her your fetish? Do you go home at the end of the day and fondly recall how you messed with her mind? Is that how you get off?"

Exploding from the inflammatory accusation, Grissom lunged across the table grabbing Mike by the collar. "You know nothing about Sara or me."

Pleased with the results his taunt provoked, Mike grinned. "In an interrogation, when the suspect reacts strongly to something that's when the cop knows he's on the right track."

The steady ring of Grissom's cell phone pulled him back from the brink.

"Better answer that." Mike instructed as Grissom released his collar. "It could be the girl. Time to resume the game, perhaps?"

Still pulsating with disgust, Grissom grabbed his cell phone and checked the display. Seeing it was Catherine, he took the call. "Grissom." As he walked to the far corner of the room, he kept one eye on Mike.

When he heard Catherine say Sara was conscious and feeling well he exhaled the trapped air in his chest and quietly savored the wonderful news.

His primary concern allayed, Grissom's thoughts shifted to another. Lowering his voice to a whisper so hopefully Mike couldn't hear, he asked, "What did she say about last night? Does she remember seeing Mike do anything with her drink? "

After Catherine informed him that Sara only remembered Mike bringing her a margarita and nothing after that, a unexpected second wave of relief washed over him. Just to make sure he heard right, he confirmed. "So she doesn't remember me being there at all." Finally some good news today, he thought. They wouldn't have to deal with Sara's GHB-influenced behavior and proclamations from last night.

Catherine's next words however, brought little comfort. "How much longer are you going to be? Sara's asking about you. One of the nurses just told her you were here all night holding her hand so the jig is up, Gil, she knows how worried you were last night. She knows how much you care. I told her the whole story and she loved every minute of it…even forgave us for breaking into her apartment. She can't wait to see you, so get back here soon. She's been through so much and she'd much rather have you comforting her than me. Hey, why don't I at least go back in her room and give her the phone."

"No!" Still uncertain which parts of Mike's story were real he couldn't talk to Sara. "It's not a good time. I'm in the middle of the interrogation." Gripping his forehead, he said, "Tell her…tell her I'm glad she's doing well. Oh and Catherine…" As much as it pained him to ask, he had to know. Once againdropping to a to a whisper, he inquired, "Before you or the nurse told Sara I was involved…before Sara realized how much this experience affected me, what was her mood?"

As Catherine answered, Grissom's eyes turned to Mike, who was sitting at the table grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Sara was really down but the second I mentioned your name and told her how you saved the day she lit up like a Christmas tree."

Her response only adding to his confusion, he said, "Catherine, I'll uh…talk to you later."

When he disconnected the phone and returned it to his pocket he heard Mike break out laughing.

"Sara is dying to see you, huh? Oh wait…that was last night." Holding up his hand, Mike said, "Enough with the jokes. We have something important to talk about."

Grissom reluctantly returned to his seat, preparing for whatever Mike was going to hurl next.

Staring at Grissom, Mike said, "Let's review the case against me, shall we? We'll start with the evidence because you're having a rough day and that's your favorite part."

"How generous of you." He knew the ounce of kindness meant the worst was yet to come.

"You have the half vial of GHB found in my jacket. I'm sure you had blood work done on Sara and it proved she had GHB in her system, right?"

While waiting for the bombshell, Grissom played along. "Yes and it did."

"Okay, let's move on to opportunity. You and Sara can place me in the lab at the time the vial disappeared."

Each answer like a block, Grissom kept building the tower waiting for Mike to smash it down. "Yes."

"Motive?"

He happily answered this one. "She wouldn't sleep with you so you drugged her."

Chuckling, Mike quipped, "I knew you would enjoy saying that." Counting off on his fingers, Mike summarized their progress. "Physical evidence, opportunity, motive…wow things aren't looking good for me. Hmm…what do I have left to defend myself? Any ideas?"

His voice teeming with resignation, Grissom answered the question. "Your story."

"Didn't enjoy saying that very much, did you?" Shaking his head, Mike unfurled an overly dramatic sigh. "My story will make things real messy for the county. Sheriff's gonna be pissed. Ecklie will have a field day. Yeah…Sara, you, me…we're all going down when this story gets out."

It was the only one of Mike's statements that Grissom knew to be absolutely true.

Loving every minute of it, Mike tossed a few more logs on the fire. "If Sara's motivation at work comes into question they'll have to review every case she worked on for you. They'll need to know if she was so eager to please you that she would do anything to solve a case…even tamper with evidence. Wait…didn't that already come up at a trial a couple a couple of years back? Something about her making a romantic gesture towards you while you were working a scene. She denied it and said she was wiping plaster off your face."

At this point, Grissom was no longer surprised at anything Mike said. "You really do your homework."

"I told you I tapped into the gossip mill." Grinning, Mike explained, "See, you're used to showing up and acquiring the facts when you work a scene. I prefer to gather all my facts up front."

Having grossly underestimated his opponent, Grissom remarked, "Because you never know when you're going to need to think on your feet and spin a story to cover your ass."

"You have your gifts, I have mine." Leaning in, Mike was ready to go for the kill. "Okay…I don't think I have to spell out the gravity of this situation any further, do I? I think its time to come up with a solution to my problem."

As if he didn't already know what Mike was going to say, Grissom sarcastically asked, "Do you really think you can?"

With the confidence of a poker player holding a royal flush, Mike revealed his hand. "The only way to keep my mouth shut is to drop the drug related charges. If the charges stay I start telling my story…the whole twisted tale. We both know it won't matter if they believe me or not. By the time I'm through, the damage will be done...especially to the already frail, Sara Sidle."

Left with no options, Grissom said the only thing he could. "I don't have the power to drop the charges but I'll make the suggestion."

"Wise choice. Of course we both know it's the only choice if you want to save your ass and Sara's, not to mention preserve the integrity of the lab." Kicking his feet up on the table, Mike grinned. "So now that we got that out of the way, what else do you want to chat about, Gil?"

Mike was a braggart and Grissom desperately wanted answers, which meant right now they needed each other. "How about telling me the real story?"

"If you're sure you can handle it." Adjusting his collar, Mike chuckled, "You won't go postal again, will you?"

Grissom's voice turned icy. "I'll do my best."

"Here goes…I took the GHB. I had it in my pants pocket that night I walked out of the lab. I put it in Sara's margarita last night. Other than that everything else about my story is true…how she feels about you, how you treat her…all the sordid details. Yeah those things don't really change, do they, Gil? Feel better?"

Grissom's anger was temporarily delayed while he celebrated the knowledge that Sara didn't drug herself over him…over anything.

"I never intended for her to get so sick though. All I wanted to do was loosen her up so she could see what she was missing while she was pathetically waiting around for you. I didn't want to hurt her, I was hoping to keep her around for a while. Turning his eyes to the ceiling he said, "Hmm…maybe the bartender didn't listen to me when I said to go light on the tequila? Yeah well, unfortunately Sara didn't handle the G as well as other women."

Pulsating with anger, Grissom rose out of his chair, looming over Mike. "She didn't handle the G well because she already had allergy medication in her system. If that drink was any stronger you could have killed her!"

Excited that the match was back in play, Mike stood up and walked the room. "Let's compare our sins, shall we? You treated her like crap for years! I just met her and look how I've treated her! I took her out, I respected her, I bought her flowers, I listened to her, I supported her…I felt sorry for her."

Stopping in front of Grissom he innocently said, "Look, the reaction with the allergy medicine was an unforeseen complication. I slipped her a little liquid ecstasy to get her past her inhibitions…she's way too uptight. Hey, if it had gone down as planned, Sara would have had hours of pleasure before she passed out. She would have woke upthinkingshe wanted it. I guarantee youshe would havethanked me for showing her a good time...right before begging me to make love to her again! See...my intentions were good."

Like a rabid dog, Grissom snapped, "Good intentions?! You were going to rape her!"

"Well, since Sara hasn't gotten laid in years, I prefer the term mercy f…" A right hook to the jaw stopped Mike in mid-vulgarity. "Aww she's gonna love hearing you punched me for that one. Plus, I may be able to work the assault thing into my story. "

Grabbing Mike's collar, Grissom slammed him against the wall. Eyes blazing, he yelled, "Why Sara?!"

"You do realize I'm not fighting back, right?" Mike casually replied. "Why Sara? Because she was an easy mark…and so are you. That's the irony of the situation. The two of you are perfect for each other…both pathetic."

As Grissom tightened his grip he was grateful not to be wearing a firearm. "Pathetic is drugging a woman so you can sleep with her."

"And here I thought not sleeping with a woman who wants to sleep with you was pathetic. No wait…that's impotence."

Realizing he was playing right into Mike's hands, Grissom backed off.

Manically grinning, Mike continued to needle Grissom anxious to see what it would take to set him off again. "Lucky for you my plan didn't work because one night of passion with me and Sara would have finally seen you for the loser you really are. In case you're not tracking me again…that realization is an eventuality for Sara…I was merely expediting the process for her."

When he got no response, Mike figured out that Grissom's button wasn't ego, it was Sara. With that in mind, he decided to provide a little more detail. "I had to use the G to make it fun for me while I was doing my charity work. A girl as frigid as Sara wouldn't be any fun in the sack without it. Oh the things I had planned for her in bed, things she…" When the punch hit him Mike burst out laughing.

The sound of the conference room door opening halted the fray. Poking his head in, Brass feigned sweetness. "Hey, I was heading to the break room, can I get you guys some coffee?" One look at the situation and Jim knew he was right on time.

"No thanks, I'm done chatting." Mike replied in a sunny voice as he straightened his shirt. "My buddy Gil has enough to think about for today. Or do you need a parting thought?"

An inch from Grissom's ear, he taunted in a whisper, "One day you'll hear my story about Samantha Hatcher and her slutty twin sister Wendy. I think you'll enjoy it. Consider it our next round except I'll be fighting back. You bring the evidence and put the jury to sleep with the math. I'll take the stand and wake them up with my tearful rendition of the grieving boyfriend turned hero cop."

Taking a couple of steps back, Mike enjoyed the look on his opponent's face. "I think we both know who will win that one, don't we?"

As much as Grissom wanted to believe science would triumph over theater, after experiencing Mike's skill first hand, he filled with doubt.

Winking at Grissom, Mike said, "Give my best to Sara when you see her. Tell her I'm sorry things didn't work out last night."

"Okay, enough!" Brass signaled for the uniform to come in the room. "Take Mr. Rodgers out of this neighborhood and send him to the land of Make Believe whereI'm sure heand his bullshit story will feel right at home."

After Mike was removed to his holding cell, Grissom slammed the door and took advantage of the room's soundproofing by kicking a chair across the room. "Damn him!"

"Hey remember, we're guests here!" Brass crossed the room and righted the chair. "So I'm guessing Rodgers expanded on his Sara framed him theory." As soon as Mike had told him he suspected Sara framed him, Brass figured out where he'd be going with the story. "Like any successful sociopath, he weaves a good tale doesn't care who gets hurt and only thinks of himself."

Furious, Grissom gripped the edge of the table. "We have to drop the drug charges."

"That bad huh?" From the request and the look on Grissom's face, he knew Mike had found a way to screw Sara after all.

Falling into a chair, Grissom reluctantly explained, "Sara left the vial unattended, we can't deny that. If we checked, we'd find Sara's prints on the jacket because I had Catherine take the jacket and put it in Sara's locker."

Exasperated, Grissom lowered his gaze to the floor. "Not that it matters. He has a story and no matter how erroneous it is, if he tells it he'll ruin Sara. She'd be thrown out of the lab. We have no choice; we have to drop the charges. That son of bitch is going to get away with it." At the mercy of his friend, Grissom asked, "Can you make it happen?"

"I'll talk to Bryant." Brass took a seat at the table. "Although the GHB was found in Tahoe it was stolen in Vegas so jurisdiction shouldn't be a problem. Actually, I'm sure they'll be happy to send us on our merry way and restore the peace and tranquility of this lovely mountain community."

"Will word get back to Ecklie?"

Confidently Brass replied, "No. Trust me. I'll handle it with Bryant…cop to cop. So don't worry. Besides, haven't you heard the new promo for Tahoe?" Playing on the current Vegas motto, he said, "What happens in Tahoe stays in Tahoe."

"Let's hope you're right."

"I won't let you down." Brass relaxed in his chair. "And one day, you'll think of something you can do for me...something legal of course."

Nodding, Grissom acknowledged the deal. "That's a promise."

Concerned for his friend, Brass said, "I know if I ask, you'll tell me you're fine, so I'm not asking…I'm telling…you're not fine. You look like hell. Rodgers didn't just do a number on Sara, huh?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm shocked because you're usually so chatty at times like this." Noticing that sarcasm wasn't helping, he tried another approach. "Gil, don't be too hard on yourself. I've dealt with my fair share of sociopaths and this guy is the best I've seen in a while but he's not perfect." Brass reminded him, "Remember, we're still bringing him in on suspicion of murder. So you can't get him on the GHB. You'll nail his ass to the wall for Samantha Hatcher's murder."

"Yeah, don't be too sure." Reaching into his pocket he fumbled for his prescription bottle. "He's working on a story for that one too."

Not believing his ears, Brass exclaimed, "Are you telling me that you believe his fictional story will trump the physical evidence you present."

"I don't know what I believe at this point." His confidence faltering at the same expeditious rate as his migraine's return, Grissom gave a labored sigh. "I'll feel better once I see the girl's skull."

Chuckling, Brass retorted. "Now there's a phrase you don't hear often." With his cell phone in hand, Brass stood up. "Hey, I'll do anything to cheer you up. Let me make a few phone calls and see how quickly I can get you the corpse."

On his way to the water cooler, Grissom realized that he would have to tell Sara about the dropped charges.

Suddenly it dawned on him…he'd have to talk to Sara.

The events of the week overwhelming he wondered how he could put his thoughts into words.

Information overloaded his brain...his original motivations for investigating Mike, the intimate things only he knew Sara said to him at the resort, the powerful feelings he experienced last night as he held her hand…the aftershocks of the half-truths in Mike's story. So much to consider...so much to analyze.

As he swallowed a pill with a gulp of cold water, unnerving questions poured into his already troubled mind. When they saw each other, what would they say? Would she profess the same feelings she had the night before and if she did, how would he respond? What did he want to say? What did he want her to hear?

Fear gnawing him he wondered if he would be able to say anything at all.