Gil Grissom found Sara Sidle in one of the labs, going over evidence. She was so lost in her work, with her dark hair flowing over her shoulders, that she didn't see or hear the night shift supervisor come into the room.
"Ahem," Grissom coughed. "Am I disturbing anything?"
Sara picked up her head quickly, to the point of showing her surprise, and looked at Grissom. His gray hair looked somewhat disheveled and his blue eyes told her something awful had happened. "No, not at all," she said, wondering what the bad news could be.
Grissom sat down on a stool nearest Sara. Sara found it disturbing to have her boss sitting down, so she sat down on a stool as well. "Did you ever meet Krystal Davies?" he asked her.
Sara looked surprised. She was expecting something worse than that question. "The UNLV student studying to be a forensic scientist?" she clarified more for herself. Grissom nodded. "Yeah, I met her a couple of times, why?"
Grissom bowed his head for a moment and when he looked up at Sara, she could swear his eyes were glassy from tears. After a huge sigh, he said, "She was found tonight outside her work, apparently a victim of a homicide."
Sara's expression said all that words couldn't. She was shocked and saddened by the news. She couldn't think of a thing to say.
"We believe she was raped before she was murdered," Grissom continued. "Greg ran the DNA and said it matched a sample you had brought in about two months ago."
Sara's mind raced for the case that Grissom was referring to. "Was it a murder case?" she asked.
"I don't think so. I think it was a rape case, you didn't catch the guy, Greg said."
Sara's eyes lit up. She knew which case it was and ironically enough, it was Krystal's case.
Sara had just finished a particularly grueling case and was headed inside the CSI building. She was just past the main lobby, heading into the bowels of the building, when she heard the doors open. A familiar voice, though strained by stress, begged the receptionist, "I need to see Sara Sidle."
"I'm sorry," the receptionist told her, "but Sara is unavailable right now."
"Please," the voice pleaded. "I need to speak with Sara."
At that point Sara recognized the voice as Krystal's and turned around to see what the problem was. When the petite brunette had seen Sara, she ran for her, but didn't embrace her. "Sara," Krystal said, "I need you to come with me." Sara saw that Krystal's face was tear stained and her eyes were puffy.
"Where?"
"Desert Palms," was all Krystal said, referring to the local hospital.
"Why?"
Krystal whispered, "I was raped."
Sara's eyes flashed hatred, not at Krystal, but at the man who had done this to her. She immediately understood. Walking over to the receptionist's desk, she told the woman behind the counter, "Call over to the police department and have Officer Margaret Thao meet me at Desert Palms." Turning to Krystal who was near tears, she asked, "How did you get here?"
"Drove," Krystal said, losing her will with every moment.
"When did this happen?"
"About ten minutes ago."
Sara was shocked. Most rape victims wouldn't have come down to the police right away. "And you didn't shower?" Krystal shook her head. "You didn't change clothes?" Again Krystal shook her head. Sara continued to be amazed. "All right, leave your car here and I'll process it, okay?" Krystal nodded her agreement. "I'll drive." Another nod. Heading out to the black Tahoe, Sara grabbed a blanket from the back and set it on the passenger seat. Krystal was shaking as though she was cold, but Sara knew better. It wasn't lack of heat; it was fear. Krystal climbed in without saying a word and in silence, they drove to the hospital.
When they got there, Krystal made Sara promise not to tell anyone at headquarters, especially Grissom. She also asked Sara to call Julie from work. Julie had a spare key to her apartment, Krystal told Sara. She wanted fresh clothes. Sara agreed and called Julie and told her that Krystal was okay, but just to go over to Krystal's place and bring her a change clothes. Julie agreed and by the time Sara was off the phone, Officer Thao was there.
"What's the matter, Sara?" Officer Thao asked. She was Asian with jet-black hair and brown almond shaped eyes. Her skin was flawless and even though she was only a little taller than five feet, she looked as if she could handle anyone that got in her way.
"It's Krystal," Sara said, placing a hand on Krystal's shoulder. "She's been raped."
"Do you know by whom?" Thao asked.
Krystal kept her mouth shut.
When Krystal was finally ushered into a room, she made Sara stay through the entire agonizing rape kit. Blood and swabs were taken. It was terrifying for Krystal. She shook through the whole ordeal. When she was done, Krystal changed into the clothes Julie had brought and went with Sara and Officer Thao to the cafeteria to talk.
Krystal told everything that she could remember, except who had done this to her. Sara suspected that Krystal knew whom it was, she was just afraid to tell.
Sara went on to examine the evidence, releasing Krystal's car to her the next day after not finding anything to show that the car was where it had happened. She had Greg run the DNA through CODIS and got nothing. Over the next two months she waited for Krystal to come to grips with what had happened to her and tell who had done this, but she never told.
"I know Krystal knew who it was," Sara told Grissom, after recounting the horrific tale. "But she refused to give us a name. Even Greg didn't know who it was, and he sees her every night just about."
"So the case went unsolved?" Grissom asked.
"Yeah. I didn't tell you about it because Krystal made me promise. She didn't want you to know Gil. She thought it make her look weak and then you wouldn't accept her as a scientist." Grissom smiled gently at Sara. He knew that she took Krystal's case very seriously and the fact that Krystal had known who had done this to her and wouldn't tell only frustrated Sara to no end.
"The only thing we can do now is work the evidence," Grissom said, trying to be comforting. Sara just rolled her eyes and went back to her evidence.