Whatever cool composure Sara had hoped to catch between the interrogation room and the autopsy was out of the question when she had Grissom haunting her every step. She threw him a dark look over her shoulder, and thought about buying a pack of smokes on her way home.
"We both know that's not your problem, Sara." He chastised her even in her own head. Nevertheless, the urge to take a long drag off a Marlboro passed.
At the doors Grissom paused at watched Sara questioningly as she continued to stride further down the hall.
"Sara?"
"Grissom, I'm scrubbing in. David's got the night off, his rehearsal diner's tomorrow."
"Sara?" he asked again, accusingly.
"There's no reason not to; I am perfectly capable and I've already discussed it with Doc. I'll meet you on the other side.
Grissom waited impatiently as the blue-clad Sara and Robbins wheeled the gurney withthe bruised corpse of a young woman towards the autopsy table and then began.
Grissom was watching her again, and Sara's nerves rattled under such scrutiny. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. She peeled her focus off of Grissom and devoted it to Helen, lying patiently on Doc's table.
"Cursory glance reveals an obvious point of trauma in the left upper torso. Piece of glass, approximately five inches in diameter penetrating the left pectoral muscle and likely perforating the lung. We'll find out more when we dig a little deeper."
"Hey, Doc? I got some postmortem bruising, and I don't think its lividity." Sara said, gesturing to the back of the victim's left arm.
"What is that?" She said curiously. Her eyebrows furled together and a frown crumpled across her lips. As she held out the arm for Grissom to photograph, she reached her free hand out and wrapped in around Helen Carpenter's forearm. Her thumb matched the blotchy, near black bruise, but Sara was unable to extend her fingers far enough around the biceps to connect the other four dots.
"A hand." Grissom pronounced. "A big one."
"You know what they say about big hands…" Sara deadpanned. Grissom wrapped his own hand around and successfully spanned the handprint.
"This is a big guy we're looking for." Sara smirked despite herself. "Chris Carpenter clears 6'6 easily."
"Any male neighbors?"
"There are no tenants next door, and across the hall is a little eighty year old man. Grissom, he's good for this."
"What about co-workers?"
"Yeah, Agent Chris Carpenter!" Sara repeated hotly.
"The SAE kit was already performed. The results are on the way to Mia, but there was definite activity in the region, heavy bruising, and some obvious signs of tearing." Doc interrupted from his vantage point further down the body. Sara busied herself with the head trauma at the crown of the victims head.
"Her husband admitted to having sex twice that day. Other than distasteful, sex at the office isn't anything we can arrest him for. We need something concrete." Grissom narrated.
Sara studied him for a moment, caught off guard by his comments and then drew herself back to the lacerations on the top of Helen Carpenter's head.
"How does she get a head wound like this?" She gestured.
"Her attacker could have smashed something over her head." Grissom offered, then took another photograph.
The autopsy progressed smoothly with Sara and Doc Robbins working in tandem and Grissom observing from the sides.
Robbins was poised with the bone saw and ready to begin the internal when the doors to the morgue were thrown open and four agents in suits stormed in.
"What the hell is this?" Sara shouted. She moved herself between the autopsy and the invading Federal Agents.
"This is my morgue, gentlemen, I'm going to ask you to step outside." Robbins defended.
"Doctor Albert Robbins? My name Is Special Agent Clark, thisare Agents Ribbon, Maxwell and Kwe. We're with the Department of Internal Investigations, and we're comandeering this body, your notes, any tests you've conducted already-"
"Like hell you are, this is our case!" Sara shot back, stepping towards the agent standing before her. He simply stared down at her before Grissom grabbed her at pulled her out of the way. Sara was barely aware of Doc contesting the warrant with the agents and Grissom pointed to the exit.
"Sara, outside now!"
Sara stopped short, her mouth open. She stared furiously between Doc, Grissom and the special agents, infuriated and embarrassed beyond description. She was suddenly aware that she was the only living female in the room.
Without another word, Sara turned on her heels and stalked out of the morgue. Grissom had the nerve to make her wait while he finished questioning Robbins. Durring that time she called Mia on her cell and urgently ordered her to make copies of any results she already had and to prepare the DNA for transit.
She stepped quickly out of the way of the swinging door as Grissom ripped off his scrubs. His ears were red and she could tell he was furious.
"I've already got ahold of Mia, she's making duplicates of what we already have and I'll call Archie to copy the crime scene photos, we can at least work-"
"You're off. Period." Grissom ordered, tension ripping at his voice."Greg and I'll follow up on what we can and you can get as far away from this as humanly possible!"
"Grissom!" Sara threw her hands up in the air.
"This is an open and shut case! He knows it. That's why he's playing cat and mouse with us. He's buying time!"
"Go home."
"Grissom!" She shot back.
"This in't your case anymore."
"They aren't going to find Jack shit in the next five hours; the have to start a brand new investigation! We have to prove beyond reasonable doubt or else he flies in-"
"Sara "we" don't have to do anything."
"This is unfair!"
"Tell that to Mrs. Carpenter!"
Sara had nothing to reply, and instead shook her head in defeat.
"Fine. Whatever Grissom. Just promise me you'll get that court order."
"Leave, Sara."
Sara turned and stormed off. He turned and strode back into the autopsy theatre.