The Crime Lab
AN: Sorry for the angst interrupting the sweetness, Jacinda. It was a necessary angst and I'm an angst whore, but I think I end this chapter with enough fluff. And thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing; I appreciate it. And feel free to give hard crit if you have it. Oh, and I think I made up for that short set-up chapter here.
xxx
"What, what do you mean, it's Sara?" Warrick's voice boomed in the small space as he demanded an explanation, knowing that he was seconds away from throttling his friend if he didn't get an answer. What could have happened? I just saw her, she was just at my house… was she in a car accident?
Nick was taken back by a wild, uncontrollable look in the taller man's eyes; he had expected Warrick to take this hard, but the intensity of this reaction surprised him. "Warrick, man, maybe you better have a seat?"
Warrick shook off his hand, shaking his head. "Just tell me what happened to Sara."
Catherine had moved up behind Nick, her red-rimmed eyes sympathetic. "Warrick, there was an explosion, at Sara's apartment complex. There were… fatalities and Sara, she, she's off tonight."
Explosion, her apartment. Sara. The words reverberated through his head, but he struggled to comprehend them. "When?"
"What?"
"When was the explosion?"
Nick took over the explanation as Catherine's voice choked. "We got the call about fifteen minutes ago. The explosion happened approximately thirty minutes ago. We've been trying Sara's cell phone, but it goes directly to voice mail, and well, her home phone…" Nick's eyes sought the floor as he struggled with his emotions. "We don't know, for sure." But everyone assumed, since Sara wasn't known to have much of a social life. And if she wasn't at the lab, nobody could imagine any other place she would be.
Warrick leaned back against the counter, mentally calculating times before grabbing his cell phone from the holder on his belt. Sara's apartment complex wasn't far from his house, so she could have easily finished setting up the cat food and litter box and been home in plenty of time to be caught. He shook off the direction his thoughts were going as he stabbed the keys quickly, punching in his home phone as Nick tried to pull the phone from his hand. "We've tried her cell and left all kinds of messages, man."
Shaking him off, Warrick listened to his own voice on the answering machine until the beep sounded. "Sara. Sara, it's Warrick. If you are there, pick up." The second ticked by as he talked through the tape, his hand tightening painfully on the phone in his hand. "Sara, please pick up, are you there, pick up, Sara!" He knew he was a second away from screaming when he heard a click on the other end of the line.
"Warrick?" The whine of feedback from the answering machine caused her to curse, but it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard at that moment. "Let me turn this damn thing off," she muttered, "where, ah ok, got it. You still there?"
Warrick felt his body sag against the counter as if every bone in his body had become jelly, and the breath he didn't know he had been holding exhaled audibly. Catherine and Nick exchanged a wide-eyed look, and he motioned to Catherine and Nick, mouthing 'she's ok' to them.
"Sara, hey, you, uh, have your cell phone off," he stammered.
"Yeah, I didn't want to get called in on my day off. Did you forget something at the house?" She kept talking as if she was distracted by something. "You're not calling me in to work, are you?" His silence must have tipped her off, because when he didn't immediately answer, the tension in her tone ratcheted up another degree or two. "Warrick, is something wrong? Someone there hurt?"
"No, everyone's ok here. We were worried about you."
"What do you mean, worried about me? I'm fine, except—ouch—that your boy here has sharp little claws. Yes, you do," she muttered under her breath, obviously to the kitten, and he chuckled under his breath despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Sara, I have some news. We were… worried because there was an explosion. At your apartment building. There were fatalities."
"What? My apartment building? When? How?"
"I don't have any details yet. I just got here and everyone was trying to reach you and, well…"
Her voice on the other end of the line was understanding, reassuring as she muttered, "I'm here, I'm ok. Ok?" A pause stretched over the line and he heard her breathing deeply, obviously trying to process the news. "Do… are we… do I need to come in?"
"I'm not sure, I haven't got all the info yet. Turn on your cell and keep it with you – I'll call shortly to let you know if we are working the scene or not, ok?"
"Ok… ouch."
"What?"
"Ornery kitten." In spite of the pain he knew she felt, her voice was warm and he could picture her smile as Coltrane worked his charm, and he grinned at the picture he was painting in his head.
Warrick half-turned away from Catherine and Nick, who were watching him carefully with all kinds of questions in their eyes, and lowered his voice. "Umm, I'm going to have to tell people here about, you know. You ok with that?" He knew Sara wanted to keep her personal life private, but he also knew there was no way their co-workers would let him get away telling them to mind their own business.
"I have to be, don't I?" Sara sighed, and then a small chuckle came across the line to his ears. "I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to explain our joint-custody kitten to everyone. Enjoy!" With that, she hung up the phone, leaving him to face their friends. She is so gonna pay for that, he thought, as he caught the suspicious glint in Catherine's eye. And she didn't waste any time in starting the interrogation. "So Sara's ok?"
He nodded, still breathing deeply to relieve the tight ball of tension that had taken up residence in the middle of his chest. "Yeah, she, uh, wasn't at home."
Grissom had walked in during that last sentence. "Sara?" he questioned, his voice both nervous and hopeful as he scanned their faces.
"Yeah, Gil, she's ok," Catherine answered. "Warrick just got off the phone with her."
"So where is she?" he asked, innocently, and Nick and Catherine both looked at Warrick expectantly.
Warrick sighed, facing his co-workers reluctantly. He knew what assumptions they would make about this. "Sara is at my place." His glare cut off Nick's strangled coughing fit. "And it's NOT what you think" he said. "I took her to the annual block party in my neighborhood, you know, the one I took you to a couple of years ago," he gestured toward Nick, "you, Lindsey, and I went to last year. This year was Sara's turn."
"And she just stayed at your place after you left?" Catherine's tone was deliberately bland, almost innocent. Her assumption that there was more to the story was correct, but not in the way she was thinking.
"Well, Sara needed to finish up some things." Catherine's raised eyebrow, Grissom's puzzled look, and Nick's smirk told him he would have to explain everything. "We, um,… adopted a kitten. Sara ran to the pet store to get some supplies and she was setting up the house and spending some time with him before she left."
"A kitten?" Nick choked out, incredulous. "You got a kitten."
"Yeah, kinda. Sara fell in love with him, and she can't have pets at her apartment, so…" He shrugged. His eyes were drawn to the TV behind his friends, still broadcasting images of flames and wreckage. "If we hadn't gotten him, Sara would have been there."
They stood in silence for a moment, staring at the images flickering across the screen, the gravity of what they had almost lost weighing on them. It was bad enough that they spent most of their time among the dead, but every time they lost someone they knew, it got harder and harder to continue their work.
Grissom finally broke the silence. "We'll be working the scene, but it will be an hour or two before the fire is under control and we can get in there. Until then, we'll get caught up on paperwork and rest. It'll be a long night and probably day once we hit the scene. Swing and days are on their way in as well."
"What about Sara?" Warrick asked, quietly.
"What about her? It's her night off."
"All hands on deck and you aren't going to call her in? You know she'll want to work this." When Grissom seemed to hesitate, Catherine broke in to lend her support to Warrick. "She'll be pissed if she's kept from this case, Gil. And she might be a good insider on this."
He sighed. "Call her. Tell her to take a nap or something, and that I'll call her when the building is clear and we'll meet her there."
xxx
Warrick pulled next to a familiar SUV and got out of his vehicle, his eyes scanning the crowd. As the rest of the team joined him, he sighted a familiar silhouette—bulky jacket and watch cap included—just on this side of the yellow crime scene tape. Something in her stance made him pause; a whirl of activity played in the background, and yet she stood so still, as if turned to stone by the scene in front of her. Approaching cautiously, Warrick didn't notice that everyone else hung back, letting him to be the first to approach, nor did he notice the narrowed eyes of his boss watching as he made this first move. All he noticed as he got closer was that her stillness was a mirage, that a slight tremble shook her entire body with every breath. "Sara?" he called quietly in the din, afraid he would surprise her with a louder tone.
She didn't look at him, didn't seem to notice him, except that she raised her arm slowly, pointing into the heart of the destruction. "That's my apartment," she said simply, her voice devoid of any emotion. He saw another breath cause a shudder to run through her body, the outstretched arm visibly shaking now, and he reached out and pulled her into a hug just as her stoic mask crumbled. His arms tightened on her shoulders as her body shook, resting his chin on the top of her head as he whispered, "It's ok" over and over again. And still he didn't notice Grissom staring at them; all he felt was the shaking lessen, until Sara pressed against his chest as a signal that she was ok, muttering a simple "Thanks" as she ran a hand under her eyes and through her hair, making herself presentable before facing the rest of the team.
She didn't get a chance to say anything before Catherine pulled her into a tight hug, surprising the taller woman. "I, god, I was so… so scared." She pulled back a bit so that she could look up into Sara's face, as if to make sure it really was her. "We thought we lost you." Nick had joined them, wrapping an arm around Sara's shoulders and squeezing. "We really did, Sar. That was the worst half-hour of my life."
"I'm ok," Sara told them firmly, casting a reassuring smile at Catherine, then Nick, and finally to Grissom, who stood back, watching the outpouring of affection among his team as though he were trying to memorize the scene so he could take notes and analyze it later.
"Thank god," Catherine gave her a final squeeze before letting go.
Brass had watched the display with amusement, glad to see Sara's co-workers express their worry so openly, except for one notable exception. Grissom ignored his raised eyebrow and not-so-obvious head gesture to 'get in there,' but he didn't expect much else. Sara had called him as soon as she had hung up with Warrick, and he had spent a quiet five minutes in his car recovering after that brief conversation. He ducked under the tape, allowing himself a brief hug and a quiet, "It's good to see you," before getting down to business.
"It'll be another thirty minutes before you can get in there. The bomb squad wants to make a final sweep. The arson investigator will go with you along with a couple of firefighters, and he wants a max of three CSIs in there. The place is pretty sturdy, but still…" he shrugged.
Grissom eyed his team carefully. "Ok, then…"
"I'm on the team inside," Sara said quietly, staring at Grissom as if she expected an argument, but he just nodded. "That makes sense; you know the building." He scanned the rest of the team, seeing Warrick's determined expression and continued, "And Warrick and I will also go. Catherine, Nick, interview witnesses, talk to the manager, and track down the maintenance records for this place."
"Sara, while you're waiting, I have a favor to ask of you. We still haven't identified all the victims yet, and I was wondering if you could…" he faltered in his request, seeing a flicker of pain cross her face. But it was gone in a moment, and she let out a deep breath before saying, "Yes, of course. I don't know everyone in the building," she apologized as she followed Brass under the tape, missing the glare that Grissom shot the detective as they walked away.
When they returned fifteen minutes later, Sara was several shades paler, her eyes haunted. For once, Grissom was the first to act, catching her arm as she stepped under the tape and asking, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied, distractedly.
"Next time," he said, glaring at Brass, "you need to ask me before you make a request like that to one of my CSIs."
"Hey, Grissom, it's ok," Sara jumped in, with a glare of her own.
"You shouldn't have had to do that."
"I helped, end of story," she told him flatly, holding his eyes for another second before heading to her SUV. "I'm going to get my kit." Warrick followed, heading back to his own vehicle and keeping a careful eye on Sara, leaving Grissom and Brass alone.
"Gil, I would have spared her the pain if I could." He finally met Grissom's eyes. "Two of the fatalities were in the apartment directly under her apartment, another from the apartment beside hers, and another two stories above her. If she had been there…" Brass shook his head, his mouth set into a hard line, before he walked away.
xxx
"Here's the laundry room and through there's the boiler room; this is the epicenter of the explosion," the arson inspector explained as the CSI team spread out to examine the room. Both Grissom and Warrick kept a careful eye on Sara, who was shining her light around the room carefully, seemingly puzzled by something.
"These dryers are out of place, displaced by the explosion," she said, almost to herself. "Which would make the first action in the boiler room," the inspector finished her thought as he started to squeeze himself through the semi-collapsed door. Sara followed him carefully, but held out a hand to stop Grissom. "Hold on, it's a tight fit for just the two of us." The whine and then flash of the camera continued for some time, and then she passed the camera out and requested the video camera. "That doesn't look right," she said, looking over the inspector's shoulder at pieces of the boiler. "Those look like hammer impressions. Who uses a hammer to work on a boiler?"
"Nobody," came his reply as he picked up a few fragments and passed them to Grissom and Warrick. Motioning for her to precede him, they slid back through the doorway. "I think we got everything, but do you want to take a look for yourself, Supervisor Grissom?"
He shook his head, and assured. "No, I trust CSI Sidle was very thorough." He and Warrick finished packing up the evidence and they started winding their way out of the building. Just as they reached the exit, the inspector asked, "Um, CSI Sidle? If you'd like to see your apartment, see if there's anything you can salvage, we could check."
She glanced up to the second floor, where her apartment was, before nodding. Grissom took the evidence bags from Warrick's hands and handed them to one of the firefighters. "Go with her. I'll get this back to the lab and see you there."
The door had been chopped down; obviously, the firefighters had checked the apartment for my dead body, Sara thought as her stomach rolled over. She couldn't believe the devastation; the ceiling of her bedroom had collapsed, making it impossible to get into the room. Standing in the center of her living room, she tried to think of anything that was worth looking for, but, faced with what had been her home for three years, her mind was blank.
Warrick, meanwhile, had quietly gathered a few things into a box, seeing her inability to process the scene in front of her. "There's nothing left," Sara said quietly as she turned, suddenly in a hurry to get out. Spying her gym bag by the door, where she usually tossed it when she came in, she grabbed it and headed down the stairs. Outside, she dropped the bag and leaned heavily on her knees, breathing deeply to drive the acrid smell of smoke out of her lungs. After putting the box and gym bag in his car, Warrick waited by the cars and gave her a few minutes to regain her composure. When she finally joined him there, she managed to meet his concerned look with a small smile before telling him she would meet him back at the lab.
xxx
"So the builders skimped on materials and the building wasn't up to code, the vandalism caused a gas leak, and an improperly serviced dryer sent out a spark?"
"And nine people died, yes." Grissom surveyed the exhausted faces surrounding him at the conference table. They had shifted through the crime scene at a surprising fever pitch, and given the help from the arson/explosive investigator, had figured out the apartment explosion over the course of a single shift. "Good work, everyone. Now head home and get some rest." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Grissom's eyes widened as he realized what he had said, and he turned to the dark-haired woman sitting to his left, studiously looking down at her hands on the table. "Sara, I'm…"
She shook her head, shaking off his concern. "It's ok."
Catherine shot him a dirty look before she piped up, "Sara, why don't you stay with me? I'd love to have you and you can stay as long as you need."
"Or," Nick broke in, "you can stay with me. I have plenty of room too."
Sara had risen up from her chair and was slowly making her way to the door, not looking at anyone in the room. "It's ok," she mumbled, "I'm going to stay at a hotel, for a few days, I want to be alone."
"That's not a good idea, Sara," Catherine began, while Nick seconded her with a 'yeah.' Sara turned to face them, a sad but stubborn expression on her face. "I appreciate your concern, but…"
Grissom listened to the argument about where Sara was staying, and all of her objections to their plans, with growing interest. He thought he might have to step in, since he knew on a personal as well as a professional level that Sara wouldn't say no to staying at his place. As he opened his mouth to speak, another voice beat him to it.
"You are staying with me." Warrick had come up behind her and stood with his arms folded across his chest. When Sara turned, he stared down into Sara's eyes, a feat not many could replicate. Sara glared back, folding her arms and mimicking his stance perfectly. From the side, they looked like a couple of gunfighters, staring each other down before the big showdown.
"Warrick, I'm staying at a hotel," she told him in a tone that allowed for no disagreement.
"No way, Sara. We agreed." Her face screwed up in confusion and she was about to protest when he raised his finger and cut her off. "We agreed on joint-custody. You are not going to leave me with an infant kitten while you go off and live it up in some strip hotel with room service and an in-room masseuse."
Her eyes were deceptively cool as she surveyed the stubborn expression on his face "Don't tell me you are playing the kitten card."
"Damn straight."
"That's low."
"And leaving me with a new kitten isn't? Think about it, while you are standing here being stubborn, our kitten is all alone in that new big scary house just waiting for someone to come home and play with him." Sara watched as his mouth stretched into a hard line, like he was trying to keep from smiling or laughing, but an amused twinkle in his eyes ruined his attempt.
Her eyes narrowed. "You think a blatant appeal to my emotional sentimentality will work?" Sara got the words out without cracking, but the twinkle in Warrick's eyes ended up being her undoing. She was amazed she got the kitten card line out without laughing, but now her mouth was already twisting into a half grin and she knew she was lost.
"Yup," he said, triumphantly as an infectious smile spread across both their faces. Their friends watching them from the table were amazed at how the mood had lightened in the space of just a few moments. Warrick shook his head in mock-dismay. "The kitten card? Talk about low…" he moaned, causing Sara to chuckle.