ANAGRAMMATICALLY CORRECT

Catherine Willows felt much better when she'd returned from a long dinner break. She still had a headache, but she managed to effectively block out the pain with her determination to resolve the case. Walking through the halls of the lab, she passed Nick and Warrick who were heading to trace to make progress on their ongoing case. They acknowledged her briefly as she passed. She rounded a corner and made her way to Archie's lab, hoping that he had managed to decode the entire anagram.

As she walked, she turned the words over in her head. 'O Forever More' can be turned into For Eve Romero, she thought, confirming that each letter had been used. It made sense if Bruce had intended the gold bracelet to be for her, as Brass as informed her on his cellphone during her break.

In the office, Archie looked up from his work. "You're just in time, Catherine. I've come up with two logical anagrams: "Save the World" and "Dwarves Hotel".

She considered the two rearrangements of the phrase. " 'Save the World' is good advice for an environmentalist, especially from one to another," Catherine thought aloud.

"Didn't Brass report that Eve's sister was staying at the Dwarves Hotel?" Archie asked.

"Yeah," Catherine said. "I know." She paused for a moment, her eyes roaming aimlessly; the telltale sign of thought processing. "Thanks, Archie. You've been a big help," Catherine said, and left the room to go find Sara.

"Hey, Gris," Sara Sidle said as she came from the interrogation room into Grissom's office. He was reclined in his chair, his head tilted upward as he tapped his pen against his chin. His eyes were squinting and focused, as if they were seeing something surreal other than the things that lined his wall. Sara simply stood in the doorway and leaned up against the frame. It was strange to her that he didn't respond, but figured it no more than him being typically lost in his thoughts. After a moment, he inhaled deeply and turned towards the door.

"Oh, hi Sara. How are things?" Sara looked confused for a moment, seemed to consider something in her head, and then sat down before Grissom's desk.

"We're doing well on the case, I think. Bruce Romero hasn't admitted to anything yet, but we found inconsistencies with his stories and the evidence."

"What do you think?" Grissom asked, his lips pouted into a smile.

"I think that he knew there were issues between Eve and Ava, and I don't think he was out of town last week."

"Where's the evidence?"

"Brass is asking members of RES if they knew about Bruce Romero's business trip, and they're bringing in Ava Laerton, Eve's sister, for questioning. If they can attest for Bruce Romero's whereabouts, we'll have a stronger hold on this case."

"That's good work, Sara." Grissom said with a smile. "You're diligent and hard-working. I admire that about you." Sara was surprised by Grissom's comments. Things between them had been unusual, but now he was showing signs of bridging the gap in their relationship. Unsure of what to say, she smiled. They held each other's gazes for a few moments until Catherine walked in and they were jolted from their hypnotized states.

"Sara," Catherine said, slightly out of breath.

She turned to her, her mouth opening as if to say one thing, and then she said another. "Hi." She sounded almost cold. Catherine looked sheepish for a second, and Grissom watched awkwardly.

"Well, I've got more news on the case. Remember how Bruce Romero said that Ava had been staying at the Dwarves Hotel? Well, the letters in 'Shadow Velter' can be rearranged to spell 'Dwarves Hotel'."

"And," Grissom added, " 'Save the World'." The two women turned to Grissom in astonishment. He grinned and shrugged. "It's fairly obvious."

"Yeah," Catherine said before turning back to Sara. "Anyways, I think we should check out the Dwarves Hotel and see if they have any information. Maybe you and Warrick could—"

"Actually, I was hoping I could stay for Ava Laerton's interrogation."

"I'd rather you went to the hotel."

"I was there for Bruce Romero's interrogation," Sara protested. "I think it best that we stay consistent—"

"But it's my case," Catherine said with finality.

Sara went to speak but thought better of it. "Fine," she said quietly. Catherine turned away and went to update Warrick on the goings on.

Sara started, "Grissom, I—"

"I know," he said.

"I'm worried about her." They stared at one another for a moment before she left the office and headed towards the lab's exit. She swung the door open and let it slam shut behind her.