Illusions

Author: Jess

A/N: You all are too kind. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. And as always, thanks to Rouch for all her help and CSI4nsicAce for making sure my grammar is correct.

Disclaimer: I still do not own CSI.

Chapter Nine

Grissom detested reporters. He knew they were useful to society and even to law enforcement on occasion, but they could also interfere in an investigation. Today was a case in point. Instead of simply proceeding to the crime scene as he had planned, he and Sara would need to deal with maneuvering around the news van, camera crew, and whichever reporter was covering this event. Most likely, he would need to say something to them. Unless…

He looked over at Sara. "Don't even think about it," she said and placed her hands up in the air. "You're the supervisor. You get to deal with the press."

She retrieved the kit from the car, and smiled at him. "And look, it's your favorite, Rebecca Hopkins," Sara continued with a twinkle in her eye.

"I could always order you to talk with them," Grissom countered and retrieved his entomological equipment.

Sara glowered at him and closed the door. "Saved by Brass," she said and breathed a sigh of relief as she watched his car pull up.

The two watched Brass open his door and curse silently under his breath. "Just what we need!" he said and walked towards them. "Hardball Hopkins and her cronies."

"Do you mind dealing with them while we take care of the scene?" Grissom asked and guided Sara towards the waiting officer without waiting for a response.

"That was mean," Sara said, trying hard not to laugh at the situation.

"He's a big boy," Grissom replied with a shrug.

He looked at the officer and wondered how long the young man had been on the force. He looked a little green in the face and very apprehensive. "Officer," Grissom said in greeting.

"Thorne, Tim Thorne," the officer said. "My partner's back down the path with the body. We set the perimeter out here so the press couldn't get a look at the body."

The young man shook his head as if he were trying to get images out of his mind. "Bugs everywhere," he said. "Just go right down the path. You can't miss it."

"Why is everyone so disgusted by bugs on a body?" Grissom asked. "It's a natural state of decomposition."

"Not everyone can be a bug aficionado like you," Sara said.

Grissom smiled as he heard the lilt of amusement in her voice. The tension in the car ride seemed to have been temporarily misplaced. He hoped that it would stay that way, but was pretty sure this respite wouldn't last long. The two followed the path for a sixth of a mile before stumbling upon a small clearing in the trees.

An older officer greeted them at the edge of the clearing. David Phillips was kneeling over the body, completing his analysis. "No one has been near the body except for the coroner," the officer stated.

Grissom and Sara nodded and simultaneously put on latex gloves. "Wow," Sara said as they looked at the body.

The victim was positioned in the same manner as the other two, but her body was riddled with a variety of insects in various stages of development. "Rigor's complete," David said and looked up at them. "Lividity is set. Your bugs will need to do the talking, Dr. Grissom."

Grissom knelt over the body and surveyed the scene before him. "No flash, Sara," he stated.

"Don't want to scare any of these guys away," she said and turned the flash off on her camera.

Grissom carefully removed two jars. He poured coffee in one. As Sara began to photograph the scene, he began to carefully collect and preserve the different species he saw on the corpse. He immersed himself in the task, labeling the different jars and placing some of the larvae in the preservation jars.

An hour later, he turned to David and nodded. "You can take the body," he said and secured the last lid.

"Sara?" Grissom asked and looked in her direction.

She was collecting the lilies from the sheet. "I've got this covered, Griss," she said without looking up. "Go take care of the bugs."

"I'll get a ride with David," Grissom stated and set the Denali keys on top of the kit she was using.

She waved a hand in acquiescence before continuing her collection. "Find me when you get back to the lab," Grissom said. "And I don't care if I'm with the Queen of England, come and get me."

Sara looked up and nodded. "Promise," she answered.

Grissom followed David and the body, silently reeling from the flash of emotion he had seen in Sara's eyes. 'Maybe I'm not too late.'


Two hours after Grissom had left, Sara Sidle signed off on the last bag of evidence. She wiped the sweat from her brow and rolled her head to try and relieve the kinks. Officers Thorne and Kim gathered a group of bags and began heading towards the Denali. Sara clicked her kit shut, removed the keys from her pocket, and unlocked the car.

"CSI Sidle!" Rebecca Hopkins' voice vibrated through the park.

'Why hasn't she left yet?' Sara groaned and turned around. "Ms. Hopkins," she said and flashed a fake smile. "I really have to go. Evidence is time sensitive."

The reporter walked quickly over to her. "I have a couple of questions for you," Rebecca said. "Is this the same modus operandi as with the body found in the desert by the KLAS helicopter?"

"No comment," Sara said and opened the driver side door. "Thanks guys," she said and waved at the officers.

"Oh come on Sara," Rebecca huffed and grabbed hold of the car door, keeping Sara from closing it. "Do the women of Las Vegas have to fear for their lives?"

"No comment," Sara repeated and looked pointedly at Rebecca's hand.

"Sara, you don't have a couple of minutes to help ease the Vegas women's minds?" Rebecca asked, smiling serenely into the camera.

"Rebecca," Sara sighed. "Right now, I need to get this evidence back to the lab in order to determine what happened and who the perpetrator is. And I cannot do my job if you are holding onto my door."

Rebecca let go of the handle, and Sara closed the door, started the engine, and drove off. She glanced out the rearview mirror and cringed. It was never a good idea to be on Rebecca Hopkins' bad side, and right now the woman was glaring daggers at the Denali. Sara shrugged and maneuvered the Denali onto the highway.

As she drove, she began to replay the evidence in her mind. The sheet, candles, and flowers used at this crime scene appeared to be a match to the other two. Hodges would need to analyze them for a definitive match. The body was positioned in the same manner as the other two. Sara hoped that the victim's fingers had not been badly damaged and that they would be able to quickly identify the woman. She would need to wait for Grissom and his bugs to pinpoint a time of death. Sara had also located fibers similar to those in the Kimberly Witt case. Hodges would need to confirm that they were in fact Vicuna.

'Which reminds me...' Sara reached across the seat and pulled her phone out of her purse. She quickly dialed in the NyeCounty police department's phone number. "Hi, Philip Davis in Trace," she said.

The receptionist transferred the call. A few seconds later, Philip Davis was on the line. "Hey, Philip," Sara said. "It's Sara Sidle from the Vegas crime lab. Did you finish your analysis on the fibers found with Angie Moore's body?"

She listened to his report. "Vicuna," she said and smiled. "Thanks, Philip."

She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the seat beside her. Each victim had come into contact with a Vicuna product. Now, all she needed to do was find the source of the Vicuna and then they'd be closer to their suspect. 'I never said this job was easy,' Sara thought as she took her exit.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation as she hit the midday traffic of downtown Las Vegas, she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel in growing agitation. 'Stop it,' she warned herself. She turned on the stereo and blinked as classical music assaulted her senses; she turned the volume down.

Sara remembered listening to the particular piece in college. She frowned as she tried to remember the composer and the song. 'Vivaldi,' she thought and smiled. 'His Four Seasons symphony. Spring.' She leaned back in the seat and let the music soak into her. It was very relaxing. 'Maybe I'll ask Griss if I can borrow the CD for my bath,' she thought and shook her head in amusement. 'I'm sure that would go over well.'

Sara breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into the crime lab parking lot. She parked the car, fished her cell phone from the seat, and autodialed Grissom's cell phone.

"Grissom," he answered.

"Hey, it's Sara," she replied. "I need help carting in this evidence."

"Are you listening to my CD?" he asked.

"It's soothing," Sara stated. "Are you coming to help me or not?"

"Be right out," Grissom informed her.

Sara heard him hang up and followed suit. She turned off the ignition, unlocked the trunk, and began removing evidence bags from the back.

"You just got back in, girl?" Warrick Brown asked from behind her.

Sara turned to see him walking towards her car and saw Nick Stokes pulling into the parking lot. "You guys are already back on?" she asked in disbelief. "How time flies."

Warrick shrugged and grabbed some of the evidence bags. "Greg's still asleep on my couch. You may want to call and wake his ass up in a few hours," Nick said as he grabbed the last two bags.

Sara shook her head in amusement. "Sorry, I wasn't much help in the 'most noble quest' as Greg called it," she said as they entered the lab.

Sara spotted Grissom walking down the hallway and called out to him. "Look who I found," she said as he joined them.

"Hey, Grissom," Nick said.

Warrick nodded at their former supervisor. Grissom nodded back. "How was poker?" he asked Warrick.

"Good game. Though, Ms. Sidle here gave me a run for my money," Warrick said and nudged Sara. "I didn't know you could play."

"I am a woman of mystery," Sara said as they entered the evidence room.

Nick and Warrick placed the bags on the counter. "We'll see you around. Have to go find the boss lady," Warrick said.

Nick gave a weak smile. "Don't forget to call Greggo, Sar," he said and followed Warrick out.

"Sorry, I didn't know the two of them were pulling in when I called," Sara said as she logged in the evidence. "How are the bugs?"

"Fine," Grissom said.

"Well, I guess I'll get the evidence to the different labs and then start processing what we have," Sara said as she wrote the last item in.

"No," Grissom said.

Sara looked up at him questioningly. "We've both been working since yesterday," Grissom began. She opened her mouth to refute him, when he added, "You were at poker for two hours, Sara, and I know you came in earlier than you were supposed to last shift."

He exited the room and left her with no choice but to follow. "What are you suggesting? I go home and meander around my apartment for a few hours before coming back?" Sara asked, her temper beginning to flare.

"No," Grissom stated and held the door open for her.

Sara reluctantly walked through it and waited for him to finish his thoughts. "Keys," he requested and held out his hand.

Sara handed him the Denali keys and watched him unlock the doors. She stood on the sidewalk, giving him a very peculiar look as he got in the car. 'Is he even going to tell me what's going on?' she wondered vehemently.

"Please get in the car, Sara," Grissom said and closed the car door.

Sara half thought of refusing and walking to her car, but her curiosity won, and she walked to the passenger side. As she buckled herself in, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Lunch," Grissom stated as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Sara raised an eyebrow. 'Lunch?'

"You'll be of no use to me tonight if you're famished," Grissom continued.

She was about to give a nasty retort when she looked at him. He smiled at her in the way he used to. Her anger was quickly squelched, and she smiled back. 'Might as well see where this is taking me,' she thought as she sank into the seat, Vivaldi'ssymphony floating all around her.