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Chapter 9

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"All right!" Catherine called out to Nick and Greg, who looked half-dead from staring at a computer screen for the third straight night in a row. "We got a description of her! That should give us the right one!"

From all the searches they'd run in three days, they'd only narrowed it down to three suspects. Lucky for them, all three of them looked different.

"Okay, the nurse said fair skin, reddish-brown hair, and dark eyes. Any of the three match that description?"

"Match!" Nick cried. "One Vivian Corinth of suburban Vegas, near Henderson. Let's page Brass and pay a little visit."

"Good call. Who'd like to do the honors?" Catherine smiled.

"Can I? I'd like my first to be a really good one!" Greg spoke up from the back of the group.

"Sure Greg-o," Nick said, tossing his phone to the young techie. "Call from the car. Let's hit the road!"

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"Okay, Ms. Sidle, you're free to go."

Sara had awoken from her catnap to find her room empty. She'd panicked momentarily, until Grissom came in with the squat nurse. He'd been glad to see her awake so that the nurse could determine if she was well enough to finish recuperating at home.

"Just remember to change the dressings every day. Here's a medication for the pain. It's pretty heavy stuff, but if you stick to the prescribed dosage, you should be fine." The nurse handed Sara the bottle with a smile and left.

"Ready to go?" Grissom asked, helping her into the customary wheelchair the doctors always seem to send patients out in. With a nod in response, he pushed her out to the parking lot and bid her to wait by the doors as he brought his car up and around.

As she waited, Sara got the odd and unsettling sensation that she was being watched, but brushed it off as Grissom pulled up, and bounded around the car to help her into the passenger seat.

She smiled. "I'm not a cripple, you know."

"Just trying to help," he said in good humor.

"Well it's not like I can't do anything. I just got shot!"

"Okay, so maybe I'll just leave you to get better on your own. Maybe I won't help you at all anymore," he said as he climbed into the driver's seat and started the car.

"No, don't!" she cried, thinking he was serious.

He laid a hand on her leg as he pulled the car out in the direction of her apartment. "I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to," he assured her.

Once they got to the apartment, Sara played the dutiful patient and took her medication. When it made her drowsy, Grissom tucked her in and sat on the end of her bed until she fell asleep.

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"I can't believe we missed her!" Nick whined as the crew settled in the break room.

"I can't believe she journals about every killing!" Warrick countered, reading from a small leather bound notebook they'd found in Vivian Corinth's house.

They'd taken it to Questionable Documents and had it compared to the signatures and writings on several filed legal documents, including her driving license. It was a match closer than any they'd ever seen.

Wearing gloves, Warrick found it difficult to turn the pages, but all the same, he was fascinated by the contents. "Listen to this. 'I wish I didn't have to do what I've been asked to do. My plans have had to change, and so have my tactics. The condemned has not been alone since the incident, so it's been difficult to observe her. But, she's been released from the hospital…'" Warrick slowed as two and two came together, " '… and her friend will have to leave in order to bring things back to stay with her. That's when I'll strike.' Oh, my God. Sara…"

At that moment Grissom walked in. "Did you find her?"

"Grissom, what are you doing here!" Catherine asked, a little harsher than originally intended.

"Sara fell asleep. Her meds kicked in and made her drowsy. I thought I'd come by and see how you guys were doing on the case. Why?"

"We gotta get over there NOW! You shouldn't have left her alone!" Catherine and the rest of the crew bolted to the parking lot, dragging Grissom with them. Cath tossed the keys to Warrick. "Drive! We'll explain on the way, Griss. Get in the car!"

As soon as all the doors were closed, Warrick tore out of the parking lot and headed straight for Sara's apartment, for once his crazy driving habits coming in handy.

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