Insecure

by QTR

An eleven year old girl dies in front of her house while her parents are home. Grissom and his team go out to prove that it was murder. Sara gets emotionally involved with the case, and later, ends up in a life threatening situation.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Written by: (name not disclosed)
Created by: Anthony E. Zuiker
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Summary: The team investigates the murder of an eleven-year-old girl. New evidence later reveals that the girl's mother and father fought around their household, making the girl very insecure and emotionally scarred. The case gets very emotional for Sara.
Episode: Insecure

EXT.- Nighttime- Las Vegas
(Sky view. Shows a house in the country. Yelling is heard in the background.)
CUT TO:

INT.- Nighttime- House
OLIVIA JOHNSON: I told you! Just shut the hell up, you fat bastard!
JASON JOHNSON: No! You should leave me the hell alone, you bitch!
(Indistinct yelling)
CUT TO:

INT.- Nighttime- House
JANIE JOHNSON: (stands in her room with her door cracked open a little, watching.)
CUT TO:

EXT.- Early Morning- Front of Johnson's House
(Police sirens are heard in the distance)
BRASS: Vic's name was Janie Johnson.
GRISSOM: (standing by BRASS) She was so young. Where're the parents?
BRASS: Over there.
(BRASS points to the parents, standing next to each other.)
CUT TO:

EXT.- Early Morning- Front of Johnson's House
(A car drives up to the scene and parks in front of the house. SARA walks out from the car.)
SARA: What'd we got?
GRISSOM: 11-year-old girl. Murdered.
BRASS: -In front of her house. While her parents were home.
SARA: Sounds fishy.
GRISSOM: Exactly.

END OF TEASER
OPENING CREDITS
COMMERCIAL SET

EXT.- Early Morning- Front of Johnson's House
(They all gather evidence)
GRISSOM: Sara?
SARA: Yeah?
GRISSOM: Go to the autopsy. They're taking the body now.
SARA: Right.
(SARA leaves)
CUT TO:

INT.- Early Morning- CSI Lab
ROBBINS: Well, there was definitely a struggle- bruises and defensive wounds on her arms and wrists.
SARA: Makes sense. COD?
ROBBINS: COD was a swift blow to the head.
SARA: There was no weapon recovered at the crime scene.
ROBBINS: No weapon was used.
SARA: What do you mean?
ROBBINS: She was beaten to death.
(Camera holds on SARA)
ROBBINS: She was beaten post-mortem.
SARA: Killer wouldn't stop- sounds personal.
CUT TO:

EXT.- Early Morning- Crime Scene
GRISSOM: Finish questioning the parents? (To BRASS)
BRASS: They're not talking.
GRISSOM: Are they in shock…or are they trying to protect themselves?
CUT TO:

INT.- CSI Lab- Later Morning
(Sara's looking at pictures from the autopsy)
SARA: No weapon marks…it was all bare hands…
CUT TO:

(JANIE JOHNSON BEING BEATEN)

END OF FLASHBACK
RESUME

(Sara sighs, thinking about something else. NICK enters.)
NICK: Grissom found footprints at the crime scene. It seems they were a match to the Vic and her parent's. They were far apart, as if they were chasing her.
SARA: Son of a bitch.
(SARA exits)
NICK: Sara?

FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL SET
INT.- CSI Lab- Day
(GRISSOM'S walking through the lab. He spots CATHERINE and walks up to her.)
GRISSOM: Where's Sara?
CATHERINE: Uh, Nick said she just left.
GRISSOM: She just left?
CATHERINE: Yeah, I know, sounds weird.
(GRISSOM thinks for a minute.)
CATHERINE: Oh, Greg tested the blood on the parent's hands, came back a match to the Vic's.
(Camera holds on GRISSOM)
CUT TO:

INT.- Sara's Apartment- Bedroom- Afternoon
(SARA is sitting on her bed in the dark. Tears are running down her face.)
SARA: (quietly) She was running…
CUT TO:

EXT.- Nighttime- Front of Johnson's House
(JANIE, running and being followed.)
END OF FLASHBACK
RESUME

(SARA'S phone rings; the answering machine picks up.)
GRISSOM: (over phone) Sara, if you can hear me, the blood on the parent's hands was a match to the Vic's. (sighs) Thought you'd want to know. (hangs up)
(SARA looks around and dries her eyes again.)
CUT TO:

INT.- Interrogation Room- Late Afternoon
(BRASS is sitting with JASON and OLIVIA JOHNSON)
BRASS: Admit it, you both killed your daughter.
(Both are silent for a long moment.)
(SARA comes in and sits down. BRASS watches her.)
SARA: You can choose to deny it all you want, but you killed her. And by god, I'm going to do a damn good job to make sure you both get convicted.
JASON: She was a bitch.
OLIVIA: We hated her.
SARA: You two are the bitches.
(Long silence)
SARA: Arrest them.
(SARA leaves. BRASS watches her and then leaves with her. An officer arrests OLIVIA and JASON JOHNSON.)
CUT TO:

INT.- Late Afternoon- CSI Lab- Hallway
(BRASS stops SARA)
BRASS: What the hell was that about?
SARA: Nothing.
BRASS: Nothing?
SARA: That's right, you heard me.
BRASS: Have you been drinking?
SARA: No, I can't believe you would ask me that. I need to be alone, all right?
(SARA walks away)
BRASS: (calls back to her) Just take care of yourself!
(Camera holds on SARA leaving until she goes out of frame.)
FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL SET

INT.- Evening- CSI Lab
(WARRICK, CATHERINE, NICK, and GRISSOM are sitting in the break room)
WARRICK: I haven't seen Sara today, what happened to her?
NICK: Not sure.
CATHERINE: She's been acting strange.
GRISSOM: Strange?
(GRISSOM stares at all of them)
GRISSOM: Your assumptions aren't always correct. Maybe this is normal for her.
CATHERINE: I doubt it…
NICK: Maybe Grissom's right, maybe this is normal.
(BRASS enters)
BRASS: Oh, this isn't normal. She just bitch-slapped the Vic's parents about an hour ago.
CATHERINE: Did you just say 'bitch-slapped?'
(BRASS shrugs)
NICK: Sounds like typical Sara.
WARRICK: Why did she do it?
GRISSOM: Nobody knows…
CUT TO:

INT.- Evening- Sara's Apartment- Kitchen
(The lights are off in SARA'S house. Her phone rings. The answering machine picks up.)
BRASS: (over answering machine) Sara, the parents are going to be released tonight. We have no proof for a conviction.
(Hangs up)
(SARA sighs. She opens a beer and starts drinking.)
CUT TO:

INT.- Evening- CSI Lab- Break Room
CATHERINE: You call Sara? (To BRASS)
BRASS: Yeah, she didn't pick up.
NICK: She's probably home.
WARRICK: Maybe we should just give her some space, guys.
GRISSOM: Maybe…
WARRICK: What do you mean?
GRISSOM: (blinks) Oh, nothing. I'll see you guys later.
(GRISSOM exits)
CUT TO:

INT.- Late Evening- Sara's Apartment- Kitchen
(SARA drops a beer bottle on the floor and it shatters. She walks around, woozy from drinking, and gets into her car. She starts it up and pulls out of the parking lot.)
CUT TO:

(GRISSOM, at SARA'S apartment, seeing she's left. He goes the way she went.)
CUT TO:

(SARA, her vision getting a bit blurry, and she's swerving between lanes on the highway.)
CUT TO:

GRISSOM
(Continues following her.)
CUT TO:

SARA
(Closes her eyes, and starts going off the road.)
CUT TO:

GRISSOM
(Sees this and drives faster over to her.)
CUT TO:

SARA
(Car goes through the concrete wall blocking the river, and goes over into the water.
CUT TO:

GRISSOM
(Runs out of car and jumps into the river. He looks to see SARA inside of the car, eyes closed, still buckled. GRISSOM opens a side door and gets inside and unbuckles her and swims to the surface. The car sinks.)
GRISSOM: (holding SARA, gets to the surface gasping for breath.)
(By now, cars have stopped and have seen the whole thing.)
GRISSOM: Call an ambulance!
CUT TO:

INT.- Nighttime- Hospital
(GRISSOM sits in the waiting room with his head down. A doctor walks up to him.)
DOCTOR: Mr. Grissom?
GRISSOM: (standing up) Yes?
DOCTOR: Come with me.
(GRISSOM follows the DOCTOR into a room set aside from all the others.)
DOCTOR: Have a seat, Mr. Grissom.
(GRISSOM sits down in one of the chairs, as does the DOCTOR)
DOCTOR: (sighs) Mr. Grissom…we have determined from a blood test…that Ms. Sidle had a large dose of alcohol in her system.
GRISSOM: So she was driving intoxicated?
DOCTOR: Yes…she had a very dangerous amount of alcohol in her system…she must've passed out.
GRISSOM: I see…
DOCTOR: Mr. Grissom, did Ms. Sidle have a history of drinking and driving?
(Camera holds on GRISSOM)
FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL SET

INT.- Nighttime- Hospital(WARRICK, NICK, CATHERINE, BRASS, and GRISSOM are standing outside SARA'S room.)
WARRICK: (sighs) I can't believe it.
NICK: I mean, Sara of all people…
CATHERINE: I never would've guessed.
GRISSOM: (frustrated) That's enough, guys.
(The DOCTOR comes out of her room.)
DOCTOR: She's awake now; you can talk to her.
GRISSOM: Thank you.
(WARRICK, CATHERINE, GRISSOM, and NICK enter her room.)
WARRICK: Hey.
SARA: (dryly) Hey…
CATHERINE: We heard about what happened.
SARA: The whole story?
NICK: The whole story.
GRISSOM: Sara, why did you do it?
(SARA sighs)
SARA: I don't know. I was angry and sad. I had a few drinks and then thought I'd go back to the lab.
GRISSOM: You drove intoxicated.
CATHERINE: You understand that, don't you?
SARA: Of course I do, I don't need everyone telling me all the time.
NICK: Sara…
SARA: Don't lecture me- I don't need it right now.
WARRICK: (sighs and leaves) Just take care of yourself.
(Everyone leaves, but BRASS finally enters the room)
BRASS: Hey, kid.
SARA: Please, don't start.
BRASS: I told you to take care of yourself.
SARA: I know.
BRASS: And then I get a call from Grissom saying you went off the side of the road in your car while driving drunk, and falling into the river. He had to get into your car and unbuckle you, then swim to the surface.
SARA: I know…
BRASS: And that's it? 'I know'? That's all you have to say?
SARA: I made a mistake, all right? I understand…
(SARA gets up)
SARA: I'm leaving.
BRASS: Not until the hospital says you can.
SARA: I'm fine.
BRASS: You had a dangerous amount of alcohol in your system.
SARA: (sighs and sits back down) Please, just leave.
(BRASS leaves)
(Camera holds on SARA)
FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL SET

FADE IN
INT.- MORNING- BREAK ROOM
(GRISSOM is sitting in the break room with CATHERINE, WARRICK, and NICK.)
GRISSOM: What do we have so far?
CATHERINE: Well, aside from the match to the blood on the parent's hands, nothing.
NICK: Great, so we're at a dead end.
WARRICK: We're right where we were from the beginning.
(They all stop talking as they realize who walks in next. It's SARA. She has a wide grin on her face and she comes in and gets some coffee.)
SARA: (noticing them staring at her) Hey.
CATHERINE: (blinks) Uh, hey.
NICK: How's it going?
SARA: Good…
WARRICK: How're you feeling?
SARA: Fine.
(They all continue to stare at her. It is silent for a long moment before SARA breaks the silence.)
SARA: Uh, see ya guys.
(SARA leaves.)
CUT TO

INT.- LOCKEROOM-MORNING
(Sara's searching through her things and pops a mint in her mouth when BRASS walks up to her.)
BRASS: Hey.
SARA: (without looking at him) Hey.
BRASS: How're you feeling?
SARA: Fine. Why's everyone asking me that?
BRASS: We're just concerned.
SARA: I'm fine.
BRASS: Sure. See ya around.
(BRASS exits and SARA sighs before slamming her locker.)
CUT TO

INT.- MORNING- CSI LAB
GRISSOM: So, the little girl was beaten to death. There was no weapon recovered at the crime scene. Girl's blood on the parent's hands, no sign of forced entry. It's obvious.
CATHERINE: So, you agree that the parents did kill the little girl.
GRISSOM: The evidence says so. The footprints belong to the little girl and her parents.
WARRICK: Saying that no one else was in or out of that house except them.
NICK: And they were running.
GRISSOM: Do we have a motive?
CATHERINE: Not exactly, but the facts support their actions. Parents fought a lot.
NICK: So the kid was exposed to violence.
WARRICK: Damn, that's gotta screw up a kid.
GRISSOM: Yes…but again, why did they kill her?
(SARA enters. She's been listening the whole time.)
SARA: Maybe they didn't need one. They were angry and they saw their kid- they could release their anger.
(SARA leaves and they all think about this.)
FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL SET

FADE IN

INT.- INTERROGATION ROOM- AFTERNOON
BRASS: No signs of forced entry at the scene, blood on both your hands; your footprints at the scene…that points to you two for the murder of your own daughter.
(Both parents are sitting together and are silent for a long moment.)
JASON JOHNSON: We fight a lot.
OLIVIA JOHNSON: Over everything. We never got along.
BRASS: Yeah, we could tell that much from watching you two together.
OLIVIA: We were fighting that night…
CUT TO:

(Indistinct yelling; JASON and OLIVIA'S voices.)

RESUME TOJASON: We saw Janie watching us…
OLIVIA: We hated our daughter.
JASON: More than we hated each other.
BRASS: So you killed her.
JASON: Damn right we did!
OLIVIA: It was either kill her or kill each other.
JASON: We were angry and we wanted to release that anger.
OLIVIA: So…the rest has already been explained.
JASON: (sighs) We never wanted a kid…
BRASS: You know that's 25 to life for murder.
OLIVIA: …She never appreciated us…
(SARA is watching from the other room and she quickly comes in the room.)
SARA: You know what? I don't believe this. You killed her and now you're trying to make it sound like you were the victim here? You say she never appreciated you. I bet she hated you most of the time. You made her life a living hell; she had no social life, no friends, not even a pet. So you know what? Don't you feel sorry for yourself, because the real victim here was Janie.
OLIVIA: What the hell do you know about the life of my daughter? You never knew her.
SARA: Oh yeah? I used to be her.
(Long pause.)
BRASS: Officer, arrest them.
(A nearby officer arrests them and SARA walks out quickly. BRASS watches her.)
CUT TO

INT.- BREAK ROOM- EVENING
(SARA is sitting in the break room by herself, staring at what's in front of her. She doesn't blink. GRISSOM is walking by and sees her and stops. He walks in.)
GRISSOM: Hey.
SARA: (sighs) Hey…
GRISSOM: Uh, Brass told me about what happened…
SARA: Oh…
GRISSOM: Yeah, I heard the whole thing…
SARA: Well, I should get going…I-I need to be alone for a while…
GRISSOM: Okay.
(SARA leaves and GRISSOM watches her.)
CUT TO

INT.- RESTERAUNT- NIGHTTIME
(CATHERINE, NICK, WARRICK, AND GRISSOM are all sitting at a table eating.)
CATHERINE: So, good job on the case, guys.
NICK: Nah, it was easy. The blood and footprints gave it all away.
WARRICK: So, uh Grissom, where's Sara?
GRISSOM: She said she needed to be alone.
CATHERINE: Is she all right?
GRISSOM: (sighs) I'm not so sure.
NICK: Hmm…
WARRICK: She's probably fine.
GRISSOM: Brass told me she's been acting a little…odd lately…
CATHERINE: How so?
GRISSOM: For instance- what she said this afternoon in the interrogation room?
CATHERINE: What?
CUT TO

INT.- SARA'S APARTMENT- NIGHTTIME
(One light is on in SARA'S apartment. She sighs as she looks at some items in a cardboard box and wipes some tears from her eyes. One item, an old ripped teddy bear catches her eye. She picks it up and brushes some dust off of it and looks at it closer. A tear runs down her face as she hugs the bear tightly.)
CUT TO

INT.- GRISSOM'S HOME- NIGHTTIME
(GRISSOM comes in and sighs as he removes his jacket and sets his keys on the counter of his kitchen. He goes to his bedroom and sits down on his bed, thinking.)
CUT TO

SARA
(SARA is now on her computer pulling up some information on the case against her mother. When she finishes, she shuts down her computer and lies on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She sighs before she turns off the light on the nightstand next to her.)
(Camera holds on SARA.)
FADE TO BLACK