"There must be a solution," Sara looks up at Nick desperately as they are checking the lab-room they should be working in for anything that could be usable to unlock the chains, "A damn lock can't win over us... We must find something that could help..."
"I can't say we've been lucky with that as far," he replies, pushing back another drawer.
"Damn, I can't believe it," Sara sinks down into a sitting position, leaning on the wall, "Such a well-equipped lab and nothing suitable for opening a damn lock."
"Well," Nick settles next to her with a sigh, "you should file a complaint about that..."
She grimaces, "Very funny."
"What are you awaiting from me to do?" Nick laughs, "We have tried paper-clip, hair-pin, other keys - but no luck. I don't have any other ideas. We can't search through the whole Lab with having these on," he glances at the cuffs.
Sara pouts.
"I don't want you to panick, but I think these are special locks," Nick examines the handcuffs, "I'm not sure if they can be opened with anything else than its proper keys."
"Thanks," the female CSI sneers, "you've reassured me very much. I won't panick for sure after all."
He grins, "Sara, you've sense to make double trouble. Not only you chain us together, but you do that with a special pairs of handcuffs. Good job, Sidle!"
She frowns, "I didn't ask you to chain me. This all is your fault!"
Nick chuckles.
"My God, it's hilarious! Just to remind you, Sidle, you've started it! I just played along."
"You shouldn't have," Sara sulks.
"Oh, so no one else may play but you," Nick notes mockingly, "Next time please tell me about the rules."
"There won't be next time," she murmurs.
"Thanks God!" he chuckles relieved.
"Hey," Sara snorts, "It's not fair to amuse yourself at me!"
"Another rule?" he grins. "Anyway, princess, you've got me into this situation, so you should rather not tell me how I should react! Besides, what should I do that would apply you?"
She keeps sulking in silence.
"Okay, I take it as an answer," Nick remarks.
Sara takes a deep breath and bows her head with shame.
"Sorry. I'm acting like a fool. I didn't mean to-"
Taking her cuffed hand with his, Nick looks into Sara's eyes with a warm smile.
"I know."
She blushes and returning his gaze, smiles back.
"You know what?" Nick asks, "We check out Gil's office for the keys after shift."
"Good idea," she responds appreciatively.
"Okay, then let's go back to work now," he emerges from the floor, pulling Sara up with him.
She nods and walks to the computer.
"Get started," she sits down, biting her lip.
Nick smiles and grabbing the case-file, settles beside her.
"Any success?" Nick inquires about an hour.later.
"No," she shakes her head with a pout. "No record among the missing persons or any other databases. No signs of any criminal record either."
Nick sighs.
"Then we still have a John Doe."
"Yeah," Sara nods.
"We found him on the floor of an underground garage," Nick ponders loudly, "But he had no IDs on him. What do you expect in such case?"
"That he had his IDs in his car."
"Right. But we haven't found any keys on him."
"Maybe he had lost them. Or they had been taken from him," she ponders.
"Or he didn't get there by his own car, but was given a lift. Or got there on foot," Nick guesses.
"No one remembers to have seen him. Looks like he had been only in the garage."
"The murderer was there after all," he concludes. "The question is that he or she was meeting the victim there or helped him to get there."
"We'll be more clever after learning about our victim's identity," Sara notes.
Nick nods and studies the computer-screen.
"There's something that bothers me," he says, furrowing his brows.
"Apart from my company?" Sara asks casually, while her fingers of her free right hand dances on the keyboard of the computer.
"Hey, Sar', you know that I don't have anything against your company. Only the circumstances are a bit uncomfortable... "
She stares at the screen numbly.
"So what I meant is the presence of blood at the scene," Nick continues. "Or rather the lack of blood."
"Hmmm, you're right," Sara ponders, "He had bloodstains on his shirt, but nothing on the ground of the garage. Strange."
"What about the hair we have found on his shirt?"
"According to the analyzis, it's not real," Sara smiles, "but a strain from a blonde wig."
"Hmmm, I wonder if does that belong to the person we're looking for," Nick remarks, "Wife, girlfriend or an angry female co-worker?" he grins.
"What if it's none of them?" Sara looks at him with a mysterious smile. Nick tilts his head inquiringly. "We didn't find any footprints of female shoes on the ground near the body. Only prints of some training shoes."
"So our suspect is not necessarily a woman," a suspicious smile appears on Nick's face.
"Hey you two," a sudden familiar voice interrupts their wondering.
Startled, they hide their chained hands under the desk.
"Hey, buddy," Nick greets their coworker slightly uneasily, "What's up?"
Warrick chuckles.
"If I didn't know you, I'd say you two are hiding something..." he smirks.
'If you knew...', Sara and Nick exchange a puzzled glance.
"Buddy, you fantasize too much," Nick laughes nervously.
Warrick shrugs with a grin, "Just don't tell me you don't use your imagination at times."
Sara blushes slightly, realizing that they have gotten to a kinky topic.
"Okay, you've got me," Nick jokes, "I have thoughts about you sometimes."
The afro CSI chuckles.
"Sorry, Nicky. You're not my type."
Nick grins and imitates having great pain in his chest.
"You've broken my heart," he says with a pretended wince.
Sara giggles.
"By the way, Warr'", she notes, "Catherine said that she was expecting you in the morgue. I assume she wants to talk to you."
"So it's her," Nick remarks in a teasing tone with pretended sulkiness.
"Yeah," Brown admits jokingly, "I have a date with her in the morgue. Very romantic, don't ya think?"
His friends laugh.
"Okay, guys," Warrick gets serious, "I'll be back later. I mustn't let Miss Willows wait."
"Yeah, you definitely must not do that," Sara agrees with a smile.
Saying bye to each other, Warrick walks out, while Sara and Nick averts their attention back to the computer.
"Anyway," Warrick stops in the doorway and looks back at his coworkers conspiratorially, "you two can move one's imagination as well," he smirks and leaves.
The two CSIs at the computer stare after him, jaws dropped, exchanging a puzzled, yet amused glance.
"Actually," Nick clears his throat, smirking, "you can really move my fantasy."
"Nicky, you're not as bad either," she goes along with teasing.
"Watch your words, Sar'! Telling me things like that while being tied to you might make me easily lose my head..."
"Be warned, Stokes, I can defend myself," she retorts with a grin.
Nick smirks and is about to give another teasy remark when his phone rings.
"Stokes," he picks it up. "...thanks, Doc."
"Robbins wants us to see the body," he turns to Sara after finishing the call.
Sara shoots an uneasy, slightly panicking glance at him.
"So?" she lifts their cuffed hands.
Nick nods - his look says 'I don't think we have another chance.'
"'Fraid so."
Sara sighs.
"I hope he doesn't expect us to help him with the autopsy," she rolls her eyes.