A/N – Great to hear from all of you! Things are just starting to get interesting…
Chapter 45 p.m. The Lab
The next hours had flown by quickly. Due to the pending deadline, the entire night shift was working overtime, devoting itself solely to the Dunsmore case, stopping only for bathroom breaks and the occasional weary trek to the break room for yet another cup of coffee. Nick and Warrick were analyzing the bodies, while Sara and Grissom re-examined prior evidence, and Catherine and Brass continued to interview family members in hopes of gleaning something, anything new.
By five o'clock that evening, Nick, Warrick and Sara had collapsed in the conference room. They'd been able to solidly identify one of the bodies as Amanda Lewis, based on her dental records, and Mr. Stein confirmed that the pieces of a custom silver and turquoise necklace found with another body once belonged to his wife Cheryl. Greg was still working with the degraded DNA samples in an attempt to confirm the victim's identity in that fashion. Currently they were awaiting Grissom's return from his meeting with the judge. Would the new evidence found in the desert be sufficient to hold Manny?
Catherine and Brass rather guiltily stayed away from the group, remaining in the hallway, speaking in low murmurs. Knowing Gil for as long as they had, they were both becoming concerned by his behavior. For once, he seemed to be losing his objectivity about the case. Up till now, Grissom had steadfastly refused to even discuss any aspect of Manny's offer. Catherine felt she needed Brass to update her on the details of the offer as a precautionary measure.
When Grissom stalked down the hall, words weren't necessary. His ferocious scowl revealed the verdict.
Warrick glanced up with a disbelieving shake of his head. "You're kidding? Even if the jewelry identification was a little shaky, the dental records are right on," he growled indignantly.
"And the same type of rope was used for all four women, the same type of knots," Nick's voice rose in protest. "One of the victims had stab wounds that were clearly done with a jagged edged knife, exactly like Bonnie Dunsmore's. It's a definite match to the wound track."
"I spoke with more than one judge. They don't dispute our findings and they agree that the evidence suggests that it's highly likely the same person committed all four crimes. Unfortunately, they don't believe we have enough evidence linking the suspect to any of them," Grissom reluctantly shared. "Is there any avenue we haven't explored?" he asked while sinking into a chair and avoiding Sara's probing gaze.
Nick was tired and reaching at straws. "At one point I thought he might have killed his victims on a boat due to the connections with Lake Mead but –"
Catherine had just stepped into the room. "Why bury the bodies in the desert if you can just dump them overboard. Gil, time's up. We're spinning our wheels here." She sat at the table beside him. " We have to discuss Manny's offer."
Realizing that she meant business, he pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his tired eyes. "Ok," the words seemed to drag from his depths, "let's discuss it."
"Why is he even making such an offer in the first place? That ain't right," Warrick shook his head.
"Serial killers are an arrogant bunch. They get away with it the first few times and then they need more to prolong the rush, to maintain the intensity of the experience. So they start leaving little clues, to toy with the investigators, to show how superior they are, how they're one step ahead of the game. The thrill of being so close to being caught is practically an aphrodisiac to them," Grissom explained bleakly. "Maybe even better than sex."
Catherine stated, "He claims he has physical evidence which he's willing to show Sara."
"If it's anything worth while, he'll be arrested. Why would he do that?" Nick asked.
"Because he thinks he can get away with it," Grissom emphasized. "He has many times before. Now he thinks he's going to taunt us up close and personal, right under our noses. How can his overblown ego resist? I'm sure he's stacked the scenario to suit his purposes rather than ours."
"Sara is supposed to go with him to drive to the location," Catherine explained cautiously. "Alone."
"C'mon, he's clearly picked out his next victim," Grissom protested.
Sara jumped in, "Not necessarily. I'm trained in weapon-less defense. And unlike his other victims, I know how he operates. I have a better idea of what to expect. That gives me an advantage. I can wear a wire or a tracking device so the police can monitor my progress from a discrete distance. If anything is off, they'll rush in."
Grissom's mouth momentarily hung open, disconcerted that Sara had obviously already been discussing details with Brass. "You'd be walking into a trap Sara."
"Sometimes these things have to be done Gil. We all believe this guy is dangerous; do you really want him out on the streets? He will kill again. We all know that. Look at his pattern, he's escalating." Anticipating his next comment, Catherine said, "Look, we can't negotiate terms. It's either his way or no way. We've exhausted every lead we have. We're not gonna be able to wrap this up on our own and he's gonna walk. We have a duty here. Isn't it worth the risk?" She reminded him sternly.
Becoming more disconcerted, Grissom vigorously objected, "Most likely he's lying, he just wants to play games with us. Catherine, there's no guarantee that this so-called evidence will convict him. It could be completely fabricated. All we know for sure is that it will endanger one of our people. We have no reason to trust him."
"Grissom, she's right. It's part of the job. Protect and serve, remember? I'm ready and willing to do this," Sara insisted.
"That's unacceptable," Grissom declared, strident and insistent.
"It's not like I haven't done this before. Remember, I was a decoy for the FBI during the strip strangler case?"
'And the FBI had no problems with my qualifications,' she wanted to add. Her temper was rising.
Grissom reminded her harshly, "That was on our terms, not the criminal's terms. And if you recall, I didn't agree with that plan either. This is a terrible idea."
An unsettling suspicion took root in Sara's heart, one she was unable to dismiss. Swallowing the hurt, she sarcastically commented, "Oh, so that's it. It's ok for Catherine to lead Julie Waters' suspected killer on a wild goose chase all around town. It's even ok for you to drop by suspected serial killer's homes all by yourself. But you don't think I can handle it."
The room fell silent; the others were taken aback by her not so thinly veiled accusation.
"In my office. Now!" Grissom barked harshly.
TBC