Walking to the school, he is with her. She's holding his hand. Her big green eyes look up and meet his. He can tell that she is afraid. She grasps his hand a little tighter and starts to pull at him as if to say, Let's go back home, Daddy.". They walk into the large building. An obese, menacing-looking woman comes and speaks words to him. What are they saying, she wonders? What is going to happen? She signs "Daddy, please home" The fat woman looks down at her and grimaces. She hides behind his leg. A bell ring, lights flash. Students pour out of classrooms. The bell rings and rings. Partially asleep, Grissom picks up the phone. "Hello," he manages to get out. "Grissom. This is Catherine. I'm heading over to the deaf school and you said you'd come. Shall I pick you up?" No answer. "GRISSOM!"

"I'm up, ok. (pause)deaf school.(pause) You pick me up? OK. See you in 15."

His eyes still heavy, Grissom dozed off for what only seemed like a moment just to be awakened by the sound of Catherine pounding on the door. "What are you doing to yourself," she asked. "I was there," he replied, "remembering her first day of school and how frightened she was, how quickly she'd grown up, even to be going to school. It was a dream."

It didn't take them long to reach the school. When they arrived on campus, it appeared that classes had just let out for the day as the schoolyard was peppered with little clusters of signing hands flying. "Did you let them know we'd be coming, Cath?" Gil asked. She assured him that she had and they proceeded to the main office. The same obese and menacing woman was there to greet them only she was older and somehow less menacing looking. "May I help you?" she asked. Gil deferred to Catherine. "Yes, I hope so. I contacted you earlier on the phone. My name is Catherine Willows and this is . . ." before she had the chance to finish her sentence, the woman broke in, "Mr. Grissom, Gil Grissom is that you?"

"Very astute observation, Mrs. Carter, it is me. How have you been?" he asked. In the beginning, Mrs. Carter had the reputation of being very rough on the outside, but after the first school year with her, the whole Grissom family had grown to love and appreciate her sometimes bristly demeanor. The scowl that was usually on her face softened somewhat into a straight-line, the closest she could get to a smile. She reached for Grissom almost to his utter surprise and amazement and said, "It has been a long while since we've seen you. How have you been all these years?" Grissom cocked his head to one side and shrugged his shoulders. "We've all thought of you often even after all these year. But I know that is not why you are here. I understand you are here on official business," said the woman.

"Yes," answered Catherine, "that's where I come in. Mr. Grissom is here on a consultant basis. We came here to ask questions regarding the disappearance of Katey Blanchard and the events that led up to the disappearance."

"We've had numerous officers, FBI, and other interested parties in and out of here for the last two weeks. I am really surprised that the Police found it necessary to send even more people here," the older woman replied.

"Well Mrs. Carter, the reason we have come back is that we have found Katey's body, " Catherine began, "Since the case is still hot, we're going back over old evidence and looking for new clues to find out who did this to her and if possible, why."

"Well I suppose you will want to see the headmaster, Charles Newberry," she asserted. That name sounded familiar to Grissom. "Charles Newberry…Charles…Charlie, CHARLIE NEWBERRY?" Grissom mulled his name over in his mind and finally, in an epiphany said, "Charlie Newberry, wasn't he that incredible football player for LVSD back then…" his voice trailed off. "That was him, Gil. He graduated in 1989 and went to Gallaudet to pursue a BA in Education and came back. He later received his MA in teaching and just last year became the school's headmaster."

Mrs. Carter escorted the pair into Mr. Newberry's office. "How can I help you?" asked the young Deaf man using his voice. Catherine straightened up and started to speak, "Mr. Newberry, I'm Catherine Willows and this is Gil Grissom from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We're here to discuss the Katey Blanchard case." "How can I help? We've already seen police and FBI about this matter."

"Well, actually Mr. Newberry," said Catherine, "we found Katey's body early this morning. Can you think of anyone who would want to do this to her. Were there known sex offenders living in the neighborhood? Were there any recent staff changes here at LVSD? Anything unusual at all?"

"Well, the only thing I can think of is that we have just hired a different speech teacher. She had been here when I was a student. Her name was Laura Swain. She had gone out of the state for awhile but became homesick and returned to Nevada. Naturally we were thrilled to have her back. I remember that many of my friends and I enjoyed her as a teacher. She did things her own way but we really learned."

She had been Anna's teacher, Gil remembered. "My daughter was also a student of hers many years ago," Grissom said to the young headmaster. "What was her name?" asked Charlie, "Was she a student here?"

"Yes, she was. Her name was Anna," answered Grissom

"I see," said the younger man "I am sorry for your loss. I remember that she died when I was in 10th grade here. We all were hurt and sad about what had happened."

Grissom broke in, "Thank you for your sentiment, but I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me." Catherine finished up with the headmaster and got the vital information about the speech teacher--Catherine's next interview. For now, that was going to have to wait until she found her friend.