Note: I plead the fifth on Calienta and any of its inhabitants including
the police. Never been there, but I hope any descriptions are believable.
Sara drove along the scenic Highway 93 towards Calienta, all the while casting furtive glances towards Grissom, who appeared lost in thought as he stared out of the passenger side window.
The silence that had descended between them was surprisingly comfortable given the circumstances and Sara was loath to break the mood. However, she had some more questions for Grissom that were gnawing at her mind. Such as, why had Kyle Giles taken his teenager camping in the Mojave Desert of all places? There were so many beautiful and much safer areas around Nevada to spend the weekend. She knew this as fact because she had taken to spending her off days exploring these places on her quest to "get a life."
"Gris?" Sara decided to break the silence as they reached Newman Canyon with its towering and almost transparent sandstone walls encasing them on either side. She knew they were drawing closer to Calienta and thus to Elaine Giles home, so she felt compelled to take advantage of the time left. Pulling a folded piece of paper from the bag beside her, she handed it to Grissom who took it with reluctance. "I found that on the internet. I suppose you have already seen pictures of Kyle and Andrew?"
He had. Grissom had been to the police station in Calienta where they had the images on flyers to send faxes across the country. The hope was that someone would recognize the faces. Opening the paper that Sara handed to him he stared at the strangers once more. The only recognition he drew from the men was the recollection of the flyers that he had seen two days prior. He could see no resemblance to the half-brother Kyle and himself but his eyes narrowed on the face of the boy. He saw himself in Andrews chin and in the hint of a smile that played around the boy's lips. He could not deny that he was related to this teenager, that they shared DNA. Another stranger and one he would possibly never meet.
Sara glanced across the seat at Grissom and her heart ached with the pain she saw etched on his weary face.
"Grissom?" Sara was unsure how to proceed, but determined to press through the new tension. "Have you spoken with anyone else about this? Brass? There may be something he could do on his end to help find them."
"I don't want to drag Jim into this--yet." Grissom folded the paper again and tucked it back into the bag that lay on the seat between them. He stared out of the front windshield now as they passed a sign welcoming them to Calienta. "You need to turn on the fifth street to the left, Sara. Elaine lives on 754 West Allen St."
"Okay." Sara swallowed over the next question she had been processing for the majority of the trip. "Why did Kyle take his son camping in the Mojave Desert, Grissom? Did Elaine give you any reason for that?" Grissom kept his eyes on the scenic building they were passing. The City Hall was a former Spanish-California passenger depot that had been built in 1923. Grissom had passed through Calienta before, several years ago, as he made his way to a beetle race in the Humboldt National Forest. He had stopped at the former depot on impulse and did a brief exploration of the building that now claimed the City Hall, chamber of commerce and a library. After receiving several odd looks from practically each individual he met, he high tailed it out of Calienta with an odd feeling jabbing his gut. Only now did he realize that it had something to do with his half-brother and that brother's family. The eeriness that pricked his brain at the thought of being in such close proximity to the now missing men was unsettling. Had he passed Kyle on the street? Or Andrew for that matter? Would they have seen him and not approached him? One woman had even called him by some name- -Tim or Tom, he could not recall. That had been when he was about to get into his car. Pushing the uneasiness aside he had driven on to Ely and chosen another route back to Vegas.
"Grissom?" Sara prompted as she turned left onto West Allen Street.
They had pulled up in front of a two story white clapboard house with a wrap around porch when Grissom turned towards her and finally responded.
"I don't know why." He answered with a puzzled frown. "I didn't even think to ask Elaine that question."
Sara was not sure what to say to that admission. Usually Grissom thought of every angle when he was investigating a crime, and the fact that he had failed to ask such a basic question was not like him. It only proved to her once more that Grissom was more shaken by this whole situation than he let on.
Grissom closed the car door and kept his hand on the handle for the time it took Sara to close her own door and walk around the car to where he stood.
"Are you up to this Grissom?" Sara touched his arm with concern as he finally pushed away from the car and turned towards the house.
"Let's get this over with." Grissom replied in that weary tone that he had used when first knocking on her apartment door.
They walked up the five steps to the porch and Sara took in the array of toys that were strewn across the light gray planks. A baby doll sat in a rocking chair next to the door and Sara realized for the first time since Grissom's confession that there were more children in Kyle Giles family than Andrew. The newspaper article had failed to mention siblings.
Sara was not sure what she had expected Elaine Giles to look like, but the woman that opened the door did not fit the expectation that she had somehow cultivated on the drive to Calienta.
Elaine was almost as tall as she was, her emerald eyes taking in the two investigators with a deep sadness. Deep auburn hair framed a flawless complexion and a wide smile greeted them with pleasure that did not reach her wide eyes.
"Welcome," Elaine held out her hand to Sara and then Grissom before opening the door a bit wider and stepping aside. "I'm only sorry that we have to meet during such tragic circumstances."
Sara nodded in acknowledgment of this statement and followed Grissom into the foyer of the Giles home. The floor inside mimicked the porch floor as toys lay scattered about the hard wood floor in disarray.
Elaine motioned towards a door that led to a den and asked them if they would make themselves at home while she checked on Emily.
The den was littered with toys just as the foyer and porch and Sara had to grimace at the mess. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her beige jeans to keep from picking up the toys and putting them in some kind of semblance of order. A loud squeak made Grissom jump as he had to side step a stuffed animal. Sara bit back a grin as Grissom glared at the offending creature before settling on the off white sofa with a groan of annoyance.
Careful to avoid the toys Sara moved to a wall that was covered with pictures. The first one that caught her eye was of a small boy with dark hair and a familiar grin. She recognized him as a younger version of the teenager in the newspaper article.
"That's Andrew." Elaine said from the doorway, a catch in her voice making the little girl in her arms turn worried eyes towards Sara.
The child was the spitting image of Kyle Giles. "Hi there." Sara said with the awkwardness she usually exhibited around young children evident in her voice.
"This is Emily." Elaine hugged the child tight, her eyes welling up with unshed tears as she looked at the picture behind Sara.
"I'm two!" Emily informed them with a tiny voice.
Sara nodded and glanced over at Grissom. Emily followed her eyes and spied Grissom who was staring back at the girl with an odd expression.
Emily urged her mom to place her on the floor by tugging her little body away from the woman. Elaine set her own her feet and they watched with amazement as the toddler ran straight to Grissom and flung herself against his knees.
"Unca Tom!" Emily trilled staring up at Grissom with a big smile.
"No, hon, that's-Uncle.Gil." Elaine stammered, while walking quickly towards the child and the petrified man.
Sara would have laughed at Grissom's discomfort if the sight of him with a little girl clinging to his legs had not opened a yearning in her chest that she could not explain.
A tiny frown wrinkled Emily's forehead and in that second she looked so much like Grissom that Sara had to look away.
"You not Unca Tom?" Emily asked with childish disbelief.
"Uh, no." Grissom sighed with relief when Elaine plucked the child up and was holding her close when the doorbell rang.
"My sister, Morgan, is coming to pick Emily up for the night." Elaine explained and then excused herself so she could get Emily ready to go with Morgan.
Sara turned back to the pictures on the wall and her mouth fell open as she gasped.
TBC
Sara drove along the scenic Highway 93 towards Calienta, all the while casting furtive glances towards Grissom, who appeared lost in thought as he stared out of the passenger side window.
The silence that had descended between them was surprisingly comfortable given the circumstances and Sara was loath to break the mood. However, she had some more questions for Grissom that were gnawing at her mind. Such as, why had Kyle Giles taken his teenager camping in the Mojave Desert of all places? There were so many beautiful and much safer areas around Nevada to spend the weekend. She knew this as fact because she had taken to spending her off days exploring these places on her quest to "get a life."
"Gris?" Sara decided to break the silence as they reached Newman Canyon with its towering and almost transparent sandstone walls encasing them on either side. She knew they were drawing closer to Calienta and thus to Elaine Giles home, so she felt compelled to take advantage of the time left. Pulling a folded piece of paper from the bag beside her, she handed it to Grissom who took it with reluctance. "I found that on the internet. I suppose you have already seen pictures of Kyle and Andrew?"
He had. Grissom had been to the police station in Calienta where they had the images on flyers to send faxes across the country. The hope was that someone would recognize the faces. Opening the paper that Sara handed to him he stared at the strangers once more. The only recognition he drew from the men was the recollection of the flyers that he had seen two days prior. He could see no resemblance to the half-brother Kyle and himself but his eyes narrowed on the face of the boy. He saw himself in Andrews chin and in the hint of a smile that played around the boy's lips. He could not deny that he was related to this teenager, that they shared DNA. Another stranger and one he would possibly never meet.
Sara glanced across the seat at Grissom and her heart ached with the pain she saw etched on his weary face.
"Grissom?" Sara was unsure how to proceed, but determined to press through the new tension. "Have you spoken with anyone else about this? Brass? There may be something he could do on his end to help find them."
"I don't want to drag Jim into this--yet." Grissom folded the paper again and tucked it back into the bag that lay on the seat between them. He stared out of the front windshield now as they passed a sign welcoming them to Calienta. "You need to turn on the fifth street to the left, Sara. Elaine lives on 754 West Allen St."
"Okay." Sara swallowed over the next question she had been processing for the majority of the trip. "Why did Kyle take his son camping in the Mojave Desert, Grissom? Did Elaine give you any reason for that?" Grissom kept his eyes on the scenic building they were passing. The City Hall was a former Spanish-California passenger depot that had been built in 1923. Grissom had passed through Calienta before, several years ago, as he made his way to a beetle race in the Humboldt National Forest. He had stopped at the former depot on impulse and did a brief exploration of the building that now claimed the City Hall, chamber of commerce and a library. After receiving several odd looks from practically each individual he met, he high tailed it out of Calienta with an odd feeling jabbing his gut. Only now did he realize that it had something to do with his half-brother and that brother's family. The eeriness that pricked his brain at the thought of being in such close proximity to the now missing men was unsettling. Had he passed Kyle on the street? Or Andrew for that matter? Would they have seen him and not approached him? One woman had even called him by some name- -Tim or Tom, he could not recall. That had been when he was about to get into his car. Pushing the uneasiness aside he had driven on to Ely and chosen another route back to Vegas.
"Grissom?" Sara prompted as she turned left onto West Allen Street.
They had pulled up in front of a two story white clapboard house with a wrap around porch when Grissom turned towards her and finally responded.
"I don't know why." He answered with a puzzled frown. "I didn't even think to ask Elaine that question."
Sara was not sure what to say to that admission. Usually Grissom thought of every angle when he was investigating a crime, and the fact that he had failed to ask such a basic question was not like him. It only proved to her once more that Grissom was more shaken by this whole situation than he let on.
Grissom closed the car door and kept his hand on the handle for the time it took Sara to close her own door and walk around the car to where he stood.
"Are you up to this Grissom?" Sara touched his arm with concern as he finally pushed away from the car and turned towards the house.
"Let's get this over with." Grissom replied in that weary tone that he had used when first knocking on her apartment door.
They walked up the five steps to the porch and Sara took in the array of toys that were strewn across the light gray planks. A baby doll sat in a rocking chair next to the door and Sara realized for the first time since Grissom's confession that there were more children in Kyle Giles family than Andrew. The newspaper article had failed to mention siblings.
Sara was not sure what she had expected Elaine Giles to look like, but the woman that opened the door did not fit the expectation that she had somehow cultivated on the drive to Calienta.
Elaine was almost as tall as she was, her emerald eyes taking in the two investigators with a deep sadness. Deep auburn hair framed a flawless complexion and a wide smile greeted them with pleasure that did not reach her wide eyes.
"Welcome," Elaine held out her hand to Sara and then Grissom before opening the door a bit wider and stepping aside. "I'm only sorry that we have to meet during such tragic circumstances."
Sara nodded in acknowledgment of this statement and followed Grissom into the foyer of the Giles home. The floor inside mimicked the porch floor as toys lay scattered about the hard wood floor in disarray.
Elaine motioned towards a door that led to a den and asked them if they would make themselves at home while she checked on Emily.
The den was littered with toys just as the foyer and porch and Sara had to grimace at the mess. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her beige jeans to keep from picking up the toys and putting them in some kind of semblance of order. A loud squeak made Grissom jump as he had to side step a stuffed animal. Sara bit back a grin as Grissom glared at the offending creature before settling on the off white sofa with a groan of annoyance.
Careful to avoid the toys Sara moved to a wall that was covered with pictures. The first one that caught her eye was of a small boy with dark hair and a familiar grin. She recognized him as a younger version of the teenager in the newspaper article.
"That's Andrew." Elaine said from the doorway, a catch in her voice making the little girl in her arms turn worried eyes towards Sara.
The child was the spitting image of Kyle Giles. "Hi there." Sara said with the awkwardness she usually exhibited around young children evident in her voice.
"This is Emily." Elaine hugged the child tight, her eyes welling up with unshed tears as she looked at the picture behind Sara.
"I'm two!" Emily informed them with a tiny voice.
Sara nodded and glanced over at Grissom. Emily followed her eyes and spied Grissom who was staring back at the girl with an odd expression.
Emily urged her mom to place her on the floor by tugging her little body away from the woman. Elaine set her own her feet and they watched with amazement as the toddler ran straight to Grissom and flung herself against his knees.
"Unca Tom!" Emily trilled staring up at Grissom with a big smile.
"No, hon, that's-Uncle.Gil." Elaine stammered, while walking quickly towards the child and the petrified man.
Sara would have laughed at Grissom's discomfort if the sight of him with a little girl clinging to his legs had not opened a yearning in her chest that she could not explain.
A tiny frown wrinkled Emily's forehead and in that second she looked so much like Grissom that Sara had to look away.
"You not Unca Tom?" Emily asked with childish disbelief.
"Uh, no." Grissom sighed with relief when Elaine plucked the child up and was holding her close when the doorbell rang.
"My sister, Morgan, is coming to pick Emily up for the night." Elaine explained and then excused herself so she could get Emily ready to go with Morgan.
Sara turned back to the pictures on the wall and her mouth fell open as she gasped.
TBC