Note: Wow. I apologize for the length between chapters, but I'm working on it. Thanks everyone for the kind comments regarding Entreaty thus far. It truly makes writing more enjoyable. Also, thank you Alison for being a wonderful beta !
Feedback: Very much appreciated. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think.
Side Note: My apologies for the format problems. I'm hoping this version will work!
The astonished expression on Sara's face drew Grissom to her side where he quickly found himself staring at a picture of a man sitting on a porch step surrounded by three little grinning boys. Not any man, Grissom noted in silent contemplation. He stared at the image of his biological dad and the three half-brothers he had never met. One boy was draped over the back of the man, his little cheek pressed against the side of the man's face as he laughed into the camera. The other two boys sat on his knees, their blond heads tilted so that they were smiling up into the man's unsmiling face. They appeared to be identical, and Grissom assumed that at least one of these boys was Kyle; the older boy must be the Tom that he had been mistaken for by both Emily and the Calienta resident outside of the City Hall years before.
Sara gripped his upper arm as she felt the tension course through his body and his face transform into that of a stone mask.
"Are you okay?" Sara asked him. She had the distinct impression that her words fell on deaf ears as he shrugged off her hand and continued to stare at the picture. Sara tucked her empty hand into her pocket and turned back to gaze at the picture. "It is eerie how similar you two look." Then, striving for some humor in the awkward atmosphere Sara joked, "Did you inherit anything from your mom?"
She regretted the words as soon as they slipped from her mouth and immediately berated herself for being insensitive. The mask had slipped from Grissom's face for a second and she had the briefest glimpse of the hurt hiding inside when he spun on her with an indescribable expression, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then turned away.
"Grissom---" Sara's apology was cut off by the return of Elaine, who looked between the two of them with puzzled eyes.
"Thank you both for driving all the way out here." Elaine picked up a stuffed panda bear and hugged it close. She looked around at the room and shrugged with a slight frown. "I apologize for the mess. Keeping the house straight has not been at the top of my priority list the past few days."
Sara gave her a polite smile and decided to get straight to the point of Elaine's earlier phone call.
"What new information do you have, Elaine?" Sara asked this without looking in Grissom's direction.
"It may be nothing." Elaine turned a light shade of pink. "Agent Bleacher didn't seem to think so when I called and told her."
Sara waited for Grissom to speak and shot him an irritated look when he failed to do so. In fact, he kept his body turned slightly away from her and his eyes remained locked on some far away memory. She was not sure he even heard Elaine or her comment.
"We can decide if it's important, Elaine." Sara assured her with what she hoped was a confident voice. Elaine was staring at the mute Grissom, but with Sara's words she turned and spoke to her in a much less certain tone.
"I found a note in Andrew's dresser." Elaine said, her voice faltering.
To Sara's dismay, she watched Elaine dig into her pocket and pull out a folded paper. Grissom groaned slightly, alerting Sara to the fact that he was at least aware of the conversation, but he made no move to retrieve the note.
Sara asked that Elaine open the paper so that she could read it in an attempt to keep fingerprints to a minimum. The note was very short, typed and to the point.
Bran Road
Sunday, 7pm
Bring your dad
Sara read the note aloud and then shot a look towards Grissom to see if it piqued his curiosity. It had. She could tell by the way his brow furrowed and he tilted his head in thought.
"I'm not sure that I understand why the Feds wouldn't be interested in this." Sara mused aloud. Bran Road was not far from The Mojave Desert and thus where Kyle's car had been found.
Standing abruptly, Grissom left the room without saying a word, leaving Sara to stare after him with bewilderment. Sara turned back to Elaine who appeared as though she were about to burst into tears as she began to crumple the note in her shaking hand.
"No!" Sara leapt across the short distance to grab the other woman's arm. "That note is evidence. It could prove very important in finding your husband and son."
"Gil doesn't seem to think so." Elaine held the note out to Sara. "Here, take this. I don't want it."
"I need gloves and an evidence bag." Sara explained and made no move to take the paper from Elaine.
"Put it in here." Grissom spoke from beside Sara, who jumped and spun around to find him holding an evidence bag out towards Elaine.
Confusion etched Elaine's face as she dropped the note into the bag. "You do think it is important?"
"Of course," Grissom was in his investigative mode now and it pleased Sara that he was taking an active interest. Holding up the bag he now spoke to Sara. "Let's collect what we can, Sara, and then go from there."
"Thank you Gil!" Elaine hugged him impulsively, causing a startled Grissom to tense perceptively as he shot Sara a helpless look.
Elaine did not appear to notice as she led them down the hallway to a bedroom where she had stored the camping equipment. Walking directly behind Elaine was Sara, followed by a still recovering Grissom.
"Elaine," Sara said as they paused outside of a closed door that displayed a rock sign that spelled ANDREW'S ROOM . ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. "Do you have any idea who could have given that note to Andrew? Or why the person would want your husband to come with him?"
Shaking her head in the negative, Elaine wrapped a still shaking hand around the door knob that lead to her son's refuge. She hesitated for a long minute. "I have been so busy with Emily and Mattie the past few weeks that I haven't had a chance to even sit down and talk with Andrew the way we used to do. It wasn't until this morning when I found that note that I realized Andrew hasn't given me a morning hug in over a week the way he has ever since I can remember." She twisted around and stared at Sara with troubled eyes.
"Andrew is such an open fun- loving boy and I took that for granted. I didn't even realize it when he stopped laughing and smiling." Tears welled up in her eyes as she let her hand fall from the door knob. "You can go on in, but I need to check on Mattie."
Sara watched as Elaine almost stumbled down the hall and she could not help but wonder who Mattie was. Watching her expression, Grissom pointed to the door and said with more emotion than she thought he would exhibit.
"Shall we check out the camping equipment, Sara?"
With a nod, Sara turned the handle on the door and stepped inside Andrew Gile's room.
TBC
Feedback: Very much appreciated. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think.
Side Note: My apologies for the format problems. I'm hoping this version will work!
The astonished expression on Sara's face drew Grissom to her side where he quickly found himself staring at a picture of a man sitting on a porch step surrounded by three little grinning boys. Not any man, Grissom noted in silent contemplation. He stared at the image of his biological dad and the three half-brothers he had never met. One boy was draped over the back of the man, his little cheek pressed against the side of the man's face as he laughed into the camera. The other two boys sat on his knees, their blond heads tilted so that they were smiling up into the man's unsmiling face. They appeared to be identical, and Grissom assumed that at least one of these boys was Kyle; the older boy must be the Tom that he had been mistaken for by both Emily and the Calienta resident outside of the City Hall years before.
Sara gripped his upper arm as she felt the tension course through his body and his face transform into that of a stone mask.
"Are you okay?" Sara asked him. She had the distinct impression that her words fell on deaf ears as he shrugged off her hand and continued to stare at the picture. Sara tucked her empty hand into her pocket and turned back to gaze at the picture. "It is eerie how similar you two look." Then, striving for some humor in the awkward atmosphere Sara joked, "Did you inherit anything from your mom?"
She regretted the words as soon as they slipped from her mouth and immediately berated herself for being insensitive. The mask had slipped from Grissom's face for a second and she had the briefest glimpse of the hurt hiding inside when he spun on her with an indescribable expression, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and then turned away.
"Grissom---" Sara's apology was cut off by the return of Elaine, who looked between the two of them with puzzled eyes.
"Thank you both for driving all the way out here." Elaine picked up a stuffed panda bear and hugged it close. She looked around at the room and shrugged with a slight frown. "I apologize for the mess. Keeping the house straight has not been at the top of my priority list the past few days."
Sara gave her a polite smile and decided to get straight to the point of Elaine's earlier phone call.
"What new information do you have, Elaine?" Sara asked this without looking in Grissom's direction.
"It may be nothing." Elaine turned a light shade of pink. "Agent Bleacher didn't seem to think so when I called and told her."
Sara waited for Grissom to speak and shot him an irritated look when he failed to do so. In fact, he kept his body turned slightly away from her and his eyes remained locked on some far away memory. She was not sure he even heard Elaine or her comment.
"We can decide if it's important, Elaine." Sara assured her with what she hoped was a confident voice. Elaine was staring at the mute Grissom, but with Sara's words she turned and spoke to her in a much less certain tone.
"I found a note in Andrew's dresser." Elaine said, her voice faltering.
To Sara's dismay, she watched Elaine dig into her pocket and pull out a folded paper. Grissom groaned slightly, alerting Sara to the fact that he was at least aware of the conversation, but he made no move to retrieve the note.
Sara asked that Elaine open the paper so that she could read it in an attempt to keep fingerprints to a minimum. The note was very short, typed and to the point.
Bran Road
Sunday, 7pm
Bring your dad
Sara read the note aloud and then shot a look towards Grissom to see if it piqued his curiosity. It had. She could tell by the way his brow furrowed and he tilted his head in thought.
"I'm not sure that I understand why the Feds wouldn't be interested in this." Sara mused aloud. Bran Road was not far from The Mojave Desert and thus where Kyle's car had been found.
Standing abruptly, Grissom left the room without saying a word, leaving Sara to stare after him with bewilderment. Sara turned back to Elaine who appeared as though she were about to burst into tears as she began to crumple the note in her shaking hand.
"No!" Sara leapt across the short distance to grab the other woman's arm. "That note is evidence. It could prove very important in finding your husband and son."
"Gil doesn't seem to think so." Elaine held the note out to Sara. "Here, take this. I don't want it."
"I need gloves and an evidence bag." Sara explained and made no move to take the paper from Elaine.
"Put it in here." Grissom spoke from beside Sara, who jumped and spun around to find him holding an evidence bag out towards Elaine.
Confusion etched Elaine's face as she dropped the note into the bag. "You do think it is important?"
"Of course," Grissom was in his investigative mode now and it pleased Sara that he was taking an active interest. Holding up the bag he now spoke to Sara. "Let's collect what we can, Sara, and then go from there."
"Thank you Gil!" Elaine hugged him impulsively, causing a startled Grissom to tense perceptively as he shot Sara a helpless look.
Elaine did not appear to notice as she led them down the hallway to a bedroom where she had stored the camping equipment. Walking directly behind Elaine was Sara, followed by a still recovering Grissom.
"Elaine," Sara said as they paused outside of a closed door that displayed a rock sign that spelled ANDREW'S ROOM . ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. "Do you have any idea who could have given that note to Andrew? Or why the person would want your husband to come with him?"
Shaking her head in the negative, Elaine wrapped a still shaking hand around the door knob that lead to her son's refuge. She hesitated for a long minute. "I have been so busy with Emily and Mattie the past few weeks that I haven't had a chance to even sit down and talk with Andrew the way we used to do. It wasn't until this morning when I found that note that I realized Andrew hasn't given me a morning hug in over a week the way he has ever since I can remember." She twisted around and stared at Sara with troubled eyes.
"Andrew is such an open fun- loving boy and I took that for granted. I didn't even realize it when he stopped laughing and smiling." Tears welled up in her eyes as she let her hand fall from the door knob. "You can go on in, but I need to check on Mattie."
Sara watched as Elaine almost stumbled down the hall and she could not help but wonder who Mattie was. Watching her expression, Grissom pointed to the door and said with more emotion than she thought he would exhibit.
"Shall we check out the camping equipment, Sara?"
With a nod, Sara turned the handle on the door and stepped inside Andrew Gile's room.
TBC