Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! And also, thanks to Alison for being
a wonderful beta!
Closing the back of the Tahoe after placing the last evidence bag within its interior, Sara glanced up at a second floor window that overlooked the driveway. The curtain dropped instantly and all she caught was a glimpse of auburn hair reflected in the late afternoon sunlight. Shrugging off the feeling of uneasiness, she scooted into the passenger seat and swiveled her body towards Grissom.
"We need to get this evidence to someone at the lab. I'd rather have Greg process it."
Grissom turned the key in the ignition and grunted something incoherent.
"What?" Sara shook her head in displeasure. "Are we playing the guessing game, Grissom?"
He avoided looking at her as he maneuvered out of the driveway and onto the street.
"Why Greg?" Grissom finally asked.
"Why not Greg?" Sara countered. A teasing smile played around her lips as she studied his profile.
"I mean that I don't want to bring Greg into my private life." Grissom tried to clarify his reasoning, casting one sidewise look towards her to see if she would bite.
Sara shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes while turning to the window. After a minute elapsed she turned her head back towards him.
"Who would you suggest? Hodges?"
"No!" Grissom jumped, clearly startled by the mere suggestion. His reaction elicited a chuckle from the passenger side of the car. "Maybe Archie."
"Okay." Sara appeared to mull this over before she made the observation. "So, we give this to Archie and Greg catches wind of it.---and he will. Then we have two lab techs discover what is going on."
"Why would Greg find out?" Grissom argued before shaking his head in acceptance. "I see. Greg knows all in the lab."
"Greg looks up to you for some odd reason. He wouldn't spill your secrets, Grissom." Sara pressed her point, but she already knew that she had won this argument.
"I remember when---." Grissom began to say something that intrigued Sara, but dropped it before he could complete the thought.
"You remember what, Gris?" Sara needed to hear him say the rest of his thoughts aloud, but he had shut down, throwing the wall around him that had become more a part of their relationship than their work. In this past year at any rate, Sara mused.
Sara bit back these thoughts as she watched Grissom pull off of the main street and into a crowded parking lot. After some searching, he found a spot not very far from a light tan building whose sign boasted it served the best food in town.
"Sara?" Grissom bore a puzzled look as he pulled the keys from the ignition and stared out of the front windshield.
"Yeah, Gris?" Sara responded quickly. Holding her breath, she hoped that he would continue their conversation from only minutes prior.
"You never told me how you got out of work. I know that I had you on the schedule tonight."
When Sara did not respond, Grissom turned his head to stare at her, his eyes questioning. The look he received was biting, at best. Without warning, Sara opened her door and slid out of the car. She held the door open long enough to answer his question before slamming it and walking swiftly towards the building.
"Warrick is working for me tonight. Nick is picking up tomorrow night. They both owe me."
Grissom followed her to the entranceway, his steps dragging a bit more slowly. He always seemed to dig himself in deeper where Sara was concerned. He had thought it was a reasonable question considering that he was her supervisor.
Stepping into the dimly lit interior of the building, he found that Sara was speaking with a woman who appeared to be their hostess. Surveying the room, Grissom found the place had an almost romantic quality with its dark woodwork and lanterns adorning each round wooden table and booth.
"Grissom." Sara tugged on his arm and he felt himself looking from a lantern to the faces of the occupants of the restaurant.
Almost stepping back, he found that every eye in the place was fixated on him. Curiosity appeared to be the theme and he wondered if it was because he was an outsider or the fact that he apparently resembled the elusive Tom Giles.
Sara tugged on his arm again and he noticed the hostess was giving him a kind smile that could not hide her own curiosity. The woman appeared to be close to his age, her brunette hair pulled up in a bun that framed her rather full cheeks and twinkling brown eyes.
"Hello." The woman beamed at them both, her white teeth flashing in sincere friendliness. "Welcome to the Desert Springs Restaurant. My name is Bess and I own this little place along with my husband, Clayton."
She motioned for them to follow her through the restaurant. Sara pulled Grissom after her, surprised when he did not resist her handhold on his arm. He tried to avoid the open stares that they passed, table after table, and instead concentrated on the back of Sara's dark head. He now noticed that she had pulled her hair back in a pony tail between the Giles residence and this restaurant.
Bess paused beside a booth that was relatively secluded from the prying eyes of the restaurants occupants. She placed menus on the table in front of each of them and turned her attention to Grissom, giving him a big wink.
"This is a small town and people are naturally curious. I hope that you two will ignore the looks and enjoy one of the best dinners you could have this side of Vegas." She started to turn away, before hesitating. "I must say, you do resemble Tom Giles. Although Tommy is a few years younger and has a very jubilant disposition." She excused herself and left them to mull over her words and their menus.
"Grissom and jubilant." Sara snickered into her menu. "I don't know why anyone can confuse the two of you, knowing that Tom is jubilant." She stressed that word again with more pleasure than Grissom cared to admit.
"You've seen me jubilant." Grissom commented. He studied his own menu as Sara's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?" Sara asked him as a funny surreal feeling swamped her mind. Was he really going to bring up a taboo subject?
Grissom flicked an unreadable look over the top of his menu and said with a smirk. "I said that I would like a glass of wine with dinner. You?"
"You did not." Sara sat back and slapped her hand gently on the table top. "Grissom."
When he did not look up again, but appeared totally engrossed by the menu selections, she decided it wise to drop the subject for the time being. After all, she was the one who had given her word five years ago that she would never speak of what had transpired between them unless he broached the subject. She agreed that friendship was more valuable and the past was just that.the past. The question was whether or not he had broken the rules.
Grissom ordered a steak, medium rare, and a baked potato. Sara chose the vegetable plate and a beer forgoing the wine that Grissom stubbornly ordered. They ate in silence and each silently agreed that Bess had not lied about this being some of the best food they had the pleasure of enjoying.
The meal was almost over when Sara asked out of the blue.
"Why didn't you tell Catherine about any of this, Grissom?"
"Who says that I didn't." Grissom tipped the last sip of wine from his glass and avoided her eyes. "I needed someone to cover for me at work and she is the best choice."
The hurt that swept over Sara was in her voice when she spoke. "I see. So, you did tell Catherine about everything."
The flatness of this statement was not lost on Grissom and he studied her face from beneath lowered brows. He wondered what Sara thought, exactly, in regards to his friendship with Catherine. He was too wary to ask her the question and just assumed that she knew he and Catherine were bosom pals that went way back, further than their own acquaintance. He was mulling over how to respond when Bess reappeared at their table with the check.
"I've got it." Grissom grabbed for the check before Sara's outstretched hands could reach it.
"Fine." Sara brought her hands back to the table, surprising herself and him by not insisting on paying her share.
They drifted back into silence as Bess returned with his card and the check. While he was signing the check she watched him scrawl his name across the bottom and finally spoke.
"So, you are a cousin of the Giles?" Bess asked when her curiosity could not be restrained.
Grissom returned his pen to his pocket and glanced up at her expectant face.
"No."
When he did not elaborate, Bess gained confidence instead of taking the hint. "Well, you must be related to them. I know Kyle and Elaine Giles very well. And I also consider Tom a friend. I don't remember them mentioning a Gil Grissom." She shook her head in thought. "Gil.Giles. Very odd."
Sara folded her hands on the table and watched Grissom with amusement. She couldn't wait to see how Grissom maneuvered his way out of this conversation.
"We appear to share the same biological dad." Grissom admitted. He hoped that would assuage the woman's curiosity and she would leave them alone. "Dinner was delicious," Grissom added. "If you will excuse us." He looked pointedly at the spot where Bess stood, obliviously blocking his path. He could not move without forcefully pushing the woman out of the way.
"That explains it." Bess said with a thoughtful nod. Grissom's eyebrows shot up in dismay and he shot a glare at the now smirking Sara.
Bess smiled at Sara before sadness appeared to engulf her mood. "I can't believe that Kyle and Andy have disappeared. I keep expecting to see Andy and my girl, Olivia, come dashing through that door any second begging for my famous cheeseburgers."
Sara's interest piqued considerably with this new information. "Andrew and your daughter date?"
Bess shook her head in the negative, placing one hand over her ample chest. "Oh, my no. I wish they had. No, Olivia and Andy have been best friends since kindergarten." Tears welled up in Bess's eyes. "Olivia refuses to leave her room she is so upset. We can barely get her to eat."
"Do you think that we could speak with Olivia?' Sara could not keep the excitement from her voice.
"Whatever would you want to talk to Olivia about?" Bess was clearly confused by the request and she glanced nervously towards a back door.
Sara reached out to touch her arm. "We are trying to find Kyle and Andrew, Bess. We are investigators."
A curious mix of relief and dismay washed over Bess's features, but she managed a weak smile. "That's right. Elaine did tell me that she was planning to call someone in the family that she hoped would help." A frown replaced the smile. "I still don't know what Olivia can do to help you."
"There could be information that she could give us that she doesn't even realize she knows." Sara tried to explain with an encouraging smile.
"I suppose it would be okay." Bess still looked uneasy, but she relented. "If Olivia agrees to speak with you. I won't make her do that."
"Thank you, Bess." Sara smiled with warmth that caused Bess to brighten considerably.
Taking advantage of the lighter mood, Sara decided to take another tactic. "Before we speak with Olivia, would you possibly answer some questions concerning the Giles?"
"That I can do.Misses?"
"Sara. Call me Sara if you would like, Bess." Sara leaned slightly towards her and smiled openly. "What do you know about Kyle Giles and his brothers?"
Bess sent a perplexed look towards Grissom. "Don't you know them Mr. Grissom?"
"No." Grissom locked his arms at the elbows and stared at Sara. It was her show.
Sara quickly steered Bess back into the conversation. "Tell me about Kyle first, please."
"Kyle is a good man. The best attorney in town. You can ask anyone." She quickly warmed to the subject. "Kyle moved here with his mom and brothers when he was a toddler. He is a twin. Kyle and Alex are identical in looks, but not disposition." She drifted back in thought. "Tom is the oldest brother.a treasure."
Bess appeared to drift back in time as she recalled the Giles. "Tom was the oldest and made it his job to look after his mom and younger brothers. He used to work three jobs to help put his brother Alex through college."
"So Tom has stayed close with his brothers over the years? He visits often?" Sara wanted to get the conversation back onto Kyle, but the question was uttered while she sorted out her thoughts concerning what information she would like to ask.
"Tommy is like that." Bess smiled again, her eyes coming back to rest on Sara. "Andy is very much like him." She glanced at Grissom. "I would say that Mattie is a bit like you and Alex."
Grissom tensed, but kept his jaw locked. He detected a hint of disapproval in her voice and realized that Sara had the same inclination when she next spoke.
"You don't talk like you care much for Alex." Sara darted a quick look at Grissom and felt empathy for the hurt expression behind his eyes. Or, it could possibly be that it was her own hurt, at his expense, being reflected.
"That's not true." Bess waved to someone as they left a nearby table. "I didn't know him very well. Alex kept to himself and as soon as he turned seventeen he took off for New York City. He has only been back a handful of times." Bess shifted her weight and rubbed her hands together before turning and pulling up a chair.
Grissom groaned internally. Suddenly thirsty, he picked up his empty water glass and looked sullenly into its center before setting it aside.
Silently, Sara pushed her ice tea glass towards him and he stared from it to her in surprise. She was not looking at him, but appeared preoccupied with whatever family information Bess was sharing at that instance. Taking the glass he sipped the sweet liquid and almost sighed with the satisfaction it gave to him.
"I feel so sorry for Nan." Grissom heard Bess tell Sara, her face registering her distress with the brother that was much like himself, despite the fact that she did know Grissom at all.
"Who is Nan?" Sara prompted.
"Their mother." Bess waved to another customer who was approaching her with eagerness. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunchtime Abe."
Grissom noted that Abe took the hint better than Bess herself would have, and promptly turned to leave, but only after giving him another pointed stare.
"Nan lives nearby and is taking Kyle and Andy's disappearance very hard." Bess shook her head sadly. "Alex could visit more often. He hasn't even come to town after he found out about Kyle and Andy."
"Of course." Sara bit her lip and avoided looking towards Grissom. She also thought of her own parents and how infrequently she paid them visits. Her brother, Stephen, was much better in that role.
"Alex married some socialite in New York and they moved to Colorado a few years ago." Bess tried to keep the disdain from her voice and failed miserably. "I think they have several children, although I don't know much about them."
"And what about Tom?"
"Tom never married and he doesn't have children." Bess stood abruptly; bringing her ample frame out of the chair with more suppleness than either Grissom or Sara would have given her credit. "It is a shame that he doesn't have a family, but he will eventually."
"And why hasn't Tom come to town to check on Nan and Kyle's family?" Grissom asked.
Bess rolled her shoulders back and replied with a defensive glare. "He has, Mr. Grissom. In fact, he is staying with Nan."
"You wouldn't happen to have their phone numbers would you Bess?" Sara asked. Her attempt to smooth over the new tension was effective as Bess relaxed and presented her with a smile. "I can give you Nan's phone number." She excused herself to retrieve the number and check on Olivia. "I'll see if Olivia feels up to talking."
Grissom waited until she was out of earshot before he asked with a bluntness that made Sara arch a brow.
"What are you trying to accomplish by asking those questions, Sara?"
"A whole lot more than you accomplished by asking your one question, Grissom." Sara was not angry with him, but she could not get past his indifferent attitude. For the first time since wondering if he regretted coming to her home, she now thought she knew why he had.
Before either one of them could continue with their conversation they were interrupted by a deep voice and a pair of wide set gray eyes.
"My name is Clayton; I'm Bess's husband and owner of the restaurant." He nodded towards the back door. "I heard Bess talking your ears off over here and thought I would tell you to escape while you can, before she comes back. If you haven't paid, then dinner is on the house."
"Hi Clayton," Sara kept the amusement out of her voice as she introduced herself and Grissom. "Bess is checking on Olivia."
Clayton's gaze drifted past the table to the back door and his demeanor softened.
"Olivia! Sweetie!" Clayton held his arms out towards a teenager who approached them with apparent half heartedness. "I'm so glad you decided to come out of your room."
Sara turned towards the doorway and froze. Andrew's picture had just walked into the room.
TBC
Closing the back of the Tahoe after placing the last evidence bag within its interior, Sara glanced up at a second floor window that overlooked the driveway. The curtain dropped instantly and all she caught was a glimpse of auburn hair reflected in the late afternoon sunlight. Shrugging off the feeling of uneasiness, she scooted into the passenger seat and swiveled her body towards Grissom.
"We need to get this evidence to someone at the lab. I'd rather have Greg process it."
Grissom turned the key in the ignition and grunted something incoherent.
"What?" Sara shook her head in displeasure. "Are we playing the guessing game, Grissom?"
He avoided looking at her as he maneuvered out of the driveway and onto the street.
"Why Greg?" Grissom finally asked.
"Why not Greg?" Sara countered. A teasing smile played around her lips as she studied his profile.
"I mean that I don't want to bring Greg into my private life." Grissom tried to clarify his reasoning, casting one sidewise look towards her to see if she would bite.
Sara shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes while turning to the window. After a minute elapsed she turned her head back towards him.
"Who would you suggest? Hodges?"
"No!" Grissom jumped, clearly startled by the mere suggestion. His reaction elicited a chuckle from the passenger side of the car. "Maybe Archie."
"Okay." Sara appeared to mull this over before she made the observation. "So, we give this to Archie and Greg catches wind of it.---and he will. Then we have two lab techs discover what is going on."
"Why would Greg find out?" Grissom argued before shaking his head in acceptance. "I see. Greg knows all in the lab."
"Greg looks up to you for some odd reason. He wouldn't spill your secrets, Grissom." Sara pressed her point, but she already knew that she had won this argument.
"I remember when---." Grissom began to say something that intrigued Sara, but dropped it before he could complete the thought.
"You remember what, Gris?" Sara needed to hear him say the rest of his thoughts aloud, but he had shut down, throwing the wall around him that had become more a part of their relationship than their work. In this past year at any rate, Sara mused.
Sara bit back these thoughts as she watched Grissom pull off of the main street and into a crowded parking lot. After some searching, he found a spot not very far from a light tan building whose sign boasted it served the best food in town.
"Sara?" Grissom bore a puzzled look as he pulled the keys from the ignition and stared out of the front windshield.
"Yeah, Gris?" Sara responded quickly. Holding her breath, she hoped that he would continue their conversation from only minutes prior.
"You never told me how you got out of work. I know that I had you on the schedule tonight."
When Sara did not respond, Grissom turned his head to stare at her, his eyes questioning. The look he received was biting, at best. Without warning, Sara opened her door and slid out of the car. She held the door open long enough to answer his question before slamming it and walking swiftly towards the building.
"Warrick is working for me tonight. Nick is picking up tomorrow night. They both owe me."
Grissom followed her to the entranceway, his steps dragging a bit more slowly. He always seemed to dig himself in deeper where Sara was concerned. He had thought it was a reasonable question considering that he was her supervisor.
Stepping into the dimly lit interior of the building, he found that Sara was speaking with a woman who appeared to be their hostess. Surveying the room, Grissom found the place had an almost romantic quality with its dark woodwork and lanterns adorning each round wooden table and booth.
"Grissom." Sara tugged on his arm and he felt himself looking from a lantern to the faces of the occupants of the restaurant.
Almost stepping back, he found that every eye in the place was fixated on him. Curiosity appeared to be the theme and he wondered if it was because he was an outsider or the fact that he apparently resembled the elusive Tom Giles.
Sara tugged on his arm again and he noticed the hostess was giving him a kind smile that could not hide her own curiosity. The woman appeared to be close to his age, her brunette hair pulled up in a bun that framed her rather full cheeks and twinkling brown eyes.
"Hello." The woman beamed at them both, her white teeth flashing in sincere friendliness. "Welcome to the Desert Springs Restaurant. My name is Bess and I own this little place along with my husband, Clayton."
She motioned for them to follow her through the restaurant. Sara pulled Grissom after her, surprised when he did not resist her handhold on his arm. He tried to avoid the open stares that they passed, table after table, and instead concentrated on the back of Sara's dark head. He now noticed that she had pulled her hair back in a pony tail between the Giles residence and this restaurant.
Bess paused beside a booth that was relatively secluded from the prying eyes of the restaurants occupants. She placed menus on the table in front of each of them and turned her attention to Grissom, giving him a big wink.
"This is a small town and people are naturally curious. I hope that you two will ignore the looks and enjoy one of the best dinners you could have this side of Vegas." She started to turn away, before hesitating. "I must say, you do resemble Tom Giles. Although Tommy is a few years younger and has a very jubilant disposition." She excused herself and left them to mull over her words and their menus.
"Grissom and jubilant." Sara snickered into her menu. "I don't know why anyone can confuse the two of you, knowing that Tom is jubilant." She stressed that word again with more pleasure than Grissom cared to admit.
"You've seen me jubilant." Grissom commented. He studied his own menu as Sara's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?" Sara asked him as a funny surreal feeling swamped her mind. Was he really going to bring up a taboo subject?
Grissom flicked an unreadable look over the top of his menu and said with a smirk. "I said that I would like a glass of wine with dinner. You?"
"You did not." Sara sat back and slapped her hand gently on the table top. "Grissom."
When he did not look up again, but appeared totally engrossed by the menu selections, she decided it wise to drop the subject for the time being. After all, she was the one who had given her word five years ago that she would never speak of what had transpired between them unless he broached the subject. She agreed that friendship was more valuable and the past was just that.the past. The question was whether or not he had broken the rules.
Grissom ordered a steak, medium rare, and a baked potato. Sara chose the vegetable plate and a beer forgoing the wine that Grissom stubbornly ordered. They ate in silence and each silently agreed that Bess had not lied about this being some of the best food they had the pleasure of enjoying.
The meal was almost over when Sara asked out of the blue.
"Why didn't you tell Catherine about any of this, Grissom?"
"Who says that I didn't." Grissom tipped the last sip of wine from his glass and avoided her eyes. "I needed someone to cover for me at work and she is the best choice."
The hurt that swept over Sara was in her voice when she spoke. "I see. So, you did tell Catherine about everything."
The flatness of this statement was not lost on Grissom and he studied her face from beneath lowered brows. He wondered what Sara thought, exactly, in regards to his friendship with Catherine. He was too wary to ask her the question and just assumed that she knew he and Catherine were bosom pals that went way back, further than their own acquaintance. He was mulling over how to respond when Bess reappeared at their table with the check.
"I've got it." Grissom grabbed for the check before Sara's outstretched hands could reach it.
"Fine." Sara brought her hands back to the table, surprising herself and him by not insisting on paying her share.
They drifted back into silence as Bess returned with his card and the check. While he was signing the check she watched him scrawl his name across the bottom and finally spoke.
"So, you are a cousin of the Giles?" Bess asked when her curiosity could not be restrained.
Grissom returned his pen to his pocket and glanced up at her expectant face.
"No."
When he did not elaborate, Bess gained confidence instead of taking the hint. "Well, you must be related to them. I know Kyle and Elaine Giles very well. And I also consider Tom a friend. I don't remember them mentioning a Gil Grissom." She shook her head in thought. "Gil.Giles. Very odd."
Sara folded her hands on the table and watched Grissom with amusement. She couldn't wait to see how Grissom maneuvered his way out of this conversation.
"We appear to share the same biological dad." Grissom admitted. He hoped that would assuage the woman's curiosity and she would leave them alone. "Dinner was delicious," Grissom added. "If you will excuse us." He looked pointedly at the spot where Bess stood, obliviously blocking his path. He could not move without forcefully pushing the woman out of the way.
"That explains it." Bess said with a thoughtful nod. Grissom's eyebrows shot up in dismay and he shot a glare at the now smirking Sara.
Bess smiled at Sara before sadness appeared to engulf her mood. "I can't believe that Kyle and Andy have disappeared. I keep expecting to see Andy and my girl, Olivia, come dashing through that door any second begging for my famous cheeseburgers."
Sara's interest piqued considerably with this new information. "Andrew and your daughter date?"
Bess shook her head in the negative, placing one hand over her ample chest. "Oh, my no. I wish they had. No, Olivia and Andy have been best friends since kindergarten." Tears welled up in Bess's eyes. "Olivia refuses to leave her room she is so upset. We can barely get her to eat."
"Do you think that we could speak with Olivia?' Sara could not keep the excitement from her voice.
"Whatever would you want to talk to Olivia about?" Bess was clearly confused by the request and she glanced nervously towards a back door.
Sara reached out to touch her arm. "We are trying to find Kyle and Andrew, Bess. We are investigators."
A curious mix of relief and dismay washed over Bess's features, but she managed a weak smile. "That's right. Elaine did tell me that she was planning to call someone in the family that she hoped would help." A frown replaced the smile. "I still don't know what Olivia can do to help you."
"There could be information that she could give us that she doesn't even realize she knows." Sara tried to explain with an encouraging smile.
"I suppose it would be okay." Bess still looked uneasy, but she relented. "If Olivia agrees to speak with you. I won't make her do that."
"Thank you, Bess." Sara smiled with warmth that caused Bess to brighten considerably.
Taking advantage of the lighter mood, Sara decided to take another tactic. "Before we speak with Olivia, would you possibly answer some questions concerning the Giles?"
"That I can do.Misses?"
"Sara. Call me Sara if you would like, Bess." Sara leaned slightly towards her and smiled openly. "What do you know about Kyle Giles and his brothers?"
Bess sent a perplexed look towards Grissom. "Don't you know them Mr. Grissom?"
"No." Grissom locked his arms at the elbows and stared at Sara. It was her show.
Sara quickly steered Bess back into the conversation. "Tell me about Kyle first, please."
"Kyle is a good man. The best attorney in town. You can ask anyone." She quickly warmed to the subject. "Kyle moved here with his mom and brothers when he was a toddler. He is a twin. Kyle and Alex are identical in looks, but not disposition." She drifted back in thought. "Tom is the oldest brother.a treasure."
Bess appeared to drift back in time as she recalled the Giles. "Tom was the oldest and made it his job to look after his mom and younger brothers. He used to work three jobs to help put his brother Alex through college."
"So Tom has stayed close with his brothers over the years? He visits often?" Sara wanted to get the conversation back onto Kyle, but the question was uttered while she sorted out her thoughts concerning what information she would like to ask.
"Tommy is like that." Bess smiled again, her eyes coming back to rest on Sara. "Andy is very much like him." She glanced at Grissom. "I would say that Mattie is a bit like you and Alex."
Grissom tensed, but kept his jaw locked. He detected a hint of disapproval in her voice and realized that Sara had the same inclination when she next spoke.
"You don't talk like you care much for Alex." Sara darted a quick look at Grissom and felt empathy for the hurt expression behind his eyes. Or, it could possibly be that it was her own hurt, at his expense, being reflected.
"That's not true." Bess waved to someone as they left a nearby table. "I didn't know him very well. Alex kept to himself and as soon as he turned seventeen he took off for New York City. He has only been back a handful of times." Bess shifted her weight and rubbed her hands together before turning and pulling up a chair.
Grissom groaned internally. Suddenly thirsty, he picked up his empty water glass and looked sullenly into its center before setting it aside.
Silently, Sara pushed her ice tea glass towards him and he stared from it to her in surprise. She was not looking at him, but appeared preoccupied with whatever family information Bess was sharing at that instance. Taking the glass he sipped the sweet liquid and almost sighed with the satisfaction it gave to him.
"I feel so sorry for Nan." Grissom heard Bess tell Sara, her face registering her distress with the brother that was much like himself, despite the fact that she did know Grissom at all.
"Who is Nan?" Sara prompted.
"Their mother." Bess waved to another customer who was approaching her with eagerness. "I'll see you tomorrow at lunchtime Abe."
Grissom noted that Abe took the hint better than Bess herself would have, and promptly turned to leave, but only after giving him another pointed stare.
"Nan lives nearby and is taking Kyle and Andy's disappearance very hard." Bess shook her head sadly. "Alex could visit more often. He hasn't even come to town after he found out about Kyle and Andy."
"Of course." Sara bit her lip and avoided looking towards Grissom. She also thought of her own parents and how infrequently she paid them visits. Her brother, Stephen, was much better in that role.
"Alex married some socialite in New York and they moved to Colorado a few years ago." Bess tried to keep the disdain from her voice and failed miserably. "I think they have several children, although I don't know much about them."
"And what about Tom?"
"Tom never married and he doesn't have children." Bess stood abruptly; bringing her ample frame out of the chair with more suppleness than either Grissom or Sara would have given her credit. "It is a shame that he doesn't have a family, but he will eventually."
"And why hasn't Tom come to town to check on Nan and Kyle's family?" Grissom asked.
Bess rolled her shoulders back and replied with a defensive glare. "He has, Mr. Grissom. In fact, he is staying with Nan."
"You wouldn't happen to have their phone numbers would you Bess?" Sara asked. Her attempt to smooth over the new tension was effective as Bess relaxed and presented her with a smile. "I can give you Nan's phone number." She excused herself to retrieve the number and check on Olivia. "I'll see if Olivia feels up to talking."
Grissom waited until she was out of earshot before he asked with a bluntness that made Sara arch a brow.
"What are you trying to accomplish by asking those questions, Sara?"
"A whole lot more than you accomplished by asking your one question, Grissom." Sara was not angry with him, but she could not get past his indifferent attitude. For the first time since wondering if he regretted coming to her home, she now thought she knew why he had.
Before either one of them could continue with their conversation they were interrupted by a deep voice and a pair of wide set gray eyes.
"My name is Clayton; I'm Bess's husband and owner of the restaurant." He nodded towards the back door. "I heard Bess talking your ears off over here and thought I would tell you to escape while you can, before she comes back. If you haven't paid, then dinner is on the house."
"Hi Clayton," Sara kept the amusement out of her voice as she introduced herself and Grissom. "Bess is checking on Olivia."
Clayton's gaze drifted past the table to the back door and his demeanor softened.
"Olivia! Sweetie!" Clayton held his arms out towards a teenager who approached them with apparent half heartedness. "I'm so glad you decided to come out of your room."
Sara turned towards the doorway and froze. Andrew's picture had just walked into the room.
TBC