(A/N: I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews, I really appreaciate all of them! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!)
Chapter: 2
Gil walked out of his townhouse, locking the door behind him, and headed towards his car. He stopped with a puzzled expression on his face when he saw a tiny slip of paper blowing with the small breeze on his windshield wipers.
He snatched the paper off and unfolded it to read,
Dr. Grissom,
I want my justice. Fix what you messed up or I will destroy the one thing you love.
Gil looked up from the note, and up and down the street. No one was out.
He sighed and, being the scientist he was, bagged the note. He had absolutely no idea who wrote the note, but he'd be damned if he just accepted the threat.
He hurried in his car, and drove off to the crime lab. All his thoughts kept drifting back to Sara.
He would have to see her today. Damn. He had successfully avoided her for over three days, and now he would have to face her. It wasn't as if he didn't want to see her, he was starting to miss the smile that she gave to him. And the way she gave everything she had to solve a case. Hell, he even missed the quick handed remarks she gave to everyone when she was pissed off.
He physically shook his head, forbidding the thoughts.
When he arrived to the crime lab, he headed straight for his office to pick up the cases for that night.
Gil was surprised when he saw the break room full with all his CSI's, except one. He didn't say anything about it.
Greg stood at the coffee machine, looking over his Blue Hawaiian as it brewed; Nick sat on the couch next to Warrick both of them fixed on the TV screen as they continued playing their video game. And lastly Catherine sat at the table rolling her eyes at Nick and Warrick.
"Hey, Gil." She said when she noticed he was in the room.
Both Nick and Warrick dropped the controllers, and focused their attention on their supervisor.
"Now, we're only short one." Warrick said as he looked around the room.
Nick followed his gaze and added, "Where is Sara? She's usually the first person here."
Greg pulled out his phone as he turned to face the group, "Here, I'll call her!"
He was interrupted by Catherine's cell phone ringing. "Willows." She answered, then turned to Greg with a smile on her face. "Oh, hi, Sara." Greg frowned and stuffed his cell phone away.
Catherine listened for a moment then said, "Alright, I'll let Grissom know...yeah alright, see you soon." She hung up the phone and turned to Gil. "Sara's on her way, she just lift her apartment."
"Why didn't she call Grissom?" Nick wondered out loud. Catherine turned to Nick with a smile and answered,
"His phone is off." Gil checked his phone, and sure enough it was turned off. He shoved it back in his pocket and turned back to his CSI's.
"What's that?" Warrick asked, gesturing to the note that was still in the plastic baggy.
Gil looked down at the note and answered, "I found this on my car this morning."
"What does it say?" Nick asked.
Gil shrugged and answered, "Doesn't matter." He then turned and pulled out assignments.
"Alright, Nick when Sara gets here, you guys have a DB in the back of Denny's."
Nick smiled and said, "Oh, she'll love this." He grabbed the paper from Gil, and sat back down.
"Catherine, Warrick, we have another DB in a hotel room."
Both Catherine and Warrick nodded, stood, and followed Gil out of the room, leaving Nick to wait for Sara.
Gil reentered the room after dropping of the note with Jackie, and turned to Nick said, "If you need anything, call me."
"Sure, boss."
Gil walked to the parking lot, to see Catherine and Warrick climbing into their cars. Gil sat in his car when he saw Sara's SUV pull in.
He tried to hurry away, he wasn't really in the mood to see her just yet, but out of his rearview mirror he saw Sara running up to his car.
He pushed on his breaks and lowered his window.
Sara gave a small smile when saw him.
A second later, her face turned into Debbie Marlin's, and then flashed back to her own.
"Hey, Gris. Sorry, I'm late." She said, trying to control the urge to strangle the man in front of her.
Gil gave her a blank stare, trying to convince his mind that Sara was not dead, but right in front of him breathing.
"Hello?" Sara asked, snapping him out of his daze.
"Nick's waiting for you inside, you have a DB in back of Denny's."
"Alright." She said, still standing close to his car, making no effort to move.
"Is there anything else you need?" He asked, Sara shook her head and started retreating.
"No."
Gil watched her as she entered the building and gave a strong sigh, then raised his window, and drove to the crime scene.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sara entered the building, her temper was rising.
He didn't even want an excuse for her lateness. He just whisked her away, trying to get on with his own life. Well, what was she expecting anyway? Him to try to rebuild their relationship? Him to try to peruse a romantic relationship with her?
Sara was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't even see Nick, until they ran into each other.
"Good, you're here." He said walking towards the parking lot.
"Yeah, sorry I'm late." She said, trying to keep up with him.
"Your car or mine?" Nick asked, once they got outside.
"Mine." She said, fishing out her keys from her pocket. Nick put his kit in her trunk and sat in the passenger seat.
"Ready?" Sara asked.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Gil entered the hotel room and was met by Catherine and Warrick.
"What do we have?" He asked setting down his kit and pulling on his gloves.
"22 years old, female, name is...Joann Kingsley. Looks like she was stabbed, and hit on the head." Catherine said.
Gil walked deeper into the cheep hotel room. There were two queen sized beds, a nightstand separating them. At the foot of the nightstand was the body of Joann, she looked like a tourist. Wearing shorts and a white tank top. There were at least 20 stab wounds on her chest, the blood pool at least a square foot.
Gil looked down at the body deciding that she must have fell, been stabbed, and died at this spot. Her blonde hair covered her face, giving an uneasy feeling off.
Jim walked into the room, reading off his small memo pad. "The room is registered to a Mr. David Young."
"Then why isn't he the one dead on the floor?" Gil asked, kneeling by the body to look up at Catherine and Warrick.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sara and Nick approached Denny's, following the red and blue flashes of police lights. A small crowd of people were looking onto the scene, being help back by the yellow Crime Scene tape.
They walked up to O'Riley, looking around for the body.
"The woman's in the dumpster." He offered and pointed to the large green dumpster against the wall.
"You know anything about the body?" Sara asked, slipping on latex gloves and walking to the dumpster.
"No, waited for you guys." O'Riley sighed. Then he pointed to the curb where a young girl sat, hugging her legs. "That girl found her, taking out the trash."
Nick nodded and followed Sara. She pointed her flashlight in and saw the body lying on top of the trash. She silently shook her head.
"What?" Nick asked, looking in.
"Who ever did this didn't even bother covering her up."
They looked down at the woman, her head turned to the side, exposing her neck, where tight bead were strung around her neck. The rest of her body looked relatively unharmed, except for defensive wounds on her wrists.
"Someone needs to go in their." Sara said, stating the obvious, looking at Nick whose face was filled with a sly smile,
"Ladies first."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Gil looked around the hotel room, his eyes resting on the ruffled beds.
"Hey Cath, one body two ruffled beds?"
Catherine walked out of the bathroom, "Nothing unusual in there, all the stuff in the shower belongs to a woman."
Warrick continued photographing the body, "You think they came together, got into a fight, ended up killing her, and bailed?"
"It looks like that." Catherine said.
"We have no evidence even suggesting that." Gil said, getting annoyed on how they always jumped to conclusions before examining the evidence.
"What else does it look like, Gil?" Catherine challenged.
Gil ignored her and walked over to the small plastic garbage under the sink. He kneeled down, and started picking threw it. He pulled out an empty Doritos bag, a used water bottle, and a plastic bag from Wal-Mart, and a crumpled piece of toilet paper.
As Gil picked it up, he noticed that something was inside it. He unraveled it to find a bloodied pen.
"Catherine, Warrick," He said, keeping the pen out of sight, "What do you thing the murder weapon is?"
Both looked at the body and Catherine was the first to speak up.
"A screw driver, maybe?"
Warrick shook his head in disagreement. "Nah, a screwdriver had a sharp edge, the bruising around look like she was stabbed by a blunt object...a pen or something."
Gil gave a smirk and turned to show them the pen. Then noticing some writing on it squinted and read aloud, "David Young, Office Phone 555-4326, Cell Phone 555-7564, Austin, Texas."
"What kind of pen has all that information on it?" Warrick asked.
"A real estate always carries these pens with them. David Young is employed by Century 21."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sara was searching through the back of her SUV for her standard issued jumpsuit. Nick was leaning against her car, talking to the girl who found the body.
"So..." Nick started, waiting for her to give him her name.
"Kaylee Reynolds." She answered shyly, glancing over at the dumpster, where she knew the body was.
"Kaylee, you were taking out the garbage when you found the body, right?"
"Yeah," She said, pausing to take in a deep breath, "I hate wh-when I have to throw the-the garbage out. I always w-worry about finding a...a body." She finished in a whisper.
"And why did you think you'd find a body?" Nick questioned, as Sara gave a small sigh when she finally ground the jumpsuit.
"Too much T.V." She confessed, looking back to the dumpster.
Sara started pulling the jumpsuit on and asked the girl her own question. "Do you recognize the body?"
Kaylee gave a nervous nod and her eyes rested on Nick. "Yeah, she was in about an hour ago. She comes in every Wednesday for a late dinner."
"Was she by herself, with a friend, a date?" Sara pressed on.
Kaylee shook her head 'no', and her eyes finally rested on Sara. "She always comes in by herself. I'm always her server. She was so nice, never in a hurry, or agitated."
Nick nodded, "Alright, thanks for you help, Kaylee."
"Welcome." She said, eyes resting on the dumpster again.
"This officer right here will keep you company." Sara said nudging towards O'Riley.
Kaylee gave a small smile, and walked towards him.
"Alright, you ready to go digging in the dumpster?" Nick said, a smile tugging on his lips.
"God, I hope it doesn't smell in there." Sara said, as she tied her hair in a pony tail, pulled on clear goggles, and lastly a new pair of gloves.
"You've smelled worse things." He said.
Sara smiled and said, "Yeah, maybe all the garbage will cover up your smell."
"Hey...that one was uncalled for." He said, as they got to the dumpster, lacing his fingers so she could use it as a step.
Sara couldn't help but smile. She was coming out of her bad mood, and all it took was some harmless flirting with Nick.
She climbed into the dumpster and kneeled next to the vic.
"Did David show up yet?" Sara asked, Nick shrugged. "Well, it smells like shit in here." She commented.
"Should I be writing this down?" Nick asked, looking in.
Sara pulled out her flashlight. "Looks like she was strangled by a beaded necklace."
"Anything out of the ordinary?" Nick asked.
Sara gave a small sigh, "This is a dumpster, everything in here is ordinary."
"We'll have to bag everything." Nick complained.
"Hey, you're not the one in here." Sara said, as she reached in the body's pocket for ID, instead she pulled out a note. "Nick, I have a note."
"What does it say?" Nick questioned.
Sara opened it and read it only to say, "Shit. Nick, I think you're going to have to call Grissom."
(A/N: Now go ahead and leave a review! You know you want to!)