Chapter Three
Sara was showing him a slide of the hair samples they had gathered. She had been going through the samples for hours and her slumped shoulders showed her fatigue. Grissom came up close behind her and started massaging her shoulders. Her groans as his hands kneaded the muscles of her neck verified that he was hitting the right spots. His hands moved down her arms and he kissed her neck. She leaned back into him with a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.
Grissom awoke feeling a sense of contentment. He lay in bed a few minutes remembering how Sara had felt in his arms, a smile on his face. His dreams of Sara were rarely so vivid, though he often dreamed of her. They would be at a scene and he would watch her meticulously gathering evidence. She would be interrogating a suspect while he observed. They would be performing an experiment together. Always in the context of work, never crossing the line into personal. It was an unwritten rule, even in his dreams. That this dream broke that rule seemed significant.
They were going to the museum after shift. He climbed out of bed and went into the main living area, searching for a book on his wall of shelves. He had a book on Degas somewhere. He would take it to work and leave it for her to look at on her break.
While showering, Grissom thought again of the dream and reflected on its significance. Work and romance should never intermingle. It was one of the many reasons he had refused to let himself get into a relationship with Sara in the first place. He was afraid that, if he did let himself love her, his work would be affected. He would lose concentration and behave inappropriately around her. His reputation as a criminalist would fade. Hers would be jeopardized as well.
Was the dream a warning?
Grissom arrived at the lab with trepidation. Things felt different between them, even though they hadn't yet 'dated'. Would Sara expect him to behave differently? Grissom did not see her in the vicinity as he made his way to his office. Checking messages and preparing for the evening, he forgot about his concerns until he entered the conference room to pass out assignments.
Sara was reading a file and didn't even look up when he entered the room. Everyone quieted, anticipating the assignments. Sara looked at him in the same way she always had at work. It seemed that his fears thus far were unwarranted.
"Warrick, where do you and Greg stand on the Emerson case?" Grissom got right to business.
"Greg has been working on piecing together the shattered glass from the scene and I'm still cataloguing the evidence. We'll be working on that all night." Greg massaged his fingers. He expected them to get a workout.
"Sara, where do you and Nick stand on the Palmer case?"
"Hodges is still running the trace. We're at a standstill until we get the results."
"OK, Nick, you go with Catherine on this suspicious death in Henderson." Grissom handed Catherine the information. "Work with her until your results come in." Nick looked at Catherine and nodded.
"Sara, you can work with me on this B & E." Sara smiled. Grissom felt the apprehension return. "Get your kit and I'll meet you in the parking lot."
Grissom climbed into the passenger seat of the Denali and strapped in. He always preferred one of the other CSIs to drive and Sara had rightfully assumed he would want her to drive this time as well. As they pulled into traffic, Sara looked at him askance and asked, "Is what I'm wearing appropriate for the art museum? It was hard to dress for work and our date." Grissom peered at Sara. He knew she was wearing a sleeveless green tank and black jeans because he was always aware of what she was wearing. But he didn't want her to know that he knew. "Sure. Why wouldn't it be?" Grissom was thankful that the crime scene was only minutes away.
Sara shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted to make sure. I don't often care about my appearance. When I go places alone, I don't have to worry about embarrassing someone else."
All apprehension dissolved. Grissom looked at Sara intently. "Sara, you could never embarrass me by your appearance. You're beautiful in anything you wear."
Sara continued to watch the road, but smiled and blushed a deep red. Grissom smiled as well. Was he the only one who thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen? He just couldn't understand why men weren't lining up at her door, begging to take her anywhere her heart desired. Why would she ever have to go someplace alone?
They arrived at the scene and exited the car. Brass filled them in on the known details and they got to work. In no time, Grissom and Sara were in their rhythm, moving around the scene, collecting evidence, documenting, photographing. They were so engrossed in their job, they didn't hear when Brass offered to get them coffee.
After two hours, all the evidence had been gathered and placed in the back of the Denali. The short distance back to the lab was traversed amidst discussion of the evidence and possible scenarios.
As they gathered the evidence to carry into the lab, Sara said, "After we get this logged in, I'm going to go check with Hodges on the Palmer case."
Grissom nodded. "If you don't have anything yet, you can come help me catalogue." Sara waved her acquiescence as she walked toward trace.
Two hours later, Grissom was done cataloguing the evidence. Sara had never come back. Grissom went to trace. Hodges was diligently working – alone.
"Did you get the result on the trace from the Palmer case?"
Hodges looked up from the microscope with a deferential look. "Yes, sir, some time ago. Sara picked it up. She didn't say much, except that she had to find Nick. But she did seem excited."
"Did you see in which direction she went?"
Hodges hadn't really cared what she did after he gave her the results, since Sara wasn't the boss. But since it seemed important to Grissom, he scoured his memory. "I think she went that way," waving his finger towards the garage area. Then quickly, "Shall I page her for you?"
"No, it doesn't really matter. I'll find her."
Grissom needed to do some research on some of the evidence they had found. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial as he walked toward his office.
"Sidle." Sara sounded distracted.
"I take it you got something to work with from the trace?"
"Oh, Grissom! I forgot to get back with you. Yeah, there was cesium chloride in the trace from the back door. Nick and I are tracking down all the sources in the area."
"You'll likely be awhile with that. I'll take care of the B & E."
Grissom spent the remainder of the shift in his office organizing the evidence and assembling a list of likely suspects in his case. He headed over to take the list to Brass before heading home. He stopped to check on Sara and Nick's progress on his way.
"I'll get the car, you get the drinks," Nick called as he headed out the door, almost crashing into Grissom.
"Break in the case?" Grissom asked as Nick came to a halt.
"Yeah. Henderson Chemicals is the only place in the area with that exact composition of cesium chloride. Sara and I are on our way to interview the sales staff."
She added. "There are 12 salesmen that need to be interviewed. We're also going to ask for voluntary prints to match against the ones we got at the scene. Anyone who refuses…." The implication was obvious. "We need to get there before they head out on their sales calls for the day."
"Looks like you'll need to pull a double." Sara & Nick looked at each other and nodded. "I'll OK it, if you go over your limit for the month."
Sara gave Grissom a smile of thanks. As Grissom turned to leave, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smile replaced by a look of disappointment. He was puzzled, but in a hurry to get the list to Brass and get on with his day. What was it he had planned to do today?
Then it hit him. His hurry to get out was in order to spend the day with Sara at the museum. He wasn't going to have the day with Sara he had anticipated. She would be working a double. And he had approved it.
Obviously, his concerns about feelings interfering with work were misplaced. He had not behaved any differently once they got past the initial discomfort then he had for the past six years. So much so that he had forgotten that Sara working extra hours would also affect him.
The look of disappointment Sara had exhibited was now mirrored on Grissom's face. Sara probably thought he was trying to get out of the date. He did a swift about face and called after Sara as she and Nick reached the door. Sara stopped and turned. Grissom hurried up to her.
"Obviously, our day isn't going to go as planned. Even if you solve the case today, I doubt you'll have the energy to go to the museum. And we both know the case probably won't be wrapped up today. I think we should postpone for a few days, just being safe." A look of soulful regret etched itself on Sara's face. "Can we plan on breakfast tomorrow?"
A smile spread slowly across Sara's face as she nodded. The warmth spread into Grissom's heart as he returned the smile.
This was going to work.