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You were instructed to take you time as you looked at the photographs. You were trying to explain that it happened so fast. So fast! And it was dark! The men's faces…
The women smiled at you the way a kindergarten teacher might smile at her pupils. They tell you, in a slow careful voice, that just because things happened fast it doesn't mean you have to remember 'fast.' You don't like the way the blond has her ponytail pulled back, far to sleek. So many pictures of young men and boys. You began to shiver, eyes wet with tears. You were thinking about when you had thought your Momma was dead on the floor, where they had left her. You thought how you shuck her and whimpered "Please don't die, Mommy! Don't die! Mommy, I love you." The detective stared at you in silence. The Family Services woman took your hand gently but you pull away. You don't want anyone touching your hands. Calling you pet, sweetheart, honey. Saying it would be alright, you would be safe, that police will protect you. Please believe us.
You continued to look at the pictures. Saw a familiar face, and pointed: him? No. Changed your mind. No, maybe not. They all looked like people you saw every day on the street.
This one!
Suddenly you were sure; the guy with the soft brown rock-star hair and a beautiful face which had areas which had broken out in to juicy pus pink pimples. He had been nasty and jeering but he had looked your way. He had come in to urinate afterwards. You had forgotten about that. He was the one that had been grabbing at your mother's breasts and kissing her. You realised now, he was the leader.
This one as well, you almost knew his name. It began with a P... Philip. Philip DeLucca, aged 23 with a bleached bone face, his younger brother was in your class. Later you would identify another Delucca.
Here this one too. Stevenson.
There was another one, you couldn't remember. Except: the detective told you to try again. You did, and there he was.
"Sean Mason, Philip DeLucca, Richard Delucca, Gary Stevenson, Dean Roberts."
Brass and Gil sat in Brass's office. Lorena was looking at mugshots and was to be taken to a viewing room. The suspects had already been taken in to custody in the early hours, along with several other men that had been brought in for questioning. Clothing and shoes belonging to some of the men had been confiscated. The bloodstains on those items would be matched to Sara's and the semen found in and on her body would be matched against the suspects DNA. The skin tissue underneath Sara's broken nails would be matched against their DNA. Gil looked at the clock, he would be aloud to Sara today.
"All of them have records in Clark country for petty crimes. The DeLucca Brothers and Roberts have spent time in a juvenile facility."
Gil twirled his glasses hand to hand.
"Oh."
"Mason was in jail for a few months because he assaulted his girlfriend. Got out early on good behaviour. She is now missing. Stevenson is on parole from serving time for robbery. All of the suspect live in within 3 blocks of the park."
Gil nodded slightly.
"Only five were identified by Lorena. Catherine collected eight DNA samples."
Gil felt the tremor of his cell phone against his chest. He had switched it one silent because his bones seemed to jump when ever the ring tone sounded.
"Grissom…Yes…she is? When…? Can I see her…? She did?Thank you." The cell phone snapped shut.
"Sara's awake." Gil looked at the desk, raising an eyebrow and looked up at Brass and stated simply, "I got to go." His throat was thick with emotion, he was choking on it but he didn't filter any of it through.
Catherine and Lorena were sat in the waiting room of P.D. Lorena talked intently using child logic, followed by a small shrill of laughter. Catherine offered her something from a plastic bag; toffee. Lorena occasionally took a piece and sucked on the toffee, which glued her teeth together, silencing her speech. Gil didn't know what they had been talking about but he saw Catherine push back Lorena's brown locks behind her right ear and tell her,
"Well, I think you are one brave little girl."
Catherine's head came up sharply when she got the prickly feeling that someone's watching you, alerting her to his presence. She smiled.
"Lorena. Your mother is awake."
He had said it so stoically and harshly that Catherine's rich blue eyes automatically punctured Gil's facial features which twisted at Catherine's savage malice. Her teeth were delicately gritted. He closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts. No matter how intensely she looked at his face, she still could not recall this expression. He tried again.
"Would you like to go see your mom? I am sure she would love to see you," he insisted in a voice that underscored his sadness. Grissom offered her a dilute smile as well. Lorena raised an eyebrow. She was trying to figure him out, see if he was a monster or a prince. She nodded her head.
"Gil, can I talk to you?"
"Sure."
Catherine winked at Lorena and the adults stepped away from the child, leaving her sat alone, her baby blues dancing around the room. They stood in the centre, Catherine gently pulling at Gil's heavy jacket.
"What it is it Catherine?"
"I think I have a problem with the way you spoke to Lorena just now," she whispered. "Her mother is in hospital and no one has told her why," her voice box broke slightly and exceedingly wide and astonished eyes glimmered with tears in the sickly, CSI light. "She doesn't understand why she is in a building with lots of strange people and why her mother is not around to protect her." As she talked she half played with her necklace. Gil felt it befitted her more than roaring diamonds.
"The last thing she needs is the person who she has spent the most time with talking to her like that."
Catherine placed one hand on a hip and the stretched across her neck. She looked thoughtful. She hated herself for what she was going to say, but Gil had been so unresponsive to everything; to Sara's condition, her incident, to finding out she had a daughter.
"Sara's mother is on her way over from San Francisco, so Lorena won't be a burden to you much longer."
"She's not a burden." He realised that he had spoken louder than he should have, and his and Catherine's head snapped to Lorena who was staring at them. Catherine sigh
"Then start acting like it," she gave a small wave and moved away from Gil.
"Catherine, what about your sweets?"
"You keep 'em, darlin'."
