Chapter Thirty One
Sara stepped onto a pristine white beach whose sands were being lapped by gentle baby blue waves. A golden-haired angel stood smiling at her.
"Wow, this is heaven, isn't it?"
Of all the things Catherine expected, that didn't come anywhere close. She leant forward, "Sara?"
"I have to admit I never quite imagined Heaven to be like… this." She looked around.
"Sara, can you hear me?"
Sara tried to block the noises pulling her away from this paradise. The angel extended her hand and she reached out for it. The touch was so soft her fingers almost fell past it.
"Sara, honey, open your eyes."
The angel moved her lips, but no voice emerged. Only a faint hum followed. Sara was captivated by the tune and the magnetic pair of eyes in which she could see the ocean reflected.
"Doctor! Someone page a doctor! Oh, Sara, can you hear me?"
She didn't know how far, or for how long, she walked. The water felt warm as it rippled against her skin. She was only vaguely aware of her legs sinking deeper and deeper into the weight of the ocean. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the marvel in front of her. Hair, the color of Daffodils, blew all around the face that seemed to have been designed by an artist but carved on spring breeze. The mesmerizing tune only enhanced the allure.
"Sweetie, wake up, please wake up."
The water was now chest level and she felt its density crushing against her lungs. She was also aware of a burning down in her throat and her muscles constricting to try to relieve the pressure. But that discomfort couldn't match up to the intense bliss she felt at that moment. She wanted to let go and just follow her dazzling companion. As she waded further and further away from shore, she felt her worries seep out from her. It felt so nice to allow herself to be led into the unknown, the glimpse of which was beautiful.
"Catherine." She whispered, smiling up at the face in front of her.
"Yes, honey, I'm here. I'm with you. Please don't leave me."
"Catherine?" Sara frowned, as her angel ahead began to quiver and then morphed structure. The hair darkened and the figure broadened. With a start, she saw a man, rugged and nasty looking, pointing a gun at her. The quiet serenity of the Eden-like surroundings was shattered with screams and ear-deafening shots.
"Sara, hold on. Hold on, my love, please."
The ocean swallowed her up and she was dragged into its fathomless abyss. She tried to fight but her arms felt weak. A huge part of her wanted to succumb into that lethargy and give up.
"Honey, I love you. Do you hear that? I love you and you have to come back for me. You have to come back for Lindsay. You can't leave us, you can't give up."
Love… Lindsay… Catherine
The words flowed through her like a spark of current. She flailed her arms and let it collide against the fluid drag. With all her strength, she paddled her legs and swung her arms to thrust her body upwards. She could see the sunlight glitter on the surface and she aimed for it. She felt cold and tired, but didn't give up the battle. She was aware of how little progress she was making as the surface looked as distant as ever. But motivated by that singular voice in her head, she buoyed herself through the heaviness. Her eyes itched and salt scoured her tongue.
"Please don't leave me. I fought because I wanted to come back you. Now you have to come back to me."
And suddenly, there was brightness. But there was also a deep silence punctuated only by computerized noises and dripping. She surveyed the strained faces standing above her.
"Sara?"
She turned around and was momentarily caught unawares at the person leaning over her. Sara blinked several times. "Catherine? Is it you?"
"Yes, yes." Catherine struggled to keep both the happiness and the anxiety at bay. "You're okay?"
"I… what happened? Where… where am I?"
"You're here, with me."
"You better drink it." Sofia pushed the glass towards Rocky. He just glared back at her.
"Go to hell, bitch."
"If I were you, I'd advise my client to put a lid on the language. He's just screwing up whatever chance he has for cutting a deal." Sofia glanced towards a weary-looking defense lawyer.
"She's right, Daniel."
"Fuck off, moron. You're supposed to help me, not let some whiny bitch tell ya what to do." Rocky spat. "And the name's Rocky, for the record."
"Alright, I've had enough. You are wasting my time and I have better things to do. So counselor, you better ask your client to speak up or else the deal is off and he's looking at a long walk towards the needle."
The man leant towards Rocky and whispered into his ear. The perp scowled heavily and flexed his biceps. "You sure about that?"
"I am, Rocky."
"Fine." Rocky cast Sofia a wary look. "I'll tell ya everything, but you havta promise me some protection. My ass is toast if the guy finds out I copped."
"I'm promising nothing until I hear what you have to say."
Rocky let out a deep breath. "His name's Sean, Sean Sidle."
"Sidle?" Sofia's eyebrows rose up to her hairline.
"I don't know the guy, alright? He just gave me a lotta dough to pick up that blonde and keep her safe in that cabin. I never meant to hurt her, honest."
"And what about the officer you shot at?"
"That was a fucking accident."
"You shot at two people. One is dead and the other is in the hospital under critical condition. Stop messing around with me."
"Man, I swear I'm tellin' the truth. I just freaked, alright? I mean, this Sean, he's a scary fucker. If he knew I let those two escape, he'd kill me."
"So you just shot an officer and a CSI. Just like that." Sofia's eyes hardened. "Did he say why he wanted you to kidnap Catherine Willows?"
"Well, he said he wanted to have some fun with his sister."
"His sister?"
"Sara Sidle… or somethin'." He rubbed his forehead. "Man, I'm in deep shit. He's gonna fry me when he knows I whacked her."
"Sara's his sister?"
"Ain't you listening to a word I said?" He grunted in frustration. "If he knows what I've done, I'm not gonna be safe, not even in lockup. You know what, I ain't tellin' you no more unless you promise me some help."
Sofia looked towards the mirror, hoping the question in her eyes correctly transmitted across.
Brass nodded, despite knowing that Sofia couldn't see him. Beside him, he could hear Warrick shifting from one foot to the other.
"What's this about Sara having a brother?" His darkly handsome face creased with bafflement.
"I don't remember her mentioning a brother." Brass replied. "But then again, I don't think she's ever talked about her family. Not to me, at least."
Even as they spoke, Brass' men were scavenging the databases for any information on a Sean Sidle. Time was precious and their need desperate.
"Grissom would know."
"Or Catherine."
At the mention of their blonde coworker's name, they found themselves speechless. Everything seemed to have gone suspended into a fantastical dimension. If not for their impending duty to find the underlying cause of this whole mess, they would have spent more time just reveling in the idea that Catherine was alive and back. But right then, their work was top priority and they needed to focus on that.
Warrick balled his fists as he felt another surge of anger rise through him. He wanted to thrash the punk in that questioning room and he probably would have done it had it not been for the strict warning from Grissom and a hawk-like watch from Brass. Not only was the guy responsible for keeping Catherine in captivity for so many days, in who-knows-what-condition, but he had also shot Sara and a police officer.
"Hey, Brass?" A uniformed officer walked up from behind his Captain.
"Yeah?" Brass didn't turn around.
"We searched criminal records, health records, firearm sales, SSN registries, anything and everything. There has been no match for a Sean Sidle. The only thing we could get, though, is a Birth Certificate. It states that Sean is the son of Gordon and Laura Sidle, born 1965. Other than that, this guy doesn't exist."
"And what are we doing about the leads from the doctor?"
Almost as soon as Brass asked the question, an officer sprinted up to him.
"Captain, bad news."
"Shit, what?" Warrick leant forward, hoping against hope that it wasn't about Sara.
"We found the cabin as indicated by Dr. Mkibo, but…"
"But?" Brass stared at the nervous man.
"It was burnt down."
Warrick and Brass exchanged a look.
"We've got CSI Stokes and Sanders heading that way, trying to get something outta there. But with the desert temperature, the place burnt up pretty bad."
"Just what we needed, another piece of evidence blowing up in thin air." Warrick slammed his palm against the glass.
Damn, I HATE Writer's Block. But hopefully I've hammered it down to fine powder. Thanks for the reviews and the reading!
