RATING: M - Mature (for later chapter)
PAIRINGS: GSR
SPOILERS: Post Ep for "Gum Drops" through "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" (specifically relating to events in "Secrets & Flies")
SUMMARY: What was it that made Grissom finally see the light? Could it really have been so simple?
A/N: This is my first of attempt of replaying (with added information) something that specifically happened in an episode. So, please be gentle. Also, I wanted to say that I was completely blwon away by the response to the first chapter. Thank you all for the kind words and encouragment.
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
Chapter 2Walking into the hallway Grissom is shaken from the report in his hands by Catherine's voice, "Oh, hey, Ecklie said you wanted to see me."
Looking at her he remembered why he was looking for her and asked, "Yeah. A Dr. Ryan called and said that you verbally harassed her?"
Catherine looks terribly non-plussed by the possible accusation. She probably expected something would come of her meeting with the woman. "I met Dr. Ryan in the course of my investigation. She runs an organization called Project Sunflower. Philosophically, I completely disagree with the organization. Perhaps I expressed myself."
Raising an eyebrow, he hazards the question, "Which means?"
With a slightly exasperated tone she answers, "I'm pro-choice. I'm in favor of stem cell research. I'm sorry she felt harassed, but my comments were in response to her statements. I don't think I was out of line."
Grissom instantly remember the biblical passage he has used in the passed to deal with such people and shares it with Catherine, assuming she will follow his train of thought, "You should have cited Leviticus 17:11. 'The life of the flesh is in the blood.' Taken literally, life doesn't begin when the sperm meets the egg, but 18 days later. When the embryo is infused with blood."
Dumbfounded, Catherine asks, "Is that your position?"
He shrugs it off and says, "Well, if I were speaking with a woman who prefers theology to science, it's a position she'd find tough to refute."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Catherine tried to grasp what was happening, "So are we having a philosophical discussion here, or am I being reprimanded?"
Also shaking his head, because he cannot figure out why she would be asking that question, he just responds with, "I don't know. I've got to go to court." And with that he continues passed her through the hall, leaving Catherine in a near stupor.
When he turns the next corner he is halted once again, "Hey Gris?"
He did not need to look up, because the voice was completely familiar to him. "Yes, Sara."
"Have you got a sec?" She grinned with her question and it made him almost want to stand there and continue talking to her, but he knew he had to get moving if he was going to make it to court in time.
"Well, only if you don't mind walking and talking… I'm late for court." His smirk told her it was okay and she put her arm out to direct him to continue walking as she stepped right into line for their brief conversation.
"I heard about your bug case… Do you think you can put that Thayer guy back in his place?"
Grissom scrunched up his brow and asked, "Do you know Thayer?"
Sara shrugged and said, "Not personally… I do know he's been whoring himself out to some pretty controversial cases in the last year, but no one's been able to refute his claims yet. I was kind of hoping you'd be able to put him in his place." She shook her head and Grissom noted with a wry grin that she was truly invested in Thayer's demise. It endeared her to him even further. "Those guys give science a bad name, and that just chaps my hide."
Nodding his head Grissom responded with, "Agreed… But you will be happy to hear that I am fairly confident this…" He held up the report in his hands and continued, "will do a sufficient job of digging his reputation's grave."
Sara's smile was all the reward he needed, but her words only made it better, "Nice! Glad to hear it, Gris."
He fought to stifle his own smile and then asked, "So, was that all you wanted?"
She shrugged it off and said, "Yeah, and to let you know there might be a complaint from a Dr. Emily Ryan about Catherine."
"You were there?" His brow was raised with the question, but mostly because he was not sure why she would be telling him about the incident.
"Yeah, we went there to get the vics records and the woman was a total whack job. Whatever she might tell Ecklie, Catherine held her own and was completely professional with the woman… Even when Ryan asked Cat a totally out of line question. I was pretty impressed she was able to keep her cool. I'm not sure I'd have been as calm with her." Sara looked directly at him, "But I just wanted to give you the heads up, and let you know that anything she says would be totally baseless, in my opinion."
He did smile that time, and stopped in front of his office door as he reached out, grasping her upper arm to say, "Thank you… I will be certain to let Conrad know the situation when I get done in court."
She returned his smile, and then turned to leave. From over her shoulder she called, "Good luck with the worm!"
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If there was one thing that bothered Grissom more than anything, it was the perversion of pure science as a means to manipulate the truth. Dr. Mark Thayer, once a colleague of his, had recently become one of those pariahs in his eyes. The man had let greed become his motivation and left science in the shadows. When his testimony refuted accepted facts regarding the lifecycle of the black blowfly, Grissom was instantly suspicious. After having Archie review all of the video for possible tampering of the data contained therein, he had Henry run a tox panel on one of the sample from the man's experiment. What he learned angered him more than anything, because the man had deliberately sprayed the pig specimen with malathion to retard the lifecycle and to give a few days leeway in order to exonerate the defendant, even though there was an eyewitness and more than adequate forensic evidence.
Grissom had just delivered the damning report of the presence of malathion in the experiment's samples, and now he was just waiting for ADA Jeffrey Sinclair to feed him the question that would send the last nail into Dr. Mark Thayer's professional coffin.
The ADA approached him and asked, "Is there any scientific rationale for spraying a pig with malathion before documenting a fly's life cycle?"
Almost immediately, the defense attorney stood and shouted, "Objection."
Judge Whitherspoon's response was swift, "Overruled."
He fought to keep back the satisfied smile that was working its way through his brain and then answered, "The only rationale I can think of would be jury manipulation. Every
entomologist knows that early oviposition is undetectable because flies lay their first round of eggs inside body openings. Anyone reviewing the tape would assume that the eggs were being laid, when in fact they were not. If our lab had not tested the larvae for toxins, we would never have known that. Nor would the jury." There it was, busted.
ADA Sinclair was not able to hide his smug expression when he offered, "Thank you. No further questions."
The judge turned to the defense table and stated, "Counselor, your witness."
The defense attorney fumbled with his response, "Uh, we have no questions at this time."
The judge looked at her desk and returned with, "Oh, in that case, we are adjourned until 9:00 A.M. tomorrow morning." She banged her gavel and the court was dismissed.
Grissom stepped down from the stand, no longer able to hide the smug expression he had been supressing. Before he reached the audience barrier, Mark Thayer stood up and met him on the floor.
His face filled with indignant rage, he said, "I want to talk to you."
Without missing a beat, Grissom replied with, "I have nothing to say to you."
Thayer's face was becoming redder by the moment. "You impugned my character."
His wit was certainly on his side at that moment when he asked, "What character?"
That was when the ADA stepped up to the good doctor and said, "Uh, excuse me, Dr Thayer."
His annoyance was not hidden in the slightest as he answered, "What the hell do you want?"
That smug smile was firmly back in place when he said, "Well, to inform you that you have the right to remain silent. The DA's filing charges for perjury..." Sinclair motions for the officers to step forward.
Thayer gives him an indignant groan and says, "Oh, my God..."
Sinclair continued along with his schpeel "...and obstruction of justice. We won't be accepting a plea."
Mark Thayer turns and glares at Grissom. "This is all your fault."
"I hope so." The officers escort Mark Thayer out of the courtroom and Grissom heads straight for the door.
Before he could reach the door, Undersheriff McKeen meets him with a look of complete disbelief and astonishment on his face. "Grissom. Great work up there."
Grissom simply shrugged off the praise with, "Actually, the work was done in the lab."
Shaking his head, McKeen went on to explain, "When I took this job, I heard a lot of things about you." There was a pregnant pause after that remark, and Grissom knew exactly what he meant, and where that information had probably come from. "If you ever need a favor, if I can help you in any way..."
Without thinking about it very much, Grissom simply responded, "You know Sheriff, you could help me. I'm late delivering my team's personnel evaluations."
Nodding his head emphatically, McKeen said, "I'll tell Ecklie. He'll backdate your cost-of-living adjustments."
Grissom nodded, "Thank you."
McKeen was still in awe of what had happened and wanted to show Grissom that he was serious about being in his corner. "So, Grissom, I'm not sure of your ambitions, but if you're interested in taking on more responsibility, maybe a promotion, I'd be glad to pass..."
Grissom regarded him with an enigmatic smile and said, "You know, Oscar Wilde once said, 'Ambition is the last refuge of failure.' I'm fine. Thanks." With a broad smile on his face, Grissom heads out of the courtroom.