I really haven't forgotten about this. I hope you're still enjoying it!
Sara
The wind blowing in over the Sierra Nevadas was scorching, the air thick with the smell of lilacs and smoke. Everyone seemed to be keeping an anxious eye on the clouds forming over the mountains, threatening a weekend of indoors and ruined plans. Pushing my sunglasses up to rest on top of unruly hair, I threw a final glance up at the hazy sky through squinted eyes. The relentless sun was wearing on me, my west coast roots aching for some rain; some relief from the unseasonal warmth.
Wendy was the first thing I saw as I stepped through the doors of the lab, her general state of disarray just another incongruity that had become normal as of late. Her tired gaze immediately met mine with a sudden wide eyed intensity, adjusting her trajectory towards me with a soft shake of her head. I frowned, trying to make sense of it; of her weary presence at 10 am.
"Sidle"
Turning towards the irritated voice I was greeted with the sight of Ecklie, equally disheveled and heading my way. Sighing, I gripped the strap of my bag with a tight fist, preparing for the onslaught. Glancing back in search of Wendy, I found her disappearing quietly down one of the adjacent hallways, unnoticed.
"I hope you enjoyed your morning- took in the sights on the way here, stopped for breakfast maybe…"
I stared at him for a moment, lips upturning slightly in a joyless smile. "Conrad" I greeted slowly. "You do know that I work nights, right? That I don't actually have to be here?"
His sneer only grew in strength as he approached. "Well you chose a hell of a time to get a personal life"
Hiking my bag up, I pursed my lips against the growing irritation. "I came in as soon as I could"
He scoffed, glancing down the hall for a moment before focusing back on me, a sense of weariness overshadowing his irritation.
"We're going to have to have more than a hallway chat, but until the sheriff decides to head back to PD or take another Valium, I'm holding off on a meeting"
Hallelujah.
"Sara, I need you to make some sort of headway with this case. Give me something to feed to the press- anything. We need to salvage at least a few shreds of dignity here"
Opening my mouth to speak, he held a silencing hand up. "I don't want to hear about how we jumped the gun on Wright- we should have given it more time, let's leave it at that. Just… give me something to pacify the sheriff before he has another coronary"
The darkness beneath his eyes was enough to let it go for the moment, giving him a soft nod before moving around him, in search of caffeine and a quiet space to think.
I could see McKeen's face gracing the TV screen through the window of the break room, the deep set lines of his forehead prominent beneath the harsh lights; the flash of press camera's. His voice reached my ears as I entered the room- the delicate art of making an apology without apologizing; maintaining an air of strength without looking ignorant. Apparently they had gone ahead with the conference.
"You're here late" I mused, coming to stand behind Nick, seated at the couch watching the chaos unfold. He glanced up over his shoulder, giving me a flash of his big Texan smile. We hadn't seen each other in days; felt like weeks.
"You're here early" he countered. I gave a nod towards the TV by way of explanation.
"Are the press really buying this?" I asked, crossing my arms tightly over my chest, feeling the stress begin to take hold once again.
"Of course not, he's just going through the motions. There's no disguising this grand level fuck up"
I turned towards the smooth voice, met with the sight of a flawless face framed by violently angled hair, the color of midnight. Round hazel eyes cold and lifeless. Give me a fucking break.
"Rachel" I greeted, forcing a smile. I hadn't noticed her at the end of the table- black outfit blending in with the chair. "What are you doing here?"
"My job, Sara. Did you think we were just giving up on this investigation?"
Pressing my smile into a thin line, I moved in the direction of coffee, suddenly desperate to have something to do with my hands. If working with the feds was difficult before, it was going to be damn near impossible now. If there was one thing the CIA didn't respond well to, it was getting it wrong.
"Look, I'm aware that our collaborative efforts work better from a distance" she stated coolly, eyes following me. I snorted softly in agreement, grabbing Sofia's usual LVPD mug from the cupboard. "I'm assuming you and Willows are still hell bent on proving this O'Riley theory, so do it. Don't draw attention to yourselves, but get me something. As history has shown, we can't do anything with your strong convictions if you don't have anything to back it"
The sharp sound of papers being straightened against the table concealed my scoff, biting my tongue. She wasn't wrong, but her condescension was grating.
"I want to hear more about this theory of yours later"
I frowned, turning towards her in question, noting her gaze lingering on Nick as she headed out the door, a smirk pulling at her painted lips.
"Oh you can count on that" he called after her with a chuckle, watching her disappear down the hall before turning back to the TV. My frown deepened, moving towards the door with him in my direct trajectory. I let my hand fall heavily onto his shoulder for a fleeting moment, brown eyes glancing up to meet mine.
"No" I warned pointedly, giving my head a small shake as I backed my way towards the open doors. "No"
He sighed, giving me a bemused look. "Come on now, just because you two don't get along doesn't mean we can't. Besides, you've got a bit of a monopoly on the women around here"
I bumped into the frame of the door, coffee spilling slightly over as I awkwardly tilted my head, frown reaching it's limits. There was no way he could know…
"Don't think I don't see that new lab tech… what's her name, Ellen? Erica?... always looking at you. We all know Sofia is off limits. And you and Catherine are basically a married couple these days" he listed off, relief flooding though me as I realized he didn't know. It's not that I wanted to keep this change in our relationship from them, but the shift in our work structure was going to be drastic once this got out. Besides, it all still felt impossibly delicate.
I shot him a smile as I turned to go, tossing a final warning glance over my shoulder.
"No"
/
Finding an empty layout room, I dropped onto a stool, pulling out my phone. The lab had a different feel during the day- a whole host of vaguely familiar faces milling around at all times. The day shift had a tendency to overlap for a period with the swing shift, creating an atmosphere of semi-organized chaos.
I wiped absently at a smudge on the translucent glass of the table, phone pressed firmly to my ear.
"Curtis"
"When are you getting back?"
A quiet scoff sounded on the other end; the crumple of what sounded like bed sheets.
"Good morning to you too. My trip has been fine, thanks for asking"
A half smile pulled at my lips, tapping my fingertips softly against my mug.
"Talking to the mother was a bust, but I managed to get in touch with the vic's sister. She lives in Boise, that's where I am now. We've got a meeting this afternoon, so god willing she offers up something and I can be home by tomorrow"
"Tap into that charm you have buried deep, deep down, because we need something. The feds just showed back up"
She chuckled, the sound of bed springs creaking. I could almost see her padding towards her little hotel coffee maker, hair in it's natural state of morning disarray.
"Oh, let me pack my bags then" she rasped sarcastically.
"Seriously, the moment you're done up there…"
"I'll be on my way back" she assured me tiredly, the sound of a muffled woman's voice sounding on the other end. I quirked an eyebrow, listening to her unintelligible reply- phone resting momentarily against her shoulder.
"Do you have someone over?" amusement painted my voice and she made a quiet humming noise, the sound of a fridge door closing. "I don't know what you're talking about"
"Uh-huh"
My phone buzzed, pulling it back to glance at the message illuminating the screen.
"I'll talk to you later. Enjoy" I mumbled with a smile, snapping my phone shut and downing the rest of my lukewarm coffee. The dayshift coroner was ready with her report, and I had a morbid sense of relief at the invitation to escape the living for a while.
/
I heard Catherine approaching before I saw her, heels clicking rapidly against the cement floor. Rachel and I had been going through case photos for the thousandth time at her insistence, the tension I was holding in my shoulders creeping up my neck, shooting through the base of my skull. Somewhere along the line my mind had stopped compartmentalizing this horror and every photo of every young, lifeless body was like a physical blow. I was in desperate need of a distraction.
Already halfway around when she called my name, I met her bright eyes instantly, drinking in the sight of her. Since I left the hotel she had managed to pull herself together seamlessly in typical Catherine fashion, chiffon blouse an appropriate shade of crimson.
Rachel turned, regarding Catherine with all the warmth of an ice bath. It took a moment for Catherine to notice her- pace faltering slightly, surprise flashing across her features before she mumbled something that sounded a lot like "fuck me" under her breath.
"Catherine, thanks for making an appearance today"
Catherine shot her a sideways glance that dared her to make another comment so audacious.
"Likewise Rachel, so glad to have you back"
I pursed my lips against the chuckle threatening to surface, Catherine's focus shifting back to me with a flash of excitement, raising the folder in her manicured hand.
"We got something. Doc Robbins sent a sample of a substance that he noticed on one of the bruises on the vic's arm to trace. Wendy just got the results"
Leave it to Catherine to take the morning off and still be running the show. I took the folder from her, shifting her weight to one hip as I opened it curiously.
"It's invisible glove- this gel coating that creates a protective barrier on your hands. It's used by painters, gardeners…"
"Mechanics" I interrupted, her grin returning with a nod. "Yeah, looks like he might have finally slipped up"
"Have you shown this to Ecklie? He could use some good news"
Strawberry waves fell over her shoulder with a light toss of her head, beauty razor sharp as her gaze shifted over to Rachel. "I'm not sure I won't kill any of them just yet. I'll leave the honors to you."
She let her hand fall to my forearm as she moved past, giving it a soft squeeze. "I'm going to talk to Ortega, see if Madison's family offered up anything useful"
Rachel couldn't know the depth of Catherine's involvement in the Jennings case if we wanted her to keep working it without a battle, so I simply gave her a nod. "I'll see you later"
"Look at you two getting along" Rachel mused, turning on her own dangerously high heel, reaching over to slide the folder smoothly from my gasp. "I was on my way to speak with Conrad, I'll pass this along"
My desire to avoid Ecklie won out over my pride, rolling my eyes as she clicked away down the hall, turning towards the break room.
The sound of something hitting the glass beside me grabbed my attention, turning just in time to see a balled up set of latex gloves fall to the ground, Wendy looking at me from the bench inside the trace lab with as much enthusiasm as I imagined she could muster.
I gave her an amused glance through the glass, heading towards the door.
"I'm sorry, I just don't have the energy to chase down anyone else today"
I took in her olive blouse un-tucked from high-waisted pants, her dark ponytail about to fall out entirely, lab coat hanging from her thin shoulders.
"What are you doing in trace at 11 in the morning?" I asked, coming to lean against the bench.
"The tests weren't finished by the time Hodges left, and I was not about to leave the new girl in charge of this with Morticia breathing down our necks"
I smiled, pursing my lips as she turned to grab a crisp paper from the desk, handing it to me.
"We swabbed the inside of the cap you guys found and got a match. You're not gonna believe this. It's Arnica gel"
"Arnica? As in…?"
"Yeah" she reached up to tighten her ponytail absently. "Arnica killer leaves Arnica gel cap behind… do you think it was intentional or is this guy just some… holistic enthusiast?"
Frowning, I shook my head lightly, unsure. Images of yellow petals contrasting against ghostly skin; vacant, milk-blue eyes flashed through my mind and I clenched my fist in an attempt to clear them.
"I'm not sure it matters" I mused, smacking her shoulder gently with the paper as I pushed off the desk. "Thank you"
She shot me a tired smile, and I turned back briefly from the doorway to return it. "Get some rest"
/
"How is she doing?"
I spun around from where I had been all but leering at Catherine across the hallway, met with Grissom's grey eyes as he came to sit at the break room table.
"Uh, fine" I crossed my arms, leaning against the wall in an attempt to be casual. "As well as you would expect, considering"
He nodded, glancing across the hall where Catherine and Rachel were having a discussion that had been on the verge of heated for a while.
"Are we not having a meeting right now?" he asked, eyebrow quirking in a sure sign of irritation. I shrugged, following his gaze back into the layout room. Catherine had turned to lean back against the table, head thrown momentarily back to sigh at the ceiling. I admired the curve of her neck, the tension she was harboring obvious in her stance- trying to exhale the negative.
Burnished waves tumbled around her shoulders as her head dropped back down, gaze immediately locking with mine. I felt a smile pull at my lips, pursing them lightly as I held her heated gaze for a lingering moment before turning away from the window, taking a seat across from Grissom. If anything could take my mind away from thoughts of Catherine beneath me, it was the irritated pout pulling at Grissom's mouth as he stared down at the Forensic Weekly article on molecular death.
"Ecklie's probably still stuck reassuring McKeen" I offered, fingertips trailing absently over the handle of my coffee mug. "I don't envy him"
"Me either" he agreed, flipping a worn out page.
"Alright, let's get this over with" Catherine huffed as she breezed into the room, heading straight for the coffee. She held her tongue for all of five seconds before turning towards us, coffee pot in hand.
"I think we should bring in the brother, see what his story is. That's the logical next step, even though not everyone agrees…"
"There is nothing indicating Samuel O'Riley as a suspect. You want to focus on James O'Riley, and you've been given free reign to do that. So do it"
I used a booted foot to swivel my chair tiredly towards the door, regarding Rachel as she entered the room.
"Interviewing the brother of our suspect falls under the umbrella of focusing on the suspect…" I could hear the irritation in Catherine's voice, threatening to boil over into a full blown argument. It was a small nuance I knew all too well.
"Catherine, I'm saying no"
I met Grissom's own weary gaze briefly, bracing for the blow back.
"Look" she pressed, jaw clenched as she took a calming breath. "I know that you've been told to keep a distance from the O'Riley's because HR doesn't want another lawsuit on their hands, but we are not going to solve this case if we can't investigate the obvious suspects"
Dropping into the seat next to me, she held Rachel's gaze with a dangerous intensity. "Sam's van was seen near my house the night that the flowers were left, his girlfriend was mysteriously killed 14 years ago, his daughter was the second victim in this case. Why are we even debating this?"
"Good to see everyone getting along" Ecklie remarked tiredly as he wandered into the room.
"Seriously Conrad, what is the logic here?"
"The man has no criminal record, Catherine. No misdemeanors, not even a parking ticket. Until he gives us any reason to suspect him, we leave him alone"
"Are we really doing this again?" she asked, glancing around the table in bemusement "Am I the only one who remembers that the last time you kept them off limits to cover the departments asses, you put the wrong guy behind bars?"
"If we can't touch James O'Riley, then at least let us talk to Samuel" I suggested, Ecklie's gaze shifting hesitantly over to me. "The cap we found was a match to a Nalgene container, which means the arnica gel was either hand made, or put in there for ease of use. Samuel O'Riley is a sports medicine doctor…"
I glanced between Ecklie and Rachel, showing no signs of being intrigued by this. "It's a connection, even if it is a stretch. It's enough to ask him to come in, get a read on him, see if we can get any more information on James"
"Sara…"
"You can't ask us to find evidence if you don't give us any access. Just a few questions…"
Rachel was the first to fold, crossing her arms as she turned to Ecklie with a sigh. "They're not wrong. James O'Riley is the best suspect…"
"The only suspect" I cut in, earning a fleeting glare in my direction.
"The best shot we've got right now of moving forward. If everything goes smoothly, they have nothing to hold against us"
Ecklie sighed, running a hand over his balding head, the stress radiating from him almost tangible.
"Alright, get Ortega to bring him in first thing tomorrow, and stress that it is just for a routine questioning. I don't want anyone interacting with him aside from Ortega and Callum" he glanced over at Rachel, receiving a curt nod of understanding.
I bit back the desire to argue that Sofia should do the talking. If I couldn't question him, at least she knew the intricacies of this entire situation. At the same time, I was glad she was miles away from this dangerous line we were toeing. There was no doubt this would only aggravate whatever vendetta seemed to be held against me, Catherine, or the department in it's entirety.
I felt a hand glide over my thigh, glancing at Catherine who had leaned forward to take a sip of coffee, eyes trained on Ecklie as she gave it a soft squeeze.
"Something good better come of this, because the DA is going to be all over us now" Ecklie sighed, taking a seat.
It took two hours and copious amounts of coffee to go over everything from top to bottom, finding ourselves no further than we had been initially. Ecklie however seemed to have found a touch of compassion, seeing first hand how empty handed every case had left us; seeing their little faces lined up in a morbid row.
Catherine had piles of paperwork to address, while Grissom recruited me to give Greg a hand with a B and E downtown. The thought alone felt like a breath of fresh air- no dead bodies, no shattered families. Just good old petty theft.
Catherine caught my wrist before I made it out the door of the break room, tugging me gently back. I was met with a soft smile, thumb brushing gently over my skin before hesitantly letting it go.
"So Lindsay is having a night with Nancy and Jeremy at the hotel… I think she needs a bit of space from all of this"
I nodded, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I was thinking, if you're free after work, I could come over…"
She let that thought hang for a moment, dripping with intention. Long enough for images from this morning to flash through my mind- her seductive words. I held her gaze for a drawn out moment before breaking away to glance around us, the break room empty.
"I could crash on the couch" she added casually, though the smirk that flashed across her features told me she knew exactly how undone I was by her.
"I'll get out the guest sheets" I told her with a teasing smile, eyes trailing after her as she squeezed my arm gently, heading down the hallway with an added sway to her slim hips.