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Present Day
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The rain slowed gradually, pattering softly on rocks, dripping off branches, finally stopping altogether just before dawn. Sara gazed around at the surrounding hills and outcrops, occasionally lit by the lightning flashes that were growing ever more distant. Where's the city? I thought the Vegas glow was visible for miles -- MILES -- around the city, why can't I see it?? Where am I?! She forced herself to take a long deep breath, releasing it slowly. Stop that, Sidle! There's probably just too much rain and a big hill in the way. You're obviously in a depression, given the amount of water still flowing down there, you'll be able to see the city once you climb a little. No use panicking.
Forcing aside memories of being trapped under the swirling water, she concentrated on thoughts of Gil, watching as the stars appeared briefly overhead only to be lost again as the sun began its ascent in the east, listening as the sound of the water quieted to a trickle then disappeared. The wind continued to blow, quickly drying her clothes as she began a slow, careful descent over the slippery rocks and sucking mud.
Geez! She stared down at the Mustang, barely visible under the layer of mud and debris that had washed up around it, unable to tear her eyes away. Okay. What do I know? -- Gil and the team will definitely have missed me by now, they'll know something's wrong when they find my car, Gil knows it has a GPS locator... Then what? Did Natalie give them a miniature already? Is she planning to give it to Gil later? How much detail could they get out of it? -- Finding the address for the last miniature was hard enough, and that had unique architecture... She glanced around at the surrounding area, now glowing red in the light of the rising sun. This just looks like desert. There's desert everywhere... What about Natalie? They know who she is, can they find her? Get her to talk? Then find me in time?
She began searching around the car, looking for signs of the track Natalie had driven in on, but the flood waters had erased any tire impressions. She continued to pace the area, a fierce debate raging in her head. Alright Sidle, it comes down to this: Stay or Go? -- The car's almost completely buried, even if they have helicopters they won't likely be able to see it. I haven't even heard a helicopter yet, so they might not even know that I'm out of the city... Unless they get an exact location from Natalie, I don't see how they could possibly find me... Of course, Grissom might be able to "follow the dirt" if they find her car -- Then again, this all assumes that they know what they're looking for, that they have a miniature of my crime scene... I'd never thought I'd mean "my crime scene" in quite that way before...
She forced her thoughts back toward the question at hand. Okay, Grissom would say, "Never assume," so no assumptions about the information that they may or may not have -- It's up to you to get yourself out of this Sidle -- At least go climb a slightly larger hill, get the lay of the land. Maybe there's a road just over that rise. Rearranging the sling to protect her arm, taking one last drink from a puddle formed on a rock, and checking that the mirror was safely stowed in her pocket, Sara made her way slowly away from the car, her feet sinking deeply in the still wet earth.
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1993
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A new social worker sitting in the stuffed brown chair, a bit more padding falling from the bottom. Stacks of folders littering the desk, different names typed across their tops. New inspirational posters covering the walls, slogans echoed on the calendar and mug, pale pink roses in a vase, rather than a pot of live daffodils. The woman flipping idly through the sizeable file marked "Davis, Natalie" lying in her lap.
"Natalie, now that you're 18, you've outgrown the foster system. You'll need to find a job or get a scholarship to go to college. If you can't get a scholarship, I'd suggest beginning in the hospitality business, a maid or a waitress. That type of person is always in demand in this town. Maybe you can work your way through school. Do you have any ideas about what you want to do?"
"N-N-No. N-Not really."
"Well, what skills do you have?"
"I-I have a really good memory. I can remember a room p-perfectly, perfectly after seeing it just once."
"Well, a good memory would help you out a lot as a waitress, but you'll have to deal with a lot of people. You seem pretty shy to me. As a maid, you'd be able to remember where everything should go. Maybe you can work at a hotel... or privately for someone with a large house. There are also maid services that send you out to lots of different houses."
"Th-That'd be okay."
"Alright, let's see if I can set you up with a good maid service. Las Vegas has a good number of different groups. Would you prefer to work in private homes, office buildings, or casinos?"
"P-private."
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"Natalie, it's good to meet you. My name's Sue."
"G-good to meet you, Sue."
"Well, as you can see I like to keep my home neat and organized, but I work full time, and often overtime, and just don't have time to do more than just basic cleaning. What I'd really like from you is a weekly run through of the house, dusting the corners, vacuuming, mopping the floor, scrubbing the bathroom, washing windows, that sort of thing. Neaten up if you see anything out of place, but mostly just the big things. Any questions?"
"N-no. That'd be fine."
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Earlier Today
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The model, no longer moving, water puddled on its surface, seemed to mock Grissom as he stood frozen beside the layout table, flask still grasped in his hand, unable to tear his eyes away, until his pager began to vibrate on his hip. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he glanced down at the screen, "Nat's car in garage - W." He rubbed a hand briefly across his face, setting the flask down on the table, then strode purposefully from the layout room, heading toward their most promising forensic link to Sara.
As he entered, Warrick looked up briefly and nodded, "Luckily we found it before the rain washed --" He cut himself off as Grissom involuntarily turned to stare at the water sheeting down the garage window, scattering wavy reflections across the room. Warrick visibly shook himself, "I've gotten basic samples of the dirt to Hodges, and he's headed to the station right now to get samples from Natalie. I was just going to start on the interior."
Grissom forced his gaze from the window, Just concentrate on the evidence, Gil, it's the only way you'll find her. "Alright, I'll detail the exterior."
The silence was broken only by the steady patter of rain on the window. Focus on the areas that would be least likely to be disturbed by rain or the wind of driving. -- What's that? -- Hmmm, grasshopper... looks like a common species, damn! -- And, who knows how long it's been there anyway. -- Keep looking, Gil. There's got to be something --
The ringing of his cell broke the silence. He glanced briefly at the caller ID, "What'd you know, Nick?"
"Compassrod-dot-com, Natalie's been spending a lot of time in the desert. 'Bout a dozen different spots. All off the beaten path. No roads, just general locations."
Too many locations for only three choppers, need to narrow it down. "Hang on -- Warrick, how far was the last trip?"
"Give me a second. I'm gettin' it right now... 34 miles, one-way."
"Nick, get all those locations to Brass. Tell him to focus his search on any destinations within 34 miles." He barely heard Nick's acknowledgement, as he slowly closed the phone. We're getting closer... Just hang on, Sara! -- Wonder what my pulse is now? Wish you were here to check, to calm me...
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1994
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"Natalie, I'm glad you're here. I've got to run to work, but I need to show you something first. A pipe burst over the weekend and caused a big water stain along the wall right over here in the living room. As you can see, I had to move everything into a big pile in the centre of the room. I've managed to get the stain out with bleach, but I just don't have time to put everything back. You've been working here almost a year, do you think you could put it away correctly?"
That smell... No... No. No! NO!
Flash
The red fading, Chloe disappearing. Tears streaking Daddy's face, red tips on his fingers, sleeves pushed up, hair falling in his face, a bristled brush, spots of light appearing in the red.
Flash
Sue, grey hair falling from her bun, curling in the humidity, blue eyes staring without blinking, plastic floral curtain flowing into the bloody water, her special necklace lying beside the sink, orange bottle of Herbal Essences shampoo leaning --
"Natalie? Do you think you can put this stuff away?"
"Sure."
"Will you be able to remember where everything should go?"
"Yeah... Top shelf is cookbooks, organized by region, Mexican, Italian, then Chinese, with the small tan pot beside them. Next shelf is records, organized alphabetically, except the Beatles which are always at the end. Next--"
"Wow! That's amazing. I believe you'll do just fine. Why don't you go start on that?"
"Okay."
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"See, honey, this printer can print on plastic, then you just heat it up and bend it, and you can make yourself a plastic curtain with whatever you want on it, like flowers. Does this work for your model?"
"P-perfect. Thank you, Ernie."
"This a picture you saw in your head or did it happen?"
"In my head... That smell..."
"Well, I'm glad ye showed me. You didn't make it happen, did you?"
"N-No."
"That's my good girl. D'ya need anythin' else?"
"She always has a necklace, blue turquoise stones with silver beads, a silver bear in the middle."
"Hmmm... I don't know how to make that... Can you just paint it on? -- No? Well, I might know somebody... I'll see what I can do, okay sweetie?"
"Okay."
"Love you, special girl. You make sure you come to me if you see anything else."
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Earlier Today
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Grissom's thoughts were again interrupted by the buzzing of his pager, "Got video - GS." Well, you're not going to find much more here, Gil, maybe there's something on the tape.
As Grissom entered the AV lab, Greg nodded his acknowledgment and hit play. Sara appeared on the screen, slowly riding up the elevator, answering her phone as it rang. Grissom didn't need to read lips to know the conversation that followed. Right after I talked to her! It happened right after I talked to her... If we had just stayed on the phone a little longer -- Don't, Gil! That won't help her.
Neither spoke as they watched Natalie step out from the shadows behind her car, Sara startling when she heard her name, then falling to the floor as the tazer hit her chest. Though the cameras provided only a time series of snapshots, Grissom felt as if each moment were passing in slow motion. Natalie tying Sara's wrists, struggling to pull her limp body, lifting her slowly into the trunk, backing out of the space, driving away...
He watched, helpless, as he saw the proof that Sara had been forcefully taken from his life. Focus on the details. Anything... Anything to get a location. A small flash of pride for Sara's mentoring skills flashed through him as Greg, without any prompting, stopped the video at precisely the right frame, zooming in on the sign that would give them a direction, another link toward finding her.
"She went west on Imperial."
Grissom pulled out his cell phone as he rose. West. Imperial leads right out of town. She'd want to get Sara out to the scene as soon as possible. "Jim, restrict your search to targets in the western desert." Hopefully, along with Nick's locations, that can narrow it down enough... We're coming, Sara.
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TBC