CHAPTER 4: SURPRISES
Greg and Nick had just pulled up to the building that held the pool, and met up with Brass at the scene. "Hey Brass", Nick greeted cheerily, the incident at the lab now in the back of his mind. "Do you have anything for us?"
"I don't know, this Sanders' call", Brass said, "He has to tell us what to do. I'm just here for my expertise, and not to mention my good looks." The three of them laughed, and Greg sneezed. "Sanders, you have a…?"
"Yes, yes, fine I have a cold!" Greg shot out at him.
Jim Brass was slightly taken aback. "I was going to say a plan, but sorry to hear about that cold Sanders."
Greg looked guiltily at the old police detective. "Sorry. I'm a little irritable. But anyways, yeah…I don't have a plan. I just wanted to look around for anything suspicious. This place isn't so big, right?"
Nick shrugged. "Whatever you say Greg. Where do you want to go? This is your idea after all."
Greg pointed up the cracked street. "Brass, you take the places and alleys about the street, and Nick, you take inside the pool building, and. If you see anything suspicious, give the others a call. I'm going to take a look-see about the pool building, I think I see something near there."
Nick and Brass nodded, and went their own way, while Greg started walking towards the pool building for the second time in 24 hours. As we walked closer, he heard mumbling coming from the back of the building, and he saw a faint glow of orange-red. He walked around the building to where it emanated from, and he came upon a group of homeless people, standing around a fire, talking. They noticed his approach, but Greg put his hands up in a peaceful gesture.
"Who are you?" Asked one of the women standing there. She looked in the direction of another woman, the one who had called in the complaint of a scream earlier.
Greg lowered his arms slowly. "Hey everyone, I'm Greg Sanders from the Las Vegas Crime Lab, and I'm investigating a murder case in that building."
"I remember you", said the lady, still wearing the raggedy shawl she had on from when he had first arrived at the scene. "You walked in that building with that other girl." Sara. "So that scream came from a murdered guy?"
"Yeah, probably", Greg replied, careful not to tell them too much. "Do you guys mind if I ask you some more questions about that night?"
"Sure, I just want to make sure that the murderer is caught, in case we're in any danger here", said the first woman. "I'm Bertha, by the way."
Greg took out a notepad and a pen. "Okay, Bertha, what do you know about what went on around here in the past two weeks?"
She took in a breath. "Well, I noticed a lot of activity about a month ago, when a crew of people went into that building. They were construction crew or something." Greg nodded, and scribbled. "Then, a young man, about 20, and two teenage boys started appearing every day."
"How long did this last?" Greg asked, looking about the group.
The man spoke up. "I know, I think. I'm Luke. The boys went to the pool for about two, two and a half weeks. Then, a whole group started coming! It was a racket, I tell you…youngsters running everywhere, making such a noise."
"Now Luke, it wasn't that bad", started the woman who had spoken to Brass the first time. "If you don't already know, my name is Polly."
"Anyways", started Bertha from where Luke left, "they all went swimming, but it was strange."
"What was strange?" Asked Greg, who had a good feeling in his stomach.
"Well, every night that those kids went into the pool, there was always a shadow in the window." Greg looked up from his scribbles, and his look insisted her on. "They had piled up a bunch of barrels and boxes, and every night that the pool was in use, guaranteed that the person was up there."
"Can you tell me anything about the person?" Greg asked her.
Bertha thought, but this time it was Luke who spoke up. "It was always dark when the person would show up, but I can tell you he probably has a pretty sore arm."
"Why's that?"
"Because that pile came down a few nights ago, and the person fell plum down on his arm. It must have hurt because he never came back the next night…waited until last night."
"He was there last night?" Greg asked astounded.
"Yessiree", said Luke, "Right by that window, up there." He pointed to the high window that had filtered the moonlight for them last night. "And he seemed odd, last night. He was restless, couldn't stay still. He hopped of those crates at about 9:30 last night, and I never saw him since."
'The shooting was at 9:45', Greg thought to himself. He picked up his kit, and beamed at the three that stood there. "Thank you very much, I think you've helped this investigation a lot."
They nodded their heads. "Glad to help. Just catch that murderer, okay?" Polly said, as the three of them returned their focus to their fire, still burning with force. Greg waved as he made his way over to where Luke had pointed. He looked about, and he smiled as he caught sight of a shoe imprint in the dirt. He took pictures and a impression of the print. He reached the base of the flimsy looking pyramid of barrels and boxes, and he gulped as he started his climb up. Greg's cold, although he did not find it as much in the outdoor air of the Las Vegas day, was still affecting him just as bad, and he hoped he wouldn't sneeze and send himself tumbling over the edge and end up with a concussion. Greg had his fair share of getting injured on a scene recently. He needed to be less reckless. He climbed until he had a clear view of the inside of the pool. In the rising sun's light, the water danced upon the walls with a red hue that was faintly creepy to Greg, who remembered the red-stained water of the crime scene. The blood in the water had diffused, so little traces of the blood remained except for a tint that was barely noticeable. Greg took out his fingerprinting kit, and started to dust about the sill and panes of glass. Using the feathered brush, he applied the fine black powder, and to his great happiness, fingerprints appeared.
Greg pulled out his special tape, and stuck the prints to it, and placing it carefully in his pocket, smiled to himself. Then he screwed up his face as he let a huge sneeze. It unsteadied him and his stairway of castaway boxes, but they steadied themselves after a second. Greg sniffed, as his racing heart slowed. Luckily, his shift ended soon, and would head home for some much needed rest. He also had the next day off, so he was sure his cold would subside. He needed to be well if his plans were to go ahead. He smiled and he climbed down as his anticipation grew, and he couldn't wait until this case was wrapped up.
Sara sat across from Grissom in his office, shifting uncomfortably. He was silent, reading through his papers, pretending like she was not there. 'What else is new', she thought in a wave of frustration. She couldn't do this any longer. She had to tell him about her and Greg, and have it done with. "Grissom, if you wanted to speak so bad, then speak. I have work to do on this case."
He looked up from his file, and adjusted the glasses perched on his nose. 'Damn that face', Sara thought. She could not read even his general mood, let alone his thoughts. "No Sara. I'm going to wait for you to speak. Tell me what's going on with you."
"What makes you think anything is going on with me?" Sara said, slightly taken back by how Grissom was speaking and acting.
"Please Sara, I know something is going on with you. You are acting different, especially around me."
"What do you mean, different?"
"You're avoiding me", Grissom said, "And I want to know why." He paused for a minute, and the quiet was making Sara edgy. He sighed, "No more beating around the bush. What's happening between you and Greg?"
Sara showed no surprise. She had suspected he had known. "Although it's not your business, you have a right to know, I suppose", Sara said, "that Greg and I have been dating. Furthermore, I believe that this relationship with him can last, can go further."
Grissom, too, did not seem entirely surprised, although his expression seemed somewhat hurt. "I see."
Sara was confused at his reaction, but she was anxious to get out of there. "Is that all you wanted me for…?"
"What about us Sara?"
Sara's jaw dropped. "What was that?"
He repeated himself. "What about us Sara? What about what we shared?"
Sara couldn't stop the ironic smile from crossing over her face, which made Grissom look at her harder. "What did we share Grissom? I wanted you, but you turned away, and I told you I wasn't going to wait for you. I moved on."
"But Sara", he started, and then with a sharp intake of breath, he softly said, "I love you."
Sara snorted, in a hurt and offended passion. " 'I love you'? Don't patronise me Gil Grissom. You had your chance. Now I'm giving Greg a chance, and he's making use of it."
"What does Greg Sanders have that I don't?" Grissom demanded, standing up.
But Sara was not to be deterred from setting this man straight. "Oh God! Don't ask me that, there are so many reasons!" He stared at her, his icy glare boring into her skull until she spoke again. "He's funny, smart, kind, gentlemanly…but you know what makes him truly special?" She paused. "He's not afraid to show his emotions. He likes me a lot, and is not afraid to show it, in case it interfered with his professionalism. He's more of a man than you'll ever be!"
With a last glance at Grissom, she stormed out of the office to the locker room with tears in her eyes. As she opened the door and left, she nearly collided with Catherine, who had been working on a robbery with Warrick. The strawberry blonde caught a glance at the turmoil in Sara's face, and she looked in on Grissom, who was still staring out at her. Catherine walked in, and he looked up at her. "God Cath, what have I done?"
Meanwhile, Sara, who had realized her shift was done, was heading out to her car and heading home. Her mind was reeling from what she had just heard, but she never regretted her decision. When Greg returned from on the scene, she would tell him everything, and maybe convince herself that she truly had made the right decision.
Greg and Nick returned to the Crime Lab, greeting Judy at the main desk and walking with a smile on their faces towards the CODIS database. They had the fingerprints of their killer here…now all that was left was to match the prints to their guy and they had this case wrapped up in a pretty package. Although Greg was too caught up in the happiness of finding another clue, and with the misery of his cold, Nick could sense tension in the lab. He could not place his finger on it, but that all changed when Catherine approached the two.
"Hey Catherine", Greeted Greg, "You're looking fine as usual."
Catherine gave a half-smile. "Thanks Greg…uh…" She was avoiding the subject. "What did you guys find a the crime scene?"
Greg answered cheerily, but his cold was evident once again since he was inside, "We found some fingerbrints on the outside of the windows of the scene, and according to witnesses, they belong to the killer. Also, Nicky was taking a closer look at the bullets, and he figured that all the spent bullets in the bool", he paused to sneeze, "were a result of an inexperienced shooter, or someone who was injured. All the bullets that could be held by a gun was accounted for, so since there was no bullet in our vic at the hosbital…"
"That probably means that the bullets were gone by the time the killer had gotten to him. That's why he is just beaten up", Nick finished.
Catherine nodded in approval. "Good job boys with your case. At least you're making some progress. I'm going to see what Warrick ahs now, to see if we have any kind of a lead, but somehow I have my doubts." She cursed herself for avoiding the question, but she decided she would wait for him to go home.
"Good luck Catherine", said Greg, walking towards the lab where his fingerprints would be processed.
"Greg", Nick called, and he turned, "I'm gonna walk with Catherine for a bit, give me a page if you get something, or before you go home." Greg nodded in reply and started again. Catherine looked at Nick, happy that he had asked Greg to page him before he left. They started walking together towards the A/V Lab where Warrick and Archie were watching the videos pulled from the robbery incident.
"What's up Nicky?" Catherine asked, wondering what Nick was thinking. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Catherine, I know I may be sensing nothing", he said, "but something seems…odd here. Tense, like something's happened. What went on here?"
Catherine sighed. "I see that it's that obvious, yet Greg never felt it. Probably the cold and the excitement of a new clue." She chuckled, slight and nervous, "And he's the one who's going to be more peeved than anyone."
Nick looked at her. "Oh no", he said quietly. "Cath, where's Sara at?"
"I'm not sure, but I know that She and Grissom…"
"So that's what he wanted Greg and I to leave for", Nick thought aloud. "What did he say? What did he do?"
"He was asking her about her relationship about Greg. He asked her some things that should never have been said, and now she is angry as hell and who knows where and in who knows what condition. You know how Sara gets." Nick just gaped at her like a goldfish. "Short of it all is, Nicky, that Gil asked Sara to be with him, to leave Greg, and she was completely disgusted with the whole idea, and stormed out of here when her shift ended."
Nick stopped. "Why didn't you tell Greg?" He said this as he turned around, only to be stopped by Catherine. "Nick, let him be until he's done. If he leaves his work for personal matters, some things may come into question, and he and Sara may never be allowed to work together on a case anymore. That could hurt their relationship, personally and professionally."
Nick sighed. "Fine. I said for him to page me before he left. I'm coming with you in the meanwhile to help you with your robbery, so I won't be tempted."
Catherine smiled. "Good Nicky. Now, come with me."
It was only 15 minutes later when Greg paged Nick that he was heading home to get some rest and try and sleep off his cold. Then, with great difficulty, Nick spouted out that Grissom and Sara had a fight, and that Sara had left the office in tears. No specifics, which was probably a horrible thing for Nick to do. Catherine had certainly had her tongue-lashing at Nick for doing so. Nick and Catherine rushed out to the entranceway to calm Greg down and explain what truly happened, but he was already speeding along the street by the time they had reached it.
It took Greg only a few more minutes down the road to get to her house, but he never saw her vehicle, making his heart race and his stomach feel like lead. His heart sank, but he knew that the smartest thing to do was to head home. Sara was a smart girl, and would eventually turn up to work, and then they would talk. Fortunately though, he need not wait that long, as when he walked up the hallway towards his apartment, there sat Sara, in front of his door, head between her drawn-up knees, and her shoulder shaking. "Sara?" Greg called as he approached her. She looked up, and seeing his face she immediately started to sob again. She stood up and raced into him, completely burying herself into his chest, and leaving him completely bewildered. He calmed her down enough to lead her into his apartment and sit her down on his couch, where he made her something to eat and something to drink. She took it gratefully, and after devouring it, and calming herself down completely, he said, "Sara, what happened at the lab?"
Sara looked up at him with her deep brown eyes, still slightly red. She bit her lip to keep her equanimity, and she started. "He called me into his office and asked me what was happening between us."
"So he had known." Greg stated. "So, what else happened? Surely he wanted something more?"
Sara nodded. "Yeah, he did. After that, I was about to leave when he asked, 'what about us? What about what we shared?'" She took a shaky breath. Greg's face was not showing anything angry, but still full of concern. "I told him off then for not taking his chances when he had them, and then he told me…that he loved me." Sara stopped as she sobbed again, but she held hard onto her composure, and started again. "I then continued to tell him off, and then he paused and asked what you had that he didn't. After that I left."
Then she let herself go, and cried long and hard, as Greg allowed her to lie against his shoulder and he himself let his emotions go as he silently let a few tears slide down his face at the frustration and sadness his love Sara was going through. Also, he was realizing that this might be the closest he came to actually losing her, having a obstacle in their relationship…he did not know how she was going to react to this. She cried like that for a while, and when Greg had seen she had calmed herself down, he said, almost without hope, "You don't love him anymore?"
Sara sighed, drawing herself up into s sitting position, facing him. "Greg, you know that I'll always have feelings for Grissom, but they're only like the feelings I have for Warrick, or Cath, or Nick. I work with them, and they're like family. You, on the other hand", she smiled, "I love you in a whole new way. I need you, and when we're not together, all I think of is you. In love, Grissom is my past. You are my present and future."
She finished, and looked expectantly at him. He was so swept up in the realization that Sara was his, with no interruption from Grissom that he almost never even saw Sara lean in for a kiss. However, Greg had trained himself to never miss such an opportunity, and he scooped her up into his lap and kissed her long and hard. This was the most intimate they had been since their first kiss at the diner, and no less sparks were between them. But Greg also loved her well enough to not take it too far too quick. He too wanted to take it slowly, to savour the moments together. When he finally needed air, he slowly leaned back, letting his lips linger on hers for a second longer.
Sara smiled when they parted, and Greg gave a warm grin. "Mmm, a future of Sara Sidle and this? Pinch me, I'm dreaming."
Sara laughed, but it died away when Greg took another fit of sneezes, and his hand went to his head. "Oh no, Greg", she began, realizing what she had done, "You came home to rest from your cold, and I kept you up. I'm so sorry."
Greg sniffed, trying to sound okay. "It's okay Sara, I'm just glad you came here when you wanted to talk. It makes me feel better that you trust me that much."
Sara would not hear it. "Greg, you need to rest, or your cold will worsen. Now, go to bed, I'll make sure your comfortable, and then I'll make something for you when you get up."
Greg just stared at how fast she had gotten over her emotional breakdown. Sara was strong, and he knew it, and he had to give her credit. "Sara, really, it's not necessary…" She pursed her lips and growled. He sighed. "Fine, I'll let you baby me, and fuss over me. I know you couldn't resist me. Just don't take advantage of me in my sick and fragile state." He grinned, and she just laughed at him. Some things never changed. She got up, and made him go to bed after a quick shower. She tucked him in (with many jokes from Greg) and made her way to the kitchen where she made a large pot of soup. As she watched the liquid boil, she thought over the day, and with a slight chuckle she thought about how many surprises life threw her way, and that the biggest surprise was that she had finally given up Grissom for good, and was hopefully moving on with Greg.