3. chapter - The incident
'Tribbiani's' bar'
Nick and Sara had been marking and collecting clues for quite a long time. They had also searched the back room for hidden blood spots, but hadn't found anything useful. The policemen had organised the transport of the body - otherwise the apparently warm temperature in the bar would've done its best to make the body decay. The court doctor would have to examine it - same procedure as every murder. Afterwards the policemen left the building and Nick and Sara did their work.
At the moment the two were inspecting every centimetre of the floor of the surrounding area of the place, where now chalk lines marked the position of the body.
Now and again, Sara glimpsed to Nick when he was busy.
And from time to time, Nick watched Sara doing her work, following her every movement - for one moment forgetting the reason why they were there.
He tried to imagine the bar full of people, moving in the grooving rhythm of the music. - And Sara and himself dancing between them.
He had never seen Sara dancing - but an inner voice told him she was a good dancer.
As he watched her, he noticed she was wearing dark blue jeans and a white blouse under her CSI-jacket. It was a simple, efficient outfit. He didn't know what she used to wear at home, but every time he met her at work she usually wore dark jeans combined with a blouse.
He liked that outfit. It reminded him of her.
Now she looked up and their eyes met.
Nick lost himself in her brown eyes and in difference to other times, she didn't look away after a second, now.
Nick knew he had to say something to break the silence, or this moment - this chance - would be lost forever.
And so he said the first thing that came to his mind, without realizing what it was until he had already said it:
"You look beautiful tonight."
Sara flushed.
"Thanx."
Nick forced himself to do, what he should have already done in the last few weeks.
"Would you like to go out with me?"
He hesitated, waiting for any reaction of hers. Prepared to move forward or backward, depending on this reaction.
For that she didn't show any at first, he continued, slightly irritated.
"I mean - only if you really like to. . And if you've got some time left to spend some time . with me.", he said and stopped, uncertain how to go on or what to say next.
"I would like to.", Sara replied all of a sudden. "Really, Nick."
Both smiled at each other, resting in a moment of pleasant silence and reflecting.
'Wow - he wants to go out with me!', Sara thought.
'Oh my God, she said yes! She really wants to go out with me!', Nick thought.
Both still tried to keep busy and fumbled in their kits, trying to find something to do to make the situation stay formal. But their thoughts kept circling around the other topic.
Until.
"Sara?"
"Yeah?", she replied, expecting Nick to ask her where she'd like to go. So she was quite surprised when he said:
"How likely is the culprit to return to the scene of a crime?"
Irritated, Sara looked up and found Nick watching something behind her.
"Why?", she wanted to know.
"I guess I found a boyfriend.", Nick replied with a huge smile, gesturing behind her back.
Sara turned around.
She could look right through the door (which was made of glass) and first didn't see more than just the crowd trying to pass the police and enter the bar to get a glimpse of the scene of the crime.
Then she noticed a young man, standing in the first line. In comparison to all the other people not striking at all. Pale face, maybe as tall as Nick, dark hair, wearing a baseball cap. . And a royal blue pullover.
Sara knew this was what Nick meant, and said:
"That can be a coincidence."
Then she concentrated on the man's head and recognised four bloody scratches on the left side of his face.
Sara whistled.
"Nick - maybe you're right."
She turned back to Nick and noticed he had moved closer and was sitting right behind her. Their faces had only the distance of a few centimetres now and Sara could feel his warm breath touching her face.
Nick smelled the scent of her skin and a certain excitement took possession of him. He looked in Sara's eyes and there he found the same excitement. He slowly leaned forward, letting his feelings guide him.
His lips had almost reached Sara's, when she whispered:
"Nick, this is not the right place."
Then she quickly stood up and made her way to the entrance, leaving Nick kneeling on the floor, watching her walk away.
He was disappointed she had rejected him, but he understood her reason why. This was a crime scene, a young woman had been killed over here. The suspect was probably right in front of the bar and Sara was just on her way to face him.
He stood up in the moment she stepped through the door and he hurried. She should not be alone with that guy. 'Alone?', Nick thought, 'there are several policemen and dozens of people around.' But he had a bad feeling about it and so walked a bit faster.
He watched her speak to the man. He stepped through the doorway while Sara gestured at the man's scratches. The man seemed to lose control, he got angry and yelled at Sara, who kept talking.
Nick had almost reached her, when he saw that the man put his right hand into the bag of his trousers. 'Sara.', he thought, 'Don't you pay attention?' He tried to shout at her, but the noise around was too loud. She couldn't hear him.
"Sara!"
Now things happened quickly. The man rose his right hand in which he was now holding a gun he had pulled out of the trousers. Nick rushed forward. The guy had a devilish smirk on his face and lifted the gun. Nick reached Sara, grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him - and almost the same moment, the guy shot.
People screamed and Nick felt a sudden pain in his chest, but tried to ignore it and turned around to look after Sara.
She was standing right behind him. Her face was pale.
"Sara, are you all right?", he asked, putting his hands on her shivering shoulders.
She nodded.
Nick looked down at his chest and saw his shirt getting more and more coloured red with his own blood. He met Sara's eyes - she looked really scared.
Then he broke down. The world faded in darkness and he lost consciousness.
Sara knelt down.
"Nick!", she screamed panic-stricken, but he didn't react.
Policemen ran to them, she heard them phone the ambulance.
Through a veil of tears she saw Nick, lying on the floor and two officers right next to him, checking his pulse and caring for him..
She wasn't able to move until she heard the ambulance approach.
Nick was put on a stretcher and carried into the ambulance, but Sara kept staring at the place, where he had been. A bloody spot had remained on the stony floor.
Then a policeman guided her into the ambulance, but she didn't really notice it.
There was one picture stuck in her mind - Nick, wounded, helpless, scaring.
'Tribbiani's' bar'
Nick and Sara had been marking and collecting clues for quite a long time. They had also searched the back room for hidden blood spots, but hadn't found anything useful. The policemen had organised the transport of the body - otherwise the apparently warm temperature in the bar would've done its best to make the body decay. The court doctor would have to examine it - same procedure as every murder. Afterwards the policemen left the building and Nick and Sara did their work.
At the moment the two were inspecting every centimetre of the floor of the surrounding area of the place, where now chalk lines marked the position of the body.
Now and again, Sara glimpsed to Nick when he was busy.
And from time to time, Nick watched Sara doing her work, following her every movement - for one moment forgetting the reason why they were there.
He tried to imagine the bar full of people, moving in the grooving rhythm of the music. - And Sara and himself dancing between them.
He had never seen Sara dancing - but an inner voice told him she was a good dancer.
As he watched her, he noticed she was wearing dark blue jeans and a white blouse under her CSI-jacket. It was a simple, efficient outfit. He didn't know what she used to wear at home, but every time he met her at work she usually wore dark jeans combined with a blouse.
He liked that outfit. It reminded him of her.
Now she looked up and their eyes met.
Nick lost himself in her brown eyes and in difference to other times, she didn't look away after a second, now.
Nick knew he had to say something to break the silence, or this moment - this chance - would be lost forever.
And so he said the first thing that came to his mind, without realizing what it was until he had already said it:
"You look beautiful tonight."
Sara flushed.
"Thanx."
Nick forced himself to do, what he should have already done in the last few weeks.
"Would you like to go out with me?"
He hesitated, waiting for any reaction of hers. Prepared to move forward or backward, depending on this reaction.
For that she didn't show any at first, he continued, slightly irritated.
"I mean - only if you really like to. . And if you've got some time left to spend some time . with me.", he said and stopped, uncertain how to go on or what to say next.
"I would like to.", Sara replied all of a sudden. "Really, Nick."
Both smiled at each other, resting in a moment of pleasant silence and reflecting.
'Wow - he wants to go out with me!', Sara thought.
'Oh my God, she said yes! She really wants to go out with me!', Nick thought.
Both still tried to keep busy and fumbled in their kits, trying to find something to do to make the situation stay formal. But their thoughts kept circling around the other topic.
Until.
"Sara?"
"Yeah?", she replied, expecting Nick to ask her where she'd like to go. So she was quite surprised when he said:
"How likely is the culprit to return to the scene of a crime?"
Irritated, Sara looked up and found Nick watching something behind her.
"Why?", she wanted to know.
"I guess I found a boyfriend.", Nick replied with a huge smile, gesturing behind her back.
Sara turned around.
She could look right through the door (which was made of glass) and first didn't see more than just the crowd trying to pass the police and enter the bar to get a glimpse of the scene of the crime.
Then she noticed a young man, standing in the first line. In comparison to all the other people not striking at all. Pale face, maybe as tall as Nick, dark hair, wearing a baseball cap. . And a royal blue pullover.
Sara knew this was what Nick meant, and said:
"That can be a coincidence."
Then she concentrated on the man's head and recognised four bloody scratches on the left side of his face.
Sara whistled.
"Nick - maybe you're right."
She turned back to Nick and noticed he had moved closer and was sitting right behind her. Their faces had only the distance of a few centimetres now and Sara could feel his warm breath touching her face.
Nick smelled the scent of her skin and a certain excitement took possession of him. He looked in Sara's eyes and there he found the same excitement. He slowly leaned forward, letting his feelings guide him.
His lips had almost reached Sara's, when she whispered:
"Nick, this is not the right place."
Then she quickly stood up and made her way to the entrance, leaving Nick kneeling on the floor, watching her walk away.
He was disappointed she had rejected him, but he understood her reason why. This was a crime scene, a young woman had been killed over here. The suspect was probably right in front of the bar and Sara was just on her way to face him.
He stood up in the moment she stepped through the door and he hurried. She should not be alone with that guy. 'Alone?', Nick thought, 'there are several policemen and dozens of people around.' But he had a bad feeling about it and so walked a bit faster.
He watched her speak to the man. He stepped through the doorway while Sara gestured at the man's scratches. The man seemed to lose control, he got angry and yelled at Sara, who kept talking.
Nick had almost reached her, when he saw that the man put his right hand into the bag of his trousers. 'Sara.', he thought, 'Don't you pay attention?' He tried to shout at her, but the noise around was too loud. She couldn't hear him.
"Sara!"
Now things happened quickly. The man rose his right hand in which he was now holding a gun he had pulled out of the trousers. Nick rushed forward. The guy had a devilish smirk on his face and lifted the gun. Nick reached Sara, grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him - and almost the same moment, the guy shot.
People screamed and Nick felt a sudden pain in his chest, but tried to ignore it and turned around to look after Sara.
She was standing right behind him. Her face was pale.
"Sara, are you all right?", he asked, putting his hands on her shivering shoulders.
She nodded.
Nick looked down at his chest and saw his shirt getting more and more coloured red with his own blood. He met Sara's eyes - she looked really scared.
Then he broke down. The world faded in darkness and he lost consciousness.
Sara knelt down.
"Nick!", she screamed panic-stricken, but he didn't react.
Policemen ran to them, she heard them phone the ambulance.
Through a veil of tears she saw Nick, lying on the floor and two officers right next to him, checking his pulse and caring for him..
She wasn't able to move until she heard the ambulance approach.
Nick was put on a stretcher and carried into the ambulance, but Sara kept staring at the place, where he had been. A bloody spot had remained on the stony floor.
Then a policeman guided her into the ambulance, but she didn't really notice it.
There was one picture stuck in her mind - Nick, wounded, helpless, scaring.