The officer knocked on the door again, and again, there was no answer.
Sara looked at him.
"We can't go in without a warrant," he said, and Sara nodded.
"I'm gonna go check around the building. She might've seen us come in."
"You want me to go with you?"
"No, you stay here in case she comes back. I'll be right back."
The officer nodded and Sara made her way back down the hallway and down the stairs.
She went out the front door of the building and walked around it, seeing no sign of Kelly Gordon. She walked around the back of the building, through an alleyway littered with garbage, and found herself peering through a rusted, chain link fence, at a woman who appeared to be Kelly.
Sara called her name and the woman turned and ran, and Sara yelled again. She climbed the fence and jumped over it, and the chase began.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Brass yelled over the airwaves.
The officer pushed the button on his radio. "She told me to stay here and went to check the building."
"Well you'd better get your ass down there and find Sara Sidle. We're on our way with a warrant for the apartment."
"Copy that," the officer said, and left his spot outside Kelly Gordon's apartment.
"Kelly, stop!" Sara yelled again as she ran, but the woman failed to stop.
She ran through another alley, past an abandoned schoolyard, through a fence, and into the school.
Sara walked through the place, dusty and dim, and pulled her gun from its holster. She left the safety on, and called Kelly's name again. She heard thumping and moved toward the noise. When she reached it, the last thing she saw was a two by four headed for her face.
Brass had to restrain Nick.
"What the hell do you mean she's gone?!" he yelled, and the officer in front of him shook his head.
"I checked the building from top to bottom, inside and out. She's gone."
"What, like she just disappeared?"
"Easy there, Cowboy," Brass said calmly, placing a hand on Nick's chest to ease him back. He looked at the officer and then at Sofia.
"One of you start at one end, one of you start at another. If there are alleyways, follow them. If there are possible eye witnesses, talk to them. I don't care what you have to do, but I want Sidle and Kelly Gordon found. Y'got that?"
The officer nodded, as did Sofia, and the two headed down the hallway.
When they turned the corner, Nick punched the wall.
Catherine motioned for Grissom.
He nodded and turned the questions over to the sheriff and then made his way out of the room.
"Brass just called in. There's no sign of Kelly at her apartment. Apparently Sara went out to scope the building, and now she's missing."
Grissom's eyes lit up.
"Missing?"
Catherine nodded, a worried look on her face, and Grissom took her by the arm as they walked.
"Who's there now?"
"Brass, a few officers, and Nick."
"Nick?" Grissom stopped walking. "What's Nick doing there? He's supposed to be doing his report."
"Grissom, there's something you should know," Catherine began, and then Greg found them.
"Have they found her yet?"
Grissom's brows furrowed and he started to walk away.
"I'm going over there."
"Can I come, too?" Greg asked, and Grissom put his hand up.
"No. Go with Catherine and get your reports finished. We're going to wrap this up."
Brass and Nick went into the apartment to find it empty. There was the usual furniture to be found in run-down hotels: night stand, bed, small table, but no sign that anyone had been there, ever.
Brass called in the confirmation, and Sofia came back: "There's an alleyway at the back of the building. This is the only way she could've gone without being seen. Following it now."
Nick shook his head. He couldn't stand it any longer.
"I've gotta go, man. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
"Just keep your shirt on, Nick. There are enough missing bodies right now. They'll find her."
Grissom topped the stairs and turned the corner to see Nick pacing in front of an open door.
"Grissom," he said, relief in his voice, "Let me go check it out. I don't need to be here when they could use me."
Grissom met him and eyed the apartment from the hallway as Brass joined them.
"They don't need you there. Right now, you'd just be getting in the way."
Nick lost it.
"Damnit, Grissom! This isn't just a missing person. It's Sara!"
Grissom stared at him. "I know that, Nick. But for her safety, we need to treat this the same way we would any other case. Otherwise, we become involved, and we stop doing our jobs. When we do that, we do Sara more harm than good."
Nick shook his head and walked down the hall. He stared out the window at the end of it, his hands gripping the window sill. He was almost to the point of tears. He was angry, and felt helpless, and the one man who should have known how he felt seemed to have no idea what the hell was going on. He prayed for the millionth time that hour, asking God, or any god, "Please, just let her be alive."