Chapter Twenty
Twenty minutes later, Sara was back in the lab with Nick, Greg, and Sofia. "Okay, do we have anything on where our Blondie is?" she asked.
"We just put out a broadcast half an hour ago, right before I called you," Nick reported.
"Good. We need her here, now," Sara said, exasperated.
A cell phone rang, causing everyone to check their hips. "Curtis," Sofia answered. A smile broke out as the caller relayed the information to the cop. She thanked the informer and hung up. "Okay. We've got a place. Desert Palms Casino. Let's move."
OoOoOoO
Walking into the casino, Sofia instructed for everyone to stay behind her and the other cops. Moving slowly, she approached Krystal Shave. After doing a once over, she motioned for the three criminalists to come forward; the suspect was safe.
"Krystal Shave?" Nick inquired.
The blonde woman turned around. "Yes?"
"Do you know a Sean Bristonian?" Greg asked her.
"Yes," she repeated.
"Did you kill him?" Sofia asked.
"Yes." Krystal didn't even blink as she answered their questions.
"Then you're under arrest for the murder of him," Sofia said, putting handcuffs on the woman. Sofia was surprised at the girl's cooperation. She didn't even deny that she killed the guy. She didn't struggle against the handcuffs, or the walk to the cruiser car.
Nick looked confused. "Why did she kill him then? If they were dating, why would she kill him?"
"Sara?" Greg was staring at his colleague. She hadn't said anything throughout the entire exchange.
"I know why," she whispered quietly. "It was self-defence. Look at the bruises on her arms, legs, and neck. Sean was an abuser."
"You're right," Sofia said, returning. "After we figured out who he was, I ran him through our database. We've had half a dozen complaints against him from a number of women over the past year. I'll agree with Sara. Definitely looks like self-defence."
"Then I'm glad he's dead," Sara stated, her face hard.
"Sara!" Nick said, shocked. "I can't believe you would say that!"
"Anyone who is an abuser should deserve to die, or be put behind bars for life," she said quietly but firmly. "And this guy, he was an abuser. And now he's gone. The city is free of one more criminal."
Nick and Greg exchanged glances. They knew Sara was empathetic about certain cases and their victims, but this was new. She was taking the side of a criminal? It was a side to her that they were sure they hadn't seen before. And Nick was pretty sure that he did not like this side of Sara, or her heart.
"Sara, we've got to head back to the lab. Interrogation to do. We need a formal statement saying that Krystal did it."
She looked up from her now-open cell phone. "What? Oh, okay. Just… I'll meet you at the car in a couple of minutes. I've got a call to make."
Nick nodded and headed back to his car. Sofia and Greg followed his lead, quickly heading out as well.
OoOoOoO
Nick sighed as he waited in his car for Sara. He wasn't stupid. The call she was making was almost one hundred percent to Grissom. He wondered what had made her identify with the killer, and what kind of solace Grissom was giving her. But they had some weird history that no one in the lab was quite sure of, and Nick hoped that his friend was getting her solace from someone who really cared about her. Which Grissom appeared to. More than that cheating paramedic, anyway.
Smiling to himself slightly, he settled back in his seat, and turned up the air conditioning. Sara would kill him if she came back to find the car scorching.