AN:Thanks for your reviews. Remeber that reviews are the way to tell me if you are enjoing the story, so please keep posting your thoughts about it.
Again, thaks to SoFrost for all the work you'd done. I don't know what I'll do without your corrections.
Chapter 4 – Watching
At the A/V Lab, Sara was still with her thoughts. The body was a mess and by her experience she knew that it was beaten and cut. She didn't need to know much more. Maybe Catherine was right and she needed to wait until her return or Archie's to see the videotape. Half an hour ago she was scanning the tape with the ALS but got nothing. No prints and nothing in the duct tape that surrounded the neck of the victim. It was a usual duct tape, so tracking where it was bought it was useless.
After Catherine's departure, she was still watching the tape from a certain distance. Thinking about what it would be in there. She had a strange feeling in her backbone. She told Catherine she'll watch the tape, but now, ten minutes after, she was still in the same position, seated with her arms crossed in her chest and eyes fixed in the among of plastic that lay on the table. But the look in her eyes had changed. Now there wasn't fear or indecision, they were full of determination. She needed to let the past behind her. She needed to forget about Cammie's death. It wasn't the first time she saw someone die, but the second. It always made you feel the same: useless, and she hated been useless. When Nick was abducted, she felt impotent until they found him alive. With Cammie's death the feeling was still there.
Get a grip, Sidle! You need to see what happened and maybe you could give some closure. She thought to herself.
With that thought she stood up, took the tape and put in the video player. She pressed play and waited for the screen turned in an intense game of colors from white to black passing by the yellow, cyan, green, purple, red and electric blue, the test colors. An intense and constant whistle was the sound that received. Thirty seconds passed and the image turned black. There was no sound now, only the static of the videotape. After another five seconds the blackness disappeared giving the image of a beated and bloody man. The camera was focus on the middle section of the man showing his chest and the head. He was the victim they found hanging up from a beam at the warehouse.
His eyes were half closed, and his breathing irregular. His lips were complete cracked and his tongue was trying to produce some saliva. He was looking at the camera, eyes fixed in the lent. He was trembling and sweating. Sara couldn't tell if it was because he was cold or because he was in fear.
"My… my name is Carl…. Roth … and they're …going to … kill me" The man begun in a husky voice. He begun to sob, at this Sara frowned her browns. That name was familiar to her, but couldn't put it in place.
"Please…why are you doing …this …to me?" He continued sobbing. The tears were falling, running by his face. "It was a long time ago; I didn't mean to happen…I don't deserve to die…" He was begging to the person or persons on the other side of the camera. His face was contorted in implore.
There was another voice in the tape, but she couldn't heard what was saying. Carl seemed to compose himself, but not entirely. His trembles were constant and the tears in his face didn't disappear. He took air and continued.
"Four years ago I raped a woman….but I pay my debt!" He screamed to the person or persons behind the camera. His sobs increased. There was again the other voice but the sound was very low to know what was saying to him. Maybe Archie could extract the other voice Sara thought to herself. The sentiment that started to came up to the surface of Sara's feeling was another one. It wasn't compassionate, neither pity, it was rage and anger; anger because this man raped a woman four years ago and he was out of jail. She gritted her teeth, to suppress the agony and the rage that she was feeling.
"After I was released from jail….I went to her… for revenge, and I raped again." This was said with resentment. "I told her to not go to the police, and she didn't go". He told with a sardonic smile. He was no longer begging for his life. He was remembering and that gave him force to endure what was going to happen to him. There was wickedness in his eyes, Sara could tell, and no regret.
This was received by an electric shock. The man began to scream in pain. His mouth was full open, eyes pressed together with force. It was his punishment for showing no regret. After like it seemed an eternity, the shock subsided. The breaths of the man were painful, and laborious.
Again the second voice talk. This time she could heard what was saying "Tell them what happened next!" It was an order, and Carl took it like that, answering quickly.
"She killed herself cutting her veins"
Bastard, mother fucker These were Sara's thoughts. No way you deserved what you got.
The frame open up, reveling Carl tied up to the two tables crossed. He was in vertical position. Another figure dressed completely in black approached him with a knife in the right hand.
"Don't be near to me! Stay away from me!" Carl screamed to the other person. By the complexion Sara could tell it was a man. The man positioned in front of Carl, and raised his undershirt to retired the cables that made the electricity run across Carl's body. He brought the knife to the chest of the man and started to slide it around his chest, beginning for the left and continuing by the right. The screams of the man was all that the camera captured. His head was shaking from one side to another. The blood started to slid by his chest and legs. After a full two minutes of agony, the masked man, positioned in one side of Carl. He slided with force the knife by Carl's right wrist and arm. After that he surrounded the cross and went for the other arm, doing the same. After that he retired and go out of sight. Blood was everywhere. The screams of Carl were the only thing that Sara could heard, screams full of pain, but were decreasing as he was loosing blood. After what would be four minutes, there was only silence and the image turned black again.
Sara stared at the screen, in the same position. Her face was a mask, but her eyes speak volumes. They were shining with anger. She had lost perspective once again. She had lost it when she was hand-in-hand with the murderer of Cammie's and the other 5 showgirls, thinking he was another victim, and she had lost perspective again thinking that Carl's body was another victim.
"You need to focus Sara"
The voice startled her. She directed a look of surprise to the door of the A/V Lab to see Catherine learning in the doorframe. Obviously she saw the videotape from the beginning but didn't say anything.
"How long have you been there?" She asked directing another look at the screen and pressing the stop button.
"Enough time to see you thinking he deserved it." Added the blonde approaching to the slim brunette.
"And you don't think the same, right?" Sara asked bitterly.
Catherine contemplated the brunette a few seconds, after those she responded "We are here because there was a homicide, not to judge the victims or the perpretors. Whoever did this" she said pointing the screen "deserve the same punishment, but first it has to pass for the system penalty. We aren't judges, Sara, we are here only to take, process and present evidence to a jury"
"You sound like Grissom" The other one responded coldly. This wasn't passed by Catherine. The tone left a lot to desire.
"If you have a problem with this case, I can ask Grissom to take Nick or Greg to do your job" replied Catherine confronting the brunette, crossing her arms over her chest.
Sara considered a few seconds, challenging the blonde with her eyes. "I do not have a problem, Catherine" She said implying more aspects. She didn't have a problem with the case. She could focus on the evidence and do the job. Both women know it, but the warning was there.
"Then focus on the evidence and keep your thought to yourself".
At this moment Archie arrived to the A/V Lab with a mug of coffee in his hand and saw the two women.
"Hello ladies" He said in a comic tone, which was dismissed quickly seeing how the women look at each other.
"Archie, good to see you" Catherine greeted him in a sharp tone. "I need you to process a videotape. Sara will inform you about the case. I want the results as soon as possible. If anyone needs me I'll be in my office" With those words, Catherine left the two alone and headed to her office.
"Did I miss something?" He asked to Sara who was watching with irritation Catherine departure.
"Let's process this, ok?" She said pointing the video. It was obvious to Archie that he wasn't going to get anything from Sara about the previous confrontation.
This case it's going to be a hell Sara thought to herself.