Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or any of its characters. All other characters are mine.

A/n: G'day Mates! Crikey, I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. :D:D Especially my friend sunning herself Down Under, you know who you are. :D:D:D

Chapter 13

Rona reached forward and pulled open the basement door. "Just go on down, you'll find the computer pretty easily."

Sara stared down the stairs, unable to move. She could remember the hundreds of times that her father would disappear down these steps and stay for hours, banging away in his shop. It was the one place he could get away from Laura, and though she'd occasionally make her way down there for one reason or another, she found all the sawdust distasteful so she rarely stayed for very long.

Sara could remember spending hours of her early years down there, watching her father create lovely objects from the wood he'd pick up on the beach; Little figurines and larger items, such as chairs and benches. Later, her mother had put a stop to Sara spending her time down there, saying it wasn't right for a young girl to shut herself away in a dusty basement. She felt it was far more proper for Sara to be upstairs, helping her keep the Inn running. But Sara would forever remember those happy days, sitting in the sawdust, watching her father work.

Sara could hear the buzz of the jig saw as she crept down the stairs. She came to a stop on the last step and peeked around the corner.

Dust flew through the air catching in her father's hair as he bent over the saw. He switched it off and lifted the piece of wood he'd been working on, blowing off the loose dust. He pushed up his safety goggles and headed over to his work bench.

Now that the saw was off she could hear him singing under his breath, and she caught a few words as he bent over the table, hand sanding the wood.

'If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, if you're not into yoga, and you have half a brain…' He swayed with the song in his head as he switched to humming the tune to the song.

Sara watched as his hands stilled and he looked up, staring into space.

He sighed and bent back to his work, picking up a tube of glue and fitting the slat he'd just completed into the last slot on the chair back he was repairing.

Sara remembered when that chair had been broken. A month before she'd come home from school, she remembered it was a Wednesday to find the chair, which had always sat in the living room, lying on the floor, several of the wooden slats that made up the back, broken. No one had been around and she had gotten nervous.

She watched as he examined his work and she remembered the sick feeling she'd had until he'd come home, stitches in his forehead and a story about tripping over his feet and falling into the chair.

Now, he turned suddenly and caught her standing in the doorway. "Sara Bella, why are you hiding over there?"

"I didn't want to disturb you." She moved further into the room. "I-I heard you singing. You're very good, Daddy."

Bill chuckled, "Yeah, if you like fingernails across a chalkboard."

"No, Daddy, really, it's beautiful." Sara stared worshipfully at her father.

"Ah, Honey, You know, I don't even realize I'm doing it." He kneeled down in front of her. "So, what are you doing down here, I thought your mom said she wanted you upstairs?"

Sara straightened her small shoulders firmly. "I finished all the work she wanted me to do, and she's gone into town, and… well, I haven't seen you very much lately. I miss you, Daddy."

Bill smiled. "Well, let's make the most of it, what do you say?"

"Okay, Daddy. What do you want to do?" She looked around the shop.

"Well, from what I hear it's a nice day outside. Why don't we get out of this dreary old place and go to the park? Spring is in the air and what better way to celebrate that than a picnic with my best girl?" Bill straightened and began cleaning up his work space. "Why don't you go on upstairs and make us some sandwiches, and I'll get cleaned up. Maybe your brother will come with us."

Sara smiled and skipped back upstairs. Her daddy always had the best ideas.

Sara smiled as she watched Rona walk back towards the kitchen, seeing herself as a child skipping down the hall, going to make sandwiches for her father. She turned back to the stairs and took a step down, smiling. This place held no pain for her, only happy memories.

When she reached the end she found that Rona had made big changes. Before it had been one big room running the length and breadth of the house, but Rona had divided it into five rooms. The room to her right opened directly off the stairs and looked like a very comfortable living room, decorated in soft pastels. It was well lit, and due to the lightness of the furniture, looked light and airy. The room on the other side was the study Rona had told Sara about and after taking a quick look inside, curiosity got the better of her and she slipped down the short hall and checked out the other rooms.

The bedroom was in the same colors as the living room and had a small bathroom attached. Across the hall from there was a small kitchenette. Sara shook her head at the amount of work that had gone into the place. She couldn't help but think her father would be pleased. He'd like that the place was being used, though he'd probably wished it had looked like this when he lived here. It would have made the perfect escape place from her mother.

She retreated back down the hall and entered the study. Sitting down at the small desk, she turned to the computer. "Well, Sara, better stop wasting time," she whispered.

She pulled up the Google homepage and hesitated. Taking a deep breath she typed in, 'Laura Sidle'.

Rona sighed and looked at the clock. Breakfast was almost over and Sara hadn't come up to grab something. She smiled at her guests and asked if they needed anything.

A chorus of 'No, Thank You's' came back to her and she smiled and excused herself. In the kitchen she made up a plate and a small carafe of coffee and headed downstairs.

As she neared the bottom of the stairs she heard Sara singing. It took her a minute to recognize the song, but when she did she smiled. She'd always liked the Pina Colada song.

She found Sara sitting at the computer, humming, now, and clicking the mouse.

Rona cleared her throat and Sara looked up. "I thought you might want some breakfast." She brought the tray over and sat it on the desk.

Sara smiled. "Thanks." She grabbed a piece of toast from the tray.

"You have a very nice voice," Rona said, pouring a cup of coffee.

Sara smiled. "So I've been told, I get it from my father."

Rona nodded. "So, did you find anything?" She sat in the chair next to the desk.

"Well, I found several entries for a Laura Sidle, most I know weren't my mother." She pointed to the current page on the screen. "This, however, seems like it might be the one."

Rona leaned in and read the page. 'The Honorable Jerold Joiner today married his longtime friend, Laura Sidle. The couple will spend their honeymoon in an unknown location before returning to the Judge's home in San Francisco. Judge Joiner will celebrate his tenth anniversary on the bench next year, and he says having the woman he's loved since he was a defense attorney by his side will make the celebration all the better. When asked how she felt the bride smiled and said, "Ecstatic."'

"Jerold Joiner was my mothers Lawyer when my father was killed. He didn't believe she was capable of being cruel and bought her story of being an abused wife who had finally had enough. She reeled off a spool of lies and he believed every one," Sara said, sadly.

"Do you think she treats him the same why she treated your father?" Rona frowned.

Sara shook her head. "A tiger doesn't change its spots, and a black widow doesn't go against her nature. My mother couldn't do anything but treat him the same way.

TBC…