Chapter Four: It's All Relative
"Sara!" Wendy shouted, just catching her in the hallway. "I've got your results processed."
"Oh thanks." Sara walked into the lab with her, waiting to hear the news on her case.
"There were two different blood samples you gave me. The blood on the floor and knife were all from your victim John Walder, but the blood in the hallway and on the wall was from a separate donor."
"Unidentified?" Sara read off the sheet.
"Yeah, but that's not all. Someone in the Los Angeles crime lab just faxed over a DNA profile for me for one of Nick's cases and their unidentified male sample . . . matches yours perfectly."
"Huh." Sara sighed. "So Nick's over there right now?"
"Must be."
"And our cases are related then?"
"Probably." Wendy nodded. "The DNA matches perfectly but he's still an unknown."
"Okay, thanks for this." Sara smiled, heading out the lab scratching her head in confusion. She couldn't understand how their cases were linked as Nick's twin victims had nothing in common with her victim. She decided to look further into her victims past to see if she could find a connection.
Sara sat herself down in the breakroom with every piece of history she could find on John Walder along with Chelsea and Kesley Wight, trying to find a connection between them.
Sandra gulped in a deep breath as she entered the police station. She looked around at the officers walking round, watching a man covered in tattoos arguing with one of them. She looked around at the waiting room, noticing a Hispanic man holding a bloody tissue to his nose along with a half naked young woman with a black eye and handcuffs round her wrists. Sandra looked over to the front desk seeing an old man with thick glasses leant against the counter holding a stack of parking tickets in his hands.
Sandra had never seen the inside of a real police station before. It wasn't as grand as they show it on TV shows or movies though.
She walked up towards the front desk, trying to get the man's attention behind it, but he was hard at work on stacks of paper work. She cleared her throat but he just raised his finger to silence her as he answered his ringing phone.
"Las Vegas PD." He answered.
Sandra turned her gaze to the old man beside her giving him a half smile, but she doubted he could see her from the inch thick glasses pressed against his face. She looked around the room for someone else to help her but they were all busy. Sandra glanced down the hall seeing an office door marked 'Detective Brass' so she decided to deliver it herself as no one was paying any attention her.
Sandra made her way off down the hall, stopping at the office door to look inside. After she confirmed it was empty she cautiously pushed the door open, making sure no one was watching her as she made her way inside. She dropped the envelope to the middle of his desk where the Detective could clearly so it.
As she went to turn away she spotted a picture on the desk. Sandra opened her eyes wider as she recognised the blonde girl in the picture. She grabbed the picture to examine it closer. The young blonde woman in the picture was definitely the young girl she saw in her father's lab. But who was she?
Sandra shoved the picture into her bag, sneaking back out the office then through the station without being noticed by anyone. She sighed heavily as she made it outside, heading off towards her car to drive off back home and confront her father about this mysterious blonde girl.
"Sara, I managed to get an ID off the finger print on the knife." Mandy announced to her, joining her around the breakroom table. "The finger print belongs to a Louis O'Ryan; he was busted when he was sixteen for drug possession." Mandy handed over the kid's pictures.
"Thanks Mandy." Sara smiled.
"What's that you're going through?"
"Detective Burrow's case notes for the 1995 Red Rock bank Robbery."
"You think it's related to your case?" Mandy asked looking at the crime scene photos of the dead bank robbers and a few of the hostages.
"I don't know." She sighed heavily. "Somehow my case is mixed in with Nick's. His victims were shot by a gun that was used in this bank robbery. My suspect has something to do with Detective Burrow's death too. But I can't figure out what." Sara looked up as Grissom walked through the doors.
"Did you really let Nick go all the way to LA for his case?" Mandy asked before Sara could silence her.
"What?" Grissom asked shocked as he spun round to face them. "I didn't let him. He didn't even tell me."
"Opps." Mandy smiled innocently, sinking lower into her chair.
"It's for his case I swear. I think our cases are involved somehow too..." Sara started to explain, but he cut her off.
"I can't stop right now Sara." Grissom checked his watch. "I've got more recruits to interview then I've gotta help Warrick with his suicide cult case. Apparently he's hit a dead end . . . Ew, this coffee is horrible." He cringed as the liquid poured down his throat.
"I know." Sara smirked, watching him pouring his cup down the sink too. "Hey Grissom, you should really consider that Greg Sanders recruit. I checked over his record and he's a genius."
"You think he's cute doncha?" Grissom smirked, watching her blushing.
"How did you know that? Were you spying on me?" She asked shocked.
"Archie told me." He chuckled. "I'm not hiring new recruits because you and Nick think they're cute!" He remarked, heading for the breakroom door. "And I already interviewed Greg Sanders. He seems very . . . lively." He chuckled to himself as he walked off out the door.
Sara looked up at Mandy's surprised expression. She gave her a half smile, collecting up all her case file evidence as she got up to leave, leaving Mandy alone to her thoughts.
"Hey Sara!" Warrick shouted down the hall after her. "Have you seen Nick?"
"He's on his way back from LA."
"LA?" Warrick asked shocked. "What the hell's he doing in LA?"
"Case related. I'll tell him you're looking for him when he gets back."
"It'll be too late then. I was gonna take him out for a night on the strip. That boy needs to get laid after what he's been through."
"Yeah!" Sara remarked sarcastically. "Because the first thing I wonna do after being buried alive is to get laid with a stripper that could have any number of diseases that would only end up killing me anyway."
"That's not funny." He shouted after her.
"It wasn't supposed to be." She shouted back, heading into an empty layout room to piece together her case.
"Dad!" Sandra shouted, pounding on the lab door. The doors suddenly flew open, revealing her father once again. "Dad, I have to talk to you about something."
"Did you deliver the note?" He immediately asked.
"Yes, but Dad..."
"Honey, I'm really busy. Can't it wait?" He cut her off, about to close the door on her again, but she put her foot in the way of it.
"Dad, who's that girl I saw?" Sandra pulled the picture she stole from the Detective's desk out of her bag to show her father. "Is this her? This is the young woman I saw right?"
"Sandy, I don't know what you're getting at here, but you've got it all..."
"Dad! What the hell did you have me deliver to that cop? Is this his daughter? Did I deliver a ransom note?"
"No honey. Not at all. You watch far too much television." He chuckled. "This... this doesn't even look like the girl you saw..."
"Who is she then? Why was she in there?"
"It's complicated sweetie. I swear, I will show you my research one day. My work is going to help out so many people. Just trust me Sandy." He said with a not so reassuring smile. "Now I really have to get back to work." Before Sandra could protest again her father pulled the doors shut on her, leaving her stood outside with the picture in her grasp.
She looked back down at it in her hands as the doors slammed shut in her face. Maybe she did make a mistake and this wasn't the girl she saw. But why would her father have her deliver a top secret note to the Detective? What was her father involved in?
Nick climbed out of his truck, seeing Sara and Warrick stood by the elevator doors together. They appeared to be waiting for him as they smiled to him giving him a friendly wave. "Hi Nicky!" Sara shouted.
Oh great. Nick thought to himself. As much as he loved his friends, he knew they were about to make an observational guess on him; telling him he needs to get out and experience life or tell him to get laid and get over what was on his mind.
Nick stuffed his hands in his pockets, walking off towards them. He could see right through their wide smiles. So when Sara asked. "How was LA?" He knew exactly what Warrick's question was going to be.
"Yeah man. Hook up with any girls?"
Typical! Nick thought to himself. "No I didn't hook up with anyone; no I didn't have a good time. I was there investigatin' a murder. Not to have fun. And if either of you so much as ask if I'm okay..."
"Relax man." Warrick tried to calm the already hot headed Texan. "We were waiting for you to take you out for a night on the strip."
"No thanks. I'm good."
"Nick, c'mon man. You haven't stopped working since you came back."
"I'm tryin' to solve of a murder of two twenty-three year old girls that never did shit to nobody!" Nick retorted, getting angrier by the second. "I don't wonna go out for a night on the strip. I'm fine where I am." He barked at them, heading for the elevator but Sara got in his way again.
"Nick. We're not your enemies. We're your friends. Your friends who care about you and we're just trying to help you." She tried to explain.
"I didn't ask for your help!" He shouted at them both, feeling his anger bubbling to the surface.
"Well when are you going to Nick?" Warrick shouted angrily, getting punched in the arm by Sara. "No Sara, you need help Nick. You're not the same. You're so focused on this case, I bet you haven't eaten, am I right?"
"What do you care?" Nick went to shove Warrick, but Sara stepped in the way knowing he wouldn't hurt her even if he was really pissed off.
"I care coz I'm yah friend Nick. You were gonna kill yourself in that coffin. If it wasn't for me... you would be dead!" Warrick shouted at him then stormed off through the parking garage towards his car, speeding off out the lot.
Sara remained silent as Nick stood in front of her thinking hard.
Nick suddenly sighed heavily. He walked over to the wall beside him, sliding his back down it to a sitting position on the floor, pulling his knees close to his chest. He took another deep breath then slumped his head onto his knees, running his fingers through his hair.
"Nick . . . are you..." Sara stopped as she was about to ask the question that Nick hated. Instead she decided to sit down beside him, remaining silent to be there for him in case he felt like talking, but a full twenty minutes went by without a word from either one of them.
She couldn't wait any longer so she tried an ice breaker. "Hey, you wonna hear something funny?" Nick didn't move or speak so she decided to tell him anyway. "Grissom went to see that Greg Sanders last night. He said they talked about music, doughnuts, Marilyn Manson and Grissom said even though he talks so much, he's definitely hiring him based on his coffee choice." She chuckled softly. "He said it was liquid gold." Nick looked up at her, giving her a half smile. "So when did you meet him Nicky? You never told me."
"Long story." He mumbled in a barely audible whisper.
"Hey we've got time. Technically we're off shift right now." She smiled checking her watch. "It'll do yah some good to get your mind off this case for a little while."
"I dunno." He shrugged with a heavy sigh. "I just saw him takin' down a suspect."
"That wasn't that long." She remarked as she laughed, trying to cheer him up. "It's not good to be alone Nicky."
"You're alone." He retorted.
"Yeah, but I wasn't recently buried alive in a box underground with red fire ants eating me." Nick gave her an evil scowl. "What? It's true, I wasn't."
"Doesn't mean I have to get laid." He muttered.
"I didn't say laid. I said get to know him. You have this look about you when you talk about him Nick. Don't you wonna get to know him?"
"Yeah." Nick half smiled. "We barely said about five words to each other . . . but there was just somethin' about him . . . I don't even know him."
"Didn't you get his number?"
"I didn't even get his first name." Nick smiled slightly wider. He leant back against the wall, taking in a deep soothing breath. "Guess I should get to know him a little more, huh?"
"That is usually what people do when they like someone." Sara smirked. "See, you're already smiling."
"It won't last." He grunted. "Why are you tryin' to cheer me up anyway?"
"Coz your wound tighter than a knot Nick. It's not good for your health and it's certainly not going to help you with your case if you're wound so tight." She explained to him. "You should go home and get some rest Nicky. You can finish your case bright and early tomorrow night after a decent night's sleep."
"What if the killer strikes again?"
"You can't change who lives or who dies Nicky."
"No, but I can help prevent someone's death by finding this killer." He climbed to his feet, wiping the dirt from his jeans. "I can't go home and sleep while this guy is still out there Sara."
"Fine." She climbed to her feet with him. "Then I'm staying to help you, but first... we're going out to grab some breakfast so I can explain to you what's going on."
"What is goin' on?" He asked confused.
"I think your case is somehow linked to mine." She simply said, heading off to her car. "C'mon Nick, I'll explain over breakfast and a decent cup of coffee." She smirked. Nick thought about it a moment then nodded as he did actually feel hungry so he decided to join her by her car.
Nick remained silent sat in the passenger seat of Sara's car for the whole journey there. He didn't even realize how hungry he was until they got halfway there when his stomach really started to rumble.
Maybe he could take his mind off the case for a few minutes to grab something to eat.
Nick slumped down into the booth, looking around at all the cops that occupied the stools around the breakfast bar. Sara bought them some coffees then joined Nick in the booth, while they waited for their breakfast. "Thanks." He smiled up at her. "So what's this evidence that links our cases together then?"
"Not yet. Tell me more about Greg first." She insisted. Nick rolled his eyes at her, leaning back against the booth chair. "C'mon tell me one thing that got you hooked then I'll tell you about the case."
"His eyes, talk."
Sara rolled her eyes giving him a half smile. "I think our cases are involved by some DNA. There. Tell me more about this Greg."
"Sara! I saw him once; I don't know what to tell yah."
"What about his eyes?"
"They're brown." He mumbled.
"Ha ha Nick." She remarked sarcastically. "Gimme a little more than that."
"Sara you're not helpin' me here!" He moaned at her.
"Fine, you know that suspects DNA you had faxed over from LA?" Nick nodded. "That DNA sample matches my suspects DNA. See my victim was stabbed multiple times. But he managed to shoot whoever attacked him."
"Did you get a description?"
"No, just the car. A 1946 Red Ford Sedan."
"Not many of them around."
"Exactly." Sara nodded, stirring some sugar into her coffee. "That enough information for you?"
"He has a smile that makes me melt." Nick confessed, blushing slightly then rushed to change the subject. "A Detective over in LA managed to get a description off the suspect who killed the former Detective Anthony 'Tony' Burrow. A witness saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt and very green eyes. The thing is I saw a guy just like this at the twin's crime scene. He was stood the other side of the tape until it started raining."
"You think he's our prime suspect then? Maybe he's gone on some sort of crime spree across the city?" Sara suggested.
"Maybe . . . but somehow this bank robbery from 1995 is tied in. This Detective Burrow worked the case, his wife was involved in the robbery and the twin's father was a security guard there and now he and his wife are missin'."
"Odd." Sara leant back in the booth, taking slow sips of her coffee. "Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
"I don't believe in coincidences."
"What else did you find out down in LA then?" She asked curiously.
Nick took a sip of his coffee then shrugged. "The bullet Detective Burrow was killed with is exactly the same as the bullets the twin's were shot with. Did you get the bullets from your crime scene?"
"Yeah, but no gun. The bullets were from a Smith & Wesson that the victim John Walder owned. The guns still missing though. Maybe the suspect took it with him." Sara suggested, looking up as another group of police officers entered the cafe. "Oh and Mandy found a finger print on my murder weapon. It belonged to a Louis O'Ryan. He was arrested as a teenager, but we don't have his DNA on file."
"What was he arrested for?" Nick asked, watching as their waitress walked over with their breakfasts in hand.
"Drug possession." Sara said leaning back in the booth as the waitress set down their plates. "Thanks." She smiled up at her.
"Thank you ma'am." Nick smiled at the waitress, waiting until she left to reach straight for the salt shaker. "Murders a step up from drug possession then. You got this guys address?"
"No . . . there's no record of him past his payroll. It's as though he just disappeared off the face of the earth or something." Sara explained, cleaning off her knife and fork on a napkin before she started eating.
"You're such a germaphode Sara." He chuckled, shaking his head.
"Do you know how many germs there are in a place like this?" She asked, carefully inspecting her food before she took a mouthful.
"Then why'd yah agree to come here with me?"
"Coz it was your choice . . . and lots of cops eat here." She smiled as she spotted someone walking in.
"Who?" Nick looked around, spotting the person she meant. Nick quickly sank lower in the booth, trying to eat his breakfast quickly.
"I can't believe you Nick. You're not even gonna talk to him?"
"Is that the only reason you wanted to come here? To hook me up with someone. Sara I don't need anybody in my life to make me feel alive." He peered around the booth watching Greg Sanders ordering himself a coffee. "Even if he is pretty cute."
"Ha see. You do think he's cute." She smiled victoriously.
"He's okay." Nick shrugged, continuing to eat his breakfast. He tried his best not to blush, but the blood was slowly sneaking its way up his neck to fill his cheeks.
"Wonna invite him over?" Sara suggested.
"What? No Sara, please don't." He pleaded with his puppy dog expression.
"He might be part of our team soon and you don't wonna get to know him?" Sara climbed out of the booth ignoring his protest as she walked over to Greg to introduce herself. "Hi there, I'm Sara Sidle. I work with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. You must be Greg Sanders." She smiled politely.
"Yeah I am. Hi Sara, nice to meet you." He shook her hand in return, collecting his coffee off the counter.
"So you wonna become a field CSI, huh?"
"Yeah, I tried to get the job over in LA, but with my father there it was a lot harder to get the position than I thought."
"So you could be working with us soon enough. I'm a CSI level three by the way. I work the graveyard shift."
"That's where I wonna work." Greg smiled up at her.
"Well we could be working together before yah know it. You wonna meet one of the team?" Sara suggested. "Nick Stokes?" Greg's eyes lit up to the sound of the name.
"Sure okay." He smiled sweetly, following her through the cafe towards their table where Nick was digging his fingers in the booth chair beneath him, pissed at Sara for bringing him over here.
"Nick this is Greg Sanders, Greg this is Nick Stokes." She smiled down at Nick.
"We kinda already met." Greg smiled at her. "Thanks for the save by the way." Greg winked at the hunky Texan, wishing he would take him down the way he did his suspect.
"You're welcome." Nick desperately tried not to blush as he scooted along the booth seat for Greg to sit down beside him with his coffee. Sara gave Nick a wide grin as she too took her seat.
"So Greg, did you want some breakfast? It's on me." Sara suggested.
"No thanks, I'm good. I was just heading home to get some sleep."
"Really you work the graveyard shift too?" Nick asked curiously.
"Yep, I'm more of a night time kind of person." He smiled sweetly in Nick's direction, making him melt again. Sara saw the look in Nick's eyes knowing immediately what he meant when he said his smile made him melt. "So what's it like to work as a CSI?" Greg asked them both.
"Well I personally love to solve the crime puzzles they leave behind . . . our supervisor says we're giving a voice to their victims. And it's true. Once we've solved a case I always feel like we've helped that poor victim rest in peace." Sara explained, stealing everything Nick was about to say. "You know what... I really should be going actually." She lied glancing at her watch as she wanted Nick to get to know this handsome young man he had a school boy crush on. "I'll see you tomorrow Nick and I'll catch you later Greg." She smiled warmly, giving Nick a wink.
Nick clenched his teeth together as Sara walked away, leaving some money on their table to pay for their breakfasts. Once Sara was gone Greg turned to Nick, giving him a wide smile.
Nick never felt more awkward in his life.
Let me know how you're liking the story so far!
Please Review!
First Uploaded May 9th = Re-edited 6th September 2010