Hey guys, I has been so long. Perhaps I have new readers… perhaps not. I hope this chapter gives you some closure.

~O~

Sara did not know what else to do. She felt she had done everything she could to prove her husband's innocence, but to no avail. Gently, she set her mug of tea on the table and looked around her. She was sitting in her spacious kitchen. In her mind, a kitchen was only truly a comfortable place if you had all of your family home and safe to care for. After the accident, she had had been worried that her life was turned upside down. She now wished for that time again because it had been so much easier. The grandfather clock in the other room ticked and toked, causing Sara to be acutely aware of just how many seconds were passing. She felt as if she were slipping into a deep pit, with spectators all around. Instead of being sympathetic, as some audiences were supposed to be, this crowd believed the lies that kept dragging her family down and watched in macabre fascination as she died. She put her head in her hands and tried to envision her life after Gil was sentenced. It goes without saying that he would no longer be employed by the University. Sara would have to support Emily and the new baby on her paycheck. They didn't have a mortgage, but other bills would become a problem. There were Emily's doctor bills and an upcoming delivery to think about. Things that Gil's insurance had covered for them. She would still be married, but the presence that was supposed to be enjoyed in their home would now be enjoyed only on Saturday visitation. Emily would soon forget the loving father who had wrapped her up in his strong arms and the new baby would remember one in orange.

Sara placed one hand on her growing belly and sighed. "I'm so sorry," she said.

She heard a knock at the door and stood up quickly. The chair pushed back, making an audible screech on the floor. In her mind's eye, she envisioned two fresh-from-the-academy policemen with handcuffs at the ready. Quickly she padded to the door in her bare feet, the floor cold beneath them. She cautiously looked through the peephole and was relieved the see it was their lawyer, Mr. Simmons.

"Is there something wrong?" Sarah asked as she opened the door. She had been expecting the worst and lately, fate hadn't disappointed her.

"No," he said. "I need to talk to you and Gil. You are going to want to hear this."

~O~

Sara woke Gil from his nap and the three of them sat on the back patio in wicker furniture. Outside, the air was moist. It had recently rained, so the wet grass smell was thick in the air. The yard had once been a place where Emily's first birthday party had been held. There wasn't too much involved in the party because all Emily did was squeezed cake between her fingers. The day had been enjoyable regardless and Gil had snapped as many photos as a proud father should.

"So," Gil said. "any good news?"

The lawyer smiled and opened a manila folder. "The private investigator you hired started having hunches about Gil's accident and the fact that the truck that hit him vanished from the scene. The police tried to locate the driver, but nobody seemed to see anything."

Sara wrinkled her brow as the lawyer laid pictures of Gil's accident on the table. In them she saw Gil's old mustang, crushed beyond recognition. The driver's side door, or what used to be the driver's side door, had been pried open by the jaws-of-life.

"These photos were taken by a witness on their cell phone," Mr. Simmons said.

"I'm sorry," Sara said in slight frustration, picking up a photo. "what am I supposed to be looking at?"

Simmons Withdrew a magnifying glass from his pocket. "I was barely able to make out part of vanity plate that must have fallen off the grill of the truck."

Sara looked through the glass. "I don't get it," she said. "why wasn't any of this reported. Surely someone would turned-"

The lawyer interrupted her "Nothing like this was ever turned in," he set another photo in front of Gil and Sara. "these are photos taken by the first responder."

Sara looked at the new photo carefully. "Are you saying someone drove up and snatched the vanity plate? How did you say this was supposed to help Gil's case?"

"Mr. Anderson owns a trucking company," Simmons said.

Sara and Gil exchanged glances. "I suppose you cross checked and matched a truck of his to the vanity plate," Gil said.

"Of course," the lawyer said with a smile.

~O~

Sara chewed her lip and sat anxiously, staring at the receiver recorder. She couldn't believe that she had let Gil and Simmons talk her into the situation she was in. She looked out the car window of where her and Simmons were parked and strained to see Gil. He was still there, sitting on a park bench in a suspicious looking overcoat. She wished she had told him to change. All that was missing now was the turned up collar and newspaper. She thought back on the plan Gil had revealed to her. It had been just after dinner. She had made spaghetti, but it wasn't setting very well.

"No Gil," Sara had said as she loaded the dishwasher. "it could be misconstrued as entrapment."

Finding out that Gil's accident was probably intentional had rocked her foundation. She wasn't about to let Gil run the risk of violating a protection order. After the lawyer had left, Gil revealed his plan to get the truth from Nichole.

"Perhaps we can get them to drop the case." Sara had suggested.

Gil shook his head in disagreement. " The school would still terminate me. I need to get this proof to clear my name."

Sara knew that she could not disagree with that. She knew the value of a good reputation and she knew the damage that a bad one could do. She recalled a time in her life when she had had a drinking problem. The hardest part of healing, for her, had been gaining back the good reputation that she had once had.

Gil sat down at the kitchen table with a beer. "I know Nichole blackmailed me," he rubbed his face and continued. "the question is ...why?"

Sara grew anxious. "and what are we supposed to do," she said. "ambush her in the courtroom?"

Gil held out his hand to steady her. "We'll have to get creative," he said. "I'll have to lead the interrogation."

Simmons moving in the passenger seat brought Sara back to the present. "I hope he knows what he is doing," he commented.

Sara couldn't disagree. It had been Gil's idea to wait for Nichole outside the library, but that didn't mean a campus police officer wouldn't spot him. The last thing they needed was to get smacked with a stalking charge. Every young, blonde student that walked by made Sara draw in her breath. She feared any moment Nichole Anderson would walk by and raise an alarm.

"Maybe she isn't on campus today," Sara had suggested.

"She is here," the lawyer said. "she has class at this time and her path between classes should put her in front of the library any minute now."

Sara arched her brows. "And how does this not sound like stalking?"

Just then, they saw her. She was holding an armload of books, walking from the east and heading right towards Gil. From this distance, she looked like just another student. Sara knew, however, that there was something deep inside of her that was cold and dead. From the rate of speed she was walking, she looked as if she didn't notice Gil. Then she stopped in tracks and then Sara knew that she did.

"Showtime," the lawyer said.

Sara sunk deeper into the passenger seat and squirmed with anxiety. She watched as Nichole unmistakably narrowed her postured and stomped towards Gil's bench. Finally, the Nichole she recognized had emerged. As the student neared Gil, Sara looked for a clue that her husband was wavering. She saw none and was proud.

"I wondered if I would ever run into you here," Sara heard Nichole say through the receiver. The way she said it, it sounded as if she were trying to be a temptress and not a student.

Gil stood, as if it were his natural next action. "Nichole," he said. "I thought I may find you here."

The girl looked Gil up and down, sizing him up. "Of course you would, Dr. Grissom," she put her backpack and books down beside the bench. "you're not wondering if I were serious anymore are you?"

Sara was inquisitive about this statement, but Gil remained as cool as a cucumber. " I honestly didn't think you were capable of it," he remarked.

"Oh really?" Nichole said, sounding surprised. "What made you think I wasn't joking? But, you did it anyway."

Gil nodded."I had no choice."

Sara was puzzled. She hadn't the faintest idea what Nichole had been talking about. What had her husband done. Instead of getting as anxious as a first time liar taking a polygraph, Gil remained calm. So calm that Sara was intrigued by both the acting skills of her husband and Nichole's devious actions.

Nichole shook her head. "No doc, you had a choice. So did I."

Sara could see Gil's mind working for a way to get answers, but Nichole's responses were very open ended. They were suspicious actions, but not exactly proof of something deeper.

Gil cocked his head. "Nichole, why didn't you just … take the higher road." he said.

Nichole stared at Gil. "Doc, you're not making any sense. How can I take the higher road when you clearly left me with only one road to take? If I understand this correctly… you can not remember," she said, starring Gil in the eyes so intently that Sara could feel it where she was sitting.

Gil hesitated. "What choice did you leave me?" he asked.

Nichole smiled. "What is this? A set up?" she looked down at his chest. "and I suppose you are wearing a wire," she ran a finger across his chest. "oh Gil, you're going to have to try better than this."

Nichole winked at Gil and then picked up her books. As she walked away, Sara couldn't help but feel as if they had lost their only chance. Nichole was hiding something big, that much was positive. However, without knowing what it was, Sara did not know how much her family would have to pay for an answer.