Pale silver eyes stared across the expanse of the glossy black table, clashing with the dark blue gaze reminiscent of storm tossed seas. It was a duel of eyes, a battle of wills as Grissom sat across from Richard Bathory. Bathory tried to smile at Grissom but could only congregate a sneer as he spewed his insincere babble and apologies to Grissom.
For Grissom’s part he had said not a single word. He had arrived, taken the seat across from Richard Bathory and had remained silent and seated ever since. Adam Matthew’s had requested the meeting on behalf of his client, calling Grissom at the lab. Sitting there Grissom knew Matthew’s was trying to gauge him for the upcoming trial, find a weakness, and exploit it. It was what lawyers like Matthews excelled at.
Bathory just wanted to play his sick little games of fear and intimidation. They had not worked on Grissom years ago and they had even less effect on him now. The only emotion Grissom could muster was hate. He hated Bathory to the bottom of his soul but he would never let the depraved monster get arise out of him. At this late juncture in the game Grissom would rather drop dead of an embolism than give the man across from him the satisfaction of unraveling the control he was holding tightly to.
“Dr. Grissom, you can understand our trepidation concerning your testimony,” Matthews said, his eyes always had a condescending gleam in them that had bothered Grissom. Although a necessary evil in the criminal justice system, Grissom did not have much use for lawyers and even less patience. Matthew’s wanted to size him up, let him! Let the man play his parlor games. I’m great at games, I am the Enigma, you are both open books-easy reads. Touchdown, homerun, checkmate- I will win!
Grissom leveled his cold blue gaze on the lawyer, who blinked in surprise. Matthews had sat in a number of interrogation rooms with Grissom. He knew the man to be very intelligent and he had always been wary of the man who had an almost sixth sense about a crime and the criminal that perpetrated it. Grissom often looked world weary, occasionally perplexed, rarely upset but never had Matthews seen the man burn with barely hidden hostility. Richard Bathory was frightening and enjoyed creating terror but Matthews suspected the man preparing to leave them was the only person that scared his client.
“Dr. Grissom?” Matthews had expected the man to speak. He was generally quite eloquent even if he was not necessarily verbose.
Grissom turned the knob to the interrogation room door, cracking it open just slightly he glanced at the lawyer before his eyes slid over to glare at Bathory. “My testimony will concern the evidence, nothing more,” he said with a voice void of emotion.
“Grissom!” Bathory called out just as Grissom was exiting the room. “Sleep much? How ‘bout dreams? Dream much?” The man sneered at Grissom already knowing the answer. Grissom held on to his expertly crafted self control as he watched Bathory break into a cackling laugh. Grissom turned quietly on his heel his face blank as he shut the door behind him. It took every ounce of willpower he had and some that he didn’t to keep his calm as he walked down the hall. Bodies parted as he made his way to the entrance, greetings were left unsaid as the storm that was Gil Grissom exited the building.
He was glad he had insisted on riding his motorcycle to work last night. Warrick and Sara had wanted to drive him but he had declined, having the two follow him to work instead. He needed the energy, the freedom, the exhilaration of racing the bike at ridiculous speeds. I need AWAY, he thought as he angrily pulled on the black and red helmet. Revving the motor, Grissom shot out of the parking lot nearly clipping Sofia Curtis’s car in the process. He was going to run as hard as he could to get away from the soul sucking blackness that tried to invade his every molecule, which stole his breath and made his skin crawl with dread.
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Catherine sobbed silently, the tears overflowing her eyes to stream down her cheeks, catching momentarily at her chin before falling to her blouse. Her heart fluttered like the wings of a wounded bird as she tried to fill her lungs with gulps of air that only added to the heavy feeling in her chest. She felt sick and deflated and angry, oh so angry. Even when Eddie had died and she had been unable to bring his killer to justice, she had not felt this kind of rage.
The cruelty and injustice that had played out on those forty-seven minutes of videotape had surpassed any that she had ever seen in her sixteen years in the field- and she had seen a lot! Even the rarely flappable Brass looked like he was on the verge of tears as he tucked his jacket underneath Sara’s head while Nick went and got her some water. She knew without any doubt that they were all irretrievably changed by baring witness to Gil Grissom’s obliteration.
Bathory had taken a good man, a man that diligently sought justice for victims regardless of whether they were alive or dead, known or unknown, loved or forgotten and destroyed the gentle light that had always burned within no matter how gruesome the crime. Could Gil get past this, get beyond the hell that had been branded on his mind, body and soul? Catherine prayed that he could. He had an indomitable spirit that had served him well in the past, if there was any justice in the world it had not been irreparably broken by Bathory and his devils.
Catherine looked to Sara lying on the floor. Her eyes were glazed, silent tears pouring from the corners to run across her temples into her dark hair. The poor woman had begun to hyperventilate when she heard Grissom’s anguished cries on the tape and had started to sway unevenly by the time the macabre scene had played out. Jim had tried to get her to sit down in one of the chairs, only to have her stumble to the floor.
“Here Sara, drink,” Nick said his face a mask of worry as he handed the white paper cup to Sara as she raised herself to a sitting position.
Wiping the palm of her hand across her eyes and temples, Sara looked momentarily lost as she took the cup from Nick’s hand. With Brass and Nick’s help she stood up, with a mumbled thanks Sara pulled her cell phone from her pants pocket. She needed to find Grissom. God! How stupid could I have been? She silently railed against herself as she listened to his voicemail pick up.
“Gris, call me, please,” she pleaded before leaving the room in search of Grissom.
Nick glanced at the others in the room before following after Sara. He was worried about her. He had never seen her act like this, she was usually so strong, a rock but seeing her nearly pass out reminded him of the panic she had displayed when they couldn’t find Grissom at the silver mine. There had always been an unspoken connection between Sara and Grissom. Nick had become more convinced of late that there was more than Sara having a crush on Grissom going on.
“Sara,” he called out as he half-jogged to catch up to her.
Sara glanced over her shoulder but did not slow down. Her destination was the lab and Grissom’s office. If Nick wanted to follow along she wasn’t going to stop him but she sure as hell wasn’t going to slow down for him either.
“Sara, wait,” Nick said gently grabbing her upper arm “he’s not in the lab.”
Sara blinked as she tried to wrap her racing mind around what Nick had just said. “Where is he?” she almost demanded.
Nick really wasn’t certain. “I’m not sure,” he confessed “Warrick and I saw him leave earlier but he was talking on his cell and just kind of blew us off.” Nick hesitated; he wondered if he should tell Sara about the meeting between Kimmi’s mother and Grissom. He had not had a chance to tell anyone since it had happened and wondered if he shouldn’t wait until he told Catherine first.
Sara was too good of an investigator though, and could immediately tell there was something Nick was holding back. Frowning she glared at the man, her dark eyes boring a hole through his reluctance. “What, Nick?”
Nick shifted uneasily, his hand dropping from her arm as he mulled over his options.
“NICK,” she growled out as she stepped into him, almost threateningly.
“I had Sherry Osborn come in and identify Kimmi’s body, she’s the mom,” he explained. “She heard Greg call out to Grissom and asked him about Kimmi. He said he didn’t remember but I think it was only partially true. He looked confused but…”
“But what?” Sara pulled on Nick’s shirt sleeve in impatience and rising trepidation.
“There was something there…you know that look he has lately… like he remembers but not really, not fully.”
Sara turned on her heels and marched off, Nick working to keep up with her. “I have to make sure he’s okay.”
“Alright, I’ll drive,” he said as he pushed their pace up a notch.
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Markus’s plan involved many different elements, a cast of characters to play out their parts in acts. If everyone did as they were told, as they had rehearsed and rehearsed some more, than in a few days time his brother would be a free man. It was a good plan, a solid plan and Markus had enjoyed planning every stage of it. Granted, the fact that Grissom had made good his escape had placed a slight damper on his arrangements but still it would be the end results that count.
The sand and dust of the Nevada desert was kicked up easy by the black SUVs tires as it pulled within the Quonset hut garage. Noting the gritty, tan cloud in disgust Jake promised himself to one day live where there was nothing but green, green grass. He was sick of the desert, sick of the dust and sick of the heat but most of all he was sick of the crew that he had willingly fallen in with.
As soon as this job is done, I am out of here, Jake thought determinedly as he placed another flashbang grenade into the center of a cardboard case. In two days time he would enter the courthouse in Las Vegas and the plan would then be in full motion.
Jake suspected that Markus was the only one that knew all the pieces and parts to their little plan and guessed that was how it was suppose to be. He was to ensure chaos reigned and the tall silver cylinders in his hands were guaranteed to do just that. With the last grenade carefully camouflaged in the cases of pop, Jake wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs.
“Is everything ready?” Markus asked coming over to view the younger man’s progress.
Jake nodded. He had worked diligently after Markus had left with Laney and Donny. He knew their leaving had to do with the plan and it must have something to do with their counterfeit SUV. As far as the general public was concerned the black SUV was a Federal Marshal’s truck and would leave it at that. Since they had made it back with no bullet holes or sirens wailing, Jake figured it had to have been a successful test.
“Just finished,” Jake informed his leader as he loaded the cases into the white van, also a counterfeit. The decorative stencils that he had applied to the side panels proclaimed the van to be K & M’s BreakTime Vending.
“What about your credentials?” Markus asked his eyes watching as Donny helped Laney out of the garage and towards the other building.
Jake kept his eyes firmly on Markus. He had learned long ago that Markus enjoyed diverting people’s attentions with seemingly innocuous glances elsewhere. It was foolish to look away from the man and Jake didn’t count himself as much of a fool. At least not anymore! He’d help Markus with his little mission, get a little extra cash and then be gone before either Markus or Richard decided he was a lose end.
“I’m good to go. All the work IDs match my bogus license,” Jake informed the older man “If anyone wants to check I’m Jack Charles, vending machine man.”
Markus smiled. “Good, very good,” he patted Jake on the shoulder before heading in the direction of the gas station-turned hideout. At the door he turned and called out. “When Scott gets here let me know.” Markus smiled again but like before the gesture never made it to his soulless eyes.
Jake couldn’t help it; he gulped before replying, “okay.”
Scott better watch his back!
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Sara snapped her cell phone shut once again getting Grissom’s voicemail. With each attempt her anxiety level increased ten fold. No one had seen him in hours between the whole team he had to have had thirty messages but still nothing, not one word. She and Nick had gone to the safe house to check and see if he was just sleeping and missing his calls. After that they had gone to his townhome and Sara had even made an excuse to go to her apartment to check and see if he had gone there but Grissom was nowhere to be found
“Nothin’?” Nick asked as he merged with traffic on their way back to the lab. Sara had let Nick know she was going to see if Grissom was making any calls from his cell. If he was she was going to try and triangulate his position from the cell towers. Although this was in the gray area legally speaking, Nick was getting nervous enough to go along with her on it. For all they knew Grissom had been kidnapped again or worse!
Sara leaned back against her seat with a loud exhale of breath. Closing her eyes she worked to control the rising fear and anxiety that was threatening to undo her. Where had Grissom gone? What was he thinking? Is he alright? Sara’s mind raced with a thousand questions. If I was Grissom, where would I go? They had checked the rollercoasters, the lab and the libraries that he liked to visit…
“Damn it,” Sara muttered looking out the passenger window in an attempt to hide her distress.
“Hey, we’ll find him,” Nick reassured Sara “he probably just needed some air, some time to straighten himself out a little.”
Sara’s gaze turned to Nick. Somehow she felt that Nick was relaying information about himself more than about Grissom. Maybe he was right, of all of them Nick could probably appreciate what Grissom was going through more than the rest of them. Sara nodded, “I suppose-“
The familiar ring of her cell had Sara sitting straight up and reaching into her front hip pocket, “Sidle,” she informed the caller.
“Sara”
Sara’s head fell forward her chin resting on her sternum as she released the breath she had been holding. “Grissom, where are you?” She couldn’t hear anything in the background that could tell her where he was. She could hear his breathing but he didn’t answer her.
“Grissom, Gil, tell me where you are at,” she spoke in her calmest, most reassuring voice “Nick and I have been looking for you all morning.”
Nothing but dead air, she could sense he was still there, listening.
“Gil, please, you’re scaring me,” a waver began to creep into her voice. Nick pulled into a diner parking lot and put the truck in park before taking the phone gently from Sara.
“Hey Boss, you need a lift?” Nick used his most upbeat voice as he placed a comforting hand on Sara’s shoulder.
“No,” Grissom’s voice was so soft Nick almost missed his answer.
“Okay… do you need any help where you are at…processing?” Nick heard the quiet snort at the other end at his ruse.
“No,” Nick heard the distinct sound of a motorcycle engine “I’ll be back soon.”
Sara couldn’t stand it any longer and took the phone back from Nick. “Gris,” she said hoping he would talk with her.
“Don’t worry, honey,” Grissom said in a soft voice filled with so much pain Sara’s heart ached for him.
“I can’t help it,” she told him her emotions were beginning to slip; she could see Nick frowning in worry at her. “Are you alright?”
Another painfully long pause before he answered, “I’m…I’ll see you at your place…later.” He paused again before adding, “You love me, don’t you,” he stated knowing she couldn’t say it in front of Nick.
“Yes,” Sara declared in a firm voice as to leave no doubts.
“I love you too,” Grissom replied before the call ended abruptly.
Sara couldn’t help the slight smile that crossed her face. He was going to be at her apartment later, he was unhurt, Bathory had not somehow gotten to him, and he was going to be just fine, Sara thought fiercely.
“What did he say,” Nick asked impatiently.
Sara straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. She had forgotten all about Nick sitting next to her. “He said he’d be back soon.”
Nick looked at her incredulously. “That’s it!” he exclaimed.
Sara looked at the stunned Texan. She didn’t want him knowing that Grissom was coming over to her apartment later. Not because she wanted to hide anything from Nick, no, her main reason was that she wanted to have Grissom to herself. She wanted to hold him and comfort him and listen to him if he felt ready to talk and none of these things could she do if Nick was hovering at her apartment.
“It sounds like he plans on being in the lab tonight,” Sara lied trying to ease the worry she saw in Nick’s eyes.
Nick bobbed his head as his eyes brows raised slightly, “You sure?”
Sara nodded, not really wanting to lie to Nick but feeling compelled to none the less. “Can you drop me off at my place? I need to get cleaned up,” she said gesturing towards her clothes and hair.
Nick watched her for a second longer, trying to gauge the situation, “O-kay,” he said putting the truck in drive not sure if he wanted to leave it at that but deciding he wasn’t going to push it either. Something was up but he couldn’t put his finger on it.