DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I promise I'm only borrowing them and will return them to their rightful owners whenever they ask for them back. My imagination took a flight of fancy.....my bank account stayed empty. (Seriously, the cast of CSI belong to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer and Alliance Atlantis and I'm only borrowing them for some free daydreaming that I wrote down).
SPOILERS: None specifically, although good knowledge of what happens in general is required. There will be the occasional reference to a case seen on the show, with any eps up to the end of Season 3 regarded as fair game. It is from this point that the AU occurs, although back story from the show (such as Nesting Dolls in s5 most obviously) will be incorporated where relevant/appropriate.
SERIES/SEQUEL: This piece is a standalone piece in its own right, but there is a
companion piece of the same name in the L&O: SVU fandom (coming soon).
These two fics will combine to be a crossover......eventually
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Cold Feet, Cold Case, Warm Hearts
By ncruuk
Part Two
As Sara approached the line of Tahoes a minute or so after Catherine on account of detouring via her office to grab a file, her fears that the guys might tease her about how long it took her and Catherine vanished when she saw that there was something else keeping Warrick and Nick occupied. Between them, they had a LVPD officer pressed up against the side of one of the Tahoes. What was even more interesting was the fact that said officer's feet were no where near the ground and that Brass and Doc Robbins were busy admiring something on the far side of the car park with another officer. Catherine was busy loading the clothes she had been carrying into another Tahoe. It didn't need an experienced CSI 3 to work out that everyone was quietly letting Nick and Warrick beat the crap out of a guy. What made the picture slightly wrong was that they weren't, only holding him off the ground. Heading to Brass and the Doc, Sara quietly waited until her presence was noticed.
"It's always nice to take a moment to enjoy the night air, isn't it Doc?"
"Indeed, and Officer Calloway was telling me about the constellations, weren't you?"
"Sure thing Doc, Ursa Minor, Plough….." before the officer could get any further, Sara cut her off
"Impressive, considering it's cloudy and the light pollution from the Strip has probably stopped the stars from being seen in Vegas except during a power outage for oh, at least as long as you've been alive?" Before Calloway could respond, Brass cut in
"Stop being smart Sara. We're just turning our backs for a moment. Warrick and Nick had some words to say to Officer Jenson, we thought we'd give them some space."
"Like hell you did. Any chance we're getting to the scene tonight?" Asked Sara frustrated. Knowing that Brass must have had a point, but not caring, she went over and said deceptively calmly
"Put him down guys. Whatever he did, it isn't worth it. We've got a scene to get to." Sara's words had the desired effect and Warrick and Nick did indeed put him down, but not before lifting him that little bit higher before then dropping him, allowing him to fall into an undignified heap. Satisfied, Sara turned to move towards the front door of the Tahoe, glad that the guys had let whatever it was slide. Unfortunately, the cop wasn't so smart, misinterpreting his reprieve as a victory.
"Nothing but a bunch of chicken-shits, running to do as the cripple says." Before he could say any more, before anyone could stop him, Nick had punched the guy in the face, breaking his nose.
"Like we were saying before, she ain't a cripple, she's our boss. Also, we ain't chicken shits. Geeks maybe, but chicken shits? The only chicken shit here is the guy who picks on the only person who can't kick him in the balls and smack him in the face."
"Thank you Nick, but did it strike you we might need him to drive something?" asked Sara wryly, starting to get an inkling as to what the fracas was about and secretly smug that Nick and Warrick were going to beat the guy up on her behalf, no matter how unprofessional it may have been.
"Nah, I called someone else, who's just getting settled in the last Tahoe. Jenson here, is not going anywhere tonight as he is now in no condition to drive on account of his nose. It was a shame he caught his foot on the kerb, wasn't it Jenson?" Summarised Brass, hoping this dumb officer would learn when to catch a break. As Jenson looked like he was about to protest, Brass spelled it out for him.
"Currently the only thing keeping you in that uniform is the fact that we haven't time to bust you out of it right this moment. All these nice respectable people, like your fellow Officers and Superiors, not to mention CSIs and the Coroner, all saw you trip the kerb. But that was your final warning Jenson. If I find you mouth Ms Sidle again, or that you've mouthed off to anyone, this is suddenly remembered and you're gone for good. There's a cruiser gonna come by and take you back to the station for a clean uniform once we've left. Got it?"
"Nes Snir" came the quiet response.
"What did he say?" asked Brass bemused
"That Captain, is what Yes Sir sounds like when the nasal bone and septum cartilage have been subject to a violent impact with a blunt object." Volunteered Doc Robbins, moving towards the Tahoe to get into it with Catherine. Brass also got in behind the Doc, his bemused look showing that what the Doc said to him had not made much sense, only to have Catherine spell it out to him
"That's the Doc telling you he sounds weird because the guy's just had his nose smashed into his cheek bones."
"Why didn't he say that?"
"I'm the Coroner."
"Right, anatomy geek. Got it" said Brass, before getting out his cell phone and making a call to his uniform equivalent at Jenson's station to sort out the mess that the guy had just made of his career. It turned out to be a very interesting conversation, but Brass felt it was one that could be shared another day.
Meanwhile, at the open front passenger door, Calloway, Sara, Nick and Warrick were standing around.
"What was that really about guys?"
"You don't want to know Sara."
"Guys?"
"War's right Sara, don't go there. Let's just say if you'd been here, you'd have wanted to deck him too."
"Ok, if you're really sure. Calloway, you driving this thing?"
"Sure thing."
"Well get in the driver's seat then." Came Sara's terse response.
"But Ma'am, you need…." Began Calloway, obviously wanting to protest about something. But Sara was quicker.
"No buts. Get in the driver's seat." After waiting a beat and seeing that Calloway hadn't moved, Sara snapped out "Calloway, why isn't the engine running?" which had the desired effect, sending the confused officer running round the Tahoe. At Sara's nod a moment later, Warrick gently scooped her up into his arms as Nick moved the chair out of the way. Turning, Warrick ducked slightly to ensure that Sara's head and feet didn't catch on the frame, before placing her right in the centre of the bucket seat. As Warrick and Nick turned to go, Nick called out
"The chair's travelling with us. We'll see you on the scene."
"Thanks guys, for everything." She called out, before they closed the door on Sara and jogged over to their own vehicle. The minute both of them had feet on the running boards, Calloway snatched up the radio and gave the call for the convoy to start rolling. As their Tahoe pulled out of the parking lot, Sara, in a rare moment of verbal social insight said
"Calloway, I know what you were thinking you ought to do. Nothing personal, but for future reference, the only people who carry me are the CSIs, and they only do when they know that they have my permission. Don't beat yourself up wondering what you did to piss me off, because you didn't, and you haven't. Okay?"
"Okay. One question?"
"Shoot." Sara couldn't see in the dark everyone else's collective wince as she used that particular verb.
"What do I call you?" Sara didn't answer as she tried to work out what the answer was. Her difficulty was resolved by Brass who spoke up from the back
"Calloway, call her Boss, after all, that's what she is."
"Got it. Well Boss, thought you should know, Dispatch radioed, they need you to call in." And, as Sara reached for the radio, Calloway raised her voice so that everyone could hear her as she said
"This is going to be a very fast ride guys. Only an idiot won't be buckled up and if there's something to hang on to, use it. One other warning, in these kinds of drives, the horn is used, a lot, it might get kinda loud. Apart from that, just sit back and enjoy the ride." By the time Calloway had finished talking, her point was made for her as, not only did they swing a U turn on the intersection (the central division had stopped them from leaving the parking lot in the right direction) jostling people about a bit, but she had her hand pressed hard into the horn as well, as if the lights, cruisers and bikes hadn't made everyone aware of where they were already!
Thirty minutes and 57 kilometres later, the convoy slowed and the cruisers and motorbikes peeled away, leaving just the Tahoes to approach the scene. Grabbing the radio from the console, Calloway issued a short command which resulted in the line of Tahoes breaking up, with ten parking up by the line of fire trucks and cruisers, evidently waiting until they were needed, whilst the remaining two containing the CSIs drove on up the closed highway to the scene proper.
"So you're in charge huh?" asked Sara, impressed
"I had the precious cargo." Was Calloway's dismissive response, before adding "anyways, one little convoy is nothing to the shots you're about to call. I think everyone's waiting for you." She gestured ahead where, picked out in the dipped headlights of the Tahoes were the silhouettes of what must have been close to 200 people all just standing there, waiting for something, or someone.
"Holy Shit" breathed Sara
"There are no big scenes….." began Brass, sensing that Sara needed a quick morale boost
"Only smaller scenes. We ready to process this scene guys?" As the Tahoe doors were opened, a collection of "sure things" and "you betchas" were heard.
As Sara waited patiently for Nick or Warrick to appear with her chair, she mentally reviewed everything she knew about the scene, and everything she recalled about big scenes from her days in San Francisco and Vegas. Her introspective ponderings were interrupted when her door was opened by Nick, waiting to transfer her back into her wheelchair. Absentmindedly thanking him when she was settled, she reached back into the vehicle to grab her phone and second battery before setting off to join the huddle comprising Brass, Doc, Catherine, Warrick, Nick and what she assumed was the Fire Chief.
Arriving at the groups, it was the fire chief that noticed her presence first
"Boss."
"You the Chief?"
"Yes Ma'am. We're damped down and out now, though no one should light a cigarette or anything as there are some fumes still, though nothing harmful to us."
"Good. How did you get down to the scene?"
"We set up two lines from the roadway down which we sent personnel. Hoses were run down the hill and we used the chopper buckets too."
"Are all the hoses up now?"
"If it's ok with you, I'd like to leave one hose line running down and a team of 4 guys and a pile of hose at the bottom, just in case an ember restarts when you start sifting for interesting stuff."
"Fine, the line stays down, but the guys and hose pile don't go down until you've shown Catherine where they're wanting to park themselves and she's processed that ground. Deal?"
"Deal."
"Right. Who's staffing the rope lines, PD or Fire?" asked Sara, concentrating her focus on the access to the burnt part of the scene. She had already worked though dispatch to get the highway cleared of redundant vehicles and secure, ready for that to be processed with hopefully minimal contamination.
"Both. We think we can fit 5 lines in working independently of each other. PD will run three, Fire two. All personnel will use all lines, that's just how the bodies worked out." Explained Brass
"Ok. That means one guy at the top, one guy at the bottom, right?"
"Right."
"Ok, guy at the top of every line is not to put anyone on his line unless they've shown him a working flashlight and two pairs of latex gloves. That's one to put on at the bottom and one spare. Guy at the bottom doesn't take them off his line until they've put one pair on. The only exception is if they're wearing CSI overalls as we carry so many pairs it's not funny, or if they are one of the four guys staffing the hose pile. They, I'm assuming, will be wearing uniform gloves?" Sara had seen too many scenes where the call had gone out for 'all hands' to attend to help, only for people to end up on scene without gloves on. The fact that evidence wasn't contaminated seemed to be more due to luck than good management. Not this time.
"Right." Came the Chief's response.
"Ok, next point on lines. You throw the line over the edge. First body down is CSI. Flashlight search of 4 foot sweep of side, checking for evidence. I don't want anything lost because it gets kicked away. Once the CSI has cleared the line, your people have total control, subject to what I just said about gloves and flashlights. Clear?" Getting nods from everyone gathered, Sara mentally reviewed what else she needed to talk about.
"Ok, division of labour. Nick, Warrick, what would you like?"
"Like? We'd like 100 each." Came Nick's hopeful reply
"No hope in Hell. Try again boys."
"Need? We need 50 each. We think that will put them on 8 foot sweeps at the perimeter of the hot spot, stretching thinner as we get to the edge, unless we work in wedges?" asked Warrick, knowing that he was asking Sara to make a trade-off judgement between speed and accuracy.
"Work wedges so that they're on 4 foot sweeps from the perimeter until we're 500ft from the hot spot, then mark with a flag line. We'll process the outer edges in daylight using the 8 foot sweep pattern." Seeing Warrick and Nick seem happy with the compromise, Sara refocused her attention on the Chief and Brass
"How many photographers have you got?"
"PD has 4 out" volunteered Brass
"Fire has 2, but we've also brought 3 arson guys. Can they be of use?"
"Yes. Catherine, you and the Chief, once the hose gang are in place, are going to rope off and work the hot spot. You get the two fire photographers, Greg and the Arson guys."
"That it?" asked Catherine slightly startled at Sara's distribution of people. The hot spot was several hundred square feet.
"Yes, because it's brains not brawn. You need to work out what blew up what. Unskilled flashlight searches are only of limited use. The arson guys should know a little of what they're looking for, and should be able to use their propellant knowledge to our advantage here. Same for the fire photographers." Sara hoped Catherine would see the logic she was using.
"Sure, that makes sense. That OK with you Chief?" asked Catherine, seeing that Sara was already focussed on her next decision.
"Fine with me. If I get a chance, I'll come down and help. Seen enough fires in 20 years to perhaps be able to recognise something, if it'll help?" Catherine had no time to respond before Sara started talking to Brass.
"You got any cops out here who do Traffic detail by any chance?"
"Bout 20, why?"
"And how many of them will you need to be on the perimeter?"
"Given the number of squad cars already closing down the highway further back say 2 on each end?"
"Ok, the remaining 16 will be working the highway. I'm assuming a traffic cop can recognise skids, tyre treads, blow-out debris etc?"
"Should be able to, yeah."
"Right, they'll be working with me on processing the highway, along with one of the PD photographers. That leaves, what, 3 photographers, about 90 cops for line drop and about 40 firemen?" asked Sara, hoping her running totals were roughly right.
"35 firemen, you forgot the hose pile and you didn't count 3 coroners and 6 paramedics." Corrected the Doc, who had been keeping a tighter count than Sara it seemed.
"Right, well, the paramedics are going to be two with the hose pile and 4 up top. And the coroners, well, lets hope we don't need you guys for much, shall we?" asked Sara hopefully, offering up a silent plea that there wouldn't be much call for the coroners. This scene was going to be bad enough, without a host of bodies too.
"Ok, using the Doc's figures, we've got 125 bodies and 3 photographers to divide up. I want the 5 most experienced line drop guys being evidence gophers between the bottom of the scene and the top. Stuff gets bagged and brought up in stages by them. That leaves 50 each for Nick and Warrick, with 20 spare."
"What are the 20 going to do?" asked the Doc, curious.
"Pray that we don't find body parts. They're the subs for when someone has to be switched out when they find something. Agreed?" Seeing nods from everyone, she continued
"Right. Anyone got anything they want to add? Anything I've missed?"
"What labs have we got?" asked Nick
"Basic stuff. Microscope analysis, basic chemical reactions, luminol; we don't have any of the big lab equipment, but if it can be done with a microscope and test tube we should be covered. Bobby will do what he can for us, I'm sure, not to mention Greg trying to pull of a miracle or three should we ask him too, though I want to keep him in the field as long as possible. We do however have the rig coming which has the freezer compartment in it for freezing samples and that can run for 24 hours." Sara didn't need to explicitly state that it could also be used as a morgue freezer too should the Doc wish it. Such grisly details were best left unsaid.
"What are we doing about getting kit down there?" asked Warrick
"Once the ground has been cleared at the bottom of the lines, each person going down the first time will take with them a kit package. Work from those stocks and more will be sent down as required. Brass, can the PD be responsible for cycling the Tahoes on and off the site as we clear them of kit?" On seeing Brass's nod in agreement, Sara continued her quick recap. "Gloves and flashlights will be issued up here. Anything else? Right, radio the Doc if you get body parts according to what he tells you, radio or call me for anything else. If the ground starts looking like it's going to set on fire again, radio the Chief. If you can't raise us, yell loud at Brass. Umm, I guess given how mixed everyone will be we'll go for Chief, Brass, Doc and Boss. Guys, try not to use the cells until Catherine's team have worked out if we're a spark risk. Tell everyone to think they're on a gas station."
Realising that there was nothing else technical to say, Sara went through the last couple of points on her mental lists.
"Ok, Catherine, you're the first one down checking the existing line, with the Chief and a ground guy right behind you. After that, Warrick, Nick and Greg when he gets here, you go down the other three lines. The first one down of you three then comes back up for the fifth line. By then, the hose guys should be down and we can start getting bodies and kit down. Whilst Catherine checks the site, Warrick and Nick, you want to brief your teams up here?" On seeing everyone agree with Sara's plan, she looks up from the file in her lap she had started skimming for the final time
"Right, go and get your harnesses then. Good luck down there. You guys do know I'm jealous right?" Not waiting for a response because it was true, she was insanely jealous that they were getting to go down to the main scene and she couldn't, she turned to head over to where the people were standing, determined to get the extra help organised whilst the CSIs were getting into their harnesses. By the time she and Brass had divided and allocated everyone, Catherine had already started processing the bank. The real work of the night had just begun.
After about five hours of intensive work, the mammoth team had settled into a steady working rhythm and was already yielding some results, both positive and negative. Sara and her team of traffic cops had managed to identify what seemed to be a set of fresh tyre treads running in a dead straight line down the incline and crossing from the inside, down-hill lane right across the two lanes of on-coming, up-hill traffic, before stopping at the edge where the vehicles went over the edge. Equally, it looked like the vehicle had collided with one, possibly two vehicles from the up-hill lanes and pushed them sideways off the road too. Nick and Warrick were making slow, steady progress, whilst Catherine and Greg were gradually working out what had happened to cause the explosion.
"Hey Sara!"
"Yes Brass?"
"You think a missing liquid hydrogen tanker might have something to do with this?"
"It's possible. The liquid form would make the account for the spread owing to compression, not to mention the non-toxic residuals." Began Sara, pondering the chemical and forensic consequences of such a suggestion. She was brought back to 'Earth' by Brass's request for her to express herself in layman's terms
"Sorry. Basically, you get a big bang that makes a large blast area if you either have lots of something very explosive or if you have a smaller amount held at high pressure or because you've crammed into a tiny space. To keep hydrogen in liquid form you need to store it at very high pressures. A tanker full would be enough to make a very big bang, explaining why there is debris over such a large area. That doesn't explain the widespread fire though. And non-toxic residuals just meant that all the hydrogen either dispersed into the atmosphere or reacted to form stable compounds, like a water molecule is." Offered Sara, hoping she hadn't patronised Brass with her explanation. Explaining science simply was not something she did often, and Lindsey was a different proposition to Brass. Despite Sara's fears, he seemed pleased with the explanation, pressing on with the conversation.
"So a tanker full of hydrogen in liquid form would be enough to maybe create a scene this size, but you're not convinced that was the only thing that caused this?"
"Umm, no. There was a massive fire here too. Hydrogen explosions don't flame as much as this scene did. Don't suppose someone's lost a gas tanker have they?" asked Sara as the pieces suddenly came together.
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Know what I'm about to offer you. That was going to be my next piece of news. There's a gas tanker unaccounted for as well."
"Well, my guess, though I'd rather wait for Catherine and her gang to tell me, is that one tanker came down the hill and had a problem that was steering not braking related. The tanker carries straight on through the two lanes of up hill traffic, wiping out whatever's in its path. One of those vehicles is a gas tanker. The other vehicle, not sure yet."
"Well, we'll have to wait and see, but there is currently a liquid hydrogen tanker late at its delivery and a gas tanker not yet made its second stop. Both would have used this road, the hydrogen tanker's route putting it in the downhill lane, the gas tanker in the uphill. Traffic cops for this section say it would have been crawling up the outside lane, putting the unknown vehicle in the middle lane." Summarised Brass, confirming Sara's evidence based conjecture with what the police enquiries had uncovered. Before Sara could comment on Brass's theory, they were interrupted by an Officer sprinting flat out across the highway to talk to them.
"Uh….Boss....we've got….something…"
"Slow down son, take a deep breath." Cautioned Brass, sending a sidelong glance at Sara, wondering if she had any clue as to what was so important that all this rushing was needed. As the guy got his breathing a bit more regular, he began to speak in short, staccato-like phrases
"We found a piece of bodywork. It broke on the K rail. It's not burnt." At this point, he gulped for air so deeply, Brass was worried he might start hyperventilating. Waving Doc Robbins over, the two men helped him sit down and the Doc helped him to get his breathing more under control. When he was a little calmer, he began speaking again, this time a little more coherently.
"We found a piece of broken bodywork on the highway. It looks like it broke off as the vehicle went over the K rail. It hasn't been burnt, only dented and scratched, so you can still tell what colour it is." As he said this, he turned to Sara, suddenly becoming exactly like the scared young man he is, rather than controlled traffic cop he was trying to be. "We didn't touch it or anything Ma'am. Larry recognised the colour and told me to get you there as fast as I could. He said you would be able to do clever stuff with the paint and things. We didn't touch it Ma'am, we swear!" As the young guy became increasingly panicked, Doc Robbins waved a couple of paramedics over to start treating him properly for shock. Not sure what else to do, Sara and Brass immediately set out across the highway to where the young officer had run from. By the time they had reached the officer who was known as Larry, Brass was a few feet behind Sara, unable to match the brisk pace she had been able to set as they sprinted across the smooth highway.
"Ma'am. Is Joe ok?"
"The paramedics are making sure he is Larry. He's just a bit shaken." Offered Brass, as he joined them, Sara's eyes already fixed on the piece of bodywork resting on the K Rail.
"What is it Sara?" asked Brass, not seeing what was so special about a piece of bodywork.
"Look at the colour Brass. Joe was right, I can analyse the paint later, but I don't think I need to. That's yellow bodywork."
"So? We're looking for a yellow car?" asked Brass, not understanding the significance yet
"That's a particular yellow, and the finish is matt, not shiny. This isn't bodywork from a car, this is the bodywork of a school bus." Finished Sara calmly, her emotions held in check only because she was so practiced at happening on disturbing bits of evidence.
"Holy Shit." Was all Brass could say.
"We did OK Ma'am? I mean Joe, he's not in trouble is he? He's just a rookie Ma'am." Now it was Larry who was beginning to panic a bit. Whilst he had more years experience than Joe, Sara and Brass were starting to scare him. It was Brass who recovered his attention enough first
"Larry, you did good. You both did. Now, go over to where the paramedics are and keep Joe company. You both did really good ok?"
"Ok Captain, I'll go see Joe." As he passed Brass, he whispered "Is she ok? I mean, she's not mad or anything is she?"
"Don't worry Larry, she's fine. She's just got a nightmare on her hands now, but thanks to you, she knows how it ends, so no matter how nasty it seems, you both need a pat on the back for a job well done, ok?" Brass tried to lift the guy's spirits so that he could keep it together long enough to get away from the evidence. As the cop moved away, Brass watched as Sara, with shaking hands, drew out her cell phone and hit a number on her speed dial. After a few rings, he heard her side of the conversation.
"Nancy, it's Sara. Where's Lindsey?"
"Can you go and wake her up please? It's important."
"Yes God Dammit, I do know what time it is!"
"Nancy, I need to speak to Lindsey and whilst she's talking to me, you need to write down Catherine's cell number for her so she can then call her."
"Because in 5 minutes I'm going to tell Catherine that the scene she's processing is the result of a gas tanker and a hydrogen tanker exploding round a fucking school bus! She needs to know that Lindsey's OK. I NEED TO KNOW THAT LINDSEY'S OK!"
"Thank you." As Nancy obviously finally understood the severity of the situation and went wake Lindsey, Brass moved to place a comforting hand on Sara's shoulder, causing her to realise he had been listening, prompting her to offer up an explanation.
"Lindsey had a school trip today, geography and biology. They were coming out to the desert to look at the plants and sand and stuff. They were in yellow school buses." Before Sara could continue her explanation, Lindsey picked up the phone
*Sara!*
"Hey kiddo, you ok?"
*Yeah, we had a great time. We all got back a few hours ago and so Aunt Nancy took me for pizza.*
"That's great Linds, really great…." Having got Lindsey, she didn't really know what to say.
*What's the matter Sara? Is Mom OK? You're not mad about the pizza are you?* asked Lindsey, suddenly worried. Sara was acting weird, not sounding like she normally did on the phone. Beginning to ramble, she carried on
*Sara? You never make Aunt Nancy wake me up before morning, even when it's time for me to go home if it's early. You cuddle me into your lap so I can stay sleeping, even when Mom tells you off, saying I'm big enough now to wake up and walk…..* Lindsey's monologue was delivered at an ever increasing pitch as she obviously began to panic a bit. Mentally kicking herself for being so strange, Sara's brain kick-started her voice once more.
"Hey, it's ok. Mom's fine. Everybody's fine here. I just needed to hear you talk."
*Why?* Smart as Lindsey was, 12 year olds didn't grasp sentimentality without a little prompting.
"Because Mom and I are at a scene that's nasty. I am going to have to tell your Mom some very bad news soon and before I did, I wanted to know you were safe and happy."
*Oh. Nasty as in bad man goes crazy nasty?* asked Lindsey, summing up a CSI's work as only a 12 year old can.
"I don't know yet sweetie, but I don't think so. I think some people were just really, really unlucky." Sara wasn't sure she could, or even should, explain how a truck could be tampered with at this stage, never mind explaining it to a 12 year-old.
*Oh, and that's making you sad?* asked Lindsey, somehow picking up on how Sara was really feeling, despite her having not said it
"Yes, that's made me a bit sad, which is why I wanted to talk to you, so I could feel better." Offered Sara simply, genuinely meaning what she was saying, as well as wondering when 'their' little girl became so perceptive.
*And do you feel better?* came the simple question
"A lot better."
*Good.* came Lindsey's straight-forward response.
"Linds, has Nancy got your Mom's cell phone number there?"
*Yes, she's put it down for me.*
"I'm going to hang up now, and I want you to ring Mom on her cell. Can you do that for me?"
*What do I say?* Although not expressed, the tone communicated 'well d'uh' loud and clear down the phone to Sara, slightly altering the meaning of the question
"Just the sort of stuff you told me. You'll know what to say when you talk to her."
*OK, I can do that. Can I tell her you told me to call her, or is this a surprise?*
"Just tell her I told you to call her. She'll probably be mad at me a bit for waking you up, but I'll cope." Offered Sara, trying to joke a touch.
*Yeah, like Mom ever stays mad at you long. You only have to kiss….* Lindsey's assessment of her parents' behaviour was cut off when Sara heard a bellowed 'Watch your mouth missy' from Nancy in the background, which quickly rendered Lindsey contrite
*Sorry Sara. I didn't mean to sass you. You still want me to call Mom?*
"You're forgiven kid, just this once! And yeah, call your Mom, she doesn't know it yet, but she's going to need a pick-me-up." Replied Sara, teasing slightly.
*Ok, I'm hanging up now*
"Go on then. Ring Mom and then go back to bed 'kay? One of us will come by in the morning as soon as we can."
*'Kay. I'll be OK if you need still to find the truth though. The unlucky people cases need that just as much as the bad guy cases.*
"When did you get so smart?"
*Don't know, just am!* came the cheeky reply
"Brat!" countered Sara, her mood visibly lifting
*But you love me anyways!*
"Yeah, I do. Now, go ring Mom?"
*Yeah, I'll go ring Mom. Love you Sara.* And with that, before Sara could reply, Lindsey had hung up the phone and was redialling Catherine's cell phone.
"She OK?" asked Brass, not quite sure what else to say. He knew that Sara had known he was there, but he still felt a bit uncomfortable about the fact that he had essentially eavesdropped on a private moment. Despite all that had happened over the years to conspire create a friendship between him and Sara, there were still some topics that they didn't touch on, and Sara's relationship with Catherine and by extension Lindsey was one such topic. Sara and any aspect of work, plenty to talk about; Sara's accident and resulting paralysis, sure, they talked. Sara and Catherine, somehow it never came up, at least, not with Sara.
"What? Oh, yeah. Got back and managed to get Nancy to take her out for pizza. She thought I was ringing because I was mad about that!"
"Pizza huh?"
"Yup. Knowing her, pepperoni, mushrooms, pepper and pineapple!" volunteered Sara, evidently just trying to allow a decent interval to pass before she called Catherine up from the scene below.
"Pineapple doesn't belong on a pizza." Came Brass' practical comment, long ago recognising that crime scene investigators often brought random and surreal conversations with them.
"Try telling that to Lindsey, or Catherine for that matter." Suggested Sara, smiling in agreement with Brass.
"And I thought Cath had better taste than that. Remind me never to take her out for pizza!"
"Brass, the day you start taking my girl out for pizza without me is the day you have more to worry about than pizza toppings!" Replied Sara lightly, though with an underlying seriousness sparked from insecurities that she would never lose, though they no longer motivated her actions as much as they used to.
"Understood. Do I need to start calling the districts looking for buses?" asked Brass, secretly hoping that somehow Sara might have decided that she would be wrong, and that it wasn't really a piece of school bus they were looking at.
"Hoping I've made a mistake?" asked Sara wearily, her facial expression letting Brass know that she understood where he was coming from
"Would you be offended if I said yes?"
"Not this time, no. I'm hoping I've made a mistake."
"But we both know you haven't. You wouldn't have called it unless you're sure. I'll go get the ring round started."
"Thanks. Could you get the Doc to come over here when you find him?"
"Sure thing." And with that, Brass moved back into the shadows, leaving Sara to contemplate a broken bit of bus. Her silent contemplation was broken by the ring of her cell phone, the ring that only one number had…
*What the hell has happened up there that made you wake up Lindsey and get her to call me?*
"Hello Cat."
*Don't you Cat me! I'm mad at you….. for absolutely no reason….." Catherine's anger faded as she literally ran out of verbal steam.
"Ok. I kind of need you not to be mad at me. In fact, I kind of need you to come up and give me a hug." Was Sara's raw admission, only made because she not only had the actual privacy of a deserted stretch of scene, probably caused by Brass guessing that this was currently 'need-to-know,' but also the perceived privacy that the shadowy light of night mixed with haphazard artificial illumination created.
"I'm coming up. Where are you?" Catherine was already racing across the scene to the rope lines, cursing the fact that she had to climb out of the scene to get to Sara
"Brass knows" was the simple response, followed by silence as the line went dead.
Arriving at the rope lines, Catherine sprinted across to one of the firemen.
"Going up?" came the cheerful enquiry
"Yes, and as fast as humanly possible." Came the terse response. From anyone else, he would have made a crack about the scene being too much, but seeing that the lady was wearing Forensics overalls, he guessed that this was not the time. Checking her harness to make sure it was secure, he clipped her on the line and explained.
"Right, since you're in a rush, Fred at the top will help you by pulling. Turn your radio to channel 3. When you hear him yell 'Pull' I want you to push up away from the rock and wait to go up. You'll feel a surge on the rope and you'll move a large distance. Then, as he tires, scamper as far as you can, until you hear pull again. That way, you should be up twice as quick. Understood?"
"Understood. Radio on Channel 3. Let go when I hear 'Pull.' Scamper all other times."
"Right, let's go." The guy snapped the ropes onto Cath's harness and had a short conversation on his radio with 'Fred' as Catherine moved over to the rock face and gratefully noticed that the incline was sloped, rather than sheer vertical.
A brief time later, a breathless Fred was unsnapping Cath from the line as she was yelling out for Brass. As he came into earshot, he shouted out
"Over by the K Rail!" before resuming his phone conversation, knowing Catherine didn't need anymore detail.
Running full speed in the direction of the K Rail, Catherine soon made out the dark silhouette of her lover. Not easing up, she came to a sudden halt when she was only a couple of feet from Sara. Breathing hard, she waited as Sara, who had begun turning round to face her, put on the brakes before opening out her arms. Catherine didn't need to be told twice, rushing straight forward and settling into Sara's embrace, curled up on her lap. In seconds the two lovers were entwined in a familiar position, with Sara's arms holding Catherine securely in her lap, Catherine's face buried in Sara's soft hair where shoulder met neck. As Catherine felt her breathing return to normal, and her heart, whilst still pounding, had slowed significantly, she lifted her head slightly to allow herself to speak.
"What's up?" was all Catherine could think to say
"I know what the scene is." Came the simple response
"OK." Catherine waited, knowing that Sara never responded well to prompting. Anyways, no matter what the news, Catherine was in no hurry to rush this conversation as long as Sara was holding her.
"An Officer found a piece of bodywork broken off against the K Rail. Brass found two tankers missing from their depots that would have crossed on this road at about the same time."
"Two tankers, huh? That explains the bang"
"Liquid Hydrogen and Gasoline"
"That explains the very big bang" corrected Catherine, still not moving from her comfortable snuggle.
"The bodywork belonged to the third vehicle, probably sandwiched in the middle."
"You guys have been busy up here." Offered Catherine eventually, sensing the pause needed filling, instinctively bracing herself for what Sara's news would be
"Yeah, the cops have been really good. Even the poor kid who found the bodywork from the school bus." Offered Sara, neutrally. She said it so calmly Catherine didn't register the significance of the statement for a moment.
"School Bus? As in honking great yellow thing that we waved Lindsey off in this morning?" asked Catherine, her voice reflecting her increasing panic and tension.
"Shh, she's OK. She had pizza with Nancy and I woke her up to talk to you." Cooed Sara, rubbing Cath's back before kissing the nearest bit of Catherine, grateful she'd had Lindsey speak to Catherine before she had this conversation. After a few moments, Catherine's heart beat returned to the erratic pounding that was starting to become 'normal' for the moment as the logical 'scientist' in her overrode the emotional 'mother' reaction.
"Lindsey's safe. It wasn't Lindsey's bus." She said quietly, drawing her tear-stained face out of its warm, secure hiding spot against Sara and angling her head so that she could look into her lover's eyes. As their eyes met, another thought entered Catherine's mind
"Oh my god, you didn't know…. they showed you the piece…..then you found out about Lindsey afterwards." The slightly garbled rapid fire comments made perfect sense to Sara
"Shh, it's ok. I'm ok, though I did kind of scream at Nancy" admitted Sara shyly
"I…I can't imagine how horrible that was. Thank you for making her call me first." Catherine stopped talking when she realised how inadequately she was expressing herself.
"S'okay." Offered Sara dismissively, in a tone that would have been matched by a shrug if Catherine's embrace hadn't prohibited it. Smiling at how bashful her lover could be at times, Catherine moved a hand so it was threaded through Sara's hair. Leaning her head forward in anticipation of a kiss, Catherine whispered
"You know, you can be very sweet sometimes" before kissing Sara lightly. Neither lady had the opportunity to deepen the kiss though, as the surprisingly quiet night air was cut with a gruff cough. Separating, Catherine stood up again and turned to see a sheepish looking Doc Robbins.
"Ladies."
"Doc, we…" began Catherine, positive she was blushing. Doc Robbins waved his free hand in a vague gesture, the universal sign for 'Don't worry, I'm not bothered' before saying
"Sara, Jim Brass told me to get over here, said I needed to see some evidence. Said the weirdest thing too"
"Oh?" This from Catherine, who, despite everything, couldn't suppress the part of her curiosity Sara often claimed was nosiness. Catherine preferred to think of it as natural curiosity.
"Asked me if I knew where my kids were."
"Do you Doc?" asked Sara, joining in the conversation for the first time
"Yes. I spoke to them just before I was called about this. They'd stayed late at school to watch a basketball game which the youngest was playing in. Wanted to tell me about it. They're home asleep now." He explained, not sure why it was relevant, but knowing from experience that Sara rarely showed much of an interest in idle chatter when there was a scene to discuss, much less process.
"You'll be glad you know that in a minute Doc. Tell me, the remains that have been recovered so far, would you be able to venture some hypothetical early conclusions?" asked Sara, switching to obvious business again.
"Informally hypothetical?" clarified the experienced coroner. On seeing Sara nod in agreement, he continued
"The remains are consistent with being caught up in a large explosion. Fragmentation of the skeleton only occurs where massive forces are involved. Varying levels of burn are also appearing, suggesting some avoided the fire whilst others are characteristic of what you would expect at the heart of an inferno."
"The remains are suggesting multiple bodies?" asked Sara, hoping that the coroner could volunteer enough information to help substantiate what she already knew. The last thing she wanted was to subscribe to such a horrid theory as the one she currently had if there was even a slim chance of the evidence disproving it.
"Unfortunately yes. I have enough duplicative bones to suggest at minimum 12 separate individuals so far, of what looks like a range of ages, judging by development." Sara's shoulders visibly sagged. There was no doubt now, the coroner having just unknowingly said the magic words that confirmed what she had hoped, up until then, was just a far fetched theory, based on circumstantial evidence.
"Behind me Doc is a piece of bodywork from the third vehicle I know to be involved, based on the evidence collected from the highway. Combined with what Catherine and Brass have found from the scene and police leg work in Vegas, as well as what you have just told us, I think I know what vehicles were involved in this scene." Sara paused to take a composing breathe. Doc, familiar with how she worked best, waited for her to continue in her own time, though wondering what the third vehicle would have to be in order to shake Sara, Catherine and Brass to the degree it had.
"I've got a piece of bodywork from a school bus. The accident was a liquid hydrogen tanker and gasoline tanker colliding and exploding around a yellow school bus." It didn't get any easier to say or hear concluded Sara, waiting for the coroner to respond.
He didn't respond immediately, instead walking past Sara to look at the bodywork. After a moment, and with a fixed expression, he returned to them both, before saying quietly
"Nothing prepares you for something like that." And then he lapsed into silence. Their silence was broken when Brass reappeared.
"Sara?"
"They both now know Brass."
"Ah, ok. Look, dispatch has found the bus."
"You didn't radio…." Began Catherine, hoping her long term friend hadn't taken leave of his senses suddenly
"Give me some credit Cath. I rang the Duty Sergeant and asked her to look through the call logs. She called me straight back. The only ones who know about the bus are the four of us, her and the two guys currently huddled under space blankets in the back of the ambulance." Countered Brass quickly, sounding slightly annoyed that Catherine would think such a thing of him.
"Sorry Jim, I didn't mean…" began Catherine, only to be waved off by Brass, sending her an understanding look. Everyone's nerves had been getting tighter as the night progressed, with this latest discovery making it worse than anyone might have imagined.
"What did the Duty Sergeant have for you?" asked Sara
"Martindale High School, reported a yellow school bus missing 3 hours ago when it didn't return to the school on time and they couldn't raise any of the adults or children on cell phones."
"What were they coming back from?" asked Catherine, trying not to think how many minutes ahead of that bus Lindsey must have been.
"State Basketball Championship match. They had won in a penalty shoot out after extra time, hence why they were later." Said Brass, struggling to contain his emotions.
"Oh my God." Said Doc Robbins, before turning his back on the others and reaching for his cell phone. After a few seconds he could be heard talking to his wife, asking about his children. By the time he had hung up the phone on his obviously distressed wife, Sara had managed to reach inside herself and find that detached place that every good CSI had, the place where you can isolate your personal grief from your ability and desire to process the scene no matter what, driven by the need to solve the case for the victims families. Reaching for her cell phone, she rang Greg.
"Yeah, it's Sara. Look, I need you to come back up. I've got something I need lab confirmation on, and, well, I'd feel happier if you did it."
"I know you're not a lab rat anymore Greg, but this is different. Bobby's not learnt how to cope with evidence in a context."
"Thank you Greg, I'll meet you by the Truck."
By the time Sara had hung up, the other three had also reached that detached place that coroners and police officers also had. Yes, they would still hurt; yes, they would probably dream; yes, they would probably smother their loved ones with affection for a while, but first they had a job to do. Catherine had already begun processing the section of rail and bodywork. Placing a yellow marker and paper measuring tapes down, she took the camera which Brass had thought to bring across with him and started taking pictures. When she had enough, she passed the camera back to Brass before, on seeing a supportive and confirming nod from Sara, stooped and carefully picked up the piece. Holding it so that the yellow was facing her body, she said
"Brass, would you walk me to the Truck? Sara and Greg can join us there." Before they both set off, leaving Sara and the Doc to set off in a slightly different direction.
"You know you're going to need to make a statement? The Press are gathering at the tape." Mentioned the Doc, in a conversational tone.
"Yes, but I want to wait a little while longer. The more I can confirm, the better it is in the long run. The tape is so far away they won't be able to speculate at the moment, and the police choppers are scaring away the news cameras. I want to find out as much as I can, especially if that is the school bus."
"You have doubts?"
"No, but I want some science to tell me it's the bus first if possible."
"Sensible." On seeing that they were nearly at the others, the Doc checked what he was certain he already knew "I keep the bus to myself, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks Doc." Any further conversation came to a halt as they were met by Greg, prompting the Doc to take his leave as Sara altered her course, heading for the Major Incident Truck.
"Thanks for coming up Greg."
"What do you want me to test for?" Greg stuck to business, recognising that now was not a time for anything other than science.
"Uranium."
"Uranium?"
"I've got a piece of bodywork. I want to know if the yellow paint is old or new."
"Yellow paint? As in school bus yellow?" asked Greg, rapidly connecting the dots to make the picture
"Yes, but don't say anything. I don't want it known yet."
"Got it. Where is it?" If Greg tried really hard, he could stop the words he was hearing and saying from connecting with images in his brain and starting to actually mean something. He was trying really, really hard.
"Catherine's taken it into the Truck for you. Bring the results out to me straight away."
"You not coming in?" asked Greg innocently, used to Sara having a more active interest in how he did the more unusual tests, and testing paint for uranium in the field was at the more unusual end of the lab test repertoire.
"I can't. Steps." Came the flat response, making Greg feel like an idiot. Not really knowing what to say, he just smiled a tight smile and bounded up the steps into the truck, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves as he did so.
"Martindale's in a poor area. They probably get the oldest buses in the district." Offered Brass, trying to make conversation as they waited for Greg and Catherine to do the tests, wincing as he brought up the bus again. Like a car wreck, where you couldn't help but look as you drove past, no matter how gruesome the scene, suddenly conversation magnets seemed to have been bolted onto the topic of 'school buses'.
"I know, which is why I want to know if the paint has trace amounts of uranium in it. If it does, it's an old bus with original paint."
"Uranium, isn't that dangerous?"
"Not when it's like this. It's perfectly safe, which is why they won't have wasted money on repainting the bus. Better to spend what money you do have on gas than on a paint job." Came Sara's pragmatic response.
"Is this where I get the principal on the phone so that you can ask them about their paint job?"
"Why me?"
"Because they're probably a science teacher and you can explain why how old the paint job is, is important, better than I can."
"Best make the call then, the tests only take a couple of minutes." Nodding, Brass dialled the Dispatch Sergeant again to get the details of the principal. As he was dialling the Principal's number, Greg and Catherine emerged from the truck. As Catherine handed a piece of paper to Sara, Greg said
"We did a Geiger counter check and photonic emission test. Both came back affirmative for radiation. The colour and suspected source would be consistent with uranium." Confirming the details on the paper Sara was reading. Just as she finished, they heard Brass say
"Principal Masterson, let me hand you over to the lady in charge here, she can better explain what's happened and why she needs to know about the paint." Before he passed the phone to Sara, mouthing "she"
"Hello, Ma'am? My name is Sara Sidle" began Sara, not quite sure what she was going to say, and wishing that Catherine was doing this. She was the people person, not Sara. As she waited for the response, she felt the comforting presence of Catherine's hand come to rest at the nap of her neck.
"Investigator Ma'am. I'm with the Las Vegas Crime Lab."
"The police and fire departments call on us to use science to investigate what happened at certain scenes."
"About your school bus, it was yellow?" On hearing the response, Sara's shoulders tightened.
"Roughly how old was it?" Again, the response prompted Sara to tense even more.
"To your knowledge, has it ever been repainted?" That answer closed down any avenues of hope that this wasn't the Martindale High School bus.
"Thank you for your assistance Ma'am." Pausing, not quite sure how to proceed, Sara was saved from having to go the next step when Catherine answered Sara's mobile and gestured that this call was one see really needed to take.
"Could you hold on for one moment please Ma'am? I just need to return you to Captain Brass whilst I confirm something on another phone line."
"Yes Ma'am, I promise that after that you will have news. Thank you for hanging on." stalled Sara, as politely as she could, before passing the phone to Brass, who seemed even more reluctant to talk to the lady than Sara was. No one wanted to be the bearer of this bad news. Taking the phone from Catherine, she had enough time to read Greg's scribbled note, giving her a second's warning as to who the call was from, and just about allowing her enough time to pull a rather expressive face at Catherine.
"Commissioner, I wasn't expecting this Sir."
*No, well, you've got me as the Sheriff is on vacation. I know we political types don't normally get involved, but this is an all hands on deck type night, isn't it?* 'Thank god for small mercies' thought Sara, suddenly realising that she hadn't had the Sheriff hassling her for answers every 5 minutes
"I'm guessing you were ringing for news Sir?"
*Only if you've got any. I was actually ringing to offer to handle the press for you, if you tell me what you think should be said, if anything.* came the genuine sounding response. Scanning her brain, Sara tried to conjure up a mental picture of the Commissioner for Clark County, glad when she remembered that he was about as opposite to the Sheriff as possible, being an older, gentler, grandfatherly type. Seeing her short term solution, Sara said
"Actually, Sir, I do have some news. It's not good news so, since you're in Vegas and I have the Press out here, perhaps you could talk to those affected whilst we deal with the press out here?"
*You've identified some of the victims already? That's excellent work. Of course, if you think that would be best.* Another genuine response.
"Sir, I need you to speak with the Principal of Martindale High School. I've got her on a cell phone currently and so will pass the number across. I know enough to be able to say that a road accident out here happened involving a school bus. The school bus has been traced to Martindale High School, the boys' basketball team and cheerleaders."
*Good God. You sure?*
"Yes Sir. It's the only city bus unaccounted for and the principal has confirmed that the bus would have been travelling in the correct direction on this road within the window of the accident. She has also been able to give me some information about the type of paint the bus had. Preliminary field tests match the paint found Sir. It's the Martindale Bus."
*I'm sorry, of course, you wouldn't have said so if you weren't. I'll speak with the Principal and all the parents myself. You just concentrate on making sure they can give these children a proper burial. I'm sorry you have to go through this.*
"It goes with the territory Sir, but thank you. If it's alright, I'll give the Principal the number showing on my cell? Will that connect direct to you?"
*Yes, she can call me direct on this number. Don't worry about the families, we'll sort that out here. *
"Thank you Sir. Please, don't commit or volunteer anything other than the bus was involved in a road accident and that there are no survivors. Also, the coroner has remains, not bodies. Please try to make them understand this now. Don't let them get their hopes up." Sara's words sounded harsh, but she had seen enough families get distraught on seeing a grossly disfigured body of a loved one that she really didn't want these families to suffer any more than they were already going to. The last thing parents needed was to prepare themselves for a morgue visit only to be told they were collecting remains.
*Christ, I hadn't thought about that. Thank you, I will make sure we don't give false hope. We will tread carefully. I shall let you get back to your work. Thank you again for what you're doing for this city.* And with that, the Commissioner hung up, allowing Brass to read the number to the obviously upset Principal who was preparing to hear the worst, before he too hung up.
Seeing that no one really knew what to say, it was Catherine who found some words to cut the tension
"He seemed like a nice guy for a politician, total opposite to the Sheriff. Where is the Sheriff by the way?"
"Vacation."
"And we pray for small mercies." Came Brass' dry response. It was at moments like these that any crumb of relief, no matter how light, had to be gathered up with both hands, otherwise no one would mentally cope.
Brass' comment allowed for the assembled group to move on from the bus to talk about the scene in general. Just as Catherine was finishing bringing Sara up to speed about what she and Greg were finding in the hot spot, a new voice interrupted the group
"Umm Boss?" came a nervous voice from the shadows. Clicking on her flashlight, Sara shone the powerful beam in the voice's direction, skilfully picking out the Officer's name badge without dazzling him.
"Officer Jackson."
"You sent us up the road, heading back to Vegas?" came the still nervous officer's slightly cryptic response.
"Yes, looking for fresh tracks that match my big skid here. You find anything?" clarified Sara for the benefit of the others. Catherine, on seeing that Sara was back now focussing on what had happened on the highway, rather than the bus or hotspot, motioned to Greg that they should get back down to their chunk of scene. Sara however, seemed for whatever reason, to have other ideas, reaching out to catch Catherine's arm, saying as she did so
"Stay, I have a hunch about this."
Intrigued, Catherine and Greg waited and hear whatever the officer was about to share. There didn't have to wait long.
"Yes Ma'am. We took some snaps with the digital camera you gave us; we were real careful with our feet Ma'am." Asserted the lad, desperate to make sure Sara didn't get mad.
Taking the camera, Sara flicked through the images. Occasionally she paused to take a closer look or to ask a question.
"How many bends did you go back?"
"4 bends Ma'am"
"You started from the furthest and worked in?"
"Yes Ma'am, like you told us to." By now the Officer was so nervous he was visibly shaking. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Brass would have almost been tempted to smile, so oblivious was Sara to the fact that she had this Officer quaking in his boots. Instead, he and the others were desperately waiting to see what was holding Sara's attention so closely. After Sara had gone through the photos twice, she handed the camera to Catherine, her face, if possible, becoming more serious than ever. Catherine took the camera and began leafing through the photographs, saying nothing. When she had looked at all of them, she held the camera out to Sara, her eyes giving all the confirmation Sara needed for this latest piece of the puzzle, her muttered "Crap" cluing everyone else in to the fact that whatever it was, it was not good.
"D…Di…Did we do something wrong?" stuttered the still shaking Officer Jackson, worried the expletive was directed at him.
"No, you did everything right. Brass, you got contact details for the hydrogen tanker owner?" asked Sara, checking the camera snaps again, third time being the charm and all that.
"Yes"
"Where's he based?"
"Vegas, not far from McCarran."
"He cooperative?"
"Yeah, shocked, but generally helpful. Why?"
"Because you're about to get a warrant impounding all his tankers."
"You're kidding me."
"No. They've just become evidence. You'll need officers to secure them. No one goes near them until CSI processes with auto-detail. If they're out on the road they need to be pulled off the road."
"That's some warrant request Sara. How do I get a judge to agree to impound 21 tankers?" Any other night, any other case, any other CSI he would congratulate them on the worst joke ever. Not tonight.
"By telling them that I have evidence at the scene strongly indicating that this accident was caused by some form of mechanical failure to the truck's steering. These photographs exonerate the driver." Elaborated Sara wearily. Where earlier she had been wondering if this double shift was going to stretch to a triple, she was now resigned to wondering if it would ever end.
"Sabotage? That truck was brand new" clarified Brass, not sure he was believing what he was hearing, and foolishly hoping, for the second time that night, that Sara might possibly have made a mistake.
"Or faulty parts then. Either way, that fleet needs to be impounded and the manufacturer will need to be advised."
"The water case." Offered Doc Robbins suddenly, remembering the last time there was a case involving product tampering, putting the situation into context for Brass
"Holy hell. That's…" he couldn't think of any words to adequately describe the nightmare scenario Sara was implying.
"…All we need?" offered Catherine dryly
"You, Ms Willows, have just become the master of understatement." Said the Doc, as chatter on his radio indicated his presence was required elsewhere.
"Thanks Doc. We going to be able to get the warrant without proper crime scene photos?" asked Catherine, as she half heartedly waved the Doc off
"I think so. I'll go to one of the pro-forensics judges and if necessary, have Sara spell it out to him in words of one syllable what the worst case scenario is if they don't issue it." Offered Brass, trying to remember who the current presiding judge was.
"It is in the State's interest to err on the side of public safety and caution." Observed Greg, joining in the conversation now his mind had wrapped itself around the seriousness and complexity of the situation. To say his career as a CSI was starting in the deep end would be putting it mildly. He currently felt like he was treading water somewhere in the Pacific….
"What is the worst case scenario?" asked Brass, as he began dialling the DA's office.
"If it's sabotage? Up to 21 other tankers on the road liable to lose control at any given moment, causing this much destruction and worse: if it's a manufacturing fault? Any number of tankers liable to lose control at any given moment, causing this much destruction and worse." Stated Sara flatly
"Gees, I really didn't need to know that." Came the shocked response, as he turned away to start talking on his phone, organising whatever paperwork was necessary.
"You OK?" asked Catherine tenderly, crouching down next to Sara. Greg had walked over to the highway edge and was contemplating the patchily lit scene below him.
"Yes….No….I don't know." Came Sara's uncertain response.
"Stick with it Sara, you're doing an incredible job. What possessed you to think to send the officers out to check the earlier bends?"
"The treads – all the tyres were uniform and equal. The driver had slammed on all his brakes and had fully inflated tyres."
"He knew he wasn't going to make the bend so he tried his best to stop, but he couldn't."
"Yes. He hadn't deliberately driven that line. He wasn't a suicide, and the brakes were hit too early in the turn for it to be a delayed response caused by, say, being asleep at the wheel. He wanted to be in his lane, and when he didn't start coming around as he expected, he wanted to stop."
"Suggesting steering failure, prompting you to want to see if the failure was sudden or gradual."
"Those snaps show it was gradual." Said Sara, glad that Catherine was agreeing with her reasoning.
"What do you think caused the failure?" asked Catherine, amazed that Sara was managing to piece together the events of this horrid scene so quickly, importantly not by speculation but by evidence-based hypothesis.
"I was hoping you and Greg were going to be able to find that answer for me."
"Right. Well, we'd just about finished working the explosion through. We'd already started on finding the tanker pieces, and we'll keep at it, right after we process the skids further up the road….." began Catherine, assuming that she and Greg, since they were there, would go and process them.
"No, it's more important to get the tankers collected. I'll get Warrick and Nick to go. Now we know what happened, the main evidence they will be collecting is remains. The coroner's office can supervise that. The treads and tanker debris has just become the CSI priority." Stated Sara firmly, knowing that it was those two groups of evidence that were now the most urgent, first to clear the driver of responsibility and then to work out if this was a genuine accident or an act of sabotage (and Sara couldn't help but think of the bus crash on the Barstow road from roughly 5 years ago). Either way, the phrase 'your worst nightmare' didn't begin to describe how this case was turning out.
"Good points. I'll go check Greg is alright and then we'll set to it. Can I have some of Nick and Warrick's helpers?"
"I'll send you some extra hands, though they'll probably be some of the guys from up here. Once the guys have done the treads we're pretty much done up here, until daybreak at least, when some fainter treads may appear, not that they'll change what happened. I think everyone would agree we've got a solid theory." Stated Sara, chewing on her lip as she mentally reviewed everything she did know, trying to spot holes or groundless assumptions.
"Stop thinking so hard Sara." Came Catherine's gentle reply, as she reached up to brush Sara's cheek with elegant fingers, the movement bringing her eyes level with Sara's as well as acting a bit like a systems reset button, drawing Sara out of the self-critical reverie. Sharing a final intimate look to compliment the fleeting moment of physical intimacy, Catherine pushed up off the chair and said
"You're doing an amazing job. No one could have handled this scene and these events better. Don't ever let anyone make you think otherwise, 'kay?"
Looking up, Sara saw the confidence Catherine felt for her in those incredible blue eyes and, exhaling slowly, felt the last vestiges of fear and panic leave her body, to be replaced with that same confidence and belief that Cath was radiating. Smiling her first genuine smile for a very long time, Sara touched Catherine's palm in thanks, saying carefully
"I can't do it without you Cath" before switching back to being all business; the CSI persona had regrouped, the batteries recharged by the private moment the ladies had just shared.
"Go find me a tanker chassis!"
"If you're good, I'll find you two!" countered Catherine lightly, as she set off to collect Greg and start finding the pieces for what could become the largest piece jigsaw puzzle of her career, whilst Sara began contacting Nick and Warrick.