DISCLAIMER: CSI is the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer.
SERIES/SEQUEL: Second part of the 'Love and Anger' series.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Love and Anger
By L.
ONE
- "The winds that blows -
ask them, which leaf on the tree
will be next to go."
- Kyoshi Takahama, 1874 - 1959. Been out with Grissom, huh?
- Yeah.
- So how did it go?
- You tell me.
Sara smiled, and started to recite:
- "Night; and once again,
the while I wait for you," ...
Sofia laughed and continued:
- "cold wind turns into rain." That obvious, eh?
- Actually, yes.
By now, they were both laughing.
- So, you're OK with it?
- Totally. Been there, done that... Wasn't worth it.
- I hear you...
They looked at each other, kind of bewildered but surprisingly
comfortable. Sara cleared her voice.
- Coffee after shift?
- Sure. I'd love to.
- Cool.
It was the best mistake she could make.
Enter Catherine.
- Sara, you got a minute? I need to talk to you.
- Sure, Cath, I'll just swing by Greg and then meet you in your
office?
- Great.
Sara left, Sofia stayed by the coffee machine.
- Interesting date last night?
- Yeah... you might say that. Why?
- Honey, you were so off somewhere so I'm assuming he must be worth
it.
- No, it's just Sara...
Catherine's head snapped up.
- What about her?
Sofia looked up with a glare in her eyes.
- I'm sorry, why is any of this any of your business?
- Whoa, slow down kid. I'm just making conversation here.
- Well, "Cath", I suggest you do it elsewhere.
Catherine narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. Sofia didn't budge.
- Only friends and lovers call me that, and frankly honey, you're
neither.
- Fine.
- Fine.
Both left, crossing in the corridor. The metaphor apparent, making
them both smirk.
Back in her office, she was not surprised to find Sara waiting.
- What took you so long?
- I just had a little chat with your friend Sofia.
Catherine crossed her arms and leaned on her desk. Sara remained
standing.
- So...
Catherine waited, hoping for the hundredth time that maybe... But,
nope, nothing. She sighed.
- So, you and Sofia are dating?
Sara didn't move a muscle.
- I thought you'd exercised your right to ask me that kind of
questions, Cath.
- Yeah, well, I still care for you, you know.
Sara said nothing. Catherine reached for her, taking slim hands in
hers.
- Could you at least be decent enough not to shove it up my face,
flaunt it, if or when you do date her?
Sara flinched and looked embarrassed but didn't answer.
Catherine sighed and counted to ten. Twice. And with a conscious
effort not to sound mad she kept her voice down and talked slowly
but with no malice.
- Do you realize how utterly provoking this is? You, not saying
anything? Not telling me anything?
Still, Sara said nothing and stared at the wall.
- Do you realize how infuriating it is? What you damage by doing it?
Breathing out in, out in, out in, out in.
- Sara, honey, don't ever think that you can't change the past and
the future.
Sara hesitated, visibly trying, but then her mouth shut with a click.
Catherine waited a beat but then threw her hands in the air.
- Fine. Fuck it. Fuck you. Fuck her if that's what you want. But
remember: THIS is what ruined it. THIS is what ruined us.
And with that, Catherine left the room. Sara stayed where she was,
silent.
TWO
Sara pulled her ear plugs out when someone tapped her on her
shoulder.
- I'm sorry, what?
There was Sofia, leaning on the back of her chair with a silly smile
on her face.
- What are you doing?
- I'm comparing maternal to fetal transfer of 3,5,3'-
triiodothyronine versus thyroxine in rats, as assessed from 3,5,3'-
triiodothyronine levels in fetal tissues.
- Yeah?
- I think the result will show that when thhe fetus is hypothyroid,
T3 crosses the rat placenta at the end of gestation, but does not
affect all tissues to the same degree. In contrast to the effects of
maternal T4, maternal T3 does not alleviate the T3 deficiency of the
brain or, presumably, of the thyrotrope. And -
- Great, now how about some coffee?
Sara smiled sheepishly.
- Rambling, huh?
- Yup, but it's kinda cute.
Both smiled, relaxed in the moment, in the silence.
- I had a great time yesterday.
- Yeah, me too.
- Wanna do it again?
- Sure, when?
- Now?
- Cool.
They rose and walked slowly to the locker room. Just making small
talk, just trying to figure one another out. All in all, a good
moment.
Once seated with their coffees and a couple of bagels they fell
silent. Sara smiled and looked like she was a million miles away,
Sofia sat and played with a small bag of artificial sweetener.
- You think we'll get promoted to drinks some day?
- I don't drink anymore.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
- Nothing to be sorry about. Not a problem, just me.
Sara laughed, and Sofia realized she really, really wanted to know
what about. She also knew she probably never would.
She took a deep breath.
- I believe that all things are essentially empty -- not born, not
destroyed; not stained, not pure; without loss, without gain.
Therefore in emptiness there is no wisdom and no attainment.
- You believe that?
- Yes.
- "Lay down these words
Before your mind like rocks."
- Riprap.
- Wow, good.
Sofia looked at Sara with questioning and yet speculative eyes. She
tossed her hair back.
- So this is how we're going to play this.
- If you want to.
Minutes passed while they stared at each other.
- You still eat, right?
- Occasionally.
- Then let's have dinner. Now. Come with me.
Making love to Sara, Sofia discovered, was a lot like what she
imagined artists felt when painting their master piece. Yes, so
serious and irritating, so pretentious and beautiful, defenseless.
Lovers begin with a kiss in a tryst. It's just a smudge, but what
it become in her hands: curving and sweeping; rising and reaching.
Where do I go from here, she wondered, if she wants me to leave?
THREE
Catherine soon realized that Sara indeed respected her wish, but she
also realized that the not knowing probably was worse than the
opposite. Trying to decipher Sara's and Sofia's behavior was proving
both exhausting and frustrating.
Was that a touch on the small of her back?
Did that look linger too long?
Is that the smile Sara used to have after she'd been with me?
- No way.
That was Greg, spotting something in the parking lot.
- Way to go.
Said Nick, being more zen each day.
- Well it could be love, or it could be just lust, but it will be
fun. It will be wonderful.
And then Warrick, ever the romantic, now more than ever.
- And it could be nothing. Now, can we please do what we're here to
do?
Snapped exasperated Catherine, wanting desperately to go home to her
daughter, to the life she'd chosen. A life that's all but quiet.
She called out for Sara, who reluctantly sauntered over.
- Yes?
- Did you use the list of endonucleases from the Restriction Enzyme
Database?
- Yes.
- So Mia will define an exclusion sequence, which allows the removal
of all fragments containing the specified sequence?
- You have to confirm that with her, but yes, I'd guess so.
The pull and the push of it all.
- I'm doing it again, ain't I?
- You sure do.
- I'm sorry.
- It's cool, don't worry about it. I'm used to it by now.
A tentative smile from Sara made Catherine all gooey inside which in
turn made her terrified.
- Whatever, just make sure Dickerson is up to speed on this, ok?
- Ok... will do... m'am.
- Yeah, fuck you too.
- Wham! Bam!
Sara turned and left, leaving Catherine staring at her retreating
back.
The thrill and the hurting, it will never be mine.
FOUR
- So. We've established what Grissom does on a first date.
- Recites Japanese haikus.
- Uhu. And you quote beat poetry.
- Snyder, just Snyder on dates.
- OK, but what about Catherine? What's her trademark?
- What makes you think I'd know?
Sara was leaning on her elbow, drawing lazy circles on Sofia's tummy
and chest. Every once in a while circling a nipple, but not to
arouse, simply to touch.
- You have dated her, right?
- Says who?
- I just assumed… I mean, when it comes to sex you pretty much take
what you want, don't you.
- You think so, do you?
Sara leaned forward and took a hard nipple in her mouth. Sofia
arched into it, languidly. Sara let it go with a pop.
- Maybe you're right. I don't see what the big deal is.
- With sex?
- Yeah…
- Well, you're certainly extremely good at something you don't care
about.
- I didn't say I don't care about it, on the contrary. It's just…
Sara lifted her head and stared into nothing. Sofia grabbed her neck
and pushed her back to where she was.
Both hummed.
- I think of the body as a machine, it needs maintenance: food,
sleep, and sex.
- So how good was Willows with the power tools, then?
- I don't want to talk about it.
Sofia was really enjoying herself now, and missed the tiny edge that
had crept into Sara's voice.
- Oooh, I think I hit a nerve. So she was more than maintenance,
then?
Sara released the nipple.
- I said: I don't want to talk about it.
- Ah, baby, come on. I'm just fooling around.
Sara sat up and put on her socks, then rose and started looking for
the rest of her clothes. Sofia sighed.
- Sara, I don't give a shit about Catherine. Come back to bed.
Standing in the middle of the room with nothing on but socks, Sara
wasn't the most impressive illustration of anger.
- Saraaaa… You need to check my cooling system… maybe some
anti-corrosive or spark plug replacement…
Sofia smiled and stretched.
- Baby… listen:
Sara stared at the floor.
- "The only war here is a war of silence between blue sky and sea".
Sara looked at her. Sofia grinned and said:
- "a great rage without clamor, that grew great because its depth is
quiet".
Sara climbed back onto the bed, with a smile of her own.
- You'll always get me with poetry, you know.
- Mhmm.
Sara peeled of the socks and whispered:
- "You turn down love like it's really bad
You can't give what you never had
Well bless your soul, you can fool a few
But, I know the truth and so do you".
They kissed.
- That's beautiful… What is it, Byron?
- Nope. Earth, Wind & Fire, "Can't Hide Love". It's what Catherine
said on our first date.
FIVE
Catherine plopped down in the sofa and reached for her drink.
- Perfect, Gris, you know me too well.
She took a sip. Perfect indeed.
- I thought you might enjoy a night out.
- You thought right.
Grissom took a long drink from his own glass.
- There was something I'd like to talk to you about.
- Oh, OK. What's up?
- No, what's up with you? And Sara. What's up with the two of you?
Catherine kept drinking and held up a finger to a passing waitress
and then pointed to her now empty glass.
- I'll have another one, please.
- You're supposed to sip that, you know.
- I know.
- Well?
- Well nothing. You know us: we fight, we forgive each other, and
life goes on.
- Yes, I've studied that over the years. But it's different this
time, why?
Catherine looked at him.
- Wow, that almost sounded… insightful.
- Thank you, I do my best.
- To tell you the truth… It's just…
Catherine downed her second drink while looking around for the
waitress who was way ahead of her of course and placed a third drink
on the table.
- Thank you.
Grissom waited.
- She makes me really, really, REALLY mad you know. And I know it's
the same for her, but… She won't talk, she won't tell me anything,
and it drives me crazy.
Grissom sank down in his lounge chair and put his fingertips
together. Catherine couldn't help but smile. Oh boy, here it comes.
- What is anger? Anger is a deluded mind that focuses on an object,
exaggerates its bad qualities, and wishes to harm it. Because anger
is based on an exaggeration, anger is an unrealistic mind: the
intrinsically faulty person or thing that it focuses on does not in
fact exist.
He took a breath and continued.
- One of the most harmful effects of anger is that it robs us of our
reason and good sense. Wishing to retaliate against those whom we
think have harmed us, we expose ourselves to great personal danger
merely to exact petty revenge. To get our own back for perceived
injustices or slights, we are prepared to jeopardize our job, our
relationships, and even the well-being of our family and children.
- Are you done?
- No. There are three ways to get rid of anger: kill the opponent,
kill yourself, or kill the anger - which one makes most sense?
- I love her, you know.
- I know.
- You do?
- I'm an investigator, give me some credit.
She nodded.
- So, what do I do zen master flash? How do I keep myself from
getting so damn angry at her? Or, for that matter, her from getting
so mad at me?
- Habitual anger must be replaced with habitual patience, and this
takes time and consistent effort to develop. Of course, prevention
is the best medicine. Instead of allowing your anger to build up
over time, it's better to be courageous and try to communicate with
the other person earlier on. This stops the proliferation of
misconceptions and misunderstandings.
He leaned over the table and took her hand.
- Catherine, if you have allowed your anger to build up over time,
how can you blame it on Sara? We do have some responsibility to try
to communicate with people who disturb us.
She stared at him.
- Well, thank you Yoda. Can I have another drink now?
- If you must.
SIX
- I've decided not to kill either one of us.
- I'm glad.
Sara looked Catherine over.
- Do I want to know where that came from?
- Nah. Just something Grissom said the other night.
Sara picked up her papers and started sorting them into a manila
folder. Catherine stood by the fridge, watching. They were in the
break room, both in early waiting for Grissom to show up with
assignments.
- Do you have to be somewhere right now?
- No, why?
- You seem in a rush.
Sara turned to her.
- You seem like you've got something on your mind.
- Yeah... Yeah, maybe I do.
She sat down and motioned for Sara to do the same.
- I've been a mess, Sar, since you left.
Sara snorted.
- Well, as I recall, I didn't leave, you dumped me.
- I didn't dump you, I merely...
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Breathing out in, out in, out in, out in.
- I need stability in my life: for Lindsey, and for me. I'm too
fucking old for games.
Sara started to say something, but Catherine cut her off.
- It's OK, honey. You don't have to say anything. It really is OK.
She took Sara's hands in hers.
- I know now that I've been looking for a moment that will never
happen. But, please...
She kissed each of Sara's palms and then placed them down on the
table.
- Come to me if you ever need to. I will never, ever turn you away.
Anytime, Sar, I mean it.
She tucked some strands of brown hair away and left her hand on
Sara's cheek.
- I don't know what I'll do without you, though.
- I've never seen you like this, Cath.
- I told you I'm a mess.
She chuckled.
- I'm even listening to Grissom now.
She stood and straightened her jacket and plucked at invisible
specks of dust.
- Now go, shoo, before I get all mushy.
Sara took her folder and left.
SEVEN
- What are you doing?
Sofia tried to meet Sara's eyes which was proving difficult since
she was hiding under a vehicle. A '91 Caravan to be exact.
Sara stayed under the car but answered:
- All an engine needs to run is: air, fuel, ignition, and timing. On
most fuel injected engines timing is a given and as long as the air
filter and intake are clear, the engine is getting air. So that
narrows it down to spark or fuel. I've removed a spark plug,
grounded the plug, and turned the engine over. The plug sparked. On
this particular vehicle I know that if the plug sparks then the fuel
pump is running. But I've also removed the input to the fuel
injection and cranked the engine to check for fuel.
- Is all this an erotic metaphor?
- Nope. I'm stumped. I've taken the time to replace the timing belt.
I took two 10mm bolts off the timing belt cover and cranked the
engine over. The belt jumped and jumped badly. So it was a timing
problem.
- Why are you telling me this?
- You asked. I have removed enough of the parts so I could see the
timing belt, timing sprockets, and tensioner. The engine had gone
only 2,000 miles. What could have happened in 2,000 miles?
- Are you coming over later?
- Not likely, I've got some stuff to do. The belt has been thrown by
sudden acceleration and rapid deceleration of the engine. It doesn't
make sense. I've examined the belt and it was worn on one side, but
the notches in the belt were nice and sharp. They weren't worn at
all. That belt should not have jumped. So, what do you think, Soph?
She waited a beat, but when she didn't get an answer she rolled out
from under the car.
- Sofia?
EIGHT
- Grissom.
- Sara.
- What have you done to Catherine?
- What do you mean?
- Well... She's being all weird. I don't really recognize her.
- And why is that?
- I don't know, you tell me.
- Maybe it's because she's not angry anymore?
- You've got to be kidding.
- Well, what are your findings on the subject so far?
- You just don't quit being angry.
- No?
- No. You can try to bottle it up, but when kept under a lid, it
tries to escape. Anger either rushes out or leak out as sickness or
neuroses.
- Yes?
- The other extreme is to release all emotions impulsively. Neither
situation is tenable. So long as anger occupies your mind, your mind
is not free to see it as it is. So another paradox arises: the more
you want to be free of the anger, the more you are not free of it.
- Very good. And the conclusion?
- You let yourself feel the anger, but you choose not to express it.
- How very Dr Phil.
- Indeed. How would you put it?
- Only when your mind is free from clinging and rejecting can it see
anger as anger, desire as desire. As soon as you "see," your mental
process is fully preoccupied with "seeing," and in that split second
anger dies a natural death.
- And this is what you told Catherine.
- Sort of.
- Cool.
- Yeah.
- So what happens now?
- "The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is."
- OK, OK. Got to go.
- "Happens to every guy sometimes this does."
NINE
- Sara.
- Catherine.
- Do you have a sec?
- Sure.
Catherine grabbed a blue coat from the rack and leaned in watching
whatever Sara was doing.
A little piece of hope holding us together.
- What is ignition timing precisely and how can it improve the
mileage?
- To understand the full significance of ignition timing, you need
to understand how a 4-stroke engine starts. First, we both know that
an ICE has a piston inside its cylinders connected to the crank-
shaft with connecting rods, right?
- Right.
- This way, the reciprocating motion of the pistons is converted
into a rotary one of the crank shaft. Second, the top-end of a
piston's stroke is known a top-dead-centre, or TDC, and likewise the
bottom-end-centre, BDC. OK?
- Yeah.
- Third, there has to be a minimum of one inlet valve and one
exhaust valve. These valves are opened and closed at the designed
timing, which is driven by a timing-chain or a toothed rubber belt
as in most cars today, right?
- Yeah.
- Four.
- How many are there?
- Ten. Should I continue?
- Please.
- Stroke one is called the suction stroke. This happens
when the piston moves downwards with the inlet valve open. This
allows it to suck in the appropriate mixture of air and fuel. When
the piston reaches the BDC, the inlet valve closes.
- Cool.
- Yeah. Five, on its return stroke from such a BDC, the piston begins
to compress the air/fuel mixture it drew-in in the previous stroke
AND during this stroke both valves are closed. Six, just before
it reaches the TDC, the electrical ignition system sends a high
voltage pulse to the spark plug.
They were both grinning like fools by now, grease smeared and with
hair all over the place as Sara was showing the details as she spoke.
- Seven. This point where the SP's are fired before the piston
reaches its TDC is known as ignition timing, and it varies from
design to design.
- I see.
- Eight, when the piston hits its BDC, only the exhaust valve is
opened and the burnt/expended gases are forced out right here. You
see that?
- Yeah.
- Nine, soon done, OK?
- Go on.
- Nine, the optimum ignition timing setting is specified by the
manufacturer for best performance overall. However, this is
called "Static I-T'", because the load and speed of the engine
inevitably varies from take off to cruise and back to a stop.
Consequently, TEN.
- Finally.
- Ha ha, funny. The 'Static I-T' has to be varied to get the best
punch out of the engine. This variation is automatically done to
take care of the engine rpm and load respectively. Any malfunction
of these two can affect the engine performance/fuel efficiency. To
sum-up, only altering the ignition timing will not increase your
mileage.
- Wow, thanks.
- Any time, Cath. Any time.
TEN
- Oh, man, that was incredible...
- Uhu.
- I don't think that's even legal in Nevada...
- Uhu.
- I need some water, you want?
- Uhu.
Sofia rolled out of the bed and headed towards the kitchen.
- You remember that Snyder line?
- Uhu?
- The words as rocks thing? It is architectural, a building by
words, a deliberate handwork that identifies him with workingmen.
You know, Thoreau? or "Watching the painter painting"...? Sara?
When she returned to the bedroom she found Sara pacing the floor,
frantically putting on clothes while muttering something unintelligible.
- Sara?
- I'm sorry Soph, I got to go.
- What?
- I've been so STUPID.
The pacing stopped.
- You're right, I've done the job all wrong! The manual called for
tension to be applied naturally by the tensioner spring, and then to
rotate the engine two complete revs of the crank shaft. If the
timing marks were still aligned it would have been time to lock down
the tensioner assembly.
She slapped her forehead.
- Wow, how could I have been so dumb? Misreading the instructions
led to hours of USELESS work, including towing the van home, and a
trip to NAPA to make a complete FOOL out of myself. My actions
MURDERED the timing belt! I'm a god damn killer.
- What are you talking about?
- The '91 Caravan! I shouldn't have removed all that stuff, I
should've read the bloody manual like any other smart person,
because THEN I would've understood that it wasn't the timing after
all.
- Then what was it.
- I haven't got the time now to explain, I'll have to go to the
garage and check something out.
And with that she was gone.
ELEVEN
When Sofia got in that night she went straight to Grissom's office.
- Did I ever thank you for our nice evening?
- No, no you didn't.
- Thank you.
- It was my pleasure.
She sank down in a chair.
- What is it about Sara that makes this whole damn lab go crazy?
- You're asking me?
- I'm sure you have something to say on the matter.
Grissom leaned back and scratched his beard.
- Sara, huh. You are asking me of Sara.
- Yes. I can appreciate the irony.
- "Though I go to you
ceaselessly along dream paths,
the sum of those trysts
is less than a single glimpse
granted in the waking world."
She smiled and countered:
- Yes, but the line-by-line translation reads:
"Along dream paths
without resting my legs
I go often to you
in the real world, a single glimpse
is different"
- Aha! But kayoedomo is from kayou "to commute", "to come and go".
And hitome means "a glimpse". But hito also means "a person", so
hitome implies by this ambiguity that it's a glimpse of a person,
and a loved one. mishi is the past tense of miru, "to see". arazu
means "there is no" and "it is not, it is different" de wa nai.
Therefore:
He held out his hands.
- "I go often to you in my dreams, but I never see you in the real
world."
- You're saying Sara is merely a figment of my imagination.
- Yes I am.
- What we're sharing is only in my head.
- Yes.
- It feels damn real.
- It does, as it should.
- So that which I lose, is not lost at all?
- "when you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose."
- Please, don't go Dylan on me.
- OK. How about this: complete emptiness with nothing to attain is
our original mind. That's where we come from and that's where we go.
For that reason there is nothing to attain; nothing to lose.
She laughed out loud, and said
- Have you ever had what you've said come back to you to bite you in
the ass?
- Constantly. Sofia, we accumulate losses. It was beautifully
described to me by someone who said it was like having a row of
bells across your chest: large bells, medium sized bells, and small
bells. Every time we suffer a loss in our life, one of these bells
is going to ring.
- Let me tell you: There's going to be one big mother of a bell
ringing for Sara.
- Yes, I hear it too.
- It's not fair.
- Life is not fair. Life is a series of tragic losses but we cannot
lose something unless we have first had it, so...
- Are you ever going to stop reading those Buddhist pamphlets?
- Not any time soon.
- Well, you should.
TWELVE
She continued to the break room, only to find Catherine there.
There's been some time now, since they were alone together.
- It's been suggested that Sara doesn't exist.
- So you've also been talking to our resident Buddha, huh?
- Yeah.
They appraised each other.
- I feel really uncomfortable talking about her.
- Yeah...
Catherine hesitated too. She could plainly see the younger woman was
trying, and it was also obvious that she wasn't feeling too hot.
Stay out of this, don't interfere. Can't you see this is between
them?
Like hell it is.
- I think it's easy to make Sara into whatever you need her to be.
Because she gives away so little you have no choice but to make it
up, to put together whatever pieces you've got.
Catherine sighed and studied the woman opposite of her.
- Too bad she works with investigators, huh.
- Yeah...
They both smiled.
- You know, ever since you two hooked up I've come to prize her
friendship even more.
- Why is that?
- Now she chooses me. And I let her.
- I don't understand.
- You will kid, you will.
Sofia lifted her head and returned Catherine's gaze.
- I've tried to give her space, I've tried cornering her. I've
challenged her intellectually, and I've fucked her senseless.
Embarrassed grin.
- Sorry.
- It's OK, I'm all grown up now.
They were both silent for a couple of minutes.
- This is really awkward.
- Tell me about it.
- Have you tried not to try? Not to react, to just let things
happen? Let her happen.
- How do you do that?
- You think I know?
Catherine shook her head and continued
- When you accept Sara for what she is... Sofia, maybe you wish to
transform her into something she isn't? You aren't happy with your
image of her, and you can't accept her as she is.
- And what is she?
- Now, where would the fun be if I told you?
The pull and the push of it all.
THIRTEEN
- Sara?
- You have some time?
- Sure. Of course, come in.
- Lindsey?
- Asleep. Where have you been?
- In the garage, I cracked it.
- I knew you would.
They sat down, facing the TV.
- Cath, I really like the fact that you don't quote Snyder.
- Who?
- "Ed McCullough, a logger for thirty-five years
Reduced by the advent of chainsaws
To chopping off knots at the landing:
'I don't have to take this kind of shit,
Another twenty years
and I'll tell 'em to shove it'
(he was sixty-five then)"
- Ed McWho?
Sara grasped Catherine's hand and settled deeper into the couch.
On the Discovery channel, some program was on where the victims were
mostly elderly people, many of them without teeth. Some of the
bodies were also decomposed so fingerprints were not available.
So, instead of using the usual techniques of fingerprint and dental
comparison to identify the bodies, they relied on X-rays. X-rays
were gathered from several local hospitals, and a radiologist
arranged to have the bodies X-rayed in positions that matched the
located X-rays.
- I also like that you think that I can speak about it.
She smiled and sat up with a yawn.
- It would only take a moment to tell you, but I don't know if I'm
ready yet.
- It's fine honey, you don't have to tell me anything.
- But you don't understand – I want to tell you everything.
Catherine rose and walked to the kitchen.
- Why? Why now? You come walking into this room like...
- You said you'd never turn me away.
- I don't and I won't.
She gave Sara a mug of coffee.
- Drink.
- What if there's nothing to tell, Cath. What if my big secret is no
secret at all?
- You think you need a dark past to be interesting?
Sara drank her coffee.
- Baby, listen. Some smart woman once said: You can tell me when you
want to tell me. Not when you need to tell me or have to tell me, OK?
- OK.
- You want to stay here tonight?
- I'd love to. You sure?
- Yeah. What was the problem with the car?
- The radiator thermo valve wasn't in place. Those engines are
designed to operate around a certain level of heat for best
efficiency. The thermo valve is provided to maintain that level, to
compensate for different driving conditions.
- How can you know all this... stuff?
- I pay attention. It also helps if the engine has been kept warm
longer after a shut-down. Unfortunately, most mechanics believe the
thermo valve is redundant and remove it at the first opportunity.
- Resulting in a cold and inefficient, fuel-guzzling, polluting
engine, with shortened life as well.
- Exactly.
- So why were you removing all those timing thingies?
- Shut up.
On Discovery, a 12-year-old boy was found hanging in his back yard
in the middle of the afternoon. The officers, who arrived at the
scene before the coroner, treated the case as an accident and
advised the family accordingly.
After weeks of investigation though, they believed that someone else
may have been involved in the death. However, so much of the
evidence was lost or destroyed by the time the local law-enforcement
agency re-opened the investigation, that nothing could be proved.
- You got any plans tomorrow?
- You know what?
- What?
- Let's sleep for a few hours, and then you, me, and Lindsey make
some plans together, OK? The three of us.
- Sounds great.
- I can think of nothing better.
- Cath, there are secrets too dark to let out, to let go of, to get
over.
- But that's all right, baby. That's all right by me.
It's all right now.
We're building a house of the future together.
(What would we do without you)
The End
Sequel Castaway