DISCLAIMER: CSI and its characters are the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer.
SERIES: Nineth part of the 'Sara & Catherine: The Unfinished Story' series.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Sara & Catherine: The Unfinished Story
By MBInc

 

Chapter 9: Inside Man –Part Two

 

As she turned around she felt arms circle around her waist, and was pulled into a tight embrace.

Catherine looked up into the brunette's eyes. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I will be," Sara started, reaching up and cupping the shorter woman's cheek "once that bastard is behind bars."

Catherine leaned in to the touch, and closed her eyes. "I'm glad you're here. Sophie asked for you."

"Once Brass is done, I'll go inside." She said, as they both turned and watched Brass questioning Sophie. "That's her mother." Sara stated rather than asked.

"Yeah, the hospital called her. She just got here." Catherine said, turning her focus from the people in the room to the brunette standing next to her –their hands still entwined.

"Thank you." Sara said, locking eyes with the strawberry blonde. She leaned into the shorter woman, and just before their lips would connect, the door in front of them opened and the woman, now known as being Sophie's mother, stormed out –a look of disgust on her face.

"Mom, please…" Sophie called after her, but not once did her mother look back, she just left without saying another word.

As Sara saw the look of anger and disappointment in the eyes of Sophie's mother, she knew Sophie had just told her about her and Christine. That moment Brass exited the room.

"She didn't take thing too well, and before you start blaming me, it was Sophie who told her."

Brass spoke, looking at the retreating form of Sophie's mother.

"Some people can be so narrow-minded, I mean, treating your own flesh and blood like that?" Catherine said as she watched Sophie sitting on the bed, her head in her arms, and her entire body shaking from the sobs she let.

"Sara?" a voice called. Sophie had noticed the brunette standing just outside her room.

Sara entered the room –leaving Catherine and Brass standing in the hallway. Walking over to the sobbing girl, Sara felt her heart sink –this girl had gone through too much the two days.

Placing her hand on Sophie's shaking shoulder, Sara tried to give the girl some comfort. The young woman looked up –bloodshot eyes– and Sara pulled her into a hug.

Meanwhile, Brass and Catherine were watching from the hallway. "I think she's becoming way too involved in this case." The Captain said.

"You know how she is with these cases, but she won't let her feelings interfere with her professionalism. She's way to determined to be taken off this case." Catherine smiled a little.

"You keep an eye on them," Brass started, "I'll make arrangements for a sketch artist to come." Catherine gave him a nod, and he walked off.

Stepping inside the room, Catherine caught the last part of a conversation between Sara and Sophie.

"I'll ask her, I'm sure she won't mind."

"I won't mind what?" the strawberry blonde asked as she walked over to her lover, who was seated on a chair next to the bed. Placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder she noticed two pairs of eyes looking at her hopefully.

"Well," Sara started, "As soon as the doctor comes over to sign her chart, Sophie will be free to go. She can't go back to her dorm room, at least not for now, and her parents are also no option."

At this remark Sophie's head fell, a single tear escaping her eye.

"I would offer her to stay at my place…but since I'm the lead on this case it's better for me not to get involved even more than I am already." Dark brown eyes met blue ones.

"You're more than welcome to stay at my place." Catherine said, her voice filled with sincerity.

"Just for a few days though," Sophie quickly answered, "I don't want to impose on you and your family. As soon as my room's cleared I want to go back there anyway."

"You're not imposing, but you'll have to cope with a little sister those days you stay. I'm sure Linds will be delighted to have an older sister for a few days."

"Thank you." Sophie said "both of you."

About an hour later, Sophie was released, and Catherine took her home. Sara went to the CSI HQ to analyze the evidence she had found.

As she parked her Tahoe on the parking lot at the HQ, she looked at her watch, and noticed that there were only four hours left before her shift would actually start. Taking her kit, and all the collected evidence out of the back of the Tahoe, her mind was already trying to puzzle every piece together.

She started with the fiber she had found in the tool mark. Walking in to the trace lab she handed Hodges the evidence bag.

"So," Hodges started, and leaded towards Sara before continuing, "Is she good…in…you know?"

"Like that's any of your business." Sara snapped back, she really hadn't time for Hodges' remarks.

"Well, taking her job-history in account, she must be able to learn you a few tricks." The lab rat quipped.

"Listen, you shut the fuck up, do your job, and let me know as soon as there are results." Sara

said, and turned to leave.

"Whoa…guess you're the one that wears the trousers in your relationship, huh?" he called after her.

Deciding to ignore that last remark, Sara headed for the DNA lab. The hair she had found on Christine's body hadn't yielded any DNA, but the blood she had collected from the candlestick Sophie had used to hit the perp would definitely be of help this time.

"Hey Wendy, got some blood for you."

"Yeah?" She answered, not looking up from what she was working on "Well, you're not the only one. I'm way behind already."

"I really need these results" Sara said, "Is there any thing I can do to persuade you into moving mine up the pile?"

"You could lend me a hand, but I guess that wasn't what you meant." Wendy smiled at the brunette. "You know what, get me a cappuccino and some croissants, and by the time you're back I'll have your results.

"Thanks Wendy, you're the best." Sara smiled and walked off.

The evidence she had left were the fingerprints and the mould of the tool mark. Walking into an empty layout room, Sara placed all the evidence on a table. Since she was almost certain the tool mark was from a screwdriver, she decided to start on the fingerprints, hoping to get results that were useful.

After scanning the fifth fingerprint into the computer and checking it with AFIS, she still hadn't gotten a hit. Stretching herself, she decided it was time for some coffee. As she walked towards the break room, she passed the lab where Hodges was working.

"Sara?" he called, as she walked by.

Sending him an angry glare, Sara tried to convey she wasn't in the mood for any of his snide remarks.

He noticed, and quickly handed her the results. "Blue fiber is cotton, nothing special. The dye, however, is often used for uniforms of security guards. That's all I can tell you about it."

"Thanks." the brunette said as she walked off.

Reaching the break room, she quickly grabbed herself a cup of coffee. Sitting at the table in the middle of the room, she reread the results she just got from Hodges. "Uniforms of security guards huh? That narrows things down already. How many security guards are there…20, 25?" she said to herself.

After throwing her empty cup in the garbage can, she walked back to the room where she had been working in before. "Let's hope that bastard was stupid enough to leave prints behind." There were seven prints that hadn't yet been check with AFIS yet.

When Sara ran the next print through AFIS, she got a hit: Dan Stevens, a 25 year old security guard at the LVU dorms. Just as she noted he also has blonde hair, Wendy came in.

"Sara?"

"Yeah?" the brunette answered as she looked up from the computer screen.

"I ran the DNA through CODIS, no hit though." She said as she placed the results on the desk.

"Thanks. I just got a hit of one of the prints I found. I'll call Brass to get the guy in for an interrogation. See if he can get a warrant for the guy's DNA. That way…" Sara started, but was interrupted by Wendy.

"That way I can make a comparison."

"Right."

"So…where's my cappuccino? And my croissants?" Wendy asked.

"Uh…after I get back from the PD I'll make sure to bring those along for you." Sara smiled sheepishly.

"Ok, well, I'll be waiting." Wendy said as she turned to leave. "Oh, and I'm happy for you…you and Catherine."

"Thank you, Wendy."

"Now, get going…and bring me back my reward." she winked before disappearing into the hall.

After calling Brass and sharing her findings with him, they agreed to meet at the PD –where they would interrogate Dan Stevens.

Grabbing her kit and heading out to the parking lot, Sara knew that they almost had him. It was already arranged that Sophie would come to the PD to meet with the sketch artist, but now she would be facing a line-up. Sara hoped she had seen enough to pick him out.

Fortunately, the DNA sample would already be enough to put him behind bars.

Fifteen minutes later she reached the PD where Brass was already waiting for her outside the interrogation room. Dan Stevens was sitting inside, trying hard to get his nerves under control.

"Let's close this case." Brass said as he motioned for Sara to enter first.

"Mr. Stevens?"

"Dan…cal me Dan."

"Alright, Dan. This is Sara Sidle she's with the crime lab."

The man nodded, sweat dripping off his forehead.

Sara noticed the bandages on his head...'he definitely is our guy' she thought. "What happened to your head?" she asked him.

"Uh…I hit it while I was trying to fix the sink."

Sara and Brass shared a look, both thinking 'Yeah right'. Brass continued to question him. "So, how long have you been a security guard at the LVU?"

"Not that long, about three months now I guess."

"Where were you this morning around 8?"

His eyes shot up, and nerves were getting the best of him. He immediately knew what they were talking about, and realized he was caught. "I want a lawyer."

"And I," Sara started as she turned to face Brass "want a warrant."

"On it." Brass said as he stood up, and walked out to make some phone calls.

An hour later, Sara –and Sophie– were on her way back to the lab again –the DNA sample in her kit. The warrant hadn't been a problem. And Sophie had also picked him out at the line-up.

"We've got him, Sophie. After this is analyzed he'll have no way out. Neither for your case, nor for Christine's." Sara said as she watched the young woman. She expected that she would be glad with the outcome.

But Sophie's face still showed a sad look "I know, but that won't bring Chris back."

Sara didn't know what to say to that.

As the arrived at the CSI HQ, Sara noticed a certain strawberry blonde coming their way. Catherine walked up to them and spoke up

"Hey. Heard you got him?"

Sara nodded, still thinking about Sophie's last words in the car.

Silence filled the air between the three women, and after minutes Sophie was the first to say something. "Sara, Catherine, thank you for everything. I'd rather go home, to my parents."

"Are you sure?" the brunette said, remembering the way her mother had stormed off while Sophie had been in the hospital.

"Yeah. I need to show them I'm still their daughter, still the same person." She answered, and before she continued, she stepped closer to Sara and hugged her. "All I can say is thank you. For what you did for me, and for Chris."

"You're welcome." Sara said, as she looked over the younger woman's shoulder and locked eyes with Catherine.

"Well, come on then. Let's go to my place to get your stuff. Linds will be disappointed to hear you're not staying any longer."

As Sophie was getting into Catherine's car. Sara walked over to the strawberry blonde.

"I'll just finish things up here," she started, placing a kiss on the smaller woman's lips before she continued "And then I'll stop by your house" –another kiss- "And we can finish what we started this morning." she winked.

"I'll hold you to that." Catherine said, a huge smile plastered on her face.

The End

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