Sources

Chapter 9

Grissom ran up to Sara's apartment. It's all a misunderstanding, he kept telling himself. By the time you get up there, she'll be home and everything will be fine. As he lifted his arm to knock on the door, it swung open to reveal a concerned-looking Mandy biting her nails. After he got over the initial surprise, Grissom's temper flared.

"I told you not to open this door!"

Mandy looked exasperated. "No, you said not to open it to anyone but you!"

"Yeah, but," Grissom stammered. "But how did you know it was me? We've never even met!"

Mandy rolled her eyes. "Well, duh." She led a bewildered Gil Grissom into Sara's apartment, and pointed at a framed picture on the living room wall. He instantly recognized it as the photo from one of his book jackets.

Sara has a framed photo of me on her wall, he thought, letting the moment of warmth wash over him. Maria didn't even have a picture of me in her wallet when we were dating, and I'm on Sara's wall. Everyone sees me right when they walk in.

Clearing her throat loudly, Mandy was finally able to get Grissom's attention. "What should we do? I still haven't heard from her!"

Grissom nodded. Standing in Sara's apartment, seeing her wallet and cell phone on the counter, he suddenly understood that something was very wrong. "I-"

He was interrupted by a loud series of knocks on the front door. Motioning to Mandy to keep quiet, Grissom drew his gun, advancing toward the door slowly. He lowered his eye to the peephole, then relaxed a bit. Holstering his gun, he opened the door.

"Any word?" Nick and Greg stood in the doorway breathing heavily. Greg looked like he was about to cry.

"No," said Grissom shortly. "Who was the last to leave the parking lot last night?" No answer was needed, as Greg hung his head and covered his face with his hands.

"Hey, nobody's pointing fingers," Nick said. "We're here to find Sara. That's all that matters right now."

Grissom walked over to the couch and sat down, looking dazed.

"Okay, let's go over what happened in the parking lot," Nick began.

"Wait," interrupted Grissom. "Start with when you got here."

"Okay, well, we knocked on the door, Sara answered it, we walked in, Greg gave her a file she was working on, we had a pasta dinner, we drank tequila, we played cards until Greg and I sobered up, and Sara walked us out to the parking lot."

"How long were you in the parking lot?"

"Two minutes, maybe. We asked Sara if she was doing okay, when she'd be coming back. That's it. When I left she was standing there with Greg."

Everyone turned to Greg. He was standing in the corner of the room with his arms wrapped around himself. "I, uh," he said, looking like he might throw up. "I left right after that. I should have walked her back to her apartment, but I didn't see anyone." He looked at Grissom miserably. "I swear, Griss, I didn't see anyone. Everything was quiet. I didn't know."

Grissom nodded, his anger fading at the pitiful sight. "What was the file you gave Sara?"

Greg shrugged. "She wanted information on an ex-con who lives in Vegas. Address, phone number, jail record, that sort of thing. Said it was for a case."

"Sara wasn't on any cases," said Grissom slowly. "What was the name?"

"Paul, uh." Greg trailed off, realization dawning. He finished in a whisper. "Paul Warren."

"What? Why would she want his information? My goodness!" Mandy cried in what she hoped was a convincing performance. As she glanced at Grissom, she knew he wasn't buying it.

"We'll discuss this later," he said to her. "Greg, come with me. Get your kit out of the car. We're combing the parking lot for evidence."

"What about me?" asked Nick.

"You need to stay with Mandy," instructed Grissom. "We can't leave her alone for the time being."

Mandy began pacing restlessly the minute Grissom and Greg left.

"Can I get you anything?" Nick asked, hoping to distract her. "Something to eat? I'm not a great chef, but I don't hear many complaints," he said with a charming grin.

She didn't seem to hear him, and her pacing grew more frantic as her hands fidgeted.

"Hey," said Nick, catching her and holding her gently by the shoulders. "We'll find her."

Mandy's worried look was replaced by a mask of annoyance as she shrugged him off. "No thanks to you, Nick."

"What?" He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. She's upset, she's looking for someone to blame.

"Some friend you are, leaving her alone at two in the morning. A pretty, drunk girl, all ripe for the taking."

He forced himself to breathe evenly. "Mandy, I know you're upset. Pointing fingers isn't going to help."

"I bet you did it."

Nick's blood ran cold as Mandy's statement rang in his ears. "Wh-what did you say?"

She looked at him coldly. "It was you, wasn't it. What, were you mad because she likes Grissom and not you? Did it drive you crazy that she preferred some old geek, that she wouldn't even consider dating someone like you? What did you do, tie her to your bed and-"

Nick suddenly wrapped his arms around her so tightly that she couldn't finish her sentence. She stiffened as he moved to whisper in her ear.

"I know what you're doing," he said hoarsely. "I know this is how you deal with things. But if you need someone to hit you, you're going to need to look somewhere else."

She pulled away slightly with a scoffing look, but stopped when she saw the intensity in his eyes. "I. Don't. Hit. Women."

Mandy stared at him for a long moment, feeling the wall she'd built up for the past twenty years begin to shift. The tears came so swiftly that even she was surprised.

Nick moved her over to the couch and sat them both down. "It's okay to feel sad, or worried," he said as she bent over and sobbed into her hands. "Mandy-"

He gently lifted her head up so that she was looking at him. "I still think you're strong. I think you're incredible. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is face the pain."

Mandy stared into Nick's open, earnest face and felt the wall crumbling away. She leaned into him tearfully and felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her. For the first time in her life, she felt safe in the arms of a man. Nick stroked her back gently, trying to promise her without words that he'd never let anyone hurt her again.