Title: Meeting Alberto
Author: IrishDachsie
Pairing:
Grissom/Sara
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: An Improv challenge
from the week of 13 December 2003. Yeah, this one is late as well.
“I wouldn’t go there if I were
you.” Sara stated quietly as she walked by the young man.
Greg glanced at Sara as she
left the room. With a nervous sigh, he looked back at his supervisor standing
directly in front of him.
Grissom’s eyes had darkened
in frustration and anger. He stared silently at Greg, mentally counting until
his blood pressure began to return to normal. His chest heaved as he took a
deep breath.
“As I stated before, Greg,
go through this evidence…and find something useful for us to follow up on.” He
pushed past the CSI-in-training and stormed out of the layout room.
Greg exhaled slowly as his
eyes found the battered box on the table. “A fifteen year old case,
investigation led by Grissom…and he wants me to find something ‘useful’
in this box?”
“I told you not to go there,
Greg.”
Startled, he jumped and spun
around to find Sara leaning against the doorframe with a soft smile on her
face. Greg ran a trembling hand through his hair as he willed his heart rate to
slow.
“Damn, Sara! Just give me a
coronary next time.”
Sara’s smile grew minutely
as she walked to the table and gently ran her hand along the top of the box.
“This is very important to him…”
“I got that in the death
glare he gave me.” Greg leaned against the table. “Why is it so important to
him?”
Sara tilted her head
slightly as her fingers tapped on the lid of the box. “You haven’t looked
inside yet, have you?”
Greg shook his head as Sara
lifted off the lid and placed it on the table. “There’s always one case that affects
you more than any other. This one case changed Griss.”
She pulled out a picture from the box and handed it to Greg. “Meet Alberto
Morales.”
Greg took the picture and
looked down into the smiling eyes of a young Hispanic boy. As he studied the
photo, Sara began emptying the box and placing the items on the table.
“Alberto was six years old
when he was murdered by his mother’s live-in boyfriend. Miguel Montegna was arrested and convicted within a year of
Alberto’s death. Gil has never discussed the details of the case with me, but I
do remember him calling me nearly every night during the investigation. He was
a completely different person when it was over.”
“And now this Montegna is requesting another trial?”
Sara nodded sadly. “Now he’s
saying that it was his brother who tied Alberto down and tortured him to
death.”
“It took him fifteen years
to come up with that?”
Sara shrugged her shoulders
as she walked to the door. “Jesus went to prison on an unrelated charge three
months after Alberto died…he was released last week.”
“So basically I’m looking
for something that will keep Miguel in prison or completely clear Jesus?”
“Grissom is one hundred
percent sure that Miguel is guilty. This isn’t about clearing Jesus. This is
about keeping a monster in his cage until his death sentence is carried out.”
“But…this was Grissom’s
case. Shouldn’t he be the one doing this?”
“He has done all he can do.
He just needs you to confirm his findings.”
Greg looked at her, clearly
confused. “Why me? I’d figure he’d ask you.”
Sara glanced down the hall
in the direction of Grissom’s office. “I volunteered, but he thought it would
be too risky to the case.”
Greg nodded as he sat down
in the chair. “Wife playing with the evidence to make sure hubby’s findings
stick?”
Sara offered Greg a smirk.
“Something like that. Gil has confidence in you, Greg.
He wouldn’t trust this case to just anyone.” Seeing her husband step out of his
office and head towards the break room, she glanced back at Greg. “Do your best.
And if you need any help or clarification—call him. He’ll help you.”
She left the room to catch
up with Grissom. Greg called out a quick “thanks”. He felt more at ease as he
heard her “you’re welcome”.
With that, he sat back and
smiled.
~ End