Title: Gemini
Author: IrishDachsie
Pairing:
Grissom/Sara
Rating: NC17...I didn't figure it would stay PG for long
Disclaimer: Same as always…they’re not mine…no money...
A/N: Follow-up to MoaNO.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Content that his brothers
were indeed alright, Mikey went over to the corner of
the room and grabbed a small bag of blocks. As his parents continued their
conversation with their friends, he quietly began lining the blocks along the
coffee table.
With a hint of a smile on
his face, Grissom turned his attention to his oldest son. “Weevil, where’s
Rusty?”
Mikey looked up quickly, his small fingers curled around
a green wooden block. “In my woom.”
“All by himself?”
Weevil released the block
and began to run towards the hall. “I go git ‘im!”
Grissom grinned as he
reached out and carefully turned one of the blocks forty-five degrees to the
left. Sara playfully slapped his arm as he sat back against the cushions.
“Gil! That’s just…mean!”
Greg and Jessie chuckled
softly as Catherine whispered an explanation to her daughter. Hearing the
patter of tiny feet rushing back into the room, all chuckling and whispering
ceased.
“Got ‘im!” Weevil shouted
happily as he held the plush toy out for his father to see.
Grissom smiled back at him
and nodded. “Was he lonely?”
Mikey nodded absently as his eyes quickly found the
misplaced block. Grasping Rusty tightly with one hand, he used the other to
reposition the block. Greg and Jessie shared another chuckle, causing Mikey to turn his head towards them.
“Whas funny?”
While the boy wasn’t
looking, Grissom quickly pulled the block on the end a couple of centimetres
towards him. Sara rolled her eyes in amusement as she stifled her laughter.
Jessie smiled at Mikey as she tried to control her chuckling. “We’re just
laughing about a joke that your daddy told us.”
Mikey tilted his head slightly as he stared at her. “Da
one ‘bout da bug?”
All five adults burst out in
laughter, with Weevil joining in quickly. “Dat’s a
fun one, is it?”
He turned back around, his
giggles stopping abruptly as he noticed the block. Without another word, he
realigned the blocks once more and went back to the toy corner for something
else.
Grissom took the opportunity
to pick up one block, placing it behind his back, and pushing another block
slightly forward. Catherine snorted as they awaited the young Grissom’s return.
Weevil stopped in front of
the table and dropped the second bag of blocks to the floor. He sighed heavily
as he pushed the block back into place. Narrowing his eyes, he studied the line
of wooden objects.
“Dare’s one not here!”
Sara shot a grin at Jessie
as Grissom leaned forward, his voice soft. “One’s missing?”
Weevil’s small fingers
pointed to the empty spot. “It was dare. Now is gone!”
Grissom fought to hide his
smile. “Where did it go?”
Weevil looked up at his
father quickly as his brow furrowed in annoyance. “Gib
it beck, Daddy!”
“Give what back?”
“My bwok!”
Oo taked it! Gib it beck!”
“What’s the magic word,
son?”
“Peas or now?”
Grissom laughed loudly as he
handed the block back to the boy. “Here you go, Weevil.”
Weevil snatched it from his
father’s hand and put it back in the line. “Tanks Daddy!”
Sara chuckled softly as she
laid her hand on his thigh. “Gil, why do you feel the need to purposely annoy
our son?”
Grissom shrugged as he
smiled brightly at her. “It’s such a…Grissomish…reaction.”
“Grissomish?”
Greg shook his head as he laughed. Feeling tiny hands tapping his knee, he looked
down. “What’s up, Weave?”
“Daddy Geel
noys me!”
Greg laughed harder as he
scooped the boy up. “Daddy Gil has that affect on quite a few people…”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Grissom walked into the lab,
automatically reaching over to turn down the volume on the stereo. Greg looked
up and offered his supervisor a sheepish smile.
“Hey, Grissom…”
“Have you been able to
isolate the chemical compound used to remove the fingerprints from our vic?”
Greg rolled his chair over
to the printer and pulled a piece of paper from the tray. “You know, you’re a
lot more fun to be around when you’re not working…”
Grissom raised an eyebrow
and stared at the young man. Greg cleared his throat and glanced down at the
page.
“H2SO4.
More specifically…automotive battery acid.” He handed the printout to Grissom,
shrugging his shoulders. “That’s all I can tell you about that…”
Grissom scanned the page
carefully. “Battery acid? Well, that’s interesting.”
“You know what else is
interesting?” He waited for Grissom to look at him before continuing. “The
blood sample you gave me? Traces of the same acid present.”
Grissom’s eyes widened as he
uttered a quick “Thanks” and rushed out the door. Greg shook his head as he
turned the volume back up.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Catherine walked into Grissom’s
office to find him on the phone. He looked up and motioned for her to take a
seat while he continued listening. As he turned his attention to the open
folder in front of him, she reached out and pulled his pen caddy a few
millimetres towards her.
“When was he released?”
Catherine’s smile faded as
she heard the question. She sat back in her chair and waited. Grissom grabbed a
notepad and scribbled something on the top sheet before thanking the person on
the other end and hanging up.
“What was that about?”
Grissom looked up and sighed
lightly. “Battery acid was used to melt the vic’s
fingerprints…it was also injected into the bloodstream. Possible cause of
death.”
Catherine shuddered visibly.
“That’s…pleasant.”
“Yeah. And reminiscent of
Timothy Sharif.”
Catherine’s eyes narrowed in
confusion. “Who’s Timothy Sharif?”
Grissom handed her the
folder and stood up. “A little over ten years ago, I worked this case. A man’s
body was found…partially dismembered…battery acid in the bloodstream. Timothy
Sharif was found guilty of the murder.”
Catherine scanned through
the file. “Mentally unstable…sent to a psychiatric facility…”
“And released last week.”
Catherine stared at him in
disbelief. “Where is he now?”
“His brother, Joseph Sharif,
took him in.” He ripped off the top sheet of the notepad and fished his keys
out of his pocket. “I have the address…let’s go.”
Catherine closed the file
and placed it on Grissom’s desk. As Grissom walked around the side of his desk,
he reached out and pushed his pen caddy back a couple of millimetres.
Grissom made his way up the
short footpath, flanked by Brass and Catherine. He narrowed his eyes as he
surveyed the house.
“No lights…”
Brass shrugged his shoulders
as he stepped over a rock. “Maybe he’s having a romantic evening…”
Grissom shot him a sideways
glance as Catherine chuckled. “Or he could simply just not be home.”
“Simply? Since when have you
gone about the simple approach to anything?”
Grissom offered his friend a
small smile. “It’s been known to happen…once in a while.”
Catherine snorted as she
climbed the steps and rapped her knuckles against the wooden door. She tilted
her head, listening intently. “Well, if he is engaged in a romantic evening,
it’s very quiet romance.”
Brass pulled his notepad out
of his pocket, flipping it open to the page where he had scribbled down the
address Grissom had given him. “Well, not everyone’s idea of a romantic evening
consists of loud…”
“Shut up, Brass.” Catherine
interrupted him quickly, earning a soft chuckle from Grissom in the process.
“And what are you laughing about?”
Grissom opened his mouth to
respond just as the door opened to reveal a slightly stocky man in his
mid-forties. Grissom focused his eyes on him. “Joseph Sharif?”
The man nodded slowly as he
stepped onto the porch. “I’m Joe, what can I do for you?”
Brass spoke up quickly. “Mr.
Sharif, I’m Detective Jim Brass, Homicide. This is Gil Grissom and Catherine
Willows from Criminalistics. We need to ask you a few
questions.”
“Is this about Tim?”
Catherine smiled gently.
“Well, we’re kinda hoping you can tell us that.”
Joe sighed as he stepped
back into the house, motioning for them to enter his home. As he closed the
door, he turned his eyes towards the older investigator. “I’m not sure what I
can tell you…I told the cops everything I knew about his…crimes. Back when
everything came down.”
Grissom studied the man
closely. “Mr. Sharif, this isn’t about what happened before. There have been
remains of a body found…with traces of automotive battery acid in the blood. We
need to ask your brother a few questions.”
Joe closed his eyes briefly
and took a deep breath. “Well, we have a small problem then. I haven’t seen Tim
in two days.”
Grissom raised an eyebrow.
“Two days? Have you notified the authorities?”
Joe shook his head slowly as
he sank down into the chair next to the fireplace. “No…I was going to give him
another day. He’s a completely different person now…I just wanted to give him
the benefit of the doubt.”
Grissom pursed his lips.
“Yet, you automatically assumed we were here about him?”
“A homicide detective and
two investigators show up on your doorstep a week after your brother is
released from a criminal mental institution…your brother was originally
convicted on murder charges…what would you think?” Joe exhaled slowly. “Even if
you know in your heart that your brother isn’t capable of hurting anyone
again…ever…what would you think?”
Grissom gave him an
understanding nod as he looked around the spacious living room. “Mr. Sharif,
would you mind if we take a look around?”
“If you think it will help
you find Tim, go for it.” Joe gazed into the roaring fire. “I’m getting really
worried about him.”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Catherine followed Grissom’s
voice into the small bedroom at the end of the hallway. “You bellowed?”
“I didn’t bellow, I called
for you to come in here.” Grissom picked up the open letter with a gloved hand.
“What do you make of this?”
Catherine scanned the piece
of paper. “The state may deem you no longer a threat to society, but I’m
sure that the families of those you murdered in cold blood would not agree.
Watch yourself, times have changed.”
She looked up slowly. “Was
this a threat against Timothy Sharif?”
“That, I’m not sure of.
But…” He pointed towards the bottom right corner of the page. “That looks like
blood to me.”
“I’ll bag it and take it to
Greg.” She looked around the room cautiously. “Did you find anything else?”
He nodded grimly as he picked
up a legal pad that had been resting on the desk. “The letter wasn’t signed. I
think he was trying to figure out who had written it.”
Catherine glanced at the pad
to see Tim’s victims’ names written on the page in his unique flowing script.
“Any ideas of where he may be?”
“Maybe he went into hiding…”
“Without telling his
brother?”
Grissom tilted his head
slightly as his eyes focused on a picture of Tim and Joe. “Protecting his
brother?”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Grissom rounded the corner
as Catherine stepped into the DNA lab, his eyes focused on the piece of paper
in his grasp. A hand on his upper arm stopped his motion. He looked up to find
his wife smiling lovingly at him.
“Hey.”
“Hi…what has you perplexed?”
Grissom smiled as he offered
her a quick wink before getting down to the task at hand. “Are you busy at the
moment?”
“No…not at the moment.
Whatcha got?”
“Walk with me…”
Sara turned, walking with
her husband down the hall. “Where are we going?”
“Records. I have a list of
Timothy Sharif’s victims…”
She took the paper that he
held out for her. “Where did this come from?”
“Timothy Sharif’s bedroom.”
He gave her a half grin as she raised an eyebrow at him. “Along with a letter
from a ‘concerned citizen’…”
“Threatening?”
“Looks like it…” They
stepped into the elevator and he turned towards her as the doors closed. “Do
you think you can cross-reference the victim list with the current addresses of
the victims’ families for me?”
“Sure, no problem. Anything
in particular that I’m looking for?”
He shrugged his shoulders
and shook his head. “I’m not sure…”
Leaning over, he placed a
soft, quick kiss on her lips seconds before the elevator doors re-opened.
“Thank you.”
She grinned as she stepped
out of the elevator. “You’re welcome. I’ll let you know what I find out…”
He returned her grin as the
doors closed again, separating them as he rode back up a few floors to the
labs.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
As he headed towards Greg’s
domain, Catherine bounded around the corner at a rushed pace, barely avoiding
running into her supervisor.
“Grissom!”
“What’s going on?”
Catherine clutched the
report in her left hand as she ran the fingers of her right hand through her
hair. “The substance on the corner of the letter? It was blood…”
“Okay…” Grissom drew out the
word, clearly showing his confusion on why she had practically run into him to
share this news.
“Timothy Sharif’s blood…”
Grissom’s eyes widened
slightly. “Well, that’s interesting…”
“Not as interesting as what
else we found.”
“And that would be?”
“Follow me…Greg can explain
it better than me.”
“He can?” Grissom crossed
his arms in front of his chest and tilted his head to the left as he stared at
her.
Catherine gave him a half
shrug as she turned back towards the lab. “Well, probably not…but, he has a
presentation for you.”
Grissom sighed heavily.
“Great…”
Grissom walked into the DNA
lab to find Greg studying what he presumed to be an analysis printout. Leaning
against the table, he let out a heavy sigh.
“What have you found, Greg?”
Greg spun around with a
smile on his face. “Bonjour, Monsieur Grissom…”
Grissom rolled his eyes at
Greg’s hideous semi-French accent. “Hei Deus…”
Greg waggled his index
finger at his supervisor. “This is a ‘No Latin Zone’, Grissom.”
“Is it a ‘Work Zone’? I
didn’t come in here for a French lesson…”
Greg cleared his throat as
Catherine chuckled softly. Motioning towards the white board behind him, he
smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t expecting you this soon. I’m almost finished
though…”
Grissom’s eyes darkened.
“I’m not interested in the presentation, Greg! You don’t get extra points for
making the analysis nice to look at. Just tell me what you found.”
The lab-rat’s face reddened.
“The blood found on the piece of paper is a match to a sample I had been given
earlier.”
“Which sample?”
Greg picked up a report from
his desk and handed it to Grissom. “The one from the ‘Chipper of Doom’.”
Grissom raised an eyebrow.
“Anything else?”
“Well, I thought you might
ask…so…” Greg’s smile returned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I ran
‘em through CODIS…and got a hit. Mr. Timothy Isiah Sharif.”
“Timothy Sharif? Are you
sure?”
“One hundred and ten
percent…”
Grissom glanced at
Catherine. “I have to go talk to Sara.”
Catherine’s mouth dropped
open. “Uh…we really don’t have time for that right now…”
“About the victims,
Catherine!” His mouth twitched in annoyance. “I have her down in Records doing
some cross-reference work for us.”
“Oh…well, uh…I…”
Grissom shook his head as he
walked towards the door. Greg chuckled softly as Catherine’s face reddened.
“Adieu, Grissom…”
“Vale, Greg.” Grissom called
out as he left the room.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~ ~
Sara looked up as she heard
the familiar footsteps heading her way. “I was getting ready to call you.”
“You were? What did you
find?”
“Out of the four victims,
only two family members of two victims still reside within
“So, that’s four people…”
Sara shook her head quickly.
“Sorry, that was a bit confusing. Two victims…one family member each. Two
people.”
Grissom smiled as he placed
his hand on her shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Do you need
any help on this one? I can round up Brass…go question one of them for you
while you and Catherine are questioning the other…”
Grissom thought about it for
a moment as his thumb gently rubbed her shoulder blade. “It might be a bit more
than just questioning. We’ll be looking for evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“Murder.”
Sara raised an eyebrow. “Do
you have an ID on the vic?”
He took a step back as he
motioned for her to follow him. “Timothy Sharif.”
“Sharif? The murderer was
murdered?”
“Looks like it. You still
want to help us? I mean, I’m sure Nick and Warrick
would love to have you assist on their decomp…”
“Want me to go talk to Brass
about warrants?”
Grissom chuckled as he
opened the door for his wife. “I take it that you don’t want to help Nick and Warrick…”
“I would like our children
to want to play with me when we get home instead of being told that I smell and
need to take a bath. Besides, I’m sure they’re doing just fine. What about
those warrants?”
Grissom laughed as they
stepped into the elevator. “Sure, go ahead.” He glanced down at the legal pad
she was carrying. “You take Brass and talk to…what does that say?”
“Jerome McManus and April
Bower.”
“Okay, you and Brass go see
Ms. Bower…Cath and I will talk to McManus.” Grissom offered Sara a grin. “I
hope our children take after me in handwriting skills…”
Sara looked up at him,
narrowing her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Chicken scratch…”
He backed against the wall
of the elevator as she took a step towards him. Hearing the bell signalling
that they had reached their requested floor, he gave her a lopsided smile. “No
smacking…the doors are getting ready to open.”
As the elevator doors slid
open, Sara walked out and turned back to look at her husband. “Who said I was
going to smack you?”
As she winked at him, he
took a deep breath and licked his lips. “Off you go…let me know when we have
the warrants?”
“Sure.” She glanced at his
lips quickly before meeting his hard gaze once more. “I really wasn’t going to
hit you, you know…”
Without another word, she
turned and walked down the hall. Grissom watched her round the corner with a
smile on his face.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Brass gripped the arm rest as
Sara made a sharp right turn. “I, uh…haven’t seen you much…shit…today.”
She looked over to find him
with his eyes closed, his head leaning back against the headrest. “You okay,
Jim?”
“Uh-huh…haven’t ridden with
you in a while either.” He opened one eye and glanced at her. “You don’t drive
like this with the boys in the car, do you?”
Sara chuckled as she slowed
the Denali down a bit. “No...actually, I drive about thirty miles an hour
faster when I have them with me. Weevil likes it…especially when I go over
small hills. He says it makes his tummy feel all wiggly and tickly.”
He turned his head to face
her as his mouth dropped open in bewilderment. “Sara!”
“I’m just joking, Jim.
Actually, I just drive like this when you or Gil are with me…”
“Uh-huh…” He groaned in
disbelief.
“Ask Nick or Warrick if you don’t believe me.” She read the house
numbers quickly. “It’s 4238, right?”
“Yeah…”
She slowed to a stop in
front of a small brick home and gave him a bright smile. “We’re here!”
“Good…” He sighed as he
opened the door and stepped out.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Grissom climbed the stairs
to the third floor apartment rented to Jerome McManus followed closely by
Catherine. He stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder.
“What?”
Catherine sighed as she looked
up at him. “I asked you to tell me what you know about this McManus guy. Is
your hearing acting up again?”
“No. Just thinking about
this case.” He turned and resumed climbing the stairs. “McManus was ten years
old when Sharif killed his 19 year old brother, Jarrel.
He went into therapy for a few years to come to terms with his brother’s death.
By all accounts, he was a smart kid who refused to apply himself. He’s been in
and out of trouble, but nothing major. A couple of shoplifting charges, petty theft,
public intoxication. His parents moved to
“Do you think he could’ve
jumped from normal juvenile crimes to murder?”
Grissom shrugged his
shoulders and walked down the hall to apartment number 328. “I’m waiting to see
what the evidence tells me.”
Catherine rolled her eyes as
they stopped in front of the door. “Why am I not surprised?”
The front door opened to
reveal a young man in his early twenties, who looked as if he just got out of
bed. “What can I do for you?”
Sara shot him a half smile.
“Is this the residence of April Bower?”
The man ran his hand through
his hair. “Yeah…who’re you?”
“I’m Sara Grissom, Las…”
“Romy,
who is it?”
The man turned his head as
if to look down the hallway. Sara glanced at Brass and raised her eyebrow in a
silent question.
“I’m finding out, babe…hold
on.” He looked back at Sara and smiled. “You were saying, sweetie?”
Sara narrowed her eyes.
“Sara Grissom,
The man took a step back.
“April calls me ‘Romy’…my name is Jerome.”
Brass cast a quick glance to
Sara before speaking. “Well, Jerome…we need to speak with April. Mind if we
come in and wait while she gets dressed?”
Jerome shrugged his
shoulders. “Come on in…I’ll go get her for you.”
Sara smiled sweetly at the
young man. “Thank you, Mr…I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your last name.”
Jerome blushed lightly.
“McManus…but, you can call me Jerome. I’ll be right back…”
Sara pursed her lips as
Jerome left the room. “I need to call Gil…”
Brass nodded. “Yeah, I think
you should…”
She jumped slightly,
startled as her phone began to ring as she pulled it out of her jacket pocket.
She flipped it open quickly and put it to her ear. “Grissom.”
“This is Grissom as well.
McManus isn’t here, but Catherine and I have found a few things that seem kind
of suspicious.”
“Uh-huh…” She glanced down
the empty hallway and lowered her voice. “Gil…Jerome McManus is here…at April
Bower’s house.”
“What?” Grissom snapped his
field kit shut and glanced at Catherine. “Is Bower there as well?”
“Yeah…apparently they’re
a…uh…couple.”
He stood up quickly,
motioning to Catherine that they needed to leave. “Okay…ask her a couple of
questions, then start searching the house. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”
“Alright.” Hearing two sets
of footsteps coming down the hall, she whispered quietly. “Gotta go…”
“Be care…” Grissom sighed as
he realized that she had disconnected the call. “Damn!”
Catherine followed the
senior investigator as he quickly made his way out of the apartment and down
the stairs. “What’s going on, Grissom?”
“McManus is there.”
“What?” Her eyes widened in
surprise as Grissom jumped into the Denali.
“Take the evidence back to
the lab…I’m going over to April Bower’s house. Call me when you have something
definitive.”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Sara sat down in a chair
opposite of the sofa that April and Jerome were sitting on. “Ms. Bower, does
the name Timothy Sharif mean anything to you?”
“Timothy Sharif?” She
glanced at Brass. “He…uh…he killed my uncle.”
Sara noticed Jerome’s
fingers gripping the armrest on the couch. He caught her eye and loosened his
grasp. “And my brother.”
Sara gave the couple an
understanding nod. “Sharif was released from custody recently…”
April interrupted her
quickly. “I know. We were both sent notices that he was out.” She took a deep
breath and reached over, lacing her fingers with Jerome’s. “I can’t say that I
was happy about it…but, as long as he keeps his distance from us…”
Brass leaned forward in his
chair, grabbing April’s attention. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.
Timothy Sharif has been murdered.”
April and Jerome shared a
quick glance before the young woman spoke. “I can’t say that I’m sad to hear
that…but…I’m not sure what that has to do with me.”
Sara tilted her head
slightly as she studied the couple. “Well, Mr. Sharif was sent a threatening
letter a day or so before he died. We’re just checking up on some loose end
type things.” She glanced around the room before speaking. “Do you care if we
have a look around?”
April narrowed her eyes. “Don’t
you need a warrant for that?”
Brass reached into his
inside jacket pocket and pulled out a small packet of papers. “We have one.”
She shrugged her shoulders
and leaned against her boyfriend. “Then, I guess you can. Have fun…”
Sara grinned as she stood
up. “I find a lot of fun in my job.”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~ ~
Sara glanced at her watch as
she felt a presence enter the room. “It’s been 22 minutes…”
Grissom smiled as he walked
up behind her and looked over her shoulder. “I missed the turnoff. Have you found
anything?”
She handed over a couple of
evidence bags and turned her head to look at him. “Have you ever seen what acid
does to an orange?”
“An orange?” He held up the
bag containing what was once a ripe piece of fruit. “No…but it’ll put an apple
through hell.”
Sara chuckled softly. “I’m
not even going to ask, but I do understand the orange.” She looked into his
eyes, smiling as he arched an eyebrow in a silent request for her to continue.
“The peel of an orange mimics the resistance of human skin. So, if you’re
practicing something…the best thing to use for practice is a fresh orange.”
Grissom glanced at the
evidence bag again. “Speaking from experience?”
Sara shrugged her shoulders.
“I use to have to give myself injections. The doctor who prescribed them
suggested I use an orange as practice before I actually attempted to inject
myself.”
As Grissom continued to
stare at the fruit, his cell phone began to ring. He grabbed it quickly as Sara
slid a crumpled sheet of paper into a separate bag and then moved her search to
the other side of the room. As she sifted through some items on the floor, she
heard her husband mutter a quick ‘thanks’ and flip his phone shut.
“What’s up?”
“We found some syringes in
the bottom of a trash can…traces of blood on the needles.” He smiled lightly as
she turned her head in his direction. “We have a match. Want to introduce me to
the lovebirds?”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Grissom followed his wife
into the living room, sending a brief nod in Brass’ direction. Sara smiled
knowingly at the couple as she addressed them.
“Would the two of you care
to come to the station? We just want to ask you a few questions…”
Jerome tightened his grip on
April’s hand. “You can ask us here…”
Grissom tilted his head as
he stared at the couple. “I’m Gil Grissom from the Crime Lab. The questions we
need to ask you…well, you might decide that you want a lawyer, which you’re
entitled to. I would just prefer to talk to you about a few things where we can
get an attorney for you, if needed.”
“No lawyer needed.” Jerome
narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied the older man. “Go ahead…”
Grissom took a seat and
leaned forward as he pursed his lips. “Mr. McManus, a colleague and I were at
your apartment a while ago. We had a warrant to search your premises. We found
a few syringes in the wastebasket…along with traces of blood….”
Jerome nodded quickly.
“They’re mine. That’s why I’m here instead of there. April is helping me kick a
drug addiction.”
Grissom shot the young man a
lopsided smile. “Mr. McManus, would you care to roll up your sleeves?”
Jerome glanced at April as
he pushed the sleeves of his shirt up. Grissom’s eyes focused on the exposed
skin. “Well, I don’t see any signs of prior intravenous drug use.”
Jerome huffed. “Arms aren’t
the only place to shoot up, you know.”
Grissom gave him a quick
nod. “Yeah, I know. Have you ever had your blood tested?”
“For what?”
“For anything. Because I
think there’s a problem. If those syringes were yours…and the blood is
yours…you have a serious, and probably fatal, disease.”
“Fatal? What are you talking
about?”
Grissom removed his glasses
and placed them in his shirt pocket. “Well, I say ‘fatal’…I’m not really sure
if it’s fatal or not. I would assume so…I’ve never heard of a medical case
where the patient has survived such a condition.”
Jerome released April’s hand
as he sat forward, sweat beading on his forehead. “What the hell are you
talking about?”
“There was H2SO4
present in the blood as well as the syringes. H2SO4 is
a compound that is normally found in batteries…specifically, automotive
batteries.” Grissom watched as Jerome’s eyes widened. “The blood that was
found…do you know your blood type?”
“Uh…it’s…uh…A negative.”
Jerome stammered.
“Yeah…the blood we found was
type O positive. Not yours. But, we were able to find a match…to Timothy
Sharif.”
April gaped at her
boyfriend. “Romy? You killed him?”
Jerome snapped his head
towards her. “WHAT?”
Sara smirked as she pulled
an evidence bag out of her field kit. “You didn’t have anything to do with it,
April?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, I think we have
another problem.” She held the bag up. “I’m not sure what killed this innocent
orange, but I have a feeling it was the same acid that was found in the
syringes in your boyfriend’s apartment. The techs will confirm it for me when I
drop it off in the lab. And then I’ll stop by QD and ask them to match this
piece of paper with the paper used to write the note that was sent to Mr.
Sharif a couple of days before his murder.”
April’s eyes filled with
tears. “I…I just wanted him to know what my uncle felt…” She turned her head
towards her boyfriend as a tear trickled down her face. “I’m sorry, Romy…I know we planned for us to deny it, but I just can’t.
I…”
“WHAT?” Jerome stood up as
he jerked his body away from her. “You’re dragging ME into this now?” He turned
his head towards the investigators, his eyes pleading with them. “I swear…I had
nothing to do with this.”
Grissom nodded to Brass.
“We’ll be taking them both in.”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Jerome shouted loudly.
Grissom stared into the
panicked man’s eyes. “If you didn’t, Mr. McManus, then you have nothing to
worry about.”
Sara and Grissom held back inside
the house as Brass escorted April and Jerome outside. Sara placed her hand on
his lower back as she looked into his eyes.
“You think it was a tag-team
effort?”
Grissom sighed lightly. “I’m
not sure. I do know that fingerprints were found on the syringes. We should
know who they belong to after we print those two and do a comparison…”
Sara nodded in agreement as
they exited the house. Looking up at the sky, she exhaled softly. “Almost
daylight. Think we’ll be able to head home soon?”
“Shouldn’t be long…” Grissom
took a deep breath as he walked down the driveway by his wife’s side. “See you
back at the lab?”
Sara grinned as she made her
way to her Denali. “I’ll race ya…”
Grissom chuckled as he
climbed into his SUV and turned the ignition.
Sara smiled at her son as
she placed a small bowl of oatmeal on the table. She ruffled his dark curls as
she handed him his favorite spoon. “Are you hungry,
little man?”
“Yep! Hungy!”
Mikey looked around the kitchen quickly. “Wearz Daddy?”
Sara chuckled as she pulled
out a chair and sat down next to him. “Daddy is getting your brothers ready.”
“Bubbas weady?”
“Mm-hm…they’re
going to daycare with you now.”
“Wif
Ewwie an’ Widda?”
Sara nodded as she smiled
brightly at Mikey. “Will you help Ellie and the other
adults watch after Alex and Ant?”
He giggled happily as he
pushed a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
“Where’s Ant?” Grissom
called playfully as he paused briefly while tugging the small shirt over his
son’s head.
Alex giggled softly at the
game his father usually played with him and his twin as he dressed them. He
giggled more when his father looked at him.
“Alex, have you seen Ant? I
can’t find him anywhere.” Grissom’s eyes widened in mock-surprise as his son’s
head popped through the neck of the shirt. “There he is!”
The two boys laughed happily
as Grissom sat on the floor and expertly slipped their small shoes on, tying
them quickly. He leaned back slightly and watched as his two youngest boys
crawl across the floor.
“Pretty soon you two will be
walking…then all three of you will be in school. Before we know it, you’ll be
graduating from high school, preparing to go off to college. And then…” He
laughed softly at himself as he shook his head. “Daddy is getting way ahead of
himself…”
Hearing his father’s
laughter, Ant stopped crawling after his brother and turned to look at him.
Sensing that Ant had stopped, Alex sat down and shot a curious look at his
brother. He then followed Ant’s gaze and smiled at his father.
“What do you say we go find
Mommy and get some breakfast before we leave?” Grissom signed as he spoke. As
he pushed himself up from the floor, Alex quickly crawled out of the room.
Grissom chuckled as Ant lifted his small arms towards him. “What? You’re not
going to crawl to the kitchen like your brother?”
Ant wiggled his fingers, his
smile growing as his father bent down and picked him up.
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
“Awec!”
Sara turned around from the
sink to find Alex crawling into the kitchen. “Hey there, Munchkin.”
Alex smiled brightly as Sara
plucked him from the tiled floor and kissed his cheek. “Where are Daddy and
your brother?”
“Both present and accounted
for…”
Sara laughed as she glanced
at the young boy in her husband’s arms. “Did Daddy forget to brush your hair?”
Grissom blushed lightly.
“Uh…yeah…”
Sara leaned forward, placing
a light kiss on Grissom’s lips. “I’ll do it after they’ve had breakfast.”
Grissom’s eyes sparkled as
he sat down at the table beside of his oldest son. “What did you have for
breakfast, Weevil?”
“Odemeel!”
“Oatmeal? Was it good?”
Mikey nodded enthusiastically. “Nummy! Wan’ Mommy ta make
oo sum odemeel?”
“I don’t know…do you think
I’d like it?”
Weevil shrugged his
shoulders as he thought. “I wike it.” He glanced
quickly at his two brothers in their high chairs. “Day not da saym.”
Grissom looked puzzled for a
moment. “Excuse me?”
“Jay says dat wins ware da saym cwose.”
Grissom winked at Sara. “You
want to handle this one?”
Sara chuckled as she handed
him a small bowl of cereal to feed Alex. “Well Weevil…some people dress their
twins alike, and some don’t. Daddy and I decided that we wouldn’t dress Alex
and Ant alike.”
“Awike?”
“Alike…it means the same.
When you dress twins alike, it can be hard to tell them apart sometimes.”
“Dat’s
Awec an’ dat’s
“It may not be hard for you
or me or Daddy, but what about Ellie and Jane and your friends?”
Mikey thought about that for a moment. “Nod ebery wins ware saym cwose.”
Sara grinned as she kissed
Weevil on the top of his head. “That’s right…not every set of twins wear the
same clothes…”
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~
Grissom glanced over at his
wife as he navigated the SUV through the traffic on the way home. “You okay?”
“Huh?” She turned her head
towards him, a small smile quickly appearing on her lips. “Oh, yeah…I’m okay.
Why?”
“I don’t know, you just
seem…quiet.”
She reached over and placed
her hand on his thigh. “I’m alright…I was just thinking.”
He moved his right hand from
the steering wheel and covered her hand on his leg. “Do you want to talk about
it?”
Sara sighed lightly as
Grissom gently squeezed her hand. “They’re growing up so quickly…”
“Sara…they’re still in
daycare.”
“Yeah, but…all three of them
are in daycare. And…the buglets are only six months
old…”
Grissom stole a quick glance
at her as he stopped for a red light. “Is this about them growing up…or is it
about Alex and Ant going to daycare so soon?”
Sara lifted her right hand
and wiped her eye quickly. “Both, maybe. I just wonder if we’re doing the right
thing. I mean…Weevil was over a year old before he went to daycare. Do you
think that Alex and Ant are too young?”
Grissom sighed as the car
behind him beeped its horn. He looked forward and pressed on the accelerator as
he gently caressed Sara’s hand. “I know it’s hard, honey…but, I honestly think
it’s the best thing right now. It’s not a bad thing, Sara. It gives us time
during the day to sleep…or…whatever.”
Sara’s lip twitched in
amusement as she watched Grissom’s neck redden a bit. “Gil, it’s not like we’ve
never done ‘whatever’ before…there’s no need to blush over it.”
Grissom cleared his throat.
“And, we’ll pick them up around 3…we can spend the afternoons and evenings with
them. I think it’s better in the long run. This way they’ll have both parents
while they’re at home instead of just one of us while the other is sleeping.”
“I know. I do. I know. And I
know that you’re right. It’s just…hard.”
Grissom grinned as he turned
onto their street. “I know, honey. But, remember when we took Weevil on his
first day? It was hard then too…but, now it’s so much easier. Isn’t it?”
Sara nodded in agreement as
Grissom entered their driveway. After he pulled into the garage, he killed the
engine and turned to look at his wife. “What would you like to do today?”
Her brown eyes sparkled as
she met his gaze. “Oh…whatever.”
Grissom grinned as he
watched Sara climb out of the vehicle.