Our Spot

Chapter 15


Brass was waiting for Grissom when he got to his office.

“I thought I locked the door.”

“You did. Why is Matty’s name on the casino black list?”

“Most well known mathematicians are. They can petition to have theirs names removed, but it not worth it. Currently, their faces are part of the recognition software, so they are being watched no matter. People like Matty don’t mean to count cards. They can’t help. If Matty watches a roulette for an hour, and he can predict the next three hits with a ninety percent accuracy. When you major in math, they flag you. When you have a master’s degree in any mathematic discipline, they caution you. When you have a doctorate, they strongly suggest that you don’t darken the door, unless it to work.”

Gil looked at Brass. He wasn’t really listening.

“Who’s in trouble?”

Gil watched Brass. Something in Brass’ manner set off realization in him. “Me?”

“Maybe…maybe not. Seems Vartan has been asking about you.”

Gil gave his full house poker face. He flipped pen over his thumb and around index finger. He leaned back in the leather chair and pulled off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Rumor is that you and Sara are having an affair.”

“Nothing new about that rumor, Jim.”

“True but there seems to be more evidence than in the past.”

Gil hesitated. He needed to know what people were saying so that he could protect Sara. “Like what?”

“Seems you for sure have been seen frequenting a certain high class strip slash whatever you want club.”

“Done that for years Jim…If memory serves half the time you were with me.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t called me in months.”

“Bonding with Matthew.”

“Ah…There’s other things too. Seems two county Denali’s have been parked at
Sara’s building off shift.”

Gil switched from a pen to a pencil. A heavy sigh expanded his chest. The visiting her at her apartment was more evidence of Grissom’s obsession.

The light tap on the window should have made him jump, but it didn’t. Sara was silhouetted against the morning sun..

He rolled down the window. She leaned in to kiss him. “I was naked then I had to put my clothes back on. It nearly killed the mood.”

“When did you realize I was out here?”

“As soon as you drove up.” She kissed him sweetly. After she was done he licked his lips so that he could savor the taste of her.

“I am being very reckless.” He glanced to at her building. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Are you coming up, or are we having outdoor car sex?”

“While the sound of the later is very tempting.” He was out of his car now, closing the door with one hand. Holding her near him with the other. “My family is not having much luck with the outside thing


Brass looked at his old friend. He wasn’t going to get confirmation or a denial from him. He didn’t expect to. He just needed to warn him. “Vartan is crazy for Sara. Watch your back, Gil. If you are guys are going to make a go of it's fine, but if this is some fling just let it go, Gil. She deserves to have a life.”

“Look I know Catherine’s shindig has been moved to Matty and Sofia’s. I am begging you to behave yourself. You are terribly close to the edge, and I don’t want you to fall off.’

Catherine had an infestation of an aggressive species termites. She and Lindsey had been holed up in the penthouse of one of Sam’s hotels for weeks. The quarterly night shift/swing shift had been moved to the engaged couples’ home.

“I don’t if Vartan is going to be there, but I’m asking for the sake of the department and the lab, please behave.”

Brass stood and buttoned his jacket. He though of Gil’s comments to Dr. Lurie and hoped that Vartan had a friend who would warn him.

~~~~
It was nearing end of shift and Sara has showered and was changing. She and Nick had just finished working a DB in a muddy ditch. Sara buttoned her pants feeling the pressure of the material on her waist. She looked at her half naked body in the mirror.

“Mrs. Sidle, your tests are back”

Silence.

“You are pregnant”.

I have got to buy some maternity clothes before I choke this kid to death. Before you got announcing your condition with your outerwear, you have to tell Gil. Before or after I break up with Michael?

She had lied to herself since she had missed her second period. The third had brought confirmation. Until then, she had her over emotionalism and nausea to clandestine affair she was carrying on with Gil.

Her breasts were already heavy with her baby’s nourishment, her tummy was round. She breathed in and out slowly. She hadn’t been surprised to find herself pregnant. That day with Michael at the door, she’d known that his body’s intent had been to claim to mark her. At the moment, Grissom came she could feel him willing himself to own her.

She had tried to run away from him, but she couldn’t or wouldn’t. She wasn’t sure anymore. It was twisted together in her mind, and maybe that was how it was supposed to be with love.

She had avoided Michael for days, but today, she would have break it off with him. He was a nice man, but he wasn’t the man for her. She loved someone else. The question was did he love her?

Catherine stuck her head in Gil’s office. “You seen Sara?”

Gil singed something and looked up. “Not since the beginning of shift. She and Nick had that tough scene to work.”

“Yeah, Nick says she was exhausted…looked like she was dead on her feet.”

Gil worked hard to put on his supervisor mask.

Catherine was impressed with his restraint and looked for the cracks that had started to appear in the surface. “I don’t know. Maybe she should take some time off.”

“She’s going to have to. HR is pissed off about our time accumulation. You see the memo?”

Catherine shook her head. “What does it say?”

Gil pulled a piece of paper from his in box. “Basically that swing shift and night shift have too much overtime, too many vacation and leave days thus signaling that CSIs are not taking care of their emotional and physical health.”

“So it’s everybody. We all have to take this time.”

“Looks like they are going to stager it during the rest of the year.”

“Maybe you can try and take yours during summer break for Lindsey.”

Catherine smiled. He never ceased to amaze her with an unexpected sweetness here or there. It was a shame that people didn’t understand Gil better. “You ever going to have kids, Gil?”

The words were out before he knew it. “I only every thought about having children with one woman. “

Sadness pulled the corners of his mouth down. Catherine reached across and touched his hand with hers. “It’s not too late, Gil.”

Gil’s mask was falling away with everyone these days. It started with Sara continued and continued with Matthew. He grasped Catherine’s hand in his.

“People are talking, Gil.”

“Brass told me.”

“They are saying she’s a kept woman, Gil.”

The gifts had started innocently enough. He’d bought the diamond earrings as a kind of Valentine’s day present. He couldn’t resist the matching bracelet or the emerald earrings. Nothing he bought was flashy. All of it some simple and understated, but it also wasn’t cheap. He wondered how many others besides Catherine had noticed.

“Candice told me that you bought a pair of Prada loafers last week, size nine narrow. How much did that tennis bracelet set you back?”

Candace worked at Jofrey’s. Every year since Catherine had declared herself his best friend, he had bought her birthday and Christmas presents at the small boutique she preferred.

Gil met her sharp eyes. He was tired of hiding. The secrets were poisoning him and make him to an obsessive fool. He was in danger of driving Sara away.

“When you are cared for the way she is cared….”

“You sound like Sam.”

“I don’t want her to worry about money. Women shouldn’t worry about that sort thing if she has someone who cares about her.”

Catherine knew how old fashioned Gil could be. He wasn’t a chauvinist, far from it. He thought women were precious and should be revered. Part of it was a reaction to how the way his father had deserted his mother. They hadn’t exactly struggled, but in Gil’s mind, his mother had to work much harder than she should have. He blamed his father for that.

“Oh Gil… you got to deal with this. You have to tell Sara you love her.”

Gil nodded. “I don’t know if she feels the same, Cath.”

“Sara Sidle let you buy her jewelry. What do you think?