Nightmares

Chapter Two

Greg stepped into the hotel room and glanced at the woman on the bed. The bed was unmade, the white sheets soaking in the blood. Blood splattered the wall above the bed. He stepped closer and saw her throat had been slashed.

A window was open on the far side of the room, letting in a slight breeze.

“Her name is Audra Keller, 35, single. She checked in two nights ago. Alone.

“Coroner put the time of death at five this evening,” Brass said as Greg placed his kit on the floor.

He pulled on a pair of gloves and began to take pictures. Catherine took a closer look at the victim’s wound.

“Nothing foreign in the wound,” she said.

Greg finished taking pictures then swabbed the blood on the wall. He closed the top and placed it in his kit.

“Who called it in?” He asked Brass.

“Housekeeping. Maid knocked twice on the door then opened it to this mess. She said she didn’t touch a thing. She ran out and alerted the manager.”

Greg nodded and looked the rest of the room over.

“Any visitors?” Catherine asked as she tape lifted a white substance from the victim’s blouse.

“No visitors, but she did show up with a man last night.”

“Suspect,” Greg said as he searched through the drawers.

“Witness said he left alone early this morning,” Brass remarked.

“Still could be a suspect,” Catherine said. “Lover’s spat gone bad. Do we have a description?”

Brass flipped through his notes then nodded.

“Tall, good-looking, wavy dark hair. Wearing a dark green dress shirt and tan slacks. Hasn’t been seen since.”

Greg spotted a wine bottle and two glasses on a table by the window. He photographed and dusted them for prints. He lifted some from the wine bottle, hoping they would belong to their mystery suspect. He bagged the bottle then swabbed the glasses for DNA. He then bagged them as well.

“They had room service,” he said as he went back to the front of the room, bags in hand. “We might get his DNA and identify him. Also found some prints on the wine bottle.”

“Good,” Catherine said as she finished processing the body. “Let’s get them back to the lab.”

The two headed back to the lab, dropping off their evidence in DNA and Trace. The two parted ways, Greg heading toward the break room.

His thoughts drifted back to Sara as he went to the coffee pot. He was worried about her and wished she would let him help her. They both haven’t been sleeping well ever since the nightmares started. So far it hadn’t effected their work, but it could all change if they didn’t find a way to stop them.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. He thought about how he could get Sara to talk about her dreams. Maybe if she talked about them, the dreams would stop.

He heard a moan behind him and turned to find Sara asleep on the couch.

“Sara?” Greg asked as he stepped toward her.

She mumbled something in her sleep and he knelt beside her. He ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her with his touch.

“Sara, wake up,” he whispered to her.

“No!” Sara shouted, hitting him in the face with her fist.

Greg fell back, his hand going to his burning cheek. She sat up straight, her eyes wide with fear. He stared at her as she slowly came back to reality. She looked at him and concerned flashed in her eyes.

“Greg? What happened?”

“You had a nightmare,” he told her as he knelt beside her once again. “You hit me.”

“I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

Greg smiled and nodded.

“I’m more worried about you. Do you want to talk about it?”

Sara shook her head, “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“That was some nothing. You hit me.”

Sara glared at him, swinging her legs off the couch.

“I said I was sorry, Greg.”

“As long as you’re all right,” he said as he stood.

He looked at her, wondering why she wouldn’t talk to him. He shook his head in frustration and left the room. He headed into the locker room, wanting to be alone.

He sat on the bench and placed his head in his hands. What could be so terrible that she refused to talk to him about her dreams? Didn’t she trust him?

Greg sighed and stared at the floor. He didn’t want to force her to tell him, but it seemed it was the only way at the moment.

“Why so glum?” Nick asked, bringing Greg out of his thoughts. He saw from the corner of his eye, Warrick was also with him.


He shook his head. He didn’t want to bother them with his problems.

“It’s nothing,” he said softly.

“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Warrick stated as he leaned against a locker.

“We might be able to help,” Nick offered.

Greg sighed again and looked at them. Maybe they could suggest something he hadn’t thought of.

“It’s Sara,” he said, looking back at his locker. “She’s having nightmares. I want to help her, but she won’t talk about them. She says it’s nothing.”

“Maybe she thinks she can handle it,” Warrick said. “You know how she is with personal problems.”

“Great, she’ll probably never tell me.”

“I’m sure she will tell you eventually,” Nick said.

Greg shook his head, too frustrated to agree. He had a feeling things would get worse before she told him anything.

He stood, “I should get down to the morgue before they start without me.”

“Don’t worry, Greg,” Nick said. “She’ll be fine.”

Greg nodded and headed toward the morgue.


~*~

Sara sat in the break room, nursing a mug of coffee. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but she’s been so tired. She closed her eyes and saw the hurt expression in Greg’s face.

I wish I could tell you, but I can’t, she thought as she sighed.

She took another sip and looked up to see Nick striding toward her. He didn’t look happy.

“What are you doing to Greg?” Nick demanded as he placed his hands on the table and leaned toward her.

“What do you mean?” Sara asked, confused.

“He wants to help you and you push him away. It’s hurting him.”

Sara glared at Nick, angry he would suggest she intended to hurt Greg.

“It’s none of your business,” she said as she stood. “It’s none of Greg’s business either.”

“He’s worried about you, Sara. He loves you and it hurts him to see you like this.”

Sara shook her head and left the room. She didn’t want to hurt Greg, but she couldn’t tell him about her dreams. She didn’t want to bring up bad memories for him or scare him.

I love him too, she thought as she stepped into the evidence room. It’s why I can’t tell him.