Confessions

Gil Grissom sat in his office. He did that a lot lately. He retreated more to himself since Sara left. She had been gone for over a year now. He didn’t even get so much as a ‘hey I’m doing fine’. He got nothing. She distanced herself from all of them including Greg and Nick. That surprised him more.

The phone rang. “Grissom.”

“Gil. How have you been?”

“James Sanchez, is that you?”

“Yes. I have a job for you, are you interested?”

“Depends on what it is?”

“Are you interested on teaching a seminar?”

“Where?”

“Here. In Frisco. It is in two weeks, are you interested.”

He didn’t even think about it. “Sure.” He needed a break from Vegas.

“I’ll send the paperwork over.”

“Great.”

“I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Grissom perked up. He hadn’t been to Frisco in ages. The trip would do him some good. He hadn’t done a seminar in the last while either. He was beginning to get excited about it all. He was happier than he had been all year. He would be in his element.


Gil showed up in Frisco on Friday. His seminar didn’t start until Monday but he wanted a few days to prepare. He arrived at the airport and was greeted by his old friend.

“James.” He said spotting him in the crowd.

“Gil. You look good.”

Grissom knew he was lying. He looked awful and he knew it. His hair was dishevelled. He hadn’t shaved in some time. He was thinner that he had ever been. He didn’t have much of an appetite these days. James, on the other hand, was a portly man with a receding hairline. He had a hint of a Spanish accent. He was well educated but not as well educated as Grissom.

James was in charge of booking extracurricular seminars for the local college. Grissom had done a few once or twice before.

“We got you a suite at the Comfort Inn. I hope that will be alright.”

Grissom didn’t really care. He didn’t sleep much these days anyway. “That’s fine.”

They silently walked to the car and drove to the hotel. Once inside the room they discussed the particulars of the conference.

“So it is a five day conference.” James began. “Three days on bugs and two days on forensics.”

“Sounds good. Where is it?”

“College. In the Conference Hall.”

“Great.”

“I’m gonna leave you alone to settle in. If you need me, call me. Enjoy your weekend.”

“Thanks James. You too.”

It’s nice to be in California again. These are almost my stomping grounds. I love the smell of the bay in the air. He looked out the window. There was a small park outside of the hotel. It was within walking distance. He made a mental note to go out tomorrow to collect some specimens. He put his suitcase on the floor and climbed into bed. He was exhausted.

He woke up disorientated. He opened his eyes and looked around. Oh right, Frisco, in the hotel. He sat up and checked the clock. It was just after nine in the morning. He crawled out of bed and headed towards the shower.

Appearing refreshed he headed downstairs for some breakfast. Before he left he pocketed some specimen bottles for his walk.

He left the hotel and headed for the park. He sat on the bench observing for a few minutes. He saw an older man walking his German Sheppard. The dog was almost walking the man. He laughed a bit about the situation. He saw a man holding hands with his girlfriend walking through the park. He looked and saw a brunette in the distance pushing a stroller. From a distance she resembled Sara. Get those thoughts out of your head. She is gone. Forget it. The stroller approached. Grissom’s heart stopped. It was Sara.