The scene had been processed; the killer caught and now residing in the jail awaiting trial for murder charges. The family of the victim, a wealthy Vegas socialite, could now have peace restored.

‘Not that they seemed that upset,’ Sara thought as she walked a step behind Catherine and Grissom. It bothered her that people could be so unfeeling when anyone, least of all a family member, was brutally murdered. She’d said it before and thought it countless times. The things people did to each other was disgusting. And she wondered what was wrong with the family who showed more relief than grief. Then again, with her own family dynamics being what they were, maybe it was understandable.

Sara was lost in her own musings, not watching where she was going, simply following the people in front of her and bumped into Catherine as a result.

“Sorry,” she muttered half-heartedly as she moved to the coffee pot.

Catherine looked at Grissom, saw that his nose was buried in a file and sighed to herself. It was up to her. “Sara, you okay?”

“Hmmm?” She glanced over her shoulder at Catherine. “Oh, yeah. I guess.”

Gil, always being the last to see when someone was off-keel emotionally, looked at Sara and then Catherine, trying to puzzle out the conversation. “Everything okay?”

Sara sighed. “Yeah. It’s fine. I just…” She trailed off.

“Just what?”

“Well, didn’t it bother you that the family was almost gleeful that she was dead? I read about her. She seemed well liked. Maybe even loved. I don’t know what’s worse, being killed by a drugged out thief, or your family not caring.”

“They loved her for her wealth
And they hated her for her pride—
But she grew in feeble health,
And they love her—that she died.”

Sara looked at Catherine for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Yeah, you’re right.” She took her mug and started out of the break room. “I’m going to my car for my break, page me if you need me for anything.”

Catherine watched her leave before turning to Gil. She gazed at him for a moment before allowing a wide smile to appear.

“What?” When she didn’t say anything, only grinned wider, Gil groaned and walked to his office. He knew she was following him; he could hear her, but studiously ignored her. Walking around his desk, he flopped down into the chair and speared her with a look. “Okay. What?”

Catherine chuckled at the irritation in his voice. “Admit it, I stumped you.”

Gil tried his best to look nonchalant and rummaged through a drawer. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You do too! She shoots, she scores!” Catherine crowed and did a fast little jig in front of his desk. “I got you, I got you, I got you!”

Gil growled and tossed his glasses onto his desk. “Alright! I give. Who was it and where’s it from?” He raised an eyebrow, still irritated that he didn’t know where the quote came from.

“A Paean. By Edgar Allan Poe! Yes! I finally got one over on you!” She raised her right knee as she brought her right elbow back. “Almost twenty years of listening to your random literary quotes, completely at sea and I got one over on you.”

Gil couldn’t help the smile. “A little proud are we?”

“Hell yeah!”

“Yeah, well, won’t happen again.”

“And what makes you say that?” Catherine raised her chin in challenge.

It was Gil’s turn to grin widely. “Because, sweetheart. You dropped your Poe book into the tub. Don’t you remember?” He well remembered how he’d distracted her the other night, causing her to drop the book into the hot bubble bath she was taking. Laughing, he dodged the roll of stamps she threw at him, knowing that life really didn’t get any better than this.

~~~~~~

*you were warned, it was pointless and dumb.