Secrets and Lies - by kyrdwyn and wykdwin

Sara was standing outside the lab when Nash's cab pulled up. She tossed him a plastic pass. "So the lab techs don't give you a hard time. Just watch out for the one named Greg - he could make Harvey look normal."

She led Nash into the lab and past the break room, where he saw Nick Stokes and a dark skinned CSI standing, their heads bent over something on the table. He followed her into an office full of shelves with jars of preserved animals and body parts.

"Wow, Sara. You forgot to mention you worked for Dr. Frankenstein."

Sara repressed a smile as Grissom appeared from behind one of the shelves, his eyebrows raised. He did rather look the mad scientist in his black slacks, shirt, and long black jacket. Nash hadn't noticed him though, and spun around when Grissom spoke.

"Well, I haven't tried to create a monster from any corpses. Lately." Grissom's face had a bland, innocent expression. Sara knew he was about a half second away from that small smile of his.

Nash shot Sara a "what have you gotten me into?" look.

"You must be Captain Bridges. I'm Gil Grissom, supervisor on the night shift. Thanks for coming down." He held his hand out to Nash, who shook it.

"No problem. Sara said that you identified a body as a missing child out of San Francisco."

Grissom nodded, walking over to his desk and picking up a file to hand to Nash. "Justine Charles, 12 years old."

Nash flipped the file open and winced at the sight of the little girl's headless and mutilated body. She had been grotesquely arranged in a mock pinup girl position. Her head was resting a few feet away from her body. Whoever had placed it here had thoughtfully turned the face away from the body.

"Her parents reported her missing when she didn't come home from school. Missing Persons in Frisco think she was taken somewhere between the bus stop and her house. She was seen getting off the bus by schoolmates, but didn't make to the front door."

"Every parent's worst nightmare," Nash remarked.

Grissom raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. "Our lab is still running the hairs and prints we found at the scene, and Homicide is still interviewing witnesses."

Nash looked from Grissom to Sara. "It looks like you guys have got it covered, so I don't get why I'm needed."

"When your Missing Person's department faxed us the information on Justine Charles, they sent along another file." Grissom handed Nash the second file.

"Emily Berry, age 10, disappeared from the same area of Pacific Heights in the same week. She, too, was seen getting off the school bus by her friends but never made it to her front door," Sara said.

"Too much of a coincidence - two girls in the same area disappearing in the same week."

Grissom nodded. "That's what Detective Sanchez said. She also mentioned that she was going to notify the SIU. When I asked Sara about that, she mentioned you worked in that department and that you were in Las Vegas for vacation. Sorry to interrupt it."

"It had already been interrupted anyway," Nash said. Grissom noticed Sara wincing at that remark and wondered.

"Any luck finding the second kid?" Nash asked in the awkward silence that followed.

Before either Las Vegas CSI could answer, a gruff, tired voice sounded from behind them.

"Bad news."

Nash and the others turned to face a short, heavyset man with a weary look on his face. He looked at Nash pointedly. Sara did the introductions.

"Brass, this is Captain Nash Bridges from the San Francisco Special Investigation Unit. Nash, this is Captain Jim Brass, Las Vegas Homicide."

Brass nodded at Nash before turning back to Grissom. "We’ve got another body - little girl decapitated and mutilated. Five blocks from where our last victim was found."

"Emily Berry?" Grissom asked.

Brass didn't say anything, but the look on his face gave Grissom and the others the answer they didn't want.

* * * * *

Nash rode with Sara in the Tahoe down to the crime scene. Grissom and Brass were in a different SUV.

"Your boss creates monsters from corpses?"

Sara laughed. "Nah. Though he does keep maggot farms. He's an odd one. I think you had more of a life outside the job than he did until recently."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He started dating a private investigator who used to be a CSI. Not that he told any of us."

"So what, you spy on him?"

"No, someone tried to set her up for murder. Long story, but he was her alibi. Shocked us, but I think she's good for him."

Nash didn't say anything in response. They pulled up at the scene and got out, moving past curious onlookers and under the tape with Brass and Grissom.

Grissom had a grim expression on his face as he surveyed the scene. It was a near exact duplicate of how they'd found Justine Charles. The young girl's body was arranged in the same mock pinup girl pose. Deep gashes marred the skin of her arms and legs. Ligature marks were visible on the skin of her wrists and ankles. The head had been severed inexpertly along the neck, and placed a few feet away with the eyes closed and face turned away from the body.

Sara was shaking her head as she examined the body. "No obvious signs of sexual assault."

"Is that a uniform she's wearing?" Brass asked.

"Yeah, from Pacific Heights Academy," Nash answered.

"You can tell that from over here?" Brass sounded like he doubted Nash.

"I worked a case at the school once. And it was in their files since they were taken on their way home from school."

"Justine Charles was wearing her school uniform as well," Grissom said absently.

Sara frowned at something and snapped a picture of it. "Hey Grissom, take a look."

Grissom moved around the body to peer at what Sara was illuminating with her flashlight. "Is that a necklace?" He pulled a pair of tweezers out of his shirt pocket and carefully extracted the chain from the little girl's hand. It was a thin silver chain with a flat disc locket on it.

Nash had come over to see the necklace. "Think it's hers?"

Grissom shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Sara, dust for prints before you open it."

"Right."

Nash retreated from the immediate scene to rejoin Brass. The two captains began interviewing potential witnesses while the CSI's finished clearing the scene.

* * * * *

Jana hadn't seen much of Gil over the last few days with the two decapitation murders, as well as her trip to Frisco and her business. The most they saw of each other was when Gil would actually take off to get some sleep and end up in her bed instead of his own. Jana should have been flattered - his house was closer to the lab than hers was. And unlike most guys she knew, he wasn't seeking her out for a quick roll between the sheets. He enjoyed her company.

Jana lay on her side in her bed, Gil pressed up against her. His arm was around her waist, his face buried in her hair. She could feel him breathing. Every time she'd woken up to him lying beside her she'd wanted to ask him about Sara. How far had the relationship gone? Just a one-night stand? Had he asked her to come to Las Vegas because he wanted an impartial investigator, or because he wanted to renew their relationship?

They'd talked once, not long after they'd become lovers, about their pasts. While they knew a lot about each other from working together, their past love lives had come up. Almost as a joke, she'd asked him if he'd ever slept with anyone else in the unit. He'd looked surprised at the question, but said no.

Maybe her question had been too ambiguous. Maybe sleeping with Sara hadn't been all that memorable for him. Still, she wouldn't have cared - she knew about the lady lab tech and others. It was him not telling her that bothered her.

"What's wrong?" His quiet voice sounded in her ear. She closed her eyes against the shivers that always came when he used that tone of voice. She swore that if Gil read her the telephone book in that voice he could seduce her.

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"You've been acting subdued ever since you got back from San Francisco. Tough case?"

"Just the unanswered question." She didn't turn to face him, as she normally would have done.

"Can't find the person who can answer it?"

"I know where he is. I'm just too afraid of the answer."

He moved then, propping his head up on his hand to look down at her. She could feel him watching her.

"Why would you be afraid? You have to ask it to finish the case for your client, right?"

Jana shook her head. "My client has the information they wanted. This is for me."

The arm around her waist moved so that he could brush her hair away from her face. "Jana, you know the dangers of getting personally involved in cases."

"What if I was personally involved with this before I took it?"

"What do you mean?"

Jana rolled onto her back, looking up at him. She should let this drop right now, kiss him senseless so he would forget the topic. But she had to know.

"Why didn't you tell me that you'd slept with Sara?"

He stopped breathing. He just stared at her. She calmly stared back, waiting. Finally, he sighed.

"It was a long time ago, Jana."

Jana closed her eyes, not wanting him to see how much it hurt her. "But you didn't tell me."

"Jana……"

She rolled over, slipping out from under his arms and standing up. She walked to the window, her UNLV sleep shirt hiding her body from him.

"I asked you once, remember? You lied. You said you'd never slept with anyone in the unit. So, what, sleeping with them before they join the unit is different from after they leave?"

He didn't say anything.

"God, Gil, I don't care if you've slept with her and Catherine and every other woman in that lab. But I asked you and you lied. I can't handle that."

"How did you……."

"Sara used to work in San Francisco. I was just there, remember? People in their crime lab remember you dropping Sara off at work the morning after that seminar. She was wearing the same clothing, though it looked a little rumpled."

"Why were you asking about Sara?"

Jana laughed. "I had a client who wanted me to get info on someone else who had worked in the crime lab. I used Sara's name to get them to open up. And boy did they open up." She lied, and she knew he could tell she was lying.

She heard him get out of bed and come to stand behind her. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for lying to me or sorry that I found out the truth?"

"It was just a one night stand Jana. I won't deny we were attracted to each other. I won't deny we slept with each other. But it ended when the sun rose. She went back to work, I came back here."

"Yet you kept in touch with her. And you brought her down here when Holly Gribbs was shot."

"We stayed friends, Jana, nothing more. And I asked her to help because I didn't want I.A. dragged in. She asked to stay in Vegas, and I needed another CSI."

"Convenient to have an ex-lover in the unit for those late night cases, hm?"

He drew in a sharp breath. "Jana, that's not fair."

She whirled around. "Not fair? Just like lying to me wasn't fair? You tell me you love me, then you lie to me about something like that. I told you everything about my past - what you didn't already know - because I loved you and I trusted you. I told you things I hadn't told my parents before they were killed." Tears were running down Jana's cheeks. "But apparently you didn't trust me."

She walked past him to her closet, pulling the nightgown over her head and grabbing her jeans off the floor. Not bothering with a bra, she pulled on an oversize t-shirt. She sat down on the edge of the bed to pull on her boots.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm playing golf. What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting dressed so I can go out. I can't stay here." She shrugged into her worn leather jacket. "Don't be here when I get back, Gil."

She left the room, leaving the man she loved standing in his boxers in the middle of the room, wondering what he should do.

* * * * *

Jana found herself on Freemont Street, sitting in a bar downing shots. She didn't want to be out drinking alone in a crowd. She much preferred to get drunk at home. She still had two old, unopened bottles of Glenlivet hidden in the back of her pantry. There had been three, but she'd finished off one the night the state executed the man who had killed her parents. It seemed more fitting to be drinking one of those bottles when her relationship with Gil died.

"Please don't tell me it's my case that has us both seeking solace in alcohol," Lexi spoke as she noticed her PI sitting a few stools away.

"Unfortunately, it is. I found out a little more than I wanted to about Sara Slut, I mean Sidle, than I wanted too." Jana downed her shot and sighed. "Hell, I shouldn't blame Sara. She's not the one who lied to me."

"I'm willing to bet my bar tab it's that guy, ....Gil, who lied to you," Lexi smiled woefully at her new found companion in angst.

"You'd win" Jana said as she signaled for another shot.

Lexi sighed, and shook her head. "Men," she laughed, "they really suck sometimes." As the bartender poured Jana a fresh drink, Lexi amended her statement. "Except for Ricky there," she motioned towards the bartender. "Ricky's a prince."

"Ricky is a darling. Now, if only he liked women."

"Men are like parking spaces," Lexi laughed to herself at the old joke.

"I'm looking for a kind, sensitive caring man - but they're either married or already have boyfriends"

"I'll have to go on the second one there. I've been married twice...maybe that's my problem. Or else I just have rotten taste in men." Lexi tapped her glass towards Ricky.

Jana sighed as she sipped at her drink. "The thing with Gil is that he isn't your usual guy. You know, we dated for three years before we slept together? What man does that in this day and age? I really thought he was different. Hell, I don't mind that he slept with her, I mind that he lied to me about it."

Lexi thought about the results her case had brought as she watched Ricky pour her drink. As he set it in front of her, she looked at the blonde. "I'm sorry," she stated.

Jana looked over at Lexi. "Thanks, but it's not your fault. You couldn't have known." She regarded the liquor in her glass. "Maybe I'm just expecting too much, anyway."

"No, part of me is glad I did it. But another part tells me that it was stupid and impulsive. Seeing you sitting here, in the same boat as me, makes me think my second part was right." Lexi sat staring at her scotch. "Maybe I should've just let it run it's course. Then I might've been able to see Las Vegas as a sober woman this time," she giggled.

Jana laughed. "I don't know if there's much of a difference between Vegas while drunk and Vegas while sober. Well, you tend to lose more at the tables while drunk."

"Gee, I always though I did better. I never realized how much I actually lost, just how much I had won."

Jana leaned over toward the brunette. "I'll let you in on a little Vegas secret - that's the idea. Never let them think about how much they lose - cause then they stop playing. Kinda like our love lives, huh?"

Lexi had to laugh. "Unfortunately, practice seems to make for the perfect fool. Personally, I keep hoping I'll grow out of it."

Jana smiled wryly. "Can't say I've had much practice in the arena myself, maybe that's why my expectations were so high. After everything I've been though at the hands of men, you'd think my expectations would be lower. Like, six feet under." She glanced at her watch. "I wonder if the lying bastard left my house yet. I've got two bottles of scotch at home that are just begging to be opened."

"Lucky you," Lexi finally took a swallow of her drink. "I keep pretending Nash will walk through the door. After awhile everything just started to look like the door. That's when I figured I needed to get out. $5,000 a night suite and I can't even stand to stay in it. Fucking bastard."

"Well, I do have two bottles of scotch and a good liquor store on the way home, what say we go get drunk and cry to my dogs? They're great listeners - they don't talk back. And they're female, so they'll agree with whatever we say," Jana said with a smile.

"If that scotch is Glenlivet, you've just found yourself a new best friend."

"I only buy the best," Jana said as she paid her tab. "But let's pick up a few more bottles just to make sure."

* * * * *

Grissom snarled at Catherine Willows when she commented on him returning to the lab so soon. The redheaded CSI stopped and stared at him, mouth open, as he stalked his way down the corridor to his office.

Inside, Gil found Nash sitting in one of the chairs, reading something in a folder.

"Make yourself at home," Grissom said sarcastically.

Nash looked up at Grissom. "I thought you left."

"I did. I'm back."

Nash raised his eyebrows at Grissom's curt answer. Though he'd only known the CSI for a day or so, the man's tone clearly implied woman trouble. But Nash wasn't going to pry. He had enough of those himself.

Grissom sat in his chair and sighed, staring off into the distance for a second before snapping back into the office. "Anything new?"

Nash handed over the file he'd been reading. "A lab tech with odd hair and an obnoxious shirt brought this by."

"Greg Sanders," Grissom said as he took the folder. "He's good at what he does so we forgive him the oddness. What did he find?"

"Hairs were found at both scenes that aren't the victims'. He says they're identical. The prints on the locket are being run through AFIS. Sara dropped off the enlarged photos from inside before she went home." Nash tapped another folder sitting on Grissom's desk.

Grissom frowned as he picked up the second folder. "Aren't you staying at Sara's? Why didn't you leave with her?"

"Don't tell her I said this, but her couch sucks."

Grissom smiled. "I won't. I'd suggest getting a hotel room, but that would probably offend Sara."

Nash nodded, letting Grissom believe that's why he was staying at Sara's place.

A redheaded woman stuck her head in the door. "Mr. Grissom - this just came down for you." She held out an assignment slip. Grissom motioned her in. "Thanks, Connie." He took the slip from her and read it as she left. "Great."

"Something wrong?"

"Robbery, downtown." Grissom stood up. "I'm going to give this off to my other guys and then I'm going home."

"Again?"

Grissom looked at Nash. "Yeah, again." He picked up his jacket. "I can drop you off at Sara's if you want. Or I've got an extra bedroom with a real bed."

Nash stood, grabbing his own jacket. "Sara's will be fine."

* * * * *

Warrick and Nick were in the break room, flipping through the latest issue of Penthouse and arguing over something when Grissom and Nash walked in.

"You guys now have something better to do than ogle pinup girls. 407, downtown." He held out the assignment slip. Warrick got up and took it.

"I drive," he said. Nick got up and followed him. Grissom frowned at the magazine on the table.

"Nick. Aren't you forgetting something?"

Nick turned around and smiled sheepishly at his boss, grabbing the magazine off the table. He didn't notice something slide out from between the pages as he hurried out of the room to catch up with Warrick

Nash had been standing off to one side, just watching. He'd noticed the Penthouse was the issue with Lexi in it, which didn't make him happy. The whole spread hadn't made him happy, and he knew that was when their problems had started. God, he hated that magazine.

Nash picked up the napkin that had slid out of the pages, intending to get Nick's attention. Instead, he stopped, staring at the very familiar writing on it.

Mandalay Bay, 34800, Charlotte Webb

"Son of a bitch."

Grissom turned, one hand on the door. "Something wrong?"

Nash looked up. "Uh, no. Just, personal thing."

"Oh. Would you rather stay here?"

Nash briefly considered calling a cab and heading back to the hotel to confront Lexi. "Nah. But I'll think I'll take you up on the offer of that extra bed, though. Not sure I can face Sara's couch right now."

Grissom shrugged. "No problem."

* * * * *

Jana dug her two bottles of Glenlivet out of the pantry and brought them into the living room, setting them on the coffee table with the bottles they'd bought at the liquor store. She handed Lexi a glass and sat down on the floor in front of the table. When Lexi looked at her askance, Jana laughed.

"Less distance to fall when I pass out."

Lexi laughed and joined Jana, who opened one of the bottles and passed it to Lexi. "Here. One for you," she said as she opened a second bottle. "And one for me." She filled her glass and raised it in a toast. "Men. May their lying asses rot in hell."

Lexi clinked her glass with Jana. "Amen." She downed the liquor and poured herself another glass. Tilly came over and put her paws on the table, sniffing at Lexi's glass.

"Tilly!" Jana said. The dog looked at her and reluctantly dropped back to the floor. Lexi chuckled and ruffled Tilly's fur. Evie came over and hopped into Jana's lap, demanding the same attention.

"Tilly?"

Jana shrugged. "Scintilla and Evidence, Scintilla of Evidence. Legal joke. Friend of mine who was in law school at the time suggested it."

"Can I ask you something personal?"

Jana took a swig of her scotch. "Sure."

"This guy, Gil, basically hung you out to dry nine years ago, and now you're sleeping with him?"

Jana sighed. "Yeah, I know. Freaked out a lot of people in the lab when they found out."

"So why?"

"I fell in love," Jana said in a dreamy voice, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "God, I was such an idiot."

"You aren't the only one. I talked Nash into coming here for a romantic getaway, instead I get an ex-lover of his showing up and calling me a showgirl."

"She didn't."

"She did." Lexi refilled her glass.

"So what are you going to do?" Jana asked quietly.

"Give him some competition."

"Want me to check out this competition - make sure there are no skeletons in his closet?"

"I think you may already know him - Nick Stokes."

Jana raised an eyebrow as she topped off her drink. "Hmm, the resident 'ladies man' in the unit. I'd be careful."

Lexi brushed that off as she sipped at hers. "What about you? Going to give Gil competition?"

"With who? Not my style anyway. Last time he pissed me off to the point of drinking I gave him the cold shoulder for five years."

"Five years? Damn, remind me not to get on your bad side. So what changed your mind?"

Jana downed what was left in her glass. "I got tired of being angry, he finally apologized, I got to yell at him again." She stayed silent for a moment, staring at her empty glass, seeing that scene in her mind again, then the one from earlier that night. She shook her head, refilling her glass and changing the subject. "How's a multi-platinum singer like you end up with a twice divorced San Francisco cop?"

"Long story, and one that needs a lot of liquid encouragement to tell."

Jana opened another bottle of Glenlivet and pushed it toward Lexi.

* * * * *

Grissom sat on his couch. Nash was presumably asleep in the second bedroom, and Grissom didn’t want to disturb the other man with his own personal problems.

He didn’t know what to do. In all honesty, when Jana had asked him about the other women in the unit he hadn’t even thought of Sara. He’d assumed Jana was talking about Catherine - almost everyone in the lab assumed he and Catherine had slept together at some point. They hadn’t, but they both knew if they tried to stop the rumors it would only make it worse. So they laughed it off and every once in a while would set the rumor mill flying just for a lark. But he’d backed off on that when he’d started dating Jana. She had been skittish enough without worrying about him and Catherine.

Gil propped his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. He had lied to Jana. He hadn’t meant to, but apparently he had. He didn’t know what to do. He’d called her house and left a message asking her to call him. She was probably ignoring him, though. This didn’t bode well - Jana could hold a mean grudge.

A noise made Grissom look up, and he saw Nash come into the room. The police captain headed toward the kitchen, apparently not noticing Grissom on the couch.

“If you want a beer, would you bring me one too?”

Nash stopped and turned to see Grissom sitting on the couch. “Sure,” Nash replied opening the fridge and grabbing two beers. He walked over and handed one to his host. “Actually, I was wondering if I could use your phone. It’s a local call.”

Grissom shook his head as he took a drink. “Go ahead,” he said when he was finished. “There’s a phone in the kitchen.”

Nash went back into the kitchen, picking up the phone and dialing the hotel. “Room 34800, please,” he told the operator. “Miss Webb,” he said when she asked for the guest’s name. The phone changed to a ringing tone and he waited for Lexi to pick up. It rang and rang, finally going to a recording voice telling him that the room’s occupant was not available. He waited for the tone to leave a message. He sighed. “Lex, it's me, I'm..uh, well, I'm working on a case.....I'll try to call or stop by later...”. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he hung up and stared at the phone for a second before rejoining Grissom, who was looking at him oddly.

Nash gestured back toward the phone. “Ah...thanks.”

Grissom raised an eyebrow. “‘Lex’? Something I should know about Sara?”

"Sara?" Nash had to think for a moment. "No," he hesitated. "I wasn't calling Sara.”

Grissom again raised his eyebrow as he took another sip of his beer. Nash looked back at the phone. “I don’t think I need to call Sara.” He glanced over at the other man. Grissom probably knew Sara better by now. “Do I?”

"Depends on what you told her when she left. And how....close...you two are."

Taking a seat, Nash realized the question under the comment. It was a good one, which years ago would have been harder to answer. “We’re friends. I don’t think she’ll worry if I don’t show up.” He tried to think of how Sara would react if he didn’t show up. She’d probably think he went back to the hotel. The hotel, he thought, I hope Lexi’s all right. He was hoping she had just passed out from over-indulgence of alcohol. “But then again, when it comes to women lately, I don’t know anything.”

Grissom smiled without mirth. "Welcome to my world, pal."

“You too?” Now it was Nash’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

Grissom sat there, wondering if he should say anything. Finally he shrugged. "Why do you think I was back at the lab so soon."

He’d figured that, so Nash nodded in response. “As long as there’s work to dive into......I never thought I’d be so glad to get a case, considering the circumstances.”

"I wasn't too happy to get this case at first, but now....” Grissom sighed. "It'll keep my mind off Jana, but keeps me from trying to work it out."

Nash chuckled, remembering what Sara had said about her boss. “Two workaholics, finally with something to do off-duty, retreating into a case as gruesome as this, and being relieved to have the distraction. That would be time for a vacation.”

"Yeah. Like a monastery, perhaps."

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Nash laughed at the comment.

Grissom smiled slightly. “But this is your vacation.”

Nash thought about his so-called vacation. Images of Lexi swirled in his head, from the diner to the other night in the hotel room to the pictures in Penthouse. “On second thought, maybe the monastery isn’t that bad an idea.”
* * * * *

Jana had woken to a monster of a headache and two anxiously whining dogs. Grimacing, she got up, noticing Lexi lying on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Quietly, Jana went downstairs and let Tilly and Evie outside.

Looking down at her two girls as they ran back inside, Jana noticed a package next to her front door. She picked it up and turned it over. Her name was written in block letters on the outside. Frowning, she went inside and upstairs, opening the package.

Lexi was getting good morning kisses from the dogs, something she clearly wasn’t used to. A word from Jana had the two backing off and racing into the kitchen for breakfast.

“Sorry about that,” Jana said as she slid the contents out of the package. “They’re a handful sometimes.”

“It’s okay,” Lexi said as she carefully sat up. She noticed the pictures in Jana’s hands and the puzzled expression on her face. “Something wrong?”

“I don’t know. I think I need to give these to Gil, though.”

“You sure you want to face him right now?”

“No, but I think this is too important to let my personal feelings get in the way.” Jana showed Lexi the pictures - the two snapshots of the murdered little girls, a snapshot of another little girl bound on a bed, and a family photograph of parents and three children. The heads of the parents were missing, but the three little girls all looked liked the ones from the other photos.

“I’ll go with you,” Lexi said. “But first - got any aspirin?”

* * * * *

Gil, Nash, and Sara were in Gil’s office trying to figure out the significance of the locket when Jana appeared in the doorway, Lexi standing behind her.

“If I’d known what was in the package, I would have worn gloves,” she said by way of hello. All three investigators turned to look at her. Jana entered, carrying the package in a plastic bag.

“What are you talking about, Jana?” Gil asked, surprised to see her at the crime lab. He would have been hopeful for their future by such a gesture, knowing how much Jana hated the building, but her words and expression were all business.

Nash had taken in the aggressive blonde, wondering at the defensive tone until Grissom said her name. This must be his lady friend he was on the outs with. Then he sucked in a breath when he saw Lexi standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. What was she doing here?

“I found this on my doorstep this morning, addressed to me. I guessing it has something to do with your decapitation cases.” She handed the bag over to Gil and stood back.

He took a pair of gloves out of his pocket and pulled them on. He looked up at Jana and noticed Lexi in the doorway. “Who’s that?”

“She’s a friend of mine. She was at my place when I found the package.” Jana didn’t want to be more forthcoming in front of Sara and the other man.

Sara was wondering how Lexi ended up at Jana’s house - and how Lexi knew Jana. For Nash’s sake, Sara was hoping the two women had met on a personal, rather than professional, level.

Grissom had opened the package and was staring at the photos. “These were on your doorstep?”

Sara and Nash leaned over to look at them. “Those are the same 3 girls from the picture in the locket,” Sara said, talking about the family portrait.

“Yeah. And he sent out a picture of his next victim, maybe?” Nash asked, gesturing to the picture of the girl on the bed.

“Sara...” Grissom didn’t even have to finish his sentence before the brunette was out of her chair, pulling on gloves.

“Dust ‘em for prints and get a copy of the one picture out to SF Missing Persons.”

“And ours too, just in case this guy has changed his hunting ground.”

“Right.” Sara slipped out the door past Lexi, nodding at the woman politely.

“Jana, thank you.”

Jana shrugged. “I only withhold evidence at the request of clients, Gil.” She turned to leave.

“Jana, wait.” Gil looked over at Nash, who took the hint immediately. He got up and moved toward Lexi. “Why don’t we get a cup of coffee,” he suggested to her. She gave him a look but moved out of the doorway and back toward the break room. Nash followed, shutting the door to Grissom’s office behind them.

Inside the office, Jana crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Gil. He came around his desk to stand near her.

“I’m sorry. When you asked me about the other women in the unit, I honestly thought you were asking about Catherine. You know how everyone assumes she and I....”

Jana looked at him, her eyes narrowed. “Have you?”

Gil stepped forward, rested his hands on her upper arms, and looked directly into Jana’s eyes. “I slept with Sara before she joined the unit; I’ve dated, but not slept with other women in the lab. I’ve never slept with Catherine.”

Jana just looked at him, but he could see her eyes soften a bit. He took that as encouragement and let his left hand slide up her arm to cup her jaw. “I should have told you about Sara. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Jana closed her eyes. “I know. But it felt like you were hiding something from me, and with Sara still working with you....”

Gil didn’t say anything. His patience was rewarded when Jana looked at him. “I’m sorry, too.”

“Can I ask you something?” Gil didn’t want to pry, and he knew he was getting into dangerous ground for a man who’d just been forgiven, but he had to know.

“What?”

“Why were you getting information on Sara if you were in San Francisco for a client?” It wasn’t the question he wanted to ask, but he was trying not to imply he had something to hide.

“You know I can’t give out client secrets. Let’s just say I was looking into someone’s past, and her name came up.” It was technically the truth.

Gil’s eyes narrowed. “Now who’s lying?”

Jana sighed. “What, do you want me to say I was investigating Sara?”

“Were you? And if so, why didn’t you come to me?”

“Gee, hello, client privacy. Even if I was, do you really think I would have said something? Client privacy aside, Gil, you work with her. You really think you could have refrained from saying anything to her?”

“So you were investigating Sara.”

Jana remained silent. Gil dropped his arms. “You talk about trust but you don’t trust me with the truth,” he said angrily. “How do I know you’re telling the truth about how you got these pictures? How do I know that you don’t have other pictures - with the killer?”

“If you really believe that, keep me and my friend here, get a warrant, and go search my home, my office, and my car. As I recall, you’ve done it before. But I can tell you what you’ll find - nothing. But you wouldn’t be searching for evidence in this case, would you?” Jana’s eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to Gil. “You’d send Nicky to check out my car and Sara to my house, but you’d take my office, wouldn’t you? You’d go through every file until you found out why I was in San Francisco.”

“I could just call their crime lab - you said the other night you were there.”

“Go ahead. Just remember, Gil, as I so recently learned - we don’t always like the information we get.”

* * * * *

Nash’s anger had mostly dissolved at the sight of Lexi, knowing she was all right, but she wasn’t talking to him. Though her arms were still firmly crossed, she did allow him to direct her towards the break room. With nothing better to do, he started to make both of them a cup of coffee.

She sat down on one of the couches, upset that he was apparently staying with Sara twenty-four seven. If he was working on a case, why didn’t he at least call her? Or couldn’t he extend her that courtesy anymore? She leaned back and sighed.

Nash was crossing to her and raised an eyebrow at the sound. Her eyes were closed, and she appeared paler than usual. Concern entered his consciousness, until he remembered the napkin. He sat down next to her and offered her a cup. Lexi was careful not to touch his hand as she took the coffee, and would not meet his eyes.

“I didn’t realize you had friends in town,” Nash commented, wondering how to approach the situation.

Lexi opened one eye and looked towards him. “Me either,” she replied, shutting her eyes again.

“Yep,” he leaned back into the couch, “First Nick Stokes, now Jana. Anyone else I should know about Lex?”

She’d opened her eyes wide enough to glare at him, but she didn’t respond immediately. “If you’re going to be with Sara for our whole vacation,” she finally spoke, “I figured I’d better find someone to spend my time with.”

He paused, the pain that was in her voice was enough to affect him. It was his turn to sigh as he reached out to stroke her hair. “I take it you didn’t get my message last night?”

“You called?” her eyes snapped open and without meaning to, she smiled.

The sudden mood change caught Nash off guard. He pulled his hand back and looked at her. The smile had been brief and was now gone. “Last night,” he searched her face, but a mask of indifference was firmly in place, “To let you know a case had come up, and I was asked to work on it here. But you didn’t get it? You were at Jana’s?”

She knew the underlying question that he wasn’t asking. Obviously, he now knew she’d met Nick, and was probably wondering about it. “For the most part,” she forced herself to smile slightly. Lexi figured, let him wonder.

* * * * *

Jana’s parting shot to Gil was an apt description to the state of mind of the eavesdropper outside his office. Sara had been on her way back to inform Grissom about her conversation with Detective Sanchez, and had heard Grissom and Jana arguing through the door. She was about to leave when Jana’s voice reached her loud and clear.

“What, do you want me to say I was investigating Sara?”

Sara had stopped. Jana was investigating her? Why? Then it clicked - Lexi standing behind Jana. Lexi angry at the diner, Nash asking to crash at her place after he fought with Lexi about her. Lexi must have hired Jana to check out Sara’s relationship with Nash.

She tuned back to the conversation in time to hear Jana say that she learned people don’t always like the information they got. Mentally, Sara groaned. If Jana had gone to San Fran and talked to her colleagues, then it was possible she got more than just information on Sara and Nash. Some of them knew the story of Sara and Gil - what little there was. But if Jana hadn’t known......no wonder she was so livid now.

Sara ducked out of way when Jana opened the door and strode angrily down the hall. Sara debating going after Jana, but wasn’t sure what she could say. All she could do was watch as the relationships of two men went up in flames because of her.

* * * * *

Jana walked down the hall, and saw Lexi sitting in the break room with the guy from Gil’s office. She popped her head in. “Hey, you still need a ride back to your hotel?”

Lexi looked at Jana, then at Nash. “Yeah, I do.”

She stood, and Nash stood with her, looking at Jana. “I’m Nash Bridges, SFPD.”

“Jana Stevens, LVPI,” Jana said with a small smile.

“LVPI?”

“Las Vegas Private Investigator.”

“Ah. So, how’d you two meet?”

“We were both vying for the attention of the same man,” Jana replied calmly. When Nash looked at her, stunned, she smiled, “then he called time and we finished drinking at my place.”

Lexi hid a smile behind her hand and stepped around Nash to Jana. She looked back at him. “I’m going back to the hotel.”

She and Jana headed back to the P.I.’s car. “Vying for the same man?” she asked.

“Well, you did mention he responds to competition. We don’t have to tell him the competition was gay.”

* * * * *

After overhearing the argument between Jana and Grissom, Sara had gone out behind the lab to sit and think. She wanted to apologize to Grissom and Nash for coming between them and their girlfriends, but on the other hand she didn’t want to cause more problems for them. Plus, she was upset with both Lexi and Jana - Lexi for hiring a P.I. and Jana for taking the case.

A shadow fell across her and Sara looked up to see Nash standing there. “You okay?” he asked.

“Just feeling a little guilty,” she said, moving over to make room for him. He sat down.

“Why?”

“Oh come, Nash. Lexi’s ticked at you because of me, and now Jana’s ticked at Gil because of me. I seem to be 2 for 2 in killing relationships this week.”

Nash sighed. “My and Lexi’s problems aren’t your fault, Sara. I doubt Gil and Jana’s problems are either.”

Sara leaned her head back. “Grissom and I slept together once in San Francisco. I don’t think he ever told Jana.”

“You think she found out? How?”

Sara looked out into the distance, not wanting to say anything that would make Nash and Lexi’s problems her fault. “I don’t know.”

“Jana’s a private investigator - could it have come up in one of her cases?”

Sara winced - Nash’s conjecture was a little to close to the truth. “I guess it’s possible.”

Nash sat quietly next to Sara, thinking. “You know, I wouldn’t put it past Lexi to hire a private investigator to look into your background. Would explain how she knows Jana.”

“Yeah,” Sara said quietly.

Nash looked over at her. “What say we get back to the case and leave the personal stuff until later?” He stood up and offered Sara his hand. She took it and got up.

“Good idea.”

* * * * * *

Lexi watched Jana as the P.I. drove down the Strip toward Lexi’s hotel. The woman’s jaw was taut and her knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

“I take it the private chat with Gil didn’t go well?”

Jana shook her head. “He wants to know how I found out about him and Sara. He’s not happy that I won’t say that I was investigating her.”

“Will you ever tell him?”

“That’s up to you. You’re still my client, Lex. I can’t tell anyone without your permission.”

Lexi sat for a moment, thinking about the past couple of weeks, especially the last few days. She had hoped so much for this trip to work some magic and reconnect her and Nash. Unfortunately, once Sara showed up at the diner, it had gone all down hill. Or did it just seem that way? She sighed, her and Nash’s problems might be beyond repair, but Jana and Gil had a history. Too much of a relationship to destroy on her behalf. “Do you think, if you told Gil the truth, about my case, that it would help?” Lexi looked at Jana. “I mean, you spent five years being mad at him. I don’t want five more on my conscience.”

“I’m not sure if it would help or not. Either way he’s going to be mad at me for taking the case and not telling him.” Jana paused as she made the turn into the hotel parking lot. “I think I need to tell him the truth, though, to show that I do trust him.”

“Then tell him,” Lexi nodded. “Don’t use my name unless you have to, but tell him.”

Jana turned to look at Lexi. “Are you sure?”

Lexi hesitated. She didn’t know much about Jana, but she trusted her. And she liked her. “Tell Gil the truth. I hope it all works out for you. And thank you for the ride.” Lexi got out of the car, “And everything else. Consider your case closed.”