Kirsten most defs rocks.
After a few hours of
sleep and a quick shower, the criminalists were back to work;
back to tepid coffee, back to stale air and fluorescent lights.
Warrick holed himself up with Archie while Brass decided to peruse
through some old notes over bad eggs.
Upon their return visit to Vargas Jewelers, both Grissom and Sara were surprised to find new display cases where the old ones had been. These were much bigger, brighter and classier. Grissom shared a suspicious glance with Sara; the criminalists removed their glasses and stepped up to the nearest display counter.
Several shoppers milled about looking at this and that and Grissom couldn't help but wonder if the recent press, grisly as it was, had tempted these people off of the Strip. Sara too glanced around, moving over to a case resplendent with rings. "Hey Griss-"
Just then, a woman appeared behind the counter, grinning brightly at her. "Hello and welcome to Vargas Jewelers!" Grissom appeared alongside Sara, about to state the nature of their business. "Oh my goodness! You're... you want an engagement ring?" The girl bounced up and down, just a moment or two away from clapping her hands excitedly, Sara was sure. 'Probably ex-cheerleader,' she mused tiredly.
Before either could get a word in edgewise, the girl was pulling out a tray from the case. "Oh, this is awesome! This is my first engagement ring fitting!" She pulled out another tray and laid it alongside the first one, taking a deep breath, as if the weight of the world depended on her actions during this supposed transaction. "This is so exciting," she cooed to herself and stood back.
Sara was taken aback by the entire situation and somehow seemed unable to formulate words, unable to tell the girl that no, they weren't getting engaged. "You look like a five!" Sara's lips pursed, the beginning of a loud 'NO!' but the monosyllabic response refused to surface.
"She's a four," Grissom suddenly said, but when Sara looked up at him, he was looking at the clerk, a fake smile edging up on his cheeks. "You said you're new?" Grissom pretended to glance down at the rings, one of his hands reaching behind to land upon Sara's back. She glared at him and sucked in a breath but he wasn't paying attention.
The girl turned around a moment later and Grissom glanced at her nametag, Amelia. "New to the city or just to Vargas's?"
"Oh, both. Enrique is my cousin actually," Amelia looked at Sara quizzically. "Don't you like any of them?"
Sara glanced to Grissom and he gave her a look. He was playing a little game with the clerk; if she found out that they were investigators, there was a great chance that she would freeze up and refuse to answer any questions. Earning her trust was a lot easier if she thought they were unsuspecting, friendly about-to-be's. "Oh, sure. That one's... gorgeous." Sara swallowed the bile that threatened to bypass her throat and emit itself through her mouth.
The girl's eyes lit up and she plucked the ring from its spot. "Of course it will need to be sized..." And she held the ring out to Sara who took it slowly, as if it were incendiary.
"I was just asking, Amelia," Grissom grinned at the girl and then looked at Sara, "Oh and that's beautiful hon, I was just asking because I'm in here from time to time."
"Oh, you come here a lot?"
Grissom smiled kindly and nodded. "You know, gifts for the lady." Amelia smiled and looked at Sara, who was far from beaming as well as bling-less. "Is Mr. Vargas not here today?"
She shook her head. "He's hardly here at all anymore. He came in while we were cleaning up the place, had decorators in from all over the place. Said the insurance payoff was good enough so that we could remodel."
Grissom nodded. "The decor is lovely." Sara toyed with the ring as it slid past her second knuckle, the gem catching the light. " I used to see him in here all the time." Though the metal was cool against her skin, Sara tossed it back at the clerk as if it had burned her deeply.
Amelia's face screwed up. "How's that? He's usually out in back, other than that he doesn't generally come in."
"I must be mistaken."
"Yeah," the clerk said, placing a tray back in the display case. "He's been really busy with the McAllister's."
Grissom plucked a ring from the plush tray and handed it to Sara, etching the name McAllister into his mind. "Here, try this one." She took it without emotion and slipped it on; nothing but a meaningless piece of metal... "The McAllister's, I think I know them, old friends of Mr. Vargas's."
"Oh I don't know, I just know he's with them days at a time. Dave runs this place when he's not around."
"Who's Dave?"
Amelia smiled and thumbed towards the back. "Hot guy, graduated from University of Chicago, just some business minded guy I guess."
"I see, I see. Well thank you so much for your help, Amelia." Grissom said sweetly, hooking his arm through Sara's. "We'll surely be back next week."
"Oh." Her face fell a bit at having not sold them a ring. "Well, don't be a stranger. We look forward to seeing you at Vargas's again! Good luck, ah, with the wedding!"
Grissom smiled and Sara nodded and they both slipped their sunglasses down over their eyes and emerged into the hot Vegas sun. Immediately, Grissom flipped open his phone and dialed Brass. "Jim, does the name David McAllister sound as familiar to you as it does to me?" There was a pause and then Grissom grinned. "I thought so. I'll fill you in when I get back," he said and flipped the phone closed.
Before Sara could even speak, Grissom explained. "McAllisters were involved in some money laundering 'round about ten years ago but they slipped through the feds' fingers; Vegas natives."
He expected her to smile, to say something, but she stood there straight faced, lips in an incredibly tight line. "Don't ever do that again," she said, voice hoarse. With that, she turned and started off towards the truck leaving Grissom bewildered.