CHAPTER ONE
04/24/2015 FRIDAY MORNING 7:00 AM
Nick was sitting in traffic waiting for the signal light to change so he could head home for some much needed rest. He'd just finished a triple shift and he was so ready for a hot shower and a full day's sleep. At least he hoped he could get a full day; he was off the next two days and he had a lot of things that needed done, but right now all he wanted was sleep.
He hadn't had too bad a time handling his case until he'd gotten that call from that annoyng reporter late yesterday evening. Right in the middle of his analysis of the video he'd been scanning for anything that would help him find the killer of the convenience store employee.
That woman just would not leave him alone and now she was calling him at work which was basically in the middle of the night for most people. Which meant she was staying up just so she could contact him. Nick had hung up on her again and then he'd had her calls blocked from work by Judy, the receptionist. He'd already blocked her number from his home phone and his cell, but he couldn't stop her from calling him at work. At least Judy was really good at screening their calls if they asked her to. She was great.
Nick didn't want to talk to Jessica Roarke. Not now, not ever. He didn't want to even think about why she wanted to talk to him let alone write about him. She had told him she wanted to write his story. What he felt; what he remembered. She wanted to write about what had happened to him ten years ago. She wanted him to relive that time all over again.
Nick had put a lid on that box and had buried it, figuratively. He'd let go of all the stuff he'd been through with being buried alive; all the emotions he'd felt and remembered; all the nightmares and the fears. He'd worked hard to escape from all of that in more ways than one and he didn't want anyone dredging it back up. He didn't carry that with him anymore and he wasn't going to let someone else go and dig it back up. Not for a any reason, least of all some nosy reporter.
No one on this planet could make him to re-live that time ever again. It had taken him a long time to get past the questions and stares people had given him after it had all happened and nothing was worth going back there to face any of that. Besides both Gordona and his daughter Kelly were both gone now and there wasn't anyone left to punish for what had been done to him. And he sure as hell wasn't going to punish himself.
The taffic light changed to green and Nick slowly pulled forward following the red GMC Envoy that didn't seem to be in any hurry to get anywhere. Tourist, Nick thought as he read the personalized Montana license plate: DAZL ME. Maybe they'd be dazzled if they'd move their butt a little faster and head on over to the strip. Nick just wanted to get home. His bed ws calling his name and he was so looking forward to answering that call.
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The driver of the Envoy looked in his rearview mirror and saw the blue truck following him a bit too closely. "He's following us way to close, Tom. What should I do?" He asked his one of his passengers.
The front seat passenger turned to look behind them at Nick's truck. "Nothing. We wait until we turn off this road where there's less traffic and fewer witnesses. You can hang in there for ten more minutes, Ross."
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DB Russell walked into his home to find his wife Barbara waiting to greet him.
"Hey honey, and how was your day or days should say?" Barbara Russell asked as she reached up and kissed her husband on his cheek.
"Yeah, days would be more accurate. I tell you, I'm really glad this case is closed now though, especially after everything that went on with it." DB answered as he pulled his wife close for a hug. He loved coming home to Barbara. She instinctively knew when he'd had a bad case and was always waiting for him with a kind word, a kiss and a warm heart.
"Tough one?" She asked, taking in the frown lines her husband still wore. He never seemed to fully leave his work thoughts at work, no matter how hard he tried.
"Aren't they all?" He replied as he tossed his keys on the buffet just inside the main hall.
"Child involved in this one?" Barbara asked with sympathy. She knew her husband and usually only victims that were children or the elderly got to him this strongly.
"Children." DB corrected her. "Three all under the age of ten; two brothers and their baby sister. Not good, but we got the person responsible." He sighed as he remembered the sight of the three small bodies found in the RV parked on the parking garage roof of the Mirage.
They'd been called when a security guard noticed the RV had been there an extended amount of time and RV's were monitored closely to be sure no one was using the parking lot as an RV park. It was known to happen when people lost all their money in the casinos.
DB remembered how hard it was seeing those babies and then how hard it had affected Nick more than the others when their bodies were moved. He'd seemed to have some kind of connection to the young victims and so DB, feeling that it wouldn't help the children or Nick to keep him on the case had moved him to lead on the convenience store clerk's murder.
At first Nick had been reluctant, but DB knew he could handle the clerk's case alone, and he also knew Nick wouldn't quit till he either found the killer or ran out of leads. Thank goodness they'd both closed their cases early that morning.
Barbara reached up and gently kissed her husband on his lips this time. "Well it's over for now and you'll be sure that justice is done for those kids." She paused to gently stroke her man's chest just over his heart. He was really a good man. "Jim called while you were on your way home. He tried your cell, but said didn't get an answer."
DB reached in his pocket for his cell and noted it was dead. "Dead battery. Great. What did he say?" He asked as he headed for the hall table and the landline located there.
Barbara took his cell and reached for the charger located in the drawer and plugged it in for him. "He didn't. Jut said it was important and to have you call as soon as you got in." She reached in the same drawer and pulled out a freshly charged backup cell for her husband. He was great, but the man could never remember to charge up his phone, so she always had a spare charged just in case.
DB picked up the receiver and dialed Jim Brass' cell and as he waited for the line to connect he smiled at his wife handing him the second cell. "Hey Jim. What's up?" He stood listening to what Jim was sayng, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Okay, I'm on my way now. I'll have Barbara contact Catherine. Can you call Ray? Good. I'll call the others in on my way back and get them to the scene. Can you send some men to Nick's place? Good. We may need Sara to contact - no maybe you're right. Okay, you call him instead. Thanks Jim." DB hung up the phone and turned to his wife. "Barbara, I need you to call Catherine and get her here. It's about Nick and it's...it's not good."
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Catherine Willows was sitting in her black SUV waiting in the heavy early morning traffic of DC. She just wanted to get past all the politicians as well as the tourists that were starting their day way to early to suit her. She still wasn't used to this city. You'd think she would be able to get used to it, after Vegas, but she hadn't. That's the way things went though. This city was booming night and day just like Vegas, just with a different endgame in mind.
She missed Vegas. Not so much the city that would always be her home, but more the people she'd left behind. She missed the lights, the music, the noise, but most of all she missed her crew. The people she'd worked with at the crime lab and the police had always been her family. She loved her job as an FBI agent, but she still found herself working cases from a criminalist's point of view.
Her boss thought that was what helped them solve their cases, because she forced all of them to look at things from the killer's point of view as well as the victim's. She smiled as she thought about what she had accomphished here and how Lindsay had acclimated to the city.
Lindsay, she thought with a smile. Her daughter was in her first year of law school, and she was doing terrific. Because of the money Catherine had inherited from Sam, and her part ownership in his casinos, she had been able to afford the best schools for her daughter. Lindsay was going to Harvard University School of Law. Catherine was so proud of her daughter.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell. "Willows." She said in way of answer. She listened to the caller intently. "Are you sure?" Yes, absolutely. I'll be on the next plane to Vegas. I have a plane at my disposal for such emergencies. I'm changing course now and heading for the airport. Tell DB I'm on my way and let me know if anything changes. Let me know anything at all. And Barbara...thanks for calling me." Catherine hung up and dialed he boss' number and while she waited to be connected she could't help but feel the blanket of despair draping over her heart. Not again, she thought. How could this happen to Nick again?
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Jim Brass sat at his desk in police headquarters staring at the phone in his hands. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard from dispatch. He'd just gotten off with DB then dispatch called in with more news of Nick. Jim needed to be at the scene, but he had to make another call first.
The woman at the scene, their only witness had been escorted back by the first patrolman that had responded. Jim had joined them in Ecklie's office a few minutes ago to go through the envelope that Ecklie had been given from Nick's truck. The envelope. he thought. God, this was happening all over and Nick was going through all of this again.
This call wasn't going to be easy, but he to follow the directions from the note. He had to make this call. He hadn't talked to Gil Grissom in months. Not since everything that had gone down with Ellie.
He knew Gil was back in Vegas, but he didn't know much more than that. He hadn't been in contact with him, and he'd tried not to talk with Sara about him too much. The man had made his choices and Jim could understand them. Ever since his daughter had killed her mother, his ex-wife he had understood how much this job could ruin a person's life in more ways than one.
Gil had needed to move on and now Jim was beginning to think he needed to move on himself. He had enough on his plate personally without adding work into the mix. And now, with Nick...
He sighed deeply as he punched in the number. While he waited for the man to pick up he couldn't help thinking of how unfair life had been to Nick Stokes... again.
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Sara Sidle turned to look at Greg as they both pulled into the parking lot of the CSI building for the second time in less than three hours. They'd been on their way home when they'd been called back by DB. Sara had requested that DB not tell the others what had happened until they were all back at work. She knew the emotions this would bring up and Greg and herself had been through this the first time. This time, she knew it would be even harder.
"Hey Greg. Heard anything?" Sara asked the lanky younger man.
Greg turned from his car to hold the door open for the Sara as she excited her own vehicle. "No, nothing. DB just said to meet him here. I'm not even sure why. He wouldn't say over the phone. Did he tell you anything?"
The older woman reached back in her car for her kit she'd moved to the front seat so she'd be ready in case she had to move quickly. She reached into the kit and pulled her cell out from her storage case she kept inside. she'd started carrying some of her personal items in the side compartment to avoid having to carry things on her person.
As she checked the phone for any messages, Greg watched her intently. He couldn't help but notice how she was avoiding looking at him. "Sara, what's going on?" He asked taking in the other CSI's demeanor.
"It's Nick, Greg," She said finally looked up at him. "He's been kidnapped."
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Nick noticed the Envoy seemed to be leading the way to his home. It was going the same way he was. It was like they were playing follow the leader. Something didn't feel right about this, but he brushed it off. He was just too tired right now, and that combined with that annoying reporter making him think of things he didn't want to think about, was probably messing with his head.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't realize until it was too late that the driver of the Envoy was hitting his brakes and coming to a screeching halt right in front of his truck. Nick barely had time to react as he quickly moved his foot from the gas pedal to hit his own brakes, but it was too little too late. He hit the back of the car causing his airbag to deploy just as his face come into contact with the steering wheel quickly causing his head to jerk backwards.
The last thing he saw before he passed out was the car stopping when he hit them and three men jumping out to run over to his truck. And they were all carrying guns. Not good, he thought. Not good at all.
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The driver of the Envoy, turned off the main road onto Drury Lane where the traffic almost immediately become non-existant. He felt more confident now that there were less witnesses around.
"Now!" Shouted the front seat passenger to him.
Ross hit his brakes and as soon as he did, all of the men prepared for Nick's truck to slam ito their rear bumper. The two rear passengers jumped out while Ross threw the car into park and then jumped out to join them. The front seat passenger proped a high powered rifle out his window in preparation for any witnesses or patrol cars coming to the aid of Nick Stokes.
The first man to reach Nick's truck quickly wrenched open the driver's side door and then quickly reached for the hunting knife strapped to his left side. He used it to cut through the seat belt that held Nick securely in his seat. The second man quickly joined him in gathering the unconscious man into their grasp and quickly carrying him to where the driver, Ross waited at the rear of the Envoy with the hatch open.
They tossed him in the back and Ross quickly ran back to jump behind the wheel while the other two men secured Nick's wrists behind his back with flexi-cuffs and place a piece of gray duct tap securely over his lax mouth.
Then as one man jumped in back with Nick the other ran back to Nick's truck and tossed a large package into the front seat and grabbed the keys from the ignition closing and locking the door to secure the vehicle before running back to jump in the waiting SUV.
As he jumped in the back seat, the car sped away from the scene accomplishing their task in a matter of mintes and feeling good knowing no one had witnessed what had just occured. At least that's what they thought as they missed the older woman standing in the shadows of the tree lined street watching the entire scene from start to finish not quite believing what she was seeing. She barely had time to realize what was happening as she pulled out her cell to call the police as the men were securing their cargo in the SUV.