Someone's Watching
Chapter 1
The engine roared to life as he turned the key in the ignition. Greg grimaced as he realized he had left his apartment without his cell phone. That ended his hope of arriving at the lab a little earlier than usual. It couldn't be avoided, he had to go back and retrieve it. He'd be like a fish out of water without his cell. As Greg opened the car door, he scooped up the mail he had taken from his mailbox on his way out of his apartment moments ago. He didn't have time to go through it, but he could at least place it on his counter for later. Greg wasn't normally careless with his mail, but he had been known to "misplace" importance correspondence when bringing it in after an especially rough shift.
He unplugged his phone from the charger and turned to head back out the door when he noticed an unusual envelope scattered along with the junk mail and his utility bill on the kitchen counter. Greg picked it up and gazed at the handwriting. It almost looked like it had been written by a child. "Huh," he thought, "no return address." He ripped it open and dumped the contents out in his palm. His breath stopped as his eye fell on what was inside. Work was the furthest thing from his mind as he slowly sat down at the table.
Russell wasn't really irritated, but it wasn't like Greg not to call in if he was running late or sick. He had already given out assignments for the other CSIs and was sitting down behind his desk to work on some overdue paperwork. He looked up just as Greg was coming through the open door to his office.
Glancing at his watch, Russell said, "Greg, two hours is more than a little late. You do realize I expect you to let me know when you're not going to be here at the beginning of your shift?"
"I've got to talk to you," Greg blurted, ignoring the question.
Russell eyed him for a moment. Greg's tensed expression and mannerisms told him something was undoubtedly troubling the young man. Nodding to one of the two chairs in front of his desk, he said, "Have a seat."
After being so anxious to talk to Russell moments before, Greg suddenly had trouble organizing his thoughts. His hands began to shake and his breath quickened. He glanced around the room as if mentally searching for anything to calm his racing mind. He found it difficult to the pull in enough air to satisfy to lungs.
Russell looked over his glasses to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Greg appeared to be having a panic attack. "Greg? What's going on, talk to me."
With a trembling hand, Greg placed the envelope on the desk. "This came in the mail for me today."
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