Hi again, I'm back amongst the living with a wicked Frankenstein scar up my spine in time for Halloween, 20 metal staples, ouch! Not the nicest surgery I've ever had.
To my faithful readers here Chap 3
Disclaimer: The usual one of owning nothing just amusing myself with them.
All Hands On Deck
Chapter 3
"What's wrong Sara?"
"Greg once said that we should think like Spiderman, a cryptic way of saying 'always look up' or in this case down.
Both looked down into the pit and Sofia didn't see anything, Sara had seen a small crack set into the wall of the pit, no one had noticed it before. The only question was…was it an access point? If so it was the only place not searched or cleared.
"Sofia, if someone is down there, waiting, then we should call for back up first."
"I thought that that's what I was here for? You are right though, you call for back up, I'll look for a way in."
Sara went outside to call for backup on her radio whilst Sofia searched for the outline of the door and the entry way. Having called for backup Sara went back inside to find the disguised doorway open and Sofia nowhere in sight.
'Sofia you are stubborn sometimes, you'll get your fool head blown off this way.'
"Sofia, you ok in there? Find anything?"
"Yeah I'm ok," came Sofia voice, tinged with what sounded like anxiety.
"Ok, just coming down the pit ladder now."
Sara had no idea what she was walking into, she had gotten into the pit when a man appeared at the access doorway, gun in hand.
"That's it lady, just keep coming towards me and through here. Try anything and I'll shoot you and your friend."
"Ok, just don't shoot ok?" 'Shit, some puzzle piece Sidle, I think you just wrapped the case, pity the back up isn't here.'
She walked through the doorway as instructed and her world turned black as the gun butt hit her head savagely.
-/-
Sofia was in trouble, now regretting her decision not to wait for backup. Foolishly she had used the pit ladder and climbed down to find the entrance to a disguised doorway. Behind the door lay a short tunnel leading to a few rooms. All rooms were slightly dusty but vacant. While she searched the rooms she was caught unaware by a burly man who wrapped one arm around her waist while pressing a knife to her throat with the other hand.
"Make one sound out of turn and it will be your last bitch, understand?"
Sofia whispered a 'yes' and didn't move a muscle although her mind was racing, trying to outthink this man.
"How many of you are out there right now, and remember if you aren't honest you'll die slowly."
"Just one more, she's not a cop though."
"Even better, less risk to me, now call her in here."
Sara then called down asking if she was ok or not.
"Tell her it's all ok and let her come in."
"Can't you leave her out of this? She isn't a cop but scientist and no threat to you."
"She's with you isn't she? So for all intents and purposes she's a cop."
The man had relieved Sofia of her firearm and now gave her leave to drop her tool belt. As soon as her belt hit the floor so did she, meeting it face first and splitting her lip. When she recovered her wits the man had retrieved her cuffs from her belt and was pinning her hands behind her back and cuffing her securely. "Now call her down here or you have a choice, I slit your throat then shoot her or I could do something worse."
"No, I'll call her, but I can't guarantee she'll come straight away."
"She'd better for your sake."
Sofia hated what she did next. "Yeah I'm ok Sara." God she hoped Sara would not come. Sara's reply was greeted with mixed feelings.
"I'll be right down Sofia. "
The man turned to Sofia and murmured, "If she isn't down here within 5 minutes, I'm going up there after her. Fancy your friend ending up looking like those other girls?"
As Sofia lay handcuffed on the floor, she waited anxiously as Sara was heard climbing into the pit then heard the kit drop and voices. Sara would have no time to defend herself, no time to reach her weapon. Inwardly Sofia cried, outwardly she maintained a look of grim determination to find a way out.
Sara scrambled through the opening and as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting she saw Sofia on the floor, then everything went black with a sickening crunch. The butt of a gun slammed into her temple knocking her out and opening a gash on her head.
"Nice to see a cop who can follow instructions. You two will be a wonderful start to my new collection, sad to say those last ones didn't live up to expectations."
The unknown male retreated from both Sara and Sofia, finding something in a toolbox and came back.
"Duct tape is wonderful stuff isn't it? I think kidnappers must have designed it really. Now Detective we are all going for a ride, a quiet one."
He plastered tape over Sofia's mouth and eyes then proceeded to tape Sara's wrists behind her back, bound her ankles and eyes.
"Sofia I'm going to let you walk of your own volition then I'll come back for this lovely friend of yours, try anything and kill your friend. Nod your head if you agree."
Sofia nodded her head and let herself be led out of the room they were currently in and down what felt like a long tunnel and up stairs into an adjoining building.
"That's what I like about these garages, they all join up. Thanks to prohibition. Now if you please I need your handcuffs."
He quickly taped her elbows then fluidly removed the handcuffs and replaced them with the tape. It was a very practiced movement, like ballet for kidnappers. Opening a car trunk he deposited Sofia inside and shut the lid before going back to Sara.
-/-
"Hey Grissom, have you seen Sara lately?" asked an out of breath Greg.
"She went back to the crime scene with Sofia, something about missing a piece of the puzzle."
"Oh hell, Grissom the piece she was missing she won't find. It was deliberately not left. I found a similar case to this in Philadelphia, right down to the garage pit. Same thing, the CSI went back for a missing puzzle piece, along with a Detective. The CSI was never found, the Detective was found a week later. He'd been stabbed and dumped. The CSI was female."
"Try their cells, I'll phone Brass for back up and we're out there."
The equivalent of all hell broke loose as both LVPD and CSI scrambled to the crime scene. Contact had been lost after an initial back up was called as a precaution. The first officers arriving on scene found no one and nothing. Inside was different, Sofia's car was over the pit with all tyres slashed. Two items had been left on the hood of Sofia's car. Sofia's badge and Sara's CSI ID, traces of blood were found on each one.
"I don't think she found her puzzle piece," Greg said.
"No Greg, but it looks like the piece found both of them. Now we have to find them before it's too late. Nick get this car back to the CSI Garage and strip it. I want a theory from each of you first. Why would Sofia's car be left over the pit, with slashed tyres. Neither she nor Sara would park it there."
Catherine spoke up first. "Something in the pit we are not supposed to find perhaps Grissom?"
"Then let's go and find what we aren't supposed to find."
Sorry there was no wireless internet at the hospital so I had to wait. Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway, Sara and Sofia bite off more than they can cope with. And for future chapters, I DID use a LV road map.
