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It was Greg's first night at Nick's place and since he was on a hiatus of sorts, he familiarized himself the layout of Nick's home. It was easy enough to negotiate through the hallways and different rooms without knocking anything over or bumping into anything. The pain was intense, but since Greg didn't want to take the painkillers that his doctor had prescribed, he had an ample supply of ibuprofen.
In the kitchen, Greg opened the fridge and saw that Nick was a take-out man. There were numerous cartons and food in Tupperware containers with food and leftovers. Since he didn't have a car, Greg pulled out his credit card and went online and ordered some groceries from Pea-Pod. By the time Nick would return home there would be a nice home cooked meal waiting for him. In the interim, Greg did a bit of cleaning around the house.
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Nick had a scene of his own and was hard at work dumpster-diving, looking for the hands and feet of a body that had been found in said dumpster. David had taken the body away an hour prior and now Nick was covered in filth and discarded foodstuffs. He smelled of rotten tomatoes and urine. He was wearing his jumpsuit, but had a feeling that the smell would permeate the suit and seep into his pores. He was nearly at the bottom of the dumpster when he started thinking out loud.
"Lemons, limes; citrus. Anything with citrus. And Lava, lots of Lava. Its got pumice in it and pumice is an exfoliant. Gotta' get the stench off me." he said, grumbling
Just then Grissom rolled up from his scene that was about seven blocks away. He climbed from his truck and grabbed his kit. Nick had no idea that Grissom was there until his cell went off. Fishing it from his pocket, he answered.
"Stokes. What!? I can't believe it. Well, apart from the body, I got nothing. Well, I do smell like dead fish and eau de urine. Where are you? Oh."
He stood up and popped his head out of the dumpster and saw Grissom standing there with a big grin on his face.
"Your dead body might be related to my scene. I found two hands and two feet in a plastic bag at the edge of a storm drain. God, you smell awful. So, climb out of there and take any evidence back to the lab."
Nick crawled out of that stink hole and picked up the evidence bags he'd collected. He'd found a purse with no identification, but lots of other stuff. He also found clothing and a pair of heels. He loaded the back of his truck and quickly covered the driver's seat with a sheet of plastic so the truck wouldn't stink. He drove at break-neck speeds to get back to the lab, so that he could shower before going over the evidence he'd collected.
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At the house that belonged to the old man that he'd killed, Crane made himself as comfortable as he could. There was no call that went out in regard to the old man having gone missing and by the looks of his house, he didn't have any family. There were no pictures of children or grandchildren. In point of fact, there were no pictures whatsoever. In his mind, he could stay there for as long as was necessary in order to accomplish his unfinished task. He knew, that first night, that Greg wouldn't be staying at his own apartment anymore, so it went to figure that he'd be staying with someone else. The trick was to find out where he would be staying and that meant a tail. But as Greg wasn't at the lab it would be difficult to figure out where he was. He might have to tail each team member to find Greg's location, but he hated leaving things unfinished and the current situation being as it was, he was growing more and more impatient everyday.
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At Nick's place Greg was checking the security of the house when the house phone went off. Greg checked the caller ID and recognized the number as being from the lab. He picked up and held a brief conversation with Grissom, who had called to check up on him and to make sure he was comfortable. Satisfied that Greg was safe and comfy, Grissom ended the conversation with a promise that he'd stop by at the end of shift for a different sort of conversation.
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Sitting in his new car, Crane watched as the team members climbed into their own vehicles and went home. Today he chose to follow Warrick home in hopes that he was harboring Greg, however, when Warrick arrived home, Crane parked a couple houses down the street so that he might survey the house. He waited until Warrick went inside, most likely taking a shower first. Crane took this opportunity to look through the windows and forced the back door open, which didn't take all that much force.
Hearing the bathroom door close and the spray of the water, Crane went briskly through the house and seeing that Greg was nowhere in sight, he left out the back door as quickly as he had come in, with Warrick none the wiser.
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Grissom had just pulled up in front of Nick's house when the front door opened and Greg stepped out onto the porch. After the greeting, they both went inside and sat on the couch and began to discuss the inevitable; Nigel Crane.
"We're still looking for him and that's when something struck me. Crane is obsessive compulsive and for him to leave a task unfinished is something he won't allow himself to do. There's the very real possibility that he's still looking for you and might go as far as to follow the other team members home in hopes of finding you. Now, you're safe here, for the moment, but I was thinking that we might bounce you back and forth between here and my place. We both have security systems and both our homes are well protected. I've just had a security camera installed just outside my front door with a monitor inside so that I can see my visitors. I think, my place is safer than here. Which is not to say that you're not safe here, but you'll be safer at my place. So, I'll help you gather your belongings and we can move you in with me."
Greg was unsure as to what he should do. He had been given the gracious invitation by Nick, but in a way, he had to agree with Grissom. With all the precautions he had taken to ensure the safety of his home, the best place for him would be at Grissom's apartment. While Greg gathered his gear, Grissom scribbled down a note letting him know that Greg was going to stay with him until Crane was apprehended.
They both climbed in Grissom's truck and set out for his apartment. Once there, Grissom took Greg's bags while Greg hobbled up the stairs and waited for Grissom to open the door. Once inside, Grissom took Greg's bags to the guest room while Greg took a look around. He had never been over to Grissom's and contrary to his office at the lab, his home was spotless; almost to the point of him being a neat freak. Greg heard Grissom call to him from down the hall and followed his ears. The guestroom was large enough, with a queen sized bed, a nice wardrobe and a private bathroom.
Greg was tired beyond all belief and once his bags have been stowed, he lay on the bed and took the time for a nap. It wasn't until hours later, when he woke, Greg realized that he was in unfamiliar surroundings. He hobbled to his feet and grabbed his cane and went out to the main living area to find Grissom at his work table playing with his butterflies. Hunched over the edge of the worktable he looked deeply engrossed by something. With his headphones on, Grissom was listening to a tape; the tape from Nick's abduction. He was trying to identify the second voice on the tape. If he could identify the second voice then they'd have a suspect to charge in the kidnapping and attempted homicide of Nick. Grissom had been driving himself crazy trying to figure this out but every time he thought he had something he lost it.
Unaware that Greg was behind him, he jumped when he was tapped on the shoulder. Quickly removing his headphones, Grissom spun round' and looked at Greg. At present Greg was leaning against one of the metal bookshelves. Grissom smiled wide.
"So, you're awake. Are you hungry? Want some coffee?" he offered
"No thanks, man. I'm good. I just can't wait to get back to the lab. I'm going out of my mind sitting around doing nothing. I feel like a lump. Even if its just working in the lab; I'd rather be there than here. No offense intended. I just feel like I need to make myself useful." he said
"I know exactly how you feel. When I broke my leg a couple of years ago and had to stay home, I went nuts. So, after a few days I started going back into the lab and restricted myself to desk duty. That helped me stay sane." Grissom explained
"So, I'll go into the lab and restrict myself to desk duty; you know, stay in the lab."
"That's fine with me. Just don't take on more than you can bear."
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It was time to go in and both Grissom and Greg went in. Unbeknownst to either of them, Crane was sitting in an empty parking spot near the entrance to the lab lot. He was watching every car that came in and when he saw Grissom come in with Greg as his passenger, he sat up straight and watched where they parked. Now he knew that Greg was staying with Grissom. The trick would be how to get Greg to leave the lab or get him alone.
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In DNA, Greg was doing his thing when his cell went off. He opened it up to see a text message from Nick to meet him in the vehicle bay. He hobbled down the hall and around the corner and when he looked into the room, he noticed that the garage door was open, but Nick was nowhere in sight. He called out but got no response. Cautiously, he stepped down and made his way around the room. There was a car up on the rack and as Greg went to take a closer look at it, that's when it hit him from behind. His head was slammed against the rear bumper and he hit the ground. He was semi-conscious when he felt the first blow hit him in the side. Instinctively, he curled up in a ball while he endured his beating. He sustained several blows to the head and opened his eyes to see a brief flash of a pair of bolt cutters coming towards him. He felt a sharp pain in his left arm as well as his side and left thigh bone. His cast had been shattered and when he opened his eyes a second time he saw the business end of the cutters coming down on his hand. He called out for help, but no one came. His assailant began to beat him about the face and torso with his fists, and that's when he felt what felt like a chain around his neck. He could hear the pulley and chain rattling as he was hoisted up off the ground and forcibly lifted up off the ground and into the air.
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Grissom had just stepped out of his office and was walking down the hall when he heard the commotion in the vehicle bay. He ran back to his office, grabbed his gun and hot-footed it to the vehicle bay to see Crane hoisting Greg up. Aiming his gun at Crane, he shouted.
"Drop the chain. Drop the chain or I'll fire."
Crane just looked at him with a blank expression on his face while he continued to hoist Greg up. Grissom fired once and hit Crane in the shoulder. When he didn't drop the chain, Grissom fired a second time, he hit Crane in the leg. Crane dropped the chain and grabbed his thigh. Seeing Grissom approaching him, Crane ran as fast as he could, out of the open bay door and into the dead of night.
On the floor, Greg lay battered, bruised and broken in several places. He was in far worse shape than he was after his first beating. Kneeling beside him, Grissom called 911 from his cell and while he waited for the bus he ran to his office for his kit so that he could "process" Greg for any sort of evidence that Crane may have left behind; anything that might give them a clue as to where he was staying.
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Pulling up to the back end of the lab, the bus parked and paramedics jumped out and brought a gurney with them. They secured Greg's neck and rolled him onto a backboard. They carefully loaded him onto the gurney and into the back of the bus. The sirens went on and the bus flew from the back lot to the hospital. Grissom followed in his truck and on his way he sent out a blanket text message that Greg had been attacked again and that he was on his way to hospital.
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As Crane drove back to the house he was bleeding. He told himself that the first thing he needed to do when he got back was to remove the bullets. He pulled into the drive and exited the car. He went inside and looked around for a pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers. He found both and as he sat on the toilet seat he removed the bullet from his leg and sewed himself up with needle and thread. He got up and faced the mirror above the sink and removed the bullet from his shoulder with the pliers. The bullet dropped into the sink and as he looked at his wound he was livid. As he sutured himself again he told himself that Grissom would pay for interrupting him when he had almost finished his task.
All sutured up and the bleeding having stopped, he went to the basement in search of a certain method of destruction; dynamite. It wasn't uncommon for people in Vegas or the outlying suburbs and countryside to have dynamite, as there were many gold mines in the surrounding areas, some on private land, some on public land. Crane found what he was looking for and began to construct a bomb that would most assuredly eliminate the Grissom element.
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At the hospital, Greg was in the OR having pins placed in his leg, arm and hand. His initial bruises had just begun to turn a lovely shade of deep purple and now he had more bruises on top of them. He had a shattered eye orbit, a broken jaw in two places, a skull fracture on the back of his head and several other, compounded wounds and fractures.
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Back at the lab, Nick had just returned and learned that Greg had been attacked and that Grissom had gone with him to hospital. He immediately placed his evidence in safety and then went to hospital where he found Grissom in the family waiting area filling out forms. He took a seat beside him and let out a deep sigh.
"What happened?" he asked simply
Turning to Nick, he tried to get past the lump in his throat so he could explain.
"Apparently, Greg was in the vehicle bay when he was attacked by Crane." he said
"How'd Crane get in?"
"The garage door was open." Grissom replied
"What was he doing in the bay?"
"I wondered the same thing. I found his cell phone on the floor and when I opened it there was a text message from you asking him to meet you in the bay." Grissom explained
"A message from me?"
"Yes. I think that's how he lured Greg out of DNA and into an area that was more secluded so he could finish his job on Greg. When I got to the bay Crane had a chain around Greg's neck and was hoisting him up using the pulley. I trained my gun on him and ordered him to drop the chain but he wouldn't do it, so I had to shoot him. I shot him twice." he explained
"You shot him and he didn't drop the chain?"
"Not until the second shot hit him in the leg." he replied
"If you shot him, that means he's bleeding. I'm going back to the lab to process the bay and the outside area. Maybe we'll get lucky and find out how he got there and how he's getting around." Nick said, standing up.
Nick left the room and headed back to the lab where he went straight to the vehicle bay. Sure enough, there was a blood pool with drops leading away from the bay and outside. Nick followed the trail until it stopped. Shining a very bright light on the ground, he saw tire marks from when Crane laid rubber out of there. He also found some dirt on the ground as well as a receipt on the ground from a gas station. This was a great clue, as it might give them some sort of idea as to where Crane was holed up. The address for the station was in Henderson and dated that day at 6:pm.
Nick jumped into his truck and drove out to the gas station and showed the receipt to the attendant.
"Do you remember this sale? A guy, about 5'8, black hair, black rimmed glasses, average build, probably a little squirrelly." Nick asked, showing his ID
The attendant remembered the sale, sure enough.
"Yeah. Some little guy. Really nervous. Paid cash. Filled up at pump number 4." he said
"Do you remember which direction he came from?"
"Yeah. He came peeling in here from the East."
"Do you remember what kind of car he was driving?" Nick asked anxiously
"No, but I've got the security tapes. You can have a look at them." the attendant offered
Nick was led to a room in the back where he sat at a desk and viewed the tapes from that night until he came to where Crane pulled in. He was driving a new model Ford Crown Vic. He couldn't quite make out the plate, but he got a partial; the first five. He asked the attendant if he could take the tape with him for evidence and the attendant had no problem with it.
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Back at the lab, Nick was in the A/V lab with Archie trying to sharpen the image of the plate on Crane's car. If they could get a clear reading, then they could get an address and arrest the bastard. After a few minutes of tweaking the image they came up with a clear view. They ran the plate number and it came back as a Ford Crown Victoria, registered to one Edmund Abernathy. The address was just outside Henderson, close to Hoover Dam.
Nick immediately called Brass for a search warrant and gave him all the pertinent poop. Brass bootstrapped a warrant and within an hour Nick, Warrick, Brass and several officers were on their way to arrest Crane.
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The driveway was long and well worn. They drove down the drive with lights and sirens off and parked just outside the view of the house. Brass climbed out of his car with a pair of binoculars and looked at the house from behind an old, rusted out truck. There was no car near the house, which probably meant that Crane was away. However, since they had their search warrant, they exercised it. All the cars converged on the house and that's when they saw a separate structure that could be used as a garage or car port.
Two officers checked the "barn", for lack of a better term, and found nothing. At the same time, Jim Brass kicked in the front door of the house and was followed in by a team of officers. The house was swept and found to be clean, with no evidence of Crane.
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Slowly driving down the drive, Crane spotted the police cars and dust that had been kicked up by the vehicle activity. He saw no officers outside and figured he hadn't been seen, so he backed out of the drive and towards Vegas, dumping it under a bridge and walking through the city. Now that he had been found out he had to find another place to stay. That's when he remembered where he used to live and the little old lady that lived next to him. He knew that she had no family to speak of and figured that she'd be an easy enough target for him.
He had ditched his glasses for contacts and as he approached his old house he wondered about the old lady. He didn't want to kill her but if push came to shove, he might have to. He'd much rather bind her and stick her in a closet or something.
Walking round' the back of the back of the house, he jimmied the door open and walked through the house until he found the old lady in the living area drinking tea and eating biscuits. With some duct tape that he'd brought with him, he taped her mouth from behind. She didn't put up much of a fight and he went on to tape her eyes and lead her into a large closet where he taped her hands and feet, then closed the door. He'd take care of her, as she was always nice to him. He'd feed her, giver her water and lead her to the bathroom several times a day. He hated that he had to do this to her, but his options were slim and he knew that the police would never look for him in his old neighbourhood. He figured they'd think it would be foolish of him to return to his old stomping grounds.
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The house was clean and Brass couldn't help but kick himself for wasting a warrant. After the house was completely swept and nothing found, they all left and returned to the city. As Brass sat in his office thinking about what could have gone wrong, his cell went off. It was Grissom calling from the hospital to say that Greg was out of surgery and in pretty bad shape. He was more or less in a body cast and his mouth had been wired shut. He was still unconscious, but he was stable.
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At the lab Nick was trying to think of where Crane might be. Since he could no longer stay at the old man's house, he thought that Crane might return to the familiar. His house had been sold and that's when he remembered the little old lady from next door that spoke so kindly of Crane. He got up from his desk and went out to the lot and got in his car. With Crane's face plastered all over the news there were few places he could hide.
On his way to Crane's old neighbourhood Brass wondered if Crane would really be stupid enough to return to what used to be a crime scene. Pulling up in front of the old lady's house he noticed that the front door was slightly open. He got out of his car slowly and drew his gun. He walked up the stairs and nudged the door open with the toe of his shoe and entered the house while announcing his presence. He didn't find Crane, but on his way out he thought he heard a mumbling coming from a closet by the front door. His gun trained, he carefully opened the door and found the old lady bound and sitting on the floor. He introduced himself and then called for back-up.
Minutes later police cars arrived followed by a Denali from the lab. Catherine and Warrick exited the vehicle, kits in hand and entered the house. Warrick carefully removed the tape from her eyes and mouth and then from her hands and feet. He carefully placed the pieces of tape in evidence bags while Catherine processed the rest of the house. Brass asked her if she knew the person who did this to her and she named Crane. She said that he was uncommonly nice for the actions he was committing. Luckily she had only been in the closet for s few hours and there was no physical trauma.
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Driving down the street Crane could see all the police cars and decided to drive past the house. He drove towards the desert and ditched the car by the side of the road and got out and begin to hitch. Walking by the side of the road for about half an hour Crane was thinking about how he'd find a new place to stay and how he'd finish Greg off. He was in hospital and that posed a serious problem. How would he get in, do his thing, and get out without anyone noticing him? With all his efforts having been put forth and stopped at every turn, he was beginning to get seriously pissed off. He figured that Greg wouldn't be watched the entire time he was in hospital, so he'd park in the employee lot and wait for an orderly to come in. He'd knock them out, change into their clothes. With his contacts in he'd be harder to recognize and he might be able to get close enough to Greg to finish up. He knew that he'd be hooked up to monitors and the like, so he settled on a simple plan. An empty syringe and an air bubble into Greg's IV would do the trick.
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Grissom got up for some more coffee, leaving Greg alone for the moment. It was in that moment that Crane, dressed in scrubs, entered the hospital and made for the ICU. Having grabbed a syringe from an obliging utility tray, Crane made his way closer to Greg. Pulling back curtain after curtain, he finally found Greg in bed and unconscious. He pulled the syringe from his pocket and moved closer to Greg's main IV line. He punctured the line and introduced the air into the line. Figuring his job was over, Crane swiftly walked back down the hall and out of the building, heading straight for his car. Satisfied, he drove out of the lot and headed away from the hospital to parts unknown.