Author's note: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I know this chapter is kind of short. I'm a little blocked as to how to proceed. Any suggestions and feedback is welcome.

LilKass

Previously…

Catherine gently hugs her. As she does so, she glances down at Chrissy's back, where her tank top has ridden up, revealing a butterfly tattoo. Catherine's eyes bulge as she recognizes the tattoo as one that one of the groups of hookers has. Her voice trembles as she speaks.

"Christina, what's this tattoo?

Chrissy's hand shoots up to pull the tank top down?

"Tattoo?"

"Yes, the butterfly on your back. Where did you get it?"

"Uh, I got it one night on the Strip after work and a party that I worked."

"Who were you with?"

"Why do you need to know that?"

"Christina Anne, just answer the question!"

"I was with the men I had just partied with and with the guy who organized the party."

"Who is he? What's his name?"

"I don't know his real name. We know him as Big D."

"Do you know what the D stands for?"

Christina shakes her head. "I might have heard it before, but I really don't remember."

"It wouldn't happen to be Donato Giordano?"

"I think that's it…yeah, that must be it. I heard someone call him Don G."

"Christina, do you know what that man does?"

"He organizes the parties where I work sometimes."

"He's also a pimp. That butterfly is the mark that he puts on each of the prostitutes that work for him."

"I already told you I'm not a prostitute."

"You get paid to party with those guys, don't you?"

"Yes, but that's not the same thing as walking the streets."

"No, it's not. But to put it bluntly, it's nothing more than glorified prostitution. Only difference is you are not standing on a corner."

"Mom, how can you even say that? I am NOT like those girls who walk up and down the strip. I don't walk up to guys and ask them if they want to get laid or anything. They come to me. They look for me and pay me to show them a good time."

"Christina, stop lying to yourself. You know that what I am saying is true. I'm not saying it to be mean, I'm saying it because I care about you. Some of the other victims also have the same tattoo and I'm concerned. We still don't know who that madman is. All we know is that he seems to enjoy preying on young women who make their money by dancing and then he kills them."

"Mom, I know. I know this person is a creep and that he kills girls. I know I was lucky to survive. I really don't need the details. I get it."

"No, Christina, you don't get it. And you are going to listen to what I am telling you. You're going to hear every detail. Maybe then you'll understand why I am so outdone by all of this."

Catherine pauses, expecting a smart remark by Christina. Instead, Chrissy looks at her with a resigned look on her face.

"Alright, Mom, you win. Always."

Catherine sighs before beginning. "Christina, this person takes great pride in humiliating women. He preys on women who try to earn a living by dancing. It seems like he observes this victims for awhile before he makes his move. He seems to know when each girl is expected to not be on stage…when each girl is going to be outside, alone with no one nearby to help. He takes his time. He beats his victims mercilessly, making sure to leave plenty of bruises and broken bones in his wake. He then rapes his victim brutally before beating her some more, inflicting even more damage. He then slowly kills the victim, making sure to take his time. He'll choke her until she is about to pass out and then he lets go, allowing her to catch her breath. He repeats this until he finally gets tired of the game and finishes her off."

"I remember him beating me and I passed out. Then I remember starting to wake up and feeling his hands around my neck. I guess I passed out again and then when I fully woke up, the paramedic was near me and you and Uncle Grissom came over."

Catherine nods. "With you, his plot went wrong. Best I can guess, something or someone interrupted him because he ran off before he knew for sure that you were dead."

"I got lucky…I guess I'm tougher than I seem."

Catherine raises her eyebrows. "That is NOT the case. He always makes sure that his victims are dead before leaving. I don't think he'd all of a sudden decide to be merciful. He definitely was interrupted and had to run or someone would see him. All I can say, Christina, is that you are very lucky that Sapphire came out when she did. If not, I'd be planning your funeral…my first baby."

"Well, thank goodness that wasn't the case."

"You aren't the least bit remorseful, are you?"

"Why would I be sorry? I wasn't committing a crime."

"Think about it…you LIED to me. You've been sneaking out and going to this secret job at the French Palace. I went to work as I do every other night thinking that you and your sister were safe and sound at home. I begin my night and Grissom tells me that we have another victim of the Strip Club Killer. I got there and saw the victim and was processing the scene. I was thinking to myself that the victim couldn't have been much older than you and my heart broke for that girl's mother, knowing that her world was about to come crashing down around her. I offered up a silent prayer of thanks that I didn't have to worry about something like that happening to my daughter." She pauses to brush away tears that are threatening to fall from her eyes before continuing with a shaky voice. "We were just finishing up the scene when I got a call that there was another victim. Grissom and I rushed over to the French Palace and as we were walking onto the scene, the paramedic realized that the victim was still alive. She called us over and I was silently rejoicing that this girl was lucky. When I saw the condition of the victim, I realized that it was nothing short of a miracle. She was beaten to a pulp and then I heard her crying and immediately, my thought was to comfort her just as I'd comfort you if you were crying. Little did I know that I would be comforting you. I knelt down and brushed the hair out of the girl's face and to my horror, I saw you. The same thing that I was feeling, sympathy towards a stranger for their daughter being in that situation, I was suddenly facing. My heart broke at that sight. There you were, barely clinging to life, and I couldn't protect you."

"Mom, it isn't your fault."

"If I weren't working at night, maybe I could have saved you the pain."

"Mom, you can't say that."

"No, I can't. See, I see so much of myself in you. From talking to you, it seems like you made up your mind that you were going to dance at the French Palace and my being at home wasn't going to deter you."

"Yeah, that's true." She ducks her head slightly as Catherine glares at her. "Well, there were a couple of nights when you were off. I climbed out of my window and Rocky was waiting for me and he drove me to work. There were a few times when I was coming back in that you nearly caught me. I'd just have walked in the front door when you were pulling up outside. Those were the mornings when you would hear me in the shower. That was the only way you wouldn't know that I had been out all night."

Catherine sighs. "I did a lot of thinking while you were in the hospital. In hindsight, I realize that I probably saw you many times when you were just coming in. I have to give it to you, Christina; you were good at not getting caught."

"Thanks."

"That was not a compliment. Think about it. If you had gotten caught before, you wouldn't have been at the French Palace and you wouldn't have been attacked."

"That's true. So, what's next?"

"What do you mean? You recover. You stop dancing. You have a baby."

"I mean with the case."

"With the case? I don't really know. I mean, you are the only person to survive. This guy never leaves any DNA behind. He makes sure to clean up this mess."

"But I thought you said he couldn't finish."

"He couldn't finish you off. He makes sure to clean up BEFORE he finishes off the victims. So, barring you having a sudden revelation as to who this guy is, the trail is pretty much dead. We almost have to wait for him to select another victim and to be sloppy and leave us a clue."

"Well, can't you ask about the people who go to the clubs?"

"Christina, outside of the people that you are paid to 'party' with, do you really know all of the people who come into the club and how often these people come in?"

"No, there are way too many people."

"Exactly. That's why we can't go based on what you girls observe. I remember when I was dancing, I wouldn't notice half of the patrons until one would pay for a private dance. Even if we'd narrow it down to people who acted strange, many people who frequent those clubs act in strange manners, but that doesn't mean that any of them is the perpetrator. So, all we can do is wait and re-examine evidence while we wait. You'll probably have to go to the station to give your story, but that's about it."