Part 8

Thank again to all the reviewers, it means a lot to me that you take the time to tell me what you think.

When Warrick got the call from Brass to grab some help and get over to Sara's as quickly as he could, this wasn't what he had expected to find. He had afraid that he would be investigating his friend's murder, not her abduction and two dead cops.

As they surveyed the carnage in Sara's front hall Brown wished he had been able to find anyone to come with him besides Greg. The newest CSI not only had had a crush on the brunette from the second she walked into the lab but she was now overseeing his training. With the split of the original night shift they had gotten closer and it was showing on his pale drawn face.

"Hey Greggo, you ok man?" Warrick could see the younger man turning slightly green. He could understand the reaction, he never wanted to step into one of his friends homes again and see something like that.

Greg could only shake his head, fearing that if he opened his mouth the clinching and lurching of his stomach would escalate into a full blown explosion. The spiky haired CSI managed to stumble out without contaminating the scene as his middle gave another violent flip. That was Sara's apartment. There was blood in Sara's apartment, blood on Sara's walls and Sara wasn't there.

Warrick waited for the younger man to pull himself together after empting his stomach over the rail before he joined him on the landing. "Look we're going to have to divide and conquer. Go back downstairs and process the car and Corporal Jansen. I'll work up here."

Greg looked like he wanted to argue for a moment but one look through the front door quelled it. Warrick didn't think any less of him for getting sick. It wasn't everyday that you walked into a friend's home to see blood spatter covering her deep purple walls and pooling darkly under a dead cop that was supposed to be protecting her. He watched him stagger down the stairs for a second before turning his attention back to the coroner.

"Time of death is approximately two hours ago. Officer Hankins' throat was cut with enough force to nearly decapitate him. TOD is the same for Corporal Jansen but his neck was broken." Doc Robbins informed them quietly, it just didn't feel right to speak louder. When Brass had requested that he personally come to pronounce and collect the bodies he had assumed it was because they were police officers. It wasn't until he had arrived that he learned the whole terrible truth.

"No sign of forced entry or a struggle inside the apartment. It doesn't look like the action got any farther than the front door." Brass spoke just as softly as the coroner had. He had been trying to control the fear and anger that had welled up in him the moment he had arrived and found the officer dead downstairs. He had run up the three flights of stairs, heart in his throat, to find Sara gone and a bloody mess inside her home. He hadn't thought it could get any worse until his phone call to Grissom. Now both women were missing and presumably in the hands of a psychotic rapist murderer. Of course he had opted not to tell Warrick and Greg about Catherine, he wanted their full attention on this crime scene.

Sara's small hallway didn't leave much room to maneuver but Warrick squeezed himself in beside the other two men. "There's blood on the outside of the door but none on the doorstep. The only blood on the landing are the footprints from the suspect and Sara. It looks like he was practically dragging her out of there. See the way the right foot is smeared. I'd say Hankins was inside, with the door open when his throat was cut and then Thomas forced her out." He started snapping pictures wanting to get the scene processed as quickly as possible. He would be glad to get away from the nightmarish images running through his head the longer he had to look at the blood on Sara's walls. He just didn't know how he was going to break the news to the rest of the team.

In the parking lot Greg was processing the car on autopilot. Sara had always been there for him, always had his back even when he was annoying the hell out of her. She would drop everything to help someone and he just couldn't believe that when she really needed him, he hadn't been there. He had let her down.

Sara had become more to him than just a friend, more than just a schoolboy crush. She was him mentor. The brunette had taken him under her wing to teach him the tools of the trade. She watched over him but allowed him room to try on his own before correcting him. He was sure that she would have gotten tired of answering his endless questions after a week or two but she was still right there with a ready answer and a grin on her face.

The only thing that was holding Greg together at this point was the fact that they weren't photographing her dead body. They still had a chance to get her back. He just wouldn't let himself think about what shape she might be in when they did.

Catherine awoke to a high school marching band in her head. She was in a small room with cold gray concrete walls, no windows and only a bare bulb for light. It took her a minute to figure out how she had come to be there. She had been walking toward the deli, had just passed a car parked on the side of the road, a blinding flash of pain and then nothing. She never saw who or what had hit her but she knew she must have been struck hard.

Trying to bring her hands up to inspect the damage Cath was stopped by the restraints binding her wrists to the small cot she was lying on. Terror shot through her like a bullet. The brunette had warned her, insisted she and Linds have protection. Oh god Lindsey! Was her daughter all right? Was she here? What about Sara? Had he gotten to her too? Had anyone missed her yet? How long had she been unconscious?

Her breath was coming fast and hard and her heart slamming was into her chest like a jackhammer. Catherine knew she was panicking. She was beginning to hyperventilate. She closed her eyes trying desperately to calm down. It wouldn't do her any good to pass out. She had just managed to slow her breathing when the door creaked open, making her gasp as she got her first look at her captor.

She shouldn't have been surprised but she was. The man looked normal. About six feet tall with dark brown hair and rugged good looks but his eyes set him apart. They were so cold and shining with what she could only think was madness that Catherine couldn't stop the shudder that ran through her body. The brown orbs were so dark they were almost black, soulless, and they were staring at her, through her.

Michael smiled at his prize. She was perfect. She would be the linchpin of his plan, the ultimate pawn. He was going to enjoy this very much.

Catherine recoiled as the man reached out and caressed her cheek. She had to swallow hard to keep the bile down. She had never been this frightened in all her life, not when she was dancing and one of the perverts got a little rough and not even when she had been attacked at a crime scene. This time she was on her own, there was no help in the next room or outside the door, she was alone.

"The fear in your eyes is intoxicating; I could drink it like a fine wine." Michael grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him when she would have turned away. "You have a beautiful little girl. She's going to be quite the heartbreaker one day I dare say just like her mother." He let his hand trail down her neck, stopping just before the swell of her breast before jerking his hand away. She was not to be his; she was a tool, a thing to be used to get what he really wanted.

"If you touch a hair on her head I will kill you." She should have listened to Sara; she should have sent the officer to her house. Oh god please let her little girl be ok. His laughter sent new chills running through her; she had never heard anything so evil.

"As much as I am loving this I have to tell you that she is much too young for my tastes. She's also a little too blonde as I'm sure you know I prefer brunettes. You now, hmmm, I could almost change my mind for you." It was the truth, she was an extremely attractive woman and the fire in her eyes made him want to break her but that would ruin his plans. He had spent to long making sure it would be perfect to mess up now. He only had to wait a little longer.

Catherine hadn't prayed since the night she had pulled Lindsey out of that half submerged car in the pouring rain. She was praying now.

TBC