A/N: Mwahaha, new chapter. I love my villain and so does Evil Hat. He's being very bad lately. Time to see how the team are getting on and I think we might get a little peek at Grissom and how he's doing (probably no very well, lol).

Thank you for all the great reviews. I love them! Pleaaaaaaaaaseeee keep them coming. Your thoughts are what make me write, without them I fade into nothing. Why write if people don't read?

This chapter is unbeta'd so all and any mistakes are ALL mine. I hope there aren't too many.

So let's go :)

Chapter 8

Sara glared at Basderic through the glass, her fingers clenching into tight balls. He'd brought so much pain into her life and she knew he was dead set on destroying her and everything she had ever loved.

The photographs she had just found bothered her immensely. For what they reminded her off, yes...

A terrible, drunken mistake. A mistake she wished she could take back, a drunken kiss she wished she hadn't given. An acquaintance she should have pushed away even more so upon their second encounter.

But spur of the moment choices were different to the norm of her real life. But the way she had felt lately hadn't helped. She had her reasons, not that they made her feel any better. Even though Grissom had pushed her away for what reason, she still didn't know but getting drunk and smooching a stranger was not who she was or who she wanted to be.

Sadly, loneliness and too much alcohol always made her into a different person.

What was also tearing her up was how did the pictures get into Grissom's case? She had no idea if Basderic had been in contact with Grissom somehow prior to this happening and sent him the pictures. So in essence, her husband could already know about Taylor Wynard before she'd had chance to explain. Or, Basderic had planted the photographs in the luggage after taking Grissom, teasing her. He knew they would be found.

It played havoc with her feelings and she hated him more and more just by thinking about it.

Suddenly, Basderic looked in her direction and she took a tiny step back. He stood and slowly walked towards her. It baffled her as he stared through the glass, looking right at her. He couldn't see her. How did he know she was there?

A grin formed on his lips and he raised his left hand. Sara watched as he ran his right thumb and index finger over his left ring finger. As if moving a ring up and down that wasn't even there.

Instinctively she looked to her own hand and her eyes passed over her wedding ring. She had removed it for a few short days after the whole Wynard incident but promptly slipped it back onto her finger. She felt so empty without it.

He opened his mouth and mimed three words to her. Sadly, he was facing away from the camera so she could never prove it. She'd had enough experience though with lip reading, so she knew exactly what he'd just said.

All for you.

His grin got bigger and his menacing eyes glistened.

Her heart missed a beat. That's exactly what the kidnapper had said to her on the phone.

Now she lost all her composure, her nostrils flared and she bolted for the door to the room.

Brass and Russell just happened to round the corner of the corridor as she did and they both spotted her.

"Sara!" Russell shouted just as she barged through the door. "Shit..." He ran along with Brass to catch up with her.

She went right for Basderic as he squared himself against the mirrored window. "You son of a bitch!" she barked.

But, Russell was quick and was behind her just in time to grab her before she got any further. She fought him, making a desperate grab for the suspect.

Basderic simply and calmly took a few more steps to his left to greaten his distance from her.

"Where the hell is my husband you bastard?!" She continued to try and pull away from her boss. "I know what you're doing!" she informed him angrily.

"Jim..." Russell urged.

Biting down on his tongue, Brass took Sara's right arm as Russell took her left. "Sara stop!" the supervisor warned as she continued to struggle.

"Get her outside," Brass directed as the female CSI refused to let up.

"Where... is he?" she shouted. She kicked out; managing to catch a chair and it went flying across the room.

Greg ran in, hearing the commotion just as Brass and the senior CSI managed to pull Sara to the door.

"Give us a hand, Greg..." Brass said quickly.

"Jesus...what the hell's going on?" the young man asked. He then saw Basderic and got it right away.

"Sara, this isn't going to help Grissom," Greg said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder trying to calm the situation. "And if you ever want to see him again you need to calm down."

She seemed to hear his words and her fighting ceased although the fury on her face remained as she shot her friend an angry stare.

"This won't help..." Greg held out a hand. "Come with me..."

Hesitantly, Russell released his worker and then nodded to Brass to do the same. Luckily for both of them Sara allowed Greg to take her arm and lead her out of the room.

"Take her to my office," Russell advised.

Greg nodded.

Sara shrugged him off the second they were out of the room but she didn't run or anything.

"Sara, what are you playing at?" Greg questioned as they slowly walked down the corridor.

"Fuck off, Greg," she said bitterly, shooting him a look a death. "I'm really not in the mood." Her last words came on a sob and her pace increased as they headed towards the boss man's office.

Basderic pulled on his shirt collar, stepping away from the glass. "And I'm the one who has the restraining order?" he questioned. "I should have her arrested for assault."

"She didn't touch you," Brass interjected.

Basderic smirked. "But she would have though, wouldn't she?"

Russell picked up Basderic's jacket and threw it at him. "That's all the questions we have for you right now. But don't go leaving town will you?"

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it," the younger man said smoothly. "Not when I'm in the presence of such delightful company..."

Brass walked right up to him and stood very close. "What do you mean by that?" he questioned getting the sarcasm in Basderic's answer.

"Jim..." Russell warned.

The captain backed away and Basderic smirked again.

"Just one more thing," Russell said. "Can I take a look at your shoes?"

Basderic looked to his feet with a frown. "What?"

"Your shoes...can I see the soles?"

"No." The suspect shook his head and simply sniggered. "I'm not giving you anything without a warrant and if you want to talk to me again, you can go through my lawyer." He side stepped the captain, slipping on his jacket.

"We'll do just that," Russell replied bitterly. "You may well be required for a line up."

Basderic stopped dead at the door on that last comment. He thought for a moment. "As you brought me here...you need to give me a ride home..."

Now that irritated Brass. "Get a cab," he muttered.

The younger man licked his lips. "Are you paying for it? Or maybe I should go ask your boss. I'm sure he'd be elated to see me and hear the wonderful stories I have to tell about how his CSI's conduct themselves..."

Brass sighed. "Fine," he snapped. "I'll see you when I get back," he said to Russell.

"Oh..." Russell remembered something, "...talking of rides. What car do you drive Ronald?"

Basderic simply smiled. "A Toyota Corolla. Why, is that a crime too?"

Russell shook his head, pouting. "No, no crime just, curiosity. I'll be seeing you..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell marched to his office to find Greg sitting on his desk and Sara pacing back and forth biting on her finger nails.

Instantly Greg stood upon seeing his boss and by the firm stare in the older man's eyes, Greg knew he was not happy.

Sara slowly came to a stop catching her boss's eye line.

Holding out his hand, Russell glared at his female CSI. "I want your ID and your weapon and I want them now," he demanded.

Sara blinked at him. "What?"

"I warned you what would happen if you went anywhere near him, Sara." He pulled his glasses from his face. "If he wanted to, he could probably get your ass fired right now. Everything you just did will be on the damn cameras..."

Sara wanted to argue with him, the absolute hatred for Basderic that flooded through her veins wanted her to. But he was right. She had promised not to go near the man and she had broken that promise. Arguing with her boss would not get him to change his mind.

But maybe another approach would.

"Russell...I'm sorry," she said as sincerely as she could.

He took a step back looking surprised.

"You're right. I...shouldn't have done that but he...he just about told me what he'd done." She pointed out the door. "Through the glass - He said 'all for you' to me. Now that's exactly what he said on the phone call, you know that's what he said and I just snapped. He was taunting me. He wanted me to flip out."

"And you gave him exactly what he wanted," the supervisor counted immediately. He frowned then. "Hold on - he spoke to you through the glass?"

Sara nodded.

Russell shrugged. "But how did he know you were there?"

Now she sighed. "I don't know. He just did and...he..."

"And he what?" Russell was quick with his questions, his frustration with her still obvious.

Why bother telling Russell about the finger gesture? It wasn't going to help anything. He didn't seem to believe what she was saying anyway.

"Doesn't matter," she sighed. "But..." She held up a pleading hand, "...please don't suspend me. I'm sorry, okay? I have to help with this. I will go insane if I'm not and it will put us a man down trying to find Gil."

Russell wasn't heartless but he was professional and he had his limits. He held up a single finger. "You go near him again, just one more time without my authorization and you will be on leave until this case is over. I am putting my own ass on the line for you. Do you get that?"

Sara quickly nodded. "I know he did this," she braved to say. "And I think you know it too."

He didn't exactly answer the question but he gave a vote of confidence. "Then let's find some proof." He looked to Greg. "You got anything from the CCTV yet?"

Greg shook his head, "The CCTV from the lab of the package being delivered is useless. It could be anyone. Just looks like a normal guy. His face doesn't pull any hits or previous. For all we know he could have been pulled in off the street."

Russell sat on his desk as Sara folded her arms across her chest. "Nick spoke to the cab driver who delivered the envelope to Grissom."

Sara perked up. "Does he know where Gil is?"

Smiling sympathetically, Russell scratched the top of his head. "I doubt we'd be sitting here right now if he did."

"So what does he know?" Sara questioned.

Russell shrugged. "The guy works 7am to 7pm. He says that's the best time for fares. Just after 11am he grabbed breakfast and went back to his cab to find an envelope on the front seat with a set of instructions along with $200 and the promise of another $200 if he does what the instructions asked him to."

"Are you kidding me?" Sara asked astounded, not quite believing what she was hearing. "He found a mysterious package and a random set of instructions and just decided to..."

"Yes," the supervisor cut her short.

Sara shook her head. "Has he ever heard of a security risk?"

"Obviously not," Greg added.

"And you believe him?" Sara argued.

Russell nodded. "I actually do. He said it was easy money and couldn't see the harm in it. He simply had to wait for Grissom, give him the envelope and then call a number if and when anyone arrived asking questions about the flight from Peru."

"And he found nothing odd in that at all?" Sara complained.

Now Russell sighed. "He isn't the sharpest knife in the box. He has a family and will take whatever easy money he can."

"I'm presuming he can prove this?" Sara continued.

"He said the instructions are still in his cab and..." He glanced back to Greg, "...you need to find that on the CCTV - who put the package in his vehicle if it's on there. I don't know if there was a camera near his cab or not but that could give us our man. And see if you can trace the cell number he called. Nick has it."

The young CSI stepped away. "I'm already on it," he said disappearing from the room.

Sara held a hand to her forehead feeling a headache coming on. "How did he get the second $200 after doing what he was asked? And...why did he even bother? He could have just took the money and not done it at all."

"Well, if he was found once, he could be found again if he screwed whoever was paying him. He has enough passed experience to know you don't bite the hand that feeds you. And, the second $200 is yet to be seen. No one has handed it over to him yet."

Sara snorted. "I doubt that's likely to happen now. I presume you let Basderic go?"

Russell stood. "After your little performance I didn't have much of a choice. So yes. But if we get something solid enough, pointing to him, I'll bring him back in." He picked up a pad from his desk and scribbled a few notes down. "And he's threatened to lawyer up, so we are well into the ball park."

"What about the line up?" Sara asked now.

"I'll talk to Ecklie when he gets in but I'm certain he is going to want something a little more concrete than our guts unless he is willing to go on the maybe of Maggie Williams..."

"You never know..." Sara blew out a breath. Every second that ticked by meant another second her husband was in the hands of that maniac and they were no closer now than they had been hours ago. "So what now?"

"We carry on processing. You get back to the car; I'll catch up with you when I've checked to see if anyone else has anything yet. Then I'll talk to Ecklie once I know where we stand and hope we either have something that will get us the line up or he's in a very good mood."

"Okay." Sara responded with a nod. "Although Ecklie may go with us considering this is Gil."

"Maybe."

"You might want to go to Hodges first otherwise he'll probably come find you himself."

Russell frowned as they walked to the door. "Why?"

Sara walked away with a sigh. "Because I'm being set up again and he's sucking it all up..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell put Hodges off as his first point of call and went to find Greg. He needed to check something.

He found his subordinate in the AV lab and pulled a chair up to sit beside him. Archie was across the room wearing a set of headphones, so deep in thought he didn't even notice Russell enter.

"You got anything?" the supervisor asked.

"Not yet," Greg sighed. "There are only a few cameras outside and so far they all cover the main entrance not any of the external parking. But, I've still got a few others to check."

Russell nodded, looked behind, checking around and then returned his attention to the screen, pointing at it. "Leave that for a minute and pull up the labs cameras."

Greg frowned but did as he was told. "Is there a reason I'm doing this?" the younger man asked.

"Oh yeah..." Russell didn't elaborate any further. "I want the corridor outside the interview room Basderic was just questioned in and..." He looked at his watch, "...about twenty minutes ago."

The CSI brought up the labs cameras and the one Russell asked for. "Okay..."

"Now bring up the one inside the room and put them side by side."

"Ohhh...I get it," Greg said as he continued to tap keys and footage from the two cameras sprang up. "You are seeing if Sara was telling the truth. You know I can't blame her for the way she feels. She's been through a lot because of that..."

"No, Greg," Russell stopped him. "I believe her; I just want to see it to realize what kind of a freak we are dealing with here."

They watched the recording and although they couldn't see what Basderic had said, it pretty much collaborated with Sara's take on things.

"She was telling the truth." Greg looked to his boss and Russell nodded. "Was he doing something with his hands?" Greg asked. "It looked like he was."

"Yeah, it did." Russell worked his tongue over his teeth, thinking. "I think Sara is getting tired that people don't believe her again."

Greg sighed.

Russell straightened his glasses "Did you try the cell number we got from the cab driver?"

With a nod, Greg picked up the piece of paper with the number on it. "Just a standard run of the mill, buy over the counter cell phone. I've called it but no one is answering. I've put a trace on it just in case we can manage to get through to someone at some point."

Russell stood and slapped Greg on the back. "Well, keep trying and..." He nodded to the computer, "...stay on the CCTV."

Now the supervisor approached Archie and hovered behind him. He softly tapped the lab rat on the shoulder and Archie literally jumped from his seat, ripping the equipment from his head.

"Russell!" he gasped, holding his hand to his chest.

"Sorry," Russell apologized. "How's it going?"

Archie stood and stretched. He looked tired. He'd also come in on his time off as most people had and all were beginning to feel it. "Nothing yet," he admitted. "I'm starting on the background now. But there is something a little, different."

"What?" the older man asked keenly. Maybe, finally they had got something positive to work on.

"The recording, when you really get in there, almost sounds, tinny, kind of, how do I put it? Hmmm...like being in a fishbowl."

A frown pinched Russell's brow. "Like underwater?"

"No...no..." Archie shook his head. "Like underground. Enclosed. Not really any outside noise. Grissom is definitely inside something, I'd put money on it. I just don't know what yet."

Russell removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I suppose that's something in one way but not all that helpful in another. Let me know if you have any more progress, okay?"

Archie nodded. "Will do."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom was slumped forwards, his eyes closed, he'd passed out some time ago. Then, as the metallic screech of the sliding door opening broke the eerie silence, his eyes shot open. Well mostly. His right eye was badly swollen and would only open about three quarters of the way, obscuring his vision a little.

With a great amount of trepidation, he slowly raised his head to see his kidnapper had returned.

He stopped right in front of his captive and looked him over. He relished the fear in Grissom's eyes. It made him feel so proud of what he was achieving. He really was good at planning. But alas, one little thing had sent his plan into a tiny bit of disarray and he didn't like that. It was more of an inconvenience but he had to deal with it.

"I wasn't planning on returning so soon," he informed Grissom. "But I need you to do a little something for me and I'm in a hurry. So behave."

Grissom's nerves pinched but he remained silent.

He nodded down to his hand. "Painful?"

The small lump forming in Grissom's throat grew by the second.

The kidnapper sniggered and took his gloves from the table, slipping them onto his hands. Then he reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulling out what looked like a piece of cloth. Grissom spotted immediately though that there was something inside the cloth and he was right. His kidnapper unravelled it to reveal a knife and a very dangerous looking knife at that. A general kitchen knife but still, menacing enough.

The former CSI squirmed, groaning when he moved because it pulled at his impaled hand. His captor held up the knife and Grissom quickly shook his head, his lips trembling.

"Please..."

The younger man laughed as he stepped right up to his victim. "Oh, this isn't for you. Not yet anyway. That would be...uneventful. We've got lots to talk about and lots to..." He looked behind him to the table, "...play with yet."

That really didn't make Grissom feel any better.

"No..." he continued, reaching for the strapping around Grissom's right wrist. "I just need a little something..." He loosened the leather, just a fraction, just enough to allow him to lift Grissom's hand from the chair. All the entomologist could do, was watch as the man placed the knife under his hand and then press his fingers and thumb, one by one, onto the handle of the weapon.

Smiling with satisfaction, he pulled the knife away and retightened the strap. "There. That wasn't too hard now was it?"

Grissom was by no means stupid. Now his prints were on the knife. But what good would that be to this man?

"You're not very talkative are you?" the younger man complained as he bent to the floor and dipped the handle of the knife into some of Grissom's blood.

"I'm afraid to say anything because I'm scared of what you will do to me if I do," Grissom answered truthfully.

The kidnapper gave him a cheerful nod of agreement, placing the knife back into the cloth, wrapping it and slipping it back into his jacket. "Glad that I have that respect," he remarked. "You know I'm so glad I popped by your house earlier. Good knives are very hard to come by and your wife was so occupied trying to find you, I don't think she has a clue I even stopped by."

Although he very much wanted to, Grissom dare not make a comment about that. It certainly would get him in trouble. But now the former CSI feared his wife was also in danger. But what could he do about it? He hadn't the faintest idea what was going on.

"Okay..." The younger man continued, taking off his gloves and throwing them back to the table. "I'll give you one question before I go. One question without any...repercussions shall we say..." He grinned. "I can be a nice guy you know?"

Grissom highly doubted that and refrained from commenting on that particular question.

"Come on," the man pushed. "I have things to do. Ask me and be quick..."

Taking a breath, Grissom thought for a moment. Could he ask anything without getting another bout of this man's wrath? He needed to know so much but for now, the simplest question would probably be the safest. "Who are you?"

The man puffed out his chest and a sudden gleam appeared in his eye. He smiled but then his smile faded as he leaned over the entomologist, forcing Grissom to pin his head right back against the chair.

"My name is Ronald Basderic, Mr Grissom. And I'm your worst nightmare..."

A/N: Worse nightmare indeed and yowza, this story hurts my brain. Trying to get all this to fit is sooooo hard, lol. I'm bound to mess up somewhere. Evil hat says it's going ok but we will see.

So what do we think is next? Reviews please :D Thanks!