Chapter 10

Jake had a shocked expression on his face as he looked at his grandfather.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"He is dead... they found him outside the city, in the desert. We have to find out who did that!" the old man said. "Immediately!"

"And what's with Spud?" Jake asked and pointed at the CSI-building.

"Yes, and what's with Spud?" Nick said in Spud's body.

"Ohh... right!" the old man said and walked up and down. "Aww... this situation becomes more and more..."

Before Lao Shi could finish someone knocked on the back-doors. Everyone was shocked. Trixie ran to Nick and kept his mouth closed so that he couldn't say something. Carefully Jake walked to the door.

"Yes!" he said slowly.

"Excuse me, but you can't park here! It's prohibited!" Archie's voice said.

"A..." Nick wanted to shout but Trixie held his mouth shut.

"Everything okay in there?" Archie asked from outside the van.

"Yes... yes... everything's fine. I'm so sorry. I will drive away..." Jake said and saw the 'No Parking' sign threw the window. "Sorry...

Archie, who stood outside the van was confused. He could swear that he heard something. Inside the van, Lao Shi start to curse something in Chinese when he ran to the driver's-seat and turn on the motor. He understood what he said and was more confused.

"...young dragon I drive, damn that guy..." Archie whispered to himself. "... hold his mouth... his?"

The van was still standing on the same place when Archie carefully looked threw one of the back-windows and saw Trixie and Nick (as Spud). When he saw the young teenager bind up on that chair he was shocked. He turned his head away and walked away a few steps before he glanced at the license-plate.

"New York... 57HT89W" Archie said and wrote it with a pen on his hand before he ran back into the building he was unarmed... but the guys in the building weren't.

When Archie arrived the entrance he looked back and saw that whoever drove the van was searching for a place on the parking lot. So they were not far away...

At the same time:

Spud start to write down some information on a piece of paper. About the case, the suspects and the results of the autopsy. When he found some pictures he was shocked and almost started to puke. But then he found something useful... all had to do with a 'thing'

"Spud... it's me!" Jake said threw the earplug. "We had to..."

"What did you say? I can't hear you... hello?" the connection was lost because they were too far away now. Spud was alone. But what he didn't knew was that Archie told everyone what he saw and that they were on the way to the van...

On the new Crime Scene:

Catherine found nothing. The house was clear. No trace of burglary. Grey Jr. or Sen. opened the door for the killer. Catherine looked into the pool which was still red from Harold Grey's blood...

Meanwhile, Ray walked upstairs to search the first floor for some traces. He could feel the wind blowing through the house, that meant that somewhere was a open window. He entered the bedroom of Grey Sen. and was shocked. Everywhere on the walls and on the floor where little blood-sprinkles. The big panorama-window was fully open. The phone was also laying on the ground. Ray looked around. The wardrobe was open, the bed was used... by two. Then he found a pair of woman tights under the bed.

He walked to the big window. The curtains where also full of little blood drops. Ray looked down and saw that this window was directly over the pool.

"Catherine!" he yelled.

Catherine looked up and saw Ray standing in the window.

"He has been killed here!" Ray said and had a theory.

Grey and a woman were here. The son arrives at home. Nobody knew did they meet or not. In the morning hours Grey's 'girlfriend' or whoever leaves and he put on his clothes. He heard his son shouting and hear that what made the big black stain in the lobby. He find his dead son and maybe saw the killer. He runs back upstairs to hide and called the police. But before he could call 911 the killer finds him. He shoots and Grey is thrown out of the room, through the open window and lands in the pool.

That would explain why Grey didn't wear trousers when they found him. Ray looked on the bed. With the UV lamp he saw sperm leftovers. Fresh. Grey and the woman had sex before he was killed. Later he found a used condom...

Catherine arrived in the room and looked around.

"So... Grey Sen. has been killed here!" she said and helped Raymond with the new evidences he found.

At the same time, Jake, his grandfather and Trixie still waited for Spud who couldn't hear them. The connection was lost because they were too far away now. Trixie stood next to Nick who was gagged now.

"When you promise not to scream... I allow you to talk again!" Trixie said and Nick agreed.

When Nick's mouth was free again he start to annoy again: "You will all land in prison for that!"

"And what do you want to tell the judge? That a dragon and a human switched you with a teenager. They will send you to the psychiatry." Trixie said when she saw some armed police officers hiding behind other cars. "Oh... no... Jake... Look outside."

Jake and his grandfather now realized what's going on. Archie hide with some police-officers behind a parked van and explained them what he saw.

"That hostage is very young. A teenager. I saw one person next to him. A young black woman and there are two other persons inside. I couldn't see them." Archie told and the police officers started to surround the van they were trapped now. But fortunately they had something... a surprise.

Just seconds after one of the police-officers shouted that they should come out a bright flash came out of the windows and blend everyone. Archie hid behind the parked-car again and listened when a voice start to say something.

"Listen..." the voice said. "...you become very tired. You put your guns away and go back into the building... you will remember nothing. Just that you go for a walk to take fresh air and you wake up when you are back in the building..."

Archie carefully lift his head to see that the police-officers walked back to the building like zombies. Nobody talked, nobody realized something. They where hypnotized. Archie was now the only one who was awake. Confused and terrified he walked back to the van. Jake and his grandfather could see him and where shocked.

"I don't think that he is hypnotized." Jake said. "Use that flash-thing again!"

Lao Shi shook his head and presented him an empty bottle with the words 'hypnotize-flash'. "There was just one inside! Do you have any clue how difficult that potion is?"

Before he could finish his sentence Archie arrived the van opened the door to the cargo-room.

"What's going on here?" he shouted.

"Archie... RUN!" Nick shouted and Archie recognized the voice.

"Nick?" he said before he was also pulled into the van and shouted.

In the CSI-building, Spud still worked on Nick's computer. With his high-computer skills it was easy to get the information. But he needed more time.

"s...Spud can you hear me?" Jake said threw the earplug.

"Aww... finally I hear you again, dude!" Spud whispered. "I need more time!"

"That's no problem! We have to change the plan because... something unexpected happened." Jake said and Spud could hear someone shouting in the background. "We will meet on another place. In a few hours. We have to drive to a crime-scene!"

"Okay!" Spud said and wrote down a new address... before the connection broke up again.

When Spud continued working on the computer, Hodges entered the office.

"Nick..." Hodges said but Spud didn't answered. "Niiick!"

"Yes!" Spud asked shocked but accidently used his own voice.

"Nick, what happened with your voice?" Hodges asked shocked.

"Sore throat!" Spud lied again. "Painful... can't talk!"

"Aww... Nick you should go to an doctor with that... oh, by the way Brass told me that they can't let your friend out of the prison. He couldn't kill the Grey's but he still the main-suspect in the Lockjelly case." Hodges told.

Spud was disappointed. That meant that they don't let Jake's dad (or Fu Dog now) out of the prison. "And, who is Brass?"

"Are you kidding?" Hodges said and laugh. "Oh and did you found out what 'the thing' is?"

"The thing?" Spud asked.

"Yes, the thing! The reason, the motive... 'the thing'!" Hodges said and Spud knew what he was meant.

"Ehmm... No!" Spud lied.

"Oh... okay... and Nick... go to an doctor with that. That sounds horrible!" Hodges said and left Spud alone who was annoyed.

"Is my voice really so..." he said loud before Hodges entered the room again.

"Oh... I totally forgot to give you this!" Hodges said. "Here's a case for you, a gun-battle in a little general-store. Two injured people. You should go before..."

"What? Alone?" Spud said.

He was in Nick Stokes' body but he hadn't Nick Stokes profiler abilities.

"Hmm... No, Brass said you need a babysitter!" Hodges said sarcastically. "This is a little thing... you won't need any help."

"Mayday, I need help!" Spud whispered into the microphone when Hodges left.

"What did you said?"

"Nothing!" Spud answered shocked and took a suitcase which stood on the couch. "Where is it?"

"The address is on the paper I gave you!" Hodges said. "Are you really okay?"

"Yes... of course! I'm okay. Just the sore throat!" Spud lied and Hodges finally left.

Hodges entered the lab where Wendy Simms worked.

"Wendy... Is it possible that when a man has sore throat, that the brain is also affected?"

Spud left the building. He was worried. He had to play the role of Nick Stokes now. And now he had to go to an crime-scene and investigate it. After he used the key he found the SUV he had to take and entered it.

"And what now? I can't drive!" Spud said to himself and needed minutes to find the ignition lock. "Well... my first driving lesson!" Spud said started the motor. He drove not bad... for someone who has no license...

At the same time...

Jake and Trixie stood in front of their two chastises who where both tied up on chairs. Nick, who still was in Spud's body looked mad at Archie.

"I can't believe that that is you Nick!" Archie said shocked.

"And I can't believe that you didn't run away!" Nick said.

"And we can't believe that we did that!" Jake said annoyed.

"But I know how you can help us!" Lao Shi said and parked the van. "Listen... we have a crime. A mountain goblin from Belarus has been found dead. You help us to investigate this crime... and we forget all what happened. Deal?"

"Deal!" Nick said more annoyed. "And you give me my body back!"

"Yes! Of course!" Lao Shi said and drove further.

End of Chapter 10

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