AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
11. Developments
Next morning in the lab Stella and Nikki were working their case when Don stopped by. "Morning, ... Nikki I've got some details about that Atlantic City Heist with your diamonds" He hands her a file.
"Hey, are you heading home?" she asked, she could see he was tired after an all night session interviewing the witnesses in the Buri Vodka case.
He sighed. "yeah, I'll be back in a few hours if you need anything." He was about to leave as Nikki looked at the file, he turned when he heard her curse. "I agree, does seem a little thin"
"They call this an investigation? ... Did they even show up at the crime scene?" she fumed.
"I thought you'd say that. I'm still digging, I'll give you an update when I get back" He offered.
Stella looked up from her computer "Well I've got a possible bad guy from a print found on the back case near the vault, one Martin Rogers, previous for Supermarket hold ups"
Don looked at her, "Want me to get him brought in?" Stella shook her head. "We haven't got enough, we could shake him up a bit see what he offers if we talk to him first."
"Stella you know I can't refuse you anything, you've got an hour, then I'm going to get some sleep."
Nikki looked up from reading the file, "I'll go over all this again see what I find."
Don and Stella left. Later Nikki caught up with Mac and asked about the results from processing her house, but Mac told her that Sheldon hadn't found anything useful. She told Mac she wanted to take another look at the scene, he agreed and promised to go with her.
Later after accompanying Nikki to the crime scene, he found Hawkes in one of the labs. "Anything new?" Sheldon shook his head and looked up dejectedly, "Not a thing, whoever it is knows to cover their tracks ... I had a friend of mine change the locks on Nikki's house, can we let her go back yet?"
Mac thought for a moment and cast his eye over the things on the counter in front of them. "Let's see what happens, may be better not to for a couple of days. How many sets of keys?"
Sheldon held up an evidence bag, "2, all the locks are new and the place is secure, I checked myself."
Mac nodded. "I'm sure she will appreciate it." His phone rang. He answered it and held a brief conversation with his counterpart from San Francisco. Sheldon watched as his face harden obviously based on the information he was being given. He asked for a number to call Nikki's mother and agreed to stay in touch. When he hung up the fax machine spat out some papers, Mac retrieved them and after looking them over showed them to Sheldon.
"Are you going to tell her?" Sheldon asked looking up from the printouts.
Mac stared at the pages as he took them back from Sheldon. "I'm going to make some calls first, I want to make sure her family are safe first."
Nikki and Stella enter the breakroom. Nikki pours 2 cups of coffee and Stella pulls some protein bars from the cupboard. "Have we got anything back yet on the fibre Mac found this morning?" asked Stella.
Nikki handed Stella her coffee "Camel's wool, probably from some sort of Tan coloured jacket or coat. It's also pretty rare, Adam's running chemical analysis on it too, see if anything else shows up."
Stella grinned, "You know that may not be necessary, I've got a pretty good idea where it came from, certainly gives us grounds to bring him back in"
Nikki smiled, "you're so good at this ... Valdez?"
Stella drank some of her coffee then put it down, "I'm going to find out if Flack's back, see you later."
Meanwhile Mac was talking to his counterpart in Miami, Lt Horatio Caine. "Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll have Ed Myles confirm their flights" He hung up the phone and waved to Nikki to enter as she was about to knock on his door.
"Mac, thought I'd let you know we may have caught a break, that fibre you found was from a camel's wool coat, similar to that worn by Valdez. Stella and Don have gone to pick him up again. I may also have a link between the 2 cases, but I'll know more in a bit I'll be in the squad room talking to the manager again if anyone wants me" Mac thanked her and she left. Mac could feel a pounding headache descending. He didn't know what to say to her about the earlier call from Ed. But at least nothing had happened to her family.
Nikki entered her office, Lindsay was working at her computer. They greeted each other and Nikki asked about their Vodka case. Lindsay looked up "cold". Nikki nodded, "I heard, Don told me, are you and Danny ok? How was your date?"
Lindsay shook her head "I didn't make it, something came up. What about you and Flack?" Nikki turned to her computer and tapped the keyboard. "For now we're good, but it hasn't' been like that for a while".
"So how long have you known him?" Lindsay asked.
"Seems like forever, we met when we came over from England when I was 15. We lived on the same block, so he kind of adopted me, showed me around, and we ended up in school together too. Because of my education in England I skipped 2 years and went straight to senior class in high school."
Nikki suddenly jumped back from her screen and started hyperventilating Lindsay called Mac. Who seemed to arrive in seconds, he told Lindsay to find Don and Sheldon. She left. Nikki was beginning to calm down, Mac handed her some water.
"What's going on Nikki?" he asked. Nikki looked from the computer to Mac then stared at her hands.
".. The creep ... has my email ... photos of Amy ... In school" She gasped. Mac realised that she had been sent the same information which he had received from Ed Myles earlier.
"It's OK, she's safe, Amy and your mother are on their way to Miami, I know the team there, they're going to look after them until this is over." He told her. Sheldon arrived, he cast his doctor's eye over her and checked she was ok. "I want to talk to them" she looked up at Mac. "They'll call you as soon as they're settled in Miami ... Nikki let's get you out of here let Sheldon sort your computer" Nikki nodded and left with Mac.