Author's Note: I meant NICE to finally meet you on that last line in the other chapter lol not Nick. Sorry bout that I'm typing really fast.:)
Chapter 25 – The Second Call
"We traced the call," Brass told Grissom. He had called while the kidnapper had called Catherine.
"It's coming from a cell phone that was stolen yesterday. We didn't get to trace it to a specific location but we know it came from the desert. South of the city."
"Ok, Jim. Thanks." Grissom hung up the phone with a heavy heart. He really didn't like this. He was drawing blanks everywhere and he couldn't tell what to do next.
He, Warrick and Sara were headed to Nick's house now to see what they could find there. When they got there it was very obvious the kidnapper had forced his way in. The door was open with chipped paint and splintered wood around the latch. Warrick and Sara stood outside, completely speechless, while Grissom printed the handle and took samples of the splinters on the ground. Then he went inside and took a look around the room. He was standing on a linoleum floor in the front entrance and made a mental note to static-lift it. They all took a slow walk around and took in everything they could without actually touching anything. They hugged the walls, going through each room, taking in important details.
There was an obvious sign of struggle in the living room. There was a shattered lamp on the ground and an upturned chair. The bookshelf off to the side was nearly empty of books which were all scattered on the floor. There was a cupboard near the door that was open with the door hanging off and when Sara looked into it later, she found Nick's gun.
"He was trying to get his gun," she said to Warrick with a tremor in her voice.
"He put up a good fight," Warrick said. He was collecting up glass from the floor when he spotted some blood on one. "Nick could be injured…or this could be the attackers," Warrick said more to himself then Sara.
Sara nodded and went back into the living room to join Warrick. She knelt down and looked at the floor with everything scattered around it. She didn't do anything; just looked. Warrick noticed and looked up. Sara was shaking her head.
"We'll get him back, Sar," Warrick tried to reassure her.
Sara put one elbow on her knee and rested her head in her fingers, rubbing her temple.
"Sara?" Warrick asked.
"Yeah…I know," she whispered, not looking at him.
"You gonna help me with this glass?" he asked, trying to change the subject. Sara let out a big sigh from puffed cheeks and started gathering glass from the floor. Grissom walked in from Nick's bedroom empty handed.
"Nothing in there," he stated. He looked around the room Sara and Warrick were working in. the entrance to the house was greeted by a little linoleum-floored hallway. There was a pillar rising up from the floor near the end that had a chunk of plaster hit out of it. Grissom walked over to it and turned on his mag-light. There was black something in the gash so Grissom scarped it off and put it in a little paper evidence bag.
SnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickers
"W-what am I doing here?" Nick asked nervously.
The cackle in his voice chilled him to the bone. "You and your little friends have been looking into things that aren't their business. I decided to give them something else to look for." He pulled a chair out of the blackness of the corner of the room and sat down about three feet away from Nick's bed. "How good are your friends at finding things?" he whispered with a menacing smile. Nick could see his face and recognized it from the file; George Shempsky.
"Exceptional," Nick spat in disgust.
"Well I should hope so. For your sake anyway." He got up from his chair and walked out the door, laughing. "I'll be back."
"Wait!" Nick yelled as the door slammed shut. "Wait," he said, softer this time. The tears came down as he heard the door lock behind George. Nick rested his head against the pillow in frustration. "I need to get out of here!" Nick yelled to himself. He looked out the window again. The sky was turning a pale blue as dawn came upon them. He watched the sun come up and tried to think how he was going to get out of here.
SnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickersSnickers
The trio spent a few hours at Nick's place before going back to the lab with their evidence. Catherine was in charge of getting the money together and she was having some problems. She had called Nick's parents and they were on their way down. Meanwhile she was trying to reason with the department to gather up money.
Sara was having a hard time thinking straight. Even if Nick hadn't kissed her yesterday she would still be torn up about this. Nick was the kindest person on the team and was extremely smart. Not to mention he was an excellent kisser. That brought a smile to her face. But that smile was quickly wiped off her face by another thought; she may never be able to do it again.
When they got back to the lab they checked in with Catherine. She told them she was having little luck getting the money together and she might need some help. Sara and Warrick were in the break room with her, having a much needed cup of coffee when Catherine's cell phone rang. She checked the id and noticed it was the same number as the first call. She opened her eyes wide and told Warrick to call Brass as she opened her phone, putting it on speaker right away.
"Hello?" she asked with a tremor in her voice.
"Hello Catherine," the modified voice greeted as if they were talking about the weather. "How are you this morning?" he asked cheerfully.
"A little tired. How's Nick doing?" she asked with feigned cheerfulness.
"Oh, he's sitting here with me." Both Catherine and Sara's heads shot up at this. "I don't know if he wants to talk to you though."
Lying in his bed, George had tapped Nick's mouth shut. He was now trying to get it off but it wasn't working. He was trying to yell because the phone was on speaker, taunting Nick.
"Can…could you put him on?" Catherine asked nervously.
George looked at Nick. "Sure. Hold on just a second." George reached over and ripped the tape off Nick's mouth, making an awful sound that rang in Sara's ears on the other side of the line.
"Catherine! Don't give him anything! Don't do it! He just wants to hurt you!" Nick shouted at the phone.
Catherine and Sara looked at each other. Sara's hand was over her mouth. Catherine tried to steady her voice so she could talk to Nick. "Nick…just listen to me…we'll get you back! I promise…Nicky…" The dial tone rang in their ears.