Chapter Forty-Five

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI

A/N: Ok so I left you guys dangling with a big cliffhanger. (LOL) I couldn't let it dangle for long… As for the Greg/Riley romance – I'll get to it at some point… what I'm doing now with this is too good to let go even for a chapter.

Jim got on his cell phone and dialed the lab and was put through to Mandy.

"Mandy – Nick's phone went dead where is the location?"

"459 Tropicana apartment 405." Mandy replied.

"Thanks Mandy. We're on it."

Brass called for backup and made sure they did not use their sirens for obvious purposes. The all arrived at the location and then Brass briefed them.

"Stay here around the entrance of the building in case she makes a run for it. Do not fire your weapons – she'll have the baby in her arms." Brass said with definite meaning.

Nick and Brass went up the stairs to the apartment #405. They heard a baby crying in the background and a woman yelling at it to shut up.

A door nearby opened up and an elderly lady stepped out. "Can you please do something about that woman?"

"Has she been yelling a lot lately ma'am?" Nick asked.

"Yelling, cursing. My geez it's been all the time!"

"Have you seen any men going into the apartment?" Nick asked.

She shook her head. When I spoke briefly to the woman she claims he is in jail for something he didn't do and that he'll be out soon."

"Thanks, now get back inside your apartment and stay away from the door."

The woman complied.

Brass knocked on apartment 405.

"Who is it?"

"LVPD" he replied.

"Go away, not interested." She said.

"Open up Claire if you know what's best for you." Nick told her.

"NO"

"Claire we know the truth about you so its best you just open up and give us the baby. It is NOT your child so you do not have any claim to it."

"Neither does that Wendy chick. She has no claim D.J. is not her kid."

"Wendy adopted D.J. Claire. Jack Malloy is NOT the baby's father."

"He says he is."

"Claire please open up so we can talk without your neighbours hearing your business." Brass told her.

Claire opened up and let them in.

"You are not their mother. Lindsay Willows is the biological mother. You have no claim to D.J."

"Lindsay is a slut!She went after MY man! She needs to pay. I guess I hurt the wrong girl!"

"Claire you are mistaken and you are going to jail for kidnapping. Now hand me the baby before you hurt him."

"NO!" she screamed and ran out the door and down the stairs after knocking hard into Jim and Nick, catching them off guard. She was out the door of the building but the cops surrounding the building were there to stop her. One of the cops raised his gun to shoot the fleeing suspect as she ran down the stairs.

"Are you crazy! What did Captain Brass say about shooting the suspect!" another cop said and knocked the gun out of the potential shooter's hand. That gave Claire a chance to escape. She ran down the street, baby in arms leaving three cops standing there looking absolutely stupid.

Nick and Brass finally arrived outside the building. "What the hell happened?"

"She escaped"

"There are three of you and one of her … how the hell… why the hell are you standing here? Go after her!" Brass commanded.

The three cops went after her on foot while Brass and Nick circled the neighbourhood in Brass's car.