The girl
Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
Warrick, left alone tried to lift himself up as far as possible, testing the strength of the ropes. Then he had an idea. He continually rubbed his wrist, which was tightly bound, against the side of whatever he was lying on to wear away the binds. He tried not to feel the pain as the strands bit into the first layer of his skin, then his flesh. Warrick paused to recover, and then started the process again. After many such pauses, the rope gave way: he had one hand free. The work went much quicker now and soon both hands were free, though wounded. As he wriggled to and fro to loosen the bonds at his neck, the door opened:
"Can't a prisoner have any sleep?"
"I've brought you some food," a little voice whispered.
"Who's that?" said Warrick sharply; he had clearly been expecting Green.
"Mashed potatoes and peas, I h...hope that's alright."
"Come a tad nearer."
"No," the small figure huddled into a corner after setting down the tray by Warrick.
"Tell me how am I supposed to eat, with hands tied up?"
"Oh…oh, the voice sounded stricken, I'll spoon feed you if that's ok-George told me to, she added.
"So you also know George, huh? Come on, just untie me so I can eat properly." He decided not to reveal the fact that his arms were free.
"Oh, no, I daren't. I can't. I ain't allowed," her voice became shrill with desperation.
"Ssh, keep your voice down. OK. Come here and feed me, I guess I can't go hungry.
Timidly the form approached Warrick and shone a torch in his face. Warrick squinted and resisted the urge to shield his eyes with an arm. Instead he gazed at this mysterious stranger. She did likewise. He looked up into a sallow face; two huge brown eyes stared back at him, gaping. Long black dirty hair tumbled around her shoulders and with her torn and tattered clothes, she looked just like a street urchin.
"How old are you?" he finally asked.
"Eight", she whispered.
Suddenly Warrick grabbed hold of her shoulders while simultaneously clapping a hand over mouth to stifle the scream, which would only too readily have been uttered. Instead she gasped.
"I managed to untie my hands, don't worry I won't escape. Don't tell George OK? I'll pretend they are tied when he's around."
Those big eyes nodded but were filled with fear.
"Please, she whispered, let go."
Warrick released the pressure on her shoulders and only then noticed the ugly bruise there.
"Is that from Green?"
She nodded. "He doesn't mean to. Only sometimes I don't do as he says, so…" her voice trailed off.
Warrick nodded but felt powerless to do anything for the time being. Usually he'd be arresting Green, not just for escaping his jail and for his own kidnap, but for the physical abuse of this eight-year-old girl.
"Please, she uttered, I must feed you now, George will wonder where I've got to."
Warrick opened his mouth and slowly and carefully the girl spooned the now look warm food into him. She held his head so that he could swallow properly and even wiped his mouth with a corner of her grimy sleeve. Warrick was surprised by the motherly gestures she seemed to have acquired and was performing without even noticing.
"Can you do something for me, Warrick asked at last, when the last mouthful of the rather tasteless food was down him.
"I don't know."
"Try and come more often, and tell me where I am and of the outside world. I'll go mad in this dark place otherwise."
"I don't know if I can come again. George might not-
"Tell him that you embarrass me because you have to feed me."
Her eyes widened but she understood.
"Could you leave me the flashlight?"
He could sense her calculating inside her small head.
"I suppose I could leave it here for a bit, and say I forgot it…I'll have to come back soon and get it."
"Perfect. Warrick smiled for the first time since the ordeal had started. May I be so bold as to ask your name?"
"Isobel, the tiny voice croaked, I have to go now." She exclaimed.
"Just one last thing, the date?"
"Monday, Monday 21st", and with that, carrying the tray, she fled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you seen Warrick?" asked Catherine to the break room.
"Nope, Nick said, I had one up on him in the casino case, maybe he went into hiding."
Catherine smiled, but rather thinly. Where had he got to?
Greg entered triumphantly.
"I think I may know where he's got to."
Grissom raised his eyebrows.
"Tell me Greg, how long have you been standing outside the door?"
"Well," Greg looked down at the floor, smiling bashfully.
"C'mon, spill the beans Greg," encouraged Sara.
Greg raised his head and smiled sheepishly but then his expression became grave.
"One of the computers was still on. I was intrigued as one would be. I then saw that the computer had just been on internet as it wasn't closed properly, so I checked the page history and found a school website. A school which used to have a "G. Green" in it, and lower down a "W. Brown".
"Could he be our casino guy?" asked Sara.
"That's what I thought, and I guess so did Warrick."
"Then what?" Catherine was intrigued.
"Well there's an address for each person including G. Green's last known one."
"So, you think Warrick went…" started Sara.
"Precisely."
"Hadn't we better go check it out? This must have been a while back now."
"1 hour 12 minutes."
"Right."
"Hang on, Gil Grissom interrupted the dialogue between Sara and Greg, causing total silence. We need to think about this one. Going to a known murderers house shouldn't be taken lightly."
"What about Warrick, you're not leaving him, are you?" Sara challenged.
"We don't need to all go. I'll take Sara. Cath and Nick, work on the case here. And Greg? Go back to the lab."
"Yup, Greg sauntered off and came back with the printed web page, you might be needing this."
"Thanks Greg." Sara gave him an apologetic smile. Once again his heart melted.
As Sara headed out to the Tahoe, Cath and Grissom exchanged a look.
"Be careful. Whatever's out there may have got Warrick."
Nick rolled his eyes and sung the X-files theme tune. Catherine slapped him on the back as they walked off.
~*~*~*
Sara and Grissom stood outside the dark apartment building, gazing at the same view Warrick had, two hours previously.
"Wow what a stench." Sara exclaimed.
Grissom looked at her. "Fish".
"Fish? I didn't know it smelt this bad."
"It does, if it's been hanging around for several weeks."
Sara wrinkled her nose.
Then they stepped over the threshold, and entered the dark, rank, smelly hole.
Comments appreciated please! =)
Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
Warrick, left alone tried to lift himself up as far as possible, testing the strength of the ropes. Then he had an idea. He continually rubbed his wrist, which was tightly bound, against the side of whatever he was lying on to wear away the binds. He tried not to feel the pain as the strands bit into the first layer of his skin, then his flesh. Warrick paused to recover, and then started the process again. After many such pauses, the rope gave way: he had one hand free. The work went much quicker now and soon both hands were free, though wounded. As he wriggled to and fro to loosen the bonds at his neck, the door opened:
"Can't a prisoner have any sleep?"
"I've brought you some food," a little voice whispered.
"Who's that?" said Warrick sharply; he had clearly been expecting Green.
"Mashed potatoes and peas, I h...hope that's alright."
"Come a tad nearer."
"No," the small figure huddled into a corner after setting down the tray by Warrick.
"Tell me how am I supposed to eat, with hands tied up?"
"Oh…oh, the voice sounded stricken, I'll spoon feed you if that's ok-George told me to, she added.
"So you also know George, huh? Come on, just untie me so I can eat properly." He decided not to reveal the fact that his arms were free.
"Oh, no, I daren't. I can't. I ain't allowed," her voice became shrill with desperation.
"Ssh, keep your voice down. OK. Come here and feed me, I guess I can't go hungry.
Timidly the form approached Warrick and shone a torch in his face. Warrick squinted and resisted the urge to shield his eyes with an arm. Instead he gazed at this mysterious stranger. She did likewise. He looked up into a sallow face; two huge brown eyes stared back at him, gaping. Long black dirty hair tumbled around her shoulders and with her torn and tattered clothes, she looked just like a street urchin.
"How old are you?" he finally asked.
"Eight", she whispered.
Suddenly Warrick grabbed hold of her shoulders while simultaneously clapping a hand over mouth to stifle the scream, which would only too readily have been uttered. Instead she gasped.
"I managed to untie my hands, don't worry I won't escape. Don't tell George OK? I'll pretend they are tied when he's around."
Those big eyes nodded but were filled with fear.
"Please, she whispered, let go."
Warrick released the pressure on her shoulders and only then noticed the ugly bruise there.
"Is that from Green?"
She nodded. "He doesn't mean to. Only sometimes I don't do as he says, so…" her voice trailed off.
Warrick nodded but felt powerless to do anything for the time being. Usually he'd be arresting Green, not just for escaping his jail and for his own kidnap, but for the physical abuse of this eight-year-old girl.
"Please, she uttered, I must feed you now, George will wonder where I've got to."
Warrick opened his mouth and slowly and carefully the girl spooned the now look warm food into him. She held his head so that he could swallow properly and even wiped his mouth with a corner of her grimy sleeve. Warrick was surprised by the motherly gestures she seemed to have acquired and was performing without even noticing.
"Can you do something for me, Warrick asked at last, when the last mouthful of the rather tasteless food was down him.
"I don't know."
"Try and come more often, and tell me where I am and of the outside world. I'll go mad in this dark place otherwise."
"I don't know if I can come again. George might not-
"Tell him that you embarrass me because you have to feed me."
Her eyes widened but she understood.
"Could you leave me the flashlight?"
He could sense her calculating inside her small head.
"I suppose I could leave it here for a bit, and say I forgot it…I'll have to come back soon and get it."
"Perfect. Warrick smiled for the first time since the ordeal had started. May I be so bold as to ask your name?"
"Isobel, the tiny voice croaked, I have to go now." She exclaimed.
"Just one last thing, the date?"
"Monday, Monday 21st", and with that, carrying the tray, she fled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Have you seen Warrick?" asked Catherine to the break room.
"Nope, Nick said, I had one up on him in the casino case, maybe he went into hiding."
Catherine smiled, but rather thinly. Where had he got to?
Greg entered triumphantly.
"I think I may know where he's got to."
Grissom raised his eyebrows.
"Tell me Greg, how long have you been standing outside the door?"
"Well," Greg looked down at the floor, smiling bashfully.
"C'mon, spill the beans Greg," encouraged Sara.
Greg raised his head and smiled sheepishly but then his expression became grave.
"One of the computers was still on. I was intrigued as one would be. I then saw that the computer had just been on internet as it wasn't closed properly, so I checked the page history and found a school website. A school which used to have a "G. Green" in it, and lower down a "W. Brown".
"Could he be our casino guy?" asked Sara.
"That's what I thought, and I guess so did Warrick."
"Then what?" Catherine was intrigued.
"Well there's an address for each person including G. Green's last known one."
"So, you think Warrick went…" started Sara.
"Precisely."
"Hadn't we better go check it out? This must have been a while back now."
"1 hour 12 minutes."
"Right."
"Hang on, Gil Grissom interrupted the dialogue between Sara and Greg, causing total silence. We need to think about this one. Going to a known murderers house shouldn't be taken lightly."
"What about Warrick, you're not leaving him, are you?" Sara challenged.
"We don't need to all go. I'll take Sara. Cath and Nick, work on the case here. And Greg? Go back to the lab."
"Yup, Greg sauntered off and came back with the printed web page, you might be needing this."
"Thanks Greg." Sara gave him an apologetic smile. Once again his heart melted.
As Sara headed out to the Tahoe, Cath and Grissom exchanged a look.
"Be careful. Whatever's out there may have got Warrick."
Nick rolled his eyes and sung the X-files theme tune. Catherine slapped him on the back as they walked off.
~*~*~*
Sara and Grissom stood outside the dark apartment building, gazing at the same view Warrick had, two hours previously.
"Wow what a stench." Sara exclaimed.
Grissom looked at her. "Fish".
"Fish? I didn't know it smelt this bad."
"It does, if it's been hanging around for several weeks."
Sara wrinkled her nose.
Then they stepped over the threshold, and entered the dark, rank, smelly hole.
Comments appreciated please! =)