Hell Night
October 31 - Vegas Crime Lab
The team sat around the break room table, waiting for Grissom to bring the night's assignments.
"I swear next year I am going to put in my vacation request for Halloween night." Sara said out loud as she sipped her first cup of coffee for the night.
"Not if I get mine in first." Nick said, flipping a page in his notebook.
"That's ok, I'll just deny them anyway." Gil Grissom walked into the room, post-it notes in hand. " 'Come, thick night And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry 'Hold, hold!' Hell Night, blackness and evil roam the streets."
"Othello?" Sara asked "MacBeth" Grissom answered. "Tell me it is gona be a light year. Lindsey is dressing up as Cinderella, and Eddie is taking her trick-or-treating. I wanted to see her costume this year." Catherine said.
"Sorry Cath, wish I could, but there is a 418 over at the Excalibur, someone went Medieval on one of the waitresses, looks like a sword." Gil handed her one of the post-it notes. "Sara you and Nick are on candy patrol until something else comes in. Warrick, drive by shooting, kids are confused as to what happened." He handed Warrick the other note.
"Hey what about you, Boss?" Sara teased. "You on candy patrol, too."
"Sara, Gris doesn't work cases on Halloween." Catherine said. "It is Fish Board night."
"Ohhhhhh.." Sara punched Nick in the arm. "Well, at least all we have to deal with for now is the kiddos."
"Catherine, I'll trade ya.." Nick shouted as Sara dragged him out the door.
"Gris, you ok on the board, I can help when I get back off this one." Warrick said.
"Go on, Warr, things will probably pick up later." Gil said.
After Warrick left the room, Catherine looked at Gil. He was looking at his hands laying on his desk, a kind of helpless sorrow draping over him like a shroud. "Call her." She said. "The worst that can happen is she will hang up on you again."
"I can't go through it again Cath." She shrugged and closed the door quietly.
Across Town
A small group of robbed figures stood in a circle in a wooded clearing. The central figure held a bloodstained sword up in the air. Suddenly a bloodcurdling scream rent the night air. A young woman came running into the middle of the circle. A young man followed her, a horror movie mask clutched in one hand.
"Come on, it was only a joke." He said. He stopped at the edge of the clearing, not noticing the hooded figures in the dark. "That wasn't funny." She said. "Come on Sal, lets go back to the car." He grabbed her arm and started to pull her back the way they came. She pulled back from him, "Only if you promise no more pranks tonight." He slapped her across the face, "Back to the car." The moon slipped out from behind the clouds, bathing her in light, her coppery hair blazing like a fire in the night. The robbed figures turned their heads and nodded. One of them pulled off his robe and stepped into the moonlight and asked "Is there a problem here?"
The young man looked at the man, "No, no problem." He turned and ran into the woods.
Sal turned to thank the figure.
Vegas Crime Lab
Gris I have a body, young female, stabbed in a wooded clearing." Brass said as he walked in the door. Gil quickly closed the bottom drawer of his desk.
"Man are you ever gona get over her?" Jim asked his friend. " It has been three years, she is never gona call you for those. Get rid of them."
"I'll get Sara and Nick on your vic." Gil said ignoring Brass's comments.
"Right." Brass opened the office door. "You know, phone lines work two ways. Call her."
Gil just reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk again, pointedly ignoring Brass as he closed the door.
Across Town - 11pm
"So Mote it be." She said, her head bowed.
"So Mote it be." Responded the other six in the room.
She stood in the center of the room, all furniture had been pushed to the outside walls and a circle was drawn in chalk on the hardwood floor. She stood in the center of the circle facing east. She gestured with the sword in her hand and opened the circle. She then took a broom and swept the opening free of chalk. The seven coven members walked out of the circle through the opening. There was a banquet table set up in the dinning room of the house. The coven members rushed for the food.
"Hey Kat, you outdid yourself this year." Terry said as she filled her plate. "Samhain feast is my favorite of the year." She picked up a huge turkey leg and started gnawing on it. The table was loaded with meats and breads of the harvest. Fruits and nuts of every sort, and near the door was a large cauldron of candy that had been disseminated by the local trick or treaters.
Kat smiled from the living room as she sheathed her sword and placed it on the alter. "Thanks. Eat up guys, I don't have room for the leftovers."
Kat turned and looked at the alter; there were several places that still looked empty after three years. Terry noticed a shadow cross Kat's face. She walked in with a plate of food.
"Hey, it is your feast, don't go hungry." Terry laughed.
"I will be there in a minute." Kat said, "Kido, if it still hurts that bad, CALL HIM. I mean put both of you out of your misery. If all else fails you could demand your altheme back. Did you ever get him to sign those papers?"
"No, I just couldn't have them served. I keep thinking I will just go over there and demand he sign them, and then I see him on the news, and it starts all over again. "
"You mean being pissed about what he did?" "No, the weak knees, the pure beauty of the man gets to me every time, I forgave what he did a long time ago, I guess I just can't forgive him for holding out on me." "Goddess, never let me meet my soul mate if he is a stubborn as Gil Grissom." Terry laughed. "You have to be the most forgiving person on the face of the earth, Kat. I would have killed him for what he did."
"He was just doing his job. And watch what you ask for, she just might give it to you." Kat laughed.
"Hey you two, the party is in here you know." Shouted John from the dining room. "Someone turn on the TV, I want to watch the movies I brought." Kat and Terry walked into the dinning room, laughing. The seven of them relaxed and enjoyed each others company.
CSI Lab - 11:30pm
Gil's pager went off just as Warrick walked into his office.
Gil looked at the message on the pager, and up at Brown. "Do you have things under control on that drive by?"
"Yea, I can't do anything till Greg gets my lab work done.
What have you got?" "Another stabbing, large blade." Gil pulled out an old file from the pile on his desk "Looks like we may have a serial on our hands tonight, this is the third one in 2 hours, same MO as three years ago. I wish I had time to look this over again, but we are needed at the crime scene." "Hey man I got it." Warrick started to head out the door. "Man I hate Hell Night."
"Don't we all." Gil said as he sat back down.
After Brown left, Gil opened the file, reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a long wrapped package. The rust velvet wrapping was tied with a dark velvet cord, attached to the top was a photo. It was a photo from a crime scene, a stabbing victim, on the back was the date October 31, 1998.
11pm -- Excalibur Hotel
Catherine looked down at the young bar wench's body. She had been stabbed, no run through, directly through the chest by a blade at least 2 inches in width and ¼ inch thick. The blade had been long enough to penetrate the floor under her body by ¾ of an inch and strong enough not to leave any metal residue in the body. Catherine snapped pictures of the posed corpse, entry and exit wound, costume, shoes, and the blood pool. She noticed a smear in the blood. It looked like a pentagram with a symbol in the center.
She photographed the smear, and also made a sketch of the symbol.
Catherine turned her attention to the body and the area surrounding it. The body had been posed, arms outstretched to the side of the body, feet together, head tilted up and away from the point of penetration. Nothing else on the body had been disturbed; no sign of sexual assault, the rape kit was clean. No epithelials under the fingernails, as a matter of fact no sign of struggle at all. It was as if she had lay down in that position voluntarily and waited for whoever held the sword to kill her. There was a partial footprint in the blood, but no tread on the shoe, it was a clean sole like a smooth leather half sole on a boot. The waitress had about $300 in tip money, blood stained in her bra. It truly was hell night, not a sign of why she had been killed and only more questions.
12:00 PM Across Town
The clearing was bathed in moonlight and headlights from the police cruiser sitting a few yards away. On a stone in the middle of the clearing, a young woman's body laid spread eagle. Her shirt had been carefully opened, and Sara was dusting the buttons for partial prints.
"I don't know why I am bothering, these buttons are so small that I doubt I will get even a quarter print, nearly impossible to match." She said to Nick.
"Yea," he said as he walked the perimeter looking for footprints, "the only things I have found are that weird symbol in the blood and a partial footprint, but no tread to match, it is as smooth as a baby's bottom."
"This is just plain creepy," Sara said. "Either that or someone is playing with us. Any idea how Cath is doing on her's?"
"Naaa, haven't heard anything. I am done, how bout you? Ready to head back?" Nick walked over to the stone. The victim's face still gave him the creeps; she was smiling, as if at a joke. Absolutely no sign of struggle or assault other than the big hole in her chest where she had been stabbed by a long, thick blade: the whole thing was confusing.
12:45 - Vegas Crime Lab
"This symbol stuff is weird, Gil" Catherine was saying as Nick and Sara walked in.
"You have one too?" Sara asked, Here is the sketch of ours"
"Hey guys, this is a really strange case." Warrick said as he walked into the conversation. "I have one too, and no sign of struggle or assault, it was almost as if she knew what was happening and accepted it."
Gil looked at the three drawings of the symbols, his face pale. "Ok, any suggestions?"
"Someone is playing with us, and the whole Halloween idea." Sara said.
"Not playing, Sara, at least not to these ladies." Gil looked at the photos of the three women. "This is serious. Sara, you check into the meanings of the symbols in the pentagrams, there is a good occult database, find me the meanings."
"Gil, maybe if you..." Gil glared at Catherine stopping her before she suggested it again.
"No, Cath, we can figure this out."
Brass stuck his head in the door, "Guys, we've got another one."
12:00 pm -- Kat's house "Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet again." Kat said goodnight to her friends at the door. Terry stayed behind to help with the clean up. The two women worked in companionable silence for a little while, and then Terry started in.
"You know, it has been three years; when are you going to call it quits?" Terry scrapped plates into the disposal. "I mean come on, so the guy accused you of being a serial killer, that sounds like good reason to give up on him to me."
"If you don't drop it, you can leave, Terry. This is not the night to do this, ok. It is hard enough to forget him tonight anyway, and you keep bringing it all up. How can I forget him if my best friend keeps hitting me with what he did?"
"Kat, you couldn't forget him if you tried, and believe me you haven't tried that hard. There are still pictures of the guy sitting around the house, I bet if I looked in your closet he would still have clothes hanging there. Either get over him and get on with your life, or call the big dope and tell him you love him, you forgive him, and beg him to come back." "Terry, enough. I really mean it I am not in the mood."
"Alright, I need to get to the hospital anyway." Terry looked down at her ornate ceremonial robes. "One of these days I am going to leave a change of clothes here so I don't have to wear this thing back to the ER. People always look at me funny." Terry laughed as she opened the front door.
"As long as you don't discuss Gil Grissom, you can have the spare room, I am getting lonely living here by myself." Kat laughed as she closed the door. "Merry Part and Goddess bless, Terry."
Kat began to lock up the house, when a sudden feeling came over her that something wasn't right. She opened the front door, but Terry had already left. She shrugged it off and went into the living room. She sat down on the couch and pulled down a picture from the bookcase. She looked at them laughing at the top of the roller coaster. She missed him so much some times. She put the picture on the coffee table and began getting ready for the long night of sleepless meditation that her Halloween night usually turned into.
Mercy Hospital -- 1AM
Nick and Warrick looked down at the body. This one seemed like it had been rushed. The blonde's hair was matted with blood from a cut over her left eye. There were bruises on her wrists and ankles as if she had been held in position. She had a look of horror on her face. There was another symbol on the ground next to her. Her long flowing robes were pooled around her, arranged to look as if the wind were blowing them. A doctor from the ER was with them.
"Any idea who she is Doctor?" Nick asked.
"Terry Baker. She must have been on her way into work. She had taken half a night off tonight for a religious holiday. She is Wiccan. Several of the nurses are, but she is the only one that made a habit of practicing. Man this is going to hurt tonight, she was one of our best triage nurses." The doctor rambled on.
"Thanks for the ID, Doc." Warrick said as he snapped pictures of Terry's corpse.
"Do you know if she had any family or friends in the area?" Nick asked. Brass walked up to them as Nick asked the question. He looked at the corpse on the ground and a slow look of recognition crossed his face.
"A close friend, I imagine she was at Kat's house this evening, that is where they usually do their Wicca stuff."
"Ok. Thanks Doc. We can take it from here and I know where to find you if I have more questions." Brass watched as the doctor walked away. "Shit."
"What?" Nick asked.
"Just that this victim was a suspect in another case about three years ago, an open case, same MO as this one, and I get to tell the CSI that handled that one that one of his main suspects is dead." Brass looked shaken. "Are you sure that is all? 'Cuz you look kinda rattled, Brass." Nick said. "Yea well since she was also a friend of that CSI, it is going to be even harder. Be very thorough on this one guys. Very thorough."
CSI Lab 1:15
Sara looked at Gil behind his desk, he seemed distracted, sad almost. She had no idea why he seemed that way. "Ok this is what I have on the sketches so far. Each one is an inverted pentacle with a Norse rune inscribed in the center. The first one is the rune Perp, for rebirth, mystery, magic or initiation. The second one is the rune Naupiz, for poverty, necessity, frustration, hardship and discontent. The third is Berkana, for growth, health, clearance and cleansing. The new one is Halglaz. It means loss, ordeal, testing, karmic lessons, and removing unwanted influences." Gil looked at Sara. "It sounds like an escalating pattern. I wonder what the next one will be?" "I don't know, but these symbols are the only difference from the killings three years ago. They are drawn in the victim's blood, and whomever is doing this, is careful, no epithelials, no prints, not even a good foot print even though they stepped all in the blood at the last scene. I am working on trying to match what shoe prints we do have but with the smooth sole, it is not going well." "Keep on it Sara." Gil looked up as there was a knock on the door.
Brass walked into Gris's office as Sara walked out and closed the door. He sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Well we have an ID on the fourth vic, Gil." Brass looked at his hands.
"Who?" Gil asked looking at Brass over his glasses.
"Someone we both know. Gil I am sorry. This one didn't fit the profile, not from three years ago, and not now. I just don't understand why her?" "Who?" Gil asked again, fear crossing his face. "Terry Baker, Gil."
"WHAT." Gil shouted.
"Gil, I know that she was a friend of yours, well yours and Kat's." Brass looked at his friend across the desk. He was as white as a ghost. Gil sat back in his chair, Brass's words sinking in. "Your right, Terry doesn't fit the profile, natural blonde. All the other vics are redheads." Gil opened his desk and pulled out a picture.
"Has anyone questioned Kat yet?" Gil asked
"No, I kinda thought that that was your place, considering."
"I can't, Jim. I can't"
"Gil do you want her to find out her best friend is dead from a cop, or worse hear it from one of your team instead of you personally. You know how upset she was last time she was questioned. You and I both know that Terry and Kat are as close sisters, hell they lied for each other three years ago, and well enough that we were never able to break them." "Jim, you know that isn't why. I am not good with people." Gil looked stricken.
"I know, that is why you are in this mess with her in the first place."
"Jim I can't do it alone." Gil looked at him. "I can't face her after three years and tell her that whomever did what I accused her of three years ago has killed her best friend, the only person left she has to trust. I destroyed her trust in me, in you, in the police, in justice. Terry was all she had." Gil looked at the picture in his hands. They began to shake. He looked back up at Brass. "I have to do this don't I?" Brass nodded. "Shit"
Gil stood up and walked toward the door. He grabbed his jacket and put his hand on the door handle. Suddenly he turned and walked back to the desk. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the rust colored bundle. "What's that for?" Brass asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Peace offering to get me in the door." Gil said as he opened his office door. "I just hope it works."
Three Years before
There was a pounding on the door. Kat went to answer it. Gil stood there, Catherine Willows beside him a piece of paper in her hand. Jim Brass stood behind them.
"Kat we have a warrant. Catherine is going to have to search the house." Gil said. She stepped aside as they went straight to the living room and gathered up her atheme, work dagger, and crystal dagger off the alter.
"Gil, you know I had nothing to do with this. This is not what I believe in, you should know that by now. You should know me by now." Kat said as Catherine bagged the knives.
Gil just looked at her. "I hope there is no DNA on these, for your sake." "Yea I guess for my sake, because this is the end for OUR sake." She looked at Brass "I can't believe you would do this, how many times have you been to my house, seen my alter? How many times have we discussed what I believe?"
Brass just looked at her and slammed the door on the way out.
Across Town
There was a pounding on the door. Kat stretched her back as she stood up. She had been kneeling too long anyway.
"I thought all the trick or treaters were gone by now." She said as she walked to the front door.
She opened the door. Gil stood there, a package in his hands. She looked behind him; he was alone.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Can I come in?"
"Do you have a warrant this time?" Every fiber of her being wanted to slam that door in his face, but something about the way he was standing there stopped her.
"No."
She stood back from the door. "You know where everything is."
He walked into the living room. When he saw the picture on the table he stopped. "Circus Circus, 4 years ago. I miss those times.
"So do I." Kat stood in the archway to the living room. "What do you want Gil, it is nearly 2am."
"Sit down, Kat." She walked over to the sofa and sat on the end furthest away from him.
"We have had 4 murders tonight, same MO as the ones 3 years ago."
"So why are you bothering me with it, am I a suspect again?"
"No. not this time." Gil looked down at her, and then down at the picture of the two of them on the table. "Kat this is hard for me, the fourth victim was Terry."
"WHAT!" Kat was stunned. "She left here a few hours ago. What happened, where, when? Do you have anything?"
"It was on her way back to work from here. " Gil tried to take Kat's hand but she pulled away. "She was attacked in the hospital parking lot." "You are not going to ask me where I was?" Kat asked sarcastically. "No, Kat, I have had a plain clothes officer watching the house since this started. I know it isn't you, just like I know it wasn't you three years ago." Gil's pager went off. He looked at the message. "Well it looks like we have a possible witness to one of the killings."
He sat on the other end of the sofa and filled her in what he knew. She sat and absorbed it, in shock.
"What time did Terry leave tonight, Kat?" "She stayed to help me clean up, she left about 12:20 or so, She walked over from the hospital. We walk..walked it every day so I know it only takes about ten minutes to get there from here on foot." "Did everything go alright tonight, no fights or arguments within the group?" "Coven, Gil, you know we call it a coven; and no, no fights unless you count James trying to hog the remote after the ceremony. Terry was riding my backside about calling YOU, but that was about a once a week discussion anyway." "Calling me?" Gil looked at Kat in surprise. "Why would she not want you to call me?" "No, Gil, trying to get me to call you." "Oh, I see." Gil said, his voice dropping in disappointment. "Did you notice anything unusual when she left?" "Gil, I didn't even notice your plain clothes car outside." Kat said. "I did get a feeling something was wrong about five minutes after she left, but when I looked outside everything was quiet." "What about these runes? Can you help with that?" "I don't know anything about this rune thing either, you know I am of the Celtic path not Norse, if it was Oggam runes, I might be able to tell you something. Terry was the Norse one. You mean Terry was the only one to struggle?" Kat asked.
"Yes." Gil looked at her, she was pale, and starting to shake. He wanted desperately to put his arms around her and hold her and let her cry, but he had lost that right 3 years ago. He looked at the floor, trying to find words that might help.
Suddenly, Kat sobbed. The tears started flooding down her face, and Gil didn't care about rights anymore. He pulled her into his arms and held her as she was wracked by grief. He sat with her in his lap until the sobs subsided and she stopped shaking.
Kat felt something sharp pressing into her side. "What is that?"
"Peace offering" Gil handed her the bundle. She unwrapped it. Inside the bundle was all the items he had taken from her alter 3 years before. The cloth was the gown that they had taken from her when they arrested her, and the cord was the belt to the gown with knots to hold the dagger sheaths in place.
"Thank you." She stood up and started walking towards the entryway. "I suppose you need to get back to the investigation. Keep me posted. Have Catherine call me if you don't want to. I want to know what happened to her."
Kat stood to the side of the living room archway. Gil started to pass her.
"Hey, this is me you know." He put a finger under her chin. "Please don't shut me out again."
Kat looked up at him nearly drowning in his blue eyes. She shook herself and glared at him. "You were the one who accused me of murder, I would say you did the shutting. And speaking of shutting there is the door, don't let it hit you on the way out."
Gil turned and started to walk out the open door. He stopped suddenly. He knew he had shut the door when he came in. Drawn on the open door was a symbol.
"Kat what is that?"
Kat looked at the door, "I am not sure? She reached out to touch the sketch. "Don't" Gil grabbed her arm. "Get out of the house." He looked out the door; the police officer he had stationed at her house was sitting slumped over in his car, unconscious. He reached for his cell phone holder, and remembered he had left it in the Tahoe so they wouldn't be disturbed. "Get to the Tahoe, my cell phone is there, call 911 and get a uniform out here." he said as he reached back just a little farther and unsnapped his holster. Kat started to walk out the door when she heard the sound of something heavy falling behind her. She turned in time to see Gil sprawled on the floor. A figure in dark robes stood over him. In his hand he held a small device, it looked like a taser gun. Kat turned to sprint out the door but there were two other figures blocking the door. She backed against the wall. She felt a weight in her hand and realized she was still holding dagger from the bundle that Gil had brought. She brandished it at the three figures approaching her. Behind them she could see Gil starting to get up, his gun in his hand. She also saw another dark figure behind Gil, in the kitchen door way. It also had a gun pointed right at Gil. She looked toward the front door and saw her neighbors pull in, still dressed in their Halloween costumes. She did the only thing she could think of, she screamed, and rushed the men, using the dagger to drive them back into the yard. Behind her she heard a two gun shots from in side the house.
"Call 911," she screamed at her neighbors. The men saw him with his cell phone and took off down the street. Suddenly she heard a shout from across the street, she looked over, just as she felt a burning in her back, and heard the gun shot.
Inside
Gil pulled his gun, suddenly Kat started screaming and ran for the front door, he heard a gun shot and felt a burning in his back. He fell forward on the floor. He felt a form walk over his prone body, and holding on to consciousness he fired at the figure. He saw it stagger a moment, leaning against the doorframe as it took aim and fired. He watched as it collapsed in the door way a pool of blood forming underneath it.
The next Morning - Mercy Hospital.
"beep, beep"
Gil opened his eyes. Catherine stood next to his bed.
"Hey we thought we might loose you." She grinned. "Another 6 inches and he might have hit something important."
Gil struggled to try to sit up. "Whoah, be still or the doc's will put you out again."
"Where is Kat, is she ok."
"She's still in surgery."
"Cath, how bad is it?"
"Well, your little trophy hit a rib and bounced back out, the guys are still looking for the bullet back at the house. She wasn't so lucky. The doctors are not sure she is going to pull through." "I have to see her Cath," Gil started trying to sit up in the bed. "The doctor's wouldn't even let us see her, next of kin only." "And I gave that right up three years ago didn't I." Gil said bitterly. "You said it, not me." Catherine said as she walked out the door. "As soon as we know something I will tell you ok." Gil laid back on the bed, tears seeping from under his closed eyelids.
That Afternoon, Gil's hospital room
".so the one you shot was the ring leader. He was behind the murders three years ago too. He didn't make it through surgery, but the other three left fingerprints at Kat's and we have positive id's on them from the FBI. It seems our ring leader was a cop up in Colorado Springs, he and his "coven" came down here for some kind of Halloween special at the Excalibur." Sara was saying. "The other three?" Gil asked. "All three were in CODIS and AFIS. It seems our perp recruited from convicted sexual offenders who reported to his local jurisdiction when they got out." Nick said. "We have APB's out on all three of them. We should have more answers when we catch them." "Yea the one thing we missed on the first three was the use of a taser to disable them quickly, that is why no sign of struggle. Our witness on the second one said the guy he saw in the park was wearing a police uniform, he ran off because he thought the cop saw him hit his girlfriend. " Catherine supplied. "Mister Grissom," a nurse said from the door. "You asked me to let you know if there was any change. She is doing better and should wake up in about an hour." "Thank you." Gil said. "Good work guys." He said to his team. "I should be back in the office next week, according to the doctor. So until then Catherine is in charge." Nick gave a playful moan as they headed out the door. "Cath can I take a week's vacation?" "Vacation denied, Stokes we have work to do." Catherine said laughing as she shut the door.
Later that afternoon.
Kat felt someone next to her bed. She opened her eyes and saw Gil sitting there, holding her hand. She smiled at him. "Hey there." "Hey yourself. What was the idea of scaring me like this." Laying on the bed was a yellow envelope. "Catherine found this in your desk." She looked at the envelope. "You are mad at me about that. I thought after three years it wouldn't matter." "It matters." Gil looked up at her sadly. "I haven't filed them yet, I was just filling them out." Kat said quietly. "Do you want to? Do you really want a divorce?" She looked at him, wearing a hospital gown, sitting next to her bed in a wheelchair, his blue eyes reminding her of the husky puppy they had looked at three years ago. Suddenly she burst out laughing, wincing at the pain in her back as she did so. "Not on your life, Mr. Grissom. But if you think I am living with that damn spider under my roof again you have another thing coming. You know I am arachnophobic." He looked up at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You mean I can move back home, Mrs. Grissom." She smiled at him. "Gil do you ever think we will ever have a normal wedding anniversary?" "No, we got married on Hell Night." They both laughed quietly until the nurses came to take Gil back to his room.
Epologue:
Three days later:
Sara looked at the screen. She was wondering if she should tell Grissom about this last rune. It was Gebo, the gift, offering, sacrifice, love and marriage. They still hadn't caught the last member of their little group, and according to the two they had caught, they were just the initiates. There was a huge underground group out there, and it was getting ready to move to Las Vegas. According to their confessions, the group already had infiltrated Las Vegas police, maybe even the crime lab itself. Sara was not sure if she believed it. She decided not to bother Grissom with it. She just placed a copy of the printout in the file, and stuck a post it note on the fish board in the breakroom.
October 31 - Vegas Crime Lab
The team sat around the break room table, waiting for Grissom to bring the night's assignments.
"I swear next year I am going to put in my vacation request for Halloween night." Sara said out loud as she sipped her first cup of coffee for the night.
"Not if I get mine in first." Nick said, flipping a page in his notebook.
"That's ok, I'll just deny them anyway." Gil Grissom walked into the room, post-it notes in hand. " 'Come, thick night And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry 'Hold, hold!' Hell Night, blackness and evil roam the streets."
"Othello?" Sara asked "MacBeth" Grissom answered. "Tell me it is gona be a light year. Lindsey is dressing up as Cinderella, and Eddie is taking her trick-or-treating. I wanted to see her costume this year." Catherine said.
"Sorry Cath, wish I could, but there is a 418 over at the Excalibur, someone went Medieval on one of the waitresses, looks like a sword." Gil handed her one of the post-it notes. "Sara you and Nick are on candy patrol until something else comes in. Warrick, drive by shooting, kids are confused as to what happened." He handed Warrick the other note.
"Hey what about you, Boss?" Sara teased. "You on candy patrol, too."
"Sara, Gris doesn't work cases on Halloween." Catherine said. "It is Fish Board night."
"Ohhhhhh.." Sara punched Nick in the arm. "Well, at least all we have to deal with for now is the kiddos."
"Catherine, I'll trade ya.." Nick shouted as Sara dragged him out the door.
"Gris, you ok on the board, I can help when I get back off this one." Warrick said.
"Go on, Warr, things will probably pick up later." Gil said.
After Warrick left the room, Catherine looked at Gil. He was looking at his hands laying on his desk, a kind of helpless sorrow draping over him like a shroud. "Call her." She said. "The worst that can happen is she will hang up on you again."
"I can't go through it again Cath." She shrugged and closed the door quietly.
Across Town
A small group of robbed figures stood in a circle in a wooded clearing. The central figure held a bloodstained sword up in the air. Suddenly a bloodcurdling scream rent the night air. A young woman came running into the middle of the circle. A young man followed her, a horror movie mask clutched in one hand.
"Come on, it was only a joke." He said. He stopped at the edge of the clearing, not noticing the hooded figures in the dark. "That wasn't funny." She said. "Come on Sal, lets go back to the car." He grabbed her arm and started to pull her back the way they came. She pulled back from him, "Only if you promise no more pranks tonight." He slapped her across the face, "Back to the car." The moon slipped out from behind the clouds, bathing her in light, her coppery hair blazing like a fire in the night. The robbed figures turned their heads and nodded. One of them pulled off his robe and stepped into the moonlight and asked "Is there a problem here?"
The young man looked at the man, "No, no problem." He turned and ran into the woods.
Sal turned to thank the figure.
Vegas Crime Lab
Gris I have a body, young female, stabbed in a wooded clearing." Brass said as he walked in the door. Gil quickly closed the bottom drawer of his desk.
"Man are you ever gona get over her?" Jim asked his friend. " It has been three years, she is never gona call you for those. Get rid of them."
"I'll get Sara and Nick on your vic." Gil said ignoring Brass's comments.
"Right." Brass opened the office door. "You know, phone lines work two ways. Call her."
Gil just reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk again, pointedly ignoring Brass as he closed the door.
Across Town - 11pm
"So Mote it be." She said, her head bowed.
"So Mote it be." Responded the other six in the room.
She stood in the center of the room, all furniture had been pushed to the outside walls and a circle was drawn in chalk on the hardwood floor. She stood in the center of the circle facing east. She gestured with the sword in her hand and opened the circle. She then took a broom and swept the opening free of chalk. The seven coven members walked out of the circle through the opening. There was a banquet table set up in the dinning room of the house. The coven members rushed for the food.
"Hey Kat, you outdid yourself this year." Terry said as she filled her plate. "Samhain feast is my favorite of the year." She picked up a huge turkey leg and started gnawing on it. The table was loaded with meats and breads of the harvest. Fruits and nuts of every sort, and near the door was a large cauldron of candy that had been disseminated by the local trick or treaters.
Kat smiled from the living room as she sheathed her sword and placed it on the alter. "Thanks. Eat up guys, I don't have room for the leftovers."
Kat turned and looked at the alter; there were several places that still looked empty after three years. Terry noticed a shadow cross Kat's face. She walked in with a plate of food.
"Hey, it is your feast, don't go hungry." Terry laughed.
"I will be there in a minute." Kat said, "Kido, if it still hurts that bad, CALL HIM. I mean put both of you out of your misery. If all else fails you could demand your altheme back. Did you ever get him to sign those papers?"
"No, I just couldn't have them served. I keep thinking I will just go over there and demand he sign them, and then I see him on the news, and it starts all over again. "
"You mean being pissed about what he did?" "No, the weak knees, the pure beauty of the man gets to me every time, I forgave what he did a long time ago, I guess I just can't forgive him for holding out on me." "Goddess, never let me meet my soul mate if he is a stubborn as Gil Grissom." Terry laughed. "You have to be the most forgiving person on the face of the earth, Kat. I would have killed him for what he did."
"He was just doing his job. And watch what you ask for, she just might give it to you." Kat laughed.
"Hey you two, the party is in here you know." Shouted John from the dining room. "Someone turn on the TV, I want to watch the movies I brought." Kat and Terry walked into the dinning room, laughing. The seven of them relaxed and enjoyed each others company.
CSI Lab - 11:30pm
Gil's pager went off just as Warrick walked into his office.
Gil looked at the message on the pager, and up at Brown. "Do you have things under control on that drive by?"
"Yea, I can't do anything till Greg gets my lab work done.
What have you got?" "Another stabbing, large blade." Gil pulled out an old file from the pile on his desk "Looks like we may have a serial on our hands tonight, this is the third one in 2 hours, same MO as three years ago. I wish I had time to look this over again, but we are needed at the crime scene." "Hey man I got it." Warrick started to head out the door. "Man I hate Hell Night."
"Don't we all." Gil said as he sat back down.
After Brown left, Gil opened the file, reached down to the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a long wrapped package. The rust velvet wrapping was tied with a dark velvet cord, attached to the top was a photo. It was a photo from a crime scene, a stabbing victim, on the back was the date October 31, 1998.
11pm -- Excalibur Hotel
Catherine looked down at the young bar wench's body. She had been stabbed, no run through, directly through the chest by a blade at least 2 inches in width and ¼ inch thick. The blade had been long enough to penetrate the floor under her body by ¾ of an inch and strong enough not to leave any metal residue in the body. Catherine snapped pictures of the posed corpse, entry and exit wound, costume, shoes, and the blood pool. She noticed a smear in the blood. It looked like a pentagram with a symbol in the center.
She photographed the smear, and also made a sketch of the symbol.
Catherine turned her attention to the body and the area surrounding it. The body had been posed, arms outstretched to the side of the body, feet together, head tilted up and away from the point of penetration. Nothing else on the body had been disturbed; no sign of sexual assault, the rape kit was clean. No epithelials under the fingernails, as a matter of fact no sign of struggle at all. It was as if she had lay down in that position voluntarily and waited for whoever held the sword to kill her. There was a partial footprint in the blood, but no tread on the shoe, it was a clean sole like a smooth leather half sole on a boot. The waitress had about $300 in tip money, blood stained in her bra. It truly was hell night, not a sign of why she had been killed and only more questions.
12:00 PM Across Town
The clearing was bathed in moonlight and headlights from the police cruiser sitting a few yards away. On a stone in the middle of the clearing, a young woman's body laid spread eagle. Her shirt had been carefully opened, and Sara was dusting the buttons for partial prints.
"I don't know why I am bothering, these buttons are so small that I doubt I will get even a quarter print, nearly impossible to match." She said to Nick.
"Yea," he said as he walked the perimeter looking for footprints, "the only things I have found are that weird symbol in the blood and a partial footprint, but no tread to match, it is as smooth as a baby's bottom."
"This is just plain creepy," Sara said. "Either that or someone is playing with us. Any idea how Cath is doing on her's?"
"Naaa, haven't heard anything. I am done, how bout you? Ready to head back?" Nick walked over to the stone. The victim's face still gave him the creeps; she was smiling, as if at a joke. Absolutely no sign of struggle or assault other than the big hole in her chest where she had been stabbed by a long, thick blade: the whole thing was confusing.
12:45 - Vegas Crime Lab
"This symbol stuff is weird, Gil" Catherine was saying as Nick and Sara walked in.
"You have one too?" Sara asked, Here is the sketch of ours"
"Hey guys, this is a really strange case." Warrick said as he walked into the conversation. "I have one too, and no sign of struggle or assault, it was almost as if she knew what was happening and accepted it."
Gil looked at the three drawings of the symbols, his face pale. "Ok, any suggestions?"
"Someone is playing with us, and the whole Halloween idea." Sara said.
"Not playing, Sara, at least not to these ladies." Gil looked at the photos of the three women. "This is serious. Sara, you check into the meanings of the symbols in the pentagrams, there is a good occult database, find me the meanings."
"Gil, maybe if you..." Gil glared at Catherine stopping her before she suggested it again.
"No, Cath, we can figure this out."
Brass stuck his head in the door, "Guys, we've got another one."
12:00 pm -- Kat's house "Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet again." Kat said goodnight to her friends at the door. Terry stayed behind to help with the clean up. The two women worked in companionable silence for a little while, and then Terry started in.
"You know, it has been three years; when are you going to call it quits?" Terry scrapped plates into the disposal. "I mean come on, so the guy accused you of being a serial killer, that sounds like good reason to give up on him to me."
"If you don't drop it, you can leave, Terry. This is not the night to do this, ok. It is hard enough to forget him tonight anyway, and you keep bringing it all up. How can I forget him if my best friend keeps hitting me with what he did?"
"Kat, you couldn't forget him if you tried, and believe me you haven't tried that hard. There are still pictures of the guy sitting around the house, I bet if I looked in your closet he would still have clothes hanging there. Either get over him and get on with your life, or call the big dope and tell him you love him, you forgive him, and beg him to come back." "Terry, enough. I really mean it I am not in the mood."
"Alright, I need to get to the hospital anyway." Terry looked down at her ornate ceremonial robes. "One of these days I am going to leave a change of clothes here so I don't have to wear this thing back to the ER. People always look at me funny." Terry laughed as she opened the front door.
"As long as you don't discuss Gil Grissom, you can have the spare room, I am getting lonely living here by myself." Kat laughed as she closed the door. "Merry Part and Goddess bless, Terry."
Kat began to lock up the house, when a sudden feeling came over her that something wasn't right. She opened the front door, but Terry had already left. She shrugged it off and went into the living room. She sat down on the couch and pulled down a picture from the bookcase. She looked at them laughing at the top of the roller coaster. She missed him so much some times. She put the picture on the coffee table and began getting ready for the long night of sleepless meditation that her Halloween night usually turned into.
Mercy Hospital -- 1AM
Nick and Warrick looked down at the body. This one seemed like it had been rushed. The blonde's hair was matted with blood from a cut over her left eye. There were bruises on her wrists and ankles as if she had been held in position. She had a look of horror on her face. There was another symbol on the ground next to her. Her long flowing robes were pooled around her, arranged to look as if the wind were blowing them. A doctor from the ER was with them.
"Any idea who she is Doctor?" Nick asked.
"Terry Baker. She must have been on her way into work. She had taken half a night off tonight for a religious holiday. She is Wiccan. Several of the nurses are, but she is the only one that made a habit of practicing. Man this is going to hurt tonight, she was one of our best triage nurses." The doctor rambled on.
"Thanks for the ID, Doc." Warrick said as he snapped pictures of Terry's corpse.
"Do you know if she had any family or friends in the area?" Nick asked. Brass walked up to them as Nick asked the question. He looked at the corpse on the ground and a slow look of recognition crossed his face.
"A close friend, I imagine she was at Kat's house this evening, that is where they usually do their Wicca stuff."
"Ok. Thanks Doc. We can take it from here and I know where to find you if I have more questions." Brass watched as the doctor walked away. "Shit."
"What?" Nick asked.
"Just that this victim was a suspect in another case about three years ago, an open case, same MO as this one, and I get to tell the CSI that handled that one that one of his main suspects is dead." Brass looked shaken. "Are you sure that is all? 'Cuz you look kinda rattled, Brass." Nick said. "Yea well since she was also a friend of that CSI, it is going to be even harder. Be very thorough on this one guys. Very thorough."
CSI Lab 1:15
Sara looked at Gil behind his desk, he seemed distracted, sad almost. She had no idea why he seemed that way. "Ok this is what I have on the sketches so far. Each one is an inverted pentacle with a Norse rune inscribed in the center. The first one is the rune Perp, for rebirth, mystery, magic or initiation. The second one is the rune Naupiz, for poverty, necessity, frustration, hardship and discontent. The third is Berkana, for growth, health, clearance and cleansing. The new one is Halglaz. It means loss, ordeal, testing, karmic lessons, and removing unwanted influences." Gil looked at Sara. "It sounds like an escalating pattern. I wonder what the next one will be?" "I don't know, but these symbols are the only difference from the killings three years ago. They are drawn in the victim's blood, and whomever is doing this, is careful, no epithelials, no prints, not even a good foot print even though they stepped all in the blood at the last scene. I am working on trying to match what shoe prints we do have but with the smooth sole, it is not going well." "Keep on it Sara." Gil looked up as there was a knock on the door.
Brass walked into Gris's office as Sara walked out and closed the door. He sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Well we have an ID on the fourth vic, Gil." Brass looked at his hands.
"Who?" Gil asked looking at Brass over his glasses.
"Someone we both know. Gil I am sorry. This one didn't fit the profile, not from three years ago, and not now. I just don't understand why her?" "Who?" Gil asked again, fear crossing his face. "Terry Baker, Gil."
"WHAT." Gil shouted.
"Gil, I know that she was a friend of yours, well yours and Kat's." Brass looked at his friend across the desk. He was as white as a ghost. Gil sat back in his chair, Brass's words sinking in. "Your right, Terry doesn't fit the profile, natural blonde. All the other vics are redheads." Gil opened his desk and pulled out a picture.
"Has anyone questioned Kat yet?" Gil asked
"No, I kinda thought that that was your place, considering."
"I can't, Jim. I can't"
"Gil do you want her to find out her best friend is dead from a cop, or worse hear it from one of your team instead of you personally. You know how upset she was last time she was questioned. You and I both know that Terry and Kat are as close sisters, hell they lied for each other three years ago, and well enough that we were never able to break them." "Jim, you know that isn't why. I am not good with people." Gil looked stricken.
"I know, that is why you are in this mess with her in the first place."
"Jim I can't do it alone." Gil looked at him. "I can't face her after three years and tell her that whomever did what I accused her of three years ago has killed her best friend, the only person left she has to trust. I destroyed her trust in me, in you, in the police, in justice. Terry was all she had." Gil looked at the picture in his hands. They began to shake. He looked back up at Brass. "I have to do this don't I?" Brass nodded. "Shit"
Gil stood up and walked toward the door. He grabbed his jacket and put his hand on the door handle. Suddenly he turned and walked back to the desk. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the rust colored bundle. "What's that for?" Brass asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Peace offering to get me in the door." Gil said as he opened his office door. "I just hope it works."
Three Years before
There was a pounding on the door. Kat went to answer it. Gil stood there, Catherine Willows beside him a piece of paper in her hand. Jim Brass stood behind them.
"Kat we have a warrant. Catherine is going to have to search the house." Gil said. She stepped aside as they went straight to the living room and gathered up her atheme, work dagger, and crystal dagger off the alter.
"Gil, you know I had nothing to do with this. This is not what I believe in, you should know that by now. You should know me by now." Kat said as Catherine bagged the knives.
Gil just looked at her. "I hope there is no DNA on these, for your sake." "Yea I guess for my sake, because this is the end for OUR sake." She looked at Brass "I can't believe you would do this, how many times have you been to my house, seen my alter? How many times have we discussed what I believe?"
Brass just looked at her and slammed the door on the way out.
Across Town
There was a pounding on the door. Kat stretched her back as she stood up. She had been kneeling too long anyway.
"I thought all the trick or treaters were gone by now." She said as she walked to the front door.
She opened the door. Gil stood there, a package in his hands. She looked behind him; he was alone.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Can I come in?"
"Do you have a warrant this time?" Every fiber of her being wanted to slam that door in his face, but something about the way he was standing there stopped her.
"No."
She stood back from the door. "You know where everything is."
He walked into the living room. When he saw the picture on the table he stopped. "Circus Circus, 4 years ago. I miss those times.
"So do I." Kat stood in the archway to the living room. "What do you want Gil, it is nearly 2am."
"Sit down, Kat." She walked over to the sofa and sat on the end furthest away from him.
"We have had 4 murders tonight, same MO as the ones 3 years ago."
"So why are you bothering me with it, am I a suspect again?"
"No. not this time." Gil looked down at her, and then down at the picture of the two of them on the table. "Kat this is hard for me, the fourth victim was Terry."
"WHAT!" Kat was stunned. "She left here a few hours ago. What happened, where, when? Do you have anything?"
"It was on her way back to work from here. " Gil tried to take Kat's hand but she pulled away. "She was attacked in the hospital parking lot." "You are not going to ask me where I was?" Kat asked sarcastically. "No, Kat, I have had a plain clothes officer watching the house since this started. I know it isn't you, just like I know it wasn't you three years ago." Gil's pager went off. He looked at the message. "Well it looks like we have a possible witness to one of the killings."
He sat on the other end of the sofa and filled her in what he knew. She sat and absorbed it, in shock.
"What time did Terry leave tonight, Kat?" "She stayed to help me clean up, she left about 12:20 or so, She walked over from the hospital. We walk..walked it every day so I know it only takes about ten minutes to get there from here on foot." "Did everything go alright tonight, no fights or arguments within the group?" "Coven, Gil, you know we call it a coven; and no, no fights unless you count James trying to hog the remote after the ceremony. Terry was riding my backside about calling YOU, but that was about a once a week discussion anyway." "Calling me?" Gil looked at Kat in surprise. "Why would she not want you to call me?" "No, Gil, trying to get me to call you." "Oh, I see." Gil said, his voice dropping in disappointment. "Did you notice anything unusual when she left?" "Gil, I didn't even notice your plain clothes car outside." Kat said. "I did get a feeling something was wrong about five minutes after she left, but when I looked outside everything was quiet." "What about these runes? Can you help with that?" "I don't know anything about this rune thing either, you know I am of the Celtic path not Norse, if it was Oggam runes, I might be able to tell you something. Terry was the Norse one. You mean Terry was the only one to struggle?" Kat asked.
"Yes." Gil looked at her, she was pale, and starting to shake. He wanted desperately to put his arms around her and hold her and let her cry, but he had lost that right 3 years ago. He looked at the floor, trying to find words that might help.
Suddenly, Kat sobbed. The tears started flooding down her face, and Gil didn't care about rights anymore. He pulled her into his arms and held her as she was wracked by grief. He sat with her in his lap until the sobs subsided and she stopped shaking.
Kat felt something sharp pressing into her side. "What is that?"
"Peace offering" Gil handed her the bundle. She unwrapped it. Inside the bundle was all the items he had taken from her alter 3 years before. The cloth was the gown that they had taken from her when they arrested her, and the cord was the belt to the gown with knots to hold the dagger sheaths in place.
"Thank you." She stood up and started walking towards the entryway. "I suppose you need to get back to the investigation. Keep me posted. Have Catherine call me if you don't want to. I want to know what happened to her."
Kat stood to the side of the living room archway. Gil started to pass her.
"Hey, this is me you know." He put a finger under her chin. "Please don't shut me out again."
Kat looked up at him nearly drowning in his blue eyes. She shook herself and glared at him. "You were the one who accused me of murder, I would say you did the shutting. And speaking of shutting there is the door, don't let it hit you on the way out."
Gil turned and started to walk out the open door. He stopped suddenly. He knew he had shut the door when he came in. Drawn on the open door was a symbol.
"Kat what is that?"
Kat looked at the door, "I am not sure? She reached out to touch the sketch. "Don't" Gil grabbed her arm. "Get out of the house." He looked out the door; the police officer he had stationed at her house was sitting slumped over in his car, unconscious. He reached for his cell phone holder, and remembered he had left it in the Tahoe so they wouldn't be disturbed. "Get to the Tahoe, my cell phone is there, call 911 and get a uniform out here." he said as he reached back just a little farther and unsnapped his holster. Kat started to walk out the door when she heard the sound of something heavy falling behind her. She turned in time to see Gil sprawled on the floor. A figure in dark robes stood over him. In his hand he held a small device, it looked like a taser gun. Kat turned to sprint out the door but there were two other figures blocking the door. She backed against the wall. She felt a weight in her hand and realized she was still holding dagger from the bundle that Gil had brought. She brandished it at the three figures approaching her. Behind them she could see Gil starting to get up, his gun in his hand. She also saw another dark figure behind Gil, in the kitchen door way. It also had a gun pointed right at Gil. She looked toward the front door and saw her neighbors pull in, still dressed in their Halloween costumes. She did the only thing she could think of, she screamed, and rushed the men, using the dagger to drive them back into the yard. Behind her she heard a two gun shots from in side the house.
"Call 911," she screamed at her neighbors. The men saw him with his cell phone and took off down the street. Suddenly she heard a shout from across the street, she looked over, just as she felt a burning in her back, and heard the gun shot.
Inside
Gil pulled his gun, suddenly Kat started screaming and ran for the front door, he heard a gun shot and felt a burning in his back. He fell forward on the floor. He felt a form walk over his prone body, and holding on to consciousness he fired at the figure. He saw it stagger a moment, leaning against the doorframe as it took aim and fired. He watched as it collapsed in the door way a pool of blood forming underneath it.
The next Morning - Mercy Hospital.
"beep, beep"
Gil opened his eyes. Catherine stood next to his bed.
"Hey we thought we might loose you." She grinned. "Another 6 inches and he might have hit something important."
Gil struggled to try to sit up. "Whoah, be still or the doc's will put you out again."
"Where is Kat, is she ok."
"She's still in surgery."
"Cath, how bad is it?"
"Well, your little trophy hit a rib and bounced back out, the guys are still looking for the bullet back at the house. She wasn't so lucky. The doctors are not sure she is going to pull through." "I have to see her Cath," Gil started trying to sit up in the bed. "The doctor's wouldn't even let us see her, next of kin only." "And I gave that right up three years ago didn't I." Gil said bitterly. "You said it, not me." Catherine said as she walked out the door. "As soon as we know something I will tell you ok." Gil laid back on the bed, tears seeping from under his closed eyelids.
That Afternoon, Gil's hospital room
".so the one you shot was the ring leader. He was behind the murders three years ago too. He didn't make it through surgery, but the other three left fingerprints at Kat's and we have positive id's on them from the FBI. It seems our ring leader was a cop up in Colorado Springs, he and his "coven" came down here for some kind of Halloween special at the Excalibur." Sara was saying. "The other three?" Gil asked. "All three were in CODIS and AFIS. It seems our perp recruited from convicted sexual offenders who reported to his local jurisdiction when they got out." Nick said. "We have APB's out on all three of them. We should have more answers when we catch them." "Yea the one thing we missed on the first three was the use of a taser to disable them quickly, that is why no sign of struggle. Our witness on the second one said the guy he saw in the park was wearing a police uniform, he ran off because he thought the cop saw him hit his girlfriend. " Catherine supplied. "Mister Grissom," a nurse said from the door. "You asked me to let you know if there was any change. She is doing better and should wake up in about an hour." "Thank you." Gil said. "Good work guys." He said to his team. "I should be back in the office next week, according to the doctor. So until then Catherine is in charge." Nick gave a playful moan as they headed out the door. "Cath can I take a week's vacation?" "Vacation denied, Stokes we have work to do." Catherine said laughing as she shut the door.
Later that afternoon.
Kat felt someone next to her bed. She opened her eyes and saw Gil sitting there, holding her hand. She smiled at him. "Hey there." "Hey yourself. What was the idea of scaring me like this." Laying on the bed was a yellow envelope. "Catherine found this in your desk." She looked at the envelope. "You are mad at me about that. I thought after three years it wouldn't matter." "It matters." Gil looked up at her sadly. "I haven't filed them yet, I was just filling them out." Kat said quietly. "Do you want to? Do you really want a divorce?" She looked at him, wearing a hospital gown, sitting next to her bed in a wheelchair, his blue eyes reminding her of the husky puppy they had looked at three years ago. Suddenly she burst out laughing, wincing at the pain in her back as she did so. "Not on your life, Mr. Grissom. But if you think I am living with that damn spider under my roof again you have another thing coming. You know I am arachnophobic." He looked up at her, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You mean I can move back home, Mrs. Grissom." She smiled at him. "Gil do you ever think we will ever have a normal wedding anniversary?" "No, we got married on Hell Night." They both laughed quietly until the nurses came to take Gil back to his room.
Epologue:
Three days later:
Sara looked at the screen. She was wondering if she should tell Grissom about this last rune. It was Gebo, the gift, offering, sacrifice, love and marriage. They still hadn't caught the last member of their little group, and according to the two they had caught, they were just the initiates. There was a huge underground group out there, and it was getting ready to move to Las Vegas. According to their confessions, the group already had infiltrated Las Vegas police, maybe even the crime lab itself. Sara was not sure if she believed it. She decided not to bother Grissom with it. She just placed a copy of the printout in the file, and stuck a post it note on the fish board in the breakroom.