A/N: Any idea who the mysterious Nevada is? Keep reading! Also thanks for latest reviews from Prillygirl and Elle9!!!
Chapter 4 – Here's one I made earlier
A CAVERN INSIDE DEATH VALLEY
Grissom, Sara, Warrick and Nick were all sitting on a silver steel chair each, tied at the wrists and ankles and to the chair. In front of them was the killer, sitting at his desk in his desk chair with looking very smug.
Ex-Special Agent Rick Culpepper stood up. He still imagined he had the air of authority he had had when he and the nightshift CSIs were working the 'Strip Strangler' case. He held a shiny silver dagger which looked sharp enough to cut a window in the air.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, "the nightshift CSIs are in my power at last. A pity, Mr Stokes, you were stupid enough to take your niece in, when clearly you knew she could have been the next target in your case."
Nick gave Culpepper a dark look. "And it's a pity that sometime today, my niece and my friends are gonna kick your ass, Culpepper."
Culpepper held out his dagger and waved it slowly in front of Nick's face. "One more peep outta you, Mr Stokes, and you're going to be one dead CSI, just how I like you lot."
"Mr Brown and Miss Sidle, how nice of us to meet. I can assure you that the schedule of events for your killings begins with you two. And Mr Grissom, you'll be last. You are the reason for all this. You will watch your CSIs die and then you will join them."
Sara tried to kick Culpepper in the shins. He took a step back and drew his dagger again. "You have the honour of choosing how you die. A slit in the throat, shot down, beheaded or hung." He smiled evilly at her.
"Gee Culpepper," replied Sara, "Don't you think those tortures are a little out of date by now?"
Culpepper snorted and went back to his desk, where he sat down and turned on his computer. "I would kill you all now, but as a collector of many things, I would never begin with an incomplete collection. Casey Stokes is bringing me the last piece of my collection straight to me without realising what she's doing! Stupid English girl. I never knew what was with those accents anyway."
"You're going to spare her, Culpepper," growled Nick.
"Perhaps, Mr Stokes. If she co-operates with me."
"Just who or what is the last piece of your collection then Culpepper?" asked Warrick even though he already knew what the answer was going to be.
"I thought you would all have guessed by now. The nightshift team is not complete without Miss Catherine Willows, is it?"
Grissom's heart began to beat faster and faster. 'Not Catherine!' he thought 'I don't want any of us to die, but please especially not Catherine!' He thought about Lindsey. The poor kid had recently lost her father and now could lose her mother. And all of her various 'uncles' and 'aunts'. He thought about Casey. It wasn't entirely her fault, he knew Catherine would come whether she knew she would be killed or not. Grissom could not lose Catherine. Just like Nick could not lose Casey. He prayed that they would be here and save them…
***
CATHERINE'S TAHOE, DEATH VALLEY
Cheered up a little by Greg's awful singing and a swig of Bacardi Breezer each, Catherine and Greg climbed out of the Tahoe. Casey, cheered up by the fact that they were so close to the location of the killer, followed them.
"Alright people. Let's work out a plan!" said Greg excitedly, bouncing up and down on the spot being hyperactive.
"I'm calling O'Riley so we can get some back up." Catherine went back to the Tahoe to make contact with O'Riley.
Casey sat on a rock and thought for a minute. "This guy wants Catherine because she's a CSI –"
"-and so are you!" interrupted Greg.
"Yes, but he wants the CSIs that were CSIs at a particular time, I bet," she retorted. She stared at the ground, then at Greg. "I can't think of anything!"
The valley seemed awfully silent. All they could hear was their breathing and a few birds flying overhead. They both looked at the Tahoe where Catherine was…but wasn't any more.
"Catherine? Oh my god, Casey, we've gotta do something! He'll start killing them one by one and it's up to us! We can't wait until O'Riley and his guys get here!" Greg became wide-eyed and nervous.
"Let's try and find something in the Tahoe that could be of some use!" suggested Casey.
"Good idea," agreed Greg, "although I have no idea what we can make of these empty bottle and cans."
"I was never one to watch Blue Peter after school three times a week but we'll see what we can do," said Casey as they began gathering rubbish.
***
A CAVERN INSIDE DEATH VALLEY
Catherine struggled against the steely grip of the men who had captured her. They dragged her into the main chamber, where she was tied at the wrists, ankles and to a chair next to her colleagues.
"Ah, the beautiful Miss Willows has come to join us at last. Such an optimistic and strong woman, but you were not clever enough to realise that you would end up in this situation. Well, you've joined us at a good time because now, we can begin," said Culpepper. He held up a hand and made a gesture. The guards left the room, leaving him outnumbered but with the advantage.
"You're not a very honest man, Culpepper," snarled Catherine.
"And why is that? I made myself perfectly clear that you were in danger to Miss Stokes."
"Well you gave her and hour. Casey's hour is not up yet. There's still three quarters of it to go."
Culpepper took a deep breath and exhaled slowly and loudly. "Miss Stokes still has her hour, yes. But I don't have the slightest idea what she's going to do when she finds you already dead. I know I'm not honest, Miss Willows, why would I be doing this if I was an honest man? Honesty is a sin to me. And you are all part of the honesty gang, the law. I only joined the FBI to learn the skills and hack into mainframes so I could perform my own actions perfectly. I was going to get rid of the LVPD and all the others PDs so then everyone could have the chance to be dishonest."
"You son of a bitch!" yelled Catherine. She struggled to get up and lash out at Culpepper.
"Catherine!" said Grissom sharply, "don't!"
Deep down inside her, Catherine knew she should do what Grissom said. She admired him so much, even her daughter did too. Grissom was becoming everything to her, he'd come around every night and help her make dinner, he'd take Lindsey out every Saturday to the park and read her stories, he'd comfort Catherine when it was all too much for her. She fell silent and gave Culpepper dark looks.
Culpepper cleared his throat. "After that little interruption, I think we can start now. Miss Sidle and Mr Brown are going to be killed in my gas chamber. You'll find it quite nauseating at first, but it should be up to your standards." He clicked his fingers and half a dozen guards appeared and took Sara and Warrick away.
"Mr Stokes, you'll have the pleasure of drowning, unless the blades get you first. I always knew you'd get yourself in deep water at some stage in your life," Culpepper laughed at his little joke. "Miss Willows and Mr Grissom are going to come with me and be surprised as to what kills them."
Nick was taken away by three guards and Catherine and Grissom were escorted by Culpepper and four guards to another chamber.
"This is the end Mr Grissom. You're about to be eaten away by your little friends. Say hello to my piranhas, fire ants and various other human loving creatures."
Grissom looked at the creatures. True, he was fascinated by these and would never hurt them, but this time it was different. This was the one time in his life he needed some bug repellent. He wished Sara was here with some kind of chemical treatment that he always insisted against. A question popped up in his mind.
"What about Catherine? Will she die here too?"
Catherine looked up at him with fear on her pretty face. Culpepper laughed.
"This is the fun bit, Mr Grissom. Your beloved Miss Willows will watch you be eaten alive. I'll kill her when necessary. For now," he glanced at Catherine with a smile on his face, "we'll have a little 'fun' without you."
Both Catherine and Grissom were outraged at this.
"You'll never have me Culpepper! You're going to let us all go and you'll die here instead!" screamed Catherine, trying to claw at Culpepper's face with her perfectly manicured nails.
Culpepper suddenly grabbed her and pulled her close with such force. He began kissing her passionately ignoring her desperate attempts to get away. All Grissom could do was wait to die with Catherine taken away from him.
***
OUTSIDE THE CAVERN, DEATH VALLEY
"And here's one I made earlier! Let's go Greg!"
"Yeah! CSI and Lab Master team! Woo!"
A scream broke the silence around them.
"Erm, Greg, what's that I just heard?"
"I don't know. Can't be good, let's hope we're not too late!"
