Invisible Assailant
Chapter 9: Hurry up Catherine!
A/N: Many thanks to Lauri who hounded me for forever to get another chapter of this
story written. It is her constant nagging, input, and support that made it possible for me to
get this to you guys. Also thanks to everyone at GraveShiftCSI for the support, you guys
rock! And to Manda for just being nessly cool, and a great help to the process my writing
goes through.
Cold.
Alone.
When the haze lifted, all there was left was a bitter bone-chilling cold, and a
loneliness that made her skin crawl. Lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, Catherine
fought off the last of the high, allowing her breathing to slow somewhat. Blood mixed
with sweat trickled down her arms and legs, staining her milky white skin, before pooling
on the floor beneath her.
'Survive,' she thought, blinking back the tears unwilling to let them fall. Pushing
herself to a sitting position with her elbows, she picked at the loose bonds around her
ankles until her fingers bled. The handcuffs around her wrists limited her movement, but
still she didn't stop. Not until she could kick the rope off, did she rest.
* * * *
"You knew her?"
Nick's eyes were dancing, emotions dueling within them, as if he wasn't sure how
he should feel. Somehow, the pain and anger that he felt, vanished from him as he looked
upon her face.
"Yea…yes, I did. She was a friend. Norie Andrews. She died last
week….suicide."
Hurt and pain flashed through Sara's eyes, and Nick tried desperately to be angry
with her, but with no avail. Turning her back to him, she walked towards the car. It was
as if she didn't want him to see the pain that was undoubtedly written on her face, or the
tears that threatened to fall.
"Sara...I'm…I'm so—"
"It's ok. Really, Nick, I'm ok."
"You should have said something."
Coming up behind her, Nick placed his hand gently on her shoulder. He could feel
the muscles tense, and her breath quickened.
"I know….but…" Sara trailed off, and crossed her arms against her chest. Placing
his other hand on her arm, Nick guided her around until they were once again face to
face. His fingers moved up to her cheek, and using his thumb, he wiped a single tear
away before it could fall.
"But I know why you didn't."
* * * *
Two windows. One door. Those were her options. And she couldn't even be sure
of that. Who knew what lie behind the doorway? She'd have better luck using the
window, if she could reach it. There was a cabinet underneath it, and setting her pain
aside, Catherine crawled to it and picked herself off of the floor.
"Damnit," she mumbled to herself, her legs threatening to buckle underneath the
weight. She knew she had to move faster, but her body wouldn't cooperate, the
movements of her arms and legs slow and lethargic. Every movement caused a new wave
of pain to shoot through her body, and soon she could feel the tears rolling down her
cheeks. Hastily she wiped them away.
* * * *
Warrick had been putting together Catherine's old cases when Brass strode up to
him with a fresh armload of paper.
"Catherine's phone records for the last three months. Best as I can figure, maybe
he was harassing her, you know…calling her house...hanging up, tormenting her. Most of
these calls didn't last more than twenty seconds. I doubt she would have mentioned it to
anyone. You know Cath, she's never been one to talk about her problems…"
"…except to Grissom." Warrick finished, taking the large stack of paper and
setting it down on an empty space of table.
"Yea, well, she didn't tell him about this." Sitting down, Brass sighed heavily,
resting his elbows on the table." I had a few of my guys' scope out the area around her
house. It looks like everything's in order, but someone should go over there and take a
look inside, just to be sure."
"I'll call Nick, have him and Sara check it out on their way back here."
"Better do it fast."
* * * *
"Stokes," Nick breathed into the phone, his chest heaving irregularly. "Yea
Warrick? Sure. No man we're on it, thanks."
"What's up? Warrick have any news on Catherine?" Sara asked hurriedly,
backing away from Nick and leaning her back against the cool metal of the Tahoe.
"He's checking out any of her old cases to see if he can find a connection between
Catherine, and whomever might have taken her. Brass got a hold of her phone records.
This guy's been calling her house, Warrick wants us to go check it out see if there's any
evidence there."
"A message on her machine, maybe?" Sara paused for a moment, confusion
crossing her face. "Did he pull Grissom's cases too?"
Nick's eyes widened as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Memories of his
fleeting thoughts in the waiting room came rushing back. "Shit," he swore underneath his
breath, cursing himself for forgetting some so monumentally important. "Shit."
"Nick? What's wrong? You're starting to scare me."
"Grissom," he replied, sprinting off back in the direction of the hospital, his feet
carrying him as fast as they could go.
* * * *
The windows were small, just barely large enough for her body to fit through.
Grasping the sides, Catherine managed to pull herself through, and into the cool air of the
Las Vegas night. Lying flat on her stomach, she could feel the muddy earth seeping
through what little clothes she had left, caking itself on her face, arms and legs. Shivering
she lay there for a moment unsure of if she could go on. She wasn't sure if she could
move again even thought she knew she had too.
"Come on Catherine," she muttered, through swollen lips as the skies opened up
and the rain began falling once again. It stung as it fell upon her, jolting her to life once
again.
"Move!" her mind screamed, and she hefted herself onto her feet.
Looking around, Catherine realized she had no clue as to where she was so in
hopes of finding civilization she limped along until she found a road. Car after car drove
by her as she walked, her bare feet leaving shallow impressions in the mud. It was
sometime later before she spotted another car just down the road. She squinted as it came
closer, the headlights lighting up the road as it slowed down until it came to a complete
stop.
"Need a lift?" the driver asked rolling down the window and pushing open the
door. "Catherine? Cath is that you? Are you alright?"
Coughing, she wiped the hair out of her eyes, and started for the car. "Help me."
she sputtered, her eyes pleading with the driver for assistance as she fell to her knees.
"Help me."
TBC.
Chapter 9: Hurry up Catherine!
A/N: Many thanks to Lauri who hounded me for forever to get another chapter of this
story written. It is her constant nagging, input, and support that made it possible for me to
get this to you guys. Also thanks to everyone at GraveShiftCSI for the support, you guys
rock! And to Manda for just being nessly cool, and a great help to the process my writing
goes through.
Cold.
Alone.
When the haze lifted, all there was left was a bitter bone-chilling cold, and a
loneliness that made her skin crawl. Lying on her back, staring at the ceiling, Catherine
fought off the last of the high, allowing her breathing to slow somewhat. Blood mixed
with sweat trickled down her arms and legs, staining her milky white skin, before pooling
on the floor beneath her.
'Survive,' she thought, blinking back the tears unwilling to let them fall. Pushing
herself to a sitting position with her elbows, she picked at the loose bonds around her
ankles until her fingers bled. The handcuffs around her wrists limited her movement, but
still she didn't stop. Not until she could kick the rope off, did she rest.
* * * *
"You knew her?"
Nick's eyes were dancing, emotions dueling within them, as if he wasn't sure how
he should feel. Somehow, the pain and anger that he felt, vanished from him as he looked
upon her face.
"Yea…yes, I did. She was a friend. Norie Andrews. She died last
week….suicide."
Hurt and pain flashed through Sara's eyes, and Nick tried desperately to be angry
with her, but with no avail. Turning her back to him, she walked towards the car. It was
as if she didn't want him to see the pain that was undoubtedly written on her face, or the
tears that threatened to fall.
"Sara...I'm…I'm so—"
"It's ok. Really, Nick, I'm ok."
"You should have said something."
Coming up behind her, Nick placed his hand gently on her shoulder. He could feel
the muscles tense, and her breath quickened.
"I know….but…" Sara trailed off, and crossed her arms against her chest. Placing
his other hand on her arm, Nick guided her around until they were once again face to
face. His fingers moved up to her cheek, and using his thumb, he wiped a single tear
away before it could fall.
"But I know why you didn't."
* * * *
Two windows. One door. Those were her options. And she couldn't even be sure
of that. Who knew what lie behind the doorway? She'd have better luck using the
window, if she could reach it. There was a cabinet underneath it, and setting her pain
aside, Catherine crawled to it and picked herself off of the floor.
"Damnit," she mumbled to herself, her legs threatening to buckle underneath the
weight. She knew she had to move faster, but her body wouldn't cooperate, the
movements of her arms and legs slow and lethargic. Every movement caused a new wave
of pain to shoot through her body, and soon she could feel the tears rolling down her
cheeks. Hastily she wiped them away.
* * * *
Warrick had been putting together Catherine's old cases when Brass strode up to
him with a fresh armload of paper.
"Catherine's phone records for the last three months. Best as I can figure, maybe
he was harassing her, you know…calling her house...hanging up, tormenting her. Most of
these calls didn't last more than twenty seconds. I doubt she would have mentioned it to
anyone. You know Cath, she's never been one to talk about her problems…"
"…except to Grissom." Warrick finished, taking the large stack of paper and
setting it down on an empty space of table.
"Yea, well, she didn't tell him about this." Sitting down, Brass sighed heavily,
resting his elbows on the table." I had a few of my guys' scope out the area around her
house. It looks like everything's in order, but someone should go over there and take a
look inside, just to be sure."
"I'll call Nick, have him and Sara check it out on their way back here."
"Better do it fast."
* * * *
"Stokes," Nick breathed into the phone, his chest heaving irregularly. "Yea
Warrick? Sure. No man we're on it, thanks."
"What's up? Warrick have any news on Catherine?" Sara asked hurriedly,
backing away from Nick and leaning her back against the cool metal of the Tahoe.
"He's checking out any of her old cases to see if he can find a connection between
Catherine, and whomever might have taken her. Brass got a hold of her phone records.
This guy's been calling her house, Warrick wants us to go check it out see if there's any
evidence there."
"A message on her machine, maybe?" Sara paused for a moment, confusion
crossing her face. "Did he pull Grissom's cases too?"
Nick's eyes widened as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Memories of his
fleeting thoughts in the waiting room came rushing back. "Shit," he swore underneath his
breath, cursing himself for forgetting some so monumentally important. "Shit."
"Nick? What's wrong? You're starting to scare me."
"Grissom," he replied, sprinting off back in the direction of the hospital, his feet
carrying him as fast as they could go.
* * * *
The windows were small, just barely large enough for her body to fit through.
Grasping the sides, Catherine managed to pull herself through, and into the cool air of the
Las Vegas night. Lying flat on her stomach, she could feel the muddy earth seeping
through what little clothes she had left, caking itself on her face, arms and legs. Shivering
she lay there for a moment unsure of if she could go on. She wasn't sure if she could
move again even thought she knew she had too.
"Come on Catherine," she muttered, through swollen lips as the skies opened up
and the rain began falling once again. It stung as it fell upon her, jolting her to life once
again.
"Move!" her mind screamed, and she hefted herself onto her feet.
Looking around, Catherine realized she had no clue as to where she was so in
hopes of finding civilization she limped along until she found a road. Car after car drove
by her as she walked, her bare feet leaving shallow impressions in the mud. It was
sometime later before she spotted another car just down the road. She squinted as it came
closer, the headlights lighting up the road as it slowed down until it came to a complete
stop.
"Need a lift?" the driver asked rolling down the window and pushing open the
door. "Catherine? Cath is that you? Are you alright?"
Coughing, she wiped the hair out of her eyes, and started for the car. "Help me."
she sputtered, her eyes pleading with the driver for assistance as she fell to her knees.
"Help me."
TBC.