2:17 am
Walker Residence.
Catherine took out a pocket knife and put her hand up to the red tape that marked the entrance to a crime scene but she stopped. The red tape was ripped.
"Someone's been here." Catherine said quietly. Grissom quickly inspected the broken tape as Nick pulled out a camera and snapped off several shots of the doorknob.
"Print it," The supervisor ordered, "Chances Steve Anderson has been back here, maybe looking for whatever he wanted from Amy."
Warrick quickly dusted the door handle while Brass went around to the other side of the house and checked to make sure Anderson hadn't come in a different way. After dusting the handle and taking the prints the CSI's slowly pushed through the open door and into the dusty house.
"There are foot prints in the dust." Nick said, "Someone was here not too long ago."
"Worth anything?" Grissom asked.
Nick shook his head, "Their smudged, whoever made them was carrying something heavier than a book."
"Up stairs..." Catherine muttered, "Amy's room..." The CSI's exchanged brief glances and slowly walked up the stairs and down the hall. Grissom's first instinct was to take the time and process the room for evidence but after taking a brief look around he realized that the closet door was slightly open. He made three short steps to the closet and opened the door.
"Sara!"
"Hey." The young CSI smiled weakly, "It's about time you guys showed up." Her hands were roped behind her back, a small cut ran across her left cheek bone and blood seeped away from another knife wound of her right arm.
"Are you alright?" Catherine asked as she leaned down to help Grissom cut away the rope that bound her wrists.
"Yeah..." Sara replied feebly, "Just a couple cuts and scrapes...." Her face was pale, "They still have Amy... they're going to kill her!"
"It's alright, we'll find her..." Grissom said quietly.
"No Grissom! You don't understand! The answer was right in front of us! The key Grissom!"
"It's okay..." He whispered quietly, "I know."
Suddenly Sara slumped over on to the closet floor, the back f her shirt was soaked through with blood.
"Brass! Call an ambulance!" Grissom yelled, "Shit... Hold on Sara, we'll get you out of here."
"Hey Gris..." Warrick said from the other side of the room.
"Not now Warrick." Grissom snapped.
"No... you need to see this." Warrick replied firmly.
Grissom stood up and walked over to where Catherine, Warrick and Nick were now standing, facing one of the white washed walls.
'26 Hours' was written out in blood on the wall.
"An ambulance is on it's-." Brass stepped into the bed room and then froze when he saw the blood message, "Oh my god..."
"Cath, swab it, Warrick, get me an evidence bag, a big one." Grissom ordered, "Nick, watch over Sara, make sure she doesn't get any worse."
Grissom pulled out a small brown evidence envelope and carefully removed the old fashioned key and chain that had been hanging around Amy's neck with his gloved hand. The Supervisor slowly walked up to the clear glass cabinet that held the porcelain oriental doll and placed the key in the lock. A satisfying click came from within the mechanism, Grissom smiled to himself and carefully removed the delicate doll. In the distance the sound of ambulance siren's began to grow louder as they approached.