Disclaimer: I do not own CSI (big surprise there!). I'm just borrowing them for a
while to play with.
Spoilers: Lady Heather's Box
Notes: As usual, I love any reviews, and would appreciate any constructive criticism.
---------------Security Office---------------Grissom walked into the office, glancing at the monitors surrounding him. Up in one of the corners, he could see Nick and Greg, who, having finished the tire treads, were searching for any prints or trace fibers with the ALS. "That one." He indicated the screen, the security guard typed in a few keys and the picture appeared on the main screen. "All right, can you take it back to-"Lets see, Cath's note said 7:30, so... "7:28." the man nodded, and a few seconds later they were watching a dark blue Sedan parking, while the numbers 7:28:07 flashed in the corner, the second digits climbing slowly. Suddenly his phone rang. "Grissom." The guard watched as Grissom, forgetting about the surveillance tapes, walked out of the room, signaling to Brass.
----------------XXXXXXXXXX---------------Catherine pushed him away from her and ran for the still-open door. She spotted a phone and dialed Grissom's number. "Grissom," he answered. Running into a closest, Catherine waited until she had heard her kidnapper pass before responding. "Gris? Its me" she whispered. "Is Lindsey okay?"
"Cath! Oh god- Yeah, Linds's fine.... Are you all right? Do you know where you are?" In the background, Catherine could hear him trying to get a trace on the call.
"I'm OK, but- where I am... no clue. Where's Lindsey, is she there?" Catherine was desperate to make sure her daughter was safe.
"No, she's with Sara-"Then Grissom heard something on the other end that made his heart stop.
The door creaked open. "There you are," the low voice growled. He reached for the phone, but Catherine held it away from him. "How much longer do you need for the trace, Gil?" She called into the phone, trying to keep her assailant away from the 'End Call' button.
"Just a few more seconds," Grissom almost shouted into the phone hoping she could hear him. In the background he could hear Catherine struggling as she tried to keep the line open.
Catherine fought him as hard as she could, trying to give Grissom a chance to get the trace, but he pinned her down. Panting with exertion, the man grabbed the phone out of her hand and threw it against the wall. The pieces scattered and the phone line went dead.
"Damn it!!" Grissom pulled the phone away from his ear, and turned to Brass. "Did we get it?"
Catherine tried to get away from him, and finally managed to get a hand free. She scratched him, trying to get his eyes. Crying out in pain as Catherine's nails raked the side of his face, the man lost control completely, punching her again and again. Catherine tried to shield herself, but as blow after blow landed, she slipped out of consciousness.
---------------Lindsey's Story---------------"So what happened after you left your aunts house this morning?" Detective Vega asked quietly.
"Well, normally, I go over to Annie's house and we wait for the bus together." On seeing the confusion on Vega's face, she explained further. "Annie's my best friend. We go to the bus stop together whenever I'm staying at Auntie's, 'cause Mommy worries about my being there alone.
"Anyway, I was walkin' over to Annie house, and someone grabbed me... Then a car pulled up and he made me get into it. Then they called Mommy- they let me talk to her a little. Then we got to the garage, and waited for Mommy." Lindsey paused. "Then Mom got there, and they let us talk for a minute. That was when she told me to hide in the elevator if I got a chance. Then... they tried to make us get back in the car, but Mom ran away, they both followed her, and I ran for the elevator. Then, someone- the driver, probably- told them not to leave any witnesses. Then- I heard gunshots. I turned around, and...." Lindsey took a breath. "Mom had her gun out. One of the men was on the ground, the other was aiming his gun at me, and the driver was getting out of the car. Mommy shot the guy who was aiming for me, then turned toward the other person. She told me to keep running." Tears were streaming down Lindsey face, as she tried to keep going. "She told me to keep going!" Lindsey started sobbing, and Sara leaned over to comfort her.
Vega motioned to Sara that he had everything he needed, and left them.
"It's OK, Lindsey. Everything will be OK. I promise we'll find your Mom. I promise...." Sara hugged the little girl close. I couldn't find your dad's killer, I'm not going to fail you again.