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The air had quickly turned cool as the sun had set. The cool breeze had felt refreshing during the forty minutes it took to drive to the crime scene, but as Nick pulled into the parking lot, the chill took on a new meaning. It was the feeling of almost every crime scene he approached, enhanced now by the dropping nighttime temperatures. All his years in Vegas, he still couldn't get used to the desert chill, it just seemed unnatural.

Grissom got out of the Denali and grabbed his field kit from the back seat. "Why don't you start with the photos," he said as Nick joined him around the front of the vehicle, his own field kit in hand. "I'll take the body."

Nick only nodded as he approached the taped off scene. Lights from the skate park help illuminate the grassy null where the body lay. "Hey Super Dave," the criminalist said to the assistant coroner, David Phillips, as he placed his kit on the ground and began his preliminary investigation of the scene. He and Grissom were joined by Detective Jim Brass.

The body was that of a teenage boy. He lay face down on the ground. His blonde hair was matted to his head as a result of the blood from a head wound; his backpack was still on his back.

"The vic's name is Jason Parks," Brass started handing a wallet to Grissom as they approached the body.

"Liver temp is 84 degrees. He's been dead less than two hours. He's suffered a blunt force trauma to the head. It's an unusual wound pattern," Dave said from his position next to the body.

"Okay," Grissom nodded, continuing to observe the corpse, he had crouched down now to get a better look at the head wound. "Thanks, David. I'd like to keep the body here just for a while longer."

"Sure," the young man nodded. He continued to jot down notes on the clipboard in his hand.

"I don't see any blood spatter," Nick said from behind the senior CSI as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves. He shone his flashlight around the immediate surrounding area of the body. Jim stood off to the side allowing the CSIs to do their jobs.

"First hit's free," Grissom nodded.

"Any idea what the killer used?" Brass asked from the sidelines.

"Won't know for sure till we get him to autopsy," Grissom said pulling on his own pair of gloves.

Nick shot several photos of the body before he wondered off.

"I've got a blood trail," he said crouching down on the footpath leading to the parking lot. "Looks like it's leading to the parking lot," he said laying down evidence markers at each distinctive blood spot. After snapping several shots with the camera he pulled out a cotton swab and took a sample of the blood drops. "I'll get this to DNA."

He continued to follow the blood trail, using his Maglite as the light dwindled toward the parking lot. The trail ended abruptly at the end of the sidewalk and the start of the asphalt parking lot.

It was then that Nick noticed tire treads. Not hesitating, he marked the treads with a numbered marker and snapped more photos. Tire treads were Warrick's specialty, but Nick could tell just by the look of the marks that they were left by a large vehicle, possibly an SUV. He'd have to run the treads through the computer to get the exact model, and even that would prove to be useless without some kind of witness account to narrow the field.

"Hey, Jim have we got any witnesses?" Nick asked the detective as he came back to the primary scene.

"I talked to a couple of kids who said they saw a black SUV leave the parking lot about an hour and a half ago. A girl and her boyfriend were walking through the park on their way home when they heard some screaming and they stumbled upon the body. That's when they said they heard tires squeal and they saw the SUV leaving the parking lot," he said taking a look at his notes.

"Well, I found some tread marks that may back that up," he pointed toward the lot. "Did you get a make or model?"

"The kids couldn't give me any specifics," the detective shook his head. "They're both right over there," the squat man pointed on the other side of the crime scene tape.

"Alright," the CSI nodded glancing toward the two squad cars parked with their flashing red and blue lights. "Hey Griss, anything?" he asked rejoining his supervisor.

"I found some wood splinters in the head wound," he said examining the evidence in his forceps.

"I'll get them to trace," he nodded.

"I also gathered some gray fibers and a couple hairs," he continued, but the younger CSI hadn't heard him. Something had caught the criminalist's attention off to the left of the body, near a small grouping of trees.

"Hey Griss, what do you make of this?" he asked over his shoulder as he shone his flashlight on the ground. There on the ground was a small pile of shells. "What are these, sunflower seeds?" Nick asked picking up a shell with his tweezers to get a better look.

"Bag them up," Grissom said as he gazed up into the tree.

"You think the killer sat in waiting?" Nick asked shining his light up into the tree. It was definitely a good climbing tree.

"If the victim was coming from the street course over there," Grissom pointed across the park yard, "this tree would be in the direct foot path to the parking lot."

"Give me a boost," Nick said putting his mini-maglite in its designated pocket in his vest.

"What?"

"There could be evidence in the tree. Give me a boost," he said lacing his fingers together to demonstrate what he meant. "If I climb it on my own, I'll destroy the evidence."

Reluctantly, Grissom hoisted the younger CSI up to examine the lower branches of the tree.

"I've got some fibers," Nick said, "and…" he trailed off as he made his way back to the ground, "I've got the bag of sunflower seeds," he smiled. A small smile tickled the corner of Grissom's mouth.

"Good job," he nodded as Nick crouched down and proceeded to gather the rest of the discarded shells.

"You know, the killer would have perfect cover up there, especially if the sun was setting," Nick nodded as he returned to an upright standing position. "What do you think?" he asked his boss.

Grissom's mind began to wander, playing out the possibility of events that could have happened.

The sun was setting; it was getting late. The boy was tired; it was getting harder to keep up the rigorous tempo on the vert ramp. The teenager started packing his gear in his backpack already planning his practice routine for the next day. He slowly started to make his way across the park toward home. He hoped his dad had gotten home by now and had dinner ready. As he passed the clump of trees, he noticed the sound of cracking branches as somebody jumped down behind him. Everything went black with the sickening sound of cracking wood.

"Hey guys, I've got something you might want to hear," Brass said joining the two CSIs under the tree. "We've got a missing person's report. Some guy called the police when his son didn't make it home. He was supposed to be at this park practicing for a skate-off this weekend with his friend. Get this, his friend is our vic." Was that a glimmer in his eye?

"So we're looking for a second kid? What, was he kidnapped?" Nick asked.

"The father said he got a call from someone demanding a 50,000 dollar ransom," he nodded.

"Who's this second kid?" Grissom asked.

"Christian Shroll."

"Shroll… as in Judge Shroll?" Grissom asked incredulously.

"One and the same," Brass nodded. "Christian Shroll is the fifteen year old son of Judge Andrew Shroll."

"Well, this is something I haven't felt in a while," Grissom said looking off toward the dark parking lot, taking a mental inventory of their evidence. It wasn't much.

"What's that?" Nick asked.

"Helpless."

It was now 12:30 in the morning.