Note: This is a bit longer from previous chapters...had a little more I wanted to cover here, it kinda got away from me once I got it going. Not sure how much longer this will take...few more chapters I suspect! Hope you enjoy this one...should get the next chapter up tomorrow! Thanks for all the reviews!

"Hey, Nicky," Grissom said entering the A/V lab. "What have you got?"

"A lot of nothing," the CSI said leaning back in his seat. "But, check this out," he pointed to the larger screen on the wall. He quickly cued the tape and played it for the supervisor.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"This is the parking lot of the supermarket," Nick said. "Check out the top left corner of the screen. I'll play it again," he said re-cueing the tape. "Did you see it?"

"See what?"

"We've got a partial view of the parking lot of the skate park across the street. If you look you can see our black SUV pull away," Nick smiled as Grissom turned to face the CSI. "Here, I'll zoom in on the focal point and enhance the pixels. The driver was really burning rubber out of there. I think I can get a partial plate number."

"Good," Grissom nodded. "Anything from trace or DNA yet?" he asked.

"I was just about to go check with Hodges on the tire treads I left with him and the wood fragments you left. I'm hoping he could match the wood to a specific skateboard, at least a model."

"What did you find on that wheel you collected?"

"Well, it's a better quality skateboard wheel. They're only sold at specialty sporting goods stores. The specific wheel is primarily used on street courses, and usually used for heavy wear. From the wear on the wheel, it was on the right side of the board," Nick informed.

"It was worn down on the inside of the wheel," Grissom nodded.

"Yeah."

"Well, it seems like we're finally getting somewhere. We have our murder weapon."

"Get this," Nick started. "I printed the wheel. Got mostly smudges, but got a good partial from the spoke."

"And…"

"And the print belongs to Christian Shroll."

"Our missing person."

"Our missing person," Nick nodded, "is beginning to look like our suspect. The question is; what would Christian Shroll gain from killing his skating partner?"

"To find the answer, we need to find the kid," Grissom said turning to leave the A/V lab. "Let me know what you find from DNA."

"Will do," Nick said finishing up his work with the surveillance tapes.

"Hey Nick!" Warrick called from down the hall. Nick was on his way to the trace lab. "You're still around?"

"Haven't left," Nick shook his head.

"So what's up?"

"Well, I've got a DB and a missing person. I'm on my way to trace now," Nick pointed toward the lab.

"Anything I can do?"

"Well, actually, Brass put out an APB on a black Suburban. I just got a call that they found it out near I-15. I'm getting ready to head out there if you wanna come."

"Yeah sure," he nodded following Nick into the small lab.

"What have you got for me Hodges?" Nick asked.

"Well, the tire treads you gave me are from a 2000 Chevy Suburban. From what I can tell, they really shredded the tires. Check out this pattern," he said motioning toward the computer screen.

"Looks like the left tire's bald," Warrick said looking over Nick's shoulder.

"Yeah," Nick nodded. "What do you make of this," Nick pointed to a smudge on the tread.

"I don't know," the lab tech shrugged. "Could be anything, a rock in the tire tread, a nail? The possibilities are endless."

"What about the wood splinters Grissom gave you?"

"The wood is definitely maple. Most companies that make skateboards use it these days. Look at the splinter," he said pointing to the microscope. "Each splinter has layers. The process of making a board is pretty simple. Once the tree is cut and stripped, they're cut into thin veneers and laminated. They take the veneers, usually seven, in this case nine, and glue it together. The veneers are run through a hydraulic press to give it the shape, you know the nose, tail and concave? Then they're cut into shape for size and wheelbase, that sort of thing," Hodges explained.

"Have you gone skater punk on us?" Nick asked with a small chuckle crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"It's my job to know this stuff," Hodges smirked. "If you really want to know this stuff, ask Greg. You wanted to know what the wood was. It's definitely maple and it definitely came from a skateboard. Looks like you're looking for your own skater punk," he grinned.

"All right, thanks," Nick said making his way into the DNA lab. "Hey Mia," he said walking through the connecting door of the two labs.

"Hey guys," she smiled looking up from the scope on the table.

"What's the word?" he asked leaning against the table watching the DNA tech rustle through some papers.

"I got the results back on your shells and the blood. The DNA I found on the shells matched the DNA on the wrapper the shells came from."

"That makes sense," Warrick nodded looking over the printouts. "That means one person was eating sunflower seeds."

"But, this doesn't make sense. The DNA I found on the shells also matches the DNA I got off the wheel you gave me."

"The blood DNA?" Nick asked.

"No, there was a second donor on the wheel. The blood samples you gave me all match the victim. But, none of the DNA, the shells or the wheel, matches the hair you gave me from the judge's son."

"Well that sucks," Nick sighed taking the file Mia handed him. "Thanks," he nodded looking through the file as he headed toward Grissom's office.

"Hey Griss, got the DNA results back. All the blood, from the sidewalk and the wheel, is a match to the victim. There was a second donor on the wheel; it doesn't match the victim or Christian Shroll. It does match the DNA from the sunflower seeds, though," Nick said taking up residence in Grissom's office doorway. "I just got a call from Brass. We have a location on our black Suburban, out near Lake Mead. I was about to head out and have a look. I'm taking Warrick with me," he said handing over the DNA files.

"Good work, Nick," the supervisor nodded taking a look at the file. "The victim's parents are coming in. They've been on vacation back east. I'll meet up with them at the morgue and maybe get a better picture of who Christian Shroll is," he said. "Keep me up to date on that SUV."

"Will do," the CSI nodded as he joined back up with Warrick and headed toward the parking lot.

The sun was beginning to lower in the western sky. Nick was honing in on a triple shift. The only thing that kept him moving now was pure adrenaline. The case was starting to come together, and nothing made the CSI feel better than a closed case, despite the sheer exhaustion he felt with the passing of each hour.

The air was beginning to cool down from the afternoon heat. The crowds at Lake Mead were beginning to slim down. A few boats still lingered out in the center of the lake, but a lot of people were making their way to their respective vehicles. The lake, while nice for daytime visits, wasn't much for the night life. The strip tended to be more to people's likings.

"There's Brass," Warrick pointed from the passenger seat.

"Yeah," Nick nodded pulling the Denali into a parking space next to the detective's Taurus. "Hey Jim," the CSI smiled jumping down from the driver's seat, "you look like crap."

"Can't say much for you," the detective yawned noticing the CSI's own disheveled appearance. "I can't pull a triple like I used to. So, the car's registered to a Dave Eubanks," Brass informed as the three men walked toward the vehicle.

"Have you looked inside?" Warrick asked pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

"We were waiting for you guys," the detective said motioning for cadet to pop the lock on the back door.

Nick took out his Maglite to begin his preliminary search of the vehicle as Warrick snapped some digital photos of the Suburban. At first glance, the SUV looked clean.

"Why don't we get this towed back to CSI? We'll process it there," Nick said from the driver's seat of the vehicle. He scanned his light over the dash before reaching over and popping open the glove box. "Looks like I've got some registration papers," he said. "Dave Eubanks' name is on the pink slip."

"Hey Nick, take a look at this," Warrick called from the rear.

"What have you got?" he asked joining the man.

"Could be blood," he said shining his light on the rear bumper. It was only a small droplet, but large enough for the trained eyes of the CSI. Nick quickly swabbed the droplet for evidence.

"Look at the directionality of the drop," he noted with a sweeping of his flashlight. "It's leading away from the SUV."

"Yeah," Warrick nodded following Nick's light with his eyes.

"Hey Rick, we've got a blood trail," Nick said standing next to a second blood drop a few feet away from the vehicle. He bent down to place an evidence marker next to the droplet. Warrick snapped some more photos, following Nick across the parking lot.

Forty-five minutes later the two CSIs had crossed a path of nearly a mile and a half. They were now in a wooded area about three miles north of the lake. The trees, not to mention the lowering sun now behind the desert mountains, made following the blood trail a slow process.

Nick placed evidence marker number 35 as Warrick snapped four more photos. "Hey Rick, check it out," he said standing up from his crouched position. Straight ahead of the men was a small storage shed. The door was padlocked.

"The trail leads to that shed," Warrick said shining his light on the padlock. "We're gonna need bolt cutters."

Nick was already running back to the Denali. Within ten minutes the CSI was cutting into the metal lock. Warrick pulled his gun from his side, readying himself for what could be behind the door. With a nod of assurance to Nick, Nick quickly opened the shed door and took a step back. Focusing their lights on the now open shed, they were shocked by what they found. There, bound on the floor, mouth duck taped, with a bleeding head wound, laid a teenage boy.

"Shit! Call the paramedics!" Nick said as Warrick quickly holstered his gun and radioed for an ambulance. "It's okay," Nick said in a calming voice to the boy. "We're with the police." He carefully removed the tape covering the boy's mouth, making sure not to damage any potential evidence. He handed the evidence over to Warrick who placed it in a plastic bag. "Take it easy," he said keeping the boy as calm as possible. His heart was pounding. Adrenaline rushed through his veins. This case was throwing one curve-ball after another. Exhaustion was now replaced with exhilaration as the CSIs worked to keep the teenager calm.

Within fifteen minutes of the call, the ambulance had arrived and taken the boy to the hospital. Nick and Warrick spent the next hour and a half processing the storage shed, dusting the padlock for any fingerprints, as well as the area around the shed, searching for anymore blood evidence.

It was dark as they headed back to the parked Denali with their evidence in hand. Neither CSI had spoken since the boy, who they now knew to be Christian Shroll, had been taken to the hospital.

"I just got done talking to the paramedics," Brass said as the CSIs approached their Denali. The Suburban had long since been towed to the lab. "The kid should be fine. He was a little dehydrated, but other than that. He'll get a few stitches for the cut on his forehead; they'll keep him overnight then send him home."

"Alright," Nick nodded as he and Warrick secured their evidence and field kits in the back of the SUV. "I've got to get back to the lab and check in with Grissom. The parents of our first victim should be in by now. I want to see if we have anything new on this Shroll kid. He's still our best bet for a suspect, until we get the Suburban processed anyway."

"Why don't I head to the hospital?" Warrick said with a nod. "Maybe I can get the kid's statement, see what happened."

"Sure," Nick said looking to the detective.

"You can ride with me," Brass said to the taller CSI. "Hopefully the judge will let us talk to him."

"Alright, well I'll see you back at the lab," Nick said reaching into his jeans pocket for the car keys. "Hey, Rick, I'll wait for you to process the Suburban. We'll have to run the treads to get a match."

"You got it," the man nodded climbing into the detective's car.

It was nearing the start of the graveyard shift, 10:45 was the story Nick's watch told as he climbed into the Denali and headed back to the lab. He could really use a shower, and a few hours of sleep. With a case this hot, it would have to wait. His top priority now, was to figure out who tied up Christian Shroll and left him for dead in the woods of Lake Mead Recreational Park.

Hopefully Grissom had gotten some answers from Jason Parks' parents. That would be his first stop after dropping off his evidence to DNA. Well, that and the coffee pot in the break room. He really hoped Greg had made it in early and made some coffee from his secret stash. The usual swill just wouldn't cut it this time.

Still, sleep would be really good, he thought with a yawn as he turned the corner and into the parking lot of the crime lab. He spotted Greg's car as he circled the lot and pulled into a parking spot. Things were already starting to look up.