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Chapter 19

The warehouse was dank and musty smelling. Lindsey tried to pull her small hands out from the rope that was tied around them. She could feel the rope scraping against her arms against the chair that the mean man had put her in. She looks around the room. She could see that the sun was out. Seagulls and the pinging of a buoy signalled that she was close to the water. They had driven forever. She could see nothing in the back of the car. She hoped that mommy and the baby were o.k. She had to make sure that her baby sister was o.k. That was the only reason she went with the man. He had been nice at Mrs. Trimble's but now he wasn't.

" I want to go see my mommy. LET ME GO ! "

" No. Like I told you last time you are staying put. You can't get away so don't bother trying again. "

" You're not a very nice man. I WANT TO GO !"

" Shut up. "

" You can't talk to me that way. Mommy says no one can. "

" Well mommy isn't here. "

Sheesh she had a mouth just like her mother. Novak marches around outside biting his nails. He had to remember that she was just the bait to catch the bigger fish. Once Warrick was out of the way then Catherine would be his. Novak's cell phone rings.

" What ! "

" Where did you go ? I went to your apartment. You owe me my last $ 2000. "

" You didn't do your job. Mr. Brown still went after Catherine. You were supposed to keep him occupied."

" I did my best I didn't realize he was that hooked on that old broad."

" Watch how you talk about her. "

" Sorry. Look the only reason I agreed to help you was to get her out of the way. I didn't realize you were going to hurt Warrick. That wasn't part of our deal."

" I can't talk. "

She was starting to get really annoying. She just had one small job to keep Warrick occupied so he could get to Catherine and Lindsey. No that wouldn't work. She was starting to be not worth his trouble. No matter the next part of his plan would be put into motion soon. Novak picks up his cellphone and dials.

Warrick was inside the hospital room with Catherine. Catherine had been shaking when he had come in. He had taken her in his arms and was caressing her.

" Lindsey...Where is she ?"

" She's not here Cath. She's still missing."

Catherine looked at him with worried blue eyes. She looked around the room.

" Where am I ? "

" You're in the hospital. You fainted at the the house. "

" The baby..."

Catherine touches her still swollen stomach.

" Lily's fine. The doctor just wants to keep you under observation until Lindsey is found. Horatio said he's going to find her. Griss is helping as well. "

" We will do everything we can to find your daughter. "

Catherine looked at the tall woman standing beside Warrick. She had long brown curly hair and spoke with what sounded like a New York accent.

" I'm Stella Bonasera Ms. Willows. I work for the NYPD Crime Lab. Horatio called us in to help."

" Us ? "

" Mac Taylor, Danny Messer, Sheldon Hawkes and Iare here to help. "

" Mac's here ? "

" Yeah he's working with Horatio. You know him ?"

" We met a couple of years ago at a conference. I felt sorry whenI heard about his wife."

Stella came over beside Catherine and sat down.

" I need to ask you a couple of questions about Mr. Novak if you are up to it. Mac wants to make sure that we have everything that we need to know on him. Mr. Brown..."

" Warrick. "

" Warrick said it was fine. Look Warrick you look tired why don't you go get a cup of coffee for youself. Ms. Willows and I wil be fine. "

" Cath ? "

" It's o.k. "

Catherine looked at Warrick's face. He looked so exhausted. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He was dealing with a lot first finding out about the baby then that he was Novak's target. Catherine could feel tears coming to her eyes but covered. She could see Stella looking at her. Then with what happened to Lindsey. Lindsey. She had to be o.k. Stella touched her hand.

" I can't imagine what you are going through but believe me Mac is doing everything that he can. "

Warrick looked at Catherine and went outside. He needed to think. Just then his cellphone beeped saying that there was a voice-mail message for him. Warrick pulled out his cellphone.

" You're not allowed to use those in the hospital sir. I'm going to have to ask you to go outside. " A nurse said.

Warrick grabbed his phone. He looked at Catherine talking with Stella and headed outside. He dials his phone number and gets the voice mailbox.

" Mr. Brown I presume you know who this is. Don't tell anyone. If you want to see Lindsey again then go to the payphone outside of the Dunkin Donuts at 901 NW 17th street. You should be able to find it. Be there by 11:00. I will call you there. If there are any cops then you won't see the girl again. Tell anyone and you won't see the girl again. "

Warrick looks around. He looks down at his watch it was 10:45. He had 15 minutes to get to the payphone. He had to do this. He had to bring Lindsey back to Catherine.

Horatio and Mac arrived outside of the Miami Dade Crime Lab. They showed their badges and went inside. They were met by Eric Delko.

" H. We may have something. "

" Good. What is it ? "

" I went with the driver over to the dispatch office for ABC Courier over on Biscayne Bay Road. I talked with the dispatcher and she said that a guy came in about 9 am this morning. He asked that the package be delivered to Catherine's place right at 9:30. He was pretty specific and paid the lady. "

" Was there any sign of Lindsey in the car ? " Mac questions

" Eric Delko. Mac Taylor NYPD. He's going to be running point on this case. I don't want us to touch any evidence. "

" O.k. There was no sign of Lindsey in the car. I asked for a picture of the girl and guess what I found out. Jack Higgins. He works here at the lab as a temp tech in the AV lab. He started right around the same time that Catherine did. "

" Interesting. So that must be how Novak got the supplies from the lab. Where is he Eric ? " Horatio was very interested.

" Det. Trip is interrogating him in room # 1. I thought that you might want to be there. "

" I do Eric. Indeed I do. Mac would you like to run the interrogation ? "

" Sure. "

Horatio and Mac follow Eric to the interrogation room.

The Helicopter set down just inside McCallum airport in Las Vegas. It was warm day. Grissom and Danny Messer got out. They walked down the tarmac. Brass was waiting for them.

" Gil. " Brass looks over at the young man with curly brown hair and glasses.

" Jim Brass. Danny Messer NYPD. He's running point on this case. I don't want any of us to touch the evidence. I don't want it compromised in any way.

" Fine. I got a warrant signed by Judge Fitzsimmons. We can head right now over to Novak's place. "

" Good. "

" So how are Catherine and Warrick ? Did I hear right that Catherine is pregnant ? "

" Yes. They are having a baby in a couple of months. They are holding up as best they can. "

" So it was Novak ? "

" Yeah it looks that way."

Brass shook his head. There was something about that guy when they brought him in that gave him the creeps. He remembers that there was no life in the guys eyes. In all his years of police work those were the guys that gave him the creeps.

Brass, Gil and Messer went over to the squad car. Brass started it up and put on the lights.

They arrived outside of The Aspen Grove Condo complex in record time. Danny got out and pulled out his kit.

" Let me go over the scene first and see what I can find. I don't want anything compromised. "

A burly older man with short white hair wearing jeans and a sweater came outside.

" Jim Brass. LVPD, Danny Messer NYPD and Gill Grissom from the crime lab. We are here to execute a warrant on apartment number 12. "

" Joe Taylor. I'm the building manager. Novak's place right ? The guy that was brought up on those kidnapping charges for kidnapping that cop right ? "

" The same man. " Grissom flashed back to Nick being in that box. The fear on his face.

" Too bad that the charges didn't stick. I haven't seen him for a couple of weeks. His apartment is this way. "

They walk up the stairs to apartment number 12. The building manager opens up the apartment.

Danny head inside and starts to look around. He doesnt' see much in the living room. Fairly clean. A couch against one wall facing a large t.v. A stereo system. The kitchen was small but livable. Danny looked around nothing was getting his attention. Then he went into the second room. He was taken aback by what he saw. There were surveillance photos everywhere.

" Mr. Grissom you might want to come in here for a moment. You're not going to believe what I found. "

" Sure. " Grissom pulled on a pair of latex gloves and headed inside.

Grissom looked around the room. He was aghast at what he saw. There were surveillance pictures of Catherine and Warrick. There were photos of Catherine's place, her mother's place, Warrick's condo. There were photo's of Lindsey at school. There were photo's of Warrick and Tina. There were photo's of the lab. There were photos of what Grissom presumed to be Catherine's doctor's office. In each of the pictures Warrick face was crossed out with a red felt pen. There was a list of the work schedule at the lab. Grissom looked over and saw a computer. He turned it on.

" God this is one sick guy. He's been watching your people for a very long time."

" I know. I think that you should be the one to open this."

Danny opened the computer. He found an online cheque cashing business that kept track of your latest transactions. It was password encoded.

" I'm not sure how to open it. "

" Try Catherine."

Danny typed in Catherine and the accound opened up. He started going through the cheques. They found the cheque to Jason Reynolds. Reynolds was the kid that Novak had paid off to build the transmitter for the webcam. They could use the evidence now because they had found the link another way. It was Danny who had found the link. Further they found more cheques but they couldn't get the other person's name. They were cheques for $ 1,000 dollars every 2 weeks.

" Look they've been going on for a bit. "

" Can we see the other name ? "

" No but let me do some chequing. They were made to Desert Palm. Isn't that a hospital ? "

Grissom was starting to get worried he only knew of one person that had a connection to Novak at Desert Palm and the team. He hoped he was wrong for Warrick's sake.

Joe Taylor continues to talk to Novak outside.

" Yeah Novak didn't have many people come over after the trial and everything. He became a bit of a pariah. But there was this woman that came by last night. She was all pissed when she found out that he was gone. She seemed really mad. "

" Can you describe her for me ? "

" Short african american with curly length hair. She had on a green suit. "

" You sure remember a lot. "

" She was a knockout. How could I miss not looking at her. "

Grissom heard this and pulled up a picture off the table. He went over and showed the picture to Taylor.

" Is this the woman ? "

" Yeah that's her. She wasn't happy at all. "

Grissom looks down at the picture of Warrick and Tina. So that's how Novak got Warrick's schedule. Was the relationship a set up ?

" Dr. Tina Andrews. She works over at Desert Palm. She was going out with Warrick Jim."

" I'll send a uniform over to arrest her."

" I need to call Horatio and warn him."