Like Father, Like Daughter or History Repeating
Pairing: Sara and Nick (later on in the story though)
Suzette successfully raised the ransom and goes to the designated meeting place.
Disclaimer: I don't own Nick, Sara or any CSI character mentioned in the story, I only own my original characters. No, I didn't collaborate with Quentin Tarantino on this story.
The Ransom and the Explosion
Suzette was on her way to the designated meeting spot. She smirked at how easily she collected the ransom money.
Flashback
Suzette went to Georgetown, found the house she was looking for and entered. The butler recognized her immediately.
"Ms. Nussbaum, what a pleasant surprise," he said. "I don't think Oliver was expecting any guests."
"Joe, I came here for an emergency," Suzette was in a near panic. "I need to see Oliver right away."
"Is this about a CSI that was kidnapped at a crime scene that's in the news?" Joe asked as he read the panic on the woman's face.
"Yeah and I need his help or bastards who took her are going to kill her," she said.
"I'll let him know you are here," he said. "Would you mind waiting in the parlor room? Can Astrid bring you a cup of tea while you wait?"
"I'll wait in there," Suzette smiled. "Have her make for me some of that herbal blend flavored with licorice and mint. I had it the last time I was here and it was delicious and refreshing."
"I shall do that," he said as she went to the parlor room.
Suzette sat on one of the chairs and looked around at the paintings and portraits hanging on the walls. Every time she had come to visit, the parlor room was the most intriguing room in the house. For a moment, she was able to put her anxieties about Carolyn behind.
"Ms. Nussbaum, I have brought you some tea," Astrid as she brought a tray with a small teapot, a hand painted floral print teacup, two slices of toast with some lemon curd and a few small pastries. "Oliver, will be with you shortly."
"Thank you, Astrid," Suzette smiled and started drinking the warm and refreshing tea.
"What's a lovely criminalist like you doing here?" a man's voice asked.
"Oliver, I thought I would have to wait forever," Suzette was relieved to see him.
"I heard about what happened to that CSI," Oliver said. "Do you know how she is doing? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"We are watching her on the computer monitor," she said. "It is disturbing to watch her on the brink of insanity. A similar thing happened to her father 30 years earlier. As for your assistance, that's what I am here to ask for."
"How much do you need?" he asked. "I don't care about the amount. You need to get that CSI back and safe."
"The kidnapper wanted two billion dollars," she shook her head in disbelief of what was happening to Carolyn.
"Your request is not a problem," he said. "I take the kidnapper wants in cash."
"I just need to get her back alive and in one piece," she shrugged. "Her parents are here along with her twin brother and one of her younger sisters."
"I'll be right back," he said. "Relax and finish drinking your tea and eating those treats."
Suzette nodded, sat back on the chair and continued to drink her tea and take bites of her toast with lemon curd. She couldn't relax, not when Carolyn Stokes was buried alive somewhere. She was frightened that whoever kidnapped the younger woman would kill her.
"Here is the ransom money," Oliver smiled as he and Joe carried a suitcase that was filled with the requested 2 billion dollars. "I hope this helps bring her home."
"It will," Suzette said. "I'm sure it will! Thank you!"
"You're welcome," he said
End of Flashback
Suzette continued driving, but pulled over to make a phone call.
"Anthony, this is Suzette," Suzette said on her cell phone. "I got the ransom."
"Good, the press won't hear about the source regardless of whether it is bad or good," Anthony replied. "We'll give them less to chew on. Good luck!"
"I'll let you know when we have Carolyn," she said, they hung up and she drove off.
Crystal City, Virginia
Suzette arrived at the location to meet the abductor, get the ransom and save Carolyn. It was a beat up house that looked uninhabitable to her standards. She had to brave it or it would be curtains from the younger woman.
"Washington, D.C. Police Department, let me in!" Suzette shouted. "I am Suzette Nussbaum with the crime lab!"
"Ms. Nussbaum, did you come by yourself?" the woman's voice said.
"As promised, I am alone, no cops," Suzette said.
"Come in!" the woman said.
Suzette entered the mostly barren house and saw the woman get up from her desk. The woman was slightly older than Nick and Sara.
"What's your name?" Suzette asked.
"Do you bring the ransom?" the woman replied with a question.
"Answer my question first!" Suzette insisted. "Then I will be happy to answer yours."
"My name is Elaine Peddigrew," the woman said. "My son Hank, Jr. is in prison for allegedly abusing and stalking Carolyn. He didn't harass her as she claimed. He loved her. Now, answer mine!"
"I have the ransom right here," Suzette smirked as she put down the suitcase. "There's two billion dollars as promised, no traps and dyepacks. I want to say something to you. I've known Carolyn for a few years and she would never lie about being harassed, abused or stalked. Your son got what he deserved. Now, I demand you bring me Carolyn Stokes alive and in one piece. The people of the Washington, DC police department and Carolyn's family aren't in any mood to be humored by a psychopath. Where the hell did you bury my friend?"
"So, Carolyn Stokes is your friend, huh?" Elaine asked with heavy sarcasm.
"Why don't you shut the fuck up and mind your own freaking business!" Suzette raged.
"What does Carolyn Marisa Stokes mean to you, Ms. Nussbaum?" Elaine asked. "I would love to know what goes on in everyone's head when they see her in the box. Does her darling Jackson weep seeing her fight for sanity and every breath she breathes? You are totally helpless because you won't bring her back alive. Do you have children?"
Suzette gave Elaine a scornful look meaning she wasn't going to grace that last question with a response. She didn't want to tell the older woman that she had two children – a son and a daughter.
"You might want to leave," Elaine said as she removed her coat to reveal a few explosives. "I am giving you a head start now."
Suzette left the house, but she was a yard and a half away when there was a loud explosion. It threw her bearings off and she lost consciousness. When she came to, she had felt someone shining a penlight on her eyes.
"Ma'am, you don't have a concussion," the female paramedic said. "Can you hear what I am saying?"
"Yes, I heard you loud and clear," Suzette said.
"Did Mrs. Peddigrew tell you where Carolyn's buried?" Detective Andrea McKinney said.
"No, she blew herself up and took Carolyn's whereabouts with her," Suzette said.
"Great, we need to find her ourselves!" Andrea clenched her jaw.
TBC