Chapter Eight
Nick followed Donna's directions and began to drive towards the location of Levi and his followers. He knew there were now nineteen people there - about half of them victims. He shuddered at the thought of all those people dying. Granted, many of them were hardly what you would call "innocent" but that did not necessarily mean they should die a horrible death. Given the scope of destruction and death that could take place, Nick knew that it did not get much more serious than this.
In an attempt to get his mind off the unappealing thought of all that death, Nick asked, "Donna, do you know why these people haven't been killed yet? Why are they being kept alive?"
"Levi said that it wasn't time. The Day of Purging wasn't here yet, but I got that impression that it was going to arrive soon." she said.
Nick mulled this thought over. So the Day of Purging must be an actual, predetermined date rather than some arbitrary day decided upon by Levi when his murderous intentions struck his fancy. But what day was it? He had no way of knowing for sure. Nick sighed and stole a glance at the girl seated next to him. The stress she was currently under was obvious. Her eyes were red and swollen and her whole body seemed to tremble slightly. Nick knew it must have taken a great deal of courage for her to come to him.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." he told her quietly. "You did the right thing by coming to me. We're going to find these guys and put a stop to everything. Your parents are going to be just fine."
"I hope so." she whispered.
Full of despair, Donna turned her head and stared out of the window. The scenery was passing by so quickly that she didn't have a chance to let her eyes truly focus on anything and it seemed to be a perfect representation of her present state of mind. Everything was happening so fast and that she didn't have a chance to stop and gather her wits about her, but at the same time, she knew that she couldn't stop because people's lives where at stake.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Donna's voice was barely audible, but the depth of its emotion spoke volumes to Nick. "I just wanted them to pay attention to me. I just wanted to know that they loved me like I love them."
"They do love you, Donna. Some people just have a hard time showing it." Nick told her as he continued to make his way towards the house.
The road they were on was practically deserted. Not many people were driving to the lake at this time of night. The address that Donna had given him was for one of those expensive houses on the bank of Lake Meade. Those houses were secluded and surrounded by numerous trees, the ideal place for hiding a bunch of kidnaping victims. Of course, this would also work in their favor as it would be easier to sneak up unnoticed.
When they finally arrived, Nick parked his SUV behind some trees. They quietly exited the vehicle and began to make their way towards the house as quietly as possible. The pair were now about twenty feet away from the house. Crouching in the bushes, Nick let his eyes scan the building. There were a few lights on, but he saw no one moving inside. He could hear no sounds - no shouting - coming from the house.
Nick could feel Donna's presence next to him and he sensed her nervous determination. She was ready to risk it all to put an end to this. Nick felt his heart begin to pound against his chest with anticipation. The anger that he had been feeling earlier was gone and was replaced with an overwhelming anxiousness to do something - to make a contribution to the case and help these people. He was, well, excited. He was about to save the day and Grissom had believed him incapable of doing anything of use.
Grissom. The mere thought of his supervisor was like getting doused with a bucket of ice water. Suddenly, reality crashed down around him and he stared at his surroundings as if only just aware of them.
'What are you doing?' a condescending voice asked. 'Look at where you are! You're crouched in the bushes outside of a house full of suspects! What do you hope to accomplish, being as outnumbered as you are?"
'I know what I'm doing! Donna needs me! Those people need me! They're going to die if I don't do something!' he tried to reason with the voice.
The voice was not about to be silenced that easily. "You're doing exactly what Grissom accused you of doing! Playing the hero! Can you imagine what he'd say to you if he could see you now? I bet it wouldn't be pretty.'
'I could care less what Grissom thinks! He made it quite clear that he has no use for me! Besides, he doesn't know me! He doesn't know anything about me!' Nick gritted his teeth at this thought.
Switching tactics, the voice asked, 'Can't you see that you're rushing into danger blindly? Are you so clouded by your emotions that you can't think clearly? Will you let your pride lead you into folly? Will your determination to prove Grissom wrong be the deciding factor here rather than your common sense?'
'I am not clouded by my emotions and I don't need to prove anything to Grissom! I'm just trying to do the right thing and help these people!' Nick thought furiously.
'Then call Grissom and tell him what you know! Call Brass! Call anyone! Don't just go racing in there with your gun drawn, expecting to single-handedly save the day! That's insanity! You're gonna get yourself killed! Or worse, you'll get Donna killed!' the voice shouted at him.
These last few words shook Nick to the core. He peered at Donna out of the corner of his eye. She was so young. Of course he couldn't let her do anything that might put her in any more jeopardy than she was in already. She was his responsibility and he needed to protect her first and foremost. He never should have let her come with him in the first place. He should have called for backup, but he hadn't been thinking clearly.
Immediately, the voice went silent and oddly enough, Nick's nerves seemed to steady a bit. Calling was the right thing to do. Whether he wanted to do it or not was beside the point. Although Nick loathed the thought of being the one to make first contact after the fight he and Grissom just had, there were more important things at stake than his wounded pride.
Nick sighed as he pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled down for the name he was looking for and hit the dial button when he reached it.
"What are you doing?" Donna whispered anxiously.
"Something I should have done sooner. I'm calling for backup." Nick said quietly as he put the phone up to his ear.
It rang and it rang and it rang, but Grissom never answered. Nick checked his watch. Not that much time had passed since their fight so it wasn't as if Grissom was already at home and asleep. In fact, Nick would bet his next paycheck that Grissom was still at the lab and just avoiding his call. He pushed aside his annoyance and left his boss a detailed voice mail message, thinking that Grissom might prefer that to actually having to talk to him.
Nick ended the call and was about to call Brass when a voice from behind him spoke. "Unable to reach your supervisor, Mr. Stokes? What a pity."
Nick whirled around from his crouched position to find himself faced with an armed Levi. He stood up cautiously and took a step in front of Donna. He wanted to provide her with some protection even if it was a bit meager. Remaining silent, he kept his face emotionless.
"It's good to see you again, Mr. Stokes. I see that Will didn't rough you up too much last night. It was never my intent to hurt you, but you do seem to love playing the hero. You left me no other choice. I warned you not to get in my way." Levi allowed a smile to play across his face.
Nick remained mute, something which Levi seemed to find amusing.
"Why so silent, Mr. Stokes? You didn't have a problem expressing yourself when we met before." Levi said almost playfully. "Have you decided to mirror the stoicism of your boss? In all honesty, it doesn't really seem to suit you."
Nick glared defiantly and still refused to speak. He would not be baited into an argument with Levi this time.
Levi peered at him thoughtfully. "It seems that you are not in the mood for talk and frankly, neither am I. It's time to put an end to your heroics."
As Levi said this, three figures stepped out of the shadows of the trees. Nick only recognized one of them, Nathan Sanford, and the young man was wearing a look of surprise mingled with hurt.
"Donna." he whispered in amazement. "What have you done? I trusted you."
Donna took a step closer so that she was almost touching Nick and she peered out from behind his shoulder. "Nathan, I'm sorry, but I had no choice. What you're doing - "
"That's enough!' Levi said firmly. He took a step towards Nathan and placed a hand on his shoulder all the while keeping his gun trained on Nick. "I am sorry, my son, that you have suffered this betrayal. I should have warned you. I sensed that she was not able to comprehend the great thing that we are trying to accomplish, but I did nothing to prevent her treachery. I am sorry that my inability to act upon my suspicions has caused you pain."
"You knew that she would do this to me?" Nathan looked into the eyes of his surrogate father. Under normal circumstances, the pained look on his face would have moved Nick. It was quite obvious that Nathan was reeling from the perceived betrayal by the girl he had cared for, but Nick was finding it hard to be too sympathetic at the moment.
Levi hung his head in an effort to appear contrite. "It was a fear of mine. That is why I had Martin keep an eye on her. I knew that if she ran for help, she would run to her neighbor - the courageous if not fool-hardy, Mr. Stokes. He is someone that she trusts and feels comfortable with. And I was right. Do not fear, my son. She shall be punished for her deceitfulness."
At these words, the two older men moved forward, but Nick moved to block their path, bracing himself for a fight. One of the men smiled slightly at Nick's chivalry and pulled out a gun from his waistband. He held it up for Nick to see.
"This is yours, isn't it? I like this gun. It's a nice one. Thanks for letting me have it." The man who was Will smirked at Nick.
The other man laughed openly at Will's words and pulled out his own gun. Now feeling a bit overwhelmed, Nick took a step back and resumed his protective stance in front of Donna.
Levi chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Mr. Stokes. We'd be delighted to have you join us as well. There is much that I would like to share with you."
Grissom sat in his office, annoyed. He was annoyed that he was annoyed again. Indeed, annoyance was becoming his constant companion this past month and it was all Nick's fault. When would Nick grow up? He had come barging in here like an angry child, demanding for Grissom to start treating him nicer. It was quite pathetic really. Didn't he understand that his actions a month ago came with repercussions or did he think himself above such things?
He tapped his fingers on his desk, letting the annoyance course through him. He glared at the object in front of him as it represented the source of all his current frustrations. The cell phone seemed to mock him with its display of one new message. He didn't want to check it, but the longer he avoided it, the more annoyed it made him.
When he realized that Nick was calling him, he had purposefully not answered it. The last thing he had wanted to do was talk to Nick and besides, he already knew what Nick wanted to say to him. He was calling to apologize for his inappropriateness. No doubt he would beg for forgiveness, but Grissom would not give it so easily. Nick had to learn that there were consequences to everything he did.
Grissom looked away from the offending object and tried to focus his attention on the papers in front of him, but after a few minutes, he gave up. Frowning, he reached for his phone and pressed the button that allowed him to hear Nick's message.
"Grissom, it's Nick. Look, I know where Levi and all those missing people are. I'm up here at the lake with Donna Redman."
What? Nick was where? Nick was with who? Was this some kind of a joke? Nick wouldn't have been that reckless to follow Donna to some remote location in order to save the day, would he? But he already knew the answer.
Grissom was halfway down the hallway before he even realized that he had gotten to his feet. In vain, his eyes scanned the lab for any sign of Nick. Grissom could feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This message was old. Three hours had passed and he had heard nothing else from Nick or anyone else for that matter.
That was not a good sign.
Passing the locker room, Grissom stuck his head inside, hoping to find Nick. Instead, he found Warrick who was in the process of slipping his jacket on.
"Have you heard from Nick recently?" Grissom asked by way of greeting.
Immediately, Warrick, perceptive as he was, sensed something was off. "No, not for a while. Why? What's wrong?"
"Go over to his place. See if he's there and then call me." Grissom ordered, heading off again.
Warrick stood at the doorway and called after Grissom's retreating back. "Grissom! What's going on? Where are you going?"
He was rewarded with silence, and he hesitated a moment, debating whether to go after Grissom and make him explain the situation. But Grissom was in one of his moods. Perhaps the best way for him to find out what was going on was to do what Grissom asked him. Warrick sighed and fished his keys out of his pocket, hoping that his best friend hadn't landed himself in more trouble.
"So you ready?" Brass whispered to Grissom. The two men were standing behind some trees just outside of the house where Levi was supposed to be holding his hostages. They had not spotted Nick's vehicle, nor any other for that matter, and the house was completely dark. There was no sign of movement anywhere and Grissom had an unpleasant feeling as to what they would find inside.
"Yeah, send them in." Grissom whispered back.
Brass turned his head and nodded to the cop nearest him, who was behind a clump of trees. The cop nodded in understanding and signaled that it was time. Multiple uniforms appeared out from behind the trees and made their way quickly and quietly up to the house. Brass followed them, but Grissom remained in his spot. He'd wait until Brass let him know that it was clear.
Half resting, half keeping a watchful eye, Grissom pressed himself against the tree, waiting expectantly for some sign of hope. Deep down, he knew that things didn't look good. There had been no word from Nick. Brass hadn't even known that Nick had come up here and surely if Nick had called him, he would have called Brass as well - which could only mean that he had been prevented from making the call for some reason.
On their way here, he had received a call from Warrick. Nick was not a home. His car was not there and there was sign of a break in. To say that Warrick was concerned would have been an understatement. The younger man had demanded to know what was going on, but all Grissom told him was that they were investigating a new lead. He hadn't wanted to say anything more than that until he knew for sure.
Gil had no idea how long he stood behind that tree. It was probably only a few minutes but it felt like a lifetime. Finally, Brass reappeared. The CSI could tell immediately from the look on the detective's face that he did not come bearing good news.
"We found Brad and Patricia Redman. Bound and gagged but otherwise fine." Brass said as Grissom stepped out from behind the tree to meet him.
"What about Nick? What about everyone else?" Grissom asked.
Jim shook his head. "There's no sign of them, Gil. They're gone."
His worst fears confirmed, Grissom's back hit hard against the trunk of the tree that had been shielding him. Unable to speak, he slid down to the ground and put his head in his hands.
"What have I done?" he whispered.