Chapter Twelve
When he had left his office, Grissom hadn't been completely sure where he was going. He had just gotten inside his vehicle and started to drive. His subconscious must have known where it wanted to go though because he wound up outside of Levi Prosper's office. Grissom stared at the building, considering it. Perhaps there was something he missed when he searched the office initially. It was worth checking out.
When the beat cop finally showed up to let him in, Grissom nearly bowled him over in his anxiousness to get inside the office. Once inside, he began to tear the place apart in his attempt to look for the slightest clue that might tell him where Levi was. Right now, he'd take anything. A name. A location. Anything that might give him a new lead to chase.
Frustration began to overflow inside of him as he continued to find nothing probative. What was wrong with him? He was usually so adept at finding the missing piece and seeing what others could not and now, when this skill was needed more than ever, he was coming up empty. He knew deep down that he was rushing and was therefore, most likely overlooking a potential clue, but he couldn't seem to stop his hands from picking up a stack of papers, flipping through them madly, and then abandoning them for the next stack. Time was of the essence as March 17th was only a few hours away. He had to hurry. Nick was going to die if he didn't find him soon.
Nick was going to die.
This was the first time he had dared to voice the harsh truth that had been lingering in the back of his mind and the reality of it hit him like a ton of bricks. The worst part of all this was that Nick was going to die believing that Grissom hated him. That thought made Grissom practically sick because it was so incredibly false. He didn't hate Nick though for a while there he hadn't been too sure about that. He cared about him with genuine sincerity. There was so much that he wanted to say to Nick. If he never got to say it, the sadness that had been lurking in Nick's eyes during their fight would haunt him for the rest of his life, and rightly so. He deserved nothing less for what he had done.
Suddenly overcome with despair, Grissom flopped down in Levi's chair. He let his head hang low, unable to support it any longer. Feeling that he was on the verge of a breakdown, he tried to calm his reeling nerves.
'Okay, just take a deep breath and focus.' the CSI said to himself. 'These people did not just vanish. They have to be somewhere. It's probably someplace obvious that I'm overlooking.'
He closed his eyes and thought. The properties owned by Levi had been thoroughly checked by the police so he knew that they weren't hiding there. The houses and various properties of his followers had been checked and they weren't hiding there either. That left the victims. Had anyone looked into them and the properties they owned? He had a feeling that had been neglected till now.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Grissom. He reached for his cell phone and waited impatiently for Catherine to answer his call.
"Hey, where did you end up?" Catherine asked by way of greeting.
"At Prosper's office. Listen, what's the address for the auto warehouse that Max Bridgford owns?" Grissom inquired.
"Hold on a second while I check the file." Catherine instructed him. Gil tapped his fingers in anticipation until Catherine gave him the address. He was pleased when he realized that the warehouse was only a few streets over from his current location.
"What's this about Gil?" she asked as worry started to creep into her voice.
"I'm playing a hunch." Grissom answered and promptly hung up.
He bolted from the chair and practically flew past the officer who had let him inside the office. He hopped into his vehicle and took off for the warehouse without hesitation. His despair and frustration were fading away only to be replaced by a renewed since of vigor. He was getting that feeling, the one that told him he was right on the edge of an important clue. With any luck, he'd find it just in time.
Nick stifled a yawn. Some of the tension he had been feeling was starting to wane and he was getting a bit bored. No one had come to see them since Nathan had left a few hours ago. Donna remained immobile and was so quiet that Nick was almost certain that she had fallen asleep. That was something Nick had not allowed himself to do. He was trying to stay vigil so he could perhaps find a way to save them, but he was tired of sitting in this chair and he was tired of waiting. Part of him just wanted Levi to come up here and play with his mind so he'd have something to react to. If they were going to kill him, they should just get it over with because all this waiting was getting old.
Nick couldn't believe that this was how he was going to die. It wasn't that he needed to die a glorious, heroic death. It was just that if he was going to die young, he had kinda hoped that it would be for a purpose like saving someone's life or trying to apprehend the bad guy. A death that took place in the line of duty had a bit more meaning to it and though it did not make the suffering of the surviving loved ones any easier, it did make it a touch more bearable. At least, it did so in his mind. Nick especially did not relish the thought of being murdered at the hands of some wacky cult-like group. He wondered briefly what his parents were going to say when they found out that he had put himself in danger, not to mention the young girl he was trying to help, and then got himself executed along with eight other people.
As if reading his mind, the door opened and Nathan entered once again. Nick's senses immediately went on high alert and he was ready for action.
"It's almost time." Nathan said breathlessly. "I came up here to let you know that it's almost time for the purging to take place."
"You mean it's almost time for us to be murdered." Nick corrected him and was pleased to see how the boy hesitated at his words. He was going to be brutally honest with Nathan in an effort to shock him into his senses. He could tell that the boy was still uncertain and Donna was probably right about him. He was just a poor kid, who, craving the attention of a male figure, trusted the wrong person. He wasn't bad or crazy. Just misguided. It was time for Nathan's course to be altered. At least, Nick was going to give it a try.
"Why are you here, Nathan?" Nick asked, eyeing the boy like a stern schoolmaster.
Nathan shifted his gaze uncertainly before responding. "I told you. To prepare you for what is to come."
"No, I don't think that's why you're here at all." Nick said with a shake of his head.
"We've had this conversation before, Mr. Stokes. Your words have no meaning to me." Nathan said, trying to sound confident.
"And yet, here you are once again. Hesitant and unsure. Part of my job is to read people and I can read you like an open book, Nathan. A blind man could. Why are you fighting so hard against what you know is the right thing to do?" Nick asked with genuine concern.
The teenager opened his mouth to respond but words seemed to fail him. He rocked on his heels for a few seconds before turning towards the door, preparing to retreat. As he took a step closer to it, Nick said, "I know what it's like."
Nathan stopped in his tracks and turned around, regarding Nick with extreme caution. "What do you mean?'
Nick knew that this was literally his last chance to save himself and Donna. He had to make it count. Instead of only trying to convince Nathan that what he was doing was wrong, Nick had decided that a more powerful way to reach Nathan was to connect with him. After all, that's what he was good at. He might as well put that ability to use one last time. The CSI adopted an air that he hoped would make him appear confident and yet approachable.
"I know what it's like to crave the attention of someone who ignores you except when he's punishing you for something you've done wrong." Nick admitted truthfully.
"You don't know anything about me." Nathan said with a mixture of defiance and hesitancy.
Nick nodded. "Yes I do. You wanted your father to love you and to be the kind of dad who protected you from bad things instead of being the cause of them. That's what you wanted, but it's not what you got. Is it?"
Nathan rushed forward, almost shouting, "You don't know the kind of man he was! He was a bad man! I never wanted him to love me!"
"Yes you did. He was your father. All children want to be loved by their parents. There's nothing wrong with that. It's completely natural." Nick said with a smile.
Now it was time to move in to the crux of the matter. Nick knew his next words would be painful, but he was willing to guide Nathan through the pain in order to make him understand.
"But he didn't love you and you started to wonder why. Was there something wrong with you? Were you inherently unlovable? Did he blame you for your mom leaving? Why couldn't he see you for who you really were? Why did he only focus on your flaws?" Nick said quietly with an air of curiosity.
"Shut up!" Nathan said fiercely, striking Nick across the face.
Knowing he had struck a nerve, Nick did not back down. "But just as you were starting to believe that maybe you didn't deserve to be loved, someone came along and changed all that. You met Donna and you connected with her. She was dealing with the same things that you were. You discovered that you weren't alone and what's more, she fell in love with you. She saw your good qualities and she made you feel special."
"Stop it!" Nathan's face was red with anger and he reared back slugged Nick with all of his might, the full weight of his fury propelling his fist. It connected with Nick's mouth and nose, making his head fly backwards.
Dazed but unafraid, Nick pressed on with his confidence mounting. He knew he was treading a thin line but if he was successful, it would all be worth it. "Even though you found someone like Donna, the close bond you shared with her could not overshadow your desire to connect with your father. You tried desperately to get his attention. You acted out in school, but he still wouldn't talk to you. Instead, he sent you to a psychologist. That's when you met Levi. Here was a man who paid attention to you. He seemed to genuinely care about you and want to help you. He treated you the way that your father should have treated you. But that man is not what he seems. He's a murderer."
Nathan struck Nick again, his eyes welling up with tears. "That's not true! You're a liar! Take it back!"
"It is true! He killed his father when he was just about your age and now, he's made you kill your father. Why? Not because he cares about you, Nathan, because if he did, he wouldn't be making you hurt Donna. No, he's manipulating you, using you to get back at his own father and he's been dead for years! This, all of this, is about Levi and his own personal needs. It has nothing to do with you or anyone else." Nick raised his voice to make his point.
"Stop lying! That's not true!" Nathan punctuated his words by hitting Nick for the third time.
Blood was starting to trickle down from his nose, but Nick ignored it. He had heard the change in Nathan's voice. The anger was receding, giving way to deep-rooted pain. "You know it is! Think about it! You're a smart guy! Don't let him make you do what you don't want to do! Don't let him hurt the one person who has truly shown you love!"
Nathan grabbed Nick's shirt collar and pulled it towards him. He began to hit the CSI repeatedly. Years of abuse and neglect seemed to be fueling the young man. Nick refused to flinch from Nathan's sudden outburst of violence. If Nathan needed an outlet, Nick would be it. Between punches, Nick could see the tears streaking from the boy's eyes and could not help but pity the boy.
Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. The fight within the boy seemed to have died and he was rapidly falling apart. His weary form collapsed onto Nick so that the young man was practically sitting in his lap. Nathan released Nick's shirt collar and let his hand slip behind Nick's neck instead. He had buried his face into Nick's shoulder and was now howling with sadness. Like a drowning man, Nathan clutched to Nick as if he were a life preserver.
Nick was trying to keep mastery over his own emotions. He felt complete and utter sadness at seeing this young man fall apart. This poor boy had been used and abused his whole life. He had been manipulated into becoming a murderer and it was nearly impossible to make that kind of thing right. He also felt the tiniest spark of hope being kindled within. With Nathan's breakdown, perhaps things were starting to turn in his favor. Perhaps this situation could be salvaged and lives could be saved.
Finally, Nathan's tears subsided. He lifted his head and stared into Nick's battered face.
"Help me." he whispered, his eyes pleading with the CSI.
"I will." Nick promised. "But first, you have to help me."