Catherine now found herself on her sixth cup of coffee agitatedly stirring it while staring at a computer screen that was fast turning into a mindless jumble of words. She had to shake her head every few minutes to make the writing come back into focus and Brass was clearly having the same problems.
"Have you tried the new owners of the house seen if they were given a forwarding address?" asked Cath knowing it was something Brass would have done but somehow hoping he forgot.
"Sent an officer round, no address they never even met him sold through a estate agents," he sighed
"Which one?" asked Cath grabbing a pen and paper.
"Jump" replied Brass as Cath began flipping through the phone book.
"Got it" she picked up the phone and dialled.
"Hello jump estate agency Maria speaking how can I help?"
"I'm Catherine Willows I'm with the crime lab, I need to know how far back your sales record go" Catherine was straight to the point but now was not the time to start with pleasantries. There was a silence over the phone line.
"I'm not supposed to give that sort of information out over the phone you'll have to come down to the office" she replied. Cath scanned the phone book for the address it was nearly half an hour away which meant a one hour round trip along with the time it would take to get the information and it may not even be helpful.
"Look I'm not asking for client details so there shouldn't' be a problem if you want me to send uniformed officers round during business hours…" The women cut off Cath.
"Hang on I'll look how far they go back" there was another pause during which Catherine managed to pick the entire spine of the phone book away through agitation.
"Five years" came the disappointing reply. Cath looked at Brass who shuck his head "left town six years ago" he sighed as Cath put the phone down not bothering to say thank you.
"Ok what do we know then?" asked Catherine
"Not much" replied a defeated Brass when Archie appeared in the door way
"Let me guess intractable feed," sighed Cath as Archie nodded.
"Its been changed were working on the pattern but as you know that could take some time."
"What about the video?" asked Catherine
"No windows even with enhancement we can't get anything to indicate where she is. Dark brown wooden walls doesn't narrow it down" he looked apologetic before adding. "There's one thing I've got left to try," he said as he turned to leave.
"What?" asked Catherine getting up and following him into the small room adjoining to where Grissom was sat watching the live feed?
"Well a case I worked a while ago we got a reflection from a tears" he said fast-forwarding the video to the point where Sara' feet were placed in boiling water.
"Anything's worth a try" said Cath putting an arm on Archie's back as he zoomed in on Sara's right eye that glistened with tears. Cath turned her head seeing the pain in Sara's eyes while Archie altered the settings.
"I think I've got something," he said as Cath turned back to face a burry black object. After a few minutes altering the picture he managed to get what looked like a fuzzy CCTV picture of a video camera on a tripod.
"Sorry" said Archie apologetically knowing a blurred camera wasn't' going to get them anywhere he was hoping there would be a window.
"Thanks anyway" said Cath returning to Brass who looked surprisingly pleased with himself.
"I've got something," he said proudly holding out an e-mail to Catherine
"Dan Gordan lived in Florida" she smiled
"But no known address for three years" she finished not too sure why Brass was so happy.
"He owned a café that went under declared bankruptcy just before he dropped of radar"
"Yes" Cath still didn't' see why Brass was happy.
"Well I pulled up the records for the shop and on the insurance he had a beneficiary named if anything should happen to him it was to go to a John Gordan"
"Son?" asked Cath
"Not by Birth certificate fathers name unknown but I'm going with he was. He rented a apartment in Vegas for three months before his dad did an disappearing act"
"Where is he now?" asked Cath finally looking as pleased as Brass.
"Computers looking" replied Brass as the computer made an unhappy beeping noise.
"No current address" sighed Brass "bit strange that both him and his dad dropped off the radar at the same time"
"False names?" suggested Catherine
"So another dead end" sighed Brass sitting down looking ready to drop.
"If it is Dan, which asides from evidence on a CSI hunch we think it is why's his son disappeared and why did he I mean its convenient if you want to commit murder not to be known but unless he had a premonition of what Walter was going to do he couldn't have planned it" said Catherine thinking out loud.
"Well the tape said it was for Walter, it was on the news maybe it's someone copying him"
"That's not likely I mean if your going to be a copycat you don't start by kidnapping a CSI to much risk for most people unless their personally involved in it. And we know they've been watching some time from he photos of us and Sara specifically so they've not just decided to do it, it's been planned and if it was a copycat." Brass was cut of by Cath finishing his sentence for him
"You copy someone who's still around to get the blame" she fined "lets go see the others maybe there's something to tie Dan to this in the boxes" said Cath getting up
Warrick, Nick and Greg were sat going through boxes full of junk.
"I don't mean to sound defeatist but I don't know what I'm looking for how do I know if I find anything" sighed Greg
"Plans for houses, boxes anything like that," replied Nick not looking up from the pile of photos he was going through.
"We'll I'm going to have to go with the its his brother theory" said Warrick holding up a photo of two people "that defiantly looks like Walter and I'm seeing a family resemblance. You don't get old photo's like this going through the trash" he said pulling out a pile.
"Maybe he's taken her somewhere they used to live somewhere sentimental" suggested Warrick before realising he was grasping.
"Greg why don't' you go get us all a drink" suggested Nick getting him out he room.
"There's nothing," shouted Warrick hitting the box so it slid across the table once Greg had gone.
"We'll find her" reassured Nick
"Really because we don't have nay think to go on and times running out"
"You found me, you kept it together and you found me don't lose it now"
Warrick sighed looking away form Nick
"I didn't"
"You didn't what?" asked Nick
"I didn't hold it together I didn't find you I just happened to be the one with the shovel"
"Now man I know that's not true"
"It is you want to know the truth I fell apart I lost it at Greg at everyone. Sara found you she held it together. Cath went and tried to get Sam Braun to give her the money Grissom nearly got blown up delivering it. Sara held it together she found Kelly" he stopped turning to look at Nick "we had less than thirty minutes left and three nurseries where you could have been, Sara figured out which one man she found you not me"
Nick reached out and put a hand on Warrick's back
"You all found me and we'll all find Sara" he reassured as Greg came back in the room trailed by a unhappy looking Catherine and Brass.
"Nothing?" asked Nick
"Nothing Hodges phoned nothing on the clothes or rope from the hang man" sighed Cath sitting down and pulling up a box.
"Hey" a few minutes later and Nick began waving around a photo.
"Does this look familiar to you" he handed it to Catherine
"Yes that's it"
"What?" asked Greg excitedly
"That picture is where he filmed the first video with Sara but we still need a address" she said defeated
"Well here's one of the outside look familiar anyone" asked Nick handing the photo around
"Yer I know that used to be a village mostly minors who worked there and most of it was destroyed when the mines moved," said Warrick.
"Well now we've got something to go on "smiled Catherine
TBC…..