Disclaimer: Same as usual...I still don't and never will own CSI

Summary: Warrick's being tortured and the CSI's have begun their investigation..


Chapter 4: Written In Cold Blood

There had been no more information on Warrick since Nick had found that first note. They'd exhausted every piece of evidence they had had. Grissom and Sara had found nothing else at Warrick's house. Greg had found no saliva on the envelope: it was self adhesive, and the blood had belonged to Warrick.

"Ah, Grissom," said Catherine, falling into the same pace beside him. "Me and Nick have drawn up a list of people with possible grudges. Only problem is, it's what you'd expect. The only ones on our list are the people he's helped to put away. Other then that, we've got nothing to go on."

"Well it's something. Try and sort the list into types of crimes. Burglaries, murders and so on. The more serious the crime, the more likely someone is going to be pissed off about it. See if you can narrow it down a bit." Normally Grissom managed to keep his emotions in check but he was beginning to worry. Warrick was a good CSI even though he had his problems. Grissom knew that the more hours that passed in a hostage situation, the less chance they had of finding them alive. Grissom went to his office, throwing the paperwork that he had been carrying onto his desk. Sitting at the edge of his desk was a pile of letters. It wasn't unusual for him to have some when he came into work. He sifted through the pile. As he did, one particular letter stood out. He read it.

Warrick Brown, c/o Mr Gil Grissom. Las Vegas Crime Lab. 'Odd' thought Grissom. 'Why send it...Ohhhhhh.' He pulled out a pair of latex gloves that he kept in the top drawer of his desk and then carefully opened the envelope. Tucked inside was a folded piece of plain white paper. He carefully unfolded it, revealing an A4 sized sheet of paper. It was written in a childlike scrawl and something, Grissom realised, that wasn't a conventional writing tool. He set it aside and paged Catherine, Nick and Sara and also got in contact with Brass. This was something they all had to see. It was what they had been waiting for. Maybe a lead at last.

It didn't take them long to arrive. Sara was the first to speak.

"News from the kidnapper?"

"Yes. I wanted you all to be here to hear it." Grissom proceeded to read it out to the group.

'Dear Mr Grissom, oh, and the rest of your CSI's. As you are already well aware, I have taken CSI Brown as my hostage. He's alive, for the meantime. His life depends on one thing: the release of a specific prisoner on death row. Marty Silver. Release him, or Brown gets it. Justice or friendship. You choose. The ball is in your court. Make any attempt to find us and I will kill him also. You have three days to reach your decision. I will contact you at the end of those three days.'

"That's it? That's what this person wants?" asked Catherine. Nick rammed his fist into the wall. Grissom understood why.

"Geesh. He wants him released?" Nick said in frustration. 'Why Warrick though?I helped him put Marty away." He drove his fist into the wall again.

"Nick, I think you should go home. Calm yourself down. You're no use to Warrick like this," Grissom said. Nick opened his mouth to argue but was silenced by Grissom. "Go, home, Nick. Come back in a few hours." He didn't argue and left the office.

"Want me to get that note to Greg?" asked Sarah

"Yeah. While you're there ask him to see if he can find out what it's written in. Somehow I don't think that's a standard Biro." Sara stood up, pulling a glove from her lab coat pocket and took the note of Grissom. "Will do," she responded as she exited Grissom's office and made her way to Greg in the DNA lab. This left Brass, Catherine and Grissom alone in the office together.

Brass had sat there throughout the whole thing, fiddling with his fingers. He was agitated. He liked Warrick. At a time they didn't see eye to eye, but Brass came to respect him. He broke the silence. "Based on that letter, what do you think the likelihood of us finding him alive actually is?" He didn't mean to be that frank, but he knew that the others were thinking exactly the same thing, even if they tried not to show it. "I mean, who's going to release a rapist and killer back onto the streets?"

"I don't know," replied Catherine, sighing heavily. Her eyes glistened as what looked like tears formed in her eyes. But she didn't cry.

"Me neither." Grissom dazed into the distance, unconsciously focusing on Sara comforting Nick outside in the hallway. "But we're going to do everything in our power to find him, even if it means standing up to the Sheriff."


Warrick wasn't sure how much more his body could cope with. He was weak. He could feel it. Tyrone had spent hours? introducing Warrick to that knife. Slice after slice after slice. At one point Warrick made a remark about not being a chicken on a dinner table and ended up with a fist in his chest, severely winding him. But he couldn't give up without a fight. His friends were out there, searching for him. When they found him, he didn't want to be carried out in a body bag, or end up on the cold steel table in the autopsy room. It put things in perspective for him though. 'Nobody is invincible.' Warrick knew that he was well built and could pack a punch if need be. He thought he could handle himself if he was attacked. Obviously he was wrong. Tyrone hadn't been in for a while. Who knows what he was up to. At that moment, the door opened. Tyrone walked in.

"We're going on a little trip Warrick."

"Well, I hope it's somewhere better then here," Warrick replied. He wasn't going to give Tyrone the satisfaction that he was beating him, even if it did mean more pain.

"Not really. But we're playing a little game with your friends. Warrick heard another voice and realised Tyrone was not alone. 'Figures, thought Warrick. Would be difficult to execute something like this on his own.' "Now do I use the chloroform or something else?" Warrick hoped it would be the chloroform. "I'm thinking not the chloroform." Tyrone laughed menacingly, kicking Warrick in the ribs. He heard a crack, followed by an intense sharp pain. He let the darkness swallow him. Anything was better than the pain.

'I thought I was a bit ambitious to hope for the chloroform'


Greg hurriedly made his way from the DNA lab. He was in such a hurry he didn't noticed Sara coming in the opposite direction and walked straight in her.

"Are you okay Greg?"

His face was red, and he seemed breathless. "Have you seen Grissom?"

"Yeah. He's gone with Catherine and Brass to see Marty Silver. See if they can get any information from him. Why? What did you find?"

'Should I tell her, or shouldn't I?' he thought to himself. He looked at her face and saw the concern in her eyes. 'She ought to know what I've found.'

"Erm, I found out what was used to write the note." He took a breath. "It was his blood Sara. He's torturing him. He's toying with us."


Well, that's this chapter over. I thought it was time to bring Greg into it. I'll try and get the next pert up as soon as possible but I've got a lot of work to do. Enjoy

A/N – Went back and changed the name of the rapist. I accidently made a booboo in this chapter and changed his surname and I didn't pick it up before I went to bed. Thanks to Crystalwitch for noticing it. :D