Again, thanks so much for the reviews. Thanks to Mma63 for staying with me despite the Stillows ship. I replied to some of you. As a token of my thanks, I bring to you chapter three of Cliff Hanger.

Nick and Catherine walked into the Las Vegas crime lab at time on the dot. They had agreed to keep the visit from the Dallas cold case unit a secret. Nick could feel that something was not right in the building, but Catherine seemed not to be phased. Maybe that was because she was not being investigated for her best friend's murder.

The two CSIs hoped for good coffee when they arrived in the break room, but what they discovered was a black goop.

"Aw, man, this is not my day." Nick complained. Catherine laughed. "Why are you laughing? Look at it." This only made her laugh harder. "That's not coffee, that's oil. I'm not talking motor oil, I'm talking crude oil straight out of the ground and into the pot, skip the refinery."

"Fossil fuels served as refreshments, courtesy of Conrad Ecklie." Catherine chuckled. "No wonder the price of gas is so high."

"No joke. Let's go find Grissom for our assignments."

Perfect timing. Just then Grissom appeared in the doorway. "I have them right here."

"Where is everyone else?" Catherine asked.

"Warrick, Sara, and Greg got called in early on a quadruple homicide. They just got back from the scene and will be processing evidence all night." Grissom held up the papers in his hand. "Catherine, you and I are on a B&E tonight."

"Let me guess," Nick predicted, "You have a 419 for me?"

"This 419 is for Warrick." Grissom corrected. "Nick, I need you to help Sara and Greg process evidence."

Nick got a confused look on his face. "Not to question your authority Gris, but wouldn't it just be easier to leave Warrick on the quadruple and let me have the 419?"

Grissom sighed and motioned with his eyes for Catherine to leave the room. When they were alone in the room, Grissom said, "Nick, it's not that I don't trust you. It's orders from Ecklie and my hands are tied. I'm not allowed to put you in the field until this whole thing blows over. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about."

"We got a visit from the Dallas PD cold case unit."

"Holly sh…" Nick stopped himself before hurling vulgarities.

"Nicky, what's going on?" It was Warrick standing in the doorway.

"I thought the detectives from Dallas told you everything." He said sarcastically.

"Nick," Grissom said in a calm, soothing voice, "We want to here it from you."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Basically, Tanner and I went to Buckman's Cliff I moved over a rock and woke up a rattlesnake that started striking everywhere, Jeda got spooked, reared up and threw Tanner off the cliff. I told that to the police twenty years ago, and now they found some written-in-the-heat-of-a-moment journal entry and want to pin me for murder with no evidence and nothing but the hunch of a grieving mother and a bitchy ice-woman detective."

"Man, don't get so worked up." Warrick said. "You don't have to defend yourself to us. It's not like we think you actually flipped out and killed the kid."

"Tell that to Ecklie!" Nick shoved his friend out of the way and stormed out.

Warrick would not have to tell anything to Ecklie; he had been standing outside the door eavesdropping. "What I don't understand is why he started ranting about the evidence, or lack there of, I should say." He said.

"Because he's a CSI." Grissom reasoned.

"Yes, I can see that. But what I mean is, why is he getting defensive?"

Warrick defended Nick. "He's stressed out, man. Lay off him. How would you feel if someone said you flung your best friend off a 100-foot high cliff? You're not helping matters, either."

"You have to understand my position, Warrick. I can't put a murder suspect on the field."

"You just stood here questioning his integrity!"

"Hay, chill. Isn't it you guys who say not to assume anything? To assume makes an ass out of you and me."

"No, just you. Grissom, man, give me my damn 419."

Grissom said nothing. He only handed the man the file and let him walk away.

"Are you going to let your guy speak to me that way? Gil, I have to do my job."

"You don't have to question the integrity of my guys."

"But I do have to look at all angles, Gil. You don't want to admit it but I know that in some part of your super-nerd head of yours you saw a point in what I said. This smells fishy."

Grissom was to proud, and to loyal to Nick, to admit that Ecklie was, in a sense, right.

TBC. Well, that's chapter three. Tell me what you think. There will be more thickening to take place, so I'll see you next chapter.