Title: Seven

Author: Virginia6tin

Summary: The Serial Killer kill the woman, which work in "male" professionSnickers

Disclaimer: I don't own any CSI characters, only my original characters.

AN: Here's the next chapter. BIG thanks for my beta leebug1219.

Sara was sitting in locker room. She was deep in thought and didn't hear when someone entered into the room. She came out of her daze when she felt a strong arm around her. It was Nick. Sara turned her head so he didn't see her tears. It was too late. Nick hugged her and let her cry. After a few minutes Sara pushed him away and embarrassed said "I am sorry I got your shirt all wet."

"It doesn't matter," Nick replied, "are you gonna tell me why you're crying. Sometimes it's good talk to someone, ya know."

Sara thought for a minute, "Yeah. You know- one of the victims- Alexandra- she was my neighbor." Nick nodded. "She was my friend too. We've known each other since high school. And now...now, she's..." started Sara as new tears began to flow.

"Shh, it's okay…" Said Nick and hugged her again.

They sat together for a few minutes, but those few minutes seemed like a peaceful eternity. When Greg came to the locker room, they quickly pushed away from each other. Both regretted the break in the physical closeness.

"Grissom is looking for the both of you. He is in the break room."

"OK," Nick sighed, "we're going."

Greg looked over to Sara after Nick passed and quietly asked if everything was okay. She only nodded. A few minutes later in the break room Grissom quickly asked, "Did you find anything? Any leads? Any similarities between the victims."

"No leads but there are many similarities. No doubt, its serial killer." answered Sara.

"All of victims have died by poison. Their family or friends received a tape..." started Nick

"They find it 7 days from their loved ones disappearance. And only one day after we find the body, another woman disappears." Sara added.

"The victims are abused, beaten and raped. All of woman have many bruises and one has large gashes on her back. There is also a branding of a star with seven points on the shoulder..." Nick started to say.

"Where do they work?" Grissom interrupted him.

"Emily Cortez was Navy captain, Alexandra DeMaio was policewoman and
Virginia Evans was major in Marine Corps," supplied Sara.

"That's typical male profession," Grissom surmised, "maybe our killer is chauvinist?" He looked at the victim's photos at length. "They were exceptionally physically similar. All have dark hair and eyes, and all are about the same height."

"Yeah" Nick answered him and then looked at Sara who was reading the autopsy's report.

At that moment, Capt. Brass entered into the break room and looked to everyone: "We have next disappearance. Melissa Johnson. She was abducted from her own house."

"Nick, Sara get your kits and vests. We will meet you in five minutes at the trucks." Grissom voiced gruffly.

When Sara, Nick and Grissom arrived at Melissa and John Johnson's house, the first thing they noticed was a disaster in the living room. Two mirrors were broken, a vase laid broken near the coffee table, and the couch cushions were strewn throughout. On the carpet, there was what appeared to be (and later confirmed by phenylthalene) a huge bloodstain. Then they saw a man who was identified as John Johnson- Melissa Johnson's husband- which sat in an arm-chair near the window. They could hear Brass asking him about his wife and her disappearance, but Mr. Johnson didn't appear to want to answer. The man was terrified and he just could not speak. Sara and Nick started to investigate the room. Some time later, Sara leaned down and spied something. She bent over and picked it up.

"What do you have?" Nick questioned.

"A hair" answered Sara. Nick walked over to where she was standing to check it out.

"But it doesn't belong to Melissa. She has long, dark hair..." started Nick "And this is short and reddish" finished Sara

"Well, we can rule out the husband and the police officers that were here. The husband is bald and the police officers were both blonde and had crew cuts," Grissom threw in after coming to check to see how the progress was coming. "Maybe we have a lead. I'll finish the rest of the house; you run this to the lab. Check that hair and try to get something out of Johnson."

"OK" Sara and Nick responded together.

"When you last time saw you wife?" Sara asked again.

She sat exasperated with Nick in the interrogation room. They had been there for the past half hour, but Johnson said nothing; he just sat there and looked at them.

"Wh... When I came... came home from work." Johnson finally replied.

"Which was what time?" Nick calmly urged. He was happy that Johnson finally said something, but the guy was wearing his patience thin.

"At 11 pm. I came home... came home after work. I work in casino.
Melissa makes dinner." He said and started to cry. "She... she told me to go to the store and get something. I really can't remember what it is... When I got back...she was...she was gone. The door was open, and the house was in mess. And my wife was gone."

"I am sorry, Mr. Johnson, but I have one last question. Where does your wife work?" Nick asked.

"Mel... She, she doesn't work. She resigned for her work and moved to me, to Vegas," Mr. Johnson quietly sobbed.

"And where she worked before?" Sara implored.

"She lived in DC. Melissa was a lieutenant commander in the Army. She worked in Judge Advocate General office or JAG. We met here. She was visiting her parents. After year we decided get married. Melissa left Army and moved to Vegas."

"Thanks, that's all for now." said Nick as him and Sara stood and walked out the door.

TBC...