A/N: Sorry about the sporadic updates. School starts next week (sadly) and I sort of put off my summer work until now. So, between reading this ridiculously boring book and doing my physics homework, I'll try to update. Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate all of them.
Disclaimer: I have nothing creative to say: I don't own it.
Processing Chapter ThreeGreg walked out of the morgue, autopsy information in hand. He read through it, confirming that both victims had been killed from sharp force trauma. The autopsy confirmed that the knife found at the scene was indeed the murder weapon. Greg sighed in exasperation as he returned to the lab, hoping that the evidence would lead him to the killer.
Nick was staring at a partial DNA sample taken from the rape kit done on the female victim. They had barely enough DNA to extract, let alone find a match on someone. It was hopeless. All the samples had been too degraded to get a full DNA profile. He left the DNA lab, searching for Greg. The two CSIs almost collided turning the corner.
They exchanged information quickly, in only a manner that they could. They finished each other's sentences, coming to the same conclusion: they had nothing. They agreed to return to work tomorrow, hoping that in their absence, the evidence would make sense.
CSICSICSICSI
Hannah put her little girl to bed, tucking her in and turning on the nightlight. Lily was asleep almost instantly, exhausted after a long day. Hannah descended the staircase, keeping the lights off so as not to disturb her sleeping child. She switched off the porch light, glancing casually out at the road as she did so. All was quiet in peaceful suburbia.
She turned and went back to the book she was currently reading. A knock on her front door interrupted her leisure time. Slightly agitated, she put down her book and went to answer the door. Flicking on the outdoor light, she frowned at the figure standing at her door. She opened the door slightly, not allowing the man to enter.
"Hi," he said.
Hannah frowned. Her ex-husband was at her house late at night. "Hi," she replied, her voice betraying her suspicion.
"Listen. Can we… Can we talk? I mean…" he trailed off, unsure.
"What do you want, Jack?"
"We… we never talk anymore. I miss you, Hannah. And, us not speaking is hard on Lily. I know it's a stupid excuse, but I really, really miss you."
Hannah's expression softened slightly. Even though they had gone through a bitter divorce, she still cared about the father of her child. She stepped back, letting him enter the house he had once owned and lived in. She led him into the living room, sitting down on the couch, finally willing to talk things out. Sure, they would never get back together, but they could at least be friends if only for their little girl who slept upstairs.
They talked about everything, from affairs to family, unaware that they were being watched.
CSICSICSI
He watched the man enter the house, fuming. Why would Hannah do this to him? She loved him not this man! He placed his camera delicately on the seat next to him, exiting his car almost silently. He walked to the back door, knowing that the two were in the living room. The photographer slipped his key into the lock and turned, opening the door silently. He walked into the kitchen, grateful for the cloak of darkness. He walked straight to a knife block, removing a few before he found one that would suffice.
He slipped through the shadows, his dark clothes blending perfectly into his surroundings. He approached the living room, barely containing the adrenaline rush that coursed through his system. He heard them talking, apologizing. She told him how sorry she was, and how she knew they could never make it work. The man who spoke to her disagreed. He said they could make it work. They could make it for Lily.
"Jack…No."
The man—the photographer assumed his name was Jack—kept insisting that they could be happy again. "We can, Hannah. Remember how it was before? We could be like we were when Lily was a baby."
"No, we can't. I can't…"
That was all the photographer needed to hear. He leaped up catching both of the Wests off guard. He struck the man first, stabbing him violently. He kept plunging the knife into the man, his fury making his vision black around the edges. After a few moments, he became aware of Hannah's screaming. He looked up just in time to see her sprint away.
He ran after her, cornering her in the study. She cried, trying to beg with him. He walked towards her, the knife resting soundly in his left hand. She pleaded for her life, for the life of her child. He wiped a tear off her cheek and her terrified sobbing turned to whimpers of horror. He kissed her softly, trying to express how he felt about her. She pulled back, horror evident in her eyes.
Hannah watched him change from kind to furious. She was too scared to make a sound as he violently ripped off her clothes. He raped her, and all she could think was that she hoped her baby hadn't woken up. Afterwards, she lay in a terrified heap on the ground, refusing to make a sound. He sat next to her, telling her how much he loved her.
That's when the worst thing possible happened. "Mommy?" Lily's innocent voice came from the doorway. The little girl stood in her pajamas, clutching her stuffed kitty to her chest. Her blue eyes were wide with fear as she took in the scene.
The man stood, smiling at the child. "NO!" Hannah found her voice and strength as she grabbed the man's ankles, desperately trying to keep him from her daughter. "Run, Lily!" she ordered and the girl ran, crying. The man turned on Hannah, his expression terrifying. He killed her, slicing her throat before stabbing her again and again.
He chased after Lily, searching for half an hour, but he couldn't find her. He cleaned up the house hastily, trying to erase all signs that he had been there. Again, he used bleach to destroy evidence, but this time he was less careful. The sun would be up in a few hours and he had to get out of here as fast as he could. He left, leaving a single witness to his crimes.
CSICSICSICSICSI
Catherine and Grissom got the call to the scene. The house was in suburban Las Vegas and took all of ten minutes to drive there. The two entered the house, greeting Brass as they came within hearing range. "Two vics. One is Hannah West, other Jack West. Both of them are divorced, one kid. Daughter, age six, Lily West. Currently unaccounted for. We have an amber alert out for the girl," Jim Brass told them after they exchanged pleasantries.
They walked through the house, examining the scene. The front door had been locked and the front hall looked undisturbed. The living room, however, was a different story. Blood splatter was all over the walls and ceiling. The man, Jack West, was lying next to the love seat, his eyes wide with shock. Catherine began photographing the scene as Grissom explored the house further.
Hannah West was dead in the study, her blood ruining the old books that sat on shelves. She was naked and had defensive wounds on her hands and arms. Hannah West did not want to die. He noticed a blood trail leading out of the study and up the stairs in the kitchen. Taking plenty of pictures, he followed the blood trail. It seemed that the killer had searched every room.
As he entered the girl's room, he heard a muffled sound of crying coming from the closet. He opened it carefully, trying not to scare whoever was in there. He looked in the corner and moved a blanket aside to reveal a little girl. Her blue eyes met his, beginning him for help. "Hey," he said, kneeling down next to her. She didn't respond. "I'm Gil. Are you Lily?" The little girl nodded.
"Will you come with me, Lily?" Again, she nodded. Grissom picked her up, carefully bringing her down the front stairs to avoid seeing her dead parents. Brass stood in the front hall, interviewing the man who had called in the murder. "Jim, call off the Amber Alert, I found her." Brass nodded, using his phone to dial dispatch.
Lily hid herself in Grissom's shoulder, still holding her stuffed cat close to her. The two of them waited for an ambulance to come so they could check on the girl. They sat on the front steps, the girl silently crying while the man contemplated what had happened in there.
He stood up, taking Lily's hand in his as he heard the ambulance approach.
CSICSICSICSICSI
A/N: okay, did anyone actually think I would kill Lily? Actually, I didn't even want to kill Hannah. I get very attached to my characters. So, what should happen to Lily? You have three choices: One, she goes away with some nice relative, never to be seen again. Two, she goes home with Catherine and Warrick. Or three, she goes with Grissom and Sara. I have considered all three ways, and I don't know what to do with her. So, tell me what you think. Please? If not, I'll just send her away…