Hunters and Collectors
Disclaimer: CBS owns CSI
A/N What happens next then? Is anyone interested?
Chapter 11
V
-/-
Vartann and Greg were doing their assigned circuits of the neighbourhood, without any luck so far, other patrol cars were also looking for the truck. Maybe Sara was wrong and they completely off base here when Greg remembered something.
"Hey Lou, remember that the truck was used for deliveries and stuff, the driver had said that it had a refrigerated section in it, which means deliveries to cool stores. There is one in this area, three streets down, I know it's a gamble but we have nothing to lose."
"Worth a look at any rate, if it gets us to Cath it's a bonus."
Silently they pulled up near the cool store and walked the rest of the way, Greg taking off his vest to remain unobtrusive. It seemed to fit the dubious pattern of them, right under the police noses, close to Catherine's home yet far enough away to avoid suspicion. A records check on the owner of the warehouse showed it belonging to the Fremont family until the business went broke five years ago. It had been abandoned since then.
"I don't think we'll get much closer without spooking them and the truck would have to be inside, we need miniature help," stated Greg, an idea running through his mind.
"What the hell is miniature help Greg?"
"Weren't you ever a kid Lou? It's really quite simple, kids with spray cans daubing the building while one peeks in through a window and takes pics with his cell phone. Anyone inside would just shoo the kids away and I can get a shot with my camera from up in that tree over there. See? Simple."
"Ok, all we need is kids, got a magic wand there Sanders?"
"Better, just let me make a phone call."
Greg phoned Grissom and outlined his plan, immediately he called for Lindsey and her friends who promptly presented themselves, dressed as street hooligans and armed with spray cans. Some of her 'friends' were not really the desirable type, some even had juvenile offences against them in the past, but all that was forgotten and mere thought of permission to graffiti with permission was too hard to resist.
"Lindsey, all of you, pay close attention to what I am about to say," Grissom said sternly, "this is very important, and you need to know why, but if you dare to do anything but follow orders I'll leave you here in a cell." Lindsey nodded, fear creeping into her eyes. "Greg will outline the plan for you to paint the walls and if you see a truck parked inside, take pictures with your cell phone and get lost if told to. If someone comes out to shoo you away, go and head away from Greg. The reason you guys are needed is because your Lindsey's mom could be in that building, what you do could put her in danger, follow orders and she'll be ok, if you try to go in, well that would be a big mistake for you and her. Do you still want to go?"
"Yes, we can handle it, the guys will keep me in line, and thanks for this Uncle Grissom, thanks for having faith in us. We'll get mom back."
The children's brigade were driven to near the scene for last minute instruction from Greg, then sent in to do their own thing, a novelty really, being asked to graffiti a building by the cops. Some of the school's best taggers were there, some were amateurs, they all knew the real reason and she paid close attention to the window, spraying around it and peeking through to see the front on view of a white truck. Her heart leapt to her throat, her mom was inside, was she alive? Dead? 'Concentrate Lindsey, take the blasted photographs and run' She snapped off a few pics and then heard a door opening and a gruff voice yelling at the 'young hooligans' to get the hell away. It was quick, it was smooth, it was flawless, the kids scattered in every direction eager not to get caught.
Greg was up in the tree with his camera zoomed in on the door and captured George on film, they had their proof.
Back at the lab, Lindsey's phone downloaded the truck pic to the lab computer and it matched, finally they had found them.
"Well done Lindsey, I was worried there for a bit."
"Yeah well, to be honest, I had second thoughts when I saw the truck, but the guys made me concentrate, besides I'm now a budding graffiti artist, with my own tag."
Grissom had to laugh, that was respect, your own tag recognized. Now they had the proof they had to send in the troops gently. If only he could have been a ninja warrior with the art of invisibility. Alas he was not so skilled so force it would have to be, and god help Catherine.
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Catherine Willows was still alive, but Heather and Nicola were going to have some fun before they killed her, Nicola was now happy to beat someone to death, Heather was skilled with knives so they combined their forces, making sure to leave Catherine's face alone until the end.
Nicola used a baseball bat on her legs until she could hear bones breaking, Heather used and knife with a knuckle duster hilt punching heavily into the ribcage, slicing the bruising to let the blood flow, they untied her legs from the bedposts and dragged her body onto the floor where they kicked and hit her, her bound arms taking terrible punishment, her left one breaking in several places. Heather changed weapons to a long thin blade, rather like a rapier. She drove it through Catherine's shoulder joint and into the floor boards beneath her, pinning her like a butterfly to one of Grissom's display boards. She could feel the life force ebbing out of her, yet could say nothing, only grunt in pain, due to the damned tape on her mouth, her breathing now restricted by pressure on her lungs, broken ribs probably, and only having nostrils to breathe through. She was tired and wanted to sleep. It was fast and it was furious, she just waited for the death blow to fall, suddenly there was no more pain, just a creeping numbness. She knew she was dying and, if it made the pain go away, she was embracing death.
A/N Ok I decided on a cliffie for this one.
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