Title: To Hell with Love

Rating: Still (T)

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or its characters. I'm just a fan

Author's Note: Hey all! Thanks again for all your reviews. I'm having alittle bit of writer's block. So go easy on me k. Hope this chapter won't be too boring for you all. I'm trying to tie some loose ends in my story.

Chapter 6

Conrad Ecklie was sitting in his office, pondering over decisions and thinking about choices. He leaned back and forth, turned side to side, listening to his black leather chair groan. Like the cow it used to be before someone killed it and turned it into a chair to suit his needs. On his desk to his right, Ecklie placed a box filled with evidence from long ago. The cases of Lisa Reid, Cindy Kiske and Bridgette Necker were calling out. Someone had presented new evidence that might help in the case.

Like Sara's abduction, their cases were never solved; their boxes were left on the shelf among the other cold cases, gathering dust as time went by. The media called the case "The Rejected Killings". As ridiculous as it may sound, that actually summed up what the CSIs have in regards to the crime. No one came forward with any new information and their relatives proceeded to bury or cremate the victims. It wasn't a heartless move in anyone's part; nobody saw or knew anything. The victims had been classified in the category of the unknown, and their killer is still out there, roaming free in the everyday, normal world where humans thrive.

"I have gather you all here today to discuss an important matter," Ecklie said, trying to fill the air with his superiority and position as he stood before the team. "As you know, being assistant director of the crime lab, I am allowed to assign different cases to each of you."

Like we didn't know that already, Greg thought, knowing that the others are thinking the same thing.

"I am reopening the cases of Lisa Reid, Cindy Kiske and Bridgette Necker," Ecklie looked at the files, stating their case numbers, reminding everyone that those were the unfortunate ones to have the word "REJECTED" carved somewhere on their bodies. "For a few months now, new evidence had been presented in regards to the case. Three women ages of 18, 24 and 26 were kidnapped by who we think is the person responsible for the killings. Each of them were taken at different times, the abduction lasting only 2 days without any ransoms or demands and the girls were released unharmed. We strongly believe that it's related to the case." He looked up at the team, feeling the pressure radiating out of their eyes. "Their names are in the file. Catherine, I would like you and Sofia to conduct an the interview with them." Ecklie handed Catherine the file, avoiding any eye contact with the furious CSIs.

"And you knew this for a few months now?" Grissom said, countering Ecklie's status with his own. "Why wait until now to tell us?"

Ecklie rolled his eyes, "Each of you had your hands full with other assignments. The case was put on hold for a few months. Now, I only want Catherine and Sofia on the case; the rest of you will have to carry on your other assignments until further notice. Is that clear?"

"Why not I take the interview?" Warrick asked, "I only have a burglary case to work on."

Ecklie looked at him and answered bluntly, "I assigned them because they are the only 2 women working here. The victims might relate better to them."

"We have 3 women working here, she's not gone yet…" Nick corrected Ecklie, clenching his jaw to prevent other colourful words from coming out of his mouth.

"Not this again, I don't have time for this. If it wasn't for you…" Ecklie said as he turned around. "You know as well as I do that she's already---" He sighed, " Just get on with the case." The team stared at the back of Ecklie's head, watching as the shiny bald spot reduced down to a little glow as it turned the corner. Warrick placed his hand onto Nick's shoulder, trying to offer a little comfort. Nick clenched both of his fists.

"I hate that guy." Nick whispered as he walked back to his room, thinking of the words that Ecklie left engraved in his memory.

If it wasn't for you…

You know as well as I do that she's already…

"Have you all been seeing your P.E.A.P Counsellors?" Grissom asked the group as they sat down in the break room to have lunch together. The CSIs were made to attend the Police Employee Assistance Program since Sara's abduction, as a way for them to cope with the tragic loss of their friend. Before she went missing, Sara also had attended PEAP counselling, and it helped her quite a bit. Grissom thought it would be best for the others as well, for them to unload the crippling burdens off their backs.

"Yeah…" Greg was the first to answer. "I still think it's a dumb idea."

Warrick nodded in agreement. "I don't really like the idea of telling some psychologist about my life. I wonder how Sara does it."

The room became quiet for a while, with only the sound of teeth gnawing on solid food echoing around the room. Nick looked up, "Well… she always had been the strong one. Sara will hate it if we sit here sulking about her." He smiled at the memory of her. Warrick and Greg joined in the conversation, reminding each other about the time they caught Sara sleeping in the break room or how she reacted to a spit bucket; the things she did that made them laugh or the way she encourages them. As they were reliving the memories of better days, Grissom looked around at each member of his team.

Maybe they'll be okay after all…

Name: Helena Kelly

Age: 26

Kidnapped: Mid June

Notes: Victim of spousal abuse, mild mental retardation

Catherine was interviewing Helena Kelly, a 26-year-old woman who looked like she'd aged beyond her years. She was a frail woman who, according to the police records, is living in an apartment with her abusive boyfriend. Sara would hate this, Catherine thought as she looked at the woman with curiosity. She looked a little out of it, maybe a little crazy as well. Out of the three women who were kidnapped, she was the first one. The woman had already given her testimony to the police. In her written testimony, she was tied to a chair and left alone most of the time. She also said that she was blindfolded and had earplugs put into her ears, making her unable to see and hear what was going on around her.

"Ear-plugs?" Catherine said out loud as the woman repeated her testimony.

"Yes--- ear-plugs." Helena said with such confidence. "I couldn't see or hear anything."

"Ear-plugs?" At this moment, Catherine was face was filled with bewilderment, looking at her like she was a chicken with 3 legs. What kind of kidnapper would put earplugs on the victim?

"I did remember it was very hot, like I was in the middle of the desert. It was extremely dry as well… terrible weather." Helena said as she bit her nails.

------

Name: Jean Hope

Age: 24

Kidnapped: Early August

Notes: Victim of rape three years ago.

Sofia and Catherine interviewed the second victim together. The 24-year-old wasn't as crazy as the previous woman, but she did seem more affected by what happened than all 3 women combined. She looked at the two women carefully, afraid that whatever she said would come back to haunt her.

"I wasn't blindfolded the whole time, only when he was letting me go --- I did not have any ear-plugs put on me…" She gave Catherine a very puzzled look, "Ear-plugs?! Seriously?" She broke into a smile. Catherine lifted her hand to dismiss the issue, unable to contain her own smile. Jean Hope was not stranger to interviews done by CSIs. She was a victim of rape a few years back but her stunning testimony lead to the conviction of whoever did it to her. She could remember every details and could describe them extremely well.

"… The room that I was held in--- it reminded me of a panic room. It had those steel doors that requires a security code to get it." She said. "I couldn't see his face, he had a ski mask on the whole time."

"Must have been hot for him." Sofia mentioned.

"I was kidnapped on the first day of August. The lowest temperature was 77 degrees. It wasn't too bad." Catherine urged her to continue. Jean closed her eyes, as if she was reliving the events in her mind. "I was tied to a chair and left in the middle of the room. There were some candles in the room but it was still dim. I couldn't see much. While in the room, I heard him talking to someone, but there was this ventilation shaft above, at the side of the room that was making a repeated "clanking sound". I could make out what was said. He didn't hurt me. He let me go after 2 days. The man drove me." Jean opened her eyes, appearing more relax than she did when she came in.

"Did you know where you were?"

"I was left at Pahrump Medical Centre. It took him about 45 minutes to get there."

Finally, a place to search, Sofia though. However, Pahrump is a very big place. The suspect could be anywhere.

"Thank you, that was very helpful," Catherine was glad that the interview wasn't a complete waste of time.

Jean was about to leave the room when she turned around. "I did see something written on the wall when I was being taken out of the room. I don't know if it was written in red paint or blood… but it said "NO MAN SINNED". I guess that man was trying to scare me…"

------

Name: Jane Olin

Age: 18

Kidnapped: End October

Notes: 10 years in foster care, ran away from her foster parents twice last year.

"I already told the cops everything I know, why don't you check with them?" An angry voice filled the air. That person obviously does not want to be there.

"Ok, calm down. Just start from the beginning." Sofia said, trying to gain control of the situation. She looked at her folder. Jane Olin aged 18, foster child of the Hendersons, been in the system for 10 years…that explains the attitude, Sofia thought, already dreading the interview.

"I didn't see anything. I was blindfolded most of the time." Jane Olin jabbed her finger on the table in front of her. she obviously had a strong dislike for the world she lived in. She leaned back onto her chair, back to her slouching position.

Sofia looked at her sympathetically, "Is that true?"

"Look, don't believe me? Fine. Just stop asking me these questions if you don't. My foster parents didn't even believe me when I told them I was kidnapped. They think that I was making up some phoney story to cover up some sort of a runaway plan." Jane sighed.

Sofia looked at her for a minute, understanding why the teenager was so hostile when it comes to talking about her kidnapping. "Why not you write down what happened? Or at least what you remembered." Sofia handed her a note pad. "If you testimony checks out, we'll believe what happened to you." She said, opening the door to leave the interview room.

"There is… one thing I remember--" Jane said. Sofia turned around, "When I was blindfolded, I was put in a room…with another person. We talked for a while. She didn't tell me her name, saying that our lives depends on what we said." She cleared her throat. "At first, she was saying all these encouraging words to calm me down, asking me if I was ok and all. Then, when the man was about to take me out of the room, she said "Pancho" 3 times. That really pissed the guy off. He went back in…I think he killed her…"

Grissom looked up as he heard a knock on the door. "May I come it?"

"Sure, take a seat." Grissom said, pointing to the chair, indicating where the man should seat down. "What is this about?"

"As you know, I was assisting Sara's PEAP counsellor during her sessions…" The man showed Grissom his nametag. " Dr. Dennis Namon, psychologist, nice to meet you Mr. Grissom." He shook Grissom's hands. "I'm here to evaluate the progress of your team in regards to Sara's disappearance. I have already interviewed the rest of your team." The doctor clicked his pen and was ready to write. "Could we start from the beginning?" He scratched his dark brown hair before stating his questions…

------

About half an hour later, they were done. Grissom watched the fair-skinned psychologist write down the last few details of their conversation before leaving the room. He was about to get back to his work when Catherine came through the door.

"Grissom, I think we got something..."

"Nick, Warrick, a police helicopter has been patrolling the area between Las Vegas and Pahrump. They have found a residence in the middle of desert that needs checking out." Grissom said, "The location is near the place where you found the body of the woman involved in the "rejected killings". Brass is on the way there with 4 police officers and a warrant. Take the police helicopter and head there as soon as you can."

"Sure Grissom" Nick said as he and Warrick grabbed their coats.

------

In less than an hour, they have arrived at the scene. The night was young, the temperature was cold and the area was dark. The December air was unfavourable and there were only 2 police cruisers to light their path. Brass placed his hands in his pockets, fighting the cold as he watched Nick and Warrick rappel down the police helicopter. Once they were on the ground, he waved to the pilot, allowing the pilot to leave the area.

"Hey Brass. Waited long?" Nick asked as he walked towards him.

"Nope, we drove, you guys flew… we arrived at around the same time." Brass said with a smile. "We're checked the perimeter. All clear. We decided to wait for you before going into the house."

"Thanks--- Ready?" Nick gave Warrick a nod. "LVPD, we have a warrant to search the area." Warrick knocked on the door. There was no answer. Warrick tried the doorknob… it was unlock.

The interior of the house was covered in darkness, with only the headlights of the police cruisers creeping in through the windows. Nick, Warrick and Brass took out their flashlight to survey the area. It wasn't a very big house. The living room was like any typical living room. There was a rug on the floor with a coffee table on top of it and a cosy couch next to a small shelf of monuments and paperweights. The dining area was close by, giving the house a homely feeling with its average cabinets and mini fridge. In the middle of the room was big bookshelf with not many books in it. Everything seems like it was where it's supposed to be. Brass managed to find a light switch and turned on the lights, blinding the poor CSIs along the way.

"Sorry," Brass said when Nick and Warrick stared at his direction. "Let's keep looking."

Nick headed for the study room, trying to be as quiet as possible. The door of the study was slightly ajar and there was a lighted candle on the table, making shadows dance within the room. Nick silently pointed the room to Warrick, drawing his gun. He pushed his hands against the door, opening it wider. From where he was, he could see a big oak table with its contents scattered on the surface. There was someone seated on a big black office chair behind the table. Nick could not see who it was as back of the chair was facing the door. The arms of the person were hanging on its sides, limp. The top of her head was leaning against the headrest, allowing the CSIs to see her brunette hair. There was blood on the floor. Nick walked closer to the mouth of the door, shining his flashlight into the dark abyss of a room. Something at the corner of the table caught his eye.

"Did you find anything?" Warrick whispered, walking towards the room. From a distance, he saw Nick holding a picture frame. He was staring at the picture and looking towards the person on the chair simultaneously. "What's wrong Nick?"

Nick was frozen, he didn't move. He didn't know what to do. Just as Warrick entered the room, he turned to face him, revealing a familiar picture to him…

"Sara?"

TBC

I thought Ecklie should have a part in this chapter. Thank you all for reading this. I hope you'll leave a review. Take care!