Author's Note: A few people don't remember this guy. That's ok. George Shempsky is the guy who kidnapped Nick and put him in the little basement and attacked Catherine and kept sending her those notes. OK so that's cleared up…start panicking…I like this chapter :)

Chapter 45 – Picking Them Up

Sara nearly dropped the phone. He's back? How could he be back? In her minds eye she remembered Catherine lying on her bed, bloody and semiconscious. She remembered Nick in the little basement. She remembered the interview. Looking into his eyes and hating him with a passion. Hating him so much she wanted to do bodily harm to this guy.

"Sara?" Brass asked at the other end of the line.

"Have you told Catherine?" Sara asked forcefully.

"No. I was going to after I called you. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Make sure you tell Catherine. Did you talk to him?"

"No. I want to get him into some kind of psych evaluation but I can't get a hold of him."

"Keep trying. He might try something. I have to go…and I'll tell Nick."

Nick was already watching her with a very confused look on her face. Sara hung up the phone and closed her eyes. This wasn't happening. The notes George had sent before meant that he was prone to revenge. He was going to try and get back at them for putting him in jail. Sara rarely jumped to conclusions like this but it was a gut feeling she couldn't get rid of. He was coming back.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked, standing up and walking over to Sara.

She spun around. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. This was too much for her, how was Nick supposed to deal with it?

"What it is?" he asked again.

"He…he's out." Sara knew she couldn't leave it at that so she swallowed and tried again. "George Shempsky." Nick's eyes became the size of dinner plates.

"Wha-"

"He's out. He managed to get a deal…"

Nick was looking off into space. He didn't know what to think. What did this mean? Was he coming for them or was he going to stay away?

"I don't know what this means," Sara said, reading Nick's thoughts. They stood there a minute, thinking.

"What are we going to do?" Sara broke the silence.

"I don't know," Nick whispered. "Does Catherine know?"

"Brass just told her." Sara thought a moment. "I'm going to call her." She picked up the phone and dialed her number. It rang 5 times before Catherine's obviously shaken voice answered in a somber hello. This disturbed Sara the most. Sara had only known the woman a year and, in her opinion, she was the strongest person ever.

"Did you hear?" Sara asked quietly.

"Y-yes. How…how could he be out? It's impossible! How could anyone in the world have the forgiveness to get him off?! The pope himself couldn't forgive this ass hole!" Anger rose in her voice with every word.

"I know, Cath. I don't know what we are supposed to do though. Do you think this guy is going to come after us again?" Sara asked nervously.

There was a pause. "I don't know."

Both women were silent a few moments, each thinking the extent this psychopath could ruin their lives.

"Pick them up," Catherine finally said.

"What?"

"Pick up the girls. I want someone watching them at all times. I still can't leave but I'll pick Lindsay up as soon as I can. I don't want to even think of what this bastered could do to my little girl."

"I know what you mean. I'm on my way. I'll call you when I've picked them up." Sara hung up the phone, running upstairs to get dressed. Now that Catherine had brought it up, she completely agreed. In fact, she was a little bit scared. Could he already be at the school? Could he be hurting Charlotte or Lindsay right this very second? Sara couldn't bear to think about it.

She dressed at the speed of light, bringing a fresh shirt for Nick down. He was a little lost.

"Where are we going?"

"Picking the girls up. Catherine doesn't want them left so vulnerable while this guy is around and I couldn't agree more." She grabbed her purse and ran to her car, Nick close on her heels.

The school was a 10 minute drive away and Sara made it in 7. She was seriously contemplating putting on the lights but decided against it. A small part of her brain told her to slow down. He probably wasn't even going to come. But Sara wasn't taking any chances. This guy had kidnapped her boyfriend and butchered her best friend; leaving them both for dead…she wasn't going to let him do anything to her daughter.

She burst through the double glass doors of the school. As she walked in she heard a bell go off. Recess was over.

"Can you call Charlotte Sidle and Lindsay Willows to the office please?" She asked the secretary, trying her best to sound casual.

"Why?" the secretary asked cheerily.

"Because I'm taking them home." Sara did her best to keep her patience with this woman.

She was obviously confused. "The school day is almost over. Can't you just wait until the end of the day?"

"No. I'm taking them home now." She didn't want to or have to elaborate for this woman and was starting to loose her patience.

"May I ask what your relation is to these girls?" she asked, picking up the intercom phone.

"I'm Charlotte's mother and Lindsay's…godmother." Small lie. "Her mother wants her to come home with me."

The secretary did a small pursed lip smile and called the girls to the office. She pointed at a few chairs across from the desk and asked Nick and Sara to sit. Sara sat and started to fidget. She hated sitting around. About 3 minutes later she saw Charlotte come around the corner.

"Mommy?" she asked. Sara stood and ran to her. She hugged her, almost crying with relief. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going home," Sara said, standing up. "We are going to go back to your classroom and get your stuff. And we are going to have Lindsay over too." Charlotte could tell something was wrong but she just went along with it. Sara told Nick to wait for Lindsay while she got Charlotte things. They were back at the office within ten minutes and Nick was still waiting for Lindsay.

"Where is she?" she asked, her stomach doing a flip flop.

"I don't know. She hasn't come yet," Nick said. He looked as worried as she did.

Sara turned to the secretary who was giving them a funny look. "What classroom is Lindsay in right now?" Sara asked a little more forcefully then intended.

The secretary pulled out a binder and started flipping through it whispering "Willows…Willows," to herself.

"Mrs. LaMarsh's room…that's number 124."

"Thank you!" Sara shouted over her shoulder as she started jogging down the hall.

Sara counted off numbers, finally coming to room 124. She knocked and waited a moment before a small red headed boy opened the door to her. Sara could see everyone's eyes on her inside the classroom.

"Yes, is Lindsay in this class?" she asked the boy.

"Yeah."

Sara waited a second but the boy didn't move. "Can you get her?"

"Ask the woman to come in, David," Mrs. LaMarsh said from inside.

"Come in," David said, opening the door wider and stepping aside.

Sara faked a smile to the boy and walked into the room. When she got inside she walked up to the teacher who was sitting at her desk. After shaking her hand and introducing herself as Lindsay's godmother (might as well stick with that story) she asked, "Is Lindsay Willows in this class?"

"Yes." She looked over Sara's shoulder for a moment. Her eyebrows crossed after a moment. "I don't see her though."

Sara spun around as her stomach did another flip. All the little kids' eyes were on her as she searched them all. Sure enough, Lindsay wasn't one of the faces looking at her. She looked back at the teacher. "Do you know where she is?" she asked desperately.

The teacher shrugged. "She was here before recess." She turned to the children. "Do any of you know where Lindsay went?"

A blonde girl in the back raised her hand. The teacher pointed at her to start talking. "She was playing with me at recess at the hopscotch board and then just when it was her turn a man came to us and asked if she was Lindsay and she said yes and he said that her mommy was waiting for her and then she said she never picks me up and then he said that she was and then he took her around past the gate where we aren't supposed to go."

"Why didn't you tell me that when you got inside?" the teacher asked frantically. Sara thought she might faint. She was glued to the spot.

"'Cause the bell rang and then we had to get inside." The girl looked like she might cry and Sara assumed she looked the same way. She looked at the teacher. She looked like she felt.

"Shit," Sara said under her breath.

Reaching in her pocket she pulled out one of her cards. Thank God she had them. "Call me if she comes in," she shouted over her shoulder after shoving it in the teacher's hand. She sprinted down the hallway back to the office, trying to dial her phone but her hands were shaking. She finally dialed the proper number after the fourth try, just as she rounded the corner to the office.

"Lets go!" she shouted to Nick and Charlotte. She grabbed the girl's hand and headed out the door at a run. She just reached the car when Catherine picked up.

"Do you have Lindsay?!" she shouted in Catherine's ear.

"No…why?" Catherine asked.

"Shit!" Sara shouted. Nick was staring at her. He was buckling Charlotte into the back seat while Sara got into the passenger side.

"What happened?" Catherine asked desperately.

"She's gone! She's not here! He took her!"