Author's Note: I'm sorry about doing that cliffhanger thing…again. But you have to admit it was funny how you all freaked out :). Ok, so here's your next chapter.

Chapter 48 – Half an hour

Catherine was plastered to the spot. Sara was behind her, staring at the little girl standing there alone with the vest on. Sara saw Catherine drop the hand with the phone in it to her side. Sara went up behind her and slid the phone out of her loose grasp.

"What the hell is that one her?" Sara spat into the phone. She looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out where this guy was.

"Oh, you noticed that, Sara." Sara nearly threw up when he said her name. "That's my little home made concoction. Would you like to hear how it works?" he asked pleasantly.

"I would be thrilled," Sara spat.

"I have this little detonator in my hand. The button is protected so it doesn't go off by accident, so don't worry about my klutzy hands. But if this little button gets pressed…the little girl in front of you…will no long be a little girl."

Sara's mouth opened as well. "Now, if you don't mind," George continued, "I would like to speak to Catherine" Sara looked at Catherine. Silent tears were falling down her cheeks. She was whispering Lindsay's name. Grissom had come out the doors and seen Lindsay. He now had his hand on her shoulder, keeping her from running at Lindsay. Sara lowered the phone slowly and walked up to Catherine.

"He wants to talk to you," she whispered. Catherine looked at Sara. She had unmistakable fury in her blue eyes and she reached out, Sara putting the phone in her hand.

"What the hell?!" she screamed at him. She paused while he spoke to her, probably explaining what he just had to Sara. Sara looked out at Lindsay. She had probably been told to stay there because she was careful not to move anywhere. She was crying, not hard, but she was crying. She wasn't even 100 feet from them, so Sara could see the vest and the boxes closely. They were connected with a series of tangled wires that Sara couldn't identify from this angle.

Grissom turned to Sara behind Catherine's back. "Go inside and call Brass. Tell him to roll out bomb squad…they should be here…"

"No bomb squad!" Catherine shouted, spinning around. Grissom looked at her.

"He has the parking lot blocked off. He said if anyone tried to get in he'll press the button!" Catherine was listening to George again.

"You son of a bitch!" she shouted. "If I ever get my hands on you…" she paused. "Yes, I will. And when I do you will be sorry you were ever born!" she paused again. "No! Wait!" She paused again. She shut her phone. "Son of a bitch hung up on me."

Catherine turned to Sara. "He said that if we try to go over to him he'll press the button. He also said that if we go past the first row of cars he'll press the button." Catherine hung her head, trying to fight back tears.

"Where is he?" Sara asked.

"Mommy!" Lindsay yelled from the parking lot. Catherine spun again.

"It's ok, Lindsay! I'm right here. Just stay there!" Catherine tipped her head back in frustration. "What did the man tell you to do?!"

"He s-said…umm…to stay here and to wait! But not move cause then something bad will happen!"

Catherine was silent. She didn't know what to do.

"Mommy, I'm scared!"

"I know baby, just stay there. It'll all be ok."

Grissom looked at Sara again. "I'll call Brass," she said, turning into the building. She went the first empty layout room to have some privacy and called Brass.

"We have a problem."

"You told me that the last time you called me," Brass said dryly.

"Yeah, well this is a bigger problem." Sara explained the bomb and the fact that they couldn't call bomb squad. When she finished the line was silent.

"Brass?"

"This is a bigger problem then your last one."

"No shit."

Sara heard him blow out some air. "Ok. I'm going to call in a hostage negotiator. I'll explain the situation and do everything I can. Call me if anything changes."

"Same here," Sara said and hung up. She took a breath and opened her cell again. She pressed 2 and send. She waited anxiously for him to pick up and a rush of happiness (that dissipated quickly) washed over her.

"Did you hear about Lindsay?" she asked Nick.

"You found something?" He sounded hopeful.

"Sort of. She was driven up to the parking lot about fifteen minutes ago with a bomb vest."

Silence.

"Nick?"

"Oh my God!"

"Yeah."

"That bastered!"

"That's what I said."

"Is she still out there?"

"Yeah. Catherine was trying to talk to the guy but he hung up."

"Where is he?"

"We're not really sure."

"That bastered."

They were both quiet for a second.

"Well, I have to get back outside."

"Do you need me out there?"

"I don't know. I just called Bras…he's going to run the show."

Nick told her he would be out soon and she hung up, dashing back outside. She didn't want to miss any opportunity she could get to help. When she got outside Catherine was shouting to Lindsay that it was going to be ok. She was calming down but still hadn't moved.

"Cath, can I have your phone?" Grissom was asking. She handed it to him and he started scrolling through the caller's list. He found the last caller and pressed dial. After a few seconds the man on the other end picked up.

"What can we do to get her out of that thing?" he asked in his Grissom-calm voice. Sara watched him wait for an answer. She wondered what exactly this guy wanted.

"Is there any way you could tell me?" another pause. Sara heard George's voice yelling over the phone. Catherine was still focused on talking to Lindsay.

Grissom hung up the phone and sighed. Sara just looked at him. "You going to tell me what he said?" she asked, a little testy.

"He said that if we want to get her out we will have to figure it out ourselves. He told me that by finding Nick we were just showing off, telling him we were smart enough to pull this off without his help."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Sara said, throwing her arms up in the air and turning around. She almost bumped into Nick who was just walking out the doors at a run.

"I got here as soon as I could."

"Thanks," Sara said. Her cell phone rang. She picked it up and was surprised to hear George's voice in her ear. How did he get this number?

"Hello my dear," he said as if he were her father.

Sara was silent.

"How are you this fine afternoon?" he asked.

"Peachy," she spat. "Where the hell are you?"

"Now, Sara, you have to ask nicer to get what you want sometimes," he said playfully.

Sara sighed to level her shaking voice. "May you please tell me where you are?" she asked in an extremely faked voice.

"Why that I can do. I'm sitting on Fremont Street at this very second."

"What?" She was confused.

"Freemont Street.

"…Why did you leave?" she asked, causing Nick and Grissom to look at her.

"I decided you could figure this out on your own. Of coarse your boss could have told you that by now."

Sara was amazed. How could he just leave like that?

"But, Sara?"

She didn't say anything.

"You should know, I've already pressed the button. But you don't have to worry…it's on a timer. Unless you can figure out how to disengage it…Your little Lindsay will be dead in the next half hour." Dial tone.