Chapter 3: I leave a light on
Warnings and diclaimers on the prologue
Nicks pager went off. "Lab's done with results" he said sombrely "I'll go collect and look"
The room was silent as he left...
"Hey Nick!" One of the new lab technicians, a short redhead called Andie, smiled at him, "I got the results on the blood!"
"Hit me"
"Well actually, it was weird, because I ran it through the database, just to check for you, less trouble, but it came up with Sara's name...maybe it got contaminated?"
Oh, how Nicky wished he could use that excuse. But he knew that everyone around the lab was going to find out in the end so he told Andie the truth "No, the blood's Sara's."
"ohmygosh, what's happened? Did she get cut at the scene?"
Nick sighed in his head. Everyone would have to know, after the semen was processed, it would have Sara's name and address on the plastic bag, under 'Name of Victim'
"We think that...uh...Sara was abducted from her place at...at, uh, gunpoint, and ahem..." Nick cleared his throat, begging for Andie to understand.
Andies blue eyes grew wide, and Nick knew she understood. It was impossible to take in...It hurt so bad that this would, and could happen to one of them...
"But she's safe now?"
"No...I-I don't know...she's not here...we have to find her..."
Andie realized what Nicky was trying to say, and she felt a churning sensation in her stomach. This was one of their own. It was bad when it was just a person off the street, or someone they didn't know, but this was...well, a colleague...
Nick, thanking Andie quickly, turned and strode out of the lab.
Andie stared after him as he left the lab. Where in the world was Sara Sidle?
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I seen myself with a dirty face,
I cut my luck with a dirty ace
I leave the light on
Daddy ain't that bad he just plays rough
I ain't that scarred when I'm covered up
I leave the light on
Little girl hiding underneath the bed was it something I did
Must be something I said
I leave the light on, better leave the light on.
"I leave the Light on" Beth Hart
"Now...what shall we play to-dayah?" his accent was different. Sara looked at him, utterly petrified "perhaps a lesson in manners are needed? After all it's not polite to attack your host, is it Ms. Sidle?"
Sara was frozen in fear...memories, and smells assaulted her mind...ohgodohgod...she thought she was going to puke...
He slid off her, but Sara couldn't move...It was almost like she was a child again...she couldn't get away, no matter what she did...and the only person to blame was herself...
Her eyes were bright with fear, as she saw him lean over her again, but this time supporting himself on his hands.
"Whats wrong, honey pie? What do you remember now?"
It was familiar to her...that was so wrong...this shouldn't be familiar...NO!
He started to move his hands down her body...nonononono I'm sorry, please don't it wasn't my fault...he pulled her hair...she just lay there...let me go,please...I'm sorry...I didn't tell, I never told..."you told you little slut."...Where's Griss...ohgod get off...someone help..."you asked me to do it"...nobody helps, ever...its cold...no...it hurts...let me out please...I'll do anything...pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease... its so dark in here.
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"The blood's all Saras" Nick confirmed, as he walked back into the lab, "none from our perp."
They were momentarily distracted as Greg rushed in "WE HAVE AN EYEWITNESS!"
Grissom took the second to delegate, "Cath and Greg, interview the Witness. Warrick I want you to check out CCTV footage after working on fibres with Nick. But speak to Cath before you do so."
Optimism crackled. They would get Sara back!
"Ma'am we're from the Las Vegas Crime Lab" Catherine showed the elderly woman her badge. "Can we come in?"
"of course, of course. Is this about Jenny? The policeman said that it was. I have to say, he wasn't very clear, was he?"
"Jenny?" Greg and Cath exchanged puzzled looks.
"The girl who was carried out of here. He said, the policeman, she was being abducted...was she?"
"Ma'am would you maybe just tell us what exactly you saw, and when exactly you saw it."
"Of course. Well, I had just taken my trash to the shoot, and I bumped into a young man-"
"how young?"
"perhaps 40 or so? Anyway, I bumped into him, and he was carrying a bundle of blankets. But there was a girls leg hanging out of the bundle and-"
"how do you know it was a female's leg?"
"it was thin, and not really as muscly as a mans, I mean a proper big, strong man, that we used to get in my day, and her leg was quite tanned. But it also had pink toes. I don't know about you, but when you get to my age, colours don't stand out. But it was such an unusual pink, sort of shimmery warm colour that I noticed it. And I said to the man 'goodness, who have you got under there?' and he told me it was his little sister Jenny, and she was very sick, and she had flu. And then the girl made a noise, and he told her she would be fine and he would take care of her. But I thought he should have just called an ambulance,she looked very ill. And he should have at least put a pullover and trouser on her, no wonder she had flu! I actually thought it was a wee bitty inappropriate, just carrying her around in a big pile of blankets and nothing else-" here the woman paused "-but she looked very pale and sort of glazed, so I thought she might have the cold sweats that you get when you have flu, which was why she was dressed like that."
"What time was this?"
"It must have been about...oh...lets see...7pm, the news was starting."
"Thank you. Is there any other information of relevance that you have which could help our investigation?"
"well, its funny you asked, actually. When they got to the lift, she started having...I don't know if it's asthma attacks? Anyway, she was breathing very funnily, and talking. Why, what did that man do? Did he abduct her? Oh my goodness."
"Thank you for your help Mrs Thomas. We may be in touch, and if you have any questions or, any other information, please phone this number" She gave the elderly woman her card.
On their way out, Greg quickly asked the woman, "did you hear what ,uh, jenny said before she started wriggling?"
"No...she was mumbling more than speaking to be honest with you."
Stepping outside the apartment, Greg looked at Catherine with confusion etched across his baby-faced features. "what the hell?"
"Sara's claustrophobic, so I suppose she wouldn't have gone willingly into the elevator...she was definitely concious at that point..." Catherine tailed off.
"Jesus...this sick fucking bastard...he's going to fucking kill her, carrying her about, like some sort of personal peep-show. She'll get hypothermia."
"I think so...that was some information I could have done without...she said she could remember what he looked like"
"Brass is getting the sketch artist to come in and work with her"
Ahem...I feel so guilty for putting Sara through this ...but she'll get better...hopefully (dundunduuuuuuuuun) Anyway, just wanted to put this note in to say that the next part of the story is a bit fuzzy, but all shall be revealed next chapter...xoxoxo
Where was she? Sara opened her eyes to find crushing dark pushing in on her...it was too familiar, he must have got her...where were the walls? They were closing in, she was going to die...ohgod...the air was running out
Sara started hyperventilating.
"You're awake? Jolly good."
The voice came from one of the walls. Sara squinted at it, while trying to regulate her breathing. A door! She could get out! Sara threw herself at the door, banging on it with her fists "PLEASE, LET ME OUT!"
"Now Sara, you know that isn't how we play the game...that's not how it works is it?"
Sara couldn't breathe. It was happening all over again.
"What do you need to say Sara? Hmmm?"
Sara slumped down the wall trying to breathe normally. It was so small, this little cupboard, it was too small. "no, I won't"
"You will. I know you. I'm in your head. And you know that this is all your fault."
"no..."
"Just say it Sara. Just say it."
"no..."
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After speaking with a shaken up Cath and Greg, Warrick left Nick to his fibres, and went to look at the CCTV tapes of the halls and the car-park. He felt incredibly apprehensive of just what he might see on the tapes but he knew it had to be done. He also knew it was absolutely imperative that he didn't miss anything, so he got Greg, who only had general pointless lab-rat work to do, to come and watch it with him.
"Okay" Warrick looked at Greg, who was moving his knee up and down quickly "calm it down, we won't see anything we don't know about."
As Greg stared resolutely forward, Warrick pressed the play button.
An hour later they had flicked through the majority of the videos in the messy pile the security guard had given them, but had come across nothing. Finally Warrick found the video with the 4:30pm-6:00pm label, and shoved it in. They watched the view from the camera that faced Sara's room, and at 5:00pm, according to the camera, they saw a man approach Sara's door after looking at the edges of the ceilings and walls for cameras
"He knew what he was doing." Warrick muttered.
"Why didn't he see the camera? He obviously looked quite thoroughly for it."
"Because," Grissoms voice came from behind them, "it's hard to see that which you don't know what you're looking for, is it not?"
"huh?" Greg looked confused.
" The camera, it was installed directly into the wall. He couldn't have possibly seen it from Sara's apartment. Play the tape."
Warrick obligingly hit the play button. They saw the man going through his pockets, patting the inner one and smiling. "Pause it!" Grissom thundered "Go in times 25"
The camera zoomed in to show the tall man stroking the butt of a gun. "times another 25, we need to see what make the gun is"
Warrick rolled his eyes. He knew how to do his job, thanks all the same. Grissom didn't notice. This may just be that clue to finding his Sara!
However they were unable to see the make of the gun, as it was at the wrong angle to the camera.
"fine, play" Grissom said resignedly, despair sinking in.
Warrick pressed play. The man knocked the doorbell, and about forty or so seconds later, the door opened. "PAUSE" Grissom thundered
Sarah stood in the doorway, eyes widened in fear, wearing a robe so short, it looked like it was made for an infant.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE WEARING?" Grissom was mad at Sara now. "Why is she answering the door in that? Does she seduce everyone who goes over there? Jesus, why wasn't she more careful?"
Warrick noticed Greg cradling his head in his hands. "what's wrong?"
"I bought her that!" Greg groaned.
Grissom was purple. Greg noticed, and said quickly "no,no, it was a gag gift...like a joke, at Christmas...Sara said-"
"I don't care what she said at Christmas. Play the tape" Grissom deflated and de colourised slightly, and Warrick pressed play again. They heard the man and Sara speak, so Warrick rewound, and turned up the volume
""I have a, um package?" "Excuse me?I didn't order anything" "You did" Here he showed her the gun, and Sara's eyes got impossibly large, flickering side to side searching for a way out "you make any noise, and I'll fucking shoot. Don't think I won't. Now let me in" that was the man again.
Grissom, Greg and Warrick all saw Sara move to the side to let him in. "She's going to run out." Grissom said, sitting forward in anticipation "please Sara, please honey run out. Run out"
Warrick paused it "Griss-uh-we-we can take it from here."
"Excuse me?"
"Me and Greggo, we'll watch it...you seem a bit, uh..."
"I supervise this shift, I will watch what I please, whenever I please. So play the tape" Grissoms voice was deadly serious. Warrick pressed play for what seemed like the millionth time.
"No, you walk in front of me. I'm not an idiot, you're not running out" Grissoms eyes watered...she had been so close...and now they had no idea where she was, and what the fuck was happening to her.
On the screen, mini-Sara shut the door...they could only here a murmur of voices for a few seconds after that, then the neighbours turned the volume up on the T.V so loudly that that was the only sound they could possibly hear was the news being read in an irritating voice.
They fast-forwarded through the next hour and ten minutes, then Warrick pressed play.
The man appeared with what looked like a bundle of blankets in his arms. Well, if it didn't have the very human, very female leg hanging from it.
The leg hung over his arms as he carried Sara. Adjusting her weight in his arms, he carried her thin frame with no effort, until he almost banged into a tottering old lady.
"She's our eyewitness." Greg stated the obvious
"Yes, We're aware of that." Grissom was horribly focused on the video
Warrick turned up the volume, so that they could hear what their eyewitness and their perp were saying
"oh my goodness, what's under there?" The old lady tried to peer, but she was far too short.
"just my little sister, she's very, very unwell." he replied to the old lady's quavering voice. "I'm getting her down to the hospital."
Sara groaned.
"Stop, rewind, make it higher." Grissom and Greg were both staring at the screen like it knew the meaning of life.
Play:
Sara's voice "It huuuuuuuurts"
"It's okay Jenny, you'll be okay, I'll take care of you" They saw the man pull the blankets over Sara's face
"I hope she gets better."the old lady was till trying to peer at the bundles, to see how old the sick 'Jenny' really was
"I have to get her to the hospital. It's like the flu, but worse."
Sara was wriggling a little. As they got closer to the elevator, she started mumbling."
Warrick slid forward in his seat and turned up the volume and the pitch, as Greg excused himself, and moved very fast towards the door.
Warrick pressed rewind, then played it again.
Screen Sara moaned out "No, let me go...please...not in there"
They could hear the man responding "shut up whore"
"you hurrrrrrrrrt meeeeee" Saras voice tailed off as the man shifted around. Grissom saw him slide his hand up Sara's blanket covered thigh, and wanted to hit the screen
"uh Grissom? The offer still stands...if you want to go and...check on Nick, Greg can watch it with me." Warrick was worried about the expression Grissom had on his face
"why was she so against the elevator?" Grissom wondered out loud, ignoring Warrick
"Claustrophobic. I asked her after we she refused to do the DB in the cupboard two cases ago."
The man got out the elevator, carrying Sara.
"Warrick, switch to the car parks camera. We need to see if we can get a license plate."
Warrick silently slid another tape into the machine, and fast forwarded past all the irrelevant daytime footage till they saw Sara being carried towards a white van. They saw her shiver as the rain soaked her, and then try to roll out of the mans arms, trying weakly to get away. He said something in a mocking voice. Warrick turned the volume up, and adjusted the pitch.
"You awake babe?"
Sara immediately started moving about in his arms, but couldn't do much, the blanket were now wrapped around both legs too tightly. Grissom saw the perp pinch Sara thigh and chuckle, as Sara tried to get away.
Grissom stood up, and swung his foor, hard, into the metal desk. His big toe started throbbing right away and he winced.
"Grissom?"
he turned to face Warrick
"He put something over her mouth when she was put in the back-seat. Maybe chloroform?"
"we need a list of licensed people to buy chloroform. Then narrow it down to the vans. I'll get brass to run plates."
Grissom was speaking in a disjointed voice. Warrick quietly left. Gil Grissom, boss of more than 4 CSI's, supervisor of the Las Vegas Night Shift, a most accomplished entomologist, put his head on the desk, and felt tears leak from his eyes...
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"nothing Nicky?" Cath checked up on him
"I have, some green fibres, what look like polyester. Could be some sort of smock?"
"what, that some shop workers have?
"sure"
"No prints in the system. No recognition of his face though..."
"So we have his prints, we has his fibres, his face, everything, we just don't have him or his identity?Plates"
Warrick quickly stuck his head round the door. "you're not going to believe this cliché. Brass ran it, woman had her car stolen three months ago. Trouble was, it wasn't a white van that she drove, it was a SAAB. So, he changed the plates."
Nick and Catherine exchanged glances, then settled down to work harder, and join up the dots on the case of missing Sara Sidle puzzle piece.
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Sara woke suddenly. When had she fallen asleep? Was she still there? Sara knew she was still in the god damn cupboard surrounded by fear and terror...she started sobbing and banging on the door, screaming and pleading to be let out."
"Sara dear, if you want out, you have to say it. Say it and I let you out..."
Sara swallowed, and backed away from the door.
"Okay, if you don't want out, I'm going to get something to eat. I might come down later..."
"NO! Please! Let me OUT! Don't go! Please! PLEASE! LET ME OUT!"
"all you have to do is say it Sara. You've only been in there for three hours. You know what you want. You're too weak Sara. Too weak. You can't stay there for long, the air's going to run out soon..."
With those last seven words, Sara sobbed harder. Scratching at the door, hyperventilating, she said the words that he knew she would...
A/N
Oh no! What will happen with Sara? Will Grissom get his broken foot checked? And will Nick and Catherine ever get kinky together? (no I'm just screwing with ya! Sorta...) oooh.
Anyway, I just wanted to say, one of the ideas that I'm using is pretty similar, to another fic, so in the next chapter, if you object to me using this idea, just tell me and I'll take it down! I would ask the author of that fic, but i don't know their name, or the fics name! Okey-doke, that all for now! Sugar, xoxoxo
BTW THANKS TO PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED ME! ITS SO ENCOURAGING! AND THANKS FOR READING MY STORY!