Sorry about the delay in chapters. Things have been busy later and I've been preparing for the next semester, which is in another week (surprise to me really), and doing other things. Another chapter is closer to be finished, so be patient and it'll be up soon. Many thanks. Please review!

Maggie kneeled and looked through a pair of binoculars behind some bushes, spying on Hannah Tanner's house later on that night with some of the police officers assigned to watch the house and its occupant until suspicion was off of her. She was still a person of interest, according to Brass, and the recent finds in her home (a search warrant coming in handy after she assaulted an officer when being questioned again about the kidnapping, released by Ecklie when she had admitted to nothing), including a basement with extra, secret rooms and holes in her floors, gave them a reason to keep watching her, although she was not aware of the L.V.M.P.D. some hundred yards away, they all hoped.

The cool Las Vegas air dropped down on the Force, smothering the company and comforting them, but it could not provide a conclusion to the case they were trying to solve and it frustrated Maggie to no end, especially because she and Michael were still in semi-protective custody (along with Chris, Rachael and Robbie) and the case was yet to be solved. It didn't even endear her to Eddie and Grace, who refused to see her because of her career and even because she was living with Chris and his family.

"Anything yet?" Brass asked behind her as the thoughts raced in her mind, kneeling next to her. "I just received a call from Grissom while you were kneeling there, looking all pretty. Want to know what it was about?"

"No, not now…and I see nothing but Hannah Tanner having dinner with somebody who looks like her," Maggie quickly replied in a military-like report, smiling as she focused more on the man in the window. "It's a man, all right, but is it the same Quentin Tanner that we saw at the White Sands Motel? I can't see. I need a closer look."

The C.S.I. focused her binoculars closer to the man by the dining room window of Hannah Tanner's home, finally getting a nice look at him, but just barely. Maggie saw him sit down at a table and that was all.

"I think it's him, Brass," Maggie finally said after a minute, seeing the middle aged, beer bellied man sitting down to dinner with his sister. "It might be. I can't see much of –"

"Captain Brass, visual on the suspects!" one of the uniformed officers said.

"Let me see." Maggie abandoned her post (Brass behind her) and went over to where some police officers were, taking the binoculars from the one who called out to Brass. Looking in the same direction, she smiled, adding in a second, "Yep, that's them, all right. Can we move in now?"

"Yes," Brass replied, also smiling, confident that the case was about to be closed. Then, taking out his walkie-talkie, he called out, "All units: prepare to move in. Suspects have been spotted."

"No, wait, Brass, don't let them go yet!" Maggie watched the duo through the lenses still as they got up, upset, and looked out of the dining room's window suddenly, possibly seeing the spies outside as they both lifted up guns. "Suspects have spotted us! I repeat, Brass: they know we're here."

Brass reiterated Maggie's observation through the walkie-talkie, watching as his people move in quicker, half of them banging on the door and requesting the two suspects to open the door and the other half surrounding the house. However, Maggie knew what was going to happen: the two would disappear and escape without answering the door, as they seemed to have done within seconds as she observed them through the glass, hearing the door being opened. Startled, the C.S.I. watched as Hannah Tanner ran in one direction and her brother in another, their dinner left neglected, steaming on the table.

Maggie finally put down the binoculars. "They escaped," she said in one breath, as if the two words were one, her stomach feeling as if somebody had punched it. "Brass, dammit, they escaped us again!"

"Hold on, Margaret, they're in," Brass answered her sharply (adding insult to injury, ignoring the C.S.I. for the moment), hearing of his men's search of the house after they broke down the door, all units reporting nothing out of the ordinary, not finding the brother and sister anywhere, not even in the spots naked to the human eye, spots they had previously found when it was pointed out that the house was full of secret passageways and hiding holes. "Dammit, they're gone!" he finally added, swearing as he threw the walkie-talkie to the ground and broke it.

"I told you so, Detective, if I must brag."

"No, you didn't –"

"Yes, Brass, I did tell you that they were escaping. Have your men search the premise for one of their hiding holes. Remember that the house had many of them?"

Brass blinked at the C.S.I., steam coming out of ears, his red face displaying his displeasure at the situation…and the C.S.I. "Don't you dare tell me how to work at my job," he snarled out, already angry about losing the suspects, but angrier about being interrupted.

"Then don't ask me to tag along on one of your adventures," Maggie replied simply, her own anger simmering on a low heat. She put her hands on her hips as she put the equipment down. "I came along because you asked. I also came along because Ecklie wanted me out of the way and liked your suggestion about keeping me from snooping around the lab, asking questions. So, next time you don't want a teammate and don't want Grissom up your ass, then do tell me. I'll keep to myself, as always. I've always been good about that. I can simply put up with paperwork all night or ask for the night off. I would like to spend some time with my son, you know. I haven't really seen him recently."

"Then, next time, choose a career that won't get you too involved." Brass had calmed down, but not enough when hearing the soft retort.

"Kinda tough when I wanted to something that nobody else wanted to do, but paid the serious consequences for them," Maggie replied, remembering Jason Napolitano clearly in her mind. Then, seeing the officers come back, she asked, "What now?"

"Grissom's phone call," Brass reminded her, silently asking for a truce as he put his hand out. As Maggie took it, he explained, "Gil called to inform us that the searches on Alloy Street have revealed nothing and that Karen Tanner and her children, as well as Ursula Kearns, are nowhere to be seen. Nobody would say anything and your ex was going to tell me where she lived when we found him dead." He paused. "He also received a phone call from the kidnapper, the same that phoned him earlier about taking Ursula. Well, the computerized voice demanded that an exchange take place tomorrow night, during the shift at midnight."

"I take it that I'm to be the one exchanged?" Maggie asked, exasperated.

"Exactly," Brass replied. "You for Ursula Kearns, exchanged at the Sunset Park out on East Sunset Road."

Maggie slapped her forehead with frustration. "And what did I do this time?"

"Considering that the dots were connected while you were out here, I'll clue you in, as Nick has been doing." Brass smiled, a sarcastic tone coating his words. "It's a matter of revenge. Karen Napolitano Tanner was pissed about her husband's killing because it meant no money from him anymore, not even money from social security. She was getting used to the ladies coming in for help and still did help them. Then, in comes Quentin Tanner, who has some money owning a motel. The two scheme with the sister and find an easy target with Ursula Kearns because she's connected to you.''

"And because she's close to me, they think that they could get through to me by using her. They know that I would do anything for her because she's my friend."

"You're catching on quickly, Maggie. You sure you haven't been sticking your little nose into anything else these past few years?"

"Haha, very funny. No, I haven't. I've been a good little girl lately until this unexpectedly came. I just don't know how worse this'll be."

Brass' phone rang, interrupting the conversation for the moment. "Brass here."

After a few minutes of mumbled words from the other end of the phone, Brass added, "Sure thing, Assistant Director. We're agreed to the terms for tomorrow night, as Grissom as told them a while ago."

Maggie heard Ecklie talk about how it looked for the L.V.M.P.D., but Brass snorted, adding after he was finished lecturing Brass, "You always were worried about appearances, Ecklie. We'll meet up tomorrow night."

Hanging up a second later, Brass looked at Maggie. "What?"

"I don't understand how you get away with it," Maggie laughed.

"He knows better," Brass replied, ordering the uniformed officers to pack up the gear and get back to Headquarters.

"And I don't?" Maggie asked, shaking her head as she picked up her kit, intent on going into the house to look for more clues about where the two went.

"No, you just like trouble." Brass shook his head as well. "I'll escort you in, Ms. O'Keefe. After that, you're on your own." He paused. "Oh, by the way, did I mention that Grissom said Greg took your computer from your apartment and from your office, to see what Ursula had been up to before the kidnapping, if any?"