Chapter Four

Jim sat in Gil's office chair. He slumped in the high back leather chair and his face and eyes conveyed a storm of emotions. He was angry at Gil for not trying to contact him. He was grieving at the possible loss of such a close friend. He was troubled by the responsibility that had been entrusted to him. Dangling loosely from his right hand, ready to fall if Jim should let go, was a plain sheet of white paper. On one side it was blank and on the opposite was written the last letter of Gilbert Grissom.

He had still been at the crime scene on Henderson boulevard. He had just finished questioning the second set of neighbors about the kidnapping and like the first, they had seen and heard nothing. He turned in time to see two department vehicles pull up and park at the curb just a few feet away from where he stood. He watched as a man climbed out of the car and two women climbed down from the SUV parked behind him. He recognized the man as Charles Henderick. He was one of the best detectives that they had on the day shift and the two women, although he couldn't remember their names at the moment, were the best CSI's that days had to offer. The term was not used lightly. Jim reached out to shake Hendericks' hand just as his cell phone started to ring. He rolled his eyes and smiled. Hendericks released his hand and Jim reached into his pocket for the small device. The ID read Sidle. He flipped it open and held it up to his ear.

"Brass." His usual, flat answer.

"Jim, he's gone!" Sara yelled hurriedly over the other end of the line.

"Whoa, whoa." Jim held up his free hand as if she could see it. "Slow down, Sara. Who's gone?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line as Sara calmed herself.

"Gil's gone and he isn't answering his cell phone."

The color drained from Jim's face as he felt his heart stop. He had to ask her to repeat her last statement and he still wasn't sure that he believed it.

"He left a letter for you on his desk." She continued and Jim could tell that she was trying not to cry. "It's sealed."

"Okay. Days just got here, so we'll be back to the lab soon."

He shut his phone, disconnecting the call, and absent mindedly slipped it into his pocket. He quickly filled Hendericks in on the situation and went to find Nick and Warrick, who were doing the same in the house with the two daytime investigators. Once he told them of Sara's call they hurriedly gathered their things and rushed to their vehicles. Jim hadn't totally believed Sara but was convinced after his fourth failed call to Gil's cell. Then he even called Gil's home four times only to receive the answering machine every time.

Upon returning to the lab Jim ran straight to Gil's office and found the letter that Sara had told him about. He sat down in Gil's chair and picked up the plain, white envelope. His heart was pounding as he examined it thoroughly and when he was satisfied that it was indeed Gil's writing he carefully tore off the end of the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper. With nervous hands he unfolded the paper and began to read.

Dear Jim,

At this moment I am on the phone with Greg's kidnapper and he has instructed me to leave. I do not know where I am going, but I hope that by giving him my life he will be true to his word and spare Greg's. Somehow, I think he will.

You once entrusted me with your life and now I wish to do the same. Sara and I have been in a relationship for the past eighteen months, but I have loved her since first meeting her seven years ago. She has mentioned in the past that she thinks of you as a father and I only ask one thing of you. Please, take care of her. You are my best friend, Jim, and I know you will do this for me the best you can. You are an honorable man and I know you will look after her.

Sincerely, Gil

Jim had read the letter five times before he could put it down. Still holding the letter he forced himself to his feet and left Gil's office. He walked down the corridor, rounded the corner and walked the final steps to the break room. The graveyard team all looked up at him when he entered. They had all been huddled around the couch, doing their best to comfort each other, especially Sara. They parted as Jim stoically walked between them. His eyes connected with Sara's and she saw through his tears to the deep sorrow that lay beneath and knew that her worst fear was true. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and she slowly shook her head from side to side. She refused to accept it but he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She buried her face in his shoulder and wailed her pain for the world to hear. He did nothing to stop his own tears as they spilled down his face and allowed Catherine to take the letter out of his hand. After reading it she passed it to Nick and Warrick for them to read. Each of them spilled fresh tears and they all silently vowed anew not to quit until Gil and Greg were home and they were a whole family again.

It had taken Gil an hour to reach Moapa Valley. The whole time the unknown man remained on the other end of the line. Gil knew this because once in a while he would pick up his soft breathing pattern or hear him hum a few notes of a song, but he never spoke to Gil until he reached his destination.

"Take your next left." The man ordered.

Gil was taken aback. There had been no one following him so how did they know where he was. They must have put a tracking device on the truck. He thought to himself and was about to ask but remembered himself and simply replied.

"Yes, sir."

He hoped that they had been dumb enough to do it in the parking lot at the station and get caught on surveillance but doubted it. He made the left turn onto a dirt road. He drove another two miles until he came to a single old and rundown looking airfield hanger.

"Pull up to the hanger." The man ordered.

Gil pulled to a stop in front of the seemingly rundown building and shut off the engine. A tall man wearing all black, including a black ski mask, appeared in the doorway.

"Get out of the vehicle and walk over to him."

Automatically Gil unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door and climbed down from the SUV. He felt as though he were not in control of his own actions, as if someone else were making his legs move. Which was a good thing, he never would have run away but he wasn't sure if he would have been able to move forward on his own. He finally came to a stop in front of the man and hadn't realized that he was still holding his cell phone to his ear until the man grabbed it out of his hand. For a moment he panicked when the man closed the phone and flung it across the open room. The plastic device bounced a few times then skidded to a stop on the other side of the hanger. In one quick, fluid movement the much larger man grabbed the front of Gil's jacket and threw him into the hanger bay. His left knee hit the concrete first, taking the full force of the fall, then he fell face forward onto the hard surface. He groaned at the pain that was now emanating from his injured joint and rolled over, hugging his knee closer to his body.

He stopped when he saw a familiar form kneeling only a few feet away from him. He pushed himself to his feet and limped over to Greg. He eased himself down on his right knee in front of the younger man. He looked more pale than usual and his eyes were dulled with pain. Gil saw that his wrists were handcuffed behind him and reached out his hand and put it on Greg's right arm, but he quickly removed it when Greg winced and choked back a cry of pain. He carefully examined Greg's arm and drew his conclusion when he saw the massive swelling and bruising centering around his elbow.

"Greg." Gil called softly.

Slowly the blonds eyes turned to meet Gil's and Gil saw the first signs of recognition in his glazed over, blue eyes.

"Grissom?"

Greg wasn't sure if what he saw was real or not. Perhaps the overwhelming pain in his arm was making him hallucinate.

"Yes, it's me, Greg."

It is real! Greg thought to himself as relief washed over him like a surging tide.

"You came for me?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Griss." Tears welled in his eyes and his breathing became more labored as he tried not to cry. "I should have been more careful."

"It's okay, Greg." Gil reassured. "It's not your fault."

Those words were like a healing balm to Greg's aching soul. He had felt so guilty about getting into this situation that he was certain that his mentor would be most angry if he ever saw him again, maybe even hate him.

"Hello, Mister Grissom." Spoke the familiar voice of the kidnapper.

Greg flinched at the sound of the voice and Gil slowly and painfully rose to his feet and turned around to meet the owner of the voice. Half way across the hanger, so as to be out of sight of the doorway, was parked a black Chevy van. A man in an all black dress suit and shoes casually walked around vehicle and in their direction. His face was hidden by the black ski mask that he wore and he wore black leather gloves on his hands. He was the same height as Gil but with a slightly smaller build. The man that met Gil at the door now stood close to his left and a third man, that Gil hadn't seen when he entered, stepped in close to his right side.

They each grabbed one of Gil's arm while the man to his left handcuffed his wrists behind his back. The man in the suit drilled his fist into Gil's stomach, doubling him over and sending his air out in a whoosh. The two men yanked Gil upright by his arms and he stood , gasping for air.

"Let's go." Ordered the suited man.

The two men half-pushed, half-dragged Gil to the van and didn't stop when he spoke.

"What about Greg? You can't leave him here." He pleaded.

"Can and am." The suited man replied without looking back.

He slid open the back door and the two cronies pushed Gil inside.

"Gag and blindfold him." The suited man ordered then climbed into the passengers seat.

The cronies climbed in behind Gil and one jumped on him, ramming his knee into the middle of Gil's back. Gil felt one of his ribs snap like a twig and gritted his teeth as he unsuccessfully tried to muffle his cry of pain. The two men only laughed, which sent a shiver up Gil's spine. The second crony had picked a gag ball up off the floor of the van and forced the large, black rubber ball into Gil's mouth and hooked the straps behind his head. Then he took a long strip of black cloth and wrapped it around Gil's head as a blindfold. Cronk, as Gil had sarcastically named the first man in his head, shut the door and climbed into the drivers seat. When Gil heard the van start he panicked. They were going to leave Greg, arms restrained be hind him, stranded in the middle of the desert and there was nothing that he could do about it. He tried to scream through the gag and roll over. The second man, Bonzo as Gil had silently endeared him so to speak, sat back on the bench and put his heavily booted foot between Gil's shoulder blades effectively holding him down on the floor and keeping him from rolling or wriggling around. The weight of Bonzo's foot on Gil's back made it difficult for his to breath and he eventually gave up screaming for gasping and realized that they were not listening when they turned the radio on and turned up the volume to drown him out. They hit the main road and headed further away from sin city.

A/N: Hey everybody. Sorry it took me so long to publish but I went to my grandparents for three days and it turned into four when my grandmother was admitted into the hospital. Don't worry though, she's home now and doing better. (she's a tough old bird) They don't have a computer so I was technologically deprived (or is that depraved?)

Anyway, sorry to my subscribers if you were resent the first three chapters of my story (just delete them) because I fixed it, then it screwed up, then I deleted it and republished with the fixed copy. (what a headache *rolls eyes*)

Some of you have been sending me these neat little things (I think their called *struggles to think very hard* reviews) I like them (more please) Those of you who have reviewed have been great! Very helpful, very encouraging. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back to find out what happens to Grissom and if Greg will make it out of the desertJ Peace out. -Esther