Chapter 39

JJ was struggling to remember every little detail that she could. She needed to know what had happened to set someone off, and how she could have had anything to do with any of this. The more she thought about all the letters that she had read from all of the crime scenes, not just the ones here in Las Vegas, the more she knew there was something that was important that she knew, that she had buried so deeply in her subconscious that she wasn't all that sure she could retrieve it at all, and even if she could, it might not be in time to stop this person from killing someone else.

JJ paced back and forth, looking at the boxes she had pulled out and the things that were scattered all over the bedroom. She had taken the boxes into one of the guest rooms and had emptied the things that she could and scattered them around, hanging some of the things up and laying others flat on the ground. She had no organization for the things that were there, she was only using them to try and trigger some sort of a memory and hoping it would allow her to remember whoever this could be and what she could have done to piss this person off so much.

JJ knew that Nick was worried about her, ever since they had made the connection that it could be something from way back in their childhood, she had been distant and withdrawn from him, mainly because she didn't know how to handle the news that something she could have done as a child had angered or hurt someone so much that they would snap and start torturing and killing people, to get her attention and to get her to understand it was her fault for everything that she had done. Sighing, JJ knew she really needed to try and remember everything that she could, and she needed to do it fast. The main problem was, she didn't want Nick to help her, and she didn't want anyone else to help her either. If this had to do with something she did as a child, then it was her responsibility to figure it all out, all by herself.

He was delighted that a new plan was starting to really form in his mind. He had been so bummed out when he realized that other location was way too populated and busy for him to actually put his cameras up or dump a body without being seen, and so he had abandoned the area and tried to figure out something else, but nothing had come to him. He had been a little worried that he wouldn't be able to come up with another evil plan or a place that would get under little JJ's skin enough, but fate must have stepped in because as he was trying to run off his frustration he had found the area and he knew it was the perfect place, there was no way he would be seen by anyone when he set the camera's up and again there was no way anyone would pay attention or see him if he was dumping a body, but just in case someone got too nosy or too close, he was going to have to be prepared to do whatever it took to keep everything contained and ready for his JJ.

"Soon you will finally understand how big a mistake you really made you stupid little…" He trailed off, aware he was losing his cool and knowing he needed to get himself under control.

Nick was worried about his wife, and he knew he had a good reason. He had seen some guilt in her eyes at the thought that this could have something to do with her past and what had happened when she was a child. He remembered a lot of their childhood, and she had nothing to feel guilty about. JJ had always been the nicest and sweetest person you would ever meet, and she never got an attitude with someone who didn't deserve it. He had actually been surprised she had become a police officer, mainly because she hated confrontation and she hated conflict. JJ preferred when things were nice and neat and there was nothing for her to have to deal with that could upset anyone. It was hurting him to know that this person would make her think that she had been mean or done something mean to him in childhood that he would turn into a killer, it was more likely he just loved death and killing people and was looking to blame someone else so he wouldn't have to go to prison.

JJ was in shock as she finally knew it clicked and because she knew who they were dealing with now, she knew that they would never know or believe that she had put the whole picture together and knew that he was their killer. She left the guest room and ran down the stairs and looked around for her husband. Finally she opened their back door and she saw him, he was apparently sitting at their backyard patio set and drinking some iced tea, trying to get his mind straight or relax, and it hurt her to have to break that relaxation but it was necessary.

"Nick!" She shouted as she practically jumped into his lap. She watched as he smiled and then chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Good thing I put down that glass already or we might have had a small problem." He teased as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are we feeling better?" Nick asked her as he kissed her temple and showed that he was now serious.

"More than that." JJ said as she grinned at him.

"Why is that?" Nick asked in confusion.

"Because I know who we are looking for and now we just need to find out where to look." JJ said with a smirk as she handed him the picture that held the man, as he looked as a boy, and the two of them standing together at the park in their soccer uniforms.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked, pain flashing into his eyes, which also echoed her own.

"I am sure." JJ said slowly nodding. "He was our friend, still is technically, but he is the one we are looking for and he is the one who is taunting us and he is the one who ordered everything that was done, done."

The fact that some of that stuff had to do with their daughter was one of the things that meant that this old friend wasn't going to get away from things. Their friendship had always been strong and he had always been someone they could trust with all of their secrets and even their lives, but now things had changed. Before they would have never hesitated to allow them near their daughter, to even ask him to baby sit her or come to parties or even be her godfather, since she technically didn't have one yet, but now they couldn't have him around her, not if JJ really felt like he was the one they were looking for, that he was the one who had hurt their daughter in the first place.

Grissom could tell that Sara was trying to keep a straight face as he tried in vain to again fix the ugly and stupid tie that was around his neck. He normally didn't go near any political functions, unless he had to, because he wasn't much for politics and he was always more comfortable in the world of science and not the world of predators trying to stab each other in the back and lie to the people about things they would do to help their lives become better if they voted for them. With everything that had been going on, this serial killer still on the loose, Warrick still struggling to recover and just about all of his CSI's struggling to come to terms with all that had gone down and all that would go down, he shouldn't be here with these people, he should be processing evidence and watching others run other evidence.

"I hate this." He grumbled again.

"I know." Sara said, knowing that he was thinking of all the things he still had to do at the office and it hurt her that he never forgot work, he was going to burn out.

"We need to make sure this guy doesn't kill again and that he doesn't hurt anymore of our people. We need to find a way to end this once and for all." Grissom said as he paced in the hallway, wanting this whole to end.

"I know." Sara agreed, knowing at this point disagreeing would get her nowhere.

"Why do they want me here again?" Grissom asked arching his eyebrow again at Sara, knowing she would tell him whatever she asked him to when he did that.

"They want you to put the politicians and high ranking officials at ease about this whole thing." Sara informed him.

"How am I supposed to do that when there is nothing to help put them at ease?" Grissom asked with a wince as he yanked at the tie yet again.

JJ was sure that she was on a time limit and time was running out for whoever his latest target was, but their friend was either really smart, or incredibly lucky. They couldn't seem to find anything in system that would show where he was currently living. She knew that if she just called out of the blue and asked where he lived, he would be suspicious and if he was guilty, he would snap and kill any hostages he had and then take off, making their jobs even harder than before. She needed to tread a fine line and it was possible that she might have to call him and be his friend, in earnest, and just let him think that he had her fooled while she would need to invite him to dinner and to hang out and do things together. She knew that was the suggestion Nick hated the most, but since their daughter was out of the house and safe under lock and key with Catherine, he knew it was probably the only thing they really could do, to try and find a way to slip a tracking device on him. If they slipped the device on his car or person too early, like the first time or two that they got together, he would probably know something was up there as well.

JJ knew that he was going to be suspicious on why they wanted to hang out as friends now of all times, and he would think they had made him and were trying to find out where he lived. If he was that paranoid, then he would check for tracking devices constantly the first few times that they got together, which meant it was going to take a lot of time. Nick had already run the plan past Grissom, who although grouchy because of where he was, had agreed it may be their only option if no one was able to track the guy at all.

"I don't understand, his whole life didn't just walk away." JJ said slamming her hand on the table.

"It didn't baby, it's all here, just not his address or anything else. It's apparent that he is a lot smarter than we ever gave him credit for." Nick said with a sigh, knowing that the next month or so was going to be a lot longer than usual.

He knew she was ready to beg for her life. He had sped up the timetable because his gut was telling him something wasn't right at the moment, but he didn't care. His gut only meant that now he would need to change the kill schedule and try and make sure that JJ and Nick and their little friends didn't find him out before he got to finish playing his game. JJ and Nick had always believed they were better than everyone else, now they were going to learn it was because of the way they treated people as children, that they were going to pay. He also knew something they didn't know, something that was going to devastate them when they found it out, and he couldn't wait to see their faces as he told them what he had to say.

"Now let's see how tough and busy you really are." He murmured as he laughed and continued arranging things for his latest kill.