Reprisal in Echoes

by sidle77

Grissom and Sara thought they had left Vegas behind once and for all. But, it seems a new killer on the scene wants to spoil that with some very unnerving blasts from the past that will thrust them into a nightmare they really don't want to be a part of. Kind of set during CSI Vegas season 2 or at least what would be that time frame.

6. Breadcrumbs

A/N: Chapter 5 ahoy guys. Thank you for the reviews. Nice to hear you are enjoying the story so far, I'm enjoying writing it and delving back into the OG series as well as merging it with CSI Vegas. There is a LOT more to come.

Advanced chapters are always available on my Pat reon, info in previous chapters or you can message me. Other exclusive stuff is on the page also.

A huge thank you to my current supporters – Nat, Mrs Crabby, Dbackfan, Walkertangr, AliceC, ChristineS, DawnS, Jillian, IngridT, Tracer85, Nati and NancyB. You guys are amazing and I hope you continue to enjoy the content on the page. I'm sure loving our live chats and funnies :D

My forever thanks to calim for the beta and to Nat for your friendship and support.

On we go…

Chapter 5

The drive to Vegas usually took 5 to 6 hours but the way Sara drove, especially when in a hurry, it would likely be the shorter. And, after stopping just once for a bathroom break and a drink, they arrived in Sin City a little before 4pm.

Arranging to meet Catherine at the lab before heading to the hotel, Sara pulled up in the parking lot and killed the engine.

Dropping a hand to Grissom's knee as they both stared through the window towards the striking glass structure of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, she heard him let out a quiet sigh.

"Are you all right?" she asked and as he looked at her, she smiled lovingly.

"Yeah," he breathed.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she squeezed his knee and nodded towards the building.

"Ready to go and announce the cavalry has arrived?"

"I knew there was something I was forgetting," he said.

Sara frowned. "What?"

"I didn't pack the horse," he deadpanned.

Laughing, Sara shook her head before leaning across to kiss him.

"Come on, Bugman."

CSICSICSICSICSICSI

Standing at reception, the couple announced their arrival and were handed visitors passes. As they pinned them on, Sara heard that familiar voice behind them.

"Glad you could make it."

Both turned to see Catherine smiling at them and she immediately opened arms, stepping up to Grissom first to give him a hug.

"So good to see you, Gil," she said, rubbing her hands up his back. "It's been a while."

Smiling as he pulled back, Grissom nodded. "Good to see you, too," he said as Catherine hugged Sara.

"So," Grissom began as they started down the stairs, "where do we start?"

Catherine blew out a breath. "Straight to it, huh?"

Grissom gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Any point in not being?"

"I guess not," Catherine agreed.

The trio headed into a layout room. Inside, Max was looking down a microscope with Allie to her left and Penny to her right. All three glanced at the new arrivals as they entered the room.

"Heeeey!" Max greeted, a very happy smile finding her as she opened her arms out for a quick hug with Sara.

"Hi, Max," Sara returned, smiling at the Director as she pulled back.

"And great to see you, too, Doctor Grissom," Max said. "We appreciate you returning to us so soon."

Grissom nodded. "Can you do me a favor?"

Frowning, Sara looked at him.

"Urm, sure," Max said.

"You're the boss. Please call me Gil."

Max's smile grew. "I think I can manage that."

As quick hellos were said all around, Sara smirked at Penny's response when Grissom threw her a bright smile. It was not hard to see that she really liked him and looked up to him and, she suspected, her husband would happily take the young woman under his wing. He just gave off that vibe anytime he was around her.

"So, where do we start?" Grissom asked, glancing around the room. "You seem to have a lot going on here."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Let me show you."

Nodding towards the wall, the three of them followed her to the large board filled with pinned photographs.

"Two scenes," she explained, first pointing to the left section of the wall and then the right. "I know Catherine has shown you a few of the bathtub victim already."

Grissom nodded and stepped closer to the photos, his eyes moving over the second scene as Sara joined him.

Her head shook. "It's scary how similar this is."

Grissom rubbed his chin, glancing over to the first crime scene he hadn't yet seen. Same van, victim in the same position, beer bottles on the floor along with an air pump.

"I assume the store still doesn't have CCTV?" he said.

"Some things never change," Catherine replied.

"The scene is long released by now?" Grissom asked Max who nodded. "Pity."

"The van is in the garage though if you want to take a look at it later," Allie told him. "We didn't get anything helpful from it. Not yet anyway."

Clearing his throat, Grissom aimed his focus on the warehouse victim and Sara watched as his eyes twitched. A giveaway sign he was thinking pretty damn hard.

"After Catherine's information about the similarities to Paul Milander," Max began. "I read up on the case. Pretty complex. And personal."

"You can say that again," Sara agreed and although she knew Kevin Greer hit a personal chord with Grissom, also, she kept quiet on that for now.

"I probably should have asked this as soon as you walked in," Max began, "but are both of you really okay with this? I know it was a long time ago, but both of these involve…."

Grissom held up a hand and Max stopped. "We wouldn't be here if we weren't."

Max nodded. "Okay," she said softly.

"So do we have any suspects?" Sara asked.

Catherine shook her head. "Not yet. Still lots of processing to do. Both victims have been identified and families informed."

Grissom glanced at his friend. "Any link between them?"

"100% we're not sure. They aren't family related. That's about all we know at present."

Max urged everyone back to the layout table. Grabbing a file, she handed it to Grissom.

"First victim. Jennifer Allen. 21 years old. She was a student at West Las Vegas University."

Sara folded her arms, looking at the file as her husband flicked through it.

"Same university Kevin Greer's victims attended," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Max agreed, looking at Catherine.

"I told the guys as much as I could remember about the blue paint killings," Catherine told her friends. "And then Max pulled the files so everyone could get clued up and we could compare."

"She was killed in the same way, too," Sara surmised as Grissom flicked to a photograph of ligature marks around the girl's neck.

A sad sigh left Grissom's lips. "Sexually assaulted and strangled.…"

"Damn your memory is good."

Grissom's eyes flicked to Max at her comment. "Some cases you just never forget."

Nodding sadly, Max held out a second file. "Second victim. Lucas Sallis. 37 years old.…"

"Died from a gunshot wound to the chest," he interrupted, running a finger down his cheek with a shake of his head. "Even the face markings are the same."

"Catherine told us Milander purposely shot at his victims face to make those marks," Allie cut in.

"Yeah," Grissom confirmed. "He was sending me a message."

"So," Penny began, "our killer is sending you the same message?"

Looking at her, Grissom bit down on his lip and Sara watched the sudden wave of discomfort pass over him. For now, it was time to change the subject from being so personal towards her husband.

"You mentioned messages left inside the victim's throats?" Sara tossed out.

Looking about the table, Allie grabbed an evidence bag and held it out to Sara.

"Here's the first one. Both have the same format just a different combination."

Taking the bag, Sara looked at the bloodstained and dirty looking paper with only one entry - a line of numbers and letters: N8W5N3SE7E5S2NE4NW2E3N10. She frowned and handed it to Grissom who slipped on his glasses and stared at it.

"Well, this doesn't make much sense to me," she said. "Is it a barcode or something?"

"No," Grissom mumbled. "It's not."

All eyes fell upon him as Sara took a step back.

"You know what it is, don't you?"

Grissom took out his phone and after a few presses held it up for everyone to see. Sara immediately smiled at her husband's quickness to solve this conundrum whereas Catherine looked at him confused.

"A compass?" she questioned, looking at the digital app.

"Yes," Grissom confirmed, picking up the note and walking to a writing board. "Here. Look."

As he began writing, everyone watched.

North 8

West 5

North 3

South East 7

East 5

South 2

North East 4

North West 2

East 3

North 10

"Now I feel stupid," Penny mumbled earning herself a Grissom smirk.

"So, it's directions," Max assumed as Grissom nodded.

Allie held out her arms and shrugged. "But from where?"

"And to what?" Catherine added.

Sara watched him frown and then look at her.

"We need a starting point," she suggested.

Jaw working a bit, Grissom moved back to the table.

"Can we spread out all the photographs you have the bathtub once the body was removed?"

"Sure," Allie said, grabbing a folder from behind her and laying the photographs onto the table.

Picking up a magnifying glass, Grissom inspected each picture in turn, Sara and Catherine exchanging a look.

"What are you looking for?" Sara asked, drawing close to her husband.

His head shook as he continued. "I'm not sure."

After checking all the photographs Grissom straightened up and sighed, his eye twitching as he thought.

"Do we have pictures of the area after the tub was removed?"

"Of course," she said with a nod, picking up more photos and swapping them for the ones Grissom had already looked at.

Once again he closely inspected the photos, moving along until the last one. Pausing, his eyes narrowed as something definitely caught his attention. Looking up sharply, his eyes clashed with his wife's.

"You found something?" Sara said.

Mouth opening, Grissom's eyebrows soared. "Take a look," he gestured, holding out the magnifying glass.

Raising an eyebrow at him, Sara took the tool and had a look. Her hand worked over the photograph and her eyes following through the glass and then, she stopped, heart skipping a beat when she spotted what she suspected her husband had.

"Is that…," she began, her eyes narrowing, head kinking, and brain computing to make sure she wasn't seeing things, "…an arrow in the concrete?"

"Where?" Catherine asked.

Sara handed her the magnifying glass before joining her husband.

"It's hard to see and not really something you would notice without a reason," Grissom said. "Looks like it's maybe been etched into the stone.…"

"I see it," Catherine confirmed, looking up as Max stepped up to make her own inspection.

"Seems our killer is leaving us more breadcrumbs than we thought," Max told everyone.

"That's our starting point," Grissom advised the group. "Follow the directions but to what…." He paused then shook his head. "I have no idea."

Penny pointed to the first crime scene wall. "There should be another starting point at the other scene then, right? We should look there as well? Um…maybe?"

Sara's lips pursed as her husband smiled at the young CSI.

"Have more faith in your thoughts, Penny," Grissom told her, taking the magnifying glass from Max and holding it out to the youngster. "Why don't you see if you can find it?"

Looking a little nervous, Penny reached out and took the magnifying glass. "Where do you think I should start?"

He gave her another smile. "Wherever you want."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Allie and Catherine helped Penny look through the photographs in search of the clue they sought. Sadly, there were a lot more places to look inside and outside of a van than just a bathtub and a concrete floor, so it took a little longer than Grissom finding the first one.

"Maybe there's nothing here," Catherine grumbled sounding frustrated at the lack of finding anything.

"Wait, I think I got something," Penny chirped.

Catherine's head shot up. "Where?"

Penny pointed to an area on the photograph. "Middle of the back wheel."

Eyes widening slightly, Catherine leaned over, taking a look at where Penny was pointing.

Her eyes flicked to Grissom. "She found it."

Stepping close, Grissom looked through the glass as Catherine kept it over the area in question before his eyes found Penny.

"She sure did."

Giving a very proud smile, Penny looked at Max. "So, what do we do now, Boss?"

Thumping fists into her hips, Max looked at everyone in turn.

"We need to get back to the scenes. At least the warehouse is still taped off. I guess we have to hope whatever our mystery guest has left for us is still at the first scene."

Taking the magnifying glass from Penny, Sara had a look at the new find.

"This killer really is something else." Looking up she pointed at the picture. "Either they parked the van so precisely they got the arrow in the right direction, or they just sat there and etched that into the metal after parking it. Anyone could have seen them."

"I don't think customers of the Erotica Boutique really care what other people are doing," Grissom pointed out.

"Hmmm," Sara breathed. "Pity."

"So, plan of attack," Max said. "Allie, take the directions for the first scene, find Josh and get to the Boutique. I think he's still helping Beau and Chris in the garage. Take Detective Chavez with you, too. Catherine and I will go back to the warehouse.

"Penny, I need you to start checking each and every crime scene photo we have just in case there are any other little clues hiding we might not have noticed before. If you need help, you can give Chris a shout." She looked at Grissom and Sara. "Do you guys want to tag along or get yourselves settled at the hotel? Catherine said you came straight here after your drive."

Grissom and Sara exchanged a look then Sara pursed her lips at her husband, giving him a knowing smile.

Nodding to the door, Grissom held out an arm. "Lead the way."

Max gave the couple a smile. "Then I guess we better sort out your ID's."

A/N: What IS going on? Lol.