A/N: Hey guys. I hope everyone is having a good 2025 so far :) A thank you to those who have left a review. There has been a great increase recently and more interest in the story which is fantastic. I am very happy you are enjoying and I hope you continue to do so. I am really loving writing this.

A huge thank you to my current supporters – Nat, Mrs Crabby, Dbackfan, AliceC, ChristineS, Jillian, IngridT, Tracer85, NiniZ, Jamie M and NancyB.

Always, thank you to calim for the beta, suggestions and friendship :) Mwah!

Things are about to, well, evil hat has really arrived. Mwahaha :P

On we go….

Chapter 29

The broken fire door sensor was on the 5th floor. Not that any of them should have been surprised. If the intruder didn't use the elevators or stairwells, that left only one other way to gain access. And said way would not be covered by any cameras.

Accompanied by Frank, the group headed back up via the elevator, walked past the Grissom's suite and reached the fire exit not long after. In fact, the escape route was at the end of their corridor less than a dozen rooms away on the far west side of the hotel.

As Frank reached out for the push-bar on the door, Catherine quickly stopped him.

"Don't touch anything," she ordered politely as he looked at her over his shoulder.

Holding up his hands, he stepped. "My bad," he apologized then pointed at the door. "It's open."

Leaning close, Catherine saw a slight gap between the door and the frame confirming what Frank had said. The door hadn't closed all the way but you had to be super close to notice.

Catherine looked at her colleagues before taking a pen from her pocket and pushing the door open with it to prevent contaminating the evidence. Instantly, a light gush of wind hit them but not unexpected given their location.

"Where's the sensor?" she asked.

Frank pointed to the top of the door, then the top of the frame. Two small, white, oblong boxes were visible.

"There. They connect together. When the door is opened it breaks the seal and should set off the alarm."

Stepping closer, Grissom eyes worked over the sensors. "How are they powered?" he asked, turning to the security man.

"Wires run through the walls," Frank said. "Eventually they would meet up at a fuse box."

Grissom's teeth nipped into his lip. "Where the fuse box?"

"Small electrical store room, other side of this floor. Each floor has its own box to prevent the entire hotel going down should we have an electrical problem somewhere."

Nodding, Grissom looked back at the door. "I think we need to go and take a look there," he said before stepping out onto the metal fire escape.

Sara followed him and they both looked over the side then the steps winding down the side of the building.

"Inconspicuous," Sara said flatly.

"Yeah," Grissom agreed. "Easy way in and out."

Catherine stepped out behind them. "I'll go grab a kit so we can get this area processed then we can go take a look at the store room."

Turning to her, Grissom gave a nod. "Okay."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara could think of better ways to spend her morning and she was damned sure her husband could, also.

After spending several hours trying to find something that may lead them to their intruder, the CSI's packed up the small amount of physical evidence they had found. Not that anyone probably believed it would be useful, it had to be checked.

Very little had been found on the fire escape and door. Several sets of prints but they really could have belonged to anyone. All they could do was run them and hope they got lucky.

When reaching the storeroom, they found the lock on the door had been forced. A tell-tale sign that someone who shouldn't have had certainly been inside. Then Frank admitted they didn't go into the room unless there was an electrical issue. Since there wasn't one, no one had noticed the room had been broken into.

Upon inspecting the fuse box, they found the electrical connection to the door had been severed, therefore making the sensor useless. Now they knew their suspect could come and go whenever they pleased without being seen. The only risk was that someone could close the door. But, as they'd seen, no one would've known it was open.

At Grissom's suggestion, Catherine took an impression of the severed wires in the box. It was a long shot but perhaps they could match the tool that was used. If they ever found one that is. The box was swabbed, and prints were found but whether anything would be helpful, they would just need to wait and see once it was processed.

All Sara could think was it was a big fat waste of time, and she had no belief there would be anything useful.

Now as she watched Folsom bag her jacket, she turned to Catherine who was finishing a conversation on her cell.

"Okay thanks, Jake. I'll let them know they can pick up the keys on the way out."

Ending the call, she dropped her phone in a pocket and turned toward the others.

"They've reprogrammed the lock. I've also requested that maintenance put a bolt on the inside that way no one is getting in again unless you let them in."

"While we're here," Grissom argued. "People can still get in if we're not."

Feeling her heart thud and her eyes widen, Sara looked at him. That didn't make her feel any better.

"Well, we have a few options," Catherine added. "I'll have security make routine checks. We can move you rooms if you like or you could come and stay with me."

Sara blinked. "With you?" Catherine nodded. "You mean at your place?"

"Sure. My mother always needs a gin partner."

"Um," Sara hesitated, looking at Grissom.

He shrugged then sighed. "I don't know."

"Guys, come and check this out," Allie suddenly called out.

Everyone moved over to her as she stood by the table.

"I was just flicking through the booklet before bagging it," she told them. "And this fell out."

She held up a piece of paper which had a mixture of printed numbers and letters on it.

"LVX4Z5," Sara read then looked at Grissom who was already frowning.

"It's a license plate number," he said immediately, his frown deepening.

Sara blinked at him. "Another wild goose chase?"

Grissom blew out a breath but before he could say anything else, Catherine chipped in.

"Maybe the car is in the lot? Maybe there's another clue there."

"There's more," Allie interrupted, turning the paper over. "It says 'front of hotel, find me'."

"Well, I think we have our answer," Max said, as Allie began bagging the booklet and the paper. "So, let's get this stuff to the car and then we can try and locate our new mystery." She looked at the couple. "If you guys don't feel like coming with us or into the lab today, I understand. I can let you know what we find if we find anything."

"We're coming," Grissom said quickly.

"Just think about my offer," Catherine said knowing they'd gone off track. "You don't have to decide now but it's an option."

"Okay," Grissom agreed.

"Erm," Sara began, nodding towards the door. "We'll follow you out in a minute and meet you at the entrance?"

Getting the hint that they needed a moment, Catherine took a bag of evidence from Folsom and the group left the suite, Max informing them one of the officers outside would wait for them before closing the door.

The second they were alone, Sara moved to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge then picking up Grissom's medication from the table. As stressful as things felt right now missing his meds was not an option.

"Here," she said, handing him the pill bottle and water. "Take these before we go."

"Thanks," he replied, tipping two pills from the pot and taking them. "Are you okay?" he asked once the pills were gone.

Folding her arms, Sara let out of a sigh. "I don't know. I still can't believe the psychopath responsible for all these murders was literally just a wall away from us. Makes me feel sick."

"I know. But making us feel this way is what they want."

Rubbing a hand over her forehead, Sara nodded. He was right but it was hard not to feel that way and her fear grew and grew. Yet again they were playing follow the yellow brick road. Sadly, she doubted the Emerald City would be at the end.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Collecting their new keycards from reception, Grissom and Sara, followed by the officer, met up with Catherine who was waiting for them by the hotel reception doors.

"They found the car," she told them as they stepped out into the morning sunlight.

"That was fast," Sara commented.

"Walked straight past it on our way to store the evidence."

"Good," Grissom said. "Will save us a lot of time."

Catherine pointed into the parking area. "Over there."

The group walked across the parking lot to where Max was standing in front of a white Toyota. Folsom had his flashlight shining through the back window while Allie was checking out the right-hand side of the back seat.

Max looked at Grissom. "Anything familiar about this?"

"No. Nothing."

Sara shook her head when Max looked at her. An eerie feeling ran through her. This didn't feel right. What was she missing?

Several other cars were in the lot, but it wasn't packed. Nothing was parked around the Toyota.

"I'm not seeing anything," Folsom said, stepping around the car. "Can't see in the trunk though."

"How do you know this maniac isn't just wasting our time?" Catherine suggested. "For all we know they just wrote a random license plate down when they walked in just to play with us."

"Well, that's the problem," Grissom began, walking around to the driver's side door then turning to his friend. "We just don't know."

Sara moved to join him then heard something whistle past. It was so fast she barely reacted. But what happened next made her heart turn to stone.

Grissom jerked like he'd been kicked by a horse then tumbled backwards, hitting the car door with tremendous force. Sara jumped then total horror filled her face as both the driver and passenger windows shattered.

Their eyes collided.

Sara didn't hear the panicked, confused shouts around her. She didn't see the rest of her team along with the cops drawing their weapons. Her entire focus was on him. Her husband. The man she loved. And she couldn't seem to move. The desperation in his eyes just somehow holding her in place.

That was until his legs buckled and he slid down the door to the ground.

Mouth open, Sara blinked. The once white car was now streaked with red. All the way down from the window to where he husband now sat.

"Jesus Christ!" she hollered, kneeling beside him and cupping his cheeks. "Gil!"

His head lolled in her hands, eyes rolling and then he grimaced. Sara saw it then. Blood pooling through his shirt and jacket.

"He's been shot!"

As Sara shouted, Grissom toppled over to land on his side. Catherine was quickly by her side, kneeling beside her. She could hear the cops calling for help but that was drowned out by Max's voice.

"This is Director Roby. I need an ambulance right now to the front of the Eclipse hotel. I have a CSI down with a GSW. Repeat, I have a CSI down."

"Let's put him on his back," Catherine said as the two carefully moved him.

Sara pulled open his jacket only to have an icy child run through her every pore at the sight of so much blood seeping through his shirt. Her hands immediately covered the wound and she pressed hard.

"Stay with me, Gil," she begged, pressing harder. He let out a quiet groan as his eyelids fluttered. "You have to stay awake."

She watched helplessly as his eyelids opened and closed over and over, the sensation of blood seeping through her fingers making her feel queasy.

"Where the hell is that ambulance?" she shouted at Max.

"It's coming, Honey," Max reassured.

Folsom, who had run to his car, grabbed a blanket and a first aid kit from the trunk and dashed back towards his colleagues.

"Put this under his head," he said holding up the blanket while passing the first aid kit to Allie.

"Can you do it, I don't want to take pressure off the wound," Sara sobbed.

Swiftly, Folsom folded the blanket before kneeling by Grissom's head, carefully lifting to slide the blanket underneath.

"Hold on, Doctor Grissom," he encouraged. "We got you."

Sara looked down at the ground. It was covered in blood just as she was.

So much blood.

Allie ripped a dressing from the packet and held it out to Sara who quickly took it, placing it over the wound and pressing hard once again. As she did, Grissom's eyes closed.

"Gil?" Sara's panicked gaze worked over his face. "Gil!"

He didn't respond and Sara felt all the color draining from her face.

In a flash, Catherine's hand shot out, fingers searching out the pulse on his throat before her head lifted and her eyes found Sara's.

A/N: The hat is well and truly on ;-)