Affliction

Chapter 15

“You stay the hell away from him!” Sara screamed.

Kate chuckled. “You’re the one who put a dampener on my hospitality Sara. So I think your reunion is over.”

Sara swallowed hard as she tried to find her footing, continuing her retreat. She reached the top of the stairs and her back hit the wall.

Kate held out her arms. “Give him to me Sara.”

Sara shook her head as Michaels grip tightened. “Not a chance.”

Kate grinned. “Give him to me now.”

“I will not let you hurt him.”

“I’m not giving you a choice Sara, give him to me now or I will take him and I will, hurt him.”

Michael scrunched himself closer to Sara’s chest, dipping his face in the crook of her neck. She could feel him shaking.

Kate gritted her teeth. “Ten seconds Sara or he goes home in pieces. I’ll start with his pinkie so he matches daddy, how about that?”

Sara knew she had to give him up. She was weak, hurt, defenceless and out numbered but the thought of handing her son back to this lunatic made her soul bleed. She tilted Michael’s face so his eyes met hers, struggling to hold back her tears.

“Baby, you know I love you?”

Michael nodded.

“But, you have to go with Kate for a little while okay?”

Michael looked at Kate then back to his mom. He shook his head.

Tears filled Sara’s eyes once again. “You’ll be okay baby, I promise.”

Kate reached for Michael and Sara reluctantly released her hold on him, but he struggled trying to keep a hold on her.

“Mommy! Mommy no….” He cried as Kate pulled him away. He reached back for Sara as Kate carried him down the corridor and back to the room.

Sara sobbed.

“Mommy…..”

Sara shivered as Michaels fading voice cut through her. Then she felt herself sliding. She slithered to her knees and cried.

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Grissom rushed down the lab corridor heading for his office before going to the garage to see if the team had got anything from the pick up. Brass was closely behind him.

He rushed inside, going to place his spare migraine pills in his desk drawer. When he reached the desk he frowned deeply noticing something lying on top of it. He looked back at Brass who was hovering in the doorway.

“What?” Brass asked.

Grissom looked back at the envelope as Brass scooted behind him. They both stood, staring at the strange white package on the table. Only one thing written on it. ‘Grissom.’ No post mark, no nothing.

“You have gloves?”

Grissom nodded and pulled his latex gloves from his top drawer. He put them on slowly and circled the desk.

“How did this get in here?” Grissom was confused.

“Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s just something internal.”

Grissom looked back to Brass and shook his head. “It’s not, I know it.” He picked up the envelope and opened it carefully, swallowing hard. Two pieces of paper inside, something torn in half, Grissom looked it over; it was a map. The other was a letter. He cleared his throat and read aloud.

‘Hello again Grissom, long time no hear. How is married life treating you? And you’re a daddy with another on the way, how nice. Are you ready for a game? I hope you will participate or everything you hold dear will be taken from you. Just like you did to me.

You’ll see I left you a little gift and its simple, to find what you are looking for just find the other half of the map and it will lead you to your destination. Oh and sudden death begins at 2am. Find them by then or nothing will save your wife and son.”

Grissom paled as he looked at the torn map. It told him nothing. What he sought was obviously on the other half. He looked at his watch; they had a little over five hours.

Brass was stunned.

“There has to be a mole, someone put this here.” Grissom didn’t have any other explanation.

“Here? In the department?”

“Do you have another explanation?”

Brass sighed. “No.”

“Do me a favour Jim?”

“Sure.”

“Get everyone together; I need to brief them on what’s happened. We need to find that map. Now!”

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Everyone gathered in the break room, anxious mumblings between the team reverberated around the room. An awkward hush blossomed as Grissom entered. He looked like hell.

Catherine knew something was very, very wrong. “Gil what happened?”

Grissom looked at Brass and then cleared his throat to speak. His mouth opened, but the only thing that fell from his lips was silence.

“Gil, you want me to….?” Brass asked.

Grissom shook his head and took a deep breath. “No, no, I can…” Grissom pulled out the letter and the map. “Sara’s gone…” Grissom voice cracked as he attempted to continue. “They’ve got her.” Tears filled his eyes.

“What?” Greg shouted. “How?”

Nick looked at Catherine, both of them in shock.

Grissom continued. “Sara got a call while I was at the scene. She was given instructions she had to follow or Michael would…would be killed. She had to go to them, I was supposed to meet her, I was too late…She’s gone.”

Grissom fell heavily back against the wall and handed the letter and the map to Brass.

Brass took it knowing Grissom was struggling. The team looked on in disbelief as Brass read out the letter.

“Oh my god.” Catherine mumbled once Brass had finished.

Warrick stood. “Can I take a look at the map?”

Brass handed the map to Warrick who placed it on the table. Everyone clustered around it.

“Well, this doesn’t give us anything.” Nick grumbled.

“That’s the point,” Brass sighed. “We need the other half.”

Grissom’s mind was ticking a million miles a minute. “The truck….”

Everyone looked over to him.

“The truck! It has to be something to do with the truck. Damn I’m so stupid, the truck was a plant. Why am I such an idiot? Tear it apart, every screw, the map has to be in there somewhere. Come on!” Grissom headed for the door and the garage. Everyone followed close behind.

Nick grabbed Catherine’s arm as they left to stop her for a moment.

“We have to tell him about Joshua. Maybe we shouldn’t have kept it from him. It’s my fault. If he’d known, maybe Sara would be safe. It’s my fault Catherine.”

Catherine gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “We were doing what we thought was best and don’t blame yourself, it was my responsibility. I don’t think it would have mattered. I’ll try and get the right moment and then I’ll tell him.”


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Sara sat rigid in the sparsely furnished living room, cradling her injured hand. Across from her Josh sat in a chair, watching her closely. Kate had been gone for a while and Sara constantly feared for the safety of Michael.

“You don’t talk much do you?” Sara said quietly, trying to take her mind of what was happening upstairs.

Josh raised his brow but didn’t answer.

“Is she paying you to do this? Do you have any idea what she is capable of? What she is doing to my family?”

Josh sat up and looked Sara dead in the eyes.

“You know why I’m doing this Sara. My brother will never see the light of day because of you and your husband. So, can you fault me for wanting a little pay back?”

“Well, you’ve certainly got your brothers temperament.” Sara said sarcastically bitterly looking at her broken fingers.

Josh smirked. “Tip of the iceberg Sara, just behave yourself and I won’t have to hurt you again…yet.”

Their conversation was interrupted with the reappearance of Kate.

Sara stood, fear encircling her. “Where’s Michael?”

“Sit!” Kate demanded.

Sara reluctantly and slowly sat back on the sofa. Kate disappeared into the kitchen to return a few minutes later with a tray. She placed it on the coffee table. Sara eyed it suspiciously and felt herself tremble at a certain item on the tray.

Kate looked up and grinned, seeing the look of dread on Sara’s face. She took the wire cutters from the tray and Sara shifted very, very uncomfortably. Kate handed the cutters to Josh. He took them and placed them in his pocket.

Sara still shook slightly, the wire cutters foremost in her mind as she looked back at the tray. Three mugs and what looked like an ice pack sat upon it.

Kate stood and picked up the ice pack, she walked up to Sara, who watched her every move. Kate held out her hand, offering the ice pack to Sara. She examined it suspiciously with her stare.

“Take it, it will help the pain.”

Sara swallowed. “What do you care?”

Kate smiled. “I don’t, take it or leave it Sara. Again, it’s your choice.

Sara slowly took the ice pack and Kate returned to the tray with a grin on her face. Wincing heavily Sara held the cool pack to her injured fingers. Picking up one of the mugs Kate turned back to Sara and held it out to her. She just looked at it.

“It’s only coffee.”

Sara still made no move to take the mug; she was highly dubious about what was in it. Why was Kate suddenly being so accommodating?

Kate tapped her foot impatiently. “Don’t knock my generosity Sara.”

Shaky fingers reached out and took the mug and Sara sipped from it lightly.

“Good girl.” Kate went and sat next to Josh, handing him a mug. He took it graciously and drank quickly.

Sara took another sip and placed her cup down. “Please tell me what you did with Michael.”

Kate grinned. “Relax Sara, I just gave him a little something to help him sleep. He was getting a little irritable.”

Sara felt her heart rate increase as she got to her feet. “What did you give him?!”

“Sit down Sara.” Kate said calmly.

“Not until you tell me what you gave to my son. He has allergies! You could kill him!”

Kate sighed. “You are pushing my patience Sara, sit the fuck down now, or I will have Josh break a few more of your fingers and tie you down!” Kate was still eerily calm but very stern in her words.

Sara looked to the stairs, so worried for her son. She considered making a run for it, but she knew she wouldn’t make it. She sat.

Kate reached into her pocket and took out a bottle of pills, she threw it across the room and it landed on the floor by Sara’s feet. Sara picked it up quickly and looked at the label. She sighed, a heavy sleeping sedative but nothing that would harm her son.

“Good stuff,” Kate said grinning. “Will knock you out in about, hmmm, five minutes. Someone like Michael, would keep him asleep for maybe six to eight hours if undisturbed. Depends on the dosage. Someone like you, well, just a little will give you a good few hours rest.” Kate raised her brow in a suggestive manner.

“Oh no…” Sara mumbled as she looked back to the coffee cup, feeling slightly disorientated.

“You looked tired Sara, so I thought you deserved a little rest.”

Sara shook her head as she began to feel a little dizzy. “No…no you can’t….” Her vision became blurry and she wanted to protest more, but no sound would come from her mouth.

Kate smiled as Sara fell to her side, her head coming to rest on a cushion. She was out cold before her head even hit it.

Kate looked at Josh. “Go finish what you have too, I’ll watch her, she’ll be out for a while.”

Josh nodded and took the cutters from his pocket. He headed for the front door with a determined stride in his step.