Nick surveyed the nursery again. He knew that they had already gone over the scene as thoroughly as they could, but he wanted to find something, anything, that would help them with this case. He watched Sara lay out the brown paper evidence bags and label them carefully in her even handwriting. She had catalogued so many painful things with that even hand. It never shook while she was writing, only afterwards, if the case went unsolved, and all they could do was watch the sun set on Las Vegas and pray for the best, as they waited in the dark for the daemons to come.

And Nick knew all about the daemons.

Nick crossed the room and held the evidence bags open for Sara as she deposited each balloon. He taped each bag shut, and put it on the floor at his feet.

"Do you think we'll find the kids alive?" Sara asked him quietly.

"I don't know." He replied truthfully. "There's always hope I guess, but realistically. . ." he trailed off.

"What kind of sicko takes children?" Sara asked, looking straight at him.

He swallowed. "The worst kind Sara, the worst kind."

She caught her bottom lip in her teeth, her concern evident on her face. She moved closer to him.

"Are you okay?" She said.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He replied. "Let's get these back to the lab. Hopefully they'll help us get this guy."

Sara nodded, and the two of them left the crime scene, arms laden with evidence bags. Neither one of them looked back.

* * * * * * *

The machine never worked as fast as Greg wanted it to. Usually, this only annoyed him because he wanted results quickly to impress those who came to badger him about what he'd figured out. This time, as he sat in his chair willing the printer to produce the wanted results, he had different reasons. Reasons that carried with them desperate energy brought on by the realization that lives would be saved or lost by how quickly Greg was able to make sense of the chemistry behind the crimes. It was not a burden he enjoyed, but he did it because he knew no other way.

He heard the door open behind him, and turned his head to nod hello to Sara and Nick as they entered the lab. Usually, Greg would have given them what they wanted, and then dropped hints about them leaving, but tonight, he didn't want to be alone with the evidence.

"Gris and Catherine got another call." He informed them, "They're out with Brass now."

Nick's face became tight, and Sara's became frustrated. Greg said nothing, because there was nothing to say. Wordlessly, he held out his hands for the balloons, and then prepared to process this new evidence. Sara and Nick talked in the background, something about how there were no prints on the rubber. It was nice not to be in silence. Usually he would have played music, but this case had a solemnity about it that Greg couldn't profane with noise just to calm his nerves.

Pulling on a fresh pair of gloves, he removed each balloon from its bag. He had already prepared bottles for the air in the balloons, and he carefully set about extracting it, and piping the air into the evidence bottles. This finished, he turned his attention to the balloons themselves. He took a pair of scissors and cut the end of off each balloon. He put each one into a carefully prepared solution to extract the DNA that he hoped would be left over on the mouthpieces.

The printer finally began to sing, and the piece of paper it produced was immediately pounced on by Greg.

"Soil has no special features. It's just dirt." He couldn't keep his disappointment out of his voice.

"You'll find something Greg." Sara said by way of encouragement, "You always do."

"We do have a bit of a timeline to follow now." Said Nick. "The first call came at 10:00, and you said that Gris left around 6:00. Our guy works quickly. He only had six hours between attacks." He shuddered at the implications of having two scenes a night until they solved this crime.

The door to the lab opened again, and Warrick came in. He was brought up to speed by Nick and Sara, Greg was having trouble talking. Warrick had brought them all coffee, and once they were settled, he began to read the book that Catherine had sent him out to find. Sara began to work on the bottles of air, Nick taking notes for her, and Greg continued to monitor his DNA work. Warrick's voice reminded Greg of why this was a children's book. The words were so beautifully written, but now they conjured up such terrible pictures in all of their minds.

The door opened for the third time and they all looked up to see who this newest intruder, knowing that it was too early for Grissom and Catherine to be back.

"What is this, story hour?" came the familiar voice of Conrad Ecklie.

"It's for a case." Warrick laconically replied.

"Why are you here so early Ecklie?" Sara asked "Your shift doesn't start for another hour yet."

"Well Miss Sidle, this might surprise you, but you are not the only member of the LVPD with their own private scanner." Ecklie replied "I am looking for Grissom, where is he?"

"Right here Conrad" came a voice from the door way "What can I do for you?"

"I was just coming in to tell you that the press will be all over this one Gil, and I hope you're ready for the politics."

"You came in early to wish me luck Conrad?" Grissom replied, only thinly veiling his sarcasm "I'm truly touched."

Ecklie glowered at him for a moment, and then brushed out the door, nearly running into Catherine, whom he didn't see until he stepped on her foot. Rolling her eyes, she stepped into the lab and listened as Grissom began outlining the latest scene for the other members of her team.

"The babysitter was asleep on the couch downstairs. She babysits regularly for the family, and usually stays the night if they are going to be late, and if they are gone for a few days." Grissom began, "She was woken up, gagged, blind folded and restrained."

"The little boy was upstairs." Catherine took up the story, "His bed was made, there were teddy bears all over the floor, and the rocking chair was overturned."

" 'Good night bears, good night chairs' is the next line." Greg pointed out.

"Who called 911?" asked Nick.

"The babysitter's hands were untied just as the kidnapper left. She made her way to the phone and called the police." Grissom said, "What did you guys find out?"

"The soil is inconclusive." Greg reported "Sara and Nick were working on the air, and I just finished prepping the balloons for extraction."

The printer sang again, and this time it was Sara who pounced on the offered piece of paper.

"Air was mostly carbon dioxide." She started, "But there was a lot more than normal. Also traces of arsenic, ammonia and nicotine."

"Smoker." Concluded Nick.

Catherine eyes widened "The babysitter did say she smelt cigarette smoke."

"It's a start." Said Grissom, "We can't really do anything else until Greg has finished the DNA. Sitting here staring at it won't help anyone. Everyone go home, get some rest, and come back for normal shift time tonight. We won't solve this running on fumes."

They filed out of the lab, and made their way down the hall to their lockers. Greg left last, casting one last look at the DNA that sat, patiently prepping itself. He closed the door behind him.

He did not look back again.