Title: The Autumn Queen
By: Silverwind
Rated: R for language and content
**If this type of thing offends you then please don't read it. If you're intrigued then please enjoy.
This story is entirely fictional and for entertainment purposes only. All characters of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are the sole property of CBS television and Atlantis-Alliance Communications. No harm or copyright infringement is intended.

October 31, 2001

Dear Grissom,

Happy Samhain! The hour is approaching on this most Hallow of Eves! This is going to be the most glorious night for me and for you. Although you have never heard of me before I am sure that before this evening is through, you will know of my work and me very well. I can only hope that with time and patience you and I will become very good friends.

With loving regards,

The Autumn Queen

"Is it good?"

Startled, Gil Grissom looked up to see Catherine Willows standing beside his desk. "I'm sorry, Catherine. Did you say something?"

"The letter. Is it any good?"

"The letter?"

"The letter or whatever is that you've been staring at for ten minutes."

"Here, tell me what you think." He handed her the sealed evidence bag with the letter tucked safely inside.

Quickly she scanned the neat handwriting. "Could be some kind of Halloween prank. Maybe a neighbor hood kid that knows you."

"No, I don't think so. The handwriting is too neat to be a child. And I already dusted it for finger prints."

"Did you find anything?'

"Zip, zilch and nada."

"Could be a serial killer getting geared up. This would be the perfect night for something to happen."

"I was afraid that you might say that." Grissom smiled awkwardly and motioned for her to sit down.

"I feel dirty just touching the bag." Catherine grimaced and handed the bag back to him. "When did you get it?"

"This morning. Tucked into my newspaper."

"Jesus, Gil." Catherine said. "It's hard to tell just what this guy knows about you. Maybe you should try a hotel for a few days."

Gil leaned his weight against the office chair and put his hands behind his head. "No, I think that would be the wrong thing to do. The letter isn't threatening me-"

"Not yet." Catherine smiled wryly.

"Even if it was I think I'd stick around. It's not a case yet and I hop that it never turns into one. Hopefully it is just some kind of Halloween prank."

"And if it's not?"

"Then I'll sleep with a police-band radio beside the bed."

The girl was young. Barely fourteen and already turning tricks in the big city. She crushed out her cigarette as the big car slowly turned the corner and started to slow down. Maybe this was the rich one she'd been waiting for to come along and take her out of all this. Maybe this one was the sugar daddy of her dreams.

Slowly the car pulled to a stop in front of her and the back door opened. She could see someone sitting inside but they were so far back in the shadows that she couldn't tell if the person was a man or a woman. She leaned down and smiled her sexiest smile, lifting her too short skirt just a little bit higher.

"Looking for a party, Sugar?"

"Shut up and get in." The voice was low and strange.

"Okay, darling. Whatever you say." She slid into the back seat and closed the door behind her. She started to slide closer when a gloved hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Sugar, we can't do anything if you're way over there." She laughed.

"Just shut up." The gloved hand was on her thigh now, slowing sliding back the hem of her skirt. "You talk to much."

Suddenly the fingers tightened and she felt the sharp sting of something biting into her flesh. She clutched at the hand trying to pull the fingers loose but the stranger was too strong.

A sharp slap across the face snapped her head back against the darkly tinted window and she collapsed across the seat. She tried to move, tried to fight back but her arms and legs felt like lead. She opened her mouth and tried to scream but nothing came out but a soft hiss of air and she thought vaguely of air escaping from a balloon. Then the darkness covered her eyes and she saw no more.

"What have we got?" Grissom asked as Jim Brass moved away from the knot of police officers and walked toward him.

"It's a mess, Cousin." Brass grimaced. "Just gruesome enough for you." He glanced at Catherine as she got out of the SUV and moved around to help Grissom unload the equipment. "But I've got to warn you. It's a young girl."

"How young?" Catherine asked.

"Her id say's twenty one but if she's a day over fourteen then I'm Santa Claus."

"Where is she?" Grissom picked up his case and headed for the area marked with crime scene tape.

"Follow me." Brass stepped in front of him. "Like I told you. It's pretty messy back there."

They walked in silence, Brass pushing a way through the crowd. Grissom saw the blood even before they rounded the corner into the alley and he heard Catherine's sharp intake of breath when they saw what was on the other side.

The body was lying naked on the dirty ground, her shoulders flat and the head lying on the left cheek. Catherine stared into those clear blue eyes and felt her stomach lurch.

"I'll be back." She mumbled, dropped her case next to Grissom and disappeared back the way they had come.

There was no question about it. The girl had been butchered.

November 8, 2001

Dear Grissom,

So now you think that you know who I am. Am I really a doctor? With all the clues I left for you should be able to figure out this puzzle. After all, don't they call you the Superman of the forensics world? But if you think that you are on the right track now then I would advise you to think again my friend. I am just getting started. The last job was a real rush for me. So much excitement! I even saved some of your favorite red stuff with which to write this letter but alas it became as thick as glue and I was unable to use it. Red ink is appropriate enough, don't you think? HAHA

I do have to ask a favor of you though, Grissom. Keep this letter our little secret until I do a bit more work. Then you can show it to whoever you think might be interested. I'm sharpening my knife and thinking of my next job. Catch me if you can, Grissom. I'm counting on you!

With Loving Regards,

The Autumn Queen

"When did you get this?" Brass looked at the letter and then tossed it down on the desk.

"This morning. It was tucked into my newspaper just like the other one."

"Any clues yet?"

"No and it's driving me crazy. I've already got the other letter being examined by a hand writing expert. If we know whether the murderer is a man or a woman than that might narrow the search."

"Not by much." Brass shook his head and looked down at the photos spread across Grissom's desk.

"God, how can you stand to look at those?"

"It's not easy. But it's part of the job. Trying to piece her back together is the really hard part."

"How's Catherine?"

"She's holding her own."

"Report's here." Catherine came into the room and handed Grissom a thin stack of papers.

Grissom took the papers and scanned through them quickly.

"Well?" Brass leaned forward expectantly.

"The tests on the letter are inconclusive. Damn!" Grissom threw the papers down on the desk and stood up. Angrily, he paced back and forth. "Catherine, what about the toxicology report? Did you come up with anything?"

"Toxicology report?" Brass asked. "I thought she was butchered."

"She was but somebody gave her a little something first." Catherine told him. "When we were examing . . . the body . . . we found a slight bruise on the inside of her right thigh. It looked something like a needle prick so I ran a few tests and came up with this." She handed Grissom the report.

"Belladonna. First the killer paralyzed her and then killed her."

"Which means?"

"Which means she was probably still alive when the killer started carving." Grissom replied.

"Goddamn." Catherine muttered.

She was all alone on the corner. The night was too cold for anybody to be out but she needed the money bad. She couldn't keep on hurting like this. She paced up and down the deserted sidewalk wishing that she could go someplace warm even if it was just for a few minutes. She pulled her thin coat tighter around her and tried to keep moving. It was warmer that way.

She almost didn't hear the car as it turned the corner and moved slowly toward her. It was huge and black and as it slowly rolled to a stop one darkly tinted window slowly slid down.

"Get in."

Eagerly, she opened the car door and slid across the leather seat. The blast of heat from the car's vents wrapped around her and she leaned back with a sigh.

"Boy, am I glad you showed up, sugar. It's colder than a witch's tit out there tonight."

"I'm glad that I could help you." The stranger laughed softly and reached out to touch her with a gloved hand. Gently the leather clad fingers brushed the hair back from her face. "You're certainly a pretty one."

The fingers slid down her arm, gently brushing against her breast as they traveled down to her thigh.

With a smile she placed her hand over the searching fingers. "First we talk price."

"I never pay." The stranger laughed. "I always get mine for free."

"Not tonight, sugar. Baby needs the money."

"I'm sure you do." The fingers suddenly tightened and she felt the sharp prick of a needle go into her thigh.

"What the-" And that was all she managed to say.

November 30, 2001

Dear Grissom,

Did you pay any attention to the little clue that I left for you? It was so obvious that you couldn't have missed it. I'm certainly on a blue streak aren't I? HAHA You're so much smarter than the rest, Grissom and I am so very fond of you. So fond in fact that I want you to know that you'll be hearing about the Autumn Queen's work tomorrow night. I'm thinking of a double job this time just to keep things interesting. I might even save you a souvenir. What would you like? An ear, an eye? How about the heart? It would be almost as if I was giving my heart to you, Grissom. Doesn't that sound romantic? Oh, I almost forgot. Thank you for keeping my last letter just between us. I do appreciate it so much.

With Loving Regards,

The Autumn Queen

"Blue streak? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Brass was reading the latest letter from over Grissom's shoulder.

"It's referring to the latest victim. When we found her she had turned blue. What was left of her anyway."

"And why was she blue?"

"She was injected just like the other girl but this time the killer used a drug called Curare. It causes almost instant paralysis of the muscles in the face and eyelids if it's given with a needle. This is a fast acting poison and in the final stages the victim turns blue because its shuts down the respiratory system." Grissom leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes. "Whoever is doing this knows something about drugs. I've got Warrick and Nick out checking the hospitals and pharmacies in the area. Maybe we'll get lucky and something will be reported missing."

"The press is having a field day with this, Gil. I'd like to have these letters sent out over the wire. We might get lucky and find somebody that knows something. We'll leave your name out of it of course."

"No, don't do that. Leave my name in. Maybe if we can make the killer a little upset he or she just might make a mistake."

"I've got a crew out watching your town house right now. If anybody suspicious shows up they'll catch them."

"Well don't shoot the paper boy anyway."

"I'm Doctor Parris, can I help you?"

The woman was middle height with thick auburn hair pulled neatly back in a heavy braid that hung down her back. She was staring at Nick as if he were some bug on the wall.

"Doctor Parris, I'm Nick Stokes."

"From the Las Vegas forensics unit? I know your boss. Gruesome Grissom isn't it?"

She smiled slightly and motioned for him to sit down. "What can I help you with?"

"It's about the recent prostitute murders . . ."

"I confess, take me away." She held out her arms, wrists turned up and laughed at his shocked expression. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stokes. Did I shock you?"

"Well . . ."

"I expect that Grissom sent you over here on purpose."

"Ah, no . . . I don't think that I've ever heard him mention your name."

"I'm not surprised. I would think that he would have my picture up on a dartboard somewhere. But anyway, that's beside the point. What can I help you with?"

"We are doing a search of the hospitals and labs in the area. Checking to see if any drugs have come up missing or if anything suspicious might have been reported."

"Do you have a list of the drugs you're searching for?"

Nick handed her a sheet of paper and she took several minutes to look it over.

"Belladonna and curare? That's interesting?"

"Why interesting?"

"I don't know if you know anything about the meaning behind these drugs but Belladonna actually comes from an Italian word meaning "beautiful woman" and curare is probably one of the most favorite drugs of medical killers."

"Are you saying that you think that the killer is a doctor?"

"Or someone in the medical field with easy access to these drugs. Your everyday street corner drug pusher is not going to be able to get their hands on these and I'm pretty sure that the killer can't just go out into the backyard and dig these up."

She leaned back in her chair and chewing on the end of a pen, she stared off into space, ignoring him as if he wasn't even there.

"Doctor Parris, have you had any reports of these drugs missing?"

For a moment she didn't answer him but then her eyes seemed to refocus and she looked surprised to see him sitting there. "No, I haven't had any reports but I'll be sure and let you know if I do. Oh, and you can tell Grissom that if I catch him taking an early morning stroll through my flower beds again he's going to get a behind full of buckshot."

She signaled that their meeting was over by turning back to the journal she'd been reading.

Nick was sure that before long he'd be meeting up with her again.

"So you met Elizabeth Parris?" Grissom grinned slightly. "What did you think?"

Nick just looked at him and Grissom laughed. "I should have warned you how she was before you went to see her."

"The woman's a nut case." Nick grimaced. "Half the time she acted like I wasn't even there."

"That's Elizabeth. When it comes to not having a life, she's worse than I am."

"Sounds like a match made in heaven." Catherine deadpanned but Grissom ignored her.

"Well, did you find out anything from her?"

"She knows her drugs but as far as she knew nothing had come up missing from her clinic. She promised to let me know if anything did though."

"I know her she probably forgot you where there the minute you walked out the door. I'll give her a day and if there's no answer from her I'll go and see her myself." Grissom told him. "If there's anything going on in the medical community then Lizzy will know about it. She might act like she's a few bricks shy of a whole load but that's just an act."

"What if she's the killer?" Nick asked. "She said herself that it's someone in the medical field that knows a lot about the types of drugs being used in the murders. With what she knows she would make the perfect prime suspect and she did think that you sent me over there on purpose."

"And no matter what he say's he knows that he did."

Catherine and Nick both jumped at the sound of the voice behind them but Grissom just smiled.

"Hello, Lizzy. How long have you been standing there listening?" He asked.

"Oh, I came in somewhere between 'few bricks shy of a load' and 'prime suspect'." Without being asked she sat down on the couch beside Nick and Catherine. "And you can take me off of your hit list. I have an alibi for the nights that the murders occurred. If you don't believe me then call the hospital. I have about twenty patients that will back me up."

"Don't get so touchy, Lizzy." Grissom laughed. "You weren't on my hit list to begin with. But did you make this trip over here for a reason?"

"I came over here just to see your pretty little face, Gil. You know that I can't make it through the day without a glimpse of you." She replied dryly then reaching into her pocket she pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him. "I had my staff go through everything and check for anything missing or unusual. Just like you called and asked me to do. But I don't see why you wanted me in on this investigation. I'm not into this line of work anymore."

"Exactly, Lizzy." Grissom grinned. "What I need is a wacko to catch a wacko. And you are my wacko."

"Who do you think you're calling a wacko, Grissom?" Lizzy's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Calm down, Lizzy. I mean it in a nice way."

"Calm down like hell!" Lizzy exclaimed. "I'm getting a little tired of you, Grissom. Living next to you is bad enough but if I catch you taking your morning run through my flower beds again-"

"Lizzy, what the hell are you talking about? And what the hell do your flower beds have to do with anything?"

"Come off it, Grissom. I've seen you for the last couple of weeks."

"The last couple of weeks?" Grissom looked confused. "Lizzy I haven't been out jogging in nearly a month. And especially not early in the morning. Most of the time I'm here."

"Well someone has been taking a little stroll through my roses and the prints lead directly to your front door."

Catherine and Grissom looked at each other.

"Lizzy, I love you!" He grabbed her and kissed her. "Now come on. You've got to show me those prints."

Alone the girl woke up. She tried to sit up but something was holding her down. She twisted her hands and felt something soft binding her wrists to the bedposts. She stretched out her fingers and felt the cool touch of metal against her skin. She tried to move her feet and legs but they were bound so tightly that she could barely wriggle her toes.

For a second her eyes cleared but the room was too dark to see anything but the shadows. Her head was pounding with a massive headache and she could feel the panic and fear starting to rise. She tried to force herself to relax. She had to just take a minute and try to think. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and then opened them again, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Gradually, small details about the room started to come clear. It was a cheap hotel room sure enough. She'd been in enough not to recognize the décor. The only problem was that she didn't remember how she'd gotten here.

From somewhere she heard the soft sound of a woman's laughter.

"Help me, help me," she said but her voice was so hoarse that no one could have heard her even if they'd been listening.

"Ah, so you're awake." Cool fingers trailed across her bare breast. "I hope that you had a nice rest."

She shuddered and tried to move away from the dim figure hulking over her. The figure seemed to be dressed all in black. Only slim pale hands seemed to glimmer in the darkness. "Who . . . who are you?"

The figure only laughed and strange and stepped away from the bed, moving slowly to the low dresser in the corner. She heard something rustling and then the figure moved to the window and drew open the curtain.

She blinked as pale moonlight flooded the room. Before her eyes could trust to the sudden light the figure had moved back into the shadows. She watched as the figure kneeled down and lifted something black and heavy up onto the bed.

"What is that?" She asked, feeling the panic and fear surge through her.

"Relax, it's only a bag." The figure said and opening the bag pulled out something round and white. "And this is only some lotion."

"What are you going to do to me?" She tried to edge away but with her wrists and ankles bound there was no where to go.

"Nothing." The figure sat down on the edge of the bed and begin to gently stroke her thigh. "You have such soft skin."

"Please . . . please don't hurt me."

"Shhhh . . . I just want to touch you." The figure unscrewed the lid on the jar of lotion. A mediciney smell struck her nose and she flinched as a gob of the creamy white stuff fell on her leg.

"If you want to touch me why are you wearing gloves?"

"I'm allergic." The figure laughed softly. "Now, just relax. You'll enjoy this."

Grissom looked at the heart shaped box lying on the exam table and grimaced. Catherine, Nick and Lizzy stood on the other side watching him closely. Catherine's face was pale in the harsh light and Nick looked like he was going to be sick. Lizzy was leaning over the box peering intently at what was inside.

"When did you get this?" Catherine asked.

"It was stuffed in my mailbox this morning. At first I thought it was Lizzy playing a prank on me because the police nearly arrested her last night for prowling around the town house."

"I was not prowling." Lizzy declared. "Taz got out of the house last night and I was trying to find her."

"You were searching for a cat at three o'clock in the morning?" Catherine asked.

"When that cat is nearly blind, yes. I don't want her to be some Doberman's breakfast."

"Ladies, I hate to interrupt your conversation but I think we have a more important matter to discuss here."

Lizzy and Catherine glanced at each other but they didn't say anything. Lizzy turned her attention back to the box as Grissom reached in with his gloved hands and laid the fist sized object on the table.

"Is that what I think it is?" Lizzy leaned down until she was nearly eye level with it.

"Yes, it's a human heart."

"Looks like it's been preserved in something." Catherine pulled back the edges of the wrapping in the box. When she leaned over she caught a smell of something-sickly sweet. "What the heck is that smell?"

"Besides decay, its white wine." Gil told her. "The killer promised to send me a gift."

"So our killer is a wine lover." Nick remarked dryly.

"Among other things." Gil said. "I also found some traces of camphor and monkshood."

"I know what camphor is but what the heck is monkshood?" Nick asked.

"It's a plant." Lizzy explained. "You can find it nearly anywhere in the North America. It can either be swallowed or absorbed through the skin and it's another paralyzing drug. The symptoms start on contact and death usually occurs within ten minutes of contact."

"How do you know so much?" Catherine asked surprised.

"Don't be so suspicious, Catherine." Lizzy had caught the tone in her voice. "I studied herbology my senior year in college. It's one of the main reasons that Gil asked me to help out on this."

"Lizzy's clinic specializes on healing herbs and holistic medicine to cure patients." Grissom added.

"And there's one common theme that's running through these murders. Have you found out what it is yet, Grissom?"

"Besides the fact that all of the victims have been young girls and prostitutes? And that they'd all been butchered while in the last stages of death?

"The three drugs that have been used are belladonna, curare and now monkshood. Each one of them either injected or somehow absorbed into the skin and all them with an effect like an anesthesia. This last one, the monkshood, spreads through the body with a pronounced feeling of cold. It feels like there's ice water in your veins and it slowly freezes everything in the body. The worst part is that consciousness often continues right up until the very end."

"Just like the other two." Catherine said. "I think our killer wants us to catch him."

"Or her." Grissom replied and looked directly at Lizzy.

December 9, 2000

Did you like my little gift? I sent you the heart like I promised. The lady did scream a bit but in the end she agreed with my plans. But then again she really didn't have a choice, did she? I might even send you the knife that I used to take it out. But only if you're a good little boy and do what I tell you to do. And by the way, didn't you think that the wine was a nice touch? I already had the red so I thought that a little white would be nice. HAHA

With loving regards,

The Autumn Queen

P.S. What's taking you so long, Grissom? You should know who I am by now.

"You son of a bitch. You think that I did it."

Lizzy sat on the edge of the office couch and glared at him with such hatred that Grissom could almost hear it crackling in the air. Jim Brass stood behind him, leaning casually against the wall.

"I didn't say that, Lizzy."

"Then what was that look in the exam room for? I knew that you didn't like me very much, Gil but I didn't think that you'd go this far."

"Calm down, Lizzy. You're making a mountain out of a mole hill."

"Oh, am I?" She shook her head. "I can't even go out my front door without tripping over a cop."

"They are there to protect, Gil." Brass said.

"Some protection." Lizzy laughed. "This 'Autumn Queen' keeps getting by to leave notes in Grissom's newspaper. They just have to be Las Vegas's finest. They even let a half blind cat sneak past them."

The door opened and Catherine came in. She stopped in the doorway looking from Lizzy sitting clenched and ready to jump up from the couch to Grissom who was just barely holding his temper back. "Am I interrupting something."

"Not anymore you're not." Lizzy snarled and stood up, pushing Catherine out of the way as she headed out the door.

"God, that woman needs some shock therapy." Grissom muttered to no one in particular.

"What the hell was that all about?" Catherine took Lizzy's place on the couch.

"The bitch from hell." Brass took the cup of coffee that Catherine offered him and sat down beside her.

"Jesus, Gil. What did you say to her?" Catherine couldn't help but laugh. "You must have done something to really piss her off."

"She thinks that I'm accusing her of the murders." Gil told her.

"And are you?"

Grissom just looked at her and smiled.

"You know something, Grissom?" Brass was perched on the edge of the office couch, studying the bagged letters that were spread out on the table in front of him. "There's something very familiar about these letters."

"Familiar now?" Grissom looked up from the toxicology report on the victim's that he'd had Catherine run out for him.

"I don't know. There's just something about them. It just seems like I'm either read them or seem them somewhere else before." Brass stared at them for another few minutes and then a close look of excitement came over his face.

"What is it?" Grissom asked. "Did you find something?"

"Not a something but maybe a who." Brass said. "Can I borrow your computer for a few minutes? I want to search for something on the Internet."

"Not another one of those girlie sites is it?" Grissom smiled slightly.

"No, not this time." Brass sat down in Grissom's chair and waited for the search engine to come online. "What's that name the killer is using?"

"That Autumn Queen." Grissom said.

Brass typed it in and Gil's eyes widened at the name that was repeated over and over on the screen.

"Oh, my God. It's Jack the Ripper."

December 12, 2000

What do you think you are doing, Grissom? Do you really think that idiot Brass knows what's doing? And sending those two idiots to watch your townhouse is really a joke. Do you actually think that they even have half a chance of catching me? It's not like you to make so many mistakes, Grissom. I am seriously becoming disappointed in you. I thought that I could trust you. I knew that sooner or letter you would have to let Catherine and the rest of your team in on our dirty little secret but I don't like these games that you are trying to play with me. Maybe I should finish you right now. Don't think for a second that I can't get to you. I've been in your bedroom more times than you have so it would be no trouble for me to slip in and surprise you some cold winter night. Do you realize that I've even slept in your bed several times? I'll bet that you never even noticed that I changed and washed the sheets. Don't bother trying to find any evidence though because you won't find any. I suppose that by now you should know I never leave anything behind.

With not so loving regards,

The Autumn Queen

Lizzy stopped long enough to pick up the mail before the rain came slashing down in huge sheets. Just as she rushed inside the dark living room, thunder crashed and lightening lit up the dark sky.

"Perfect." She grumbled as the lights in the sub division flickered and went out. Across the street she could see the patrol car that was forever watching Grissom's place. Evilly she thought about flipping them the bird and then she changed her mind. It was too dark for them to see her anyway.

Stumbling and fumbling around in the dark she managed to find her way into the kitchen and the drawer where she kept her spare flashlight and batteries. It was to dark to see and she had to search by the flashes of lightening before she finally found the flashlight buried in the back of the drawer. Picking up the flashlight she flipped it on and felt a sense of relief when the glare of the beam sliced through the darkness.

She nearly screamed when something soft and warm brushed against her bareleg. She felt like a fool when a hungry meow sounded out of the darkness. "Jesus, cat. You nearly scared me to death." Reaching down she lifted the animal into her arms, rubbing at the huge black cat's soft fur. "How did you get out here anyway, girlie? You know the kitchen is off limits to you."

She carried her back into the laundry room and set her down in her basket. It was warmer in here for her and there wasn't anything that she could hurt herself on. Damn, Grissom and those stupid cops, she thought as she poured some food out for her and filled her water dish. She used to be able to put her out in the back yard for awhile without being afraid of her getting run over but in the last few weeks she's had to keep her in the house. The cat hated it as much as she did.

"Okay, kid." She smiled and rubbed the cat lovingly. "You eat your dinner so that I can go eat mine." Closing the door behind her she went back into the kitchen and opened the Chinese dinner she'd picked up after leaving Grissom's office. The spicy scent of the soup filled the room as she pulled the lid off the container and took a huge sip of the still hot liquid.

Grinning to herself, she wished that she'd gotten something chewy so that she could imagine biting Grissom's head off. Where did he get off accusing her anyway? She had an alibi for every time that a murder was committed. The bastard could accuse her all he wanted to but it wasn't going to do him any good. He'd find that out when she sued his ass for defamation of character.

Still angry, she took her soup into the living room and stretched out on the couch. Between sips of the soup she watched the lightening flash across the sky and waited for the power to come back on. She was so tired but she was so restless too.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax but with the power off it was hot and stuffy in the townhouse. She could feel beads of sweat popping out on her forehead and chin. She sat up, tried to open the window and nearly screamed as a horrible cramp nearly ripped her belly into. Covering her mouth with her hand she rushed to the bathroom and just made it to the toilet before she threw up. On her knees she clung to the side of the tub, as the room seemed to whirl and twist around her. It was getting hard to breathe and she could feel herself starting to shake. God, what was happening? Hot tears ran down her face and she tried to crawl back into the living room to the phone. Inch by painful inch she dragged herself across the carpet until she could reach up and snag the cordless off its base. With shaking fingers she dialed 911 but when the operator came on the line another attack of vomiting hit her and she dropped the phone.

"It's not your fault, Gil."

Catherine put her hand on his shoulder but Grissom didn't even look up. He'd been quiet for the last three days since they'd found Lizzy.

"Gil . . ."

"If it's not my fault then why do I feel so damned guilty?" He asked softly. "Dammit, I practically accused her of the murders, Catherine."

"At least they found her in time." Catherine said.

"But she's still in a coma." Grissom said. "I never should have gotten her in on this."

"She could have said no." Catherine said quietly and handed him a tissue. His eyes were red and she knew that he'd been crying. "You didn't exactly twist her arm."

"And she didn't deserve the way that I treated her either." He wiped at his eyes with the tissue and then threw it in the trashcan. "I think I'm going to go home for a while."

"You're going to check out Lizzy's place aren't you?" Catherine asked.

"If you're offering to help-"

Catherine smiled down at him. "Just let me get my bag."

The town house was eerily quiet when Gil broke through the crime scene tape and pushed open the door.

"God it stinks in here."

Catherine covered her nose and mouth with her hand while Gil pulled on a pair of gloves and reached inside the doorway to flip on the hallway light. The room was neat and except for the phone still lying on the floor in the middle of a huge dark stain, almost spotless.

"I want a sample of that carpet." Gil set down his case while Catherine took out her camera and started taking pictures of the stain and the room.

"I'm going to check out the rest of the house." Catherine told him and left him to cut the huge swatch out of the carpet.

She moved from room to room keeping an eye out for anything that looked suspicious or out of place. Like Gil, she'd known Lizzy for a long time and she'd been in the townhouse enough times to know that Lizzy was a neat freak and would have a fit if anything was out of place. If she ever came of the coma she would probably give Gil hell for ripping up her carpet.

She was going through the kitchen when she heard something scratching at the closed laundry room door.

"Gil!" She called softly. "Come here."

"What is it?" Grissom moved slowly up behind her.

"Listen." She motioned for him to be quiet and pointed toward the closed laundry room door. "Something's in there."

"Stay here." Grissom pulled out his gun and edged cautiously toward the door and opened it.

Something dark and small came barreling out of the room and disappeared around the corner before either one of them could move.

"What the hell was that?" Catherine exclaimed.

"From the smell coming out of there I'd say it was the cat." Grissom pulled the door shut behind him.

"Poor thing." Catherine set her camera down on the kitchen table and went after the animal. Taz was cowering in the corner of the living room when Catherine found her. "Come here, girl."

The cat came to her easy enough and Catherine picked her up. "You poor baby. You must be starving to death."

With the cat under her arm, Catherine went into the kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator. "God, Lizzy must live on chinese food."

Grissom had followed her into the kitchen and held the cat while Catherine pulled out tiny boxes of left overs, sniffing each one to make sure it was still edible.

"Try some of that soup back there." Grissom pointed to the clear plastic container in the back. "That shouldn't hurt her."

"Cats don't eat soup." Catherine laughed.

"I didn't see any cat food in the laundry room either. If it's beef broth she can handle that well enough."

"What about the spices?"

"I've seen this cat eat everything from popcorn to cookies and not break a sweat." Grissom said. "You don't have to give her much. Just enough to tide her over until we can get her back to the lab."

"You're going to take the cat back with us?"

"Why not? She was the only one here with Lizzy. She might give us a few clues to her attacker."

"Okay, if you say so." Catherine took the soup out of the fridge and opened the top. A milky white substance covered the top and just as she moved to pop it in the microwave to warm it up, Grissom's cell phone rang. "Here, give her to me."

Grissom handed her the cat and moved back into the living room to take the call.

"Grissom."

"Gil, its Nick. Where are you?"

"At Lizzy's place. Catherine's with me. What's up?"

"We just got the toxicology report back on Lizzy."

"And?"

"She was poisoned just like the others."

Grissom could hear the paper rattling as Nick talked to him.

"Did they say how?"

"Something called oleander. Report say's that when they pumped her stomach she was full of it and some kind of chinese soup."

"Chinese soup?" Gil's eyes widened as he turned back toward the kitchen. "Oh, my god!"

"Gil!" Catherine was screaming.

He nearly dropped the phone as he raced back into the kitchen. The cat was on the floor having convulsions. Catherine was kneeling beside it, trying to help and not knowing what to do. With one final shudder the cat jerked and then was still. Catherine looked up at him, her eyes wide and horrified. "Gil, what the hell-?"

"It was the soup. It was the goddamn soup!" He raged and slammed his fist into the wall. "How could I have been so stupid?"

December 20, 2000

Grissom, I am very disappointed in you. I try my best to attract your attention and admiration and what do you do? You blame some slip of a girl, who is young enough to be your daughter I may mention, for my actions. You should be grateful that I took pity on you and decided to let her live after all. After all it nearly is Christmas. I am sorry about the cat though. I hate involving such an innocent creature in this plan of mine but Catherine is the one who should be at fault. She is the one that fed the soup to the poor creature, but then again, aren't you the one that suggested she do it?

I am impressed that you think you need to hide your little friend in some secluded spot, Grissom. It just makes the search all that more intriguing.

The Autumn Queen

"What, no warm salutations this time?" Catherine grimaced. "I'm starting to hate this bastard more and more everyday."

"Somebody should blow the sick fuck out of his socks." Grissom replied angrily pounding his fist down on the desk hard enough to make it shake. "This bastard is driving me nuts! He's getting me so turned around in so many different directions that I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"Gil, there has to be some way that this guy knows what we're doing. How could he possibly know what you said to Lizzy?"

"And how the hell could he know about the damned cat?"

"He couldn't unless-"

"I'm too tired to even think, Catherine. Our shift is almost over anyway and I need some sleep. We can go over this again next shift." He packed his briefcase and snapped it shut. "Do you need a lift home?"

"Would you mind?" Catherine dropped the letter back into its folder with the others and locked the filing cabinet. "My jeep is in the shop again."

Outside the office they ran into Brass. He started to say something but Grissom shot him a look and he only nodded to them as they passed. When they were outside on the sidewalk they stopped and waited for Brass to catch up to them.

"What the hell was all that about?"

"We've got bugs." Grissom told him. "Probably all over my office, my townhouse and Lizzy's place."

"You sure about this?" Brass asked.

"How else could the killer know what was going on?" Catherine said. "We never talked about any of this outside the office and how would the killer know what happened to Taz?"

"I'm thinking audio and video." Grissom said. "The killer said that he or she has been in my house, sleeping in my bed."

"Do you think it's somebody in the department?" Brass asked him.

"How else could anything get into my office?"

Catherine and Brass both looked down at the brief case in his hand. The one he took with him everywhere. The one that stayed beside his desk whenever he was in the office.

"I'll be goddamned." Grissom held the case out from him and handed it to Brass.

"Tear the fucking thing to pieces if you have to."

Brass took the case from him and grinned. "Boy, you really are cursing more."

December 26, 2000

You found all of my little toys. I suppose that I should have known that sooner or later you would wise up. Did you enjoy the joke though? I know that as an entomologist you would appreciate my use of the "little bugs" that you have since preceded to find. No worries though, I still have my ways of keeping an eye on you. As for being a part of the department-maybe I am. And then again maybe I'm not. There are so many possibilities. But I know that you are a man that loves to solve puzzles and so tonight I shall leave another one for you. I decided to take a little vacation over the holidays but tonight I feel like doing a little carving. Just a little something to tide me over until the New Year anyway. You'll be hearing from me again soon, Grissom.

The Autumn Queen

Gil sat in the darkness of the townhouse, drinking a beer and watching the rain pelt against the windows. He was so tired that he felt like he could sleep for a week but sleep was the one thing that he wanted least of all. He'd finally gotten the house back in order after they had practically torn it apart looking for anything that might even look like some kind of surveillance equipment. He just hadn't been prepared for what they'd found. There had been a bug and video set up in nearly every damn room, including the bathroom. The thought of the bastard watching every move he made gave him the creeps but he was going to be damned if the bastard was going to scare him out of his own damned house.

"I hope you're getting your jollies, you sick fuck." Grissom said to the empty room.

"More than you think."

Grissom dropped the beer bottle on the floor and made a grab for the gun on the bedside table. His heart was pounding like a jack hammer in his chest. With shaking hands he reached into the table drawer and pulled out the small tape recorder he used to take notes. Hoping that the thing's batteries were still working he clicked it on. "Where are you asshole?"

"You are there and I am here." The voice laughed soft and low. "And here is no where near you. You might have found most of my pretty toys but you didn't find them all."

"What's the matter you sick ass pervert? Afraid to show yourself?" Grissom moved around the room slowly, searching for the spot where the voice was coming from.

"If I let you know who I am, Grissom, then that would spoil all the fun. You are a man of puzzles, figure it out."

"And what if I can't figure it out?"

"Should I give you a hint, Grissom? Just a little one?" The voice laughed again.

"What would you most like to know?"

"Man or woman."

"First tell me where your darling Lizzy is."

"Leave her out of this." Grissom said. "She doesn't concern you."

"What? My competition shouldn't concern me? She's after your heart Grissom and I won't have that. I won't tolerate anyone else vying for your affections."

"Lizzy is just a kid."

"And she knows so much about what I do. Too much in fact. Just be warned, Grissom. If I do find her she and I will have a long chat. And what you will find of her when our talk is over won't be very pretty."

"You'll never get your hands on her."

"Don't be so sure, Grissom. Hell hath no fury . . . well you know the rest." The voice sighed very deeply. "Goodnight, Grissom. I am so very tired. I had a rather tiring night. We will meet soon, be sure of that."

"Wait!" Grissom shouted but the voice was gone.

The girl stood huddled in the darkness of the doorway. She was trying her best to stay out of the driving rain but with the wet stuff coming down in driving sheets it was hard. She knew that she should have stayed at the apartment and studied her notes for tomorrow's test but studying wasn't going to pay her bills and right now she needed money more than she needed to stick her nose in a book. Besides a couple of hours work and she wouldn't have to worry about the bills for another month anyway.

But as each minute passed and turned into an hour the night air only got colder as the rain started to come down even harder. The last car that had gone by had been moving too fast to even stop.

"Oh, to hell with it." She grumbled and pulled her thin jacket more tighter around her. Stepping out on the sidewalk she tried to stay as close to the building as possible but it was no use and she was soaked in just a matter of minutes. She knew that coming out tonight had been a stupid idea.

It was then that she saw the dark car turn the corner and slowly move down the street. She smiled to herself as the car pulled to a stop almost right in front of her.

"Finally." She whispered as the rear door opened. She didn't hesitate to slip into the dark interior and pull the door shut behind her.

She leaned back against the leather seat and ran her fingers through her rain soaked hair. "I'm sure glad that you showed up." She smiled and hoped that her carefully applied makeup wasn't too smeared. "I was starting to feel like a drowned rat."

"Here, use this."

Something pale and heavy fell across her legs and she picked it up, realizing that it was some type of over sized beach towel."Thank you." She laughed. "You certainly came prepared."

"In my line of work it usually pays to be."

The voice was low and strange. To her ears it almost seemed mechanical."Is something wrong with your voice?" She asked and then realized that had been a stupid thing to do.

"Does it matter?"

She stiffened slightly at the threatening tone. "Hey man, I didn't mean anything-"

"You never do." The voice snarled. "In fact, to me you don't sound like a whore at all."

Strong hands gripped her shoulders and shoved her against the car door. She struggled and tried to kick out but the black garbed figure was heavier and stronger and soon had her pinned under him.

"Please, don't hurt me." She whimpered when black gloved fingers gripped her chin and forced her to look up. The dark blue eyes that glared back at her where full of hate.

"Who the hell are you?" The attacker's breath was hot and moist against her cheek and smelled strongly of peppermint. "Did Grissom send you?"

"Grissom? I don't know any-"

"Don't lie to me, bitch!" The fingers tightened on her chin and she felt something cold press against her throat. She felt the tip of the knife bite into her flesh and the warm trickle of blood that followed.

Sudden terror took over and she twisted up and around throwing the attacker back against the other side of the car. Crying and screaming she clutched the door handle and wrenched it open. The attacker grabbed her by the hair and tried to haul her back into the speeding car but she lashed out and using her long fingernails struck hard enough to draw blood. The attacker cried out in surprise and fell back and she threw herself against the car door, tumbling out to land dazed and bleeding on the hard wet ground.

The fall stunned her but when the car screeched to a halt she scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could back the way they had come. There was a restaurant there and if she could just make it maybe she could find some help. For one delirious moment she thought she'd made it when she saw the lights of the restaurant looming up in front of her and she nearly cried with relief. Then the sidewalk was coming up to meet her with terrifying speed, and she crashed into it and lay there, the breath knocked out of her, unable to move. Everything felt as if it was on fire.

The attacker's knee was jammed into the back of her spine and she felt hands on either side of her head. She didn't even have time to scream when the attacker ruthlessly, but quickly, snapped her head around and broke her neck.

"Gil! Wait up!" Catherine caught up to him as he was getting out of the SUV. "Brass just called. We've got another murder."

"Where at?"

"Downtown. And this time we've got witnesses."

"Yes!" Grissom got back into the vehicle and Catherine slid in beside him. Tires spinning, Grissom peeled out of the parking lot, nearly slamming Catherine into the dashboard.

"Slow down, Gil. If you get us killed then we'll never catch the bastard."

"Sorry," Grissom was staring straight ahead, a determined look on his face as he weaved through the heavy downtown traffic but he didn't slow down until he saw the flashing red lights of the police cars parked on the street in front of the restaurant.

Brass came up to them as they pulled into the line of police cars and got out. It had stopped raining and onlookers were clustered behind the crime scene tape trying to get a better look at the sheet draped body lying on the sidewalk.

"You sure got here fast." Brass led them through the crowd to where the body lay.

Gil knelt down and pulled back the sheet covering the body to reveal a young girl. She was lying on her stomach with her head laying at an odd angle to the body.

"He broke her neck." Catherine knelt down beside him with her camera. "See the bruises on the side of her head? The son of a bitch must have been strong."

"That's not all." Grissom pulled on his gloves and bent down to get a better look at the girl's hands. "I'm going to bag her hands. Her nails are pretty long. If we're lucky maybe she got a good swipe at the killer before he got to her. I just hope that the rain didn't wash off any evidence."

"This has got be our chance, Gil." She looked up as Brass touched her on the shoulder and beckoned for her to come with him. She followed him into the nearly deserted restaurant.

"This is our witness." He led her to the back of the restaurant where a young boy and girl where sitting in a booth well back from the front windows. "I didn't want the newshounds bothering them until we got a chance to talk to them."

Grissom had just come into the restaurant when she slid into the seat across from them. She waved him back. "Hi, my name is Catherine Willows and this is Gil Grissom. We're from the Crime Scene Investigation unit and we need to ask you some questions."

"Again?" The boy asked. "The cops have already asked us about a million."

"I know." Grissom said softly. "But do you think you could tell us again?"

"Just tell them what you told me, Tracy." Brass put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Just what did you see?" Grissom asked.

"It was almost too dark." Tracy wiped her nose with a tissue and looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. "It was raining so hard that at first I didn't see anything but it was the sound of the car that made me look out the window."

"Car?" Catherine asked. "Could you tell what kind?"

"It was big and dark. Like one of those luxury cars. It had tinted windows and everything. I tried to get the license plate number but it didn't have one." Tracy looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting and tearing the thin tissue as she tried to tell them what she'd seen. "I saw her when the door of the car came open and she fell out on the road. Then the car stopped and someone got out."

"Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?" Grissom had a note pad out and was jotting down every detail the girl could give him. "Short, tall? Thin, fat?"

"I couldn't see much. Whoever it was they were all dressed in black and had something over their face."

"A ski mask?"

"Yeah, the kind that have the place cut out for your eyes. The person was kinda short and skinny, I do remember that. Because whoever it was they could move pretty fast."

"What do you mean?" Grissom asked.

"Well, when the woman fell on the ground and the car stopped, I saw her look up and then she jumped up and starting running toward the restaurant. I thought that she was gonna make it but the guy tackeled her and landed on her back. I saw him grab her head and sort of twist it around then he dropped her and took off back toward the car when I started screaming. I guess that I scared him off."

"It's alright, Tracy. Thank you for talking to us. I appreciate it." Grissom touched her hand briefly and then got up and headed for the front of the restaurant.

When Catherine joined him she saw him staring down at the notepad, his eyes were dark and brooding and she knew that he was trying to figure how everything fit into what the girl had told them. For a few seconds he was quiet and then he turned to look at her.

"I'm going to get this bastard, Catherine. I don't give a damn if it's the last thing I ever do. I will get this bastard."

December 29, 2000

Its almost the new year, Grissom, and you you're no closer to catching me than you were when I first started this little game. I had to kill the bitch that you sent to catch me and that's too bad. I might have let her live if you hadn't gotten her involved. Don't do that again, Grissom. Or your precious Catherine might have to pay for what you've done. Or maybe I'll just take her little girl instead. It would be a shame if I had to but I will if you push me.

The Autumn Queen

"That's it." Grissom handed Brass the latest letter so that he could read it. "I don't care if the bastard threatens me but I won't let you get involved, Catherine. Jim, I need you to make arrangements for Catherine and Lyndsey to go to a safehouse."

"No," Catherine exclaimed. "I'm in this as much as you, Gil."

"Catherine, don't argue with me. If this bastard can get in my house and bug every damn thing I've got there's no telling what this person could be capable of. I won't have you and Lyndsey turning out like Lizzy."

"And we won't. But I'm not going to run. Lyndsey can go with my sister for a few days to a safe house."

"Catherine-"

"No." She said firmly. "I will not run and hide when we're this close to possibly catching the bastard. Now, here is the autopsy report on the young girl."

"You're impossible." Grissom sighed and sat down at his desk. There was no use arguing with her. Once Catherine Willows made up her mind there was no changing it. "You're going to give me an ulcer some day."

"Send me a bill." Catherine smiled and handed him a copy of the report. "I think that you're going to like this."

"What is it?"

"We found some skin particles under the girls finger nails and we were able to get enough off to run a DNA test."

"And?"

"We've got a name."

"For God's sake woman! Who is it?"

January 1, 2001

Dear Grissom,

What a surprise it was to come home on New Year's eve and find my home crawling with cops. You nearly caught me by surprise I must say. But you weren't quite fast enough. I know that in your search for me you came up with the name of Jack the Ripper. I tried so much to style myself after him and I waited so long for you to finally realize it. When you finally did I must admit that it was a bit of a let down. Ah well, I suppose that all good things must come to an end. But then again do they really?

I'm sorry that my Christmas present to you is rather late but I rather thought that you would enjoy it. Did you read the postmark on the package label very closely? Yes, I am in Virginia now. I wish that you were here with me now. I have such a happy imagine of me and of you and the life that we could have had together. But alas, I guess that some things are just not meant to be. Enjoy your present anyway. I made it especially for you.

We shall meet again someday soon,

The Autumn Queen

P.S. Lizzy asked me to tell you hello.

Alone in the darkness of his office Grissom slipped the videotape into the VCR and watched the images that flickered across the screen as the tears slowly slid down his face.