Grissom sat in his semi-darkened office at his desk, holding his coffee cup. He shouldn't have blown up like that, he wouldn't have before..... , he resolutely pushed that thought to the back of his mind, thinking of that only put him through hell. He looked at his cup and saw his hands were trembling, he wasn't sure if it was from fear, or anger.

Damn it! He thought, sitting here isn't getting me anywhere. He stood up as he decided he might as well go and see if Greg had any results from the swabs he had given him. They'd have to move on to the next case now that.... The anger began to build inside him once more. "Forget it." He told himself, but he couldn't. They had the perpetrator; the evidence and they couldn't do a damn thing because of Culpepper and the witness protection scheme. He strode past Greg's lab and out into the night air.

Sitting in the break room with the others, Catherine was just about to go into Grissom's office and talk to him when she saw him leave. She was worried, the Gil Grissom she knew before the attack wouldn't have reacted as this man had done when Brass had told them that their perpetrator was providing the FBI with information on a large Drug organisation in return for protection and amnesty for his crimes. But then that Grissom hadn't been tortured and left to bleed to death in the desert. He hadn't been under the strain of wondering when it might happen again, or when he might be killed.

Suddenly she realised Warrick was speaking. "Well who's going to talk to him?" He along with the other members of the graveyard shift had wandered into the break room after Grissom's discussion, if it could be called that, with Brass. He looked at the others, his concern clearly evident. They had all thought their boss was coping with all he had been through, but now?

"Maybe he just needs a little space." Nick said slowly. Shorter than Warrick, the Texan had a boyish charm, he also seemed a little more naive than his more cynical colleagues, more willing to believe in the good in people. He too, was worried about their boss, he had always respected him and that respect had grown after seeing how he had coped after the attack. "Do you really think someone should try to talk to him when he's that angry?" he added.

Warrick considered Nick's words, "Maybe you're right, we should let him get it out of his system.

A snort came from his right, "You mean that wasn't him getting it out of his system!" Sara stated, nodding towards the cracked panel of glass in one of the doors. She had heard Grissom's angry comments at Brass and then a thud, she had looked out the lab to see the door swinging backwards and forwards, Brass standing on one side and Grissom storming away.

Catherine stood up, "I'll go talk to him." She told them. She couldn't let this go on. Leaving the Break room she thought of how this had all started.

It had all started innocuously enough. At first the police thought it as someone playing a practical joke, breaking into the homes of people while they were on vacation and leaving a 'Barbie' type doll dressed as a showgirl behind.

It was at the fifth reported incident that a young psychology student brought up the possibility of it being something more sinister. The young couple had just returned from vacation to find their apartment had been broken into and a doll dressed as a showgirl had been left behind, nothing else had been touched. Officer Mendor, who was taking the report, was about to class it with the previous four when the young woman had become adamant that it should be looked at more carefully.

"The doll's eyes have been glued shut." She informed the officer.

"My girlfriend is majoring in psychology," the young man at her side stated with a huge grin, " everything is significant." He added in a mock serious tone.

"Yeah! I'm doing psychology," his girlfriend stated, elbowing him in the ribs, "but that should count for something shouldn't it?" She asked the police officer. She then went on even more concerned, "Doesn't it strike you as strange that someone goes to all the bother of breaking into our home to leave a blind 'Barbie'?"

The officer looked at her puzzled, "Blind?"

"I think that is what is being implied by the eyes being glued shut." She explained. At her concern and the use of the word blind the officer decided he wouldn't feel right just leaving it there, but he also didn't want to have his superiors thinking he was over reacting. Thinking about it he decided this might be more up the street of the Nerd Squad, so at the end of his shift he wandered down to the Crime Lab.

Entering the lab, Officer Mendor began to think this was a stupid idea and was just about to leave, when Grissom bumped into him. The CSI had rounded a corner; his nose stuck in a file and hadn't seen the officer until too late. "Sorry." Grissom said raising his head.

Mendor muttered "Okay, no harm done." and started to turn away but Grissom took off his glasses and looked at him consideringly.

"Can I help you? He asked politely.

"No, Uh yes." Mendor stuttered.

Grissom tilted his head inquisitively, "Which?"

"Yes." The officer replied.

"How?" Grissom gave a small smile and waited patiently for the man to make up his mind about what he was going to say.

"Over the past few months someone's been breaking into peoples' homes while they've been on vacation and leaving behind 'Barbie' dolls dressed as show girls. The perp doesn't take anything or cause any damage he just leaves the dolls." Mendor informed him. He paused for a moment waiting on a comment, when there was none he went on. "Today he left behind the doll as usual, but it had its eyes glued shut." He noticed Grissom raise an eyebrow. "The owner of the house is majoring in psychology and she thought it might mean something, and when she started using the word blind..." he tailed off.

"You decided you couldn't just leave it there and of course told your superiors of your concerns." Grissom stated with a wry grin. The officer looked at him.

"Not exactly." He answered sheepishly. " I thought it might mean something to the Ne...., ahem," He coughed, "to you guys."

"I take it you would feel better if we looked into it?" Grissom asked and the other man nodded. "Can you get me the reports and evidence from all five break-ins?" He went on.

Mendor looked at his watch, "I've just come off shift..." the look on Grissom's face told him that it was Mendor's idea so ..... "I'll see what I can do."

"Bring it straight to my office. I'll look into it."

"Yes sir, Mr. Grissom." And with that Mendor left.

Catherine was glad to see Grissom back at work, and the team had decided to break him back in gently, so she was surprised to see his desk covered with files, then she noticed the dolls. "Would you like me to leave you alone with your lady friends?" She asked teasingly. Grissom looked up at her, a puzzled expression on his face, and then he glanced back down at his desk.

"No," he answered, "these ladies have told me all they can." He leaned back in his chair and removed his glasses.

"And that is?"

"That someone has been practising his technique." He stated, a twinkle in his eye. Catherine raised her eyebrows, "Oh," she said in a soft, sexy tone. Grissom looked at her sternly, "Now, now Ms. Willows." He admonished her grinning, "I mean in breaking and entry. What did you mean?"

Catherine shook her head and laughed softly. "Okay how did they tell you about the breaking and entry part?" Grissom told her to sit down and related Officer Mendor's concerns to her.

"You think the psychology student could be right, don't you." She stated.

"Yes," Grissom replied, "no one goes to all this trouble to leave a doll. He's been trying things out, seeing if he makes any mistakes before he goes onto something a little more serious."

"Which is?"

"Possibly breaking into an occupied house." He tilted his head to the side and gave her a speculative look.

"But he wants a practice run first." Catherine said in her thinking voice.

"One where the owner won't see him." Grissom stated grimly, holding up the doll with the eyes glued shut.

"And he's challenging us to find him!" Catherine was furious.