Every Woman's Dream
CHAPTER 1
First Encounter:
Horatio walked along the deserted beach to an out crop of huge rocks. He sat on one rock and picked up a handful of powdery sand letting it sieve slowly through his fingers. Not unlike how life passes by before one has really had a chance to live it. Sighing deeply he picked up yet another handful also letting that run through his hand. How strange life was when looked at from that aspect, just as his was presently. Living in an empty void since his wife of just months was murdered. How easily one becomes a target for the unscrupulous of the world's population. Making their riches from the weak and the sick among them.
Just then he looked up to see a slim dark haired woman walking slowly up the beach her long dark hair blowing wildly in the soft breeze coming from the ocean. She looked as sad as he felt and had an instant affinity with her. Her cell phone rang at that moment, she stopped, took it from the pocket of her shorts she looked at it.
"Oh go away" she said loudly and put the phone back in her pocket and continued on her way.
Horatio knew from her accent that she was English probably here on holiday and not wanting to be disturbed by her cell phone ringing. He smiled to himself and wondered why she didn't just leave it at home or where ever she was staying if she didn't want to be contacted. He watched still as she meandered slowly in the direction of the dozen or so condo's lining the beach front and stepped up on the porch of the fifth. She turned, looking out over the water before unlocking the door, entering and closing it behind her. Horatio looked at his watch and noted that he had been sitting there for almost and hour. He really should get going or he'd be late for work.
Sighing heavily he got up and made his way to his hummer. Before getting in he too took one more look at the ocean and opened the door. Two gun shots echoed in the still morning air, prompting Horatio to reach for his gun. Running stealthily back on to the beach he saw a masked figure come running from the condo the English woman had entered. Running with his gun aimed towards the perpetrator Horatio yelled.
"Stop! Miami-Dade police!"
The figure turned, aimed a gun and took a wild shot at Horatio but the bullet hit the sandy surface to his right. Horatio fired and took aim again when the first bullet intentionally winged the perpetrator. The man just kept running as Horatio yelled his warning again. Horatio fired the second shot that stopped the man instantly. He tumbled face down in the sand. Flipping his cell phone open he dialled 911 and gave rank and his location.
"Unknown assailant shot female occupant" he said into the phone making his way cautiously towards the prone figure with his gun still pointed at him. He heard rather than saw the door of the condo creak open and swiftly turned in that direction to see the English woman stagger on to the porch holding a bloody hand to her right shoulder.
"Ma'am" Horatio called. "Stay where you are, there's police and an ambulance on the way. Sit down but keep the pressure on the wound OK? He instructed as he crouched beside the body on the beach. Reaching to check his pulse he found none. Dipping his head, taking a deep breath he stood up, his gun still un-holstered. "Ma'am" he called softly as he walked back to her. She looked up from her sitting position on the deck with tears of pain and shock in her dark brown eyes.
"He was stealing our money and passports" she spoke on a dry sob "I thinks she's dead I couldn't stop him, he turned the gun on me!" she groaned softly and slumped side ways passing out. Horatio checked the bullet wound and saw that it was still embedded and for now had slowed the bleeding. A noise inside the condo alerted him to the presence of a possible second perpetrator, he rushed to the cover of the door frame.
"Miami-Dade police!" Horatio called as he moved to enter the condo his gun once more ready for action.
"I am a police officer and I'm unarmed. Is Jenna OK?" She asked in a shaky voice. Moving into the door way she stopped
"Ma'am, come on to the deck and keep your hands where I can see them" Horatio instructed. The woman pale as day, was still dressed in pyjama's, walked slowly on to the deck her hands raised so Horatio could see that she was unarmed she told him that her friend inside was dead. As she looked down she saw Jenna lying on the deck bleeding she dashed to her side.
"Jenna!" she exclaimed dropping to her knees beside her injured friend. "Oh Jenna, you foolish woman" she cried as she stroked her friends hair back from her face. It was then that the deck was swamped with police. Taking her arm Horatio led the woman towards the police officers with guns trained on the condo. Men and women dressed in body armour moved forward and swarmed the house.
"There's another female inside Calleigh" he said to a woman who stepped up beside him. She nodded and made her way inside.
"Ryan! Horatio called as the woman moved away. "You take the gunman" he ordered. Ryan nodded leaving Horatio with the ambulance crew and the female. Horatio asked her name and told her to let the paramendics check her over. She nodded as she was lead away.
A couple of hours later after his team had cleared the crime scene Calleigh was handing him her preliminary report. It had transpired that two of the three female occupants, one of whom was killed, were American police officers. One from California and the dead woman from Dallas, the injured woman was a forensic science officer on an exchange visit for six months from England. Horatio had gathered the information about the three unlikely companions while making enquiries along the beach front. The English woman he now knew as Jenna Marshall from her passport, found scattered among the other valuables in the condo, met her two friends through their respective jobs and, having heard that they were taking six months sabbatical from their employment to work in Miami persuaded Jenna to join them.
Jenna had secured a six month post with the crime department and would have been arriving in this very department two weeks from now to start work. Jenna Marshall was still unaware that her friend was dead because she was still undergoing surgery to remove the bullet lodge against her collar bone. It would be Horatio's job to tell her when she was fit to be interviewed about the shooting.
To be continued: