Eric Delko sat at a table reviewing the evidence that was in front of him.
The case was the rape and murder of Alexis Taylor.
She was a senior at Miami Dade U. She was found by her roommate Jane Greenwood over a week ago. One crucial part was missing. Alexis' murderer.
Since last week all lead went south. Alexis was well liked and no apparent enemies. She was of the cheerleading squad, had a 4.0 gpa, and even had time to volunteer at a community shelter. Alexis was perfect. There was no evidence in the S.A.E kit. No hairs or fibers. The room was perfectly organized how it originally was. The only prints in the room were Alexis' and Jane's. Her killer was clever and prepared. Who would want to hurt Alexis and what was the motive?
What a shame. Eric thought. She had her whole life ahead of her. I wonder if I could go back to the crime scene again. I might have missed something. What if the roommate did it? She was sick of being in Alexis shadow and thought the best way to deal with it was to kill her. There was something about this case that irritated Eric. Maybe it's how calculated the killer was or maybe how Alexis reminded Eric of his cousin Maria, who was the same age as the victim.
Eric desperately wanted to close this case. He wanted to give relief to the Taylor family. Perhaps they could sleep better knowing that Alexis killer was behind bars.
Horatio strolled in. "Delko, why don't you go home? It's getting late." "I know H." Eric said disappointed. Eric packed the crime scene photos, fingerprints and S.A.E kit in a white box. He marked it unsolved putting it on the shelf.
He went to the locker room. Ryan, Walter, Natalia and Calleigh were already there getting ready go home. "What is everyone doing later? " Eric asked.
Ryan was the first one to answer. "Walter and I were going to the new sports bar downtown. There's a game tonight: Giants v.s 49ers. But there is no point of watching because we all know the 49ers are going to win" Ryan said.
"Are you kidding me? Giants have a better defense. They are going to win." Walter argued. "Whatever Walter." Ryan said.
"Well I have a blind date" Natalia said. "Wow Natalia got a date congrats!" Ryan mocked. "You're just jealous that I'm not going with you." Natalia teased. "Aww Ryan is jealous" Calleigh cooed.
Ryan's face turned three different shades of red. "Walter let's go." Ryan said putting on his coat. Natalia left soon after leaving Eric and Calleigh alone in the locker room. "So what do you have planned? Eric inquired.
"I heard there was a carnival in town. If you're not busy we can go together." Calleigh said with her signature southern belle accent.
Eric had no plans other than sit in his condo alone watching True Blood reruns and order a pizza. "I wold love to go" He said. "Great, let's go." Calleigh said.
They left the lab and got in Calleigh's Jeep 4x4 Laredo.
There was no doubt that Calleigh and Eric had chemistry. They would be perfect for each other, both were too wary to admit their feelings. Even with their hectic schedules, who had time for love?
Eric loved Calleigh more than anything. In his mind she was flawless: silkily blonde hair, piercing green eyes, pouty lips he desired to kiss and a killer body filled with curves. Not to mention she knew everything about guns.
"Hey Eric, we're here." Calleigh said bring him out of his daze.
"Great" he said getting out of the car. As they walked around he saw a mixture on people around. Little kids were running around, teens waiting to go on rides, and parents chatting.
"What do you want to do first?" she asked. "Let's get tickets" he replied. They went to the concession stand then got fifteen tickets.
"When was the last time you went to a carnival" Eric questioned. "I don't know, maybe when I was fourteen. What about you?" "I've never been to a carnival. This is my first time" he said timidly. Calleigh laughed. "Well there is a first time for everything. Let's go on the Twirl a Whirl."
They buckled themselves in. "Are you sure this is safe? "Eric asked. "Yes! Quit being a baby Eric."
The ride slowly started to move counterclockwise and sped up. Eric's vision blurred, colors were blending into each other. He felt his adrenaline rise. His heart was pounding profligately. Calleigh slipped her hand into his, squeezing it to reassure him. After a few minutes the ride was over. People piled out the exit complaining of being dizzy or stumbling like they them had too many shots.
"It wasn't that bad was it?" "Yes "Eric muttered on his breathe. "Oh!" Calleigh said something Eric couldn't see. "Let's go play a game" She dragged him over to a bright booth.
"Try to get the ball into the basket." The ringmaster said. "If you get three out of the five in, you win a huge teddy bear." He said handing Eric the ball. "Okay" The basket was about three yards away where Eric was standing. The first shot he missed. The second…Swosh it went in. The third a miss. The fourth ..Swosh. The fifth shot …Swosh it went in! "Pick whichever one you want" Eric told Calleigh. She chose a 5 foot teddy bear with a red bow tie. "Thanks" she said. "No problem. Did I ever tell you that I was the captain of my basketball team?" "No"
After Eric's win they played a few more games, ate corn dogs and decided to take a walk on the beach. The sand felt soft and cool. Calleigh and Eric sat down at the shore the waves crashing at their feet.
"Eric, I had a great time tonight. I really love the teddy bear." Calleigh said. "You're welcome. Thanks for inviting me." Eric responded. "Calleigh, I need you in my life. I can't image if you weren't there. You complete me. I hate going to bed every night and regretting that I never told you I love you. I love your laugh, your smile, everything about you. I want to try an "us". Can we?"
"Eric why didn't you tell me sooner? I love you too. I like the start of us." Calleigh said giving him a peck on the lips.