"Duquesne," said Calleigh, picking up her phone. She was at lunch with her fellow workers Eric, Natalia, and Ryan. They were at their favorite outdoor café, Rudel's, on a balmy July day.
"Calleigh, its Horatio. We need you guys down at 884 Peachtree. There was a double murder." The phone line went dead. She sighed. They never managed to make it through lunch, and she regretted that.
"Lunch break over," said Calleigh, grabbing her bag, "Double murder at 884 Peachtree." They all stood up. Ryan shoved a blondie in his mouth while everyone stared.
"I'm sorry," he said, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, "I had a girlfriend in high school that got me hooked on blondies. She had the best recipe!"
"Spare us the story," said Eric, tossing him the keys, "and get driving." They all climbed into the CSIs Hummer. Ryan smiled to himself as he drove like a madman. He felt a little bit like Calleigh. He absolutely hated it when she drove- Bullet Girl drives like a maniac.
***
Natalia looked over the crime scene. There were two people lying dead on the floor- a husband and wife. Blood was everywhere. And worst of all, their murder has chosen to cut their heads off and placed them on the kitchen counter.
Eric looked over the note Horatio had already taken of the crime scene.
"So the vics were Ruth and Thomas McCoy. Both 32, always lived in Florida. Ruth was a dessert chef, and Thomas was a banker. Their daughter called it in."
"You know, I think I'll help Horatio comfort the girl," she said to Eric, handing him the camera. Too much blood made her shiver. She felt a little queasy just looking at the scene.
"Hey H," she said, sitting down next to him at the dining room table.
"Natalia, this is Ellie," he said. Natalia glanced at the girl. She seemed young- perhaps fourteen at the oldest. She had long wavy brown hair, and her eyes were bloodshot from crying.
"Hi Natalia," she said, her voice wavering as she spoke. She brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"Ellie, we're going to need you to tell us everything," said Horatio. He felt like just hugging the girl, but he needed to get the job done.
"Okay," she said, wiping a tear away, "So I was gonna make homemade granola bars at my friend Jen's. My mom's the dessert chef at the Waterside, so she has all these really good recipes. I was walking over- Jen lives a couple blocks away- when I realized I forgot the recipe. I ran back over here after calling Jen. When I came in, I found my mom and Tom on the floor. So I called you." She started crying again. Natalia held her in her arms and rubbed her back.
"Wait. Your mom and Tom? Thomas isn't your real father?" she questioned.
"Nope," Ellie sniffed, calming down a slight bit, "My mom got pregnant with me in high school. She moved in with my great-grandparents here in Miami when she found out."
"Okay," said Horatio, "So do you know who your biological father is?"
"No. My mom never told him, didn't keep contact. She said she'd tell me on my sixteenth birthday who he was. That was only three years away... I'll never know now." She burst into tears.
"Ellie. It's going to be okay." Horatio took Ellie's hand and made her look at him. "Listen Ellie. I'm going to find out who did this to your parents."
"Kay."
"Do you have someone you can stay with for now? Like an aunt or an uncle or your grandparents?"
"Ummm... well, my grandparents all died. My parents were both only-childs. But I probably could stay at Jen's place." Ellie stared up at Horatio with wide eyes. He felt compassion for the girl- she was so young, so innocent. She didn't deserve this.
"Okay then. I'll speak with Jen's parents. In the meantime, I'd like you to pack a bag. We're going to need you to come down to come down to our lab."
"Sure." Ellie got up and ran for the stairs.
Natalia watched her pound the stairs. She shook her head.
"The poor girl. She has no family."
"Not for long," said Horatio, looking up from his notes, "I'm going to find that girl her father."
***
"Finding her father? Is H out of his mind?" said Ryan to Eric as they worked over the evidence. Ryan knew that Horatio always wanted to help out, but this might be going just a little too far.
"I think it's nice that he's trying," said Eric, "I mean, the poor girl! No family at all."
"I know, I know," said Ryan, now feeling like the bad guy, "I feel for her too." He picked up an evidence bag and examined it. There was a tiny hair inside. He looked up and saw Ellie standing with Horatio in the hallway.
"I'm gonna get this to DNA," he said, standing up.
"Kay. Talk to you later." Eric barley looked up from the knife he was examining. Ryan pushed the door open and walked down the hallway. He smiled at Ellie as he passed her and she smiled back. There was something about that girl that was familiar. He just couldn't figure out what it was.