Title: The Devil of the Stairs
Author: Melanie-Anne (melsie04hotmail.com)
Rating: R
Summary: A teenager is found dead on the beach and evidence suggests the killer has religious motives. Calleigh finds herself growing closer to Horatio, while at the same time keeping a secret from him. And to complicate things further, an FBI agent with unusual ideas involves herself in the case.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to either Jerry or Chris, but definitely not me.
A/N: Response to the TS Eliot challenge. More notes at the end.
Timeline: We're in season 2 for CSI Miami. In my X-Files universe, The Truth never happened and Doggett and Reyes are still working on the X-Files.
WARNING: disturbing content ahead. Please read responsibly.
At the first turning of the second stair
I turned and saw below
The same shape twisted on the banister
Under the vapour in the fetid air
Struggling with the devil of the stairs
TS Eliot, "Ash Wednesday"
Friday, February 27
She's been here before, she thinks, but she can't remember where 'here' is. The floorboards creak under her weight as she moves through the house. The moon is full tonight, casting its light through the open windows. She hears the waves crash against the shore, smells the salt air, the humid air thick on and around her. And then she hears him.
"Mary . . ."
Confused (she knows she's not Mary) but not frightened, she heads for the staircase. It spirals upwards and she's overcome by a sudden dread: do not go up there!
"Mary, please," he says, and she knows she can't leave without knowing that he's okay. She begins to climb.
. . . and the stench is overwhelming and she tries not to breathe in but the air rushes into her lungs, burning, burning, burning . . .
Behind her: "Mary!"
She turns around slowly because now she is afraid and—
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP—
Calleigh reached for the alarm clock, craving just five more minutes of sleep. The dream was almost forgotten, but for the slight sense of unease that Calleigh still felt. She sat up, stifling a yawn, and stretched. Her ginger kitten jumped onto her lap to greet her, nuzzling her neck, as he demanded to be fed.
The phone started to ring. Calleigh battled a yawn as she answered it. "'Lo?"
"Sorry to wake you, Cal." She smiled when she recognized Horatio's voice. She leaned back against her pillows and thought that her day couldn't possibly get any better than this.
She was right.
"I need you at a scene," Horatio continued. "It's, ahh, look, can you be ready in fifteen minutes? I'll pick you up."
"Sure." She was already at her closet, pulling out clothes. When Horatio hung up, she showered quickly, wondering just how bad it was for Horatio to sound that disturbed. She was pouring pellets into the cat's dish when Horatio knocked on the door.
Less than five minutes later they were on their way to South Beach. Calleigh studied Horatio while he drove; he looked tense this morning, she thought, and again wondered exactly what the crime scene held for them.
Adele was waiting; even she looked unsettled. As Calleigh and Horatio climbed out the car, he started to explain.
"Two days ago a British exchange student was reported missing by her host family. Judy Williams, sixteen years old. She was walking the family's dog. The dog went home, she didn't."
Alexx was already at the scene. She stood when Horatio and Calleigh approached. "Looks like she was strangled but I'll know more when I get her back to the lab."
She moved out of the way and Calleigh got her first look at the body. Judy Williams was naked and pale. She lay twisted on the ground, her dark hair damp and matted with blood and sand. She wore a crown of thorns on her head and her eyes were open, staring out beyond Calleigh. Staring at nothing.
"What do you make of that?" Calleigh pointed to the crown. Horatio shrugged.
"I don't know yet."
Adele hung up her cellphone and came to stand next to them. "The Brits want the body flown back ASAP. Looks like this is going to be a high-profile case. I hope to God we catch this nut."
Already, the media had got wind of the murder. A car pulled up and Sofia Moran got out. She was a news anchor for Channel Five, and one of the more reasonable members of the press. Horatio looked at her.
"Adele."
"I'll take care of them."
Calleigh set her case down and picked up her camera. She moved around the body, photographing from just about every angle. This was going to be along day, and it had barely begun.
Calleigh was in the break room, making coffee, when Alexx told her she looked tired.
"I haven't been sleeping well." Calleigh shrugged.
"Or maybe you're drinking too much coffee." Alexx smiled and held up her mug of herbal tea. Calleigh smiled; Alexx was always trying to get her to drink herbal tea.
"Is that your official diagnosis, doctor?" They laughed and Calleigh leaned over to smell Alexx's drink. "What is it today?"
"Blissful Berry."
Calleigh wrinkled her nose. "Smells like medicine."
"It's good for you."
She shook her head and sipped her coffee, giving an exaggerated sigh of contentment.
"Alexx? You done with the autopsy yet?" Horatio stood at the entrance, his posture giving away how tense he was. The British were understandably very upset about Judy Williams' death and there was a lot pressure to solve the case quickly. Calleigh didn't envy Horatio today; he had to deal with the flak from all sides.
Alexx waved a folder at him. "I was just on my way to see you. Bruising around the neck, blue lips and hemorrhages behind the eyelids suggest she was strangled. Now, here's the strange thing. The body was washed – there're no fibers, no hairs, no foreign skin cells. Just beach sand. Whoever did this doesn't want to get caught."
"What about the crown?"
"Put on post-mortem. He killed her, cleaned her, put the crown on and dumped her."
"How long ago did she die?"
"Around midnight, last night."
Calleigh shivered. "He kept her for two days."
Alexx handed the folder to Horatio and headed for the couches; she'd been standing all morning and her back was killing her.
"Calleigh, you get anything on the crown?" Horatio tilted his head as he waited for her answer.
"Speed's working on it."
Horatio nodded, his eyes distant. Calleigh impulsively held up her coffee cup. "You look like you could use some coffee."
"No, thank you."
Calleigh shrugged. As she moved past him, he laid his hand on her shoulder.
"I spoke to her host parents. She seemed like a nice kid." He sighed. "There are days when I wonder what this is all for, you know?"
"We'll catch him, Horatio. He's not as smart as he thinks." Except she was really not as certain as she sounded, but right now they had very little to go on. Horatio smiled – she could always make him smile – and took Calleigh's cup, his fingers lingering on hers a split-second longer than necessary. He sipped slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I did offer to make you—"
"It tastes better in your mug." He passed it back then left. As Calleigh raised it to her lips, she grinned. She didn't notice that she was staring at the door like a schoolgirl with a crush until Alexx laughed.
Calleigh was tasked with delivering the news that there was nothing remarkable about the thorns. When she told Horatio, he nodded as if he were expecting just that. He didn't say anything so Calleigh slowly backed out.
"Are you okay?"
She looked up, surprised. "Yes. Fine."
"You look tired. Have you eaten?"
She shook her head.
"You want to get lunch? I need to get away from here for a while and—"
"Sure."
"Good."
They grinned at each other and Calleigh was suddenly glad that Alexx wasn't there to laugh at them.
On the way out, Sofia Moran jumped out of her car and headed for them. "Lieutenant Caine—"
"You know we can't comment on an ongoing investigation, Miss Moran." Horatio's hand was at Calleigh's elbow and he quickened their pace.
Sofia Moran lowered her eyelashes and smiled. "You don't know I was going to ask about a case."
Calleigh didn't like her tone and was comforted to feel Horatio's grasp tighten slightly.
"Miss Moran—"
"Sofia."
"Miss Moran, there is nothing you could possibly say to interest me. Now, if you don't mind, I have somewhere I need to be."
Calleigh couldn't help chuckling as Horatio opened the Hummer door for her. Sofia Moran was no longer smiling when they drove off.
End part one.