A/N: I do not own CSI Miami or any of it's characters, affiliates...etc. This is just my imagination running with it! I hope you all enjoy!
She was running down the pier, not sure, or even caring where she was running. She just knew she had to get away, and the platform seemed clear of people. Horatio looked up to see a girl in a panic, running for what looked to be, her life. She went around the crime tape from the murder investigation they'd been working on when he called out to her. "Ma'am?"
Frankie didn't even hear him. "Ma'am, don't do it! It's not...ma'am!?" he yelled, and watched her jump off a chair and launch herself into the water below. "Eric!" He threw his gun down and took his jacket off. "Calleigh, call an ambulance." and he dove off the pier after the girl. He turned when Eric appeared to the right side. "Do you see her?"
"No. But there's a rip current warning today."
"We have to find her." then he turned and spotted dark red, almost purple hair in the water. "There!" he shouted, as she surfaced and started coughing.
Something felt like it was grabbing her foot and pulling her under. What was going on with her? Then as if in some strange parallel universe, she felt something grab her hand and felt her body being lifted.
"There we go sweetheart." then he looked over his shoulder. "Eric!"
"I'm here!" and he ran up to where his boss had laid the young woman in the sand.
He reached his fingers up under her chin on her neck. "No pulse." and he started chest compressions. It took a couple of times and she started coughing. "Good girl. Breathe for me. Can you breathe in?"
She continued coughing as this man's face swam in front of her light green eyes. Man? She had to go. She had to get away. She breathed in and turned over on her stomach and tried to get up, after she threw up all the water in her system. "Ma'am."
"Have...to...go..." she got out in between breaths. "Going...to...find me."
Horatio turned to see the energy drain and her body go limp on the beach. It was when he flipped her over, that he noticed the black eye, busted lip, and bruises all over her neck, chest, arms and back. "No one's going to hurt you now."
Calleigh glanced up at the man now making his way to the back of the ambulance with the EMT's. "Enjoy your swim?"
He shook his head. "Go with her to the hospital and keep someone on her round the clock. She's running from someone and she is willing to die for it." Then he shook his head again. "She's scared to death of me. Maybe she wont be of you." and he walked away.
She could tell that it bothered him that this girl was afraid of him. She followed as he finished up the original crime scene and didn't move while they did everything to revive the kid. When the nurse talked to her, she was amazed to find that not only had she been beaten beyond belief, there were several other bruises that were more than a week old.
She grabbed her phone.
"Talk to me."
"She has no signs of sexual assault, but someone has done a number on her. She's not awake yet, but the nurse said any time."
"Well at least we've got that. I'm going back to the lab to start processing this scene. Keep me posted."
She hung up and looked at the girl. It was really bothering Horatio that she had been that afraid of him. And she knew, for him, it was hard to deal with anyone that was afraid of another person. Bullies really irritated him, and there was nothing he hated more.
She turned to see the girl, now moving just a little. Her eyes were starting to open.
"Hi."
She started breathing hard and Calleigh noticed her heart rate increase as her eyes came fully open. "Easy. Calm down."
She was breathing erratically. "Where am I?" she whispered.
"In a hospital in Miami Florida."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Calleigh Duquesne."
"You a cop?"
She nodded. "Crime Scene Investigator with the Miami-Dade police. What's your name sweetie?"
"How did I get here?"
"Coincidentally, I was going to ask you that question. Do you remember hitting the pier this morning?"
She closed her eyes to think back. "I was running." and tears sprung to her eyes. "Joey. Where's Joey?"
"Calm down. There was no one with you this morning."
"No, that...that's not right." and she thought back.
Calleigh could tell she was having a hard time remembering. "No, Joey was with me when I hit the beach this morning. He...he..." and she looked up at the woman. "Oh God. We, we have to go. I have to go. I have to find him." and she started to get up.
"Honey you need to calm down. The doctors said you were extremely dehydrated and malnourished, not to mention you're covered head to toe in bruises."
"That doesn't matter!" she pleaded. "You don't understand. He'll kill him!"
"Alright, start from the beginning."
She struggled to a sitting position, and started trying to remove the monitors and IV. "There's no time. We have to go. Now."
"You can't. Look, tell me where he is and I'll send one of my people out to get him."
"I can't! I don't know how to tell you. I have to show you. Please, he's going to hurt him!"
"Honey, who is Joey?"
"He's my little brother."
"Who has him?"
"I...I don't know. He grabbed us in Atlanta and brought us down here."
"How long ago was that?"
She shook her head and closed her eyes. "What month is it?"
"You don't know..." she stopped her question in disbelief then took a deep breath. "It's June."
"Six months ago."
"You've been missing for six months?"
She shrugged. "When you're in the system, it's not like people really care about you." then she moved off the bed. "Now please, we have to go. I have to find him."
"I need to call my boss." and he noticed her expression. "Don't worry, he's one of the good guys."
Her eyes clouded. "There are no good guys any more."
She started to respond when Horatio picked up.
"Hey listen, H. She's awake. There was a little boy with her when she started out this morning and she says she has to find him. Did you see anything while you were processing today?"
He thought back. "No. I'll meet you out there and we'll work backwards."
"You've got it." and she looked back at her. "Let's go."
The girl looked up. "Francis."
She turned. "I'm sorry?"
"My name is Francis Camply. But I hate when people call me that so I have people call me Frankie."
Calleigh smiled. "Well come on Frankie. Let's go find your brother."
When they got to the pier, she got out of the Hummer and noticed the man there. His features swam in front of her face for a moment and she had to lean against the side of the vehicle.
"Are you alright?" he asked, walking toward her.
"No." Calleigh answered for her. "She's malnourished, dehydrated and covered head to toe in bruises, but she's not stopping until she finds her brother." Then she stood between the both of them. "Frankie Camply, Horatio Caine."
"I have to find him. You don't understand. He'll kill him!"
Horatio watched as tears swam in her eyes. "Okay do you remember where you last saw him?"
She let out a breath. They were going to help her. She stood and turned toward the pier, then looked in the opposite direction. "There." and she pointed between two hills to the far side.
They took off in search and had gone about a mile when she found a little spot that looked almost dug out of the surrounding area. "Here. This is where I left him. I told him not to come out unless it was me. I was coming to get help but then..." and she started breathing hard as she remembered. "He caught me. That's why I was running. He'd seen me. He must have gotten Joey. He's got him. Oh God." and she sat down, trying to counter the panic.
H watched her face, and the emotion of loss that crossed it. "Who has him?"
She took a deep breath. "A guy. That's all I know about him. We've been blindfolded since he took us."
"But you said that was six months ago." Calleigh reiterated.
She nodded. "We've been carted back and forth but every time we move, we're blindfolded and when we're not moved, we're in dark rooms. I got a good look at this guy for the first time, only this morning."
Horatio squatted down to where she was and he halted at the instant fear in her eyes. "Where are you originally from?"
"Atlanta. Look I've already been through this with Calleigh."
He studied her for a moment. "You don't trust people, do you?"
"People haven't really given me a reason to trust them." then she looked away. "Ever." she added whispering.
He looked up at Calleigh when she closed her phone. "She hasn't been reported missing."
"What?"
"We're in the system." Frankie explained. "No one cares."
Noticing the expression and isolation in her eyes he sighed. "I care."
She shrugged. "Yeah. Right." and she stood up and started walking.
H turned to Calleigh. "See what you can find out." and he followed the girl. "Do you remember any of this?"
She shook her head. "No. He...he drugged me last night."
He could tell she was trying very hard to remember everything correctly. And more than anything, because she believed her brother's life depended on it. "Did he drug you before?"
A shiver ran down her spine. "A couple of times."
"What happened to you when he did?"
"I don't...I don't..." then she turned and looked in his face. "Look it doesn't matter what happened to me, and talking about it now, isn't going to help us find Joey."
"Okay, so tell me something that will. What did the man that took you, look like?"
She thought about it. "He's got brown hair that's really short. Military style cut. And I think his eyes are green. He's built. He was able to haul me and Joey in one trip. I remember once he was dragging us through the woods, and my blindfold slipped. He was wearing fatigues and combat boots. Joey is nine and has blond hair and blue eyes. He's wearing a green t-shirt and jeans and some old tennis shoes that are falling apart."
He could see her still shaking while she talked about it. What had this girl been through? His phone rang and he answered it. "I've got to go. You need to get back to the hospital."
"No."
His eyes took in her gaze.
"Not until my brother is found and safe."
He studied her for a moment before finally nodding. "You follow me." and he watched her start back to the truck. He looked at Calleigh. "Keep her in the truck as long as you can."
"Okay. Why?"
"Because we're heading to a warehouse fire. There's a body in the building."
She nodded, her heart sinking into her stomach.
"Lets roll out."
They got there and she stared at the flames coming out. By the time they rolled up, Horatio was already talking to the fire marshal. "Calleigh, why are we here?"
"We're crime scene investigators."
"They think the fire is arson?"
"They do."
"So then what does that have to do with..." then she faltered off. "Is my brother in there?"
"Honey we have no way of knowing that."
"But you think it's possible?"
"I didn't say that."
The expression in her eyes though, was too much. She jumped out of the truck and everything happened quickly but as if in slow motion. Calleigh yelled for Horatio and he glanced up, as what he'd been afraid of, was coming true. Frankie was running straight for the building. Horatio yelled out to anyone who could hear him "Stop her!" but she kept dodging people.
She ran for everything it was worth and was almost there when an arm went around her stomach and she was tackled to the ground.
"No, sweetheart. You can't go in there."
"He's in there. Isn't he?"
"We don't know."
"No!" she screamed out and started crying. She fought for a few more moments, then stopped. She didn't have the energy to fight any more. She closed her eyes and felt a hand brush the hair back from her face.
"Easy. We don't know anything yet."
"This is all wrong. I shouldn't have left. I never should have left." and she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled herself closer as she screamed and cried. She could feel it. It was Joey in that building. She was amazed that he just held her for as long as he did. Simply sitting on the ground to help her out was something no one had ever done for her, in her life.
She didn't remember anything about what happened after that, she just knew that the next time she was conscious, she was listening to Calleigh and Horatio talk about the fact that the DNA came back and confirmed that it was one Joseph William Haynes that was in the fire and died from smoke inhalation, but that they also discovered that Frankie and Joey were not biological matches.
"There's something else you need to see H."
He glanced at the piece of paper in her hand and his heart almost stopped. "Is this right?"
She nodded. "Natalia ran it three times. She's positive."
He folded the paper and put it in his pocket, then studied the frame hooked back up in the hospital bed. Her eyes were barely open and he knew that she probably still wasn't completely with it.
Calleigh walked beside the bed and sat down next to her. "Hey Frankie."
She swallowed and knew from the look in her eyes, what she'd found out. "It was him."
She nodded. "Yeah honey. I'm sorry."
A tear rolled down Frankie's cheek.
"We ran some blood tests. Joey wasn't biologically your brother."
She shook her head. "My mother married his father and he was just my step brother. But when my stepfather murdered my mom and we got put into the system, we wound up together and stayed that way. I refused to let him go somewhere without me. All we had was each other, no one was going to look out for us, but us."
"How old were you when your mother was killed?"
"Eight. He was just three. His father, I found out later, killed his mother as well, before he moved on to mine."
"Do you remember his name?"
"I'll never forget his name. Or his face. His name was Michael Joseph Haynes. And as I heard it, he was killed in jail while waiting to be released, during a gang war in the yard."
"Did you hear anything while you were in the other man's custody, on the run?"
She shook her head. "He only talked when he was drunk. And that wasn't very often. And it was always about some girl named Julie that got away."
Calleigh noticed her get shaky again. "Take it easy. But we need to catch this guy. You're right. No one has reported you even missing, and this is going to happen again if we don't stop it."
She closed her eyes in a long blink. "I don't know how to help you any more than what I've told you."
"And that's okay. But we're going to protect you now, so that you don't go missing again."
She shook her head and half laughed. "We technically aren't even missing now. And one of us isn't even alive any more."
"Okay and I'm sorry for that, but that wasn't my fault."
"It's never anyone's fault!" then she stopped. Had she really just blamed this woman? She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." then she shrugged. "Well, I did, but not at you."
"You haven't had a lot of luck with adults in your life have you?"
Frankie shook her head. "My mom neglected me for the first six years of my life, my stepfather beat the crap out of me and Joey until he killed my mom, state was a joke, none of the fosters cared, teachers pushed me on from grade to grade because I was a 'charity kid', and as far as I have been told my whole life, my father didn't even care enough to stick around."
"Who told you that?" Horatio asked, making it known that he had been there.
She gazed at him. She debated telling him to get bent, but he'd been really nice to her at the warehouse fire. She took a deep breath and looked down. "Everybody." and she wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. "My mom started it. Then every foster I've ever had, ran with it. They just loved rubbing it in my face that I didn't have a family. That my brother and I were so badly behaved that it was no wonder we were passed on from place to place and that no one wanted us. That if we would only..." and she choked on her last words and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Just, everybody."
Not wanting to press it any farther, he left it alone. "I'm sorry your brother was killed. But it is my every intent to keep you safe from this point on, and to make sure that this man never does this again."
Gazing at him intently, she realized with some incredulity, that she actually believed him. She didn't say anything as she looked away and he turned and stepped into the hall. Pulling the slip of paper out of his pocket once more, he looked at it closely, folded it back, then headed off in search of Eric.
Eric stared at the paper in front of him. "This is impossible! I would have known."
"I felt the same way."
"Who found the match?"
"Natalia."
Eric stood and headed straight for her, with the piece of paper in his hand. He slapped it down on the table next to her. "Is this true?"
Without even looking, she nodded. "I ran it three times. And every time it came back the same."
He stared at her, with a look of almost desperation in his eyes. "I would have known."
"Not if no one told you."
"That's crap Natalia!"
"I don't know!" she argued back. "I wasn't here back then!"
He was angry, but he also realized he was taking it out on the wrong person. Because the person he should be having this conversation with, was gone. He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just...you're sure?"
She nodded. "I'm positive. There's no mistake."
"Alright." and he walked out, putting the sheet back into his own pocket. He looked at his superior as he turned the corner. "What now?"
"We give this girl the chance that no one else ever has. Which includes finding the man that is responsible for her being down here in Miami instead of Atlanta."
He nodded, giving in to the sense that it made to him. He didn't have to like it, to give the kid a chance. "Where do we start?"
"We go back to the pier."
Calleigh glanced up when she noticed the heart rate monitor increase dramatically. She looked at the girls features and noticed her face contorting as if she was in pain. She leaned forward grabbing her hand. "Frankie?"
Her head tossed back and forth and her breathing became erratic. "No."
"Frankie? Honey wake up."
Eric appeared in the door way. "Is she okay?" he asked, seeing the girl for the first time.
"She's having a nightmare." then she squeezed her hand. "Come on kid. Come out of it."
As quickly as she'd gone into it, she gasped in, and her eyes came wide open. "Calleigh!" she said lowly and she continued breathing heavy.
"Right here. Take a breath, it was just a bad dream."
She took a deep breath, then another. Then her breath hitched as she looked up to the man behind Calleigh.
"Oh honey, it's okay. This is Eric Delko. He works with us. He helped Horatio pull you out of the water yesterday."
She stared at him for a long moment and didn't say anything. In an instant, he could see the resemblance and knew there was no denying who's blood she was.
"He's helping find the man who took you and your brother."
"Hi." he added, innocently.
She finally calmed a bit then said 'hi' back.
"I was going to just check in and see if you could remember anything."
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"That's alright. Just think on it and see if you do. Anything that could help. We found shoe prints that we are casing now, and someone saw a BMW leaving the warehouse yesterday just before they called the fire department about it."
Tears swam in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. She would just have to accept what it was. Then she got a thought. "What happens to Joey?"
Both Calleigh and Eric stopped and looked at each other. "In most cases like this, they are sent home afterwards."
"What if there is no home?"
"You know what?" Eric started. "Don't worry about it. We'll make sure we take care of it, no matter where home is, when this is all said and done. For now, he'll stay with us until our investigation is over."
She nodded, then let a tear sneak down her cheek. What had he meant about no matter where home was? She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes and leaning back.
Calleigh glanced up. "Hey honey, I'm going to step outside with Eric for just a second okay?"
She nodded, but didn't remember much of that part of the conversation anyway.
Stopping to look in on the girl, he crossed his arms as an expression of worry furled his brow. "How is she? Really."
Taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms as well. "She's got a long road. Who ever did this, did a number on her. We found chlorpromazine in her system..."
"Wait, chlorpromazine? The anti-psychotic?"
She nodded. "Major tranquilizer for someone who doesn't need it. Causes memory loss and confusion. She's still dehydrated, and the doctor said it would take at least a month to get her back from the malnourishment. She has a long hard road, and that's just what we do know. She either doesn't remember, or won't remember what's happened to her in the last six months." then she studied his expression. "H told you didn't he?"
He nodded. "Yeah. So what do you think?"
She looked back in at the girl. "I think I can see it."
Nodding once more, he agreed. "I can too." He shook his head. "I'll be back." and he walked away. Calleigh knew this had to be killing him and Horatio both.
She glanced back into the hospital room. If there was any better place in the world to show up, Miami was it.
Eric dialed the number and hit send. "Yeah H, I'm leaving the hospital now."
"Did she remember anything?"
"No, and she was having a nightmare when I got here."
"Okay, I'm heading back to the lab. We have a traffic cam for the warehouse, I'm going to see if I can see anything." and he hung up.
He did see the plates on the BMW and saw a man in army fatigues and combat boots carrying a small boy. His face was obstructed by the hat that he wore and there was no insignia on the fatigues to show rank or branch.
Eric walked into the lab. "What have you got?"
"Tell me, what branch of military uses this color fatigues?"
He shrugged and stared at the picture. "Army, depending on where you're deployed."
"Can you get this pattern of camo at say, a surplus store?"
"Most likely."
"Let's check out the area, and lets hit the rental car place and see if we can get any identification on our military man here."
He nodded and headed out with his boss. They jumped in the Hummer and buckled up. "So where is she going to stay when she gets out of the hospital?"
Horatio shrugged, knowing the conversation was coming. "I guess with Calleigh. At least until we can ensure she's safe. After that, it's up to her. She's seventeen. She's got the legal right to make her own choices."
"Yeah but didn't she just turn seventeen? I thought the legal right didn't technically start until the second half of your seventeenth year."
"Technically, it doesn't. But, after what she's been through, I don't think she's 'technically' going to give a damn."
They talked the rest of the way to the rental place. Horatio took off his sunglasses and walked in. The woman behind the counter had long brown hair that flowed to the small of her back. Her tailored suit made her look like she could model, with a name tag that said Jenny.
"Hi gentlemen! Can I help you with a car today?"
H flashed his badge. "Not exactly. But I'm hoping you can help us a different way."
Her smile faded. "Okay? Should I get my boss?"
"If you think you need to."
She nodded a shaky head. She disappeared then a man came out. He had bleached hair, dark eyebrows and brown eyes. "Officers. George Johnson" and he put his hand out. "I can assure you we only rent to people above the age of twenty one and we haven't had any under age people try to even..."
"Sir, we're not here about renting to under age people."
He looked curious. "Oh. Well what can I do for you?"
Eric showed him the picture of the BMW. "You rented this car this morning."
He nodded.
"Did you get a look at the man you rented it to?"
"I didn't, but Jenny probably did. She does all of the paperwork." and he turned to his subordinate and motioned for her to join them.
She looked at the picture when George handed it to her. "I remember him alright. Cute. Had a little boy with him."
"Do you have any of the paperwork."
"Sure do! Right here! Said his name was Eugene. Got his drivers license and everything as per procedure."
"We're going to need to see that paperwork and any security footage you may have, as well as any information on the car, license plate and if the car has GPS or not."
"Okay sure. Is everything okay?"
"No. Everything is not okay." H answered Jenny's question. "We're going to need that information as soon as we can."
"I'll be right back with it."
Horatio walked into the hospital room. "How is she?"
"Asleep. Hopefully this time, she wont have to be woke up."
"Nightmares?"
"Every time she closes her eyes." Calleigh replied. "Poor girl."
"Well, we're going to try and fix that for her. When she wakes up..."
"I'm awake." came the small voice on the bed.
He smiled. "Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"That's because of your ordeal. The doctors said you were really malnourished. You have a lot of recuperating to do."
She nodded, not really saying anything.
"Can I show you a picture miss Camply?"
Frankie looked at him and nodded, not really wanting to see the picture. He handed it to her and she was shaking, tears instantly spilling down her cheeks.
Grabbing it back he stood there, silent for a moment. "It's okay. It's alright. We're on him now."
"Please." she asked with anguish in her eyes. "Please tell me you'll find this guy."
"Honey, we are on our way."
She nodded her head and rested back.
He glanced at Calleigh. "I'll take it from here. Go home and rest for a bit."
"You sure?"
He nodded. "I'm not going anywhere for a few hours."
She looked at the girl that was now asleep. "Alright."
Smiling he took watch and sat down. Before stepping out, Calleigh looked down. "She's been dreaming a lot. If you notice her heart rate pop on the monitor, and believe me, it'll sound, try to bring her out of it."
He nodded. "I will."
She inhaled deeply and Calleigh was right. Her heart rate shot up and the monitor started beeping. "Joey!" she whispered.
He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "Frankie?"
"No. Leave him alone!" and her breathing became erratic, as it had done before. "Please! Don't do this to him!"
She was speaking lowly, but clearly enough that he was able to understand her. "Frankie? Wake up sweetheart. It's just a dream."
Eric stepped in. This was the second time he'd come in on her having a nightmare. "H?"
"Come on Frankie. It's just a dream."
She gasped in and almost sat straight up this time. "Calleigh."
"Easy. Calleigh is sleeping. She'll be here in the morning. I'm here though."
She calmed her breathing. "Horatio?"
"Yeah."
"I thought...I thought you left."
"No sweetheart."
She leaned back, but didn't close her eyes. "Are you any closer to finding him?"
Eric stepped closer. "Actually. That's what I was going to talk about. We found the BMW. It was abandoned at a rest stop thirty miles north of here. Lucky for us, it's been recently outfitted with security cameras that he didn't know about. He's now in a blue Chevy Taho. We've got a BOLO posted, and the state boys are looking for him. We should have him soon. Thought you should know. They'll probably call you."
Frankie looked at Horatio. "Will I have to go up in court?"
He shook his head for a moment. "Not if I have anything to say about it you wont." he replied, remembering what her reaction to just his picture was. He covered her hand. "Don't you worry about it. We've got the best people on this. We'll get this taken care of before it ever hits that point."
She believed him. Again. No one ever gave her that much confidence in people. But she believed him. Regardless of everything her head was saying, something in his eyes, made him so trustworthy. And not just because he never asked questions, and never expected a million things from her that she couldn't deliver.
He was still holding onto her hand. He wasn't afraid to make a connection, and in that same respect, she wasn't either. She had so many red flags being thrown up in her head, that she was only going to get hurt, that he wasn't going to do anything that he promised. That he didn't care a damn thing about who or where she was from. But for some reason, she knew that he meant everything. That he really would do everything in his power to keep her safe, and to bring her brothers killer to justice. It was a strange feeling.
"You seem unsure."
She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not used to anyone working on something, for me." Then she stopped. "But it's not, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
She shook her head. "This is about finding out who killed my brother."
"This, is also about bringing justice to the injustice that was done to you."
"But you don't even know half of it."
"What I do know is enough."
She stared at him again, tears swimming in her eyes again. "Why?"
He studied her sheer curiosity sadly. "Because, Frankie, it's the right thing to do."
The tears spilled down her cheeks. "Where were you, when..." and she broke off. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I'm tired." and she blinked a long blink, letting more tears fall.
"Miss Camply, a lot more matters than you are aware of."
She stared at him, unable to speak for a few moments. "Who are you?"
"We, are the people, who are going to fight, for you." then he studied her again. "That's a foreign concept to you, isn't it Frankie?"
"More than you know."
"Well that, is about to change."
Calleigh showed up the next morning with a smile on her face. "Hey Frankie."
She smiled. "Hi."
"How are you feeling?"
She was thoughtful. "Confused."
"About what sweetheart?"
"My life."
"You want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "Maybe later."
Horatio looked over at his team member. "She, should be getting kicked out today." then he looked at Frankie. "Where, miss Camply, would you like to stay?"
Confusion clouding her features again, "I don't...I don't understand."
"Well you can't stay here, and we're not even going to consider sending you back to Atlanta until we know that this man can't touch you again. So that leaves protective custody, or you can stay with one of us."
"But I...I thought you would just..."
"Ship you back to some children's home?" Calleigh piped in.
She looked away, then nodded her head.
H shook his head. "I told you last night we were going to fight for you."
"Yeah, but..."
"That means, not throwing you to the wolves." he replied, not letting her finish. "It's time you started to get the help you deserve, regardless of whether or not you feel like it matters or not." and he stood up. "Keep me posted. I'm going to check on something."
She stared after him for a long moment before looking at Calleigh. "He's serious."
"Absolutely. We all are."
"Why?"
"Sometimes there doesn't have to be a reason except it's the right thing to do."
"No one cares about some stupid teenager with no family."
"That may have been true before, but it couldn't be farther from the truth now."
Something was up. And she couldn't put her finger on it. She needed to remember everything. She needed to focus on what to do from here. What to do with Joey, once this was all said and done. Maybe she could stay in Miami. It was a lot sunnier than Atlanta. It'd be nice to be able to stay someplace where she could start over.
She sat up and when the nurse came in to release her, she was grateful that someone had given her some clothes that weren't salt stained from jumping in the ocean. Calleigh called Horatio and let them know that they were headed for her house.
"I'll be by later today. We've had a break in the case."
"Alright. Do you need me to do anything?"
"Just keep her safe."
"What's going on H?"
"I don't know yet. I will keep you posted."
She looked over at the figure who had just stepped out of the bathroom. "Ready?"
"What was that about?"
"I'm not sure. There's been a break in the case and he wants me to stick with you."
"What kind of break?"
"He didn't specify. Just that he would be by my place later."
"I don't want to put you guys in any danger."
"Honey, in all honesty, some danger is a part of the job. If I wasn't working your case, it would be another."
She studied her. She didn't mean that in a negative way, and she knew that. And admittedly it did make her feel a little bit better. "Do you think..." then she shook her head. "Never mind."
"What is it honey?"
"When this is all over, can I...can I stay? In Miami I mean. Not with any particular person, I'll get my own place or do whatever I have to. I won't put anyone out. But, I mean, do you think I could stay?"
"Honey you can stay wherever you want to. It's your choice."
"Not really. I only just turned seventeen. I'm a ward of the state of Georgia. It doesn't matter what I want." then she shook her head and closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter."
"Frankie, look at me." and when she knew she had her full on attention, she continued. "It does matter. What you want, how you feel, what you think, it does matter."
She studied her.
"Now I realize that you've been given a bad deal, since you've been born. But you're here now. You're in Miami and you have me and Horatio least of all."
"Yeah but why? Do you guys get this attached to every case?"
"Until they're finished. It's part of what we do. It's who we are. And we like our job. You have to have a certain amount of compassion in this job or you'd lose your mind. Likewise you also have to have a certain amount of objectivity. It's a fine line sometimes. It all depends on the situation."
That made sense. She almost wished it would be a case of staying so she could build on the relationships that she'd started. It was hard to get close though. Every time she got close, something happened and she wound up losing everything she'd worked for. She stopped and smiled before leaving the hospital room and jumping in the waiting Hummer.
"Eric."
"Yeah. I'm glad you're here. Look."
He searched the letter. "Whoever this is, knew that he had a child. And was trying to use it against him."
"Yeah. But he didn't know that he was already gone."
"That may work in our favor. Whats the status on the Taho?"
"It's been found, but no sign of the driver."
"Is it possible that this is from an old case?"
He shrugged. "I guess. But which one?"
"Do you remember one involving anything from Atlanta?"
Eric shook his head. "Not right off. I guess I will have to go through our old case files." Then he thought back. "Once, we had this case we were working, where a father told him that he would get back at him for putting his son away. What was that one?" he asked himself, thinking back. "I need to get back to the lab."
"Let's go."
When they got there, it took mere minutes for Eric to bring everything into play. He snapped his fingers. "Roger Crandle."
"Lets find out where mister Crandle is now."
He punched some keys into the computer. "Last known address is Kennesaw Georgia. Suburb of Atlanta. I'll be damn."
"What do you remember about him?" Horatio asked.
"We put his son in jail, and he wound up hanging himself. He went to jail for armed robbery and assault. When he hung himself, Roger Sr. vowed to get Speed back for trumping up evidence against his son."
"So how did he find out about Frankie, if Speed didn't even know?"
"You know we're working on theory on that?"
"I'm aware of that Eric. But you knew him as well as I did. Did you ever hear or see him shirk off any responsibility?"
He thought back. "No."
"So, we have to work off of the assumption that he didn't know, until we can prove different."
He nodded. "Well, at what point do we..."
Horatio's phone rang. "Yeah." he nodded a few times then closed his phone. "They have him."
They walked down the interrogation room on the first floor of the building. Eric walked in first. "Mister Crandle."
"Do I know you?"
"You should. I worked the case with Speedle. I helped put your son away for what he did."
The man slammed his hand on the table in front of him.
"Didn't like that did you?"
"My son didn't do anything, and you put him away!"
"Evidence suggested otherwise, and you know it. He admitted to guilt."
"He did that because your boy Speedle wore him down so bad that he made him confess! Not because he actually did it."
"How did you find out about Frankie?"
He laughed sadistically. "I'm sorry, who?"
"Don't play stupid. You took her and her brother from Atlanta then brought them here. What was your purpose for that?"
Roger stared without saying a word.
"May I remind you," Horatio started, "we have you on camera taking the boy into the warehouse. Murder one, will sufficiently get you life in prison."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't set fire to that building."
"So you'll admit to two counts of kidnapping, but not murder."
"You got nothin on me."
"We've got you on tape, walking into the warehouse and leaving just before the fire department was called in. Why don't you just level with us on this? If we had nothing, you wouldn't have been brought in, in the first place."
"So now the question becomes why."
"I know why." Eric said. "He's trying to pay Speedle back, for rightfully arresting his son. You forget the last words you said to him outside the police station when we bought you in to let you know your son had killed himself?"
"I was mad." he said, shrugging, as if he was simply talking.
"You told him that you would find his children one day and make him pay for what he's done."
"And I did."
"Again. How did you find out about Frankie?"
"Is that her name? Honestly, I never knew. I guess his high school girlfriend turned up pregnant just before he up and left. There was speculation on whether or not he knew, but according to her mom, she never told him. She moved to Atlanta to have the baby, and stayed there, then met this guy who I guess killed her. Poetic justice huh? Speedle's high school sweetheart ends up dead, kid ends up in foster care, and all the while he's busy punishing people for crimes they didn't commit. Where is he anyway?"
"He's dead."
The stunned look on the mans face was enough to tell them everything they needed to know. "What?"
"Yeah. Officer Tim Speedle died in the line of duty three years ago while trying to stop a robbery in progress."
"No! That...that's not true."
"I assure you, it's very true. Looks like your revenge, came just a little too late. Outside of the fact that we have Frankie in our custody, and you lost her."
"I was back onto her. I was backtracking to the hospital. You think I didn't know exactly where she was? I put too much work into destroying her. Putting the final nail in the coffin in front of him was going to be the end game. He killed my son. I was going to kill his daughter in front of him."
The longer they sat there, the madder Eric and Horatio both got, listening to the man talk. He had confirmed however that Tim had no idea he'd fathered a child, though it was still too late for him to do anything about it. But not for Frankie. She would have a good life from here on out.
Calleigh opened the door to the knock as both Horatio and Eric walked into the house. "How is she?" Eric asked quickly.
She nodded. "Resting on the couch. Come on in. I'm assuming you've got news."
"We do." and they followed her to the living room.
Frankie looked up at the three of them standing there. "You got him, didn't you?"
Horatio nodded. "But, there's something else we need to talk to you about."
"Okay?"
"You weren't picked at random."
"What?"
"You were kidnapped because of who you are."
She shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"I understand that, but the man who did this, had a very specific plan in motion."
"What about Joey? Was he a part of it too?"
"Not at first. Joey was brought along for a different reason all together."
"So then, who am I to him that he took me and I ended up in Miami?"
Eric pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. She stared at it for a few moments and shook her head. "What does this mean, and who is Tim Speedle?"
"He was an integral part of our team who lost his life in the line of duty a few years ago."
Tears sprang to her eyes. "How long have you known?"
"Since the first day."
"No. That...that's not true. You...you wouldn't lie to me."
"It's true."
"I don't believe you. After the last few days..."
"It is true Frankie."
She stared in awe. "All of you knew?"
"Yeah sweetheart. We all knew."
"And no one saw fit to tell me?"
"We were more concerned about finding your brother and the man responsible for kidnapping you and killing your brother."
"And you couldn't find the time to let me know that I had family, even if he is gone?"
"It was a judgment call that I made, not to tell you." Horatio said flat out.
He could see the hurt in her eyes. "I trusted you." she finally whispered with a soft voice.
"You still can trust me."
"How could you not tell me?"
"Because, I was looking for the man that murdered your brother."
She was shaking. Standing up on none too sturdy legs, she walked to Calleigh's front door. "I need air."
"Honey it's not..."
"Don't call me honey. I can't believe you would keep this from me. I thought...I mean, I really thought..." and she closed her eyes, shaking her head. She turned and walked out the front door.
"Should we follow?" Eric asked.
Horatio shook his head. "Give her some time. She wont go far."
It was four hours later when he was driving down the road looking for her. "Where is she H?"
He stopped, thinking about where this kid could have gone. He'd seen the look in her eyes when she found out about her father and who he'd been to the team. It had been more than hurt that she hadn't been told. There had been a complete unraveling of trust in her expression and it was enough to make him question the decision to hold off on telling her. "I have an idea."
Eric looked at Calleigh and she shook her head and shrugged. They pulled up outside the cemetery and Horatio got out of the Hummer. He glanced up and saw the small figure setting at the headstone.
Stepping closer, he could see her sitting in the dark leaned against her father's name. As he got even closer he noticed the tears running down her face and could smell the whiskey on her breath.
Squatting, he turned and sat down on the ground with her beside the headstone. She didn't even look up at him, she just used the back of her hand to wipe more wetness from her face. He brought his knees up and hooked his arms loosely around them. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." he finally said, after moments of silence.
"Doesn't matter." she whispered.
"That's where you're wrong. It matters a great deal. How you feel, matters."
"To who?"
"Me, Calleigh and Eric for starters."
"Yeah well, forgive me if I don't believe you." then she stopped. "Actually, you know what? I don't give a damn if you forgive me or not. Just stop pretending you care." then she stood up, grabbed the small bottle of alcohol she'd been drinking off of and stared at the Hummer and the two people standing beside it, before turning the opposite direction and staggering toward the other edge of the property.
"Where are you going miss Camply?"
"Doesn't matter."
"You're going to realize one day, that things do matter."
"Yeah." she retorted. "Save it for your next lost child."
All of her anger was coming out, and he was prepared for it. He'd known it was coming before, but admittedly, knowing that she felt that way, bothered him. It had really devastated her. Trust wasn't something that came easy to her, and from her point of view, it had all been thrown away earlier that day.
Then she stopped and turned around. "When are you going to realize my life? No one cares about me. No body minds what I've been through. It doesn't matter to anyone! So why waste my time with pretending it matters to me?"
"You wont let anyone care for you. You wont let anything about yourself, matter to anyone but you."
"Why should I? Tell me, who would cry for me if I died tonight?"
"I would tell you that at least three people would, but you wouldn't believe me. Would you?"
She shook her head. "Not right now I wouldn't."
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Back to Calleigh's house."
"Why? So you can keep an eye on me until I go back to Atlanta?"
"Is that what you want?"
She shrugged. "Doesn't really matter what I want, does it? We've already been through this."
"I would think you wouldn't want to go back."
"What's for me here?"
"You have us."
"You wont even tell me the truth! I feel so stupid!" and she started pacing. "I really thought..." tears started to fall again as she took another swig off the bottle. "I'm so stupid! I was so desperate to...connect, with another human being, that I let it cloud my better judgment and I..." she shook her head again. "I am so stupid."
"Frankie..."
"Don't! Okay, just don't! Don't patronize me like I'm some ten year old that needs someone to kiss their boo boo. I'm done. It's done."
"What's done?"
She shook her head.
"Frankie, what did you do?"
"Nothing." she started walking again toward the other side of the grave yard. "Doesn't matter."
"You're giving up."
She stopped in her steps, then shrugged.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?"
"I don't know."
"Are you trying to kill yourself?"
The look of anguish in her eyes when they met his, was enough to tell him, while she wasn't trying to, she wasn't trying not to either. "Frankie I'm sorry. I would have never kept this from you if I'd known you would think I intentionally deceived you. If it makes any difference, your father didn't know you existed. He would have never let you go through any of what you did if he'd known."
"How do you know?" she whispered.
"Because." Eric stepped up this time. "Your dad was my best friend. And he talked about finding the right person and having kids one day. He would have never left you alone."
She sat down on the ground again, the tears falling once more. She hadn't even realized at first that Horatio had set down next to her and had taken the bottle of vodka she held in her hand, pouring out the remainder of the liquid on the grass. She had drank almost an entire pint and he didn't even want to know where she got the bottle in the first place. "How about, you come home, until we can get this all figured out?"
Leaning into him, she felt his arm go around her shoulders. "I think I'm going to throw up."
"I think I would be surprised if you didn't." and he stood up and helped her while she got sick, expelling almost everything in her stomach, right onto the ground.
From there, it was a blur to her, as she felt someone pick her up, carry her to the Hummer, and then buckle her in. The next conscious thought was the raging headache she was suffering with when her eyes opened. Calleigh was beside her.
"How are you feeling?"
She looked around. She was back on the couch again. And everyone was around her. She squinted. "I'm never drinking again."
Horatio half smiled. "That's a good answer."
"Glad you think so." and she winced as she tried to sit. She looked around and saw Eric there as well and leaned back. "Thank you for coming to get me last night." she whispered.
"That wasn't a problem miss Camply. I'm glad that you were alright. You were in pretty dangerous territory there."
She knew he didn't mean it in a literal sense either. Not really knowing how to respond, she closed her eyes.
"Here." Calleigh handed her a glass of water and three aspirin. "This'll help with the hang over. And lots of rest. Which according to the doctors at the hospital, you need anyway."
"Thanks."
It was six months later and she was sitting on a bench outside the courtroom. Horatio walked out of the court room and sat down beside her. "It's been brought to my attention, miss Camply, that we pulled you out of school for this, and your testimony isn't even needed."
She let a breath of relief that sounded more like a sob than anything. She looked back up at him and smiled. "Really?" she whispered.
He nodded. "Really, sweetheart. We've got him with my testimony and evidence alone. There is no need for you to even go in there."
"Thank you." she said softly.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You know how you can thank me?"
"How?"
"Graduate."
She smiled. "On the subject of graduation..." and she pulled out a piece of paper. "I can still walk with my class in May, but I got my diploma yesterday."
His smile grew. "Really?"
She nodded. "I promise. Next step, college."
"So, since this is finished today, where will you go from here?"
"I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I think, if it's okay, I want to stay in Miami."
"I definitely think it's okay to stay."
"Well then, can we go?"
He nodded. "Yes miss Camply. We can go."