The call came in early, before the colors of Miami awoke with the sun. It hadn't been his detail, but there were standing orders to alert him to any and all activity that came from that house.

By the time he'd crossed the city, leaving a fresh murder case to Eric and Ryan, several county cruisers were lined along the block. The sinking feeling of dread descended on him at the familiar sight of the yellow crime scene tape, he could feel his palms start to sweat. Swallowing, Horatio parked close to the house and approached a uniformed officer, demanding information.

"Officer, what's happened here? The radio said burglary."

The younger officer straightened his stance upon recognizing Liutenant Caine. It was rumored that the man's personal life had become strikingly more complicated in the past year, but it appeared the man cared enough to check in on what remained of his family. "Yes sir, it appeared that way initially," the officer began as Horatio started walking toward the entrance of the grand house, unwilling to wait for the full brief. "A young man called it in, Kyle Harmon."

"My son. Where is he?"

The officer directed Horatio to the living room, where he could see Kyle was being questioned by another officer. The relief that Kyle was unharmed swept over him, but Horatio was not done. "You said this was initially thought to be a burglary."

"Yes sir. Signs of forced entry, the house alarm went off, we've already checked with the alarm company. The intruders came in through the back, set off the alarm but did not retreat." The officer informed him, checking his report notes.

Horatio nodded. "Any idea what they were after?"

"The boy has not reported anything stolen, however the homeowner is missing."

Horatio stopped, turned to face him fully. "Julia Winston is gone?"

"Yes, sir. The boy's testimony was that he struggled with the intruders before the mother stepped in and went with the intruders willingly, going so far as to warn him not to call the police. The intruders then hustled the woman into a black Hummer and sped off. The boy caught two numbers on the license plate and from what we can see, he did not hesitate before calling it in." The officer finished.

Horatio glanced at the officer's badge. "Good work Mr...Carson. I'll be sure to tell your captain. Thank you."

The officer left to check in with the traffic patrol in hopes of gaining news of the mystery Hummer's whereabouts, while Horatio went to his son. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kyle."

The boy turned to face his father, visibly shaken. Horatio noted the darkening bruise on his son's face, strengthening his resolve to find who had hurt his child. "Dad, they broke in- I tried to scare them off but they wouldn't leave. Mom just went along with them, I couldn't protect her!"

Horatio shook his head. "Kyle, listen to me. There is more going on here than a simple break-in. I need you to concentrate. What did they say to Julia? What made her want to leave with them?"

Kyle closed his eyes, his mind racing to recall what had happened. "I...I don't know, I don't know why she went with them. I mean, I was trying to fight these guys off, to get them out of the house. She came downstairs. She had a gun, she pointed it at one guy but didn't fire. I think she just wanted to scare them away."

"Did you recognize any of them?"

Kyle shook his head. "Three of them were wearing ski masks, and it was too dark, I couldn't make out any faces. The fourth guy...he stood apart from everything. I didn't get a good enough look, I only saw him for a second- he walked in through the patio doors, under the porch light. He wasn't wearing a mask, but there was something wrong with his face!" Kyle exclaimed, panicked at the memory and terrified for his mother.

Horatio guided Kyle into sitting on the sofa, and sat down beside his son, inwardly hating that no matter what he did he could not protect his child from the world. "Calm down, Kyle. Come on, take a deep breath and try to calm down. Talk to me. What was wrong with his face?"

Kyle did what his father asked, taking deep breaths. Despite it all, the presence of his father was a great comfort. Horatio reached forward and hugged the boy, a first for them both, but it was a welcome gesture. Kyle took a final deep breath. "He...there were scars. Really deep, all over his face, but mostly on the right side. I think he had dark hair, but I only saw him for a second, I'm not sure."

Horatio's eyes bore into Kyle's, searching for signs of a lie, but finally the man nodded, satisfied his son had told him the truth. "All right son. Listen to me. Here's what's going to happen. These officers are going to take you to the hospital to get checked out."

"No, they only hit me a couple of times-"

"I know you think you're fine, son, but it's standard procedure. After you get checked out, I'll take you back to my place. You'll stay there until we get this figured out, all right?"

Kyle wanted to argue, but Horatio's words had a finality to them that he knew better than to challenge. Relenting to his father, he nodded. "Okay. I'll go. But dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Find out who did this."

Slipping on his sunglasses as the sun began to rise from the sea, Horatio nodded. "I intend to."