Detective Thomas Menedez grinned as the police cruiser became airborne just briefly as it conquered the slope of the bridge. It had been a while since he had been involved in a high speed chase and he had forgotten just how exhilarating the thrill could be. He rode alone, an oddity and risk that had come about because he had been forced to jump into the nearest police vehicle and give an immediate pursuit. The man he was chasing down had surprised them when he had bolted from what looked like a murder scene.
The car he followed, a flashy black Porsche, swung sharply to the right. The tyres of the police Ford sedan screeched in protest as Detective Menedez spun the wheel hard.
As it was mid afternoon even though the Porsche was avoiding the city there were still plenty of people and vehicles about. What people the Porsche's sudden reckless move didn't scare off the roads the squeal of the police siren did and Detective Menedez was able to complete the turn without injuring anyone.
The detective squinted as he found himself faced towards the afternoon sun and was grateful that he had already been wearing his shades before he had jumped into the car. He gave a small smile thinking how Eric always joked that Thomas was just trying to copy Lieutenant Caine.
The police radio crackled as Thomas hit the accelerator.
The Porsche moved sharply to the right, zoomed past a lorry and weaved back in.
Thomas' smile widened as he followed gamely. When a horn blasted out as he became faced with a red Subaru coming at him he barely flinched. The Subuaru's brakes screeched as the drive flashed the headlights and continued to blast the horn.
Thomas swerved back into lane with only seconds to spare. He glanced briefly to either side for a street name but there was none. He had rows of dirty brown bricked warehouses on either side, some in use and others seemingly abandoned.
"Detective Fast and Furious do come in," the sarcastic voice of Thomas' partner Detective Esteban Rosas called.
Thomas chuckled at this as he reached for the radio and pressed down the button. "You're just jealous Es," he answered teasingly.
He heard a small chuckle in the background and a sigh of relief. "Nah you can keep your racing I'm just fine studying corpses," Esteban retorted. "What's the story with the chase?"
"I called in the details to the station, they should be sending a chopper," Thomas retorted.
Thomas dropped the radio suddenly as the Porsche spun again, taking a sudden turn to the right, cutting across the path of a car as it did. The car, after an irate blast of the horn, passed by giving Thomas the chance to pursue.
The Porsche was speeding down a narrow alleyway now, one Thomas wasn't so certain was designed for cars.
Thomas winced as the left mirror of the Porsche struck off the wall with a painful smack and was dragged against it briefly before it fell to one side and hung loose.
"Poor car," Thomas sympathised aloud.
The detective was relieved when the alleyway ended and the chase resumed on open road.
The Porsche upped the ante by speeding down the road on the wrong side much to the chagrin and horror of several lorry and van drivers that it avoided only at the last possible minute.
Thomas gripped the steering wheel tight as he followed. He ignored Esteban's calls of concern on the radio. For a moment to Thomas it felt like it was just him and the unknown man in the Porsche. As he sweated from the afternoon heat and blinked back droplets of moisture from his eyes he wondered who was really the madman here, him or the criminal?
The Porsche skidded as its wheels bumped a kerb.
Thomas swerved to avoid a van.
Horns blasted, lights flashed, people swore and yelled. Still the pursuit continued.
Thomas wondered where everyone else was, he couldn't hear any sirens other than his own and there was no sign of aerial support.
He glimpsed the diamond sparkle of sunlight on the sea just ahead and to the left and realised they had doubled back on their journey.
The Porsche moved left, descending a single lane road and entering through a private market estate.
Thomas seized up the radio as he followed. "Don't panic Es, you sound like an old lady wailing at her cats," he teased. "Suspect is heading for an industrial estate, sign says Ringo's Fish Market. Terrific, you know Es, now I wish I'd stayed and you'd driven."
Esteban laughed and with it Thomas heard the chuckle of his good friend CSI Eric Delko.
"Delko you're a frogman you've surely smelt worse!" Thomas called.
"True, just be grateful it's fresh fish not rotten," Eric retorted. "And, assuming you survive all this, do make sure to shower before we hit the bar."
Thomas laughed. "Hilarious, glad you're more worried about my appearance than life."
"Thomas be smart and wait for backup," Esteban cautioned.
The Porsche roared into a warehouse and Thomas, baffled as to why the car would go through a building that had only one way in and out for vehicles, followed after it.
The Porsche skidded to a stop, its back angling to the left and upsetting a stall of ice and fish. The driver got out, armed with a pistol, and hastened on foot for the metal staircase.
Thomas called through to dispatch hastily, telling them the location and that the suspect was on foot and he was following. He had little for them in terms of description, the man was between five six and five seven, jeans, black top, baseball cap, large shades and dirty fair hair sticking out.
Thomas took his Colt off its safety and followed.
The warehouse offered a welcome chill balanced by the stench of fresh seafood. Thomas had no time to take any of it in as he headed for the staircase in pursuit.
BANG!
Thomas cursed and ducked instinctively even though the bullet had already passed him.
The stairs clanged out noisily under foot.
BANG!
Another wild shot.
Thomas squinted behind his shades as he raised his gun. It was difficult to try and aim but keep ascending the staircase. He cursed again as the suspect evaded him by entering a room on the right at the top of the staircase.
Thomas followed into an office.
The suspect turned on him with a raised gun but Thomas was faster.
BANG!
Thomas shot to disarm and succeeded into shooting into the man's gun hand. The gun fell to the ground with a loud clatter and the man screamed in pain as his hand leaked blood.
"Don't," Thomas ordered as the man dropped to his knees and reached for the gun, "I'll shoot again!"
The man reached for the gun anyway with both hands this time, cursing as his blood made his grasp slick.
BANG!
Thomas shot again again and the man fell back dead as blood bloomed from his chest.
Thomas let out a heavy sigh, this wasn't how he had wanted this to end.
Thomas stepped forward slowly, Colt still raised just in case. He looked down at the man with a frown. The frown deepened as Thomas holstered his gun and crouched down. The man looked familiar. Thomas reached for the shades until a low creak from behind gave him pause.
Thomas turned too late.
Detective Thomas Menedez had no time to really take in his foe or his fate. There was a sense of familiarity again but he didn't have the time to work it out. The bullet came quick, one poignant shot through his right eye that smashed through the lens of his shades with ease, obliterated his eyeball and then emerged from the back of his skull taking brain matter and blood with it. Thomas was mercifully dead before he even hit the ground.
Sergeant Rick Stetler's face was already a picture of thunder when he arrived on the scene but when he glimpsed a familiar sheen of golden-copper hair the storm within him escaped. Bad enough that he was here and missing Cassandra's appointment but they could not both be here.
Ignoring the pallid faced officer on the scene trying to give him the rundown, the six feet plus IAB agent charged into the office that was also the chief crime scene and headed up to the redhead. "Horatio what are you doing here?" he snapped.
Lieutenant Horatio Caine looked to Rick with a dark blue gaze of subdued surprise and mild irritation. He had thought he and Rick were passed this pettiness and he certainly didn't think now was the time for it. "The same thing as you Rick," he responded coolly, "my job."
Horatio was conscious of all the officers on the scene now watching them, waiting and wondering if the infamous Caine/Stetler feud was about to reignite. Much as it annoyed him, Horatio couldn't blame them, he and Rick had been at odds for so long now and with Horatio dating Rick's younger sister and Rick dating a member of Horatio's team, CSI Natalia Boa Vista, everyone expected the rivalry to worsen not improve. It didn't help that by dating Natalia, Rick had infuriated her ex CSI Eric Delko who had despised Rick even before that.
"And who is with Cassie?" Rick snapped hotly in a lowered voice as he glowered at Horatio and raised his hands to his hips.
Horatio glanced swiftly at his watch and frowned. He hadn't realised the time. He swallowed down a sigh and glanced up at Rick. "Two dead officers Rick, one a potential suspect fleeing from a murder scene, this is too big."
Rick's dark brown eyes blazed with a heated anger.
Horatio winced internally though he kept a facade of calm on his face. Cassandra had the same eyes as her brother and thanks to Rick, Horatio didn't have to imagine the look she would give him later.
Rick turned away, looking instead to the bodies. He filled with surprise seeing Natalia there on duty with CSI Ryan Wolfe. Both were trying hard to pretend not to notice Rick and Horatio's potential spat.
Rick lowered his hands only to raise one to his dark hair before reaching for his tie, a flamboyant design of gold squares and metallic green diamonds against black, and tugging on the knot.
Horatio observed the younger man quietly. Once, Rick had been a master of appearance, throwing up a wall of hostility to anyone who challenged him and never showing weakness, certain he couldn't in his job otherwise he might never make lieutenant. Then, just over a year ago, Rick's life had gone to hell in the proverbial hand basket.
Rick's stepfather, mother and half-sister had all been massacred one night in their home and only Rick's niece Marissa had survived. The investigation into the murders had led to much of Rick's personal life being exposed, revelations that his stepfather had beaten and imprisoned Rick and his younger sister Cassandra had become workplace gossip. Rick being forced into bereavement leave because he became a suspect in the murders had been the entertainment for the many members of MDPD he had investigated over the years in his role in IAB. The icing on the cake had been when the real murderers had kidnapped Rick and Cassandra, tortured them, left Cassandra with life changing scars and set Rick up to be killed by his own, a trap Horatio and Ryan had mercifully intercepted.
Now Rick fidgeted and second guessed himself. Over the past year he had come through his PTSD admirably but he had picked up new traits Horatio didn't think he would ever shed. Such as openly showing his stress as he was doing right now.
"Homicide Detective Thomas Menedez and Narcotics Detective Jason Ferris," Rick remarked calmly, stating the names he had been given. He glanced from one body to the other, he didn't know either of the victims. "Detective Ferris," he gestured to the dirty faired male correctly with one hand, "was last reported to be undercover trying to infiltrate a drugs gang."
Horatio nodded, impressed that Rick actually realised who was who from body positioning alone. "That's all we know about Detective Ferris' work at the moment," he admitted. "Why he was at a murder scene or seemingly chose to flee from it are unclear. Equally puzzling is how he and Detective Menedez both ended up dead."
Rick frowned again, two cops dead under suspicious circumstances, one potentially gunned down by another, no wonder IAB was involved. He knew it was going to be a long afternoon and potentially a long evening as well.
"Whose murder did he potentially flee from?" Rick pried carefully.
"I'm awaiting news on that," Horatio retorted. "Calleigh, Eric and Detective Menedez's partner Detective Rosas were on the scene but news of Detective Menedez has shaken Rosas and Eric."
Rick looked at Horatio and raised his dark eyebrows questioningly at this. His irritation at the delay on the news was evident in his gaze but he held his tongue, all too conscious of Natalia scolding him later if he snapped.
"Eric and Detective Menedez trained together," Horatio explained, "they remained close friends."
Rick's gaze showed a hint of sympathy as he nodded. "Any family?"
"A girlfriend has been mentioned, officers are getting in touch."
Rick bristled and glanced over his shoulder at Natalia before he could help it. She was meticulously gathering swabs of DNA from blood spatters. Rick wondered at her getting this kind of news about him or he about her, he didn't like that just because people weren't married their significant spouse suddenly mattered less.
"I'm going to give Cassie a ring," Horatio said.
"She won't answer," Rick muttered as he glanced back at the redhead pointedly, "you know she doesn't answer when she's mad and she will be mad." He tugged out his own phone and murmured as he paced back to the ajar office door, "I'm going to ring Yelina, see if she can stay a bit longer with Mari."
Horatio pulled out his phoned and dialled Cassandra's mobile anyway. He was dismayed when he got the voicemail.
Ryan, who was taking photographs of the scene, glance out the corner of his eye at his boss. He worried about Cassandra too. It was weird how much had happened over the past year and a half, Ryan actually socialised with Rick on occasion and he considered Cassandra a good friend and liked being in Marissa's life too. He would never, ever admit it aloud but perhaps his feelings towards Cassandra were a little more complicated but it was alright because he dealt with it.
Ryan knew what was happening today with her and so did Natalia. Ryan lowered his camera and exchanged a grim glance with the brunette CSI.
Cassandra Silverstone had always suffered from cluster headaches and after a brutal and deliberate injury to her eyes by one of her family's murderers, an injury that had left her with facial scarring and a need for glasses, her headaches had worsened. She had accepted it until three months ago when the blackouts had started and the pain had become unbearable to the point that her medication had no effect. After various tests and diagnoses now Cassandra was going for a brain scan.
Ryan resumed gathering evidence from the bodies. He agreed with Horatio, this was too big to walk away from. Two murdered cops. The chief would have Horatio and Rick's badges if they absconded, they were a lieutenant and sergeant, they were the ones who absolutely had to be here.
Natalia just wondered how Rick felt about having to share a case with Horatio. She knew it was going to raise the age old issue of rank between them. Like it or not, and Rick sure as hell didn't, Horatio outranked Rick, he would lead the case. It was something Natalia had never gotten to the bottom of, once Rick had been quite vocal about having better points than Horatio when they had both been up for promotion to lieutenant but now he wouldn't get into it. Natalia wondered if this new case would cause the ugly truth to come out.