A/N: Well, Savannah is back, just like I promised... and so is trouble.
Chapter 1
Miami-Dade PD CSI Lieutenant Horatio Caine watched with amusement as Miami-Dade PD forensic artist Savannah Caine stared wide-eyed at her surroundings; he couldn't blame her, after all, they were in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Savannah had never been to Las Vegas before. He hadn't either, but then again he was not quite the greenhorn that Savannah was.
Grinning, CSI ballistics expert Calleigh Duquesne tapped Savannah on the shoulder and said, "Better close your mouth before you catch flies."
Blushing, Savannah closed her mouth, which had been hanging open, and grinned at Calleigh. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Horatio said, carefully maneuvering through Las Vegas traffic as they worked their way through what the locals called The Strip. "I can understand your amazement; Las Vegas is a very colourful city."
"That is an understatement," Savannah said. "Mind you, that's probably what all the tourists say; wonder what the locals say."
Both Horatio and Calleigh nodded to that. Las Vegas was like Miami; lovely to look at in the eyes of the tourists but the locals knew there was a darker and seedier side to the glamorous city, one the city council tried to keep hidden to keep attracting tourists, who were pretty much the lifeblood of the city.
They would be staying at Caesars Palace for the four days they were in Las Vegas, which was also where the conference was being held. CSI Eric Delko was temporarily in charge of the lab and Horatio was confident he could manage, however he would not be surprised if Eric called him for some reason or another.
Savannah was Horatio's daughter by adoption, having originally come from Ladonia, Alabama just over a year ago in a desperate attempt to escape an abusive father and boyfriend. She had met Horatio on-line and become friendly with him through chat. When she had arrived in Miami, tired, frightened, and still
reeling from years of abuse, he had kindly taken the then-nineteen-year-old girl in, given her shelter and offered her friendship, asking for nothing in return. Over time they had grown close, and Horatio had discovered Savannah's talent for portrait drawing and sketching, a talent that had resulted in her being hired as a forensic artist for the lab and Miami-Dade PD, the youngest to do so. That friendship had grown when Savannah had become entangled in a rather nasty mess involving a local drug dealer known as Clavo Sandoval. Their closeness had eventually resulted in Horatio legally adopting Savannah as his daughter, to which she had legally changed her name from Savannah Mae Abott to Savannah Jacqueline Caine. With Horatio's love and support, Savannah had gone from being a shy, hesitant teenage girl with deep emotional scars to a beautiful, confident young woman with a promising career in the forensic field; he couldn't be more proud of her and she, in her turn, loved him as deeply as any daughter could.
When Savannah had found out about the conference and where it would be held, she had practically jumped with excitement, especially when Horatio had told her she was coming with him and Calleigh. Being the youngest forensic artist ever hired by the MDPD and working towards her Bachelor of Science degree, along with a degree in Criminology, Horatio rightly decided Savannah could use the exposure she was sure to experience at the conference. He was also planning to introduce her to Catherine Willows, his friend and contact in Las Vegas. Catherine Willows was also a CSI and she worked for the Las Vegas crime lab, a lab that was on par with the Miami and New York crime labs for cases solved.
Calleigh had come along because one of the lectures being given at the conference involved the latest in weapons technology and up-to-date information on identifying those weapons. Being a ballistics expert, Calleigh needed to keep up-to-date on that sort of information, especially in a city like Miami.
"Hey, Horatio, have you heard from Detective Mac Taylor?" Calleigh asked curiously.
"I have, and he, Detective Don Flack, and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes will be joining us," Horatio said.
"Who are they?" Savannah asked curiously.
"They are from New York and I've worked with them before on two separate occasions," Horatio explained. "Mac is a First Grade CSI, Sheldon is a medical examiner-turned CSI, and Don is a good homicide detective. We'll be meeting up with them later."
"I've met Mac before, when we were chasing after Henry Daris," Calleigh said. "I was impressed with him."
"And that is impressive," Savannah said, her jaw dropping as she stared at the Caesars Palace. She had seen pictures of the place on the internet but to actually see it for real was completely different.
"It is indeed and look at the size of that crowd," Calleigh said, looking at the number of people dressed in suits and similar attire in the area around the hotel.
"This is going to be so much fun," Savannah said, grinning.