A/N: Thank you soooooo much for your reviews!!! Especial thanks to my wonderful beta, Jodie. You're too good to be true.
Calleigh was sat in front of a steaming cup of coffee when Eric finally showed up in his kitchen the next morning. The alarm was sat for 7 o'clock but it was now almost 7:30. Eric bristled at her fresh and lively morning appearance; he was not too fond of early rising.
"Coffee?" he mumbled.
Calleigh looked up from her notes and the newspaper she was reading simultaneously and pointed to his left. "Right behind you." He watched her fingertips grazing along the page before he sharply turned around to get himself a cup of hot caffeine.
"Ugh," he muttered upon his first sip.
"The press has already gotten wind of the murder. There's an article on page four with a detailed description of the company. Apparently, there was a similar unsolved case three years ago. Ever heard of it?"
"Nope," he sat down very gracefully. "What happened?"
"A man was killed, shot in fact. His body was found only a week after his wife reported him as missing."
"How come?"
"He was attached to," Calleigh searched for the passage, "one of the steel legs, tied up with a rope. The sea must have washed away the evidence. There were few suspects, though some believed it had to do with a Mexican oil tanker that had docked two weeks prior."
Eric grunted a reply, fishing for a muffin and his keys. "We'll be late."
"Not my fault," she paused, before adding a sarcastic, "again."
"Not everyone enjoys hopping around at six o'clock like you do and, by the way, you only can do it because I do all the hard work anyway." He pointed to his back.
"Poor baby." She patted his shoulder, while slipping on her high-heels.
"Poor indeed. Now, come get your things."
8:12 a.m. CSI headquarters
"You're late," Horatio stated matter-of-factly.
Calleigh raised her hands, "Don't look at me."
Eric shrugged sheepishly and ran off to find the coffee machine. He was not at his best in the morning and everyone knew about it, though few showed much compassion. Still, he was one of the top forensic experts and most forgave him his grumpy mood.
Horatio pointed to the newspaper Cal was carrying. "You've read it already."
"Yes, seems like this case has a history."
"Will you two be fine? I can't dispense another man right now with so many open cases at our hands."
"We'll be fine, don't worry."
Horatio reached out to her, thanking her silently for not making this a problem. "Call me when you need help."
"I will."
"Alright." He nodded and slipped away. In his stead, a disgruntled Eric reappeared.
"Valera hates me."
Calleigh snorted, "You want me to talk to her later?"
"You'd better, because otherwise she'll have my head."
"And we can't have that."
"No," he replied, sulkily shooting her a silly smile as he wandered slowly over to her.
Calleigh thrust the fingerprints they took yesterday into his waiting hands. "Will an hour suffice?"
"It should, I've only found a few prints and most of them seem to be the victim's."
"Okay, then let's meet in an hour. Meanwhile, I'll try to catch up on this old case, hopefully the connection will remain strong."
"All right, see you in a bit."
9:30 a.m.
Eric was on his way to Calleigh's lab when Alexx paged him. He turned around and met his colleague halfway. "Alexx paged you too?" he asked her as they continued to walk.
Calleigh nodded and they both entered the autopsy room.
"Hey kids!"
"Hey Alexx," Calleigh chimed in.
Eric added, "You've got something for us?"
"Yes, the victim had a white substance beneath his finger nails; probably cocaine. I've sent it to Valera for you."
"Great," Eric commented.
Alexx looked up, but Calleigh motioned for her to continue. "Otherwise, he seemed to have been in perfect health. The two bullets hit him in the chest; already the first would have been lethal. Someone wanted to be on the safe-side."
Eric spoke up then, "We've found evidence of sexual intercourse, any hint as to his partner?"
"Maybe, he has a hickey right here. I've found fungal spores on it. If you find a woman who has or had been infected with Mycosis Fungoids, she's the one. The spores damage the pulmonary function, therefore the person you're seeking may have problems breathing. In any case, if you can bring me her toothbrush or lipstick, I should be able to identify her for certain."
"Right thanks," Eric added, picking up the file Alexx had placed on the desk, flicking through the images quickly before they exited the Morgue. A renewed sense of determination filled his body, which was always the case when they got deeper into a subject matter.
