Chapter 2: The Case is Open
Sunday, 22nd June
16:18
It had rained heavily for the last two days. As the investigation team worked, lightning flashed dully outside. Calleigh was in the front living room, examining cases of bullets.
"Hey, Calleigh, what are they?" Wolf had appeared out of nowhere and was squinting at the bullets.
"No. 3 bullets, fired from what though I'm going to have to check at the lab." She said, bagging the bullet cases.
"Have the bullets come back from the hospital yet?" Wolf asked, putting away his glasses.
"Only the two bullets out of the poor girl's arm. But the last is in the bone of her leg, so they're taking that out today." Calleigh replied, standing up slowly. "Which reminds me."
"He's been there since she came in, hasn't he?" Wolf sighed.
"Yeah. I don't think he wants to leave alone in the hospital. Especially in the condition she's in." Calleigh said.
"Has she woken up yet?"
"No. Look, Wolf, can you take the casings back to the lab for me, I'll be back there tonight, hopefully with Horatio. But it depends what he thinks." Calleigh indicated toward to the bags. "If all goes well, Horatio will come back and I'll stay with the girl if she isn't up yet."
"Sure, see you later, Cal."
Calleigh walked briskly out of the house and unlocked her Hummer. She switched the powerful engine on and reversed into the road. It seemed unusual for her to be picking up her Boss, just slightly strange. Plus the fact that she really deep down, fancied the guy, but that was something that she didn't want everything to know.
She drove for about three miles, thinking continuously about the casings. The parent's bodies had no bullets in them, they had been checked at the lab. The had been slashed to death, but the gun had been fired at the girl. Why? Wouldn't it have been easier just to shoot the gun at the parents and make it quick? But… Suddenly her cell phone rang. She pulled the Hummer over to a sidewalk and picked it up.
"Calleigh here."
"Calleigh, we've found two sets of footprints at the crime scene. None of the parents were wearing shoes at the time, so that mean you're going to have to…"
"Ask her, yes alright. Thanks Wolf."
"No problem." The call died. Calleigh flipped the lid back on and put it back in the pocket of the drivers' seat. Tow sets of footprints. That could mean there had been two suspects. But, to make that certain she had to check.
Galway Hospital was one of the largest and well known medical buildings in all of Miami. It could hold up to 1000 patients and reacted best to emergencies. That was one of the reasons why the girl had been sent there. As Calleigh pulled the Hummer into the parking lot, she sighed heavily and then got out.
As she walked into the hospital, she got out her badge. Since the information about the impostor CSI agent had gotten out, security checks now had to be done. The guard looked no younger than twenty five, with muscular arms and dark skin. Calleigh nodded to him as he indicated the sign. Her handbag was checked and an ultra violet light was passed over her badge to show up to small holograms. The guard nodded and let her pass.
The air tasted dry and smelled of disinfectant as Calleigh walked up the corridor on the fifth floor. The walls were painted white and the doors were an oak colour. Blinds shielded Calleigh's eyes from the recipients inside, blocking out her view of them. As she turned a corner, she saw a nurse at the far end. Calleigh knew perfectly well that this wasn't a nurse, but an undercover agent. She had been assigned to guard the door of the girl's room, just in case. As she looked up, she smiled at Calleigh.
"Still hasn't moved, you know." She said, sighing.
"I know, the doctors say…"
"No, not the girl. Lt Caine. Has sat by her bed at all times, even in the dead of night. Seen him pacing and even holding her hand once. Cares, that what America needs these days. Caring policeman." She said. Calleigh sighed again.
"So true. Can I go in?"
"Can't see why not." The undercover moved forward and pressed a key code into the door lock. There was a soft click and the door opened. Calleigh nodded at the nurse again and walked in.
The girl looked terrible. Bruises covered her face, both eyes black. The cut had been stitched, but it still looked vivid against her pale skin. Her right arm was in stitches as well and the hand was bandaged heavily. The other arm was in a cast while yet more stitches travelled up her arm. Calleigh could make out four finger bruises at the top of the arm. She'd been grabbed harshly. But she let a small smile embrace her lips as she saw the man that her heart was devoted to.
Horatio was asleep, his chin on his chest and his arms crossed loosely around his middle. Calleigh sat down the chair beside him and whispered, "Hey, Handsome." An eye flicked open and a gruff voice said, "Best sight I've ever woken up to." Calleigh grinned and leant back as Horatio stretched.
"She looks bad." Calleigh muttered, staring at the girl. Horatio nodded. "She's been punched in the face at least three times and that cuts going to leave a scar. She still hasn't woken up?"
"No, not at all." Horatio replied. "Here, look at the med report." He sat there and watched the girl while Calleigh read through the pages on the clipboards he had passed her.
"Horatio, this is…horrible. She was attacked at least four times before this!" Calleigh said, looking at the report with wide eyes. "Why didn't they come to us sooner?"
"Because they knew that it would be death if they did. They were being tracked, or more to state, she was being tracked. Stalked. Everywhere she went. This means, Cal that they won't hesitate to finish the job." Horatio said.
"Why? But, she's being protected at all times and what does she…"
"The parents must have guessed that whoever did this would know that I was coming. So, they told her. But, when they came, I think that she recognized who it was. That was why she was attacked, but why he didn't finish her off, I don't know yet." Horatio said, looking sadder than ever.
"What's bugging you?" Calleigh said suddenly.
"That this girl thinks I did it. Thinks that that prick who killed her parents was me. So, I want to be here when she wakes up. But I still think she won't trust me. Obviously this guy did something to make her parents believe it was me, but she knew." Horatio sighed.
"But, you showed her you ID plus you obviously didn't look anything like the guy, so why wouldn't she trust you. Handsome, you worry too much." Calleigh said, shaking her head.
"It's my job to worry." He replied. Calleigh shook her head once more and said, "No, it's the one responsible for this job to worry."
"Yeah, but what about her. I looked up her parents files before going to their house. Parents dead, no brothers or sisters. They were an only family, Cal. Which means that she is going to have to go to a care home. But, I doubt she'd be able to do that in a hurry." Horatio said.
"The team could look after her."
"What?"
"CSI could look after her. It's the summer holidays, so she could just come and stay at the lab."
"Cal, you forget social services. They're going to take her."
"Handsome, you forget I have friends in social services. Plus, she's in danger already, so it would be protection under the law. Don't worry about it."
Suddenly Horatio's phone beeped. He flipped it open.
"Caine."
"Alexx here. We've found out your girls name."
"Go on."
"Chloe."
Right, I had to replace this chapter so that I could get rid of this sorta thing at the bottom. I apologise for asking for reviews, so to make it up to you, I am putting up the third chapter today, two days before. Another thing, Chloe is not the same character than the other one in the TT fiction. Plus, she is mine, so don't steal.
Third chapter coming up today. Sorry again.
TheNextTitan
