Two days later
Miami-Dade Crime Lab - Miami, Florida
"Okay, so now three girls are missing," Horatio stated as he held up the digital camera and envelope that he had gotten from John's backpack before Rescue had arrived. "We know that Clavo Cruz took Maggie LaRusso, but there is no information as to who took the other two."
Tripp nodded and crossed his arms, "Do we have any idea who the other two girls are?" he asked as he looked at the room where Tim was talking to the shaken Emily Yokas.
Horatio was silent for a moment and watched as Tim rose and walked out of the interview room, "Miss Yokas says that John's little sister is Ellie Sullivan," he stated. "She said that the other little girl's name is Kylie Nieto and that each girl was taken from a different place."
"Were there any witnesses to either kidnapping?" Horatio asked. "That could help us find the girls."
Tim sighed, "Emily said that John might know about that," he replied. "How's John doing, anyway?"
"He's being treated at Dade-Memorial," Horatio replied. "I found a digital camera in his backpack and a sealed envelope that might contain information on Kylie and Ellie's kidnappers."
Tim got a pair of gloves out of his pocket and put them on, "I'll run the camera over to the AV Lab and take the paper to Trace," he said, taking the items from Horatio. "I also got in touch with the New York Police Department about John and Emily and they weren't much help...they're currently up to their eyeballs in looking for some guy named Brendan Finney, an Anti-Crime sergeant..."
"Brendan Finney's badge was found at the scene of Bob Keaton's murder," Tripp commented as his cell-phone began vibrating. "Hang on a sec..."
As Trip moved away and began talking on his cell-phone, Horatio sighed, "Speed, see if your parents can look after Miss Yokas for the time being, as she has been hanging around the Crime Lab for two days for no credible reason except to give information," he said. "I am going to Dade-Memorial and am going to try talking to Mr. Sullivan about his reasoning behind coming here..."
Tim nodded, "I'll log these things into evidence and then call my mom," he replied, moving away.
Determined to get to the bottom of this chain of mysterious events, Horatio started towards the elevators, "Just got a call from patrol, there's a body in a dumpster near the airport," Tripp said as he put away his cell-phone. "Some guy named Ty Davis found it and called 9-1-1 two days ago."
"Tripp, go see to it and I'll send Alexx from the hospital," Horatio replied. "I'm going there to talk with young Mr. Sullivan and see if he can make us aware to any possible witnesses to the kidnappings...Some rookies let this fall through the cracks, obviously."
Tripp scoffed, "The kid had a diabetic seizure and probably can't remember anything that will prove valuable to this investigation," he stated. "How do you expect him to even talk to you?"
"Miss Wolfe will provide any assistance necessary," Horatio simply replied. "I trust that she will be able to help, as she is a very excellent counselor and member of MDPD Victims Assistance."
Frank sighed, "There's more to Miss Wolfe than you realize, Horatio," he stated. "Anyway, if you want her to help you, take my advice...She'll help as long as she's not treated as an inferior."
Before Horatio could ask what Tripp meant by that, Tripp turned and walked away.
His mind now filled with questions about Emily, Horatio moved off towards the elevators.
Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital - Miami, Florida
In the course of two days, things had taken a slight turn for the better...at least temporarily.
Emily lingered beside the gurney where John lay asleep covered by a hospital gown and blanket with IV lines full of dextrose and fluids in his arms. There was also oxygen tubes in his nose.
Since being picked up by paramedics, John had had brief bouts of consciousness, but was unable to really say or do anything coherently. His blood sugar had been dangerously low.
While John had been taken to the hospital, Tim had taken Emily Yokas over to his parents house so that she could have a safe place to eat, sleep, and wait for her mother to arrive to pick her up.
Alexx had followed the ambulance in her car and was now on the other side of the gurney, placing electrodes on John's chest that would send readings to a nearby heart monitor. John was stabilizing, but Alexx was worried about the boy's heart and wanted to take that precaution.
At Emily's urging, Alexx had insisted that she be John's primary physician while he was in hospital care and nobody had dared to argue. Emily had agreed that John would want a female physician.
As Alexx was replacing the pulse-ox clip on John's finger, John opened his eyes yet again and he looked at Alexx for a moment, as if trying to determine who exactly she was.
"Who...are...you?" John asked in a faint voice. "Why do I feel like crap?"
Alexx smiled, "I'm Doctor Woods," she replied in a gentle tone. "I've been taking care of you."
Emily came into John's view, "John, are you okay?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Tired," John weakly replied, his gaze wandering around the room. "...Where am I?"
Emily looked at Alexx, "Memory loss after a seizure is normal," Alexx gently whispered before focusing her gaze back on John. "You had a seizure at the police department..."
John was quiet for a moment, "...my sister and Kylie," he weakly replied. "...still missing..."
"Don't worry about them right now, John," Emily cut in. "You just need to rest and get better."
John blinked, "Am I sick or something?" he asked. "Where's Emily?"
"You had a seizure because your blood sugar got too low," Alexx gently replied. "You've been in the hospital for two days..."
Panic rising in his chest, John lifted his shaking body upright, "I have to kill the monsters," he mumbled in a groggy tone as he began tearing out his IV's. "They deserve to die..right now."
Emily gently placed a hand on John's shoulder, "John, I know you're angry, bur right now you are in no shape to do anything even remotely productive," she said in a calming tone.
Before John could reply, there was a soft knock and then the door opened, "Emily, H called and said that you and John could use some company," Eric commented as he entered the room. "A nurse just took Officer LaRusso for a chest x-ray and they wouldn't let me go with him."
"Officer LaRusso's here?" John asked in a groggy voice. "He actually left New York?"
Eric looked at Emily and Alexx, "John is recovering from a seizure, Eric," Alexx gently explained as she gave the younger CSI a reassuring glance. "His blood sugar was too low at the PD..."
"I'm Eric Delko, a Crime Scene Investigator with the Miami PD," Eric explained in a gentle tone, as he didn't want to frighten the kid. "How are you feeling, John?"
Overexhausted, John sank back to rest so his head was on the pillow, "I'm so tired," he stated in a slowly fading voice. "I'm gonna shut my eyes just for a minute..."
As John fell back asleep, Eric looked at Alexx, "Tripp needs you out at the airport," he stated in a quiet voice so not to wake John. "Some tourist found a dead guy in a dumpster...he called it in and the ME on duty wouldn't move the body right away...says you're better at doing that."
Alexx nodded, "I'll get someone else to take over John's care," she said, leaving the room.
"H said that your brother and Speedle found a couple of kids at the airport," Eric said to Emily in a hushed voice. "Does it have anything to do with that little girl that was kidnapped?"
Emily gave Eric a look, "Maggie LaRusso, I know all about that," she replied. "What you may not know, Officer Delko, is that two girls from New York were kidnapped and brought to Miami."
Eric gaped at her, "So now there are three little girls missing?" he asked.
"Yeah," Emily replied solemnly, gazing back at John. "This young man's name is John Sullivan and he brought a friend with him to try and look for his little sister, Ellie...she's one of the girls."
Before Eric could speak, John opened his eyes for a moment, "Can you call my mom and my grandpa?" John asked in a dragging voice. "Tell them to look after David...keep him safe."
"Who exactly is David?" Eric asked, gazing at Emily as John's eyes closed again.
Emily sighed, "David is John's little brother," she replied. "And a possible witness."
"You said John came from New York, right?" Eric asked. "We need to tell Horatio..."
There was silence and footsteps, "Tell me what, Eric?" a voice suddenly asked.
Eric and Emily turned their heads to see Horatio standing there, "H, there may be a possible witness to Ellie Sullivan's kidnapping in New York," Eric stated.
Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he replied. "Who might this witness be?"
Eric looked at Emily, "His name is David Sullivan," Emily stated. "John's little brother."
JFK International Airport - New York City, New York
Danielle watched as Bosco moved away from the check-in counter and walked back towards them with several boarding passes in his hands. He had a determined look on his face.
Letting out a sigh, she looked at David, who was sitting on a padded bench next to her and reading a small brochure that he had taken from a tourist kiosk upon entering the airport.
While her father began moving suitcases towards the conveyer belt that would take their luggage to the flight they were going to catch, Carlos was lingering near a newspaper stand while he talked to Holly on his cell-phone. Holly was staying in New York to help Tommy continue recovering.
They were all set to take the flight a week from when John had left, but a phone call from Emily Wolfe yesterday had changed everything; Emily had told Danielle that John had suffered a hypoglycemic seizure two days ago while at the PD and was back in the hospital.
Following that phone call, Danielle had begun to frantically get in touch with every airport in the area, pleading for some sort of direct flight to Miami so that she could be with her eldest son.
Perhaps, once she saw that John was safe, his protectors could lead her to finding Ellie and also lead Carlos, who was sick with worry, to Kylie; both girls were still missing somewhere in Miami.
Faith had flashed her "brass pass" just yesterday and had gotten a flight with several connecting stops to Miami that wouldn't actually land in Miami for at least two days. It was a cheap, crappy flight, but Faith was willing to do whatever she could to get wherever she could very quickly.
Danielle had invited Faith to come with them, but Faith openly blamed Danielle for allowing John and Emily to sneak off to New York; however, the blame for that happening was to be shared.
Officer Boscorelli and her father, however, had worked together and had used semi-aggressive persuasion in communicating to booking agents the need for a direct flight to Miami that could carry five people and leave New York as soon as possible. They had refused to take no for an answer. Bosco's chief had even been nice enough to give him time off to help Danielle out.
Now, thanks to persistence, they were scheduled to leave for Miami in three hours.
Danielle sat beside David and put her arm around him, "David, honey, if you would rather stay at home, I'm sure I could get someone to pick you up," she said gently. "I know you miss your brother, but I'm concerned that you'll miss a lot of school if we're in Miami for a long time."
"Mrs. Davis said that she'd email me my homework," David replied. "I just wanna see that John's okay and I hope that Ellie's okay...I can't believe he and Emily ran away on a plane."
Pain shot up Danielle's arm and she flexed it; she had used her own form of semi-aggressive persuasion to get the cast off just yesterday, as she figured it would only be a burden in Miami.
Fortunately, Danielle thought as she watched Bosco and her father work together to load the luggage on the belt, her arm had healed quickly. Therapy could wait until they got home.
David leaned close to Danielle, "Mom, I'm hungry," he said in a small voice. "Do you think we can get some breakfast before we have to get on the plane?"
"Of course we can," Danielle replied gently as she gazed at her youngest son. "In a few minutes, after Grandpa and Officer Boscorelli finish loading the luggage and after Carlos gets off the phone, we can go look for a place that serves breakfast...hopefully, something halfway nutritious."
David smiled and rested his head on Danielle's shoulder as they watched Sully and Bosco load the last of the luggage on to the belt. Behind them, they could hear Carlos still on the phone.
Between breakfast and Bosco wanting to phone his mom before they left, the three hours would pass quickly and before everyone knew it, they would be en route to Miami.
Nobody knew, however, that Danielle had not only stayed in frequent contact with Emily Wolfe, she had also contacted Natalia Boa Vista from Victims Assistance and explained the situation.
Once they landed in Miami, Natalia would also meet them and take them to a cheap place to stay.
The common hope was that by the end of this trip, everything could slowly go back to normal.
However, the hope of normalacy would quickly be replaced with a hope for mere survival...
Miami-Dade International Airport - Miami, Florida
Tripp gave a sigh of relief as Alexx's car pulled up to the police tape that was currently surrounding a murky looking dumpster across the street from the airport.
The ME on duty at the time had been too lazy to come and pick up the body to take it back to the lab for a proper autopsy. Because of that, Homicide had been guarding the area for two days.
Lingering near the police car that had escorted him from a nearby hotel, Ty watched as Alexx got out of the car and crossed the crime tape blocking the dumpster from public access.
For the past two days since arriving, the MDPD had paid for him to stay in a hotel close to the scene in case they needed information about the body. Ty had stayed close to the hotel.
"All right, hotshot, you wanna tell me what you're doing in Miami?" Tripp asked as he walked over to where Ty was standing, his eyes on the dumpster.
Ty sighed, "I had nothing to do with this," he said, trying to get this nosy MDPD cop to go away.
Tripp scoffed, "Look, you found the body and now you have to answer my questions before I arrest you for obstruction," he snarled. "Now, who ARE you and what are you doing in Miami?"
"My name's Ty Davis and I'm an Anti-Crime Lieutenant with the NYPD," Ty said, knowing that this ornery detective wouldn't back off. "I'm here looking for my partner...a Brendan Finney."
Tripp raised an eyebrow, "Brendan Finney, as in the Brendan Finney from the NYPD who is currently missing and whose badge was found at the scene of a murder?" he asked in disbelief.
"Brendan's not missing," Ty replied. "Anyway, what evidence do you have against Brendan about this murder besides finding his badge at the scene?"
Tripp gave Ty a death look, "Nothing as of yet," he scoffed. "Why do you care so much?"
"I can tell you right now that Brendan is innocent of killing anyone," Ty said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone. "His wife sent me a text two days ago..."
Ty held out the phone so that Tripp could see the text message and Tripp nearly swore, "You do realize that concealing evidence could get you arrested?" Tripp asked as he studied the message.
"Maybe if I went and talked to Brendan, he could tell me what happened to put him in the hospital," Ty stated as he took his phone back from Tripp. "Or Grace could tell me."
Tripp crossed his arms, "I want to come with you to Miami-Dade Memorial," he said in a no-nonsense tone. "I don't personally mind if you talk to this Brendan fellow, but I'd rather you do it with me there...if his story checks out, he could be off the hook for murder."
"Well, that's good, because I don't exactly know where Miami-Dade Memorial Hospital is," Ty replied in a slightly sheepish tone. "I haven't really been to Miami before now."
Tripp nodded and gestured to a squad car on the other side of the tape, "Go sit in the squad car and wait for me," he ordered. "I have to wait for the CSI's to get here before I can go."
Ty nodded and moved back across the tape, over to the squad car where it was safer.
As he leant against it, he watched the ornery detective walk over to a woman who was, by the look of her scrubs, a medical examiner. The two were obviously very good friends.
The two were talking, Ty reasoned as he watched them, but he couldn't hear what was being said.
Without warning, thunder boomed overhead and instantly, rain began to fall from the gray sky.
Ty sighed and as he watched the detective and the ME scramble to move the body and preserve any possible evidence, he hoped that Brendan was not in too bad of shape that he couldn't talk.
