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"Finally!" Walter exclaimed, throwing his fists up in the air.
He had been waiting all morning for the DNA result on the hair found in Horatio's home to be finished and now it finally had. The rest of the team were in the surrounding labs and had seen Walter's relief so they hurried to him.
"Is it finished?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, we have a match." Walter grinned.
He turned his computer screen around for the rest of them to see. They frowned. They had never heard or of seen the woman who had apparently been in their boss's home.
"Shirley Adams." Calleigh read, "She doesn't seem familiar."
"She's not even from Florida." Walter said, "She is originally from Georgia. But so far all I've found is that she left Georgia five years ago and went off the radar."
"We have to search more." Eric said, "Somewhere in our databases I'm sure we can find more information."
"Should we ask Frank to put out an alert for Shirley?" Ryan asked.
"Uh... this photo of her is at least five years... scratch that, even seven years old." Walter said, typing away on his computer.
They waited as Walter pulled up a file informing them on why Shirley Adams even had her DNA in the system.
"Oh... seems Shirley had been arrested for stalking seven years back." Walter said, "She got probation."
"Who did she stalk?" Natalia asked.
"Can't tell. It's a small police county in Georgia so it seems they don't have the whole case file digitalized." Walter sighed, "Probably still has everything in paper-form."
"Ryan, search whatever you can on the computer on Shirley Adams; maybe she changed her name and that's why rent off the radar completely. Check everything and find an updated picture if you can." Calleigh said, "Walter call the PD in whatever town she's from; get that file from seven years back."
"Eric, print out the picture and go back to the neighbors and see if they recognize her. Maybe they saw her without realizing it."
"And me?" Natalia asked.
"You and I are going to see Horatio." Calleigh smiled, "Maybe he's up for a bit of a talk."
They all nodded and did what their second in command had ordered. Calleigh and Natalia left. Hoping that Horatio would be okay with them asking some questions and also hoping that he would remember something from his attack.
-I-
Jenny Cole, in the meantime, was outside the crime lab. She saw Calleigh and Natalia exit first and get inside one of the hummers. She started her car, ready to follow when out of the corner of her eye she saw Eric come out too. He also got into a hummer, but drove in the opposite direction of the women. She was in two minds. She knew that Calleigh and Natalia were probably on their way to the hospital as they were driving that way. While Eric was driving the other way; probably towards Horatio's home. But who should she follow...
Knowing she had to decide soon Jenny growled in frustration and decided that today she would go after Eric. She made sure to stay far enough behind so that he wouldn't spot her, but so she could still see where he was going. When Eric got closer to Horatio's home she stopped the car a few blocks away and quickly walked the rest of the way.
Eric got out and was holding a photo. Jenny couldn't get close enough to see what the photo was of. It was risky spying on a cop in broad daylight. Luckily since it was also a normal weekday most people would be working and not pay attention to her.
Eric stood a moment and looked at Horatio's house, before walking to one of the neighbors. Horatio didn't live too close to his neighbors, but not too far away either. As Eric started talking to one of them (the man that had heard the gunshot when Jenny had attacked Horatio), Jenny started creeping closer and closer to the hummer. She smiled wickedly when the neighbor invited Eric inside. Jenny had watched Horatio's house since the attack, usually there were two officers outside guarding it, but earlier that morning they had been ordered to leave. Apparently no one seemed to think that Horatio's home needed to be watched any longer.
From her pocket Jenny drew a knife and instantly smashed it into one of the back tires of the hummer. She could at least make Eric's day a little worse by ruining the tires. It was quick work slashing all four of them, but then Jenny got a little bold. She decided to smash the brake lights too. She grabbed a rock and smashed one; then the other. She hissed as she realized she had cut her finger on some glass.
In frustration she kicked the driver's side door on the car and then suddenly it seemed to come to life as the alarm went off. Jenny realized she would get caught and sprinted off. She had been lucky the car alarm hadn't gone off earlier.
From behind some bushes she watched Eric come running out on the street and turn off the alarm. She chuckled as she watched him check the car out and then he called someone.
"Wolfe."
"Hi, Ryan it's me." Eric sighed, "Someone sabotaged my hummer."
"What?" Ryan asked shocked, "But what about the officers watching H's house, they must have seen something?"
"No such luck. They were ordered this morning to go back to their regular routine. The Chief doesn't think there is need to guard H's house anymore." Eric sighed, "I'll call a tow truck and have the car delivered to our garage for processing. Meet me there?"
"Sure." Ryan said, "Three guesses who did it?"
"Shirley Adams, most likely."
"My money is on that too. See you soon."
Eric sighed and hung up. He looked around but could see nothing out of the ordinary. He looked a bit closer at the car and saw a bloody smudge. So Shirley had probably once again left her DNA behind.
-I-
Horatio was still very weak, but had agreed to be questioned. He knew how important it was. Kyle had refused to leave his father's side and although it wasn't the most joyful way of spending time with his son; Horatio was glad to have him by his side.
When Calleigh and Natalia entered the room he had just woken up. They could see that his eyes were slightly dazed and he was tired. Calleigh bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Horatio smiled. Natalia squeezed his hand and smiled when she felt Horatio squeeze back.
"Hello Kyle." Calleigh greeted, "Good day handsome."
Kyle said hi and Horatio smiled.
"How are you feeling today?" Natalia asked.
"Bit better." Horatio croaked.
"Well, we won't be long handsome." Calleigh smiled and knew Horatio liked it when she used her pet name on him.
Calleigh and Horatio were close; never in a romantic sense. However, very much like father and daughter. Horatio meant a lot to Calleigh and she to him.
"We wished we were here for more than just asking you some questions, but right now that is what we need to do." Calleigh said, "We'll come back later in the evening and then I'll even bring you some of your favorite cookies."
Horatio grinned and blushed. The others chuckled. Not many people knew that Horatio had a soft spot for chocolate cookies, but Calleigh knew and sometimes gave him a box when she felt he needed it.
"Horatio, we found a hair at the crime... uh, at your house." Natalia said, "Today we got a match to Shirley Adams from Georgia."
Horatio frowned; he didn't recognize the name. Calleigh showed on the phone an old picture of Shirley and instantly Horatio tensed. Kyle worriedly grabbed his father's hand.
"Horatio... is this her?" Calleigh asked.
"Yes." Horatio said quietly.
He closed his eyes and tensed some more as his mind was assaulted with images from the attack. The pain. The fear of dying. The panic of not being able to get up. He couldn't move and his stomach tightened as he remembered it all.
He felt Natalia caress his hand lovingly and Kyle squeeze his other hand. He heard his son calling his name and gradually opened his eyes.
"You remember." Calleigh said, knowing Horatio had just experienced a flashback.
"Yes." Horatio said, as he relaxed he started growing very tired.
Calleigh and Natalia saw this and knew they needed to cut it short. Horatio looked so pale now and he really needed to sleep.
"Okay, we can see that you're tired." Natalia said, "We'll be quick. Just tell us what you remember, sweetie."
"Just... uh... I had coffee and it felt weird." Horatio said quietly, "I got so tired and... couldn't really move."
"Yes, she gave you a sedative." Calleigh said, "But it worn off too quick for her."
"I felt her stabbing me." Horatio whispered, "I tried but... she, I couldn't."
"It's okay." Calleigh said and caressed the side of his face, "This is not your fault."
Horatio nodded, but didn't look convinced. They all knew that Horatio had a habit of blaming himself for things that were not his fault.
"You need to rest now." Natalia smiled, "Calleigh and I will come visit in the evening."
Horatio nodded and his eyes were growing heavy. Within seconds he was asleep.
"You're going to get her, right?" Kyle asked, "She's not going to hurt my dad again."
"We're doing everything we can to find her." Calleigh said, "At least we got her name now."
"She's not going to hurt your father again." Natalia said.
Natalia and Calleigh left to head back to the lab. In the hummer Calleigh smirked.
"Sweetie, huh?" She asked.
"What?"
"You called him sweetie. I've never heard you call Horatio that before." Calleigh smirked and chuckled when Natalia blushed.
"I just... oh god."
"Hey Nat, it's okay." Calleigh laughed, "It's about time."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on, you've always had a weak spot for Horatio." Calleigh smiled, "You like him."
"Everyone likes him." Natalia said.
"Yeah, but you like him in a different way." Calleigh smirked, "I've seen the way you look at him and the way he's looked at you."
"He looks at me?"
"Yeah, but he's too damn shy to make a move." Calleigh said and then grew serious, "Plus, he's afraid. He think he deserves be alone and he thinks that he will be betraying Marisol by finding love again. So Horatio convinces himself that he should be alone and never find a woman again."
"How do you know this?" Natalia asked.
Even if Calleigh and Horatio were close Natalia doubted that Horatio told her how he felt. Horatio always held his cards close to his chest; his feelings locked away. He didn't open up easily.
"He told Eric some of it, besides he's been hinting about it sometimes." Calleigh said, "And if anyone deserves love, it's Horatio."
Natalia was about to say something when her phone rang. It was Ryan informing her that Eric's hummer had been sabotaged. When she hung up she told Calleigh what had happened.
"We all need to be aware that we're being followed." Calleigh said, "Call Frank and let him know. Also call Walter and tell him to gather up surveillance footage from outside the PD and morgue. Maybe Shirley can be seen on it."
"You think she managed to come that close?" Natalia asked.
"Yes, I just remembered that Frank told us before that Horatio had felt like he was being watched in the morgue once." Calleigh said, "And the morgue isn't as difficult to walk into unnoticed as the lab."
"Yeah right! I completely forgot about that." Natalia said, feeling stupid.
"We all did." Calleigh said, "The thing is; if Shirley really was watching Horatio in the morgue, or if she's been waiting outside the lab, we might have to move Horatio to a safer location."
"You're thinking if she could sneak round the morgue she could sneak around in the hospital as well." Natalia said.
"Exactly." Calleigh said, "But unfortunately the hospital has no surveillance camera outside Horatio's room or the area close to it."
"I could check for missing nurse uniforms or other staff members uniforms." Natalia said.
"Do it."
To be continued...