Chapter 9:
Horatio was surprised that he had managed to fall asleep last night, but the sun streaming through his window was proof that he had. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 9 in the morning. This was later than normal for him to be getting up, but with everything that had happened in the last couple of day he figured he deserved to sleep in. He wanted to get to the lab and start reviewing the evidence that had been collected from his crime scene, but he knew it could wait. He needed to call the hospital to see how Eric and Ryan were. The doctor said that Eric would most likely be released today, but when he had left Ryan's room the young man was still sleeping and it worried him slightly. He was further worried because no one had called him yet. They had assured him they would call him if his condition changed.
Horatio reached for his cell phone and was about to call the hospital when the door bell rang. He knew that there had been a plain clothed police officer watching the house last night so he figured it was just him, but he didn't take any chances and grabbed his gun before answering the door. "Officer Melvin, what can I do for you"? He saw the officer standing there looking apprehensive and holding flowers in one hand.
"Lieutenant Caine, some florist shop was just here and dropped off these flowers. I told him I would make sure you got them. I checked them over and didn't see anything wrong with them". The officer handed the flowers to Horatio. "Sorry about the messy arrangement, I tried to put them back into the classic triangle pattern it came in, but it's been awhile since I helped my mother in her florist shop.
Horatio winced at the mention of the word triangle as he took the flowers from the officer. "Thank you, Officer Melvin. I think you can probably head home or back to the station since I'll be leaving for the lab soon".
"I can't do that Lieutenant Caine. I was told to stay with you until you went to work this morning". The officer knew that Horatio would complain about this so he turned around and walked back to his car as soon as he said that last part. He didn't want to have any arguments with the lieutenant.
Horatio took the flowers into his house and set them down on his kitchen table. As he read the attached card his face turned a pale shade of white. The note read: Welcome back, I hope you and the boys are feeling better. Be talking to ya real soon. Below the sentence was a drawing of a broken triangle. He dropped the note and immediately called the hospital. He was told that they were both ok, but it didn't matter. He needed to see them with his own eyes.
While Horatio threw on some clothes he had been on the phone with Calleigh. He had given her the details of what happened and asked her to have someone come over here to pick up the flowers for processing and talk to Officer Melvin. He needed to get to the hospital so he had no time to spare. He told the Officer he didn't have time to argue about the situation and that he needed him to stay and wait for one of the CSI to process the scene while he went to the hospital. The officer had reluctantly agreed once Horatio had assured him he would not get in trouble.
As Horatio pulled up to the entrance of the hospital he saw Calleigh standing there. He had told her she didn't need to go to the hospital for him, but he was secretly grateful she had gone against his wishes.
"Horatio, what's going on? I called the hospital on the way over here and they said both Eric and Ryan were fine". Calleigh could tell that he didn't want to stand there discussing the issue so she allowed him to silently lead her inside and up to Eric's room.
"H, what's happened? I talked to Calleigh on the phone before you got here and she said you were on your way over". He could see that Horatio looked relieved to see him, but he could also tell something was troubling him.
"Eric, I needed to make sure everyone was ok. I received flowers from the killer and I thought that maybe he had gotten to one of you". He was glad to see Eric up and about. It also looked like he was getting ready to leave. "Are you being released?"
"The doctor was satisfied that there was nothing wrong with me. After a good night's rest and some fluids he said I could go back to work, but that I still needed to take it easy. I'm glad because all I want to do is get back on the case. I also want to get some food. I am so hungry". He glanced as Calleigh and saw her smile at this revelation. He was hoping to spend some time with her before heading to the lab and he hoped she might be up for some breakfast.
"That's great Eric. Even though I will need your help with the evidence I also want to make sure you're ready to go back to work and that you are safe. When you are not at work there will be a plain clothed officer with you at all times. I have this feeling we will be hearing from our captor again, and this time I want to be able to catch before he does anything". As Horatio left the room to check on Ryan he thought about what he told Eric. He had known him long enough to know that he was going to get back to the case as soon as possible, but he had to make sure he was safe.
Upon entering Ryan's room, Horatio was glad to see Ryan sitting up in bed eating some breakfast. He looked a lot better than last night, but still looked exhausted. "Ryan, it's good to see you awake and eating something. You had me a little worried last night". He wondered how long Ryan had been up and was a little irritated that no one called him about this. He would have to have a discussion with someone later, but right now he was glad that both Eric and Ryan were alright. He went over to get a closer look at Ryan. He looked worse close up but he still looked better than he had when the killer had him tied up. "Has the doctor been by to see you yet?"
"No, I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sorry for scaring you. I remembered being brought here and lots of commotion going on, but I just couldn't keep my eyes focused on anything. I had such a killer headache and just wanted to sleep it off". As he said the word 'killer' he remembered why he was here. "Did they catch the killer yet? I was told that we all made it out alive so I thought he may have been caught before he could finish the game. No one has told me anything yet". He didn't know why they hadn't told him anything yet, but they kept reassuring him one of his friends would update him on the case when they arrived.
"We haven't caught him, but I am hoping we have some new leads in the case. I need to get back to the lab to start analyzing the evidence. I am glad you are feeling better. For your protection there will be a plain clothed officer with you at all times until this case is solved. I don't think the killer is done with us yet and I want to keep you and Eric safe". Horatio examined the food that was sitting on Ryan's tray and realized he was extremely hunger; he had not eaten much since last night. "Now, I want you to eat everything on your plate and take it easy. I'm going to go and find your doctor to see how long it will be before you are released". He took one more look at Ryan and smiled before leaving the room.
Ryan was happy to have made it out alive, but he still had to wonder how they had all gotten so lucky. He was sure that he was going to be the Triangle Killer's next victim. He knew he didn't have all the answers yet and he wanted to find out, but right now he was still tired and having a hard time getting rid of his nasty headache. Maybe some food and rest was all that he needed. That is exactly what he needed before this happened, but he was not about to try and take another vacation anytime soon. Like Horatio and Eric, all he wanted to do was get back to the lab and help catch this killer.
When Horatio arrived at the crime lab, there were a lot of sympathetic faces looking at him. They had all wanted to find out how he was doing, but they also respected his space and left him to his work. They had been told that he was coming back to the lab to start working on the case and no one wanted to get in his way. He could tell they wanted to ask him about the case, but he was glad for their silence. He needed to focus on everything that had happened up to this point.
He went in search of Calleigh only to find that she had not come in yet. He knew that one of the reasons she had gone to the hospital was to bring Eric home. He would wait for her while reviewing the evidence that had been collected so far.
The evidence room was full of things that looked all too familiar. The sight brought memories of what happened, but he didn't have time to think about it. He needed to focus on the task at hand. As he was checking the evidence log, the door to the room opened.
"Hi Horatio, how long have you been here?" Calleigh had just gotten back from dropping Eric off at his place. She knew she needed to get back to the lab to help Horatio and was hoping to have beaten him here.
Horatio looked up, "Not long, did you take Eric home?"
"Yes, he said he wanted to shower up and get a bite to eat, but afterward he was coming in to help. I told him you would understand if he didn't come in right away but he insisted. He said we couldn't do this without him".
"That sounds like Eric". He looked once again at the collected evidence. "Have we started processing anything yet"?
"Yes, Valera is running some DNA trace that we found and Natalia is running the prints we pulled, but there is still plenty to go over. I also had them bring in the flowers from your house. I was going to check it for trace after dropping Eric off". She looked around the room and finally found the flowers that had gotten Horatio in an up roar just a few hours ago. They looked like beautiful flowers, but she couldn't help but notice the drawing of the broken triangle on the card. No wonder Horatio had become upset after receiving them. "I had Frank talk to the officer about the delivery guy and his van. He should be able to tell us more once he comes in".
"Calleigh, I think we should start at the beginning, what do we know about the abductions?" He knew that he had given his accounts of his abduction to one of the CSI's who had arrived on the scene, but he didn't know much about Eric or Ryan's abductions.
"Well, Eric's guess was that he was taken 3 nights ago. The last thing he remembered before waking up in the warehouse was arriving at his place after our night out together. He was angry when he left so I kept trying to call him that night. That would explain why he never answered his phone. I thought he was just trying to avoid me". When she learned of this she had felt a little guilty about not going after him that night. But had she gone with him, she could have been abducted as well. "When he woke up he wasn't sure what time or even day it was since the warehouse was void of windows. He said he didn't remember anything until that moment.
The description of this abduction was all too familiar. It sounded eerily like his, except that he had not just had dinner and a fight with Calleigh. He told Calleigh he had just arrived home and was getting out of his car and the next thing he remember was waking up in the same warehouse that Eric described. So far this information was not getting them anywhere. They didn't know Ryan's story yet, but they guessed that it would be the same, except for the fact that no one had even known he was missing.
Now that Ryan was feeling better Calleigh said that she was going to go back to the hospital and get his statement. She knew that Horatio would still be here processing the evidence when she got back.
Calleigh found Ryan sitting in bed watching the news on the TV. He noticed her before she got a chance to talk first, "Hi Calleigh, you're just in time, they're talking about the case and they're already saying that the Triangle Killer has struck again, but they almost sounded disappointed that it didn't result in the death of anyone. Well I for one can say I am glad that we all got out of there alive".
"Hi Ryan, I hear you are feeling better. Have you heard when they are planning on letting you out?" She thought Ryan was looking better, but he still looked tired. She knew that he had been exhausted before being abducted, so it was most likely the reason he was taking longer to feel better. She wondered if he would want to take more time off before coming back to work.
"They said they would let me out of here tomorrow. They wanted to keep me one more night to ensure I got enough rest. They said I was suffering from severe dehydration and extreme exhaustion. But now that I am feeling better all I want to do is get out of here and help you guys with the case. Do we have any leads yet?" Ryan had stopped watching the TV and was eager to hear Calleigh's response.
"No, this case is turning out just like the other ones so far, but Horatio is back at the lab going over the evidence. I need to take your official statement on your abduction though. Maybe there is something you might be able to tell us that will help the case". After she said this she noticed a slight hurt look on Ryan's face.
Ryan had been hoping Calleigh's visit was more than just a business one, but he knew she needed to process the information and maybe he knew something that would help. "Well, I remember packing up my stuff in my car for my short vacation out of town about 4 days ago. I drove out of town and decided to stop at a nearby motel for the night since I was tired of driving. But I don't remember ever making it to the check in desk. It was dark out as I got out of my car and the next thing I remember was waking up in the back of a moving van, but I soon fell unconscious again. The next thing I remember was waking up in what appeared to be a warehouse and I thought I could hear boats outside. I was tied to a chair that was bolted to the floor. I tried to get loose but couldn't. As I sat there for a while my captor came in and saw that I was awake. He told me that I was there for some fun and that there would be others to join us soon. He said he wanted to keep me fresh so he forced me to drink some water before he left again. But there must have been something in that water because when I woke up again I was sitting there looking at Horatio".
Calleigh had not realized his story would be so different. This was the first time any of the victims had made contact with the killer before the game started. But it may have just had something to do with that fact that Ryan had been headed out of town. "You said he gave you some water and it may have had something in it to make you sleep. I wonder if there are still any traces of the substance in your blood stream. Do you know if they took any blood samples from you?"
"I don't think so, but they may have while I was out". Ryan was trying to piece this information into the case. "Where are you going with this Calleigh?"
"I don't know yet, but this is not typical of something the killer as done before. I need to get this information back to Horatio along with a sample of your blood". She went out of the room and came back with a nurse a few minutes later. The nurse took a sample of Ryan's blood who then promptly handed it over to Calleigh. "I'll try and check on you later, ok Ryan". She knew he would have wanted her to stay since he looked bored, but she needed to get back to the lab and process this new information. She also needed to get someone out to the motel Ryan had stopped at to process the scene and see if there was anyone who saw anything. And lastly she just couldn't face him any longer. Every time she looked at him she felt so guilty. The whole time she was mad at him, he was at the warehouse suffering along with Eric and Horatio. The whole time he was with the triangle killer she allowed her anger to get to the point of wanting to write him up for not answering his voice mails and coming to help them search for Eric and Horatio. She knew she would eventually have to talk to Ryan about this if she was ever going to feel better. But now was not the time. She forced herself to look at Ryan one last time before leaving the room.
When Calleigh arrived back at the lab she was happy to see Eric there. She told Ryan's account of his abduction to both Horatio and Eric. She then found Frank and asked him to take Natalia and head over to the motel to process the scene Ryan had told her about. Maybe this new information and the change in the killer's pattern was just what they were looking for. But this information also brought back a previous thought she had earlier, that they might be dealing with a copy cat killer. The only reason she kept coming back to this conclusion on this case was because some of the details of this case were not adding up like they had in all the other cases. In all the other cases, the killer had chosen to do one thing different, and that was the way the chosen person died. It was almost as if the killer didn't like doing this part and wanted to keep it different so he would not start to enjoy it, but this was her own personal theory that she had yet to share with anyone. She thought it was time to discuss her new suspicions with Horatio.
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