Title: Club Descent: Accused (9/11)
Author: Aeon Cole
Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino
Rating: FRAO
Warning: Slash
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairing: Horatio/Speed
Spoilers: None
Challenge: 50 Dark Fics
Prompt: #36 Never
Word Count: 1790
Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"Ok, no problem," Tim said then snapped his phone shut. "Max has to go down to the police station for an interview. They want to talk to him about Simon. He said we should give him a call later. He's not working tonight."
"Hmm," Horatio hummed.
Tim saw something in Horatio's expression that worried him. "You think something's wrong?" he asked.
Horatio shook his head. "No, I doubt it. I just thought Eric and Wolfe were going to go to the club last night to talk with him." Horatio took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in his chair. "I feel like I'm out of the loop on this. Maybe I should stop by the lab…"
"Nope," Tim interrupted him. "No way. You're mine for the rest of the week. That was the deal. Besides, we have a house to pack up."
Horatio ducked his head and smiled. "Sorry," he said. "I did promise not to do that, didn't I?"
"Several times, actually," Tim replied with a smirk. Horatio looked sheepish. "If you're not careful something like that could lead to another fight," he joked.
"Ah, but that could lead to more making up," Horatio countered.
They both laughed and Tim stood up. He held out his hand. "We should get going," he said.
ooo
"I don't like where this is leading," Eric said.
"Yeah, well, just remember. It's leading where ever the evidence takes us," Rick reminded him.
"I just can't believe Max could have done this. It just doesn't feel right," Eric insisted.
"You sound like Horatio," Rick retorted with a sideways glance at Eric.
"He certainly had motive," Ryan interrupted before Eric could respond.
Eric sighed. "A lot of people had motive. Horatio had motive."
"Yeah, but we didn't find Horatio's fingerprints inside that car," Rick countered.
Eric was having a lot of trouble believing what the evidence was telling him. He couldn't come to terms with the idea that someone who Horatio had become close friends with would be capable of this level of violence and Horatio would be totally unaware. He blew out a breath.
"I need a break," he said and walked out of the room.
He walked aimlessly for a few minutes until he found himself standing outside of the ballistics lab. He pushed the door open and flopped down on one of the stools. Calleigh took one look at him and walked over.
"What's wrong, Eric?" she asked laying a hand on his shoulder.
"I don't know if I can do this, Cal. Working with Stetler. He's convinced that Max is the killer. I think Wolfe is too."
Calleigh wrinkled her brow. "How strong is the evidence?"
Eric sighed. "Pretty strong. But it doesn't feel right. There's something about this Gus guy that I don't like."
"You sound like Horatio," she said.
Eric smirked. "That's what Stetler said. I think it bugged him a little."
"Well, that's never a bad thing," Calleigh said with a chuckle. Then, more seriously, she asked, "Has Max given his statement yet?"
"Not yet. He should be here in a little while," Eric replied.
"Then go back there and make sure Stetler doesn't railroad him," she said. Then she looked around quickly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I have faith in you, Eric. If you think Max is innocent, you'll prove it."
Eric could feel the slight blush creeping up his neck. "Thanks, Cal."
ooo
Rick Stetler wasn't a small man but standing next to the hulking form of Max Tanner he felt short and just slightly out manned. He led Max into the interrogation room where Eric and Ryan were waiting. Max remembered Stetler from the night Tim was kidnapped and he remembered Horatio's reaction to him. That memory made him cautious of the man. He was glad to see Eric in the room when he got there.
Eric and Ryan had swapped places in the interrogation this time with Ryan taking the lead. They had planned out a basic strategy given the information Gus had given them.
"Max, there are a few things we'd like to clarify with you," Ryan said.
Max nodded. "Whatever ya need. Just ask," he said.
Ryan smiled. "Thanks. First off, I'd like to talk about Samuel Conner. You knew him as Simon Cole. When did you first meet him?"
"It was about four years ago. Tim brought him into the club one night."
"What was your impression of him then?" Rick asked.
"He seemed nice enough and Tim was completely taken by'm."
"But?" Rick prompted.
"There was somethin' about'm that I don't think I could put my finger on at the time. Made the hair at the back of my neck stand up." Then he smirked and added, "Figuratively of course," running a hand over his bald head. "Somethin' in his eyes."
"Then things changed?" Ryan asked.
Max thought for a moment remembering how his friend's whole personality seemed to shift. "Over a period of time, yes. Tim didn't come around the club as much as he used to. He always said that Simon didn't like to go out much. I sometimes wouldn't see him for a couple of weeks then when I did he seemed different. Quiet and more withdrawn mostly. After about a year was when I started noticing the bruises. He always had an excuse for them."
"Did you suspect what was happening?"
"Yeah, but when I tried to ask'm about it he blew it off then stopped coming around the club all together."
"That's not unusual for abuse victims," Rick interrupted. "They tend to cut ties with friends and family rather than have to deal with the questions."
"I really had no idea the extent of things until Horatio came along. I suspect there's still a lot I don't know."
"But you were able to remain friends with Dr. Speedle despite everything," Ryan asked.
"Simon was a prick and I was determined that Tim would see that someday," Max said.
"So you're not sorry to see him dead," Ryan asked.
"I don't know anyone who's sorry to see him gone."
"Do you have any idea who might have actually killed him?" Rick asked.
Max smirked. "No, but I'd like t'shake the guy's hand," he said.
Ryan decided it was time to shift the conversation to the real reason they'd called Max in. "How about Gus? How well do you know him?"
Max cocked his head to one side. "Well enough. He showed up at just the right time six months ago lookin' fer a job. Theo had just left t'go visit his family and we needed a temporary replacement. He agreed t'stay on after we found out what happened ta Theo."
"Can you tell me what happened the night his car was taken from the club's parking lot?" Ryan asked.
"Like I told ya last night, it was a long time ago. Just seemed like any other night, 'til we left anyway."
"Was it unusual for Gus not to leave the club on his break?" Eric asked from the back of the room.
Max shrugged. "A little. When he first started he went out every day but later on he didn't do it as often."
"Do you know if Gus ever let anyone else drive his car?" Ryan asked.
"Don't know about anyone else but I drove it once," Max said. "The day before it was stolen actually."
Ryan and Stetler exchanged a glance. "He let you drive it? What for?"
"We were running low on this one particular brand of scotch. The supplier was out which isn't all that unusual. The owner sent me to one of the local liquor stores that caries it to buy a case. I'd driven my bike that night so Gus volunteered his car."
"Really?" Ryan said.
"Yeah. The only thing he said was that the case had to go in the trunk. Somethin' about not wanting to mark up the seats."
Rick sat back in his chair for a moment then glanced at Ryan before turning back to Max. "Ok. Thanks for coming down, Max."
"No problem. If ya need anything else, just call," Max said before he got up.
"I'll walk you out," Ryan said.
Rick turned to Eric once the others were gone and said, "One of them is lying."
"I vote for Gus," Eric said.
Rick rolled his eyes. "We all know how you feel about this, Eric."
Eric shook his head. "Gus' story was very straight forward and he seemed to remember everything about that day clearly. It sounded… I don't know, too easy," Eric said. "Max is much more believable. His story is too convoluted to be faked. I mean, think about it."
Rick said, "Well, we can't take a gut feeling to the DA. And all of the physical evidence puts Max in the car. He had motive and opportunity. Gus is new in town and doesn't even know the victim. He doesn't have motive…"
"That we know of," Eric interrupted.
Rick ignored his interruption and continued. "We have enough to hold Max on this." Then he held up a hand at Eric's obvious attempt to protest. "But we're not going to do that right now. I tend to agree with you. Something still doesn't feel right."
"You didn't ask him about the fabric," Eric mentioned.
"Wolfe is doing that right now. We thought it would be better if he brought it up casually outside of the interview," Rick said with a shrug. "You know, just two guys talking about a common hobby." He turned to Ryan as he walked back into the room. "What did he say about the collecting?" he asked.
"He collects war memorabilia. And he has some of that fabric," Ryan answered.
Rick shook his head. It wasn't looking good for Horatio's friend. "What's the status of the warrant for the video surveillance?" he asked.
Ryan looked at his watch. "We should have the computer hard drive by morning at this point."
"Ok. Let's reserve any judgment until after we look at those videos," Rick said. "But I'm going to put a car on each of them until we get this figured out." Then he turned to Eric. "See what else you can find out about Gus. If you really think Max didn't do this, prove it to me."
Eric looked at his watch. It was late and he'd been at the lab since early that morning. He knew his mind wasn't at its sharpest. He figured it would be better to go home and get some rest then come back and tackle this problem early tomorrow morning. He headed back down to the ballistics lab before he headed out.
TBC
