Revelations
Chapter 11
Alexx and Brian were silently sitting at the table after finishing breakfast when Brian looked across at his mother, frustration very evident in his tone when he asked,
"Seems like we are never gonna get out of here. Why hasn't Uncle Horatio caught Ricardo? Or is that ever going to happen?"
Alexx finished taking a sip of her coffee, noting the exasperation in her son's voice.
Reaching across the table, she squeezed her son's before she replied,
"Brian, Honey, these things just take time. Horatio is doing all he can. He left the hospital before he should have because of the urgency to find Ricardo. Everyone is working hard on this case so we can have our life back. We just need to be patient."
The swinging door then opened leading into the kitchen causing Alexx to turn and see Calleigh entering first, and then Horatio walked in behind her.
Alexx jumped to her feet and ran to her friends.
"What a sight for sore eyes!"
Alexx hugged Calleigh and asked how she was feeling, then centered her attention on Horatio. She detected the pain he was in by looking into his eyes. Moving over to him, she gently drew him into an embrace. Then as she stepped back she said,
"Horatio, you should be in bed, not running around the city hunting criminals."
Horatio smiled, "Calleigh's a good nurse…she's taking real good care of me Alexx." He smiled as his eyes fell on the blonde.
"How's it going Brian?" Horatio called out to the young man sitting at the table.
"Ok, I guess. Just wish I could be with my friends instead of cooped up here."
Horatio understood the young man's feelings, but at least he was safe, even though unhappy.
"Hang in there son. This'll be over soon, I hope." Brian shrugged at Horatio's answer.
"Horatio, you go lie down on that sofa over there. I want to check that wound and incision of yours."
Horatio looked over at Calleigh and stayed put.
"Alexx, it's ok. Calleigh's been doing everything Dr. Schmidt told her to. I…"
Calleigh began laughing softly noticing the face Horatio was making while balking at following Alexx's order.
"I know she has Horatio, but I said, I want to look at it."
Alexx took his hand and began leading him towards the couch. There was nothing Horatio could do but comply with his friend's request.
Once they arrived at the lab and each grabbed a cup of coffee, Calleigh left him for the ballistics lab as Horatio headed for his office. He met Lara as she exited the elevator.
"Good morning Lara."
Lara smiled as she returned the greeting.
"Good morning to you Horatio. How are you feeling today?"
"I'm here. I heard you completed the firearms requirement. Congratulations."
"Thank you. It does feel good to finally join the team on call-outs now."
Horatio excused himself after the chit-chat that followed and continued on to his office. Hearing Lara's voice again made him think about his dream. Shaking it off, he unlocked his office door and made his way to his desk that still held stacks of paperwork requiring his attention.
He'd been working about an hour and had made great progress in reducing the stacks before his phone signaled an incoming call. Looking at the screen, he smiled at the name displayed.
"Eric. How are you?" Horatio asked as he answered.
"Hi H…I think that's my line. I talked to Ryan last night and he told me you'd been shot. Are you in the hospital?"
Horatio picked up on the concern in his brother-in-law's voice.
"I'm good Eric. Right now, I'm sitting at my desk tackling the paperwork that piled up in the last few days. How's everything going for you at LAPD?"
If Horatio could see Eric's face at the moment, he'd see the young man shaking his head in disbelief concerning Horatio's line claiming he was alright.
"Ah, you know, same thing that goes on there. You are taking it a little easy, aren't you? You're not working full days yet I hope."
Horatio smiled, "Eric, really I'm fine. We've got a difficult case on our hands – I need to be here. Calleigh is keeping an eye on me to make sure I take it easy."
On the other end, Calleigh being mentioned, caused Eric to hang his head. Seems she got over me pretty quick.
"Just take care of yourself H. Hey, I heard you hired a new CSI, a woman by the name of Lara. Where's she from, Miami?"
"No, she's from New Mexico - taught forensics at UNM."
There was silence on the other end.
"H, what's her full name?"
"I don't think you'd know her Eric, but her name's Aislara Mendoza."
Eric stared out of the large window in his motel room. Why would Lara go to Miami to work for MPD?
"H, I do know her. She was a close friend of Marisol's. They were childhood friends all the way through high school. Mari used to go out to see Lara in the summer every year after Lara's family moved out there. Hasn't she told you?"
Now it was Horatio's turn to be stunned into silence. Why has Lara never mentioned this to me? Maybe she doesn't know I was married to Marisol. Suddenly the wound in Horatio's gut began to ache.
Recovering his voice, Horatio answered, "Um, no…no she hasn't."
"H, I heard Lara took Mari's death pretty hard. You ought to ask her why she's there working for you."
At that moment, two men Horatio recognized as IA officers strode through his door and stopped in front of his desk.
"I'll do that. Need to go Eric, talk to you later." Horatio disconnected the call.
Horatio stood, "Gentlemen, what can I help you with?"
"Lieutenant Caine we are here to tell you that you are under investigation for several offenses. Those being, you have fraternized with a subordinate; returned to duty from medical leave without clearance; but the most serious of all, withholding evidence in an ongoing investigation."
Horatio stiffened to his full height even though it was painful for him to do so and then planted his hands on his hips as he glared at the two men.
"You have proof of these allegations?"
"Open your office safe."
Horatio didn't move.
"On whose orders?"
The taller of the two men answered,
"Captain Moorehead. If you fail to comply, we'll have no choice but to place you in handcuffs and lead you out of here in front of your team. I don't think you want us to do that now do you?"
Horatio broke eye contact and looked down at his desk as he clenched his jaw. Walking out from behind his desk, he stopped at the wall safe. Once he opened the door and stepped back, the two men pulled out the contents and rifled through the papers.
"If I knew what you were looking for, I could save you time." Horatio sarcastically exclaimed. He knew what they were looking for and knew they wouldn't find them.
Satisfied the folder was not in the safe, the taller man again commanded,
"Lieutenant…your badge and gun. You are, at this moment, relieved of your command until further investigation."
Horatio responded with a growl, "We're in the middle of a murder investigation involving several people. I need to lead my team."
Unmoved, the man's eyes narrowed, "I won't ask again."
Meanwhile, Walter had seen the two IA officers headed for Horatio's office and quickly called Calleigh.
When she answered, she immediately detected his anxiousness, "Calleigh, two IA guys just walked up to Horatio's office. What's going on?"
Suddenly, it dawned on her why they were after Horatio. Lara is behind this…I know she is.
"I'll be right there."
Horatio was being escorted toward the elevator between the two men when Calleigh arrived. As he walked past her he paused and looked down at the floor before looking up into her concerned eyes. He then tilted his head and gave her a little smile trying to let her know everything would be alright before informing her,
"You're in command Calleigh. I'll talk with you later."
Calleigh stood with the rest of the team and watched as Horatio was ushered into the elevator. Horatio never looked back up as the door slid closed.
Frank Tripp walked up on the group just in time to see Horatio being escorted into the elevator.
"What in the hell is going on here?" Frank glared at the three men before turning toward the CSIs.
"What IS going on…where's Horatio being taken and WHY?" Ryan loudly asked as he spun around and looked straight at Calleigh.
Not answering his question, she responded with a question of her own using a low, angry tone.
"Where is Lara?"
Walter, confused as well about what had just happened answered,
"She's out with Natalia. They're following up on some leads on Ricardo. What does she have to do with this?"
Pulling her cell phone out of her back pants pocket, Calleigh pushed the speed dial to connect with Natalia. Leaving the three confused men standing in the hallway, she almost ran to the elevator and as she waited for the car to arrive, her anger seethed, threatening to lash out at anyone who dared to get in her way.
Frank pulled his cell phone out and punched a number.
"Andy," Frank said as someone obviously answered on the other end. Frank began explaining what he had seen.
As Calleigh ran to her Hummer, with the phone to her ear, Natalia told Calleigh that Lara felt sick and had taken a taxi home earlier leaving her to follow-up the last couple of leads alone. Calleigh ended the call and sat in the Hummer before pulling out of the lab's parking lot, racking her brain as to where Lara had rented an apartment. The woman had told her after being hired, but then it didn't seem important to have to know and she couldn't go back in the lab and access the woman's files without causing suspicion.
"Lieutenant Caine," Captain Moorehead began, "do you understand why you're being investigated and relieved of duty?"
Standing in front of the Captain's desk, feeling like a misbehaving schoolboy, Horatio refused to make eye contact with the big man who was attempting to keep the smirk off of his face, but failed.
When Horatio did look the man in the eye before responding, his long-standing opinion of the man before him quickly rose to the surface, tempting him to verbally reveal his thoughts, but he managed to keep the fact that he thought the Captain was a self-serving prick to himself.
"I was told what you think I'm guilty of, yes."
The Captain leaned on his elbows, propped on the desktop as he positioned himself closer to the Lieutenant and asked,
"Where have you hidden the folder with the photographs of your friend's son and a known felon together?"
Horatio's mouth formed a tight smile as he took his time answering the question.
Keeping the smile on his face, he tilted his head to the side and answered, "I hid them in plain sight – in the evidence locker. If you'll call down, I'm sure someone will verify that for you."
Horatio noticed the color drain from the big man's face as he slowly sat back in his chair. He motioned for one of the two men standing just behind Horatio to check on it.
Moving on in his questioning, Captain Moorehead point-blank asked,
"How long have you been in a relationship with your subordinate, Calleigh Duquesne?"
Horatio glared at the man.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she stayed with you and shirked her duties, Lieutenant. What she did, is not common practice among colleagues. It goes a step further, similar to say," the man paused and cleared his throat before placing emphasis on the last part of his statement, "like that of a paid nursemaid."
Horatio could barely contain his anger; it took every ounce of restraint to keep from jumping over the desk and punching the smirk off the Captain's face.
His voice steady, smooth and deep, belying how he really felt, Horatio responded,
"Ms. Duquesne accompanied me to the hospital and stayed in what I know was a very uncomfortable chair until I awoke the next morning. She then left me and worked a full shift leading the team in my absence. Only when she herself was injured on a call-out did she stay in my room again. But, I can assure you, it was purely innocent. The hospital staff can verify the details for you." Horatio stood clenching his jaw still trying to contain his angry feelings. Although I can't say the same for a night later on, but that's my business, not yours.
At that moment, the door to the office opened and Chief Stoddard walked in, visibly angry.
"What's the meaning of this Moorehead?" The chief growled out.
The Captain quickly stood and stammered as he addressed the angry police chief and began pointing out to him the reasons Lieutenant Caine was being questioned. When he finished, the man who had left to verify if the pictures were logged in, returned and reluctantly told the Captain that the Lieutenant was correct. The pictures were in evidence.
"Well that should clear Caine of any wrongdoing. As for the other, I will investigate your flimsy case against him, but in the meantime, give his badge and gun back to him. He's in the middle of a murder investigation."
Horatio and the chief walked out of IAB together. As they walked toward the elevator, Horatio turned and quietly said,
"Thanks Andy for the rescue. They didn't have anything…just fishing."
"Because of the seriousness of this murder case, I'll overlook the fact that you should be on medical leave. But, when this investigation is over Horatio, you and I need to have a serious talk about your intentions concerning Ms. Duquesne."
Horatio jerked his head around and noted the slight smile on the chief's face.
Returning to the lab, Horatio stepped into trace and the sound caused Ryan to look up to see who entered.
Shocked and relieved to see the Lieutenant back he spoke up, "H, everything ok?"
"Mr. Wolfe, where's Calleigh? She's not in ballistics."
It finally came to Calleigh that Lara told her she'd found a place in the Ocean Trace Village, in Coral Gables. She parked the Hummer and walked to the main entrance of the building. Perusing a board that held the names of tenants beside buttons used to contact each apartment, she found L. Mendoza among the list and pushed the button.
TBC…