Here's the next chapter. Thanks elislin, shel2005 and the rest of you for the reviews. It's always nice to hear from readers.

Chapter 13

Friday

10:12 am

"You've been a hard man to find, Wiley," Frank Tripp folded his arms and glared at the man seated on the other side of the table. Wiley's attitude had been grating on him since the moment they brought the contractor in.

Jackson Wiley gave the detective a half smile while raising his hands, the picture of confidence, "Perhaps your detecting skills aren't what they used to be. I've been around." He'd been nervous when he saw Tripp, but it was apparent the detective didn't recognize him from that brief encounter at the hospital. Not that it mattered, he had an ace in the hole. Mikey had promised him that he'd fix it so the police wouldn't dare hold him for long and Mikey always made good on his promises.

"So you have," Horatio stared at the man from under half-hooded eyes, then tapped the folder in front of him, "We have a witness that places you at the Alverez crime scene. Would you care to explain?"

Jackson hesitated for a split-second and then gave an easy smile, "I'm not surprised. He and I knew each other back in the day. I was in the neighborhood last week and dropped in to say hello." Wiley leaned forward, looking sincere, "I assure you, Tom was alive when I left."

Horatio smiled slightly, "You say that like he was dead."

Wiley stared at him, quickly schooling the shock from his features, "Well, he is... isn't he? I mean, I saw it in the newspaper." He leaned back, arrogance firmly in place again, "Tom was a nice guy. I hope you catch his killer."

"I intend to," Horatio's smile was anything but pleasant. That was one lie Wiley had just been caught in. Horatio hadn't specifically mentioned murder and the papers hadn't released the name of the deceased pending notification of relatives. He turned to another page in the file, "How well did you know Constance Hennessey?"

He was interrupted by a tap on the door. A patrolman stuck his head in, "Lieutenant? You've got a call over at Reception. They said it was important."

"All right," Horatio glanced over at Frank who nodded and slid into a chair. He gave Wiley a look, "I'll be back."

* * * * * * * *

Eric handed off the evidence packets from Wiley's SUV to Aaron in Trace. Shrugging out of his lab coat, he headed towards the interrogation rooms. It would be a while before any results were known but he hoped they'd prove Wiley was their man. It would mean Calleigh was safe at last. He reached the reception area in time to see Horatio approaching from the opposite direction and frowned slightly. What could be more important than putting Jackson Wiley away? His stomach knotted when he saw Horatio abruptly straighten after picking up the phone. Hurrying over to stand next to the Lieutenant, he unabashedly listened to Horatio's side of the conversation. What he heard had the blood draining from his face.

* * * * * * * *

Valera stared at the results in disbelief. Looking up, she saw Wolfe striding down the corridor and raced out to catch him. "Ryan!"

He stopped and turned towards her, frowning slightly at the urgency in her tone, "Hey Max, what's wrong?"

"The DNA sample from your suspect. I can put him in the Alverez house but not in the Hennesseys'."

"Okay, well, that's something," Ryan glanced away in frustration, he'd been sure this was the guy. Horatio wasn't going to be pleased. Valera was still standing there when he glanced back and he looked at her in confusion, "Was there something else?"

"I'll say. Look at the markers," she held out the page for his inspection.

Ryan studied the printout and then his eyebrows rose in surprise, "They're related?"

Valera pointed at the sheet again, "Not just related, they're fraternal twins."

"What?" Ryan stared at the figures, "You're sure about this?" He saw the look she gave him and raised a hand, "Sorry, of course you are." He rubbed his jaw as he reviewed what he knew of their suspect, "According to the records, Jackson Wiley was the only child of Richard and Stephanie Wiley, both deceased. How the hell did..." Ryan shook his head, "Is there any way to identify his twin?"

Valera shook her head, "Not unless he's in the system and I've already checked. There's no way to know how they became separated. If you want to find his brother you'll have to ask him."

"And if his brother's really involved in this, he probably won't say a word." Ryan frowned, "Damn." He looked around, "I'd better tell Horatio. Thanks." Heading towards the interrogation rooms, he was surprised to see both Horatio and Eric standing by the reception desk. Ryan slowed down as he drew closer, worry making a sudden appearance. Judging from the tension radiating off both men, whoever Horatio was on the phone with hadn't had good news. He made it to the front desk just as the Lieutenant hung up. The look on Caine's face was absolutely thunderous but it was Delko's expression that scared him. Ryan swallowed nervously, "What's wrong?"

"Everything," was Horatio's terse reply. It might as well have been a starting gun because that one word launched Eric towards the interrogation rooms like a guided missile. Horatio spun on his heel and headed after him. Mystified, Ryan hurried after them both.

Eric hit the interrogation room at full stride, not slowing down as he made a beeline for Wiley. Ryan just had time to notice the look on Frank's face as he listened to his cellphone before Delko had Wiley pinned against the back wall with a forearm across the man's throat. Ryan and Horatio leapt forward to grab the enraged Cuban from one side while Frank snapped his phone shut and hurried over to latch on from the other. Together, they pried the infuriated man off a gasping Jackson Wiley. "Dammit, Eric, what the hell are you doing?!" Frank growled, still hanging on.

Wiley slid down the wall, holding his throat. From the floor, he jabbed a finger at Delko, "I want to press charges! That lunatic just tried to kill me!"

"Shut up!" snapped Frank, "You fell down and he was helping you up." When it looked like Wiley was going to say something else, Tripp gave him a ferocious scowl, "Open your mouth again and I'll be the one helping you up."

Panting now, Eric shook his head and indicated Horatio. He stopped struggling and the other men cautiously released their hold.

"I just received a phone call from a man telling me to drop Mr. Wiley as a suspect," Horatio ground out, pinning Wiley with a laser glare, "If I don't, Calleigh's going to die."

Ryan stared at his Lieutenant in shock. Frank took a deep breath, "I just got a call from dispatch. They found the officer assigned to follow Alexx and Calleigh in a deserted parking lot - stabbed to death. Alexx's car is empty. Yelina has the call out, she's on her way." Frank hesitated slightly and then plunged ahead, "Do you know if... "

"She was alive, Frank," was the clipped response. Horatio couldn't bring himself to go any further. It was bad enough that Eric had heard it. Calleigh's stubborn streak had cost her and he didn't know how badly.

Ryan finally found his voice, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, "What about Alexx?"

Horatio shook his head, never taking his eyes off of Wiley, "The man didn't mention her." He had yet to let himself dwell on the ramifications of that. It was going to require some privacy, Alexx was one of his oldest friends.

Wiley picked himself up off the floor and straightened his clothes. He looked at the other men coolly, "Well, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me." He froze when Eric took a single, menacing step towards him and looked nervously at Horatio, "Are you crazy? Call him off. You know what will happen if I don't leave here."

"You're not leaving," Frank looked as menacing as Eric. "You're going to tell us where the hell your partner has Calleigh Duquesne."

"You mean his twin brother," Ryan put in. If the circumstances hadn't been so serious, he might have been amused by the identical looks of surprise from all four men.

Horatio finally took his gaze off Wiley and turned to stare at Ryan, "Twins?"

"Fraternal twins," Ryan clarified, "Valera picked up on it." He nodded at their suspect, "His brother's DNA was at the Henneseey crime scene."

"You sure about this?" Frank was looking skeptical. He jerked a thumb at Wiley, "According to public records, he has no siblings."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at a now alarmed looking Wiley, "Someone must have messed with them. Foster homes or adoption, obviously, and there's no telling where his twin is. I'd say they managed to keep in touch."

"Yes, they have, haven't they?" Horatio put his hands on his hips as Delko began advancing slowly towards Wiley, "And you're going to tell me where your brother is right now."

Wiley backed up until he hit the wall and then glared desperately at Tripp and Wolfe, "You can't let him do anything to me! It's police brutality! I'll sue!"

Tripp jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the patrolman by the door, "You, out." Once the officer had left, he looked over at Ryan, "I need a cup of coffee. How about you?"

Ryan nodded uncertainly, still watching Horatio and Eric. He couldn't quite pull off the same aplomb that the older detective had. He let Tripp guide him out of the interrogation room and a little way down the corridor. Tripp's controlled demeanor vanished as soon as he left Wiley's sight. Angrily, he opened his cellphone and soon was filling Yelina in on the latest developments. As soon as he snapped the phone shut, Tripp saw the look on the young man's face. His scowl deepened, "What?"

"We shouldn't have left," Ryan braced as Tripp glared at him. The big man was an expert at scaring the hell out of people but Wolfe was determined to have his say. "I know it's about Calleigh and Alexx but we can't just let Horatio and Eric break the law. That makes us as bad as Wiley."

Frank stared at him for a few long seconds and then folded his arms, "You must not think much of your lieutenant." He tilted his head slightly as Ryan spluttered a denial, "What the hell makes you think Horatio's going to let Eric touch that guy?" At Ryan's incredulous look, he shook his head, "Man, you don't have to put hands on someone to scare the piss out of 'em. Horatio's got it down to a fine art. That guy's gonna need a dry cleaner, not an EMT."

They both turned when Horatio came barreling out of the interrogation room with Eric close behind. Frank took a step forward, "He told you?"

Horatio slowed down a fraction, "No, Alexx did. Blue Cove Marina. Eric's with me. Frank, Mr. Wolfe..."

Frank already had his cellphone out, "On it."

Eric raced out of the building, hot on Horatio's heels. He just managed to throw himself into the passenger side of the Hummer before Horatio was peeling out of the parking garage. Caine glanced over at Eric, "Pull up the GPS and tell me the fastest way to Blue Cove Marina. It's in South Miami. Then call Ryan, tell him to contact the Coast Guard and have them shut down the area around the marina. This guy gets to open water and we'll never find Calleigh."

Delko nodded, typing in the info on the GPS while fumbling for his cellphone. The rage was gone, leaving numbness in its wake. From Horatio's phrasing, it was clear the Lieutenant thought that Cal might already be dead. How could he be so calm? Realization finally broke through and Eric clenched his jaw against the sudden nausea. Calleigh's death was a best case scenario. This psycho wanted her for something else and it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Taking a deep breath, he kept one hand braced on the dash as he punched in Ryan's number. Horatio was driving like a man possessed. Once Eric had connected with Ryan and given him a terse rundown of what was going on, he snapped the phone shut and looked over at Horatio. Unable to talk about his true fear, Delko focused on his other concern, "Alexx got away?"

Horatio gave a short, sharp nod, "Calleigh told her to run and then jumped the guy."

"You're kidding," Eric stared at his lieutenant, feeling a curious juxtaposition of pride and fear. What had that defiance cost her?

A sliver of a smile appeared, "I'm not, you know she's been itching for a shot at this SOB." He became grim again, "Call the paramedics and have them meet us. Alexx didn't get away clean."

Despite the speed with which Horatio was traveling, it was still the longest ride Eric had ever been on. He kept his eyes on the screen, calling out the directions. Less than twenty-five minutes later, they were pulling into the marina. Two radio cars were already there, their lights flashing. An SUV was parked at the far slip with its doors open. One patrolman was on board the next boat in line, while the other officer kept watch from the dock. Horatio pulled up behind the closest police car and both men got out, their weapons drawn. The officer looked back at them and shook his head with a frown, "No one's here so far but it looks like there's some blood on the dock."

Stomach churning, Eric could only nod as he gazed out across the water. Finally, he glanced back towards Horatio. The Lieutenant was striding away from the dock. Eric holstered his weapon and jogged after him. Catching up, he called, "H?"

Horatio didn't lessen his speed, nodding towards the series of storage sheds, "If Alexx was running, those buildings were her only cover."

Eric gave a sharp nod in acknowledgment and veered off, "I'll start from the far side and meet up with you."

Reaching the corner of the first building, Horatio slowed to a stop and peered cautiously around. Seeing it was clear, he hurried down the corridor, his senses alert for anything. He came to a quick halt as Eric appeared around the far side. The young man shook his head and Horatio resumed moving. In the distance, he could hear more sirens wailing. Reaching a break in the buildings, he looked up the aisle and froze. Turning his head, he bellowed, "Over here!" and then he was sprinting up the aisle to the crumpled figure in the grass.

Holstering his pistol as he reached her side, Horatio dropped to his knees beside the ME. "Alexx? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?" His fingers sought out the pulse point on her neck and he breathed a sigh of relief at the steady thump.

Friday,

10:35 am

Calleigh slowly opened her eyes and tried not to groan. Gritting her teeth, she took inventory of her situation. To say it wasn't good would be the granddaddy of understatements. She was obviously in the cabin of the boat. It was dim, stuffy and breathlessly hot. The bastard had her securely trussed to a chair that was bolted to the cabin floor. From the awkward position she was tied in, it was also obvious the guy was still pissed. That was one small victory to savor, he was going to have a beauty of shiner and Alexx had apparently made a successful escape. Things had gotten hazy after that, at least until the guy had tried to make a deal with Horatio.

Actually, considering how that had gone, Calleigh was surprised to have woken up at all. She'd fully expected to be thrown off the dock attached to a spare anchor. Horatio had justly demanded proof that she was still alive and she had stubbornly refused to say a word. That had lasted until the son of a bitch had yanked out a ballpoint pen out of his jacket pocket and petulantly jammed it into the side of her leg. She'd screamed bloody murder and promptly fainted. It still hurt like hell.

Calleigh shifted a little and hissed softly. He had tied her wrists behind her back and then lashed them to the top of the chairback, straining her shoulders and back as it forced her to lean forward. The almost healed wound was a constant ache now. Other muscles were protesting and every bruise was making its presence felt. There was a wire snugly tied in a loop around her neck and fastened to a lower support, its clear intent to keep her head down and prevent any relief from the strain on her back. She tested it carefully and found that while it didn't tighten and choke her, it would dig in painfully if she made any serious effort to straighten up. A leather strap fastened like a seatbelt kept her firmly in place. Her shoes were gone and each ankle had been tied to a chair leg. She was effectively immobilized. Calleigh took a careful breath and tried to beat down the fear. She'd seen enough deviant behavior as a CSI to recognize the portents of this level of restraint.

Gradually, she became aware that the engines were slowing and shivered involuntarily. Being unable to see much beyond what was right in front of her, it was left to her imagination on how the rest of this journey would go. God help her, if she hadn't already been unable to move, the gut-wrenching terror might have frozen her in place. It didn't take a genius to know what was probably awaiting her. Calleigh closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get past the emotional turmoil so she could think.

She needed to ready for any opportunity to escape even though there seemed to be little chance of that happening. She could only hope that Alexx had gotten through to Horatio and he was on his way. This guy needed to be caught before he decided to clean up loose ends. While Calleigh knew without a doubt that Horatio would see to it that the ME and her family remained safe, she had no illusions about her own survival. On the open water, her kidnapper would have plenty of warning when the Coast Guard or police showed up and then she'd be dead. It wouldn't take long for him to pitch her overboard. If he did it while on the run, it'd be tough locating her body. Of course, Eric and Horatio wouldn't stop until they found her and that, in itself, was horrible.

"You're awake. Enjoying the ride?" Calleigh tensed. Wrapped up in her misery, she hadn't heard him approach. He crouched down and poked her in the side with a finger, making her flinch, "I asked you a question."

"Go to hell," she rasped out.

The man laughed, "Defiant, I like that. Of course, it was also rather rude," he continued conversationally. "I don't like rude women." He put a hand on her lower back and pushed down, making her gasp in pain. "I think you should apologize." He let up after a few seconds, "Well?... No?... Alright." He reached down, grabbed her wounded leg and squeezed, smiling as her entire body jerked in response. When she still wouldn't speak, he dug his hand in, increasing the pressure until tears were streaming down her face. He leaned in, "Say it." Finally, he heard a choked 'Sorry' and released his hold with a grin of triumph. He put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, "That was easy, wasn't it? I knew you could do it." She jerked her head away and bit back a cry as the wire dug in, stopping her movement. He reached out and trailed a blood-covered finger lightly through the sweat that beginning to run down her face and neck. The man's smile grew wider as she hit the limits of the restraints and still struggled to avoid his touch. He leaned in once more, "We're going to play a game soon, Ms. Duquesne, and you know what? We're both going to win." He reached towards her again so he could watch her try to evade him and chuckled quietly. The conditions were nearly perfect but he still had a few things to take care of first.

Straightening up, he casually wiped his hand on her shirt and then cautiously felt the increasingly tender area around his eye. He still owed her for that. She was a hellion, no doubt about it, but that would make his victory that much sweeter. Like the Marine Corps of old, he would break her down and then rebuild her as his perfect woman. Impatient to get started, he planned to drop anchor in a little-traveled area. He wasn't foolish enough to trust the autopilot while he began his work. It would be the height of irony if he ran into someone through carelessness and pulled the Coast Guard down on himself. Turning, he walked back to the bridge to plot his course. He was headed for the Inlet and international waters and figured on leap-frogging his way there with a judicious number of stops. Originally, he'd planned on a straight run but the temptation Duquesne presented was just too strong.

He wasn't particularly worried about the police. The other woman wasn't going to tell them anything soon. He knew he'd hit her with at least one shot. Blue Cove was isolated and the only phone was locked up in the office. He figured she'd never make it far enough to tell anyone else either. He had plenty of time and he intended to enjoy every minute of it. Once he'd cleared the Inlet and made it to international waters, no one could touch him. He was headed for Haiti where he had no fear of the local authorities either. Judicious gifts of money and other 'privileges' over the years had ensured his immunity. By the time he reached his villa, his work would be completed and Duquesne would be begging to please him.