A Killer's Law
A/N: Since this story is almost finished, I decided to update this one before my other story for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's going to be the last one.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: Miami
Chapter Fourteen:
Michael Sigmond sat in interrogation. He looked positively shocked that he was here. Apparently, he was still lost in his delusion. An officer stood by the door, a silent sentinel. He had one foot on his other knee and was twitching his foot in anticipation. He wanted to see Sofia. No, he needed to see Sofia.
Finally, several hours after he had been arrested, the man with the red hair who had taken Sofia walked in. He sat across the table from him, placing several files on the clear table between them. "Where is Sofia?" Michael asked after a moment of silence.
Horatio fixed the man with a piercing glare, causing him to squirm. "Sofia is dead."
Michael's face paled and he was at a loss for words. "Wha-what?" he managed after finding his voice. "B-but, how? She was f-fine when I s-saw her!" His voice shook as he tried desperately to hold himself together.
"She died six years ago."
"Lies," the killer whispered.
"No. I'm not lying, Michael." Horatio opened the file. It was the file on Sofia Gregory. He pulled out several autopsy photos and spread them out in front of Sigmond.
Michael's breath quickened. His Sofia. Dead? Impossible. "But, I saw her! Earlier today!! She was right next to me!!"
Horatio's eyes flashed in anger. He grabbed another folder managing to keep himself from showing his anger in his motions. He pulled out a picture of Calleigh. It was her CSI ID picture. He placed that next to the picture of Sofia Gregory. "This," he said, his voice even, "is Calleigh Duquesne. She works for the Miami-Dade crime lab. Last night, you kidnapped her. This morning, we rescued her from her."
"No! Lies! You don't understand! That is Sofia! All she did was dye her hair a different colour. She's not dead!"
Horatio calmly opened another file and withdrew yet another photo. This one was of Laura Lockhart. "Do you remember her?" Michael shook his head. "How about her?" He placed a picture of Debbie Smithson next to the other pictures. The three women looked similar to Sofia Gregory in some way.
"I don't understand…" Michael whispered, gently touching each picture in turn. "What do you think I did?"
"I think that you killed these two," he tapped the pictures of Debbie Smithson and Laura Lockhart. "And, you kidnapped her," he pointed to the picture of Calleigh.
Michael stared at the pictures for a moment before starting to laugh quietly. Horatio looked at him, shocked. "Those two," he said, his voice going from even, almost kind, to sadistic, "they lied. I thought they were her, but they weren't." He indicated Laura and Debbie's pictures with a nod. "But her," he said, grinning at Calleigh's picture, "she was perfect. She even held her gun like Sofia. So, I decided to take her. And, I almost had her. But you," he fixed his gaze on Horatio, "had to come and try to 'rescue' her." Michael's entire demeanor had changed when he was confronted.
"You have no proof that I killed those two."
"We have the pictures that you left in the abandoned building."
Michael laughed again, this time louder. "Pictures prove nothing. All you have is her word." He again looked at the picture of Calleigh. He leaned back in his chair, looking smug. His somewhat shaggy hair was a mess from the rain and his pants were covered in mud at the ankles. And, he looked smug. That bastard.
"Her word is good enough to put you away on kidnapping charges. Kidnapping will earn you 15-20. So, it doesn't really matter if we get you on the other murders because I'll make sure to put you in a cell with
the biggest, meanest gangbanger I can find. And, you'll be murdered in prison. Just like your foster brother, Max Evans," Horatio leaned back, mimicking the murder's pose and cocky expression.
Michael's smug smile vanished. "How do you know about Max?"
"Newspaper article. And, we also found out that you defended him. And got him off. After that, he went and kidnapped Sofia. Just like you did to these women. And, he talked to her for a while. D.C. finally sent us the tape. So, your foster mother abused you? And you burned down her house?"
"Shut up," Sigmond whispered angrily.
"After telling her that," Horatio continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Max screams that you're his. And then he shoots her in the head with her own gun. Sound familiar? It's the same signature you used."
"You have no proof!"
"Well, Mike, if we don't, then I'm sure Georgia does. Or South Carolina. Or North Carolina. Or Virginia. Or D.C. It's up to you."
Michael didn't respond. He fumed. He looked at the pictures of Sofia again. And, his demeanor changed. Again. "Sofia… She was so beautiful. I loved her, you know." The smug expression was erased and in its place was something that could only be described as love. "I searched for her. I saw her the day she was buried. She was standing under a tree, away from the grave, but still watching it. She watched things all the time. I saw her. When she saw me looking at her, she smiled and left. I ran after her, but she had disappeared. I searched all over the country. And, I finally found her. I knew that she wouldn't leave the coast… She loved the Atlantic Ocean. Everything about it. She was born in North Carolina near the beach. She said that it was the only place where she felt small and safe. She knew that she was safe near the ocean. She trusted it with everything she had…"
Horatio watched Sigmond's rapid change with awe. He watched the man talk about his love and realized something. The guy was probably bipolar. "The first time I saw her, she was in a coffee shop. I watched her walk in… I knew it was her. Sure, she had grown out her hair a bit and changed the shade, but it was her. Sofia. Not this Calleigh person. I followed her and saw her with you… Why was she angry with you? When I saw her with you, she looked angry. Why?"
Horatio thought for a moment before answering. "The chief wanted her to be safe. From you. You were going after female cops and he told her to be careful and asked me to look after her."
Sigmond changed again, almost seamlessly. "You didn't do a good job of it, then," he said, his smug expression returning. "I got her. Easily. Took you hours to find me. If she hadn't escaped, then you never would have."
"Well, seems that you couldn't even keep her locked up. So, tell me, how'd she escape?" Horatio ignored the comment about keeping her safe and tried to provoke him.
"Girl was smarter than I gave her credit for. I have no idea. Must've found something to pick the locks with. I was impressed, personally. She escaped without me knowing until the alarm on the front door went off."
"Calleigh's a smart girl."
"How many times do I have to tell you?" gentle Michael was back. "She's Sofia. I don't understand how you don't know. I thought you were her boss."
"I am. And, she's definitely Calleigh Duquesne. She was born in Louisiana, not North Carolina."
Michael frowned. "No. Stop lying to me. I want to see Sofia! Where is she?"
"Sofia is in a cemetery in Washington, D.C. This girl, Calleigh, she's at the hospital being treated for shock."
"Stop it!" Michael stood up angrily. "Don't lie to me!! I want Sofia!"
Horatio looked the man in the eyes and told him, "Sofia Gregory has been dead for years. The woman you thought was your fiancée is not. She is an employee of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab, not a homicide detective in D.C." He left the room with Michael looking lost, leaving an autopsy picture of Sofia on the table in front of him.
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Alexx caught him as he left interrogation. "Horatio," she said, "Calleigh asked me to give this to you." She handed Horatio the engagement ring that belonged to Sofia. Horatio nodded his thanks and left without speaking, not trusting his voice.
He passed Eric in the hall. Eric held the bag that contained Michael's clothing and other personal items. Sigmond would be booked in about an hour and would be arraigned later in the afternoon. Horatio took out his cell phone and dialed Ryan's number.
"Wolfe," Ryan answered.
"Mr. Wolfe, how is it going?" Horatio asked, referring to the crime scene.
"Well, Natalia and I have just begun to process the building. It's pretty huge. I'm sure we'll finish sometime before shift is over."
"Thank you. Keep me updated."
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Ryan and Natalia arrived at the scene about half an hour after the ambulance had arrived to take Calleigh to the hospital. "I'll take the halls," Ryan offered.
Natalia nodded and headed into the building, following Officer Westing to the room where Calleigh had been kept. She put down her kit and began processing. Officer Westing left after a minute and headed back to the front of the building to "stand watch".
Ryan, meanwhile, was going over the scene. He had already taken pictures of the front door. He zoomed in on the lock, which showed signs of tampering, and felt a rush of pride in Calleigh. She had escaped from this prison-like building using two bobby pins. He moved down the hall and took pictures of each room, looking for footprints. Several rooms down he found a few footprints—he assumed they were Calleigh's because of the size—and took pictures of them.
Natalia had already taken pictures of the room and moved on to processing the evidence. She found a few long blonde hairs and bagged them. She found shorter blonde hairs and also bagged them. She dusted the room for prints and found several. Sigmond wasn't given a chance to clean up before Calleigh had escaped.
She lifted the fingerprints and left the room; there was nothing else to be found. She wandered around the building which was very eerie in the dark. Her flashlight beam did little to illuminate the dark hallways and the thunder that still rumbled outside didn't help at all. What intrigued her was that the floor was the only clean part of the building other then Sofia's room. Natalia searched the rooms, looking for disturbances. She passed a room before doubling back.
The room was filled with pictures. They were all candid shots of women. Slightly disturbed, she walked into the room, taking pictures of the pictures. She kept taking pictures and noticed that there were several of Debbie Smithson and Laura Lockhart. Some pictures of the women were close ups and some were far away. Some pictures were focused on eyes or mouths or ears while others were full body shots.
Natalia continued to take pictures, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation in her stomach as she saw a few pictures of Calleigh. A single bed lay in the corner and a night stand was next to it. She photographed them both before picking up two pictures that sat on the night stand. One was a picture of a blonde woman firing a gun. The other was of the same woman with Sigmond's arm around her shoulders.
Natalia shook her head and dusted both pictures and wasn't surprised to find several prints. She spent a while dusting the rest of the room meticulously; she didn't want to miss anything.
Ryan had finished processing the hallway and arrived at the room that Natalia was supposed to be processing. He frowned when he saw that she wasn't there. He carried his kit down the hallway, looking for her. He used his flashlight to navigate the halls. Finally, after almost giving up, he found her dusting a room filled with pictures. The pictures were tacked to the walls and a few were on the ceiling.
"Creepy, huh?" Natalia asked, not looking up from her dusting.
"Yeah… This guy is a creep." He paused for a moment before adding, "I'd better call Horatio and tell him what we've found so far. I think the DA wants to arraign him before the end of the day and the more evidence he has, the more likely Sigmond will confess." Natalia nodded as Ryan dialed.
"Horatio," Horatio answered his phone.
"Horatio, it's Ryan. Have you interviewed Sigmond yet?"
"I was on my way to do that right now, Mr. Wolfe."
"Well, he has a room filled with photos of other women."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He looks obsessed. There are at least twenty-five different women in the photos."
"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. I'll call you after the interview."
"No problem. And, Horatio? Get this guy."
"Don't worry. I will."
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The hospital didn't want Calleigh to leave. Apparently, she was "unfit to return home". This aggravated her to no end. All she wanted to do was go home, drink some tea, take a shower, and pretend nothing had happened. But, clearly the doctors didn't understand that. They thought that the hospital was the "best place for her right now," or that's what they told Alexx. Alexx argued with them, telling them that she herself was a doctor and that Calleigh would be further traumatized if she remained here.
She changed into the spare clothes that Alexx had brought her while she waited for Alexx to finish arguing with her doctors. Calleigh was eternally grateful when Alexx returned, smiling. "The doctors say that you can leave." Calleigh smiled brightly. "However, they are putting me in charge of your wellbeing."
"Alexx," Calleigh told her, "I can take care of myself."
"Of course you can. But, that doesn't mean that you're not coming home with me."
"Really, Alexx, I'll be fine."
"Yes, you will be. Come on, let's go. I hate hospitals."
Calleigh grinned at that. "A doctor who hates hospitals? That's an oxymoron."
Alexx looked at the younger woman and rolled her eyes. "Let's go," she took her hand and led her out into the rain. They both got into Alexx's car and Alexx drove Calleigh to her house. Calleigh looked out the window at the rain for a while before falling asleep.
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The judge sat in his chair, listening to the charges against Michael Sigmond. The district attorney was asking for Sigmond to remain in police custody. Sigmond's lawyer argued that it was completely pointless and that he had nowhere to run. The judge listened as the DA retaliated with the fact that Sigmond was obsessed with a CSI that he had kidnapped earlier. This argument went on before the judge finally banged her gavel.
"Bail denied. Next."
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Horatio sat on the left side of Calleigh, holding her left hand while Alexx sat on her other side, clinging to Calleigh's other hand. Eric, Ryan, and Natalia sat around them, their gazes intense as the jury filed into the court room. Sigmond and his lawyer sat at the defendant's table, looking just as nervous as Calleigh felt. It had been a month since Sigmond had kidnapped her. A month since he was arrested. A month since he was denied bail and kept off the streets. Six years, three months, and two days since Sofia Gregory was murdered.
The jury finally sat in their respective chairs. The judge asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"
"We have, Your Honor," the foreman of the jury stood up. She was a short woman with short brown curls.
"On the count of the kidnapping of Calleigh Duquesne, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty, Your Honor."
"And, on the count of first degree murder of Officer Debra Smithson?"
"Guilty."
"And, on the count of murder in the first degree of Detective Laura Lockhart?"
"Guilty."
Michael stood up, furious. "Lies! All lies!" His lawyer tried to silence him, but he refused to be silenced. "No! I did not kill them! Sofia," he turned to Calleigh, "believe me! I didn't want to hurt you!"
The judged banged her gavel, demanding silence. The bailiff grabbed Sigmond in cuffs and dragged him out of the courtroom. "Calleigh," Horatio whispered, "are you okay?"
Calleigh looked at him, smiling even though her eyes still held traces of fear. "I am now."
END
A/N: I was going to break this up into two pieces, but I figured one loooooong chapter would be better than two short ones. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And, before anyone asks, there will be no sequel.
Reviews are loved, remember!
-Heather