Horatio knew what the substance that Eric had found was the moment he saw it. And Ryan had confirmed his suspicions soon after he'd returned to the lab. Chloroform. Instant knock out. Calleigh hadn't fought back because she couldn't.
And they all already knew of one person who seemed to favor that chemical. He'd used it once before on another woman. One that had ended up dead.
Horatio glanced up at the man across the table from him, drilling him with a hard stare. The man stared back him and crossed his arms, leaning back into his seat with an almost haughty air of confidence.
"You chloroformed Kathleen Newberry then killed her."
The suspect arched an eyebrow. He actually seemed amused. "Horatio, as I told you, before you were arrested for murder in Brazil, there's no evidence to prove that."
"One of my CSIs was chloroformed and abducted last night and I see that as a pattern, Ron."
"Thousands of people get their hands on chloroform."
Horatio offered Saris a shallow smile. "Yes, but I'm only looking for one."
A beat.
"Well, I'm happy for you. But I know you can't hold me so…" Saris stood from his seat, getting ready to leave. "I wanna thank you for Brazil. Worked out really well for the two of us, didn't it?" The words rolled off the man's tongue with what could only be pleasure. His eyes sparkled bright. "Cause Julia and I, we got back together."
Horatio knew what Saris was trying to do and did his best to ignore what the man had just told him. His eyes narrowed as he watched his suspect head for the exit.
Saris paused at the door and turned, smiling a mean smile. "Best of luck finding your CSI."
Horatio's face darkened. "If anything happens to my CSI, this'll be your last week on earth."
He was standing there, in the shade of the trees, watching them. Wishing that was him walking home with his son, talking about each other's day, and not her. He wondered if she knew anything about Calleigh's abduction. He wouldn't put it past her. But his true intentions for being there had nothing to do with the case. At least, not directly. He wanted to let her know that her attempt to get rid of him had failed. And that her new boyfriend was dangerous. He saw them round the corner and begin heading toward his direction.
They saw him, too.
Julia stared at him, wide-eyed. Apparently, the idea that he might actually survive and make it out of Brazil hadn't even crossed her mind. She stepped away from Kyle and approached him. Before she could properly process her disappointment, he came forward and spoke.
"You weren't expecting to see me again, huh?"
"No," she confessed, a bit uneasy. "But Horatio, I didn't want you to die. I thought you'd have a better chance in Brazil than here against Ron Saris."
The redhead's eyes shifted from Julia to Kyle and back. "So, I take it that's his dry-cleaning?" he said, referring to the clothing encased in plastic that the boy was holding.
"He's living with us now," she replied, in a guarded voice. "Whatever Ron is or isn't—"
Horatio frowned. "He's a killer."
"He got me my son back," she snapped.
"Yes, but he killed Kathleen Newberry to do it."
"I had nothing to do with that." She gave an exasperated sigh. "The one witness who saw what Kyle did is gone. Can't you just let this go?"
"One of my CSIs is missing."
"And you think Ron had something to do with it."
"It was a roadside abduction. That's his signature." His words struck her broadside—he could see it in her face. She stared, silenced. He continued, wanting to make sure she truly understood the gravity of the situation. "If you stay with this man, you and Kyle are gonna die."
There was an uneasy silence between the couple. Then without a word, Julia turned and strode back to her waiting son. She assured the boy that everything was fine, but Horatio could see that she was visibly shaken by what he'd said. As he watched them walk away, Kyle glanced over his shoulder at him. Horatio could practically see the wheels turning in the boy's head. He was beginning to question his decision to stay with his mother. Then he let his eyes drop and turned away.
Horatio felt a flicker hope. The seed had been planted. Kyle was finally starting to see his mother for what she truly was. He let out a sigh of relief, glad that he'd gotten through to one of them.
He pulled his sunglasses back on. No matter how much he wanted to revel in this moment, he still had a job to do. Calleigh was still missing. And it was time to pay an old friend a visit.
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Aww…this week's eppy was so sad. I hope she's not gone for good. :(