Upon his return to the Crime Lab having dropped Rebecca off, he approached the Trace Lab where two of his CSI's were just finishing up for the night for a speedy catch up on Paul and the case. He was still worried about the Doctor; he knew he was going to worry until it was proved to him that she was okay. Her name would live with him forever; he never forgot a victim, it was something he couldn't escape. He often thought that it was perhaps a curse set upon him, to remember each victim he'd encountered made him realise what a dreadful world he lived in, nonetheless, it also reminded him that there were still a selection of people that shared his desire to make the world a brighter place, or at least to improve the life of an individual, whether that be a victim or a victim's family. However, he was mistaken; it was his devoted attention to detail and to those who needed him that caused their names to be engraved into his memories.
Noticing Eric fiddle with his ears, he realised that the maddening high-pitched screech continued to resonate throughout them. He was just thankful that the ringing had stopped for him, although he was becoming concerned for his colleague. Then he turned his gaze upon Calleigh, the other CSI who graciously moved about the lab with a box in her hands. I've not yet had a chance to catch up with Calleigh either, she doesn't seem to have any injuries, perhaps she was further from the blast than we were? He thought to himself as he opened the door and entered the chilled, quiet lab. With his eyes settling on the desk, both CSI's stopped what they were doing and gave their attention to their boss, but remained silent when they spotted the small blaze burning away in his eyes. Each of them knew he was on his way to interrogate Paul, and so they knew that their boss wouldn't be in a cheery mood despite his serenity.
"Eric, how are you doing?" Horatio questioned softly as he made brief eye contact with him before he peered down at his sunglasses in his hands. Once I'm done here, Paul is going to experience his worst day, he mused as his hands tensed. His determination to hound the suspect for the truth rung through every fibre of his body; with years of practice, he'd acquired the ability to press the right buttons of those he was questioning.
"I'm good H, how about you?" the CSI replied while he and his colleague studied their boss's taut face. He slowly nodded as he scrutinised the mallet Eric had on the desk from afar, curious as to what it was revealing; was it the weapon used to beat both women? But his musings quickly returned to the waiting suspect, even the thought about Mr Gunner had the Lieutenant's blood boiling, if the thought alone enraged him so, then encountering him face-to-face again could present a problem for both men.
"Calleigh, you weren't injured, were you?" he placed a hand upon his waist as he regarded her caringly. The fire in his eyes had temporarily fizzled out while his considerate nature re-surfaced. Eric is having problems with his hearing, I hope Calleigh has enough sense to be truthful, he thought to himself before she shook her head and laid her sweet, green eyes on him with a kind smile.
"No, I was by the entrance… the blast barely reached me as I was behind a few large trucks," she explained as she crossed her arms. She knew he was itching to get away to tend to Paul, but his need to know that his team were alright was a priority. His team always came first, there was next to nothing that could divert his attention away from the wellbeing of them, not even a murderous felon. All he ever cared about was those around him, it was very unusual for him to think about his welfare at all. Sadly, those around him regularly put themselves first; occasionally a CSI would point it out to him that he should take a rest, but it was even rarer for anyone to challenge him about his real thoughts and condition of his health. Horatio was a man that needed someone to challenge him; otherwise he'd push himself too far and end up running himself into the ground.
"Did you inhale any smoke?" he asked inquisitively, looking towards the box she'd put down on the desk beside her. I know I inhaled quite a bit, as did Eric… but we were checked out, I don't think she was, he thought, becoming a little more concerned about her. She couldn't help but smile warmly at him; she knew he was looking out for her, that he valued her as both a friend and colleague.
"No, the smoke barely reached me, Horatio. Please don't worry, I'm fine," she replied cordially. Her honesty had put his mind at ease; it however quickly turned to a darker place when his gaze turned upon the clothes that were folded on the desk ready to be put in a bag for storage. They were Rebecca's clothes, he recognised them straight away. Seeing them only drove his aspiration to incarcerate the man that had been the cause of it all. There must be some evidence left on those clothes, the water couldn't have washed it all away… there will be evidence of him on them, we just have to look in the right place. If he's raped her, there will be evidence left in her underwear, there has to be, he pondered as he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes on the clothing. Not even he could figure out why he was so hung up with the suspicion that the Doctor had been sexually assaulted, he just had a feeling and it kept eating at him, slowly, but surely.
Noticing her boss lose himself to his thoughts while he stared at the evidence, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. "Horatio?" she asked as she lifted the clothes and placed them in a brown paper bag before sealing it. He broke from his thoughts with a nod, making momentary eye contact with her before looking at the bag again.
"Anything new to report?" his tone had plummeted along with his attitude. Something ominous had spewed into the air around Horatio, sending chills up the spines of both his colleagues. The Lieutenant knew he had to keep his cool and that he wasn't able to assault the crook senseless, no matter how much he wanted to. Justice had to be served and he'd like nothing more than to serve it on a silver platter.
"It's all in the file, Horatio, he's definitely the murderer and kidnapper; the evidence is undeniable. We just don't know exactly why he did it," Calleigh replied as she handed him the file she picked up off the desk. He gratefully took the file and then looked through the information, quickly skimming it for any details he didn't already know. He still wasn't quite contented with the supplied information; he wanted evidence to distinctly prove or discredit his scepticism with regard to the Doctor's story and wouldn't rest until he'd got it. Since Rebecca had denied any form of examination with regard to rape, the CSI's were convinced she was assaulted.
"Did you find anything to suggest rape?" he fixed his eyes on hers as he closed the file. She understood the importance of the answer through the intensity of his eye contact; he usually made very little with anyone unless there was a good reason for it. His lack of eye contact with other people was a subconscious action, he didn't want anyone to look into his eyes and see the real Horatio; he'd had so much hurt in his life that had left him empty, scarred even and it was all visible through the one thing he couldn't control – his eyes. Eyes were the window to everyone's soul, no-one could control what story they told, it was the threat of exposure that unnerved him. He often thought about how life would be different had he not experienced the misfortune of losing those he loved; where would he have ended up? What future would he have? Would he be happy?
"We didn't find anything, H, but in my opinion, I think she was," Eric answered when his colleague became tongue-tied while she looked Horatio in the eye too; she didn't know what to say, she knew what he wanted, but she couldn't provide him with it. The Lieutenant turned his attention to Eric and nodded, but it was clear he was not satisfied.
"I'll go over the evidence again tomorrow, H; if she's been raped, there will be evidence," he assured his exasperated boss who was now glaring down at the file in his hand, searching for anything that his colleagues may have missed. His ambition to serve Mr Gunner the harshest punishment he could was becoming an obsession; he was infatuated with every detail, every word linked to the case and the welfare of those he'd assaulted. If I can get Paul to admit to it, then maybe I can talk Rebecca into getting the help she needs? She might need professional help, but she won't admit that as long as she refutes the claims, the Lieutenant pondered as a sentence sprang out of the file at him. His tight facial expression quickly morphed into a profound frown before he lifted his head and set his gaze upon the CSIs.
"Calleigh, it says here that trace amounts of Rebecca's blood were found in Paul's underpants," he asked before he re-read the sentence and glared back up at the CSIs; his fury was only just starting to build again and it was already not a pretty sight. That confirms rape, her blood was found in his underpants, there's no other way it could get there, he mused as he crumpled his left hand into a fist.
"Yes, but her blood wasn't only localised to his underwear; it was everywhere, even in his ear canal. It's not conclusive, Horatio. I know you want something more, but we just don't have it yet," she sighed as she stepped forwards and pointed out the information in the file. "I checked for semen and vaginal secretions… there was evidence of semen, but no contribution from Rebecca," she explained as she looked back up at him and observed his worn-out eyes. He could have changed them… he changed them! There could be transfer, there could be trace amounts of transfer; there will be evidence!
"Re-check them," he commanded before his wrath caused him to hastily leave the lab. She closed her eyes and exhaled in frustration; all she wanted was to go home and rest after being worked like a dog since she stepped foot on the premises. None of them blamed the Lieutenant for working them too hard on cases that he'd become so passionate about; it was in his nature to want to find anything he could to put the world right just a fragment at a time. Each of them had cases that affected them more than others, it was understandable that Paul's case was so important to their boss and if the CSIs had more energy, they'd stay and do more. If Horatio wasn't so busy, he'd join them in the lab and take some of the work load off them, they all knew he wasn't intentionally labouring them to exhaustion, he just didn't realise that others lacked his drive and couldn't function properly on little sleep as he.
"Cal, do it tomorrow morning. H won't mind; we've already done three hours of overtime not including the extra hour before work this morning. The evidence will still be here and so will Paul, if H asks tomorrow and it's not done, tell him that I took it off your hands," Eric said softly as he picked up the box of evidence having sealed it with the red-tape.
"I don't think I can do anymore today anyway, Horatio will have to wait. Thanks Eric, but I can fight my own battles, have a good evening and I'll take a rain-check on those drinks," she smiled wearily as she threw her lab-coat towards the coat-rack.
"You too, Calleigh," he replied as she pulled on her jacket and gave him one last smile before heading out with the bagged clothing to check it in at the evidence locker.
Approaching the interrogation room, Horatio could feel his anger scorching his core. It wasn't uncommon for him to experience such feeling; he dealt with so many people that broke the law so mercilessly. It seemed that the only emotion he could feel was either rage or sympathy, it was seldom for him to have the sense of pure happiness, or total relaxation, so rare that he'd forgotten what it felt like.
With his hands clenching tightly, his eyes narrowed on the ill-looking man who slumped in the seat behind the glass door. He attempted to reduce his bad mood, but it was no use; he was already at his critical limit and he'd not yet spoken to the delinquent. Drawing his focused eyes from the balding man, he glared callously at the floor as he entered the room quietly. The atmosphere plunged dramatically into something dark while he closed the door behind him. Slowly turning, his eyes once again settled on Mr Gunner as he sedately turned his head to look at the furious Lieutenant. It became evident that he was not ill, but high, causing Horatio's temper to rocket sky high. His perilous scowl multiplied as he strode around to the other side of the table with the felon watching him closely, but he remained unflustered.