Title: Sniper's Song
Author: Sarah
E-mail: sydney453@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.
Summary: A gunman is terrorizing the people of Miami--- and leaving Horatio clues to his next move
AN: Thanks so much for the reviews! They are very much appreciated.
Chapter Two Miami-Dade Crime Lab 9:30 PM
"As you can see, the cause of death was massive hemorrhaging from the jugular vein. You poor thing, exsanguinated on the pool room floor. You were so drunk you never even saw the knife coming at…" The shrill ring of Horatio's cellular phone interrupted Alexx in mid sentence.
"Caine. And where is this? I'll be right down." Horatio snapped his cell phone shut and shook his head.
"Everything all right?" Alexx asked.
"Nope, not even remotely all right. We've got a bride shot dead in front of St. Peter's." Horatio responded as he removed his surgical gown and gloves. "I'll need you and the rest of the team at the scene as soon as possible. I'll be taking Speedle with me, please notify Delko and Calleigh."
"Of course," Alexx responded, as she set to finishing the autopsy of the young man before her.
St. Peter's Church
Horatio surveyed the scene in front of him as he emerged from his car. He tried to avoid looking at the woman in the long white dress sprawled out on the church steps for as long as possible. Horatio braced himself for what he would be about to witness as Detective Sevilla approached him.
"The newly married Heather Andrews." Sevilla said as she gestured at the woman. "Was on her way to her reception when a shot from the sky took her out. We've got officers searching the buildings across the street for where the shooter could have hidden himself. Witnesses think that it came from that building over there." Sevilla pointed at the ten story apartment building directly across from the churchyard.
"Good," Horatio said, assuming his usual commanding role. "Speed, I want you to photograph everything. Adele, I'd like you to take a walk with me."
"You got it, H." Speedle responded and wandered off towards the crime scene, camera at the ready.
Horatio watched Speedle walk away and then took Sevilla's elbow and led her away from the crime scene. "We've got a bit of a problem," he said.
Speedle joined Calleigh and Delko as they hovered over the woman, who lie face down in the pool of blood staining her dress.
"Hey," Speedle said by way of greeting.
"Always the chatty one, aren't you Speed?" Calleigh teased. "Do you have any information for us?"
Speedle shook his head as he snapped a few pictures of the woman's bloodstained hair. "Nothing new. What you see is what you get. Once we find the shooter's hideout we'll have a better idea of what happened."
"Goin' to the chapel," Delko muttered to himself.
Speedle lowered his camera and looked at Delko. "What did you say?" he asked curiously.
Delko shook his head and said "Nothing." as he walked away.
"Where are you going?" a confused Calleigh called after Delko.
"To find H." Delko said over his shoulder as he moved away from the crime scene.
"I swear, that man gets stranger every day." Calleigh said as she watched Delko leave. "What do you think he meant?" she asked Speedle.
Speedle shrugged, "Too much diving, the lack of fresh air is starting to mess with his brain."
Horatio was just finishing telling Sevilla about the note card he had received only hours ago when Delko jogged up to the pair.
"Horatio, I need to talk to you." he said urgently.
"Right, I've filled Detective Sevilla in on the little gift we received this afternoon." Horatio said. "Tell us everything that you found on it."
"That's just it," Delko said, obviously frustrated. "I didn't find anything. There wasn't a finger print or a fiber on either the note card or the envelope. The paper and the ink used can be found in any office supply store. There's just… nothing."
"That's okay. He'll slip up and we'll get him." Horatio said. "He may have already. Let's head back to the scene."
"You think he's a serial." Sevilla stated.
"I'm not ruling anything out at this point. Most likely, yes. He wanted our attention and now he's got it." Horatio explained. "Another shooting is practically inevitable."
As the three officers approached the scene, Calleigh hurried towards them.
"They found where he was hiding. He took his shot from a room on the sixth floor of that apartment across the street." Calleigh explained. "I'm headed over there right now to see what I can find."
Horatio nodded, "You do that. Delko go with her. I'll be over there as soon as I speak with Alexx."
Horatio and Sevilla watched as Calleigh and Delko walked off before they approached Alexx.
"What can you tell me Alexx?" Horatio asked.
Alexx glanced up from looking over the body. "Single gunshot wound. Right between the eyes. She was probably dead before she hit the ground." Alexx shook her head. "This guy's a crack shot. He got her dead center."
"Alright, I'm going to take a look in the apartment building. Speedle, could you come here a minute?" Horatio asked.
"What do you think this was?" Speedle questioned. "Jealous ex?"
"I'm not sure just yet. Speed, I want you to talk to the people who live in the building." Horatio said. "Find out if they've seen any strangers around lately, okay?"
"Right, I'll do that." Speedle left Horatio and Sevilla at the crime scene.
"Well, let's go see if our shooter has left us anything." Horatio said.
"Calleigh, have you got anything for us?" Horatio asked as he and Sevilla entered a small bedroom towards the back of the apartment.
Calleigh shook her head. "He isn't leaving us anything. No fingerprints, no shell casings, nothing."
"He left us the bullet." Sevilla stated.
"That he did." Horatio agreed. "But he may have left us something else." Horatio gestured at the edge of a yellow envelope poking out from under an area rug.
"Another note card?" Sevilla asked.
"Another note card." Horatio said as he bent down and pulled the envelope out from under the rug. "The same as the first one."
Horatio looked down on the envelope "Lieutenant Horatio Caine." He pulled the card out and sighed when he saw what was printed on it. "Leavin' on a jet plane…"
"We've got another one." he said.