Chapter Eighteen: Unsuspected

It was another crisp, Miami morning--the sloshing ocean, the gulls… something that could only be captured by the heart of a sea shell. A cool breeze floated over the usually steamy city, and it crept higher into the atmosphere, seeping into the open window of a towering hotel room…

…Robin stirred awake under the large floral print, feeling her bare skin tingle under the soft draft. Pulling the covers to her shoulders, the young woman inhaled deeply, then let out a comfortable sigh.

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking several times to rid them of that usual morning blur. Once focused, she spotted the large numbers of a nearby, digital clock--it flashed 9:48.

The petite woman quickly scrambled upright, her eyes coasting across the room, "Horatio?…Horatio, are you here?"

Her heart fluttered, there was no response…however, upon kneeling over the opposite side of the bed, she spotted a small note that had been taped to a pillow:

Thank you for giving me such an enjoyable night. And Robbie, don't worry--I'll grill him good.

~Horatio

Robin gave a slight chuckle of relief as she plopped her head back onto the pillow, smiling as she re-read the note.

I know you, Horatio…, she thought to herself, There's not a chance in hell that this guy is gunna get away.

* * * * *

Horatio, Calleigh, and an accompanying detective carefully surrounded Steven Peters inside the air-conditioned interrogation room. Calleigh stood behind Horatio, leaning against a Plexiglas window with her arms folded over a well-ironed ivory suit. The detective was sitting at the corner of the table, notebook-in-hand, while Horatio took his place directly in front of the unusually calm suspect.

After taking the man's prints, Horatio fanned out several snapshots across the table. He shot a glance towards Peters, before Calleigh asked the first question, "Tell me, Mr. Peters… do any of these people look familiar to you?"

"They're laying on their faces…how could I recognize them?" he replied, smirking and leaning back into his chair.

Horatio felt his temper raising, but controlled himself as well as he could, "Do you recognize any of their features? Maybe their names--Sally Kirsten… Vicki Trenton…Jennifer Lewis…nothing rings a bell?"

Peters shifted in his seat, crossing his arms in front of him. Calleigh picked up the conversation, "We have the forensic evidence that supports our theory--sand and dirt from two of the crime scenes were found embedded in your tire treads, and not to mention that the tread imprints were discovered outside of Miss Lewis's apartment; footprints matching your shoe size, with the same sand and soil types, were found in the hall going in and out of the apartment as well. Your fingerprints were even lifted off of one of the bodies…"

"…that one mistake of removing your gloves was a critical one--it left you like a deer in plain sight of the hunter," Horatio said, hoping to shake the man up a bit.

Peters simply bobbed his head up and down, "Let me guess, you're the hunter."

Horatio did the same, "That's right."

Calleigh felt the intense tension building between the two, "Um…Mr. Peters…what about the video evidence? You were spotted entering and exiting the hotel at precisely the right times--giving you enough time to get to the crime scenes and make it back, with only a few minutes to spare."

Peters' eyes raced up-and-down Calleigh's model-like frame, smirking, "You ever hear of a coincidence?"

Horatio was disgusted; he leaned forward in his seat, speaking in a low tone, "…Listen, Steven…you've had us dancing around the bush for long enough. I know you killed these girls. Now, what I want to know is why…why in hell would you shoot these innocent people? Then you even cleaned them up and prettied up their faces, didn't you? Is this some sick fantasy of yours?"

Peters' smile faded, his typical bright-eyed expression had morphed into cold, stone-like features, "Lieutenant Caine…you think that you're such a hot-shot, don't you? That you and your little tag-team are able to solve any case given to you…"

There was a slight pause where he took a quick glance up at the clock, and his cocky smirk slowly returned, "…So, Horatio…if you've got all the answers…if you know that I've killed all those girls…then you obviously know what's about to happen next…"

Horatio tilted his head, his voice almost threatening, "What are you hiding from me, Peters…"

One final look at the clock, "You're blind, Horatio…you think that you've dug sooo deep into this case, that you've examined every single aspect of it…but in reality, you haven't even scratched the surface…and in reality, the answers are right under your nose…or rather, right under your…"

Peters was interrupted as Tim Speedle came crashing through the door. His entrance was met by confused glances from both Horatio and Calleigh.

Speedle looked at them both, his eyes wide, "H, got a minute?"

They stepped outside, Horatio's brow still lowered, "What's going on…"

"We've got another case. A man was found dead in an art supply shop--shot in the back of the head. But this time, the murder was said to be pretty messy," Speedle said, still trying to process the words himself.

"But he's in there…how can we have another case?"

"You can't leave this alone, we need to get to the scene…he's obviously not the killer. If…"

Horatio paused, his mind spinning, "No, wait…he's a killer. Speed…he's got a partner."

**Okay, this is just a short chapter…pretty much just to build the suspense! I've got some good stuff planned for the next couple chapters, so be sure to keep posted. Everything should fall together soon enough! And Yaba, I feel flattered to know that you think Robin is the #1 original character out there! : ) **