Title: Blood Ties (3/?)
Disclaimer: Don't own anything to do with CSI: Miami, and all you'd get if you sued me is a laptop and a couple pairs of really nice shoes. Hardly seems worth it, right?
Rating: PG-13 (Language and whatnot. Just ignore the labels in previous chapters, k? It's not R yet, but it will be...)
Pairing: Eric/Maria (OC)
Feedback: Yes, please! But be nice. If I wanted to be criticized, I'd call my sister ;)
Note: So, I keep coming up with new ideas for this fic. Way too many to fit in to one fic. So, I've decided that this is going to be the first of a series. That is...if I get enough feedback indicating that you guys want it to be...*hint, hint*
______________________________________________________
"I don't understand." The young woman said softly, burying her face in her hands. After a moment, she looked up at the two CSIs. "I want to see them."
Maria shook her head, sitting down next to Clara on the couch. "I can understand that, but we can't let you. Not right now." She grimaced slightly as she remembered the crime scene. There was no way they could allow a family member to see the state the bodies had been found in.
"Who could have done this?" Clara asked, her voice breaking.
"That's what we're going to figure out." Eric spoke up. "Anyone come to mind who might feel they had reason to hurt your sister or Kyle?"
Clara shook her head immediately. "No one. It seemed like they were friends with everyone they knew." Her eyes widened suddenly. "Is my brother okay?" She asked.
"He's fine." Maria assured her. "He and Lisa are at the apartment, talking to one of our colleagues."
"Where are my parents?"
"They've been called already, they're flying back from New York right now." Eric told her. "Is there anyone else you'd like us to contact?"
"No." Clara said. "The only person I want to talk to right now is Jessie."
________________________
"You all right?" Eric asked on the way back to the scene, noticing that Maria looked pale and tired. Her eyes had a distant, almost dazed look.
"Huh?" She snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, it's just...this is really different from my old job. Spent the better part of my time in vice strutting around the streets in hotpants and a bikini top. Hey, you just missed the turn!"
Eric blinked. "Whoa. Guess my mind wandered for a second. So, were the clothes provided for you, or did you have to bring your own?"
Maria gave him a look. "Yeah, go ahead and laugh. You try chasing down criminals in four inch heels."
"You know, it's a little disturbing that I don't find that thought more disturbing." Eric tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.
"Just watch the road." Maria sighed, unable to suppress a smile.
________________________
"Anything new?" Eric asked Horatio.
"Calleigh just dug the bullet that killed both Jessica and Kyle out of the wall next to the couch." Horatio replied.
"Both of them?" Eric repeated. He looked at the bodies on the couch. There was a small, round hole in the back of the young man's head, which was buried in the young woman's neck. Blood had congealed in thick strips, dripping from the girl's throat and mouth to the floor. "So, it went through Kyle's head, through Jessica's neck, and into the wall."
"A hunting rifle." Maria stated, coming up behind the two men.
"A good guess." Horatio agreed.
"Not a guess." Maria replied. She gestured to the bookshelf against the wall. Among the dozens of framed pictures on it, there were several showing the four teenagers in various settings, with rifles and hunting gear. "All four of them were card-carrying members of the Junior Rifle Association. Judging from the trophies, they weren't exactly slouches with those things, either." Indeed, there were a number of trophies displayed throughout the room, although not all of them seemed to be related to hunting.
"So, you think that the brother or his girlfriend did this?" Eric asked.
"Not likely, Tim said their alibis seem airtight. A fellow gun enthusiast, perhaps..." Maria replied, staring at the pictures. In every one, at least one of the four friends was front and center, flashing wide, white-toothed grins. The boys in football jerseys, the girls in field hockey uniforms and cheerleading outfits, Jessica and Kyle as Prom King and Queen, Jessica as valedictorian, Lisa proudly displaying a figure skating trophy, and so on. "God, I do not want to speak disrespectfully of the dead, but am I the only one getting a creepy Stepford Children vibe here?"
"Clara said that the four of them seemed perfect." Eric said, taking a look at the photos.
"So did the neighbors we've spoken too." Horatio added. "They said everyone seemed to think so."
Maria shook her head. "I guess we're looking for the one person who disagreed."
_________________________
It was another hour before the bodies were finally removed. The apartment seemed to be getting hotter every minute, and they still
weren't done processing the crime scene.
"Hey, Delko, take a look at this." Tim said, indicating a picture on top of the stereo.
Eric didn't answer. He'd barely even heard. He was watching Maria, who was across the room, talking to Calleigh. She kept wiping her brow and absently rubbing her neck, clearly uncomfortable from the heat. Wisps of hair stuck to her forehead, and her brown tank top was clinging to her body. As she turned to speak to a detective, her top slipped up ever so slightly, and Eric noticed a small tattoo peeking out under the waistband of her green khaki slacks.
'Whoa, calm down.' He ordered himself. 'Focus. Crime scene. Murder. Gotta stay focused.' He never had trouble staying on task at a scene. It had to be the heat or something getting to him.
"Hey, Delko." Tim snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face, bringing him back to reality. "Still with me?"
"Yeah." Eric quickly turned away from Maria. "You got something?"
"Looks like an indication that these kids weren't best friends with everybody they knew after all." He held up the photo. In it, Jessica, Kyle, Matt, and Lisa were on the beach, looking like they'd stepped out of a Tommy Hilfiger ad, gorgeous, happy, all-American. What set this photo apart from the others, however, was the fifth person in it. Or, what was left of her.
"Looks like someone scratched off the face." Eric said, looking at the headless young woman sandwiched between Jessica and Matt. "With a knife or something."
"The fifth Beatle?" Tim guessed. "Got cut out of the inner circle, or scratched out in this case, maybe didn't handle the rejection too well?"
"Fuck you!" The angry voice of a young man echoed throughout the living room, coming from the kitchen. Horatio appeared in the doorway, shaking his head.
"The brother's getting a little impatient." He explained to the team. "Maria, I hate to put you on the spot like this on your first day, but I spoke to Jake Brody earlier, and he said you were a pro at questioning witnesses. Do you think you could talk to him?"
Maria nodded. "I can give it a try."
_______________________
Neither of the teenagers looked up as Maria entered the kitchen. "Look, I already told you, asshole, I don't know anything." The young man spat bitterly.
"So I heard." Maria replied calmly, sitting across the table from them. "Matt, is it?"
His head shot up, and his eyes widened. "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, I thought-"
Maria put up her hand. "It's okay, I get it. You've had a horrible day, to say the very least, and I'm very sorry for your loss, but I need to ask you a few questions about Jessica and Kyle." She glanced at the young woman beside Matt, who had barely even blinked. She was just sitting there, streaks of mascara running down her pale face. "Lisa? I may have some questions that I'll need to ask you as well." The girl nodded, but still didn't speak or look at Maria.
"It's okay, babe." Matt said, patting Lisa's hand awkwardly. He turned back to Maria. "I think she's gonna need some more time. She hasn't said one word since we found them."
"I understand." Maria said. "Now, I know Lieutenant Caine probably asked you this already, but had Jessica or Kyle had a falling out with any of their friends recently? Any kind of problem with someone from school or work?"
Matt shook his head. "No, they didn't have any problems with anyone that I was aware of."
"What about this girl?" Eric asked. Maria was surprised, she hadn't heard him come into the room. His hand brushed her shoulder as he leaned across the table and handed a picture frame to Matt, and she felt goosebumps rise on her arm despite the heat.
"Oh my God." Matt said, staring at the picture, at the body with the scratched-off head. "Abby."
___________________
TBC...
Disclaimer: Don't own anything to do with CSI: Miami, and all you'd get if you sued me is a laptop and a couple pairs of really nice shoes. Hardly seems worth it, right?
Rating: PG-13 (Language and whatnot. Just ignore the labels in previous chapters, k? It's not R yet, but it will be...)
Pairing: Eric/Maria (OC)
Feedback: Yes, please! But be nice. If I wanted to be criticized, I'd call my sister ;)
Note: So, I keep coming up with new ideas for this fic. Way too many to fit in to one fic. So, I've decided that this is going to be the first of a series. That is...if I get enough feedback indicating that you guys want it to be...*hint, hint*
______________________________________________________
"I don't understand." The young woman said softly, burying her face in her hands. After a moment, she looked up at the two CSIs. "I want to see them."
Maria shook her head, sitting down next to Clara on the couch. "I can understand that, but we can't let you. Not right now." She grimaced slightly as she remembered the crime scene. There was no way they could allow a family member to see the state the bodies had been found in.
"Who could have done this?" Clara asked, her voice breaking.
"That's what we're going to figure out." Eric spoke up. "Anyone come to mind who might feel they had reason to hurt your sister or Kyle?"
Clara shook her head immediately. "No one. It seemed like they were friends with everyone they knew." Her eyes widened suddenly. "Is my brother okay?" She asked.
"He's fine." Maria assured her. "He and Lisa are at the apartment, talking to one of our colleagues."
"Where are my parents?"
"They've been called already, they're flying back from New York right now." Eric told her. "Is there anyone else you'd like us to contact?"
"No." Clara said. "The only person I want to talk to right now is Jessie."
________________________
"You all right?" Eric asked on the way back to the scene, noticing that Maria looked pale and tired. Her eyes had a distant, almost dazed look.
"Huh?" She snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, it's just...this is really different from my old job. Spent the better part of my time in vice strutting around the streets in hotpants and a bikini top. Hey, you just missed the turn!"
Eric blinked. "Whoa. Guess my mind wandered for a second. So, were the clothes provided for you, or did you have to bring your own?"
Maria gave him a look. "Yeah, go ahead and laugh. You try chasing down criminals in four inch heels."
"You know, it's a little disturbing that I don't find that thought more disturbing." Eric tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.
"Just watch the road." Maria sighed, unable to suppress a smile.
________________________
"Anything new?" Eric asked Horatio.
"Calleigh just dug the bullet that killed both Jessica and Kyle out of the wall next to the couch." Horatio replied.
"Both of them?" Eric repeated. He looked at the bodies on the couch. There was a small, round hole in the back of the young man's head, which was buried in the young woman's neck. Blood had congealed in thick strips, dripping from the girl's throat and mouth to the floor. "So, it went through Kyle's head, through Jessica's neck, and into the wall."
"A hunting rifle." Maria stated, coming up behind the two men.
"A good guess." Horatio agreed.
"Not a guess." Maria replied. She gestured to the bookshelf against the wall. Among the dozens of framed pictures on it, there were several showing the four teenagers in various settings, with rifles and hunting gear. "All four of them were card-carrying members of the Junior Rifle Association. Judging from the trophies, they weren't exactly slouches with those things, either." Indeed, there were a number of trophies displayed throughout the room, although not all of them seemed to be related to hunting.
"So, you think that the brother or his girlfriend did this?" Eric asked.
"Not likely, Tim said their alibis seem airtight. A fellow gun enthusiast, perhaps..." Maria replied, staring at the pictures. In every one, at least one of the four friends was front and center, flashing wide, white-toothed grins. The boys in football jerseys, the girls in field hockey uniforms and cheerleading outfits, Jessica and Kyle as Prom King and Queen, Jessica as valedictorian, Lisa proudly displaying a figure skating trophy, and so on. "God, I do not want to speak disrespectfully of the dead, but am I the only one getting a creepy Stepford Children vibe here?"
"Clara said that the four of them seemed perfect." Eric said, taking a look at the photos.
"So did the neighbors we've spoken too." Horatio added. "They said everyone seemed to think so."
Maria shook her head. "I guess we're looking for the one person who disagreed."
_________________________
It was another hour before the bodies were finally removed. The apartment seemed to be getting hotter every minute, and they still
weren't done processing the crime scene.
"Hey, Delko, take a look at this." Tim said, indicating a picture on top of the stereo.
Eric didn't answer. He'd barely even heard. He was watching Maria, who was across the room, talking to Calleigh. She kept wiping her brow and absently rubbing her neck, clearly uncomfortable from the heat. Wisps of hair stuck to her forehead, and her brown tank top was clinging to her body. As she turned to speak to a detective, her top slipped up ever so slightly, and Eric noticed a small tattoo peeking out under the waistband of her green khaki slacks.
'Whoa, calm down.' He ordered himself. 'Focus. Crime scene. Murder. Gotta stay focused.' He never had trouble staying on task at a scene. It had to be the heat or something getting to him.
"Hey, Delko." Tim snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face, bringing him back to reality. "Still with me?"
"Yeah." Eric quickly turned away from Maria. "You got something?"
"Looks like an indication that these kids weren't best friends with everybody they knew after all." He held up the photo. In it, Jessica, Kyle, Matt, and Lisa were on the beach, looking like they'd stepped out of a Tommy Hilfiger ad, gorgeous, happy, all-American. What set this photo apart from the others, however, was the fifth person in it. Or, what was left of her.
"Looks like someone scratched off the face." Eric said, looking at the headless young woman sandwiched between Jessica and Matt. "With a knife or something."
"The fifth Beatle?" Tim guessed. "Got cut out of the inner circle, or scratched out in this case, maybe didn't handle the rejection too well?"
"Fuck you!" The angry voice of a young man echoed throughout the living room, coming from the kitchen. Horatio appeared in the doorway, shaking his head.
"The brother's getting a little impatient." He explained to the team. "Maria, I hate to put you on the spot like this on your first day, but I spoke to Jake Brody earlier, and he said you were a pro at questioning witnesses. Do you think you could talk to him?"
Maria nodded. "I can give it a try."
_______________________
Neither of the teenagers looked up as Maria entered the kitchen. "Look, I already told you, asshole, I don't know anything." The young man spat bitterly.
"So I heard." Maria replied calmly, sitting across the table from them. "Matt, is it?"
His head shot up, and his eyes widened. "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, I thought-"
Maria put up her hand. "It's okay, I get it. You've had a horrible day, to say the very least, and I'm very sorry for your loss, but I need to ask you a few questions about Jessica and Kyle." She glanced at the young woman beside Matt, who had barely even blinked. She was just sitting there, streaks of mascara running down her pale face. "Lisa? I may have some questions that I'll need to ask you as well." The girl nodded, but still didn't speak or look at Maria.
"It's okay, babe." Matt said, patting Lisa's hand awkwardly. He turned back to Maria. "I think she's gonna need some more time. She hasn't said one word since we found them."
"I understand." Maria said. "Now, I know Lieutenant Caine probably asked you this already, but had Jessica or Kyle had a falling out with any of their friends recently? Any kind of problem with someone from school or work?"
Matt shook his head. "No, they didn't have any problems with anyone that I was aware of."
"What about this girl?" Eric asked. Maria was surprised, she hadn't heard him come into the room. His hand brushed her shoulder as he leaned across the table and handed a picture frame to Matt, and she felt goosebumps rise on her arm despite the heat.
"Oh my God." Matt said, staring at the picture, at the body with the scratched-off head. "Abby."
___________________
TBC...
