Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, including Tim
Speedle, (sigh), but hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
Rating: R, R, and more R
Pairings: Speed/OC, Speed/Calleigh, Calleigh/?
Summary: The team searches for a serial killer before he strikes again, bringing an old flame back to Miami and destroying Tim's precarious relationship with Calleigh.
A/N: This story just would not leave me alone! I went back and re- read it the other day and decided that I could do better. Therefore, I am reposting the story with corrections, no major changes. This time, I have given a lot more backstory on the fight that broke Tim and Leanna up, among other things.
Chapter 12
Max Klein took a seat beside his new client and placed an encouraging hand on James' arm.
"So, Max, what is McElroy's connection to Wagner?" Horatio asked the attorney.
"Vincent and James are, uh, friends," Klein replied with a smirk, glancing at James.
Leanna stared at Klein, "'Uh, friends'? What is that supposed to mean? Are they more than friends?" she demanded.
"Vincent is my wife," McElroy answered, turning the ring on his right hand nervously.
The three detectives were taken aback. "Your wife?" Speed finally choked out.
"That's what I said," McElroy said irritably, then grinned at Speed. "Which means I can't and won't testify against Vincent."
"God knows I'm all for loyalty to your spouse, James, but that only applies to legally married couples," Speed explained.
"Oh, they are legally married, Detective." Klein handed Speed a sheet of paper, which he read, then handed to Horatio.
"James McElroy and Victoria Wagner," Horatio read aloud.
"Vincent's real name," Leanna commented. Klein nodded, and leaned back in his chair, grinning widely.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
"The other set of DNA we found on the strap-on matched James McElroy," Eric said, handing Valera's report to Horatio. "So we've got all four women and McElroy."
"Alexx, what about the rape kit on Alicia Coffman?" Horatio questioned.
Alexx shook her head. "No evidence of a sexual assault or encounter with anyone other than her husband."
"So, McElroy didn't rape Alicia," Horatio said, "Why not?"
"I think it's entirely possible that McElroy committed this murder to help Vincent," Leanna shrugged. "Protect his spouse."
"Cast doubt that we had the right guy." Speed shook his head. "That might have worked if we hadn't found all the evidence at Wagner's house."
"What if," Horatio began, "what if they were working together the entire time? James took pictures of this murder, what if he took pictures of all the murders?"
"We need to get into James' house," Speed continued the thought.
Horatio nodded. "Get a warrant, Speed and let's get over there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
"Gun," Eric called out, pulling a 9mm from beneath James McElroy's mattress. He handed the gun to Calleigh.
"Remind me to thank God for stupid criminals," Calleigh laughed, bagging the gun and labeling it.
"These two are really screwing up my article," Leanna frowned, examining the stack of photographs Speed had just found locked in a safe. "They're twisted as hell, but not too intelligent. Hiding a murder weapon under the mattress? Please."
"You're writing an article about all this?" Eric questioned.
She nodded and continued to study the photographs intently. "Yeah, I gotta do something to make a little money until my transfer comes through in Miami. As soon as this is over, I'll be on unpaid personal leave from Washington."
"She's got to earn her keep," Speed teased, elbowing his fiancée in the arm.
Leanna rolled her eyes and elbowed him back. "I guess my dreams of being a kept woman just went flying out the window."
"Feds pay more than the county, babe," he shot back playfully. "I'm going to be the kept man around here. You've got to make enough to support me and Duke."
"Support your motorcycle?" Calleigh laughed, shaking her head. "What are you, four?"
"Something like that," he grinned, grateful for the interaction with Calleigh.
"Pictures from all the murders?" she asked, glancing at the stack in Leanna's hand.
"He's a regular shutterbug," Leanna answered, flipping through the stack again. "At least it implicates both of them. We've got pictures of Vincent raping and murdering the women."
"Nothing on the husbands, though," Speed stated, looking over her shoulder.
"The husbands are secondary, I'm not surprised."
Speed blew out a deep breath. "Let's get this stuff back to the lab and get it all tested."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
Tim flopped onto the dark leather sofa in his apartment. "I am so glad this case is over," he stated, putting an arm behind his head and propping his feet up on the coffee table.
Leanna entered from the kitchen, carrying a glass of wine for her and a beer for him. "Me too," she agreed, sitting down next to him. She handed the beer to him, which he accepted gratefully.
"Would have been nice if we could have nailed James for the other murders, though."
Leanna shook her head, "They're both going away for life, sweetie."
"I know," he frowned, picking at a thread on the chenille blanket draped across the back of the couch. "It's just the principle of the thing."
"Let's talk about something else," she said, reaching for the television remote. She turned the set on and began absent-mindedly flipping channels.
"Like what?" he grinned.
She shot him a sly look and shrugged her shoulders. "Like us getting married. When do you want to do it?"
"Tomorrow," he answered, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. "Tomorrow sounds like a perfect day."
"Tomorrow?" she asked sarcastically. "A whole two day engagement? You're such a romantic, honey," she teased.
"I'm serious," he laughed. "What the hell would we be waiting for, Lea? Is there something else you need to know about me that you don't already? You know all my bad habits, everything I've ever been through my entire life and I know all that stuff about you."
She continued flipping channels, considering his words carefully. "Tomorrow, huh?"
He grinned, leaning over to take the remote away from her. He hit the power button, turning the set off. "Tomorrow," he answered, pushing the hair away from her neck. He kissed the soft spot on her shoulder. Leanna closed her eyes and melted into the couch, loving the feel of his tongue against her skin.
Tim maneuvered Leanna onto his lap, tugging at the hem of her soft v-neck sweater. He lifted it over her head, kissing the soft skin he exposed. Leanna unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it past his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him as she did.
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted the moment. Speed sank back of the couch, yelling, "I just want to make love to my fiancée. Is that too much to ask?"
Leanna laughed and climbed off his lap. "Keep your pants on. Or better yet, take them off," she teased, retrieving the phone from her purse. "Hello?" she answered brightly.
"Leanna?" Jonathan's voice startled her. Leanna could feel the color totally drain out of her face. She glanced over at Tim who was staring at her with both worry and confusion.
"Jonathan," she said, eliciting a loud groan from Tim. He stood from the couch and glared at her, then headed into the bedroom and slammed the door.
"What was that?" Jonathan asked curiously.
"That was, uh..." Leanna's thoughts raced through her mind. She was desperate for a way to begin this conversation and she thought she still had a few days to come up with the perfect words.
"Leanna?"
"Jonathan, I have something I need to tell you." Leanna's heart was racing and she fought back the nausea building in her stomach. She looked down at her hands, which were shaking. Focusing on Tim's ring – she smiled. "I told you that I was coming to Miami to help an old friend, and that was the truth, but I left quite a bit out."
"Go on," he encouraged her.
"When I left Miami four years ago for the Academy, I was engaged to a man named Tim Speedle. He's a CSI with the Miami Dade Police Department," she continued.
Jonathan was quiet for a moment. "Is or was?" he finally asked.
"Is," she answered honestly. "When I got into the FBI, Tim didn't want me to go and we had this huge fight and I just left. For being in our mid- twenties and professionals, we were pretty stupid."
"And now you're back there, and.............."
She took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "I'm still in love with him."
"I see." The pain in his voice hurt her deeply.
"Jonathan?" she asked gently.
"You want to marry him," his voice strained, "instead of me?"
Leanna wiped the tears streaming down her face. "Yes," she said quietly.
"Well." She waited for him to continue, but there was only silence.
"Jonathan, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen," she cried. "You've always been so wonderful to me and God knows you don't deserve this."
"But you love him," he stated flatly.
"With all my heart and soul," she answered.
"Will you be coming back to Washington?" he asked.
"I was going to come back and talk to you, pack up my apartment, that kind of thing."
"Well, that's not necessary – coming to speak with me. I have nothing else to say to you."
"Okay," she answered.
"You'll return your engagement ring?" he asked curtly.
"Of course," she said. "Tim and I should be there sometime next week."
"That's fine, just drop it at the office and I'll pick it up from there. I have to go now, goodbye Leanna." He disconnected the line. Leanna sat with her cell phone in her hands, staring at it.
She looked up to find Tim standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "How did it go?" he asked gently.
"He's pissed," she smiled half-heartedly. "Not that I expected much else."
Tim walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "Baby, you didn't mean for this to happen. Neither of us did – some things, though, they just are the way they are."
"I know," she said, wiping more tears. "I just hated to do that over the phone."
Tim nodded. "At least we can get married now without that hanging over our heads."
"Are we still on for tomorrow?" she asked, touching his cheek with her fingers.
"Tomorrow," he answered, bringing her left hand up to his lips. "I'm going to put another ring right here." He kissed the tiny space below her engagement ring.
"I love you," she said emphatically.
He grinned. "I know, baby, I love you too."
Rating: R, R, and more R
Pairings: Speed/OC, Speed/Calleigh, Calleigh/?
Summary: The team searches for a serial killer before he strikes again, bringing an old flame back to Miami and destroying Tim's precarious relationship with Calleigh.
A/N: This story just would not leave me alone! I went back and re- read it the other day and decided that I could do better. Therefore, I am reposting the story with corrections, no major changes. This time, I have given a lot more backstory on the fight that broke Tim and Leanna up, among other things.
Chapter 12
Max Klein took a seat beside his new client and placed an encouraging hand on James' arm.
"So, Max, what is McElroy's connection to Wagner?" Horatio asked the attorney.
"Vincent and James are, uh, friends," Klein replied with a smirk, glancing at James.
Leanna stared at Klein, "'Uh, friends'? What is that supposed to mean? Are they more than friends?" she demanded.
"Vincent is my wife," McElroy answered, turning the ring on his right hand nervously.
The three detectives were taken aback. "Your wife?" Speed finally choked out.
"That's what I said," McElroy said irritably, then grinned at Speed. "Which means I can't and won't testify against Vincent."
"God knows I'm all for loyalty to your spouse, James, but that only applies to legally married couples," Speed explained.
"Oh, they are legally married, Detective." Klein handed Speed a sheet of paper, which he read, then handed to Horatio.
"James McElroy and Victoria Wagner," Horatio read aloud.
"Vincent's real name," Leanna commented. Klein nodded, and leaned back in his chair, grinning widely.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
"The other set of DNA we found on the strap-on matched James McElroy," Eric said, handing Valera's report to Horatio. "So we've got all four women and McElroy."
"Alexx, what about the rape kit on Alicia Coffman?" Horatio questioned.
Alexx shook her head. "No evidence of a sexual assault or encounter with anyone other than her husband."
"So, McElroy didn't rape Alicia," Horatio said, "Why not?"
"I think it's entirely possible that McElroy committed this murder to help Vincent," Leanna shrugged. "Protect his spouse."
"Cast doubt that we had the right guy." Speed shook his head. "That might have worked if we hadn't found all the evidence at Wagner's house."
"What if," Horatio began, "what if they were working together the entire time? James took pictures of this murder, what if he took pictures of all the murders?"
"We need to get into James' house," Speed continued the thought.
Horatio nodded. "Get a warrant, Speed and let's get over there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
"Gun," Eric called out, pulling a 9mm from beneath James McElroy's mattress. He handed the gun to Calleigh.
"Remind me to thank God for stupid criminals," Calleigh laughed, bagging the gun and labeling it.
"These two are really screwing up my article," Leanna frowned, examining the stack of photographs Speed had just found locked in a safe. "They're twisted as hell, but not too intelligent. Hiding a murder weapon under the mattress? Please."
"You're writing an article about all this?" Eric questioned.
She nodded and continued to study the photographs intently. "Yeah, I gotta do something to make a little money until my transfer comes through in Miami. As soon as this is over, I'll be on unpaid personal leave from Washington."
"She's got to earn her keep," Speed teased, elbowing his fiancée in the arm.
Leanna rolled her eyes and elbowed him back. "I guess my dreams of being a kept woman just went flying out the window."
"Feds pay more than the county, babe," he shot back playfully. "I'm going to be the kept man around here. You've got to make enough to support me and Duke."
"Support your motorcycle?" Calleigh laughed, shaking her head. "What are you, four?"
"Something like that," he grinned, grateful for the interaction with Calleigh.
"Pictures from all the murders?" she asked, glancing at the stack in Leanna's hand.
"He's a regular shutterbug," Leanna answered, flipping through the stack again. "At least it implicates both of them. We've got pictures of Vincent raping and murdering the women."
"Nothing on the husbands, though," Speed stated, looking over her shoulder.
"The husbands are secondary, I'm not surprised."
Speed blew out a deep breath. "Let's get this stuff back to the lab and get it all tested."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*
Tim flopped onto the dark leather sofa in his apartment. "I am so glad this case is over," he stated, putting an arm behind his head and propping his feet up on the coffee table.
Leanna entered from the kitchen, carrying a glass of wine for her and a beer for him. "Me too," she agreed, sitting down next to him. She handed the beer to him, which he accepted gratefully.
"Would have been nice if we could have nailed James for the other murders, though."
Leanna shook her head, "They're both going away for life, sweetie."
"I know," he frowned, picking at a thread on the chenille blanket draped across the back of the couch. "It's just the principle of the thing."
"Let's talk about something else," she said, reaching for the television remote. She turned the set on and began absent-mindedly flipping channels.
"Like what?" he grinned.
She shot him a sly look and shrugged her shoulders. "Like us getting married. When do you want to do it?"
"Tomorrow," he answered, tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. "Tomorrow sounds like a perfect day."
"Tomorrow?" she asked sarcastically. "A whole two day engagement? You're such a romantic, honey," she teased.
"I'm serious," he laughed. "What the hell would we be waiting for, Lea? Is there something else you need to know about me that you don't already? You know all my bad habits, everything I've ever been through my entire life and I know all that stuff about you."
She continued flipping channels, considering his words carefully. "Tomorrow, huh?"
He grinned, leaning over to take the remote away from her. He hit the power button, turning the set off. "Tomorrow," he answered, pushing the hair away from her neck. He kissed the soft spot on her shoulder. Leanna closed her eyes and melted into the couch, loving the feel of his tongue against her skin.
Tim maneuvered Leanna onto his lap, tugging at the hem of her soft v-neck sweater. He lifted it over her head, kissing the soft skin he exposed. Leanna unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it past his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him as she did.
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted the moment. Speed sank back of the couch, yelling, "I just want to make love to my fiancée. Is that too much to ask?"
Leanna laughed and climbed off his lap. "Keep your pants on. Or better yet, take them off," she teased, retrieving the phone from her purse. "Hello?" she answered brightly.
"Leanna?" Jonathan's voice startled her. Leanna could feel the color totally drain out of her face. She glanced over at Tim who was staring at her with both worry and confusion.
"Jonathan," she said, eliciting a loud groan from Tim. He stood from the couch and glared at her, then headed into the bedroom and slammed the door.
"What was that?" Jonathan asked curiously.
"That was, uh..." Leanna's thoughts raced through her mind. She was desperate for a way to begin this conversation and she thought she still had a few days to come up with the perfect words.
"Leanna?"
"Jonathan, I have something I need to tell you." Leanna's heart was racing and she fought back the nausea building in her stomach. She looked down at her hands, which were shaking. Focusing on Tim's ring – she smiled. "I told you that I was coming to Miami to help an old friend, and that was the truth, but I left quite a bit out."
"Go on," he encouraged her.
"When I left Miami four years ago for the Academy, I was engaged to a man named Tim Speedle. He's a CSI with the Miami Dade Police Department," she continued.
Jonathan was quiet for a moment. "Is or was?" he finally asked.
"Is," she answered honestly. "When I got into the FBI, Tim didn't want me to go and we had this huge fight and I just left. For being in our mid- twenties and professionals, we were pretty stupid."
"And now you're back there, and.............."
She took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "I'm still in love with him."
"I see." The pain in his voice hurt her deeply.
"Jonathan?" she asked gently.
"You want to marry him," his voice strained, "instead of me?"
Leanna wiped the tears streaming down her face. "Yes," she said quietly.
"Well." She waited for him to continue, but there was only silence.
"Jonathan, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen," she cried. "You've always been so wonderful to me and God knows you don't deserve this."
"But you love him," he stated flatly.
"With all my heart and soul," she answered.
"Will you be coming back to Washington?" he asked.
"I was going to come back and talk to you, pack up my apartment, that kind of thing."
"Well, that's not necessary – coming to speak with me. I have nothing else to say to you."
"Okay," she answered.
"You'll return your engagement ring?" he asked curtly.
"Of course," she said. "Tim and I should be there sometime next week."
"That's fine, just drop it at the office and I'll pick it up from there. I have to go now, goodbye Leanna." He disconnected the line. Leanna sat with her cell phone in her hands, staring at it.
She looked up to find Tim standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "How did it go?" he asked gently.
"He's pissed," she smiled half-heartedly. "Not that I expected much else."
Tim walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "Baby, you didn't mean for this to happen. Neither of us did – some things, though, they just are the way they are."
"I know," she said, wiping more tears. "I just hated to do that over the phone."
Tim nodded. "At least we can get married now without that hanging over our heads."
"Are we still on for tomorrow?" she asked, touching his cheek with her fingers.
"Tomorrow," he answered, bringing her left hand up to his lips. "I'm going to put another ring right here." He kissed the tiny space below her engagement ring.
"I love you," she said emphatically.
He grinned. "I know, baby, I love you too."