A/N: On we go … and worse it gets …
To the members of the H/C Yahoo group: I've started posting this over on the group message list as well, so you can read & review this fic there. Once I've synchronized both sites, I'll update simultaneously :)
Chapter 3: Aggravation
Speed cursed. This task was proving more difficult than he had anticipated. When he had started processing the labs, he had imagined it would be easier than usual. Not as far as the case itself was concerned – the heinous assault was affecting everyone. But for once, they were covering a crime scene they were familiar with. Speed knew where everything was supposed to be, and if he didn't, there were plenty of people he could ask. And reliable people at that, as opposed to witnesses scared out of their minds or witnesses doing their darnedest to hide their involvement. It should have been easy for a change.
It was harder than ever.
Horatio had assigned him the processing of the trace labs, and Speed sure knew his way around there. Still, he came up empty. No surface he dusted yielded any prints (not surprising, he thought, as everyone would be wearing gloves in here), no chemical was out of place, nothing was missing.
Nothing had been added, either.
There were no fibers, fluids or blood spatter, as with almost every other crime scene he had been to in his life. No bullet wounds to take pictures of, no casings, no mystery residues. He collected the occasional hair and took some pictures of footprints, but even while doing so he was willing to bet his Ducati on the fact that they belonged to people who had every right and reason to be there.
Plus he had completely underestimated the strain of working this scene. This was the place he retreated to once the gruesome stuff was done, to sort out what had happened and help those who had been wronged. It was not the place to open up the kits and, heck, do the gruesome stuff.
In a foul mood, he carried on, pointless as his efforts seemed.
And he could not even go and grab a coffee.
~*~
"So do we know who the victims are?"
"Yes," he answered, "everyone's accounted for."
They were seated opposite each other in one of the interrogation rooms, folders and files piled on the table between them. Horatio had suggested they set up camp in one of the rooms that had already been processed by the few remaining from night shift, and Calleigh had agreed. It was the logical choice.
As the ballistics lab had not been in use the preceding night, it was unlikely any of the victims had picked up any toxic substance there. There were plenty of alternatives, though, and it was up to Calleigh to help figure them out. But in order to find out which of their well-intended actions had doomed her co-workers, she would first have to have a look into victimology. See who had been affected and then work out why.
Which was exactly what she dreaded.
When Horatio handed her the list of names, she did not want to look at it. He noticed her apprehensive gaze and refused to let go of the piece of paper, causing her to look up puzzled.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice so low she had to lean in to hear him. They were still holding the sheet of paper between them, each clinging to one corner of the dreaded list, causing the sad record of names to hover in mid-air.
Deciding it was useless to try anything but the honest approach with Horatio, she simply replied, "No." Tugging the sheet out of his hand she added, "But neither are you." She ignored the startled expression on his face and straightened the file in front of her. They were all going to go through hell before this case was solved, and she was not going to watch Horatio take care of everyone but himself on the way. This was too much weight to put on any single person's shoulders, even if that person happened to have access to seemingly unlimited sources of strength. She had relied on him more often than she could have recounted now. Not this time, though. This case was enough to break any of them, and she couldn't simply stand back and watch Horatio take all the hardship onto himself.
He didn't answer. Just watched her stupefied, his lips slightly parted as if a riposte did not quite find its way to her.
She ignored him pointedly. It wasn't every day you caught Horatio Caine at a loss for words. It proved she had made her point, so she decided to leave it at that and go back to business.
She gave the list a quick scan. The names were familiar, naturally. Forcing herself not to conjure up the faces that went with them, she remarked, "Seven victims. Three male, four female. Two computer experts from the data recovery unit, two trace experts, three DNA techs. Age is ranging from 25 to 42. Do they have anything in common at all?"
Horatio recovered swiftly and focused his attention to the task at hand. "Not at first sight. Except, of course, for the undeniable fact that they all work at CSI."
"Are you saying they were not targeted for who they were, but for what they did?"
"I'm saying it does not look like pre-selection of victims to me. We will know more, however, once we compared their activities during the night."
"If it was a general attack on CSI, we should look into that for motive," Calleigh suggested.
Horatio raised his eyebrows. "Good thinking…"
"Do I sense an unspoken but?"
"But … so far, we have no signs of forced entry. Considering the security protocols we have in place…"
"You're not saying this was an inside job, are you?"
"I'm just pointing out the lack of evidence for an intrusion. So, for all we know, it was someone in this building. Someone working at CSI."
His voice was steady and calm as he said the words – but Calleigh was not fooled. The way he was avoiding everyone's eyes today, so that no one would see the hurt and anger in them, the way he had instantly switched into protective mode when she had displayed the faintest signs of insecurity – his composure was a delicate affair right now.
She was shaken to the core herself. It was bad enough someone had assaulted CSI, but the offense would be infinitely aggravated if one of their co-workers had committed the deed. It was not imaginable, actually.
She shook her head, the gesture the physical equivalent of shaking off a terrifying notion. Without another word said on the topic, they began to file through the events of the previous night, trying to sort out who did what and when – and why that had brought harm to them.
~*~
"Any luck?"
Calleigh looked up. She had not noticed anyone approaching the interrogation room. She and Horatio had been completely absorbed in their work. They had been trying to retrace the steps of the victims for hours, not even noticing the time passing. They had collected statements from everyone on night shift, before Horatio had finally sent them home. So far, there was nothing fishy about the victims' activities.
Seeing Eric stand in the doorway, Calleigh gave him a quick smile. The smile was meant to encourage, but there was no genuine joy in it.
"We have successfully established that everyone was where they were supposed to be," she told him, "We still have to talk to the victims as soon as they can give us any statements, though."
"You'd better not get your hopes up too high on that," he said dimly.
Alerted, Horatio raised his head and studied the younger man intently. "Eric? What is it?"
"Alexx wants you to come over. She's not too happy with the results from the post. She's not finished yet, but she wanted to tell you something straight away."
A shadow fell on Horatio's face, and one settled on Calleigh's heart.
"Okay," he said in a low voice, "Calleigh, can you sort through the statements from the DNA technicians?" She nodded, and he continued, "Good. Eric, do you have anything for me?"
"No such luck. Speed's come up empty so far as well. But we're not finished."
"Keep going," he ordered darkly. Then, turning to Calleigh, added, "I'll be right back," and left to see what Alexx had for him.
"How's he doing?" Eric demanded as soon as his boss was out of sight.
"You know what he's like," Calleigh answered elusively. Truly he did. Having been the first to be recruited by Horatio, Eric had worked with him for longer than anyone else on the team.
"He's taking it personally." It wasn't a question.
Calleigh gave a sigh in place of an answer. "He's not going to rest before this matter is settled," Eric predicted.
"I know," she agreed flatly.
Eric gave her a sideways glance. "What about you?"
She shrugged. "It's hard, but I'm holding up." One of us has to, she thought. And Horatio seemed to be unraveling fast.
~*~
"Okay. What am I looking at?"
"Evan Taylor's brain. Or what used to be his brain, to be more precise."
"Hmm… That does not look good."
"It isn't," Alexx confirmed, moving from the steel dish that held the discolored brain to the slab where its former owner was lying. She bent down and placed a gloved hand on the young man's hair. "It didn't look like that when you were starting out last night, did it? You were just trying to get the bad guys, and look at what got you."
Horatio had to turn away. He could not bear Alexx' tender manner with corpses today, not when the deceased was someone who had been murdered while technically under his supervision.
"Brain damage?" he prompted, desperate to get her attention back.
"You bet. And look at those." She led him around the slab and pointed out the victim's hand and feet. They were red and shiny, and there were ugly patches where the skin was peeling off. Alexx moved on to pry Evan's eyes open. Reddened and somehow too watery.
Giving her boss a grave and reproachful look, Alexx stated, "Have you already talked to the other victims?"
"Not yet."
"Horatio, whatever substance we're dealing with, it's affecting the brain and central nervous system. And the effects are delayed after initial exposure, from what the witnesses have told us." There was no need for her to go on.
"You're saying we haven't seen the worst of this yet."
"I'm saying the effects take time to aggravate. And as long as we don't know what exactly they have been dosed with, I can't estimate reversibility."
"Meaning we should question the other victims as long as we still can," Horatio concluded, his voice monotone, devoid of emotion.
Alexx nodded silently.
"Okay. Keep going here." And gone he was.
It had not escaped Alexx' notice that Horatio had acknowledged the deceased as little as possible. Well, she didn't have a choice, so she turned back to the victim. She was the only one who could speak for Evan Taylor now, and so she would.
To be continued …
