A Little Bit of Texas
Part Five
Speed and Eric gave their findings jointly to the commander of the undercover operations. Ray Hawks was a well-dressed, educated, cultured African-American man. He listened attentively to the two CSIs, not saying a word the entire time. When both had reported all they knew the man gathered the files he had been given, stood up, shook hands with both, and walked out the door. His second in command was an Asian-American woman who stayed behind to speak to the two men.
"You did such a good job, we're going to be sure to tell your lieutenant. We do feel this case is best worked by our team, however, so you can get back to your other cases," she said, shaking hands with both of them. She made lots of eye contact with the two men, radiating sincere admiration. She then followed her boss out the door.
"Most polite way of being asked to shove off I've ever gotten," Dayna later told them of her own, almost identical, experience with the undercover brass.
"You got pushed off the case too?" Eric asked Dayna in the CSI break room.
"Oh yeah," she said. "Except I got a 'thank you for calling in our officer to the case' thrown in as well.'
Dayna was waiting for Calleigh and Horatio, ready to give them findings on a homicide she was working with them.
When Calleigh and Alexx came through the door, though, the conversation veered sharply from the professional to the personal.
"So, tonight's the big night, huh?" Calleigh said as came through the door.
"It's just a date, Cal. The most I can hope for out of tonight is a going to a good exhibit." Dayna said.
"Yeah, whatever. What are you going to wear?" Alexx said.
"What I've got on," Dayna said, and both of the other women groaned.
Speed smiled as he took a swig of the water. If she was planning on going in a t-shirt and jeans the guy wasn't going to be getting anywhere. Then he wondered to himself why that made him smile. Forget it, not going there.
Calleigh turned to Alexx, "What are you doing after work today?"
"I've got a post that's going to take the rest of today, then a school play. My son is playing a flower tonight."
"Well, don't worry. I'm going to take Dayna on an emergency shopping trip. By the time I'm done this guy won't know what hit him," Calleigh said.
Dayna stepped in firmly, "Calleigh, I met this guy in a coffee shop. My gut reaction is that the only thing I have in common with him is that we're both carbon based, oxygen breathing life forms." Eric and Alexx laughed at the description.
"Right, sure. So why did you say you'd go out with him?" Calleigh asked.
Dayna smiled, then said, "I love photography and he asked me to the gallery opening of a new photographer. Well, plus, he's the first man in Miami to realize I'm a woman. That does get him extra points. Hey, are you okay?" Dayna asked Speed. He had started chocking on his water at the last thing she said.
"Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe," he said. He noticed Calleigh was looking at him longer than was necessary. "I'm fine," he told her.
"Yeah," she said, still looking at him. After a few more seconds she smiled, and turned back to Dayna. "So, you don't care about impressing this guy, but who knows who your going to meet there."
"Calleigh..." Dayna said, warningly. Calleigh just grinned at her. "Okay, we can go shopping," she said.
"Great, I'll drive. Meet me here after you get off, and don't let any case get in your way. Speaking of cases, didn't you have something for me?"
"Yeah, let's go track down H. I've got some news for the two of you," Dayna said as she and Calleigh started out the door.
"Hey Dayna!" Alexx called after them. They turned back and Alexx said, "Why don't we get together here for lunch tomorrow, and you can tell us all about it? I'll bring the food."
Dayna gave a one shouldered shrug, "Sure, why not? I'll meet you here tomorrow at noon."
A man had been found murdered, his body dumped onto the highway heading north out of Miami. Speed was the CSI assigned to the case, with Detective Tripp. The body was a mess, but it looked like he had been stabbed to death. Alexx was going over the body when Speed walked into her autopsy theater.
"Hey Timmy," Alexx greeted him.
"Hi, Alexx. Okay, what have we got?" Speed asked.
"A young man, dead too soon. He's no more than eighteen years old, if that. But looking at his liver, I would guess he's been an alcoholic for years." Alexx stroked the dead man's hair, "You had a hard life, honey, didn't you?"
"How did he die?"
"Bled out. He's got four stab wounds in his chest, plus a couple of defensive cuts on his right arm. It's not the first time he's been on the wrong side of a knife either. I've found dozens of cuts, some serious, all under a month old."
"None older than that?" Speed asked.
"Not that I could see."
"Anything else you can tell me about him?"
"I bagged his clothes, there on that table behind you. Based on the condition of them, not to mention the smell, he may have been homeless."
"Could be he's just been on the street for a month, that would explain why you couldn't find any cuts older. Living on the streets is brutal, I'm not surprised he's gotten cut before," Speed said.
"I don't know. I want to run a couple more tests on the body, though, because something's not right here," Alexx said.
"When you figure out what that something is, let me know. So far, I've got nothing," Speed said.
"Will do. Hang on a sec, Timmy, I bet these are the blood results," Alexx said, spotting Claire come in with a folder in her hand.
"Blood work on John Doe. Blood alcohol level of .02, no traces of any other drugs in his system, including some he needed," Claire said.
".02? That's nothing. There's more alcohol than that in mouthwash," Speed said.
"There was more alcohol than that just in his stomach. What do you mean, drugs he needed?" Alexx asked the tech.
"We found a bacterial infection, a viral infection, severe anemia, a cocktail of other medical problems. I honestly don't know how much longer he would have lived without getting some medical help," Claire said.
Speed said, "So he had alcohol in his stomach, but hardly any had been metabolized. Someone gave him a drink while he was dying?"
Alexx cocked a hip, and looked at Speed, "Can you think of a better time to give an alcoholic a drink?"
"Right. I'll get started on the clothes after lunch. Do you think the body can tell us anything else?" Speed asked Alexx as Claire walked out of the door.
"I'll see what else he can tell us, but it will have to be later. I've got three more posts that have come in since then, and they need me too. I'll work on them after lunch, and get back to John after that."
"Okay, let me know if you find anything," Speed said, starting to walk out.
"Are you going up to the break room for your lunch?" Alexx asked him before he left.
"Yeah, why?"
"Would you tell Dayna I'll be done here soon, and I'll be right up?" Alexx asked.
Speed walked into the break room and saw Dayna, her elbow on the table, her right hand propping up her head.
"Hey, Campbell. How did your date go?" Speed asked her.
"Oh, you're funny Speedle. Spare me the jokes, the entire homicide department has beat you to them." Dayna said.
"What are you talking about? I was just trying to make conversation," Speed said.
"Ah, sorry about that. So, you don't read The Herald, huh?" Dayna said.
"No, I watch channel 8. Wait a minute, are you saying that your date made the news?"
Dayna nodded, with her head still resting on her hand, "Oh yes. Color photos, a byline, and complete humiliation for yours truly."
Horatio and Calleigh came in. Horatio stopped by the table and looked at Dayna, his head tilted to the side, "You never told him you were a cop, huh?"
"Nope, never came up. At least, not until I arrested him," Dayna said, smiling a little.
Calleigh asked, "What are you talking about? Who did you arrest?"
"That's what happens when you get the news from the internet, you lose the local flavor," Horatio told her.
Alexx came in, and immediately went over to Dayna, giving her a hug, "Oh honey, I am so sorry."
"Yeah, well, these things happen, right?" Dayna said. Alexx looked at her for a second, and then both of them started laughing out loud.
"Only to you, sugar, only to you," Alexx said when she got her breath back. Dayna got herself under control a few seconds later.
"Ah well, it's so completely ridiculous I have to laugh. You know what makes it even better? The date was even worse than the paper made it seem," Dayna said.
"What happened? Spill." Calleigh asked, as Alexx got the lunches from the refrigerator.
Alexx put the food down in front of Calleigh, Dayna, and her own spot at the table. Speed pulled his sandwich from the fridge and settled on the couch, ready to hear the story. Horatio pulled up a chair, and sat on it backwards, his arms crossed and resting on the top of the back of the chair. Calleigh and Alexx looked at Dayna expectantly.
Dayna looked around the room, realizing she had a larger audience than she had expected. She looked at four criminalists in turn and visibly shrugged, "You want the whole thing?" The room nodded back.
"So I met the guy at the gallery," she started.
"Were you wearing the dress we picked out?" Calleigh interrupted.
"The one you picked out. Yes, for all the good it did me," Dayna said, tartly. "Okay, so I get there, meet Jones, hi, hi whatever. Then he tells me he has to go talk to this guy across the room. So, I'm there looking at the photos, and this guy comes up to me and asks me what I think about them. I told him I thought the photographer was talented, but that the photos were 'crowd pleasers' and he seemed to be afraid to try anything daring in case it didn't work out," Dayna closed her eyes, shuttering slightly at the memory. "Of course, when the photographer is introduced it's the same guy. I still hadn't seen my date, so I went looking for him, thinking maybe I could get a little sympathy for sticking my foot in my mouth," she said.
"Sure. I guess it didn't work out that way, though. What happened?" Calleigh asked.
"I went to this room in the back, I opened the door, saw Jones, and walked in. Walked into a coke deal at the same time." Dayna paused, then laughed a little, "I was furious. The looks on their faces were priceless, but I was so mad I couldn't appreciate it until now. They looked like two kids caught shoplifting, or something. That's when I pulled out my gun and badge from my bag."
"Dayna, oh God," Alexx said.
"Well, it's not like I could ignore it. Of course, there were two of them and I only had one pair of cuffs. I cuffed them through an opening in this hideous sculpture that was in that room." Dayna started laughing again, this time harder, trying to tell her story and still be understood, "The whole time Jones was saying 'You're a cop? You're a cop! I can't believe you're a cop.' He kept saying it over and over again."
Dayna's laughter wound down, "Ah. I called for backup on my cell. I asked them to come in softly, but no – they busted in like I'd just cornered Al Capone. So two uniforms go running into the back room while the photographer is winding up his speech, and I come stalking out, followed by two men being escorted out in cuffs. The Herald arts reporter was there, along with his photographer. Everyone was staring at us, the exhibit completely forgotten, the artist stunned silent in the middle of his own opening. It was completely, completely, hideously awful."
Calleigh and Alexx looked at her, sandwiches forgotten in their hands. Horatio shook his head with a small smile, got up and looked at her. "Dayna?" he asked
"Yeah?"
"I have got to introduce you to Bethany. Dinner on Sunday?" he asked.
It was the end of the same day when Speedle went to the homicide offices. Alexx had gotten back to him with more findings on the body. He found Tripp, and told him what he and Alexx had found.
"Okay, Alexx looked at him every way she could think of and found some strange things. It looks like this kid had never been well cared for. Probably raised on the streets, malnourished, bad bones, bad teeth, bad health, bad everything. This kid was a hardcore alcoholic since around fifteen years old, is Alexx's best guess. But, it looks like fairly recently this guy's life had improved. His stomach contents included beef, vegetables and milk. She did find alcohol in his system, but only a tiny amount. She found more alcohol in his stomach, which makes me think someone gave him a drink while he was dying, maybe to take the pain away, maybe because that's what an alcoholic would want as the last thing he had. He was stabbed to death, and Alexx found older cuts, but none of them too much older. The earliest one was only about a month old. What if the cuts and the better food both started at around the same time?"
"What would that mean?" Tripp asked.
"I don't know yet. I've looked at his clothes. Even if his eating habit improved, his wardrobe didn't. The clothes are so old that the dirt may be the only thing that's stopping them from disintegrating at the slightest touch."
"Were you able to get anything off of them?" Tripp asked.
"I got some blood that does not belong to our John Doe, but without someone to compare it to, we're dead in the water."
"I'll take his picture around to some of the shelters, see if we can't scare up a name. Truthfully, though, I don't think we're going to be solving this one Speedle. Trying to find out who this guy was, much less who killed him, is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"I know, but I hate to give up, just because he didn't have an address," Speed said, frustrated.
"We're not," Tripp replied. "I'll let you know if I find anything."
Speed had made it to the elevators in the lobby, ready to head home for the day. He saw Dayna coming into the lobby from the hall leading to the interrogation rooms. He watched as she picked up some messages from the receptionist and started walking in the direction of her desk. He was just about to speak when another man beat him to it. A blonde man stood up from one of the benches lining the walls of the lobby. He had a bouquet of bright, multi-colored flowers in his hand. He walked up to Campbell, and stopped her from continuing on. Speed could see them both in perfect profile.
"Detective Campbell?" the man said to Dayna.
"Oh," Dayna said, "Hi." She didn't look the man in the eye, darting her eyes around the room, to his chest, the bouquet, the floor, anywhere but directly at the man's face.
"These are for you. I wanted to come and thank you,"
Dayna's eyes met the strangers, wide with surprise, "You wanted to thank me? For what? Insulting your work, or ruining your opening?" she asked the photographer.
Speed's instincts took over, and he pulled back to the wall and the shadows, noting everything about the man he could. Tim noticed they were the same height, but the photographer wasn't as muscular. He was wearing a black sports coat, a dark blue collared shirt, and a pair of black jeans. His hair was short and tousled, but clean. He also looked very nervous. Tim tensed up, but doubted anyone who came bearing flowers would be holding a grudge.
"For both. Well, no. Okay, here's the deal, you didn't do either of those things. Well, you did kind of insult my work, but that's okay. This isn't coming out the way it's in my head. Can I start again?" the man said.
Dayna lips started to curl up into a closed lipped smile. "All right," she said.
"I'm Ben Connors. We met at my opening last night," the man said.
"Yeah, I vividly remember meeting you last night," Dayna said, dropping her eyes again. "Listen, I really want to apologize for"
Connors reached out his free, left hand and tilted Campbell's face up until eye contact was regained. Every muscle in Speedle's body stiffened, as he watched this man touch Dayna.
"Don't apologize, okay? I wanted to thank you," Connors's left hand dropped from her face, and his right hand put the flowers forward. Dayna hesitated, then took them. "Do you know, you're the first person who's been honest with me about my work? I knew there was something wrong with it, but I couldn't see it, and no one would tell me. I only had pictures that made people feel good. I don't have any that make them feel great, or laugh, or cry, or feel anything ... anything important." He smiled at her and Dayna smiled back.
"And as far as my opening goes, while it didn't go exactly as planned, do you know how much publicity you brought me? I was going to be buried on the third or fourth page of the arts section. No one would have read about it. Since you arrested those guys I got on the front page of the arts section, with a teaser on the front page. The real, actual front page. The gallery called me about an hour ago: They've already sold half of my work. This is fantastic, and it's all thanks to you." Connors took a deep breath, and said in a rush, "Would you like to have dinner with me? And I've got some other work, and I think they're better. I've never shown them to anyone, and I think I'd like you to see them. Please?"
Speed held his breath until Dayna answered, and then he felt like someone had punched him.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that. I'm going to find something to put these in, leave them on my desk. I'll be right back," she said, then walked off into the break room.
Speed realized he jaw was hurting, and consciously unclenched his teeth. Now the hands, he told himself. Slowly his hands relaxed from the fists they had turned into watching the two together. He felt detached from his body as he left the lobby quietly, so this Ben guy didn't see him.
He couldn't remember getting on his bike, or leaving, but the next thing he knew he was home. He realized he didn't want to go in. What he really wanted was to hit something. Someone. You're acting like this guy is a doing something wrong, something bad. He's not a rival. You work with Dayna, nothing more. Well, talking to himself wasn't helping. He didn't get off the bike, electing to go to the gym instead. Work out all the confusion you are obviously feeling about this woman. He didn't actually feel confused, he realized later, after hitting a heavy bag for almost an hour. Okay, so Ben Connors is a rival. Now all I have to do is let Dayna know that.
Later, after he was at home, he tried to think of the best way to approach Dayna the next day. He was fairly confident; he knew about Dayna's history in Texas, they worked together, shared interests, have had dinner and laughs together. What does this new guy have? What he has is tonight. Oh hell.
Speed picked up the phone to call Dayna, to tell her not to do anything ... anything permanent. He put the phone down, not wanting to dip his toe into stalker waters.
He walked to his bookshelf and picked up a book. He held it in his hand, but didn't see the title. Instead he wondered what the couple was doing. You know damn well what they're doing. The guy asked her to look at his photos, that's the modern equivalent of asking her up to look at his sketches. And she agreed. And she just had a horrible date, so she's vulnerable right now. And she was talking about how no one in Miami looked at her as a woman, and this prick brought her flowers. Shit
Tim grabbed his phone again, and started dialing. He would get Calleigh to call Dayna, she would do it, she owed him. He stopped and hung up before the call went through. It's one night and a first date. Stop thinking about it. Don't think about what they could be doing right now. Dayna's not the kind to sleep around. Which means, of course, if she does sleep with him, you are out of the game, out of the running, and out of luck. Don't think about them having a fabulous dinner together. Don't think of them dancing, his hand on her back, holding her close. Don't think about her smiling at him.
Speed watched as the couple came through the door, hand in hand, Connors leading in Dayna. The photographer took off his sports coat, threw his keys onto the table, then turned and caught Dayna's face in both hands, pulling her up to him. The kiss was deep and long, and when it stopped both paused for breath. Speed noticed Dayna was a little unsteady on her feet.
Stop imagining it! This can not be healthy. Speed picked up the book again, opened it to a random page, and desperately started to read. He stopped on the fifth word of the sentence, watching Ben the Bastard unzip the back of Dayna's dress, as she looked back over her shoulder. She stepped out of the dress – now wearing nothing but a lacy pair of black bra and panties -- and into his arms, her hands on his shoulders, pulling him to her. As they kissed, Dayna's hands dropped to the shirt the photographer was wearing, pulling it out of his jeans and unbuttoning it blind. They unclenched long enough to get his pants off, so both stood there wearing very, very little. Connor's appreciation of the view was obvious, to Dayna's apparent delight. She smiled and took his hand, placing it on her breast, over the brassiere. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip as he slipped his hand under the lace, to touch her, to rub her. "My God," her voice came out husky.
Speed threw the book against the nearest wall. She wasn't even wearing a dress when they left. Keep it together. I need a distraction. He got a beer from the fridge, and sat down in front of the TV. He turned it on and switched channels until he found a football game. He realized his left leg was bouncing off the ball of his foot, and consciously tried to calm down. Gradually the leg stopped, and he turned his eyes back to the game. Thank God for ESPN.
The couple had gotten to the bed, in a tangle of hands and tongues, the final clothes gone. Ben pulled away far enough to get his hands around Dayna's waist, and pushed her higher on the bed. He worked his way up her body with his mouth, teeth nipping her skin every few inches until her reached her neck. He kissed her neck, then moved to her shoulder where he bit down hard enough to make Dayna hiss between her teeth. Ownership marks.
"God damn son of a bitch," Speed shouted at the TV. Damn it. He turned the TV off, and started pacing back and forth across the room. It only took four steps to cross the room, his stride being lengthened by anger. Four steps, turn. Four steps, turn. Damn it. How am I supposed to get through tonight?
He went running, trying to use physical exhaustion to siphon off his paranoia. It worked for a little while; the first time his mind wandered to the couple he almost got creamed by a truck. His survival instinct kicked in and shut down all higher brain functions. He didn't think about anything but the feel of the running. His body started complaining, and Speed was amazed at how far from his home he had come. The pain of running back took care of the rest of the time.
He crawled into the shower, fatigue eliminating any thoughts of Dayna with another man. He crawled into bed, finally. Only four hours until his alarm went off. Only a few hours until he could let her know how he felt. He closed his eyes.
Dayna was on top of Connors, her back bowed down to kiss him as he sat up to meet her. His hands on her hips keep them moving in rhythm, his fingers making indentions into her flesh as he grasped her harder. He lay back down, as Dayna drew back, straightening up. They managed to climax together, Dayna's face turning red, her body shaking. Dayna was breathing heavily as she rolled off, to lie down next to him. "Ben, I think I love you."
Speed groaned and opened his eyes. Are you kidding me? Yeah, right. My mind is out to kill me. He turned his head and looked at the time. Only three hours and fifty minutes until his alarm. He sat up and thought about how to get through the longest night of his life.