6. ANGER AND DETERMINATION.

While Calleigh was on the phone talking to Detective Tripp, Eric worked on marking the crime scene. He was just about done when his cell phone rang. "Delko," he answered it curtly.

"Eric... We've found the Hummer." It was Speedle, and he was talking fast. "It's still parked at the University."

"Okay," Eric commented. "So H went there this morning to have another chat with Dean Hernandez?"

"No. The Dean told us he had a chat with Horatio last night, but that they didn't plan a second meeting this morning. Eric, we found H's shades near the Hummer."

"Damn," cursed Eric. Their boss never went anywhere without his sunglasses. An unnerving feeling crept over him. "What about Metzger's class... can they tell you anything?"

"They're not here, Eric. None of them showed up this morning. I don't think that's a coincidence."

"Okay. We found H's cell phone. We'll head back to head quarters and run it for fingerprints. We'll get Tripp to make a few house calls. You and Alexx find out what you can there, then get to the Professor's house and see if you can find a lead. Anything..."

"Eric?" Speed asked quietly, unable to say out loud what he was thinking.

"Speed, go. He's not dead until we find him dead. Be careful and stay in touch." Eric slapped his phone closed and snatched Calleigh's phone from her fingers, leaving her in the midst of her sentence staring at him in mock surprise.

"Frank, I've got some new info," Eric immediately continued. "Speedle and Alexx found the Hummer parked at Cabrerra's University. H isn't there, his glasses were lying on the ground."

Calleigh's eyes widened as she heard this piece of information.

"Yes, that's what I think as well," Eric responded to something Tripp had said to him. "None of the students from Metzger's class have showed up this morning, so I suggest you go and pick them up, wherever they are."

After listening again, Eric finished with a decisive, "We'll do that," then handed the phone back to Calleigh. "Let's go."

Sprinting back to the car didn't take too long and then they were heading back to base. Neither of them said anything. Eric's face was grim.

Calleigh couldn't stop thinking about Adam Metzger's dead body. What if the class had done the same to their boss? It was unbearable. Horatio was always there for her. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. She bit on her lip and sniffed a bit.

"We'll find him, Cal. I swear to God, we'll find him."

Calleigh nodded, amazed at the determination in Eric's voice. She, too, believed they would find him. But she wasn't so sure if they would find him still alive.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Speed and Alexx entered Adam Metzger's house. With help from a group of students they'd thoroughly searched the forest area behind the University. All traces on the location where they'd found Adam Metzger a couple of days ago were gone and they came up empty. Then they'd searched through the huge building, looking for clues. They hadn't found anything that could help, so finally they had headed here.

"What are we looking for?" Alexx asked.

"I don't know. Anything. Clues. Locations. Where did the good old Professor take those kids for his experiments? Did he have a second house? A favorite camping site? I don't know..." Speed motioned helplessly with his hands.

Alexx grabbed his hand and squeezed. "We'll find him."

"If they have killed him..." Speed had trouble keeping his voice from trembling. His hands balled into fists, he stared at the floor. "I swear... I..."

"Shush," Alexx said. "Come on, sweetie. Horatio needs us."

Speed wildly shook his head, attempting to shake off the rage that had been consuming him. "You're right. Let's start looking."

Alexx took the living room, Speed the office. They found things, but no clues. They found notes, read through them, but besides that the experiments had apparently taken place out in the open, it didn't say where.

Speed's phone rang, so he answered it. It was Calleigh. She informed him that the prints on Horatio's phone were identified. They belonged to Jenny Connors, one of the female students of Metzger's class. She also told him that Tripp had come up empty so far in locating any of the twelve students.

With a desperate sigh, Speed disconnected. They now had evidence that the students had something to do with Horatio's disappearance and it fueled his fury. Quickly, he explained the situation to Alexx.

"What are Eric and Calleigh planning now?" she wanted to know, as she worriedly looked at her friend and colleague.

"They're going to dig into the students' backgrounds. See if they come up with something." Speed turned and banged a fist against the wall. "Damn! Come on, H. Where are you?"