Title: His Last Case
Disclaimer: Violence. Hints of slash.
POV: Detective Hagen
Chapter Three: Good Enough
Monday Night, 8:55pm
Calleigh enters the Lab. Something seems to be bothering her. She stops to get her messages and mail before she heads my way.
"Hey, Calleigh," I say.
She smiles. "Well, hey, John."
"Are you just getting in?"
"Yes." She sighs. "I have been out all day."
"Really?" I love hearing Calleigh talk.
"Amazingly, yes. I have been all over the place. It has not been a good day."
"Want to tell me about it?" I ask.
"Got some coffee? I could really use some."
"Bet there's some brewing in the breakroom."
"Alright then."
We walk side by side to the breakroom. The Lab is seemingly empty. Day shift is on the way out and night shift would be in by ten. The breakroom was empty. Yet, somebody was brewing a new batch of coffee.
"Look's like we're in luck."
"Sure does," she says, sitting down.
I pour two cups of fresh coffee and sit across from her. Her mail and messages are in a neat stack on the table.
"Tell me about your day," I say as I hand her a cup of steaming coffee.
"Horatio sent me out to a high school for a DB. I spent all morning collecting evidence. Just as I'm about to head out, a friend of the deceased young lady confesses to the whole thing."
"She just comes out and confesses?"
"Guess the guilt was getting to her. I still plan to run the evidence. Anyway. The officer at the scene arrests her. I make my way back to the Hummer with all my evidence.
"It's after one and I'm starving. I go to call Horatio; to let him know I'm going to lunch. Only, my cell phone is dead and the charger is missing. I turn on my radio. Oddly, all I kept getting was static. On every channel."
"So what did you do?" I ask.
"Went to lunch. Horatio would understand. I stopped at the first place I saw; and by some freaky coincidence my father was there."
"He wasn't drinking again was he?" She gives me a look. "Sorry."
"Actually, he was having lunch with some guy in a suit. He didn't even pay attention to me until his little meeting was over. We had a very encaging conversation." She smiles. "I spent the last few hours helping a cop deliver a baby in the backseat of his patrol car."
"Sounds like you had an exciting day." I sip my coffee.
She gives it a quick think over. "Why, I guess I did." She pulls a book-sized manila envelope out of her stack of mail. "I was supposed to do dinner with the guys but I think that's out of the question now. So what did you do with your day?"
She rips open the envelope as I answer. "Spent the entire day in court."
Calleigh has an odd expression on her face as she looks in the envelope.
"What you go in there?"
"Can't tell." She dumps the contents on the table. As the objects hit the table Calleigh goes pale.
"Cal?"
"Oh my…"
I lean across the table to better view the objects. There are only two. The first one I recognize as Speed's ID. Easy to get your hands on; all he had to do was drop it. I had done that before. The second object was his badge. I knew Speed was not the type to misplace it. Not after what happened to Delko.
"What the hell?"
"Detective Hagen, something wrong?"
I look up to find Horatio standing in the doorway. His hands on his hips, as usual.
"Horatio…" Calleigh says.
He walks to the table and eyes the two trinkets. With a latex glove from his pocket Horatio picks up the manila envelope. A piece of paper falls out. Standing above it, he reads:
Timothy wanted to say Hi. We'll be in touch.
Calleigh stands. "H, what is going on?"
"Calleigh, Speed was kidnapped this morning."
"A-a-and Delko?" She asks.
"He's in the hospital. He was hurt trying to save Speed."
Calleigh starts crying. Horatio holds her, trying to comfort her. Seeing her in his arms brings out my jealousy. But then I realize what a jerk I am. I turn my jealousy to rage and vow to find Speed so that Calleigh will smile again.