Chapter 8

State of Mind

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine but I'm not mad about it...

A/N: Some clarification. Yes that was Alexx on the floor in the room, she was watching Calliegh until Speed came back. Hope it clears it up for you.

He took her limp hand into his and felt as the tears began to drop. It was unreal that she was lying on the slab. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Alexx wasn't supposed to be dead. All she wanted to do was help. Speed couldn't help but feel guilty about this; he didn't have to leave them, but his hand... The tears couldn't stop and soon they cut rivers down his face. It wasn't fair. Alexx was the closest thing that he had to a mother here in Miami, and he loved her for looking after him. Now she was gone.

" I'm so sorry , Alexx," Speed said to her as he stroked her cheek gently. He desperately wanted to hear her voice again. He sat in the morgue , lost in his grief for his fallen friend. He was unable to comprehend the news of Calleigh's disappearance, then came the word an hour later that Alexx was gone. It was almost too much to bear. He had come here to the morgue with nowhere else to go .Speed continued to sit in silence and didn't hear the double doors of the morgue as they swished open. He knew that Horatio was standing there, but he couldn't bring himself to look at him.

" Speed..." Horatio said softly , his voice cracking under the emotion. He tried not to glance at her stillness, for fear of the tears that were threatening to surface. " Her family's here. I've got to let them in."

Speed finally looked up at him, seeing the pain in his eyes, and was unable to hold off the fresh tears.

" I can't leave her, H." Speed said his voice thick with sadness. " It's my fault that she's here."

" Tim,..."Horatio said as the doors opened. He saw her husband as he gazed mournfully at his wife lying on the table.

Speed found the strength to get up and moved to embrace Peter. The tears flowed heavily as the two men held on to each other, the grief almost too much for either one of them to bear. Horatio turned and walked to the door, noticing Janie and Bryan standing to the side. The looks of disbelief permeated both of their innocent faces. It broke Horatio's heart.

" Janie, Bryan, you want to come to my office while your dad is here?" Horatio tried.

Janie looked up into his face, hers starting to contort in pain, " Can I say bye to my mom first, Horatio?"

Horatio shook his head lightly and gave a half smile, " Sure you can sweetie. Bryan , do you want to say goodbye?"

The little boy shook his head violently and began to cry. Both Speed and Peter glanced then walked to them. Speed knelt on his haunches and took both Janie and Bryan into his arms, and he held them as they released their sorrow . Peter looked down at his children and began to sob again, losing his balance and stumbling across a desk. Horatio grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the morgue. After the doors swished closed, Janie spoke softly, " I want to see her, Timmy."

Speed looked at her with sad eyes as she continued to stare at the slab. The sound of Alexx's pet name for him stung, " Are you sure, Janie?"

" Yes. I have to see her... one more time," Janie replied, emoting the strength that instantly reminded him of Alexx. Bryan had stood in the background not wanting to go to the table. He then turned around quickly and fled the room.

Speed saw as Horatio caught him in the hallway and led him to where his father was sitting. He then turned his attention back to the little girl in front of him who was trying to be so strong yet her youth still betrayed her. As she walked up to the slab, she let a sob escape before slapping a hand over her mouth. Speed placed a soft hand on her shoulder as she gazed at her mother through the tears. Janie couldn't look at her any longer and retreated into Speed's embrace, hugging him around the waist. After a moment, Janie turned to look at her again, this time she was composed.

" What are those marks around her neck, Tim?" Janie asked as she wiped the tears away.

Speed let a small smile escape from his lips as he pointed to the ligature marks made by the murder weapon. She was truly her mother's daughter, " She was strangled, Janie. Most likely with the rope that was recovered near her body." Speed composed himself again.

" Did she suffer? Did it hurt her?" Janie asked.

" No, not for long. She was losing oxygen fast and it was like she was falling into a deep sleep," Speed said lying. He knew that strangulation was not an easy death.

" She was watching Calliegh when she was killed right? Have you heard from the man that took her?" Janie asked with maturity beyond her 13 years.

Speed was unable to answer for a moment. In all of his grief for Alexx, Calliegh 's disappearance again was pushed into the back of his mind. He couldn't deal with both at the same time. But now as he stood in front of Janie, the fear crept into his mind. Who had murdered Alexx then took Calliegh? Where was Calleigh now? The questions swirled in his mind as he formed an answer for the little girl.

" No. But he left the rope and I'm sure we are going to be able to catch him with that," Speed replied faking the certainty of his statements. He didn't know what the rope would yield.

" All I ask of you Timmy, is that you catch this man and put him in jail for killing my mom," Janie said with no emotion. She reached a hand out to touch Alexx's face. " Her birthday was next week , you know. She was going to have big get together, and she was going to invite you and Calleigh and Uncle Horatio and Uncle Eric... But now..."

Speed took her into his arms again and held her as she let her soul pour out. He comforted her softly and gazed into Alexx's peaceful face. Her death would not be in vain. He would see to that.

S/C

With the news of Alexx's death , Eric had retreated into the lab. He knew that Alexx and Speed had a strong relationship and he let him grieve for her. He would process the evidence that was left at the scene. It was the only way that he could cope. He couldn't go to the morgue and see her lying on the table that she had worked over for many years. His place was here to find out who did this. The DNA results were sent to Valera and he now stood in her lab waiting for them. Valera glanced at Eric , unsure of what to say. She had known Alexx briefly, but she saw the tight nit relationship that the day shift CSI's had with the ME.

" Eric, I'm sorry to hear about..."

" It's okay, Maxine. I'm more worried about this sample. I wasn't able to get more than four swabs from it. It's the murder weapon."

" It only takes one , Eric," Valera replied as the report was coming out of the printer. She looked at it and handed it to Eric. Eric looked at it and did a double take. He then hurriedly thanked Valera for the test and ran out, leaving her speechless.

" H! I got the results back from the rope," Eric said as he caught up with Horatio in the corridor. Horatio turned quickly at the news and revealed that he had been crying.

" Really? And?"

" It's a familiar. The DNA says that Therrin Mckenzie strangled Alexx with that rope. But we know that is impossible."

" Continue."

" The amiels point to a close relative. Very close, 95 percent." Eric said handing Horatio the report.

" He has a twin?" Horatio asked as he glanced over the report. " How did we miss this?"

" We didn't know much about Therrin and even less about his family. After getting the results I went and did a background check. Therrin's parents are deceased and he has only one sibling , an Avery Mckenzie. He worked at the hospital until almost seven months ago. Around the time that Calleigh was there. I snooped around some more and found a dismissal for harassment. One guess as to who it was..."

" Calleigh?"

" Yes. Noone 's seen him since. Until tonight. A house keeper saw him as he got off the freight elevator in the basement. He knew that Avery had gotten canned and he went to investigate. He saw as he took something out of a laundry basket and loaded it onto a van."

" Did he give a description?" Horatio asked as his two way crackled to life.

" All units we have a black van that was linked to a possible murder and kidnaping, heading to the Biscayne parkway. Tag number LMN378. Suspect is to be considered A&D. Again ,suspect is considered to be armed and dangerous. Proceed with caution."

Eric looked at the two way and replied, " That was the description. It's Avery."

Horatio flew into action, flipping his cell phone up then instructing Eric, " Get Speed and meet me at the Hummer. We've got a murderer to catch."

S/C

Avery saw the police cars as he sped through the red light heading to the Biscayne Parkway. He was eager to get Calleigh out of the city and in his haste he had made a big mistake. Knowing that he couldn't stop, he pressed his foot down on the gas and tried to out run them. He felt his heart beating violently in his chest and the pain that radiated from his left arm. He hadn't had time to get his medicine. The stress from killing that beautiful woman at the hospital had already started his heart to race and now he was leading the police on a car chase. He looked at Calleigh as she began to stir from the passenger seat, and thought to himself that it was worth it.

Horatio floored the Hummer and caught up with the chase effortlessly. As he neared the van , he saw as it began to swerve. Horatio radioed ahead to the road block to instruct them to ready the counter measures. Speed sat next to him in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed totally on the van. He was seething with anger as he saw the patrol men throw the counter measure onto the ground, then as the vans tires blew out. The sparks flew as it kept on going. Horatio jammed on the breaks before reaching the counter measures and got out of the Hummer. The van had finally come to rest a few hundred yards from where the tires had been blown.

Horatio , Speed and a dozen patrol officers brandished their guns as they approached the van.

" Come out with your hands up!" Horatio ordered as he trained the gun on the van. He saw as Speed stepped up beside him, intensity burning in his eyes.

Movement from the van caught everyone's attention and the tension in the air was thick. Avery got out slowly and fell to the ground, holding his chest. With their guns still raised, Speed , Horatio and Eric moved in on him. Speed circled the van as Horatio and Eric checked Avery. He saw Calleigh lying in the front passenger seat. Opening the door, he looked into her face and smiled. Her eyes opened slowly and she spoke in a thick tongue, " Tim? Where am I?"

" On the Biscayne," Speed replied simply almost laughing at the sight of her. She was okay.

" I had a dream that Therrin came to get me. There was someone watching me... She was there to watch over me."

Speed hugged Calleigh tightly trying to hide the tears that were coming to his eyes. He knew that she was talking about Alexx. The sobs wracked his body so much that it alarmed Calleigh.

" Tim, honey, what's wrong?"

" I'm just glad that you're okay," Speed lied. He was weeping because Alexx's murderer had been caught, and he had kept his promise to a certain 13 year old.

A/N: The epilogue is next...