16.
Calleigh wanted to make sure everything she needed was ready.
Most everyone in the crime lab knew that Horatio had spent the better part of the night there, so it was no surprise that he took a few hours off before coming back in around two o'clock that afternoon. After leaving Schell's, he had gone home, showered, caught an hour's sleep, and changed into another suit; a black one with a white and dark blue pinstriped shirt. Paula, having handed him his messages, promptly buzzed the Ballistics lab to let Calleigh know that he had arrived.
She waited for a moment before buzzing Horatio's office.
"Ma'am?" he said, seeing where the call was coming from.
"Horatio, stay there a moment. I have some things you need to see."
"All right," he replied, "Does this have to do with the Parnell case?"
"Yes, I'm on my way up there."
"Ok," he said and moments later, Calleigh, carrying an armload of files, was entering his office. Horatio rose to help her with her load, but she just smiled and waved him back as she moved over to a nearby table.
"What have you got?" he asked as she began laying out the photos of the matched bullets with their mates from IBIS.
"For the most part, Horatio, the Cletus Parnell case is pretty well cut and dried. I presented the findings to the State's attorney and they decided not to pursue anything against his four buddies. Especially in light of the fact that none of their weapons were used in anything illegal. It's been ruled an accidental death and they feel it isn't worth the time or money pursuing it through the courts," she replied, straightforward and to the point.
Horatio nodded, then reached down to pick up the sniper round photo. "That was almost a forgone conclusion, but what else did you find?" he asked.
Calleigh glanced at him, "Two of the weapons retrieved from the Parnell home had hits from IBIS. One, the one you are holding, is clearly an illegal weapon and the other is owned by Cletus Parnell's brother."
"A brother?" Horatio asked, reaching down to pick up the other photo.
"Owen Parnell, a former Marine sniper, apparently he brought home a trophy from the Middle East and somehow that weapon was used in a crime somewhere else."
"A Ruger 10/22 Hush Puppy," Horatio murmured, earning himself a smirk of approval from Calliegh.
"Very good, handsome!" she replied.
Horatio smirked back with a soft snort of amusement. "So what was our sniper rifle used for?" he asked.
Calleigh turned slightly, facing him, and put a hand on her hip. "It was used in an attempted murder," she said slowly, causing him to turn and look at her. She was turning extremely sober, suddenly, and that always got Horatio's attention. Calleigh was beyond a shadow of a doubt his finest CSI, and he had learned long ago to pay attention to her.
He studied her green eyes, seeing in them a mixture of concern, seriousness, and Calleigh's own brand of steely determination. He raised an eyebrow in query.
"What I found out is the reason why I am in here talking to you in private," she said, "There is every possibility that this might bring Stetler in on this case, and I wanted you to be the first to know my findings."
"Stetler?" Horatio asked, beginning to notice that odd twist in his guts, his intuition beginning to act up. He glanced down at the file folders. It was then he noticed the city involved on the IBIS hits.
"I also wanted to hear from you first what happene,." Calleigh said quietly, watching him, his eyes had gone decidedly dark and inscrutable.
"What happened?" he asked, reaching for the sniper rifle file.
"Horatio," Calleigh started. "It says in that file, that the rifle was used in an attempted murder in Seattle and that you were the one hit by a bullet, but that you refused medical treatment… what happened to you up there? That is not like you at all."
Horatio hesitated, a horrible sense of déjà vu slowly washing its way down his body. He flipped the file open and began to scan the details, rapidly. "I, uhh, it was only a graze, Calleigh. Nothing serious at all. I took care of it with a first aid kit," he said distractedly.
"Horatio…" Calleigh began to protest, but one glance from his forbidding eyes stopped her in her tracks.
"Just tell me you have Owen Parnell in a holding cell…" Horatio said, reaching down for the other file.
"I put a call out for him earlier, when I made the findings, but so far nothing."
"He's still out there?" Horatio asked, flipping the handgun file open.
"As of now. He never even came in to claim Cletus's body, and he's the immediate next of kin," Calleigh said, seeing the look of alarm growing on Horatio's face. She could also see he was three steps ahead of her.
"Horatio, what is it…?"
"This .22 hand gun was what really killed Paul Hirsch?" Horatio asked.
"If you mean the Seattle detective, then yes, and that gun is registered to Owen Parnell…"
Horatio abruptly dropped the files on the table, reaching inside his jacket for his cell phone.
"Horatio!" Calleigh asked. He had suddenly gone deadly serious.
"Calleigh, I need you to get a hold of the State Troopers and the Park Rangers at Oleta River State park, tell them to track down Lionel Harrison at the Florida Archeological archive center at Oleta River, tell them to find Schell Demereau, she'll be with him and to get her some place safe!"
"Schell Dem…" Calleigh started to say as Horatio suddenly scowled, looking at his cell phone in frustration. "Wait a minute, isn't she the one involved in all three of the Seattle cases?"
Horatio's sudden glance, with his eyes dark and foreboding, answered her question for her. She nodded and grabbed the phone that sat on Horatio's desk as he reached over and snagged up a small black address book. As she patched her way through to Paula to have her connect them to their counterparts near Oleta River, Horatio was rapidly dialing in a number on his cell phone from one he had located in his address book.
"Yeah?" he said suddenly, as someone picked up the line. "This it Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab in Florida, I need to speak to Captain Payton urgently, it's an emergency."
Half distracted as she put through her own call, Calleigh was putting together pieces of the puzzle. Apparently, the marine artist was in Florida and Horatio believed that the sniper from the Seattle case was still out to kill her. There were, however, a hundred and one questions she had and she needed to make sure Horatio didn't leave without answering a few for her. He was talking rapidly to the Captian on the other line, apparently getting information about the case involving the dead Seattle detective.
Finishing her call, she waited for him to complete his. He was snapping his cell phone shut, getting ready to walk out , when she said, "Horatio, wait…"
He turned back towards her, and she fixed him steadily with her eyes. "I don't know all the particulars of what occurred in Seattle, but I do know this. You are involved in this in a capacity outside of your normal duties. And because of that, I really believe you need to step back and let someone else take point on this, because you know as well as I do, that Rick Stetler is going to investigate." She folded her arms, standing stock still.
Horatio's head tilted as he looked at her, any smile and warmth on his features were long gone.
"And you think that you should take point?" he asked.
"I am separated from the events and can take a neutral standpoint, but in order for me to do that, I need more information. Besides that, you already know I could give a rat's ass what Stetler thinks about you. I can be more objective. You really need to consider standing back from this."
"Calleigh…" he started.
She shook her head no, "Horatio, you know I am right and you need someone else watching your back. Whoever this Owen Parnell is, obviously tried to kill you in an attempt to kill this marine artist. What if he tries again? It very obvious, too, that this person needs to get back into some kind of protective custody. You can deal with that, just let me take point on the rest. That way, IAB can't argue."
She nailed him again using logic and reason as effectively as a doctor wielding a scalpel. Horatio dropped his head slighty, smiled to himself, and nodded.
"You make a persuasive argument. What do you want to know?" he asked. Calleigh drew in a deep breath, relieved beyond measure to have managed to get past his natural defenses.
"What happened up there?" She asked.
"Come on down to the garage, I'll tell you on the way. Schell Demereau doesn't carry a cell phone and I think I know the route they took to get to Oleta River. I need to find her."
"Let's go," she said as he jerked open his office door.
As he headed for the elevator he said, "Go get Eric, tell him to go back to the house. We need everything we can get on Owen Parnell," Calleigh paused by the Trace Lab, beckoning for Eric to come out, then followed quickly after Horatio. He came jogging out, seeing the looks on their faces and barely managed to refrain from asking what was going on. Calleigh looked at him as Horatio pushed the button on the elevator.
"Eric, we need everything possible on Owen Parnell, can you start at the house?"
"You got it," Eric said, as she flashed a smile at him.
"I'll hook up with you in a minute…" she said as she followed Horatio into the elevator.
Eric didn't reply, he just instantly turned, rushing back the way he came. Something big was happening, and he'd find out more in minutes.
"Okay, tell me what went on in Seattle." Calleigh said.
Horatio began explaining…