Coldest Degree

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Six

"Calleigh, what else do we have from the scene?" Horatio asked, entering the lab where she was currently peering into a microscope.

"Why? What's wrong, H?" Her Southern accent was soothing and calm compared to his worried tone.

"That was not Lisa Rippner that we found. I need anything and everything that you've got. She's still missing and we've got a Jane Doe."

"Do you think—?"

"Yes, we might very well have a serial. Now, did you get anything with the tire treads at the scene?"

"As a matter of fact I did," Calleigh said pleasantly, pushing several crime scene photos in his direction. "They matched a car dumped less than a half mile from where we found the body."

"Did you run the plates?"

"And the VIN," she said with a smile. "The car was registered to a Mrs. Lisa Rippner—our missing woman."

"Who was the last person in the car?"

"According to what I found in the car, there seems to have been three people in the car. There was a lot of blood in the backseat—probably our Jane Doe—plus blood in the passenger seat as well as a piece of rope. Whoever was in the passenger seat was restrained."

"The driver?"

"Taller than Lisa Rippner would have been. The seat was adjusted."

"So our driver wasn't her? Could it have been her husband?"

"Not likely. Whoever drove this car was over six feet tall. Her husband is only five foot nine or so. Unless he adjusted it before dumping the car…"

"Which is always a possibility. Did you get the results on the body yet?"

"Yeah, here they are. I haven't looked at them yet," Calleigh said, handing Horatio the printout from DNA.

He scanned the paper carefully. There were three different pieces of DNA compared on the sheet. One was from the body in the morgue, one from the backseat blood, and the last one was from the front seat. The body and the backseat blood matched, but the front seat blood was unknown.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a witness," he announced dramatically to Calleigh, a smile brimming on his face. "Now all we need to do is find her before the killer ends her life as well."

"H, do you think that it's Lisa Rippner?"

"I think that it's a very good possibility."

"Meet Matt Ridge," Alexx introduced. She had just completed the post on the body from that morning's murder. "Fingerprints confirmed ID—he was in AFIS. It turns out that he did time for conspiracy to commit murder. An anonymous tip stopped the murder and caught him and a group of three guys. He was just released within the last six months."

"Any idea who called in the tip? Someone with a grudge?"

"It's probably the same person who called in the murder—a male," Ryan Wolfe volunteered, entering the autopsy room.

"Do we have the 911 call on tape?" Horatio asked the young CSI who nodded.

"I've already got it hooked up and running. I thought you'd want to hear it."

"Good, good. Now can you find out if Joe Reisert has any home videos?"

"Why, H?"

"Voice analysis."

"You think Rippner did it? You think he murdered this guy and called it in? Talk about implication," Ryan said, shocked.

"You betcha."

"Hello?" Joe answered the ringing phone. He was praying that it wasn't the Miami-Dade PD asking him to ID another body. He had almost been convinced that the woman they found was Lisa until he had seen her. Then he had known that it was wrong girl. Lisa was still missing.

"Lisa…did they find her yet?" a worn-out voice inquired.

"Jackson, Jackson is that you?"

"Yes," the younger man sighed. "Did they find her yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"The police. Have they found her body yet?"

"No, they though they did—Jackson, what's going on? Where's Lisa?" Joe demanded. He was used to Jackson's games, but now was not the time. His only child was missing and presumed dead. The police were acting like she was already dead and that it was only a matter of time before they recovered her body.

"She's dead," he croaked. "She's…"

"You're lying."

"They're after me—she got in their way. She wasn't supposed to get hurt…" Jackson's voice was breaking. Joe could almost hear his son-in-law's tears.

"Are you sure she's dead?"

"If he has her, then it's only a matter of time, if she's not already gone. I'm sorry, Joe. I failed…"

"What are you mixed up in, Jackson? Why is Lisa missing?" He refused to think that she was dead. Lisa was a healthy, vibrant young woman and he would keep that image of her until he saw a body that truly belonged to her.

"This is personal. I'm on the trail. Soon, soon he'll pay," Jackson's voice morphed into a low growl. "Lisa will be avenged, Joe. I promise you that much."

"Don't do anything rash, Jackson. Let the police handle this."

"Like they let Lisa die? No. Joe, this man has been committing murders for over a decade. He took Lisa and she's not coming back. He's a company hit man. I'm going to take him down once and for all."

"Lisa wouldn't want this," Joe argued. "She wouldn't want you risking your life, let alone returning to killing."

"No, she wanted me to protect her and I failed. Now I'll settle the score."

"The police could help you. If you'd only share—"

"No, they can't help. I can't go back."

"Jackson," Joe protested, but the other man was already gone. He had hung up.

Why are you certain that she's gone? Did you see her die? What's going on, Jackson?

Three Years Earlier….

Jackson carried Lisa into his own apartment. He laid her still body down on his bed and ran for his first aid kit. He had been lucky that she was being held within a two minute drive of his place. He had been afraid that he was going to lose her on the way over.

"Come on, Leese. Fight it. Don't give in," he urged as he started to mop up the blood. It was seeping into his expensive comforter, but he didn't give a damn. He could always buy a new one. He couldn't, however, replace Lisa.

The wounds upon her body were numerous. Some of them had the potential for scarring due to neglect. Her torture had taken place over several days.

Anger coursed through his veins as he worked. Never again would anyone hurt her. He would protect her. She did not deserve to die. She was special.

Over the months that they had been apart, he had begun to realize how much he missed her. She had changed him and vice versa. He knew that they were a better team together. He had longed to see her again.

But not under these circumstances. Not half-dead because of his mistake. He should have pulled out of the mission the moment that the plane was delayed. He should have refused—forget the money! Lisa was more important. Weeks of stalking had drawn them together and combined with a mutual attraction…

God had he wished that he had been anyone else at the moment in time. Anyone at all. Someone that might have had a future with her, not someone who was supposed to kill her within moments of stepping off that blasted plane.

"Jackson?" her scratchy voice croaked.

"Ssh, Leese. It's all over now. You're safe. They can't hurt you when you're with me."

Author's Notes:

In the next chapter, we'll find another body and more about Lisa and Jackson's past will come to light. Thanks for reading/reviewing and enjoy!