Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:Miami in any shape or form – I am just borrowing for a little while and put them back when I am finished playing.

a/n – thanks for everyone who read and reviewed "A New Start for Mari" – this is a continuation of Mari's adventures with the Miami Crew.

a/n – also for readers information – words typed in "Italics" indicates that Mari is signing in ASL and words appearing in "Bold" text are text messages to and from Mari. Also Mari's character is loosely based on my hearing difficulties – like Mari – I wear hearing aids, lip-read and sign.

And the adventures continue….

Chapter 2 – What I'm a suspect…

The next day, Mari reported for work and went to the morgue to get a file from Alexx for her next case.

"Mari, what are you doing here at work?" gasped Alexx.

"I couldn't just sit at home, drowning in sorrow and wondering if I was going to be arrested."

"We will find proof of your innocence," Alexx reassured her younger friend and co-worker. "How are you doing?"

"God, this is such a nightmare," sighed Mari. "I guess that I need more of a social life or a husband, and then maybe I would have an alibi for the other night."

"Ladies," said Horatio walking into the morgue. "Mari, I thought that I told you to take a couple of days off?"

"I know Horatio, but I was going stir crazy at home, I need to work," begged Mari.

"Alright, come with me," Horatio escorted Mari out of the morgue and up to his office. "Mari, you are considered a person of interest in your parent's murder. I have to put your on administrative leave, so you don't compromise the integrity of the lab." Horatio explained.

"But how am I going to clear my name?"

"I have Ryan and Alexx looking into the case."

"How can I help?"

"I want you to tell me everything that you did when you left work, day before yesterday."

Thinking back, Mari recalled that she had left work, took the car in for an oil change, went grocery shopping, had dinner, went for a walk and spent the rest of the evening quietly researching new techniques in forensic arts on the internet.

"Did anybody call you or email you?"

"Yes, a couple of friends from school emailed me, and I did respond to their emails," Mari remembered.

"Good, will you give Ryan you house keys, so he can pick up your computer from your house?"

"I brought my laptop into work with me. Dan, the A.V. tech was going to take it home to check it out. It has been acting up and he promised to check to see if I had downloaded a virus and upgrade my firewall and virus protection. It's in my locker right now."

Horatio escorted Mari to the locker room and retrieved the laptop, then he instructed Mari to go home until further notice. In the A.V. lab Horatio explained what he wanted Dan to look for regarding the laptop and to do a report on what he found.

Alexx called Horatio later, and informed him that the M.E. in Broward County had informed her that the Jessops had died from the injuries that they had sustained in the crash. "Thank you Alexx, so Mari can claim the bodies?"

"Yes," Alexx gave Horatio the information that Mari required to help her to claim her parent's bodies. Dan Cooper walked up to Horatio, carrying a file folder. "Did you get anything off of Mari's computer?"

"Yes, Mari was on-line in a chat room at 10:30 pm the other night, she was discussing some new techniques related to forensic art and anatomy. I've got it all written up in this report," reported Dan giving the file folder to Horatio.

"Thank you sir." replied Horatio, then his cell phone rang. Flipping the phone open, he quickly read the following text message as Dan returned to his lab.

"H, the Det. from Broward County is here with a warrant to search my house for evidence."

"Don't say anything, let them search, and I will meet you at your house," Horatio texted back to Mari.

Mari was standing outside her house with a uniformed officer, when Horatio drove up, parking the hummer in the driveway. "Thank you for coming, H."

"Where is Det. Haywood?" Horatio asked.

"He is inside with a couple of CSIs," answered Mari. "Oh, here he comes now."

"Lt. Caine."

"Det. Haywood, did you find anything?"

"Her computer is missing, do you know anything about that?"

"Mari's laptop is in our lab, and I have a report from the A.V. technician reporting that he found evidence that Mari was on-line in a chat room at the time of the murder."

"That doesn't prove anything, maybe Mari hired someone to commit the murder.""What would her motive be?"

"Money, her parent's will leaves Mari their estate and money."

"What!" Mari sputtered, Horatio shook his head in warning to Mari.

"Mari has not been in contact with her parents, so she would not have known about the change in their will," stated Horatio, placing his hands on his hips in his usual stance.

"They never changed their will," replied Det. Haywood.

Mari looked stunned, looking at Horatio. "Why? They never contacted me or Aaron for four years. I thought that they hated me." Mari signed. Horatio heard the uniformed officer standing beside Det. Haywood, quietly interpreting Mari's signing. Horatio caught Mari's hands and mouthed the words. "No talking and no signing. The officer understands ASL." Mari looked at the officer and stopped signing.

"Is Mari under arrest?"

"No, but I want her laptop, but the chain of evidence probably has been tainted, your lab could have tampered with vital evidence."

"You can pick up the laptop at our lab and your technicians will find out that the evidence has not been tampered with," stated Horatio in a cold voice. Det. Haywood ordered one of the CSIs to pick up the laptop. Then Horatio and Mari watched as all of them as they left her house and property, before going inside to get out of the hot sun.

"I need some water, how about you Horatio, do you want some water?" Horatio nodded and followed Mari to the kitchen, where Mari got a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator. "Now what do I do now? Det. Haywood is not looking at any other suspects," sighed Mari, after taking a long drink of water.

"I don't know, but we will keep working on this. Also I contacted a lawyer friend of mine, he is willing to take you case, so if Det. Haywood or anyone wants to question you, I want you to contact him, asap," Horatio gave Mari a business card with his friend's name and contact information.

"I can't afford his fees," said Mari looking at the lawyer's name and office address.

"Dean owes me a favour."

"That must have been some favour."

"Alexx also informed me that your parents can be released for burial," Horatio informed her.

"That means that I will have to contact their lawyer," Mari shuddering.

"What's wrong?"

"That is the man that my parents tried to force me to marry. I've never liked him, he has always given me the creeps, but everyone considers him to be a golden boy. But I find him to be a very rigid, controlling person," Mari explained.

"Contact Dean and he can contact this lawyer on your behalf. What is his name?"

"Owen Lucas, my dad went to school with Owen's dad."

"Will you be okay now? I want to go back to the lab and do a background check on Mr. Lucas," asked Horatio.

"Yes, I'm going to contact your friend and see if I can get into to see him this afternoon," explained Mari.

"Hang in there, Mari. Remember we are all behind you."

"Oh, one more thing, did Frank find Gabby's attacker?"

"Yes, thanks to your sketch, he was picked up and when confronted with the evidence, he confessed, which means that Gabby will not have to testify in court."

"Great, thanks for that piece of good news," smiled Mari.

As Horatio was driving back to the lab, he called his friend and warned Dean to clear his calendar in anticipation of Mari's visit to his office.

TBC…..