Title: Club Descent: Interview

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRM

Genre: AU, angst, hurt/comfort, romance

Warning: Slash, past abuse, non-con, rape

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Challenge: Lover100

Table: table-c

Prompt: #14 Leather

Word Count: 1700

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and I am making no money from this.

Author's Note: This is NOT part of my H/Speed universe. This is my first AU.

Previous Chapters: The Meeting, Regrets, Choices, Let's Talk, Good News, Problems, Saturday, Help, Secrets, Home, Confessions, Courage, Whispers, Slave Play, Stay, More, Max, Decision

Max rolled his Harley into the parking lot of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab. His entrance drew a few looks from some of the people standing around outside the building as his motorcycle roared into the lot and settled into one of the visitor's spaces. He ignored the stares. He was used to being stared at. He smiled politely at a small group standing by the entrance as he casually walked into the building and up to the front desk.

"I have an appointment with Ms. Duquesne," he said to the desk officer.

"Yes sir. I just…" Paula turned around and stared for a moment at the visitor. "I just need you to sign in." She handed him a pen then paged Calliegh.

A short while later the elevator opened and Calliegh stepped out. She smiled when she saw Max chatting with Paula. He was decked out in full biker leathers, and with his shaved head and military build he was certainly and imposing figure. She walked right up to him and had to look up to address him as she only came up to his chest.

"Mr. Tanner, thanks for coming in to day," she said with a smile.

He shook her hand. "No problem. And it's Max. Tim and Horatio mentioned why ya wanted t'see me."

"Let's go upstairs where we can talk in private," Calliegh said as she led him to the elevator.

They stepped into one of the interview rooms and she introduced him to Eric who was waiting for them. Max and Eric shook hands and they all took a seat.

"So, you said Horatio mentioned to you why we wanted to talk to you today?" Calliegh asked.

"He said that creep Simon may have killed somebody," Max answered.

Eric nodded. "We found the body of a young man not to far from where Tim Speedle lives. He said you might be able to help us identify him." Eric pulled out the autopsy photo and passed it over to Max.

Max took the picture and stared at it for a moment. He nodded. "I only know'm… knew'm as Jimmy, sometimes went by Rosie 'cuz of the rose tattoo on his arm. He was a regular at the club I work at."

Eric pulled the plastic bag out with the card they had found near the body and passed it across the table.

"This club?" Eric asked. Max looked at the card and nodded. "We'd like to talk to some of the regulars. Horatio mentioned that you might be able to help. We're hoping someone may have seen the victim the night he was taken. Mr. Speedle also mentioned that he thought there might be someone else involved, someone who may have left the scene prior to the murder."

"He mentioned that one of the dominants may have gone with them that night," Max said. "Yes, that's possible."

"We found evidence of three people at the house where we found the victim," Calliegh added.

Max watched the two investigators carefully. He had, over the years, developed a keen eye for people and could tell when someone wasn't being completely truthful with him. He was also not one to play games.

"There's somethin' yer not tellin' me. Somethin' that I'm guessin' ya haven't told Horatio yet either," Max said matter-of-factly.

Eric and Calliegh exchanged a glance. Calliegh responded, "After going over the scene and examining what little evidence there was, the victimology, the injury patterns, we don't think this is his first murder." This surprised Max. "We're currently searching our databases for any similar unsolved crimes around the area."

"Ya might want to expand that search state wide," Max said.

"What makes you say that?" Eric asked.

"I think Simon travels a lot," he said. "When he and Tim were together, he would disappear for weeks at a time. Tim never said where he went, probably didn't really know. I'm pretty sure for a while he was drivin' a truck. I remember him mentioning being on the road a lot, havin' seen all of Florida and the surroundin' area."

"How well do you know this man, Mr. Tanner?" Eric asked.

"Not well. I don't think anyone really knows him that well, even Tim. What I do know is that he's very controlling. He's smart. He can be very charming. He has a thing for changing his appearance. I swear he never looked the same two nights in a row when he was coming to the club regularly."

Eric glanced over at Calliegh. "Not good for us," he said.

"Mr. Tanner, we'd like to come by the club tonight and interview some of your regulars," Eric said.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Max said. Then he looked at Eric. "Ever been in a gay club before?" he asked.

"Only on in the line of duty," Eric replied. "Why?"

"Yer not bad looking," he said and noticed Eric blush slightly. "Don't worry, it'll probably make it easier for ya."

888

Horatio wandered around the kitchen as he prepared lunch. "You want to eat out on the back deck?" he asked.

"Yeah. That'd be great," Tim answered, a bit distracted.

Horatio glanced at him. "Everything okay?"

"Are you sure you don't mind me moving here?" Tim asked.

Horatio stopped what he was doing and turned to face him. "Of course not. Why do you ask?"

Tim shrugged. "We haven't really known each other that long. I don't know."

"Sometimes you don't need a lot of time," Horatio said in response. "Are you sure you want to move in here?"

Tim didn't hesitate. "Yes. I just want to make sure you're really okay with it."

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," Horatio replied. "Why don't we eat lunch then we can work on clearing out the spare room. How much stuff do you have?"

"Mostly books and clothes. I got that apartment fully furnished. I have to give it back that way."

"Are you going to have a problem with the lease?"

"No lease. It was month to month." Horatio raised an eyebrow. "I've um, had to move a few times over this past year, every time Simon found me," he said staring into his coffee cup.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore," Horatio said, hoping to make him feel better.

Tim sighed. "I hope you're right," he said.

Horatio turned back to the counter as he thought, me too.

After lunch Horatio took Tim to the back room. He looked around. "So just how many books do you have?"

Tim looked at him with a half smile. "Can I have a whole wall for shelves?" he asked.

888

Eric and Calliegh walked into Club Descent at seven o'clock that evening just as they had arranged with Max. He had spoken to some of the kids and told them that some friends of his were coming in to ask them some questions about what had happened to Rosie but that no one was in trouble. Eric brought the sketch of Simon with them to show around. He waved to Max as they entered. They said their hellos and Max called a couple of the kids over to the bar. The two had been in the club the night that Simon had taken Rosie.

"This is Eric and Calliegh," he said. "Cooperate with them or yer banned fer a week."

Both of the young men nodded. Eric pulled out the sketch. "Have you seen this man around here lately?" he asked as he passed them the sketch.

The kids exchanged a glance and both nodded. "Couple weeks ago. Wednesday?" one of them said as he looked at the other.

The other kid said, "Wasn't he trying to pick up Tim?"

"Yeah," the first kid chimed in. "That redheaded dude scared him away." Then he looked over at Eric. "He came back Thursday. Max tossed him out but he came back later that night after Max left. He was talking to Rosie and one of the doms. Freeze, I think."

The other kid nodded. "Yeah, it was Freeze. They all left together."

"Is this Freeze guy here now?" Eric asked.

Both kids and Max scanned the club. Max pointed to a tall, thin man dressed all in leather with ghost white hair. "That's him."

"Give me a second," Max said as he walked out onto the dance floor and approached the man in question. After a few words he followed Max back to the bar and the two CSIs.

"Max says something happened to Rosie," Freeze said.

"He was found dead in a house over in West Miami Sunday morning," Eric said as he watched a shocked expression appear on the man's face. He handed Freeze the sketch. "You recognize this man?"

Freeze took the sketch and stared at it. His expression shifted quickly from shock to anger and he crumpled the paper in his hand. "Simon," he growled. "I had a bad feeling about him."

"How so?" Calliegh asked.

"I got the feeling that Rosie wasn't completely down with everything," he said. "Usually they struggle, fight the restraints. It's part of the game. But something didn't feel completely right this time. When I told him that, he gave me another hundred. He said he was training the kid." He paused for a moment. "That son of a bitch killed him, didn't he?"

"We think so," Eric answered.

"Everything we did, Rosie consented to, right from the beginning. I wouldn't have gone if he hadn't. He never used the safe word."

"We have evidence to show that he was gagged, a ball gag," Eric said.

Freeze's head shot up and he looked Eric in the eye. "Not while I was there, he wasn't."

Eric and Calliegh exchanged a glance. "Would you be willing to give us a written statement? Tell us exactly what happened?" Calliegh asked.

Freeze nodded. "Sure, if it will help you get the bastard."

TBC