Okay, this is it. The last chapter for part one of Club Descent. I plan to take a break from this series for a couple of weeks before I start on part two. Expect to see the next part early this summer, probably late May or early June. This part to the series has been a tremendous amount of fun to write and I am looking forward to writing the next part, with some help this time. And a huge thanks to Chris for the beta.
Title: Club Descent: Not Over
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: #60 Control
Word Count: 1530
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, Interview
Friday
They'd poured over what little evidence they'd found, been through dozens of databases state wide, scoured unsolved murder and assault files. Nothing stood out, nothing at all. The only thing that they'd been able to confirm for certain was that Martin Sorensen, aka Freeze, had been at the crime scene. He had a minor rap sheet for drunk and disorderly and one DWI, but nothing particularly violent. And the evidence could only place him at the property, not on the victim. He'd given a statement to the fact that he'd been there but he stated that he'd left after an hour, Rosie was alive and well at that time.
His statement didn't quite jive with Tim's account but since they had fairly definitive proof that Tim wasn't at the scene and Freeze was, they put more credence in Freeze's account. Tim had accurately described the injuries and how they occurred but he had the process wrong. Simon had most likely inflicted those injuries himself.
The bottom line was, other than admitting to having been there, they had no direct evidence to charge Freeze with a crime. They had no idea where Simon was. They had very little physical evidence at all. None of this boded well for the future of the investigation.
888
Horatio stood at the doorway of what was now their study watching Tim place more books in their new bookcases. As Tim reached up to place a book on one of the higher shelves Horatio stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He nibbled at Tim's neck for a moment.
"You weren't kidding about the books, were you?" he asked.
"I just can't bring myself to get rid of any of them." He shook his head. "I still have all of my undergraduate textbooks," he said, leaning back into Horatio's embrace.
Horatio chuckled and started laying soft kisses along his neck. "You remember that little bistro I told you about?" he asked as he kissed.
"Mmm"
"I got reservations for dinner tonight," he said.
"Cool," Tim said with a little sigh.
"I figured, since we're going back to work in a couple of days, we deserve at least one night out," Horatio continued.
Tim turned in Horatio's embrace and draped his arms around Horatio's neck. "So, I guess this means the honeymoon's almost over, huh?" he asked.
Horatio leaned in and whispered against his lips, "Almost being the key word there." Just as he was about to close the last couple of millimeters between their mouths, his cell phone rang. "Someone must have a camera in here. The timing's just too good," he said as he pulled his phone out. "Hello," he said into the phone as Tim chuckled.
"Hey, it's Calliegh."
Horatio smiled. "Calliegh, what have you got?"
"Unfortunately, not a whole lot. But I did clear your weapon. You can pick it up any time," she said.
"Okay, thanks. I'll be back at work on Monday."
"That's good to hear. Has Tim gotten settle back into his apartment?"
"Well, actually, I asked him to stay here and he said yes," he replied smiling at his lover.
"Really. So, that's great," she replied.
"Yeah," Horatio said, then they were silent for a moment. "So, how's the search for Simon going," he added, glancing at Tim.
"We have the flyers up all over the county and we've distributed copies statewide, so far nothing. This guy is good. He knows what to do and what not to do. I'm not really sure that there's anything more we can do right now. Other cases are starting to take priority."
"I understand Calliegh, but don't give up," Horatio said.
"Don't worry, we won't. This one's become personal," she said.
"Thanks," he said. "I'll see you Monday."
"Sure, and enjoy the rest of your time off, both of you," she said before she hung up.
Horatio closed his phone and looked over at Tim. "Their not going to get him, are they?" Tim asked.
"Well, you know what? Sometimes, these things take time," Horatio said.
Tim nodded. In a lot of ways he was relieved that Simon hadn't been caught. He didn't want to have to testify to anything. And there was no need to anger Simon any more than he already was, he thought. But this time he was certain that Simon had gotten the message. He wouldn't be back and now he could concentrate on making Horatio happy.
"I understand," he said as he walked up to Horatio and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Now, where were we?"
A few hours later Horatio glanced over at Tim napping next to him. He thought that Tim had taken the news that they hadn't caught Simon well. He seemed to be improving. His mood was much better. He definitely seemed happier. It was good to see. Maybe Simon's control over Tim had finally been broken. Maybe things would be okay after all, he thought.
888
Eric sat at the lab table staring off into space. Too much time was passing, he thought. He knew their best chance at finding a murderer lay in the first seventy-two hours. The further they got from that the less likely it became that they would catch Simon. It didn't help that Simon was smart and had probably done this before somewhere else. If he'd chosen his earlier victims carefully, so that they wouldn't be missed, he could stay under the radar. He sighed heavily.
"That doesn't sound good," Calliegh said as she walked into the room.
"We're not going to get him, are we Cal?"
Calliegh ran a comforting hand over his back. "I don't know, but we can't give up hope. If we do, he's won."
Eric smiled despite his mood. "That sounds like H talking," he said.
Calliegh chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. By the way, I cleared his gun and he'll be coming back to work on Monday." She leaned in close, almost conspiratorially, "And I just found out that Tim Speedle has moved in with him permanently."
Eric looked over at her with a smirk. "Good," he said. "It's about time H settled down. He's been alone too long. Though I have to say, I always thought it would be Yelina." Calliegh batted him on the arm. "I hope they're happy together," he added.
888
Later that evening Tim sat at the computer going over his backlog of emails. Since he would be going back to work on Monday, he wanted to make sure he was completely caught up with everything. Mostly the emails consisted of routine college business, departmental notices, and inquiries from his students. But one caught his eye. It was from an address he didn't recognize, but the college's spam filters didn't catch it. He clicked on the link and read the text.
Hi Timmy,
Just a quick note to let you know that I haven't forgotten anything. Oh, and I hope Max isn't missing his buddy Rosie too much. Give my best to him.
S
He stared at the screen as his heart pounded and his hands shook. There was now no question in his mind that Simon had been the one to kill Rosie, not that there was much of a question before. He knew he should tell Horatio but part of him just wanted to pretend that he'd never seen the email. Actually, most of him wanted to pretend that he'd never seen the email. After all, Simon would surely be angrier with him if he told anyone than if he didn't.
His internal debate continued for a few minutes as his finger hovered over the delete key. Simon would be mad. He should tell Horatio. It wasn't good when Simon was mad. He might be able to help the investigation. He'd already done enough to anger Simon. He startled when he heard a noise at the door and looked back to find Horatio.
"Hey," Horatio said. And seeing the look on Tim's face, asked, "Is everything all right?"
Tim quickly forced a smile. "Fine," he said as he hit the key, deleting the email. "Everything's fine."
"Good," Horatio replied. "Let's get going. We have dinner reservations in twenty minutes."
Tim shut down the computer and followed Horatio out of the room.
888
The silver Monte Carlo sped north on interstate 95 heading out of state. The driver stayed within the speed limit, not wanting to attract any undue attention. On the passenger seat next to him lay a police artist's sketch with two panels, one showing a man clean shaven, the other showing the same man with a full beard and wearing a baseball cap.
"I'm not running away," Simon muttered. "I will be back. I just need to let things cool down a bit. It's just a strategic withdrawal."
He resisted the urge to press his foot down harder onto the gas pedal. He would need to keep his temper in check, find an outlet for his rage at what Tim had done to him, until he could return. Then he would pay. There are other men, in other cities, he thought. But none of them were Timothy Speedle.
Fin