A/N I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry, I know I lied! I left for NY for a week so no updates, and then grad and then vacation...R & R...Thanks for all the reviews on Chapter 13...Y'all RULE! 3 csi-addicted

"I don't think so bitch."

Hagen rushed her, like a bull heading towards a red flag only this flag wasn't going to slip away from him. His large body made contact with hers, crushing and violently hitting her body against the wall. She let out a small groan and struggled to take several short gasps for oxygen. Taking advantage of her weakness, Hagen snapped a shattering jab to her cheekbone throwing her against the cold metal railing of the bed. The phone was still sitting in the corner of the bed surprisingly undisturbed by the chaos surrounding it.

The muffled voices resounded through the phone and reverberated into Horatio's ear. A realization hit quickly in his incredibly sharp mind. Calleigh had left the phone on speaker! He rushed down the long hallway and into A/V cursing the architecture of the lab, motioning wildly to Tyler. The map glowed on the widescreen, the green dot acting as the beacon of hope, each ping intensifying the hungry desire for answers. As the circles grew smaller and smaller, euphoria slowly began filling his body inch by inch. Suddenly red letters flashed across the screen blurring in Horatio's cobalt eyes, his once hopeful mind uncomprehending and astonished.

Hagen threw the phone to the ground, and Calleigh watched as her ray of hope and her phone shatter upon impact.

Ryan charged into A/V, "H, I surveyed the outside of the building, there was a security camera ripped out of its socket."

"Where?"

"Back entrance, close to the crime scene."

"Show me, Mr. Wolfe."

Horatio and Ryan inspected the hole of wires from down below before confirming the necessity to go up onto the roof. Suddenly, Stetler came stumbling through the door.

"Horatio, where are you on the Hayes case?" he asked pompously.

"Not my top priority, Rick," Horatio said calmly.

"What? Why? What is more important? This is a high profile case Horatio! The media is breathing down my neck..."

"Did no one inform you of the impending matter of Detective Duquesne?"

"Ah yes! That was supposed to be Forini's case!"

Horatio's eyes hardened and Stetler involuntarily took a step back. "She is MY CSI, Rick. Part of MY team. She has been on the force 9 years and unlike you, I believe it's important to find her!"

The little voice at the back of his mind screamed profanities and the gravity of the situation was knocked through his thick conniving mind.

"You can't be on this case. You're biased, conflict of interests. A judge won't prosecute."

"I cleared it with the Chief and Her Honour Judge Laura Gallant and His Honour Judge Alex Toler. Based on the solve rates of the MDPD Crime Lab and the severity of this case, they have concluded that the night shift is not equipped to work this case."

"But...but...You can't!"

"I can and I will," Horatio promised.

Beads of perspiration formed on the Sergeant's neck and his brain was suddenly devoid of any intelligible comments or thoughts, while his mouth opened and closed like a hungry fish. Horatio observed this reaction confusedly. His gut turned into a contortionist, twisting to unbelievable proportions and his mind ran theories across his mind like the credits in a movie.

"If I find out you're in on this, Rick," spitting out his name like it was a dose of cough syrup, "I will hunt you down. And not even God can protect you then."

A/N Short I know, but there will be updates as I'm home all week! Review PLEASE!