"Ryan, I need to talk to the witnesses that claimed they saw Maria at her mother's house." Keats said as she burst into the lab. Ryan shook his head.
"They've arrested Giselle. That's it. Game over. I don't like it any more than you do but we have no choice." He said, giving her a grim smile.
"So you do believe me, Ryan?" She asked, holding her breath. Ryan cocked his head to one side and shrugged.
"I meant I don't like the fact that they closed the case prematurely. As to whether or not I believe you, I don't know. The case wasn't quite over. Cheer up, H will probably give you another chance to prove yourself." He said with a genuine smile. But to Keats it had become more than a chance to show her worth. It was about justice and seeing the right person pay for the crime.
"Give me a name. If I'm wrong about this, you can transfer me to another P.D. But give me a name, please." Keats asked, looking grave and serious. Ryan sighed.
"One name. Cedric Waters. Good luck." He watched her run out of the lab and he secretly hoped that she would prove him wrong.
After bribing Dan Cooper with a date the next weekend, Keats was given the address of Cedric Waters. She clocked out as though she were going home but instead of driving to her apartment, she headed toward Cedric's house on the beach. The Miami traffic delayed her for almost an hour, but she finally reached the stretch of beach that he lived on. There was some party going on after hours and there were hundreds of drunk people gathered around bonfires and dancing with sprinklers. Keats made her way to the beach house and climbed up the sandy set of steps. The door was made of clear glass and Keats glanced through it to make sure someone was home.
Ryan walked into Dan Cooper's private reverie and casually glanced around before inquiring about the latest case. But somehow conversation turned to Keats.
"Cooper, did Keats come in looking for an address?" He asked, hoping that Dan would say 'no'. Keats did not need to take the law upon herself.
"Skeeter? Yeah, she was in here looking for one about an hour ago. But I wouldn't give it to her." Dan said, typing in a few things for Calleigh and Eric's case.
"You didn't? Thank God." Ryan breathed, rubbing his forehead. Dan glanced at him strangely.
"Well…I did eventually. She said she'd go out on a date with me if I gave it to her. So I did…She's cute, man. Why am I such a sucker for a pretty face?" Dan said. Ryan mumbled an obscenity under his breath.
"Cooper, you idiot! Damn…give me the address you gave her." He said. Dan printed out the address and Ryan grabbed it, running as fast as he could to catch up with the intern.
Keats rang the doorbell and waited patiently. A very young, finely toned black man wearing bikini underwear slid the door open with a smile.
"Are you the new girl? Maria didn't tell me you'd be here so soon." He said with a smooth tone. Keats wondered what he meant.
"You might get your first job tonight, if you're lucky." He said, welcoming her into his house. He began pulling at her clothes with disdain.
"But definitely not in this outfit. This isn't sexy, sugar. But luckily my girlfriend left her clothes behind last night and you're just about her size." He pulled off her shirt and she reached for her guest pass to the Lab and dropped it on the floor, kicking it under his couch before he could see it. He dressed her in a pair of very tight black pants and a red halter that tied in the front for 'easy access', as Cedric put it. If he was even Cedric Waters to begin with.
"Cedric?" She asked, just to be sure. He looked up and waited for a question.
"What, baby?" He asked. Keats thought quickly about what to ask that would give her the info she needed without arousing suspicion.
"I heard Maria's mother was sick. Is there any way I can send her some flowers or something?" Keats asked rather lamely. It was the best she could come up with.
"You sweet thing. No, honey, that old bat is dead. Maria's 'mother' is where she works. You know, where she sets up appointments and goes over prospective clients." Cedric said with a warm smile. Keats returned his smile, the pieces of her case suddenly fitting together.
Just then, a knock at the door brought her back to reality. She spotted Ryan outside the door and racked her brain in order to explain his presence without jeopardizing her cover.
"I wonder who that is, baby. Hold on." He wrapped a towel around his lower body and slid the door open. Keats was right behind him, wringing her hands.
"Can I help you?" Cedric asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"He looks familiar, Cedric. I think he's a client." Keats said in a rush. She gave Ryan a knowing look to play along.
"Yeah. Could you hook me up?" Ryan didn't know whether he was asking for drugs or what, but it seemed a safe response. Cedric smiled.
"What are you looking for, man?" He asked. Keats pointed to herself repeatedly.
"She'll do fine." Ryan said, making a slight nod toward Keats. Cedric pushed her to him and looked at his watch.
"You got an hour till she gotta be back. There's a man who always comes at one in the morning asking for a redhead." With that, Cedric slapped Keats on the behind and winked at her. Ryan and Keats left the beach house, walking into the heart of the festivities. After a bit, Ryan grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"Don't ever pull this stunt on me again, Keats. I was really worried." He fixed her with an angry stare. Keats only smiled, showing her pretty teeth.
"Stay mad, but tell me when you want to hear what I know." She said, slipping out of his grip. Ryan's gaze softened, turning into an expression of utter curiosity.
"Maria is apparently a semi-successful madam. The so called 'mother' that she was with turned out to be her headquarters for conducting business. The alibi was a fake one, set-up by her accomplice, Cedric Waters. I'm guessing she framed Giselle in order to get Laherty out of the way and to acquire his wealth, which in turn would help out her business tremendously. I'm guessing she's having a hard time, from the way Cedric talked about it." Keats finished and glanced at Ryan for his response. Ryan nodded, his eyes bright.
"Keats…good work." He gave her a hearty pat on the back and smiled.
"By the way, I'm impressed." He said as he flipped his cell phone open. He gave Horatio the heads up and was promised to have backup within the next hour. When he was finished with his call, he noticed that Keats didn't appear to be happy.