"What's the matter, Keats?" He asked. Keats pointed to Cedric's beach house.
"I left my Lab Pass back there. I have to go get it." She said with a grimace. Ryan gave a short laugh.
"You'll get another one, I promise." He replied, putting a friendly arm around her shoulder. Keats shook her head, her hair flying around.
"No, Ryan." She broke away and ran back to Cedric's house, ignoring Ryan's shouts.
"I swear she'll be here in a minute, Mr. Delacrosse. I didn't know she worked for the police, honest." Cedric cried, struggling for breath. Delacrosse released him and spotted the young redhead outside his door. He opened it, dragging her inside kicking and screaming. He pulled the shades and locked the door behind him. He threw Keats to the ground and pulled a gun out of his holster. Cedric stayed huddled in the corner. A moment later, a strong voice penetrated through the silent room.
"Come out with your hands up. This is Miami Dade P.D." Ryan shouted, his gun ready. Keats let out a sigh of relief and Delacrosse glared at her.
"Is there a back way out of here?" He asked Cedric. Cedric pointed to the wide window in the bedroom. Delacrosse rolled his eyes.
"No door, you useless pimp?" He growled, returning his gun to its rightful place. He pinned Keats' wrists behind her and pulled her to the bedroom. Keats bit him on the arm and he shouted in pain. He tightened his fist and hit Keats across the face, knocking her unconsciousness. Ryan crashed through the glass door, appearing in the bedroom doorway with his gun pointed directly at Delacrosse.
"Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked, bewildered. Delacrosse grabbed his gun and shoved it into Keats' temple with fury.
"What does it matter, now? The question is, are you gonna let me walk or will I have to shoot her?" He cocked the gun with a malicious grin. Ryan summed up in his head how long it would take for backup to arrive and decided it had been long enough.
"Go ahead." He said, slowly pointing the gun upwards. Delacrosse nodded in satisfaction. He lifted Keats into his lap as he sat on the windowsill, preparing to jump out. He glanced around for a landing place, dismayed to find the window ten feet from the sand.
"Leave her." Ryan said, aiming the gun at Delacrosse. Delacrosse placed her on the ground and made a flying leap out the window. He landed harder than he imagined he would and tried to get rid of all the sand in his mouth. He started to run but was stopped short by a team of cops and their weapons.
"Miami Dade Police Department. You're under arrest, Mr. Delacrosse." Horatio gave a slight smile by the light of the Miami moon.
"You realize that you broke a few basic rules in an attempt to discover the truth, June. You should never go in the field by yourself. Not only are you an unarmed intern, but you're not trained to take on an assignment all alone. Not even Calleigh or Eric go by themselves if it can be avoided. It's not a wise thing for anyone to do, June. That having been said, you delved into finding out the truth because of a gut feeling despite the evidence mounted against you. This pursuit of justice is admirable and refreshing. You have a natural talent that I want showcased on my team. Are you willing to come work with us?" Horatio asked. Calleigh and Eric stood beside him with warm, welcoming smiles. Keats nodded, almost in tears.
"But what about-" She began, her worries surfacing. Horatio gave a nod.
"I took care of it. I pulled a few strings with the Law Enforcement offices and they've agreed to qualify you as an agent." He said with quiet pride as he put on his sunglasses. Keats gave a wide smile, wrapping her arms around Horatio in a grateful hug.
"Take it easy, June. No working in the field until your wounds heal." Horatio said, walking in the opposite direction. Keats hugged both Eric and Calleigh, making them laugh. They had seen many people come and go, but Keats wasn't just anyone.
"Congratulations, Keats. You're a CSI. How does it feel?" Ryan asked as Keats came into the Lab to thank him. Keats shrugged.
"Great, naturally. But I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks, Wolfe." She said as she was leaving to go home. Horatio had insisted she get the rest of the day off.
"Wait…Keats. I get off in twenty. Do you wanna hang around and then we can go out to lunch afterwards?" Ryan asked.
"Sure. I could go for pizza." Keats answered as she left. She headed downstairs to talk to Dan Cooper, meaning to thank him for his willingness to give her Cedric's address.
John Laherty murdered Janelle by accident, and Maria in turn, strangled John to death making it look like Giselle had committed the murder. Maria had hidden Janelle in the flowerbed and took off. Cedric had admitted as much. Delacrosse was her partner in the escort service they had created, and the one who had planted the idea of murder in her selfish head. Giselle was set free and Keats was overjoyed beyond belief.
"Thank you, Cooper." Keats said as she enveloped him in a tight hug that he was bound to misinterpret. Dan Cooper grinned at her, returning the embrace.
"Anytime, Skeeter. Any thoughts on where we should go on Friday?" He asked when he finally pulled away. Keats smiled.
"Let's go see a movie or something. Or we can check out some clubs!" Keats exclaimed.
"Sure. Whatever you want, Skeeter." He gave her a warm look and returned to his processing.
Keats tore into a slice of pepperoni with abandon. Ryan watched her with a wry smirk. Her cheekbone was a nice shade of purple, and her temple had needed stitches where Delacrosse slashed her with the barrel of his gun. But other than that she was none the worse for wear.
"Hungry?" Ryan remarked. Keats ignored him with a feisty smile.
"Hungry like the wolf, I suppose." Keats shot back with a laugh. Ryan gave a chuckle and ran his thumb down his jaw-line.
"What's with calling me Wolfe? You've been calling me Wolfe ever since I saved your sorry ass the other day."
"Fine. Ryan, then. Happy?" Keats ripped into another slice, making sighs of utter satisfaction. Ryan raised an eyebrow provocatively.
"You shouldn't make those sounds without me." He said. Keats swallowed hard and looked at Ryan. It's not nice to tease girls like me, Ryan. Especially when I find myself thinking about you a lot.
"Yeah, I'll bet." Keats said sarcastically. She shoveled the last bit of pizza in her mouth and sighed. Ryan glanced at her as if she had offended him.
"What's going on with you and Dan Cooper?" He mentioned in a hurt voice.
"He's a good friend. He's the only one who believed me when I said that Maria was the murderer." Keats answered, taking a drink through her straw. Ryan glared at her.
"I never said I didn't believe you. Maybe lunch was a mistake." He said as he stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Ryan, don't do this to me.