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It was very disturbing to watch the video that had been sent to Horatio. The team all stood in the audio/video-lab and silently analyzed the video in their minds as it played. It wasn't very long, only a minute, but it proved that the killer knew where Horatio lived.
"You have to move." Frank said, "To a safe house."
Horatio said nothing; he was angry. Angry that someone was stalking him and not only posing as a threat to him, but to Ryan and Kyle as well. Even the team could be in danger as well as Roger and Penny.
"It's going to take some time to get the safe house organized." Eric said.
"I have a better suggestion; Roger's place." Ryan said, "I'm sure dad would let us stay with him if we wanted to."
"Will he be okay with having Cassie there too?" Horatio asked.
"Are you kidding? He loves her." Ryan said, "It's better than waiting for a safe house."
"Okay, but you need protection as well." Frank said.
"No, I have Ryan. And Roger knows how to shoot as well if it comes down to that." Horatio said, "I'd rather have Kyle with police protection."
"Alright, I'll arrange that." Calleigh said, "But I still think you should have someone outside Roger's house."
"He has an apartment on the seventh floor so there is no way that the killer can enter except through the front door. And Roger has a cop and Navy lieutenant as neighbors. There is no safer place." Horatio said.
"I like the sound of that." Frank said.
"Let's have Cooper analyze the video more closely." Calleigh said, "I need to rest my feet before they explode; damn pegnancy."
The team grinned as Calleigh walked over to the break room to lie down on the couch. They were all worried about Horatio and Ryan, but agreed that Roger's place and his neighbors was enough protection.
"I'll make sure Roger's neighbors know what's going on." Ryan said.
"I'll see if I can dig up any witnesses that might have seen someone on the beach outside your place." Frank said and left.
Horatio nodded and turned to Eric, Walter and Natalia.
"I think we should talk to Patrick Yates and Sandy Pearson." Horatio said, "Natalia and I will take Patrick, Eric and Walter talk to Sandy."
Everyone nodded and got to work.
-I-
Roger helped Ryan pack the most important things for him and Horatio and then transport it to his apartment. Once there Ryan and Roger went to talk to Roger's neighbors and both men promised to keep their eyes open for anyone lurking around that didn't belong there.
"Why do I get the feeling that your neighbors will load up on their ammunition and probably stand guard in their apartments, ready to jump to the rescue the minute they hear or see something odd?" Ryan asked, as they walked back to Roger's apartment after speaking to his navy lieutenant neighbor.
"Because they will." Roger smirked, "Any family or friend of mine is a friend of them."
"I think I'll feel safe here then." Ryan said and they entered his father's apartment where Cassie was waiting for them.
Ryan sat down on the couch and petted her as she leaned against his leg. He had to get back to the lab soon.
"I'll invite Kyle and Penny over for dinner today, so that we can explain to them what's going on." Roger said, "Besides, it's time I meet Penny."
"Let's just hope she doesn't get spooked by this." Ryan said.
"She doesn't seem like the kind of girl that would be." Roger smiled, "Not based on what Kyle as told me anyway."
Although Roger wasn't Kyle's grandfather, he did have a close relationship with the boy. Nobody could be any closer to Kyle than Horatio was, but Roger as a substitute grandfather for him. Roger didn't mind either, seeing as Kyle was the closest thing Roger had for a grandchild.
"Thanks again for letting us stay here; I realize that it puts you at risk as well." Ryan said.
"You really think this person is stupid enough to try and break in here?"
"No, but I can't be sure. But you're still at risk in case this guy gets mad because Horatio is hiding here, he might go after you when you're out." Ryan said, "And I'm sorry for putting you in that risk."
"Ryan, if this killer is stupid enough to attack me or you and H, then he or she will find that I can also can be dangerous and when I get dangerous..." Roger said.
"Okay, that's actually a bit creepy." Ryan chuckled, "I have to get back to the lab; bye dad, see you later."
"Be careful, son."
-I-
If Patrick Yates was the killer then he did a really good job at hiding it. He even admitted that he listened to the police radio sometimes. He remembered Horatio very well too, but didn't show any signs of being too eager to see him or obsessed by him.
"Why aren't you under witness protection?" Natalia asked, "Considering that you testified against a big time drug dealer I think you should be."
"Oh well, because of my schizophrenia I am not considered a threat to Liam Everett." Patrick said.
Liam Everett was the drug dealer that Patrick had testified against. Patrick told Horatio and Natalia that he had been caught trafficking drugs for Liam and Horatio had given him the choice to either testify and do less time in jail (in his case in a mental institution), or not testify and have his daughter grow up in foster care rather than with his parents.
"I know you cops make those kind of deals all the time and it was worth it." Patrick said, "My daughter is important to me and I wasn't about to let her grow up with strangers."
"What kind of illusions did you have when you were off your meds?" Horatio asked.
"I heard a man talking inside my head, of course when I take my medicine I don't hear him and I know it's not real, but... without my meds I go a little crazy." Patrick said, "I want to thank you for making me choose, I may not have seemed grateful at the time, but I am now."
Horatio nodded and glanced at Natalia. They weren't sure if Patrick was trying to mask how grateful he really was because he knew it would look like he was the killer. Surely Patrick was capable of killing people, and he seemed to focus very much on Horatio only; he never once looked at Natalia. However, he still didn't seem to be obsessed about Horatio.
"Do you know anything about these murders?" Horatio asked, "You listen to the police radio so you might know a lot more than others."
"Well, I only know what the media and the police say, but I think I can help you a bit." Patrick said, "Whoever this guy is, he is definitely schizo and off his medicine."
"How so?" Horatio asked, although the team had pretty much already concluded that the killer was schizophrenic and off his medication.
"Well, when I was locked up in the mental institution I met a lot of patients with similar illusions; they thought that they heard God or angels, sometimes the devil, speaking to them." Patrick said, "But, when they were on their medication they were clear in their heads."
"Anyone of them ever get violent?" Natalia asked.
"Oh yeah, they did things that their voices told them. I could be violent too, but when I was off my meds I usually didn't harm others." Patrick said, "Except for the few times I would slap my girlfriend... which is bad, I know. But one patient once tried to strangle a nurse because he claimed the devil had told him to, once he started taking his medication he couldn't even imagine to do such a thing."
"Thank you." Horatio said, "We need to get going Mister Yates, have a good day."
"You too." Patrick said, and shook hands with Natalia and Horatio.
As they left the house Horatio and Natalia pondered about how dangerous Patrick could really be. No judge had granted them access to Patrick's case file because the case against Liam Everett was still ongoing. They couldn't get access to Patrick's medical file either because of the Everett case, as it was considered too dangerous for Patrick if someone not working with the case read his file. They would simply have to accept that.
-I-
Sandy Pearson was not an easy person to talk to. Eric and Walter suspected that she was not taking her medication, but an assistant claimed that she did. However, Sandy's medication was perhaps not the right one for her.
"She has severe schizophrenia, right?" Walter asked.
"Yes, but today is a good day." The assistant said, "She's quite lucid now."
"Miss Pearson, do you know anything about Lieutenant Caine?" Eric asked.
"It's been 11 years since I met him." Sandy said.
Sandy then talked about the time she had murdered her son. For a few minutes she would appear lucid and then suddenly exclaim that there was a cat in the house or that someone was listening in on them; which was not true.
When Eric and Walter left they knew that there was no way that Sandy Pearson was the killer. Not only did she have an assistant with her all the time, but she wasn't even capable of going to the mall on her own, or even make her own food.
When they got back to the lab they presented their evidence to Horatio and Natalia in the layout room.
"She is not the killer." Walter said.
"This means that either Patrick Yates is the killer or someone who has never met you before." Natalia said.
"You're on the news a lot, H." Eric said, "Did Patrick seem innocent?"
"Yeah." Horatio said, "He was a bit more enthusiastic to see me than Natalia, but if he was the killer then he was hiding it well."
"He doesn't seem violent though." Natalia said.
"I agree."
The door opened and Cooper entered the room. He sighed and shook his head.
"I got nothing off the video." He said, "The killer doesn't say anything, he doesn't catch his reflection in anything, doesn't wipe off the lens; nothing."
"Could you tell how far away he was?" Horatio asked.
"Yeah, I'd say he was at least 100 feet away, to the right of the house, at the back of course since he filmed you from the beach." Cooper said, "He zoomed in a lot and as he did the quality of the video got worse so that tells me he was too far away to see with his own eyes what was happening or not close enough to still maintain a good quality video."
"But he was still not close enough to been seen." Eric said.
"Correct." Cooper said, "Did any of the suspects have a camera?"
"No, Patrick Yates only has paintings." Horatio said.
"And Sandy Person doesn't have any technology in her house except lights, she gets illusions from TVs, cameras, videos etcetera, according to the assistant." Walter said.
"Alright, let's work with the idea that the killer is someone I've never met before and probably saw me on TV." Horatio said, "Check footage from the news from the crime scenes and see if you find anyone that looks suspicious; maybe this guy watched us work."
-I-
Cassie adored Penny and immediately bonded with her. The men watched as Penny and Cassie cuddled on the couch. The dog leaned in to Penny and Penny wrapped her arms around the fluffy Golden Retriever. Roger and Horatio were making dinner in the kitchen while watching the woman and the dog.
"I thought I was her favorite." Ryan said.
"Penny's?" Kyle teased.
"Cassie's favorite." Ryan said, "She's replaced me with someone else."
"They're both females, just different species, of course they bond better than you and Cassie." Kyle shrugged.
"Dinner's ready!" Roger called out.
Everyone sat down by the table and Horatio explained to Kyle and Penny why they were living with Roger and why Kyle would have two officers following him around starting tomorrow. Penny and Kyle didn't fear their own lives, but they expressed their worries about the killer possibly being after Horatio; maybe to hurt him.
"Do you have any suspects?" Penny asked.
"No, the only one that could have done it doesn't seem to be violent enough." Horatio sighed, "Either he put up a very good act and had me fooled or he really is innocent."
"What makes you think he might not be innocent?" Kyle asked.
"I don't know. I just don't want to exclude him yet."
"Well, it's a good thing my father taught me to shoot a gun when I was young." Penny said, "Kyle can stay with me and if this killer shows up and tries to do something stupid, I'll shoot him."
"You seem awfully calm about possibly shooting another person." Ryan said surprised.
"I'm not. I don't want to, but I still want to protect myself and Kyle if I have to." Penny said.
"You have to meet the team." Kyle said, "You and Calleigh could talk forever about guns."
Penny laughed and gave Kyle a kiss on the cheek, after which Kyle blushed as the three other men smirked at him. Penny's father had always believed that it was important for Penny to be able to protect herself. He had not only taught her how to shoot, but he had also made her take karate classes as a teenager.
"We have to meet your dad some day." Horatio said, "He sounds like a smart man."
"I will have him come down and visit." Penny smiled.
After dinner Penny and Kyle went home. Ryan cleaned the dishes and then realized he was too tired to stay up any longer. As the apartment's three occupants went to bed everyone but Horatio managed to fall asleep. He couldn't get his mind off his stalker. He had a gut feeling that things would escalate into something bad.
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