A/N: Almost done! Hope you guys like!

Horatio, Mac and their respective CSIs (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister

14, Yesterday

This guy thinks he's a smooth operator…Frank thought almost immediately as Walter Thompson stood up to shake his hand. No one's this calm when his or her kids are involved… Even the handshake was too confident, too warm for what should be a disastrous economic expense. From both Calleigh and Delko's investigations and background checks, Mr. Thompson had spent more than 0.5 percent or a good $500, 000 a day on an illicit service through Ferrer Glencoe in order to find his beloved (but very dead) daughter, Felicity. How the hell do you explain that to the IRS?

"Mr. Tripp, is it? I'm always open to Miami's finest." Walter acknowledged, plastic smile still present on his mug.

"That's mighty generous of you but I'm actually on an…investigation" Frank hesitated to state the nature of the case. Ok, is this homicide, prostitution or grave robbing?

"Oh? Has there been an altercation? We've had plenty of those lately." Mr. Thompson inquired. He kept full eye contact with Frank, never missing a beat. A small twitch and the detective grinned. Gotcha.

"We have reason to believe you've been soliciting a prostituting service from a Mrs. Tamatha Henderson. We also have evidence over at the lab that puts you in immediate contact of a homicide."

Walter stifled a chuckle as he redirected the conversation. "I'm sorry but I handle metal, not whores."

Frank leaned forward, his face almost sly as Horatio's whenever he had the crucial mistake. "Funny you should call your daughter that, seeing as it's her corpse we're processing." A quick search into a folder and the detective pulled out a picture of the girl. Mr. Thompson's face suddenly dropped to the floor. But even through the staggering appearance of a grief-stricken father, it still didn't add up. Still too calm…

Speed didn't remember the last time he felt so familiar with his surroundings as the Hummer traveled across the causeway back to the lab. He could almost feel tears swell up in his eyes had he been alive; he felt at home. But he couldn't face the driver and his passenger; he knew he had done something horrible to get the cold shoulder.

He looked up to stare at a filial smile; Horatio's blue eyes were reassuring him that he was in better hands than Marla's. Those blue eyes promised a meaning in his wondering life; a real bed to sleep in instead of a cadaver closet, guidance, and care.

"Am I going to die again?" Tim asked, terrified of his answer. Mac had threatened to turn him back to worm food and he understood his rage; no one likes a bullet in his or her body. Horatio kept a quiet watch on the road just as a red light came up. He turned around and replied,

"Do you want to?"

Speed remained silent until the next stop light. With a shaky voice he replied,

"Just as long as I never go back into storage."

The lieutenant's smile softened; he could comprehend Speed's claustrophobia for he too had been held in "storage".

"Deal."

Calleigh collapsed on the lunchroom sofa, a good distance from her post and just perfect to simply sleep the day's troubles away. Delko had gone off to buy breakfast while she finished up the reports. The news began with the report on Tammy's death, with obvious censorship over the woman's entrails. Erica flourished in controversy and Calleigh knew for a fact that a human being ripped apart was a great way to start her daily routine.

Here's to hoping you don't get those white stilettos dirty…

Duquesne envied Natalia Boa Vista for she had CSI training that day. How that woman never caught a preternatural case like this was beyond the southern beauty's perception. I still prefer prying out a bullet out of some creepy-crawly than being stuck in a lab any day. She grinned at the thought.

"They ran out of grits so I got you ham and eggs." Eric welcomed himself to the room, handing the female specialist a brown paper bag. She shrugged and took out the sandwich.

"Or could be that a certain someone thinks that he can do as he pleases with my stomach?"

Eric's candid laugh lit up the room, "Ryan practically pleaded you eat some meat. He wants to know if you find any body fragments on the bologna."

"He can't live down the fact that I scared him with the serial killer story." Calleigh concluded as she turned up the volume. As always, Sykes added shock value to the findings, almost threatening to unveil the body bag if given the chance.

"Hard to believe it, we're almost done with the Thompson case." Duquesne sighed. Delko inclined his head back, relaxing the tense neck muscles. "Then we can focus back on the Otis escape."

The recognizable screech of two Hummers arriving was simply perfect.

"Well, let's see what's behind door number 1."

Daikonran and Ryan were both holding two black bags that made sickening squishing noises. During the trip back home, Kino made sure that their material witness, Tyler Perry noted bloodsucker, was kept out of the sunlight.

Wolfe, on the other hand, was assuring himself that none of the body parts they had collected came back to life. I've been this close to being zombie chow twice and I'm not to run my luck on attempt number 3.

But both enjoyed the fact that they could drag the vampire all the way into the holding cells.

Before they parted ways, Ryan stated as he lifted his bags, "I'm going to take these to DNA, there might be more than three corpses in the whole thing."

"You put names on the bodies whilst I go and corroborate Perry's involvement." Kino clarified, grinning evilly at the sarcastic vamp.

"Make sure I get a swing at him; taking H's blood for granted is as low as he can get."

Just before entering the crime lab, Horatio decided to go in the back entrance, as to not cause a commotion for when Speed entered the building. Two and a half years and people could still remember a CSI's face. He handed his suit jacket and placed it over the man's head.

"Do people know me here?"

Horatio stopped a laugh as he and Mac led him in through the main lobby's lunchroom. The tissue around Mac's left ear had fully reconstructed itself, unapologetically dripping cranial liquids onto the passenger side. The trio then followed Horatio to his office, trying their best not to bring attention to themselves. Every step brought back a memory in Speed's mind

Mac parted ways on the second floor when he spotted Kino going along his merry way. For some reason, his ears were suddenly buzzing with white noise and his eyes played tricks on him. Kino had done the transplant operation so he'd surely have a good explanation why his demon senses were now on the fritz. Of course, he needed a good excuse.

"I'm going to report in about what happened with Ruthy; better now than to face a pissed-off doctor."

"Sound choice, reduces the chances of having a surgical scalpel stabbed into your stomach." Horatio joked while accommodating the former CSI. Taylor saw a subtle change in the lieutenant; a greater weight was lifted from him. As the story went, Speedle died with Horatio at his side in the line of duty, unable to help him. Horatio's devotion to his team was legendary, just like Mac's; more than once did he have to show that side to Messer and Stella and allowed them an escape while he devoured the attacker. Human flesh made him sick to the bone, though.

"The weather broadcast today for the Miami-DADE area is of light to moderate rainfall, so those heading out for the beach better pack some rain gear!" the cheery weather reporter exclaimed as both Calleigh and Delko stood up from the sofa and headed for their post. The day started so deceivingly sunny that a good impression was that the case would work out.

Wishful thinking could never be as wrong as that day.

A/N: Reviews are always welcome!