MIAMI : PRESENT

The CSI labs had been somber for two weeks. Every time Horatio's desk or cell phone rang, people would stop and watch him, hoping for word about Ryan Wolfe, but so far there had been no news. As the hours and days ticked by, Horatio's hope was fading that they'd ever see Ryan alive again. He let himself be distracted with work, and right now his work had him staring at a dead woman in a quiet suburban home. Alexx had arrived ahead of him and was examining the body.

"Alex, what do you have for me?"

"She was shot." Alexx turned to him as his phone rang.

Horatio answered it. "Horatio."

"Is this Lieutenant Horatio Cane?" a man asked.

"Yes it is. Who am I speaking to?"

"I'm Gil Grissom with Las Vegas CSI. Do you have a moment? I need to speak to you about a matter."

"I'm in the middle of a crime scene, Mister Grissom. Can I call you back?"

"You may, but I need information about a missing person, so don't wait too long."

That caught Horatio's attention. He looked down at the body. "Alexx, I need to step outside."

She nodded and Horatio took the call out to the driveway. Calleigh and Eric were walking up it and stopped next to him.

"What missing person?" Horatio asked.

"We found a hearse with a coffin in it last night. One of my CSI found skin on a piece of duct tape and CODIS flagged the person as—"

"Ryan Wolfe," Horatio finished.

His CSI stared at him.

"Yes."

"And you haven't recovered a body?"

"There wasn't one at the accident scene."

"So this was part of an accident. Were there any suspects at the scene? Perhaps a woman in her mid-thirties with brown hair?"

"We found it at the bottom of a canyon and no, there was no one else at the scene."

"I get the impression you think he was able to leave the scene."

"There's a chance of that, but that's not necessarily a good thing. The only way out of the canyon opens onto the desert, heading southwest, and away from Las Vegas. There are few residences in that area, and I'm afraid your CSI has the odds stacked against him unless we can find him in time."

Horatio watched Alexx come out of the house. She didn't speak when she stopped next to him.

"We'd like to come out to Nevada and help with the search."

"I'd expected nothing less. Can we have copies of this case? It might help us locate the kidnapper."

"We'll bring everything we have with us." Horatio hung up.

"Where's Ryan?" Eric demanded.

"Nothing concrete, but possibly southern Nevada. I am going to head back to the lab and make arrangements so we can leave. Until I can get two swing CSI to cover for you, I need you two to start processing this scene.""

"How did he get to Nevada?" Alexx asked.

"That's where Chrissie's delusions met reality." Horatio put his sunglasses on and headed to his Hummer. Horatio drove away, thankful for the moment he could be alone. He had been berating himself since Ryan's disappearance – because if Ryan had known what was happening earlier, maybe he wouldn't never have gone on his date, and maybe he would have accepted police protection, and just possibly. Quite possibly he'd be safe in Miami where the biggest concern Horatio would have for him is if he was being to compulsive about some evidence.