CSI:Miami
Season 11
Episode 17
A/N: Ok, first of all, let me say to my reviewers and private messengers that I'm sorry for what I'm about to say. This is in NO WAY directed at those who sign their reviews, or the guests that just forget to sign in. Done it myself from time to time. This is directed solely at the cowardly reviewer who only posts as a guest, and continues to post on my stories how terrible they are. Check your keyboard. There is a little thing called a DELETE key. Use it. If the story is so bad, why on earth have you read all 16 chapters? I use my delete key every time you send one of your childish reviews. Guest reviews are moderated, and yours will never will make it past my in box. Well, I DO send them to my editor. You've become our personal home entertainment center, and we get lots of laughs out of them. So save your time and mine, because your reviews WILL be deleted, un favorite me, stop reading my stories, because you CAN be tracked down by this site and banned for harassment. I do hope you have a happier New Year.
Now that I have that out of the way, I'd like to thank everyone else for their kind words of encouragement to keep this story moving. I know it's not exactly what we saw on the show, but Calleigh is heading back to work and the kids to school. Let the action begin.
Cal
New Year's had come and gone, and it was time for the kids to return to school and Calleigh to go back to work.
"It feels like my first day all over again."
Horatio let out a hum. He remembered that day well. It took him a whole hour to fall in love with her that day. "Just take things slow, it'll all come back to you."
"I'm not worried about that, it's just the restrictions you've put on me. It'll take a bit of getting used to."
"You'll still get to go out into the field, just not during shootouts, and not into any building that hasn't been totally cleared."
"That's a tight leash you're holding, Handsome."
"I met you half way, Sweetheart, if I had my way you wouldn't leave your lab at all."
"I know, and I'm grateful." She checked herself in the mirror. "How do I look?"
"Now that is a question you should never ask me. You're always beautiful." He slipped his arms around her waist and let his hands rest on her abdomen. "You're even more beautiful when you're carrying my children."
She turned in his arms and kissed him softly. "Don't you say the sweetest things? Ready to get the kids to school?"
He looked at his watch. "It's time." They pulled apart and headed downstairs. The kids were ready and watching television. "Let's go kids."
"Do we go back to Spanish class today?"
"You do. Mom will pick you up at five."
"Cool. I want to teach Marisol and Horatio Spanish when they're born, so they can talk to, um, nuestros abuelos."
"Very good, Austin! Do you know what he said, Patty?"
"Our grandparents." She twirled her hair around her fingers.
"That's right. You two are doing great. I think by the time the twins are old enough, you will be able to teach them to speak Spanish. Grab your backpacks and let's get going We need to get to work."
Forty five minutes later they pulled up in front of the lab. Horatio took Calleigh's hand and pulled her fingers to his lips. "Ready?" She nodded as they headed inside.
Calleigh smiled as she looked at the sign in board. Someone had changed her name from Duquesne to Caine. "Did you do that?"
"I did." The voice came from behind them. Eric stood with a vase filled with yellow tulips. "Welcome back, Cal. It just hasn't been the same without your smile." He placed the vase on the counter and hugged her, placing a kiss on her cheek. When he pulled back, he nodded at the board. "I wanted to surprise you with something special, but appropriate. I hope it's ok."
"More than ok. Thanks, Eric."
"Yes, thank you, Brother, this means a lot." Eric patted him on the shoulder as he headed back to work. "You want me to carry those for you?"
"Would you? I don't think I'll be able to see over them without my heels."
They made their way back to the ballistics lab, and Horatio had just placed the flowers on Calleigh's desk when his phone rang. Calleigh was organizing her bouquet and not paying much attention to his conversation.
"Sweetheart, I've got to go. Shooting on Calle Ocho."
"And let me guess, I can't go because of the neighborhood."
"You got it with one guess." He looked around and kissed her softly. "I'm taking Eric and Natalia with me. I'm sure we'll bring you back lots of toys."
"Yeah, I'm sure you will. You just be careful yourself. I won't be there to cover your back side."
"Very funny, petite balle."
"I'd hoped you forgotten that."
"Never. I'll be fine. Frank will be out there, too."
"I know, I just feel better watching you be safe than sitting here assuming you are."
"I have to go, Love. I'll call you when things are settled I'll let everyone know I'm leaving you in charge while I'm out."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"I need someone I can leave here and trust to handle anything. That's always been you."
"Flatterer. All right, get out of here before I change my mind and follow you."
She watched him until he was out of sight, then sighed and turned to her lab. It wasn't exactly like she kept it, she blamed the night shift for that, but she could see Natalia's handiwork in keeping it organized.
"What do we have, Frank?" Horatio stood with his hands on his hips surveying the crime scene.
"Looks like it started with a home invasion, then the whole damned block started shooting. Turns out the home was used for some major drug distribution. Two dead out here, three in the house and a trail of blood heading down that way. We've already notified the local hospitals and sent patrols looking for the guy."
Horatio looked down at the blood pattern on the ground. "This looks like two people, I think one was holding the other one up."
"Damn, looks like you're right." He got on his radio and changed the BOLO from one to two suspects.
Horatio lifted the plastic sheeting from one of the bodies, and then the other. "These are just kids, Frank."
"These kids are the ones that started shooting. From the witnesses I've interviewed, they fired as soon as the front door opened, and backed off as the guys inside fired back."
"Is the house totally cleared?"
"Yeah, no one alive in there that we could find. You thinkin' of callin' Calleigh out?"
"Yeah, I think we'll need her on this one, as much as I hate to admit it."
"I'll have my guys do one more sweep inside the house, just to make sure."
"I'd appreciate that, Francis." He turned around and pushed a button on his phone.
"Hello, Handsome. Miss me already?"
"I do, but that's not why I'm calling."
"What's up?"
"I'm sending a patrol to pick you up, I don't trust anyone else to run ballistics on this mess out here."
"Bad?"
"Yeah, a couple of kids picked the wrong house to rob. I don't know if they knew it was a drug house, but we've got five dead and two more fled the scene by the looks of the blood trail they left."
"I'll lock up and meet the car out front."
"Thanks, Sweetheart. See you soon." He dropped his phone back into his pocket and entered the house where Tom was working on the bodies.
"Those kids meant business, Horatio. Exploding rounds. Calleigh will have a tough time with these. I'm glad she's back, if anyone can piece them together, it's Calleigh."
"She's on her way out, she'll be able to find any missing bullets and collect the weapons."
"You didn't handcuff her to the lab?"
"I'd like to." He smiled thinking about other places he'd like to handcuff her, and then quickly got back to business. "Have you looked at the two outside yet?"
"No, I started in here. I'm just about ready to transport them, and then I'll move outside."
"Go ahead and finish up, I'm going to look around a bit." Tom nodded and went back to his work. Horatio moved from room to room, checking in closets, cupboards, and under beds.
The patrol car pulled up to the scene and Calleigh climbed out. "Hey, Frank. Where's Horatio?"
"He's inside, Cal. It isn't pretty. Tom's working on the three inside, and we've got two over here for him when he's done. Two more took off, but I don't think they'll get too far with the amount of blood their losin'."
"I think I'll start inside, then. Is the house clear?"
"Cleared twice. As long as H has been in there, I'd say he's made it three times."
"I don't doubt it. Thanks, Frank, time to go see what kind of trouble that LT of mine has gotten into."
Frank answered his phone as he watched Calleigh enter the dwelling. She'd have her work cut out for her today. As Tom followed the three bodies out, Frank hung up his phone. "Tom, got some bad news for ya. Just got a call from one of my guys about the other two vics. Found 'em about a mile from here, and they don't look good. They're being transported to the hospital. I'll leave a car here with H and Calleigh, and I'm going over to check it out."
"Thanks, Frank. I'll let them know where you are. Seven. The oldest doesn't look a day over twenty." He looked up as a car pulled up and a couple got out. "Maybe you'd better wait a minute, this doesn't look good."
The couple stayed behind the crime scene tape and stared at the house, and then look at the five gurneys bearing the bodies. "What's going on, this is our house."
"Do you live here alone?"
"No, our grandsons live with us."
"I'm sorry. There was an attempted robbery. Two young men attempted to force entry and the three men inside started shooting, the boys outside fired back. All five are dead, two got away. The two that got away were bleeding heavily, and we found them about a mile from here. They're on their way to the hospital."
The man looked at the bodies. "Uh, can I look. I need to know if these are our boys, or if we need to go to the hospital."
"Are you sure you want to do that here? We can wait until we transport them so you can check in privacy."
"No, if our boys are still alive they will need us, please, let me look." He went under the tape and slowly made his way to the gurneys. Tom opened the zipper on each one. Each time the man shook his head. "I know these boys, but they aren't our grandsons."
"They were taken to Dade-Memorial. I was just about to head over there if you'd like a ride. I'm sure they'll be taken right into surgery."
"Yes, a ride would be nice. Thank you, officer." Frank helped the couple into his car and headed to the hospital, leaving Tom and the officers to break the news to Horatio and Calleigh.
Horatio stepped outside just as Frank pulled away. "The boys' grandparents. The two that took off were found about a mile away, they were sent to Dade-Memorial in critical condition. Frank left you a couple of officers to help out."
"Thanks, Tom. Could you send them in please? I found where the boys were stashing their drugs and I could use some help. Calleigh's still pulling bullets out of the wall."
Calleigh stopped what she was doing and looked over at the pile of drugs he'd already pulled from a hidden compartment under the floor in the bedroom. "I'll bet grandma and grandpa had no idea what those boys were doin'."
"Such a shame. It'll be hard to tell them this news, even harder if the boys don't make it."
"Do you want me to go with you when you talk to them?"
"No, thank you, Sweetheart, I'm going to need you on these bullets. Tom said the ones inside the victims were exploding rounds. The bodies are a mess. He said that you'd be the only one to be able to piece them back together."
She smiled. "Then I'd better do my best." She went back to pulling bullets out of the wall. "Did we recover all the weapons?"
"I believe we did. I'll make sure everything is sent back to your lab."
"Well, I can't find any more in here. I'll go check outside and see if I can find anything."
"The officers found nines and forty fives in here, the kids outside were carrying the assault weapons."
Calleigh shook her head and went back to work. An hour later she was ready to go. Her arms were loaded with evidence to process, and she had gotten word that the weapons had all been delivered to ballistics. "Horatio, can you run me back to the lab so I can get working on this?"
"Sure. I'll drop you off and then head to the hospital, the boys should be out of surgery." They loaded up the evidence into the Hummer and hurried back to the lab, and then quickly transferred it inside. They didn't want to risk being followed.
"All right, Calleigh, I'm heading to the hospital. I'll be back before the kids get here."
"They shouldn't be here until after five, take your time. If they get here before you do, I'll just get them started on their homework."
He looked around and kissed her cheek. "Sit down and rest before you wear yourself out. You've been on your feet a long time."
"Already in my plans, but first I'm going to test fire these weapons, then I can sit and compare striations."
"Good girl. Call me if you need me."
"Yes, boss." She giggled as he tried to look stern.
"You never could look at me with an angry face."
"And I never will. I love you."
"I love you too, now let me get to work so I can sit down."
"Yes, Ma'am." He whistled softly as he made his way back to the elevator. As the doors opened he could hear the muffled sounds of Calleigh firing the weapons. He knew he didn't have to worry about her for several hours, she was in her element.
Calleigh completed all her test fires, and then began comparing the bullets with the ones she'd collected at the scene. Tom came in with several small bags. "This is the best I could do with these, Calleigh. They're pretty fragmented."
"Well, luckily my wonderful husband worked on the chief until he approved a new toy for me." She pointed to a large workstation. "My wedding present. It's a BULLETTRAX-3D." she announced proudly, as if Tom understood what she was talking about. "It should make it easier to identify fragmented bullets. I've been dying to try it out, but Horatio wouldn't let me come in and play with it."
"Well, I'll leave you to it, and get back to work on the other bodies. Have you heard how the other two boys are doing?"
"Not yet. Horatio went to the hospital to check on them. I hope they'll be all right."
Tom nodded and returned to his lab, and Calleigh turned to her new toy. She had already practically memorized the owner's manual while she was stuck at home. "Ok, baby, time to fire you up and see what you can do. See if you're worth all the trouble Horatio went through to get you."
She began running everything through both IBIS and the new BULLETTRAX, not wanting to take any chances on the case getting tossed because of the newness of the science. The District Attorney hated science, and was constantly trying to get a case tossed. She had not mised that over the last three months at ALL. As her computers began beeping, her stomach rumbled and she looked at the clock. It was already after two in the afternoon, and she had missed lunch. Horatio was going to kill her. She went to the lounge and pulled her lunch out of the refrigerator and heated it up.
Her stomach full, she headed back to her lab and what she saw almost stopped her heart. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, couldn't believe this vile, evil creature even could get a weapon in his own name. She typed in the serial number again, and got the same results. How the hell was she going to explain this to Horatio? And more important, how the hell did those young boys get a weapon registered to Memmo Fiero? She picked up her phone and hit speed dial. "Tom, have you gotten an ID on the two boys killed outside?"
He looked at his clipboard. "I pulled their fingerprints, Natalia is running them through AFIS as we speak."
"Thanks, I'll go talk to her, then." She clicked her phone shut and rushed to the Natalia's station.
"Any ID yet?"
"Still working on the first one. Are you all right, you're awfully pale. You're either sick or you've seen a ghost."
"I'm not sick, Nat. If these prints come up anywhere close to where I'm thinking Horatio and Eric are going to explode."
The computer beeped and Natalia's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Is this why you're so freaked out?" She turned the monitor around.
"Diego Fiero. One of the assault weapons was registered to Memmo. It may have been the one to kill Marisol."
"Are you going to call H?"
"Yeah, I want him here when I do this."
"What about Eric?"
"No sense upsetting him if it's not necessary. Well, here goes nothing." She pulled out her phone and dialed Horatio. When she heard him answer, tears started to form. Damned hormones, she was tougher than this. "Hey, Handsome, can you come back to the lab? Natalia and I found something that you need to look at."
"Can't you tell me over the phone? I'm still hung up at the hospital."
"Leave Frank there and come back. This is serious and I need you here."
"Are you and the babies all right?"
"We're fine. Just come so we can get this taken care of. We've ID'd one of the outside shooters and Nat is working on the second one."
"All right, I'm on my way. I'll meet you in ballistics."
"Is he coming?"
"Yeah, I'm going to pull Mari's case and meet him in my lab. Can you let me know the ID of the second shooter as soon as you get it?"
"You think they're related?"
"Knowing the way Memmo and the Noche worked, I don't doubt it." She headed to the archives to pull Marisol's case file. They had never found the weapon or matched the bullet taken from her body. Setting the box on her desk, she broke the seals and started removing the evidence until she found the small bag containing the projectile. At the time it was so fragmented they couldn't find anything. Now, with this new machine that Horatio had procured, she might be able to get a hit. She loaded the bullet, pressed the button and waited, saying a quiet prayer.
As Horatio made his way through the lab he noticed the almost reverent silence. The look on Natalia's face was one he hadn't seen in a long time. Something was going on, and he knew that only Calleigh would tell him. As he entered her lab her back was to him. He heard the machine beep, and then her say softly "Oh, my God." She hadn't heard him yet.
"Calleigh."
She turned quickly. "Horatio!"
He looked at the file spread out over her desk. "Do you want to tell me what's going on, Sweetheart?"
She nodded and pointed to the monitor. "This new machine is awesome, Horatio. After running the weapons today and getting the registered owner's name, I used this new baby to run the fragmented bullets from our vics. It worked so well, that I pulled Mari's file and ran her bullet."
He stared at the screen, still not comprehending what he was seeing. She picked up one of the assault rifles. "The bullet that killed Mari and hit Eric came from THIS rifle. It gets better, both weapons were actually registered to Memmo Fiero."
Horatio stood watching her with tears beginning to form. Natalia opened the door to her lab and knocked quietly. "I've got those results you wanted. The second kid was Ricardo Fiero, and they were brothers, 15 and 17."
"Do we know how they were related to Memmo?"
At the sound of his enemy's name, Horatio's head snapped up. "I know exactly how to find out. I'm going out to the prison."
"Horatio, please don't go there when you're this upset, and definitely not alone."
"Is it time for me to call Eric?"
"Yeah, Nat. Just tell him to come back here, we can fill him in then."
"Calleigh..."
"No arguments, Horatio. You need a few minutes to calm down. We don't know if Memmo is calling shots again, how or if those kids are related to him."
"We know his rifle was the one to kill Marisol."
"And that information will be given to the parole board. It's just another nail in his coffin. Don't do anything that will put yourself in danger. We don't know how many wanna-be Noches are out there." She held her arms out to him and he moved into the comfort of her embrace, heedless of any consequences.
"I love you."
"I know, I love you too. Do you realize without this new equipment we'd never have complete proof?"
"I had no idea, I just knew how much easier it would make your life."
"Well, you just made it possible to identify super fragmented bullets and solve your wife's murder. Now we know he was using his own gun when he was allegedly acting on orders." She put her hand on her abdomen and giggled. "Mari just moved. I think she's happy we solved her mommie's murder."
Horatio moved his hands to follow hers and pushed lightly. He looked up into his wife's face. "I feel her." He kissed her softly.
"Am I interrupting?" Eric stood at the door to the ballistics lab.
"Not at all. Mari is moving around. I think she's happy because Calleigh solved Marisol's murder."
"What? I thought it was solved."
"We never had the weapon, and weren't able to match the projectile because it was so damaged. Well, this new machine is able to take fragments and reconstruct them in 3D, making it easy to match. Then, we recovered two assault rifles today, both registered to Memmo Fiero. The fragmented bullets matched these weapons, so I took a chance and pulled out Mari's bullet. It's a match. Also, the two kids with the rifles were Diego and Ricardo Fiero, ages 15 and 17."
"I was about to go out to the prison and question Memmo, you care to come along, brother?"
He gritted his teeth. "Absolutely."
"Be careful, you two."
"We will, Sweetheart. Go ahead and take the Hummer home when you're ready, I'll get a ride home." She nodded as he kissed her cheek. She watched them leave, wishing she could go along with them. No way would Horatio let her around Memmo, especially with her little baby bump. She smiled and rubbed her belly. As much as she loved these two little ones, she hated missing out on the juicy cases.
She looked at the clock and realized her older kids would be here any minute. She cleaned her desk and replaced Marisol's sealed file back in the archives, this time under the SOLVED section. When she returned to the lab she saw her angels sipping on beverages and talking to Natalia. "Thanks, Nat. You two ready to go home?"
"Uh huh. Where's daddy?"
"He and Uncle Eric had to go talk to a suspect."
"Is he dangerous?"
"He used to be, he's in jail now."
"Why does he have to talk to him if he's in jail?"
"Because there was a shooting today, and the man might know the people who were killed."
"Oh, I hope he's careful."
"He promised me he would be. You two ready to go home? Daddy will get a ride and be home later."
"Can we get take out?"
"What do you want?"
"Pizza?" They both nodded.
"Ok, I'll call for it now, and it should be there right after we get home. It's early to bed for you two tonight because Mommie and Daddy are super tired. It was a very busy day."
"Did you catch the bad guys?"
"Yes, we did. We caught the bad guys."
"You guys are awesome. Like the Dynamic Duo." Austin laughed.
Calleigh mussed his hair. "You and Patty are the dynamic duo of this family. Let's get home." She opened her phone and called for the pizza as they walked to the Hummer. After everyone was strapped in, they headed for home. Calleigh was never so glad to be eating pizza in her life. This felt like the longest day of her career.
Another note: I'm going to be offline for a couple of days. We had a death in the family yesterday, and I have to cross the great state of Louisiana to attend a funeral tomorrow. I won't be back until Sunday. If you have any questions, please email LT Caine and the message will be relayed.
Cal