Chapter 6
Her tanned face was now inches away from mine. "You will pay for what you did Anna, and I'll make sure you suffer."
Her words sliced through me like a knife, piercing my flesh with the boldness and hatred behind each letter. The temperature in the room dropped, the thought of death sending chills up my spine. I was certain Elizabeth was crazy and unpredictable and that's what scared me the most. The unknown. The feeling of helplessness caused my heart to race, panic building up within. The panic rocketed when the brunette came up behind and blindfolded me with a black cloth.
The room was suddenly covered in darkness. I cried out, pleading. Begging for her to let me go. She threw her head back, her laughter filled the damp air, the sound was unbearable. "Is big, bad Anna afraid of the dark?" Elizabeth taunted me.
James tossed her the gun from his sitting position across the room. She caught it with both hands easily, without having to move her planted feet from her spot. The brown-haired woman checked the gun to make sure it was loaded. Stepping forward so my chest was in her field of vision she raised the gun, her finger brushing against the trigger. "Sweet dreams Anna."
"Elizabeth, please let me go!" I yelled, hysteria evident in my voice. Instead of answering she pulled the trigger, the recoil sending her backward a few steps. The bullet ripped through my flesh. I screamed out in pain, the sound sounded foreign to me coming from the back of my throat.
Blood oozed from the wound, soaking the front of my blouse. It wasn't long before I slipped into unconsciousness. Elizabeth and James fled the motel room, their work was accomplished.
--
Horatio, Ryan and Natalia were gathered in the layout room, each individual determined to find the missing CSI. Crime scene photos and test results were spread out on the glass-topped table in front of the trio, waiting for the group to connect the pieces of the puzzle.
"What do we know so far?" The redhead inquired, picking up the photo of Brett Thompson and studying it intently.
"Prints off Anna's patio door belong to James Bradford. He was in the system for breaking and entering." Ryan explained, leaning against the counter.
Horatio nodded, letting the information sink in. "What about the DNA from the glass found in her kitchen?"
Natalia read the copy of the report, her warm brown eyes skimming over the text before raising her gaze to answer the question. "Get this, the DNA came back to Brett Thompson's former girlfriend Elizabeth Baker. Her DNA was also at the Thompson crime scene." The brunette said.
Baker. That last name sounds familiar. Horatio placed the photo in his hand back into the file it belonged, the redhead was certain he knew that last name from somewhere. Picking through his memory, the pieces of the puzzle finally connected. He knew why Anna had been taken.
"The last name Baker sounds familiar. Two years ago, Anna killed Aaron Baker in the line of duty when he held his mistress hostage. That could have been Elizabeth's father."
"And revenge spells motive." Ryan added.
The redhead reached for the mobile phone in his jacket pocket. He snapped the phone open and dialed Detective Tripp's number.
"Horatio, I've been meaning to call you. We found Anna." The Texan said into the phone, trying to catch his breath.
Horatio's heart flip-flopped in his chest. "Where?"
He could hear voices in the background. "At a motel, the motel manager heard gunshots and went to investigate. He saw Elizabeth Baker and a male accomplice fleeing from the scene."
"What hospital is she being taken to"? He questioned.
"Miami General."
The pair terminated the connection. Horatio replaced the phone in it's rightful place and turned back to the CSIs in front of him. "They found Anna, she's being taken to the hospital."
Natalia and Ryan hugged each other in relief. "Let's go, I'll call Eric and Calleigh on the way to the hospital."
--
Calleigh paced back and forth in the ER waiting room, tears welling up in her green eyes. She couldn't stand waiting any longer, the blonde needed to know how Anna was doing and she needed the information now. The platinum blonde ballistics expert was about to walk over to reception when Eric gently grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him and lowering her into the chair beside him. She looked over at him with sadness swimming in her eyes, the sight broke Eric's heart.
"Anna's going to be alright Calleigh, don't worry." He comforted her, brushing the tears that had fallen down her pale cheeks away with his thumb. She nodded wordlessly and laid her head onto his shoulder, linking her fingers through his.
Natalia placed her head in her hands, her head pounding. She was on the verge of tears but the brunette wouldn't break down now; she had to be strong for Anna. Ryan looked over at the brunette and the young detective scooted closer to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The gesture was simple enough but backed with love, affection and respect.
The rest of the team wasn't in better condition. Alexx and Frank sat mutely in their chairs, their minds running through the different scenarios; the different ways this situation would play out. Horatio sat numbly in his spot two chairs away from Eric and Calleigh. The redhead appeared older than he really was, his shoulders hunched over like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
If you looked at the scene from a distance you couldn't help but break down either. In each of their faces you could see the pain and sadness practically radiating from the cores of their beings. The unknown and uncertainty weighed heavily on their emotions. Someone else was pulling the strings and in a heartbeat everything could change. And it would.
The ER doors swung open and a blonde-haired middle-aged man stepped out into the waiting room dressed in blue surgical scrubs. "Family and friends for Ms. Matthews?" He called out.
His next words could make or break the team.
--
……..to be continued…….