Trouble with Friends

Chapter 3

Horatio and Frank been driving for six and a half hours and were finally approaching the Georgia/Florida state line. From the start, they'd decided to divide the drive in two hour shifts, that way neither of them would be so tired after they arrived in Atlanta.

In Valdosta, Georgia they'd changed driving shifts, filled up with gas and even had taken a little time to go inside the large convenience/gas type store to grab a quick bite. As they waited on a couple of sandwiches to be made and coffee, the man behind the counter began making small talk.

"Where y'all headed, if I might ask?"

Frank thought it was a harmless question so he answered, "Atlanta".

"Oh then, I need to tell you; when you get a little ways out of Valdosta, you're gonna see detour signs, directing you to a county road. After going a few miles on that road, you'll get back to 75 just below the Adel community. It'll eat up your time a little, but the scenery will be a lot better. Here ya go one, pastrami on rye and one turkey and ham on wheat. Anything else for y'all?"

"Believe you have us fixed up," Horatio answered.

"Alright, that'll be eleven seventy five for two sandwiches and two coffees," the man remarked.

Horatio gave the man the money as he informed the clerk, "We will need a receipt please."

"Must be business travel y'all doin' today, need'n a receipt an all."

Neither Frank nor Horatio replied as the man handed Horatio the receipt.

"Y'all have a good trip now." They acknowledged his well wishes and sat down at a small table near the large window facing out the front of the store. They were so involved with ordering their meal, that neither noticed the two men who came into the store a couple of minutes after them and busied themselves, as if searching the aisles for something, while keeping an eye on the diners.

Between bites, Frank glanced out the window before asking, "Horatio, you may tell me to mind my own business, but what's turned you into a happier person lately? I mean, you haven't glared at anyone, or threatened to chew'em out or nothing like that."

Horatio chuckled and then his expression turned serious as he hesitated a few moments, debating as to whether he wanted to answer. Thinking it could be useful having someone else know of his and Calleigh's relationship, he decided to go ahead and tell Frank. It wouldn't be too much longer before he'd figure out what's going on anyway – after all, the man is a detective and a damn good one. Frank's a good guy and he's the only one I'd trust. He's not one to go around blabbing everybody's business.

Taking a long sip of his hot coffee before beginning, Horatio calmly stated, "Frank, what I'm about to tell you is private. It doesn't need to be spread around and I'm confident you won't…"

"Your secret will be safe with me Horatio – you know that."

Horatio nodded his head in agreement before sitting up and resting his weight on his forearms on the table. "Calleigh and I are seeing each other."

Frank slapped the table and leaned back, loudly exclaiming, "HOT DAMN, I knew there was something going on between you two." Noticing Horatio cringe with the outburst, Frank lowered his voice and said, "Congratulations – how long?"

"A short time – only a few days actually. I don't have to tell you that this would be frowned upon by IAB if news of us got out."

"You have my word H; this will stay with me. Hey man, I'm happy for both of you. I've wondered for years why neither one of you acted on your obvious feelings for each other."

"Are you telling me we've been that transparent?" Horatio asked a little taken aback by his friend's statement.

"Well, yeah ya have, but nobody could ever determine if anything was going on for sure. Now…"

"Yes, now. We've acted on our feelings, but have agreed to just see where it goes. You know I'm about twelve years older than her…she may get tired of being with an older guy one day."

Frank laughed heartily at his friend's statement, "Calleigh? I don't think so. She's a very determined lady and I know she wants you."

Horatio immediately gave his friend a puzzled look, taken completely aback by this revelation; he quickly deliberated silently in his mind if he really wanted to find out how Frank knew what Calleigh wanted. Deciding he might as well take the bait, he finally asked,

"And just how do you know this?"

Frank suddenly squirmed in his chair. Damn, me and my big mouth. I can't betray Calleigh's confidence in me, she'd shoot me dead as a hammer if she ever found out I'd told H about her confiding in me a while back, concerning her feelings for him.

"Uh, I didn't really know for sure H; just scuttlebutt around the lab's all," nervously trying to cover his tracks.

Horatio stared at the big man, noticing his nervousness and thought, I think his knowledge is more than just scuttlebutt, but I won't press him.

Finishing his coffee, Horatio asked, "Ready to get started?"

"Yeah, that'll work." Anything to get out of this conversation, Frank thought.

It was Frank's shift to take over driving and after they'd gone just a couple of miles out of Valdosta; they saw the detour signs, just as the clerk had told them. Frank followed the signs and took the exit off of the Interstate. The county road was in good condition; the only problem was that it happened to be a two-lane.

"Guess we'll enjoy the scenic route for a while," Frank chimed up.

The road was smooth and they were meeting very little traffic so, Horatio turned his attention to the scenery outside of the passenger window as he scanned the rolling hills, mostly farmland, mixed with sections of woods and allowed his mind to drift into thoughts about Calleigh. The last few days, and nights, have been the most wonderful of my life. She's an amazing woman. What took us so long to act on our feelings? He shook his head slightly, with disbelief at his last thought.

The last time he had called her was when they were in the north central portion of Florida, just above Gainesville making a restroom stop, and was happy to learn that the camera in front of Pelican had already recorded a visit from a known drug dealer. But, what had made him even happier was the opportunity of hearing her sweet Southern drawl telling him how much she already missed him. He'd told her the same before Frank had walked up during the conversation. When he signed off, he assured her that he'd call her after they got settled at the hotel later that evening.

The drive was going smoothly through the Georgia countryside. As they approached a blind curve that would take them in a more northwesterly direction, a large SUV travelling in the opposite direction suddenly drifted severely over the yellow line onto their side. It took a few seconds for Frank to realize what was happening, having been lulled by the passing countryside, but when he heard Horatio's voice scream he took evasive action, but it was too late.

"FRANK" Horatio screamed as he prepared for the impact. The impact was hard. Horatio felt the seatbelt straining against his chest, his body being pulled forward, but then at one point, restraint slammed him back into the seat. Everything outside of the car was spinning, like he was on a ride at a carnival and then the last thing he remembered was Frank shouting out an expletive. The big SUV spun their unmarked sedan to the shoulder before it spiraled violently over the steep embankment, rolling haphazardly to the bottom of a ravine before coming to an abrupt stop. The SUV stayed on the highway and the driver quickly stopped and got out and stumbled, more than walked over to the side where the car had rolled out of sight into brush and began shaking. I can't report this…if I'm caught on this, it'll be my third DUI. I'll do time. Maybe they're dead…not suffering. Noticing the approaching car, the drunken man quickly climbed back into his vehicle and continued on his way. The two men, who'd been following Frank and Horatio since leaving Miami, drove to the point where they'd witnessed the sedan leaving the road.

Standing at the edge of the shoulder, looking down into the ravine, one man asked the other, "What'll we do now?"

The other man shrugged, and then answered with a smile, "Now that some guy took care of this part for us, we find our way down there and make sure those two are dead. If they're not from the wreck, we'll finish them off. The boss wants Caine off his back and we're going to carry out orders."

They walked back to their car and moved it off the highway, parking it behind some trees and then began walking back to find a way down to the bottom of the ravine, one carrying an AK-200 assault rifle, and both were armed with automatic pistols.

Frank began to regain consciousness. At first, everything seemed fuzzy, but as he lay there, his mind became aware that it felt as if his right arm was in a vice grip. Opening his eyes slightly, he felt something warm begin to run into his left eye; reaching up and wiping where he felt the warmth; he pulled his hand back down and looked at it – blood! He felt the darkness threatening to engulf him again, but managed to remain conscious and shift his body to where he could find out what was holding his arm. Slowly remembering he was in a car with Horatio, he turned his head gingerly to the right and his breath caught at the horrible sight; Horatio was motionless, his body, still in the grip of the seatbelt, while his head lolled against the passenger window. Fear overtook Frank's thinking when he noticed blood on the shattered passenger window glass…H can't be dead…God please no.

Frank, anxious to get to Horatio, discovered his arm was being held down by a piece of the middle console, and eased it out. After doing so, excruciating pain shot up his arm and into his shoulder causing him to moan loudly. Damn, I think it's broken. He leaned back against the damaged seat, the pain having caused him to break out into a cold sweat and his stomach felt queasy, but he said to himself; just get your breathing even Tripp, everything else will pass. Hoping to find that the noise had aroused Horatio; he glanced over at his friend again and sadly realized there had been no change.

Gingerly holding his arm close to his body, Frank pulled up using his left hand to help himself get closer to Horatio.

Reaching out with his left hand, grabbing Horatio's arm he called, "Horatio…Horatio, argh," the move shot more pain up his right arm, "…wake…up." No response. Sagging back down into the driver's seat, for a minute before mustering up the energy to try and move even closer, Frank looked over at Horatio and was afraid of what he was about to find out. After slowly shifting his body around, and with a shaky hand, he reached over and pressed his fingers against Horatio's neck, praying he'd find a pulse.

TBC…