MISSING
Chapter 3
Eric arrived at the lab at seven the next morning. He glanced at the board and confirmed – he'd noted the car in the parking lot - that Horatio had beaten him in. He smiled, fetched his kit and a lab coat, and went down to the garage. He began to go carefully over the Durango, retrieving traces of skin from the airbags, as well as fingerprints and blood trace. Then he turned his attention to the rear compartment.
He swabbed the patch of urine, and found more fingerprints and a smear of blood. He glanced at the time. It was after nine, and he wondered what Horatio was up to. He had expected him to be down here, helping.
He opened the bent hood, wincing at the screech of tortured metal, and looked for the VIN plate, but, as he had expected, it had been removed. On an impulse, he rang a local Dodge dealership, and asked whether the Durango carried a second VIN. After being passed round various departments, he finally got a mechanic who sounded as if he knew what he was talking about.
"It has, but it's well-hidden."
"Just tell me."
"You need to jack it up. Go back to the third cross-chassis member, and it's on the right hand side, facing the back. Usually obscured by mud."
Eric chuckled and thanked him. He jacked the car and slid underneath. The underside of the vehicle was caked in mud. Despite getting debris in his face and mouth, he found what he was looking for.
He noted the number, brushed himself down, collected all the samples he had, and went up to the lab. Bumping into Calleigh, he asked. "Do you know where Horatio is?"
"I haven't seen him. The board says he's in the field… Do you need him?"
"No. Just expected him to be all over our car."
"Oh, your missing boy. I heard about it. Are you getting anywhere?"
"Yes and no. Prints and DNA – evidence that the boy was in the car. Alive. But no real lead to the perps. And no motive that I can see. I can see motives for grabbing a child, but killing the mother? The two things don't really go together. They could easily have found a time when the mother wasn't around."
"What's Horatio think?"
"We haven't really talked it over. It was so late last night…"
Eric called Horatio's cell, but got voicemail. He went to Reception.
"You seen the boss this morning?" he asked.
"No, he must have gone out very early."
"If you see him, tell him I need to speak to him. His phone's off." Eric was mildly worried, though not sure why. There was no reason that Horatio shouldn't be out, but it was unusual that he hadn't told anyone. He passed the VIN number to Frank, but the detective knew nothing of Horatio's whereabouts.
Eric sighed, but went back to work on his new samples. Wherever the boss was, he'd be expecting results when he came back in. As lunchtime approached, he found his concern overtook his concentration, and went back to Calleigh.
"Have you found him?" she asked.
Eric shook his head. "No answer on his cell. Or on his landline at home. He might take a bit of time for something personal, but no one's seen him this morning. That's at least five hours. If it was to do with the case, he'd let someone know. And he never keeps his phone off."
"You think something's wrong. Where and when did you see him last?"
"In the middle of the 'glades, last night. We were in separate vehicles." Then he gasped. "Oh dear God, don't say he never got back!"
"You mean the board's still showing from yesterday?" Calleigh looked aghast. "I'll ring the night shift boss – he might know if he came back in." She pulled out her cell and dialled. It rang for a long time. "It's Calleigh – day shift – I know I've woken you up, but it's urgent. Did you see Horatio last night? It would be about…" She looked at Eric. "Between nine and ten?"
He nodded.
Calleigh listened then closed the phone. "They didn't see him. But they might not have done." She grabbed Eric's hand. "Come on – let's get Frank involved. If he's out there, the Hummer's out there. We find that…"
Frank looked as shocked as they felt. "Well, there wasn't an accident… I'd sure as hell have noticed one involving a CSI Hummer." He stared at them. "You certain he's missing?"
"No, I'm not. That's the trouble. But he's never out of touch like this. Not for so long."
"I agree. Well, first, let's see if the Hummer's where you last saw it. I'll get someone out there." Frank picked up a police radio, then put it down. "That's too slow – I'll get a helicopter up."
Eric couldn't stand still. "We've still got a missing boy…"
"I'll take the case," Calleigh said quickly. "I know your mind's on Horatio. Look, come and get me up to speed on it, while Frank does his thing."
Frank came to find them. "Hummer's gone. Chopper says visibility's quite poor out there." He glanced out of the window. Unlike the day before, it was overcast and raining lightly. "It would be. He's doing a sweep of the area – see if he can spot it – or anything else."
"Thanks, Frank." Calleigh looked back at Eric. "Who'd steal such an obvious vehicle? They'd be spotted, picked up."
"Crooks aren't necessarily bright, Calleigh. Anyway, maybe it's with Horatio." Eric ran a hand over his short hair, shedding mud and dust from the car. "I just wish we knew. Is he missing or not? Is the car missing?"
"I think we have to assume he is," Calleigh said gently. "This is so out of character. Look, I've got your case now. You go and work with Frank. Keep me informed though, won't you?"
Eric disappeared gratefully to the police department. He felt guilty at abandoning a murdered mother and a kidnapped child so easily, but he knew his present state of mind would do them no favors. Not till he knew Horatio was okay. If it was all a false alarm, he was quite ready to apologise later.
Frank was on the phone. He put it down as Eric approached.
"Sorry, Frank, I've come to pester you…"
"The chopper's found your Hummer. He says it looks abandoned, possibly stuck. No one around. It's a couple of miles from where you last saw it."
Eric felt sick at the thought of what might be inside that Hummer.
Frank read his thoughts. "Don't think the worst yet. We don't know what's going on. Now, the chopper's coming back to pick you up. Take one of my guys with you." He looked round the office, and shouted. "Benitez? You okay with helicopters?" He summoned a burly uniformed officer. "Go with Delko – he'll fill you in. The pilot says he can land you about half a mile away. Best we can do. You okay with that?"
Eric nodded.
"Go on, get down to the helipad. He'll be back any minute. And for God's sake, take care!" He called the last words after the two disappearing figures.
TBC