CSI Miami Fan Fiction "Raymond's Christmas Carol" (Fanfic format)
Chapter 11-"Mistletoe Madness"
The nervous dayshift team waited in the late-afternoon hours on December 17th. Calleigh and Natalia reviewed Irene Engleberg's file in preparation for the evening. The extra patrols Horatio ordered were in place; a hostage negotiator and medics would also be present as a precaution.
The search warrants for Engleberg's office and home had been issued. The information provided what Bob Gormanson had described to Eric and Ryan—as well as new information: a diagram of the South Beach Graham's and a group picture of Engleberg's family: Albert, Irene, and Duncan. Horatio hoped that the evening's events would bring closure to the family—especially for Duncan.
The South Beach store would be open till 8 pm; Calleigh would arrive a half-hour early. Ian and Rose had been notified of the plan in advance. Horatio's instructions to Calleigh were simple: "Be watchful; take your time on selection, but make your actual choices closer to closing time." Calleigh would have her phone on, but hidden; she would also be wearing a listening device to record any conversations between her and a possibly-unstable Engleberg. Listening devices had been placed within the store after closing the day before, but weren't activated till that evening.
At the appointed time, Calleigh calmly entered the store. Her teammates, along with several patrol units, were in various places around the store perimeter. Horatio, Eric, and Tyler would be listening in a nearby van.
Calleigh carefully chose her treats, with an occasional sample from Ian or Rose, and occasionally talked with other customers. Duncan was nowhere to be seen. At 7:55 pm, just as Calleigh made her final selections (a generous amount, some of everything—including lollipops), a thin, sandy-haired man dressed in a heavy coat entered the store and waited in a corner. Frank, whose vantage point from the street gave him a view of the entire store interior, alerted everyone.
Calleigh, the very last customer in the store, paid Rose for her treats and wished her a Merry Christmas. Then Calleigh turned and walked towards one door and stopped for a moment, rearranging her purchases. Ian walked out from the back, smiled at everyone, and prepared to lock the second door. Ian had just reached for the door when he heard an icy, menacing baritone behind him: "Ian! Merry Christmas! So good to see you again!"
Ian quickly turned; the first thing he saw was the shocked look on Rose's face. He asked, "Rose, what's—," but then he saw what scared her: Irene's husband had returned. "Robert?" Ian asked. Rose began to move slowly towards the back storage area.
Robert Albert Engleberg calmly produced a gun and pointed it at Ian. "Where is my son, Ian?" Engleberg snarled. "You and David decided I shouldn't see my family. You didn't have any right to do that!"
"That restraining order was only temporary, Robert—we only did that for Irene and Duncan's protection," Ian was trying to calmly reason with an unreasonable person. "Had you been a little more reasonable and came to the hearing, we might have worked things out. You and Irene might have worked things out! Now Irene—who loved you so much—she is dead. Duncan is staying with us, where he's safe."
It was while Ian was speaking that Engleberg caught a look in the security mirror—and saw Calleigh. Engleberg turned towards her…. "Irene?" he said in surprise. "Irene, you're not dead after all!" he exclaimed joyfully.
Calleigh thought quickly, "This man's not in his right mind!" Remembering what Natalia had told her, she'd have to go along with Engleberg's delusion until the team made their move. "Robert? After all these years?"
Eric groaned—here he was, out in a van, and Calleigh was in there, dealing with a madman! Eric raged at himself in Spanish, thinking that he should have gone with Calleigh. Horatio, seeing Eric's frustration, put a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Patience, Eric-let's see what happens. We don't want Engleberg doing anything drastic."
Engleberg continued talking to Calleigh. He asked, "Irene, where have you been all this time? I've missed you terribly!" He reached out to her, putting the gun back in his pocket, allowing her to believe he was actually looking for reconciliation. Then he'd decide what to do about her absence and that other man. "Come on," Engleberg told Calleigh quietly, "let's get our son and we'll go start over somewhere. A little vacation, maybe." "I think Duncan's with his grandparents," Calleigh replied calmly, edging away from Engleberg a bit. "Isn't he, Rose?"
Rose nodded, "Yes, I believe he's still with his grandparents." At that point, the door to the back storage area opened. Duncan appeared from the back entrance, well behind the counter. "Dad? Dad, is that you?" Duncan asked, looking confusedly at Engleberg. "Oh, no!" Rose and Calleigh both thought.
Ian was determined to keep Duncan out of his former brother-in-law's grasp—even if he had to put himself in harm's way to do it.
Horatio and Eric heard everything; Horatio warned, "Everyone be ready, and use caution-we have a minor inside." Then he gave the signal to Frank to have the officers surround the store.
"Irene," Engleberg said impatiently, "get Duncan and let's go!"
"We need to get his jacket and things, Robert. It's much too cold out for him." Calleigh was stalling for time now; she needed to get the family out of the way. "Rose, could you please help me get Duncan's things?"
"Of course, dear!" Rose replied nervously. As Calleigh, Duncan, and Rose headed for the back, Engleberg shouted, "And no more tricks, Irene—or I'm coming back there!"
"No, Robert!" Ian quickly moved in front of the counter entrance and backed up towards the back door. "You're not going to hurt them ever again!"
With Calleigh, Rose, and Duncan out of immediate harm's way, Horatio gave the signal to enter the store. The officers quickly entered the store through both entrances. Horatio led the way through one door; Frank through the other. As Engleberg pulled his gun, Ian ran for the back of the store. "Drop the weapon, Albert!" Horatio ordered.
"I'm not leaving without my wife and son!" Albert shouted at Horatio. Albert then tried to run for the door that Ian had just bolted behind him; Eric quickly blocked his path. "YOU!" Engleberg snarled,"You took my wife from me!" an enraged Engelberg fired at Eric. Eric quickly ducked and returned fire. Ryan and several other officers also returned fire; a wounded Engleberg screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Fire and Rescue came in; Eric warned the medics about Engleberg's precarious mental state. Engleberg screamed for "Irene" as he was being taken to the hospital.
Eric then looked anxiously around the store. "CALLEIGH!" Eric called out, kicking in the storage room door to search for his teammate and the Grahams. He soon found all four near some patrol cars; all four had escaped through the service entrance. Eric hugged Calleigh so tightly that she had to remind him of the listening device: "Hey, I don't think my heartbeat counts as evidence!"
Natalia was heading back to her Hummer when she saw Duncan sitting in a squad car; his aunt and uncle were talking to an officer. Natalia walked over and sat next to the young man, noticing how strangely calm Duncan seemed to be. He looked up at Natalia and asked very solemnly, "Is it over, ma'am?"
"Well, Duncan, THIS part of it is," Natalia, wrapping a blanket around the shivering Duncan, replied gently. And for the first time in two years, Duncan Graham allowed himself to grieve the loss of his mother. Natalia simply allowed the young man cry on her shoulder. There would be plenty of time for questions later.