Miami-Dade Sheriff
Megan Duquesne knew the reputation of Lieutenant Horatio Caine. But she was not prepared to face him the moment she walked into her daughter's condo and into the living room. The door had been left unlocked on purpose. The light was off, she flicked it on. Horatio sat in the armchair a few feet away.
"Mrs. Duquesne," Horatio greeted her without emotion. "It's rude to enter a home without knocking. Especially when you're not invited—not wanted here."
Megan snickered.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Horatio Caine. I heard all about you. What are you? The personal sheriff of everyone in Dade-County? People call you whenever they have a problem? I knew my daughter would call you. It just proves me right. Her husband doesn't have the balls to face me."
"That's where you're wrong, ma'am. Eric did want to confront you but with your blatant disregard for Calleigh's feelings and well-being, he needed to be with her more. That's why I'm here.
"Do you have any idea what this amount of undue stress can do to a pregnant woman and the health of her baby? Or is it you know but you just don't care?"
Megan snorted.
"I take that to mean the latter. After all, you want to ask a Florida family court to separate a three-week-old nursing newborn from her mother for a week every month. Hundreds of miles away may I add.
"No court will grant you that request. Especially with your taste in men, or do you keep that a secret from your friends in Baton Rouge? You take this visitation issue to court and I personally guarantee that this will the first thing the judge hears about you. I'll make sure your church friends and neighbors know your true colors as well."
Frank had a friend in the Baton Rouge PD. Megan's taste in men was pedophiles. She was currently living with a convicted felon whose type of victims was toddler boys.
"You wouldn't do that," Megan spat out.
This baby was Eric and Calleigh's and he hadn't yet been asked to be godfather but that didn't mean he didn't already care for the child and have concern about her welfare if Calleigh's mother had access to her.
"Then you don't know all about me, because I will. If you turn around and take the next plane back to where you came from, lose any information in which you could contact your daughter and her family, then unless one of your boyfriends re-offends, which the Louisiana police will deal with, then I'll leave you alone Otherwise, you hasn't seen all I could do to make your life miserable."
Former Miami-Dade detective, turned private investigator Yelina Salas waited in her car in the parking lot. When Horatio had called her and told her of Calleigh's problem, Yelina immediately offered to help him. Having worked with Eric and Calleigh before she quit the department following her husband's death she had seen the chemistry between them and had been happy to find out they were finally together. They were on the verge of starting a family and it should have been the happiest time in their lives. Yet someone was trying to spoil that and that knowledge pissed Yelina off. Prior to this Yelina had no idea of Calleigh's anything but happy childhood. Even knowing now it was difficult to comprehend how Calleigh's own mother could be so cold.
Yelina followed the cab that Megan entered when she exited the condominium. Megan drove straight to the airport. She purchased a plane ticket to Baton Rouge. Her flight left in two hours. The private investigator hung around the airport waiting area, leafing through a newspaper. When the boarding call was made, she watched her subject pass through security and board the plane. Yelina remained there till the plane took off. She then called H.
"She's out of here, Horatio," she said.
Now all Calleigh's boss had to made sure of was that Megan didn't return and that she lost Calleigh's number and address.
It was close to eight-thirty when Horatio called his home number and Eric answered. Eric had just managed to get his wife to calm down and get some sleep. Although she was sleeping now Calleigh's muscles were tense. Eric knew Calleigh couldn't get the thought of her mother threatening her future family life out of her head.
"Maybe you could wake her just to let her know that Megan will no longer be a problem. Right now she's on a plane to go back where she came from. You guys should stay there tonight if Calleigh's settled in. I'll stay here and watch your place."
"Thanks, H," Eric said.
"Not a problem, Eric. Not a problem."
Not that he had to, but Horatio had definitely earned the role of the Delko's unborn baby's godfather in many people's opinions.
"Calleigh," Eric whispered, laying down next to his wife on the bed in Horatio's bedroom. "Wake up, mi amor."
Calleigh opened her eyes.
"What is it?" She asked. "What did she do?"
"Shh, querida. It's all taken care of. She's gone, sweetheart. She's on a plane back home. H scared the life out her and sent her running. We won't hear from her again."
Calleigh heaved a peaceful sigh. Her husband could feel the tension leave her body. He kissed her head.
"You and baby girl need to go to sleep," Eric said to her, rubbing her belly in circles. "We'll stay here tonight and go home in the morning."
Calleigh didn't argue as she cuddled into her husband's bare chest, inhaling his scent. They knew Horatio cared about the child Calleigh and Eric were going to have. There was no question that he and the baby were going to get along well.
"We definitely have to talk to Horatio tomorrow," she said.
Eric knew what she meant and couldn't agree more.
