The Return

Chapter 28

Eric's heart sank as he observed Horatio's reaction to the question. The look his mentor gave Calleigh was unmistakable – it was one of uncertainty. Or, that they'd made up their mind and Horatio was not planning to return to the lab.

The CSI could feel the blood drain from his face in an instant. Now I'm afraid of what his answer will be.

Sinking back into the chair, Eric swallowed hard, his mind racing with all the reasons Horatio needed to return as supervisor. Not the least of which he didn't feel confident enough to take over the position, but as a team they counted on his advice daily. I'll make a mess of everything… just as I do with everything else. I'm not the man Horatio is.

Horatio's hesitating, deep, and smooth voice penetrated the cloud of panic Eric felt at the moment.

"I can't answer that yet Eric. Calleigh and I are meeting with the chief tomorrow morning – I'll know more then."

"But H," Eric strongly retorted not satisfied with such an evasive answer, "surely you can't be considering not returning. The team needs you… I need you. We…"

"Whatever my decision turns out to be Eric, you and the team will be fine. I personally selected each and every one of you myself and I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think that one day any one of you couldn't fill my position when the time came. As for Calleigh, she can't return to the lab which I'm sure you realize, but she's found being a teacher very rewarding," Calleigh felt Horatio's hand tighten around hers as he smiled and turned his head towards her, "so she plans to continue teaching."

The next morning, Horatio and Calleigh sat in the chief's office facing the large mahogany desk and the stern looking man sitting behind it.

Adam Rodriguez had been chief of the Miami Dade Police Department for fifteen years and took great pride in his crime lab. The man responsible for making that lab one of the tops in the nation was sitting before him now, Horatio Caine. The man had selected and trained the best team, because he was the best at what he did; collect and expertly present sound evidence to convict the guilty. He'd never known anyone as relentless as Caine in scouring a crime scene for the key piece of evidence that would be pivotal in a case. Many times they'd butted heads, but they had a mutual respect for the other that transcended their differences. It would be hard to count the many times Caine would disprove his critics. But as Rodriguez stared blankly at the filled out form, accompanied by a letter lying in front of him, a sick feeling grew in his core, knowing that things would never be the same.

"So… I'm looking at your retirement request… are you sure about this? You've really decided to hang it up?"

Horatio's response to hearing the astonishment in the chief's voice caused him to quickly dip his head trying to avoid witnessing his superior's disbelief. Staring at the floor, Horatio's lips pressed into a thin line, actually wondering if he'd be able to say the words aloud that his intention was to do just that – retire. He knew it was the right time; time to give the younger generation an opportunity to take over. Isn't it? Remembering how happy they were in Maine… despite the constant threat of being found, the different work helped me to realize that it was time to give up the crime lab.

Calleigh knew the decision to retire was not an easy one for Horatio; it was hard for her too. She felt the tears welling in her own eyes at the chief's question. She and Horatio had anguished over the decision for days… but she'd made it clear though it was strictly to be his decision and that she'd support him in whatever he decided - although secretly she'd prayed that he would retire. She knew her feelings on the matter were purely selfish… wanting more than anything to finally stop worrying about him being out in the field, putting himself in danger almost daily.

His breathing steadying, Horatio straightened in his chair and returned his attention to the chief as he replied softly,

"I think thirty-two years is long enough." Pausing for a few moments he added, "If I may make a suggestion Chief - Eric Delko should be the one to take over the lab. He'll pass the lieutenant's exam and in my opinion, he's ready to lead the lab. He has great instincts when it comes to forensics plus, he's done a good job in my absence and the team knows him - trusts him - and that's important. The lab will be in good hands under his leadership."

Chief Rodriquez lowered his eyes back to the letter on his desk and knew this was the passing of an era. Hearing movement his head shot up as Horatio laid the gold shield and holstered gun next to the letter. Letting out a loud sigh, Rodriguez's body sank back into the buttoned leather executive chair as his hands quickly covered his face.

Dropping his hands, Rodriquez looked up at the redhead standing before him and commented,

"I can't picture you playing dominoes Horatio… what are your plans?"

Horatio explained.

Walking out of the chief's office and toward the elevators with Calleigh's hand in his, he felt a mixture of confusion, doubt, anxiety and relief all swirling inside to the point that light-headedness swept over him momentarily. Stopping suddenly, Calleigh turned her watery eyes on her husband and squeezed his hand signaling she was there for him.

"Are you ok?"

Her touch immediately soothed him. Smiling as he turned his head toward her, he saw her concern and returned the gesture by griping her hand tighter,

"As long as you're with me I am."

Continuing down the hall, they'd promised the team that they'd join them at one of their favorite spots for lunch, Lou's on the Bay.

Sitting around the large table outside on the patio, colorful sails on boats zipped past the diners as they caught the wind creating a perfect backdrop on the beautiful sunny day. Everyone had ordered drinks – non-alcoholic – as everyone on the team had to return to duty. Calleigh thought a mimosa would be just what she needed after their meeting with the chief. Horatio, as usual, ordered a club soda.

"So, how'd it go with the chief H?"

Walter thought he'd venture out on that limb everyone else was carefully avoiding and find out what Horatio had decided to do.

Horatio smiled slightly, but no one could see the pain reflecting in his eyes behind the sunglasses.

"I'll tell you after Frank arrives."

Frank had called Horatio on his cell to let him know that he got held up at the courthouse testifying in a trial, but was on his way.

Everyone was chatting amicably except Delko who sat silently listening to the others. Eric, already taking on the persona that seemed to go with being shift commander, seemed more serious Horatio thought as he watched the young man. I need to tell him not to let the job consume him like I allowed it to do. He needs a capable person to help him. I'm going to suggest that he make Mr. Wolfe his assistant to help carry the load. The young man would be perfect to help with the paperwork.

"Hey… y'all not start'n without ol' Frank now are ya?" The big detective's voice thundered as he approached.

Horatio grinned – I'm really going to miss working with Francis. It's been what… close to twenty-five years since we were first partnered together in patrol, when I joined the force.

"Francis," Horatio called out as he stood to welcome his long-time friend. "We've just gotten started on our drinks. Care for something?"

"Hell yeah, after a long morning at that damn courthouse. I need the tallest beer they got in this joint."

Horatio raised his eyebrows at his friend's response and Frank noticed.

"I got the rest of the day off H – although I could actually use a couple a weeks if you wanna know the truth after working this case."

Horatio chuckled knowing full well the feeling of relief seeing a case all the way through the trial. Almost nothing was better than the feeling of closure.

"I hope the outcome was good."

"You bet it was – the sick bastard got the death penalty and no one deserved it more."

Frank caught the waiter and ordered his beer before the two men sat down.

"What case was it Francis?"

Calleigh listened with heightened interest sitting between the two men.

Turned toward Frank she asked, "Would that be the guy we tracked down several months ago after finding his wife and mother-in-law, in chains inside their house, with their hearts cut out?"

Eager to forget that scene, Frank visibly cringed before brusquely replying, "Yep… the same."

"Seems the court moved fast on this one," Horatio remarked, although unfamiliar with the case, realizing the crime happened during his absence.

"Helps that the older woman was a childhood friend of Judge Palmer," Frank responded.

Natalia spoke up, "I just wish other cases would move as fast. All victims are someone's loved ones."

Horatio looked wistfully out over the emerald water which was gleaming under the bright sun, identifying all too well with her frustration before turning his attention on the young brunette,

"You're so right Miss Boa Vista… and the sad thing is our justice system appears to be getting worse every day."

I'm certainly not going to miss dealing with the justice system's inadequacies, Horatio thought to himself. As he listened to the conversation around the table, someone who suddenly appeared at the bar drew his attention in that direction. Well I'll be damned… Vinnie Benedetto. His jaw instantly clenched at the sight. I thought he'd been killed a few years back, but it certainly appears to not be the case. If I could get my hands on that piece of trash...

Standing, Horatio quickly excused himself from the table while leaning down close to Calleigh whispering that he needed the men's room and would be back shortly. As he walked away, he couldn't see Calleigh's expression when she realized who was standing at the bar.

As the others laughed and talked, Calleigh turned to Frank on her other side to make a request.

"Frank, take a look toward the bar and notice who's standing there."

The detective squinted as his eyes adjusted to the darker interior of the restaurant and just caught a glimpse of the big man standing with two other men at the bar obviously interested in something, or someone at the other end. Diverting his eyes quickly to see what held their attention his demeanor quickly soured as he realized it was Horatio they were watching.

"I see a ghost… Vinnie was supposedly killed a few years back – or so we thought and now he's here. This ain't good."

Vinnie Benedetto had been a thorn in Horatio's side for many years, as well as the team's, back in the day when the Italian Mob waged open turf battles for control of sections of Miami. He headed a branch of one of the rival families trying to control the lion's share of the drug trafficking. During that dark time they all wondered if MPD was fighting a losing battle attempting to stay on top of the many random killings of intended mob targets, as well as innocents who happened to get in the way. Then one day news on the street was that Vinnie had been killed. The violence soon tapered off so everyone thought he must have been; until now.

As Horatio got closer to the men's room, he became aware that someone had fallen in behind him, he hoped it was Vinnie. He intentionally wanted to lure the man to a private area for an explanation for his reappearance in Miami.

Vinnie, accompanied by the two thugs tagging along behind, entered the room alone as his eyes darted around, scanning the restroom in search of the redhead, but realizing too late that Horatio was waiting behind the door.

The swift and violent push that sent him slamming chest first into the tiled wall momentarily took Vinnie's breath away. The strong hand that wrenched his right arm into a painful position behind his back and the arm behind his neck effectively pressing his face to the wall caused him to shout angrily,

"WHAT IN HELL IS THIS? IF THIS IS YOU CAINE – YOU'RE SCREWED!"

Vinnie knew Horatio had the jump on him, but also knew his men were just outside. Immediately hearing his men enter, he felt the grip loosen on his painful arm. Turning toward the commotion behind him, the angry man bent over rubbing his strained right shoulder with his left hand and angrily stared at Horatio while his two men held the struggling Lieutenant between them.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT… you almost broke my shoulder!"

Growling Horatio shot back, "I should have broken your neck considering the number of innocent people you murdered… one of them being a PRIEST!"

One of the victims in the turf wars had been a priest Horatio had grown fond of at St. Vincent's Cathedral in South Miami, Father Thomas Anastos. He'd often gone to the church seeking solace after working particularly brutal crime scenes involving children during his years of police work and in short time; they had formed a close bond – especially after Horatio discovered the fondness his friend had for fishing.

During the turf wars, Father Anastos had been conducting Evening Vespers when family members from the Benedetto Family burst into the sanctuary brandishing assault weapons and began shooting at the crowd intending to kill opposing family members at the service. Several innocents were killed along with Tom. He died from gunshot wounds received as he stood at the altar. He never had a chance.

Vinnie shot back, "It was never proven I had anything to do with any murders! It was just YOU and your hotshot CSIs who tried to tie me into all that!"

The lie caused Horatio to strain against the grip of the two men. He wanted more than anything to strangle the trash standing there with his bare hands.

"You and I both know you ordered that hit – with no concern about innocent people…" Horatio growled out the statement through clenched teeth.

"We're gonna take a little trip Caine, but before we do…"

Vinnie swiftly kicked Horatio in the right knee as hard as he could. Horatio collapsed in the men's grip in excruciating pain. The pain paralyzed his entire leg, effectively rendering him helpless.

"That's our insurance you won't run. Get him to the car… his friends will come looking for him any minute."

The men half dragged Horatio through a door just to the right of the men's room that lead to an alley where a large sedan waited – engine running. Vinnie got in the front passenger seat as the two men tossed Horatio in the back as they would have a sack of garbage. Horatio stifled the scream of pain that threatened to leap from his throat as he landed on his painful knee. The car quickly made its way to the street at the end of the block and joined into traffic.

Frank opened the men's room door with Eric anxiously entering behind him.

Walking around for just a moment was long enough to know it was empty until the door behind them opened suddenly and both men spun around, hands immediately grabbing the grip of their holstered guns, only to realize the intruder was a thin built, young man who drew back seeing the two armed men – immediately throwing his hands in the air as he stammered,

"Don't shoot – I… I just came to use…" before he turned and ran back through the door into the restaurant.

"Where in the hell is H?" Frank bellowed, his voice echoing through the vacant marbled room.

Eric gravitated to a still glistening, wet smear on the tiled wall a few feet away and snapped on a pair of latex gloves before dabbing the wet substance.

"This looks like saliva. I'll need to get my kit out of the Hummer to make sure."

Frank stared at the wall for a second and then responded, "While you're getting that, I'm gonna check with the staff to see if somebody saw something."

Frank walked out behind Eric mumbling to himself then stopped a waiter who had just entered the hallway.

Showing the young man his badge, Frank ordered, "I want the men's restroom locked and the key given to me. No one is to enter until I say so – understood?"

"Yes sir." The young waiter quickly turned and walked toward the manager standing near the bar.

Calleigh, already sensing something was wrong, stopped Eric as he walked toward her.

"Where's Horatio? What's going on?"

She had noticed Frank standing outside the restroom wearing a worried expression.

Eric looked her in the eye answering truthfully, "He's not in the men's." He glanced around the restaurant at the diners, enjoying their meal and companions before returning his attention to Calleigh.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know where he is," he answered before resuming his mission.

Calleigh stared blankly at Eric's retreating back as he headed toward the front door.

By this time the others had realized something was going on and walked in from the patio area making their way toward Calleigh.

"Something wrong?" Natalia inquired first as they approached.

"Did any of you see Horatio walk through the restaurant and out the door?"

Natalia's face screwed in puzzlement before quickly replying. "I didn't."

Ryan and Walter both shook their heads no.

"Why, has Horatio left?" Walter asked dumbfounded.

Calleigh didn't respond right at the moment as her thoughts turned to the previous night.

Horatio received a call from his father, requesting that he come see him today. Horatio told him that he had other matters to tend to, but would get back with him one day soon. Then today Vinnie reappears. Is it coincidence, or planned? I need to tell Frank.

TBC…

A/N: Thank you for reading this very late update. I do apologize for my tardiness. My summer has been extremely busy, but while I never intended to stay away from this story as long as I did, please know that I missed writing for all of my readers very much. Things are beginning to slow down now and I do plan to complete the story. Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!