Chapter 12

Mornings for Horatio always had more optimism than the evenings. He hoped it might be the same for Manon. Sipping on his coffee, he called her again. To his great relief she picked up.

"I'm sorry about last night."

"It happens. Remember, I am a forensic anthropologist. Sometimes I get called at odd hours to examine remains; perhaps not as often as you but it happens. This gave me a chance to go to bed early so I could get an early start on the grave site. I'm there now. The Tequesta Council wants to retrieve as many artifacts as possible. The Council wants to know the extent of the site and then give the final blessing to the burials. They also want to retrieve one of the old bodies for examination to be sure it is a Native American site. Once done they will display it as it was found in their museum."

Horatio noted that her rate of speech was slightly faster than normal, a possible indication that she was hiding something. Did she really go to bed early? He didn't quite understand the job of a forensic anthropologist, especially not one who worked in a museum. Then he scolded himself for always thinking like a cop. He didn't know her well enough to know if she was hiding anything or was on her fifth cup of coffee. In an effort to make up for the suspicions, he asked, "Want to take a chance on another dinner date?"

Disappointingly, she hesitated before accepting adding, "I don't know when though. Let me call you about that later, alright?"

He was really glad he was talking to her on the phone because he doubted he was hiding his disappointment. He only hoped his voice was better at it. "Good, I'll let you get back to work." He hung up. How did other people in law enforcement do it? They obviously did since many were married twice or even four times or more. That took a lot dating. He forgot his coffee and left it cooling on the kitchen counter as he departed for work.

# # #

"Calleigh, how are you this morning?"

"Oh, you know, I'm a morning person, like you." She knew him well enough to be able to say this. Although when she first arrived at the lab several years before she was a fresh graduate from the new idea of forensic studies, she had quickly caught on to the real world of crime, becoming Horatio's second in command of the slowly growing team. Changing the equivalent space of a broom closet to a functioning investigative unit, with a lab tech, the two solved cases that baffled the police detectives. Until Speed's arrival, she and Horatio worked like a well-oiled team who had known each other for years. Speed's arrival, curt as he seemed to be, increased the solve rate dramatically. The young man fit into the whole like he'd started at the beginning. Still, there was a special relationship that she never lost with Horatio.

"There was an interesting development last night."

"Do tell."

Horatio related all that had gone on from Letitia's confession to her father's attack and subsequent denial of her confession.

As usual, Calleigh listened attentively, playing out each detail in her mind. When he finished she blinked her blue-green eyes dramatically and said, "So it's he said/she said and we're no closer that we were before."'

Swinging his jacket back and putting his hands on his hips, Horatio nodded saying, "Yup."

"Well, look, why don't I talk with Letitia when she is brought in? Sometimes talking with a woman is easier especially for a teenage girl. There has to be a reason for the innocent one to take the blame besides familial protection."

"Good thought. Call me when you're done."

"Will do."

Further down the hall, Horatio saw Ryan entering his lab section. He found the latest team member about to go over the witness testimony again. Telling him about the latest development, he continued with, "Keeping that in mind, continue as if we are still looking for a different suspect in the Deeshawn case. If you find any clue that doesn't relate to that idea, put it aside under unknown."

"So, if I come up with is a dead end in family and friends' testimony, I can look at the extra clues in context to Letitia's confession." Ryan's eyes lit up with interest.

"Exactly."

"Okay, I'll do that." He looked around the counter spaces crowded with equipment, files, and boxes of evidence from other cases.

Outside the room, peering through the blinds from the darker hall, Horatio could see the ever meticulous Ryan looking around for the exact right space he would use to put the notes he would use as extra clues. As much as he had loved Speed, the young man's sloppiness, especially in relation to the care and cleaning of his pistol, was what had gotten him killed. Ryan might get killed for overthinking a situation but never for lack of gun care or any fussy arrangement of his surroundings.

Delko was in the evidence room with transparencies up on the light board. All were photos of Beeks' neck taken from different angles, different exposures and with different cameras to show the bruising.

"Hey H, I still can't figure out what made the mark. I used every photographic technique I could think of too. Problem is, even looking at the back of this guy's neck I see his face, Speed's face. Maybe I'm still trying to get the similarity out of my head."

"I can relate. He was family and the loss is still close in our minds. Maybe putting it in perspective of finding his killer again will help."

Delko shrugged and shook his head. "I'll give that a try. Ignoring it sure doesn't help. So far, all I see is a half-moon shaped indentation with a waffling on the inside. The black cotton thread is too generic to be of any help. The weapon was something that could break his neck but not kill him.

I had Calleigh come in a look too. Neither one of us can think up anything that would leave a mark like that."

"How about getting out of the lab and going back to interview the family again? It's possible we're missing a connection which isn't the dishes. I don't think Beeks would have been killed so close to home if it was because of whatever the dishes were about. From what I understand he never brought those near his residence. I want you to especially talk with the son. He may know more than he was willing to say in front of his mother."

"Should I get a search warrant?"

"Without knowing what we're looking for, I don't think that's a good idea. Wait until after the interview. We might get some ideas then."

"Do you think I should bring them in?"

"Only if necessary," came the whispered reply.

Delko pursed his expressive lips and nodded.

"While you're out there, please talk with the neighbors as well."

"And bring them in if necessary." Eric's lips went into a cockeyed grin.

Horatio's look fell to the floor as his hands went to his slender hips. He smiled.

"I'll see you later."

The trip might not be absolutely necessary but it would get Eric's head on straight. It was bad enough that everybody felt Speed's loss and were barely on the road to recovering, each in their own way. This was a real pothole.

Just as he was about to sigh, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and was happy to see Manon's number.

"I hope Alexx is ready to look at at least one more body."

"At least?"

"We were looking in the area around the broken wall and found a recent burial. Ten to twenty years from the looks of it. From the lay of the land in the rest of the yard, I think there might be more."

"I'll send Alexx out with Ryan and the ground sonar."