Abrupt Crime Scene

[psychette]

The once quiet neighborhood is bustling with activity now. At first, it was an ambulance. Now there are a few police cars showing up. An officer is taping off the crime scene.

It's the courtyard of a hotel in Miami, one of those that was built to simulate being in Mexico. The courtyard is lined with brown flagstones, a decorative fountain in the middle. The hotel curves around the courtyard with a few staircases leading up to the various levels of rooms.

There's a man's silk tie on the ground near the body. He appears to be a janitor for this estate according to his name tag. There's two bullet holes in his side and one in his foot. A few shell cases on the ground as well near the wall.

The paramedics are working on getting a stretcher with Jackie on it into the ambulance.

ooc: if anyone else joins in csi-ish, horatio gets to take point on this case.

Comments

No worries :)

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie nodded, watching him go, a bit worried.

At the nurses station, the lady was saying, "...was hurt today and I drove all the way down here to see her. She's my sister after all, I mean, you'd do the same, right?" The nurse was nodding sympathetically but looked grateful when Horatio was coming towards them, she wasn't sure what to tell this woman.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio approached, and gave a quick nod to the nurse. This woman wasn't Jackie's sister, and while he could have confronted her about it, Horatio rather enjoyed catching people in their lies.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" he said, addressing the woman. "I'm Horatio Caine. You're looking for Jackie?"

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Ah, someone who might know more than this unhelpful nurse. "Yes, I am, do you know where she is? Nobody's been able to point me to her room..." she says with a hand on her hip and a slight scowl.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

He regarded her scowl with a tight smile. "Yes, well I can see how that could be a problem for you." He paused a moment to put his hands on his hips, exposing his gun and badge in the process. "But we're in the middle of an investigation. Giving out that kind of information could cause problems. You understand, don't you?"

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

The woman caught sight of the badge and proceeded to turn ten shades of pale. But she tried to cover it up by smoothing a lock of her hair away from her face. "Ah I see...yes I understand. Perhaps it would be better if I came back another time when she's feeling better...sorry to have troubled you." She grabbed her purse off the counter, turning to go to the elevators a bit hurriedly.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Horatio used the nurse's desk phone to reach the patrol car he knew was outside. He gave them her description, asked them to keep an eye on her and hung up.

Returning to Jackie's room, Horatio sat down in the chair again. "Um... I want to put an officer at the door until you can be discharged, okay?"

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie nodded, more than a little creeped out that she'd been followed to the hospital of all places. In a raspy voice, she asked, "Wonder why...she wanted me...?"

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio frowned, not really wanting to say what he was about to. "For the same reason you were strangled today. They might have thought you saw something you weren't supposed to see."

"Tell me, what is your friend's name that you were visiting at the hotel?"

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie took another sip of water before replying. "Sara...flew in from New York. I didn't...stay long. She was jet-lagged and wanted to sleep."

She's got a worried look, even if she's trying not to show it. "You mean, she might come back..." It's more of a statement than a question.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio nodded and made a mental note to check on a Sara staying at the hotel.

"It's...a possibility." he said softly. "That is why I want you protected."

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie nods, coughing a bit from using her voice. "Thanks..." she gives him a smile.
The nurse comes in, fluffing her pillows and giving H the look that says, you should really let her rest now.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Understanding the look, Horatio stands to his feet. "If you remember anything else, just text me." On impulse, Horatio kisses the crown of Jackie's head and turns to walk away.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie gives him a smile and settles down into the bed to rest.

Halfway to H's hummer in the parking lot, his cellphone rings. It's the two guys watching that lady's car. "She hasn't come out to her car yet, sir. It's been awhile, we thought we should check in..."

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio stopped dead in his tracks and turned slowly to the hospital. She was still inside. "Thank you gentlemen." he said into the phone before hanging up. He rushed back in the hospital, concerned for Jackie's safety.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

The nurses were just switching shifts when he got to the floor Jackie was on. One of them looked up quizzically at Horatio from the desk, noting his badge.

Jackie's bed is empty in her room.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio swore under his breath and looked around as if Jackie would just show up out of nowhere. "You have a patient missing." he says to the curious nurse. "Jackie Spencer."

He called the patrol car outside and told them to stay put as he headed down to the security center. "Excuse me." he flashed his badge at the guard. "I need to see the security tape for the last twenty minutes."

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

The nurse looks at him incredulously and then goes to the room to check. "She was just here...one of her friends had just brought her purse from home..."

The security personnel oblige him, running up the security footage. There's Horatio leaving through the elevators. A few minutes later, that same woman from before comes up just as the nurses are switching around so there's a different nurse answering her questions. The lady indicates the purse in her hands and points towards Jackie's room before walking over and disappearing out of camera shot.

A minute after that, Jackie, in her regular clothes is walking with the lady towards the door for the stairs, almost out of camera shot. Jackie's walking slightly ahead of her and the lady has her hands in a coat that she's carrying near Jackie's back.

There's no sign of them at the hospital entrance and she hasn't gone back to her car yet.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Furious couldn’t quite define Horatio’s mood. He pinched the butt of his gun and bit his lip in an attempt to remain calm. “I want every room on every floor checked.”

He took the nearest stairwell, and something in his stomach told him to head for the roof.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile on the roof....

Jackie is standing near the edge, her hands up and her back to the woman holding a gun in her hand. Looking down at the traffic going by the hospital. The woman is talking, "...he's dead because of you. We had it all planned out, nobody was supposed to see us with that trunk." The woman's tone is one of anger as she gestures with the gun in her hand. She stops to compose herself. "So...you'll just have to have an accident." She takes a step forward, she means to push Jackie off the roof.

Jackie croaks out in her raspy voice, "You don't have to do this..."

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Horatio arrives on the roof on the tail end of the woman's sentence. His gun is already drawn and he takes aim at the woman. He's behind her so he slowly sidesteps into her peripheral while Jackie spoke.

"She's right, you don't have to do this." his tone is calm. He doesn't want to frighten this woman, any wrong move on his part could get Jackie killed. "Put the gun down."

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

You can see Jackie tense up at his voice, trying to look over her shoulder, Horatio is here!

The woman on the other hand is not so happy to see H. She has that trapped look, one usually reserved for rabbits and cornered criminals looking for a way out.
"Drop it," she says, gripping her gun with a bit more determination. "Or she dies." She could shoot her very easily at this range and right now it's all she has to bargain with.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

That look in the woman's eye made H's heart beat faster. She wasn't thinking clearly, hadn't been thinking clearly. Regardless of that, he still tried one last time to talk her down.

"I can't do that." he says calmly. His hand tenses on the gun and he adjusts his aim. "Put it down and this will all be over." He did not want to shoot this woman, but he would for Jackie's sake.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

She looks at him with hate written all over her face, a few tears welling up as she says, "No, you know what's over? My boyfriend's life! He's DEAD and it's HER FAULT." The gun wavers a bit. 'If she hadn't been there..."

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

"No." he cut her off. "That was my fault. She didn't pull the trigger, I did. If I hadn't been there he'd still be alive."

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

That realization washes over her face. She's staring stunned at him for a second.

But before she can move, it's Jackie's trembling raspy voice that's heard first. She knows what Horatio is trying to do. "Please...not again, H." She's seen her first person killed today, she doesn't want to see another...

The lady snarls at her, "What? What are you yapping on about? Just SHUT UP." not realizing she's lowered her aim and let her guard down just a hair as she's addressing Jackie.