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

[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.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Seeing the window of opportunity open, Horatio advanced on the woman, wrapping his arms around her and knocking her to her knees. He heard her gun discharge once before she dropped it.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Jackie flinches at the gunshot....but she's not hit. Slowly she turns till she sees what happened and she drops her hands to her sides with a sigh of relief, stepping away from the edge to sit down on the concrete roof. "We've got to stop doing this," she croaks, trying to smile.

The woman they've caught is crying and distraught, she doesn't even say anything as she's being read her rights.

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

Security arrives and once Horatio is done mirandizing her, they take her downstairs.

Instead of following after them, he sits next to Jackie on the roof and sighs. "I agree, we really do need to stop doing this." His tone is even but there is a hint of a smile on his face.

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Her expression to him is a bit incredulous. "And you can smile after all this?" She doesn't wait for him to answer, but leans over against him with a sigh of relief. Happy that they survived it all.

"So, after all of this, I still don't know what it is I saw that I shouldn't have."

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

His smile broadens at her question, but he sobers up quickly. "The trunk. You weren't supposed to see the trunk they were carrying."

[psychette10.livejournal.com]

Her face screws up to remember. "Oh yeah...that was kind of a big tru..." She sits up. "Oh, no, it had a body in it, didn't it?"

[lt-horatiocaine.livejournal.com]

He shouldn't tell her, she's been through enough already. But she deserves to know. Horatio nods his head slowly. "Yes."