Hee, aww.
^ Yep, the only other person she ever told was Speed.
Thanks for the reviews!
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Miami, Trace Lab, midnight
Horatio: *walks in* Speed. The trace on our dead man from the heist.
Speed: *grabs paper from printer* Substance on the bottom of his shoes was periphyton algae.
Horatio: Okay, narrow it down.
Speed: How does the Everglades sound?
Horatio: It sounds like a large area to search.
Calleigh: *walks in* Our dead man's name is Bernard Cruz, he's been in and out of prison on assault charges and domestic violence, I don't peg him as an organized criminal. None of this is making any sense. Who steals a police van, calls Ryan away to a bunch of bogus crime scenes, uploads a virus and blows the evidence locker before kidnapping someone who isn't even valuable to them?
Horatio: Who was Heather assigned to all week?
Calleigh: Ryan.
Speed: You think someone's targetting him with this?
Horatio: It certainly seems like a possibility. It may not be about a kidnap or the evidence locker.
Calleigh: Seems like a pretty elaborate setup then.
Horatio: Agreed. The question is why.
Speed: ...The suspects were using a police van, right?
Calleigh: Yeah.
Speed: Did anyone report it stolen?
Calleigh: *stares blankly*
Speed: Because those things are supposed to be cleaned and logged every shift.
Horatio: Speed, go check out the garage. *walks over to door*
Speed: Where are you off to?
Horatio: I'm going to find the vehicle. *walks away*
A/V Lab
Horatio: *places hands on hips*
Katie: *sits, grabs keyboard* Sorry I'm late, I had a thing.
Horatio: *nods* How are we on emergency power?
Katie: We have the backup server online but the programs are still juiced. I can't even run a directory search from the phone book. Unless you want me to try it in the morgue where Calleigh did her search. Different building, different server.
Horatio: I need to turn on the van's low-jack system which is something we can't do down there.
Katie: I might be good with computers but I can't do this with crapped out software and an inconsistant power source.
Horatio: That's probably what the bad guys were counting on. Okay, get over to the PD and try it there.
Katie: It won't be a problem if I can get the vehicle's identification number.
Speed: *walks in* I have it. It's the only one not accounted for. *hands over paper*
Katie: *grabs paper*
Horatio: Did someone sign it out?
Speed: Yeah and you'll never guess who. *hands over notebook*
Horatio: *looks down* ...Ryan Wolfe.
Katie: He stole the van?
Horatio: No. *walks away*
Katie: It'd be nice if let us in on the case every now and then.
Speed: *nods* I thought you were off.
Katie: I was. Horatio wanted me to come in and tinker with the server.
Speed: You.
Katie: *frowns* Yeah. You do realize I was a tech in college before we met. I left to hang out with you guys. *stands, grabs bag from back of chair* Man I miss the old days of college. Did you know I got in early? I'm not as stupid as you think I am.
Speed: There's a difference between being stupid and being an idiot.
Katie: *smiles* Yeah you would know that. *walks away*
Speed: *lifts brow*
Layout room
Horatio: Okay folks here's what we have so far. The evidence locker explosion and shootout was a diversion to take the police van and damage the server so we couldn't track the vehicle. However, the log for the van was signed Ryan Wolfe which I think is this guy trying to laugh in our faces.
Delko: It's a pattern. Ryan's the one who got the call-outs, it was Ryan's phone that uploaded the virus to the server and now Ryan's name is in the log book. Someone's definitely sending him a message.
Ryan: Then why take Heather? We're not exactly co-workers, we're not together, I have the same connection with her as I do with Anni, Jenna or Carly. It doesn't make any sense.
Calleigh: It could be that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Take a hostage, send a bigger message.
Horatio: I think I know who we're after. Officer McInnis.
Ryan: *wide-eyed* Yeah, yeah that guy signed my name in a log at a crime scene a few months back. I busted him for it and drug possession along with collaborating with a suspect in a murder investigation.
Calleigh: That's a pretty fair motive for singling you out.
Ryan: Except I don't get how this makes my life any more difficult.
Delko: If you hadn't gone to check the evidence, Heather probably wouldn't have been taken.
Ryan: *looks at Eric*
Delko: You busted him on evidence so he threw it back in your face. Literally.
Calleigh: Which means you may be directly responsible for her death, if she's been killed already.
Ryan: How does that make me responsible for her death?
Calleigh: She's a visitor here. She was under your supervision.
Ryan: Come on, it's not like I shoved her out in front of the bullets. The lab's security is a priority, I had to act on that.
Delko: The safety of Heather was your priority. You don't run this lab, Wolfe.
Ryan: *glaring* Are you telling me you wouldn't protect the lab?
Delko: I'd protect the unarmed visitor.
Horatio: Okay people, let's focus on the case please. We know the trace from the bottom of our dead man came from the Everglades and the choppers have already been sent out looking for the van. Katie's at the PD right now trying to get the GPS-
Cellphone rings
Horatio: *looks down, opens phone* Speak of the devil. *puts phone up to ear* Yeah.
Ryan: *scratches head*
Calleigh: *sighs*
Horatio: Okay, thank you. *closes phone* The vehicle's 3 miles west of Homestead Airport.
Everglades, 1am
Horatio: *steps through bushes, lifts weapon*
Ryan: *looks around* This is where the vehicle's supposed to be, right?
Horatio: That's correct. The chopper's spotted some disturbance about 30 feet from here before the GPS confirmed the vehicle's location.
Ryan: So this is definitely the place. Where would a vehicle go in here? It's a slough.
Horatio: *lowers weapon* Wolfe, do you see that? Straight ahead.
Ryan: *squints* Red lights. *runs*
Near swamp area
Ryan: *shines flashlight* It's the van, H! It's sinking!
Horatio: *jogs over, dials phone* I'm calling rescue as we speak.
Ryan: They're not going to get through here fast enough H, you know that. What if she's still in there? What are we supposed to do just let it sink?
Horatio: Okay, calm down Ryan. *puts phone up to ear* Yeah, we've located the vehicle, I need rescue here immediately.
Ryan: *jumps into swamp*
Horatio: *on phone* Get me a chopper if you can't get the trucks in here!
Middle of swamp
Ryan: *lifts gun, pulls trigger*
Shot fires across door lock
Ryan: *grabs door, yanks* Heather! *peeks through cage* HEATHER!
Water pours into van
Ryan: *pulls door open, throws gun into water* HEATHER! *reaches toward Heather*
Heather: *coughs, blinks, looks around* Oh my God where am I? *looks down* Am I sinking? Ryan!
Ryan: Grab my hand!
Heather: *reaches onto window cage, pulls self up*
Water rushes in
Heather: *slides down van, coughing*
Ryan: Climb up the cage again, come on.
Heather: *grabs caged windows, climbs*
Ryan: *reaches for Heather's collar, yanks her up*
Heather: *holds onto Ryan's neck*
Ryan: Hold on, hold on. *drags Heather backwards*
Van sinks into swamp
Ryan: You okay?
Heather: I woke up in a sinking coffin, what do you think?
Shore
Heather: *pulls blanket close*
Ryan: *wraps arm around Heather*
Horatio: Heather, do you know who put you in the back of the van?
Heather: *shakes head* I don't know his name. He was...tall though. He had blonde hair and a scar over his right eye.
Horatio: *looks at Ryan*
Ryan: That sounds like McInnis.
Heather: Who's that?
Horatio: A former police officer.
Heather: Some cop shoved me in the back of a van to drown?
Ryan: He has a bit of a grudge against me.
Horatio: Did you see where he went? Did he mention where he was going to anyone else?
Heather: No. He just knocked me out.
Horatio: Alright. We're going to get you to a hospital to get checked out, would that be okay?
Heather: He didn't hurt me that badly.
Horatio: *lifts brows* That may be but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Heather: Don't I have the right to refuse treatment?
Horatio: Yes b-
Heather: Then no. *stands, walks away*
Horatio: *blinks*
Ryan: Feisty thing, isn't she?
Horatio: Indeed.
TBC................
