A/N: The next chapter is up and running!
I don't know about you but I'm trying of too much sugary stuff popping up, no offense to the writers.
Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister, plot (c) me
8.
Handling the media is never easy especially when the public's opinion is against the situation. That day was no different as the reporters swarmed the main entrance of the lab; all asking painfully similar questions.
"Are there any suspects in consideration?" "What exactly happened to Jake Lai?" "Is there a threat to other residents to Sunset Boulevard?" "Was it a jealous ex-girlfriend?"
Horatio kept his stare cold and detached from any journalist, as he was taught to. His case was still in its infancy but the public wanted to tear it apart in favor of the deceased. They were still missing the murder weapon and the suspect pool all had costly lawyers to back them up. "Mr. Jake Lai was murdered in an empty lot a couple of yards outside Sunset Boulevard twelve hours at 04: 54 am. As of right now, we are examining witnesses and testing evidence. No further questions."
The frenzy began once more as the reporters clamored for more juicy information. Horatio stepped down from the provided podium as Public Relations stepped in. The lieutenant was hoping his team was having better luck with their individual tasks. He entered his glass-walled office and watched as Eric readied himself to face the Lai family, as Calleigh launched the DNA search on the cigarette butts.
To kill some time until his next call, Daikonran decided to clear the examination table and help Dr. Woods, not to mention Sexie, with their workload. It wasn't the first time he'd had to reverse a plastic surgery; Miami was the capital for unlicensed surgeons. It was another quirk that the city had that enamored him into staying; he'd always have work to do. He picked up a few instruments and proceeded to sterilize them. But something kept bothering the doctor's mind; the carbon and potassium based residue and the metal shavings.
Daikonran took a new scalpel from the storage units and observed it closely. A hunch told him that the exit wound was too deep to be a knife as he took a slab of pig meat used for experimental purposes. Kino then pierced the meat as if he were holding a switchblade; no match could be compared to the actual wound. Ok, what sharp metallic object is there that could be covered in potassium and carbon-based garnish? His hematrophic eyes grew as he organized his thoughts and realized the answer to his own question. Kino quickly compared the wound and dialed Horatio's number.
"Caine." "It's a sword." Horatio's mind was still in the press conference but he played along. "Your murder weapon left a distinct pattern and entrance path unlike a knife or a switchblade." Daikonran elaborated as he replicated the stabbing motion of an average sword. Sure enough, the pig meat parted in a parallel wedge, contorting to the blade's shape. The lieutenant understood the implications. "A sword equals premeditation, meaning manslaughter's out of the question." "I have some sample weapons back at home. Do you want me to bring them in?" Kino smiled, satisfied at the experiment's results. "If you can." "Then I'll need Sexie's help." A knock on his door and Daikonran realized his help had just arrived in the shape of Ryan Wolfe.
"Mr. Wolfe, would you like to help me with an errand?"
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Lai." Eric began as the couple positively identified their son. They were a short couple, quite unlike their child, both very conservative and reserved in talking. The CSI had shown both before and after pictures with the latter provoking a tearful response. "My baby son…he always wanted to stand above the rest." Mary, the mother, managed to say through sobs.
"He befriended a lot of people due to my position. Some of them were nice but others were less than desirable in our household. Those were Jake's supposedly closest." Dan pointed out while comforting his wife. Their behavior reminded Delko of his own parents, mourning Marisol's untimely death.
"Could you list these companions?" he requested as he handed the couple a piece of paper. With a quivering hand, Mary took a pen and wrote down twelve names.
The DNA database search had been launched just five minutes prior; beeping just as Calleigh fixed her lab-required ponytail. Epithelial evidence matched to one 40-year-old Rodney Callejo; a hired bodyguard to the Straight family. Even though he was a live-in, he listed his cellphone as the only means of contact. Noting the burly demeanor projected by the picture, Duquesne smiled lightly.
Looks like a man too big to be bossed around by such a petite girl.
After a crosscheck, the line went dead and there went a possibility of an interview. Another window popped and his criminal history came up, noting aggression as a favorite. At least we have a face and a ten card to go with it. She pulled up all the fingerprints on the case and, one by one, began to compare them all. Again, no matches were found but the ballistics expert decided to search the whereabouts of this "particular interesting" person.
A quick knock on her door twenty minutes and Calleigh looked up to see her boss. The lieutenant silently motioned her to excuse herself from her work, Duquesne gladly walking out of her post. Horatio then did the same with Eric, who thanks to the Lais, had a list of Jake's contacts. They met up in the small conference room just besides the gun and weapons lab. "What's up, H?"
"This is what's up, ladies and gents." A familiarly cocky voice replied from inside. Daikonran had strewn on the lit table one of every type of sword in his domestic collection, causing both Delko and Wolfe's jaw to drop and Calleigh's eyes to widen.
"Wow." Was the only thing to come out of any of the CSIs.
A/N: Reviews are welcome