CSI: Miami "Barely Breathing"

Chapter V

"You seem to be taking your sister's death very well, Miss Priscal." said Horatio.

I scoffed, "Then that just means I'm a good actor." I turned away from the microscope and looked at him, "Nobody really knows how I feel inside."

Horatio took off his black glasses and tucked them away in his pocket, "It doesn't matter about what's outside as much as it does on the inside. But either way, I can tell that you deal with tight situations very well. So even if you don't feel as if you're fine, you sure do seem to be. I know this to be true."

I tried to hide surfacing tears under a forced smile, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Plus we have a case to work on too."

I turned from Lieutenant Caine, and put my eye back to the microscope. I couldn't see anything though, because of the tears that blocked my vision. I waited until Horatio left before I let my feelings fall. I had been holding them in so long, and they just demanded to pour out. But I didn't stop them.

"Jess?" asked a voice.

I didn't turn to them, instead I wiped away the water on my cheeks, and put on a smile. "Yes? What can I help you with?" Turning to see who it was, I faltered. It was Calleigh and Eric. They wouldn't make it easy it weasel my way out of this one. "Hey Calleigh."I lightly waved, "And Eric, I got DNA off that bandage. And guess who it belongs to?"

They ignored what I had said, and instead came over to me. Calleigh took my hands in hers' and looked me straight in the eye, "Jess, we hope you know that we're here for you. All of us. You're not going to be alone on this. So don't try and hide it from us."

Eric gave me a quick pat on the back, "I'm not good with speeches, but yeah, what Calleigh said. I think we've almost all lost someone close."

Eric and I exchanged a g.lance. I remembered what had happened with Marisol, his sister. I was just a deputy when it happened, but we were close. Then when a position opened up, I was bumped up. Apparently Wolfe was in the same situation as I was. At first he resented me, when we were both Miami dade deputies, but after a little time, we became close friends. And then he went and got the job, leaving me without a partner.

"Thanks, Calleigh. Eric, thanks too, I guess."

They gave me a few hugs and then listened to what I had to say. "Okay, the blood on that bandage came from Arya Axel. Not a big surprise, right? And since she was wearing that skimpy dress earlier when you interrogated her, my best guess is that it came from her right side. She could've been in a fight, but autopsy says that Charlie didn't fight back. She didn't even know that she'd been poisoned until it was too late. I think that maybe our killer got some poison on herself, maybe an open cut, and so, she disposed of the bandage while also trying to escape. If we can find the cut, we can match her to the bandage, therefore linking her to the possible murder of my sister."

I took a deep breath while Eric nodded, "We can bring her in tomorrow, since it's so late already. And Natalia found more fingerprints on the glass. Can you guess who?"

Calleigh put a hand to her chin, "I don't know, maybe Arya?"

He nodded.

My anger billowed up even more. She was obviously there, it was bluntly clear that she slipped the poison into my sister's drink. "You got it, first thing tomorrow. We bring that little asshole in." I scowled.

..

On my ride home, there were no more accidents or sightings of crazy people. I locked up my car and stepped inside my house.

Ryan wasn't here yet, so I just ordered a pizza and say on the couch, waiting to hear anymore news. One particular story caught my eye.

"She just....jumped!" yelled a person who they were interviewing.