**Author's note** Thank you for those who have reviewed. For the couple of you who have asked, I've never been a fan of Stetler, so I tend to make him a very bad guy. Anyone who would hit a woman is evil in my book. I have not decided yet if Stetler is as bad as he is being made out to be. Input would be appreciated. So

Here we go.***

Chapter 1: "Ashes Redux."

Horatio had spent the night in the hospital, and other than having his arm in a sling, he was happy to be out. Caine wouldn't feel safe until he could fire his gun again, but Alexx had told him it would be at least another week.

Ryan and Eric were taking turns driving him, as he was not cleared for a department car yet. Iab had pounced on the two CSI's almost as soon as the hospital told them that the two men were available for visitors. The new Lead of the IAB was a Leiutenant John Oswald, A six-foot black man who, despite being IAB was likeable.

Horatio had met the man only once before, back when he himself was a bomb rat, and they had been called out to the police station to diffuse a suspicious package. The package had turned out to be a hoax, but the two men had hit it off instantly.

"Caine."

"Oz?" Horatio looked up from his desk as the shadow fell over him. "What can I help you with?"

He held out the report. "I just need your signature on the incident report. And then, as soon as Doctor Woods signs off on your shoulder, I'm going to recommend a session at the range, just to make sure nothing tightens, as long as you are within guidelines, you will be cleared for the street again."

Horatio nodded and reached out to sign the paper.

"Horatio, I know sometimes things get fudged, I know sometimes things don't happen according to the handbook. I won't allow you to hurt someone, but I do take some latitude with "Timely." Now, I do suggest that you and your team talk about your vacation in the office as little as possible. Things are a lot worse than we thought."

"I understand," Horatio smiled, it was the tight-lipped grin that had been on his face so often lately. "I hope that some of the rumors I'm hearing are not true." He carefully leaned over and scrawled on the paper left-handed.

"So do I."

Calleigh knocked on the office door. "Everyone is waiting for you in the layout room."

"Thank you Ma'am."

"Rio?"

"No, I have a nine year old case that had just come back to the top of the pile." Oz nodded.

"Just remember what I said Caine."

"You can count on it."

Horatio left for the layout room, catching up with Calleigh, "Was that Oz?" she asked as she grabbed the door for him.

"It was."

"What did he want?"

"It seems that he has inherited Rick's old Desk." Horatio paused before the layout room door. "And he tells us, to trust no one."

Eric and Ryan were standing at the table, the rest of the team, including Tripp were lounged around the table so that they could all see the computer screens.

"This is Jeffery Douglas."

His Fiancé Lisa Marie Valez was found burned to death in her car. The cause of death was "undetermined" because there were still too many questions without answers.

Here is what we do know. Lisa Valdez was seven weeks pregnant in 2002 when Eric and I found her burned to death behind the wheel of her car. Our prime suspect was Jeffery Douglas. His official report was that he hadn't seen her in about seven weeks. We had another witness who saw him buying her lingerie three days before she died. Unfortunately the fire was so hot that it compromised any evidence there might have been."

Horatio pointed to one of the photos.

"This is his MO. He uses a Molotov cocktail to get rid of any evidence after he loads his victims up with Demerol. "

Eric stepped forward with a glass Jar. He placed it on the table near the pictures. "This is what he used to ignite the car." Eric sloshed it. "Or at least this is an inert version of it. This is an Exothermic Molotov Cocktail. This type of Molotv cocktail has no wick. It relies entirely on exothermic reaction and can very quickly get hot enough to melt glass. They are also extremely simple to make. You take a glass bottle, Paste the Potassium Chloride and sugar to the back of the paper label, fill the bottle with Gasoline and sulphuric acid and screw the lid on tight. When it breaks it ignites."

Horatio leaned on the table. "We have been informed that he may have struck again.

He leaned over and tapped a file folder on the digital desktop. "Now, before I continue, we are certain that Mr Douglas is aware of the open case. He is aware because of this."

Horatio pulled up the sequence of yearly photos that he had been sending. "John Douglas, Jeremy's step-son has brought to our attention the fact that He might have struck again. Possibly twice.

Carmen Perez disappeared shortly before my trip to Rio. She drove away and did not come back. Now John told me that his mother had told him to expect a new brother or sister, and that she was going to tell Jeremy. She disappeared three days later."

"Do we have any idea where she might be?" Calleigh asked.

Horatio nodded. "I called around to some of the other Florida counties, and came up with two cases that looked very similar to our own. Both of them are unidentified."

"If we think one is the mother, who is the other?"

"Julia Mason." Horatio pulled up a picture of her on the digital desktop. "She was a witness against Mr. Douglas in his kidnapping charge. She disappeared the day before she was to testify. And because of it, he went free."

"I'm having the evidence brought over, from the other two crimes. Lets start at the beginning on all three, lets see if there is a way to connect them. Calleigh, I need you to go over the original crime, fresh eyes, see if nine years gives us something to work with.

"Natalia, Wolfe, take the other two Eric and I will assist. We don't want to be accused of tunnel vision. We run this by the numbers," Horatio leaned forward, hand flat on the table. "This men has murdered at least two pregnant women. He knows we are on to him, so work quickly, and keep the pressure up."