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The Quotable Caine:
(Referring to Stetler)

"Look what the cat dragged in."
"So Rick, do you ever miss being a real cop?"
"He's a necessary evil."


Stetler goes way out on a limb too thin to support him and crashes through his delusions. In the process, he learns that the brass aren't about to fire his rival, but are more than keen to get rid of him. He would do well to remember Horatio's famous byline "We NEVER close," because it's about to be applied to him.

He consorts with Walter Resden, Horatio's oldest nemesis, to obtain questionable intelligence. He gleefully submits this information to Chief of Police Chet Andrews and District Supervisor Stanley Owens, only to have them refuse it as spurious to their investigations. Frustrated beyond endurance, Rick turns again to his "confidential informant" only to be seen meeting with him by EVERYONE in the division, including the man he's trying to get fired from his job.

Walter noticed the audience, but chose to leave Rick in ignorance so he can drain the goof's bank account of funds. He wasn't sure how much of his intelligence the guy could use, and didn't really care whether ANY of it aided him in his quest to unseat Lieutenant Caine from his post. Neither of them realized they were headed down a dangerous avenue with unreliable allies until it was too late to avoid the traps they'd set for Horatio closing around them instead.

Rick had first suspected Resden was his source of intelligence about his rival when the initial reports had issued from NYC or Manhattan. Most of it wasn't relevant to Horatio's current position, so he'd been forced to discard it. He'd placed it in a separate file within the drawer that held the data that Rick thought relevant to his inquiries. He was being guided in his efforts by a mysterious person at DHS who sounded suspiciously like Agent Charles Park, the man who'd freed Riaz on a deal the day after Caine had buried his beloved wife of a day, Marisol Delko Caine.

Agent Park was livid when he learned of Riaz's death, because he'd been giving the DHS vital information on a Brazilian-based terrorist cell that used Miami as its main base of operations in North America. He was sure that Horatio had no idea of the damage he'd done to anti-terrorism efforts when he'd killed Riaz during his vacation two years ago. But Rick soon learned that he'd been forgiven because even Agent Park had grown weary of Riaz's constant demands for security and other perks while in the country.

He'd been trying for months to uncover what Horatio and Eric had done while on vacation in Brazil, but hadn't been able to pin anything definite on either man. He knew that Riaz was dead, that his country's government was happy to be rid of him, and that no one there was willing to proffer (I know it looks weird, but it's spelled correctly, I checked) information that might unseat the man who'd rid them of a scourge, if only temporarily.


Body count:

None, but several egos and pocketbooks will fall to the man's evil schemes before he's ousted for using such questionable sources to secure his information.

Victims

Horatio and anyone he cares about.

Kyle, Ray, Jr. and Madison Caine are vicitmized by Walter as he tries to embarrass and otherwise inflict torment upon Horatio for his losing Jennifer Walsh. All three evenutally escape his clutches, teaming up to help Horatio defeat him at the end of Resden's Last Stand.

We learn the identity of the witness found floating in the drainage pond at the edge of town, discovering also that she's Maia's sister.

SUSPECTS

Julia Saris is arrested for her sister's death, while Walter Resden faces charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and false imprisonment filed on behalf of Kyle. In addition, Ray, Jr. confides that he's been brutalized several times by his cohorts and their mutual boss, so his mother files charges of kidnapping and physical assault against them, as well.

Walter's foster father, if you can call him that, is found floating face down in the drainage ditch behind Horatio's former home. Initially, it's believed that Kyle was responsible, but it's later proved that he was fleeing arrest in another area of town when the guy died, so he's cleared of the charges. Horatio immediately suspects that Resden's behind the man's death and is later proven correct in his assumption.

WHODUNIT

Rick steps over the line in an effort to destroy his rival, Horatio. He fails and thereby provides the evidence that Horatio has been seeking against his ex-girlfriend in the murder of her husband during Season 6. His defeat also spells disaster for Walter, as it exposes Rick's secret files to department scrutiny.

"Apparently, folks," Rick says snidely, "you're working together to keep me out of the loop on this. This is an internal affairs issue involving our Lieutenant Caine, so your cooperation is appreciated; though I don't expect to get it without a major fight."

"If you weren't such an SOB, Rick," a deep voice issued from behind Corporal Stetler, "you'd have an easier time of it. Letting your personal envy affect your professional judgment is never a good career move."

"So why did you sideswipe me, Chet? I did better on the Lieutenant's exam that Horatio did and I also have more seniority than he does with the department."

"Ah, Rick, if the job were just about your surface attributes, you'd have been a cinch for it. Unfortunately for you, there's much more to it than that. The position requires the innate ability to see things globally, not just locally; and you've never been good in that arena. Horatio also learns from his mistakes, a trait that's eluded you thus far. The department simply can't afford to put a self-centered egotist in a position of authority."

"So the files I've been providing are just sitting in your desk, gathering dust?"

"I've actually shredded them, Rick. Upon review by those higher up the ladder than either Stanley or I, it was determined that NOTHING you'd provided to date about his pasat work was relevant to the man's current performance, that of his colleagues, or his lab technicians. They informed me of their opinions, and the files were destroyed. If you're a wise man, which so far you haven't proven to be, you'll let the matter drop before it costs you your own position with MDPD."

"That isn't to say you've escaped scot free, Lieutenant," Chet frowned, "A few of the files containing reviews of your more recent job-related blunders caused raised eyebrows, because they outlined a few of your less honorable efforts for the department. Namely, your infrequent offers of leniency in return for testimony favoring the prosecution's side of the story in court"

"However, since this is the norm for other precincts, and even we've let for far less scruplous characters off the hook than he had, he was forgiven these mis-steps. He made it easy to overlook his occasional questionable acts by never repeating them. Or by not repeating them in quite the same way as previously."

Resden hove the struggling boy into his air boat for the journey to his new lair, deep in the Florida Keys. Kyle was no light weight, as he'd hoped, but a young man of above average height and weight. Like his father, Lieutenant Caine, Kyle refused to go meekly where he knew he'd be in jeopardy. Unlike his old man, the boy still wanted to trust older men he deemed to be in authority over him.

Walter was too busy trying to steer a lopsided boat while containing a struggling teen to hear or see the others following him, until it was too late to alter his course. When he DID see them, he was livid with himself for not disabling Kyle's cell phone before they left Oglala for his new home. He was already deep within the cave and thus trapped by the police cruisers above him and the official craft in the waters around his cove.

"Back off, or I'll kill him," he said angrily. "He means less than nothing to me, so killing him will be easy."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Walter," Horatio replied coolly. "Step lively or you'll lose your catch to the water. Kyle's too smart to remain anywhere near you if he's got a choice."

"Drat! Should've sedated and bound him BEFORE we left, but I was in too big a hurry," he muttered under his breath. "Not my first mistake with this kid, either. Gonna pay for my mercies on him now, that's for sure."

Resden looked up, expecting to see Lieutenant Horatio Caine's irate features, but was pleasantly surprised when he saw his buddy Stetler instead. He looked a bit further adrift and there saw his arch enemy waiting for his escaped son to join him on his police craft. Once the boy was hauled safely aboard, Horatio delegated Walter's arrest to an eager Eric Delko and an equally anxious Frank Tripp, and remained offshore to witness the arrest of his boy's kidnapper.

Stetler, pal that he was, found a subtle way to intervene and stall the arresting officers just long enough for him to make a clean escape upstairs. With all these fine official witnesses to his treachery, Resden knew the Corporal wouldn't be long employed with MDPD after today's events were related to the brass at the precinct. With so many credible witnesses to his efforts on a known killer's behalf, Rick's career path was sure to be swiftly curtailed, and he'd likely face criminal charges himself.

From the field:

Ray, Jr. gifts his mother with dozens of files from Resden's hideout. These, in turn, contain Resden's trophies from his previous murders, proving his guilt while also implicating Judge Greene as an accomplice in two of them. Since they were volunteered as evidence by two of Resden's victims, they're fully admissable as evidence against him in court.

Yelina gives these files to Chet Andrews for analysis and is rewarded for their information with an offer of employment that she declines. She does, however, accept a contract to provide her services as needed to help solve several long cold cases on Chet's desk. She's a working mom, so she could use the extra cash.

Warming to her new assignments, Yelina seeks help from Boa Vista with the DNA evidence and learns that her late husband might be dirty after all. While not surprised by her discoveries, she IS dismayed because these new findings don't bode well for Ray Jr. She's noticed his preference for the shadier side of life and is concerned that he's repeating her late husband's mistakes unintentionally.

Story Line

Rick nervously paced the walkway between MDPD's main lab and the park across Biscayne Avenue, waiting for his source to bring him the information he'd bought on Horatio Caine. He'd recognized the voice as belonging to an old enemy of Caine's, Walter Lee Resden, but had refrained from alerting the man of this recognition. Stetler was desperate for ANY information that would discredit his rival and force him to resign from his job. He knew that associating with known felons wasn't the best way to do this, but he was willing to risk being discovered just to get at Horatio or one of his teammates.

He'd forgotten one of MDPD's most treasured tenets, "Honesty is the ONLY policy," having abandoned it to discredit his onetime best friend. He was determined to force the man to resign in an over wrought attempt to obtain that position for himself.

As he was waiting for his informant to deliver the promised intelligence, said source was murdering his odious foster father in Hialeah. This event cost Resden a sliced wrist, a black eye, and several noticeable bruises on his arms and legs because the man fought like a tiger. In order to keep his appointment with Detective Stetler, he'd have to wear long sleeves to cover his injuries. Unknown to him then, he'd also incurred a sprained ankle, which caused a severe limp.

Rick noticed the limp as Walter approached him, but didn't bother to ask where he'd received it, because Walter's more recent crimes were less concerning to him than the information he brought. Walter was perfectly happy to leave his erstwhile partner in the dark about them, as his knowing of their origins would necessitate arresting his informant for murder. And Walter had only begun his assault on the ever-present detective Horatio Caine.

Rick was so intent upon his rendezvous with the enemy, that he didn't notice the six pairs of anxious eyes watching his every move from across the boulevard. Calleigh was beginning to see a pattern between Walter's frequent visits and an increase in the murder rate in her city; and it wasn't one she liked. Eric knew that every visit Resden made to Miami meant more bodies to tally and more work for an already over-stretched team to do to solve these latest crimes.

While Calleigh didn't care for where her thoughts took her at times, she knew that train of thought gave her insights into where to look for the evidence she sought, what sorts of trace to look for, and how to recover it for processing back at the lab. She quietly left the viewing platform to gather her kits and head out to Walter's hideout, collecting two handsome, young beat cops along the way as her backup.

Alexx watched the goings-on with great amusement. Calleigh never failed to attract attention from the opposite sex, even though she didn't try to do it. Her father, Mr. DuQuesne, despaired of her ever finding a suitable man, settling down, and providing him with a passel of grandkids. She was far too independent to be a good match for a traditional man, and no one she'd seen of the younger set shared her dedication to her job; the two qualities that her pal Horatio possessed in abundance.

Alexx thought that Calleigh and her Horatio would make an excellent team at home and at work. But that was just her opinion, and it was forbidden to them by department policies, since Horatio was Calleigh's boss. She also knew that neither of them would go for it while both worked because it would impede Calleigh's ambition to be promoted to Corporal next year. NO one wanted it to look like she'd been promoted because she was intimate with the boss, especially the two people in question.

Horatio was also aware of the precipitous rise in crime whenever his nemesis visited his fair city; but he'd been using Yelina's firm to keep tabs on the man and gather evidence against him. He had the hard evidence to put Walter away forever, but was waiting to use it when the man was safely behind bars where he couldn't hurt his family any more.



And there's the ever-present Stetler lurking in the background. He's bound to get wind of this and, excuse the pun, raise Cain. He's been out for Horatio since the beginning. This might just get him that hearing he'd been itching for, costing the lab their most valuable investigator in the process.

"Frank," Horatio interrupted Tripp's spiralling train of thought, "I need you to do something for me on the quiet. A witness to ...'s murder last week has just surfaced in Surfside. I need you to hightail it over there before ... finds out about it. Would you look up this number and see where the trail leads?"
"Sure, but who called you just now? If my butt's on the line, I'd at least like to know why."

"It was Kyle. He's not in trouble yet, but his mother's trying to coerce him into something he knows isn't right. I need to get over there and stop it. I've told him to meet me at a quiet place, making any excuse to his mother to get the hell out of her house."

"Okay, pal, I'll cover for you with the witness. Should we bring her in?"

"It's a man, actually. His name's Mark O'Collenoi. He sold the victim that expensive bottle of wine our murderer used as his alibi."


From the morgue:

Alexx was closely examining their latest victim when Eric alerted her to Stetler's presence at the park. She came to the viewing platform and watched in horror as he warmly greeted Horatio's sworn enemy and handed him a slim envelope, thickened with several thousand dollars in cash. She knew what that meant, and it didn't bode well for their beloved boss.

No one could clearly read his lips because he was too far away, and no one wanted him to know he was being observed. Clearly, the man was obsessed with casting Horatio from his sight. No one knew what he hoped to gain from the event, since he was sure to lose out to another investigator when a new promotion was tendered to replace their fallen friend. Not that they'd EVER let that happen.

On the other end of the building and out of their concerned sight, Chet Andrews was also watching the procedings. He'd been told that Sargeant Stetler wasn't using reliable sources for his intelligence, and what he saw confirmed this. Somehow, he had to find a way to record these meetings so he had proof of Stetler's schemes. He liked Horatio, and the team he'd established and seen through several changes.

He knew that, like himself, his own bosses weren't as concerned with the skeletons in Horatio's closet as Rick wished they were. He also knew that Rick was in such hot water for his deviousness that he'd soon be on unpaid administrative leave while corporate investigated his actions. In an 'ah ha moment' Chet remembered the 35mm zoom cameras attached to the side of the building and grinned like a kid at Christmas. They were pointed directly at Rick and his source and were just close enough to them to get plenty of detailed close ups of their quarry.

"Eric, please tell Horatio about this. We're all in serious trouble if Rick's this determined to force him to resign from his post. Paying a known hostile witness for questionable intelligence is bad enough, but did it have to be Walter Resden? Surely even Rick isn't THAT jealous."

Eric just looked at her in amazement. Stetler's history with their beloved leader went a lot further back than even they knew. The men had attended the same police academy, dated some of the same ladies, and been offered similar positions upon graduation.

But that's where the similarities ended. Unlike his slightly younger competitor, Horatio had continued his education long after he'd obtained that magical first bachelor's degree. He'd served with honor as a bomb squad member while still cutting his teeth as a CSI. His mentor, later killed while defusing a bomb, had helped him settle into DNA and fiber analyses. A career change that had saved both his sanity and his life.

No one knew what he'd done to be forced out of NYPD, but he'd handled that disgrace with dignity and perserverance. Someone he'd attended NYU with had received a promotion into MDPD and that same someone was now watching Rick Stetler destroy his own career.

Unlike the good Lieutenant, Rick had let his jealousy of the man fester since their academy days, doing nothing to resolve his bitterness towards his peer. Instead, he'd done everything possible to be a spoiler; ratting on him when he even tried to do something out of line. He was even more upset that Horatio didn't see him as competition in any way.

He blamed his poor treatment of Yelina on his ill will towards both her deceased husband Ray, and her brother-in-law, Horatio, because both men had excelled at their studies and been recognized for their hard work; while he'd always been relegated to the position of second fiddle. He refused to accept responsibility for his lackluster educational history and the consequences that followed him from university to MDPD.

As Horatio and Ray had continued to excel on the job, earning promotions and accolades as their rewards, he remained static and even sank in the department's ranks. That descent had cost him the promotion to lieutenant, along with his immaturity and unwillingness to correct his misapprehensions about his skills and aptitudes.

"I don't know, Alexx," Eric replied worriedly. "He's been up a creek without a paddle since Horatio pinned those charges of impeding a Federal investigation on him a few months ago; and they've never seen eye to eye anyway. He's after both of us because we're related through his marriage to my sister. I hope that he NEVER uncovers our little 'vacation' in Rio two years ago and what occurred while we were there."

"As for his targeting me for my alleged drug use, he's just doing that to get at Horatio, not because the charges he's trying to file have any merit. He's had it in for me because I'm tight with Horatio and H has bailed me out of trouble so many times."


From the lab

Calleigh left her cramped ballistics lab to join her buddies on the platform just in time to see Stetler heading back to the office with a wide smirk on his face. Apparently, he'd received some pretty damaging information and was eager to share it with brass. So eager, that he wasn't even going to verify the data before submitting it for peer review as procedure dictated. Everyone watching knew how hazardous that could be.

Offering unsolicited info was bad enough. Offering info that was neither sought nor verified was foolhardy at best, because it left you open to charges of carelessness or worse.

Ryan had learned the hard way to check, double, and then triple check any intel he filed on fellow officers. That blue wall of silence was all too real when you were on the outside trying to get back inside. If you'd been reckless before you left, it was triply hard to return to your post. He was STILL working through some of his less than creditable work to salvage it before trial. He hoped that those cases would soon vaporize, taking their bad memories with them.

Conflict of interest was a bitch to shake when it had merit. Rick was headed into oblivion on his current trail and was too jealous and angry to care. If they could see his meeting going down, they knew that anyone who cared to could also see it. Things were about to get very sticky indeed for Mr. Rick Stetler; and for his not so confidential informant as well.

Luckily for all of them, Rick was too intent on his mission of destruction to notice the six witnesses to his evil deed. Frank, Maxine, and Natalia had joined the other three investigators shortly before Rick had returned to the inner sanctum from his ill-conceived meeting in the park.

"Hot damn," Frank whispered angrily, "I'd never have thought Stetler would stoop so low, even to get back at Horatio. We've got to get to Captain Andrews before he does. This just isn't right."

"Frank, there's no need to bother," Chet said quietly from behind the sergeant. "I've been quietly observing Mr. Stetler's less credible actions for many months now. I'm less concerned with this data than I am about how Mr. Resden acquired it in the first place."

Personnel Issues:


Rick wasn't exactly subtle in his hatred for their beloved boss, having been bested during the promotion process when Horatio first came to Miami as a new Lieutenant. He'd applied and tested for the job, but been passed over for Horatio. Ever since, he'd been gunning for the boss, using whatever tactics suited him at the time.

It appeared that Mr. Stetler didn't care how badly Horatio's departure would hinder any ongoing operations, he wanted the man gone.

Yelina, Horatio's sister in law, had wised up to Rick's true intentions for her during one of their more violent spats; during which event he'd bruised her eye. Having been warned off of her by his rival had only increased his desire to disgrace Horatio and discredit the fine work he'd done since his promotion.

Things had only worsened after Horatio had stepped into the middle of a lover's tiff between him and Yelina a couple of years ago. He'd made it more than plain that Rick wouldn't harm her again without disastrous consequences following that attack.

"Ah, but I'm well within my purview when called out for an on site psych eval. You attended the one required session and then quit going, so brass sent me over to twist your arm again."

"I'm seeing a professional outside the office, on my own dime and time, Rick," Horatio growled in frustration. "So I'm not going to the in-house shrink. She's a gossip and doesn't keep the confidences she's paid to keep."

"By the way, I know about that rather thick file you've started on both me and my team. Your efforts aren't necessary and they've earned you a rather nasty nickname that I won't repeat in front of my son."

"Actually, Horatio, Kyle's the real reason I'm here. He's wanted for a murder uptown and the ADA wanted to be sure he was properly booked into the system this time."

"You're impugning my good name, Rick. This is no surprise to me, under the circumstances; but Kyle's presence is hardly required. I'll take him in and see that he's correctly processed. Given your poor treatment of him, I doubt very seriously he'd speak with you anyway."

"Like father, like son, huh?" Rick quizzed angrily. He knew that Horatio outranked him and therefore could pull stuff that would get others relieved of duty.

But Calleigh was stunned to see that he'd sunk so low as to consort with Horatio's worst enemy to unseat him. No one knew what information he'd gained, but it was certainly not good. Horatio had infrequently referenced his past service in Manhatten as both memorable and somewhat unpleasant toward the end of his tenure there. Apparently, he would soon face a similar vendetta from within here in Miami.

Now, however, there was Kyle to consider, so Horatio wasn't as free to respond as he might otherwise have been. Clearly, he'd need every hand on deck in the coming months to watch his back as he continued his faithful sevice to his fellow citizens in Miami and surrounding towns.

They needed him to remain right where he was, doing what he did so well if they were to have any hope at all of winning their constant battles against the criminals in this town. The victims and their survivors needed him most of all, since his instincts had only sharpened during his recent training at Quantico and Langley.

He'd made several new contacts, whose influence extended worldwide, not just throughout Florida and the USA. These were as yet unknown to his pals at MDPD, but a few of them were familiar faces. Jake Berkley had moved onto better things, and was flying high at the CIA microlab in Texas; Peter Eliott was also a newly vetted officer, but with the DHS financial crimes institute instead of the U.S. Customs Department; and Agent Park had recently suffered a career realignment when he'd been convicted of submitting false evidence during a terrorist trial.

All in all, the team would need to keep its wits sharp and its skills sharper to avoid a serious loss of staff in coming months.

Guest stars: Sofia Milos, Johnny Whitworth, and others
"Rick," an all too familiar voice intoned from his office, "come in and have a seat. We need to discuss a few things."

"Such as?" He asked with highly arched brows.

"Close the door first, Mr. Stetler, as we're sure you wouldn't want anyone to overhear what's about to be said."

Now Rick was really nervous. It wasn't often the Chief of Operations came down from her lofty office on the third floor to consort with the lower beings in her employ; and usually it meant bad things for the person with whom she spoke. He knew his status wasn't great these days, but hadn't known it was THIS bad.

"All right, gentlemen," Tricia Elweese said tensely, "let's get this over with. We all have far better things to do today than warn a man who doesn't hear such warnings well at all. Stanley, you're first up, since you recommended our cousin for this post."

"It's as if speaking to a brick wall, Tricia, but I'll do my best," Stanley replied with a sigh. "Rick, old boy, you've been on mighty thin ice for some time, so this meeting isn't so much a heads up as a formal counseling session about your obsession with Horatio Caine's past. You've wasted countless man hours and County dollars we can ill afford chasing one chimera after the next to unseat Lieutenant Caine from his post. Meanwhile, your official duties are left to rot; leaving our Department open to legal actions by the aggrieved you've neglected."

"But, Stan," Rick expostulated, "some of those requests were issued directly from your desk."

"You used my valid requests for relevant and recent intelligence about Mr. Caine's activities to delve into his past, which he's made sure hasn't interfered with his present. What occurred before we brought him on board six years ago is NONE OF OUR BUSINESS. We're all entitled to our mistakes, as we supposedly learn more from our failures than we do from our successes.

Unfortunately, you've brought certain things and people to light that should have remained behind locked doors. Your recent association with one Walter Lee Resden hasn't gone unnoticed, either. You've alerted him to our pending operations to capture him, paid him for data that isn't relevant, and supported his efforts to harm Horatio's family members.

These actions DO NOT reflect well on your morals or ethics. Since you're charged with enforcing these rules when your colleagues stray, your offenses are especially grievous to our department. As of this afternoon, you're on official leave of absence pending your removal from duty. You're under a dark cloud of suspicion, so the leave will be unpaid. We simply can't afford to employ an officer who's charged with upholding our policies and procedures, but who so willingly and openly flouts them to obtain his goals."

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