Whatever it Takes

Back in Miami

After a few hours of flying, the boys had checked into their hotel and went back to the building that housed their Internationals competition. Eldon's breath hitched as soon as he saw the building but he knew that he would have to face his fear. They walked in and were greeted by the head caretaker of the facility, and were taken on a tour of the building. He was stocky man, with greying red hair and a bushy moustache, he had a friendly smile and reminded them of an older Hunter. They learned that his name was Henry and he had been working here for 24 years. "So what can you tell us about the day the spotlight fell."? Hunter began questioning.

"Well the dancers had just won, they were so talented, my I wish I was as good as them." He chuckled softly, "but then something odd happened, the spotlights creaking and moving were unusual, we had replaced them that year and they usually lasted us a pretty long time. It was odd but then it could have been a faulty screw or something happened in production." Eldon clenched his fists, but listened intently. " well I would never forget the faces of the young lads that day, they were so in love and you could tell a piece of him died with her. I just wished we could've prevented it." Henry finished gravelly.

"Thank you." Eldon said, turning. "Is there a possibility you could take us up to where the spotlights are"? Henry mentioned that it was dangerous and that he could take only one, which Eldon offered to go and James would be in the stands while Hunter stood at the height of the security camera, just to see all the angles. He was lead up small, locked hallway and onto the ceiling. He felt his stomach drop, who would do this, why would the go to these lengths? He thought but no matter what, he couldn't think of an answer. They were on a thin ledge now and the man, Henry pointed out all the new bolts that had been in place, and also the new spot light which had been changed two days after the accident. It was the same brand and everything. Without thinking Eldon went over the ledge and began crawling to the spotlight much like the figure in the video did, Henry warned him but he went and began taking photos that were to be emailed back to the lab. He noticed that on the model that there were two major screws that didn't quite seem to fit, and snapped a photo. They were where the spotlight attached, and upon closer examination, Eldon could see marks of abuse that widen the holes. He questioned it to Henry, who said he didn't even notice it and that it was shouldn't be like that before he went on himself and saw the marks. Puzzled he told Eldon that they had hired a new handy woman about five years ago and that she was in charge of making sure there was no tear on the panels or else they would have to be replaced immediately. They were checked every year. Eldon asked what the name of the new worker was and he was told it was a Tessa but he couldn't remember the last name. She had quit recently and had gone off without notice. He thanked Eldon for the find and Eldon thanked him again for his time before heading back to the others.

He met the boys in the small cafe a block away from the building, as he just needed some time to breathe. His heart began pound and hurt knowing that he was closer to finding the killer but Michelle would never be here. They used to come to the cafe during breaks and would sit there staring at one another lovingly, while sipping whatever beverage they had. Hunter ran to him, sharing the footage he got while at the cameras height. It clearly depicted an outline of Eldon crawling on the ledge and onto the bars, but if the lights were dimmed it would honestly be impossible for anyone to see. From James's standpoint you could see a figure but it could easily be dismissed as shadows. Grinning Eldon emailed all the information back to the labs as they sat down and had dinner. He told them about this handy man named Tessa and how it was odd she never reported anything about the quality of the pipe. They didn't have her last name yet so they couldn't do an identity check but it was close. "So how do you guys feel being back here"? Hunter asked, his mouth full with chilli. James looked over at Eldon, who was staring down into his soup.

"Honestly man, it's hard." James answered, looking back at Hunter. "It's bittersweet I mean we did something great out here but we all lost something great too." The aura felt solemn, and no one dared to say anything. This was the last place they ever saw her, ever got to physically be with her and now they were busy fighting for her. Suddenly James's phone rings, "Sorry guys, it's Riley." He stated before leaving the table. The other two continue eating in silence, and Hunter puts his hand on Eldon's shoulder to support him.

"Look I know you're trying to hide whatever you're feeling right now." He addressed. "But you need to put your head in this or West will take you out." Eldon stared at him knowingly.

"I know." Eldon mumbled sipping his peach grape juice; it tasted like metal. James came back a moment later and they headed back to the hotel. They had another day here before going back and needed to make everything count. The went back to their room, each one had their own bed and were snoring peacefully; well except for Eldon. He tossed and turned, feeling restless and anxious. His pillows were missing her scent and every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the last look of his love, all bloody and battered. Finding that sleep would be impossible tonight, he went out onto the balcony and stared out on to the quiet streets, illuminated by the moon. Everything was at rest, and he finally began to break again. He couldn't be here, he had too many memories and he didn't want to continue to be without her; but he started something and knew she would want him to continue fighting. He looked up into the night sky and saw a single bright star, smiling down on him. He remembered the one time they were star gazing, Michelle had pointed to the brightest one and said that if he ever saw it, she would always be with him. He cried again, letting out everything, before he felt the wind caress his skin; as if to say that everything would be okay. Sighing he glanced back up at the sky and thanked it before heading back to bed. After all tomorrow would be a long day.