Horatio Seeks Questions In 'Recoil'

See Also: 'Recoil' Episode Guide

Horatio and his team investigate a child abuse case where each piece of evidence points back and forth between the parents of an 8-year-old girl in this upcoming episode. Recoil is written in reverse chronological order, starting at the end of the episode and working its way back to the beginning to find the question to an answer that has already been given.

According to CSI Files sources, the episode begins in the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, where lawyers and their clients are ready to go into session, news crews are covering the latest flashy trial, and a young man, Don Lewis, is nervously checking his watch. Calleigh and Ryan are ready for court as well, but as they stand outside they argue over their case. Calleigh accuses Ryan of violating protocol, but Ryan claims he didn't know what he was doing. Frank Tripp is at the scene as well, his eyes on Ron Lewis, who proceeds to run away once he spots the cop. Tripp runs after him. Horatio arrives, and as he jumps out of the Hummer and looks around, he knows something is about to happen. He calls for backup but it's too late, and he can only watch helplessly as a man pulls out a revolver and starts shooting at the crowd.

Eight hours earlier, Cheri Lee is in the CSI atrium, thanking Calleigh for all the work they've done. Calleigh reassures her it's her job, but Cheri is just glad the CSIs are on her side. She wants to get her little girl back, and though Calleigh promises she'll testify in her defense, she also assures her abuse cases are hard, especially when the father of the child has also accused Cheri of abuse. Cheri adamantly denies the accusations – the father is the one who stole the child and then hurt her. Calleigh can't make any promises, but she thinks Cheri may have a good case.

In the parking lot, Horatio is on his way to work when he's approached by Blake Manners, the father in question. He implores Horatio for some of his time, but Horatio regrets to tell him they can't meet under the circumstances. But Blake is desperate; he only wants a couple of seconds of Horatio's time. He laments the fact that everyone believes his ex-wife and ignores him when he says he would never hurt his little girl. Horatio tries to convince him to wait for a judge to make the call, but Blake already knows a judge will give his ex-wife custody. He's losing hope. His ex-wife needs to be stopped and yet nobody seems to care. As Horatio listens to him, he wonders if perhaps they jumped the gun too hastily. Blake leaves, heartbroken, but Horatio watches after him. Somebody cares now.

Horatio visits 8-year-old Amy Manners, who is sitting in her school's playground and reading a book. Even at a young age, Amy can tell Horatio is a cop. They all look the same now. She also knows her job very well – she has to go to court and not tell any lies. Horatio asks her if she's ever told a lie, but Amy denies it. Horatio does a little pushing, knows there isn't one child out there who has never told a lie, and Amy finally relents. She has told a lie, but only to protect someone she loves. Horatio eggs her on, and Amy blurts out she was supposed to say it was an accident. Horatio knows where this is going, having heard the same thing from numerous abused children before. Amy promised her father she wouldn't tell, but Horatio doesn't need to push her any further. Sounds like a typical father-daugther abuse case, but things get complicated when the CSIs continue to find evidence that ping-pongs the blame back and forth between both Amy's parents.

Meanwhile, Tripp is on his way to answer a suicide call when a distraction causes him to smash his car against the car in front of him. He confronts the driver, Don Lewis, who claims this is no big deal, there's no use exchanging information or notifying the cops about it. But it's too late, seeing as a cop already knows. Tripp notices a suspiciously shadowed figure on the back seat and orders Don to get out of the car, but being confronted by a cop now, Ron decides to hit the pedal and speed out of the area. Later, as Tripp delves into the mysterious case, he realizes it's his turn to look for the questions as he finds reason to believe his hit-and-run suspect may have been involved in the courthouse shooting.

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details and the airing order of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Recoil" will air in May, 2005.

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