100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 181: The Skeletons

Two days later. Criminal Investigation Department

Sam walked in the Criminal Investigation Department’s Building, making her way towards Davies’ office, exchanging pleasantries to some familiar faces as she did so. Soon she reached the Detective Inspector’s office, the door was closed, and she knocked.

"Come in." she heard the man said, and she pushed the door open, revealing the man sat behind his desk with a cup of steaming coffee.

Davies shot her a quizzical look; why the redhead was there, he had no clue. Sam smiled at him; she could tell just by the expression on his face that he was slightly confused to see her there. "I brought you the DNA result; it’s positive. Congratulations", she said, genuinely happy for him.

Davies’ eyes glinted, and a smile crept on his lips; he was delighted, another Case closed. Justice will be served.

"Thanks, but you could have just called or texted me, Dr. Gray. There was no need to come all the way here, knowing just how busy you are", he said, causing Sam to smile, "I know, but I need a favor." she said, direct to business.

Davies brows rose in intrigue. "Okay---?" was his only response.

...

A Day later. 7 Eastbourne Rd.

"Did you hear?" Marco asked that Sunday morning the second he walked in the Irishman’s flat. Levi, who was performing another one of his experiments in the kitchen, arched a brow in response. "Good afternoon to you, Marco," he replied when the bearded man entered his kitchen. Clueless as to what his best friend was on about.

Marco scanned the slicked blond, his sleeves folded up to his elbow, an apron over his clothes. Safety goggles over his eyes, and a pair of latex gloves on his hands. Based on the relaxed expression on his face, Marco knew he wasn’t aware.

He sighed; why does he always have to be the bearer of bad news? He wondered. Did he kill some important person in his past life? "She’s gone, Levi." the bearded man said.

"Sam left." He added when Levi’s face contorted into confusion.

The confusion turned into a scowl.

"What do you mean she left?" the blond asked, looking Marco straight in the eye--he had his full attention now.

"I went to Guy’s this morning, wanted to talk to her. But Elle told me she left. Where she went, she had no idea. She told me that she received an email from her the night before, together with her resignation letter." Marco explained, earning a frown from Levi as he started to remove his gloves and goggles and chucked it into the bin.

The Irishman washed his hands, drying it with his lips pressed together in dismay, thinking.

Where would she go?

And why would she leave?

"So, I reckon you didn’t hear from her," Marco commented, drained, as he grabbed a chair and sat down. "Should we be concerned, Levi? Is this because you two--" he started feeling very guilty, did they cause this?

Levi narrowed his eyes at the bearded man, "Shut up, Marco. I’m thinking." he said, moving around the flat, then making a beeline to his bedroom. He changed and stepped out, ready to conquer the day.

"Is she in some danger?" Marco asked, knowing they would be leaving soon.

"No. I don’t think so. If she were, we would have heard from her brother or Anna." he said, then second-guessed himself. "Or would we?" he thought out loud. He wasn’t so sure all of a sudden.

Marco tensed for a split second, recalling his stupidity in the restaurant. "Yeah-- I met him. Lovely guy", he commented dryly. "Where are we heading?" he asked as the slicked blond put on his dress shoes.

The slicked blond looked at himself in the mirror, satisfied. He turned to Marco. "Guy’s, I need to read that email she sent to Elle. Every word," he said, pulling the door open and running down the stairs. Marco followed after him, and the two drove to the Hospital.

It didn’t take long for the duo to arrive at their destination.

"Ms. Hart." Levi greeted, standing at the foot of the door, Marco behind him. Both watched the P.A. walk around the redhead’s office in a frenzy.

Elle turned to the Irishman, and she sighed in relief. She was very glad he came, not that she would have had the balls to ask him. But she knew something was wrong; Sam wouldn’t just leave out of the blue. More so, she wouldn’t just quit her job. Her job was everything to her--her whole life revolved around it. The very thing the redhead loved most out of this world was cutting dead people open---okay, that didn’t sound right. It was to provide justice, to be the voice to those who can no longer speak. Sam wanted nothing more than for the dead to be heard.

"Mr. Jackson, Dr. Evans." She greeted the two and gestured for them to enter the office.

Levi immediately got to the purpose of his visit. "The email, may I?" He asked while bent over to be eye level with the computer on the desk. "I tried to call her; of course, the phone had been disconnected." Elle provided, Levi, nodded absentmindedly; he also tried calling during the car ride. Whatever she was doing or where she was going, she clearly didn’t want to be distracted.

The slicked blond read the email, it said:

Message Sent: 7:02PM

"Taking a trip. Don’t wait up.

-Sam"

Attached to the email was her resignation letter.

Levi leaned back to the chair, "Interesting." he mused, finding clues. "What is?" Marco asked, reading the message as well beside him.

"The first clue, she used the word trip, instead of break or vacation. So it shows, she will be doing some traveling but not for leisure." the Irishman started.

"Second, the message is short and direct, meaning she didn’t want to waste time explaining or she didn’t want to explain why; probably both--so she was in a hurry. "the blond continued, looking up to the bearded man standing beside him.

His eyes shifted to Elle, "Then she chose email, instead of phoning, perhaps because she reckoned you’d ask questions. Third, the message lacked any form of apology, explanation, or assurance. It is detached, which is highly unlike her; which only means she didn’t want you to worry--but couldn’t assure you otherwise." he added.

"Last, she said ’Don’t wait,’ meaning she may possibly not know how long she’ll be gone for, also explaining the Resignation Letter. "Levi finished, getting up casually. The two ’normal people’ looked at him, stunned.

’He got all that from 6 bloody words!’ Elle couldn’t help but think.

"The question is, Trip, but where to? and why?" Levi thought out loud, scanning the whole office around him and making a few observations. His eyes paused at the brunette. "You haven’t handed her resignation yet," he said.

"No." Elle admitted, "I was hoping she’ll return; I’ve informed the Council that she was called for a case out of the country. That excuse will buy her a month at most", the brunette confessed.

"Good thinking. Now, tell me what else you know. You have contacted her brother, I suppose." Levi said, "Yes. He told me to stay put and wait." she answered.

"So she did leave. But why? He knows why, but of course, he won’t tell us. But why?" Levi mused out loud, pacing back and forth. His eyes widened for a moment then he whiplashed back in the brunette’s direction. "You!" He said almost too loudly to Elle, startling her. "The Double murder case, what do you know about it?" He asked her suddenly.

Elle shook her head, "She had been obsessing about it. More than usual, I noticed. But, she didn’t tell me anything about it other than she wanted the man caught." she said.

Levi frowned, taking note of the P.A.’s lack of knowledge. Her most trusted friend. So, her reasons go deeper than friendship.

What was deeper than friendship? He wondered.

’Family!’

His eyes widened to the frame on the table, the old photo of her parents. The soft gleeful smiles on their young faces, his hand suddenly wrapped around the edges of the frame, and he inspected it. His eyes scanned the image, her mother Lilian with the same brilliant shade of mane as her, and her father Christian Murdoch’s green eyes. The young couple who had tragically died before their time.

He’d read about it in the papers. Of course, he did his own sleuthing before; that’s his business after all; back in the early days, he wanted to know as much as he could about her and her high profile family. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Levi turned to Elle, turning the photo to show it to her. Her brows rose in confusion as to what the Irishman wanted from her.

"Her parents, tell me about them," he instructed with a determined look on his eyes.