Dog fur case II

A month ago.

Previously.

Levi reached to touch the dog fondly, smiling down in delight. Marco smiled at the sight of Levi, petting the dog happily.

"What breed is he?" Levi asked, the man looked down at Levi and said, "Coton De Tulear" earning a nod from the blond psychologist. After he was satisfied, Levi stood, thanked the man and shook his hand, and left.

Marco and Levi made their way towards their car, parked a block away from the Dixon's store. The bearded doctor smiled at his friend, "Are you thinking of getting a dog yourself? You've been particularly fond of dogs since Mo." he asked, noticing that even before, Levi likes animals more than he did people.

Levi turned to look back at Marco, wondering if he was serious. Seeing that the doctor was, he frowned. He found Marco's claim outright absurd and he rolled his eyes at his cluelessness. "No, you've mistaken Marco," he informs the bearded man.

"Then why were--" Marco started, but Levi waved his hand over his navy blue Armani suit. "Have you seen this suit?" Levi asked the doctor. Marco tilted his head in puzzlement, eyebrows crumpled as he trailed behind the psychologist. "Yeah, what about it?" he asked, wondering if his friend was being smug about his luxurious taste in fashion.

They reached the car and Levi unlocked the doors with his key, and stood at the driver's side for a moment to explain. "Dog's shedding would ruin it," he said in a 'duh' tone, pulling the door open.

Marco stood at the passenger side, looking at the blond in confusion.

"Then why did you--" Marco asked the blond, confused as to why he acted the way he did moments before.

Levi stretched his arm over the hood of his car and showed Marco his right hand. Between his fingers, was a pinch of white dog hair. "To get this of course," he said. Then retreated his arm and got in the driver's seat before Marco could say another word.

Marco hopped in the passenger seat just in time to see the blond man, pull another evidence bag and place the pinch of dog fur inside after labeling it with a marker.

Levi started the car and drove. "We didn't even get that guy's name," Marco realized five minutes later, it would have made things easier.

Levi changed gear and sped up, eyes glued on the streets. "It's Raymond Dixon," he said.

Marco whiplashed to the psychologist, was he making that up? How did he get his name? He was there the entire time and names weren't exchanged. And did he just say, Dixon? Marco mentally pondered. "How--how did you even know that? He wasn't wearing a nametag from what I could remember," Marco said, disbelief clear in his voice.

Levi grunted with a hand on the wheel, irked at Marco's obliviousness at times, "It was written on Sunshine's neck," Levi informs, 'Sunshine' coming out like acid from his mouth. What a ridiculous name he thought.

Marco looked at him funny, speechless, who the fuck was Sunshine?

Levi saw Marco just stare at him in his periphery, and he tore his eyes away from the road for a moment to look at the lanky bearded man.

"Who the hell is Sunshine?" Marco asked in all seriousness, and Levi groaned, gripped the wheel tightly till his knuckles turned white.

"The DOG!" Levi cried out, "His name and contact details were engraved on the dog's collar." he added, finding it hard to talk to simpletons. Levi mentally thought of Sam, Oh! how he suddenly missed her. He reckons he doesn't need to say a word to her to get his message across. How he lived that long without attempting to put a gun inside his mouth before meeting her astounds him.

Levi slowed down the car when the traffic light turned yellow, then red. He watched the pedestrian crossing the road, clueless to what the world truly is. 'Look at all these happy ignoramuses.' he mentally sneered.

After dropping off Marco, Levi arrived at Jackson Detectives office 20minutes later. Joe and Alex sat at their tables working on some insurance fraud cases, the blond psychologist handed Joe a piece of paper with Raymond Dixon's name on it. "I need a background check on that bloke, give me a call when you're finished," Levi instructed, Joe nodded in understanding. "Got it, Boss," Joe replied.

Levi turned and exited the office, then ran up to his flat to shower and change. He knew Sam would kick him out of her Lab if he drops by smelling like Cigar. She'd done it before, TWICE.

An hour later Levi walked in Sam's lab, wearing a mocha-colored suit and necktie to match. The redhead did not bother to look when he entered, too busy with paperwork.

"I told you not to come here when you smoked," Sam said as Levi removed his coat and hooked it at the back of the door. The psychologist paused halfway, sniffing himself with his brow furrowed together. He could not smell any trace on him, did the Cigar stench left in the car clung to his newly washed suit? He wondered.

"How can you even tell when I showered and changed to a new suit before I came here?" Levi asked, looking at the redhead at the counter in disbelief.

Sam scans the paper in her hand and signs it,

"I was a bloodhound in my previous life," she states, turning to the next page.

Levi continued, passing the redhead as he approached the Comparison Microscope laying on the center counter. Comparison Microscope is a device used to observe side-by-side specimens, and a basic staple in forensic sciences; used to compare microscopic patterns and identify or deny their common origin.

"A bear's sense of smell is 7 times better than a bloodhound." He informs, "Yes. I know that, thank you." Sam quips. Levi turns to look at her after taking note of her tone. She was hunched over the counter gripping the pen tightly in her hand, as she read the file.

He could tell she was in a bad mood, blood may be spilled. He considers leaving for half a second, then he shrugs and decides to risk it.

"You're in a bad mood," Levi comments, pressing the power button on the base of the microscope.

Sam gestures to the stack of paperwork on the counter, jaw clenched in annoyance. "Art quit, now I have to do my administrative paperwork," she complains. Art was Elle's new assistant, work-life had been good after hiring the young man, she could focus more on the thing that really mattered like solving cold cases. Bringing justice to criminals.

Levi looks at the huge pile on the desk, he estimates it will take her at least a week to finish. "Elle's assistant? Isn't that supposed to be your work in the first place?" Levi wondered out loud, clueless to her boring administrative responsibilities. Sam scowled, narrowed her eyes at Levi. He made perfect sense, he was right, it was her responsibility, it was supposed to be HER job. But she doesn't generally do that. Elle usually does the paperwork for her and she just signs it. Now both of them had to suffer, all because she decided to treat her assistant like a bleedin' slave. Barking orders every two seconds like a Dictator.

Sam closes the file she had on her hand and slaps it against the table forcefully,

"In a perfect world, I should be doing this work, Mr. Jackson. But Homicide doesn't solve themselves!" she says, sounding a tad bit insane.

Levi turns and ignores her little episode and starts turning on the microscope's fiber optic lights.

Sam watches him, irked at his movements. He had failed to check if the two lenses were set on the same level of magnification, Forensics 101. "Do you even know what you're supposed to be doing?" she asked, hinting on his evident confusion. "I understand the general concept," he answers, he hadn't compared hair in a Comparison microscope before, but he reckons he can do a decent enough job knowing the methodology.

Sam snorts, then an idea pops in her head. She grins at his back, "Wanna make a deal?" she offers. Levi pauses, turns to look at her and sits behind him. Curious.

"What do you have in mind?" he asks a brow cocked. "I'll do that for ya, the right way," she emphasizes the last part.

"And?" he asks, taking note of the evil grin on her face. Sam gestures to the pile of papers that needs her signature, "You sign this for me." she says. Her hand had been cramping, it needed something else to do.

Levi scoffs, "That would be Forgery." he claims. Sam rolls her eyes at him, "Shut up, I've seen you forge Marco's signature a couple of times." she says, recalling. He was far from a straight-laced man after all. He had always been tempted how far he could bend the rules, and always tested how far he could get away with things.

A smirk appeared on Levi's lips, she was right. Guilty as charged.

He thinks over her offer knowing she had done it numerous times and could do it faster and better.

He shrugs and says "Deal."