Nestor Russi Case I

It was a week later when Levi and Marco walked through Guy's Hospital hallways searching for Janet. They were working on a private case, an accountant named Nestor Russi had suddenly gone missing. Failing to find her, the slicked blond dialled her number.

Using his fake sultry voice, he spoke, "Janet, where are you? We are in dire need of your help. We are at Guy's."

"Oh! Levi. Sorry, I'm in Dublin with my--" the woman said on the other line, only for it to be cut off by Levi ending the call without uttering a response.

The Irishman scowled at his mobile, turned to face Marco while loosening his tie. "She's in Dublin," he informed.

Houston, we have a problem, Marco thought.

If Marco were honest, he would say that other staff in Guy's Hospital hated them, with the sleuthing business they were running, people tend to keep their distance from the two. And with his friend's sardonic nature, and lousy rep people are not necessarily keen to be associated with them.

And so, he groaned, "What now? The others... don't exactly like us," he asked.

"Do bhéal a dhúnadh!" the blond spat frustratedly in Irish, which meant 'Shut up.'

Marco watched as Levi's eyes scanned the halls where they stood, thinking. 

"Sam Gray." Levi decided, marching forward before Marco could say a word. The tall GP followed behind the blond heading towards the Director's office. Passing the deserted hallways, Levi and Marco made a sharp turn towards the elevator.

A wooden door greeted them minutes after, with a sign that was saying,

SAM GRAY, Ph. D., M.D, DipRCPath

Director of Forensic Pathology

Levi knocked on the wooden door; his fake smile spread on his lips like a mask. "Come in," a feminine voice said. The two stepped in and saw a woman with dark brown shoulder-length hair sitting behind the desk. Not the red-haired woman they expected to see, and she was on the phone, "A minute" she mouthed.

Levi scanned the room swiftly, bookshelves filled with books covered a third of the wall, books in different genres, from chemistry, science, engineering, medicine to poetry.

'Wide range curiosity', he noted.

A photo of Sam in her teens wearing a toga, smiling with a woman and man in their 50's. Behind them was Caltech's Millikan building.

'Grandparents. Caltech Grad.'

This piqued his interest.

'Parents? he wondered.

'Ah, There they are,' Levi thought, as his prying eyes rested on the photo of a couple in an embrace, a man in his late 30's with green eyes. And a woman in her early 30's with copper hair. The photo in his estimation was more than 20 years of age. 'Parents: deceased.'

Another corner was two filing cabinets, arranged alphabetically.

'Organized.'

Another cabinet was of personal items; his eyes can see a faint silhouette of running shoes and spare clothes.

'Workaholic. Physically active.'

After ending the call, Elle turned to the two men, eyeing them as she leaned back on her boss' reclining chair.

"Mr Jackson, what is it?" she asked.

Levi faked a smile, "The Director, is she in?" he asked. Elle scoffed, and Levi knew she knew that he was wearing a mask. His mask fell immediately.

"She's not, unfortunately. Out with her college friends", she answered vaguely.

"Friends?" Levi mused out loud, causing the brunette to giggle. Elle leaned over the table with her hands clasped together, "She may be odd in her special way, but she is loved," she claimed.

"I didn't say anything," the Irishman commented simply, not liking her underlying tone.

Elle grinned up at the tall blond, leaning back on the chair. Her chin tilted up, "Your face said it. She may be a bit eccentric like you, but she has friends, and I will not call her for work. As you already know, Mr Jackson... she's a workaholic. She needs to bloody get drunk and have fun!" she said, waving her hand for them to go away, "So, better run along now. I don't care if the National Security is in threat. That woman will not return to work if I have a say in it."

"We have a--" Marco started, but he stopped when he saw Levi turn and walk out the door. He followed suit like a dog to his master.

"Levi!" Marco yelled, following the man who was on his way towards his car.

Levi pulled his car's door open and said, "Hurry up, Marco!"

Marco jogged towards the passenger seat, getting in, "Where are we going?" he asked baffled.

"To find Dr Gray, of course," Levi said in a duh tone as he started the car's engine. Marco furrowed his brows at the psychologist, "How? We don't know where she lives." he said.

"Not where she lives. Ms Hart provided us with enough clues to where she is. Out with college friends to get drunk, she said. Sam Gray, studied in the U.S, which meant--American friends. Meaning, tourists. Meaning, a pub to get drunk at clearly." Levi explained.

"How did you-- never mind," Marco said, defeated. It was far from clear, he thought.

15 mins later, the two arrived in a pub in London, not far from Guy's but famous enough to the tourists, as Levi claimed.

The two walked in, hearing loud music, lights flashing in the darkness. A stage was in the centre of the pub, a place very popular with tourists. It didn't take long for Levi and Marco to spot her in the darkened room. The loud laughter of a group of American accented women caught their attention, and her red hair stood out of the crowd.

She was with a blonde and two brunettes, clearly intoxicated by the way they were laughing and swaying in their booth.

Sam made her way to the barkeep, squeezing her way through the crowd. She leaned over the bar counter, nodding at Ariel, one of the barkeepers.

"3 beers, and a vodka," She yelled over the noise.

Sam turned frowning when she felt a finger tap her shoulder, expecting another drunk bloke. She was ready to say, "Piss off" when her eyes rested on the familiar blond.

"Oh, Mr Jackson, what can I do for you?" she asked. She could tell he was there for business; it was apparent on his attire.

Levi leaned closer to speak to her over the noise, a fake smile masking his face. "Why do you instantly assume I'm here for something?" he replied, trying to charm her with his good looks.

He cracked her a smile that would make most women swoon; he was confident he had a handsome face and a fit body to boot. But not Sam, she shot him an incredulous look. She had noticed from the start that his smiles were phoney, for it didn't reach his eyes.

"Mr Jackson, you are still wearing your coat, and you have no drink in hand. We didn't just coincidentally bump in each other in a pub? Where, you just happened to stroll into? To what? So, what is it?" Sam asked, direct to the point.

Levi dropped the facade and said, "I need to use the Lab for a case."

"Ahhh...trouble, I see." She started, and he could see she was leaning on declining when she turned to where her friends were. Sam leaned towards him, "The thing is, I have these friends, who I haven't seen for years and they have been bugging me to spend time with them. The only way I'm getting out of here, without them getting angry at me the next day is if I'm with a man. Are you catching my drift?" Sam explained, he nodded.

"Why don't you--" she continued, only to be interrupted by Levi's hands grabbing both her cheeks.

He processed the information so fast, he leaned in and kissed her, Shutting her up instantly.

That same moment, her friends were able to witness the whole scene, much enthused that she caught herself a debonair-looking Chap.

Whilst Marco rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, the things he does for a case was both fantastic and outrageous. Some of which are even illegal, other borderline immoral.

Sam opened her eyes slowly, licking her lip in a daze, he tasted like tea with a splash of milk she noted. She leaned in against him and whispered to his ear, "I was thinking more of introducing you to them and saying we'll have a cuppa outside. But...I think that worked out, perfectly. Thank you." she said.

Sam waved to her friends, smiling, as they left the pub, Levi guiding her out of the crowd.

Marco stood by the door, waiting for them to make their way.

"Hello, Dr Evans." Sam greeted while she grabbed her jacket. Levi assisted her as she did, and she patted his shoulder, impressed at his acting skills.

Marco greeted her with an apologetic smile while the blond led them to the street where his blue car was parked, opening the door for her gentlemanly, and then getting in the driver's seat, while Marco on the backseat followed after.

"So, what is this case about?" Sam asked curiously. "A missing Accountant named Nestor Russi. We found a trace of mud in his office, no sign of struggle. The mud may help track where he might be. "Levi answered, she nodded in response.

"Sorry, if we disturbed your night out with the girls, Dr Gray." Marco tried to make conversation, earning a displeased look from Levi in the rearview mirror.

Sam turned to face the bearded man, smiling "It's fine, honestly. You boys saved me from a hangover. And just Gray, or Sam--whichever you prefer, Dr Evans."

"Alright, then please call me Marco," Marco said, leaning forward to offer his hand to her. Sam shook it, smiling.

Then she turned to Levi on the driver's seat, "Anyhow, Mr Jackson--"

"Levi." corrected the blond, his eyes remained on the road.

"Levi, I'm curious how you found me--I'm confident my assistant wouldn't give my location even if her life depended on it. She's been insisting I socialize for months", she said.

"She didn't."

With her brows furrowed in confusion, she looked at him. "Then, how?"

Making a turn, he answered with, "I figured out your location from her statement of you being with your college friends, to get drunk. I knew you studied in America, Caltech to be precise from the mug laying on your desk office, and the sweatshirt you wore weeks ago." he started, Sam listening to his every word.

"Janet also mentioned you studied Medicine at Harvard, meaning you spent a very long amount of time in the States. Also obvious from your choices of words, like catch my drift and chill." he continued, sparing her a glance.

"Seeing as its American friends, spending their vacation here in London, you decided to show them one of the more popular pubs. And seeing as you are a workaholic, I was certain you would choose something not far from Guy's. Plain luck that my first choice was right." he explained, causing her jaw to drop, amazed. 

"Brilliant. That's brilliant, and Amazing...creepy, but amazing nonetheless." Sam complimented completely astonished, head bouncing from Levi to Marco.

The three pulled over in the parking lot; Sam pulled her phone out of her purse as she stepped out of the car. "Coffee?" she asked them as they made their way to the elevator.

"Yeah," Marco answered nodding.

"Please," was the blond's reply.

Sam typed a text on her mobile, "Alright." she said, as the elevator opened and they stepped in. She pressed eight on the elevator, stepping out moments later with the two men following behind.

She paused at a white door; it opened when she swiped her access card on it. The light all switched on seconds after and she entered, holding the door open for the two then releasing it. The door locked itself automatically. 

Marco scanned the place in awe, it was smaller than the Lab below, but it held all the essential devices and equipment, including a few of the advanced machines.

Not only that there was a coffee maker in a corner, often used from Levi's observation.

"Wow. Is this yours?" Marco asked Sam, she shrugged. "Yes. Perks of being Director," she said.

'Wants a low profile, receives special treatment', Levi mentally noted, he knew this was not the part of the usual perks.

The redhead turned to Levi, "Need a hand?" she asked, he nodded, removing his coat and hanging it by the door. Sam copied him as she changed from jacket to lab gown, and tied her hair up without a care in the world.