Chapitre 25: Ralphie Pearce I

September 2012, Guy's Hospital

Sam was seated inside her Lab, hunched over the table with her eyes glued on her laptop. On the screen was her colleague from Germany, Dr. Unglaube, the head of the Forensics team of the German Federal Police. The blond lanky man on the screen was in his scrubs, standing in a morgue in Frankfurt.

He had reached out to her in hopes she could give an opinion on the case in hand. A woman by the name of Krista Muller had been found dead in the backseat of her car 2.5 miles away from her residence. The woman had ligature marks around her neck, and her pants were on backward.

"Were her clothes wet, or dry?" Sam asked, thinking.

"It was damp."

"How about the car? Was it damp inside?"

"No, it was dry."

"That may mean she had been outside and was placed inside the car after."

"That makes sense since her clothes had drag marks on them."

"Any gravel and dirt embedded into the skin?" Sam inquired, "Yes, some dirt was embedded on her sacral region." Unglaube states, nodding.

"Pre or post mortem?" Sam asked. "There were no signs of bleeding on the site." Unglaube states, no bleeding means that Muller was dragged to her car after she was dead.

"Anything that stood out on the gravel and dirt sample analysis?" Sam asked, "No, unfortunately. We had three different forensic labs do the analysis, but none of them could identify anything unique on the samples." "With nothing else on the body but dirt as a clue. I advise you to get an expert Forensic Microscopist to take a look at the case. Hopefully, they might find something that forensic geologists can't."

Unglaube nodded in understanding, the two exchanged goodbyes and the video chat ended.

It was the next day when Sam came by at Levi's flat for their routine Saturday Game night. She was laying on her stomach on the sofa. Levi sat across her cards in hand, a confident look on his face whilst they played for the third time that evening. She has yet to win a Round. "This isn't fun," Sam commented, eyes narrowed at him. He had been cheating she could tell, replacing the cards in his hands subtly. His practiced fingers making his movements close to unnoticeable. If she took that game seriously, she would have been mad. But she didn't care.

"Only because you're losing." Levi retorted. "It's not much winning if you're cheating Mr. Jackson, you've switched 4 cards in total since we started. Want me to prove it?" Sam challenged, hinting on revealing the cards still on the deck. Levi narrowed his eyes on her, he noted on the way she addressed him as Mr. Jackson. It was a sign that she was either mad or serious.

"You noticed, why didn't you say earlier?" Levi asked, he just wanted to know how long he could cheat without her realizing it. Clearly a mistake.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

"And you decided I've had enough?" Levi shot back, throwing his cards on the table annoyed that he was caught from the beginning. He needed to practice his sleight of hand more.

"Yeah, that smug smile on your face was annoying me. So, I thought I'd do something to wipe it off." Sam replied.

Before Levi could utter a smart retort, a voice interrupted them "May I join you?" Sam and Levi turned towards the source, and by the open door stood Anna, Levi's platinum blond sister.

"Ugh! What do you want this time?" Levi barked, exasperated suddenly. The sibling had a stare-off, and Sam sighed loudly for effect. Mentally wondering just what happened between the two siblings. They seemed to be carrying a lot of baggage, but mostly Levi. His contempt towards her was obvious. But then again, she wasn't any better, she thought. At least the two were talking, unlike her relationship with her estranged brother.

"Darling brother, how have you been. I missed you." Anna said, voice sultry as she entered his flat. Her stiletto clicking against the wooden floors and her hips sashayed left to right. She was dressed in a fitted moss green dress, her cleavage generously exposed. The platinum blond bent over towards Levi, in an attempt to kiss his cheek. But the psychologist successfully evaded it. The exchange made Sam's green eyes roll at the back of her skull, family drama must be universal, she thought.

Anna glared down at her younger brother, he was acting like a child, as usual, treating her like the plague. So, to annoy him more. she decided to invade more of his personal space by sitting on the armrest of his chair, legs crossed.

Levi rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, she annoyed him the most.

"Dr. Gray, how have you been?" Anna asked nonchalantly, as though she did not in a way kidnap her the first day they met. "Good, thanks," Sam answers, taking a sip from her teacup. "I need a favor." Anna casually states, eyes glued on the redhead. Her red lips were stretched into a smile, as she crossed her leg.

"No," Levi answered immediately. Anna turned to her younger brother slowly, "No?" She repeated, her tone challenging. "No," Levi repeated, the two glaring at one another. "Might I remind you that you missed paying your and your little business rent 2 months ago?" Anna said, eyebrows raised at Levi.

"What? Wait, sorry. What?" Sam muttered confused at Anna's statement. Rent?

"I paid you, didn't I? The business was slow then; we're sucking the diesel now." Levi stated confidently. Since their little media exposure, they had an increase in clients walking in the Jackson Detectives door. From insurance companies hiring them for suspected insurance fraud. to a woman who thinks her boyfriend is from another planet.

Money was coming in like liquid gold and from the self-satisfied grin in Levi's face, everybody could see how pleased he was.

One evening when the boys were seated at their desks, taking in statements from clients. Levi walked in the office in all his 6'2 glory, blonde hair slicked back and wearing an all-black 3-piece suit. "We're sucking the diesel now boys!" he says, his accent more and more noticeable. Alex, the youngest in the group, turned to Joe, his cousin with a look that says, what does that even mean? He had heard his boss say several things; from donkeys, whales, wetting the tea, messengers, and guards, to people acting like maggots. Things that he couldn't really understand.

"He meant we're experiencing good fortune kinda. " Joe explained, working for 2 years under the blond Irishman made him in some way fluent in Irish slang.

"Bang on." Levi nodded in approval, a card in hand.

Sam continued to stare at the siblings in bewilderment waiting for an answer. "She's our landlord." Levi deadpans seconds after, and Sam snorts covering her mouth in laughter. "Indeed, I've spoiled you all these years. I want you to do what I say, now." Anna claimed, "No." Levi answers, scoffing at the idea of doing what his sister wanted him to do.

Anna tore her eyes off Levi and turned to Sam, "You'll change your mind." She stated confidently, "But Dr. Gray, I need you to do me a favor." Anna says, "No." Levi answers for her, and he is ignored. "I have a case for you in America, a member of the Secret Intelligence Service had been found dead in his car with a bullet in his head. The CIA claims it was a random case of road rage, I need you to confirm it."

"Why me?" Sam asked, not looking forward to the idea of taking an 11-hour flight. "Well, because you are the best," Anna states smiling fondly at Sam. The redhead chuckled under her breath, the fake smile truly runs in the Jackson family, she realized.

"That doesn't work on me," Sam says, and Anna scowls.

"You know what I am trying to say," Sam adds, earning a sigh of defeat from Anna. "It's a sensitive case, Ralphie Pearce is one of our best agents in SIS, and he was sent there for reasons I cannot reveal. We need to know in Certainty that there wasn't any foul play involved." Anna confessed, "We?" Levi scoffed, shooting daggers at his sister. He scanned her from head to toe, taking note of the ring on her finger.

Levi started laughing loudly while looking at his sister. Sam wondered what it was that he found so funny all of a sudden. Anna glared down at him in response, knowing he knew.

"This is a first, which one? I'd love to meet him and shake his hand," he asked, hinting on the man that had his sister under his spell. The woman who was a player, a really good one too had been 'captured'.

He never imagined for it to happen in his lifetime, even considered it to be the work of some divine agency. A miracle.

Anna remained quiet and turned away looking at Sam, waiting for an answer. "Aaaah, I'm so stupid. You said it just a moment ago." Levi expressed, grinning widely at the platinum blond after the realization hit him. And he gave her a knowing grin that says, I know who.

"Moving on. Well, Dr. Gray?" Anna asked the redhead, who was lost at the two's unusual exchange.

"I don't see why I should say, yes," Sam admitted it wasn't interesting enough for her. She took the teacup on the table, leaning on declining when Anna dropped a name. "Josh Wright." Sam whiplashed towards the platinum blond, teacup midway towards her lips. Her green eyes searched Anna's dolled-up face for any trace of a lie.

"He was the Lead detective of the case," Anna added, knowing she won based on the pathologist's expression.

"Okay. When do we leave?" Sam states and Levi scowled at the two's silent exchange, wondering who Josh Wright was.