100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 144: The Reunion II

7 Eastbourne Rd.

Levi entered his flat, diving towards the bin next to his table immediately. He scowled when he found it had been emptied, "MRS WHITEHALL! DID YOU TAKE MY TRASH!?" he shouted, making the old woman jump in her flat. The older woman cursed the thin walls; she tottered towards her front door and walked out. "It’s garbage, Levi. Of course, I took it out!" she retorted, annoyed at his antics.

"I needed something there!" the slicked blond said, running down the stairs and making his way to the back door where all the bins were located. "Yass!" he cheered when he saw that the Binman had failed to collect the trash yet again. Mrs. Whitehall followed behind him, watching him move to open the bin.

The slicked blond paused before he touched any of the week’s worth of garbage; his eyes narrowed at his crisp suit. He was wearing a Brioni.

Nope, no can do.

"Boys!" he called. Three heads peaked from the agency’s front door brows furrowed, plus another head taller than the rest. "Get here." the Irishman instructed; the boys shot their bearded boss a look. They knew what the blond wanted them to do.

Marco shrugged, "I’ll make sure he buys you dinner for a week." The group sighed but accepted their fate; at least they got some kind of compensation.

Joe, Mike, and Alex made their way to the back; Marco followed behind them silently, relieved that that little occasion happened when the boys were still present. If not, he was sure that the Irishman would coerce him to do it himself. Lisa would be pissed if he walked into the house, reeking again.

As they expected, the blond Irishman told them to ’dumpster dive’ to search for a letter sent to him. Luckily it didn’t take long before they found the said letter, earning a "Get out of here, you boys stink" from the slicked blond. The boys took it as their signal to go home early when Levi retreated to his flat without another word.

The slicked blond grinned widely as he read the letter once more; he was right. He did see that name before; he read it just a few days ago.

Looking at the email address at the end of the letter, he jumped towards his laptop and started typing; there on the screen was the list of people who had RSVP’d. He grinned like a madman, RSVPing himself and adding a plus one.

....

Two weeks later

It was two weeks later when Sam received three consecutive text messages from Levi during her monthly meeting. She subtly read it under the table, raising a brow at the messages.

Received: Levi Jackson

Need assistance.

Now.

Please?

Sam sighed, not bothering to reply and focusing on her meeting. It was 20 minutes later when the pathologist headed to Eastbourne Rd., taking her time climbing the stairs to his flat. There on the sofa, she saw Levi comfortably lying, "What is it this time?" She asked, annoyed at him.

She had stacks and stacks of files to review, just to be up to date with the records. Levi turned to her and pointed to his bedroom, "In my room, get dressed; we’re leaving in an hour." Levi instructed nonchalant after checking the time on his watch.

Sam’s face creased, "Pardon?" she asked, confused. The Irishman shooed her towards his bedroom in reply, and Sam begrudgingly did as she was told.

Her brow raised at what she saw, a dress, no, a royal blue gown draped on his silk-covered bed. On the foot of the bed was a pair of heels in her size. Besides the dress, she saw something very familiar, and she took it in her hand, and her eyes widened in shock after confirming her suspicion. It was her lacy black lingerie. And so, the Irishman knowing her size made perfect sense; he had been snooping on her belongings.

"WHAT. THE.FECK. LEVI!" she spat, embarrassed at the thought of him finding some ’toys’ in the same drawer where he took it.

Levi flinched, startled from the sound of her voice, "One hour we leave." he reminded.

Sam peaked her head out of the door, glaring at his still lying form on the sofa. Her curiosity got the best of her, and so she asked, "Where to? And how did you get my lingerie?"

Levi turned to look at her, "The Reunion, you’re my date. And I took it from your drawer, obviously." he deadpanned, earning an eye roll from her. Of course, he did, she thought.

"Great, you went to my flat without my knowledge AGAIN," she said with a frown. "I go to your place without your knowledge all the time. I read your Sociology Thesis Experiments." He said, getting up. He made his way towards her and grabbed her arm, ushering her to the bathroom.

"Do hurry up; I know how you women waste so much time getting ready. I’d rather not be late." Levi said, pushing her into the bathroom. "You said you’re not coming!" She retorted, baffled that he suddenly decided to go. "I decided two weeks ago; I just didn’t tell you," he said in a duh tone, pulling the door close after he exited.

"There’s a towel there for you. Use whatever you want," he said, walking away and sitting back at his previous spot.

15minutes later, Sam walked out of the bathroom to retreat to his bedroom to prepare while he took a shower himself. With 15 minutes to spare, Sam stepped out of his room wearing the gown, wondering where he bought it. Nevertheless, he did have good taste, she noted.

Sam looked at the slicked blond, standing in front of the mirror. He was wearing a black tuxedo, and unlike usual, his hair was styled to one side. But as usual, he looked like he walked out of a fashion catalogue.

"Is this about your case?" Sam asked from behind him while he worked on his bow tie in front of the mirror. He turned to her and gave her a satisfied look, but never uttering a compliment.

"Yes." He replied, turning back to face the mirror. "let me." Sam offered when she noticed he was struggling, gesturing for him to turn so she could fix his bow tie, which he willingly did.

"Can you tell me more about the link with this ’social gathering of eejits?" Sam said, quoting him while giving the bow tie one last tug, oblivious of his scrutinizing gaze. Levi’s sharp eyes scanned the woman, taller than usual since she was sporting a pair of 5-inch heels.

Her crimson hair was swept to the side, exposing her slender, elegant neck; her makeup complimented her green eyes and lips. The Irishman swallowed subconsciously when his eyes caressed the exposed skin around her clavicle and bosom, especially her right leg, sticking out of the thigh-high slit.

The gown accentuated how small her waist was, giving her the perfect hourglass silhouette. She was successfully pulling off that sophisticated and seductive allure, and Levi wondered if he made a mistake in picking that gown. It was distracting him.

Levi tore his eyes away from the redhead; he felt his body grow hot. And he subtly expelled a breath that he did not remember holding.

"One of the suspects in the case is David Fletcher, a businessman who happened to be the fiancee of a woman who went in the same Uni as me, Carol Corden. I’ve had a peak on the RSVP list and found out he is her plus one", he explained, grabbing his suit jacket hanging in a corner.

Sam took it from him, and he turned as she helped him put it on.

"And why do I have to be dragged into this tiring event?" she asked.

"I had one of my associates’ peek at his online subscriptions." He said, earning a chuckle from the redhead. She’s not even surprised. "That’s a criminal offence," Sam said playfully. "Only if you get caught," he replied, recalling it was the same thing she said to Elle years before in the Main Lab when she broke into the Criminal Investigation Department Database. Sam broke into a grin at the memory, they weren’t fully acquainted back then, but he still remembered.

"He has a fetish for redheads, based on his Porn preference," he added, offering his arm to her. Sam sighed, "So, basically, you want me to ’distract’ the man?" she asked, not amused at the idea of dealing with a possible psycho. "We have to make use of that face," Levi said, earning an eye roll from the redhead at his form of compliment. He grabbed a matching long coat for her gown and helped her in as she did him.

"I guess there’s no better way to spend my evening than to seduce a would-be killer in someone else’s Reunion party," Sam deadpanned, mentally readying herself to deal with drama.

"I am not oblivious of your sarcasm. Nevertheless, let’s give it a lash!" Levi said excitedly.