100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 126: The Artist XIV

Guys Hospital Suite

Levi and Sam walked into the hospital suite; a take-out bag was in the blond’s hand. Marco turned to look at them as they entered while he sat on the bed. Both of them looked worn-out.

"Good to see you’re not dead, Marco." Levi greeted in good humor. Placing the take-out bag on the table, then taking a seat on the couch close to the bed. Sam smiled at Marco, of which he returned; then, she leaned to kiss him on the cheek. "Glad you’re awake," she said. She scanned the room and asked, "Lisa?"

"In the loo." the bearded man answered, earning a nod from the redhead.

"Lisa told me you were making an arrest," Marco said as he watched the redhead take the seat beside the slicked blond.

"Yes, we did," Levi answered, loosening his necktie.

"So, was it Diana?" Marco asked.

Sam nodded her head while Levi stretched his legs, "Yep, told ya." the Irishman answered.

Marco felt glad that the case was over, but he also felt sad. He reckons shit happened, looking at the two’s expression.

"I see. How’s Charmaine?" he asked.

"You can imagine how she is," Levi said.

"So, what happens to Charmaine?" the bearded man asked, concern was evident in his voice, making Sam smile. He indeed was a good man; the woman had almost killed him, accidentally admittedly. But the kindness in Marco’s heart was something beyond even her understanding.

Levi and Sam exchanged looks, thinking the same thing. "She’ll be staying in a hotel while their residence is being investigated. After that, I have no idea, and I truly don’t care." the Irishman said, shrugging. Sam took it as her cue to answer since she had a little information regarding the matter; she had asked her plans during their conversation an hour ago.

"Michael’s funeral would be two days from now, and she’s leaning on selling the apartment building and moving back to Germany to continue her education." she shared.

Marco leaned back against his bedframe thinking, "That painting, though, even though he wrote it in his journal that he left a final message. It doesn’t exactly prove Diana killed him, does it? Wouldn’t they be able to argue that it could be another painting?" he asked.

"They can’t," Levi said confidently, earning Marco’s full attention. "It wasn’t just the hand and the ring; it was what the hand was doing in the painting that was important." he further explained.

"Pouring wine?" Marco asked, bewildered.

"Back in the Roman times, Romans used lead to sweeten their wines. Furthermore, in the painting, the silver chalice’s rim changed color, also hinting that the wine was spiked with poison. Since ages ago, Asian royalties believed that the metal would change color if the food were, in fact, poisoned." Sam explained.

Marco nodded in understanding; Michael really got into details with his paintings. He really did say all he had to say.

Marco expelled a sigh, "Case solved then," he thought out loud, just as Lisa walked out of the loo. The blonde woman smiled at the two, acknowledging their presence. She knew it was now finally over based on the tired but relaxed expression on their faces.

Levi grinned at his spot, "I might say, Marco, it was lucky you got poisoned," he said casually, earning a glare from Lisa. While Sam raised a brow at him, she was thinking the same, of course, but she wasn’t that crass enough to say that out loud. Especially not in front of his best friend’s wife.

Levi raised his hands in feign surrender at Lisa, but the cheeky grin on his face remained. "Well, I don’t mean it that way. What I meant was the fact that you got hospitalized after getting accidentally poisoned made all of it possible," he explained, still full of endorphins after solving the case. He hoped something interesting would come up soon after; days pass quicker when he is occupied.

"We were able to provide justice to a dead man," he added, but everyone can hear the sarcasm in his voice. Levi Jackson never did it for Justice. He only does it for the thrill of it, not to forget the money and the fame that comes with it.

Sam and Levi exchanged looks, and they took it as their cue to leave,

"We’ll leave you two alone. Eat the food," the Irishman said before walking away; Sam followed behind him.

......

Sam sat next to Levi in his car, heading to her place. "It’s sad, though," she said out of the blue. "What is?" The blond asked, raising a brow at her.

"I can’t help but wonder if his decision would have changed if he knew he had a child. Would he have decided to have the same fate?" She said.

"We’d never know." Levi replied, not at the least bothered by it; he never saw the point of thinking ’what if’s’ in his life.

"For some time, I thought he and I were the same," Sam admitted, and Levi couldn’t help but scoff at that.

"Michael Scott was an eejit." He commented dryly, earning a smile from the redhead, amused.

"And it may be right that you had a few things in common, but he was far from you." He added

"You’re stronger than him," he continued, not tearing his eyes away from the road. Sam watched him as he spoke, appreciating the profile of his face.

"You would have never ended up like him, even if your roles were reversed." He stated boldly; he had a suspicion that she was considering that scenario in her big old’ mind. The problem with Sam sometimes, he thought, she thought too much. But then again, he’d rather she be that than be like the rest of the population who didn’t bother to think at all. Sam was far from weak; she wasn’t one to break easily; he knew that for sure. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

His eyes darkened for a second, looking back at his past. "Experience makes people, indeed. But even so, people make themselves," he said.

Sam nodded in agreement; she knew it wasn’t just her who had a past. Past neither of them dares speak of. "Hungry?" she asked, "Yep," he said, and she fished out her mobile phone and dialed some delivery.