100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 195: Puzzle Skin

4 AM, 7 Eastbourne Rd

His heart pounded against his tiny chest; cold sweat dripped down the side of his face making his thick blond hair stick to his pale white skin, and soaking the collar of his school uniform. Little twigs snapped under his feet, leaves rustling in the cold breeze. Branches danced from side to side as the wind picked up that late afternoon, it was going to rain soon. He could tell.

The howling wind screamed to his ears, muffling the sound of the two large feet coming after him.

His legs burned, chest ached for air, but he continued to run.

He needed to get away, get as far as his legs could take him.

He needed to get some help.

He needed to... or they will all die.

He panted heavily, his breath fogging before him as he continued to run. A shriek passed his chapped lips when the ground beneath his feet collapsed, and he started to skid down the hill, scratching his exposed skin as he tumbled a few times till finally coming into a halt.

He quickly got on his feet, climbing back up the hill, his heart pounding against his ears.

He needed to run.

He needed to get away.

He has to.

He gripped onto anything he could grab on, legs kicking himself up, not at all bothered by the dirt staining his clothes. Slowly he climbed higher and higher until he felt a calloused hand holding his leg and pulling him down.

Levi woke into a start, his heart pounding against his chest, eyes darted to and fro scanning where he was. He was home, in his bedroom and beside him sleeping was Sam.

He was safe; he kept repeating to himself as he slowly calmed down from that horrible nightmare. No, that wretched memory of his failed Escape decades before. Why it was haunting his dreams the past nights bothered him, it had been happening more regularly than before, confusing him as he made his own psychological profile.

PTSD? Understandable, he had a traumatic childhood. But he was confident the nightmares weren’t because of that, he had been over that for many years. But why was it suddenly returning? He couldn’t help fathom. Perhaps due to another underlying reason.

’Depression? No, highly unlikely.’ he thought.

’Anxiety?’ he considered, causing him to frown, what was he anxious about? Then the realization set in. ’Ah yes.’ he thought, as his eyes rested on the redhead still lightly snoring beside him. Snoring that she only did when she had a very tiring day, something that had been happening for the past weeks.

He brushed the hair off of her face gently, careful not to wake her, seeing as she had been working very hard to keep up with all her pending schedules. All appointments, reports and meetings that needed to be moved because of her sudden disappearance.

His eyes trained on her face, her lightly freckled cheeks, and pointed nose. And her state on the bed wrapped around the blanket reminded him of Sir Frederic Leighton’s painting, ’Flaming June’. She was far more beautiful in his opinion.

Perhaps he was more anxious than he was willing to accept, anxious to the day that she would inevitably leave him. He, after all, was responsible for her uncle’s death. The choice he made resulted in his demise. The fault was his. His blood was in his hands.

He turned to look at the curtain covered window, the small gap between the two curtains gave him a narrow view of the new moon outside. And he turned to look at the digital clock on his bedside cabinet, ’04:21’ it read, and his eyes remained there as his mind wandered to that time in the past, seven years ago.

...

2008, 7 Eastbourne Rd.

It was a time seven years ago when Jackson Detectives Agency was only starting; the business was terrible as Marco had expected considering they had no reputation to speak of yet, and it was just Levi and him manning the usually empty office.

The slicked blond was building a tower card when the landline started ringing. Marco, who was in the same room, looked at him expectantly since he was sitting closer to the phone.

"Levi, phone please," he said, receiving no reply.

He huffed, eyes narrowed at the blond who did not reply. "Levi, the phone please," he repeated.

"No need to repeat yourself, Marco. I ignored you just fine the first time." the blond said, making it clear he wasn’t planning on answering the phone.

Marco glared at him, then loudly got off his chair and made his way towards the blond’s desk and answer the phone. But before he did, he made sure to ’accidentally’ bump into the blond’s table, mouthing ’sorry’ when the tower cards collapsed.

"Gobshite!" the Irishman cussed glaring at the lanky man hovering over him. Indignantly he collected his cards, ready to make another set.

"Levi, it’s your sister." the bearded man said, handing him the phone.

"Tell her I’m not here." he replied, "She could hear you, you know?" the bearded man said.

"That, unfortunately, does not change my answer, Marco," the blond retorted, not in the mood to deal with his sister.

Marco rolled his eyes, "You heard him, Anna." he said over the phone.

Anna rolled her eyes on the other line, laying on her stomach on the bed. Rich red silk sheets wrapped around her naked body, as she looked at her manicured hands. She needed to tell Valerie to make her an appointment soon, some of the tips are starting to chip off. A snore came from the man beside her, causing her grey eyes to bounce on the unconscious man, Lennie Russell the Director-General of the British Security Service and her current lover of the week.

"Dr Evans, please tell my baby brother that I am offering him a case, one I am well aware of you need considering business is slow more than usual." she said, a case that she was well aware would interest her brother. He had been looking for a way to nail the man since they were children—the man named Jason Murdoch.

Marco’s brows rose in interest, she was right they needed a case, and from experience, Anna Jackson pays very well when it came to the cases she offers. Most of all, they have bills to pay.

He looked at Levi, "She has a case, she wants us to--." he started, only for the blond to interrupt with his classic "Nope!"

Marco frowned, and he covered the receiver for a moment, "we need a case to pay bills, Levi." he insisted, causing the blond to turn to him. Marco sighed silently in relief when the blond offered his hand to him, and so he handed him the phone, but instead of putting it against his ear, he slammed the phone down loudly—ending the call.

Marco’s eyes widened at him, "Levi!" He exclaimed, annoyed at his action. They legit needed the money, or they’ll run out of money before they even start to earn some.

"Not from her," the slicked blond said, getting back to his tower card building. He didn’t need her help in building his own business, after all. He refused to accept her assistance in getting a case; it was annoying enough that he was renting one of her properties in Eastbourne.

"You are such a child." the bearded man said, shooting daggers at him. As always, he didn’t like doing anything his sister asked him to do, his pride would be the death of him, the man thought.

Anna clicked her tongue at his brother’s antics, glaring at the phone in her hand before returning it to its place. "Indignant brat" she whispered to herself. Nevertheless, she knew he would take it; she just needed to send him the file.

It was the next day when Marco picked up a package by the agency’s front door early in the early morning. He looked at it oddly, the mail was addressed to Levi, and so he left it on the man’s desk.

It was 10 minutes later when the slicked blond entered their agency, as usual, it was empty, good thing he brought a Rubik’s cube to entertain him during the wait.

"Levi, there’s mail for you." the bearded man said, the moment he entered. The Irishman’s eyes rested on the package, taking it into his hand but sniffing it before he opened it. The action Marco witnessed causing him to look at him funny.

Levi scowled at the mail in his hand and dropped it immediately in the bin next to the table, surprising the bearded man.

"You didn’t even check it!" he exclaimed, annoyed, walking towards it and picking it up. "Don’t bother with that, that’s from the Blackwidow." the slicked blond said, hoping his statement would make Marco leave it alone, but instead the man tore the package taking what’s inside.

Levi looked away in response and started to play with his Rubiks, while Marco began to read the file.

"It’s about.." the bearded man started, "I don’t wanna hear about it." the slicked blond interrupted, earning a glare from his friend. Marco clenched his jaw, slamming the file on top of the blond’s desk, "You don’t have to take it but at least look at it first before deciding!" he said, peeved.

Levi groaned, knowing based on Marco’s tone he was close to truly getting pissed at him, And so, he indignantly looked at the file. His eyes widened at the photo attached to it.