My one vice
Chapter one: Road safety.
He'd only closed his eyes for a moment. It had been such a long day and he was exhausted, desperate to get home and into a nice warm bath. Technically he should still be at work now. They hadn't quite finished for the day but due to recent events the boss had felt it might be a good idea if he took some time off. Someone was covering the phones; they could manage without him for one evening.
Still he'd ended up staying longer than he'd intended. But at one A.M and his exhaustion had gotten the better of him and he slunk off. If he'd been thinking straight he might have thought better of driving while in this state but he'd been so strained recently that it barely crossed his mind. On some level he didn't even care if anything happened to him... but not this.
When he had opened his eyes again they were blurry and itchy. He knew that he shouldn't have done it, not while driving but he couldn't help it his eyelids had been so heavy. Besides the streets of Cardiff were empty during those strange twilight hours after the pubs had closed but before the clubs would. The city, bathed in an ugly florescent glow would be virtually deserted for hours so the chances of hitting anyone had been…
He'd never been that lucky. One minuet the road was clear, he closed his eyes and then SMACK. It hit his windscreen with such force that it almost fell through. Too late he slammed on the brakes, smacking his head on the wheel and almost strangling himself with the safety belt. The body slid off of the bonnet with a dull thud.
Shaking he got from the car, vision blurred by the blood pouring from the open wound on his head. His legs felt numb and his stomach knotted as he scanned the tarmac for the body. It was lying a few feet away, half hidden in the shadows under the bridge which ran above the road. She was a young woman, possibly in her early twenties. Dressed in cheap revealing clothes, her short white skirt, now stained with blood was hiked up higher than any decency allowed. He'd have seen her if she'd step out, she must have jumped he couldn't have avoided it, could he?
He pulled her skirt down for modesties sake and almost wept with joy as she let out a small gasp. He pushed her blood soaked brown hair away from her face and tried to asses the damage. Judging by the state of his windscreen he must have hit her with a tremendous force. She should have been killed instantly.
Suddenly the girl grabbed his wrist. Shocked he turned towards her and looked into her tear soaked face. Perhaps it was the light or possibly the knock to his head but he could have sworn that she had turned lilac.
"Will I die?" She asked softly. There was a hint of hope in her voice.
"I'll call an ambulance."
"No, please" she protested, pulling him closer, pleading with him.
He recognised that look, that hopelessness, that fear. Whatever physical pain she was feeling he knew it was nothing compared to what was going on inside.
"You'll be okay" he assured her softly and reached into his jacked pocket. He took out his mobile. "I'll get help."
Captain Jack Harkness burst through the double doors of the Starlight club flanked by Owen and Gwen and marched purposefully past the PC on guard who was momentarily blindsided by this blatant lack of respect for Cardiff's finest.
"Excuse me!" The copper spluttered, snapping out of it.
"You're excused." Jack smiled ducking under the police tape stretched halfway across the club.
"You can't just waltz in here."
"I'm sure that there are many things you can do in here but I think Waltzing a little old fashioned don't you?." Jack smiled mildly holding the tape so that Owen and Gwen could pass through with the equipment.
"I can body pop." Owen offered.
"Owen." Gwen said sweetly as she straightened herself up on the other side of the tape. "Don't make me shoot you."
Jack turned to the bemused copper. "We're not here to dance." He said flashing his ID.
The copper, a veteran of Cardiff's police force sagged his broad shoulders and groaned. "Oh, bugger, not you lot!" He muttered in a thick local accent. The three Tochwood members exchanged satisfied grins.
"Oh good," Owen smiled. "Our reputation has preceded us."
The copper removed his hat and scratched his short graying hair with a resigned look on his face.
"Go on then." He grunted waving them on. "It's up them stairs" Jack, Owen and Gwen nodded civilly and turned back to the crime scene.
They had all been in a great deal many clubs over the years, usually while they were teaming with sweaty, horny teenagers bouncing around to deafeningly loud music in very poor lighting to that they couldn't see how ugly the person they were dancing with was. Owen preferred to think of it as being like a lucky dip with either a pleasant surprise or (more often than not) hideous shock the following morning.
It seemed strange to see it with the house lights up. Somehow it lost all of its mystery and allure. It was just a large room with a bar and a stage. And a rather sticky floor. Kicking their way through the discarded bottles and cigarette stubs littering the floor the three of them headed for the staircase the PC had pointed out. It was through a fire exit next to the bar. Jack went first leaping two steps at a time.
"He loves this bit." Owen smiled to him self. "When it's all new and exciting and we don't know what we're up against."
"He's like a kid at Christmas." Gwen said heading after Jack.
Owen nodded his head as he followed. "Yeah," He agreed. "Who wants to tell him there's no Santa?"
Upstairs, not for the first time, Jack, Owen and Gwen were greeted less than warmly. A tall middle aged man with slicked back (probably dyed) black hair stood impatiently with his hands on the hips of his pressed Armani suit. He threw up his hands in frustration as they entered the room.
"Oh great, more of you!" He snapped. "This is ridiculous when exactly am I going to get my club back? Time is money you know!?"
He was standing to the side in a cramped, garishly decorated room. The bare walls were a deep red, dimly lit by a single bulb in the middle of the room hanging over a heart shaped bed. Sprawled across the crumpled sheets lay the naked body of DR. Walter Harrow, a lecturer of Modern history up at the university. Now in his late fifties Dr. Harrow was, to put it kindly, a little past his prime. He was still quite trim, but had a slight paunch and none of his own hair. His short blond wig had slipped down over his face, not quite hiding the terrified look on the Harrows face.
Two forensic scientists were examining the body; they stopped as soon as Torchwood entered. The scientists must have recognised Jack and the others because no sooner had Torchwood entered the room than they doggedly scooped up their equipment and, after shooting the team despising looks, shuffled from the room.
The man in the suit looked relived. "Great does that mean we can start tiding up?" He enquired. He showed no remorse for the dead man spread-eagled on the bed.
"Mr. Driesser, is it?" Gwen snapped. She was both shocked and outraged by his lack of feeling. The man nodded his head and looked her up and down. His eyes lingered a little too long on her cleavage for Gwen's liking. She got the feeling that she was really going to grow to detest this man.
"That's right sweetheart" He said impatiently. "I'm the owner of this club and if you don't mind I have a lot to be getting on with."
"A man has just died here!" Gwen said bluntly, unable to control herself. The man merely shrugged.
"And that doesn't concern you?" She asked her mouth agape.
"Shit happens." He shrugged again.
"Shit seems to happen to you quite often Mr. Driesser." Jack piped up. Both he and Own had moved over to the body. Owen began to take readings.
Jack seemed to have hit a nerve with Mr. Driesser. The sleazy man snapped his head to face Jack so quickly the charismatic Captain half expected his neck to snap.
"None of those went to trial." The man hissed.
Jack smiled; he had clearly riled the odious man. "Funny that until you were convicted for ABH." He said pointedly.
Driessers nostrils flared like a dragon about to breathe fire. "Listen I paid my dues." He snarled, waving a warning finger. "What has it got to do with Harrow?"
"For your sake it had better be nothing." Jack snarled back. At first he had found Driesser merely unpleasant but there was something unnatural about him. His appearance was almost reptilian and his disregard for his fellow human beings was just as cold-blooded. Jack wanted him out of the way as soon as possible.
"Did you notice anything strange around the time of his death?" Jack demanded. Moving right up close to Driesser. The nasty little man backed away.
"Nope." Driesser replied defensively, trying to remain cocky, though clearly unnerved by Jacks imposing figure.
"What about the blackout?" Gwen pressed him.
Driesser rolled his eyes "So the power went out, it's not a pronominal occurrence really is it?"
"Strange that it coincided with Mr. Harrow's death." Owen chipped in from the bed. There wasn't really much that he could do here. They'd have to take Harrow back to the Hub for a more thorough analysis.
Driesser had had enough of this. "Aint it just." He said through gritted teeth. "Perhaps you should talk to Janine; she was with him as it happened. She's been taken to a room down the hall. For now I have a business to run, excuse me."
He slithered quickly past Gwen and disappeared off down the hall. She shook her head bitterly and turned back to the others.
"Gwen, find Janine and ask her exactly what happened." Jack ordered her.
"I'm guessing she'll be the half naked one crying in the corner" Owen smiled knowingly.
"Do you really expect her to tell me the truth?" Gwen asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow "Surely Driesser will have told her what to say."
"You never know, she might have an honest soul." Jack smiled wryly. Gwen found that about as likely as Jack having a wife, two kids and a Labrador.
"Guarantee her safety and see what she comes up with." Jack shrugged As Gwen left the room already knowing exactly what Janine would tell her Jack turned to Owen.
"Doesn't look as though he died in the throws of passion does it?" Jack said shaking his head.
"If he did then he is definitely doing it wrong." Owen said grimly. "It looks as though he was frightened to death."
Looks can be deceiving." Jack said wisely.
"Thank you Sensei." Owen replied sarcastically before turning back to business "There are no pressure marks on the body, no signs of a struggle. Sorry Jack but this one looks to be on the level. As far as is possible in a brothel. Sorry ," He corrected himself making air quotation marks with his hands. "'legitimate entertainment venue.'"
Jack wasn't convinced. "I don't know it seems to be too much of a coincidence what with the power surge and Driesser is definitely hiding something." He mused "Well keep digging see if anything comes up."
After a while Gwen marched back into the room wearing an expression which clearly said 'I told you so.'
"Well I talked to Janine." She announced.
"Let me guess..." Owen sighed.
"He started rolling around clutching his chest, then he went all stiff and collapsed." He and Gwen chorused.
"Surely he was stiff already." Jack grinned. The others ignored him.
"Straight off of the telly." Gwen sighed.
"Give the girl an Oscar." Owen smiled mirthlessly. He had finished here. In any other circumstances this would be a closed case and they'd have packed up and gone home but Driessers unusual behavior, Janine's textbook testimony and the blackout was enough cause for concern. They'd have to take him back to the hub. Hopefully soon. It was one o'clock and Owen was flagging.
"So what now?" He yawned.
"We take the body back to the hub and…" Jack began but a sudden bleep interrupted. He clicked the side of his earpiece. "Toshiko?" He smiled. Owen and Gwen watched uneasily as the smile slid off of Jacks face. He looked as though he'd been punched in the stomach. "We're on our way!" He breathed and swept form the room leaving a bemused Gwen and Owen traiing behind.
'Receiving, go ahead Gavin.'
'Alright sarge? I've got a bit of a weird one.'
'Weird seems to be the theme of the day. It's gettin' like the bloody twilight zone 'round 'ere! Did you 'ere about what 'appened at Sean Driessers club?'
'Yeah, nasty that.'
'Not our problem anymore though, bloody torchwood turned up didn't they.'
'Barstards , they get everywhere!'
'Yeah but I don't envy them sometimes. They 'ave to do some weird shit.'
'Rather them than us, still best keep this one quiet eh? Don't want them trampling all over my crime scene.'
'I dunno, they 'ave an 'abit of turning up whether you tell them or not. Anyway, what 'ave you got for me?'
'RTA… sort of. We got a call about 'alf hour ago, woman says she's seen someone jump from the bridge in Lewis street. Ambulance arrives to find a lad in the road wi' serious 'ed wounds, car window smashed to buggery and no driver.'
'We'll its obvious wha's 'appened isn it? Driver's uninsured and run off. Blimey Gavin, no wonder you missed promotion.'
''e was the driver'
'What?'
'The lad in the road is the driver. Cars registered in his name, Explain that one Miss Marple. 'ow did 'e run 'imself over?'
'Jesus!'
'The victim's a Mr. Ianto Jones. Can you get an address and send someone to see his next of kin for me please?'
'Tha' bad eh?'
'Well the paramedics don't look to 'appy. Best be on the safe side eh.'