"So Nikki's causing trouble again!" Clarissa commented as Jack came in.
"Huh?"
"You missed all the fun!" she sniggered. "Nikki took Akka Khoury to hospital last night, but 'broke her out' when one of the nurses rang the police..."
"Nikki went on the run from the police?" Jack repeated, highly amused by his best friend's antics. He would have done exactly the same.
"Yes. They spent the night here hiding out, and..."
"Nikki slept here?" His amusement was growing by the second.
"Yes. Anyway, Thomas was not happy to find Goodchild and Butler arriving to ask Nikki where Akka was - CCTV caught them at the hospital and she gave the Lyell as Akka's address. Thomas gave Nikki a right telling off in his office - very loudly, so that Goodchild and Butler could hear. Little did they know that Akka was actually sat listening." She paused for breath. Jack was looking more and more delighted as the tale progressed. Clarissa continued. "They all met in the meeting room - minus Akka, of course. She was still sat in Thomas's office, waiting for the 'opportune moment' as Captain Sparrow says! Nikki didn't deny having been at the hospital with Akka last night, but claimed not to know where she went after they left. Goodchild and Butler gave Nikki a massive telling off but she gave as good as she got..."
"I bet she did!" Jack chuckled. "That's our Nikki!"
"Yeah, anyway, Thomas opened his office door and let Akka 'escape' under the pretence of making some coffee whilst Nikki was in the doghouse. When he eventually went back to the meeting room with the coffee, he said you could cut the atmosphere with a knife! The detectives left without drinking their coffee -stormed out, apparently!"She finished triumphantly, "Thomas isn't best pleased that he had to clean up Nikki's mess again, but she was not going to let them take Akka!"
Jack grinned broadly as Nikki swept in. "Speak of the devil!"
"Huh?"
"I hear you've been mis-behaving again, love? Goodchild and Butler gave you a dressing-down!"
"Oh that. Well, they should take their heads out of their arses and stop treating Akka like a criminal." Nikki retorted.
Jack chuckled. "It's not like you to be that rude about detectives you've just met. They've really annoyed you, eh?"
By the mortuary fridges...
"I put Akka's DNA on the database when we checked the tissue." Nikki glanced down at the bodies in front of her. "She is the mother of Akka Khoury."
Thomas sighed. "What? So Akka received an old message when they came through today, and believed...?"
"Her mother was alive." Nikki finished quietly.
Thomas sighed again. "Do you want me to...?"
"No. I'll tell her."
In the lab...
"Nikki, can you..." Jack started.
"No. I need some air..." She cut him off abruptly, before walking out. Jack and Clarissa stared after her. Thomas came into the lab.
"What's up with Nikki?" Clarissa asked him. "She just bit Jack's head off."
Thomas leaned on the lab table. "Nikki's just identified one of the bodies in the van as Akka's mother."
"Oh"
"But I thought..." Jack began. "The text..."
Thomas shook his head. "She must have sent the message to Akka when she arrived but with no signal to send it...Akka got it when we charged the phones - like the other messages, and she assumed her mother was alive. Obviously Nikki's taken it very hard - she has to tell Akka. I said I'd do it, but she wants to..."
"Can this case get any worse?" Jack collapsed onto a lab stool. "Poor Nikki. Poor Akka."
Back in their office...
Nikki returned to her office, having taken Akka back to the church. She dropped into her desk chair, exhausted and down-hearted.
Jack looked up. "You alright, love?"
"Yeah. I tried to get her to come back with me, but she refused." She muttered.
"Akka?"
"Yeah. They were at the church when I took her back." Nikki paused. "Her Grandfather and brother. The ones who broke her arm and jaw. They were so angry when they found out about her mother. I didn't want to leave her with them."
"You did your best. You can't force her to come back with you and leave them if she wanted to stay. They're the only family she's got left."
"Mm, I guess." Nikki answered Jack and he watched as she left the office again - no doubt to get more 'fresh air'. It seemed to be a frequent occurrence during this case. Her way of coping. Jack had a punch bag - Nikki 'ran away' for some fresh air.
"She'll be ok, Jack." Clarissa told him quietly.
"Yes." Thomas agreed, coming out of his office to join them. "This case has brought out her maternal instincts - she's very protective of Akka."
"You know what Nikki's like." Clarissa added. "She's always picking up waifs and strays."
Later in the office...
Nikki picked up her mobile."Hello...? Yes of course. I'll be right there." She hung up and grabbed her coat.
"Going somewhere?" Jack enquired.
"Akka's asked me to go and get her." She responded.
Even later...
Jack, Clarissa and Thomas stared in disbelief as Nikki came through the door of the Lyell Centre, followed by Akka and another, younger girl.
"She's found another one!" Thomas exclaimed indignantly. "She's like a female version of the pied piper!"