Disclaimer: This story is for fan purposes only. The characters are property of their respective owners (not me!) and are used here without permission.
Author Note: This story is meant to be part of my fanfic series 1,001 Nights of Inspector Lewis as it is one of the ideas I'd had prior to series 7 when I wondered all the different ways Robbie and Laura might end up together. As the story grew more complicated, I realized that it was eight chapters long and deserved its own publication.
It was just past midnight and Inspector Robbie Lewis was sleeping soundly. He didn't hear the doorbell until the second or third ring. He leapt out of bed and went to the window. He recognized the car out front. It can't be. He thought. Sure enough, the doorbell rang again. He'd been asleep in his keks, so he threw on sweats and ran to the door. As soon as he had the front door open a sliver, a sylph-like ghost quickly slid inside.
Not a ghost, but Dr Laura Hobson in a white scene suit. She was manic; "took you long enough to answer the door! Turn out the lights in front; we don't want to arouse suspicion."
"Are you all right?" Lewis tried to grab hold of her arm, but she flitted off to the kitchen. He had only seen her like this once before, when she was upset about an incompetent colleague and was wielding an unlit cigarette as an indicator of stress level. Lewis was reasonably sure that if she had a cigarette now, it would be lit.
"I've done something terrible. No. No, I haven't. I haven't done anything. But sometimes a sin of omission is just as bad, isn't it?"
"You'd have to ask Hathaway about your sins, love. Tell me what's happened; I won't judge one way or the other."
"That's why I came to you. I just need your advice, Robbie. Then I promise I'll leave. I don't want you implicated in any of this. No one will ever need to know I was here."
"Laura, let's take a deep breath. You're going to pull yourself together and then put the kettle on. I'm going to freshen up, and when I come back, you're going to tell me what's going on."
Ten minutes later, Lewis had dressed (casually, not in a suit, though he'd considered that for a moment) and brushed his teeth, but Hobson didn't notice the difference. She was trying to pour the kettle into the teapot, but her hands were trembling. An aching part of him wanted to take her into his arms, but he was far too restrained to act on that. Lewis instead took the kettle from her and poured the hot water. "Let's have a seat. Tell me what happened."
She sat down at the table with Lewis next to her. "My brother Charlie is visiting from London. He's had problems in the past with alcohol and gambling, but I thought he was clean. He went out tonight, after dinner, ostensibly to visit old friends. He called me about an hour ago saying to meet him immediately. He was upset. He'd found a man to whom he owed considerable debts- murdered. I told him to call the police. I showed up at Cotswold Catering expecting to see SOCOs or someone, but it was just Charlie babbling on about how he didn't do it. I again told him to call the police. I started my initial examination of the body. He'd been tied up and stabbed, but there was no murder weapon in the vicinity. I was engrossed in my own investigation when I heard the door slam. I realized that Charlie was gone. I heard his car drive away- no headlights. I saw nothing. He'd disappeared. And there I was alone with the corpse. I know I should have called the police myself but I panicked. I tidied up to make sure there was no trace of my presence, and I fled too. I drove around not even knowing where I was going, until I realized I was in front of your flat. Please believe me, Robbie, I never would have examined the corpse if I had known that the police were not already en route. I know it was a terrible breech of protocol, but you've got to believe me. I didn't tamper with any evidence, I swear it, Robbie."
"Calm down; I believe you, Laura." He had made the mistake of not believing her once before and he would not make it again. He shuddered to think of that Halloween several years back when she'd been very nearly buried alive because he'd doubted her. Of course she would come to him if she knew something; here she was now, shaking her head in dismay.
"Do you think Charlie did it?"
"I don't think so, but addiction makes people do things they wouldn't ordinarily."
"Laura, do you trust me?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Robbie, you're the only one I trust, she thought.
"I want to help you, but I can't promise you'll be happy with the consequences. Will you let me?" He had his hand on the phone.
"You don't have to get involved, Robbie. I don't want you to jeopardize your career like I have mine. My job…I love my job, it's all I have. I could lose everything." She at last started to weep in earnest.
He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm calling the police. Are you on call tonight?"
She was aware of his touch, but her head was bent in shame and she didn't dare look at him. "No, it's Angus," she said simply, though her internal monologue continued. I knew you would tell me to do the right thing. 'Inspector Lewis' trusts the system- I wish I did.
"Good. You're sure there's no trace of you there? And no one saw anything?" She nodded without looking up. She was shocked by what she heard next. "When the police ask you questions, tell them you didn't go inside. You and your brother spoke outside the catering hall. You never went inside; you never saw a corpse; you don't even know if anyone was really murdered; you drove straight here and asked me to call the police. I'll take your statement first, but there will be other detectives tomorrow who will interrogate you to try to trip you up."
She was staring at him now, her wide eyes filled with tears. "I can't ask you to lie for me."
"Don't see the harm, me. Morse did it- lied in court even- to protect a … lady friend. He said she killed someone in self-defence. That bastard deserved it though, mind you."
"You're not Morse, Robbie." She didn't mean it as a dare, but he looked at her like it was.
"And you didn't kill anyone, Laura." He picked up the phone and started giving orders. "This is Inspector Lewis. I heard rumblings of some suspicious activity going on at Cotswold Catering- possibly a homicide. I want SOCOs there right away. Detective Sergeant Hathaway will be in charge of the investigation. I also need an APW out on Charles Hobson. Any trace of him, call me immediately."
He hung up and started to dial again. He spoke to Laura as he waited for Hathaway to answer. "Sorry 'bout that last part, but it has to be done. If they find him, we'll get to him first so he won't incriminate you." Hobson nodded, grateful that Lewis was taking charge.
"James. Sorry it's late, lad. I need you to go to Cotswold Catering straightaway. Possibly a homicide. I'm busy taking the statement of a…person of interest. You need to investigate the scene thoroughly and take mental notes on everything because first thing tomorrow morning, Innocent is taking us off the case."
Hobson could hear Hathaway start to ask a question, but Lewis hung up rather than answer it.
Lewis felt no ethical dilemma as he prepared Hobson for their interview. As far as he was concerned, he was finally making amends for that traumatic Halloween. She had come to him in her hour of need, and this time, he would protect her no matter what.
The Inspector did, however, feel his internal ethicist arise when he told Hobson to take off her scene suit. The twinge of impropriety that he felt should have been because he was going to launder her suit, but it was actually due to the fact that he quite enjoyed watching her comply.