After Owen and Tosh's deaths, the three remaining members of Torchwood Three tried to make do on their own. It wasn't easy dealing with the loss of two colleagues and friends, but nevertheless they managed it. Now, two months later, the loss was still too near, but it didn't stop them from doing their job. When Jack heard over the police frequency that a mauled body was found in the centre of Cardiff and a dead creature of unknown nature next to it, all three understood that this was a case for Torchwood. Jack informed the police that they should leave everything untouched, make sure no passers-by contaminated the scene either, and wait for their arrival.

Twenty minutes later, the three Torchwood members stepped out of the SUV and crossed the yellow police line without much problem. Moving with experienced harmony, Gwen talked to the police officer who was in charge, while Jack and Ianto walked over to the dead bodies. They sat on their heels and directed their torches on them, wishing to have a better look; it was still quite dark.

"That's a lot of blood," Jack commented.

'Yes, that's to be expected after a Weevil confrontation," Ianto replied, blue-grey eyes scanning the two bodies.

"You've still got to give him credit, though. He tried to fight back," Jack said, pointing at the gun that was still clutched in the dead man's hand.

Ianto cocked his head. "So, at first glance, one can deduce that he fired his gun when the Weevil bit him, but it was too late and they both died of their wounds."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the words 'first glance'.

"You spotted it too, then."

Ianto pointed at the bullet wound on the Weevil's body. "The exit wound and the lack of scorch-marks indicate that the Weevil was shot from a distance… and from the back. That means somebody else must have shot it."

Jack nodded in evident approval. "Nicely done. Although I was going to say that the Weevil has some pretty interesting marks here." He pointed at the thick neck. "See the red line there?"

Ianto did. "It's chaffed," he commented and then looked back at Jack. "Collar?"

"Yup," Jack answered. "Now either the Weevils have a very spicy sex life, or…"

"Someone was controlling this one."

"Bingo."

Just then, the familiar sound of footsteps reached their ears, and they looked up to see Gwen coming up to them.

"Okay, according to the police officer, the victim was Robert Adler, aged 54, married, and a barrister by profession. An anonymous caller informed 999 about his location at approximately half past eight."

"Anything else we should know about?" Jack asked.

"Well, he was working on a murder case which could be related to the Russian Mafia," Gwen said, checking her notes. "So the officer thinks that the Weevil was a masked hitman who was hired for the purpose of killing him."

"Oh, because they probably ran out of horses' heads," Ianto deadpanned as he continued examining the two dead bodies. His hand dug into the man's pocket and took out a small piece of paper. "I have something."

Jack extended his hand in a gesture to Ianto to hand it over, and the young man complied. The former Time-agent unravelled the paper, only to let out a small whistle.

"Classy. Mr. Adler here knew how to pick his spots."

"Meaning?" Gwen asked.

"This is a receipt from the 'La Nuit', a nice restaurant which mostly serves clients of the amorous nature."

"Why am I not surprised that you know of it?" Ianto asked. Just because he still examined the bodies, it didn't mean he was deaf.

"Maybe you want us to go there next time?" Jack asked in an innocent tone. "They have this amazing desert with strawberries and…"

"Jack," Gwen said, bringing the immortal man back into focus. "Don't you think we should find out who was with Mr. Adler last time before arranging dates?"

"I can still kill two birds in one stone," Jack grinned. "Go to the restaurant, ask your questions and then reserve a table for two for next week."

"And I suppose I should give the name 'Harkness', so they'll reserve the usual table," Gwen said, half- teasing, half- serious.

"That would be preferable." Jack wasn't kidding.

Gwen shook her head with a sigh, obviously thinking that the former Time-agent was simply impossible at times.

"Fine. Have fun, you two. I'll meet you at the Hub once I'm done questioning the people in the restaurant."

"Alright, thanks," Jack said with a smile, watching Gwen go. As soon as she had vanished amid the crowd, Jack returned his gaze to Ianto, who had walked a couple of feet away from the bodies and stared at something on the pavement.

"What have you got?" Jack asked, walking up to the younger man.

"More blood," Ianto answered, pointing at a rather large stain.

Jack frowned, and looked back at Adler's body. Was it possible that it could be his? He was too far away though…

"Take samples and sent them over to Martha," he said. "It might help us pinpoint if that third party got hit, too."

"Right," Ianto said, putting on latex gloves. "What about you?"

Jack turned on his heel, walking away. "I have to talk to the widow."

And with that, Jack walked over to the police officer to ask about the victim's address.

Finding Adler's house wasn't difficult. The man lived in quite the big house just outside of Cardiff, away from the main road and more or less further away from the other houses in the particular area. If anything, Robert Adler had enjoyed his privacy while he was alive.

Jack parked the SUV outside the house and stepped out, putting his hands in the pockets of his military coat. As he approached the entrance with a calm, confident step, he looked up towards the windows to see whether…

Ah… though the world was still bathed in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn, Jack caught sight of a curtain being tugged. It was clear someone was inside and even moved to the window to have a look outside, probably even wondering about the newcomer's arrival… and suspecting that it can't be good.

Jack climbed up the small steps to the entrance, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a young woman with dark brown hair tied back in a small ponytail, and hazel-green eyes. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and a red sleeveless top, even though the sun had just cropped up from the trees, bathing everything with its light. Jack could see the young woman's comely features and the Mediterranean shapely form, and he couldn't help but feast his eyes on them momentarily. That is, until a disconcerting thought crossed his mind that… she wasn't exactly unfamiliar to him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, snapping the former Time-agent out of his musings.

Well, whoever she was, she didn't seem to know him.

"Actually, yes. I'm Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said. "Can I speak to Mrs Adler?"

"I'm afraid my mother's away on a business trip," the young woman replied warily. "What's this about?"

Jack held up his special ID. "Torchood. And I have some bad news that I'm sorry to say you'll be the first to hear."

She frowned, regarding him closely, and then beckoned him inside. "I have some coffee getting ready," she said. "Something tells me we'll both need it."

Good instincts, Jack thought, and he walked in.

Jack had to admit that, for a woman of her age, Sophie took the death of her stepfather pretty well. She didn't burst into tears and she didn't even get stunned in shocked confusion. She simply nodded, went to the kitchen for a few minutes, and then she returned with two mugs of coffee. Even so, Jack should see in her eyes the emotional struggle that raged within her soul, and he noticed the slight tremor in her motions as she handed his coffee.

"Thank you," Jack said.

She smiled weakly at him, her eyes lingering on his person for a few moments before she turned on her heel. Holding her mug with both hands, she sat on the armchair across from the former Time-agent and had a sip of the liquid.

"Do you know the identity of the… mugger?"

Jack shook his head. "He was young, possibly a runaway kid who needed some money and fast," he replied, giving further credibility to the story he had told Sophie. After all, it would be pretty awkward to tell her that a man, her stepfather for that matter, was half-eaten by an alien monster that came through a rift in time and space.

Sophie nodded slowly, taking another sip from her mug. "I suppose the police might be able to make a positive ID in their criminal records."

"Probably," Jack said, sipping some coffee as well. Sophie seemed well-informed about the procedure. Jack supposed it had something to do with having a barrister for a stepfather.

"So… what brings you here, Mr. Harkness?" she asked regarding him closely. "Torchwood is a special force that hardly handles bringing news to unfortunate mothers and daughters."

Jack raised an eyebrow. Scratch that, she was very well-informed.

"I was there," he answered truthfully. "I figured someone should tell the news, and it might as well be me."

She frowned. "I see. That's very kind of you."

Jack winced inwardly as he realised that the girl was becoming sceptical about matters. No one took up such a task lightly for someone unknown.

Nothing for it then. He'd just have to be a bit more open about things.

"Miss Adler, there's another matter that is a concern to Torchwood."

Sophie raised an eyebrow in quite the lady-like manner. "What is it?"

"Your stepfather had a receipt from the 'La Nuit' in his pocket," Jack explained. "After what you've just told me, I don't think he was there with your mother."

"Are you suggesting that he was cheating on her?" The tone was quite angry and indignant.

"All I'm saying is that your father wasn't alone that night. If I can find out who it is, I might be able to find some answers as to the circumstances of your father's death."

"I thought you said he was mugged," she pointed out. "Is there more to it then?"

Not only well-informed, persistent as well. "We need to check all options before concluding to any definite theory. That's why we're trying to find clues anywhere we can," he said. "Are you sure you can't think of anyone meeting your father in that restaurant?"

"Quite sure," Sophie answered. "The only one that my stepfather ever accompanied there was Mother."

Jack considered matters for a few moments, only to finally nod his understanding. "Alright. Thank you, Miss Adler."

"You're welcome," Sophie said. "Will that be all then?"

"For now," Jack said, standing up. "I'll contact you if I need anything else."

"Of course," Sophie said, putting the mug down on the coffee table and standing up. "Let me show you to the door."

She beckoned him to follow her, and Jack did just that. Yes, his job here was certainly done, but… he couldn't help feeling that something didn't add up, even more so with the young girl who was walking next to him. Why did he have this nagging feeling as if he had seen her somewhere before? He could practically almost picture that face in another place and another time.

Hold on… another time?

"Miss Adler… There aren't all that many people familiar about Torchwood. How did you come to know of it?"

She shrugged. "My grandmother had a sister who worked there. Why?"

Jack, however, grinned. "Just curious," he said innocently. "Goodbye." And with that, Jack walked out and headed for the SUV, his hands back in the pockets of his military coat once more.

He didn't notice Sophie watching him go, a frown settled on her features.

The alarms at the Hub went off, making Ianto look up from the file he was currently reading. He wasn't all that surprised to see Jack coming in, a look meaning business in his eyes as he removed his coat.

"Is Gwen back from her inquiries at the restaurant?" the former Time-agent asked.

"Not yet," Ianto replied, taking the coat in order to hang it properly on the coat-rack. "But I've got something that you might want to see."

"Tell me," Jack said.

"I've sent our findings to Martha – who sends her regards, by the way – and she's e-mailed me back an answer after examining them."

"That was quick," Jack commented, impressed.

"She said she owed us," Ianto replied with a brief smile and he leaned just so both men could have a good look at the file. "We were right; there was someone else at the scene, and it looks like they shot the Weevil in the back. Even if the trajectory hadn't been all wrong, the bullet in the Weevil's body didn't match with the gun the victim had in his hands. And, on top of things, the blood on the pavement didn't match with either Adler's or the Weevil's."

"So our third member is injured," Jack said thoughtfully. "Get in contact with all hospitals to see if there's a new entry."

"I already have," Ianto said. "There have been no reported injuries, either gun-shot inflicted or otherwise."

"Then our only chance is to find the anonymous 999 caller," Jack said.

Ianto nodded. "I'll download the recording."

"Do that." Jack patted Ianto on the back and he got ready to head to his office. The familiar wail of the alarms stopped him on his tracks, however, and he turned around.

"Welcome back," he said as Gwen came up to him. "Any luck?"

"Well, it turned out that Robert Adler was at the 'La Nuit' just yesterday," she said. "And, as you probably already suspect, he wasn't alone. He was with his wife, celebrating their anniversary."

Jack stared at Gwen dubiously. "You sure about that?"

Gwen blinked. "Well, yeah. The headwaiter knows them; they dine at the 'La Nuit every year. Why?"

"Because I just came from the Adler's residence, and their daughter assured me that the mother was away on a business trip."

"That can't be right," Gwen said, frowning. "The Adlers don't have a daughter."

Jack's eyes widened at that. "Excuse me?"

"The police officer was positive. Robert Adler is only survived by his wife."

"Then who was at…?"

"Jack?" Ianto said at that moment, cutting into the conversation. "I've downloaded the recording. You'd better hear this."

Jack and Gwen walked up to Ianto's desk, and the young man pressed the enter button to play the audio file.

"999. What's the emergency?"

"Please… There are two bodies in an alley. They… They don't appear to be moving…"

Jack turned on his heel at once, grabbing his coat from the coat-rack.

"Jack?" Gwen said, not really understanding the meaning of it.

"That was the 'daughter'!" Jack said, hurrying to the exit. "Come on!"

Ianto and Gwen exchanged a glance, then quickly followed Jack to the SUV. The moment that they had settled inside, the former Time-agent gunned the engine at full throttle and drove to the Adler residence once more. He came to a halt as soon as they arrived at the house, and all three of them jumped out, gun in hand. Jack rushed to the threshold and kicked the door open, ready to face the woman who had lied straight to his face.

He didn't have the chance. The house had long been deserted, and she was nowhere to be seen.

TBC...