Thank you Zaekka, sister-b, Silas Goodwill, Nazebrax, rednightmare, Vivienne S. and dropletsoflight for the reviews! Believe me this story will get a very different touch!


Flying. Not that he was scared to fly in a metal object stuffed full of humans and packages in its belly, no. It was the airsickness and Lee thought he just threw up his lunch from elementary school.

"We're arriving soon, just drink enough." At least the friendly stewardess gave him a smile and patted his shoulder to cheer him up, however he simply felt like shit as a new message from his wife was announced by his cell. Yes, the on-board rules had said to shut it off while in flight, but honestly Lee didn't care at the moment. Being a detective meant making sure the law hadn't been violated and not some business rules.

From: Miranda

Hello honey! Just got up. Hope you're fine!

Right. He'd had to depart in the middle of the friggin' night just to arrive in Glasgow by noon, because it was five hours ahead. Miranda knew he was going to get airsick and he'd declined to take any medicine in advance.

To: Miranda

Totally. The food is not that bad. Landing soon.

As if he would grant her the satisfaction of being right. He'd get that served back to him over and over again the next fifty years of his life. So he turned off his cell phone, as his very charming seat neighbour gave him an annoyed gaze. It had been decided that the taxpayer shouldn't be bothered to pay for a first-class trip, even if Lee would have accepted it silently and with glee. Now he had to squeeze his legs between the slim space of his seat and one in front of him, but in consideration of the soon-to-happen landing the detective decided to get a bit of refreshment (additionally getting rid of the airsickness bag with his elementary school lunch).

He was glad to discover that the toilets were vacant and slipped into the small cabinet, locking the door behind him shut. His mirror-self looked terrible. Skin sickly pale and sweaty, dark rings beneath the brown eyes and his short-cut brown hair shimmered greasily. 'I look like a ghost.' What a nice first impression he'd make when meeting his Scottish colleagues. Sure he still maintained a broad physique from his days as a former football player in college; however Lee now looked like a picture of misery, thanks to his cursed airsickness, and more like a sixty-year-old man than someone in his early thirties. With a defeated sigh Lee tossed the bag he'd brought with him into the bin and turned the faucet on, letting cold, refreshing water pour over his hands. Originally he'd planned to flip through the files about the case during the flight, but that was obviously not happening. Cupped hands caught the clear water, bringing it to Lee's sweaty face and washing it clean. It felt invigorating, and upon holding his head beneath the jet of water it lifted the dizzying cloud which had lingered around his head a bit right after takeoff. Too bad he hadn't a towel anywhere near, only the thin paper towels which ripped apart when rubbed over his skin, because of the stubble on his face.

"Screw this…" he mumbled and threw the remains into the bin, dabbing the water from his neck. It could only get better when he was out of the plane, on steady ground and finally able to get some food back into the empty hole he called a stomach. Yeah, things would most certainly go better and he felt a bit more refreshed, less miserable as he returned to his seat and saw the light indicating that they were at the landing approach. A fine voice from one of the stewardesses announced the current weather in Glasgow: cold, damp and rainy. As if Lee had expected otherwise during winter. Richmond wasn't exactly a shining example of warm weather during the winter days, though it was snowier and not as wet. Ah well he was here to work and not for a vacation, sitting most of the day in a police station reading files, so screw the weather. Lee was not as sure about what would happen when he actually got permission to talk to the prisoner they suspected to be Bible John. Not that the guy would run somewhere any time soon, serving a life sentence, but there was so little information about him that it was nearly suspicious. Then again these weren't the States and his chief already warned him that things were handled quite differently over the pond. Yeah, he'd see. Naturally things were different in a different country, so Lee hadn't expected things to roll like they did in Richmond and he felt more concerned about having to be on-duty without a gun. 'You're too nervous about this.' Most certainly. He felt a bit uncomfortable with this assignment, because there were more experienced detectives than him available but still the chief insisted on sending him.

As announced during the flight, Glasgow was a damp city and slightly oppressive. A feeling Lee couldn't quite explain. Instead he pulled his jacket a bit tighter around him and found himself wondering if there was someone coming to pick him up or if he had to find his own way to the hotel and police station. Not that he wasn't expected. Being a grown-up didn't mean you stopped getting a little uncomfortable when wandering around in a foreign city on a different continent. But upon spotting a person holding up a sign with his name the concerns were washed away.

"Detective Lee Smith?" the man asked as he approached, speaking with the typical British accent. Lee simply nodded and reached out a hand which was grabbed. He had expected a Scottish accent like Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons had.

"Inspector Charles Freeman. I'm your helpful guide if you need one." The inspector was apparently in his late fifties, older than Lee himself, wearing glasses and with hair grey like his beard. Still he had an observant glimmer in his green eyes. "I hope you don't mind showing me your papers first?"

"No, of course not." Security and to make certain he wasn't picking up the wrong person, so Lee showed his badge and ID and the inspector nodded.

"Do you want to directly proceed to action or first go to the hotel? No offense detective, but you're not looking very well." So much for his cover of at least trying to look as if he went through the flight unharmed.

"Seems like my cover's been blown. A shower and new set of clothes would really boost my mood." With a friendly smile, the inspector patted his shoulder and led them to the car.

It really did boost Lee's mood. After getting his desired shower and changing, Freeman picked him up in the hotel lobby for dinner. Scottish food was quite good.

"I've brought you some files I was able to get my hands on about the old case. So, how did the idea come up that your murders could be linked to Bible John?" Even Lee had to admit it was a very vague theory they were working on, but it was the only lead at the moment.

"The victims were two women during menstruation." That sausage was fairly interesting but very good. "All had visited a club in the evening or a disco. Strangled and all the evidence we found was a Bible verse." Freeman frowned.

"Bible John never left any verses behind at the scene of a murder. That's not fitting into the pattern." Point taken, but still the others fit and the goal was to compare information only the murderer could have that was not given out to the press.

"Yeah, but we want proof if he's the real deal or just a copy cat; perhaps he doesn't even know that he's copying someone. All the verses dealt with Sodom and Gomorrah, First Book of Moses. We think he's on some kind of fanatical trip, cleansing the city of sinners." Lee took another bite of the meat.

"So what are those verses? Bible John was said to quote from Moses, but this could still be an imposter. It is public knowledge." The Scottish police were very doubtful that the cases in Virginia were connected to theirs, since they'd had someone arrested. It was a sort of police honour they had to lose. Naturally Lee knew there would be resistance and a lot of questions.

"Genesis 13, 13: Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord; and Genesis 18, 26: The Lord said: 'If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.' That is why our most logical theory is for a fanatical cleanse. And that is why I'm here to prove what we have in Richmond. No offense, inspector. I do not doubt the Scottish police's ability. I'm here because I need your help."

"Mhmmm…" The older man scratched his beard, looking thoughtful. "The files I've given you are the official ones. It'll take some time to gain permission for the confidential ones. I hope you have time to wait until then, detective." For more Lee couldn't have asked. It was advancement and he maybe had time to visit those who were still alive and had worked on the case.

"Thank you. I'll help. Is it also possible for me to ask those who were on the case at the time?" Just to get some gist of it.

"Yes. You can find their names in the archives in Strathclyde at Maryhill Road and their residences from the secretary there, but I have to warn you: She's quite a dragon." He chuckled and finished his meal.

"So what did you order us? It was good." Lee was also about to be ready, taking the napkin to clean the corners of his mouth.

"Traditional Scottish cuisine: Haggis. Heart, liver and lungs from a sheep with minced onion, oatmeal and suet." The man glanced through his thick glasses and grinned widely as Lee stopped his action and stared at his empty dish, but then shrugged.

"It was good anyway. I'll take some tomorrow too." The lunches at some diners in the States were way worse and often not nearly as identifiable.

"That's the spirit, young man! Now shall we proceed to action?" Even if Lee was tired, he could rest later. Hopefully he hadn't forgotten to phone Miranda.

The rest of the day was spent with all of the stuff they skipped in crime series on TV: plain and boring paperwork. However he was able to find out the names of the policemen who were still alive and had been involved in the Bible John case. It was nearly dark here in Glasgow and despite Inspector Freeman being his contact here, the man had his own cases to solve and didn't hover around Lee like a fly, for which he was thankful. All in all his Scottish colleagues were very cooperative when he wasn't asking specifically about the locked information, which made Lee's suspicious nature even more suspicious. On the other hand he could be over-thinking it again. Reversing the situation, with it being his department which had those files and a Scottish inspector or whatever waltzing in: How would they react? Probably not much differently. Still he had time to visit one of the retired policemen who didn't live far away from the Strathclyde Police Department and was even locatable without Freeman. He could visit others but they were far away from the city central and that far he didn't want to venture alone on his first day, even if he could take one of the black taxis.

Outside it was raining and cold, and again the strange anxious feeling crawled up his throat. He felt like someone had been observing him after he stepped out of the police station. The streets were still frequented by and full of people, and he was unable to shoo away the feeling of invisible eyes on his back. It was not typical for him but he got a bit nervous, glancing over his shoulder, pulling his beloved Richmond Renegade cap deeper onto his face and leaving behind his plan of waving for taxi he hopped into one of the crowded buses as the feeling disappeared. Lee could feel cold sweat on his skin where the rain hadn't reached his clothes. His breath was heavy and hectic. 'I need some sleep.' Still his hackles had risen as he felt watched during the ride, nerves tied up in knots and every time a sudden move or sound was made from the other passengers he'd jerk his head into their direction. The bus slowly emptied more and more and Lee watched his surroundings like a hawk. With every leaving passenger the paranoid feeling also went out, making him realise how stupid his behaviour was. Most certainly he was in desperate need of sleep. Where the hell was he heading anyway? He'd sat in the bus for a good amount of time already.

"Sorry, where does this line go?" Of course the first thing to do was get up from the back seat and ask the bus driver.

"East Fulton. It's terminus there, sir. You'll have to leave the bus then." Oh great, where was that on his map? Lee's finger searched the map for the destination where he'd end up. Well he could still call a taxi but for that he needed to know where he was at all. Thankfully the driver was kind enough to show him where his little unfortunate trip was ending and it was still raining when he reached East Fulton. Finding shelter beneath a roof, he had no doubt he'd just landed in the middle of nowhere as far as he could judge it. A lot of greenery, acres and some nice houses. Given different circumstances – and daylight – he could have enjoyed the view but as for now Lee simply wanted to go to bed. Pulling out his cell, he began to dial the number to call a taxi but then stopped. Again he had that anxious feeling. Everything was somehow darker. The artificial light of the bus station he stood beneath flickered as his head jerked up. In the corner of his eye he could see something moving, or so he thought. Like a shadow.

"Is someone there?" The words echoed out into the darkness, over the street and remained unanswered, lights flickering as a heavy wooden object hit his head, causing him to see stars and stumble forward as his cell fell to the ground. Everything in his head was spinning, unable to react properly to this situation even if a voice inside it was desperately screaming at him to stand up. He was only able to feel a burning pain on the back of his head, throbbing and sending waves of faintness through his limbs. In such a condition a human was helpless, alone, not even able to scream as a second bash to his head knocked the consciousness out of Detective Smith's body.


AN: I've never been in Glasgow so to search all the locations up was a pain in the butt. I really hope I got them all correct. If not feel free to tell me.