Author's notes: Thanks very much for the reviews of the last chapter, they really motivated me to keep going! I've started trying to combine chapters, so I have longer sections to post (and I don't end up with about 40 short chapters!), let me know if you think they're getting too long!
'Boy, you know you look great' Jesse beamed enthusiastically 'Have you done something with your hair, cause it really enhances .. erm … it erm …. '
'It what?' Amanda growled suspiciously, looking up from the book she was studying. Jesse paying her compliments, however clumsily, meant only one thing – he wanted something. It wasn't that she was averse to the idea of helping him out, quite the contrary. But right now she had neither the time nor the inclination to let him stumble through his routine – however cute it might be.
Finally hitting upon the right words Jesse smiled sweetly
'It sets off your eyes' he said triumphantly.
She groaned, even by Jesse's standards that one was lame. Amanda was a realist. She'd been up half the night and was painfully aware that she wasn't looking her usual immaculate best. She sighed 'Okay Jesse, whaddaya want, cause I'm kinda busy right now'.
'What makes you think I want something?' he asked reproachfully 'Can't I just comment on how great you're looking without you getting all suspicious?'
She gave him a look.
Okay' he admitted 'Here's the thing. I'm supposed to be taking Susan out tonight for our first date'.
Amanda gave him a look 'Not to Bob's right?'
He pulled a face 'No, not to Bob's, but I still don't see what's wrong with Bob's'.
She began to explain, but Jesse was already switching off. He picked up the odd word – 'romantic', 'special', 'private', and gave her an occasional smile and nodding of his head, to give the impression he was taking her comments on board, but really he couldn't see why she was making such a fuss. As far as he was concerned Bob's was the best place in town – great food, great atmosphere, great selection on the jukebox and the regulars were great company. What more could a girl want on a first date? 'Women' he thought – 'who understands 'em?'
Amanda stopped talking; she knew when she was fighting a losing battle. Jesse was a great guy, who often touched her with his sensitivity, but sometimes he was just like all the rest of them. She looked at him and smiled, when it came to venues for first dates like most men, he just didn't have a clue.
She rolled her eyes 'So I ask again Jesse' she said impatiently 'whaddaya want?'
He squirmed slightly and she looked at him closely 'Jesse Travis are you blushing?'
'No' he said defensively.
'You are!' she proclaimed in amusement.
He shifted awkwardly, and looked up at her. From beneath the floppy fringe, his puppy dog eyes were at their beseeching best. That boyish charm was lethal she sighed to herself, when he turned it on it was hard to refuse him anything.
'Jesse what do you need? Is it money?' she asked gently 'cause if it is, it's no problem.' She reached down for her purse 'How much do you want?'
He met her eyes 'It's not money' he sighed 'Okay, I'm just gonna say it real quick and you've gotta promise me you won't laugh'.
She smiled 'I promise'.
He took a deep breath 'I'm taking Susan to 'Pierre's'.
'Jesse!' Amanda was surprised and impressed 'Pierre's' was one of the most exclusive French restaurants in Los Angeles. 'Pierre's is the height of sophistication' she exclaimed 'Susan'll love it!'
Jesse sighed 'That's just it'.
Amanda was confused 'I don't understand.'
He looked at her earnestly 'Pierre's is the height of sophistication and Susan will love it' he paused 'but I'm definitely not the height of sophistication'.
He looked at her sadly 'You know me, my idea of great cuisine is sesame seeds on a bun'. He smiled ruefully 'I'm afraid I'm gonna …. I don't know, get food on my tie, use the wrong cutlery …' he looked at her 'You've gotta help me out here'.
Amanda smiled so that was it; he wanted some instructions in etiquette.
'Jesse' she said soothingly 'Susan will love you exactly as you are. You don't need to try and impress her with expensive restaurants and perfect table manners'.
'Really?' he said hopefully.
'Really' she replied firmly. She squeezed his hand and looked at him earnestly 'Susan will love you for your honesty and your sincerity……'
Jesse started to look more cheerful as she continued '….. and your gentleness and understanding, and your sense of humour'
She smiled at him affectionately 'after all that's why we all love you'.
Jesse was touched. He grinned at her goofily, eyes slightly misty - for once words failed him. Surreptitiously swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, he hastily covered his emotions with a joke.
'That's great Amanda' he said breezily, then with a grin 'Now about that money you were going to lend me ..'
She pulled a face and tossed one of the files at him 'Get outta here' she scolded good-naturedly.
Catching the file Jesse looked down at it with interest 'David Summers?' he said 'You still working on him? I thought you did his autopsy last week.'
She sighed 'I did, but Steve was in here before and he got me thinking'.
'Thinking what?' Jesse asked
'Thinking that whatever is in those substances, it's powerful enough to cause dizziness and light-headedness' she replied.
'Who's dizzy and light-headed?' he asked
'Steve is' she said 'At least he is when he's around the substances'.
Jesse sat down opposite her, his face taking on the intense look it always did when he was thinking through a problem.
'So what you're saying is that Steve is having some kind of reaction to the substances you've found?'
She nodded.
'But if that's true, why isn't it having an effect on you?' he pointed out 'You've had more contact with these substances than anyone'.
She sighed 'I know, that's what Steve said and you're right it doesn't make any sense'. She let out a breath 'I'm running some tests on a blood sample I took from Steve, may be it'll help'.
Jesse shrugged 'Couldn't hurt'. He grinned at her 'I just can't believe you got Steve to sit still long enough to take some blood'.
She smiled back grimly 'It wasn't easy, believe me'.
She looked at him keenly 'There's something else too, something I haven't had chance to tell Steve yet'.
He raised an inquiring eyebrow and she got up and motioned him over to the cadaver. As she pulled back the sheet, Jesse was treated to a close up view of David Summers' now withered and decaying body. He screwed up his face.
'Now I know why I prefer my patients to be alive' he said.
'Jesse' she admonished rolling her eyes 'This is serious'.
He grinned 'Okay, so besides a rather gross dead body, what exactly am I looking at here?'
'Well' she explained 'This body is far more withered and discoloured than we would expect at this stage in the degeneration process'.
Pointing with her pencil she leaned closer 'And look at the damage to the eye sockets; that wasn't there when I did the first autopsy'.
Jesse peered closely 'So what you're saying is that the substance which makes Steve dizzy, also did this to the body?'
She sighed 'That's what I'm saying'.
'So' he continued 'I'm guessing you think it's something toxic?'
Returning to her desk she picked up the book she'd been reading when he arrived, a large, hardback copy of 'Smithson's Compendium of poisons'. She waved it under his nose and raised her eyebrows inquiringly 'Wanna help me find out?'
Jesse grinned 'You bet'.
'Steve, slow down' Mark panted as he struggled to keep pace with the two detectives. Right now his son was a man on a mission, but Mark had a terrible feeling that it was the wrong mission. Steve seemed so sure he had the right answer, but Mark couldn't get rid of a nagging doubt. All of his instincts told him that the killer was an archaeologist, and yet here they were headed away from the archaeology department. It felt wrong.
Hearing his name, Steve paused and guilty turned to check on his father. He'd been so caught up in the adrenaline rush that came with solving the case, he hadn't really thought about the gradient of the hill, nor the speed at which he was walking. Having been exhausted for so long; the sudden burst of energy that had revitalised his system when he'd made that crucial connection, had been a revelation. He felt almost his old self again, something he hadn't felt in quite a while. Still that didn't excuse the neglect of his father's welfare. He shook his head ruefully, with his father's youthful outlook and demeanour; it was all too easy to forget that he was a man in his 70's.
'Sorry Dad' he smiled sheepishly and reached out a hand to help his father up the hill 'You okay?'
Mark nodded, breathing heavily 'Just give me a minute will you'.
Tanis looked from one to the other, before finally settling on Steve 'So are you gonna tell us where we're going now?' she growled 'or' she looked at him wryly 'am I gonna have to beat it out of you?'
Steve let out a breath 'We're going to the chemistry department' he said finally.
Mark looked up sharply 'The chemistry department?' he said.
Steve smiled 'That's right'
Tanis nodded 'I think I'm beginning to see where this is going'.
Mark frowned 'Well may be you can explain it to me, cause I'm having some trouble putting the pieces together'.
Steve sighed 'Look Dad, I know you had this theory about Tutankhamun's curse and all that, but it was just an idea, you have nothing. We need hard evidence' he paused emphatically 'and I have hard evidence that proves it was a chemist who killed Peterson, Summers and Schwenk'.
Mark opened his mouth to protest, but Steve held up a hand to silence him, then counted off on his fingers 'I have the phone records, plus the prints in the office and those found on the key chain' he smiled 'And guess what – there's a match'. He paused 'I also have motive and opportunity'. He looked at Mark with a wry smile 'Face it Dad, this time you got it wrong'.
Mark looked at Tanis, but she shrugged 'Sorry Mark, but for once I'm with him' she grinned at Steve 'So Sloan, whaddaya say we go bag ourselves a killer?'
Steve grinned back 'Sounds good to me'.
As they started walking again, Mark trailed behind lost in thought. Steve's case was sounding pretty convincing and yet he couldn't let go of his own theory. Was it an old man's foolish pride? Had he become so accustomed to being the one who cracked the case, that he couldn't consider the possibility that for once he'd got it wrong? After all, Steve was the police officer, and a damn fine one at that.
Mark sighed. He wanted Steve to be right, he really did, not only for the sake of his son's health, this case had been taking its toll, but for his self-esteem. Mark was an intelligent man, although Steve was never anything but magnanimous when people commented upon his father's successes, Mark knew that his son was proud. It was important for them both that Steve be recognised in his own right.
And yet, as much as Mark wanted Steve to be right, he couldn't silence the nagging doubts, that flooded his mind even now. The MO of all three murders pointed to someone with a background in archaeology. He was convinced that the killer was making a point with his method of execution. Too much trouble had been taken for the methods to be merely random. Why go to the trouble of killing Peterson with an ancient Egyptian blow pipe? Why kill Schwenk with an Egyptian dagger? And then there was the embalming. From his conversation with Nate Johnson, he was now pretty damn sure that all three bodies had been embalmed in the Ancient Egyptian ceremonial custom. Why would a chemist do that?
Mark shook his head. He hoped for Steve's sake and his own that he was wrong, but somehow he didn't think he was.