Taken Too Soon - Part One
Summary: Evan is thrown into the middle of a case after a night out with a friend takes a deadly turn. Will Nikki and Jack be able to support him during this harrowing time? Or will he just make things worse for himself?
"Have you managed to get hold of Evan yet?" Nikki asked as she manoeuvred herself into the passenger seat of Jack's car.
Jack shook his head, glancing at her, "No but it is two o'clock in the morning so he's probably passed out somewhere on someone's sofa."
Nikki chuckled at him, rolling her eyes even though it was probably true. She clicked her seatbelt into place and tried to suppress the yawn that was threatening to emerge. She didn't have to think twice about the address they had been given, she had guessed what it had been from the time. A young boy found dead just outside a nightclub, police suspecting a drug overdose and they wouldn't be far off. But someone had to do it and unfortunately for them, it was Jack and Nikki's turn. Sam having the pleasure of staying in bed, blissfully unaware.
It didn't take them long to arrive at the club, Jack parking only two minutes away. They had seen the blue flashing lights and could hear the muffled beat of the music. Nikki always thought she missed those days, going out on the town every weekend and getting drunk. But when she got there she'd quickly realise that those days are long over and she'd much rather stay at home with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream.
She looked over at Jack, the two of them heading to the crime scene after getting their suits on ready, "Do you miss it?" She queried, a small smirk on her face.
"Sometimes," Jack sighed, already knowing what she was getting at. "But then one whiff of aniseed and then all the horrible memories of throwing my guts up in a side street puts paid to that. No I'm happier with a beer in front of the TV these days."
"Gosh, when did we get so old?" Nikki laughed, flashing her badge at the police officer who let them pass under the tape. She waited for Jack but her eyebrows furrowed when he'd stopped dead, staring into the distance. She was about to ask what was wrong but when her eyes followed his line of sight, she quickly realised what was going on. Although it wasn't that hard to work out.
She let out a breath, feeling her stomach drop to the floor as her eyes connected with Evan's on the other side of the street. The tears streaming down his cheeks and his face full of panic. Placing her hand on Jack's arm, she grabbed his attention, "Why don't you go speak to him, find out what's happened and I'll make a start?"
Jack nodded, not quite finding the right words as he stepped forward, making his way to Evan. He had recognised that look in his face and he felt his heart breaking for the kid. Suddenly that innocence had disappeared. Evan was now starting to see the downsides of this place, the grief that it can cause.
And now he was going to be at the centre of it all, with his colleagues looking into his friends death. Losing a friend was hard enough but now he was going to be completely surrounded by it. Jack knew he was going to have to step up, to do everything in his power to not let Evan end up like him, bottling all his feelings up in the hopes that it would go away. He needed Evan to know that he had them and that they were going to be there the whole time. He didn't have to do this on his own.
He placed his hand on the police officer's shoulder who was trying their best to calm Evan down but they were having no such luck.
"I think I can deal with this," Jack spoke, his voice low. The police officer looked back at him, confusion all over her face. But she quickly decided that she didn't care enough to question it so she just backed off and left Evan and Jack to it. "Come here," Jack breathed, wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulder and pulling him into a hug. Holding him tightly as the boy sobbed.
He let Evan cry for a few minutes, Jack's hand running up and down his back until he went quiet and then he was guiding him to sit on the pavement. Jack sat next to him, their shoulders pressed against each others, "Now are you going to tell me what's happened?"
Evan shrugged, the back of his hand wiping the tears away, "One minute he was fine and then the next minute I come outside and he's on the floor," he began, trying to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. "I tried to save him Jack but I knew. I knew that there was nothing I could do. The ambulance took ages to arrive and it was too late."
Jack nodded slowly, digesting the information, "Evan I have to ask, did your friend," he paused. It wasn't the easiest of questions to ask and especially when the boy was close to having a breakdown. His friend had just died in front of him and nobody should have to experience that. But Jack needed all the details so they could paint somewhat of a picture. And if Evan knew something, it would make everything that little bit easier. "Did he take any drugs?"
"No," Evan replied quickly, his head snapping up towards Jack's. "Theo would never. He hated drugs, he promised me that he would never touch them. I don't know what's happened but it's not Theo's fault." He could feel the irritation bubbling up inside him. He was angry at himself for leaving Theo alone, even if was only for a couple of minutes. He had spent the best part of an hour going over all the things he could've done wrong. All the people that Theo had spoken to but his mind had gone blank. There was nothing there, he couldn't remember a thing or any faces. The last thing he could remember was walking out and seeing his friend dead on the floor, people surrounding him shouting for help.
Jack placed his hand on Evan's shoulder, noticing the agitation growing again, "Sorry, I had to ask. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes there is actually," Evan nodded, gulping. "Find out who did this." He knew it wasn't Theo's fault, he had sworn down to him that he would never take drugs of any kind. He had told Evan of all the times he had watched his mother suffer as a result of them and he never wanted to end up like that. So Evan was growing really confused as to why this was happening now and why he was in this situation. Why he was having to defend his friend. Someone had done this to him and they needed to pay for what they'd done.
"Okay," was all Jack answered with before he stood up. "The police will probably want to speak to you so it's best just to hang around for now. But if you want, I can give you a lift back or you can stay at mine if you don't feel like going home."
"Thanks Jack," the smallest of smiles on his faces, his mind busy with all the thoughts. But he was grateful and it was a relief to know that at least someone had his back. And if anyone was going to fight his corner then it was going to be Jack, that he was sure of.
Jack offered a smile back before heading towards Nikki who was still examining the body. She stood up as she spotted Jack walking in her direction, "Is he okay?" She asked eagerly, her face full of concern.
Jack's face forlorn as he shook his head at her, "From what I can gather he was a close friend of Evan's. He doesn't think it's got anything to do with drugs, he's adamant that Theo was against them and would never touch them."
Nikki couldn't stop the heavy breath coming out of her nose as her eyes connected with Jack's; his face telling her that he already knew what she was going to say. She bent down briefly before pulling out an evidence bag from her case. Inside, a small packet containing what looked like some kind of white powdered substance, "I found this in his pocket." She passed the bag over to Jack who inspected it carefully.
He could feel his heart racing as he brought the bag closer to his face, this wasn't looking good. And he really didn't want to have to be the one to break it to Evan that he might not know his friend as well as he thought he did, "Do you know the cause of death yet?"
"Not yet no," Nikki answered. "But it's more than likely an overdose. It usually is. There's nothing on the body to suggest that he had been in any kind of fight. There's a small wound on his forehead, most likely from when he fell but…"
"You'll know more at the post mortem," Jack finished for her, passing the bag back to Nikki who was placing it in her case once again. "He's not going to take this well."
"Did he see what happened?" Nikki pushed, her eyes brushing over the body that lay in front of them before moving to Jack's.
"He just said that he was fine but when he came outside he was on the floor," he explained. "He tried to save him but it was too late. But Nikki, he is adamant that this has got nothing to do with drugs, he thinks something else has happened."
Nikki took a deep breath, "Poor kid. We're going to have to tell Sam about this you know? He can't be anywhere near this case."
"I know. Leave it till the morning, yeah?" He waited for a nod from Nikki before he moved to collect any evidence from around the body. There wasn't much he could find, not that he expected much. There never was in cases like this. With so many people walking around it was highly unlikely that he would find anything that would be of any use to them.
He could hear Evan talking to the police in the distance. He watched, concern all over his face as the boy grew more and more annoyed by the second. It was when the police had asked if Evan had supplied the drugs he lost his temper. Jack moving quickly to put a hand on Evan's chest, pushing him back.
"This isn't going to help anyone," he warned, his voice quiet so that only Evan could hear him.
"What has Nikki found?" Evan asked, knowing that the police would only be asking such questions if Nikki had found something on his body. His eyes searched Jack's as the Irishman remained silent. "Tell me Jack," he said through gritted teeth, his nostrils flaring as the anger built up inside him.
Jack closed his eyes briefly, "She found a bag in his pockets," he admitted. "It looks like cocaine," his voice barely a whisper.
Evan shook his head aggressively, "No. No, you're wrong," Evan spat. "It's not his. It can't be his. Someone has planted it. He would never take drugs, his mum was an addict, he knows the effect of them. He would never."
"Evan I'm so sorry," Jack sighed. He went to place a hand on the boys shoulder but Evan flinched away from him. Evan's eyes moved over the scene before they connected with Nikki's. She had given him a sorrowful look and that was all it took for him to storm over to her.
"I want to see what you've found," his jaw clenched. His eyes catching sight of his friends body, the bile rising up his throat. He tried to swallow it down as best he could. It was strange, it wasn't the first dead body he had seen but being his friend it was different. It was almost making him question if he was really up for this job. If this was something he could deal with, the possibility of someone he knew ending up on the slab.
Nikki stood, holding her hands up to take hold of Evan's arms and push him away from the body. His DNA may be all over the scene anyway but they could do without making it worse. And he shouldn't have to see his friend in this state, it wouldn't be good for him at all. Jack was quick to join them, standing next to Nikki, trying to hide the boy's body from Evan as much as possible.
"Please Nikki," Evan begged, the tears welling up in his eyes.
"Evan I found it in his pockets, I'm sorry," her voice was as soft as she could make it, doing her best to soothe him. "Look, when I do the post mortem it could show something completely different you know that. We're just making assumptions on what we've found so far. Jack and I have seen these types of cases so many times, they all look the same," her eyes connected with Jack's for a moment before turning back to Evan. "Take him home Jack, I can finish up here."
Jack nodded, knowing it was for the best. His hands coming to rest on the boys shoulders, turning him away from the scene and heading back out the way him and Nikki came. As they were leaving they heard someone calling Jack's name. Spinning on his heel, he could see it was DI Morgan, the man in charge of the case.
"Where are you going?" He asked, his eyes flicking between Jack and Evan.
"I'm taking him home," Jack responded. "Look, Evan works with us at the Lyell and he's just witnessed his friend die in front of him. So, if you don't mind, I think it would be best for him to get away from this for a few hours. If you need to question him I'm sure you can do it tomorrow."
"Fine and what about the scene? You're the lead forensic scientist I need you here," DI Morgan put his hands on his hips, his face stern.
"There's nothing of any use there, you know that as much as I do," Jack raised an eyebrow at the older man. "Besides, Dr Alexander's more than capable. If she finds anything useful she'll be sure to document it." Not wanting to talk anymore he turned back to Evan as he guided him to his car.
He waited for Evan to settle in, in the passenger seat, before he started the engine up, "Right, you're coming home with me. I'm not leaving you on your own tonight." And with that, the pair of them made their way back to Jack's apartment.
Nikki pulled out her phone from her pocket. Dialling Sam's number, she put the phone to her ear, not surprised when it had rung through to her voicemail, "Sam, it's Nikki," she began. "We've got a bit of a problem with Evan. I'll explain it a bit more in the morning but I thought I should give you the heads up..."
Jack parked up in the car park for his apartment. His head turned to face Evan, the boy's forehead pressing against the window. He let out a sigh before reaching over the threshold to take hold of his arm, doing his best to try and comfort him. He wasn't sure of what he should do or say, he had known how Evan had been feeling but he didn't know how to deal with it. Nikki he could handle, he was used to her emotions but Evan was different. And Jack hadn't known him for that long, he didn't want to end up saying something and offending the boy.
"Come on," Jack breathed, breaking the silence that had settled in the car. "Let's get you inside." Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, waiting for a moment for Evan to do the same. Once he got out of the car, Jack led the way to his apartment. Evan moping behind him, no expression on his face, just the red rings that had formed around his eyes.
Jack dropped his keys down on the kitchen counter, the clash against the marble echoing throughout the room, "Um," Jack stuttered, suddenly feeling awkward. "The bathroom's just through there if you want to have a shower or whatever," he pointed towards a room just to the right. "The spare room is the door next to it. Do you want a drink or something to eat?"
Evan looked around the room, not really sure of what was going on. He had never felt so empty before. In one night it felt as though he had lost everything. He had gone out, on top of the world. And he come back feeling as though his life wasn't worth living for much anymore. He had barely registered anything that Jack had said to him but he shook his head regardless, knowing that there was nothing Jack could do to take the pain away.
"I was going to make myself a hot chocolate or something if you want one?" Jack pushed, walking over to the boy. He stopped in front of him as Evan's eyes connected with his. He took one look at the tears forming in the boy's eyes and he was pulling him into a hug. He felt Evan wrapping his arms around him, holding him tightly as he sobbed just as he had earlier. His hand ran up and down his back, an attempt to console him.
He eventually let go as the cries subsided, "How about that hot chocolate?" Evan gave him a small nod. "Right, well, make yourself comfortable on the chair I won't be a minute." Jack moved away from him and into the kitchen area. He flicked the kettle on before glancing over his shoulder, the boy had actually sat down, the back of his hand swiping the tears away.
He had thought about phoning Nikki for some advice but he knew that she was still going to be at the scene and it was getting later and later and she'd probably just want to go home and to bed. And he couldn't exactly blame her for that, that was all he wanted to do. But he needed to be there for Evan.
Spooning the powder into the mugs, he continued to wait for the water to boil. But as the kettle clicked, he looked over at Evan once again, just to double check that nothing had happened. But the boy had fallen asleep, his body slumped. He made his way over, taking his glasses off and placing them on the coffee table before lowering him down so he'd be more comfortable. He pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over Evan before he headed to his room, forgetting about the hot chocolate he had started making.
As he lay in bed, he scrolled through his phone, his finger hovering over Nikki's name. He had so desperately wanted to call her but he decided against it, letting his phone drop down beside him. He tried to clear his mind as he closed his eyes, allowing the sleep to wash over him.
Nikki could hardly call it the next day when it had merely been a few hours since she had been at the crime scene. And she had hardly slept during those hours, her mind busy with thoughts of Evan. She had been tempted to phone Jack to ask how he was doing but she knew that he would be sleeping and she didn't want to disturb him.
But it turns out she didn't have to worry about how Evan was too much as he was sat at his desk when she walked in. Her face screwed up as she failed to spot Jack and she knew that the two would've come in together since Evan had stayed with Jack last night.
"Evan," she breathed, walking over to him. "How are you?"
Evan shrugged his shoulders, the rims around his eyes a bright red, "I didn't think it would be this hard," he replied as he continued to stare mindlessly at the blank screen in front of him. "It still hasn't sunk in yet."
Nikki gave him a sad smile, she had seen many a friend lying on a slab and it never got easier. It had been a long time since the first but she could remember it as if it was yesterday. And that pain, that heartbreak, never went away. Even if you work with dead bodies daily, it's always different when it's someone you know. She reached out, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it tightly, "We're going to be there with you every step of the way, okay? Anytime you ever want to talk…" she trailed off.
Evan nodded slowly, "Thanks," was all he could manage as a tear slipped down his cheek.
As Nikki stood to make her way over to her own desk, Jack walked into the room; their eyes sharing a look briefly before they both sat down at their respective desks. The silence in the room was deafening, both too scared of saying something. And they could hardly discuss the case, especially with Evan in the room.
Thankfully it didn't stay quiet for too long as Sam burst into the room. Her eyes looking round at all the faces before settling on Evan. She let out a sigh as she saw the boy in front of her, broken and defeated.
"Evan," she spoke, breaking the silence and causing the young boy to meet her eye. She gestured her head towards her office. "I think we better have a word, don't you?"
Evan pushed himself up off his chair and followed behind Sam as they walked into her office. He could feel his heart racing, he knew what was about to happen and he had been dreading it for the past couple of hours. He knew he wouldn't be able to work on the case and he understood that but he just wanted to be around. To make sure that Theo was getting justice. He had to know that they wouldn't throw this to the side thinking it was just another drug overdose. Because it wasn't and Evan was sure of that.
He sat down in the chair opposite to Sam's desk, waiting as she rounded the corner and settled down in her own chair. Her face serious and full of concern. Sam looked at the boy in front of her, her heart breaking for him. She had been here before, she had known that feeling and she had known the fight that was currently going on inside him. She had had to stand back and watch as her colleagues investigated her friend's death. But back then she had done everything she could to be involved and she almost risked her career for it. And she didn't want Evan to make the same mistake as she did.
"First off I just want to say that I'm so sorry, no one should have to go through what you're going through right now," she started. Taking a deep breath, gathering herself before what she had to say next, she continued. "Secondly, and I think you know what I'm going to say, but you're going to have to take a step back from this one. I can't have you risking your career before it's even had a chance to begin. And I don't need to go into all the conflicts of interest because you already know about that."
Evan nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and rid his eyes of the tears forming.
Sam clasped her hands together, leaning her elbows on her desk as she carried on, "I am going to suggest that you take a couple of days off, to get your head around the whole ordeal and to give yourself time to grieve. Plus being here, surrounded by it all is just going to make things worse for you," her eyes searched his, trying to gauge some kind of reaction but he stayed silent. "How do you feel about that?"
Evan thought over it for a moment, the tears finally spilling over the edge. He was quick to wipe them off his cheek as he shook his head, "I'm happy to take a step back and not get involved but I want to stay here."
"I strongly advise you to have some time off," Sam interrupted, her voice firm. "Evan you're young, you need to think about your future. If you want to do this for the rest of your life, you really need to stay away from this case and that means taking time away as well."
"You think I had something to do with this don't you?" Evan snapped his head up to her, the annoyance bubbling up inside him as he jumped to conclusions.
Sam put her hands up in defence, "That is not what I'm saying. You're just too close to this case already and if something happens, if it becomes something bigger, you can't be involved."
"You think I gave him the drugs?" Evan pushed to which Sam sighed. She had been informed by Nikki of the questions Evan had been asked by the police and she knew she was going to have to get him away from all of this as quickly as possible; a sort of damage limitation. Evan almost jumped to his feet, his face full of fury as he looked down at Sam. "I would never take drugs and I would never supply them. Theo was against drugs as much as I was. Someone has done this and I hope that you and everyone else can look past your ignorance to see that."
Evan clenched his jaw as he stormed out of the room. He didn't give Jack or Nikki the chance to open their mouths before he was ripping his coat from the back of his chair and moving quickly out of the Lyell. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't particularly care. He just needed some air and to be on his own. He needed some time to himself, to think.
Nikki stared at Jack, their faces mirroring each other as Sam slowly emerged from her office. She let out a breath as she made her way over to the pair, her arms folded and her eyes flicking between them.
"We're going to have keep an eye on him," she exhaled. "Just give him some time to cool off, no doubt he'll be back. If he's anything like the three of us, he won't stay away for very long."
There were small smiles on the three faces, all of them knowing that what Sam had said had been true. Neither of them being able to let things be. They all hoped that Evan would have a little bit more sense than them though and not go to the lengths that they would often go to get an answer and find out the truth. Although they hadn't been setting great examples so far, especially with Nikki putting herself in the line of sight of a murderer not the other week.
Sam left them as quickly as she had joined them and Nikki was looking over in his direction. "How was he last night?" She asked, causing Jack to look up at her.
"Not good," he shook his head.
"Did he say anything?" She pushed.
Jack leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh, "No," he started. "I didn't want to harass him with too many questions. I think losing his friend was enough for one night, me trying to interrogate him for answers would probably tip him over the edge. Did you manage to find anything else at the scene?"
It was Nikki's turn to shake her head, "Nothing and it's not helping that DI Morgan was trying to wash his hands of the case before it had even started," she rolled her eyes. "I'll be very surprised if he turns up for the post mortem this afternoon. Although there is something bugging me about the scene."
"What do you mean?" Jack's brows furrowed.
"The wound on his forehead, I can't be totally sure but it seems as though he hit his head as he fell," she explained, leaning forward on her desk. "But that's not common in these cases. Usually the person's body will slowly break down, he wouldn't have fallen. I also would've expected to have seen vomiting at the scene but there were no signs of that on or around the body. Plus, his skin hadn't developed any changes in colour, not how I would've expected anyway. I don't think this was an overdose."
Jack squinted his eyes as the thought about it for a moment, "So Evan could be right?"
"Right about it not being an overdose yes. As for taking the drugs, I can't rule that out at the moment. Not with what we found on his body," she let out as she quickly remembered another question that had been playing on her mind. "Did Evan mention seeing Theo having a seizure? That's usually common as well."
Jack shrugged his shoulders, "He didn't mention anything to me but from what I can gather he can't really remember much from that night."
Nikki sighed, turning back to her computer, her brain completely puzzled now.
It wasn't long before Nikki was performing the post mortem. The only person in the observation room being Jack. She knew that the police were already ruling this one out as being an accidental overdose and she couldn't blame them entirely. That was the first thing she had thought of when the call had come through. That's what they usually ended up being in these cases. But it was Evan's determination and adamancy that was swaying her judgement.
She had recognised that look in his face, it had been on hers many times. And there was nothing worse than having people not taking you seriously when you were so sure of something. It was possibly one of the most infuriating situations to be in, when you know you're right about something but everyone around is telling you that you're wrong. She hoped that the body would find at least some of the answers, and she hoped that Evan wasn't just trying to defend his friend to make him look better. But with what they had found so far, it was unlikely that Evan was completely right.
"The body is that of a twenty-one year old male, confirmed to be Theo Weir," she started, speaking into her dictaphone. She carried out her external examination, taking a closer look at the wound on his forehead. She confirmed it to be as a result of him hitting the floor as he fell. She continued but there were no signs of any needle marks, nor any signs that he had ingested any drugs nasally, although she did swab the area just in case.
She then moved on to her internal examination of the body but she was surprised at what she had found as she looked at the boys throat. Her face screwed together as she thought over the possibilities. Wanting to see if she may have been on to something, she checked the heart, taking a sample to be tested. She continued in search of the evidence for her theory and finding just that.
Noticing that she now had that look on her face Jack spoke, "What have you found?"
Nikki glanced up at Jack, her eyebrows furrowed, "I can't be sure until I get everything tested but it's possible that he died of anaphylaxis."
"Anaphylaxis?" Jack tilted his head, not expecting that. Nikki nodded in reply. There was a hopeful spark in her eye and Jack knew exactly why. But he also knew that there could be a million explanations as to how he could've ended up this way. "Nikki I know what you're thinking, but there's a chance he didn't even know that he was allergic to anything. He still could've taken those drugs himself. And if what Evan is saying is true, that he was against drugs and had never taken them before. What if, for just this one night he decided to try it. He wouldn't know that he was allergic?"
Nikki sighed, knowing that he had a point. But that was only one line of enquiry, there was still a chance that someone could've administered the drugs to him. And for all she knew, the anaphylactic shock could've been brought on by something else entirely. They were just assuming that it was drug related because the body was found outside of a night club at two in the morning and they just so happened to have found drugs on the body.
She let her thoughts wander as she turned back to the body and continued with the post mortem. She took all the necessary samples for testing and before she knew it she was wrapping it all up again.
It was the next day when the results were coming through on the tests she had sent off yesterday. She had rushed to open them as they arrived, her eyes scanning over the paper as she digested the information. Her stomach dropped as she realised what they had been telling her.
Jack walked in, two coffees in his hand, panic setting in as he watched Nikki slumping down in her chair; her hand covering her mouth, "What's wrong?" He asked as he set the coffee down on the desk in front of her. Nikki passed the paper over to him after he placed his own cup down and was now perching himself on the edge of her desk.
His eyes flicked over the various graphs and words and now he realised why she had been so gobsmacked, "So there was no cocaine in his system at all?"
Nikki shook her head, standing up so she could look at the graphs again. She pointed at one of the lines, "But there was flunitrazepam," she eyed him. "And there were traces of it in his stomach contents as well so that was how it got into his system which is expected."
"Rohypnol?" He retorted. "So what about the drugs you found on him?"
Nikki shrugged, "I don't know. It's definitely cocaine and he definitely died of an allergic reaction," she pulled out another piece of paper to hand to Jack. "There were histamines present in the samples I took of the heart. I'll have to test the allergen to be sure that it was the rohypnol that brought on the anaphylaxis."
Jack nodded, the two of them already heading towards the mortuary to confirm their suspicions and to get their answers as soon as possible. His mind had swiftly turned back to Evan.
He hadn't returned yesterday and he had been ignoring Jack's phone calls. Jack hadn't pushed it though, also knowing how he would've been feeling in this situation and it was often worse when people kept harassing you to ask how you were. That didn't stop him from worrying however.
He had tried not to let the thoughts bother him too much but he was beginning to panic over whether or not something may have happened to Evan. He had been in a right state when he left yesterday and anything could've happened. There was a sense of relief when Sam mentioned this morning that she had managed to get hold of him eventually and he had told her that he will take some time off.
Jack and Nikki walked into the mortuary, the pair now adorning their scrubs. Jack smiled briefly as he remembered the first case they had ever worked on and how in that case he had also assisted her when she was trying to ascertain a deadly allergen. But that smile soon disappeared as he remembered just why they had been here.
He held the equipment for her as she carried out her tests as meticulously as she always had. He had found this side of her just as captivating as when she was carrying out post mortems. She was watching the machine work it's magic for a moment before she was looking up at him.
"What do we do if Evan is involved?" She queried.
"He's not involved Nikki," he shook his head.
"But you can't know that for definite Jack," she pointed out. She didn't want to speak ill of Evan and she knew deep down that he would have nothing to do with this but she had to ask the questions. She had to be sure. Just incase.
"He doesn't seem the type to be into that sort of thing," Jack sighed, his elbow leaning against the machine as he gazed down at the smaller woman. "You should've seen him the other night, he was so distraught I nearly phoned you because I didn't know what to do."
Nikki raised an eyebrow, not expecting that. She had a shiver as she remembered that she too had debated on phoning Jack as well.
"I was scared that he might do something," Jack admitted. "I suppose that's why I asked him round. I didn't want him to be on his own. Not in that state."
She couldn't help her lips twitching fondly as her eyes flickered over Jack's face. He was a good person and quite frankly, she had never met someone with a bigger heart. She was glad to have him in her life because she honestly didn't know what she would do without him. The beeping from the machine brought her from her thoughts. She waited for the paper to print, nodding as it confirmed their suspicions.
Jack, Nikki and Sam were now all gathered in the observation room, ready for their briefing with the police. Jack was watching Nikki as she set up the folders and pictures on the screen. They were still waiting for the detectives to turn up and it had reached the point where they were beginning to wonder if they would even show up at all. They hadn't made an appearance at the post mortem after all, so they clearly weren't bothered about this case. And that pissed Jack off to no end. If Evan was right and this death was suspicious then Theo should have people fighting his corner and doing everything they can to get him justice. Not just writing him off at the first hurdle.
But then he supposed that both himself and Nikki had been guilty of that in a sense, they had both assumed what had happened before they got to the scene. On the other hand, he knew that they were much more open to other possibilities and ideas than the detectives would be. The detectives only wanting an open and shut case; not wanting to muddy the waters.
He chuckled as he caught Nikki jumping at the sound of the detectives finally turning up. He recognised DI Morgan from the other day but not the smaller one trailing behind him, he hadn't seen him before.
"DI Morgan," he announced, nodding at the others before sitting down on a chair. His hand gestured to his colleague. "This is DS Turner, my partner."
"Hello," DS Turner's lips twitched before he too was sitting down, next to his partner.
"Right shall we get this over with?" His elbows leaning on the desk, his face full of boredom already. Nikki had opened her mouth to speak but he was quickly interrupting, Sam avoiding the temptation to roll her eyes as they caught with Jack's. "Let me guess, overdose?"
"No actually," Nikki shook her head, the beginnings of a smug look on her face. She turned around, selecting different photos she had taken from the post mortem. "I initially found edema, or swelling, in the larynx and glottis which caused restriction to the airways. Along with dilation of the peripheral blood vessels in the arms and legs, I was led to believe that anaphylaxis was the cause of death. I ran further tests and found the presence of high levels of histamines in the heart which further prove that."
"So he had an allergic reaction to the drugs he took?" DS Turner questioned.
"Yes," Nikki confirmed. "The wound I found on his forehead was caused by the fall brought on by the anaphylaxis as well." She moved to bring up more photos but DI Morgan was speaking again. Nikki bit down on her lip to stop the exasperated sigh threatening to escape as she faced him.
"So what is the problem here?" He looked around the room. "Why am I here? He tried to act like the big man, took some drugs and had an allergic reaction to it. I'd say that's pretty self explanatory don't you? I mean come on, you found the evidence on the body. Why are you wasting my time?"
"Well that's it," Nikki piped up. "I tested the drugs we found on his body and it was definitely cocaine. But the drug in his system was flunitrazepam or more commonly known as rohypnol. And I don't think I need to explain to you how people use that type of drug."
Jack hid the smile as he spotted DI Morgan's face drop, suddenly realising that this case wasn't going to be a simple open and shut. And in true Nikki style she had brought the detective down with cold hard facts that he couldn't argue against.
"I tested for the allergen also and he did have an allergic reaction the rohypnol," she clarified further as the detective remained silent.
"So you think that someone may have slipped him this drug?" He asked.
"Given the common use of the drug then I'd say so yes," she explained. "And given that the drugs were found on his body then it's possible that someone may have planted it to make it look like as though he had taken them."
"I could run a fingerprint analysis on the bag," Jack piped up. "Find out if he came into contact with it and see if it was planted or if it did belong to him."
"It didn't belong to him," Evan snapped, causing everyone in the room to look in his direction as he stood in the doorway.
Sam shot a look to Jack who was standing up already and making his way over to Evan, his hand on his chest guiding him out of the room.
"I thought he wasn't meant to be here?" DI Morgan quipped. "Look, even if someone drugged him, there's no way we would be able to track them down. They could be anyone and they could be anywhere by now."
"But isn't it worth looking into?" Nikki pushed. "God knows how many people this has happened to and you're going to allow them to continue to walk around freely, no harm done?" She could feel herself growing annoyed at the detectives attitude. Before she had sat on the fence about this case, knowing that it could've gone in any direction but as the truths started to reveal themselves it was becoming more and more obvious as to where this was headed. And if there was someone going around slipping drugs into people's drinks to take advantage of them, they needed to be caught as soon as possible before more damage could be done.
"What do you want me to do?" He retorted. "We get cases upon cases of this, we never find the person. It's impossible. And we don't even know if that is what has happened. For all we know his friend could've given it to him or he could've taken it himself. You know kids this days, will do anything to get a buzz."
Nikki's mouth hung open, an incredulous look on her face as she scoffed, "Unbelievable," she said under her breath. "I think it's fairly obvious that this has got nothing to do with Evan, he tried to save his life."
"Because he felt guilty about slipping him the drugs," DI Morgan threw back. "You seen how he was that night Dr Alexander and that was not how an innocent person behaves…"
"With all due respect DI Morgan," Nikki quipped, her hands leaning on the table in an attempt to assert her authority more. "Evan had just lost his friend, I'd be more worried if he wasn't reacting."
DI Morgan tutted, shaking his head, "Fatal mistake Dr Alexander. You're a smart woman, I can see that," he remarked, causing Nikki to straighten her back as she glared at the detective; her arms folded. "But please don't be an idiot in trying to defend him. I've given the Lyell the benefit of the doubt here. I could've gone to a different lab, one that didn't have a conflict of interest but I thought that you would provide the truth no matter how hard hitting it was. Now if you're going to continue on this crusade by trying to prove Evan's innocence rather than finding the evidence then I'm going to have consider taking this further."
That was when Sam piped up, clearing her throat, "That won't be necessary," she interrupted, shooting a warning look towards Nikki. "Dr Alexander knows what she needs to do but you also have to accept that there is no evidence to prove that Evan was behind this. So Nikki is well within her rights to dispute your accusations, especially when they are being detrimental to the case and causing you to look elsewhere other than in the right direction."
DI Morgan huffed, not impressed by either woman's attitude but he chose to remain silent knowing that he had no other leg to stand on.
Jack guided Evan into the offices, sitting him down on his chair before perching himself on the edge of his desk, "Look I'm not going to have a go at you, I know Sam has already warned you off," he started. "But take it from someone who knows how this feels, stay away. You'll only make things worse by putting yourself in the middle of it all. You're a good forensic scientist Evan, please don't mess it all up now."
Evan shook his head, "It wasn't his fault Jack."
"I know," Jack agreed, sighing. "But we're going to have to convince the detectives of that and we can't do that whilst you're still sniffing around. If they think that you're trying to influence the investigation they're going to start pointing the finger at you."
"What?" Evan stood up, his face like thunder. "All I want to do is find the person responsible for this. To stop them from doing it to more people," he paused, his chest rising and falling before looking back up at Jack. "How did he die?"
Jack took a deep breath, he knew he shouldn't be telling him this. It was a conflict of interest. But as he caught the desperation in Evan's eyes, he knew he needed to give the boy some kind of answer. Some kind of reassurance, "It was anaphylaxis," he explained. "He had rohypnol in his system and it had set off an allergic reaction."
Evan's face screwed up as his mind ran over the information. He still couldn't remember a thing from that night. Nothing from before what had happened and barely anything after. He couldn't wrap his head around any of this. None of it made sense. He didn't have anything to say, unable to find the words. He pushed past Jack, making his way out of the Lyell once again. His anger bubbling to the surface.
Jack's eyes followed after him but he didn't move, knowing that there was no point in chasing after him when he was like this. He didn't have much time to think however as Nikki and Sam were emerging from the observation room, the detectives following closely behind. It took one look at Nikki to know how she was feeling and it didn't seem good.
They waited for the detectives to leave before Sam was calling Jack and Nikki into her office, the two of them sitting down on the chairs opposite her desk.
"What has he said?" Sam asked as she settled down in her own chair. "Come on Jack, I haven't got all day. This investigation is starting to get messy and I need to clean it up before it's too late."
Jack briefly glanced at Nikki before facing Sam, "He's still adamant that Theo didn't take those drugs," he rested his chin on his hand. "I told him how he died but he just walked off, didn't say anything after that. Which I thought was a bit weird."
Sam ran her fingers through her hair, "I don't know what to do about him," he eyes flitted between Jack and Nikki. "Do you think he could've had anything to do with this?" She directed at Jack.
He shook his head, "No, he's just in shock. He watched his friend die last night and that would be enough for anyone to react in the way he has," he stopped, milling over his words. "Please don't give up on him Sam, he's a good kid."
Sam nodded slowly, knowing that Jack was right. But she also had to protect the Lyell and it's reputation. They couldn't do with having one her staff being at the centre of the case, possibly even being a suspect. She wanted to support Evan as much as she possibly could but she had to think of the bigger picture at the moment. At least until they could prove that he was completely innocent.
"I'm going to do my best Jack," she replied. "But there's only so much I can do, you know that."
Jack stood up, needing to get some air. He liked Evan, he was almost a reflection of his younger self and he felt this almost paternal side coming out of him. Like he wanted to protect Evan and look out for him. He had never had that feeling before but now it was staring him in the face. He was reminded of that conversation he had shared with Nikki when she thought she was pregnant last year. She had asked if he wanted children and he hadn't considered it much before then. But now, with everything going on with Evan, he couldn't get it off his mind. Maybe he was ready to be a dad.
He almost chuckled as he thought about how it taken him trying to look out for Evan for him to realise that he had wanted kids. This feeling of fatherhood had washed over him so suddenly and taken him by surprise. He had never thought he would ever get those feelings but now here he was.
Nikki remained sitting in Sam's office, looking over at the older woman. This was why she didn't want to take the job. Because she knew she wouldn't be able to make the decision, to protect her staff or the Lyell's reputation. It would be even harder if that said staff member had ended up being Jack. She let out a breath.
There was a part of her that wished that this had been an overdose, that Evan had simply not known his friend as much as he thought he had. At least then they'd be able to wrap up this case and wouldn't be suspicious of the kid. She never liked drug cases but she supposed that was because she had never quite grasped the concept of drug taking, never having been one for it.
"I will never understand why people feel the need to take drugs in order to feel as though they will have a good night," she pondered as she thought more about the topic. "It never appealed to me when I was younger. Even less so now, after seeing the damages drugs cause."
"I don't know, I think I was probably tempted at some point during my youth," Sam answered. "Not that I can remember much of that time," she chuckled. "Nikki can you do me a favour?"
"Sure."
"Do everything you can to prove that Evan wasn't involved in this please," her eyes pleading as they connected with Nikki's. It was a big ask, especially after the detectives outburst in the observation room. But she knew that Evan wasn't involved and she didn't want to see his career being ruined so early on. "I can't be seen to be taking sides, I have to remain neutral in this. But you don't have to. So please, do what you can."
"You don't need to ask me twice," Nikki responded. She didn't care for what DI Morgan had said just now, she knew she was right and she certainly wasn't going to let a man shoot her down or get in her way of her finding the answers. "It's blatantly obvious that he didn't have anything to do with this. Admittedly he hasn't reacted well but it's completely within reason. You know, this was the reason why I didn't want to do this job. I had seen it eat away at Leo and subsequently Thomas. The politics of it all, the decision making. Having to stay impartial despite the facts staring you in the face. I couldn't do it."
"Don't put yourself down, I think you would be great actually," Sam's lips upturned. "You're better than you give yourself credit for. Okay, it's always a hard decision to make and it's not always nice to have to choose a side but I've seen how you work Nikki and I know that you'd make the right choice."
Nikki could feel the blush creeping up on her at Sam's compliments.
"Although I think you may struggle in learning to take a step back from time to time," Nikki laughed at that, rolling her eyes now. "I can't exactly say that I'm not glad you didn't take the job though because if you had I wouldn't be here."
"You're welcome, I guess," Nikki smiled. "I'm happy you're here though, the place has needed a woman's touch for a while now," her eyes wandered around the room.
"Do you miss him? Leo that is," Sam queried as she thought about her late friend.
"Of course, not a day goes by where I don't think of him. More so now after Thomas," her lips twitched fondly as she thought about the man. He was always on her mind in one way or another. "You know, as much as he hated me saying it, he was the closest thing I had to a father."
"I wish I could've come to the funeral," Sam let out, almost feeling a lump in her throat. She had always been close to Leo, seeing him as an equal; the two of them coming together to parent Harry in their own unconventional way. She chuckled as she remembered the jokes often shared between them. "When Harry told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it. But then it would be just like Leo to die saving others."
"That was Leo, always the hero," Nikki commented. "I often wonder what he would be saying now. What advice he'd be throwing my way. If he'd be giving me that look he'd always give me."
"Oh I know that look," Sam laughed, the man's face flashing across her mind.
The room grew silent as both women reminisced on the times they had respectively shared with Leo, both almost wishing that he could see the two of them working together now. How he would probably be fearing for his life to see Sam and Nikki in a room together, the pair both being forces to be reckoned with.
Nikki pushed herself up on her chair, "Do you want a coffee?"
"Please," Sam nodded, watching the younger woman leaving the room.
Nikki walked out to find Jack sitting at the lab, everything sprawled out in front of him but his eyes staring blankly at the wall. She made her way over to him, stopping just next to him.
"He didn't do it Nikki," Jack said eventually, moving his head to catch her eye.
"I know," she replied softly. Her hand coming to rest on his arm briefly before she pulled it away again; noticing how his breath had hitched at her touch. "Sam's asked for us to do everything we can to prove that. She knows it too but you know how it is."
"Unfortunately I do," Jack's eyes moved to the bag sitting in front of him, ready to process it for DNA. "Hopefully we can find something on this that will help us." He waited until Nikki continued past him before starting the task at hand. Praying that it would give them something conclusive.
Evan checked the ID in his wallet and double checked that his phone was in his pocket before making his way out of his apartment. This was something that he needed to do, as much as it was going to hurt to go back there. Back to the spot where he had seen it all happen. But he needed to do something to jog his mind, to bring back the memories that his brain was so clearly repressing.
Walking down the streets, the lights flashing and the music blaring. He had been so excited to go out the other night, it was the first time Theo and him were actually going out as a sort of couple. Nothing had been officially been confirmed between them but after months and almost a year of pining after each other, they had finally made the decision to make a go of things. That was what had made it worse. The moment they'd actually given into their feelings, he had been ripped away from him.
He waited in the line of the club he had been in not forty eight hours ago. He looked around him, it was like nothing had happened. Not a single person bothered that a dead body had been lying out on the floor. Nobody cared. He wanted to scream at that, because it made it seem as though Theo didn't matter. And he did. He was the most caring person Evan had ever met, someone who would do everything and anything for everyone. He had never met a more kinder soul.
And now he was going to be accused of killing himself by taking those drugs. But Theo had sworn down to Evan that he would never touch drugs, not after his mother. When he seen that Nikki had found a bag of cocaine on his body, he couldn't believe it. It didn't make sense. If Theo had been so against drugs then how was there drugs on his body? It didn't even prove anything because the drugs they had found in his system didn't match.
He could feel himself growing more annoyed, he knew Nikki and Jack would do everything they could to argue his case but he also knew how these detectives work. He had seen it over the few months he had been working at the Lyell. Once they had made their mind up about something then that was it, there was no changing it.
He supposed that was why he was here now, to help. Jack and Sam had told him not to but he couldn't just sit back and let things happen. He had to be there in any way he could. He needed to prove to the police that they had been wrong to judge Theo and they had been wrong to judge him.
He stepped forward, the queue getting shorter. He eventually reached the front as he flashed his ID card to the bouncer. He was then let in, the pumping music getting louder. He made his way down the stairs just as he had done yesterday, except this time he walked alone. He didn't have someone holding on to his hand. He couldn't stop the lump forming in his throat at the thought, his hand twitching in the hopes that he had been dreaming. That it had all been made up. Some horrible nightmare.
But as someone pushed past him he was quickly brought back into the room. He swallowed, shaking his head as he continued down the steps. He could feel the memories slowly coming back to him, slowly resurfacing.
"Come on then Evan," Theo all but shouted, the beat of the music drowning out their voices. He moved, capturing Evan's lips with his. His hands cupping his face before travelling down to take hold of Evan's hand, tugging him towards the dance floor. "And don't tell me you don't dance because I have seen you. I know you've got the moves," he winked.
Evan could feel the warmth creeping up his cheeks but he let his body move to the music, his hand never leaving Theo's. The drinks consumed back at his flat slowly sinking into their bloodstream now. Their lips met in the middle, Evan's heart racing. It felt like they were the only two in the room despite the various bodies bumping into them. This had been a long time coming. A whole year of teasing and they had finally reached this moment and Evan couldn't been happier.
It seemed as though his life was looking up at the minute, he had nearly reached the end of his degree, he had a sort of job doing the thing he had loved the most. And he found someone who understood him completely. Who made him wake up in the morning. The grin spread across his face as his eyes met with Theo's.
Evan let out a breath as he stood by the balcony, looking over at the dance floor. People dancing without a single care. If he closed his eyes he could see the two of them in the middle of the floor, in a world of their own. He had been so happy that night. The happiest he had been in a long time.
"Do you want a drink?" Theo whispered in his ear, his hand resting on the side of Evan's face.
Evan pulled back, nodding before mentioning that he was going to go the toilet. The two of them parted, heading in opposite directions. He could feel himself growing flustered as he walked into the bathroom. He removed his glasses so he could splash cold water on his face in the hopes of cooling him down. He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that this was actually happening, that he was here with the person he loved most in the world.
Evan took the same route to the bathroom, just as he had done two nights ago. He walked around the bathroom on the off chance that something would jog his memory. Maybe someone he had bumped into, someone he may have inadvertently pissed off without realising. Someone who had seen him and Theo and decided to take revenge. But as he strolled past the stalls, there was nothing. He left, making his way back out.
Something, or rather someone had caught his eye as he glanced over at the bar after leaving the bathroom. Someone was talking to Theo. His heart dropped as he watched the older man say something to which Theo had laughed. Evan's brows furrowed. There was almost a slither of jealousy running through him, he knew he had no reason to feel that way. But he couldn't help it.
He headed over to them standing in between them, planting his lips on Theo's cheek, "Which one's mine?" He pointed at the drinks that sat on the bar.
"Whichever," Theo shrugged. Evan picked up the one closest to him, taking a sip.
"Do you want to dance?" Evan gestured his head towards the dance floor. Wanting to get away from the man that was glaring at the pair of them. He had sent a shiver down Evan's spine, something wasn't right.
Theo's lips twitched, standing up, his drink in his hand as the pair returned to the dance floor. Evan watched as Theo downed his drink. Placing his cup on the side, he was whispering in Evan's ear again, "I'm going to get some air." Theo walked away stumbling. Evan couldn't help but chuckle as he followed him leaving, the drinks consumed really starting to go to their heads.
Evan gulped as everything started to click into place. The strange man, the drinks at the bar. Theo wanting to get some air. The stumbling. He could feel the panic rising up his throat as he realised that it could've been him. He could've picked the drink the man had drugged. Because it must've happened then, there were no other possible explanations.
He snapped his eyes shut, desperately trying to remember anything about the man, any distinguishing features. But there was nothing. All he could remember was that for the most part he was ordinary looking. Nothing special about him apart from how he had made Evan uncomfortable. He continued on the path, hoping that something else would reveal itself.
He was hot on Theo's tail as the two headed towards the smoking area but he stopped when he heard his full name being called. He turned, the beam spreading across his face as he seen his childhood friend running in his direction. He wrapped his arms around her, holding on to her tightly.
"Lucy oh my gosh," he exclaimed, picking her up and almost squeezing all of the breath out of her. He eventually put her down. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were in Manchester?"
"I was, but I wanted to come down to London for the week," she was speaking into his ear, the music seeming to have gotten louder. "How have you been? You're doing forensics aren't you?"
"Yeah," Evan replied. His mind wandered back to Theo, knowing that he should probably go and find him because no doubt he was throwing up somewhere and getting himself chucked out in the process. "Look, I'll meet up with you later okay? Or better still, have my number, we can have a proper catch up then." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, selecting his number so Lucy could copy it down onto her own.
He leaned forward, pressing his lips into her cheek before backing off and making his way outside. That was when he seen the commotion, the crowd forming, people screaming. Worried, he pushed his way to the front, Theo was on the floor. His stomach dropped as he rushed to his side, turning his body over.
"Theo?" He panicked, trying to shake him but he wouldn't wake up. "Somebody help, call an ambulance!" He shouted as loud as he could as his mind raced over all the things that he should probably be doing now. He checked that Theo was breathing, placing his ear over his mouth. But he couldn't feel his breath and he couldn't see his chest rising and falling. Evan could feel his body shaking now. This couldn't be happening, not now. Not now that they had finally started to make a go of things.
The tears fell from his eyes as he started the compressions. He didn't even know if he was doing it right, he had been trained to do it but he never imagined that he would ever actually have to perform it, at least not on someone he knew and loved.
He pushed into his chest a few more times before he attempted to blow air into his mouth. Nothing seemed to be happening, "Come on Theo, don't do this to me. Please," he begged, choking on his sobs.
Evan's ears pricked up as he heard the ambulance sirens in the distance. He continued until the paramedics rounded the corner and he backed off, letting the professionals take control.
But they didn't stay for long, or even attempt much. They had known as soon as they got there that it was too late. Theo was dead. Evan had felt his body go limp as he fell to the floor, his hands holding on to Theo's face as he cried. The tears pouring out of him. He had felt one of the paramedics trying to prise him away but he couldn't let go. Because that would mean that it was real.
The police soon arrived and he knew it wouldn't be long before Jack and Nikki would turn up as well. It was in their area so it was going to be their shout. But he couldn't leave. He didn't want to leave.
An officer had pulled him to one side, doing her best to comfort him as his eyes stayed fixed in the direction of Theo's body. He couldn't even hear what she was saying to him; he didn't care for what she was saying to him. He only cared for the person that had just been ripped from him. He couldn't believe it, none of it felt real. That's when he seen Jack and Nikki, wearing their suits. Their eyes connecting with his. That's when he knew that he had to accept that this was really happening. That he had just lost his best friend, his lover.
Evan stood where Theo's body had been, the tears streaming down his cheeks now. It had felt as though all the air had left his lungs. It wasn't fair. Theo had so much potential, he had so many plans. So many ideas about life. He was taken too soon. He was just getting his life started and someone had selfishly taken that away from him. All for their own pleasure.
Of course, they weren't to know that Theo had been allergic to the drug. But Evan had wished it had been him who had taken the drink. At least there would be a chance that Theo would be alive and he would give anything for that. If it had been him, Theo would have been there. He would've phoned an ambulance for him. They would've gotten through that. They'd probably be curled up in bed watching some boxset with no worries.
But now Evan was stood in the spot Theo had died, where he had lost his life. But that still didn't explain the drugs Nikki found on him. Unless, he didn't know Theo as well he thought he did and maybe they were his. But he supposed that didn't matter now. What mattered was trying to find the person responsible for his boyfriend's death.
Next time: Things go from bad to worse as the detectives start pointing the finger at Evan. And what happens when Jack finds a crucial piece of evidence that could ruin reputations?
