Thank you guys for the lovely reviews :) John and Clara were unsuccessful in finding out more, but that doesn't mean that their entire trip was in vain...

Chapter 38

Just as Clara had expected, Saibra hadn't been of much help and even though John had probably assumed she would, she hadn't felt like asking any more questions to which her sister's former flatmate would have had no answers anyway. As they walked back to their taxi, Clara noticed that John was watching her and she knew that it would only be a matter of time before he started asking questions. It didn't take him long after they had sat down in the back of the car before Clara watched him turn his head towards her.

"You were quiet in there," he remarked. John waited, giving her time to respond, but Clara didn't. "I thought you'd have questions about Bonnie."

She merely shrugged. "I do," she replied. "But none Saibra could have answered. I don't think she really knew Bonnie at all."

John huffed softly, a gesture that told Clara he agreed. "Honestly, I had expected a little more. At least about the IRA question – more than a maybe."

In return, Clara narrowed her eyes at him. "What makes you think Bonnie was in the IRA?"

He hesitated and it made her wary all of a sudden. There was something John wasn't telling her even though he had promised to keep her updated on everything related to the case. There was something he was keeping from her. While the car engine hummed to life and the noise of the city rushed past them as they drove through the streets, John seemed to ponder his answer for a long moment.

"Didn't you ever wonder why the man who was questioned about Danny's accident showed up here?"

Clara frowned at him because it wasn't a question she could answer.

"I know Kate doesn't agree and she wouldn't like me telling you this, but there is something fishy about Ciaran O'Neill. He's a suspect in Bonnie's death and there are too many coincidences to ignore," he explained. "First, he was a suspect in Danny's death. Then he shows up here, talks to me about the case, talks to you about your break-in and when Kate dug into his past, she found a possible connection to the IRA."

"That doesn't make sense," Clara argued. "Why would the IRA want Bonnie dead? And if they did, why not take the credit for it? And why would they want Danny dead? He had nothing to do with any of that."

Again, John remained silent for a while and after a minute had passed, he shook his head. "I don't know," he replied, exhaling sharply. His eyes wandered towards the roof of the car, but there weren't any answers to be found.

At this point, Clara knew that it was no use trying to dig deeper when John obviously had no answers, so she sank back into her seat and looked out of the window. She had sort of known about the outcome of the conversation with Saibra before coming to London, so why had she even agreed to the trip at all? No matter how hard she searched for an excuse, it didn't cover up the simple, plain truth – and that was that she had come because she liked John, she liked spending time with him, so when he had asked, there was no way she could have said no and it made her feel extremely guilty.

"I'm sorry," Clara whispered after a while.

She heard him shuffle and turn his head, but she didn't want to look at him right now. "What for?"

"Everything," she admitted. "It's just that… I don't know. I feel bad."

Clara was startled when John suddenly took her hand out of nowhere and it was what made her turn back to him at last. He seemed confused more than anything right now.

"Because of what? Danny? Coming back to London? Your sister?"

She sighed, hoping that the right words would come to her. "You're being so nice to me and you're telling me things about the case that you probably shouldn't and you're taking me along on this trip because Bonnie was my sister even though I have no business being here," Clara blurted out. "I feel like I'm using you to get information and I feel bad about it."

To her surprise, John started to chuckle. "Well, are you using me to get information?" he wanted to know.

She opened her mouth to reply, but John was quicker than that and cut her off before she had a chance.

"Or are you enjoying the company of an intelligent, funny and extremely good-looking police detective while also getting information from him?"

Clara burst into laughter. She just couldn't help herself. John had a way of lifting her spirits, of turning a serious conversation into a joke at exactly the right moment and he wasn't even wrong in what he was saying. She was enjoying his company.

"You have a very high opinion of yourself," Clara replied, chuckling. "That's usually my métier."

"Well, am I wrong?" John wanted to know.

Clara granted him a smile. "I've met funnier people," she remarked with a shrug, "but you're not wrong. I do enjoy your company."

"Then you have nothing to feel bad about," he told her sincerely and Clara felt him squeeze her hand a little. "You're curious about your sister, that's natural. The fact that you and I are friends has nothing to do with that. I'll tell you as much as I can because you have a right to know."

Even though it didn't ease her mind entirely, Clara kept on smiling because she knew that it was what John wanted. Amy had told her a long time ago that John felt a little more towards her than he should, even though he was probably not aware of it. Initially, Clara hadn't liked the idea, but by now, she was more fond of John than she should be. He was right. She should just enjoy his company without worrying about the future.

"So," John went on, "we handed over the body to the undertaker, we spoke to Saibra. And we still have the entire afternoon and evening left."

"We do," Clara agreed, not entirely sure what he was on about. "Why?"

"Is there something you would like to do?" he asked carefully, raising his eyebrows at her and somehow, Clara knew exactly that he was really asking whether she wanted to see Danny's grave. The look he gave her, the hesitation, the worry, the sympathy that was mixed with his own personal pain, it couldn't mean anything else. But visiting Danny was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

"Actually, I'd like to do something fun," Clara said instead. "I don't care what, you choose."

The surprise was visible on his face, but it didn't take him long to start grinning at her. "Alright," he agreed. "Cultural fun? Entertaining fun? Fun that involves food?" he enquired.

Clara chuckled. "Surprise me."

She deliberately tried not to hear it when John leaned forward to speak to the taxi driver. Instead, she sank deeper into her seat and smiled to herself. Clara was determined to do exactly what John had asked her to do – to stop feeling guilty and enjoy his company.