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Chapter 2

Jo entered autopsy, secretly, she kind of liked it down here, she liked the sterile order, the quiet, the company.

"You rang?" she grinned at Sid as he leaned over a body.

"Ah, hello Jo" he beamed "Thank you for coming down, I would have called Mac but..." he stopped, making a face.

"He's like a bear with a sore head?" Jo finished "Yes I know"

"How long are Danny and Lindsay away?" Sid asked.

"A month" Jo said "This HOS thing has everyone's panties in a bunch"

"Don's too" Sid unsnapped his glasses "He was down here muttering something about wanting to be finished early, but no such luck, is he assigned too?"

"No" Jo smiled "His fiancé, Kate is though, and he's not happy about it"

"Ah young love" Sid turned his head onto one side, giving Jo an expansive smile "It's nice to see him happy again, she seems a lovely girl"

"It's nice to see anyone happy Sid" Jo replied with a grin "What you got? I thought this was a suicide?"

"Ah, well" Sid snapped his glasses back on, switching to work mode "So did I until I saw this" he pointed to the screen beside them, tapping to enhance an image of the brain "You see these dark areas?" he asked "They are where the tissue has been damaged, by a bleed into the brain"

"Blunt force trauma?" Jo looked closer.

"I thought that" he said "But there was no evidence of any injuries to the back of the head at all, this was what they call a 'major brain injury'"

"So what is it?" she asked.

"When I took a closer look" he tapped the screen again, enhancing the image more "I discovered that this damage was old, about 18 months to 2 years, I am awaiting the medical records, but I think this man had a stroke, a massive stroke" he paused for effect "And the area it's in would have almost certainly caused paralysis down the left side, major paralysis, I doubt if there was any movement at all. Muscle wastage on the left side of the body confirms it"

He moved the sheet to show her, finally pointing to the right wrist "He certainly wouldn't have had the strength to make an incision that deep. Possibly with repeated slashes, but not all in one go. Don also told me that he was found in the tub, I seriously doubt that he would have the strength to climb into the bath without assistance"

"So we have a homicide?" she asked.

"Or assisted suicide?" Sid suggested "This man is barely into his forties, I can only imagine what it must have been like to be half paralysed and need care around the clock"

"But why wasn't it flagged then?" Jo asked "If he needed care, there must have been equipment, and someone there. Surely?"

"I can't tell you that" Sid replied with a sardonic grin "That's your department, but here are the case notes that Don brought, he's going to be over the moon when you call him"

"Oh I can deal with him" Jo laughed taking the file "He's a big softie really"

…...

Jo had to rethink her assessment of Detective Flack as he practically took the door to the lab off it's hinges as he stalked through, he didn't look so soft right now, he headed straight for her office.

Standing with his arms folded he took in the chaos around him "Looks like my spare room at home" he commented in a low voice "What little time I get to spend at home that is"

"I wouldn't have had you down as the untidy type" she grinned at him, ignoring the jibe.

"I'm not" he replied "Kate is. She can make a mess in an empty room, considering how little time she spends at home too, it never fails to amaze me"

"Ah the little imperfections we look past to love the whole" Jo smiled at him.

"Little?!" Don snorted "She's like a hurricane!"

Jo laughed "So, your suicide? Not a suicide" she told him.

"You're kidding me right?" he sighed.

"Afraid not" she made a face "Sid found evidence that he had had a massive stroke about 2 years ago, Don he was paralysed down the left side, he couldn't have even got into the bathtub unaided, let alone cut his right wrist. Was there no aids there? Carers?"

"No" he drew his brows together "Nothing, no wheelchair, no lifting aids, and it was his sister who called it in, and she never said a word, although I didn't get much out of her, paramedics had had to sedate her"

"That" Jo said "Is odd. Maybe the sister was too upset to mention he was paralysed, but I got the medical records, and this Lee Harley wasn't even receiving treatment any more, there was nothing more the physio could do for him. He had minimal movement down his left side, he couldn't even stand alone"

"But why wouldn't alarm bells be ringing for her?" Don mused "Surely it would be the first thing that she realised? That he couldn't have done it himself?"

"Assisted suicide?" Jo put forward Sid's suggestion "Maybe the sister helped him and now can't face that?"

"But to cut his wrists?" Don looked sceptical "An overdose would be simpler, easier, less harrowing"

"True" Jo sat back in her chair and steepled her hands "I think we need to take a look at the apartment"

"It's been closed off" Don said "I figured that it could wait until morning to be processed, being a suicide"

"Good" Jo stood and grabbed her coat "Let's go! I just want to call Hawkes on the way, Two heads are better than one!"

Don sighed and followed her out and into the hallway, smiling as Jo cut the call to Hawkes and they stepped into the elevator together.

"You're not very popular tonight are you?" he said.

Jo shrugged "The price of being a boss I guess" she said "Though I don't like pulling young men away from their private lives, sometimes it's not fair"

Don appreciated the sentiment, especially as he knew she was missing her family too, because of this.

"It's all part of the job" he shrugged.

"And you love that too" she grinned as the elevator took them smoothly down.

…...

Kate flashed her lights and waved at Don as she passed his car on their street, he did the same.

Driving to work she didn't hear the message come through to her phone, she checked the cell as she got out the car.

Sorry was all it said, she took a moment to reply before heading into ESU.

Don't worry, get some sleep, might see you later if we're lucky.

She tossed the phone into her bag, running up the steps and into the building, only to meet Mark 'Bo' Beauchamp, her commanding officer on his way out.

"Where you headed?" she asked.

"HOS taskforce meeting" he said "Where I get our assignments"

"We better have someone good" she remarked with a smile "I don't wanna be guarding some no body Bo"

He laughed "I'll let them know"

…...

"Right!" Bo said "Here it is, we're going to have three teams of six, each working eight on eight off. One headed up by Kate, one by Sol, and one by me. We have all been assigned to a visiting head of state. Every dignitary party, including the head of state themselves are staying in different locations across the city. Some at hotels and some at rented or bought private residences. Our job is to provide armed assistance to their own security team. We will be guarding these people around the clock, where they are staying, where they go. We will have men inside and out, and this one is shoot to kill policy, two warnings and then take them down" he looked at his team, some looked nervous, some bored, he continued "Your team will be responsible for checking out locations and making sure you know the entrances and exits, but that's it, unless anything happens, we remain passive. The security teams that they bring will do the rest. HOS intel will check the places out for bugs and the like"

"So basically" Kate added "We stand there looking tough with big guns?"

"More or less" Bo nodded "Yeah, further assistance is available should we need it, air support and K9 units. When we get our assigned dignitary, we go and check their residence, and anywhere they intend to go, we'll get that info later. And here's the good news, until they actually arrive, which is anywhere up until two days before the conference starts, we're off active, given time to prepare. So we get to do the 9 to 5 thing for a couple of weeks"

A few of the team started singing the Dolly Parton hit, '9 till 5' at that. Laughter echoed around the room.

"OK!" Bo shouted "Settle down! Kate, Sol and I will arrange teams, and we'll spend the next couple of weeks training together, at the range and generally getting our game on, any questions?"

"No?" he said after a moment "Ok, clear off, Kate, Sol, my office in ten?"

"You got it boss" Sol gave a mock salute "Let's nip next door and grab a coffee" he lowered his tone to Kate "I don't think we'll get chance later"

"I love you Sol" Kate grinned at him, slapping him on the back in a friendly gesture.