The Party I

Jan 2012, Evans House, Westminster

That evening, Marco crawled into bed with his wife, Lisa. A grin spread onto his face. "You should have seen him, Lisa. Sublime. He used the word sublime. I mean who says, sublime?" Marco said enthused.

Lisa smiled at him, her lanky, bearded husband, a book in hand. "That does sound, unlike Levi," she commented, after listening to her husband's story about a Forensic Pathologist named Sam Gray. A new person in Levi and Marco's life.

Marco got under the covers, his back leaning against the wooden bed frame and turned to his blond, blue-eyed wife.

"I'm thinking of inviting her to Elizabeth's birthday party, and you can get the chance of meeting her. What do you think?" he suggested.

Lisa tilted her head fondly at him and smiled; she knows what he was trying to do. Girls play that matchmaking game best.

"I think that's a great idea. I'd love to meet her," she replied, closing the book she was reading and placing it on the bedside table.

"And Levi and she could bond over non-work related things," the blond attorney added, giving her husband the 'I know what you're plotting look.'

A chuckle passed Marco's lips; she really knew him well. "Am I that easy to read?" he asked.

Lisa leaned close and pecked his lips softly, "Only because I'm your wife," she said, turning off the lights.

............................

Morgue, Guy's Hospital

Two days later, Marco Evans came to Guy's Hospital with a mission. He was wearing his navy blue jacket, over his white polo shirt and black pants. His long skinny legs led him to the morgue where he knew the redheaded director currently was.

For many years, Marco had always considered himself as a guy with a strong stomach for unpleasant things; like vomit, faeces, blood, pus, gangrene, open fractures. He had extracted parasites from people, popped boils the size of baseballs, seen bedsores, and all that shebang. He is a medical professional, after all.

Plus, hanging out with his friend Levi, he had seen worse. So he paused the second he entered the morgue, the smell hit him before he even realized it—the smell of rotting human flesh.

Sam saw the familiar bearded man when he entered the demon's den, or what she'd call it that moment. She was clad in armour, N95 under her shielded face, gloved and suited for examination.

Stood across the examination table was her trusted forensic assistant Clark, also in armour.

"Marco! How have you been?" she greeted cheerfully.

Marco approached closer, the putrid aroma getting stronger with every step he took. He looked down at the examination table, and an open rotting corpse greeted him.

His brown eyes bounced back at the redhead. "Hi, I've been good, thanks. How about you?" he said exchanging pleasantries while holding his breath.

Sam quietly chuckled behind her mask, her gloved hands inside the open carcass as she watched Marco pinch his nose in a grimace.

"I've been doing good too. What happened to your case by the way?" she asked, getting a tweezer and pinching out a dead insect sticking on the flesh. Marco watched as Sam's masked face broke into morbid fascination, and she showed Clark the fly between her tweezers.

"Oooh! Look at this, Clark. Scientific name Piophila casei, also known as cheese fly. They are attracted to the protein in the body breaking down during decomposition. Estimate time of death 3 to 6 months." Sam informs as Clark takes note of it on the chart.

"It went great actually," Marco says, as he watched Sam casually pull a liver out.

Marco turned away, suddenly feeling squeamish at the sight of the maggot-infested organ. His belief in having a strong stomach seemed insignificant in comparison to Sam's tolerance. For he could see the glint of delight in her green eyes as she examined that maggot-infested organ close to her masked face. She placed it in the basin soon after. He even took note that Clark turned away from the sight, so it wasn't just him who thought it too much.

"Ugh! The man wasn't missing. Hiding. I'm here to say thank you again for the help, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been able to find him." he stammered, tearing his eyes away.

Sam pulled the liver away from her face and placed it inside the basin Clark was holding. Then turned to face Marco, who looked more interested in the patterns of the tiles on the floor.

"You would have found him eventually; you and Levi could have figured it out. I bet," she said with humour in her voice. The mention of Levi made Marco's lips tugged into a smile, and he turned towards her, a mistake. Because by then she was slowly placing intestines in all the shades of the rainbow into another basin. He whiplashed and glued his eyes to the empty white walls.

"You're too kind. Anyway, I'd also like to invite you to the party. My daughter is turning 3, and if you're not busy--of course you're busy, what was I thinking. It's next week if you have the time you can come. We'd love for you to come, as a thank you for your help with the case." he rambled, wanting to get this over with. His Olfactory senses wouldn't be able to take more.

"I'll be there, Marco," Sam assured, and Marco smiled like a madman, turning back again "Great! It's in East London. I'll give your Assistant the details. I'll go now, and let you get back to work." he said, gawking at her as she collected different insects feeding on the flesh. Most likely to be examined by an expert forensic entomologist.

"Thank you, Marco. See you next week." Sam said, looking up at him. "Okay, bye," Marco said, cannot wait to get out of the morgue.

.............................

7 Eastbourne Rd.

The next day Lisa and Marco came into Levi's flat, just above Jackson Detectives' office. "Why am I agreeing with this again?" Levi asked the couple, who was having tea in his parlour.

Marco sipped the last of his tea and vacated his seat to look around Levi's flat. "Because it's your goddaughter's birthday, Mrs. Whitehall, Davies, and the boys are most amenable here, rather than in our place. 'The boys' meaning Mike, Joe, and Alex; investigators working in their agency." he said, pulling the refrigerator door open.

Marco frowned at the familiar human limb inside the refrigerator. The same limb that would have gotten them arrested if Sam wasn't so chill about seeing two guys cut off the leg of a corpse in the morgue.

"We'll use the office downstairs, so let's close for that day," he added, closing the refrigerator.

Lisa approached Levi, who was sitting on the sofa, wearing a blue dressing gown, building a tower of cards. Lisa subtly sent Marco a look, and he nodded in response. "I invited Sam by the way," Marco informed.

Levi stiffened for a second, then craned his head towards them, knowing full well the couple's plan. "Why would you do that?" He questioned.

"She's single, pretty, and sublime." Marco enumerated, laughing the second Levi accidentally knocked over his tower. "You and your ridiculous ideas." Levi scoffed, collecting his cards and ignoring the couple.

Half an hour later, Marco ushered his grinning wife out of Levi's flat with him, Levi on the sofa shuffling his cards in the air. "Sublime," Marco said before closing the door behind him.

Marco cackled loud enough for the neighbours to hear when he saw the card spewing all over the table. The psychologist groaned at his friend's childishness.

The day of Elizabeth's party came fast, and Levi walked out wearing a white dress shirt under his suit jacket, Lisa looked at his attire.

"No. Change. Now." She instructed, a crying toddler in hand. "What's wrong with this?" Levi asked Marco, who stood as confused as he was with Lisa's reaction. He looked fine, sharp like usual, wearing a crisp 3-piece burgundy suit and a black necktie. He looked like a company CEO. I guess in a way he was, Marco thought.

"Wear the black 3-piece suit." Lisa decided, recalling it was the sexiest one he had. All the girls had gushed over him wearing that suit.

Levi glared at Marco, mentally saying 'control your wife.' but he shrugged in reply as if saying 'Just do it. Don't argue'.

Levi indignantly walked back to his room to change, why he was taking fashion advice from a woman who was wearing leggings confused him as well.

Davies entered the place with Jones greeting everyone. Walter Jones, the dark-haired man with a thinly grown beard in his late 30's, was one of CID's forensic pathologists, and also Davies's long time childhood friend. 

Janet Rivera stood by the foyer holding Elizabeth whilst attempting to calm down the crying blue-eyed celebrant.

While Levi sat on a chair, groaning at the noise everyone was making. While Lisa and Mrs. Whitehall, his middle-aged maid/office assistant continued to prepare the food in the kitchen. And Marco is busy entertaining their guest, just a few friends, from his and Lisa's circle.

Behind Levi stood a curvaceous curly blond, she leaned into his ear, "How have you been, Levi?" Lea whispered.

Lea and Levi hadn't seen each other since their 'separation' 2 years ago.

The slicked blond looked at the curly blond woman, "Grand." he answered, looking like royalty in a group of everyday folks whilst holding a glass in hand.

Lea walks in front of him, then stands in between his long legs.

"Aren't you going to ask how I'm doing?" She asks with arms crossed.

Levi spared her one look, scanning her. Looking at her whole body, the way he was looking many would say that he was checking her out. But in truth, the Irishman was just searching for answers.

"You lost your job recently, after having an affair with your boss." Levi started, taking a sip from his glass.

"Not only that, but you also seemed to be under a lot of stress, enough that you're losing sleep. Resulting in the obvious bags under your eyes must have been that you got caught by the wife. And it seems like you were gee-eyed last night most likely in a pub, where you met a man, in a business suit based on the tie marks around your wrists." Levi enumerated with a sardonic smile on his chiselled face, earning a forceful slap from Lea.

"Gobshite!" Levi expressed, rubbing his reddened cheek.

Jones and Davies snickered in a corner watching the whole exchange unfold. While Marco sent the blond a glare as he saw, Lea walked out of the room.

The curly blond brushed shoulders with their favourite pathologist who was entering the exact moment.

"Sorry," Sam mumbled; Lea ignored her as she headed to the restroom.

"Hi, a sign at the front door says, walk-in?" Sam said, looking at unfamiliar people in the room.

"Oh! Hey, Sam. Glad you could make it." Marco greeted, making his way to her.

"Me too. Hey, Janet." Sam said, at Janet, who was smiling at her in the corner.