100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 104: The Scandal II

Continuation.

Kitchen, 7 Eastbourne Rd.

Sam chewed on her food, Levi remained seated opposite her. His legs crossed under the table and already clad in his signature crisp blue suit. Sam eyed the slicked blond, searching for anything interesting on the news. He lived for those, solving puzzles.

Looking back on their conversation minutes ago, she started to think out loud.

"I do love him you know, I love him with all my heart. That’s the thing about betrayal I guess. It never comes from strangers."

Levi eyed her, listening. And he watched how her green eyes scanned the kitchen, if it wasn’t her, he would assume they would be scrutinizing every messy corner.

Sam’s phone beeped in her pocket, signaling a text, she fished it out of the pajama pants and read it. She raised a surprised brow at the message, it was from her brother. It did not reveal much, it simply stated. ’Stay there, while I arrange your accommodation’.

And she knew what ’arrange’ meant.

As if right on cue, just when she needed her, Mrs. Whitehall walked in.

Sam turned, "Oh, Mrs. Whitehall, would it be possible for me to use the empty room upstairs?" she asked, knowing full well the older woman was Anna’s caretaker, sort of.

"My new place is being ’remodeled’, it may take a few days; a week at most" she explained, using the term remodeled instead of ’bugged’ ’customized to invade my privacy’ or ’being turned to prison with eyes’.

"Oh, of course, dear! As long as you need it. Let me go ahead and fix that up for you, it’s a bit dusty" Mrs. Whitehall agreed enthusiastically.

"That’s okay, I can do a bit of dusting," Sam said, not wanting to intrude any further. But Mrs. Whitehall shot her a concerned look since she was still recovering.

"I can get someone to clean it up for you!" She offered.

"It’s no trouble dear, I insist," Mrs. Whitehall said, ending the discussion with a pat on her shoulder.

"Thank you," Sam muttered, watching the woman take the dishes away.

Sam grinned seconds later, earning a curious brow from Levi. "I’m excited!" She exclaimed, standing, and fiddling through the lab apparatuses. "It’s been so long since I’ve been around any sort of lab---" she stated, then turned 360° in the center of the kitchen.

She turned to Levi with a baffled look on her face. "Di--didn’t you get my Christmas gift for you?" She asked, unable to spot the microscope she purchased online. In her examination, the microscope on his kitchen lab was still his old one.

Levi tensed, feck, he thought. "I received it, thank you by the way." He said, trying to end the conversation. Causing Sam to stop looking around and just stare at the back of his head, "So, where-- is it?" She asked.

"Under the sink," Levi stated almost in a whisper. He found it unusual, himself, why he was having difficulty answering such a simple question. Sam scowled slightly offended then maneuvered to the kitchen sink, opening it she saw the microscope, still in its box, clearly unused. A heavy silence filled the room.

Levi crane his neck to look at her, she had the box in her hand, lid tilted open revealing the top of the microscope. She was frowning, then she turned to look up at him in melancholy. She expelled a lungful of sigh, "Oh, you didn’t like it...and I was so sure you would." she stated sadly, walking back to the table and sitting opposite him with the box in hand.

Levi decided to let her believe he didn’t like the microscope, as his excuse for not using it. It was better than explaining the truth. But the expression on her face told him otherwise, she was smiling at him again, although her eyes held disappointment; her tone was filled with understanding.

"Well, next time I’ll ask you what you want so it won’t clutter the kitchen sink," she said.

And words came out of his mouth before he even realized it,

"I liked it." He said.

Sam shook her head,

"It’s okay Levi--I didn’t exactly like Mrs. Whitehall’s gift scarf before, I’m just not a scarf-wearing kinda gal" she joked feigning a western accent.

"I like it--I just--" Levi stated more firmly.

"It’s cool I get it, there’s no need to---"

"It reminded me of you. Constantly." Levi confessed, causing Sam to stop talking mid-sentence. Her mouth parted, out of sheer surprise. She blinked for a couple of times, processing the statement. Levi snapped the newspaper open creating a wedge between them.

"Wh--what?" Sam stuttered, from behind his paper. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"You heard me." He said, flipping to the next page.

Pondering on the thought, a wicked smile graced her lips. She stood up, leaving the box on the table, and made her way behind him, which Levi was weary of.

What is she doing?

Then out of nowhere, Sam enveloped him in a hug from behind, a wide smile on her face; finding him adorable. Her face pressed cheek to cheek with him, he looked somewhat uncomfortable under her touch. While Sam on the other hand said, "Levi, I missed you too!"

Levi groaned and rolled his eyes when Mrs. Whitehall walked in, while they were again in his mind a compromising position.

She’d be gossiping about it, he was certain.

"Oh!" Mrs. Whitehall gushed enthused, but her eyes held wonder.

"I’m just telling Levi how much I missed him," Sam explained leaning over, gripping him tighter from behind, oblivious that her chest was firmly pressed against his back and it was making him very uncomfortable.

"Oh! That’s wonderful! How cute!" Mrs. Whitehall stated, gushing over the sight of them in her eyes ’romancing’. She already formed the belief that the two were really dating, though they have refused to admit it.

Levi scoffed in distaste at the word, cute. He was ravishing, intelligent, with a great sense of style. He was even known as the ’Hot detective’.

He wasn’t cute.

While still holding him, Sam gave him a chaste peck on his left cheek as if to say,

Just like old times.