100 Ways to Solve a Murder-Chapter 140: The Girls Night Out

A month ago, Lab, Guys Hospital.

Levi walked into Sam’s lab unannounced; an evident scowl was on his chiseled face. He was wearing his signature three-piece suit under his coat, and hair styled perfectly, giving him that catalog look.

"Well, that was a waste of precious time," he complained as he shrugged his coat off and hung it on the coat rack. He then took a seat opposite the redhead at her file covered table. Sam raised her head from the magnifying glass in her hand for a moment to acknowledge him; the slicked blond continued to verbalize his frustration regarding the latest case involving a break in a bank he was at half an hour ago. He deemed it a waste of his time, considering they didn’t really need him to figure out that it was an inside job.

He honestly wished there were more challenging criminals out there. Someone that would keep him on his toes, ’just give him one that will give him a rush,’ he prayed to the leprechaun gods. Someone that could give him the same thrill gets when he’s gambling.

"Hmmm." Sam hummed in response, but her focus remained on the photos she was studying. She had a copy of a file on a recent discovery on paleontology and was fascinated by the results.

Levi noticed the redhead’s noncommittal response; his eyes narrowed in curiosity in what she was looking at on her table. A pile of photos of what he could see as fossils.

"What’s that?" he asked. Sam looked up at him with a smile; "it’s a photo of Homo Naledi. A colleague of mine from the University of the Witwatersrand sent me a copy yesterday. They have theorized that this may be the Missing Link in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution." she answered as the blond came closer to her. He grabbed a photo and looked at it in intrigue.

"Scientists found this massive trove of fossils believed to be from a previously unknown early human ancestor — one that could have used tools and may have even figured out how to bury its dead. Stands about 5 feet tall and 100 or so pounds, this new species has a stellar combination of ape- and human-like features that, until now, was entirely unknown to science." Sam explained, and by the looks of her, Levi could tell she was enthralled by it.

With an arched brow, he looked at her, "I didn’t peg you to be concerned with Paleontology." he commented, placing the photo back in its original place.

"Not exclusively. This just had been the most interesting thing I found for the past month. And they have brains the size of an orange!" the redhead shared excitedly.

Levi sighed; she was right; the past month had been slow. There had been several cases, but none of them was like the previous cases he faced. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I know what you mean." he agreed, reading the chart on her desk.

"What have you been up to?" Sam asked as she took the chart from his hand. Levi stared at her, "Bored." he deadpanned.

"Tough. And you came here for entertainment?" Sam asked, torn between being amused and insulted. He usually did come to her seeking some form of mental stimulus that none of the folks in his agency could provide. The side of his lips curled up into a grin, amused. She was right, of course, "Admittedly." he replied, watching her vacate her seat and move around the lab.

Sam looked back at him as she started stacking folders she had worked on previously on top of the other in the corner of the room. "Do you have anything in mind?" She asked, putting a note on top of it, stating ’Finished Pile.’

Levi pondered, "I had been thinking of this Detective novel I read. The serial killer dissolved human bodies in hydrofluoric acid. I understand there’s a scientific basis in that." he said. Sam paused for a moment to think, "It does make sense since the chemical composition of a human body is 63 percent hydrogen, 26 percent oxygen, 9 percent carbon, 1.25 percent nitrogen, .25 percent calcium, .00004 percent iron, .04 percent sodium, and .19 percent phosphorus. And hydrofluoric acid can virtually dissolve anything," Sam said, nodding as she contemplated the idea of performing such an experiment.

Sam grimaced suddenly, imagining the mess and stench. "It would take time, though, and the smell," she commented. Levi nodded, grinning wildly. "How long exactly is the question?" he said.

"Hmm. We can try it out on a few limbs and come up with the estimated Dissolving Rate per muscle weight." The redhead suggested a more doable approach than literally dissolving a corpse in hydrofluoric acid.

"We need a plastic bucket." Levi mused, aware that hydrofluoric acid can dissolve anything except a specific kind of plastic made with Teflon.

"The bone may not respond as fast as muscle tissues. It may change the rate." Sam thought out loud, earning a nod from the psychologist. "We can have a separate experiment for that," he replied.

"Hmm. There may be a couple of corpses on the Potter list, but we have to check with Janet. Though the amount of hydrofluoric acid will also be a factor." Sam said, contemplating on the plan of action for their experiment.

"I’ve got a gallon already waiting at Eastbourne; we can borrow a bucket from Mrs. Whitehall," Levi suggested, and Sam frowned at him.

"Why don’t we just purchase a new bucket" she suggested.

Levi rolled his eyes at the redhead, "You are too concerned with everyone’s ’feelings.’" He claimed, almost sneering at a particular word. He found no reason for purchasing a new bucket when they could borrow a perfectly good one and return it after. It’s unlikely they will use it again.

"I’m not concerned about feelings, Levi. More like, I’d be pissed off if you used my bucket to dissolve a limb in. I want to stay on Mrs. Whitehall’s grace list. We have you on her shitlist often enough, Levi." the redhead said, earning a shit-eating grin from the slicked blond.

"Top of the list," he stated proudly.