Triskele

Bevan was still trying to get the taste of cigarettes out of her mouth as she looked over the husband's autopsy report, when there was a knock on her door.

"If you don't have my toxicology results, don't bother," she said, not looking up.

"Not yet. However I do have an item of extreme interest," Nigel answered, sitting in the chair in front of her desk.

"What?" she asked, looking up.

"A syringe," he said, dangling the evidence bag in front of her. "It was found on a towel next to the sink."

"So?" she asked.

"Neither of them is diabetic," he smiled.

"They have dogs. Maybe they gave them their shots, it's not uncommon."

"But keeping the syringe?"

"I have syringes at my house," she said. "It's not all that odd when you have animals. Besides if it was on a towel next to the sink, it's worthless."

"It was there," he said.

"It won't hold up in court."

"You just bounce back and forth don't you?" he asked. "Just this morning you were sure she'd killed him. What did she say that made you change your mind."

"I still think she did, but a syringe in a house with two large dogs won't do shit in a court hearing will it?" she challenged, looking at him as if he were mentally deficient. "Now if you told me there was a vial of Succynolcoline in the fridge then I might get excited."

"Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" he asked casually, turning the bag around.

"Are you serious?" she questioned, her brows furrowing.

"I am," he said, smiling at her.

"I'll have to decline," she said, turning back to her files.

"Why?" he asked. "Afraid you might have a good time?"

"I'm afraid I may kill you," she said calmly. "Dealing with you at work is enough to make me consider it."

"You want me, don't you?" he grinned, enjoying her shocked expression and raised an eyebrow. The phone began to ring and Bevan blinked.

"Good day Dr. Townsend," she replied coolly, reaching for her ringing phone and turning her face away from him.

~~~~

"You asked her to dinner?" Jordan asked. "That's pushing it isn't it?"

"It's all a part of my master plan," he replied.

"What? Annoy her until she says yes? You're not her favorite person Nige," Jordan reminded him with a sarcastic smile.

"Maybe it's all an act," he smiled.

"Maybe it's just that you annoy me," Bevan suggested, startling them both. "Do you have my tox screens yet?"

"Not yet," he answered. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not enough to hear all the details of your 'brilliant' master plan," she said unenthusiastically.

"Want to hear the rest?" he offered.

"I want my tox screens by five o'clock," she told him coldly, turning and walking out.

"Oh yeah, you're the man," Jordan said with a smile. "Wrapped around your little finger and all that."

~~~~

"Here's those tox screens," Nigel said, walking into her office and handing them to her. "But your not going to like them."

He sat on the edge of the desk and watched her brows furrow.

"Please do not sit on my desk," she requested, not looking up from the folder.

"Sorry Bev," he said, sitting in a chair.

"Dr. Townsend, please do not call me Bev," she turned a page and shook her head. "Is this correct? The wife said he drank heavily, and he's clean."

"I know," Nigel said, getting up.

She looked up at him and frowned, "Are these the real results or is this some kind of joke?"

"Those are the real results," he said, getting defensive. "Call and check if you don't believe me."

She was reaching for the phone when it began ringing. She looked at it a moment before she answered it.

"Dr. Bevan Bayne," she said, studying the tox screens again. "Really? Yes, that's spectacular. Wonderful. Thank you."

She hung up the phone and began writing in the file, a small smirk on her lips. "Large amounts of Succinylcholine in the tissue sample I sent off. Garret's still here, right?"

"I believe so," Nigel said, watching her get up.

"Means and opportunity," Bevan said, leaving him standing there.

"No, it's fine, I wasn't offended," Nigel growled, looking around her office before following her out and shutting the door.

~~~~

She walked to Garret's office and found him talking to Jordan. They looked up when she opened the door.

"Negative tox screens and Succynolcoline in the tissue samples," she stated, handing Garret the file. "Wife's a hospital pharmacist, she has ready access to it all the time, and you don't have to sign for it."

"Nice," Garret said, looking at the file.

"That's my job," she said, leaving the room.

"How can someone be so uptight and have such nice, flowery handwriting?" Jordan asked, looking at the folder.

"You seem jealous," Garret smiled.

"I just don't see what's got Nigel and Bug going out of their way to do stuff for her," she replied. "She has no personality."

"She's very professional Jordan. At one time she was going to go into the FBI," he said.

"They called her the 'Ice Queen' in L.A. I remembered hearing about her. They said you had to be completely silent during the autopsy or she'd bite your head off. She made a detective cry once," she said.

"Jordan," he began, "she's only been here a week."

~~~~

"You wanted to ask me something?" Bevan asked as she examined the body on the table.

"Did you get an i.d. on the decomp yet?" Jordan asked, watching her.

"Thomas Greene, twenty-five, white male. Heroin addict, missing since early April," she said, opening the eyes and looking at them. "He had an estranged wife and two kids. She wasn't that shocked he was dead. What do you really want to ask me? I know it's not about the decayed junkie." Bevan continued to examine the body but raised one eyebrow slightly.

"How can you be so cold?" Jordan asked heatedly.

"Pardon?" Bevan stopped and turned to face Jordan.

"Since you've arrived you've shown no emotion for any case," Jordan said, "and you treat Nigel like a dog. Are you really that heartless?"

Bevan studied her for a moment and took a deep breath. "Since I arrived here, Dr. Cavanaugh, you have done nothing to show any signs of being friendly towards me, have talked about me behind my back, and have continually interrupted my work. And as for Nigel, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Up until now I feel I have been very warm and have overlooked several things that I find upsetting about my work. I'm sorry that you think that I have no emotions. Good day Dr. Cavanaugh."

Turning back toward the body she recovered it with the white sheet and walked out, leaving Jordan staring at the corpse with a petulant frown. Bevan walked down the hall to her office and sat down at her desk, throwing the file down. This was the first day she was actually getting off on time. So far she had pulled four consecutive double shifts, and Garret had warned her about maxing out on overtime too soon. Not that it wasn't nice to be going home in the daylight, but she wanted to stay busy, especially now.

~~~~

"I cannot believe you said that to her!" Garret exclaimed after Jordan finished talking. "That was totally uncalled for."

"I'm surprised she didn't tell you already, she's such a goody goody."

"That's enough Jordan," he said. "Since she's arrived you have done nothing but rag on her. Why not try to get to know her before you make her out to be a heartless bitch."

"You knew her before she was hired, didn't you?"

"I knew her father," Garret admitted. "He was a close friend, but that is not why she got the job. She's one of the best forensic people in the country, and when the state found out she was available, they wanted her. And so did I, Jordan. I wasn't about to let someone like her slip by, so she's staying here, unless you've forced her to leave with your little insults."

He got up and left, leaving Jordan stunned.