Chapter Six

Jaimie rushed into the room followed closely by Andy. "What the heck did you do to him?"

"God's if I know! That's why I came and got you" Andy retored, her voice angry but her manner worried. "Sure I can't even touch him for more than a few seconds, what am I supposed to do! "

Jaimie sighed deeply, shaking her head slowly as she knelt in front of her father. "Hey Dad, you ok? " she spoke softly, the faintest sound of a quiver in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine kiddo. I just erm stepped into Andy's mind or existence maybe. It was a trip" Daniel tried to reassure her without looking up from his hands. The room was still spinning slightly but the waves of nausea were dissipating. "But I'm getting better, promise."

Jaimie folded her arms, an eyebrow raised as she looked down at him. From Andy's view Jaimie looked more like the parent than Daniel in this moment. "Ok, but I'm getting you a sugary cup of tea, some lunch and you're not to do it again" she turned abruptly to face Andy. Violently pointing a finger at Andy's chest "that goes for you too!" And she strode off to the kitchen.

Andy sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of the dizzy Detective. She could just about see his eyes through his fingers as he held his head in his hands. "Lawman, please hurry feeling better cause your daughter scares me"

Daniel laughed and finally lifted his head. "Me too ghostie, she's very like her mother." He stood slowly, holding the desk for support. He walked slowly, each step deliberate and only a little wobbly. Daniel sat back down once he was in front of the other board. His eyes flicked back and forth between the crime scene photos. "Can you pass me that one, what's his name… O'Byrne, that one" Daniel sat back in the chair, breathing deeply in his nose.

"The office dude yeah" Andy gripped the photo without difficulty and passed it to him. Andy stared at her hands confused for a moment as the detective took it from her.

"More solid than usual?" Daniel asked, pulling a pair of glasses from his inside jacket pocket. Andy simply nodded. "I figured as much" Daniel mused " I feel less here, weaker and unsteady. It stands to reason it should be the opposite for you"

"Detective, I'm a ghost. What part of this has anything to do with reason" Andy frowned at him, a frown of worry and concern not anger. Even for an apparition of sorts her hands shook and her face paled seeing the strong yet unusual detective affected like this. It didn't help that Andy still didn't know what she was.

"Everything has something to do with reason Andy. Otherwise I couldn't do my job" Daniel turned the photo upside down "could you check the desks for a magnifying glass? I think I see something." It took Andy a few minutes but she found one and brought it to him. After she handed it over she slumped against the desk. "Getting tired again?"

"Yeah that took it out of me a little, why are you feeling better?" Andy tilted her head inspecting the detective as he spoke.

"A little less floaty but not quite back on solid ground." Daniel murmured, concentrating on the photo in his hands. "Can you see that?" The detective pointed to a small spot of colour under Thomas's desk, slightly obscured by his foot. A barely visible red dot.

"That little red blob? What is it?" Andy asked peering over Daniel's shoulder, being extra careful not to touch him.

"No idea, pass me the file." Daniel looked up quickly as the photo was wrenched from his grasp by Jaimie. Who held a steaming cup of tea out in front of him.

"Dad, drink your tea. No detecting until you can stand again!" Jaimie glowered down at him, her scowl making her look more like her mother. Who had often looked at Daniel the same way, especially when he would pull all nighters during a difficult case.

"Alright, you win." Daniel smiled to himself, reminded of his darling wife in such a way filled him with pride for his daughter. All three of them jumped as the door of the briefing room shut behind them with a bang.

"Sorry" Sawyer grimaced at the obnoxious noise. "Everything ok in here, Sir?" She was holding a cardboard box in her arms, balancing two more mugs of tea on the lid. Rather skillfully as the lid was quite bent.

"Everything is fine Sargent, just a dizzy spell. You know low blood sugar, old age." Daniel mumbled as he struggled to find an explanation.

"Sure…" Sawyer cocked an eyebrow at Daniel, not believing a word of it. "The internal investigation team just released the physical evidence from last year Sir."

"Great, that's actually just what I need" Daniel made an attempt to stand up. After he failed he tried to pass it off as moving his seat around to face the desk. "And Sawyer, please stop calling me Sir. It's weird. I already feel old, it's the knees. Lynch will do."

"Eh, Yes Sir. Lynch. Lynch, Sir" Sawyer stammered, walking over and placing the box on a clear space of the desk near Daniel.

"You'll get used to it" Daniel nodded affirmatively at her. "Jaimie, darling I'm all good now. You can go back to your work."

"Are you sure?" Jaimie placed a hand on his shoulder. A small hand on such a broad shoulder, but it gave Daniel mounds of comfort.

"Yes" Daniel nodded up at her "Go this is grisly business"

"Ok" Jaimie yielded, giving his shoulder a brief squeeze before heading for the door. "Just send your babysitter if you need me." she called over her shoulder.

"I'm not a babysitter" Sawyer called after her, taking her own seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"Not talking about you!" Jaimie's voice rang through before the heavy door closed. Daniel started taking bags out of the box, pausing only to read the labels. Sawyer leaned forward.

"Looking for something in particular?" Sawyer asked as she joined him in going through the box. Andy peered over Sawyer's shoulder, still too wary to stand too close to Daniel.

"There's a red dot under Thomas O'Byrne's desk." Daniel pushed the photo across the desk to her tapping the gap under the desk.

"A red dot?" Sawyer picked up the photo, grabbing the abandoned magnifying glass on the desk. "It's very small…"

"No telling how small a detail can be pivotal Sawyer" Daniel said as he read through the evidence list he had managed to unearth. Sawyer stood and rooted in the box rapidly.

"I think I know what that is, Sir. I mean Lynch, sorry" Sawyer pulled out a bag and placed it next to the box between them. She seized the packet of latex gloves from where they had been left on the next desk over. After pulling on the gloves she pushed the box over to Daniel, who also stood. Curiosity having taken hold of him, the weakness from the incident with Andy having almost entirely faded. Sawyer carefully opened the bag and pulled out a small sealed box. She cut the seal and opened it, turning it around slowly so Daniel could see. "They found a berry under the desk" Sawyer read from the label "A Yew berry." The small bright red berry had withered slightly, but it was intact with its little black crown on one end.

Daniel scratched his chin "Yew? Aren't those planted in graveyards?" he glanced sideways at Andy, trying to ask her silently had she seen anything like it in Hodder's wood. Andy just watched. 'Right, ghosts aren't telepathic' Daniel reminded himself.

"Churchyards mostly"Sawyer nodded "The previous suspect was a groundskeeper for the local churches" Daniel nodded, a frown creasing his brow. "There is one other thing though" Sawyer continued "Tommy's father is a local priest."

"Prodestant?" Daniel finally looked up at her.

"Obviously" Sawyer rolled her eyes.

"What was the poison used?" Daniel turned back to the board of photos and notes.

"Not yew." Sawyer resumed rifling through the evidence box. "I'm sure it's here somewhere.There." She pointed to a document on the other desk. "Coroner's reports." Daniel read through the document quickly.

"Time of death… Ah cause of death, poison similar to hemlock poisoning." Daniel sighed "That's a bit shakespearean. Who would know where to find Hemlock?"