Title: The Mermaid of Mermaid Quay (5/6)
Author: Emma
Characters: Andy Davidson, Jack Harkness, OFC
Rating: PG? I don't know, Jack's in this thing. Say R just in case he gets out of hand
Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?
Spoilers: None. This takes place in my Homecoming AU, eight years or so before Ianto returns to Cardiff
Summary: Inspector Andy Davidson is on the trail of a killer who might not be human...
Author's Note: This Andy is a little older and a lot sadder and wiser. Dedicated to

tanarian

              In daylight, Driftwood had that faintly dissolute look that Andy had come to associate with places that came alive at night: slatternly and more than just a little hard. He bet himself five quid that Miss Marie Kelly was not the sort to tolerate any lowering of standards. He promptly won his bet when he walked into the club: an army of ladies in white aprons and marigolds were engaged in scrubbing down the place top to bottom.

            “Inspector.” The stunning Miss Kelly came out of a door neatly hidden behind a screen on which grew a profusion of orchids. “How may I help you?”

            He shook the outstretched hand. “Andy, please.”

            Today, miss Kelly was wearing a simple grey wool dress cinched around the waist by a thin red belt, and a pair of matching red pumps. Andy briefly wondered what it would be like to take it all off her.

            “Then it’s Marie.” Her smile told Andy she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Were you looking for me?”

            “I’m afraid not. Well, actually yes. Um…” He shook his head sheepishly and was rewarded by a little giggle. “Let me try again.”

            “Let’s have some tea,” she tucked her arm through his and pulled him along. “And we can discuss whatever it is.”

            The office hidden behind the orchids was as neat and trim as she was. She motioned him to a small seating area beneath the window and went to the sideboard to pour.

            “I have heard about last night’s incident, if that’s what you’re here to discuss,” she said. “You were here.”

            “Yes. There was another man who died in similar circumstances to Mr. Jones. The only thing they had in common was being seen with the same girl. The man who died last night thought he could identify her.”

            She placed the cups on the table in front of the sofa and sat down next to him. “Did he?”

            “I got here too late. All I found was this.”

            He took out the publicity photo. It showed the reef during a performance. In the three lower platforms girls in rather skimpy mermaid costumes struck sexy poses, while above them two young men seemed to be going through the underwater equivalent of a trapeze act.

            “And you think of the girls in the photo is the one you’re looking for?”

            “There’s a good chance, yes.”

            “All right. I think I can help narrow your search.” She tapped the photo. “This one, Alice, can’t be your girl. She’s Australian, and she sounds it. People would have remarked on it.”

            “Unless she can fake the accent.”

            “My dear man, Alice Wright doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together. Cheerful, hard working, and a great athlete, yes. Acting ability of that caliber? No.”

            “Very well, then. What about the other two?”

            She tapped the photo again. “Ellie Travers. Working her way through University. Marine biology. She helps Alan maintain the reef.” At his questioning  gesture, she added, “Alan’s my cousin. Another marine biology student.”

            “Last one.”

            “Hannah. Applegate, of all things. Sexy little minx, plays a little too hard, but never in the workplace. My sources tell me all the guys have asked and got turned down flat. She has the worst taste in clothes I’ve ever seen.”

            “And perfume?”

            “How did you know? Really, really awful stuff. Everyone can always tell when she’s going on a date because she douses herself with it.” She made a face. “That doesn’t make her a killer. In fact, she couldn’t be your killer, at least in Mr. Jones’s case. She was performing the whole time and never went near him.”

            “I think that whatever was done to Jones and Gardiner was done long before they collapsed. Do you have Hannah’s address?”

            “Sure.” She walked to her desk and tapped a few commands on the laptop. “But she’ll be here in a few minutes. Rehearsals start promptly at four. Here’s the address.”

            Andy looked at the screen.

             “You’re definitely not a local.” He smiled at her puzzled frown. “If you were, you’d know that street ends about a hundred numbers short of that address. According to Miss Applegate, she lives somewhere in the middle of the Taff. How did she get the job?”

            “Peter hired her. He choreographs the shows and does some of the acrobatics.” She glanced at her watch. “He’s probably practicing now.”

            Andy started for the door but she grabbed his arm. “This way. It’s faster.”

            She led him to a door on the other side of the room. At a slight push it opened to reveal a small elevator.

            “So this is how you manage wearing those skyscraper heels all night.”

            “Oh, the shoes are comfortable enough. They had better be, considering how much they cost me. This is more of a… convenience. It’s much harder to kiss when you’re trying to negotiate stairs.”

            The invitation came through loud and clear. Andy took all of forty-five seconds to run through all the possible objections, then simply pulled her to him and accepted.

            “Miss Kelly. Sexy miss Kelly. Delectable miss Kelly. I’ve been wanting to do this” he took her lower lip between his teeth and sucked gently “since the first time I saw you.”

            “Good,” she whispered, “because I’ve been wanting to do this since the first time I saw you.”

            She cradled the back of his head between her palms and kissed him. Their tongues stroked lazily as they explored each other’s mouths. Andy could swear he tasted strawberries and cream along with tea, and something else, something salty and hot, like the blood that trickled into your mouth when you bit your lip. He ran his hands up and down her back lightly and felt her shiver.

            “Now this,” he said, bringing up her hand to press soft kisses along the knuckles and into the palm, “I wasn’t expecting.”

            “You must have noticed I was interested.”

            ‘I noticed that you noticed that I was interested.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have presumed to think you would be.”

            “Why not? You’re an attractive man and an honorable one. Women are always interested in men like you.” She took a nip at his earlobe. “Intelligent ones, anyway.”

            This time his laugh was stronger, more confident. “And how do you know I’m an honorable man? Does it show?”

            “Yes, it does,” she said firmly, “but I also… snooped a bit. I don’t offer invitations easily. I wanted to make sure.”

            “Cautious. I like it. Can I ask you a question?”

            “Sure.”

            “Why isn’t the elevator moving?”

            She reached behind him and pressed a button. He laughed again and pulled her into a bear hug. She giggled against his shoulder, then lifted her lips to his for another kiss.

            “Later,” Andy said regretfully as the elevator doors opened. “We’ll take lots of time later.”

            The dance floor was in shadows. The only light came from the reef tank, where a man was cart-wheeling lazily from platform to platform. Once in a while he would dip behind a rock or swim briefly out of sight; Andy realized there must be air tanks hidden from view.

            Marie knocked on the glass to get the man’s attention, then made an up-and-out motion. He nodded and swam upwards and out of sight, then reappeared from a small door next to the tank, towelling himself off.

            “Peter, this is inspector Davidson. He wants to ask you a few questions about Hannah.”

            “Yeah?”

            “How did you come to hire her?”

            “One of the other girls, Lara, buggered off without giving notice. I was going out of my mind trying to figure out what to do when Hannah walked in. Good swimmer, absolutely fearless, looked great in the costume. Hired her on the spot.”

            "I see.” Andy looked at Marie. “I think I’ll wait until rehearsals and talk to her then.”

            “She won’t be here for rehearsals,” Pete said. “She called earlier, said she has a really bad toothache and the dentist’s agreed to see her. I asked her if she needed anything, but she said no, Alan was helping her out. Funny that. She’s never given any of the guys here the time of day, and this is the second time she’s gone off with Alan.”