Act III- Modus Tollens: Proof by denial

How could Laura have known that Robbie'd been looking at a picture of his late wife when she barged into his office and announced, "I'm not going to make you a happy man."? She'd concluded that Dr. Whitby's suicide was actually murder, but she couldn't find any bruising on the victim as poison had complicated rigor mortis. Robbie counted on her though, and she would never let him down. He didn't even have to ask; he compelled her to try harder with nothing but his beseeching eyes.

"All right, I'll have another look," she said, referring to the bruising. But with such a sweet gaze, was Robbie really asking her to try again to find the bruising- or to make him a happy man?

That was a question to settle another time, though, as they both needed to hustle off. It was telling, however, that Laura continued to finish Robbie's thought for him with the phrase, "hurry it up."

Dr Hobson liked solving problems, though she usually relied on research and scientific evidence whereas Lewis was an intuitive detective. But as much as he trusted his gut, he was ever Morse' sergeant at heart, and he still enjoyed a good logic puzzle.

Laura did return to the mortuary and put in the extra effort to discover the method of murder. "Why don't we try to meet halfway?" Robbie suggested when she called with the news.

This time when she met Robbie Lewis, Laura strode up to him confidently and didn't make any blunt statements; rather she relied on a bold demonstration. She took him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye, applying pressure with her hands before smoothing out his suit. It was a bit absurd: the petite yet powerful Hobson trying to demonstrate in front of the taller Lewis how one might have killed Whitby- who would have been sitting down, not to mention killed from behind. As they both recognized that she just wanted an excuse to touch him, she released him and they slightly awkwardly looked at each other. He held out his arm inviting her to continue walking, without touching. Her murder demonstration may have been botched, but Robbie re-framed it as a logic problem whose solution excited him. If not P then not Q. Given Q. Then P!

If I can't find the bruising on Dr Whitby, then I'm not going to make you a happy man.

I found the bruising on Dr Whitby.

Therefore, I'm going to make you a happy man. (!)

Robbie chuckled inside at his fuzzy logic and hoped maybe there was something to it after all. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it might be a good idea to just hold her hand and see what would happen.

After the case was closed a few days later, Laura approached Robbie from across a crowded pub. She strode confidently towards him just as she had when they met halfway to explain the murder of Marcus Whitby. But instead of placing her hands solidly on his shoulders, she threw them around his neck and gave him an ardent kiss. They came up for air, and then the once-hesitant Lewis responded in kind. They were still nose-to-nose when Lewis turned slightly to his right and nodded, indicating that they had an audience.

Laura was shocked to find Jean Innocent and James Hathaway watching- though not as shocked as they were at the sight. She and Robbie excused themselves to the bar to get drinks.

"I told you I'm rubbish at pretending! Let's just go. Take me home, Robbie."

"Oh no, this is a fine mess you've gotten us into. Best to face the music, love. You think these two are going to be tough? They're just practice."

"Practice for what?"

"For telling me kids, of course!" Suddenly, Laura saw the big picture; her world was expanding. She was familiar with answering questions from Hathaway and Innocent, and figuring out how to explain this new development to them first became a welcome idea to Laura.

Drinks in hand, Robbie and Laura approached the table where James and their boss were seated. "Let's try this again, shall we?" Robbie acted as if he was introducing everyone for the first time. "I'd like to introduce you to me girlfriend, Laura Hobson. This is my boss, Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent; and me sergeant, James Hathaway."

James smirked mockingly while Innocent was all too happy to play along. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance; wherever did you two meet?"

Laura looked at Robbie and answered, "Blenheim, many years ago."

Innocent was not satisfied, "Seriously though, how long have you been together?"

"It just happened," Robbie offered casually.

Hathaway joined in. "So we're supposed to believe that after years and years of pints and subtlety, Laura cool-as-a-cucumber Hobson just walked into a pub and threw herself at you?"

"Yeah." Robbie said with a smirk of his own.

"That was no awkward first kiss." Innocent observed.

"Yeah, this is a different kind of awkward all together." Hathaway said under his breath, though everyone heard him.

Laura responded snidely, "Is your sunburn painful, James?"

"I'm not really sunburned; I'm just embarrassed for a nice girl like you to be caught kissing that oompa-loompa." James gestured towards Robbie, who was laughing at the whole exchange.

"Ooh, someone clearly thinks he's still on leave!"

"Children, please." Innocent interrupted. "I want details! Why now, Robbie? How did you two get together?"

Robbie sighed happily. "It was time, ma'am. I asked Laura to dinner and told her I was ready. Fortunately, so was she."

"I'm beyond thrilled for you both!" Innocent gushed- and she was not the gushing type.

"Cheers, sir." James lifted his glass in a toast and the four clinked their glasses.

Leaving the White Horse hand in hand, Robbie and Laura felt like they were floating. "That wasn't so bad. What's next, Inspector?" She whispered up at him as they walked in locked step with each other. Laura suspected that Robbie was going to take her straight home and call his kids, emboldened by James' and Innocent's support.

His answer surprised her, for Robbie Lewis, champion of taking his time and doing things right said, "wanna get blitzed and fool around, love?" There was nothing that Laura Hobson wanted more; she was going to make him a very happy man.