Chapter 2: Brothers and Blackmail

The Brandenburg Crown pub was styled as a Victorian pub. Alfred took one look at the place and instantly disliked it. Arthur didn't look as though he liked the pub either. The DCI kept his hands in his pockets, carefully not to touch anything.

A man with short white blonde hair wearing a thick scarf on top of his uniform, stood behind the bar, his violet eyes glaring at them intensely. He also seemed to give off a dark purple aura that screamed 'danger'! Next to him stood a man with long wavy blonde hair that was tied back with a red ribbon. He was talking – or rather flirting – with another dark blonde haired man, wearing glasses that looked as timid as a mouse. They walked up to the bar and the man with the dark aura smiled at them.

"Yes, gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"Yes, you can, sir. My name is DCI Kirkland and this is DI Jones. Are you Ivan?"

"Da, I am."

"Good. We are here on a murder inquiry."

"Murder inquiry?" asked the blonde haired man. Uh oh, he was French...and Alfred knew how much Arthur disliked the French.

"Yes, a murder inquiry." Arthur said a hint of distaste in his voice. "I'm afraid, Mr Lukas Bondevik is dead, and we believe this was definitely a murder."

"Lukas was murdered? When?" asked the shy man in the suit.

"We believe sometime last night." Alfred replied. "He was found in the woods with a shot to the head.

"Mon dieu..." the Frenchman breathed. "Who would do such a zing?"

"That's what we're here for." Arthur said. "Now, Mr..."

"Braginski. Ivan Braginski."

"Mr Braginski, we believe you gave a rough time to a Mr. Emil Steilsson."

"Oh, he was just exaggerating." Ivan said waving his hand in the air like the statement was a petty insult. "Besides, you should talk to him a bit more."

"You didn't answer my question, Mr. Braginski. Why did you give him a rough time?"

Ivan sighed. "All right, all right, if you must know, Emil was harassing the customers. The boy can become a violent person when it comes to drink."

"What time was this?"

"About five o'clock. That is his usual time to come in here but...for this past week, he's been acting different. We don't know why. None of us do but only Lukas did."

"And where were you last night, Mr Braginski?" Alfred asked.

Ivan glared at the American. "If you must know...I was in bed. I had just come in from a late shift."

Arthur nodded and looked towards the two regulars. "What about you two? Who are you?"

"Well, I am Francis Bonnefoy and zis is mon ange, Mathieu. Mathieu Williams."

"And where were you both at the time of the murder?"

"Well, I was 'ome." Francis replied. "I was just getting ready for bed and waiting for mon amour to get 'ome."

"I am accountant, Detective." Matthew cut in. "I was working a little overtime as we had some documents to be posted off. I came home about one in the morning."

"And did you see anyone out on the streets?"

"Well, I did see someone walking along the streets in black but I couldn't tell who it was."

Arthur paused a moment before asking. "Well, can you tell me why Lukas would want to leave Nymphsfield?"

"Lukas was leaving?"

"We found a suitcase not too far from the road. We may think his attacker may have been trying to stop him...or planning to chance his leaving to strike."

"But Lukas has no reason to leave the village," explained Ivan. "He's never done anything wrong."

"Would Lukas not have any enemies?" Arthur asked.

"Not many." Francis said. "But I suppose you could count Matthias as one."

"Who's Matthias?"

"Oh, 'e runs ze photo gallery just by ze post office. He'll be zere all day."

"Thank you and Mr Braginski, if you ever feel like giving anybody a hard time, give us a quick ring."

"I'll be sure to do that in the future." Ivan said, with a creepy smile on his face.

Arthur nodded and they left the pub.

"So, where do we go now?" Alfred asked as they stared out at the street.

"I'll go and visit Emil again and you and go to the photo gallery and question this Matthias."

"Okay, do you want anything else for me to do?"

"Well, I'll think of something after I've finished seeing to Emil but in the meantime, nothing."

"You're the boss."

"I am the boss." Arthur smirked.

Alfred took off to the left whilst Arthur went to the right. It was a little quiet than all of the villages that Alfred had been to and it was quite big. It had a sort of innocence about it. But when a murder such as this are happened, the innocence was wiped clean.

The photo gallery was a small white building with the sign 'Køhler's Captures' written in big black letters. Alfred stepped inside and found the place to look bigger on the inside. How was that possible? A girl with short blonde hair and...A huge chest walked up to him.

"Hello, sir. Can I help you?" she said a cute smile.

"Yes, I'm Detective Inspector Jones. I wish to speak with Mr Matthias Køhler."

"Oh, of course, right, this way, I'll lead you to him."

"Thank you. I'll also need to speak with you, Miss..."

"Oh, I'm Katyusha Braginskaya. I'm Mr Køhler's secretary." The girl said, as they walked down a huge corridor to a back room. Her chest was bouncing and it was slightly putting Alfred off. It was quite embarrassing.

"Of course, I'm here to talk about a murder inquiry."

"M-murder?"

"Yes, Lukas Bondevik was killed in the woods not far from here."

"Oh, poor Lukas, he was a good friend of Mr Køhler...and poor Emil too. He must be taking it really hard."

"Yes, he is. Did you know Mr Bondevik?"

"Not very well, he and Matthias were great friends and Lukas used to pop in the gallery from time to time but...a few weeks ago, Lukas never did. It was quite strange."

"Do you know why?"

"No, I don't. Matthias doesn't tell me much. Besides, I am only here to work and gaze upon the lovely art work that Matthias brings into the gallery."

"How long has he had this place?"

"About ten years, he's dedicated it to a friend of his that died years ago. But I suppose you'll have to ask him that."

"Good." Alfred said.

"Well, here we are." Katyusha said, indicating a beige coloured door. "This is his office; he may be on the phone, so enter carefully."

"Thank you, Katyusha. I appreciate it."

Katyusha smiled and soon left the detective alone. Alfred looked back at the door and knocked on it carefully.

"Enter." A voice called from inside.

Alfred opened the door and stepped inside. Inside, the office was painted a white, with filing cabinets and the walls were painted white. A huge curved desk sat in a corner with huge cabinets behind it. The walls were lined with portraits of famous pieces which looked to be copies, Alfred wasn't too sure. A man with spiked up blonde hair that looked impossible to style, was on the phone. He saw Alfred and beckoned him inside the office. Alfred closed the door and stepped further into the office. When he came further into the room, he saw that there was a series of photo frames.

"Look, Steve, we only have two weeks until the O' Graham line comes in. No...No...Yes..." the man at the desk then looked up and grinned. "Steve, I'm going to have to call you back because there's a man here. Steve, you know I never swing that way! All right, bye." He then put the phone down and grinned again and Alfred. "Hello, sir. Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can. Are you Matthias Køhler?"

"I am, yes."

"Good. My name is Detective Sergeant Alfred Jones. I'm sorry to say that Mr Lukas Bonevik has been murdered."

The man's eyes widened, the grin became a frown and leaned forward in his chair. "Can you repeat that?

"Lukas Bonevik has been murdered. It happened last night, in the woods."

"Oh, my god, oh, shit, no." The man looked close to tears. He held his head in his hands.

"Sir, are you all right?"

"No, I'm not!" his head then shot up, his eyes were red and puffy. "Lukas is dead, murdered but why?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Can I ask you a few questions, Mr Køhler?"

"You may..."

"Okay, I have to ask you where you were at one in the morning."

"Well, I was at home for a little while but I was feeling a little dizzy and I went outside my house for just a small lap around the garden. Then I came back inside and went to bed."

"And no one can confirm this?"

"No, I live alone and I hardly live near anyone."

"Do you know Mr Bonevik?"

"Ja, we went to school and college together. I knew him even afterwards. But ummm, we often hit a few snags."

"What do you mean, snags?"

"Well, we had a falling out as a...I had..." he sighed. "A few weeks ago, I had asked out Lukas. I wanted to be with him...but he didn't quite feel the same as me. He said no. Not a flat out no, but he just didn't quite grasp the concept before telling me no."

"Do you know why he said no?"

"No, I don't know for certain but at first I thought it was something to do with that brother of his. You know that saying about mothers and birds, and about the babies will be missed once they've flown the nest. Lukas was very protective of his brother. Emil was a hard nut and Lukas was the only one who could ever control him but for the past week, Emil had been away from Lukas wouldn't speak to him or anything."

"Do you know why?"

"Nobody does. Lukas never told me why."

"Is there anybody else that would know this Lukas dude?"

"Hmmm, a lot of people in the village, maybe Ludwig and Roderich will."

"And who are they?"

"Ludwig went to school with Emil and Roderich went to school with me and Lukas, Ludwig's brother, Gilbert knew him too."

"And where is Gilbert?"

"Don't know. Nobody does, he disappeared off the face of the earth over nine years ago."

"Why?"

"Like I said, I don't know. Nobody does."

"Well, thanks, Matthias. Thank you for your time. We'll be in touch soon, so don't leave the village at all."

"Thank you Mr Jones. I'll see you soon."

Alfred smiled, nodded and left the office.

After Arthur had left Alfred to go and interview Matthias, Arthur walked off to find Emil's house. He had called the station to do a quick check on Emil and where he lived and he hurried along down one of the streets and soon found the house that Emil lived in. He knocked on the door and waited for the door to open. A red teary eyed Emil stood behind the door.

"Oh, Mr. Kirkland." He sniffed. "I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Yes, I understand. I need to ask you a few more questions; because there was something you didn't tell me."

Emil stared at Arthur for a moment. He then nodded and stepped aside. Arthur came in and entered the living room. The place looked a mess, a few dinner plates, knives and forks littered the floor along with beer cans and wine bottles. Arthur turned to look at the pale haired boy as he sat moodily on the sofa that was covered in shirts and jackets.

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to know why you, Emil, were kicked out of the pub for heavily and the real reason of why your brother was going to leave the village. Come on."

Emil began to shake and held a shirt to his face. "I...I'd been. Years ago, me and my brother had...an affair."

"What, with each other?"

Emil nodded.

"How long did it go on for?"

"For several years."

"And you two had a break up, I suppose, which led you to drink?"

Emil nodded. "Yeah, Lukas thought it wouldn't have been best for us."

"Why did you two break up?

"Lukas couldn't keep the secret anymore. He wanted out. I loved him too much to end it. I couldn't let him go, but he let me go. I took my anger out on him; I let alcohol take over me and...Maybe that's what drove Lukas away."

"Did anything happen to Lukas that made him crack under the pressure?"

"No, if he did, he kept it really quiet."

"I see. Thank you for your time Emil. I'll call again if I need to speak with you."

Emil nodded and Arthur left the house. He walked down the road, thinking. How could Emil be so stupid as to let a thing like that happen? An incestuous affair! That was a new one on him; he had never been involved in a case that dealt with incest. This was a first! But why had Lukas decided that he would want to end it? What had made him crack...or who had made him crack? Who else had known about Lukas and Emil's affair?

"Hey, Artie!"

Arthur flinched and looked over to see Alfred hurrying over to him.

"Alfred, please don't call me that, call me sir, when we're on duty."

"Ah, sorry, sir." He slowed down as he came near and began to walk with his boss.

"Good, so what did you manage to find off this Matthias fella?"

"Well, he and Lukas were old friends. They stayed friends through college and out of. Matthias knew Emil but not very well. He said something along the lines of how Lukas and he had gone through some rough patches."

"Like what?"

"Well, Matthias had asked Lukas out but Lukas refused to go out with him."

"When did he say this happened?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Hmm, that can't have been that."

"Couldn't have been what?"

"Now brace yourself, Jones. You might find this very shocking...Emil told me that he and his brother had been a secret relationship for several years."

Alfred blanched. "Oh, my...God! That's—"

"Yes, yes, I know...and with what you told me, I thought maybe Matthias would be involved somehow. But I don't think he will be."

"Why not?"

"Well, two things. Did Matthias mention to you that Emil and Lukas were having an affair?"

"No, but if it was me, I wouldn't have brought it up either, it's not natural!"

"Exactly, there's that possibility or he just didn't know or maybe he made Lukas crack with them three knowing that secret and Lukas thought he would blab!"

"Didn't Emil say anything about Lukas telling Matthias?"

"He said that his brother had not told him and—"

Suddenly, Arthur's phone began to ring. He took it out and found it to be from the station. He opened the phone and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Kirkland?" Damn it was Chief Officer! What did he want now?"

"Ah, yes, sir?"

"Oh, good! Listen we've got a phone call from the area you are in and we were wondering if you would mind going to see a Roderich Edelstein. He and his wife live on 25 Mayborne Road."

"Right, I will, sir. Thank you very much."

"Excellent! Goodbye, Kirkland."

"Bye, sir." Arthur put the phone down and placed it back into his pocket. "That was the Chief Officer. He says that we need to see a man called Roderich Edelstein. He called into the station about something. We need to go now. Matthias can wait."

"Well then...let's go."

The Edelsteins home was lavishly done. A piano stood in a corner of the room with a violin case beside it. Arthur and Alfred sat on one of the sofa in front of another sofa where a black and white cat with a funny curl like Alfred's but more curlier and red and white bow around its neck. It stared at the two with narrow violet eyes. It was making Arthur feel a little on edge. They were all waiting for the Edelsteins to come through with coffees and the tea. Roderich came through first followed by his wife who was humming. She placed the tray down on the coffee table. She sat down and placed the cat on her lap. It purred happily as it snuggled into her belly. Roderich then sat down and took his coffee.

"So," Alfred said, breaking the silence. "What did you call us here for?"

The woman looked over at her husband and nodded. Roderich took out of his pocket a white envelope. He handed it over to Arthur.

"Zis vas sent in ze post zis morning...or some zing during ze night. It vas sent anonymously."

Arthur took hold of the envelope and opened it. Alfred leaned in to take a look. Their eyes widened and their eyebrows shot up. There were several photos of Roderich and Elizabeta taken in rather intimate poses. And also photos of people that either Roderich or Elizabeta were standing with, smiling. There was also a note with 'Edelstein' written in capitals. Arthur put the photos and down and opened the note.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID

YOU KNOW IT WAS YOUR FAULT

PAY UP OR ELSE

"Look on ze back of ze photos."

Arthur picked up the photos and flicked through them, whilst reading the writing on the back.

"This looks a lot like blackmail. Is there anymore of these? Photos or any notes?"

"Vell, yes, but ve zrew zree of ze notes out because ve zought it vas just ze kids pulling pranks again."

"When did this all start?"

"About a year ago but like I said, I only zought it vas just some pranks being pulled."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you Mr Edelstein but blackmail is very serious. Do you who or why someone is blackmailing you?"

"Yes," Elizabeta snarled. Her hands that had been softly stroking her cat were now becoming rough, making the cat mewl in displeasure, but she ignored it. "That white haired, red eyed bastard who never gave a crap in his life after all—"

"Lizzy! Please calm down." Roderich said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. He then turned to the officers. "You see, gentlemen, a vhile ago, ve...knew someone called Gilbert...Gilbert Beilschmidt und let's just say ve veren't ze best of friends."

"Does he have a brother called Ludwig?"

"Yes, Ludwig vorks at ze mechanics down ze road."

"Matthias told me about Gilbert. He disappeared and he never came back."

Arthur looked at the Edelsteins. "Why?"

Elizabeta spoke again. "You'll need to speak with Ludwig more about this. He knows about this more than we."

Arthur sighed. "Very well, then. Thank you, both. But before we go, did you know Lukas Bondevik?"

"Ve knew him from school but not zat vell." Roderich asked. "Vhy?"

"He was killed at one in the morning and we need to find out who murdered him and why."

"I'm sorry, I cannot help you zere."

"Oh, poor Emil, he must be devastated."

"I'm afraid he is, Mrs Edelstein. Anyways, thank you both for your time and please if anything else happens. Let us know."

"Ve vill, Mr Kirkland, Mr Jones."

They both nodded and walked to the door.

They didn't find Ludwig at the garage where he worked. They had asked a worker and they told him the address. Soon they arrived at a house that had a no garden and just a little porch. Ludwig was out in the garage, fixing up an old four by four. He looked up as they approached.

"May I help you gentlemen?" he asked. His voice was gruff and German. Man, was everyone in here foreign?!

"Yes, you may. I'm DCI Kirkland and this is DI Jones. We need to ask about the murder of Lukas Bondevik."

"Ja, I heard about zat. How about ve talk inside? Zis town can let gossip spread like vild fire."

The blonde led the two inside. When they got to the living room, three dogs came bounding into the room, barking madly. Alfred laughed at their behaviour but Ludwig looked as though he was having none of it. He grabbed them by their collars and pulled them (but not firmly) over to a corner by an arm chair.

"So, vhat can I do you for?"

"Well, before we get to, Lukas Bondevik's death, I must ask you about your brother." Arthur explained as Alfred looked around the room.

"Vhat about my bruder?"

"We got a call from Roderich and Elizabeta Edelstein about someone blackmailing them. They believe that it could be your brother."

Ludwig sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Mr Kirkland, I'm sorry to disappoint you but my bruder has been missing for over nine years. Vhen I vas still in secondary school, my bruder had moved avay viz a friend of his und I've never seen him since. He's never lived in Nymphsfield before."

"Why do you think that Edelstein would point the finger at your brother for blackmailing them?"

"Because vhen zey were in school, zey never got along. My bruder und his friends, Francis und Antonio, vould often prank zem but zat vas to ze full extent."

Alfred cocked his head a picture of what seemed to be a younger Ludwig, a teen with shocking white hair and an older man with white hair. "Is this Gilbert?" he asked, pointing to the photo.

"Ja, zat's him. Cocky bastard sometimes, he vas often full of energy und he just never gave a damn."

"Who's the other man with you and Gilbert? Your dad?"

"Nein, zat's Frederick. He vas an old friend of my dad's. He und Gilbert became really good friends. Frederick moved avay viz Gilbert."

"Were they lovers?"

"Nein, zey vere just good friends."

"How long had they been friends for before they moved away?" Arthur asked.

"Two years. Vhy?"

"No reason. Did your brother know Lukas?"

"Probably, I vas in primary school vhen Gilbert vas in secondary school but I remember Matthias vhen he had come over once talking about Lukas but I hardly paid attention. Gilbert und his buddies vould alvays get drunk."

"They weren't heavy drinkers?"

"No, my bruder may have been stupid but he vasn't zat stupid!"

"Back to Frederick, though, what else was he to Gilbert besides a friend?"

"Vell, he vould often teach Gilbert instruments zat he'd vanted to play. He vas in a music course at ze college."

"And he moved after he finished the course?"

"He did, yes."

"Well, thank you, Ludwig. We'll around to see you if we need to question you again, but we must ask you not to leave the village."

"I understand, Mr Kirkland, danke."

A/N:

Hello! Here's chapter 2! I was in Scotland when I was writing this and let tell you, Scotland must have some kind of fetish for crime, because when I was writing this chapter my head just kept reeling in the ideas and what to write for chapter. I think I must have another element for writing crime mystery stories or something. It's too cool.

Anyways, I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy making AMVs and writing other chapters, being ill...and going on holiday. But it's here it is. Thank you to all those people who have reviewed, favourite'd and following this. I really appreciate it.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this. Reviews are love :)

M.S.P.

Xxxx

Translations:

Da – yes

Mon dieu – my god

Mon ange – my angel

Mon amour – love

Bruder – brother

Ja – yes

Nein – no

Danke – Thank you