Chapter Three:

Brookes was neck-deep in the investigation into the deaths of Bryce, Pardi, and Summers when he got a phone call he'd been dreading for the past nine days. There was another body found burned in another alleyway behind a popular bar. Brookes sighed as he hung up the phone and headed for his car, gathering up his team and leaving behind only those who were following promising leads. The rest followed him to the car pool and as a group they headed for the latest crime scene.

"I wish I could say it's good to see you again, Lieutenant Colonel Brookes," one of the lieutenants who had been present at the last two crime scenes greeted as Brookes and his team piled out of their cars.

"Same here, Lieutenant," Brookes said blandly. "What do we have this time?"

"It's a bit different for you this time," the lieutenant said as they moved down the alley together. "The victim is Brigadier General Aleyce Henley. Her purse was found a few feet away from the body and undamaged."

"A woman?" Brookes asked, surprise evident in his voice as he stopped in his tracks. That was different and if this was the same killer, he'd just broken pattern by targeting a female victim. If it wasn't the same killer, they would have a problem because that would mean they had a copycat on their hands.

"I knew her. Not personally, but professionally. There had been a lot of suspicion surrounding her ever since the Promised Day, but it had really intensified in the last few weeks," the lieutenant said.

"What about? I have to admit, I've been too busy with this case to listen to any gossip," Brookes admitted, and the lieutenant nodded understandingly.

"There were questions being asked about her loyalties during the Promised Day fiasco. There was some push from a few people to have her investigated and charged with treason against the people of Amestris, as it was believed that she'd known at least some – if not all – of the details about the Promised Day and never told anyone or tried to help in the fight on that day. In fact," the lieutenant paused as something seemed to occur to him, "I think it was Brigadier General Mustang who was the loudest voice among those demanding for her to be court-martialed. I know the Fullmetal Alchemist had expressed interest in finding out the truth as well, but the main driving force behind the pressure being placed on Führer Grumman to court-martial her was Mustang. There were even rumours that he'd already begun an investigation and was just waiting for the Führer to approve the warrants so she could be arrested, but those were just rumours. I don't know how much factual basis there is for that scenario."

"That makes sense. If she really had known and hadn't tried to tell anyone, Mustang and Elric would be two of the loudest people asking for her to be brought to justice for those events," Brookes said, even as his heart sank at another possible connection between Mustang and the victims. "They were two of the main players in that fight. If it could have been avoided by Henley speaking up about what she knew, I'm sure they would have preferred that to fighting," Brookes said and the lieutenant nodded in agreement.

The investigators had continued with their jobs, collecting evidence and taking statements while Brookes and the lieutenant had been talking. Brookes decided to speak with the man who'd been unfortunate enough to find Henley's burned remains and get his statement himself. Considering that this could be a copycat, he wanted to make sure he got every detail he could that would help him confirm or discard that possibility first hand. Unfortunately, like the ones who had discovered Bryce, Pardi, and Summers, he had simply been in the alley for a completely innocent reason – in this case, taking out some rubbish when he'd tripped over her purse. Upon bending down to pick the bag up to see who owned it, he'd noticed Henley's charred hand stretched out from behind some empty cardboard boxes.

Brookes sighed and directed his team to keep looking before heading back to the office. He sent Sheska to pull Henley's file from the personnel department, and sat down to add the information he'd collected at the scene to his master file on all of the victims. When Sheska brought the file a few minutes later, he set to work reading up on her record and making a note of her next of kin.

According to her file, Henley had been single and her parents had passed away long ago when a plague had broken out in their neighbourhood. Henley and her brother and sister had been spared because they had been visiting their grandparents in the countryside when the outbreak happened. Currently it seemed as though her brother had moved to South City, but her sister still resided in Central, so it was to her that Brookes left to break the bad news.

General Henley's sister, Tasha, was devastated by the news of her sister's death. Brookes stayed with her until she had calmed down enough to be coherent and was able to answer questions. Tasha Henley was aware of the suspicions surrounding her sister and the accusations being thrown her way, but she was adamant that her sister hadn't been involved. By the time his interview with her was over, there was little doubt in Brookes' mind that Mustang had been Brigadier General Henley's biggest threat. The man hadn't been letting up in his efforts to get her court-martialed and Tasha told Brookes that the pressure was starting to make Henley paranoid and stressed. General Henley was convinced that Mustang was out to get her for something she hadn't done and was starting to become increasingly unstable. She'd sworn to Tasha that she would get Mustang back for everything that her fellow general was doing and she hadn't been afraid to make her thoughts about Mustang known to anyone who would listen.

Brookes thanked Tasha Henley for her time, offered her his phone number and condolences before leaving and heading back to the office. After hearing Henley's story, he was convinced that this wasn't just a copycat, but that meant that there were now only two things that connected the victims: they were military and they had a problem with Brigadier General Mustang. The problem had increased in severity and Brookes knew that he wouldn't have any choice but to include the connection to Mustang in his next report to the high command.

After returning to the office, he contacted Brigadier General Mustang's office to request another meeting and was told to come up immediately. When he entered the outer office, the tension had increased significantly from his last visit, and he was let through immediately, before he'd even been able to get a "good afternoon" out. This time Captain Hawkeye followed him into the inner office and moved to flank her commanding officer on his right, standing as still as a statue.

"I gather you're here about Brigadier General Aleyce Henley's death?" Mustang asked, forgoing pleasantries this time around. Brookes didn't sit down either, instead remaining standing in front of the general's desk. All three of them were aware that with Henley's death, one of the connections between the victims had been destroyed: no longer were all the victims male.

"Yes, I am Brigadier General Mustang," Brookes said, his voice heavy. Mustang leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, his fingers threaded together and placed against his lips for a moment. Hawkeye remained passive behind her commanding officer.

"What do you need to know?"

"I need to know where you were last night." Brookes had a nasty feeling he knew what Mustang was going to say.

"I was home at ten p.m. last night because I was in a meeting with Major General Andrews and Führer Grumman that ran late. I think the neighbour who lives in the house to the right of mine was outside with his dog when I came home. I didn't leave my house until six a.m. this morning, and I arrived at the main gates at six-thirty. Privates Lee and Jensen, who were manning the gate this morning, can verify my arrival time, and Captain Hawkeye can verify that I entered the office at six forty-five," Mustang told him, and Brookes slumped slightly as he was proven correct.

"So, no alibi?" Brookes asked, in a vain hope, and Mustang shook his head.

"Not unless one of my neighbours stayed up the entire night watching my house," Mustang sounded as annoyed as Brookes felt. Brookes sighed, but made a note of it on his pad.

"I've been told that there have been accusations made against Henley; accusations that you and Major Elric have been rather vocal about. Would you mind telling me why you believed Henley to have been agreeable with the late Führer Bradley's plans?" Brookes asked, hoping this angle would lead to more suspects. He almost hoped that this would pan out and it would turn out that Henley was a copycat so that the 'male' connection could be ruled back in.

"I believe – as does Fullmetal and many other military officers – that Brigadier General Henley was aware of some, if not all, of the late Führer's plans. Or as much as he'd told the generals who had backed him, anyway. We believe she had been a silent supporter of Bradley's, perhaps promised the same things as the generals had been in order to secure her support and her silence. Unusually for someone of her rank, at the time of his death and for a year prior, Henley had been Lieutenant General Raven's personal aide, and she was only promoted to Brigadier General in order to fill one of the vacancies left by the deaths or arrests of so many of Bradley's administration. As I'm sure you're aware, it's unusual for someone to be in the position of personal aide once they've reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and Henley was a full Colonel at the time of the Promised Day."

Brookes nodded and continued to make notes. What General Mustang was saying was true – it was very rare for an officer who had attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to not have at least a small team of their own, and almost completely unheard of for someone who had achieved the rank of Colonel. The only exceptions that Brookes could think of were actually among the State Alchemists – since so many of them worked independently out in the field, they had little need for a full team of their own – only those who were strictly researchers tended to have teams, but they were teams of other alchemists or research assistants, not soldiers.

"We believe that she either accidentally uncovered or was purposefully made aware of the Promised Day and did nothing to alert anyone about what was planned. Of course, that would mean she was either complicit in – or at the very least – had been agreeable enough with the plans to keep them quiet. If she hadn't been involved in or supportive of those plans, she would have found a way to contact myself or one of the numerous other officers whose beliefs aligned with my own," Mustang concluded.

Brookes was shocked. When the Promised Day had arrived, he had been one of the ones to align himself with Mustang, especially after Mrs. Bradley's radio broadcast had gone on air. Blinking, he quickly made notes of what the general was saying, pressing his pen into the page with enough force that his hand began to cramp.

"Henley was very upset when Lieutenant General Armstrong replaced Raven in the Führer's inner group. It was an interesting reaction from Henley because at the time, she wasn't being considered as a replacement for any of the generals despite the fact that she was a full colonel."

"Is it just possible that she was upset because General Armstrong was the one who killed Raven?" Brookes asked. It hadn't taken long for that piece of gossip to circulate through Central Command, considering that Armstrong had been devoted to manning the fortress of Briggs for over a decade and hadn't seemed to care about the goings-on in Central. Her sudden transfer to Central Command and almost immediate ascension to Raven's position within the inner circle had spurred several weeks' worth of gossip among those stationed in Central.

Mustang shook his head. "No. Her reaction wasn't one of anger, and she never accused General Armstrong of lying about her reasons for killing Raven. It was more like she had lost something important when he died – if she did know about the Promised Day, I suspect that Raven was her access to the promises that Bradley had made to his inner circle. Without Raven, Henley wasn't even being considered to be part of that inner circle. Everybody knew that Henley wouldn't have been the last choice, but she certainly wasn't one of the top choices. Even she knew that. Her reaction alone was suspicious enough for me to start looking into her," Mustang continued.

Brookes found himself almost leaning in to hang onto Mustang's every word before remembering himself and writing once more. "Of course, once the Promised Day was close to being upon us, I couldn't focus on investigating her any further. However, once it was over and after everyone, including myself, had had a chance to recuperate from the wounds we'd received during the fighting, I was able to focus on it once more," Mustang continued.

"Was this before or after your first classified mission with Major Elric?" Brookes asked.

"Before the first one." Mustang didn't bother asking how he knew about it. The missions themselves were classified, not the fact that they went on them, after all. "I resumed my investigation into General Henley about two weeks after the Promised Day, since I spent a week in the hospital and then another week helping to begin the restoration along with General Armstrong until Führer Grumman officially assumed command."

"Did you find anything to support your claims?" Brookes asked and Mustang sighed and glanced down at the top of his desk. He was obviously debating what to say. Brookes glanced at Hawkeye, wondering what she knew about all of this; her face was still expressionless, until he looked into her eyes. Clearly, she knew something about her commander's investigation.

"Yes." Mustang finally said. "We found correspondence between her and General Raven while we were going through his paperwork and files during the cleanup of Central Command. It was coded, however. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult for Fullmetal to break the code and decipher the letters. On their own, they weren't enough to get charges brought against her, but they would have been more than enough to get a warrant for a further search of her office, home, and other assets. If we'd been given a little more time, we could have laid charges against her and had her court-martialed. However, I'd prefer not to speak any more about this, Lieutenant Colonel, as my aim is not to speak ill of the dead, and there's nothing further that we can do to her."

"Fair enough," Brookes agreed. "Were you able to find anyone else during your investigation that might have had a reason to want Henley dead?"

"I'm sure plenty of people wished to see her dead, especially once the news that we were investigating her for her involvement broke. A lot of people were affected by the Promised Day, and even though my team's goal was to avoid killing wherever possible, the Briggs soldiers and the forces that put their loyalty behind Bradley weren't quite so noble. I wasn't the only one who believed that she should have been charged. If she had said something to someone there would probably be many more people who would have survived that day." The general's voice was terse, but Brookes didn't take it personally.

"Okay. There's one more thing I'd like to ask about while I'm here." Mustang nodded and gestured for him to do so. "Would Major Elric be available for an interview?"

Mustang obviously hadn't expected that question. "Why would you need to talk to Fullmetal?"

"Aside from you, he was the most vocal about Brigadier General Henley being investigated. I will need to interview him for my report, if only to eliminate him as a potential suspect for the purpose of assembling my case files," Brookes explained.

Mustang looked at Hawkeye, who nodded and left the room. "Captain Hawkeye will have an answer for you by the time you leave this office." Brookes believed him, since Hawkeye seemed very efficient like that. "Was there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, sir. That's all I needed to ask you. I apologise for having to ask these questions, but I want to thank you for allowing these informal interviews," Brookes said, but Mustang waved his thanks away.

"I understand you're just doing your job. I'm just glad you're doing it properly. I trust you know that any interview with Fullmetal will be done in this office. I'll wait outside with the others, but I do need to speak with him once you're done. It will lessen his complaining if he doesn't have to travel from your office to here."

"I had expected as much. I'll see myself out. Have a good day, General." Brookes saluted and the older officer offered his own well-wishes as Brookes left.

"Major Elric can be here at lunchtime tomorrow, Lieutenant Colonel. Is that acceptable?" Captain Hawkeye asked with the receiver to the phone still held to her ear.

"Yes, that works nicely for me," Brookes agreed.

"Did you hear that, Edward?" Hawkeye asked the person on the other end of the line. "Alright. We'll see you at lunchtime tomorrow. Please don't be late." She paused for a moment. "Thank you, Edward. Good-bye." She hung up the phone.

"Thank you, Captain."

She nodded silently in response, and Brookes left the office quickly and headed back to his office. He needed to write up the information Mustang had just given him before his interview tomorrow.


The next day, just before lunch, he received a call from Captain Hawkeye informing him that Major Elric had arrived at the office and was waiting to meet with him. Brookes thanked her and informed her that he was on his way. It only took him a few minutes before he was pushing the doors open and greeting the rest of Mustang's team.

"You may go in, Lieutenant Colonel," Hawkeye told him.

He took her at her word and entered the inner office where Mustang was doing paperwork at his desk and a blond teenager wearing a bright red coat was sprawled on one of the couches reading a thick alchemy book. Brookes cleared his throat and saluted before greeting the brigadier general first and then the major, as protocol dictated.

Elric looked bored and annoyed and didn't look up from his book. "It's Ed, Edward, or Fullmetal. Unlike some flame alchemists I could, but won't name, I don't give two fucks about my rank. Why am I here?"

Mustang looked both resigned and like he wanted to strangle the teen alchemist. It was an interesting expression.

"I need to ask you a few questions about Brigadier General Aleyce Henley," Brookes explained. "You were one of the loudest voices calling for her to be arrested, so I need to speak with you about what you know about her."

Ed sighed and put his book down, twisting until he was sitting upright. "What about her? She's dead, right?" Ed looked at Mustang, who nodded, and then looked back to Brookes. "Why am I being questioned about that paranoid bitch?"

Mustang looked like he was going to say something before shaking his head and giving Brookes a look that told him he was on his own before the older alchemist gathered his finished paperwork and stood. "I'll wait outside with the rest of the team until the two of you are done." He pointed a finger at Ed. "You stay here. I need to talk with you afterwards." Ed rolled his eyes at Mustang as he left, the door shutting softly behind him.

Brookes cleared his throat and took a seat across from Edward, pulling out his notepad and pen. "As I explained to Brigadier General Mustang yesterday, this is merely me making sure that I can't give the defense any sort of ammunition to give a jury reasonable doubt. If I can't say that I didn't rule out everyone who had a reason to wish Henley dead, then they would have the opportunity to cast doubt on whomever we arrest by saying that someone else had a motive for killing her. Since I believe these murders were all committed by the same person, if the defense can cast doubt on Henley's case, it would mean doubt would be cast on all of the murders."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I didn't want Henley dead; I wanted her in jail, but whatever. Ask whatever you gotta." He pushed himself a little more upright.

"Thank you, Major." Ed shot him a warning look and Brookes got the message. "All I need from you is to tell me where you were the night Henley died and to read over and add anything you deem necessary to Brigadier General Mustang's statement on the reasons you suspected Brigadier General Henley was involved in – or at least unopposed to – the plans for the Promised Day." Brookes produced his typed report from yesterday and handed it to him. "If you agree with General Mustang's statement as I've recorded it here, just sign the bottom. If there are any details that you think should be added, I'll type them up and find you again at a later date to sign it."

Edward took the report and read it. Less than a minute later he got up from the couch, snatched a pen from Mustang's desk, and signed the paper. He held the paper out for Brookes to take. "There's nothing that needs to be added to it. I wasn't involved in Mustang's investigation before the Promised Day. I was too busy trying not to die after my fight with that psychotic alchemist, Kimblee, at Baschool." Brookes almost wanted to ask, but Edward didn't give him a chance to decide whether he was going to. "The murder was three nights ago, right?"

"Two nights ago, M-Fullmetal," Brookes remembered to correct himself before he accidentally used the blonde's military rank, but barely. Edward's golden eyes narrowed dangerously, but he allowed the almost-slip.

"Whatever. I was at Gracia Hughes' apartment. My brother and I live there when we're not on missions for Mustang. Alphonse and Miss Gracia will be able to tell you that I was there from about seven pm when I got back from picking up some ingredients that Miss Gracia needed for dinner until about ten the next morning when Al and I went out to research some shit at the library."

Brookes almost wrote that down verbatim, just so he could submit it to the generals who were pressuring him for an updated report, but he decided to clean up the wording a bit, as the generals weren't known for their sense of humour. "Okay. Is there a number I can reach them at?"

Edward gave it and Brookes thanked him. The teen alchemist shrugged. "Don't mention it. Just don't talk to Elysia Hughes by yourself, if you turn up at the apartment."

Brookes heard the subtle threat hidden under the warning and nodded. "I don't believe I'll need to go by their apartment at this time, but I'll keep that in mind if anything changes," he promised. Ed nodded sharply as Brookes stood and extended a hand toward the blond. Ed shook it and Brookes felt the hard metal as he wrapped his fingers around Ed's hand before letting go. "Thank you for your time, Fullmetal."

"Don't worry about it," Ed said as he flopped back onto the couch and picked up his book once more, opening it to the marked page. Brookes couldn't help but notice that the teen's golden eyes seemed slightly vacant, like he wasn't really reading the book, but was lost in thought or something.

Brookes left the office. Mustang and the others were watching him with interest and he thought he saw a handful of cenz notes being given to the portly man with reddish hair while the one with the cigarette in his mouth muttered something unhappily.

"Thank you for the use of your office, General. Have a good day, everyone." He smiled before leaving. He made it halfway to his own office before he stopped in his tracks as he thought of something and changed his course abruptly, heading back to the stairs leading to the upper levels of Central Command.


He ended up in front of Führer Grumman's secretary, a pretty, if unimpressed-looking lady in her early thirties only a few minutes later. Or maybe she just looked unimpressed because of his request.

"You want me to ask Führer Grumman if he happens to have fifteen minutes to spare so you can chat with him?" she asked incredulously.

Brookes nodded. "Yes, please. I'd like to talk to him about Brigadier General Mustang and the recent string of murders that have taken place," he said politely. She huffed a sigh and picked up the phone to dial his office. "Thank you."

She shot him a flat look. "Don't hold your breath," she warned before the phone clicked and a muffled voice sounded on the other end. "Your Excellency. Forgive my interruption, but there's a Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Brookes requesting fifteen minutes of your time for a discussion regarding Brigadier General Mustang and the recent murders, sir." She paused as she listened to the response and a look of surprise on her face had him feeling hopeful. "Yes, sir. Right away."

She hung up the phone and stood up. "Looks like you're in luck, Lieutenant Colonel Brookes. Führer Grumman will see you now." She led him to the doors before opening one and standing aside for him to enter. He took one step past the arc of the door and paused to salute as she pulled the door shut again with an echoing click.

"Lieutenant Colonel Brookes?" Grumman stood from behind his desk and waved him forward. He offered a hand that Brookes grasped as soon as he'd crossed the space between the doors and the desk.

"Yes, Your Excellency. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. I know how busy you are, and I appreciate the chance." Grumman waved at one of the chairs in front of the desk, reclaiming his own seat. Brookes waited until the Führer was seated before taking one of the offered seats.

"You got lucky. My last meeting ended up being shorter than it was scheduled to be. I have twenty minutes I can give you until my next appointment. What can I help you with?"

"I'm sure that you've been briefed on the murders that have happened recently." Grumman nodded, a grim expression on his face. "What we haven't made public yet is that we believe Captain Chase Bryce to have been the first victim, leaving the citizens to believe his death has been ruled accidental. Our hope is that once we have a suspect, he will give himself away by revealing Bryce as their first victim, which is information only the real killer would know, along with a few other small details we've kept from the public."

"Wise plan. You've set the bait and now you just need a fish to take it," Grumman said.

"That's our hope, sir. The other thing we haven't made public is that Brigadier General Mustang is the only solid connection and suspect we have in all four cases so far, sir. He has had problems ranging from inconsequential to personal to professional with each victim and each problem could be considered a motive for the crime. I have informally interviewed General Mustang about all four murders and Major Elric about the death of Brigadier General Aleyce Henley, as they were the loudest voices calling for her to be investigated. Major Elric has provided an alibi for the night in question, which I intend to verify as soon as we are done here. Unfortunately for Brigadier General Mustang, he has no good alibi for any of the nights when the murders occurred."

Grumman sighed. "I've been following this case since Colonel Summers was murdered, and I had been told about Brigadier General Mustang's connection to all the victims. I've studied your previous cases with Investigations, both before and after your change in positions since the late Maes Hughes. I have found your work to be exemplary, Brookes. You appear to be a dedicated investigator and you've never let personal bias, public opinion, or even peer pressures sway you from where a case has led you. That was one of the reasons why I kept you in your position when we were cleaning house after the Promised Day. What do your instincts tell you when it comes to this investigation?" He rested his chin on his thumbs, fingers threaded together as he watched Brookes contemplatively.

Brookes considered it for another moment in light of what Major Elric had told him. "I believe Brigadier General Mustang is being framed, sir. I don't know by whom, or why, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of person to go after someone because they had an argument the night before, or because they were outspoken about their dislike for him, and I certainly don't believe he'd go after someone for those reasons in this way."

Grumman nodded in agreement. "I believe you're correct Brookes. As you surely know, thanks to your investigation, Mustang used to be under my command while he was in East City."

Brookes nodded. "I learned that when I pulled the general's service file to look for any reported conflicts he might have had with Colonel Summers, sir."

"Well, I got to know him while he was there, perhaps a little better than others in my command thanks to the fact that my granddaughter is his second in command. I know what he is capable of. I know what he did in Ishval, and what he has done to climb the military ladder. I've even encouraged and shared what I know about playing the political game with him over the years. I know what he would do to make sure he didn't lose his position on that ladder." The Führer's eyes hardened. "I do not believe he committed these acts. I do not believe he is the kind of man who would do this sort of thing, as I've always seen him as honourable. He wouldn't attack someone in an alley behind a bar – he would face them openly, and he would be merciful and give them a quick death if he was forced to kill at all. I most adamantly do not believe he would murder a woman for the crimes he was about to charge her with."

Grumman's voice held complete conviction and Brookes was glad to hear it. Having the Führer on his side would help Mustang. But then Brookes hesitated for a moment, obviously holding himself back from saying something.

"Is there something else, Brookes?" Grumman had obviously noticed and Brookes looked around uncertainly. "You can speak freely here, Lieutenant Colonel."

"I think the generals in the high command will want Mustang arrested, sir. I've had to include the connection to Mustang in all of my reports and the report I submitted to have these cases classified as the work of a serial killer. While they haven't said anything to me, I believe that there is a possibility that they will plan to push to have you authorise Mustang's arrest for these crimes. They started getting agitated when I gave them my most recent report on Summers and the preliminary report on Henley yesterday. I think they are afraid that if the brigadier general was about to file charges against Henley for her role in the Promised Day then he might come after them next. I have another meeting with them tomorrow to give them my updated report on the case, and I believe they will start putting pressure on me to have Mustang formally interviewed, if nothing else."

"You will undoubtedly be proven right. I can't do much to help with that, Lieutenant Colonel. If you start receiving pressure from them, however, remind the generals that they still need me to sign off on an arrest warrant. I can tell you that I trust you won't request an arrest warrant unless you have no other choice. The generals may be the ones you report to, but it is your case, not theirs. You and the generals cannot arrest someone without probable cause and any arrest made with circumstantial evidence must be served with a warrant personally signed and sealed by me." Grumman leaned back. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you of that, but it doesn't hurt to hear it from someone else, does it?"

Brookes gave a humourless chuckle but felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off of him. "You're correct sir."

Grumman checked the handsome wooden mantle clock on his desk and stood from his chair, a clear sign that Brookes was to follow suit. "I trust that you'll follow this investigation through, no matter where it leads you."

He gave the Führer a wry smile. "Actually, sir, Brigadier General Mustang already made me promise to do just that." He extended his hand, any tiny trace of humour gone. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir. I'll take my leave now. Have a good day." Once Grumman released his hand, Brookes snapped a salute before Grumman released him from it.

"You too, Lieutenant Colonel Brookes. Good luck with your investigation," Grumman said and Brookes bowed his head in a respectful nod. He was going to need all the luck he could get. He started to turn for the door when Grumman called to him again and he stopped immediately.

"Brookes. Know that you have my permission to interrupt me any time of the day or night in regards to this investigation. I'll alert Samantha that you're to be admitted immediately if you need to see me."

"Thank you, sir."


The next day…

Brookes watched as the generals read the report he'd placed in front of them. Major Elric's alibi had checked out like Brookes had expected, but it was included in the preliminary report he had submitted. The generals finished reading his report and looked at him, faces either neutral or annoyed, depending on who it was that he was looking at.

"Why haven't you formally pulled Brigadier General Mustang down to the Investigations offices for an interview yet? It's obvious that he's the only substantial link between these victims and the only viable suspect," General Combes demanded.

Brookes stood at attention and didn't allow himself to twitch at the general's annoyance. "As I indicated in my report, sir, the only evidence we have linking these victims is circumstantial at best. Any half-decent lawyer would take a look at the evidence and have the case thrown out before it got to a trial."

"Who else could set their victims on fire and had a personal vendetta against them?" General Widdon asked before Combes could do more than snarl.

"As the report states. sir, the coroner hasn't had any test results come in yet. Imagine how quickly the case would get thrown out and discredited if a trace of some sort of accelerant or igniter was found on the victims. All they'd have to ask is 'why would an alchemist renowned for his flame alchemy need an accelerant to ignite fire?' and the case would be dismissed." Brookes replied.

"But that could just be Mustang attempting to throw us off his trail! It's obvious this is him!" Combes bellowed.

"General, based on what my team and I have been able to uncover, it was the victims who had problems with Brigadier General Mustang, not the other way around. The only one that Brigadier General Mustang has displayed open hostility with was Brigadier General Henley, and he was working on investigating her in preparation to file charges against her. He had no reason to kill her when he was about to have her court-martialed for treason." Brookes stated and Combes scoffed. "Furthermore, all his defense attorney would have to do is argue that Brigadier General Mustang has an admirer who believes that taking out potential threats or enemies and making the murders look like flame alchemy is the best way to impress him. Or they could argue that Mustang has an enemy who is using his alchemy to frame him, since he is the only flame alchemist in the country."

"I thought you worked for us, not the defense," Combes spat.

"With all due respect, sir," Brookes said, keeping his voice cool and calm. "It is my job to investigate a case wherever it takes me, as well as to think like the defense so that I can ensure that they don't have a case by the time we take it to trial. With the time and effort we've already put into preparing this case, it would be a shame to have it thrown out on a technicality because we overlooked the real killer by focusing only on the obvious links."

The generals muttered and Brookes knew he might have pushed the line a little too close towards insubordination. He stood at perfect attention while they had a quiet and quick discussion amongst themselves.

"Very well, Lieutenant Colonel Brookes. You're dismissed," General Smythe said. Brookes saluted before leaving as quickly as he dared. He wished he could give Mustang and Grumman some kind of heads up since the generals weren't as quiet or subtle as they thought they were. He knew that Combes and Widdon at least, were going to go to the Führer as soon as the opportunity presented itself with the goal of trying to twist Brookes' arm into making an arrest.

He felt a childish hope that the real killer would make himself known with a full confession and sighed when he reminded himself that this wasn't how things worked. He just had to trust that the truth would be uncovered before Mustang suffered for it.


It had barely been four days since Henley's body had been discovered and here he was, in another alleyway, looking down on another burned corpse dressed in the charred remains of a military uniform. Brookes wanted to groan – this case was going to give him an ulcer before it was all over – he could feel it.

"Identification?" he asked, a little more snappishly than necessary. The warrant officer who had been the acting officer in charge until Brookes arrived swallowed nervously and jumped.

"The coroner isn't here yet, sir. We can't check for a wallet yet." He sounded as if he was one harsh sentence away from being reduced to stuttering. Brooke sighed and the warrant officer flinched.

"Alright. Not your fault. We'll just wait for the coroner to get on scene. What else can you tell me?"

The warrant officer seemed to relax now that he knew he wasn't going to be blamed for not knowing the victim's identity. "He was discovered at three-thirty this afternoon, sir. This particular establishment doesn't close its doors until five in the morning, but the owner sent his staff home before clean-up last night because they'd been open later than usual due to an influx of late-night customers. He and two other workers had come in early today to clean and get the place ready to open. One of his workers had come out here to dispose of some rubbish and made the discovery. Poor bastard threw up his lunch over there before heading inside to tell his boss."

Brookes didn't blame the worker. He'd wanted to throw up the first time he'd seen Bryce's body.

The coroner turned up a few minutes later and was quick to hand over the dead man's wallet. When Brookes saw the man's name, he shut his eyes and took a deep, slow breath. The dead man was Major General Bernard Andrews. He was Brigadier General Mustang's direct commanding officer and the head of the entire State Alchemist program, answering only to the Führer. It was no secret among the military that should something happen to Andrews or when he chose to take retirement, Mustang would be the first person chosen to replace him.

He knew the moment he submitted this report to the generals they would be swarming Führer Grumman for an arrest warrant. He bagged the wallet and excused himself before heading to the office to contact Andrews' next of kin was so he could make the death notification.

And hang any appearance of impropriety. This murder convinced him even more that Mustang was not to blame for these attacks, since by all accounts Andrews and Mustang liked and respected each other. There were no personality conflicts between them that Brookes knew of. He was going to call Mustang and inform him of the Major General's death before the other generals heard about it.


"Thank you for telling me," Mustang said before the man on the other end of the line could hang up. Mustang disconnected the call and put the phone down, before running a hand through his hair. He heard someone enter his office and looked up to see Hawkeye standing in front of his desk. "Major General Andrews has just been found murdered in an alleyway behind a bar he liked to frequent – burned."

He heard Hawkeye's slight gasp at the news. Andrews had been a good man. He had been one of the rare higher-ups in the military who hadn't acted like his rank meant he was smarter or better than any lower ranked officer. He even got along well with Edward whenever the two were in the same room together; not minding the blond's blunt attitude. He'd called it 'refreshing' when Mustang had asked once. Andrews was also one of the only people – other than Mustang himself – whom Edward would willingly take orders from.

"Lieutenant Colonel Brookes?" Hawkeye asked, and Mustang leaned forward over his desk and rested his face in his palms for a moment before scrubbing at his face with his palms and raising his head to look at his captain.

"He just called to break the news and give me a warning. The rest of the generals who view me as a threat to their power were becoming agitated after Henley was found, demanding I be hauled in for official questioning. With Andrews dead, I will be. No doubt they'll try to spin this as an attempt for me to angle for his position since there was no bad blood between us. I don't think it's a coincidence that these five victims have been people who have had problems with me or that they've been killed on nights when I have no alibi." He rose and went to look out the window next to his desk. "It seems he was right," he added, more to himself.

"Sir?"

"Fullmetal said something when we found out about Pardi's death. He'd thought that Bryce was connected to it since fire-related deaths are unusual enough, but two men killed in an alleyway by being burned alive was definitely out of the norm. I dismissed his concerns, telling him the investigators would've connected the deaths if there was any evidence linking them."

"But it stuck in your mind, didn't it?" Hawkeye asked though they both knew the answer.

"Yes, and it crossed my mind that I would more than likely be a suspect, if only because of the manner in which they died. I am the Flame Alchemist, after all. The fact that the people who have died were either annoyances, enemies, or rivals of mine – save for Andrews – doesn't help. Either someone out there thinks they're helping me rid Amestris of potential enemies or people who have an issue with me, or…"

"Or you're being framed." Hawkeye finished and Mustang nodded. "Do you want me to start making preparations for our contingency plan in case something happens, sir?"

"Yes. Contact Kenneth Lanco. Tell him I might be calling in my favor shortly. Give him the short version of events and ask him to stay on standby. Tell the rest of the team as well."

She snapped a salute and left his office immediately.


Grumman had barely hung up his phone from speaking with Lieutenant Colonel Brookes about the death of Major General Andrews when his secretary called to say that Brigadier General Combes and Brigadier General Widdon were requesting an interview. He thanked her and told her to send them in, and then spent the few moments he had trying to make sure he was as calm as possible and that no trace of grief showed on his face.

He'd served with Andrews for a long time, and they'd remained in touch and good friends even after Lieutenant General Raven and the late Führer Bradley had all but demoted him and transferred him out to East City. He allowed himself one moment to grieve the loss of his friend before his secretary was opening his doors and closing them behind the two generals who stormed into his office, pausing to make only the most cursory of salutes.

"May I help you, Generals?" Grumman asked, staying seated as he watched the men move to stand in front of his desk, glaring down at him.

"We'd like your cooperation regarding the serial killings, Excellency," Combes ground out, placing an official document on his desk. Grumman raised a brow at the men. He knew he wasn't entirely popular with some of the generals under his command, particularly the ones who had attained their ranks under Bradley, and he knew that his blatant support of Mustang didn't help matters. "We have an arrest warrant here for your signature."

"And who is it that you are planning to arrest, General Combes?"

"Brigadier General Mustang, on five counts of murder."

Grumman picked up the arrest warrant and looked it over before setting it down firmly on the corner of his desk. "No."

"Sir, we have evidence –" Widdon tried before Grumman held up a hand to stop him.

"I believe you are under the impression that I am not up to date with the technical aspects of the case, so let me stop you right there. I know there is circumstantial evidence which points to Brigadier General Mustang being the only viable suspect. I also know that this circumstantial evidence would be easily countered during court-martial proceedings, and this case would end before the opening arguments were even finished," Grumman told them, pinning them with a stern gaze.

"Excellency, we are aware of your personal thoughts about Brigadier General Mustang, and we must request that you look past them to see the truth. Brigadier General Mustang is the only person who could have done this. Arresting him would not only save lives, but it would put the public at ease, sir." General Widdon tried to argue.

Grumman could see the blackmail attempt in between his words. "Let me ask you this, General Widdon. If the evidence in this case pointed to anyone else – General Combes, for example – would you be pushing this hard for an arrest on evidence this flimsy and present a case this full of holes to a court-martial where any defense lawyer would win the case in their sleep?"

General Widdon stuttered for a moment and Grumman nodded. "That's what I thought. However," he held up a finger as they leaned forward slightly. "You may formally interview Brigadier General Mustang in connection to these cases, so long as Lieutenant Colonel Brookes is present at the interview. Unless an eye witness or actual physical evidence is brought to light, Brigadier General Mustang will not be arrested," he stated firmly, throwing them a bone so they would hopefully ease off of Lieutenant Colonel Brookes a little. The men were obviously dissatisfied with what they were given, but knew they wouldn't win this round.

"Thank you Führer Grumman, sir." Widdon managed to say without it sounding like a hardship.

"You're dismissed, Generals." They turned to leave and were halfway to the door when Grumman called to stop them. "I'd like to remind you of something you've apparently forgotten. Any suspect of a crime, no matter their rank or standing, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and the two of you – and the other generals, for that matter – are not that court of law."

Grumman gestured for the seething men to leave, although he thought the slamming of the door was a little childish.


It was less than three hours after his discussion with Hawkeye that his inner office door was thrown open and two generals and Brookes walked through, Hawkeye immediately on their six. Brookes gave him an apologetic grimace, while the generals looked smug.

Mustang rose slowly to his feet, keeping his hands in clear sight and braced against the top of his desk. "General Combes, General Widdon, Lieutenant Colonel Brookes. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Brigadier General Mustang, you will be coming with us for questioning regarding the suspicious deaths of Captain Chase Bryce, Major Colin Pardi, Colonel James Summers, Brigadier General Aleyce Henley, and Major General Bernard Andrews. Will you do this voluntarily?" Combes asked, eyes twinkling like he hoped Mustang would be foolish enough to make this difficult.

"Of course," Mustang said, stepping around his desk to where Hawkeye had already retrieved his black top coat and allowing her to help him into it, the medals on his blue uniform jacket clinking lightly against each other. He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and removed his plain, ordinary dress gloves, sliding them on. "Captain Hawkeye, would you be good enough to contact the Führer and anyone else I had a meeting scheduled with today and let them know that I've been asked to give a statement regarding the serial killer? Ask them if we can reschedule at their earliest convenience." He accepted his hat from Hawkeye, walked past the generals and Brookes and into the outer office, leaving the three men to follow him or be left behind.

"Of course, sir. I'm sure the Führer will want to speak to you as soon as you've finished giving your statement. I shall remain in the office until you're done to let you know." Hawkeye stated easily and Mustang nodded. His other team members looked a mixture of anxious, concerned, and worried on his behalf and he made a sign for them to stay put.

"After you, gentlemen," Mustang said, eyeing them. He could tell that his cooperative and agreeable attitude was making them grind their teeth in annoyance. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how some of Bradley's commanders and generals had viewed his recent promotion to Brigadier General. He paused at the outer door. "Oh, and Captain, Fullmetal will be dropping by sometime today with some paperwork he needed to complete for me regarding his last few missions." he stated before turning and following the patiently waiting Brookes and the not-so-patient generals.


The moment the door closed behind the group, Hawkeye was on the phone, dialing Gracia's home and waiting for someone to answer it as she glared at the rest of the team to get back to work. The phone clicked as someone picked it up. "Edward?"

"Captain Hawkeye?" The teen alchemist sounded confused.

"I need you to come into the office today. As soon as you can get here."

"Al and I are watching Elysia today for Miss Gracia, but I'll be there as soon as I can. Does Mustang have a new mission for me?"

"I'll explain when you get here. As quickly as you can, Edward."

"Sure." He hung up the phone, but not before she heard him call out to Alphonse. She placed the phone back in its cradle and got back to her own work until Edward arrived. He would need to be brought up to speed and warned to prepare to help investigate these deaths if Mustang was arrested in relation to them. She rubbed her temples as she moved on to the first set of orders Mustang had given as he walked out and starting calling anyone he had a meeting scheduled with today. She couldn't help but feel as if things were going to take a turn for the worse before long.

A/N - Here's chapter 3 for you all! Just an PSA but the chapters are gonna get longer from here on out. Upwards of 10,000+ words, with some of them being more than 15,000+ words. Thank you to everyone who has left a review on the last chapter and the story as a whole so far! To the lovely guest reviewers who I can't privately message: GuestP - I'm glad you like Brookes! and Guest- you're just gonna have to wait to find out ;)

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you thought? I would adore reviews from you all! Until next week!