By morning, Edward was feeling far better than he was, so he managed to pull himself out of bed to stretch. Alphonse, still concerned about his brother, protested the movement; however, Ed smiled and reassured him. Gracia came in some time later to see Ed slipping his red coat on, looking somewhat stiff as he did such. Ed's body had taken a beating due to his illness.
"You're leaving already….?" Ed looked back and offered her a wide smile.
"Yeah… There's an important case I need to see to."
"Is it… dangerous?" She almost seemed to hesitate to ask such a thing. She knew very well what kind of lives those boys were living.
"Who knows," Ed said without thinking. It was just in his nature to be honest. However, he recovered from it by assuring her that they would both be careful. It seemed to set her mind at ease, and she smiled.
"I swear, you're just like him. Always wanting to be strong for everyone…" She crossed the room and gently pulled Ed to her in a gentle hug. "But remember, Ed… it's okay to let yourself be taken care of by others. You have people who love you very much… so please don't make them sad."
Ed simply nodded, and then he and Al left. …He knew very well who Gracia was referring to. Hughes was a good guy caught up in a bad situation… He didn't deserve to die. Gracia obviously missed him terribly, they all did, but even so, she found the strength to continue on without tears. Ed admired her strength… he was envious of it. He knew he wasn't that strong… Sensing his brother's sorrow, Al tried his very best to cheer him up.
"You know, Gracia seemed to be very happy to have us there. When you were sleeping, she said we could come over any time, for any reason. I think we do her some good. Don't you, brother?"
"…I guess…" Though he didn't show it, Ed did feel slightly better and he led his brother back to Central Headquarters and straight into Mustang's office. The soldier didn't appear to be surprised by their visit, but he remained wary of Ed's ability to perform.
"Are you sure you're up for field work, full metal?"
"Fit as a fiddle, sir. Staying in bed was starting to drive me crazy." Mustang paused for a moment, looking him over. Seeing that Ed wasn't going to budge, he sighed and pushed the case file across the desk towards him. It looked thicker than before…
"While you were gone, there was another abduction." Ed took the file and looked through it as Mustang spoke. "It was a four year old this time… she was waiting outside a store with her dog and when her mother came out- not ten minutes later- her daughter was gone. The photographs in that file show clues left at the scene. Placed there to taunt, to brag…"
"Where is the dog?"
"…dead."
"! He killed the poor dog?" Al was especially sympathetic. An animal lover.
Edward took out the photos and flipped through them. There was a rusty nail, a metal nail file… and another one of those paper scraps. It was tiny and faded… but somehow, Ed knew it was a valuable piece of evidence.
"This paper…. Has it been analyzed yet?"
"That? No, it's been disregarded by the lab."
"! Disregarded? WHY?"
"They felt there was no significance to it…" Roy seemed confused by Ed's interest in it.
"These scraps have been at every scene, right? They're the only constant in this case! They have to be important!"
"Mm…" Roy thought about it. "I'll leave that to you, then."
"Uh… leave what to me?"
"Well, if you're convinced they have some significance, then look into it. Prove us wrong. That's your assignment."
"But wait! Isn't there more I can do?" There was no way he would be satisfied with just that.
"Sorry Ed, but this is beyond you. Until further notice, you're to work behind the scenes only. You're not 100% yet, either… I can see it on your face."
"Mustang-!"
"FULL METAL." Roy's voice took on a firmer tone which struck Ed silent.
"…Do as you're told. Just for once, don't be a bratty kid and follow your orders." Ed grit his teeth, angry, but… he agreed. It was dangerous to openly go against his superior's orders. He responded with a "yes sir," turned and left. Al was hot on his heels, staying silent as they left the compound. At first, he thought Ed was walking off his anger in a random direction, but there was something determined and focused in Ed's eyes.
"Um… where are we going, brother?"
"We're checking out the scene of the crimes."
"! Eh? But Mustang told us-"
"I don't care what he told us, Al! I know there's more we can do." As stated, he knew better than to OPENLY disobey his orders… Al wanted to protest, but by now, he knew better. They arrived at the most recent crime scene and used their authority to gain access past the blockades. The area wasn't conspicuous in the least… and there was very little to work with. Ed searched everywhere he could: the shop, the pot planters and even the bench. When he knelt down, though, his pocketwatch fell out of his pocket.
"That stupid chain…" He knelt down to pick it up and that's when he saw it: apiece of torn fabric just under the bench. Surely, a taller person wouldn't have ever noticed that! He removed his glove and used his automail hand to gently pry the fabric free of the splintered wood. There was also some dirt lightly dusting under the same bench. Ed was able to draw his own conclusions from this.
"It kind of looks like there was a struggle here… it could be… that the little girl saw a suspicious man come towards her… she crawled under the bench to get away…" his gaze then went to the blood splattered in a generous amount nearby. The smell of it burned Ed's nose… it was so thick. "The dog tried to defed her, but was killed…."
"You'd think someone would have heard that, Ed…" Al said, thinking about it, too.
"Yeah.. it must have been quick. Maybe someone the girl and dog knew- as not to raise suspicion. Mm… and then…. The guy went after the girl. She was dragged out…. Probably gagged, and taken away."
"But if the mother was gone only ten minutes, how could he do all that AND set up the clues before being found out?" Ed pondered his brother's quandary.
"….He probably had a vehicle nearby. He could quickly stash the girl and set things up before vanishing." Confident in his theory, Ed looked up with renewed determination. "We should ask around and see if anyone remembers the same car being at the crime scenes! We might be able to find this guy using his own car!"
"yeah! You're so smart, brother! But… maybe we should let the Colonel do this. If he finds out we're doing field work against his orders, he'll be mad…"
"Then we'll do all our research first and THEN tell him, when we have the results in our hands." Ed crossed his arms. "It's easier to ask forgiveness rather than ask permission!" Ed was always a troublemaker and a horrible influence on his brother, but he was also very smart. Ed had a gift for solving puzzles, and this was important.
The brothers began canvassing the other crime scenes asking business owners and witnesses what they remembered seeing. However, most of them admitted that they hadn't been paying much attention to the cars in the areas. A few of them had remembered seeing a black van in the area- four people, in fact. So a black van… couldn't he get more specific? There were hundreds of vans driving around! He was starting to get frustrated, and as the day wore on, the air was gaining another chill. This was not being nice to Ed's still-recovering body. He trailed behind Al, moving far slower than before, and now and then, he suppressed a cough. Al could no longer turn a blind eye.
"Brother, that's enough. We should be getting back… if you stay out in this cold air longer, your illness might come back. I don't want you to get sick again, brother…" Suppressing another slight cough, Ed tried t make excuses. His brother wouldn't have it, however, and threatened to drag him back.
"J-just one more, okay? We have one crime scene left to canvas… then we can go back."
"…Fine." Al and Ed traveled another two miles up the road and began asking passersby if they'd seen a black van around the time of the kidnapping. They were being ignored…. Until one person approached them.
"Excuse me…. Are you asking about the abduction that took place here?" Turning, Ed saw a tall man with a face overshadowed by a hat and scarf. He couldn't see many defining features, but if he had a clue he could use, he welcomed the help without question.
"Yeah.. we're investigating this case with the military. We're just trying to find out if there was a black van sitting here during the kidnapping. Were you here?"
"As a matter of fact, I go by here every day for my work… and if I remember correctly, there was a van parked here for a long time, then it was suddenly gone."
"Really?" He was overjoyed, to say the least! A lead! So there was a black van! Could he get even luckier? "Tell me, do you remember a license plate number or better yet, the driver?" But the passerby shook his head.
"I'm afraid not… however, I think I've seen the same van just recently."
"Really? WHERE?" It hurt Ed's throat to talk so much, but he couldn't stop now just because of that. He was getting so close…
"It's been going by a nearby pharmacy just down the street. At about this time, in fact… If you go now, you might be able to see it."
"Great! Thank you so much for your help! Come on, Al! Lets go!"
"Ah, wait, brother!" But it was too late. Ed was off like a lightning bolt, and all Al could do was follow. They quickly found the pharmacy and spent the next hour and a half staking it out. They sat on a nearby bench keeping their eyes peeled for a blacnk van, but none came. The sky grew dark and Ed pulled his coat even tighter around him. It was getting cold…
"Brother, this is crazy… You can't stay out here, and I can't let you get sick again…"
"I'm fine…" Ed tried to lie, but Al wouldn't fall for it again.
"No, brother, you're not. We're going back!" Ed coughed again. This made Al rethink his plans a little. He got up, causing Ed to look at him in confusion.
"Wait here, Ed… I'm going to get you some medicine first, then we'll go. No complaints, you hear? I'm your brother, so I need to take care of you!" Seeing that there was no way to dissuade him, Ed smiled. He did appreciate his brother's care….
"Okay, Al… I'll wait right here for you."
"Good. I wont be long!" Finally, finally Al was able to do something for his brother! He contained his glee as he rushed into the pharmacy in search of medicine. Outside, Ed remained sitting on the bench in the cold. His mind was buzzing with case facts and he could hardly think of anything else besides that and the growing ache in his throat. If he got sick a second time, he knew Mustang would give him an earful. Suddenly, a clumsy man dropped a stack of books in front of him. He had ratty blonde hair and freckles along with thick rimmed round glasses. The pitiful man was tripping over himself, struggling to collect all his books quickly, and watching his fail was starting to annoy Ed. Sighing, he stood.
"Here, I'll help you with those." He quickly gathered up a few of the books, eyes on his work and not on the man who had completely gone silent. "You should really watch where you're go-" What was that feeling…? Like a sudden pin prick on the back of his neck…. Ed couldn't think for a minute, and then all at once, the world around him started to spin. He dropped the books and looked up, trying to get his bearings, and that's when he saw the needle in the hand of the stranger. No… those eyes… he'd seen them earlier that day… Even in his hazy state, he could put two and two together. He'd been set up… lured right into a trap. His legs were starting to lose their feeling but still he tried to move. Heading in the direction of the pharmacy, Ed tried to call out, to alert his brother as to what ws happening but his voice was gone. Soon, too soon, he was greeted with only darkness.
When Al returned no more than three minutes later, he found himself alone….
"Brother? Where did you go…? Brother?"
