New chap up.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own GW.
Chapter VI
Heero walked around the alley studying the scene with his piercing look. Duo and Quatre were looking at the body not too far from where he stood.
"The amount of blood is significative…" Quatre said "and the lacerations and haematomas in the body indicate perimortem damage. I believe...I believe he was dragged here alive and then killed…"
"Dragged an old man all the way across the city just to dump him in a deserted alley and play the butcher man...that's sick…" Duo said bitterly.
" The alley is narrow...I don't think a carriage would have been able to pass through here. The culprit must have carried him all the way here by foot."
"Someone must have seen them. I'll go ask around…" Duo offered and walked away from the scene.
Heero turned back to Quatre who was now busy examining the body. The blonde man seemed lost in thought.
"The cuts were cleanly done. The assassin used a very sharp knife; a small one if we consider the diameter of the cause of dead...extreme blood loss due to injuries on major organs. Poor man. He was a gentle person and he really wanted us to find the princess…"
"Well it seems there's a high chance someone doesn't want us to find her, if our guesses are right. Did you find anything else on the body?"
"Mmmm…no, but the cuts were done methodically, I think. I mean...it follow a certain pattern."
"A pattern...you say?"
"I am not sure what could it mean...but see this? Those are three cuts to this direction, then four to the left and one across, also these smaller ones all over his limbs. I don't think it is random…"
"You are right, it is too neat to be natural…" Heero agreed "I was looking around. The body's location is pretty close to the wall, but I did not find any traces of blood on it. All the blood seems to spread on ground level. Pagan did not fight his attacker…"
"You are right...there are no signs of struggle. I can't confirm it without proper testing, but he may have been drugged before hand."
"I believe that's most likely the case. The attacker was movements were clean and almost flawless…"
"Yeah, I don't think I've seen a scene like this one before. This may be a professional, Heero. Do you really think this could be related to..."
"I don't know."
Heero looked around the alley surrounded by ramshackled houses. Compared to the rest of the city the Damps was pity looking.
"Relena said this was refugee's land…"
Quatre was a little surprised by Heero using the pub maiden's name instead of the usual Ms. Dorian. He wasn't a man who would easily treat other people with such a familiarity, but somehow the stoic man had forged a bond with that singular lady. The blonde man smiled.
"She did. She lives in this area, too...right? We should warn her, we still don't know what's the plan behind this murder, but we can claim that there's a possibility that this is all made by a psychopath and he may be around.
"Hn…" he nodded." I will take a look on the surroundings. I will leave the body to your judgment…"
Heero made his way through pass the barricades that had been set around the area. He stood quietly in the center of the alleys with hands tucked inside the pockets of his coat. His prussian eyes studied the surroundings focusing in every small detail. The alley was short, with dead ends at both sides and only two possible entries/exits. A small road at the lef that most likely lead to the residential area of the Damps. The thought brought the image of a certain blonde lady to his head, but he quickly dismissed it. The other road lead to the main street.
The alley wasn't part of most traveled routes so unless you had business there or were heading to the residential area, you wouldn't need to pass through it. It was a good place to commit a murder since it was secluded and nobody would really find the body that fast, he reasoned. Then again, London was filled by many other alleys like this one with even better conditions to hide a body, so why this one?
He walked out to the main street and looked around in thought. The snow would have covered any kind of track left by the attacker's carriage and even if it hadn't, with the amount of vehicles that crossed the area, it would have been useless information.
As he walked back to the alley growling in irritation he caught a glimpse of something across of him.A man, that he found slightly familiar, was standing against a wall. He seemed oblivious to Heero's attention, but there was something off about his demeanor as he stared at the crime scene with a slight hint of amusement in his look. He was trying to figure where had he seen this man before and then it came to him. Days ago he had met him in the streets of London, at the time he had been limping and in pain as he chased after the woman who had hit him.
" ...gangs don't really visit the area. There's nothing that could be of use to them in the Damps…" Relena's voice echoed in his head. That had been her answer when they had asked her if there was any kind of criminal group that could be related to the Damps, but that man was there and he knew, from many sources now, that he was a known member from a particularly problematic gang.
"I asked all the people that were around last night. No one heard nor saw anything" . In fact, nobody had seen the victim around here before." Duo's voice interrupted his thoughts as he stopped by his side and watched the scene with dislike "I didn't need to use much of my persuasion skills, these people were willingly giving me all the information they knew. They are all freaked out..."
"Hn…" he replied looking back at the crowd. The man was long gone.
"Did Quatre find anything useful with the body?"
"Yes, but we'll need to look into it to see if it makes any sense…"
"I don't know my friend, but something in my gut tells me this was not any random murder and that he might have been targeted because of what he knew about you know what…"
"Hn… Let us meet up with Wufei and Trowa. I would like to take a look at Mr. Pagan's quarters…"
"Sounds fair...I'll get Quatre."
Wufei and Trowa sat at table in the Scotland Yard office. The guards kept sending them reproachful looks as the two males looked through the bunch of papers scattered over the polished surface. They had been adamant to show the case details to a couple of strangers, but they had not option since the two men had a legitimate authorization from the royal palace.
Trowa was reading the documents in silence while Wufei, visibly irritated, staring at some of the pictures taken at the scene. He hadn't met the old man since the ones who conducted his questioning were Quatre and Trowa, but from what he read, he was nothing but an old man. A lone survivor of an attack on the Sanc kingdom during a crossfire between Romefeller and Englian troupes. He had lost everything on that night and had barely made it back to London where he was taken in by the family of his queen. He was no wealthy, he did receive a generous allowance for his former services as the Peacecraft's head of house, but it was nothing to be target of murder. He had no political roles and beside the fact that he was the lone witness of the Prince and Princess supposedly alive status, there was really nothing more about the man that could be considered important.
"I guess Heero is probably right about this…" Trowa said eyeing his chinese companion "All points to it, so far…"
Wufei did not answer. His eyes were now locked on the small piece of paper that had been retrieved from the body. The red letter had now turned dark brown and he felt disgusted.
"Let the hunt of the royals begin…" he mumbled "Just what the hell is that suppose to mean?"
The five men met at the Timber Bells by tea time. They were visibly tense, as Relena noticed; their face were too serious and even the everlasting grin over Mr. Maxwell's face was nowhere to be seen at the moment. The air surrounding them felt heavy and colder than usual and she could tell that something very bad was haunting their guests minds.
She had grown fond of the men and their grave demeanor had her slightly worried. She would have liked to ask, but then again, she was only the maid servant of the pub they were staying and she had no right to pry in their business.
Relena took a deep breath and as she walked her way to their table with a teapot and fresh baked biscuits and scones. The men barely acknowledge her presence with a soft thank you as she set the teacups in front of each. She stood there for a while, her look traveling from each of them. She wanted to say something, but found that there was really nothing she could say, so she merely sighed and turned with the intention of walking back to the comfort of the kitchen.
"Relena…"
She stopped in her heels and turned once more. Heero was now looking at her with look she couldn't quite make out.
"Yes?"
"The man who was chasing you that time we met at the city…"
"Thomas Harrington?" she asked puzzled.
"You said he was part of a gang…"
"Yes, the Pennymobs…"she replied "They're settled in Whitechapel, but their men lurk around pretty much anywhere in London."
"Do they frequent the Damps?"
"The Damps?" Relena said with a frown and she shook her head "No. His group is usually around the market on Covent Garden…"
"Would he have a reason to be around the Damps?"
Relena was perplexed by his sudden interest in Thomas. Could he had something to do with the body that had been found that morning? Thomas was a bully, but to kill a man?
"N-no...I don't think he would. Why do you ask?"
"...I saw him lurking around the alley this morning." Heero asked simply.
"Igg… and you didn't tell me?" Duo groaned "We should have put him for questioning!"
"Under what premise? Curiosity?" Heero answered raising and eyebrow.
" Heero is right…" Quatre said "There was nothing we could do. Do you think he's a suspect, Heero?"
"Coming back to the crime scene would be stupid, but at the same time a diversion. The authorities wouldn't be expecting the perpetrator to return…" Trowa reasoned.
"Trowa is right, but I doubt he commited the murder…" Heero negated "Everything was done too neatly. I doubt a common gang member would be capable of murder a man without leaving any loose ends. I was just ...intrigued."
"Oh" Quatre said "That's right. Ms. Dorian, you live close to where they found that body right?"
"Eh..yes. A couple streets from there...why?"
"Please be careful, Ms. Dorian. We don't know if the culprit is still around the area…"
Relena smiled thankful at the blonde.
"I can't imagine why would someone ever want to kill me so be at ease. I will be careful. Thank you for your concern.."
She made a polite bow and walked back to the kitchen. Heero's gaze followed her until she disappeared behind the old wooden door that lead to the kitchen.
"Soooo ...Relena...huh?" Duo smirked "Since when are you that familiar with the lady?"
"None of your business…"
Quatre smiled. The blonde man had always been the most sensitive of the group and he had soon realized that the question about Thomas Harrington was unrelated to their case but rather to concern about Ms. Dorian's safety.
'You are too shy sometimes, Heero…' he thought amused, but the blonde man's warm thoughts were soon interrupted by Wufei's cold voice.
"What are we going to do now?"
"We will take a look at Mr. Pagan's home."