Chapter 7: Pointing Fingers is Rude
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or plots from Gundam Seed, but this fictive setting and plot came from my imagination and was inspired by real events and ideas.
Back again! I've got a set plot, so hopefully I can stick with it now. Sorry for the long wait guys!
Cagalli took a deep breath and walked towards the back porch, wondering how she was going to cheer up her twin brother. She hoped that talking about the upcoming wedding would help him get his mind off the murder and onto happier things; then again, it could also make things worse because of Nicol's involvement in their relationship.
She sighed and opened the door, "Kira, we need to…" she paused when she didn't see him sitting in the chair he was last sitting in. She glanced around the porch but couldn't find the brunette. "Kira?" she called out. She didn't hear an answer, so she went back inside.
"Did he come back in? I didn't notice." She said to herself and went into the living room. "Kira? Where are you?" she called out again.
"He's on the porch, isn't he?" Lacus replied from the kitchen.
"He wasn't there; did you see him come in?" Cagalli asked her as she continued searching her house.
"No. This is odd, where could he be? Oh! Maybe he's just in the bathroom." Lacus called.
"Good idea!" Cagalli called back and went upstairs to where the bathroom was. She turned the corner but the bathroom door was open with the light off, she searched the rooms upstairs and didn't see her twin. Her face twisted more with worry as she quickly descended to the living room again. "He's not upstairs." She said to Lacus with a concerned look.
Lacus looked concerned as well. She paused for a moment and then looked out of the window and into the driveway. She took a step back and then turned to Cagalli, her face growing pale.
"What is it?" Cagalli asked as she came closer.
"His car isn't here anymore, Cagalli. He left."
"Tolle is their main suspect now, as you wanted. Everything is falling into place, just like you said."
"Good, although I still can't believe that because of your foolishness I had to pull strings with the garbage company just to get the knife out. Now they're snooping around and getting suspicious. They'll fall of his trail and find another if that happens again." Rau replied angrily.
Fllay had called him earlier squawking about the detectives threatening her and the garbage crew, as well as shutting down the company on misdemeanor charges of obstructing justice, compromising an investigation, and other such threats.
"If this keeps up, they'll stumble onto even more members of my crew, which could lead to you. You realize that, don't you?" Rau continued.
"Yes, I do. I didn't have a lot of time and thought the neighbors could have noticed something, so I lit out as fast as I could. Besides, your people were supposed to clean up the area before the police got there."
"My people? You are a part of my people, or have you forgotten? Need I remind you how and why you got involved in this whole mess to begin with?" Rau challenged.
There was only silence from the other person in the room. It continued for a moment until at last he finally spoke up.
"What's done is done; we just need to make sure they stay on Tolle."
"No, you need to make sure they stay on Tolle. The more I get involved, the more reason I give Athrun to start sticking his nose in my business again. This is the plan to end it all, remember that."
"And you swear nothing will happen once this is over?"
"I promise. Your loved ones will remain safe." Rau replied smoothly.
The other nodded before leaving. Rau hid a smirk as he braced his fingers into a steeple.
"Everything is working out just as I planned. Careful Athrun Zala, you may not survive this little case, it may just be too hard for you to handle." He whispered and then laughed with exultation at his masterful revenge on Detective Athrun Zala.
"Maybe he went to see Athrun? He was so distraught, and I saw tension between them, he may have gone to speak with him." Cagalli replied, feeling the knot forming in her throat.
"And not tell us? Why would he do that? This is too dangerous, for one because he could be targeted as a suspect, and for two someone may be trying to hurt all of us. Why would he just leave?" Lacus said.
"I'm not sure, maybe he just…wanted to be alone or something. Maybe he thought we would try to stop him from leaving, so he didn't want to confront us about it." Cagalli said, although wasn't sure if she believed herself.
"Cagalli, I'm beginning to feel like something isn't right."
"What are you talking about Lacus? He just went to see Athrun, or maybe he decided to go back to their house. He probably said something and we just didn't hear it. Let's look for a note." The blond replied and began her search anew.
Lacus continued to look worried, but was beginning to believe Cagalli's words, if only half-heartedly. She didn't want to think of all the bad connotations this held; Kira being in danger, or worse…
Athrun was determined to figure this out. Something didn't settle well with him about the garbage situation. He knew there was something else going on, that the whole thing was rigged somehow. He also knew he could just be feeling paranoid and getting desperate for Rau's imprisonment, but he had to try or he knew he would regret it.
He pulled into the office parking lot and sat in his car for a moment. If he was right, things could get dangerous, and he would be even more hard-pressed to catch Nicol's killer and put him behind bars. If he was wrong, he would be pulled into a downward spiral and may never be able to solve this case.
'Okay, so maybe those are extreme scenarios, but I hardly see any good that could come out of this.' He thought as he sat. He sighed and got out of his car, 'Let's do this.'
He walked into the building and made a bee-line for the front desk, where a magenta haired girl was sitting and typing at a keyboard. Something clicked in his mind, but he wasn't sure why. She didn't look up when he approached, so he cleared his throat to make his presence known.
"May I help you?" she asked in a bored tone, still not looking at him.
He took out his badge and had to hide a smirk. "Detective Athrun Zala. We spoke on the phone earlier."
She whirled around in her seat and gasped, her eyes widening a bit. His own eyes widened as he realized who he was speaking to.
Fllay Alster.
"Wh-what are you doing here? I sent the crew down to the station like you asked; now if you don't leave I'll…I'll…have you arrested for harassment!"
"I highly doubt that would work out. I came by because I was suspicious as to why there were two pick-ups within the same week coincidentally on the street of a homicide case. Although now I'm even more suspicious, Fllay, because you're involved." He replied and narrowed his eyes.
"Oh don't flatter yourself, Athrun!" she replied loudly, obviously flustered. A few other employees looked over, and one got up while Athrun was glaring at Fllay.
"I'm not; I'm just wondering why a member of Rau's group is magically involved in another of my cases, and a murder one at that of one of my personal friends. It's quite odd, don't you think?" he asked and leaned closer over the counter.
She stood and glared him down. "I have nothing to do with any of that! It must have just been a mistake, it happens sometimes. You're just trying to find anything to pin Rau! Besides, I already told you the last time that he and I do not work together anymore."
"Right and pigs have mutated wings coming out of their backs, giving them the ability of flight." He sneered.
"What?"
"Look Fllay, just tell me what's going on and I won't have to take you in."
"There's nothing to tell."
"Check your records then, and have your garbage people pick through that dump site until they find a bloody switchblade. I'm running background checks on that crew, and I'll keep my eye on you Fllay." Athrun warned.
"You need to get a warrant then. Just because you flash your badge doesn't mean we have to do everything you tell us, Detective." She sneered back.
He growled and left in a sour mood, but with hope fluttering in his chest that maybe he was onto something.
Or he could just be desperate and paranoid.
"Hey Yzak, have you got anything on the knife check?" Dearka called from his office.
"No, you?"
"Nothing registered to Tolle. You think we hit a dead end?" Dearka asked as he came into Yzak's office.
The silver haired man was sitting with his hand to his chin, thinking of anything to help them solve this case.
"Where did Athrun go?" Yzak asked instead of answering Dearka's question. He didn't want to think of leaving this case unsolved, like so many others mysteriously tied to Rau.
"He said something about digging up dirt on Rau." Dearka answered and shrugged.
Yzak swore and got up. "You still have that tail on Tolle?"
"Um, I think so…"
"What do you mean you think so?"
"Well I haven't heard anything."
Yzak swore again and threw his hands in the air, then pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You're killing me Dearka, you really are. Call the tail and ask for an update before I strangle you."
Dearka hurriedly picked up his phone and dialed the cop who was supposed to be following Tolle. When he answered he quickly asked for an update. Yzak was pacing in his office and trying to calm his growing anger, half-listening to the conversation. Dearka soon came back in and didn't look very happy about it.
"Uh…we have a problem."
The glare that got sent his way made him step back and shudder a bit. He held up his hands and took a deep breath before spilling the beans.
"Tolle got away. He managed to lose the tail and now he's MIA. There's a unit looking for him, and I told them to bring him in if they find him, but it doesn't look good."
Yzak let out a string of curses, none of which Dearka would ever care to repeat, and then proceeded to throw things.
"That's my cue to leave then."
As sounds of bangs and crashes were heard from Yzak's office, Dearka slinked away and out of the building. "I…shouldn't have told him that." He said and sighed. "I guess I need to find him, maybe he really is guilty."
He got in his car and headed to Tolle's house after putting the address into his GPS, since Tolle was made to provide that information when he was brought in and questioned.
Athrun's cell phone was ringing as he drove back to the base and he answered it quickly to hear Cagalli's voice.
"Athrun? Kira left the house. He didn't leave a note and we didn't see him leave. We assumed he went to see you or something."
"What? He shouldn't have left, it's too dangerous! How could you let him slip by you?" he asked angrily.
"Chill! Don't get angry at me, Athrun, I'm just as worried about him. So you haven't seen him at all?" she asked with slight anger in her voice.
"No, but I was away from the station, so he may be waiting for me there. I'm heading back now." He replied in a calmer tone.
"Okay, where did you go, and why are you so upset?" she asked again, this time with worry.
He sighed again. "I went up to the garbage station because they had picked up Nicol's garbage twice in the same week and the murder weapon is gone. Something seemed fishy so I wanted to check it out myself. Listen, things could start getting dangerous, so be careful, okay?" he told her.
"Why, what happened?"
"I can't fill you in on everything right now, but Fllay was there. That means Rau has to be involved."
He heard Cagalli sigh on the other line and knew what was coming next. "Athrun, you may be looking into this too deeply. It's just a coincidence she's involved."
"It's a coincidence that Fllay just happened to be the one who answered when I called about the garbage? It's a coincidence the crew happened to clean out Nicol's garbage can after the crime scene boys were there, when they had already came by that week before Nicol was even dead? It's a coincidence that Fllay is working with Rau in his illegal ring, and also happens to be Kira's ex?"
"Athrun, you're tying all of this together because you want Rau behind bars. I'm your ex and I haven't killed anyone just because you left me for Kira. She's crazy, but not that crazy."
"I just think it's too weird to all be unconnected. Maybe Tolle joined their group, maybe he's innocent. I have no clue right now!"
"Athrun, just calm down and focus on the case. I know you guys can solve this. Let me know if you see Kira, okay?"
"Alright, but I'm really worried about him Cags."
"I know, I am too, that's why we need to find him."
"Right, talk to you later then, and I'll fill you both in on everything later."
"Okay, bye."
He reached the station and scanned the lots for Kira's car, but didn't see it anywhere. His worry and suspicion grew as he entered the station. He checked into Dearka's office but didn't see the tan blond, so he glanced into Yzak's office and his eyes widened again.
"Uh, what exactly happened in here? Was there an earthquake or something?" he asked when he saw the disaster area.
"Dearka lost Tolle." Yzak growled. He was sitting at his desk again, hammering away at his computer.
"He what?"
"The tail he put on Tolle lost him somehow, so they're all chasing him down. I thought you were going to bring him in?" Yzak replied angrily and glared at him.
"I went to check into that garbage thing." Athrun told him.
Yzak went off again. "Will you just let it go? Every single case we're in you think it's Rau! Rau this, Rau that, it's too much Athrun! You're going too far with your little delusions okay?" he yelled.
"I actually have something though, but first have you seen Kira?"
"What? No!"
Athrun's worried expression paused Yzak's anger for a moment. "Is he missing or something?" he asked.
"He left Cagalli's; apparently he didn't tell them he was leaving or where he was going. She thought he came here to see me."
"Well I haven't seen him, but I've been in here…"
"…demolishing your office?" Athrun finished for him. Yzak just gave him an annoyed look.
"We can worry about him later, what did you find?"
"Fllay was there. She was the secretary I was talking to on the phone. I don't know why I didn't recognize her voice before."
"So what, is that supposed to mean anything?"
"She works for Rau, Yzak, remember? Plus she's Kira's ex. You remember how mad she was when he broke up with her for me?"
"Oh, right, well, I still don't think-,"
"Doesn't it seem fishy that she happened to stall us and give us such a hassle when we were trying to figure out why they picked up the garbage twice? Don't you think there's something going on since they did that? I doubt it's just a mistake, but even if it is, she seemed like she was hiding something. I knew she was lying when I questioned her, so I was going to get a warrant to search the-,"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" This time Yzak cut him off. "The judge won't give you a warrant."
"Maybe he will since they emptied the garbage at a crime scene."
"He'll probably just say the crime scene guys should have found it anyway, so we'd be wasting our time looking for it."
Athrun sighed and rubbed his head. The headache he'd been feeling ever since he heard the news refused to go away, and it felt like it was just getting worse.
"What's going on Yzak? Normally you'd jump on any speck of dust that pointed towards Rau, and you'd pound down the judges' door yourself to get a warrant and storm that area personally." Athrun said with a suspicion that something was off.
Yzak looked away. "I think we're chasing a ghost, Athrun, that's all. I'm sick of running around with a lead pointing to him and reaching a dead end. And honestly I don't want him to be involved in this."
"I don't either, but it fits! We've been trying to nail his ass for years, we've pissed him off and meddled with his stuff, he could be trying to get revenge on us for going after our friends."
"I just don't think Fllay has anything to do with this, or that she points to Rau."
"Wait…what?"
"She was stalling and hassling you, not us. Of course she'll be pissed at you for stealing her boyfriend, but that doesn't give her motive to kill Nicol. Besides, she's not really the 'killer' type." Yzak replied, not making eye contact.
"Yzak…"
"What?" he snapped, finally glaring at him.
Athrun's eyes narrowed until it hit him. "You've got to be kidding me. Yzak you didn't!"
"Didn't what?" he growled.
"You slept with Fllay, didn't you? That's why you're defending her!"
"So what? Dearka's off at the stripper joints all the time and humps anything he sees! I can't get back at him for it?" Yzak yelled and then got red in the face, turning away from Athrun.
The bluenette held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not getting into this with you. Right now, she's still a suspect."
"Don't worry, she has an alibi for the night Nicol was killed." Yzak mumbled.
"She what?"
"That's why Dearka went to Natarle's Angels. She may still be working for Rau, but she didn't kill Nicol. I'll uh…put some pressure on her though and get the truth out of her, but she's not the killer."
"I can't believe this…"
Yzak said nothing and Athrun left.
Dearka finally reached Tolle's apartment and checked around. He didn't see the man's car and checked his radio for the positions of the unit out looking for him. He had called in for a few cops to drop by in case Tolle was there and trying to run, but he doubted that was the case.
He got out and checked his back for his gun tucked inside his holster, although didn't think he would need it.
He went up the stairs leading to Tolle's place and knocked on the door, announcing he was police. He heard nothing from the other side and knocked again, louder this time. He didn't see any activity from either of Tolle's neighbors, and was listening for any slight sound.
He braced himself and then shoved his shoulder into the door, breaking it open. He entered with his gun out and checked the area quickly as he came in, looking for Tolle or anything that could point to his involvement, or where he might be. He went through the entire apartment but Tolle wasn't home, and he couldn't see anything that would lead him to his location.
He sighed and trudged out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. He knocked on the doors of the neighbors and asked if anyone had seen Tolle, and they all said they haven't seen him in a few hours, probably after Tolle was released from custody. 'He must have come back here when I let him go, then leave to go who knows where…' he thought.
He went down to the leasing office to see if maybe he decided to leave or anything, but he got nothing there as well. It seemed no one knew where Tolle was, and that lead to suspicion.
He called in and alerted the unit that Tolle wasn't at his apartment, and no one had found him yet. He got into his car and decided to head back to the station, hoping Yzak had calmed down or found anything. He wondered whether Athrun had picked up any new leads or had found the knife somehow.
Athrun was running background checks again on all the members of the garbage crew, with Fllay as an added member. Either they were all clean and this was just another dead end, or someone had erased anything bad off their profiles. If that was the case, he knew who had the resources to do something like that, and would give him more incentive to check into Rau once again.
He looked down at his cell phone and checked to see if he had any missed calls or messages. He hadn't heard form Kira since he left Cagalli's, and the nagging thought of his boyfriend missing wouldn't leave him alone.
He decided to call Kira.
"Sir, Detective Athrun Zala arrived at the office and was questioning Fllay." Stellar told Rau as she came into his office.
"What? Has he done anything?" Rau asked her.
"I don't think so, someone called to let us know the news and I haven't heard from Fllay yet." She replied.
"Get her out of there and keep an eye on his movements." He ordered. She nodded and turned to leave.
His phone rang and he answered it quickly, Fllay was yelling in his ear again, sounding more than worried.
He motioned to Stellar. "Bring him back in here." She nodded again and left.
"Yes Fllay, I know, but don't worry, he can't do anything. A judge won't give him a warrant, and even if he gets one he still won't be able to find it. We tweaked your background so he won't find anything on you, so don't worry. Clotho and the others are covered as well, just calm down and come to the office. I don't want him finding you again." he told the distressed woman on the other end of the line.
When he hung up he sighed and stood, but the phone rang again.
"What is it?" he asked into the speaker in an irritated tone.
"Tolle Koenig is here." his receptionist replied.
-Author's Note: I'll just leave this here…
Don't worry, I know how the next chapter will go, and hopefully it won't take me as long to update it. Please review and tell me what you think, thanks for all the favorites and alerts, and for asking me when I'm going to update; it helps to remind me! Any questions, comments, ideas, etc. are welcome, just no flames please. Peace out!-
