Vi never imagined herself returning in the Fitzwilliam mansion all alone. For some odd reason, Caitlyn's absence made her feel a lot more uncomfortable than she had initially anticipated. She wasn't sure of how her mother was going to react to her sudden appearance, especially if she found out her daughter wasn't with her. But there was no going back now; she had already parked her motorcycle opposite the massive mansion and was still debating with herself if she should just go for it or return home.
Finally, she dismounted her bike and crossed the road. There was no point in worrying about Elizabeth Fitzwilliam now. The job she had to do was far more important than a high-society lady's criticism. The security guard was quite hesitant to let her in, but after some negotiation, Vi convinced him that she didn't pose any threat. She wasn't sure if he had been intimidated of her metallic gauntlets or was convinced by her police ID. Either way, Vi had achieved her goal and was now walking through the main yard of the mansion.
Unlike the security guard, Rick the butler didn't question her authority, and lead her inside the house without a word. Nothing had really changed since her last visit, well nothing except the main resident herself. Mrs Fitzwilliam didn't seem too happy to see Vi again and the enforcer shared the same feelings.
"I hope you got a good reason to come here" she said coldly to Vi "Did my daughter send you? I wonder why, since she was here just a couple of hours ago"
Vi didn't feel like explaining herself to her. Why should she, anyways? She had no obligation towards her and she wasn't even the reason why she bothered. But she didn't have to know that, right?
"I'm aware of that" Vi responded "Though, I doubt she had the time to ask you a couple of questions, did she?"
Elizabeth seemed to be taken aback. She probably had expected to get Vi into a difficult position, but upon seeing the enforcer's cool response, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her "Indeed, she didn't stay long here. But if you were to come, why didn't she inform me first?"
"She left me responsible for your husband's case while she's busy with the sudden transformation of Jayce the other day" Vi deadpanned, letting the lie slip with ease. She was an expert to that.
Mrs Fitzwilliam eyed her carefully, suspicion still decorating her expression. Vi knew it wouldn't be easy to persuade her to give whatever information she needed, but she wasn't giving up because she had to find out.
"Fine then. But, I warn you, I can find out if you're lying or not. I'm not sure why you even care in the first place, though"
If only you knew...
"I'm not going to bother you much" Vi began, avoiding to give a response "But I need to know two things and I want your honest reply"
"Just do what you have to do, officer" said Elizabeth, emphasizing the last word with sarcasm.
"Where was your husband supposed to be and where did he leave?" Vi asked straight away, ignoring her comment.
"He was supposed to be in a meeting, here in Piltover" Elizabeth said, tapping her chin with her finger "I think it was on Saturday, if I do remember well"
"Alright..." Vi said sceptically. As she had expected, lies lies lies. She couldn't expect anything better from a cryptophan like Harrold Fitzwilliam "What about his chauffeur, then?" she asked.
"You mean Jacob? He was the one to pick him up after the meeting but as he told me, Harrold never showed up. No one had seen him"
"Where can I find Jacob?"
"He lives nearby, on number 3 Kingsley Street. I'm not of his surname, I think it's Marino?"
"I'll keep it in mind" Vi nodded "Well, that's all I needed to know. Thanks for your time, ma'am"
"You're welcome" Elizabeth said though it wasn't sincere. Vi turned to leave; she couldn't stand seeing her disgusted and suspicious expression anymore.
"Wait" she heard Mrs Fitzwilliam say. She span around to see what the deal was. She didn't have time for her games.
"I think it would be more fair if I asked you a couple of questions now"
Oh crap, she hadn't expected this. She could just leave, but then Elizabeth would grow even more suspicious of her and she couldn't have that. She had only one option; accept her challenge.
"Err... Sure?" Vi said trying to sound cool, though she was really nervous.
Elizabeth crossed her arms "What exactly is your relationship with my daughter?"
Another unexpected shot. Honestly, where did she get such idea anyways? Did she actually think that she and Caitlyn... Impossible. Only the thought of it made her blush like a little school girl in front of her crush.
"It's... Completely professional. We're partners, we work together. That's all"
Vi responded. Elizabeth let out a sigh, obviously relieved, much to Vi's dismay. Did she actually believe that she wasn't worthy enough to... Argh, why was she even mad anyways?
"Alright..." Elizabeth said "Then, why did she let you responsible for the case?"
"You don't understand her at all, do you?" Vi growled "She's the sherrif of Piltover and she got a tone of responsibilities on her shoulders! She needs help! She trusts me enough to leave this to me, since we've been partners for so long!"
Mrs Fitzwilliam's eyes darkened a little bit, much to Vi's satisfaction. It was obvious she didn't like the idea of her daughter working with a «scumbag» and putting her faith on her. Vi didn't care; she had stopped caring about others' opinion a long time ago.
"And now, if you don't mind" Vi added "I got some work to do"
She left the Fitzwilliam mansion, leaving behind a very baffled Elizabeth, though she couldn't care less. She was aware of the fact that she had been trying to belittle her or even find a reason to oppose her openly because, let's be honest here, she despised Vi a lot. She wasn't bothered by that, not in the slightest but what had really gotten under her skin was the fact that Mrs Fitzwilliam had actually considered herself and Caitlyn a couple. Just the thought of it made Vi feel uncomfortable, even though it wasn't so bad a thought. She shook her head; it wasn't the right time to let her personal feelings affect her work. Right now, it was urgent that she find Jacob Marino.
Surprisingly enough, Elizabeth Fitzwilliam was right about the address. Vi was under the impression that this woman didn't really care about her servants (which was partially true, considering that she wasn't sure of the address). The Marino house stood before her eyes, a simple house with a green garden full of flowers. Vi made her way through the yard and almost tripped over in an abandoned pink bike. Rubbing her leg, she reached the front door and rang the bell, hoping that she would get an answer.
Much to her relief, the door cracked open but not from Jacob Marino. A girl not older than 5 years old, stood in front of Vi, looking up at her curiously with big blue eyes, her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders. Vi couldn't repress a little smile; she had expected something like that from the bicycle.
"Hello there, young lady" she greeted her as genuinely as she could so as not to scare her "Is your daddy here? I'd like to have a word with him"
The little girl nodded slightly and ran inside, calling for her father. Vi didn't have to wait much longer before Jacob Marino showed up with his daughter in his arms. His daughter was a replica of him; he was blonde too, a recent haircut very much imminent. His grey eyes scanned the enforcer and he seemed quite surprised to see Vi, albeit glad.
"Officer Vi. Where do I owe the honor?" he greeted, reaching his hand to exchange a handshake. Vi accepted the move, being surprised herself that he respected her. Little citizens did so.
"Good afternoon, Mr Marino" Vi greeted back "I'm sorry for showing up so unexpectedly but it's a matter of urgency"
"It's about Harrold Fitzwilliam, isn't it?" the man speculated and Vi nodded in agreement.
"Well, yes. It seems like you were the last one to be in contact with him before he dissapeared, if I'm correct"
"That's true" Jacob confirmed "Why don't you come in and discuss it though tea? It's already getting chilly outside"
"Thank you sir, but I don't want to be a burden..."
"Nonsense. Come in"
The kindness of this man exceeded all Vi's expectations. Rarely was Vi treated like that, and usually it was only from Caitlyn. There's still hope in this world, she guessed.
Jacob lead her inside the living room and they settled there, while his wife served them some tea. The little girl didn't leave her father's side all this time, remaining sat on his side on the couch, still looking curiously at Vi.
"So, Mr Marino" Vi spoke after taking a sip of her tea "Mr Fitzwilliam dissapeared between Saturday to Sunday. His wife told me that he headed to an important meeting"
"I don't know what Mrs Fitzwilliam told you but that's far from the truth" Jacob said "I believe that's what he told her but I didn't drive him to any sort of meeting"
Not something Vi hadn't expected. She already knew that Harrold had travelled aboard in Ionia but she needed to confirm this.
"It wasn't anything new. I mean his lying to his wife" Jacob added, looking at his spouse from the corner of his eyes "He had always contacted me in advance and explained what I was supposed to do. He always made sure that I wouldn't let the cat out of the bag to his wife"
"For how long has this been happening?"
"For a while now, though I'm not really sure when this began happening. Probably before I started working for him. My ancestors did warn me that Mr Fitzwilliam was kind of a sneaky personality"
"So, if he didn't go to a meeting" Vi said sceptically "Then, where did you drop him off?"
"Believe it or not, he asked me to drive him to the port, at platform 5B to be more specific" Jacob responded
"The port? What for?"
"He didn't bother to tell me. He asked me to pick him up the next day at around 7 am but he never showed up"
"Do you got any idea why he would want to go there in the first place?"
"Not really. But I think I did saw him boarding a ship. I'm afraid I don't remember its name"
"That's quite alright" Vi assured him
"Do tell me Mr Marino, did Harrold trust you?"
The man furrowed his eyebrows "I guess, considering that I was the one to carrying him around without his wife ever realizing his lies"
"Do you believe he trusted you enough to reveal any sort of information?"
Jacob starred at her "I don't think so. I mean, he has been lying to his own wife. I don't see why he would trust me more than her"
"Perhaps because he was trying to protect her" Vi pointed out "Or maybe he knew she wouldn't approve. Tell me Mr Marino, is there something I need to know? Something that Harrold specifically asked you to keep a secret"
Jacob seemed to be a little taken aback. He looked at his wife and then down at his daughter. His reaction confirmed Vi's suspicions. This man knew something which he was unwillingly to reveal, perhaps because he didn't want to put his family at stake.
"Well... I want to be honest with you, officer" he sighed "But the thing is, I can't tell you. I'm sorry"
"Did he asked you to transmit a message to his daughter, maybe?"
"Well, yes..."
"Then tell me and I will do it for you"
Jacob shook his head "I'm afraid I can't do that. He asked me specifically to give the message to his daughter and only her"
"I'm the sherrif's partner" Vi insisted
"But you're not her. I can't disobey my boss and risk my family!"
His daughter grasped his arm, making him look down at her and force a reassuring smile.
"If you're in danger, why didn't you contact the police?" Vi asked, raising a brow.
"As far as I don't give out the message to anyone else but sherrif Caitlyn, we're safe" Jacob explained "He warned me that if I let it slipped away, I'd be targeted"
Vi stroke her chin, considering her options. She certainly didn't want to put this family in danger but she couldn't let this go. They needed any clues possible and if Harrold Fitzwilliam had left a message again for his daughter to find, then she had to retrieve it. She looked up at the man, starring back at his grey eyes and pulled out her hexetech phone.
"Record the message" she instructed "And I'll send it to Caitlyn. That way, I won't have listened to it, the sherrif will gain access to it and everyone's going to be happy"
Jacob looked down at her open palm for a while before he took the device in his own hand "You're a stubborn one officer, I have to give you that"
Vi let out a chuckle "I just want to do my work correctly"
The man nodded and stood up, taking the phone to another room to record the message, living his wife and daughter alone with Vi in an uncomfortable silence. Vi stood on her feet as well, trying to avoid the little girl's imminent gaze. Honestly, how could a child make her feel so damn uncomfortable? Those blue eyes looked at you, as if scanning your soul.
"I'm sorry for being a trouble, Mrs Marino" Vi spoke, trying to break the silence.
The woman smiled kindly at her as she walked over her daughter to pick her up "It's alright, officer. You're just doing your job and besides, Jacob had been very worried about all these. I just hope he can be somewhat useful"
"I'm pretty sure he is. His dedication to his boss is exceptional" Vi noted
"I can say the same for you, officer" the woman said "Considering that the case is quite personal for the sherrif, the fact that you're bothering shows some sort of dedication"
"I guess..." Vi murmured, scratching the back of her neck uncomfortably. Caitlyn's image flashed in her fins and she could already feel her cheeks heating up. Jacob re-enteted the room to her rescue, handing back her mobile phone.
"Thanks for the cooperation Mr Marino" Vi thanked him sincerely "Your help is highly valuable"
"Glad I could be of use" the man said, a smile curling up from the corner of his lips.
Vi turned to leave but she stopped on her tracks. She looked at the Marino family over her shoulder, wondering if they would be safe from now on.
"Before I forget about it" she spoke "If you are ever under threat, call the police immediately. I'll personally interfere to provide you safety as soon as possible"
"Thank you, officer Vi" Jacob Marino nodded "Wish you luck with this case"
"As I see it, we'll need a ton of it" Vi noted silently. She nodded at the man in a motion of gratitude and opened the front door, disappearing from the family's life for the time being. Before she had completely crossed the threshold, she swore she heard a high-pitched voice speaking, declaring that she wanted to become a police officer once she grew up. She couldn't help but smile.
"There are a lot of things you need to learn, kiddo" she mused, shaking her head. With those in mind, she mounted her bike and drove off, revisioning her newest data. God, Caitlyn would have a ton of shit to catch up to, she thought with a chuckle.