"Hello?" A brunette peered though the crack in the door cautiously, the chain restricting any further movements.
"Hello miss. I'm with the Save the berries campaign, and environmentalist group. I just want to take a few minutes of your time to talk to you about what this horrendous government is doing to nature and destroying what could be our life line."
"No thank you." She begun to close the door.
"I assure you it will only take five minutes." He spoke as quickly as possible before the door slammed in his face. Guess it was better the person actually said something rather then being rude and ignoring him. It wasn't the best excuse if someone answered the door, but he only needed to see if someone was in.
With a nod of his head he turned around and proceeded to walk back to his brother's car, which was parked a bit further up the street. Unlike the other houses this one was isolated, he couldn't park close by because they would notice, he couldn't disguise himself amongst parked cars when there wasn't any.
He didn't know whether to be pleased or irritated that the third house was occupied, part of him really didn't want to find anything else. With his near encounter in the previous house the adrenaline that was rapidly pumping through his veins had subsided, in it's wake leaving the detective tired and exhausted. It didn't help that it was still morning, well the late hours of the morning.
He took out the two folded pieces of paper from his pocket and tapped them on his fingers. He was going to need to convince him to let him investigate freely. Needed to show him that they were being watched. His eyes focused on one of the two sheets. Who was that man from five years ago and where was he now? He had to get Roy on his side, and hopefully he had enough proof with him.
Ed pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to a number he hadn't even used. The only time they had spoken was when Roy called him. After the investigation with Kimblee there was no need to call him, technically severing their ties, or whatever ties they did have. Roy was a criminal, the detective wouldn't put it past him that his treats would mean serious trouble. He really didn't want to get on the wrong side of this man, apart from what had already happened.
He pressed the man's name and begun the call, after a couple of rings it went to the answer phone so the only option was to hang up and call again.
"What." The older man finally accepted the call after the fifth time of trying, his voice clearly agitated from the detectives constant ringing.
"I need to see you."
"I thought I made myself clear." Mustang was clearly in the middle of some sort of organizing or searching for something if the rustling on the other side of the line was anything to go by.
"Please Roy, just hear me out." The blonde waited for a reply, which he never got. "Can we meet?"
The man sighed. "... Where?"
"Fairfield Park? Three ish?" Hoping that it wasn't too late to meet up the very same day.
"Fine."
"Thank you."
"If you start sprouting nonsense again..."
"You'll want to hear this."
"I'll see you later."
Ed ended the call and threw his phone to the passenger seat before taking a deep breath. He really hoped this would work. He started the car and begun to drive to his destination, he didn't care if he would be waiting a few hours, he can at least go through what he was going to say.
xXx
Three O'Clock on the dot Roy pulled into the parking lot. Ed clambered out the car and rested his arms on the roof as the other man parked up. He watched as Roy stood from his own car, taking a moment to look at the police detective before walking over.
"New car?" He questioned as he looked over the vehicle.
"I borrowed it." He said before holding his arm away from them and pointing further into the park. "Shall we."
The older man nodded as the walked side by side proceeding further into the area.
"So are you going to tell me why you pleaded with me to come out and meet you?"
"Take a seat." Ed pointed to the bench not far from them in an open space. Letting Roy sit down first before he did.
"These past couple of days I have been busy. After what you said in the office I was determined to do what I could without your help. I have searched two houses, both belonging to your employees."
Roy glared. "I'm taking it that it wasn't an official search since they would have been at the property and they would have called me."
"I went on my own."
"Breaking and entering is a criminal offence isn't it?" A couple of tuts left his mouth.
Ed decided to ignore that last remark. "Both searches turned up very interesting. The first house contained firearms and documents that I would actually like to investigate further on. The second.." He paused. "The second was more concerning." Ed reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the hard drive. "On this are some videos."
"Nothing unusual there."
"Of us."
Roy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Of us?"
"Me and you, in your office."
"Can't be, that camera is fake, there is no way."
Ed now pulled out the office plan. "I've marked the possible places where the cameras are." He handed the sheet of paper to Roy, who intern unfolded the item and examined it.
"So one of my men is attempting to blackmail you?"
"It wasn't just me on those recordings." He pulled this final evidence, handing the picture to the man beside him. He watched as Roy's features quickly turned pale before looking back up to him.
"How did you.." Of course he had to realise it was a folded sheet and opened it out completely to see himself also in the image.
"Who is he Roy?"
"H-Hughes, Maes Hughes." He handed the paper back to Ed and placed his head in his hands. It was strange seeing a man with such authority crumble. The blond was trying to figure out if it was due to fear or sadness, could be a mixture of both.
"There were videos of you and him on this as well."
"Maes was one of the most loyal friends I had ever encountered. He helped me make Flame a successful place, he was my business partner." He glanced to the fully open picture still in Ed's hand. "Problem was that my feelings for him were more than just business."
"So you two had a physical relationship."
Roy shook his head. "He was married to Gracia, a very kind woman and they had a daughter, Elisia. They were one big happy family. When I told Maes of my feelings of course he turned me down. He couldn't turn his back on his family. He devoted his life to them."
"So how did it come to this?" Indicating the picture.
"He came into the office one day and said that he deeply cared for me. He couldn't be with me, but he would happily pleasure me. The one condition is that I don't touch or kiss him. Like an idiot I agreed because I wanted to be near him. After that he came into my office once or twice a day and immediately got on with it. Of course it made me happy."
"But it made you worse, longing for him even more." He nodded. "Where is he now?"
Roy finally sat upright, but turned his body more towards Ed. "Six feet under."
"He dead?" Probably the most stupid of replies that had come out of the detective's mouth.
"He was murdered. Shot dead in a phone box."
"Who killed him?"
"I don't know, it's still an unsolved case. I've been trying to find out who it was myself, but after all these years I have still found nothing. It why I acted like I did when we first met. I felt like the police owed me."
"Do you still feel like that? Like we owe you?"
"Not to you, no. At this moment in time I feel like you are the only one I can seem to rely on."
"The fact that I came across this when I was actually searching for Kimblee's accomplice could mean that his person may know something about Hughes. Do you remember what the case number was?"
"VY-6. You haven't told me who this footage belonged to." It only took Roy a split second to realise why. "You weren't planning on telling me, were you?"
"I don't want you going back there guns blazing demanding answers. You are upset, I understand that, but I can help you find out what happened to Hughes. I need your complete cooperation."
"I've just found out one of my employees were filming us and my exploits with Maes and you expect me to keep quiet about it?"
Ed placed both his hands either side of Roy's face to make them look each other in the eye. "I need you to trust me. I need you to calm down and to trust me."
Roy nodded and raised one of his hands to Ed's before he took it away, keeping it in its place for a few seconds longer before letting it drop. "What do I need to do?"
xXx
Jean had to literally leap out the way as a car screeched to a halt beside him. The driver's door pushed open with such a force before Roy quickly climbed out and straight to the back passenger door, flinging it open and throwing Ed to the floor. He turned and looked at the detective as he slowly clambered to his feet before pushing him hard against the wall causing the blonde to fall back down onto the concrete floor.
"Boss?" Jean questioned, but received no reply as his employer picked the police detective off the ground and threw him through the open back door. Quickly stubbing out his cigarette Havoc quickly closed the doors to his boss' car before hurriedly following them through the corridor.
A startled Armstrong, who was covering for Jean, steps aside as Roy opens his office door and throws Ed inside before slamming the door behind them.
"You want to investigate my team then be my guest!" Hearing the filing cabinet slammed open before there was a slight paused before a loud crash.
The two men nervously looked at each other.
"I told you to stay away!" As the detective was no doubt thrown into the door.
"Guys we are opening soo-" Another loud crash sounded as Jean and Alex look to the newly arrived Kain. He looked to the others rather concerned.
Jean ushered him closer. "He's got that detective in there, seems like the guy didn't know when to quit."
More shouting ensued before the office door was yanked open and a bloodied and battered detective fell to the floor coughing out blood on the once pristine tiled floor.
The three men looked to Roy, who looked at them menacingly, before directing his attentions to the wheezing man on the floor. Kain looked to his boss' fist to see the knuckles covered in blood before looking to Edward. The man staggered to his feet, but couldn't stand still, if he weren't bloodied you would have thought he was drunk. From the amount of blood on his face and clothing it was clear his nose had been broken and had an awfully nasty gash hidden in his hair line where the blonde hair was now crimson. He stumbled to Roy, who grabbed his throat and threw him back down the hallway.
The three men cautiously followed as Roy pushed Ed back into the parking lot, letting him slam against his car and drop to the floor as the older man walked around to the back of his car and opened the boot. Throwing out the contents before placing a plastic sheet over the flooring. He went to Ed, who was barely conscious, grabbing him by his shirt and throwing him into the trunk before slamming the door shut.
"If they come looking for him he was never here." He told the three men before clambering into the driver's seat and reversed before the screeching of his tyres propelled the car forward and quickly out of sight.
Alex rushed back to Roy's office to see it completely trashed. Files, books and furniture were everywhere, not to mention the blood.
An hour had passed before Roy returned. His shirt now soaked and red, which was clearly not his.
"Sir?" Fuery nervously questioned.
Roy stopped at his office door and turned to his subordinates. "He was sticking his nose in too far. But it's done. He won't be bothering anyone anymore."
None of them had ever seen this side to Roy, nor did they hope to ever be on the receiving end.