A/N

Hi everyone! Hope you've all had a good week. I've been ehh in the romance department: had to friendzone a guy that would not take no for an answer even after 48 hours (a bit of a Mark Baker there oops.)

I also found out that my school's sixth form has a fundraising fancy dress parade next week (short notice!) so me and my friends are doing a group cosplay of The Walking Dead - I'm going to be a badass Maggie Greene which will be fun! And hopefully our group wins!

There you go, a bit about my week because I want to be a likeable(?) and relatable(?) author I suppose.

Anyway, this chapter will feature a day of investigating Nina's disappearance around 38-48 hours after she was last seen. I want to speed up Nina's vanishing act since, again, it's not going to be a main focus within this fanfiction - just a dramatic event that will push Miles and Nina closer! It's about time right?

But thank you to all the followers/favouriters new and old! It's greatly appreciated to know that people actually like what I'm doing so cheers!

Since her disappearance, Miles had been shaken; he had hardly slept and was refusing to do so until Nina had been found safe and sound. He could hardly believe that she was missing – and that he was the last person to have seen her. At his request, a good quarter of the division had become dedicated to locating the ex-officer; although some were more than willing to help due to their respect for Nina. Ema had been in an even grumpier mood than usual and Detective Gumshoe was even more determined than normal. And as for Detective Chambers, well he was his typical cocky self; not even a slight bit concerned for the wellbeing of the mother of his child, treating the whole investigation as a joke. Nina could have been seriously hurt – or worse – and her ex-husband didn't even feel remotely worried. Miles hadn't even been able to take Nina out for lunch, to give her a good meal and good company before telling her how he felt. That he loved her. If she came back harmed or dead, he'd never be able to forgive himself.

Miles and the LAPD spent the day searching Nina's apartment and interviewing her fellow tenants in order to find any clues as to what happened to the brunette. The chief prosecutor had also scheduled a meeting with the landlady of the apartments, whom arrived much earlier than arranged, pushing her way through the officers that were crowded around the building. Her glare and frustrated snare turned into a pair of doey eyes and a smile as wide as the ocean.

"Edgey-Poo!" Oldbag called, wasting no time in making it to Miles' side.

"Ms Oldbag…what a pleasant surprise…" Miles lied, feigning joy at seeing the dreaded woman.

"I cannot believe you're here. Why haven't you called or written? Did you get my gifts?" The landlady couldn't stop smiling or blushing; in fact, her eyes were practically heart-shaped.

"Ahem, Ms Oldbag, I was hoping to talk to your about one of your tenants."

"Nina Forester right?" She frowned, hands on her hips. "What on earth has that whippersnapper done now? Honestly, that young lady has caused more than enough trouble around here. Back in my day we—"

Miles decided to cut in; he couldn't stand to hear anyone speaking of Nina in a negative light – especially now that she had disappeared. "Miss Forester is missing, Ms Oldbag. I wanted to ask when you last saw her."

"I haven't seen her for days. If you ask me, she's ran away to avoid paying the rising rent she owes me."

"Are you sure? Please, Ms Oldbag, I really need you to be positive in what you're saying." Since the cranky landlady had a habit of missing out key details in the past, Miles knew that he had to push for the whole truth in order to paint an accurate picture of Nina's actions over the days prior to her mysterious disappearance.

She seemed to be genuinely thinking hard at this point – something which stretched far beyond what had happened in the courtroom during past cases. "I saw her a few nights ago, it was just before lunch. She was on the phone in the hallway. I only passed her briefly so it might not have even been her." Miles recalled that Nina had called him on the phone at around 11 so Oldbag's story almost certainly matched that of the reality. "I also saw her the day she vanished. It would have been about 6 o'clock when I saw her, running down the hall and driving off in that rusted little bug of hers."

Miles didn't want to sound improper but he needed to know every little detail regarding Nina's potential last moments out in public. "Was Miss Forester behaving differently? Was she…perhaps dressed differently or carrying anything?"

Again, Ms Oldbag paused for a moment of thought; clearly desperate to prove her worth to her long-time crush. "Well…yes, yes I do believe she was acting strangely. She was running for one thing even though I've only ever see that girl run for the department store sales or her morning cakes at the café. She was also carrying a large backpack, almost like she was planning to be gone for a while."

So this disappearance was planned?

"May I take another look around Miss Forester's apartment?" Miles needed to be sure that nothing was out of place, that Nina's mysterious vanishing wasn't permanent.

Oldbag nodded and handed over her chain of keys. "I hope such a handsome young thing like you doesn't get his hands dirty in that young lady's pigsty of a home."

Miles nodded gratefully and beckoned for Detective Gumshoe to join him in the once-over of Nina's apartment. On the stairs, they passed a hooded figure. "You know, if the rumours are true, I doubt Miss Forester's ever coming back."

The two men turned around, both puzzled and stunned by such words. "Why?" They asked in sync.

The figure removed their hood and smiled almost apologetically. "Kay?!" Again, Miles and Gumshoe matched each other's shock. "What on earth are you doing here?"

She smiled, "I hang around here a lot nowadays. There's a spare apartment that nobody's lived in for years; it's supposed to be haunted, I think someone died in there or something."

"It's good to see you again, Kay." Miles said with sincerity, desperate to jump straight to questioning his old assistant. "So, are you and Miss Forester are acquainted?"

"Yeah she's cool. She saw me leaving the old apartment one day and she invited me inside her home for lemonade and a chat." Kay paused, looking a little worried. "So Miss Forester's actually gone?"

"I was hoping you'd be able to answer that question." Miles was happy to see Kay again yet so stressed regarding the ex-officer's whereabouts.

"Why wouldn't she come back, pal?" Detective Gumshoe asked, his voice saddened and confused. "Nina loves her son Oliver, a-and she wouldn't just leave without a word."

The chief prosecutor couldn't help but watch the way the detective's face crumpled at the thought of never seeing his friend again; he could see the sadness and the worry and Miles knew that Gumshoe really did love his friend. He could tell how close the two really were. And he could only imagine how hard Nina's disappearance was on him.

"Apparently Miss Forester's in serious debt. I know for one thing that she's several months overdue on her rent and she's unemployed so I doubt her money problems were under control." Kay avoided Miles' eyes guiltily. "People have said that she lost the custody battle for her son because she was careless or something. She's said before that she hardly gets to see her kid and that her ex-husband is cruel. I wouldn't blame her for hitting the road."

Detective Gumshoe stayed quiet, clearly thinking hard about what Kay was saying. Miles listened carefully; they'd surely have to interview Chambers later.

"I want to help you find her. Whatever it takes, I'll help." Kay insisted, walking the two men to Nina's apartment. Miles nodded gratefully as he unlocked the door.

Nothing out of the ordinary: cd's were still scattered across the coffee table and dirty kitchenware still sat by the sink, waiting to be cleaned. They checked her bathroom; towels covered the floor and her hairdryer had been left plugged in but nothing too unusual. Finally, they scanned her bedroom. The bed seemed like it hadn't been made for days, for a start. Then they checked her drawers, closet – everywhere that a young woman may want to hide a secret. Nothing.

Gumshoe sighed and walked out of the room, leaving Miles and Kay to exchange glances. "He really misses her, doesn't he?" Kay looked just as glum as the detective. "We've got to make sure she's found safe." She clenched a fist to show Miles a sign of strength and determination. "I'll search the streets to see what I can find out." The Great Thief lifted Nina's bedroom window and carefully slipped out. Miles smirked, Kay never changed. She was still just as determined for the truth as ever.

Miles went back into the main room to see Gumshoe sat on the sofa, staring hard at a silver frame that held a photo. As he got closer, Miles saw that the photo was of Nina and the detective; the pair were dressed in their long trenchcoats and had their arm over each other's shoulder, smiling widely.

"That photo was taken the day Nina was officially made my subordinate." Gumshoe explained, smiling fondly at the memory. "Mr Edgeworth sir, she was happier then. Recently she's been so distant…b-but surely she said something to you."

He wanted to tell Gumshoe about how Nina had broken down in his car, how she'd cried and confessed to how miserable she'd been during recent weeks. But he couldn't break the hope his detective still held; knowing that the brunette was so depressed and hadn't told him would've surely hurt Gumshoe even more. Instead he just shook his head and insisted that the conversations shared between him and Nina had been simple discussions between two acquaintances.

"I know that Nina's only been missing for a day and a half but I can't stop thinking about her, sir. We always talk to each other every day. What if something's happened to her? What if she never comes back?" It was becoming increasingly evident that the kind-hearted detective really cared about Nina. They certainly shared a deep friendship and to see the two "partners-in-crime" apart was quite a sad sight indeed.

"She will, Detective. If she's as good a friend as you claim, Nina will come back." Miles knew he had to do the reassuring for the both of them. Although even he couldn't understand why the brunette would've left without a word. Moreover, to leave her son or a friend as close as Detective Gumshoe seemed so bizarre and out of character even for a woman that he hardly knew – even if he was in love with her.

The two men had nothing to go on so they had to keep some optimism. At least until they found a lead on Nina's whereabouts.

24 Hours before…

Nina awoke abruptly to a sharp pain in the back of her head. She moved a hand to touch the sore spot, feeling that it had scabbed over after a hard blow. Her other hand, however, was shackled to a grimy pipe that ran all along the wall. Then she realised where she was. And remembered what had happened prior to her blacking out.

"I know you're there, you son of a bitch." Nina groaned, biting her lip at the pain of sitting up, squinting into the shadowed part of the basement. A tall figure emerged; chuckling in the direction of the brunette handcuffed to the wall.

"Miss Murray, it's so good of you to stop by." He grinned as he walked into the lit part of the room, cane in hand and clothed as smart as ever. "I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet with Robert Murray's precious daughter."

"My name is Nina Forester." She spat back, the pain in her head growing worse; forcing herself to stare him dead in the eye. Standing her ground to prove that the man looming over her didn't intimidate her once bit. After all, Nina had spent so long researching him that she had desensitised herself to the cold-hearted convict and his crimes.

This was the first time that she'd seen him face to face, but the ex-officer instantly recognised the tall man before her.

Manfred von Karma.

Her father's murderer.