A/N: Yes! I still was able to update on time! This is probably the longest chapter yet….So, who do you guys suspect? There's a poll up and running, so feel free to vote! I might put up more...
Jazminewriter: Thanks! And the tension will get higher….
StrikerDaisy: Thanks! She isn't the only suspicious person there…
MisakaMisaka0202: Thanks! The more suspense the better!
guestt: Thanks! No, I haven't. Ever heard of Death Note? And Galileo won't lose his arm…But he might lose his mind.
CHAPTER 14
"In which the suspects are found and things are not what they seem."
"You can't arrest him! He's innocent!" Leo said, standing up.
"Sorry, but we have orders." The cop said, flashing his badge.
"Well, I have orders for this boy to be under my care." Emily said, flashing her S.P.I.A badge.
"Besides, where's your proof?" Angel asked, folding her arms.
"Where's the proof? Just look at the boy's hand!" Kuro yelled, wrenching Galileo's arm up so everyone could see it.
"Yes! He's the murderer, and that's that!" Okami yelled, fueling the crowd's fire.
"Hang him from the highest tree!" Kacey yelled, along with other guests.
"ENOUGH!" Emily yelled, causing everyone to silence and look at her.
"Can you tell me you all would send a poor boy to his death without a second thought?" Emily asked, a fire burning in her eyes.
"B-But he killed William..." Elizabeth said, sniffling.
"None of us know that!" Angel said, trying to make her voice heard.
"Why don't we hear Galileo's side of the story?" Phantom R asked, looking around.
"Well, when we got up here, William asked me to turn around and turn the switch. Someone hit me on the head. Then everything went black." Galileo said, nervous.
"He's lying!" Maxwell yelled, but Emily put up her hand.
"He's telling the truth. Look at the bump on his head." Emily said, folding her arms. Angel took off Galileo's hat, and there was a large, slightly bleeding bruise.
"So what? That could be faked. We don't have time for this." An officer said, folding his arms.
"Hold it. The lady and the kid are telling the truth." A new voice said, causing everyone to turn. The man in a blue mask and had matching suit and hair stepped forward, and the man with the black mask and matching hair stepped next to him.
"Blue?" Angel asked, confused.
I'm Duke Blue, the last member of the detective team the Royal Eirenarch Detectives!" Blue said, raising a badge. The man in black raised the same badge next to him.
"Hai. I am Ebony Roiyaru, the middle member of the Royal Eirenarch Detectives!" He said, nodding.
"We were hired by William as private investigators in case he met his demise at this party." Duke said, turning to the crowd.
"But I thought he hired them!" Okami said, pointing at Angel and Emily."
"That was to distract and/or defeat any potential threats. We were hired to study William's death, in case it happened." Ebony said, adjusting his mask.
"So you six can go now, and we'll take Galileo and the case from here." Duke said, nodding at Emily.
"Whoa, whoa. You're not getting rid of us that easily." Angel said, narrowing her eyes.
"With a murderer on the loose, it would be in you ladies best interest if you lef-" Blue started, but Angel gave him a dark glare.
"It would be in YOUR best interest if you let us stay. Galileo is innocent." Angel said.
"Do you have any proof?" Maxwell asked, staring at her.
"What would his motive be, then?" Charlie asked, adjusting her mask.
"He's the red devil. He doesn't need a motive." Kuro said, folding his arms.
"He has the scar. That's enough proof for me!" Elizabeth yelled.
Earlier, these guys didn't seem to care about William's wellbeing at all... Charlie thought, pressing her lips together.
It's odd... At first those five seemed to hate him...Now that he's dead they're making a whole big fuss about it. Phantom R thought.
There's only one explanation for them acting like this. One of them is the murderer. Emily thought, eyes narrowing.
"At least give him a trial!" Angel yelled, blocking the guards before they could get Galileo. Leo held his brother tightly, oblivious to the world around him.
"She's right. Unless he's proved guilty by the judge, we can't place him in jail...Permanently." One of the guards said.
"What do you mean, permanently?" Marie asked.
"He'll be kept there until this whole thing is sorted out. If you have any arguments, tell it to the judge." The guard said, folding his arms.
"Then I WILL!" Angel retorted, walking outside. Before she could, she bumped into a wall and cursed. "Somebody get these lights on!"
Sometime later, the group along with most of the other guests sat in a large courtroom. Galileo sat in the front, his eyes widened in worry. Emily and Angel sat next to him, Angel holding Galileo's hand tightly.
"No matter what happens, Galileo...We WILL prove your innocence." The two sisters said. Galileo gave a small smile, and then the judge appeared.
"Order in the court!" He yelled. He was a short, plump man wrapped in a judge's robe, a black wig placed awkwardly on his head.
"Now, what seems to be the case?" He asked, sitting back in his chair.
"That DEVIL murdered my husband!" Elizabeth yelled, pointing at Galileo. The crowd started up as well, before the judge raised his hand.
"Please, let us hear all the details before we make a decision." The judge said, looking at Galileo.
"What's your name, boy?" The judge asked.
"Galileo. Galileo Donatello." Galileo said, looking up.
"Who is your attorney?" The judge asked.
"I'm his attorney." Emily said, standing up.
"This boy is obviously a minor. Where are his parents?" The judge asked, staring at Emily.
"He has none. His only relative is his brother." Emily replied. The judge thought for a moment, and then nodded at Galileo.
"Tell us what happened." The judge said. As soon as Galileo was done, the judge called up Kuro, Okami, Elizabeth, Emily, Angel, Maxwell, and Kacey to testify.
After hearing all of the accounts, the judge sighed. "Galileo, you have no alibi, and your finger prints were on the knife that was in William Wintre's back. You also have that incriminating scar on your hand, and you have little evidence to prove your innocence..." The judge started.
"But even so, that's not enough proof to condemn him!" Angel yelled in protest.
"True. So instead of the death penalty, Galileo will have life in prison." The judge said. Cries rose from the crowd. Some were happy with that sentence; others demanded the death penalty.
"Wait!" Duke yelled, causing everyone to turn. "She's right. We can't place a sentence unless we have substantial evidence." He said, pausing.
"Besides, we can prove Galileo's innocence...If we had more time." Emily said, staring the judge in the eye.
"And find the true murderer as well." Angel finished. The crowd protested, and the judge raised his hand as he thought.
"I shall make you two a deal. You have five days, today included. By the end of this week we will meet again. If you can prove Galileo's innocence AND find the true killer, all charges will be dropped." The judge said. "However, if you do not fulfill these requirements, Galileo will be sent to jail, no questions asked. And during the five days, he will be in a temporary jail near here. Do you accept my terms?" The judge asked.
"Emily, should we?" Phantom R asked, looking worried.
It's a risky gamble...But I have no choice. Emily thought, nodding. "I accept your terms."
The judge banged his gavel. "Case dismissed."
The crowd muttered, but one glance from Emily caused them to hurry off. A guard walked over to Galileo, folding his arms. Leo hugged his brother tightly, his green eyes filling up with tears. Charlie patted him on the back.
"Promise you'll wait for me, little brother..." Leo said, holding Galileo tightly.
Galileo nodded. "I will..." The guard then pulled him away, leading him to his fate.
Emily watched silently, and then shook herself. "Let's get going."
"Emily...Do you think we'll be able to do it?" Marie asked.
"Yes, we will do it. We're going to free Galileo!" Angel said, nodding.
"Good luck with that. Why'd you give him false hope?" Okami asked, walking and staring at the group.
"We didn't give him false hope. Angel's right!" Charlie retorted.
"How can you be so sure?" Kuro asked.
"He killed my husband, and he'll rot for it-" Elizabeth said, wiping her eyes.
Emily turned to them, her eyes shining. "I WILL prove Galileo Donatello's innocence."
"What makes you so sure?" Kacey said, glaring at Emily.
"Because I'll be damned if I don't." Emily said, narrowing her eyes. She then walked off, and the group followed her.
The group sat at a conference table in the airship, Emily drawing a diagram on a piece of paper.
"First things first. Here's a diagram of the room when we found it- William's body, an unconscious Galileo, a broken chair, and a message written in blood." Emily said, staring at the drawn diagram.
"So, here's what we can infer. Galileo was knocked unconscious with this chair, by the killer. The killer than murdered William Wintre, and left Galileo for the blame.
"Emily, what's the plan?" Raphael asked, sitting next to her.
"We'll, I've poured through all the surveillance cameras, but the cameras in the room where William was killed were turned off. So, whoever did it must have electrician typed- skills." Emily said, thinking.
"So someone like J.F?" Marie asked.
Emily nodded. "Yes, butAngel and I watched him during the whole party. He couldn't have done it."
"Wasn't William's brother an electrician?" Charlie asked.
"Yes. He is one of my suspects." Emily paused. "Along with Kuro, Elizabeth, Kacey, and Okami."
"Why them?" Leo asked.
"For two reasons. Firstly, because during the time the murder took place, they weren't in the ballroom with other guests. Also, did any of you see the guards that were by the door?" Emily asked.
"Yes. They wouldn't let any of the musicians leave the ballroom." Marie said.
"But when Elizabeth left, they let her pass easily." Leo said, thinking.
"But what of William's dying message?" Charlie asked.
"The killer could have made it, along with the R.D mark on Galileo's hand." Angel said, thinking deeply.
"This is all the solid information I know, not counting that J.F knows who the killer is. But there are some things that don't add up." Emily said, closing her eyes.
"What?" Leo asked, eyes widening.
"If J.F is connected to the killer, why not have Raphael framed as the murderer? He's obviously J.F's greatest threat." Emily said, tapping her fingers on the table. Everyone else mused over this silently.
Emily's right...Why did Galileo get framed? There's not much of a difference between us...And Leonardo could have easily be mistaken for him. Was it just a coincidence that Galileo was framed, or is some after Galileo? Raphael thought.
"The other thing that's odd is how William died." Emily said.
"He died of a knife in his back, right?" Charlie asked.
"I'm not so sure. I think that knife was to distract how William was REALLY killed." Emily replied. "The lights were off, so it's quite possible the murderer left them off for a reason. This is what we're going to do. Raphael and I are going to head back to that crime scene, and see what we can find. Leo, Charlie, I need you two to ask/look around the Wintre estate."
"Why us?" Charlie asked.
"If you two go around, it'll attract less suspicion. If the murderer knows we're investigating, he'll hurry to cover his tracks. Time is of the essence. Angel, Marie, I need you two to go on the super computer and look up everything you can on Kuro, Kacey, Okami, Maxwell, William, and Elizabeth. Also, see what you can find on the red devil."
Angel nodded. "We'll do that."
"Come, Raphael. We have a murder to solve." Emily said, standing up and walking out. Raphael waved at everyone else before following her.
Emily, (who changed into her normal black jacket and purple undershirt) walked through the halls, Raphael following behind her.
As soon as she passed into another hallway, she quickly stepped back, putting a finger to her lips.
"Two chevaliers are guarding the door." She whispered. Raphael nodded, drawing the dragon sword, but footsteps from the other hallway stopped him.
"There you two are." J.F said.
Emily and Raphael froze, but then they realized J.F was talking to the chevalier's, and hadn't noticed them.
"Make sure no one, ESPECIALLY that Emily, gets in here. Our accomplice wasn't able to remove everything they needed. Got it?" J.F asked his eye narrowing. The chevalier's nodded, and then J.F left.
"How do we get past them?" Raphael asked. Emily thought for a second.
"Simple. All we need is a distraction."
Charlie picked up a stack of dirty dishes, handing them to Leo, who was washing. The wide kitchen smelled of delicious food, and other servants chatted while doing their jobs.
"Are you ok, Leo?" Charlie whispered.
"I'll be fine...It's Galileo I'm worried about. He's all alone, and there's no telling what could happen to him..."
"Don't worry. We'll get him out of jail." Charlie said, holding his hand.
"So, who do you think did it, Charlotte?" Leo asked.
Charlie paused. "William's brother, Maxwell. He's an electrician, for one thing. He probably knows how mess with lights."
"I think it was the butler, Kuro it cliché, but didn't you see the anger in his eyes?" Leo said, thinking. "It would be the easy for him to get close to William and kill him." He then sighed. "There are too many questions and not enough answers."
Charlie gave a questioning look. "Why did Galileo get framed? It would have been much more effective if someone like Raphael got caught."
Leo adjusted his hat, (A thing he did when he was thinking). "I don't know, to tell the truth. That's what worries me."
"What?"
"J.F does things for a reason. So Galileo getting framed isn't coincidental. What also worries me is our time limit-" Leo started, but was then interrupted.
"Hey! You two kids!" Kuro yelled, causing Leo and Charlie to turn. Kuro stared at them, and Leo stared back.
The pendant that was on his neck...It's gone. Leo thought, eyes narrowing.
"Elizabeth's and the other guest rooms need cleaning. And don't even think about trying to steal anything." Kuro said, eyes narrowing.
"Oh, Kuro." Tia Scarlet said, walking up behind him.
"There's no reason to be so mean." Scarlet finished, standing next to her sibling.
"After all, wasn't it his brother that killed William?" The sisters said together.
"My brother didn't kill William." Leo said, gritting his teeth.
"And we're going to prove it." Charlie said, folding his arms.
"I don't care about your brother. Just go and clean the rooms already." Kuro said, turning away.
Marie sat next to Angel, tuning her violin. Angel sat at the computer, sipping a cup of coffee and studying the screen.
"Who do you think did it, Angel?" Marie asked, staring at the older girl.
"Personally, I think it was the father. He wanted Galileo to be shoved in jail, no questions asked. Here's the info I've found on him." Angel said, pulling up a web site.
"Apparently Kacey was married before William was born, and Okami was the product of that marriage. Kacey cheated on his wife, and the other woman got pregnant with William, who was born soon after. His real wife didn't know, and months after William was born, Maxwell was born. Eventually, he was caught, and his former wife disappeared, leaving Okami and infant Maxwell all alone. He married William's mother, but despite her hate of Okami and Maxwell, he kept them anyway. When William grew up, he did wonderful in the family business." Angel paused.
"That's odd, considering what he said last night..."
"It's probably a lie posted by the media." Marie said, musing.
"So you think the father did it?"
"No...I think it was his wife." Marie said.
"Why?" Angel asked, interested.
"She was the one who found the body, and pointed out the mark on Galileo...But those are the only reasons I have." Marie said, sighing.
"Any reason is better than no reason. Besides, we need as many ideas as possible. Let's see what we could find out about Ms. Elizabeth Wintre...Here we go!" Angel said, clicking a link.
Elizabeth Wintre is the wife of the famed William Wintre, who he's been married to for five years. However, due to Elizabeth being diagnosed with cancer and unable to bear children, William seemed to lose interest in her, and rumors have been spreading that he plans to divorce her and marry a younger, better-suited woman. Angel read.
"That's sad...It must have be terrible for Elizabeth." Marie said.
"Sad, yes...But the perfect reason for a murder." Angel finished.
"Hey! Chevalier's!" Phantom R called, running in front of the two devil knights. "Can't catch me!"
"It's Phantom R! After him!" One of the chevalier's said, dashing after Phantom R with the other in pursuit. When the three were gone, Emily walked out from behind a statue and started to lock pick the door.
Click! The door opened, and Emily waited. Phantom R came running through a corner.
"I lost them." Phantom R said, smiling.
"Good. Let's see what's inside here..." Emily said, opening the door and walking in.
Leo and Charlie walked into the room, looking around. It was a vast room, decorated with portraits of Elizabeth.
"This place is huge..." Leo said, looking around.
"Huge or not, we have to clean it and search for clues. I'll make up the bed and you can start dusting." Charlie said, walking over to the bed and starting to remove the sheets.
"Leo, help me pull this sheet off." Charlie said, making up the bed. Leo was dusting a countertop on the other side of the room.
"Ok. On three. One...Two...Three!" Leo said, pulling of the sheet. Something clattered to the ground.
"What was that?" Charlie asked.
"I don't know. Let's check." Leo said. He pulled off the cover and gasped.
On the floor was a dagger, its tip stained deep red.
"Angel, did you find anything else?" Marie asked, staring at the computer screen.
"Well, I pulled up some information about Maxwell. Let's see what his relationship is with his brother." Angel said, clicking a limp.
"Maxwell had always looked up to his brother, and tried to be like him in everything he did. They both played sports, learned to play the piano (and even did duets together), and they had been inseparable. William grew up first, attended a university, and got a good job. Maxwell graduated high school, and tried to go to the university too, but it wasn't a fit for him, so he left in the middle of the first semester and became a mechanic/ electrician... His brother, now successful with millions, had stopped staying in contact with him. Annoyed, Maxwell tried to talk to his brother, but William doesn't have time for Maxwell anymore. Then depression struck, and Maxwell lost his job. He pleaded with his brother for help, but William just blew him off." Angel read.
"So, why did he come to the party?" Marie asked.
"Rumor is that he wanted to ask William for some money. Another rumor is that he may have feelings for Elizabeth." Angel said, scrolling. "That's all of the info I can find."
"Well, he has the abilities to do the murder..." Marie said, thinking. "But I don't think Maxwell is the type of person to hurt his brother."
Angel nodded. "True. Anyway, I found some information on his sister, too."
"Okami Wintre, the fearsome older sister of William. Due to her mother's death and her father and step mother ignoring her, the only person she cares for is her sibling Maxwell, who she raised from birth. People speculate because of her parent's favoritism of William, she hated him. Despite her bad beginnings, she promptly left with her brother to make her fortune. Though not as badly off as Maxwell, she's nowhere near William's lifestyle. It's also been known that she's been working in a crime ring, due to her cunning and rifle skills. She's also numerously stated that she hates her brother William, and wouldn't mind if he died. She has a trademark pistol with O.W engraved on the side."
"So why is she here?" Marie asked.
"She wanted to assist her younger brother, Maxwell, in getting money from William." Angel read, eyes scanning the page.
"Do you think that they teamed up?" Marie asked.
Angel sighed. "Maybe they did, maybe they didn't. We've got too many questions and zero answers." Angel said, nibbling the top of her thumb.
"Here we are. The scene of the crime." Emily said, looking around. The body had been removed for an autopsy, and the only hint of murder the bloodstain/ message on the floor and the white tape outline on the floor.
Emily slipped on a pair of white gloves, and then walked around the crime scene. She bent down, eyeing the blood stain and the message.
"This is...Perplexing." Emily said, staring at the message. She traced a finger on the stain, eyeing it.
"What is it?" Raphael asked.
"It's impossible for William to have made the message. Normally a wound like that takes minutes to be fatal, but because if he knocked Galileo unconscious with the chair after being stabbed, it would speed up the death process. That and there would be much more blood." Emily said, looking around.
"So you think he died of something else?"
"Probably the stab wound helped speed things along. The question is, how did he really die?" Emily asked, staring at the message. She then sighed.
"It won't matter, though. With all this blood, we'd never convince them that it wasn't a stab wound..." She said, musing.
Raphael stood up, stretching, and accidentally knocked over a vase with flowers. The vase fell to the floor and shattered, and water spread all over.
"My bad..." Raphael said, looking over the mess. Emily didn't respond, but watched as the water mixed with the message. She then slid her thumb the water and stared at it.
"The blood...It's fake." Emily said, eyes widening. The message started to blur, turning into an unreadable smudge.
"Wait...So if the blood is fake..." Raphael started.
"Then so is the stab wound!" Emily finished. "Now we know what he didn't die of. But what did he die off?" Emily asked, looking around the room. A sparkle caught her eye, and she walked over to it and picked it up.
"What is it?" Raphael asked again. Emily stared at it.
"It's a pendant...To be specific, Kuro's pendant."
"Whoa..." Charlie said, using a napkin to pick up the dagger and stare at it. It was extremely decorative, with rubies embedded in the hilt.
"Do you know what this means?" Leo asked, eyes widening.
"Who knows? What we do know is that this is crucial evidence." Charlie said, wrapping the knife in the handkerchief and putting it into her pocket. "Now, let's finish up and get out of here."
A few moments later, the two walked out of the room, until they Charlie ran into someone.
"My bad..." Charlie said, and she shook her head, and looked at an apologetic Maxwell.
"Please, I should have been looking where I was going. You two were the ones that cleaned Elizabeth's room, correct?" Maxwell asked.
"Yes, we cleaned her room." Leo said, eyes narrowing.
"Well, Okami wants you to clean her room. You should probably go." Maxwell said, smiling and walking off.
"Unfortunately, I can't find any type of information on Kuro." Angel said, nibbling the back of her thumb. "But I've found quite a bit on William."
"Like what?" Marie asked.
"Like how he's a champion kick boxer and fencer...Odd, considering in order to be stabbed someone would have to get close enough to him." Angel said, scratching her head.
"But if that's true...How could Galileo have done it? If you compared the two, William's the one with the advantage." Marie said, thinking.
Angel nodded. "True. But this is difficult because we know that Galileo didn't do it. What we don't know is who did do it. Not to mention just about everyone at the party is a suspect." Angel said, sighing.
"Why could everyone be a suspect?" Marie asked.
"William's filthy rich, and a filthy rich JERK at that. The only person who looked sad at his death was his wife. Besides, there's the fact that he left no will..." Angel started.
"So that leaves his fortune up for the taking." Marie finished.
"Yep. Before anyone can get the money, someone needs to take the fall for the murder...Someone like a nameless servant, that no one will mind dying." Angel said, pursing her lips together.
"Poor Galileo...Do you think we can do it?" Marie asked.
"Yes. We can, and we will." Angel replied.
"So you think the butler did it?" Raphael asked.
"It's a possibility...But this pendant alone won't prove that he's guilty or innocent. We need more proof." Emily said, thinking.
"The chain is broken..." Raphael said, holding up the pendant and studying it.
"Hold onto it. It could be useful later." Emily said, walking out. "I think we've found everything that we can. For now, let's leave and see what we can fi-...What have we here?" Emily asked, picking up a wrench. (With a handkerchief)
"What is it?" Raphael asked.
"It's a wrench...A bent one, at that." Emily said, studying the crooked wrench. "It's a special type, used by mechanics...But any mechanic worth his salt wouldn't break such a valuable wrench like this..."
"How could it have gotten broken?"
"It looks like it was hit by something repeatedly...Or, someone was hitting something else repeatedly. Such as a person's head." Emily said, studying the wrench quietly. "Who here do we know that's a mechanic and a reason for murdering William Wintre?"
"You mean...Maxwell Wintre?"
"Yes. I'll hold onto this as well. But now we must be going. I need to find those autopsy results." Emily said, walking out the door with Raphael following her.
"Hey! What are you two doing in there?" Okami asked, glaring at the two when they walked out.
"That is classified information." Emily replied, looking at Okami in the eyes.
"Some body guard you are." Okami sneered, walking towards Emily. "What kind of agent are you, anyway?"
Emily didn't falter. "One that can notice that your pistol is gone."
Okami's eyes narrowed. "What? You think I shot William?"
"I never said William Wintre was shot." Emily said.
Okami glared at her, and then stomped off.
"Hey, Raphael!" Rouge said, smiling.
"Rouge! Did you hear-?"
"About the murder of William Wintre? Of course I did. Galileo's innocent, and I know it!" Rouge said, folding her arms. "It's a darn shame I missed the trial..."
"Rouge, do you have any idea where the detectives are? I need to see if I can find an autopsy report." Emily asked.
"I doubt that. The detectives are keeping it hush-hush from everyone. But I saw him give a folder to those two guys...The Red something detectives." Rouge said, thinking.
"So if we can find those to members of the R.E.D trio, we can figure out how William died." Emily said.
"The one in black went down the hallway to your left. The one in blue went down the hallway to the balcony." Rouge said, pointing. "I got to go. See you around!" Rouge said, running off.
"So, do we split up?" Raphael asked.
"No. I'll get Angel and Marie to go after Duke.B, and we'll go after Ebony. Come one, then." Emily said, dialing her phone.
"How many bed sheets does this girl have?" Leo asked, pulling off the last one. This time, nothing clattered out. Charlie helped him finish up with the bed, and then sat down.
"Did you find anything?" Charlie asked.
"No. Did you?" Leo asked.
"No...But I feel that something's hidden in here...But I don't know what." Charlie leaned back, and her hand pressed a hidden panel on Okami's desk.
A hidden compartment popped out, showing Okami's signature pistol...Covered in blood.
Charlie's eyes widened. "Do you think-"
"I don't know. But let's get out of here, as we can check it later." Leo said, grabbing Charlie's arm and running out of the room.
As the two ran out, they saw Kacey moving a statue, with his back turned to them. As soon as he moved it, he hurried off, looking around for anyone who could have seen him.
"What do you think he was doing?" Leo asked.
"I don't know. Let's find out." Charlie said, walking over to the statue, and started to move it, (with Leo's help).
"Hey...There's a compartment hidden here. What could be inside?" Leo asked, pulling it up. A gleaming sword was hidden under it...With its tip blood red.
"Hey! What are you two doing here?" A voice yelled, causing Leo and Charlie to turn.
"Here it is...Information on the red devil. All I have to do is-" Angel was interrupted by her phone ringing. She answered it.
"Yes...You need us to find Duke Blue? Ok, we'll be right out." She hung up, pulling on her shoes.
"Come on, Marie. Emily needs us to find Duke Blue to get some autopsy results. Let's see how the rich frog croaked."
"Hm. You think this place would be full of panic, but everyone is strangely calm." Angel said, looking at the noble's walking around.
"Oh! You're the violin player from last night!" A voice said. Angel and Marie turned, looking at Elizabeth Wintre.
"Yes, that was me." Marie said shyly.
"You play beautifully." Elizabeth said, smiling.
"Thank you...And I'm sorry for your loss." Marie said, nodding.
Elizabeth gave a sad smile. "It's nothing..." With that, she walked away.
"I feel sorry for her..." Marie said, sighing.
"Come on, Marie. Apparently Blue should be up on the balcony." As Angel walked up the stairs, she was stopped by Kacey Wintre.
"Humph. What are you doing here?" Kacey said, glaring.
"Solving a murder. Now, I must be going-" Angel said, trying to move out of the way.
"Why are you so intent on keeping this boy out of prison? Are you trying to hide something?" Kacey said, getting closer to her.
"Kindly get out of my personal space. Funny how your own son is dead, but you haven't shown one bit of sadness." Angel snapped, her eyes narrowing.
Kacey glared at her. "Stay out of things that aren't your concern, girl. Or else-"
"Or else what?" Emily asked, walking behind him.
Kacey simply glared at the two of them, and then left.
"Jerk." Angel muttered under her breath. "So, did you find anything?"
"Yes...I found that the walls have ears." Emily said, eyes looking around. Angel nodded.
"We'll get those results and then we'll talk. Let's go."
"Jean-François!" Leo yelled. Charlie's eyes narrowed.
"Why hello! It's wonderful to see you, Leo. But where is Galileo? Oh, he's rotting in prison for the murder of William Wintre."
"You know Galileo didn't do it. You know the truth!" Charlie said, gritting her teeth.
J.F chuckled. "True. Unfortunately, the jury does not. Say goodbye to your brother, Leo...Because you'll never see him again."
"You liar! We'll find the real killer!" Leo yelled, angry tears forming.
"Don't you know how people tend to disappear in prison?" J.F asked, ignoring Leo and walking off.
"You-You villain!" Leo yelled, running towards J.F. J.F then grabbed Leo's arm and twisted it backwards.
"Leo!" Charlie shouted in alarm, as Leo's eyes widened in pain.
"It would be a shame if this beautiful rug was ruined by your blood...But sacrifices must be made." J.F said, smirking.
"J.F, enough!" Emily said, folding her arms. Angel, Raphael, and Marie stood behind her.
J.F sighed. "Oh well." He dropped Leo to the ground, where Charlie and Marie ran over to him.
His grip...It's like my arm was crushed by lead! Leo thought, worried.
"So, you know who the culprit is?" Emily asked, staring at J.F.
"Indeed I do." J.F said, smiling.
"I presume you won't tell us who it is?" Angel asked, eyes narrowing.
"No, I won't. But I'll tell you this." J.F said, smirking. "Red is a key player in this game." With that, he walked off.
Red is a key player...Does he mean the blood? Angel thought, confused.
Emily walked over to Leo. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine." Leo said, standing with Charlie's help.
"Let's go, then." Emily said, walking toward the balcony.
On the balcony, Ebony and Blue were sitting at a table, both of them wearing their masks.
"Hm..." Ebony said, staring at the autopsy results. Blue sat next to him, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Did you find anything?" Blue asked, setting his cup down.
"It's odd..." Ebony said, resting the file down. "With all of this, it's impossible to tell how he died."
Blue nodded, and he reached for a bell to ring for more coffee...But his hand rested on another hand. He looked up, seeing a glint in Angel's eyes.
"Is this seat taken?" Angel asked, pulling up a chair. Emily pulled up another, and the kids stood behind them.
"Wait- You're those agents from last night!" Blue said, glancing between Angel and Emily.
"Indeed. Now, we would like to ask you some questions-" Before Emily could finish, Devil knights dropped from the roof, surrounding the eight.
"It's an ambush!" Charlie yelled, pulling out her lightning knives.
END CHAPTER 14
Here's a sneak peek of the next chapter!
"So you think we should team up, Emily?" Angel asked, looking at Blue and back to Emily.
"Yes. If we want to solve this case, we'll have to." Emily replied.
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