The Prime Suspect

It's nearly 10 p.m. but Vash can't find himself to give two good fucks about the time.

Months ago, he came to Lovino with questions. All of his answers checked him out. Months ago he had reason to suspect that the Italian may have been involved but no evidence could put him at the scene of the crime.

It is infuriating.

Insulting.

To have missed such a key detail as the city's prime detective…how could he?

Vash grits his teeth and jabs the intercom button again. The cast iron gate surround the Vargas mansion has no guards keeping watch. An oddity considering Lovino always has somebody looking out somewhere. He is one paranoid fuck.

Where the hell is everybody?

He presses the button again, waiting in irritation as he receives static feedback instead of a response.

"Come on," He growls in frustration and takes a step back, prepared to jump the fence.

Vash gives himself room for a running start then goes into a full sprint. Just as he approaches the edifice, the gates part. He stops short, less he runs smack into iron rods.

Someone is home and toying with him by ignoring his manners when he pressed the button. He'll give the bastard a good smack to the face once he's inside. For now, the detective pushes hair from his face and scowls. He stomps to his car and gets in, speeding through the half opened gate and up the winding driveway to the villa style home.

By the time he's close enough to see the french front doors, they are already open. Vash sees someone standing in the door with something in his hand. The detective takes caution as he steps from his car, one hand on his gun holster just in case.

Frowning as he approaches, Vash walks with his eyes locked on the man. The closer he gets though, the more he realizes that the thing in the man's hands is a coffee cup. The man himself is dressed in a long burgundy and white robe. He's smiling and Vash isn't sure whether he should curse his dumb luck or be happy to have woken-up Lovino's twin brother.

Feliciano Vargas.

The younger of the two Vargas twins and perhaps the craziest by far, Feliciano is an enigma. Lovino may have been ill tempered and loud but that only makes him obvious. He's paranoid and loyal, emotional and stubborn. Everyone knows that about Lovino.

Feliciano?

Feliciano is stupid, for lack of better words.

He's almost always cheerful and happy. He smiles constantly and loves…hugging.

The number of times Vash has been to this home, the younger Vargas played the gracious host. His only time he can remember the man showing something akin to sadness was when Vash either didn't eat the food or it seemed that Lovino may be in some sort of trouble. Other than that, Feliciano seems to only have two settings: tired and clueless.

For all of his strangeness, Vash is weary of him the most.

His childlike behavior is not what makes Feliciano crazy. It's the level of respect he gets from those under him that makes Vash shiver. It's obvious why Lovino gets so much respect. He yells loud enough. He's the don of this operation after all. One can theorize that Feliciano is respected by default but Vash has seen otherwise. They really do respect the hyper Italian though there is no visible or surface reason not to be completely annoyed with him all the time.

And this idea leads Vash to believe that there is more to the squint-eyed man than he lets on. He's not always so happy and cheerful and huggable.

"Hello, Vash!" Feliciano greets as he walks up the stairs in a voice to high and happy to have been possible this late at night. "I wasn't expecting visitors but I was making coffee. Here! I made a cup just for you!"

Vash makes it to the front door in time for Feliciano to hand over the coffee cup to him. The auburn hair man smiles bright and steps aside.

"Come inside. It's cold." Feliciano closes the door behind them and leads them towards what he assumed to be the kitchen.

Vash cradles his coffee mug and follows silently behind him, noting with curiosity the utter emptiness of the place. No men hiding or keeping watch, no guards: nothing.

Finally unable to hold back, he asks, "Where is everyone?"

Feliciano pauses in the living room door way and looks over his shoulder with a blank and confused stare. "Huh? Who's everyone?"

Right.

Vash isn't supposed to know that he's under constant surveillance here. Feliciano is the perfect person to play dumb and make it believable. The blond resists rolling his eyes.

"The staff," he amends, "Cooks, cleaners?"

Feliciano laughs then and waves a hand, beckoning him forward. "It's late. We don't keep them here all night long! That would be mean. They have families and they leave after 5pm like any normal workday."

"All of them?" Vash questions with a raised brow and takes a seat in the closes chair.

Feliciano annoyingly remains oblivious and happy.

"Yup! All of them are gone home. I can cook for myself or even make coffee myself if I need too." He laughs a little and smiles, sitting on the sofa adjacent to Vash. "If I'd known I'd have visitors though, I would have had them make something nice for you before leaving."

"I'm not here for food," Vash says and cuts to the chance. "Where's Lovino?"

Feliciano tilts his head and looks at Vash as if he were the dumb one.

"He's not here. Ve, it's just me." He blinks once, "I thought you knew that. You usually know everything about everything."

Vash grits his teeth at the backhanded insult. "Apparently not everything. I wanted to offer my congratulations on your brother's recent marriage. Seems I was too late on that too."

Feliciano physically brightens and claps his hands. "Ve, the wedding was so beautiful but Big Brother wanted to keep it small. He didn't invite a lot of people since he doesn't have very many friends. I tried to tell him to be nicer but…then he hits me over the head. But, it's okay because he's happier now."

"I heard he married some Spanish immigrant."

Feliciano smiles and leans forward a bit, "Hnhm. He's very nice to," the Italian gentle pushes Vash's coffee towards him, a polite insistence to drink. "I think Big Brother needs someone like that, to make him feel safe. But…sometimes I miss it just being us."

Vash takes the cup and decides to play along with Feliciano's game. "Can't imagine coming out as gay and marrying your lover went over well with the family business."

The Italian blinks twice and frowns. "I don't underst—"

"You know," Vash cuts in dismissively and takes a sip of his coffee, "With the clientele you serve and the competition in your particular field of business. Lovino must have felt pressure to keep up a 'manly' imagine."

He takes sip of his coffee (really good coffee) and watches the younger Vargas. Feliciano's face doesn't change much from the look of pure obliviousness. He does manage to look somewhat confused.

"You mean like…homophobia?"

"I mean," Vash stresses, "Silencing anyone who questions his decision. Assert his dominance on the streets. You know exactly what I'm getting at, Feliciano so cut the act!"

Feliciano does just that.

Partially.

His smile faults and he sits his hands in his lap, playing with his fingers. The Vargas man nearly curls in on himself and looks at the ground.

"Lovino is in trouble again, isn't he?" he nearly whispers and picks at his thumbnail.

Vash takes another sip of coffee. He asks once again. "Where's your brother?"

Feliciano shrugs a shoulder. "He went back to Italy for a few weeks."

The detective raises a suspicious brow. How convenient for Lovino to get the hell out of the country when things start to point his way. "So, what, he just left you here?"

Feliciano looks at him and pouts. "He said it was family business that needed taking care of. You know what Big Brother always says: The head of family takes care of the business. I wanted to go too but he said I needed to stay here…" he trails off and sighs, hunching his shoulders. "Lovi never tells me anything."

"You really think I believe that?" Vash snorts and sits the coffee down. "You really think I'm that stupid? You're just as guilty as he is."

"Guilty of what? I didn't do anything!"

Vash stands and takes a step closer. "I'm gonna ask this question again. Where is Lovino?"

Feliciano squeaks and his voice raises an octave. "I told you, he's in Italy! I don't know why!"

"Where is Antonio?"

"I don't know!"

Vash's voice rising on it's on accord, being tired already of going in circles with Feliciano. "What the hell do you mean you don't know? You live together!"

Feliciano's voice changes to a whine as he waves his hands frantically in front of him.

"I really really don't know! Lovino doesn't like me talking to Antonio because he says I ask too many stupid questions and it's really annoying. But Antonio left and I don't know where he went but he didn't go with Lovino because Lovino left weeks ago and Antonio hasn't been home in over a month and please believe me!"

Vash pushes further, and asks "And Gilbert?"

Feliciano looks on the brink of tears as he tries to explain. "I don't know anyone named Gilbert!"

The detective gets into the man's face and Feliciano actually screams.

"Antonio's friend, Gilbert. Where is he?"

"Antonio doesn't have any friends!" Feliciano wails. "He came here alone to study and was really really depressed because he didn't have anybody. That's when he met Lovino and they sort of made each other feel less lonely and that's why the wedding was so empty because I'm the only family Lovino has and Antonio has no one!"

"Why did he leave?" Vash barks.

Feliciano whimpers. "He and Lovino had a fight about something Lovino did and Antonio really really really didn't like it! He left and Lovi was kinda sad after that then he left and everyone left me!"

Vash pulls back and frowns. This theory now has a few holes in it if Feliciano is being honest. That's a really big 'if' because he could just be covering for his brother. Vash can't ignore that notion.

Feliciano takes a deep breath and presses into the sofa. "I really don't know anything this time." He tries to reassure Vash.

The blond rubs a hand through his hair and takes to pacing the living room. What to do now? Lovino is gone. Antonio is missing. Gilbert is missing. Elizaveta is missing. Feliciano is useless. Then there's Maddie…

His arms cross and he tries to piece things together as best he can. "Feliciano." He calls and looks to see the man jump slightly at his name being called. "How long have Antonio and Lovino been married?"

"Um," Feliciano counts on his fingers. "About seven months, I think."

"And you said that Antonio doesn't or didn't have any friends?"

The Italian nods. "As far as I know, Lovino was all he had."

"All he had, huh…?"

Vash trails off and closes his eyes, a habit of his when he thinks. What he's thinking of is not what he'd envisioned from this little visit. The case was starting to look less like something from the narcotics division with drug lords and kingpins and more like something from the Special Victims Unit.

If Antonio is all Lovino has, and as temperamental as the Italian boss is, Vash can't put it pass Lovino to be jealous of a longtime friendship. If Gilbert is, say, in jail, then Lovino really is all Antonio would have.

Interesting. He needs to speak with Maddie.

Vash looks up at Feliciano who jumps slightly at the sudden attention.

"Tell your brother that I came by and we had this little chat. I'll be looking forward to having another chat with him upon his return."

"Ye-yes, Sir."

Vash leaves Feliciano to whatever he does when he's home alone. He makes a memo on his phone of the newer information and drives home.

A/N: So the sauce thickens!