This is probably the fastest time between chapters like, ever. After finishing the last chapter and reading a really supportive review, I just felt motivated to write this :) Hope people enjoy!
October 31st, 1998, 22:00
This has to be a bad dream. It had to be. A bad dream or a really sick prank. 'Please, please don't let this be real, it can't be real' Matthew begged to whatever higher power was out there.
It can't be.
It can't be.
It can't be.
Francis can't be dead.
The following is a transcript of one of the student interviews with the Detective Honda following the Francis Bonnefoy murder case.
Date: November 2nd 1998.
Wittiness: Matthew Pierre Williams.
DOB: 10th July 1982
Thank you very much for agreeing to speak to us, Matthew. I know this is difficult for you.. when we tried to interview you yesterday…
I went to pieces. I'm sorry.. I just still. I still can't believe Francis is.. gone.
I know this is hard for you, but it's important we get as much information as we can. You want to help us find the bastard who did this, right?
Of course I- I just can't think of any reason this would of happened..
You may be able to give us information you don't think is important, but is very important to us. Let's start; what exactly was your relationship with Francis?
… He's my boyfriend. Was my boyfriend. We'd broken up just before.. before all this.
I see. A few of your classmates told me the same thing. Why exactly did the two of you break up?
You probably already know the answer to that if you've spoken to my classmates. The whole school knows why.
I'd like to hear your version of events.
..Well, the easy answer is because Gilbert told me that Francis was cheating on me.. with Arthur. Arthur Kirkland.
And what's the more complicated answer?
…. That this whole school is just a bed of toxicity. Nothing good can ever last there. The students terrorise each other and the teachers just ignore it. Sometimes the teachers join in.. you can ask Arthur about that…
.. when he wakes up.
You said the students terrorised each other. Was there anyone who terrorised Francis? Anyone who saw him as an enemy.
No. not really. Everyone loved Francis. Well….
Well?
Gilbert Beildshmidt.. they used to be friends but they must of fallen out. Gilbert accused Francis of being a cheater in front of the whole school.. I saw them arguing at the school party. … But I don't think Gilbert would hurt him like this, right?
October 31st, 1998, 23:00
No matter how hard Gilbert scrubbed, the blood stained his hands, like a permanent reminder of what just happened.
Every time he saw the dark red in the crevices of his finger prints and in the spaces under his nails, he felt sick.
It was only now, two hours after they'd discovered Francis that he was finally allowed to wash the blood,' Francis blood away. The detective's had spent their sweet time all getting samples off everyone who had touched the body, taking pictures of his hands, getting fingerprints, and finally, taking his shirt in as evidence.
Gilbert had felt sick the whole time, wanting nothing more than to desperately cleanse himself of the blood coating his body.
Just outside he could here people crying and shouting still. He turned the tap on higher to try and drown it out.
Matthew had been collapsed on the floor, sobbing. Gilbert wanted desperately to comfort him, but he couldn't find the words. There weren't words in any language on earth that could make this situation okay, so instead, Gilbert hid.
His shock slowly morphed to anger. Who could of done it? Arthur was the one found in the room with Francis… but he looked as if he'd been tranquillisers. And why would Arthur want to kill Francis anyway?
Gilbert looked up, meeting his own reflection in the mirror. He almost didn't recognise himself for a moment. There was something scared an unfamiliar for a moment.
This was the face of the person who betrayed one of his best friends.
This is the face of the person who wasn't there to save Francis.
—
Date: November 2nd 1998
Witness: Gilbert Fritz Beildshmidt
DOB: 18 January 1980
Thank you for agreeing to speak to us, Gilbert.
Hah! That's rich. Like I had a choice, Mr detective.
Well. Either way, we appreciate it. Any information is welcome to try and help us solve this case.
Nothing you police officers will can do will be bad enough for the bastard that killed Francis. Throwing him in jail is too good for him. He should be slowly tortured and killed- that's what I would do!
…. I see. Well. Let's just focus on finding the killer first. Then we can talk justice.
Right. What do you want to know? I already spoke to a detective the night it happened, you know, I told them everything I could remember about that night.. about when we found him… You lost the notes to that interview, didn't you?
No, that isn't the case. The first statement you gave was about the discovery of the actual crime. This interview is about trying to find out everything around it, so we can piece together what actually happened.
Sounds like a total waste of time, but okay. What do you want to know?
Tell me about Globas academy.
I can get you a pamphlet about it if you're that interested.
I'll rephrase. Tell me about your experience of Globas academy. Other students have accused the school of being a toxic environment and having a bullying culture.
Hah! Let me guess who said that? Matthew, right?…. Well, I guess you can't tell me, confidentially, right? Listen. Globas academy was just like the real world. You had to be tough to survive. If you're a pushover you're gonna get pushed over. It's just the way of the world. You can either whine about it, or you can carry on.
I see. What exactly was your relationship to Francis?
Friends. At least we used to be.
What happened?
I don't want to talk about it.
It may not seem like it, but all this information could be important in discovering the truth.
I fucked up. Okay? I fucked up. I told everyone that Francis was cheating on Matthew with Arthur, when even I didn't know if that was really true. The whole thing got way out of hand. I didn't know Matthew would get that upset and I didn't know that the rumours would get twisted so much they made Francis seem like some sort of monster.
It sounds like that situation got really out of hand. Did Francis gain any enemies after this?
No, not really. I mean, people talked shit about him behind his back, that was it. Well, except for….
Except for?
Alfred. He was pissed Francis had hurt his brother. Plus I think he might have a thing for Arthur. He said he'd kill Francis in front of the whole lunch room.. wait- no-Forget I said that. Stop writing it down! I didn't mean that!
November 1st, 17:00, 1998
"You aren't even meant to be off school grounds. Go home before I call your teachers- " the security guard said, as he hauled Alfred out the building. "Or worse the police."
"Hey! Wait!" Alfred shouted, as he was thrown out into the street. The security guard had already walked back inside the main reception, the doors closing behind him. When Alfred attempted to open the door, he found it was suddenly locked.
The guard flared at him from behind the glass door. "Leave." He mouthed.
"But- but my friend is in there!" Alfred shouted, pounding on the glass door, before finally giving up. He sighed, sitting down on the sidewalk, feeling miserable. Where are you, Arthur? Why won't anyone tell me if you're okay? Why can't I see you?
Alfred thought to himself. After the paramedics arrived yesterday, Arthur is his sedated condition had been rushed to hospital. Alfred begged to go with him, but the teacher's wouldn't allow it, instead sending only Ludwig as an escort from the school.
Arthur didn't even like Ludwig.
Since then, there had been no news about Arthur, and Alfred was going out of his mind with worry. The last time he'd seen Arthur, he looked completely vacant and drugged up, what if the doctors couldn't bring him back? What if the killer came back and he ended up like Francis?
Francis.
Alfred buried his head in his hands. He didn't want to think about Francis, about the state his body was in when he discovered it. Alfred hadn't even liked Francis, especially not recently, but he still felt overwhelming guilt.
He was meant to be the hero of the school, the protector. His fellow students shouldn't die on his watch. He'd failed. That was it! He wasn't going to fail again. He was going to brake into this hospital if he had to and he was going to guard Arthur and make sure he was okay!
He stood up quickly, and nearly collided with the large figure he didn't notice walking past him.
"Uhm, sorry Dude- Ivan!?" Alfred exclaimed, looking up at the slightly taller Russian boy who was smiling down at him.
"Privet, Alfred." He said, sounding far too light and cheery. Alfred narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Coach Ludwig requested I bring him some spare clothes." Ivan said, indicating to the brown paper bag in his hands. "He's been staying by Arthur's side since yesterday, and you know how particular he is about hygiene."
"What- why are you being asked to do it?" Alfred demanded. "If anyone should be helping out in the hospital, it should be me!"
He attempted to snatch the bag out of Ivan's hands, but the Russian boy pulled it away.
"Sorry, Alfred, but this job has been entrusted to me." He said, walking past him. "Now excuse me- "
Alfred made another grab for the bag.
"I'm going in there. I need to see Arthur!" He commanded. Ivan didn't seem perturbed, simply pushing Alfred away with surprising force, leading the other to stumble backwards and fall over.
"Apologies, comrade. But don't worry, Coach Ludwig will be taking good care of Arthur for you."
Alfred glared up at him, from the floor, his eyes got with rage.
"What's wrong with you anyway!" He said loudly. "Can't you just let me see my friend? And why the fuck are you smiling? How can you be smiling after what just happened?"
"Do svidaniya, Alfred." Ivan said, as he was buzzed through the door to the hospital.
"This is why everyone hates you, you know!" Alfred shouted after him, all the anger and frustration at the situation bubbling up inside of him. "You're an ice-cold monster! It doesn't matter where you go, everyone's going to thing that!"
Ivan paused again for a moment, his large frame almost completely blocking the doorway. For a moment, Alfred thought he was going to turn around and punch him. For a moment, Alfred almost wanted him to. But instead, Ivan just carried on walking, being sure to let the door slam shut behind him.
Date; November 2nd 1998
Witness; Alfred Freedom Jones
DOB; July 4th 1982
I understand you had to be escorted back form the town hospital by police yesterday, Alfred.
Lousy bastards wouldn't let me see Arthur. Hey. You must know- is Arthur okay? Is he awake yet?
I can confirm Arthur is stable but I'm not at liberty to discuss his exact condition-
what about the killer? What if he comes back for Arthur? Arthur was right next to Francis, he was probably next, right? Is that what you guys think too? Have you got any clues yet? Any idea of who it might be?
I know you have a lot of questions, Alfred, but there is very little I am allowed to tell you about an active case. The most helpful thing you can do for us is to answer these questions.
Okay. Okay. I'll do it. I'll do anything to help catch the killer and keep everyone safe.
Thank you, Alfred. So I take it you and Arthur are friends?
Yeah, of course we are! He acts like an asshole sometimes, but he always has my back. And I'd always protect him. No matter what.
That's very admirable.. Could you please tell me the relationship between your brother and Francis?
They were dating. Until the slimeball Francis betrayed him. Sorry. I know you're not meant to talk about the dead like that-
It's okay. What can you tell me about the relationship between Francis and Arthur Kirkland?
….
Alfred I understand this might be a difficult topic for you, but please try your best for us.
I know they had known each other for years… but there was rumours..
Rumours?
Gilbert said Francis cheated on Matthew with Arthur. But some people said it was more than that.
More?
They said Francis was paying Arthur to sleep with him. Or worse. He was forcing him.
Did you think these rumours where true?
Arthur always denied it.. but the past few weeks he was always disappearing out the room at odd times during the night. He said it was detentions, but I don't know. He'd come back limping. He seemed more stressed out and tired all the time. Then there were the random injuries and bruises.. Gilbert said they where love bites. Something must of been going on.. Then Arthur had both his arms broken and he wouldn't tell us who did it.
I understand you're upset, but please be careful. You're going to snap the table
Sorry. I don't know my own strength.
I see. Alfred, am I correct in assuming that you think Francis Bonnefoy was responsible for breaking Arthur Kirkland's arms?
I don't know for certain, but yeah. Or at least he paid someone to do it. I think Arthur probably tried to break off whatever they had going on and he got pissed.
I see. Alfred. Im going to divulge some confidential information about the case to you now, and I ask that you keep it to yourself; Arthur was found with rohypnol in his system. Do you think Francis could of been behind that?
November 1st 1998, 17:15
"What's his condition?" Ivan asked in a hushed tone.
"He's stable, but no signs of waking up yet." Ludwig replied, he voice equally quiet. He was currently sat in the hospital corridor outside Arthur's bedroom, vigilantly keeping watch for signs the boy was going to wake up. Ivan stood over him.
They knew they didn't have long to speak together. Ivan was only supposed to be dropping off clothes for his dear teacher, who was so being so caring and dutiful by watching over his poor injured classmate.
The nurses and hospital staff passing by still didn't give him a second glance however.
They'd all been completely trusting and friendly to Ludwig from the start, seeing him only as a dedicated teacher who wanted to make sure his student got the best care. It was one of the benefits of the nearest hospital being in such a small town. Most of the residents, even the local police, couldn't imagine an upstanding citizen like a teacher having links to the criminal underground.
"This whole thing would be so much easier if I could just kill him." Ivan laments, his voice below even a whisper. "But that would raise too many red flags and we'd risk leaving more clues and getting caught. Kirkland lives. I guess you get what you wanted."
"Non of this is what I wanted." Ludwig said, a little louder than intended. Ivan found it very hard to feel any sympathy for him.
"Oh yes. This was supposed to be your fresh start with your Too-Good-for-this-earth lover." Ivan mocked. "Who would of guessed that he'd turn out the most brutal out of the three of us?"
Ludwig turned the other way, gritting his teeth. Ivan could tell he'd hit a nerve. He'd seen the way that Ludwig looked at Feliciano, as if he where some sort of faultless angel. He understood it, to an extent, after a life time of nothing but violence and strength, it was easy to become fixated on someone that seemed to exude innocence and light. Ivan had also found himself slipping into that trap occasionally.
Except of course, Ludwig had been completely wrong about the innocent part..
."Don't you have work to do?" Ludwig said.
"Yes. Lots of work." Ivan said, feeling a flash of resentment. "Thanks to a certain Italian. I need to find someone to take the blame for all this."
"Why? Why do we need to ruin another life. It's not like they'll catch us either way."
Ivan frowned. He really didn't appreciate Ludwig's sudden obsession with doing the moral thing. It was really compromising the stone cold pragmatism that had made him so successful in the past.
"Don't be so naive. The longer this investigation drags on, the deeper they'll dig. And trust me. With a rich blond heir as the victim, they'll keep digging until they find someone to blame." Ivan explained. "It's in our best interests to end this investigation sooner rather than later."
" Scheiße." Ludwig cursed. He knew Ivan was right. "How are we going to lead the police to a satisfactory answer? There are so many complications to the story now.. the rohypnol, the timing, the place."
"We may be able to use those to our advantage, depending how we spin the story." Ivan mused, he felt himself smiling. He'd already thought of these things on the way up. "Besides, we literally have a whole school of people we can chose from to blame."
"We get to pick whose life to ruin. How wonderful." Ludwig huffed. "Do you want us to pick names from a hat?" He added ruefully.
Ivan smiled, thinking of the encounter he had with Alfred just before he entered the hospital.
"That sounds fun, Coach Ludwig." He hummed. "But I already have someone in mind."
Ludwig nodded, he suddenly looked very tired, as if these events where weighing heavily on him and exhausting him completely. Ivan didn't understand that. He was doing all the work here. Not Ludwig.
"And Arthur? How are we going to get him to go along with our narrative?" Ludwig asked.
"Oh, I'm sure that would be easy." Ivan smiled. "After all, I'm very persuasive."
Date; November 2nd 1998
Witness name; Ivan Igorevich Braginsky
DOB; June 12 1981
Ivan. Before we start this interview, I just want you to know this is nothing to worry about. We are interviewing every student that was present the night of the incident. I understand you have already given a statement about what you saw the night of the murder, but this is to help us to understand the days leading up to it.
Oh. I'm not worried. I know police procedure. Please. Ask away.
Right. I'll get right into it. What was your relationship with Francis Bonnefoy?
No relationship. We never spoke.
A number of your classmates indicated that the two of you were enemies.
That is untrue. He was not an enemy of mine. The only enemy of Francis I know of is Alfred Jones. Do you know he threatened to kill Francis in front of the whole school?
Yes. A few of your classmates may of mentioned that. Do you know why there was such bad blood between them?
Oh. Everyone knows why that is. Francis cheated on Alfred's little brother. Alfred had such a bad temper I'm not surprised he threatened Francis after that. As soon as Alfred doesn't get his own way he explodes. He's tried to fight me before in the past, he's a violent brute but people let him get away with it because he's good at sports and they think he's 'funny'. Of course. Francis wasn't perfect either.
Could you expand on that?
Well.. I don't want to talk poorly about the dead.
This is a safe place, and all information is important.
Well. Francis had a reputation for being pretty promiscuous. Some people said that he slept with half the school.
Yes. Lots of people told us that he was.. popular.
What a lot of people didn't know was that when he didn't like to take 'no' for an answer.
What do you mean by that?
Well. He just felt entitled to people and to their bodies and he'd do whatever he had to to get them. A boy of his status and heritage and can away with anything. You know, his family paid for Arthur Kirkland to attend this school? So of course, he felt like he owned Arthur. I'm sure if Arthur attempted to reject him it would of ended up badly.. broken bones. Even being drugged.
On the flip side of that, Alfred thought he was some kind of hero there to save everyone. If he found out what Francis was doing to Arthur.. well… I think that would of tipped him completely over the edge.
You said you never even spoke to Francis and had no relationship to him. How do you know all this, Ivan?
Oh. Just through rumours and things I saw. These are things everyone knows but do not wish to admit to knowing, because then they would have to explain why they hadn't done anything about it at the time.
I see. And just one more question.
Yes?
Why have you been smiling this whole time?
November 1st 1998, 18:00
Feliciano sighed, staring at the phone on the nightstand in front of him, willing it to ring.
Not many dorm rooms in the Globas Academy came with its own telephone, but being the grandson of the headmaster and founder had its perks. The room he shared with his brother Lovino was far more spacious and luxurious than the other already nice rooms in the building.
But Feliciano didn't care about how nice his room was at the moment. He just wanted to speak to Ludwig.
Since the events of last night, everything had been a mad panic; Feliciano had to quickly run away, wash and change, then return to the scene of the crime and act as if he was just discovering it himself. Ludwig had gone off with Arthur to the hospital to keep an eye on him, and Ivan had hurriedly rushed with Feliciano back to his bedroom to get rid of the bloody clothes.
Since then, other than Ivan dropping in briefly to tell him to keep his mouth shut while they sorted things, all he'd had was radio silence.
Why did Ludwig have to wait with Arthur? Why couldn't he just kill him and get the whole thing over with? Then nobody would have to know ~that Feliciano had killed Francis~ what Feliciano had to do to keep them together.
Feliciano's thoughts where interrupted by his brother bursting into the room, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy.
"What's wrong?" Feliciano asked. "I thought you were with Antonio."
"Antonio's parents came to take him back home." Lovino sniffed, hicupping. He started getting changed into his pyjamas, opening and closing his drawers with un-necessary force.
"Oh, Fratello, is that why you're so upset?" Feliciano frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that- "
"M'not upset!" Lovino shouted defensively, before sighing. "I mean, he's just going to be away with them for a few days. His family where close to Francis' so they want to be there for the Bonnefoy's."
"Aww, you'll be fine. You can manage a few days without Antonio. You always have me." Feliciano said, trying to sound cheery. Lovino froze on the spot, facing away from Feliciano.
"It's not about Antonio." He said. "It's Francis… why did that stupid bastardo have to go and die? It's not fair!"
Suddenly, Lovino had launched himself into Feliciano's arms and was wailing, muttering about 'stupid, stupid Francis, how could he leave us like this'.
Feliciano was perplexed. Lovino had never even liked Francis. He always found Francis too intense and avoided him at all costs. Feliciano and the other hand had gotten on with Francis well. They both loved cooking and art. He saw Francis as a mentor figure.
So why was Lovino more upset than he was?
-Anger, cold steel in his hand, the crunch of metal against bone, blood-
It suddenly hit Feliciano that he'd never be able to talk to Francis about art or food again. Nobody would be able to talk to him about anything ever again. Francis was in his last year of school, and he often spoke of travelling the world once he left. Now there where so many things he'd never get to see. Feliciano hugged his brother back as he sobbed. The sickening realisation that Francis would never be able to hug his family ever again struck like lightening.
What had he done?
He'd killed someone.
He'd killed Francis
And
For
What?
For love. That's what. He told himself. He did it for love. Francis had tried to get in the way of his and Ludwig's love. Ludwig who he loved the most in the whole world and would kill anyone for.
Like they say; all's fair in love and war.
Right?
November 2nd 1998
Witness name; Feliciano Vargas
DOB; April 25th 1982
Thank-you for coming Feliciano. I know this was difficult for you. Just for the record, I just want to highlight that you've opted to have one of your teachers come here to support you as an appropriate adult: Mr Ludwig Dietrich. Can you confirm you are happy with this, Feliciano?
Yes
Thank you. Feliciano. Could you please tell me your relationship to Francis.
Uhm. We were friends. I've known him since I was a little kid. Our families sometimes did business together.
I see. And would you describe yourself as close to Francis.
Yes. No. I mean. We were friendly. But Um- not super close.
I see. And what can you tell me about the relationship between Francis Bonnefoy and Alfred Jones.
Alfred hated him. He wanted to kill him. He said so at lunch.
I see. Do you know why?
….Ludwig?
Feliciano, you are permitted to have Coach Ludwig in the room as support, however, he cannot answer for you.
I- um- sorry. It was because… because Francis cheated on Alfred's brother.
I see an-
Oh! And he was taking advantage of Arthur.
How do you know this?
…
Mr Vargas. I'm going to have to ask you to stop looking to your teacher. I need your answers without outside influence.
I'm sorry.. again..
Can you answer the original question?
Feliciano; I only know from what people told me.
Can you expand on what you mean by 'taking advantage of?'
Francis was the one who roofied Arthur.
…..
The information that Arthur was drugged with rohypnol has not yet been released to the public yet. Could you please explain to me how you know about that?
…
Once again, please stop trying to whisper things to your teacher. I need answers from you.
10;00 November 2nd 1998
Ludwig wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Even if the doctors said he probably wouldn't wake up yet, he didn't want to risk being away from Arthur's side for a moment.
The school had tasked him with escorting Francis' mother down the the mortuary along with the police and hospital staff. They wanted someone from the school there to try and maintain a relationship and avoid bad press (as if there was any hope of that).
Ludwig could hardly explain that he didn't want to go, because he needed to stay with Arthur to ensure the murder was covered up. Well. Headmaster Romulus might actually help Ludwig with the cover-up, but he'd more likely just have him executed for dragging his grandson into a murder investigation.
(-Little psycho created the murder investigation-)
"She's here." The detective next to him said quietly into his ear.
Ludwig looked up to see a small, thin woman approaching them. Her blonde hair, which he was she usually styled to perfection hung limply by the side of her face. Her face had the look of someone who had aged over night, and the large black Dior coat she had on only further dwarfed her frail figure. One look at those sapphire blue eyes, however, and Ludwig had no doubt that this was Francis' mother.
The boy they'd killed had a mother.
Of course he did. But Ludwig had never thought about it until now. He didn't want to think about all the people who loved Francis who would never get him back.
He forced a stiff greeting to her, and she returned it in french, her voice sounding as small and fragile as she looked.
The doctors and the detectives and the translators all spoke on the way to the mortuary, about 'process' and 'what to expect' and how the body needs to be identified by a relative despite the 'state' it's in. Ludwig tuned it out, simply following the other professionals and the sad ghost of a woman down the the depths of the hospital basement.
It was cold in here. The walls where filled with rows of squares. Fridge drawers for bodies, Ludwig realised.
The doctor gave Ms Bonnefoy on last bout of warnings and reassurances, before pulling open the drawer.
Inside was a human-sized black bag. Ludwig knew exactly what would be in it when he opened it, but it still shocked him.
For the second time, he was forced to look at Francis' body. The blood had been cleaned away, but that made things look even more grotesque without the red liquid to hide his now-malformed skull.
"Non- non- my baby- my Francis- " Ms Bonnefoy wailed, throwing herself over the body, begging and praying for him to wake up.
Ludwig felt as if he was watching some sort of sick movie. He'd done this. Perhaps not directly, but he was a part of it.
Francis was only eighteen years old. He should still be back at that school, laughing about something stupid with those inane friends of his. He shouldn't be lying in a fridge at a hospital mortuary.
And now, as if they hadn't done enough, he Ivan and Feliciano had to plant the seeds to the police to convince them Francis was some sort of monster. 'Francis drugged Arthur and Alfred killed him for it'. That was the narrative they had to sell. It wasn't enough killing him physically, now they had to kill his reputation as well..
"What type of monster could of done this to you?" Ms Boneyfoy sobbed into her son's chest. Ludwig shuddered thinking about that.
Feliciano was so innocent and just full of optimism and light, that's what Ludwig thought. That's why he loved him; he thought he was the one truly pure thing in Ludwig's world. But how could something as beautiful as love turn into something so ugly?
He needed to find time to speak to Feliciano today, to tell him what to say to the police. He knew it was going to be difficult; lying and remembering stories had never been Feliciano's strong point. He just hoped the Italian boy didn't look too suspicious during his interview.
Just two days ago, the thought of spending time with Feliciano filled him with hope and excitement.
Now there was only dread and revulsion.
November 2nd 1998
Witness; Ludwig Wolfgang Dietrich
DOB; October 3rd 1976
Thank you for coming today, Ludwig. I know you did not want to leave your student in the hospital, and I understand that, but he is receiving the best care available. We will try and make this as brief as possible while covering all the questions we need to ask.
Danke. What is it you want to know?
Well. Let's start. What can you tell me about Francis?
Francis.. good student. Mostly. He thrived more in the arts and humanities than in stem subjects or physical education. He was rather popular too, from what I could tell.
Do you know of any enemies Francis had?
… I heard Alfred Jones did not like him. As a teacher, I stayed out of such nonsense unless it concerned me.
How would you describe Alfred Jones?
Terrible temper. Violent unpredictable mood swings.
Could you give us some examples of that.
I cannot think of anything specific right now. I really should be getting back to my student in the hospital-
Detective; Just a few more questions..
20:00 November 2nd 1998
Arthur had the feeling of waking up from some terrifying dream he couldn't quite remember.
He opened his eyes a crack and immediately felt disoriented. This room was white and bare and certainly not his dorm room. He tried to move up the bed, and felt a painful tug on his arm. Looking to the side, he saw an IV hanging out of it.
He must be in hospital.
But why?
Without warning, a rush of horrifying memories came flooding back to him.
"Francis! Francis?" He shouted out. Well. At least he had wanted to shout. His voice was so weak from lack of use that it came out as more of a croak.
Immediately, two figures that he didn't realise were also in the room descended upon him. A hand was clamped down on his mouth and he felt another pair of hands grab him and hold him in place.
"Stop struggling." A voice said. Arthur's blood ran cold as he recognised who it was; Ludwig. His eyes were adjusting to the light now and he could make out his assailants features; Ludwig and Ivan.
Oh. Shit.
Arthur didn't stop struggling, in fact, he only started to struggle more, attempting to bite down on the hand covering his mouth to no avail. Then he felt something cold and metallic touch his neck, and suddenly he was still.
"Ludwig told me that you always have to do things the hard way." Ivan said softly. His grip on the syringe never faltering as he held it gently against the English boy's neck. "If you make a fuss- do anything to alert the nurses you're awake, I'll inject you with this. Trust me, you don't want to find out what's inside. Da?"
Arthur stilled and Ludwig moved his hand away from his mouth.
"Where is Francis?" Arthur asked through gritted teeth. He was afraid of the answer, but praying his fears wouldn't come true. "Is he in this hospital too? Where is he?"
Ivan and Ludwig looked between themselves. Ludwig looked guilty but Ivan.. Ivan looked amused.
"Oh, dear. I really did give you too strong a dose. Do you not remember?" Ivan asked. "You where there when Feliciano had his little tantrum, right?"
Arthur felt as if he was choking. He had hoped that had just been a nightmare. A bad dream brought on by the drugs. Francis couldn't be dead.
He must of been crying, because Ivan wiped a tear away from his cheek, permanent smile still there. Arthur shuddered, feeling a shot of revulsion at his touch.
"Aww. Poor baby." Ivan said. He was having far too much fun with this. "You're crying already? Wait until we get to the fun part."
"-Ivan. Stop wasting time tormenting him. We don't have a lot of time before we're interrupted." Ludwig, said, cutting across. He looked at Arthur. "We have work to do."
"I'm not doing any work with you sick bastards." Arthur hissed. He kept his voice down however. He didn't want to be injected with whatever Ivan was holding. "You let that monster kill Francis! It's your fault!"
Saying it out loud made it seem even more real, and Arthur felt sick again.
"We don't have time for your histrionics." Ludwig said harshly. "We just want this whole horrible mess to go away and I'm sure you want the same thing. So we all need to get our story straight."
"I already know my story. I know Feliciano. Feliciano Vargas was the one who killed Francis and you let him." He hissed. "My story is already straight."
"Francis drugged you that night. Alfred caught the two of you in the store cupboard. He was angry at Francis and beat him to death with a baseball bat. Feliciano Vargas, myself and Ivan were never there." Ludwig said harshly. "That is your story."
Arthur stared at him, incredulous.
"You really must of lost your mind if you think I'm saying that." Arthur spat. "Do you really think I'd frame my best friend? I'm telling the police the truth. The real truth. I'd rather die than frame Alfred so you might as well kill me." He paused, before grinning. It was a sinister, humourless smile. "Except you can't, can you? Or else you would of already done it. I'm far too much trouble to leave alive unless you absolutely had to. You know if you kill me now you could never get away with it."
Arthur felt a dark sense of satisfaction. The looks on their faces confirmed he was right. Ivan was likely bluffing about using the syringe after all.
"You really do always have to make things harder than they need to be." Ludwig scolded. Ivan smiled.
"Well. I for one am glad; After all. If you agreed with us right away, all my work would of been for nothing." Ivan said, smiling. "I've been working on a very special project the past few days you've been asleep. Want to see?"
Without waiting for a reply, Ivan pulled out a mobile phone from his pocket, and dialled a number in without hesitation.
It rang only once before someone on the other line picked it up.
"Privet." The voice said, crackly.
"Privet- " Ivan replied.
"What's this stupid farce abou- "
"Be quiet." Ivan demanded, before speaking to the man on the phone again. "My friend, can you tell me where you are?"
"I am in Britain. A charming little town called Ornsbury. Number 21 Laythorpe drive."
Arthur felt his heart drop in his chest. No. Surely not.
"And what are you doing?" Ivan asked, eyes practically glowing with glee.
"I am outside the house of a man named Alistair Kirkland. I am waiting for you to tell me if I should kill him or not." The voice replied.
Arthur saw red. He lurched forward, grabbing the phone out of Ivan's hand, yelling out desperately.
"You stay away from my brother you bastard! Stay away from him!"
He found himself being wrestled back down to the bed, the phone pried from his hand. "Fuck you! Fuck both of you!" He shouted.
"I have lots of connections, Arthur, and you have lots of brothers. Either you do as I say or you will be an only child." Ivan said calmly. "So I take it we have a deal?"
"You fucking- psycho fuck- " Arthur hissed. He wanted to jump out of this bed and grab the nearest taxi to rush to his brother. He needed to warn him and make sure he was safe.
At that moment, a few of the nurses rushed in. "Is the patient awake?"
"Ja." Ludwig said. "I think he's still confused. He tried to attack us."
"That can be a normal reaction to the confusion." The nurses said, walking over to Arthur briskly. "Arthur, honey, you're in a hospital. You're safe."
Those words had never been less true in the whole of Arthur's life. He wanted to tell this nurse right now to call the police. That Feliciano Vargas was a murderer and these two people besides him were trying to cover it up.
But instead, he didn't say anything, keeping his mouth clamped tightly shut.
The choice was clear. Alfred's freedom for his brother's life. How could Arthur possibly make a decision like that? Allow Francis' killers to get away and send Alfred to Prison, or his brothers die. It was an impossible choice.
The nurse fussed over him, checking his blood pressure and asking him questions. Arthur played along, pretending everything was just fine and Ivan hadn't just threatened to kill his family two seconds ago.
Ivan and Ludwig both looked down at him. He could tell be their expressions that they knew they had won.
November 3rd 1998
Witness name; Arthur Ignatius Kirkland
DOB; April 23rd 1981
Thank you for joining us, Arthur, I understand that you only woke up from your coma late yesterday evening. The doctors say your medically fit and ready for interview now, so we appreciate you letting us speak to you so soon.
Right.
I understand you also have your teacher in here with you for support. Ludwig Beildshmidt. Can you confirm for the record you are happy with this.
…
Arthur?
I'm happy with it.
Good. Let's get straight into it. Can you tell us what happened the night of the party?
I don't remember much.
You were found to be drugged. Have you got any idea who would of done that?
No.
You were found in the store cupboard. Can you remember if you went there yourself or if someone brought you there?
Don't remember.
I see. Arthur, you may of been the only witness there that night. Can you remember who killed Francis?
Yes.
Can you tell us?
...…
Arthur?
It was Alfred. Alfred Jones.
I really hope the formatting of this wasn't too offputting for people, especially with the time jumps/interview sections. This chapter was pretty easy to write because each part felt like it was sectioned off into easy-to-write little chunks.
The main part I'm not happy with is Arthur happening to wake up when Ludwig is in the room and the nurses aren't (not that nurses always keep patients under constant supervision) but please suspend your disbelief, and lets just say the nurses were very busy that day.
Thanks for the review, I love that someone is still interested in this story after all this time, and it was really exciting to get new follows/favs
As always, thanks for reading.