So, today we'll see Klavier trying to talk to Apollo who is trying to avoid him.

Good news, guys! I finished typing my novel! My friends are reading through it and editing it and once I edit and revise it, I'll be moving on to the next step: finding a publisher. That means until my friends are done reviewing my novel, I'll have more time on my hands so I can work more on my fan fictions. Good for you!

Chapter Six – Do You Want Me?

Klavier

I was still feeling out of it when I left the prison, but at least mein bruder had given me some perspective. He was definitely right about Apollo and my needing to talk to him. I just didn't know what I would actually say to him. It wasn't like I could just go up to him and tell him that I had actually been in love with him the entire time. But I also knew that the longer I held off this talk with him, the more I risked pushing him away from me for good.

I came to work the next day just as conflicted as ever. I couldn't skip another day of work though. We normally got every other weekend off, but murder and crimes didn't really care if it was the weekend, and I had a murder of my own to solve.

The case file for the security guard murder was even larger than when I left it the other day, which normally meant that the police had arrested someone. I wished I could say that made my work easier, but that meant I now had to review all of the evidence and build a case against the defendant. It looked like I wouldn't be talking to Apollo any time soon.

I had barely sat down at my desk and hadn't even had the chance to open the folder when Fraulein Skye was barging into my office, snack bag in hand and a scowl on her pretty face.

"Where have you been?" she growled. "I handed you a case and you totally ditched me! I even had the decency to call you to tell you that we arrested the suspect and you didn't even pick up! What the hell?"

I blinked at her before pulling out my phone to see that I had three missed calls. And they were all from Detective Skye. I looked up and gave her an apologetic grin.

"Es tut mir Leid," I told her. "I was kind of… preoccupied yesterday. I guess I must have put my phone on silent." She responded by throwing a snack at me. "So, who did you end up arresting? Was it the head security guard?"

"Yes, actually," Fraulein Skye replied, looking away. "We don't have a lot of physical evidence against him, but he's the only one who could have murdered him."

"How do you figure?" I wondered, opening the folder.

"He knows where all of the security cameras are, he had access to the room where the victim was murdered, he knew the victim personally and he asked the victim to come to the arena," the Fraulein listed off. "And he's the only one who could access the security tapes. They're in a special room only he can access. Well, him and the janitor, but we checked that guy out. He didn't know the victim and therefor had no motive."

"Interesting," I replied, reading along. "Well, it's not the most open and shut case we ever had, but I think we can build a pretty strong case against Mr. Curity. I think this trial will be over with rather quickly."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," she said, shoving a mouthful of snacks in her face. "Apollo's taking up the guy's defense."

My heart skipped a beat and I felt heat rise to my face.

"Apollo Justice?" I repeated, barely daring to breathe. "How do you know?"

"He texted me yesterday, asking if he could look over the security tapes to see if they showed anything," Fraulein Skye told me. "He told me then that he was going to be Mr. Curity's defense attorney. He must have a lot of faith in him."

Both Fraulein Skye and I never took it lightly when Apollo decided to take up the defense of someone. No matter how rock solid we thought our case was, if we heard Apollo was going to be the defense, we would start looking at the case with a more critical eye, knowing it was no longer going to be simple.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason why I was freaking out about Apollo being on the case, but Fraulein detective didn't need to know that. Maybe this would be the perfect chance to talk things out with him. Even if he didn't return my feelings for him, we could still remain friends, I hoped. I had gotten to experience one incredible night of love and passion with him and that was enough for me. I think. Maybe.

I was thrown out of my thoughts by the Fraulein snapping her fingers in my face.

"I'm sorry, Fraulein, you were saying?" I asked, shaking my head. She let out a sigh.

"I was just saying that there might be something we over looked," she told me. "We haven't managed to establish a motive for why Curity would want to kill this guy. From what I was told, they were actually close friends. But, then again, he did lie about the security tapes."

"Maybe we shouldn't be asking why he killed Herr Stick and instead question why he would frame Sparky," I suggested. "Maybe someone's trying to get to Sparky and Herr Stick was just the collateral damage."

Fraulein Skye cocked her head at me.

"I hadn't thought of it like that," she admitted. "We can certainly ask Mr. Curity if he and Mr. Highnote have any shared history. I mean, it is one thing to cover up your crime. There's usually a reason if you try to pin the blame on someone else."

"I think we need to ask Herr Curity a few more questions," I agreed.

On one hand, I wanted to trust Apollo's judgement on this. I wanted to believe that his client was innocent. On the other hand, we were kind of running out of suspects and I was the prosecutor in this case. I had to doubt the man's innocence.

We both decided that we would question Herr Curity together. What I really wanted was to talk to Apollo, but I knew I needed to give him some space at the moment. Plus, I really needed to focus on the case. Although, I hoped that by working on this case together, he would come to realize how I felt about him.

"You know, even if Herr Curity isn't the killer, maybe he can tell us who is," I mused to Detective Skye. "Someone wanted Herr Stick dead and he might know who that person is."

"I just hope he can explain why he lied on the stand," Fraulein Skye replied, reaching into her bag of snacks once more. "This case is getting more and more convoluted by the minute."

I couldn't argue with her there. Visiting hours were over at the detention center, but the great thing about being a prosecutor and detective is that those rules don't apply to us. All we had to do was flash our badges and we could talk as long as we wanted.

"Do you want to try the good cop, bad cop routine?" I joked as we waited for the guard to bring in Herr Curity. Detective Skye rolled her eyes and threw a snack at me.

"You're not a cop, dumbass," she growled. "And anyway, I know you would make me the bad cop because you're just oh so nice and humble."

"I don't know," I replied, the grin on my face widening. "I've always wanted to try being the bad cop." She gave me a skeptical look. "I could pull it off. You don't know."

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "I'd sooner believe that you would shave off all your hair and denounce music than I would believe you could be the bad guy."

"I never knew you thought so highly of me," I replied with a laugh. "Thank you for the beautiful compliment, Fraulein."

Her face went red and she started muttering angrily under her breath about how that was supposed to be an insult, but thankfully she was saved from further embarrassment by the guard bringing in our suspect. He was a nervous wreck, but then again, he had been a nervous wreck at Sparky's trial as well.

"Hello, Herr Curity," I greeted him calmly. "It's good to see you again."

"What do you want now?" he groaned. "I answered all of the guards questions already! And I'll tell you what I told them! I didn't kill Night. I had no reason to. He and I were extremely close! Why would I want to kill him?"

"We're not here about that," Fraulein Skye said, sitting down across from him. "We want to know about something else. Like your motive for presenting the wrong tapes and why you tried to frame Mr. Highnote."

He almost looked like he wanted to cry as he stared silently down at the table. He was quiet for a long moment and we were forced to sit in silence along with him. Maybe he was coming up with some excuse or maybe he was about to tell us the truth. Either way, I was prepared to wait a long time for his answer.

When he finally looked up at us, his eyes were clear and determined. He still looked miserable, but there wasn't a hint of hesitation in his voice when he spoke.

"I'm not saying anything without my lawyer," he declared, stunning us both.

"Y-Your lawyer?" Detective Skye stuttered.

"Mr. Apollo Justice," he replied, nodding. "I know my rights. I'm not saying anything without him by my side."

The Fraulein and I exchanged bewildered glances before turning back to the head of security. I felt my heart pounding painfully in my chest and I found it a bit difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

"Fraulein Detective," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "You heard the man. Please call Herr Justice and have him come here as soon as possible."

"Why can't you call him?" she wondered, giving me a look.

Because I tricked him into sleeping with me and then metaphorically slammed the door in his face and he probably wouldn't answer my call because of that, I thought bitterly.

"I left my phone in my office," I answered instead.

She let out a frustrated sigh and whipped out her cell phone, muttering "Useless," under her breath as she did. She stood up and quickly walked out of the room for a moment and it was a couple of minutes before she came back in, stating that Apollo was on his way.

We all sat in silence for a while, not really knowing what else to do. Anticipation was welling up inside me and turning me into a ball of nervous energy. I wasn't sure if I was willing to face Apollo just yet. Then I told myself to get a grip on myself. We were here to solve a murder, not work through how we felt about each other. Yet.

Apollo seemed just as baffled as we were when he finally arrived. I mean yes, the suspects do have the right to refuse to sing without their attorney, but so few ever used that right anymore that hardly anyone ever seemed to know what to do when it did happen.

As soon as he walked into the room, I felt my heart skip a beat. We locked eyes and he stopped short, nearly stumbling over his own feet. Mein Gott, he was so adorable! He quickly averted his gaze and his awkwardness just made him that much cuter.

"What is Prosecutor Gavin doing here?" he asked, looking over at the Fraulein Detective.

"He's the prosecutor for this case, unfortunately," she explained simply. I could have sworn I saw him flinch at that and it broke my heart further. He tried to hide it, but I could tell that he was wishing for a different prosecutor.

"Mr. Justice," Herr Curity greeted him with a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you could come! I hope I'm not inconveniencing you too much by doing this."

"It's no problem," Apollo replied wearily, taking a seat next to his client. "I wasn't doing anything and you're one of the only clients I've had who actually knows what his legal rights are and how not incriminate himself."

If you love him so much, why don't you marry him? My traitorous brain growled. My heart told mein brain to stop being so childish.

"So, what did you need to know about my client that was so important that it couldn't wait until the trial?" Apollo asked, deliberately keeping his eyes on Detective Skye.

"We've been questioning his motive," she answered. "We want to know why he would go out of his way to frame Mr. Highnote. Did you two have some bad blood between you?"

Apollo's eyes widened and he glanced at Herr Curity.

"Mr. Curity is…being forced to take the fall for this," he replied after a moment. "He has assured me that he bears no ill will towards the victim or Mr. Highnote."

"Being forced to?" I repeated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The two of them began muttering under their breaths to each other, turning away from us so we couldn't pick up their words. I sat on the edge of my seat, my eyes glued to Apollo, while the Fraulein Detective continued munching on her snacks. It was a long moment before they turned around again.

"I'm being blackmailed, is what I mean," Herr Curity said finally.

"Blackmailed?" Fraulein Skye said, dropping her snacks in surprise. "For what?"

"My client doesn't have to answer that," Apollo growled. "It has nothing to do with this case and we're pleading the fifth."

Detective Skye let out a frustrated sigh.

"Ok, do you know anyone who would want to kill Mr. Night Stick then?" she wondered. "Or who would want to frame Highnote?"

"I've told you before, I don't know," Herr Curity said. "Night was a kind man. He didn't try to make enemies. He was a quiet person. And as for Sparky Highnote, I think he would have a better idea of who would be out to get him." He gestured towards me at the last statement and I had to admit he had a point.

"And before you ask, my client doesn't know who's blackmailing him," Apollo added. "He was just told to present the wrong tapes at the trial. Nothing else. He already accepts the crime of perjury and is prepared for the consequences for it, but I assure you, he did not kill anyone."

Apollo still had his eyes glued to either Detective Skye or the wall and hadn't once even glanced in my direction. He was keeping his tone unusually formal, though I suspected that was for his client's sake than anything. Still, it was twisting my heart in knots the longer he deliberately avoided my gaze.

Fraulein Skye kept glancing between me and Apollo with a confused look on her face. Even Herr Curity seemed to notice the unspoken tension between us, though neither of them decided to comment on it. I expected Fraulein Detective to question me about it later and possibly tease me about it.

There was really nothing else we could question Herr Curity about anymore, so we were forced to leave the interview like that. I made a note to start looking into his claims that he was being blackmailed. If they were true, I didn't know where that would leave the case.

The three of us stepped out into the hall and Apollo immediately hurried towards the exit without looking at either of us. Feeling a panic rise up inside me, I hurried after him.

"Herr Justice, wait," I called after him. He didn't stop or turn back towards me.

"Sorry, I've got a lot of work to do," he said over his shoulder. "I'll see you in court, Prosecutor Gavin."

And then he was gone. I stood staring down the hall, feeling my heart break all over again. He couldn't even feel close enough to not be formal with me. It stung that he still referred to me as "Prosecutor Gavin." I really had messed up, hadn't I?

"So, what's up with you and Apollo?" Fraulein Detective said suddenly from behind me, making me jump. "Did you two have a fight or something? Or did you finally do something foppish enough that he was just done with your shit?"

"In a way," I muttered, grabbing my chest. "You could say that. Not that it's any of your business."

She munched on a snack thoughtfully.

"Yeah, you're right," she replied. "It is none of my business."

"It is always a pleasure talking to you, Fraulein," I sighed.

"Yeah, I know," she replied with a hint of smugness in her voice.


I came up with a pretty good excuse to visit Apollo at his own office. I figured if he wasn't going to talk to me, I could maybe corner him at his own work place. I just had to make this right between us. I waited a day or two after questioning Herr Curity to at least let him cool off. Then I gathered up a couple of documents relating to the case and made my way over to the Wright Anything Agency.

My motorcycle roared to a stop in front of the building and it was nothing compared to the roaring in my heart. I really hoped I was just imagining things and that Apollo wasn't really trying to avoid me. Maybe he really was super busy. I just had to find out.

I tried not to hurry up the stairs to quickly and rapped my knuckles against the door when I reached it. I heard shuffling inside and muffled voices that seemed to have a note of panic in them and it was a long moment before someone inside the office called out.

"Come in!" I could hear Fraulein Trucy squeak.

I took a deep breath and put on my best smile and entered into the office. The first thing that hit me was the strangely wide and obviously fake grins on the Wrights' faces and how the two of them stood stiffly in the middle of the room. I stopped short, looking back and forth between the two, suspicion slowly rising in me.

"Hello Herr Wright and Fraulein Trucy," I greeted cautiously.

"Hey there, Gavin," Herr Wright replied, still with his nervous smile. "Long time, no see! How have you been? What brings you by?"

"I've been fine," I said, cocking my head. "I was actually looking for Herr Justice. I have some things I need to go over before Herr Curity's trial. Is he around?"

Immediately, both set of eyes darted towards the door in the back of the room that led to Herr Wright's own former office. Apollo told me that Herr Wright hardly used the office anymore and that it was more of Fraulein Trucy's office now. From the way their eyes kept darting towards it, something told me that Apollo was currently using it as his hide out.

"He's… not here right now," Fraulein Trucy said hesitantly. "He's…gone out…to lunch."

"Yup, he's definitely not here," Herr Wright added, speaking fast.

For two people whose professional job it is to deceive and misdirect, they were both awfully bad at it outside of their profession. I could tell that Apollo was here, that he told them not to let me know that he was here and that he was hiding in Herr Wright's office. The only question was how much of their bullshit I wanted to call out.

"It's only nine," I pointed out to Fraulein Trucy. Her face fell and already the two of them were beginning to panic.

"Right," she said slowly. "He, uh, went to pick something up for later."

"Yeah, he'll probably be gone for a while," Herr Wright put in.

I gave them both my best winning smile and moved further into the room, making for the nearby couch and enjoying the looks on their faces.

"Well, I'm in no hurry," I told them, casually sitting in the most relaxed position I could think of. "I think I'll just sit here and wait for him to get back, if that's alright with you."

The panic in their eyes as I said this was sheer delight. I watched as the two of them quickly huddled together and started hurriedly muttering under their breaths to each other. I couldn't make out most of what they were saying, but I did catch snippets. Mostly things like "What do we do now, Daddy?" and "Keep your voice down! He'll hear you!"

Eventually though, they turned back around, the nervous smiles back on their faces.

"Actually, Prosecutor Gavin, I just remembered I gave Apollo the day off today," Herr Wright said. "He won't be back in the office until tomorrow." I gave him the biggest look of disbelief I could possibly muster.

"You just remembered you gave him the day off?" I asked, sceptism dripping in my voice. "Isn't he your only attorney at the moment?"

"Yeah, well, he wasn't feeling well," Herr Wright lied. "And it's been kind of slow around here anyway. You know how it is. He's got to be in tip top shape for the trial, you know. Don't want him keeling over at the stand."

They both laughed nervously and I let out a sigh. Maybe this was a terrible idea after all. He obviously didn't want to talk to me if he was having these two lie so poorly for him. Besides, I wasn't getting anywhere with these two. Even if I pointed out how badly they were lying, where would that get me?

"Well, when he sees fit to come out of that office of yours, please tell him that I desperately need to speak to him," I told the Wrights, standing up and making for the door once more with another sigh.

"You've got it," Fraulein Trucy said happily. Then she realized what I had said. "Hey!" she called after me. But I had already slammed the door behind me.

I held in my tears quite well. I didn't let them loose until I had my motorcycle helmet over my head and was halfway down the street. I really had blown it. Because of me, I knew that Apollo would always feel like he was just another number to me. I knew it. He was never going to look at me kindly ever again.

This chapter is getting pretty long, so I'm going to end it here and once again switch back to Apollo next chapter. It was originally going to be one chapter, but I had to split it into two. Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll see you next chapter!