"Christmas-themed caviar? How fancy can they get?"
"The party is being thrown by Alfred Jones and Arthur Kirkland, what did you expect?"
Gilbert ignored his brother's remark as he used a cracker to scoop some caviar from the dish the waiter was carrying around the ballroom. He slipped the food into his mouth, and mentally thanked the small cracker for mellowing down the strong taste of fish. After swallowing, Gilbert sipped on his champagne to rinse his mouth a bit.
Seriously, why do rich people love caviar so much?
In thanks for their hard work through the fall, Alfred and Arthur had invited Roderich, Gilbert and Lars to the large socialite masquerade Christmas Ball they were hosting at the fanciest hotel in the city. The enormous ballroom was already ornately designed before getting swamped with holiday-themed decor, and the balconies on each side's second floor allowed a fantastic view of the dance floor, the stage at one end of the room, and the grand staircase at the other end leading back to the lobby.
Gilbert listened to his brother chatting with Roderich and Lars. Ludwig had finished top of the class at the police academy and graduated at the end of a November, and Roderich immediately recruited him to the force. The younger Bielschmidt would follow his brother's footsteps in having Kiku as his training mentor for his time as a Corporal.
Although Gilbert lost his original partner, he gained a new one. As nice as the promotion was, though, it only arose from unfortunate circumstances.
They were all devastated when Sadiq, Heracles and Tomas were found dead on the highway that horrible morning in October. Not only did they have to control their emotions and stress levels while investigating their deaths, they had to convince the public that it was only a tragic car accident. With the busy night they had just before with the mob busts, they couldn't risk confirming to the public that the officers had very suspicious bullet wounds.
Once the dust settled, Roderich made his choice for the new Lieutenant. Kiku had been top of the list, but he declined in favour of remaining a mentor to new recruits, so the position went to Lars instead. Bella was the first choice to remain with Lars as his partner, but she chose to follow in Kiku's steps and mentor instead, so Gilbert became the Lieutenant's new partner. Bella would train Raivis Gallante, a classmate of Ludwig's, while another academy recruit named Eduard von Bock would be trained by Lenka for internal affairs.
The group was distracted as the richest man in the world approached them all.
"Hey guys, great to see you all," Alfred greeted, before offering his hand to Ludwig, "I'm not sure we've met yet, I'm Alfred."
"It's nice to meet you," the young man replied, accepting the firm handshake, "I am Ludwig Bielschmidt."
"Any relation to this hothead albino?" Alfred teased.
"Ludwig is my little brother," Gilbert explained, "He just finished up at the police academy, and will join the force in January."
"Oh, that's fantastic," Alfred said, "I'll look forward to seeing you protecting us out there."
"Mon dieu, what a pity," a familiar voice whined, and Gilbert turned to see Francis Bonnefoy stroll up to Alfred's side, "I was hoping Ludwig would attend law school like he originally planned a few years ago. He would've been top of the class too, I'd wager."
"I would've done it too, if I hadn't seen Gilbert enjoying his work so much," Ludwig justified as he shook Francis's hand, "I want to serve and protect the citizens, and doing so on the streets seems more effective than arguing in a courtroom."
"Well, I do suppose that makes sense," Francis allowed before turning to Alfred, "So, where is your sweetheart, Alfred? I keep hearing she might be the best dressed here, but I can't find her anywhere."
"Lien disappeared a little while ago, I'm not sure where she is," Alfred admitted, "I just hope she gets back in time for me to pop the questi- Oh right, I wasn't supposed to say that."
"Popping the question?" Francis completed, "You plan to ask her to marry you?"
"You better keep your mouth shut, Francis," Alfred warned, "I don't want her knowing about it before I pull her onto the stage during the speeches."
"My lips are sealed, mon cher," Francis assured, "Except to wish you luck, of course."
Alfred glared at Francis a moment longer, before turning and placing his hand on Ludwig's shoulder.
"Ludwig, you should come over here and meet my head of security," Alfred explained, "Vash collaborates a lot with the police, so you'll see him quite often."
As Alfred and Ludwig walked away, Roderich and Lars followed them, leaving Gilbert alone with Francis.
"Hey, Francis, who is Lien?" Gilbert asked, "Is she involved at all with what happened to Mathilda?"
"Like most of the women here, Lien Nguyen is a wealthy socialite heiress," Francis explained, "Her family owns several rice manufacturers in their home country of Vietnam. Alfred has been dating her on and off for a few years now, and they appear to finally be ready to tie the knot. I'm surprised it took this long actually, as this marriage and any resulting children would cut out Mathilda as Alfred's immediate beneficiary."
"This is about who would inherit Alfred's 45% control in JCI, isn't it?" Gilbert asked, "Do you know how Mathilda got her own 45% in the first place?"
"To be honest, I only know bits of information for certain, most of it is suspicion," Francis explained, "As far as I knew, Mathilda only married Arthur because her father made her go through with it. Andrew Jones never expected Alfred to settle down and marry, and chose to give shares worth 10% of the company to the young lawyer with incredible life prospects. That way, if Alfred ever tried anything stupid with his inherited 45%, Arthur could sway Mathilda's 45% vote to control JCI."
"That's a decent call," Gilbert remarked, "Where did it go wrong?"
"That's where I only have the scarcest of hints, but I suspect Mathilda's health was a catalyst," Francis continued, "A few years ago, Mathilda had what was considered a mild flu, and spent a few days sick at home. On one day in particular, she suddenly became deathly ill in the span of an hour, and had to be rushed to the hospital. They never told me what nearly killed her, but I heard rumours that the illness caused her to have a miscarriage."
"Mathilda was pregnant?" Gilbert checked, "She was expecting Arthur's child?"
"Arthur was ready to start a family at that point, but Mathilda's health scare put a dent in their plans," Francis elaboratd, "Although she healed physically, something about the illness made Arthur suspect Mathilda wasn't completely sane. He had her tested for depression and mental trauma, and their relationship deteriorated to the point where she was caught having an affair."
"Is that why Arthur seems so bitter about it all then?" Gilbert asked, "He really seems to want Mathilda put away for life."
"It's not an enviable situation Arthur finds himself in," Francis answered, "He's locked into a position where he has to work with Alfred to manage JCI without Mathilda's 45% of the shares, while feigning happiness when everyone else is succeeding in life."
"Couldn't they just issue more shares to counteract Mathilda's?" Gilbert suggested, "Or adjust their legal documents so that Mathilda loses control?"
"Any JCI share capital transactions require a unanimous vote from all the shareholders, which is impossible without Mathilda's presence," Francis explained, "As for legal inheritance and wills, Arthur and Mathilda are tied into a marriage contract that joins their accounts, makes them each other's immediate beneficiaries, and cannot be amended without both of their approvals."
"What a mess," Gilbert said.
He wanted to continue the conversation, but was distracted by a gorgeous woman approaching them. Her dark blue cocktail dress hugged every curve of her hourglass figure, and contrasted with her light skin. Long golden blonde hair cascaded behind her, mostly straight with a few waves breaking through. Although half her face was hidden by the dark blue mask that matched her dress, her piercing indigo eyes popped through with intense focus.
"Good evening, gentlemen, I hope I am not interrupting," the woman addressed, "I couldn't help but notice that you might be that Sergeant who led the mob busts."
"Yes, madam, that is me," Gilbert confirmed, offering his hand, "Sergeant Gilbert Bielschmidt, at your service."
"Well, Sergeant Bielschmidt, it is a pleasure to meet you in person," the woman said, gently shaking his hand, "I saw the coverage of the busts on the news, you and your colleagues were very impressive."
"Thank you very much, madam."
The crowd applauded gently as the band finished a song, before they started up a waltz.
"Would you care to dance with me, mademoiselle?" Francis asked the woman before Gilbert could.
"As flattered as I may be, Monsieur Bonnefoy, I may have to decline," the woman refused, "You see, I was rather hoping that the good Sergeant here knows how to waltz."
"One of my coworkers taught me some steps the other day," Gilbert admitted, "You're free to test how well I learned my lessons."
"Come along, then."
The woman took his hand and led him away from Francis, towards the middle of the dance floor. Once they found a good spot, Gilbert kept their joined hands together, and wrapped his spare arm around her waist. As he pulled her close, she rested her own arm against his, with her hand draped past his shoulder and behind his neck. Quickly finding the beat in the music, Gilbert began to lead her in the steps, finding it easy to remember what Bella had taught him.
"You must have had a very good teacher," the woman complimented, "You're catching on quickly."
"Thank you, - I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Oh please, do call me Mattie."
"Mattie, eh? That's an unusual nickname for a girl. Surely it must be short for something?"
"It may be unusual, I'll agree to that. In fact, it's almost as unusual as a police officer stealing the glory for someone else's work."
Gilbert paused in thought as he spun her, choosing his next words carefully.
"I'm not sure I follow you there, Mattie."
"To be fair, you wouldn't have been the only one stealing the glory. Lieutenant Adnan would've had his share if he wasn't shot dead the next morning."
"I'm not sure what you heard, but there is no truth to those rumours," Gilbert stated as per the confidential nature of the ongoing investigation, "Lieutenant Adnan and Sergeants Karpusi and Jelen died in the crash, they were not shot."
"Not only can I tell you for certain they were shot, it was a woman responsible for it all," Mattie countered, "She shot all three of those officers and ran off with the prisoner and the garbage truck driver. I can even tell you who she is."
"Oh really?" Gilbert said, "Indulge me, then, and tell me who you think this woman is."
"She is the same one who sent you that USB drive to bust the mobs."
Gilbert froze them in their spot on the dance floor.
"How do you know about that, Mattie?"
Mattie smirked as she dragged her fingers against the back of his neck.
"You look like a smart boy, I'll let you figure that one out for yourself."
The woman gripped the back of his neck and pulled his head forward, and Gilbert was surprised to find her lips planted against his. The moment of contact seemed to slow time down momentarily, and he was still dazed for moments after it ended. Once time caught up to him, he blinked a few times before looking around in a panic.
The woman had disappeared, leaving him alone in the middle of the dance floor.
As Gilbert looked through the crowds, he considered what Mattie had to say. The USB had been kept an absolute secret by everyone involved, he wasn't even allowed to tell Kiku and Bella about how Mathilda gave them the location of the mobs. If Mattie was telling the truth, then Mathilda was the one who broke Toris free.
Come to think of it, she never did say what Mattie is short for.
Gilbert spotted some familiar faces by the stage, and rushed over to where Ludwig and Lars were talking to Vash and a young woman.
"What happened, Gilbert?" Lars teased, "Did that woman just pull a kiss and run on you?"
"Shut up, Lars, this is serious," Gilbert brushed off in his taste to get to the main topic, "Vash, do you know if Arthur or Alfred would've told any of their friends about the USB drive?"
"The only other person on the JCI end who was told about that is Lilli," Vash claimed, nodding at the young woman beside him, "She is my sister, and Alfred's secretary."
"I haven't told anyone about it, Alfred insisted it be kept quiet," Lilli added on, "Why do you ask?"
"If that's the case, then that woman I was just dancing with might have been Mathilda," Gilbert declared, "She knew about the USB drive, and she also claimed that it was sent by the same person who shot Sadiq, Heracles and Tomas dead while breaking Toris free."
"How do you know it's her?" Lars asked, "Where is she now?"
"She was wearing a dark blue dress with a mask, and had long straight golden blonde hair," Gilbert described, "She said to call her Mattie."
Vash and Lilli suddenly looked at him in shock.
"Mattie?" Vash repeated, "Her name was Mattie?"
"Why does that matter?" Ludwig asked.
"That was Alfred's nickname for Mathilda." Lilli answered.
"You three boys fan out and look for her," Vash instructed, "Lilli and I will go to the stage, we'll tell Roderich and Alfred what is going on."
"I'll take this side of the room," Lars added on, nodding his head to the side, "Gilbert, you take the middle, and Ludwig can take the far side."
The group split up in search of the woman. Gilbert went to look through the crowds, but couldn't see Mattie again anywhere. He was distracted by a tap at a microphone, and joined the crowd in watching the stage as Arthur prepared to make a speech. Vash and Lilli were already on the stage, speaking to Alfred and Roderich at the side.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please," Arthur began, cheeks visibly blushed from the champagne he had helped himself to through the evening.
Gilbert kept sliding his way through the crowd, attempting to watch Arthur on the stage while keeping his eyes open for the woman.
"Alfred will be next up here to make a speech, but I wanted the chance to make sure you are thanked for coming before he gets carried away with himself."
The crowd giggled, although Gilbert didn't understand whatever Arthur was joking about with the socialites.
"We are happy to see that so many of you were able to join us for our celebration of the holidays. It has truly been a remarkable year, and we're pleased to see so many of you ending the year in high spirits. In particular, I'd like to extend recognition to our police department, of which we have a few members in attendance tonight, for their incredible work ensuring our safety and well-being with their major accomplishments the last few months."
The crowd gave an applause at the statement, and Gilbert felt slightly reluctant to accept it. While there had been accomplishments, some terrible costs had to be paid in order to reach them. His fellow officers had been killed, and they resorted to using a criminal's tactics to shut down the mobs. And yet, these socialites seemed to only care that the ends were met, no matter the means.
Vash approached Arthur and tried to whisper to him, but Arthur just waved him away before speaking again.
"It seems they are planning to cut me off here soon, so I'll wrap this up and pass it off to Alfred. But first, on behalf of JCI, Kirkland and Company, and all our friends and family, allow me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and - "
Gilbert looked back at the stage when he realized that Arthur had stopped talking mid-toast, and noted that the man had frozen in his place. The colour had disappeared from his cheeks, and his wide eyes were fixed straight ahead of him, as if he had gone into a sobering shock. Gilbert followed his gaze to the staircase at the other end of the room, where the woman in the blue dress stood alone halfway up. Her hands were dropping from the sides of her face, as if she had just taken off her mask and put it back on.
"Hello, Arthur," Mattie greeted for all to hear, "Look who came home for Christmas."
"Mathilda," Arthur muttered loud enough for the microphone to pick up, dropping his glass of champagne and letting it smash on the ground. Vash quickly came back to the front of the stage at Arthur's left, and pointed his gun at Mathilda.
"Oh Vash, put that away," Mathilda whined, waving her right hand as if to brush away the gun as she put her left hand behind her back, "I only want to thank my husband and my brother for throwing such a lovely party. Unfortunately, I will not be sticking around for the gift exchange."
Gilbert pushed through the crowd towards the stairs, noting that Ludwig was doing the same to his right. He looked to his left, and noticed that Lars was the furthest away from Mathilda.
"We cannot allow you to leave, Mrs. Jones-Kirkland," Roderich stated, approaching the front of the stage at Arthur's right, "We have an outstanding warrant for your arrest."
Gilbert pushed past the last couple people, and reached the bottom stair at the same time as Ludwig. They both looked up to see Mathilda smirking at them, and they started to climb as she looked back at the stage.
"Sorry, Commissioner, but you will not be arresting me any time soon," Mathilda declined, bringing her hand out from behind her back and throwing something to the ground.
Gilbert paused and went to cover his eyes as a sudden cloud of smoke appeared in front of him. He waited for the heat of a fire or the sound of an explosion, but felt nothing to indicate it was an explosive. He opened his eyes again to confirm it was the case, and grabbed his brother's arm.
"It was a smoke bomb, Luddy," Gilbert shouted, "Let's go!"
The boys continued up the staircase, and Gilbert held his breath as they went through the cloud of smoke. Once they were past and his vision cleared, Gilbert tried to figure out which way Mathilda had gone, only for Ludwig to spot her first.
"To the left, Gilbert!"
The boys reached the top of the staircase, ran through the entrance, and turned to the left, spotting the woman booking it down the hallway. They followed her as she turned right into the office area and ran into one of the rooms, shutting the door behind her. Ludwig got to the door first, and shook the handle.
"She locked the door, but the hinges are very weak," Ludwig reported.
"Come on, let's break it down," Gilbert demanded, pulling his brother a few feet away, "On my count then. One, two, three!"
The brothers charged at the door and hit it together, blasting through both the lock and the hinges and barreling into the office. The room was empty save for the furniture, and the sliding door to the balcony was wide open. Gilbert went straight outside to look, and heard a vehicle starting up as he reached the balcony and look down into the side alley.
Mathilda had climbed down the fire escape, and was getting into the black truck that was waiting for her. Within moments of her door shutting, the truck pulled away, turned right onto the street, and disappeared into the night.
"She had someone waiting?" Ludwig asked from beside him.
"Yep, and they didn't even have a license plate to run, damn it."
Gilbert went back into the room, and Ludwig quickly followed. They had almost reached the broken door when they heard a loud explosion.
"That came from the party!" Ludwig realized.
The boys booked it back into the hallways, and ran as fast as they could back to the hall where everyone had started screaming at something. They turned the corner and froze at the top of the stairs, seeing what had happened.
The stage had been covered in debris, and smoke hovered in the air above, as if the roof above the stage had suddenly exploded. Nobody on the stage seemed to have been hurt, and they were all brushing dirt off themselves. Alfred was screeching at Vash to do something, and Vash pointed his gun towards something at the roof. The smoke cleared a little more, and Gilbert could see what Alfred was freaking out about.
Halfway between the stage and the roof was a hanged woman, with a rope tied as a noose around her neck.
Gilbert and Ludwig ran down the stairs, watching as Vash aimed the gun and fired it. The loud bang caused more screams, but the bullet hit its mark and broke the rope. The woman's body fell the rest of the way down, and Alfred rushed over to catch it.
"Everybody, move!" Ludwig shouted at the people standing in the way of the brothers, "Police coming through!"
The crowd quickly split, allowing Gilbert and Ludwig to reach the front of the stage and join the others. Alfred had collapsed to his knees while hugging the woman, while Lars attempted to check her over. Roderich, Lilli and Vash all watched for the verdict, while Arthur could only sit there in absolute shock.
"What happened here?" Gilbert asked, "Is she alright?"
"The explosion blew a hole in the roof," Lilli told them, "Her body fell through from the attic."
"She did not survive," Lars reported, dropping her wrist so that Alfred could pull her closer to him to weep, "There's no pulse, and she's already gone cold."
"Who was she?" Gilbert inquired.
"Lien Nguyen," Roderich answered, "Alfred's girlfriend and potential fiancée."
Alfred pulled himself away from her, his face soaked in tears, and what's when Ludwig asked it.
"If she was hanged by the neck until dead, then why all the blood?"
That's when Gilbert saw it too. Lien's lime green ballgown was covered in red marks, as if she had been slashed with a knife all over her body. There was a piece of paper attached to her front that Lars removed, only to reveal deep wounds through her torso.
"Oh my god," Alfred gasped, "They tore her open before hanging her."
"It's likely she had help, but this note is signed by Mathilda," Lars reported, "She wishes Alfred a miserable holiday, and the worst of luck catching her."
"Where is Mathilda?" Roderich asked, "Why didn't you boys catch her?"
"She got too far away, we couldn't keep up to her," Gilbert explained, "She used the fire escape from one of the office balconies, and had a truck waiting for her in the alley."
"Ivan and Antonio must have helped, then," Vash assumed, "They probably helped her set up Lien's fall, using a timer or remote detonator on a small bomb."
Alfred pulled Lien's body close to his again and continued weeping. Unable to watch anymore, Gilbert looked away, and saw Arthur still kneeling in his spot in complete shock. Francis climbed onto the stage and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"My condolences, mes amis," the Frenchman assuaged, "I could never have imagined that Mathilda would go to such lengths."
"She took this too far," Arthur stuttered, "My wife's a bloody murderess."