My sincere thanks to beyblade-lover and Hi Kitsune for reviewing! And now on with the story…


Chapter 7

"TYSON!"

"Wha-?"

A messy haired Tyson Granger jolted awake from the couch, his vision still clouded from sleep. The dull thudding of footsteps alerted him of a haggard looking Max's arrival. Even with his blurred vision, Tyson could make out the sweat rolling down his friend's forehead. All in all, Max looked more like a long-distance sprinter than a professional doctor.

"Wassa madder, Maaawwww…" Tyson tailed off into a huge yawn.

"Ray's gone!"

Tyson choked in mid-yawn. "WHAT?!"

"His bed's empty! I've looked all over the house, but couldn't find him anywhere. His cell phone's here, so I couldn't even call him!"

"Ray… shit!"

Tyson jumped up. Grabbing his clothes from a nearby chair, he rushed towards the bathroom. "Ring up Kai!" he yelled over his shoulder. Tyson hastily began to pull off his pajamas, all the while thinking about the neko-jin. 'Ray… please be okay! The killer! Shit! But how could he have gotten into the house? I made sure all the doors and windows were bolted, last night. Then how—'

"Tyson!" The said person was brought out of his musings by Max's rather relieved voice. "It's okay! I've found him!"

"Huh?" Tyson emerged from the bathroom, while tucking in his shirt.

"Look." Max held up a piece of paper before his eyes. Although hastily written, there was no doubt that it was Ray's handwriting. The small note ran—

Guys,

I'm going out for a while. Need some fresh air. I'll be back before noon. Breakfast's in the microwave.

Ray.

"I found it tucked under your cell phone." Max explained.

Tyson let out a sigh of relief. "Man! I was really terrified there for a while…"

"Same here. But do you think it's all right for him to be all alone? I mean with the killer on the loose and all…"

"Don't worry. He can take care of himself. He's got a gun. And besides I have a good feeling that our killer isn't the type to sneak up on him, from a bush in broad day light."

"I suppose you're right… So anyway, sorry 'bout walking you unnecessarily. You can rest for some time if you want."

"Nah, it's okay, Maxie. I shouldn't be sleeping now anyway. Besides, I'd rather try some of Ray's cooking. I think I can smell pan cakes!"

"Right. I'll get 'em." Max walked off towards the kitchen.

Tyson lifted up his arms and stretched, soothing the worn out muscles. Last night had been rather hectic for the lawyer. First, he had to assure a hysteric Mrs. Smithwright that their son indeed was innocent. Then he had to handle a drenched and moody Michael, who kept grumbling about having to check the car's engine, 'five freaking times' in the rain, only to find nothing wrong with it. Finally when he reached Ray's apartment, well after mid-night, he was in for another shock. Vampire had once again 'evaporated' from the house without anyone's knowledge. 'I swear he didn't come out of Ray's room!' Max had repeated for the hundredth time in a row. 'I would've surely noticed if he had even opened the door.' Tyson spent the next two hours exhausting his brain cells as he (unsuccessfully) tried to figure out what connection Mariah's birthday presents had with the case. 'First the photos and now presents?!' This was followed by an over all recapitulation of all the documents and 'cursed' photographs related to the crime. It was only when Max had (literally) dragged him on to the couch, did the Dragon finally closed his eyes. Although had to wake up once, in order to check on all the exits of the house.

In spite of his earlier words, Tyson couldn't help feel worried about the neko. Even the previous night he had a similar feeling, due to which he insisted on spending the night at Ray's. That was also probably the reason he had been so annoyed at Kai's sudden disappearance. He was hoping to convince the Phoenix to spend the night there as well.

A sharp beeping sound shoved Tyson out of his thoughts. 'A message.' The screen showed that it had been sent by the elder Granger.

'Meet us at the head quarters. Kai's already here.'


A few hours later, Tyson's silver Chevrolet was seen parked outside a medium-sized double storey house. The front door was locked, indicating that no one was in. As a result, the four BBA members had decided to wait for a few minutes, incase anyone would return; if not, they would move onto their next destination. Hiro had wandered off to explore the surroundings, leaving Tyson and to Max to throw occasional glances at the fourth member of their 'team'.

The said member was now leaning against the car, arms crossed and head bowed. His sleeveless shirt and unzipped jacket gave no indication of the nippy weather. This time, his hair wasn't the only thing hiding his eyes. The crimson-traced-violet sapphires were effectively shaded by dark aviator sun glasses. If the Russian felt even the slightest bit of irritation due to the other two's repetitive looks, he didn't show it. His face remained impassive as always.

The crunching of boots announced Hiro's arrival. "No luck?" he asked, though the answer was obvious.

"No," Tyson replied disappointedly. "We haven't seen any sign of Lee or Mariam. Guess our timing's not right… What about you? Find anything interesting?"

"None. I think we'd better get going. We'll try the Yans later."

"Right. Let's try our luck with the Fernandez twins."

The group was about to get inside the car when they heard a female voice call out— "Hey! Officers! Wait up!" They turned to see a slender young woman running up the street towards them. Her long, royal blue ponytail waved behind her elegantly. She had bright emerald green eyes and sharp handsome features. The big paper bag in her arms clearly showed that she had been grocery shopping. On reaching the four males, she began to speak a little breathlessly. "I- I'm sorry… Didn't know you'll be visiting… I had to go out to do shopping. Luckily, I bumped into Miguel. He told me that he'd seen your car outside my house."

"It's alright, Ms Yan. We should've informed you before hand." Hiro replied.

"It's 'Ms Shane' actually. I'm not yet married to Lee."

"I'll keep that in mind. So, Ms Shane, if you don't mind, we would like to ask you a few questions."

"No problem. Please come inside."


"As you can see, Lee's not yet arrived. I'm sure he'll be here within a few moments. Anyway, can I get you anything officers? Tea? Coffee? Cakes?"

Mariam Shane had proved out to be an efficient hostess. She had a certain professionalism, which indicated she was not the type to beat about the bush. So far she had kept a calm and prompt demeanor in front of the four males. She didn't treat Tyson or Max with annoyance like Kevin and Lee; but neither did she show any signs of knowing them personally.

"No, thanks. We're still full of Ray's pancakes." Max offered a small smile.

"Okay then. Please make yourself comfortable. Excuse me while I dump these in the kitchen." She indicated the bag in her arms, before turning towards the kitchen.

The drawing room was small but neat. A small rectangular table stood at centre of the room, with a couch on either side. Tyson glanced once at Kai's direction as they sat down, trying to catch his expression, but was rewarded with an indifferent face. A few minutes later, Mariam returned and sat opposite to them. "Well officers?" she asked readily.

"Ms Shane," Tyson started off. "I believe you're aware of the Mariah Wong murder case?"

"I am."

"According to our sources, you and your fiancé left for Osaka on 21st of July, near about 1:00 pm in the afternoon. Any specific reason?"

"My cousin, Ozuma Shane, the President of the Saint Shields, had thrown a party at Osaka for the inauguration of our new head office over there. And being the Director, I had to attend. Same with Lee, as he's the Managing Director. There were many other companies present at the party, if you need to confirm our alibi. Also we still have our tickets. Shall I bring them?"

"That won't be necessary. When were you informed of the death?"

"On the 23rd. We were so busy with the celebration, that we did not get much time to check on the news, earlier. When we heard about the murder, we returned as soon as we could, and luckily we arrived just before the hearing."

"How well did you know the victim?"

"Well, I met Mariah last year, when first came from Rome to Tokyo with Lee—"

"Allow me to rephrase that."

All eyes shot towards the speaker, who was none other than Kai Hiwatari. The said person paid no attention to the bewildered and bemused looks that were being directed towards him. He continued calmly as if nothing had happened. "When did you first see the victim?"

"I told you, when I arrived in Tokyo last year…" Mariam replied looking confused for the first time.

"You're misleading my question, Ms Shane." Kai shook his head slightly. "I asked you when you had first seen the victimnot 'where you had met her.'"

"I beg your pardon, officer?!" Mariam frowned slightly, her confusion growing.

"I believe you must have seen Mariah Wong, before meeting her. In photographs or something?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"I- oh! I get it." Mariam composed herself once again. "Lee used to talk about her when he was in Rome, two years back. He had a picture of her as well."

"It was before your engagement?"

"It was."

Kai leant back slightly, and nodded towards Tyson, indicating him to continue with the interrogation. Tyson blinked a couple of times, before finally getting the message. "So, as I was asking, how much did you know about Mariah?"

"Well, Mariah was—" Mariam cut off abruptly before turning towards the window. "Oh! Lee's here."

Sure enough, a grey sedan was seen entering through the gates. "Excuse me, Officers, but I must get the door." Mariam stood up to leave. However, when she reached the door, she paused. "Lee must've had a rough day. Why don't you talk to him for a while? I need to prepare his meal."

"As you wish, Ms Shane." Hiro nodded towards her.

As soon as the bluenette had left, the three pairs of eyes focused once again onto Kai. After an uncomfortable silence of five seconds, Tyson decided to speak up. "Well?" he asked rather hopefully. An elegantly raised eyebrow greeted him over the rimless shades; as if saying 'Well what?' Tyson gave up, knowing well enough that it was useless.

A few minutes later an approaching male voice called out from the hallway, outside the room. "Mari? We've got a parcel. Didn't you tell that delivery boy not to leave packages on the doorstep? I nearly stepped on it… although this one looks kind of squished already." The door opened to reveal the dark, stocky form of Lee Yan. His wild ink-black mane looked like it had been forced into its tight ponytail. Unlike Ray's elegant feline features, Lee's broad face had a distinct hardness like that of a lion. A sloppy looking parcel hung from his right hand. Not noticing the four men in the room, he continued to talk. "It's a bit heavy. I think can smell vanilla… Damn! I hate vani—"

Lee cut off abruptly as soon as he looked up. His eyes narrowed with a slight hint of anger as they landed on Max and Tyson. "What do you want?" his voice was calm but one could detect the irritation present in it. Hiro stood up calmly, towering over the neko. "Good day, Mr. Yang. We're here for the investigation of Mariah Wong's death. I believe you could assist us by answering a few questions."

"Investigation!" Lee sneered. "What's there to investigate? We already know who killed her, so why don't you just go and hang that son of a bitch!"

"Ray's yet to be proven guilty, Lee." Tyson said sharply. "So it's best that you answer our questions!"

Lee was about to retort when Mariam decided to make her entrance. "Lee, please! Just get it over with."

Lee spun around. "But Mari! They—"

"Lee, just take it easy." Mariam approached her fiancé and gently kissed him on the cheek. "We know what the truth is; and we believe in it. If Ray's guilty, then he will be punished. Mariah will be avenged. Trust me. Just answer the questions. Nothing can change the truth."

Lee slowly nodded. "Good. Now I'll take this," she took the packet before nodding at Tyson. "Officer, he's ready." With that she left the room once again. Lee slumped down onto a couch and motioned of Tyson to continue. The lawyer was about to begin when—

"When and where did you first meet your fiancée?"

Once again the Phoenix had managed to confuse everyone with a single question. Lee did an acute impression of an owl.

"What's that got to—?"

"Answer the question." Kai's voice was calm but dangerous, clearly stating that he did not like to repeat himself.

"T-two years ago in Rome."

"More accurate than that, Mr. Yan. What were the circumstances?"

"I-I got a job at the Saint Shields. Mari used to be my boss back then."

"She promoted you to your current post?"

"Yes. She has an eye for talent." Lee added rather quickly.

"When did you get engaged?"

"A few weeks after my promotion."

"Why did you decide to marry her?"

"Pardon?"

Kai looked at Lee straight in the eye. Even with the shades on, his gaze was enough to send shivers across Lee back. The neko gulped and continued.

"She was really pleased with my performance, and… started to like me. Then we…er… fell in love."

"She was aware of your relationship with Mariah Wong?"

"EXCUSE ME! What are you trying to imply? That I'm a cheat—"

"I was." Everyone turned to see Mariam standing in the doorway. "Lee never hid anything from me. I was well aware that he used to have a liking for Mariah. And I believed him when he said he'd gotten over it." Mariam approached her fiancé with certain protectiveness. "I know what you are getting at, Officer. Mariah was a delightful person. I wouldn't blame Lee for liking her. She was just like an innocent child, and failed to see his feelings. She's just too pure. And because of her innocence she also failed to realize whether someone truly loved her not. Raymond had taken advantage this. He used her like a rag doll for his pleasure, and then ditched her. I can never forgive him for what he did. It was all because of his selfish reasons." Mariam took a deep breath before continuing. "I trust Lee and his judgments. And I support his opinion about Kon. Mariah is like my sister. I miss her just like Lee does."

A small silence greeted this, but it was broken by the man of silence himself. "That'll be all for now." Without waiting for any of the others, Kai stood up and smoothly made his exit.


"Kai! Hey wait up!" Tyson yelled as he ran down the path with Max and Hiro, towards Kai, who stood leaning against the car. "What was that all about?" Max asked as he reached him but was surprised to see an amused look on the Phoenix's face. "What—" Max stopped at the sound of running footsteps. He turned to see Mariam running towards them.

The bluenette stopped for a breath before directly addressing Kai. "Can I have a word with you, please?" Kai gave a small nod before following her to the side, much to the other's surprise.

After making sure that the others couldn't hear them, Mariam looked up at him. For the first time she looked worried. "Look, I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I have a feeling you're the only one who can understand." When Kai didn't reply, she continued. "Today morning, right before I bumped into Miguel, when I was returning home from the shop… I ran into Raymond Kon. He was just standing there by the lake. But when he looked up and saw me, he suddenly backed off… as if he was afraid. Then without another word he turned and walked away. He was acting really suspicious. I mean after the… case and all… he usually avoided Lee. So what was he doing so close to our house? I've got a bad feeling, officer. The Grangers and Tate wouldn't believe me. But do you think Lee's in danger?"

Kai did not show any sign of surprise or worry. "Lee's not the one in danger, Ms Shane." In one swift movement, he turned around. When he spoke next, his voice was deadly calm but serious. "I can only give you one advice… Be. Very. Careful." Without another word, he walked away, leaving behind a mystified Mariam.


There goes chapter 7! Still there are more to come…

This chapter is a long one. It took me the longest to finish this one. I really had to think over Lee and Mariam's characters. After some bone-breaking hours of typing, deleting and re-typing, I was finally satisfied… Not that I'm complaining! I'll do anything for the readers! So if you are happy then review; and if not then… review as well!

Also tell me what you think of the plot so far and the characters. (Especially Kai and Ray)

Until next time!

KPR