Perhaps what I have liked most about this story is the ability to build the character relationships from near nothing. After all, look at Roy and Ed at the start and compare it to this chapter…you'll notice a difference. Anyhoo, time for Chapter 15! Strap yourselves in!

Chapter 15

"So, Edward's been suspended?"

Roy cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he glanced into his pathetic fridge. "Yeah, the commissioner himself did it."

"Hmm…" Riza's voice was thoughtful on the other end of the line. Roy, meanwhile, shut the fridge with a snap. How come there was never any food when he actually needed it? "I had heard the commissioner was paying a visit to East. He must have heard about your plan to catch Scar."

"He's certainly a perceptive man."

"Yes, and from what I hear, he actually does his paperwork," Riza jested and Roy took a brief moment to glare at the phone. "Either way, he's quite the dedicated one. Did you know he pops in from time to time just to make sure all cases are progressing nicely here at Central?"

"No, I didn't. Though speaking of Central," Roy shifted his phone to the other side before sternly asking, "do we have any new leads about Hughes or Homunculus?"

"Nothing that I can tell, but I'll keep my eyes peeled." A minute silence passed between them for a moment. "In fact, the Hughes case is all but a ghost around here; the more I look into it, the more I feel like I'm in a nest of vipers that's constricting around me. You and Edward's theory about a network of corrupt cops might not be far off."

"Yeah, well, the problem is finding the head of that viper." A knock on his front door interrupted his musing and his eyes instantly became steely, his tone following with a flirtatious lilt. "Sorry, Elizabeth, but I'm going to have to call you back."

"No problem, Roy. Hope you have a nice day." Riza's sudden cheerful façade indicated the end of the conversation as Roy quickly grabbed his gun and strode to his door. After a quick counting to three, he swung the door wide open.

"Whoa, boss, what's with the piece?" Roy stopped himself and lowered his gun, ushering Havoc inside. Of course, he didn't expect Breda, Armstrong, Feury, and the woman he had just met yesterday (Sheska if he remembered right), to follow behind him.

"Any reason you're at my apartment, Havoc?"

"We brought fried chicken," Havoc answered, holding up a large bag of food. Roy just stared at him blankly. "On a more serious note, we're not stupid you know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, swiftly swiping the bag and dragging it over to the counter.

"Come on…" Breda groaned exasperatedly. "Your interrogation earlier today all but proved that you were pursuing the Hughes case."

"I don't see how asking a serial killer that question-"

"Sir," Armstrong interjected, "perhaps it is best to include them in the investigation going forward." Mustang frowned at the muscular man, thinking for a moment. He hadn't wanted to involve his men because of the danger that the case was presenting to all of them.

"You realize that this case may have you risking your lives, yes?" Mustang said plainly and each of them gave short and stunted nods. "All right, then, I'll summarize everything I have so far."

"Sweet!" Havoc said, snapping out a cigarette that Roy immediately tossed in the trash. "Aw…that was my last one…I'll have to ask Solaris to get me some more."

Breda simply ignored his partner as he took a seat on the couch, the others following suit, before asking his own question. "How is Scar connected?"

"That requires explanation," Mustang began, pulling the group's meal out of the bag. "It starts, obviously, with Ishval. The psychologist there was killed by a cop working for Homunculus Corporation. Assigned to the case was Isaac McDougal, who started tracking down leads and came too close to uncovering the mole before he disappeared."

"I remember that case," Armstrong said thoughtfully. "Head Detective Raven was assigned to it; one of the few cases he could never solve. It caused quite a stir at the time."

"That was because the body was found at Central and they paid his sister to keep quiet," Mustang countered. "That's who Hughes was visiting the night he was murdered. Hughes realized she was involved with the Tucker cover-up and there were corrupt cops…but I still think there was something more. Fullmetal figured out that all of this tied back to Ishval."

"That's why he had me pull those files!" Sheska blurted out, as though a light bulb had gone on in her head. Mustang nodded at her, still not entirely sure what she was doing here (even though after the day prior, he did trust her). Of course, he reasoned, Feury's close proximity might have indicated his involvement in her presence.

"Fullmetal's reasoning was sound, so we went after Scar hoping to get some answers. All he did was confirm what we knew. Still," Roy took a bite out of the chicken, "we're getting somewhere." Saying no more, he passed dinner onto the others. Breda took it and seemed to consider the story with scrutiny.

"I find it interesting that this whole thing started to unravel because some Ishvalan psychologist was killed…it was pretty sloppy for a cover-up."

"Maybe the person who did the first shooting was an amateur?" Havoc suggested, taking his own chicken with glee. Breda nodded his consent to the theory.

"That would explain why they had to do such an elaborate cover-up that took the lives of at least two cops."

"Not to mention how many other cops might have started second guessing some things and started digging into the cover-ups and corrupt…what?" Feury asked, realizing that all the individuals in the room were staring at him.

"That is brilliant!" Mustang exclaimed. "People don't just blow up police stations on a whim. Any detective would start wondering if there was someone dirty and go look into it. They'd have to take care of them."

"But wouldn't someone notice if a bunch of cops started dying off in droves?" Havoc asked through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Then they use a different method to cover it up," Breda suggested. "You know, maybe something random."

"It's possible. If we can cross-reference things on the list of dead cops, then maybe we can root out one or two of the corrupt ones," Mustang pointed out. "Then, maybe we can get some answers. Sheska, do you think you and Rebecca can get me the names of all the murdered cops since the Ishval Bombing?"

"You want their files?" Sheska asked meekly, adjusting her glasses.

"No, that would be too conspicuous. The names should be just fine; and don't tell Fokker. I'm still not sure if he's one of them."

"How do you plan on getting anywhere with just the names, sir?" Armstrong asked with a dazed glance. Mustang responded by tapping the side of his head.

"I'm pretty sure we have a vault of information that is virtually untraceable. I plan to use him to get the rest of the information we need." Mustang ran his fingers through his hair before looking at each of them sternly. "From here on out, we're treading into dangerous waters. Do not speak of this with anyone except for those that you know are working on the case. Likewise, until this case is resolved, you cannot use any police given equipment to contact one another. Understood?"

"Of course, as long as you don't try to protect us anymore, sir," Breda retorted. Mustang smirked, and each of them stood to take their leave, their dinners leaving with them. "Remember, sir, all of us want to see Detective Hughes' killer caught; so, trust in us until then."

"I will." Each of them gave an affirmative nod and began to stroll out of the apartment. Armstrong, however, paused at the door to turn back.

"Are you still planning on including Edward Elric in the investigation?" he asked quietly, and Mustang shrugged in response. "Very well…oh, and my parents are holding a party to find Catherine a husband on Saturday, at our Eastern Estate…if you'd like to come, that is?"

"Of course, Armstrong, but don't expect me to be a candidate." Both of the men gave a hearty chuckle before Armstrong gave words of farewell and departed, closing the door behind him. Mustang sighed soon after, rubbing his eyes as he walked back to the kitchen. "Well, Hughes, hold on a little longer, 'cause we're getting close."

When Roy awoke the next morning, he was feeling considerably better than he had many mornings prior. Thankfully, there was still some chicken left over from the previous night, so when he left his apartment, he actually felt as though he'd gotten some food. Taking a detour on his way to the station, he quickly stopped in a cell phone store. After all, just last night he had told his men to not use any police given equipment. It was time he took his own advice. Once he had his prepaid phone, Mustang headed into work.

Vorac was nowhere to be seen, so Mustang instead focused in on the paperwork in front of him. With a groan, he realized he had yet to do the paperwork from the Scar incident. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of searching, his quest turned up with only the papers for the property damage that Ed had caused. "Where the hell is it?"

"I don't know what you're looking for," came an amused voice, "but I have a special delivery from Sheska." Roy twisted around from his currently uncomfortable position under his desk, banging his head as he drew up to see a bemused Rebecca Catalina.

"That was fast."

"She has ungodly reading comprehension skills, though I would like to point out that I helped with this." Mustang took the folder she was offering as she sat herself on the edge of his desk. The head detective quickly pulled the piece of paper out to a moderate length of names scrolling down the page. "So…Havoc still with the slut?"

"Solaris? So far as I know…though the woman seems to be a bit of a bitch," Mustang remarked, shoving the folder in his desk, but tucking the piece of paper into his jacket pocket. "Can't say I like her very much."

"Interesting…" Mustang sent Rebecca a not-so-subtle smirk.

"Never said I approved of you either." Rebecca simply stuck her tongue out at him. "Either way, thanks for the info. How's the petition going?"

"On its way," Rebecca quipped before a beeping came from her right palm. "Whoops, Fokker's texting me. Better get going before he gets suspicious. Stay out of too much trouble!" Roy didn't feel the need to bid her farewell as she skipped off. After waiting a moment to see that she wouldn't randomly be coming back, he stood only to see Vorac emerging from the interrogation hallway with Kimblee and Jealot.

"Hey, Vorac, 'fraid I have to step out the rest of the day," he announced, garnering the attention of all three detectives. Vorac ambled the rest of his way over to his desk, sitting his plump frame in his chair, all the while staring at Mustang with his beady eyes.

"Don't we have cases to work?" he asked confusedly. Roy laughed good-naturedly at the question.

"Not as far as I know…just paperwork after that Scar debacle," Roy answered, scratching the stubble on his chin as he did so. "Besides, if a case does come up, just bring it to Breda and Havoc. The team's pretty competent."

"You seem to go out quite often, Mustang," Kimblee observed, his eyes shining wickedly. Mustang's mood soured as he turned to glance at Kimblee.

"Yeah, well, I call it a family emergency," he spat and Kimblee just smirked at him. "My aunt's a big woman and there are a lot of complications with that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really have to be going." Before the crazed man could incense him any further, Mustang departed. A shudder passed through him as he began driving his car. He really couldn't stand that man, nor did he trust him in any way. Part of Roy's brain was even hoping he was one of the corrupt cops, but the other part told him to not make assumptions.

When at last the detective had traveled an ample distance from the station, he parked his car and pulled out his new phone and list. Dialing in an old number, Roy waited until an almost forgotten voice finally answered.

"Detective Falman, North PD, how can I help you?"

"Glad to see you finally dropped the officer from your name, Vanessa," Mustang teased, a small crash and curse following his statement on the other end.

"Damn, there goes another 100 cenz…" mumbled the man on the other line, before clearly focusing his attentions on his caller. "Detective Mustang, what're you calling my personal cell for?"

"Can't I call an old friend?" The silence on the other end answered his question on its own. "All right, fine, the situation's complicated and I need to use your impressive memory to run some names."

"See…it's never simple with you!" Falman complained on the other end. "And why the hell couldn't you call me when I was still at home?"

"Wait, you're at work? Then that means-" His thought was only confirmed by the harsh voice that soon accosted him through the phone.

"If it isn't Roy Mustang. Been a while, dumbass," the female voice said with hard spite. Roy took a moment to reevaluate himself before responding.

"Armstrong…how wonderful to hear your lovely voice again."

"That's Chief Olivier Armstrong to you," she scoffed at him. "Anyway, what's a miserable pissant like yourself doing, calling up one of my detectives?"

"I need his impeccable memory."

"I rather doubt that," she spat and he recoiled, despite being many miles away from the intimidating woman. Roy had only met the indomitable chief of the Northern Police Department on a few occasions, but like many others he had grown to fear her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was nothing like her brother, Alex, and it threw them completely off-kilter. Granting that Roy often kept himself as stoic as possible so as to not give her an opening, but he still quaked in his boots at the sight of her. She was, after all, known to be as fierce as she was beautiful. "Don't you have your own systems for that?"

"I'm…trying to keep this off the books," he told her delicately.

"And why would you try to do that?" Olivier demanded. Mustang paused a moment, trying to discern how much was wise to slip to the woman. Sure, she was as trustworthy as her brother, but also harbored a steadfast loyalty to her country and the police department. "Speak! Or should I brand you as more of a coward?"

"I'm going after a network of corrupt cops," Mustang relented finally, praying that Armstrong wouldn't turn it against him. "We believe they may have infiltrated the upper echelons of Central."

There was a beat's worth of silence before Olivier began to laugh. "All right, Mustang, you can pick Falman's brain, as long as I get my share of the spoils and are kept in the loop."

"You agreed pretty easily," he commented. "Why?"

"I've suspected Central to be filled with backstabbing fools for some time now," Armstrong quipped proudly. "Besides, if I help you with this, it opens one more seat to the top. Go ahead, Falman, do your best job. I'm going to check on Head Detective Miles and Buccaneer." Just as suddenly as she had cut in, she had also left the conversation.

"Sometimes, I think she's too scary to be a woman," Falman rejoined tremulously. "Now, what were these names you needed me to run?"

"Right, I have a list of cops that were murdered since the Ishval Bombings," Mustang explained, his eyes scanning the list eagerly. "What I want to know is just who murdered them, and who investigated those cases after the fact."

"You're sure they were murdered?" Falman questioned and Mustang could hear the reluctance in his voice.

"It's a relatively short list, so it is clearly the ones we know were murdered," he answered back. "So, let's begin. Detective Belsio."

"Killed by the Slicer Brothers in Central. The case was taken on by a Detective Storch who caught the Slicer Brothers with Forensics Specialist Edward Elric's help after they had claimed ten-"

"Okay…moving on. Captain Yakovlev, narcotics at Central."

"Killed in a drug bust…so, not quite murder, sir."

"Kill the snarking, Falman," Mustang shot back. "Who was tasked on the drug bust?"

"Detective Raven, he served under Yakovlev and was promoted to homicide post-incident." Mustang tapped his chin thoughtfully. So far as he knew, Raven was already involved in two cases dealing with murdered cops. "Sir?"

"Er…right…Detective Soyeuz," Mustang responded and Falman proceeded to rattle off more facts.

"Killed by a female thief named Psiren. The case was investigated by a Detective LaCroix who was later transferred to the Aquroya station under East, where he continued his investigation. He was later killed by Psiren as well. The case went into investigation limbo and Psiren remains uncaught to this day."

Mustang finished marking down the information on his sheet and looked to the last name on the list. "All right, Gamelan."

"Previous chief at Central PD, directly under Commissioner Bradley." Here, Falman paused an instant before going on. "Murdered by Barry the Chopper as his first known victim. The case was investigated by Detective Raven." Raven, again. His name seemed to be appearing on a lot of these files. Mustang breathed in before asking his final question.

"Maes Hughes." There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, and it appeared as though Falman wasn't going to give him the answer. "Just tell me who was in charge of investigating it at Central."

"It began with the now Chief Storch before it was transferred to…Raven." Mustang slumped back in his car seat. Raven, Raven, Raven…everything was coming up with the older man's name. His head was spinning at the thought of it. Was it possible that the corrupt cop who had set in motion the chain of events that got Hughes killed was the very same man that had taught him so much? It couldn't be possible. For one thing, Raven wasn't even at Ishval at the time. But most of all, the man was far too kindly to be a killer.

Still, a small voice said in the back of the head detective's mind, the pieces fit. His sudden transfer to Central. Not to mention he must have been hard-up for money with his wife's hospital bills. Roy vehemently decried the notion to himself as he politely replied to Falman's nagging on the other end. "Thanks for the help, Falman. I'll make sure to keep Armstrong in the loop."

He terminated the call before the man could get a word in edgewise. Mustang's eyes began to scan the list. His suspicions against Raven were murky at best, particularly since he had never exhibited any tendencies to be a killer. But there was something else in the pattern of these killings that seemed to sit on the edge of his brain. Some hidden notion that would potentially bust this case wide open.

And he knew just the man who could see that hidden pattern.

Quickly tossing his phone and the paper into his passenger seat, Roy started the car and headed for the edge of East City. As he crossed to the highway, clouds began to gather overhead and he gunned his car faster, hoping to escape the imminent rainstorm. It was just as the first drops began to fall that he arrived at his destination, knocking on the front door insistently.

"Oh!" came the squeak from the doorway and Roy surveyed the form of Winry Elric. There was a small period of nothing but the rain pattering the outside before Winry ran forward and hugged the head detective. "Thank you."

"For what?" he couldn't help but ask. Winry withdrew before answering him.

"Ed told me everything. You stopped him…so, thank you." Roy could only nod his welcome as he followed her inside. He barely got inside when the one he was looking for appeared.

"What are you doing here, Mustang?" Ed asked in surprise.

"I believe we have a case to work. Even if we got Scar's confession, we did do it for a purpose." A near indistinguishable look passed over Ed's face at the mention of Scar's confession, but Roy figured he could ask him about it later.

"I'm suspended, or did you forget?"

"So?" Roy countered. "I have to keep this case off the books, anyway." The head detective stood there defiantly as Ed appeared to scrutinize him. Eventually, the younger man sighed in defeat.

"Fine!" he conceded, heading towards the living room. "But my brother's part of the investigation. We could use a mind like his."

Of course, Roy never expected his brother to actually be sitting in the living room greeting him. "Don't you have work?"

"No," Al responded casually. "I'm going for my doctorate, so for the most part my research is finalized. I just have to finish preparing for my presentation. Besides, Mei's with her brother for the day so I'm not in a position to do much of anything."

"I see…" Roy commented with a frown, seating himself on a chair in the room. Ed flicked the TV off before joining his brother on the couch.

"What do we have?" Ed asked impatiently, causing Roy to pull out his list of names.

"I had your friend Sheska run a list of names to get all the cops that had been murdered since the Ishval bombings. Written next to those names are the names of the people who killed them and the detectives who investigated said cases." Ed examined the list thoughtfully. "Any thoughts?"

"Yeah…your handwriting sucks."

"I was in my car while I wrote it!" the older man snapped at him.

"All insults aside," Al intruded, his tone clearly chiding his older brother, "there's a definite patter to these detective names. I mean, Detective Raven was mentioned at least three times."

"I noticed that as well," Roy remarked, "but I knew Raven personally and…I don't know; I just find it hard to believe that he could be involved."

"That's not what I'm concerned about," Ed commented. "Look at the killers on most of these. They're all serial killers. I would know. I helped put away the Slicer Brothers and you and me took care of the Chopper."

"Is that really enough to see it as a pattern, though?" Ed placed the list down and stared at Roy seriously.

"It is when you realize that Belsio and Gamelan were the first known victims of each serial killer's murderous rampage," Ed noted with a flash of his eyes. "Think about it. If you were a serial killer, wouldn't it just be easier to knock off some random person first. I mean, if you kill off a cop, you'll have the whole force on your ass before you could blink."

Roy stroked his chin pensively. Ed had a point; no serial killer in their right mind (not that any of them were in their right mind) would kill a cop. Especially well known cops. "Then how do we explain Yakovlev's death?"

"Pretty convenient for him to die during a violent drug bust. Covers up whatever evidence of who might've really done it," Al pointed out.

"That just implicates Raven again…which brings us back to the serial killer angle?" Before they could expound on it any further, Winry poked her head in the room.

"You guys want any lunch? I'm making sandwiches," she asked but Ed waved her off.

"Maybe in a bit…as long as they're normal sandwiches," Ed answered, earning a glare from his wife.

"Well, excuse me for having pregnancy cravings." With that, Winry stormed from the room. Roy stared at Ed a moment, his eyebrow quirked, but refrained from saying anything. Clearing his throat, he returned to the topic at hand.

"So, serial killers…if their first marks are cops, then that could potentially mean…"

"…they're getting paid to do it," Ed observed. Roy's sight narrowed in on him as the young man straightened up to explain. "Okay, hear me out. It stands to reason that McDougal and Hughes weren't the only ones that looked into the Ishval Bombings and corrupt cops. They get too close to the mark, so, in order to remain discrete, the chief corrupt cop hires a serial killer, or soon to be one. They kill off the guy who knows too much and then go on to kill a bunch of other people to cover up the intended mark. Then they catch the killer and no one's any the wiser. It wouldn't be hard to pay them either, especially if they're intrinsically connected to Homunculus Corp. It's easy, really."

Roy ran his mind over Ed's theory. The pieces fit to the theory, and everything made sense. The only downside he saw to the theory was that in order for it to work as Ed had described, the person who was ordering the killers to do these heinous crimes had to be extremely high up in the police system. That was good…at least in the sense that it narrowed down the pool of suspects. Of course, the bad news was that it also meant there would be a high difficulty in catching said individual.

Then it came back to him: Barry the Chopper's words in the interrogation room. I would've done 'em both if I could. Guess I should've been more careful in the East area. Barry knew something. He had hinted at it the whole time. If I could…

"Of course…" Roy breathed out, causing the brothers Elric to glance at him. "Barry was hired to kill Cain Leto."

"What?" Ed spat incredulously. Roy tapped his knee, fitting together the pieces in his mind before he spoke.

"Think about it. Barry is hired to kill Chief Gamelan of Central, and then he goes on a murderous rampage. Suddenly, he vanishes," Roy explained and Ed stared at him in rapt attention. "A few months later, he pops up again to murder Cain Leto. Why? Why would he stop his killings and then resurface just to kill this one guy? The answer fits." At Roy's proclamation, Al abruptly stood and dashed out of the room.

"If that's the case…and with all the pieces fitting, I'm inclined to think that it is…why then? What did Cain Leto find out? How did they know anyway? He wasn't exactly a cop," Ed asked furiously.

"I think…I might have the answer, brother," came Al's meek voice and both of the men turned to look at him entering the room with a laptop. "Cain Leto was prosecuting a thief who was part of an underground market. Apparently, it was all the news in Liore. He made a deal with the guy and got some information, including about a legendary thief called Psiren."

"The one who murdered Soyeuz and LaCroix?" Mustang asked, intrigued.

"The very same," Al told him solemnly. "He did a little digging of his own. He must have come to the same conclusion that we did, but there was still no way for them know that he knew the truth. At least, until the day before his death."

Al then turned the laptop to face them, displaying the headline, and Roy's breath caught itself violently.

COMMISSIONER BRADLEY VISITS LETO FAMILY ON BLACK MARKET CASE

"No…you're not implying…no…" Mustang couldn't fathom the implication. Just like the thought that Raven was a corrupt cop, Mustang found the disturbing evidence before him to just be utterly impossible. Ed, however, certainly didn't seem to think so, as he uttered his own thoughts on the matter.

"It makes sense…" Ed responded breathily. Mustang shook his head, almost refusing to accept it. "Mustang, it makes sense!"

"The hell it does, Fullmetal!" he protested loudly. "You're telling me that Commissioner Bradley, head of the entire fucking police department ordered all of these deaths. I can't see it."

"Why not? He's the commissioner, so he'd have access to knowledge on any case that's being worked on. He could easily delegate it to someone to take care of. Al's right; Cain Leto discovered a piece of information that could blow this thing wide open, and he blabbed about it to Bradley. He'd have no reason at the time to suspect that Bradley was at the root of it. It certainly wouldn't seem weird that the commissioner would visit for such a high profile case. A day later, he turns up dead. That's no coincidence!"

"Coincidence or not, Fullmetal, we're talking about taking on one of the biggest people in the country. He's like a freaking god!"

"I don't believe in gods!" Ed countered. "At the very least, not in one who murders. Just think about it Mustang; it's the only way it makes sense. He's the permanent fixture. Captains and chiefs come and go, but for the last twenty years he's stayed at the top. Stop me when I start making sense."

He already was. The facts were coming together as a cohesive string. According to Hawkeye, Bradley checked on the progress of all cases. He would probably keep an eye on those cases that would have a huge influence on his doings. Greed's comment about Bradley forcing crime into the shadows made sense finally. If you were the one hiring killers, then you could easily put them away. Bradley was the main corrupt cop that was part of Homunculus Corp. He was the head of the snake. It made sense!

But Al's words didn't.

"You need to confront him," he suggested and Ed looked at him with wild eyes.

"Are you insane? ! He'd kill us!" Ed protested, but Roy was already turning the cogs in his head.

"You'd be prepared, though. If you confront him, he'd either have to admit it, or he wouldn't and would try to kill you, giving you your proof right there."

"And how in the hell would we get a meeting with him?" Ed shot back.

"Your suspension. He seems to like you, so at least he'd hear you out, right?"

"Al, that's batshit-"

""No…he's right," Roy finally spoke out and Ed's gaze shifted to him. "It's a win-win situation if we're right and we're prepared, and it's the only way to get surefire proof."

"You're just as insane as he is!"

"Maybe I am, but I'm not going to squander the best lead we have." Roy stood and grabbed the list of names from the coffee table. "Call and make an appointment with the commissioner's secretary. Say whatever you have to, but get that appointment for tomorrow."

Even with Ed yelling after, Roy strode purposefully from the house, and into the deluge of rain. It was a dangerous gamble they were going to take confronting Bradley, especially so soon after forming their theory. But he knew they wouldn't get anywhere without first ascertaining the truth of the matter. Whether it was dangerous or not, he needed to do it. He needed to move forward.

First, he needed to visit the East Penitentiary.

The rain was still falling when he got there forty-five minutes later, and his entire being was soaked with both water and determination. The sound of the door clanging open, however, drew his musings away from Bradley and instead onto the crazed man before him.

"Barry the Chopper, it's been a while," Mustang remarked nonchalantly. As Barry sat in the chair in front of him, Mustang observed how remarkably little he had changed. Other than the trimmed hair and prison jumpsuit, he looked the same as he had two weeks ago.

"Well, if it isn't the detective who put me in here…where's the babe?" Barry asked, his face twisted into a leering smile.

"I'm afraid she couldn't come to our little reunion." Barry sighed dramatically.

"That's a real shame…so, what do you want me for, here?"

"I just need to ask you a few questions, tie up some loose ends. You know, little things." Barry inspected him a moment before leaning back casually.

"Sure. Fire away," he permitted.

"Why did you kill Cain Leto?" Barry tipped back and laughed raucously.

"That's what you wanted to ask? ! I already gave you the answer to that in my confession."

"Were you paid to kill him?"

Barry ceased in his jubilant laughter and leaned forward, his eyes twitching around the room. "If I'm honest with you, what can I get out of it?"

"I can try and get death off the table before your trial," Roy answered truthfully. Barry licked his lips, as if considering the offer was akin to contemplating a morsel of food. After a minute of war waging inside the serial killer's head, he nodded in acceptance.

"Yeah, I was paid to kill Cain Leto, and before you ask, the same goes for that chief in Central." Mustang surveyed him a moment before asking his next question.

"Who hired you?" Barry licked his lips again, but Roy figured there was something salacious behind it that time.

"Hot chick with some succulent curves I would've liked to have sunk my cleaver into if she weren't my employer," Barry elaborated. "Went by the name Lust, though it was probably just a code of some sort."

"Did she say who she worked for?"

"Sure did…Homunculus Corp." Roy's eyes flashed in triumph. Their theory was proving all the more correct now.

"Didn't you ever wonder why they came to you? I mean, you weren't exactly a well-known killer then." Barry gave a jarring cackle that sent shivers down Roy's spine.

"Oh, I wondered about that too. Don't get me wrong, by the time Busty Lusty came to me, I had already done my share of heinous crimes, but I had been methodical enough to not even be suspected. That's when Lust told me that it was that Bradley guy keeping the cops away. That was my…insurance policy, as it were." Barry scratched his chin in remembrance. "Yeah…they told me that as long as I did the jobs they wanted me to, and didn't draw attention to the wrong people, the Commissioner would protect me."

"And if you wanted to sell out?"

"Then they'd send this guy along…leastways, I think he was a guy, named Envy to clean up the mess, if you know what I mean." Mustang knew exactly what he meant. Bradley was quite the chess master. His gambits for keeping out of the spotlight were flawless. Hire the criminals to do the dirty work by ensuring that his position as commissioner would protect them. Then, when they served their purpose, he'd send any cop to bring them down and make it look like he was still doing his job.

"Barry, if by some chance these people, including the commissioner, were put on trial, would you be willing to testify in open court?" Barry said nothing for a moment before smiling widely.

"We'll see if we get there." Roy stood, returning the smile as a smirk.

"Thanks Barry, you've been a great help. I'll try and put in a good word for you." Mustang then told the guard he was done and strode from the room, whipping out his cell phone as he did so. When the person on the other end picked up, he spoke quickly so as to pre-empt her. "Riza, I need a favor."

"I can't believe you asked your girlfriend for help," Ed complained in a whisper. "I could've handled it."

"Yeah, well, I figured that the situation became all the more important," Roy replied and Ed crossed his arms in a huff.

"Will you two be quiet? You're like school children," Hawkeye snapped at them and Roy steeled himself before the double doors. Barry's confession had all but clinched the necessity of confronting Bradley; a necessity that had been conveyed to both Riza and Ed, and had led them both to Central. Hawkeye pushed the doors open and the three of them entered into the reception area of the commissioner's office. The secretary didn't even look up as she addressed them.

"Head Detective Mustang, Mr. Elric, the commissioner's in his office, but I'm afraid he has a very tight schedule, so please make your meeting short." Neither of them even bothered to respond to her, merely offering a glance to Hawkeye as they entered into the lion's den.

Bradley was sitting in a relaxed state, his pen gliding over what seemed to be the last of a large stack of documents. The focused look on his face almost inspired Roy to run, but he nevertheless stood firmly. At the sound of the door closing, Bradley finished signing his document and looked up to them with kindly eyes. "Detective Mustang, Fullmetal, my secretary tells me you're here to talk about your suspension."

"That's…not exactly true, sir…" Ed gasped out reluctantly and Bradley cocked an eyebrow.

"Then to what do I owe this visit to Central?"

"We know the truth, sir," Roy stated defiantly. As a response, the head detective reasoned that if Bradley's eyebrow went any higher, it would actually disappear into his receding hairline. "We know about the serial killers you've been hiring."

"I've been hiring…serial killers, you say?" Bradley asked hesitantly. Neither of the other two changed the looks on their faces at his question, and after a moment the commissioner laughed loudly. "Always good stories from East. Tell me Mustang, why would I be hiring serial killers?"

"I don't know, sir. I was hoping that you could tell me," Roy responded briskly. "All I know is that you've been using Homunculus Corp to kill off people who are a threat for some unknown purpose."

"That's fascinating," Bradley remarked, a playful smile on his face. "And…what evidence do you have of my alleged hiring of criminals?"

"Deductions and a full confession of Barry the Chopper."

"Another criminal. That seems to be grasping at straws, Mustang," Bradley warned him.

"Either way, it's the truth. The way we see it, we'd confront you with it first in order to save face," Ed countered, and Bradley leaned back to survey him. He took a deep breath before standing silently. For a moment, Mustang thought he would actually turn himself in…but his next words shattered that delusion.

"Do you have any other proof?" The commissioner's voice was calm, but an insidious presence had crept its way into his voice, and it put Roy's hairs on edge.

"No, sir." Bradley nodded discretely before looking at them with sharp eyes that almost made the head detective recoil.

"Very well…Mustang!" he barked, and both of the younger men flinched from the ferocity. "I like you, so I'm going to forgive what many consider to be gross insubordination. Instead, I will leave you with a single fact: nothing in this world matters except proof. Can you prove it, Mustang?"

"We have-"

"Yes, a full confession of a practically convicted criminal; as if that will hold any water in a courtroom against my own testimony. Let us not forget that I have served this country faithfully for over twenty years compared to a man who has murdered countless." Bradley seemed to be spitting fire, and Roy remained rooted to his spot as a result of it. "I'll tell you again: nothing matters in this world but proof. Not the truth. Not lies. Not God. Not the world. If you want your words to mean anything, there needs to be substantial proof behind them.

"So, let me ask you again, Mustang. Can you prove it?"

After Bradley's emphasized rhetoric, Mustang stood un-answering for a moment, his eyes boring into Bradley's before hanging his head and uttering a simple, "No."

"No," Bradley snorted. "You seem to have set up this appointment to deliberately waste my time. Until you have some proof of my alleged crimes, I don't want to hear of this again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very important lunch appointment to be getting to."

And as Bradley furiously left the room, the sight of it couldn't help but give Roy the feeling that they had just made a very big enemy…and an even bigger mistake.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay but I had family issues, a job interview (which I didn't get…) and of course, this was a huge chapter in both length and importance. For the astute reader, you may have picked up on these facts early on. Yes, I did plan this since Chapter 1. It is NOT something I stuck in to make a story; that would be an insult to you guys. The moment I wrote the first word, I knew Bradley was the Big Bad and that Barry the Chopper was hired by him to kill Cain Leto. I hope you enjoyed that. Chapter 16 should come quicker as we move into a faster phase of the story with much more action. So, please drop me a review as the last few chapters have been sorely lacking. Also, Dare to Be Silly.