A/N: Investigation days, wee!
…
Chapter Nine – Investigation: Day 3
Ema
August 6
I padded after Phoenix, thinking about that man who interrupted the trial today.
While it was somewhat a blessing, allowing us more time to investigate, I couldn't help but remember that look on Mr. Hyde's face.
It was terrifying. Especially when that scar showed up.
I know we should probably talk to him, but I really don't want to until trial tomo—
"Ema," Mr. Wright said, reclaiming my attention as we walked down the steps to the district court. Looking up, I found out why.
Speak of the devil, and he appears on your doorstep…
At the bottom of the stairs, starring at us, was Mr. Jacky Hyde. His face was calm, and his blond hair, which had grown ragged in his anger, was neat again. I searched his left cheek for the scar.
It was so faint, nearly invisible.
"Mr. Hyde," Mr. Wright said as we reached the man. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely. Hyde sighed, looking down in sadness.
"Oh, Ivana…"
"May I ask how you two met?" I asked. He looked up at me.
"We both work at Gatewater Land. I'm the man in the mask. The actor of the hero."
"Huh?" Mr. Wright mumbled. Hyde sighed, and I was beginning to get spooked.
This was an entirely different man then the one in the courtroom fifteen minutes ago.
"I play the Blue Badger."
"Oh!"
"We met while we were on break." He sighed. "It was love at first sight… and now she's gone…" with that, he wandered off before we could even ask anymore questions.
"Strange," I mumbled, leading Mr. Wright to where my car was parked.
We decided to first go investigate Ms. Sokurblad's house, since we didn't have time to last night. It was a small, one bedroom flat. The door was, of course, locked, but I pulled a bobby-pin from my hair and got to work.
"Um… what are you doing?" Mr. Wright asked.
"Picking the lock."
"And you know how to… why?"
"I did an experiment for science fair in high school – more of a myth buster kind of thing – to see if you could pick locks the way they do in the movies. Bobby-pins, cards, so on. Turns out, a simple lock, you can use a bobby-pin," she explained. I heard Mr. Wright sigh from behind me and looked up. "What?"
"Well, if Apollo really did want to commit a crime that included getting into a locked place, he'd have three different possibilities for accomplices," he said, shaking his head. I grinned.
"Mr. Justice, your daughter, and… me?" I asked, standing and opening the door.
Mr. Wright laughed. "Exactly."
Sokurblad's home was very normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Using my pink-tinged glasses, I searched high and low in the living room, leaving the bookshelf in the corner for last. After all, scientifically speaking, people tended to hide things in their bookshelves.
I was studying the books finally (Vampire lover much, Ms. Sokurblad?) when Mr. Wright came out from her bedroom.
"Ema…" he said slowly, thoughtfully.
"Hm?"
"How much do you think they make at Gatewater Land? As the head of a department?"
"Oh, probably not much, going by this apartment. It's very basic living, and I read on the way in that this building was for low income residents," I explained, subtly taking note of one more the more interesting titles on Sokurblad's shelf; one of the few non-vampire novels.
"Then how do you explain this?" Mr. Wright asked, and his hand was suddenly in front of my face.
Pinched delicately between his gloved thumb and forefinger, was a beautiful, gold ring, interlaced with many, many diamonds, and set with a large one at the top. I gasped softly. "Maybe it's fake?" I suggested, putting my notebook away and pulling my own gloves on, taking it to examine it.
"Maybe. What do you think?" he asked. I held up a hand, and he fell silent.
With my glasses, I could see the beautiful craftsmanship of the ring, and see through the glitz and glam.
Maybe that's why I can see right through that Glimmerous Fop, I thought idly, turning the ring over in my fingers.
"Diamond, compared to cubic zirconia or any other synthetic diamond, looses it's sparkle when looked at through these glasses. I pulled out a spare pair and handed them to Mr. Wright so he could see what I was talking about. "And these stones definitely look dull to me now. Plus the band isn't a perfect circle – it's shaped to a specific finger," I explained.
"Wow, yeah. But that just means the ring was worn a lot, right?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Perhaps, but it could also mean the band is almost pure gold. Gold is the softest metal in the world, and can be shaped easily. I wonder…" Carefully, I pressed the edge of my thumbnail against the inside of the band, where there were no diamonds. When I pulled my finger back, a small, crescent cut was present. Mr. Wright let out a low whistle.
"That must have cost a fortune," he mumbled. I nodded in agreement.
"A fortune she's not making at Gatewater Land," I pointed out. He nodded, handing me back my glasses.
"Think this has to do with that blackmail?" he asked. I grinned.
"Probably. Did you find anything else?" I asked, and he nodded.
"Diamond earrings, a necklace, that kind of stuff. I took a picture. Let's get out of here before we're caught."
"Okay!"
…
From Ms. Sokurblad's apartment, we returned to Gatewater Land. There was still a lot to investigate here.
However, we only made it to the front of the Haunted House when we ran into a familiar, albeit very distressed, face.
"Detective Hunter?" Mr. Wright called, causing the pacing man to stop and look up.
"Hm? Oh, Mr. Wright, Dr. Skye…" he said, looking between the two of us.
"What's wrong?" Mr. Wright asked, though I already knew the answer.
"It's just… this case, you know?" He gave a long sigh.
"Get in trouble with Prosecutor Blackquill?" I asked, and he shrugged.
"He yelled and sic'd that bird of his on me, but no hard done. No I… I think I arrested the wrong person… again!" he was so heartbroken that I couldn't help but reach forward and pat his shoulder.
That's right. He'd only been a detective for about a month. In fact, he was promoted just before the murder in Vitamin Square and led that case, resulting in two people being wrongly accused of the murder.
"Detective, you arrested a man based on the evidence you had and the suspicious position you found him in," Mr. Wright suddenly said. "And while I'm not happy that it's one of my employees, you did your job, and you did it well. Even now, you're searching for evidence."
"But I became a detective in order to discover the truth and put criminals behind bars! Not to falsely accuse people and push it off on the courts!" he explained. I smiled slightly.
"But Klu," I said, using his first name to cut through his guilt. It worked. He turned his attention to me. "You are helping discover the truth. You're still searching for evidence, even though there's only one more day of court. And if you now believe Apollo to be innocent, then search harder. That's what I did while I was a detective. But know, you're going to make mistakes. Just feel lucky that Los Angeles has such a skilled Law Firm willing to take on even the most ridiculous of cases."
"Um, I'm standing right here," Mr. Wright mumbled, but I ignored him. Hunter thought about what I said, and smiled warmly.
"You're right. Thanks, Dr. Skye. I'll try harder!"
"That's the spirit!" I said with a grin.
"I'll go now!" And with that, Detective Klu Hunter had disappeared into the Haunted House. I sighed.
Alright. I guess he's not THAT annoying. He's still a dork though.
Mr. Wright followed after the detective, disappearing into the Haunted House as well. I moved to follow, when suddenly, I felt a pair of eyes on me.
Freezing for a second, I slowly turned. Near the fountain, a couple hundred feet away, stood one of the park's mascots.
The Bad Badger.
And he was staring at me.
Wait. This isn't right. The Bad Badger only comes out at sho—"WAIT!" I yelled, cutting off my own thought, as the Badger took off, tearing through the park.
I gave chase.
People yelled after me, angry that I was shoving them aside, until I finally had the thought to pull out my badge.
"POLICE! FREEZE, BAD BADGER!" I yelled.
This was stupid, I knew.
After all, I was no longer a detective. I still had my training.
But I had no gun.
Suddenly, and to my surprise, everyone did move out of my way. But they were clapping and cheering.
They think this is a publicity stunt! I thought in surprise.
The Bad Badger ducked into the building I recognized as the Wild West attraction. He shot through a side door, and I followed.
The door slammed behind me, and I spun on my heel, knowing I just walked into a trap.
The mascot raised his gun, pointing it at me.
All of my training and instincts kicked into high gear.
The mitten like gloves of the suit made pulling the trigger awkward.
He was holding the gun wrong. He never shot one before.
The gun wasn't even fully lifted before I sprang into action. I lunged forward, sidestepping to the side of the gun and to the outside of the body, grabbing his wrist and twisting. I heard a grunt, and the Badger went down on one knee. I twisted his arm until it was fully behind his back.
But still, he wouldn't let that damn gun go. I reached for it, pulling it out of his hand, and found that it was attached to the suit.
It was the fake gun after all.
Suddenly, the Bad Badger surged upwards, slamming be back into the wall. Luckily, I didn't smack my head, but I was still winded enough to let the Badger go. He tore away from me and through another door while I was still catching my breath.
I heard the sound of the lock, and looking at the door, I knew this would be one lock I couldn't pick. It was just too complicated.
With my breath caught, but my pride hurt, I left the building and sat on the bench in front of the attraction. Adrenaline was still pumping through me, and I was trying to calm my racing heart down.
My phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Ema!? Where the hell did you go?" the voice on the other end of the line, Mr. Wright, demanded.
"I… chased after the Bad Badger," I admitted, knowing how stupid that probably sounded.
"The Bad Badger? What?"
"He's part of the mascot family. Usually only shows up for shows. He was watching us talk to Hunter, and… Mr. Wright, he was very suspicious. When I cornered him, he threatened me with his fake gun, acting like it was real," I explained, watching as the Blue Badger walked by. He waved at me, and I smiled in return.
"Wow, are you okay? Where are you?" he demanded.
"I'm fine. I've had police training, remember? I'm in front of the Wild West attraction."
"Alright. I'll be there soon. If that's where this… um… Bad Badger went… there's probably something there," he said, before hanging up.
Mr. Wright was there after a few more minutes, found me, and sat next to me while I explained in greater detail what happened. He nodded before pulling out an evidence bag.
"I found these in the trash outside of the Haunted House," he admitted. I took the bag and looked inside.
"Latex gloves?"
"Yep. And there's blood on them," he replied. I nodded.
"Perfect. Mind if I take them home? I can further test them in my home lab," I explained.
"You have a… why am I not surprised?" He shook his head at my grin. "Sure. Knock yourself out."
"Thanks," I said with a grin, putting the bag in my pocket. "So, now what?"
"I'm actually interested in seeing if we can get into that room your suspicious badger ran into," he said. I nodded, standing.
"Alright, right this way."
...
The door was unlocked.
"Huh? I know he locked it…" I mumbled.
"Maybe he slipped out?" Mr. Wright suggested.
I nodded absently. "Maybe… Didn't see him though..."
Inside was a locker room, with exactly four lockers. Each locker had a name on it.
"'Blue Badger', 'Pink Badger', 'Proto Badger', and…" Mr. Wright read before looking at the last one.
"'Bad Badger'," I finished. "This is where the suits are held when not in use."
We opened each locker to find only one containing a suit.
The Bad Badger suit. In the Blue Badger's locker. That's when I remembered the Blue Badger I'd seen earlier.
"He must have changed and snuck out!" I exclaimed, before scowling. Mr. Wright put a hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay. We'll figure this out," he said, before going over and inspecting the suit. I followed after, not expecting to find anything.
Boy was I wrong.
A paper fluttered out of the suit as Mr. Wright moved it, and I knelt down to pick it up.
"'Gatewater Land Accounting'," I read, before studying the paper. I let out a whistle, things clicking into place.
"Mr. Wright," I said slowly.
"Hm?"
"I think Ms. Sokurblad's blackmailer is the Bad Badger. This is documentation about money going missing from the park's account. A lot of money. Which would explain the expensive jewelry. I can't believe—why are you checking your phone?" I demanded as Mr. Wright pulled his phone out, staring at it for a few moments. He then looked at a paper he was holding, which I didn't notice before.
"I think the Bad Badger was also Apollo's blackmailer, too," he said, holding up the paper for me to see. I gasped in recognition.
It was the raffle slip Apollo filled out while we were on our date.
With his cell number. Mr. Wright must have been comparing the number to the one in his contacts for Apollo.
I frowned, carefully taking it, and the gloves from the Bad Badger suit.
"This means whoever was wearing this suit is the killer. I'm taking these all back to my lab. Maybe I can lift a print or something and get the decisive evidence we need to pin it on the real culprit," I said. Mr. Wright nodded.
"Okay. I'll come—" he was cut off by his phone going off. With a quick glance at the caller ID, he answered and lifted it to his ear.
"Hey Maya… What did he do now? … You're joking … Broken, probably. Did it turn purple and swell? … Of course … Alright, I'll meet you there. Love you … Bye." He hung up and looked at me.
"So… who did what now?" I asked.
"My son, Joshua. He," Mr. Wright sighed in exasperation. "He jumped off the first floor balcony of the manor to see if he could fly, and landed wrong. It looks like he broke his leg." he explained. I winced.
"Ouch. How high is that?"
"About six feet."
"Oh... He's what, three?" I asked, leading the way to the entrance. Mr. Wright nodded.
"Yep. And a daredevil, it seems." He sighed. "Will you be okay investigating this part on your own?"
"Mr. Wright. I'm a Forensic Scientist by trade. I think I'll be okay."
"Okay, okay," he said with a chuckle, before sighing once more.
"Can you give me a lift to Hickfield Clinic?"
…
Once dropping Mr. Wright off, I returned to my own apartment. Since becoming a Forensic Doctor, I moved out of the gloomy little flat over the Chinese restaurant, and into a nice two bedroom apartment. The master bedroom was the one I converted into a lab, and that's where I was heading now.
First, I studied the blood on the latex gloves. Before coming home, I managed to get Hunter to get me all of the forensic reports, such as the blood composition and type of the victim.
The blood on the gloves matched the victim's.
I then got to work on the other evidence; the Bad Badger's gloves, the raffle ticket, and the accounting report.
While the killer had been careful not to leave any prints on the murder weapon and bat (other then the victim's) he was a little less careful with the four pieces of evidence in front of me.
All four contained the same, unknown prints.
Prints so unknown, unfortunately, that a search through the LAPD's database didn't bring anything up.
The killer wasn't in the system.
"Damn," I sighed, before shaking my head and pulling the database up once more, getting a picture of Apollo's prints.
Even a blind person could tell the unknown prints didn't belong to him. That made me sigh in relief, and I sat back in my chair, rubbing my eyes.
"We'll catch this person yet," I mumbled.
Ring-ring! Ring-ring!
I jumped slightly, looking at my cell. I didn't know the number, but that didn't matter.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Is this Dr. Skye?" a vaguely familiar voice asked. I leaned further back in my computer chair, rocking it slightly.
"This is. May I ask who's calling?"
"Robin Graves."
"Ah! Mr. Graves! Can I help you?" I said, leaning forward and grabbing a paper and pen, ready to take notes if necessary. I had the momentary wonder of how he got my number, before remembering both Mr. Wright and I had given him our cards.
"Well, no, but it's about court today. About Mr. Hyde, actually," he said. I nodded thoughtfully.
"Go on."
"He's not Ms. Sokurblad's boyfriend."
"WHAT!?" I gasped, nearly dropping the phone.
"Ms. Sokurblad broke up with him about a month ago. Said that she couldn't handle the mood swings. She said it was hard though, since he works at the park, playing the Blue Badger and the Bad Badger."
I stood up.
"He plays the… did you just say the Bad Badger?" I demanded into the phone.
"Yes?" Mr. Graves sounded very confused.
"Okay, um…" I looked at the gloves from the Bad Badger suit. Things were moving fast now, but I think I'm finally figuring out who the murderer was. "Did you call Mr. Wright?"
"No. I tried, but I couldn't get a hold of him."
Makes sense. Phone is probably off while they're in the hospital.
"Alright. Thank you so much, Mr. Graves. I think you've just helped me blow this case wide open."
I hung up, leaned forward, and began to write notes for tomorrows trial.
…
A/N: Loose ends are starting to be tied up! YAY!
Also, this chapter references a bit from another of my stories, "The Golden Turnabout". Now, I realize this probably won't be a lot of your cups of tea, considering it's an Uncharted crossover, but if you want to know the gist, shoot me a PM, and I'll summarize it for you!
Finally, Joshua Fey-Wright, along with his twin, Misty Fey-Wright, are Phoenix and Maya's three year old kids.
Two more chapter!