A/N: Oh, wow, it's been a very long time, so it's really great to be posting again! As I revealed in the previous chapter, I was going on holiday! I went to Dubai and oh my it was really hot there. It was consistently around forty degrees Celsius, which I'm not used to! I was wearing factor 50 every day. Lucky they have a lot of air con over there. I had an awesome time, though, and it was such a throwback because I used to live in Abu Dhabi and we'd drive up to Dubai for a day trip at Wild Wadi. Even so, it's been 10 years since I was there, so suddenly there's a tram and a metro in Dubai that just wasn't there before. It's changed so much! There's a lot to do there- the Dubai Mall is so beautiful (all the architecture in Dubai is so well crafted) and we went up the Burj Khalifa to the 128th floor. It was so high and the lift was so fast. It barely took five minutes to get so high.
We wanted to go up the Burj al Arab for afternoon tea (because English people love tea, wherever in the world they are) but you had to be 21, because of drinking restrictions, which was unfortunate, but I hope to do that one day in my life!
I'm back now, and have finally decided to post this next chapter. I was feeling very lazy across the week, so I didn't do much writing (as in, none) and I went out Friday. There we go, my weekly excuse is done!
I actually came back to my sister and her boyfriend going old school with the band Gorillaz, and they introduced me to the story line concept the band have created. If you don't know Gorillaz, they released their first album in 2001 and they have familiar songs like 'DARE' and 'Feel Good Inc.'; they're alternative rock, I would say, although they don't really stick to one genre. If you're a music lover, check out their music videos. They have a chronological order, so I would advise looking that up (because I can't remember the order) and enjoy the stories and characters this band have created. It doesn't make 100% sense, but they're enjoyable to watch all the same. My favourite is Noodle!
A quick shout out to Poisonlilie, for being a very supportive reviewer to The Musical Massacre! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you've left on the story, and I really appreciate the support! As for everyone, I love hearing what you have to say! It makes my day, because I love writing and like seeing it when people enjoy what I've written. So thank you everybody, especially as Investigasians has reached 1,000 views! Wow! Thank you so much for clicking on this Fic!
Here it comes: without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians! Thank you for being patient with my laziness.
Chapter 12
After asking around the house, Yao finally located the night guards, who confirmed Giuliano Zwingli never left the house that night. Yao could safely say that Mr Zwingli was innocent of the crime, and that he'd never been involved. Some part of him was disappointed that there was no challenge, but another was relieved that he was one step closer to achieving the cash prize. He found his assistant with the man, still out back, playing golf.
"This boy has a natural swing once he knows what he's doing," Giuliano said when he saw Yao approaching. "Have you played golf before, Yong?"
"Not really," Yong Soo admitted. "When I was little, my father brought me to a golfing green for kids. I was terrible at it and we never went again."
"Hunting, then?" Giuliano smiled.
"Hunting?" Yong glanced at him. "Yes, my father taught me how to use a rifle. Does that have anything to do with golf?"
"Precision," Mr Zwingli nodded. "Although, it seems our Detective Wang would like to move on with his case. Did my daughter answer your questions?"
"Yes, she did, aru," Yao nodded. "Come on, Yong. We have a busy schedule ahead of us."
"OK," Yong Soo set down the golf club aside on the table. "Thank you, Mr Zwingli."
"Not a problem, kiddo," he patted Yong on the shoulder twice, and crammed the golf club into a bag alongside many others.
"Mr Zwingli, what was Elizabeta Hédeváry doing here?" Yao asked, remembering the expression of agitation on the young woman's face as she'd left.
Giuliano Zwingli inhaled deeply before raising his eyes to look at Yao. His earlier smile had vanished, only to be replaced with a thoughtful frown. Perhaps he'd hoped Yao would forget about the odd encounter with Roderich Edelstein's fiancée at the rival musician's house? Either way, he straightened up and plastered a smile across his face, one Yao knew was evidently fake.
"I told you," Giuliano said. "Unfriendly questions. She thinks I'm the culprit."
Yes, his smile was either fake or strained. Yao knew that, even if Mr Zwingli was telling the truth, it wasn't the entire truth. There was definitely something missing within his vague explanation. A proud, self-important man didn't act this way. Giuliano Zwingli had something to hide…
"Thank you for your time, aru," Yao said, feeling the unfriendliness growing in the atmosphere. "We'll see ourselves out."
He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and began walking away, Yong Soo hurrying after him like a duckling does its mother. Yao cast a glance over his shoulder one more time to see the vacant, almost anxious expression on Giuliano Zwingli's face as he stared at nothing. The owner of the house made no attempt to see them all the way to the door. He didn't insist against Yao. He just did nothing. So Yao and Yong Soo left the house, closing the door behind them.
"What was that for, Aniki?" Yong Soo glanced nervously at him as he drove. "What was the purpose of putting him on edge like that?"
"Because we need to know why Elizabeta Hédeváry was there," Yao said. "I need to know if this is some private, solo mission of her own, or if, for some bizarre reason, Roderich Edelstein sent her to do the dirty work for him."
"Giuliano Zwingli said Elizabeta was there to accuse him," Yong Soo replied.
"And Giuliano Zwingli was also acting strange about that, which means we can't hold his words to our hearts, Yong Soo," Yao sighed. "People lie, and there are many reasons why people lie, aru. I want to know why Giuliano Zwingli is lying, and why Elizabeta was there."
"The best person to ask would be Elizabeta, right?" Yong Soo looked hesitant.
"Maybe, but we're not going to do that," Yao said. "If she suspects we're even the slightest bit suspicious of her, she'll be watching her back constantly, which would make tailing her difficult, aru."
"So, for now, leave Miss Hédeváry?" Yong Soo frowned.
"Precisely," Yao said.
"But what are we supposed to do now?" Yong looked out the window. "We have little to no leads other than Gilbert Beilschmidt, and if we need to be careful about Elizabeta, we should have to wait a day."
"I haven't checked up on Lei about Beilschmidt, but he did say he'd contact if anything was found, aru," Yao said. "I hate to say this, but we're pretty stale today. My better judgement says to call it a day and wait until Lei gets back to us."
"Right," Yong Soo appeared a little crestfallen. "I really hope we find the killer."
"Of course we will," Yao risked a glance at him, and saw his sidekick seemed a little down. "We're the Investigasians, aru. We're a small but professional team who have a wide understanding of what we're dealing with. I know murder is another thing entirely compared to what we usually do, but that doesn't mean we can't handle it. You're not taking Officer Kirkland's words to heart, are you, aru?"
"What?" Yong Soo sounded surprised, but Yao's eyes were on the road.
"He's always criticising me," Yao shrugged. "You're not taking his words seriously, are you?"
"Of course not, Aniki," Yong Soo panicked. "It's just… I don't think we're out of our depth. In no way do I think that. I'm just worried there might be another murder."
"The fact that no other attempt of anyone's life has been made indicates the killer is very aware that we're on the lookout, aru," Yao explained. "It only makes it more likely, then, that the killer is someone Niklas Edelstein knew. That or, like Beilschmidt, they're not currently in the area."
"OK," Yong Soo nodded.
"I don't know about you, but I could really do with some ramen," Yao yawned.
"Oh, yes," Yong Soo brightened up considerably.
"By the way, Yong, did you drink the wine Giuliano Zwingli gave us?" Yao asked.
"Yeah, I did," his sidekick said without hesitation. "It was very nice of him to treat us like that."
"Do your parents let you drink?" Yao questioned.
"Oh," the casual tone left Yong's voice, only to be replaced by uncertainty. "On special occasions, yes. Like celebrations and birthdays."
"Right, well, no more drinking on the job," Yao instructed. "Understood?"
"Yes, Aniki…"
Mei wasn't particularly thrilled to hear the case had been put on temporary hold whilst they awaited Lei's results. At first, she had seemed reluctant to believe what Yao was saying, but then that had quickly changed to mild irritation that they couldn't follow Elizabeta around straight away.
"She's hardly a super spy," she complained. "She won't know we're following her in the slightest. I think you're overestimating her."
"I think you're underestimating her," Yao countered. "She was a desperate woman the last we saw her, aru. She's also intelligent. If she knows anything about police and private investigators, then she'll have a strong idea of what comes next after her being spotted doing something suspicious."
"She was at the rival's house," Mei shrugged. "I don't know why you find it so hard to believe Mr Zwingli's words. It would be perfectly rational for her to freak out about being spotted at his house, despite only being there to demand answers about his involvement with Niklas Edelstein. You need to remember it's been a week since his death now, and there seems to be nothing about what's going on."
"That's because we can't tell people, aru," Yao huffed. "I think my disbelief in this is just the same as your reluctance to believe Gilbert Beilschmidt was the killer."
"It's not that I'm reluctant, it's just…" she seemed caught off, lost for words, even.
"Drop it, OK?" Yao sighed. "We need to wait for Lei's signal."
"Right," Mei sat down with them at the bar.
"You know, Aniki, I currently don't have any cash on me," Yong Soo pleaded. "I'll pay you back. I promise."
"Fine, fine," Yao sighed. "What about you, Mei?"
"I'll pay for myself," she retorted.
For the entire conversation, Kiku had been standing, watching them, a tired expression written into his eyes. He smiled once they were ready to order, and seemed pleased when they went for their usual. Yao couldn't help but notice Mei only ordered her green tea. It seemed her first ramen at the Honda Ramen Bar had been her last.
In contented silence, they ate their ramen, until Yao deemed it was time to leave. As usual, Mei referred to her trains to get home, and he drove Yong Soo to his pretty residence. There was no further mention of discontinuing the investigation, even though he knew that neither Yong Soo nor Mei were particularly happy about that. Yao had been able to reason with himself that they could afford to spend a little time waiting.
Mei raised her phone to her ear. It was dark in the car, and since she'd turned the engine and lights off, she remained hidden amongst the bushes. In her lap was a little paper box of noodles she'd been ravenously eating whilst she waited, the phone poised in place. It rang for a while, but then suddenly picked up.
"Hello?" Yong Soo sounded worn and bleary compared to his usual energetic self.
"Yong, it's me, Mei," she said.
"I know," he yawned. "I just don't know why you're calling this late…"
"Because I'm outside the house waiting for you to get your ass out here," Mei snapped, and saw him appear at his window. "You won't see me; I'm hidden in the dark."
"I think I see a car in the bushes," he commented.
"Humour me, Yong," she hissed. "Just come outside."
"What if my parents hear me?" he whispered.
"That's your problem," she replied. "Learn to be stealthy. And if you do get caught, it wasn't me who wanted you to come outside, got it?"
"R-right," he said, and she disconnected the call before he could say anything else.
Mei busied herself with eating the noodles whilst she waited for Yong. It was cold in the car, and she wanted to start it up again so she could feel the warm air on her face again. She was dressed in a thick coat, scarf and gloves, and was fighting off the shivers. She silently cursed Yong Soo, who seemed to be taking his sweet time, before she crammed more warm noodles into her mouth. She hadn't eaten a big, full meal like this in a long time. The noodles were mixed with vegetables and meat. Mei's mouth had watered when they'd been offered to her, and although she'd attempted to refuse them at first, the deal was she had to take the noodles with the car. That had made her mind up for her, since she had been desperate to have a vehicle.
There was a tapping at her window that alerted her to a presence. Jumping in her seat, she saw it was Yong Soo, shivering yet wrapped up in a thick, black coat and dark grey scarf to match. At least he'd dressed appropriately for the occasion.
She started up the engine, which gracefully hummed into life compared to the sputtering rumble of Yao's Old Civic. There was something satisfying about having a decent car. She crammed the noodle box into Yong's hands.
"Just to let you know," Yong Soo began as she reversed the car away, stretching his legs out as much as he could and adopting a nonchalant expression. "I'm a minor, but if you've fallen for me that hard, Mei, I honestly don't mind if we-"
"Are you brain dead?" she huffed. "That's not why I'm here at all. You must be the most arrogant little shit I've ever met."
"Oh," he pursed his lips together. "Is this a kidnapping?"
"If I would pick a kid to hold hostage for a ransom, it would not be you," she retorted coolly. "Trust me on that one. We're going to watch Hédeváry."
"Wait, what?" Yong Soo gawked, suddenly sitting upright. "Yao said we wouldn't be doing that. Did he change his mind?"
"Tell me what seat you're sitting in, Yong," Mei sighed, as she cruised along the road.
"The passenger seat," he answered.
"Correct," she rolled her eyes. "Now. Do you see Yao in the backseat?"
She had to suppress pure anger when Yong Soo turned in his seat to take a look. It had been quite obvious upon arriving that Yao most certainly was not in the backseat.
"We're doing this without Yao?"
"Well done," she snapped. "Yes, we're doing this without Yao. I know he'll be super pissed when he finds out, but I personally think Hédeváry's been up to something since the start."
"What?" Yong Soo's eyes bugged out. "Really?"
"Yeah," Mei answered. "I want to know what it is, and I ain't waiting for Lei to hack into several supercomputers before I start looking."
"Yao's right," Yong Soo said. "You're strangely defiant on believing the killer isn't Gilbert Beilschmidt."
"I'm keeping my options open," Mei sighed. "When you've lived in the real world, Yong, you'll understand that it's very important to do that."
"I have lived in the real world," Yong Soo replied. "On the Friday night before Niklas Edelstein's death, I helped Yao chase a criminal across buildings. Well… I waited downstairs whilst he did the chasing part…"
"Right," Mei felt that sounded too much like an episode of Batman rather than the real world.
"Fine, if you don't want to know," he said. "But, hey. These noodles look delicious. Did Kiku make them?"
"Hands off, they're mine," she warned. "And yes. They're from the Honda Ramen Bar."
"Didn't you have dinner?" she could feel him looking at her.
"Busy night," Mei answered. "I was in a rush when we were there and I usually have a late nine o'clock dinner. I mean, I know this is later than usual, but if I wanted the car, I had to take the noodles."
"Not a problem," Yong Soo said. "If you don't want them, I'll eat them!"
"I said hands off," she clenched her jaw. "I do want those noodles. And I will eat those noodles whilst you are watching the Edelstein household extremely closely."
"I see," Yong Soo said. "Is that why I'm here?"
"Do you want to be here?" she asked. "I can still U-Turn and drop you back off at home."
"No, I want to be here," Yong Soo nodded, determined. "I want to help out with this investigation as well. I'll admit, I don't really want to wait for Lei to do any of this hacking stuff. It seems we're just as impatient as each other."
"Don't compare me to you, because we're really not alike in the slightest," Mei scolded. "We'll be hanging around outside the Edelstein household. If both cars are there, then we know both Roderich and Elizabeta are in the house. If not, we need to find out who owns what car."
"Sure," Yong Soo said. He was barely listening.
The rest of the car journey was an awkward silence where Mei was unsure of what to say, and Yong Soo could only glance between the road and the noodles.
"I assume this is the Honda family car?" Yong Soo finally suggested.
"Yes," Mei replied. "Why?"
"I was just wondering," he said. "Don't you have a car of your own?"
"I rent one from time to time, but as you may have noticed, I take the train home," Mei said. "So, no. I don't own a car. And I needed one. It's not like I could take Yao's because he'd go ballistic. So, instead, I asked Kiku."
"Smooth," Yong Soo said. "And because we've got Harlot Mei, the police are ineffective against us. Therefore, it doesn't matter whether we get spotted or not!"
"How many times do I need to tell you idiots that men do not fall head over heels for me?" Mei demanded. "You two are just one person with two identities, I swear."
"That's a compliment to me, considering I want to be just like Aniki," Yong Soo said.
"Yeah, as in sharing a bedroom with your best friend because you can't scrape the funds to rent yourself a place?" Mei scowled. "You know, Yong, I think you're better off as you are now… You might admire him, but I don't think Yao would want you to turn out just like him…"
"He wouldn't?" Yong Soo frowned.
"No, because he would take the pair of you being alike as an insult," Mei continued. "We're here now, so shut up and let me eat my noodles."
The long drive had finally ended. Positioning the car carefully in the darkness, Mei shut off the engine and the lights. Leaning forward, she could see two cars sitting within the drive. Both Edelstein and Hédeváry were at home. She leant back and retrieved her noodles, comfortably tucking into them whilst Yong Soo kept his gaze trained steadily on the house and the cars.
Nothing happened that night.
Mei and Yong Soo returned to their homes by the end of the night, exhausted. However, the pair vowed it wasn't over, and that it would most certainly be something they would come to do each night. For the next two nights, Mei would pick Yong up in the Honda family car and drive to the Edelstein household, where they would sit and quietly watch the still house and cars. Although Yao could never understand their tired, vacant expressions during the day, Mei and Yong remained determined to crack the truth about Elizabeta Hédeváry's strange behaviour. As enthusiastic as they were, it was tough struggling against the weight of fatigue each day.
Mei and Yong were sitting in the car. It was a Monday night. All day whilst at work, Mei had heard about the music hall's grand reopening, so it was no surprise that Roderich Edelstein's car was not present at the house. At first, it was pondered by the two Investigasians that Elizabeta had attended the grand reopening party with her fiancé, but that soon became another case when they saw Miss Hédeváry leaving her house.
"What?" Yong Soo sat up straight. "She's actually here."
"Sit down and don't make any noise," Mei hissed. "Otherwise she'll notice us. Just wait."
The pair of them watched as she climbed into her car, pale and ashen faced, only to then reverse speedily from the drive and pitch the car away from the house. Sitting up straight, Mei turned on the car and followed in hot pursuit.
A/N: The plot thickens! This is where the case begins to become a little more... complicated. I hope it was worth the wait... Until next time!