A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope you've all had a good week, because I most certainly have! I believe last week I told you all I went to an anime con- it was my first, and it was a very fun experience. I was hanging out with these two cosplayers from the anime Love Live (which made me want to watch it, because it looks like an adorable anime), and their cosplays were just amazing and adorable. Either way, they told me there was another con at the end of November, from the 19th-20th, and I've booked tickets for that. Not only that, but I'm gradually prepping a cosplay to go as Nyotalia England! This'll be my first cosplay and, more importantly, I've always wanted to cosplay a Hetalia character, be it Japan or one of the Nyotalia girls- particularly England or Canada. It's really going to be an exciting experience for me, especially as I've always adored the idea of cosplaying in general! I'm really going all out, even to get green contact lenses from my optician! As the con is on two days, I'll be Nyotalia England twice, because I don't have the time or energy to put together two cosplays in the space of a month... Either way, I'm really looking forwards to it!
On to work for uni... I discovered a few days ago I have an essay due next Friday at 3pm! This came as a genuine surprise for me, because we haven't actually studied the topic in which the essay is based on. There was a lecture related to similar things, and I thought it would talk more on the subject, but it didn't really... Anyway, this next week will be focused on cramming all my research together, because apparently this first year is about cramming tons of reading in... I must admit, I don't have a lot of contact hours... about 11 a week, which is a lot less compared to other students. The rest of it is independent research. I feel it gets a little bit repetitive, but I guess it's just about getting in to the swing of things.
I'm actually home this weekend, because I went to watch an opera called 'Carmen' with my mum! It was really good- so dramatic and very tragic... We love our operas, do me and my mum, and we hope to watch some Downton Abbey tomorrow, since we haven't seen it in ages, and it used to be a weekly tradition to watch it.
Enough about me, and more about Yao! Without further ado, the next chapter of Investigasians: The Musical Massacre!
Chapter 16
The Old Civic rolled into place where a small, almost dingy cottage came into view. The garden was overgrown, with trees surrounding the little building. Yao had known the area could be pretty rundown, but he had never expected Mei to live in such a place. For some reason, he always envisioned her lifestyle to be better than this. From the way she acted, her living standards came across as expensive. However, looking at the little living place, that didn't appear so.
Yao spotted the same car Beilschmidt had driven out in. The type and number plate called out to him. It seemed he truly was there. The Old Civic rumbled as he turned it off. It wasn't the most subtle of cars, but it served the purpose it needed to. Besides, there was no movement from inside the house, no drawing aside of blinds as Beilschmidt noted their arrival. Gun in pocket, Yao stepped out and quietly closed the door. Yong Soo did the same.
"I want you to hang back, aru," Yao whispered. "This could get messy."
Yong Soo nodded and kept at a distance. However, he remained outside the car and just within sight, obscured by some larger trees. Yao's shoes crunched through icy, fallen leaves as he approached the house, slipping the weapon out of its hiding place and clipping the safety off. His heart was hammering in his chest as he neared one of the windows. The curtains were in place, but the lights were on inside. Were they inside that room? If he walked round, perhaps he'd find a better viewpoint.
Yao slipped round the corner, half crouched, but raised his head just enough to see through a crack in the curtains of another window. He could just about make out Mei's dark hair, and saw the hand of someone she was talking to. They were just in the front room. He couldn't see the gun, so Beilschmidt probably held it in his left hand.
Pulling his trusted clip from his pocket, Yao approached the fence. He could easily get in through the back door and have the advantage. He could do this. He could save Mei from Beilschmidt, and complete the case, two in one.
A hand suddenly reached out. Yao's fingers found the gun's trigger and he turned, the barrel facing his attacker, ready to shoot should they move.
Mei tensed, eyes trained on the weapon in his hands. Yao was dumbstruck by the sight of her. How had she managed to escape since the last time he'd seen her? How had she moved so quickly?
"You're OK," he stated, amazed.
Without thinking, Yao pulled her into a hug. He was suddenly filled with such relief at the thought he no longer had to worry about her. Mei wasn't going to die. Somehow, she had escaped. He would ask her about the details later, but Beilschmidt was potentially after them. He would get Yong to call the police and a team would have the madman arrested for his crimes.
"We need to go," Yao grabbed a stunned Mei's wrist and began guiding her away.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, baffled. "Go where?"
"Away from here, aru," he said.
"Hey, Crazy, listen to me," she tugged her hand away from his. "You come here raving with a gun and expect me to do what you say?"
"What?" he blinked.
"Come inside," she said. "Beilschmidt wanted to talk to you."
"Wait, what?" his brows furrowed. "But he's holding you hostage?"
"No, he isn't," Mei sighed. "I'll explain once we're inside. You look like an idiot. Where's Yong Soo?"
"How do you know I brought him?" he asked.
"Because he answered the phone, duh?" she glanced at him as she walked back round. "Oh, there he is. Just standing there."
Yao followed her gaze to see Yong Soo peering awkwardly out of the bushes. Talk about in cognito backup... He waved a hand for him to come over and watched his sidekick scurry across the grass.
"I don't think I understand, aru," he muttered. "Aren't you in danger? Why aren't you grateful that I'm here, aru?"
"Because I'm not in danger, and you look like a prat," she pushed open the front door. "Honestly, why can't the pair of you just arrive like normal people?"
"Hey, your phone call suggested you were in danger," he pointed out. "Don't put the blame on me for panicking."
"You were worried by my phone call?" she glanced at him quizzically, holding the door open for Yong Soo.
"Yes, you sounded… you made it sound like you were in danger…" he finished lamely.
"How?" she frowned. "Did I sound scared? Did I mention anything about a gun? The only person here who's a threat to me right now is you."
"You… I don't know," he frowned. "You were very blunt and rushed, aru."
"That's because I was excited to tell you what was going on, but wanted you there in person," she closed the front door and turned on a lamp in the hallway. "It was just easier to explain things face to face."
There was a rosy smell to the house. It was fresh, and Mei seemed to be one for keeping a bare minimum to mess. To Yao, it was like winter had somehow overlooked the house and progressed onwards to spring. Although it wasn't the prettiest of houses, its wallpapers being darkened over the years, with an old looking floral pattern on them, there was something about it that called to him about Mei. There were no pictures in the hallway, but he noticed the nice smell was coming from a small pot of incense sticks.
"Also, never touch me again," she grimaced. "That was kind of weird."
"Yeah, weird," he agreed forcefully. "Awkward. Uncomfortable, really."
She nodded and walked through the house.
"Wait," he hissed, reaching forward and grabbing onto her shoulder. "Are you sure Beilschmidt can be trusted, aru? How did this even happen? You've explained nothing."
"We'll tell you in the kitchen," she shrugged his hand away, then raised her voice. "Would you like tea, Yao?"
"Yes, I would love tea," he snapped, then wandered into the kitchen with Yong Soo following after him.
There he was, idly seated in one of Mei's dining room chairs. Gilbert Beilschmidt, as he had been photographed. He wore a jacket over a black T-shirt, jeans and trainers that had seen plenty of use, even becoming damaged over the years. His white hair was messy and the red eyes that turned towards him held no animosity. He had expected him to be a bloodthirsty murderer, seeking to kill and maim, but he saw none of that in this man. Beilschmidt even smiled at the sight of him and Yong entering.
Yao walked round, treating this like an interrogation, sitting directly opposite of his target. To assert true authority, he harshly slapped the gun down on the table, in plain view, eyes never leaving Beilschmidt's, and dropped into his chosen chair. He folded his arms, allowing the message to slowly sink in to the other man. It seemed to take some kind of effect, because his eyes remained warily on the gun and he visibly swallowed. Yong Soo seated himself comfortably beside Yao.
When Mei walked into the room carrying a tray of tea, her eyes darkened to see the gun on the table. However, Yao unrelentingly kept it in plain view, even when she placed his tea before him last. The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
"So…" Gilbert finally said, after holding his mug of tea in his hands for a moment. "It's nice to meet you at last, Detective Wang."
"Cut the crap, Beilschmidt," Yao leant forward. "You killed Niklas Edelstein, didn't you, aru?"
"Oh my God," Mei put her face in her hands.
Beilschmidt laughed a little nervously. "No."
"What's the laugh for, then?" Yao narrowed his eyes.
"If you could only let me explain…" he suggested hopefully.
"Yes, let him explain," Mei groaned. "You can't just jump to conclusions like that."
Yao sat back in his seat and sent a venomous stare towards the German man. Gilbert Beilschmidt shifted in his seat and cleared his throat.
"Before we start anything, I didn't kill Niklas," he said, much to Yao's expectation. "I understand circumstances point towards me, but I wasn't anywhere near the musical theatre – I'd assume I was at home. The first time I saw him dead was when I found him there that morning."
"Evidence?" Yao asked.
Beilschmidt appeared uncomfortable. "I have nothing solid, really… I live alone, and I doubt any of my neighbours were awake late into the night. I can't prove anything much more… All I can say is that I'm not the murderer."
"You were caught on camera at the time of Niklas Edelstein's murder," Yao leant forwards. "We watched the footage, aru. Beilschmidt – honesty is your best option now if you're desperate."
"You caught me on footage?" Beilschmidt's brows knitted together. "I don't understand how… I mean, I…"
"Wasn't there?" Yao rummaged through his pockets, pulling out the sheet music. "Can you explain these then? The unfinished writings of Niklas Edelstein, perhaps?"
"Those?" Gilbert looked almost embarrassed at the sight of his messy scrawl across the lines. "I've been composing something of my own, recently…"
"I don't believe that," Yao laid them down on the table.
"Wait, to have gotten these…" Beilschmidt's eyes widened. "You were in my house?"
"Yes," Yao said. "I won't deny it, because it only gives me the lead for more evidence against you, aru. There wasn't a single instrument in your house. How can you compose music without an instrument?"
"I have a flute," Gilbert Beilschmidt replied. "I keep it under the bed… It's kind of embarrassing, but I've always found the flute pretty awesome; my great grandfather used to play it, and I admired him a lot, so… ja. I keep it in a black box, under my bed, but it's got a code on it."
Yao blinked. "What?"
"Ja, I play the flute," Gilbert shrugged nonchalantly. "Anything else, Detective?"
As things began to take an unexpected turn, Yao drummed his fingers on the table. "Why did you suddenly leave?"
"Oh, that," Gilbert's confidence seemed to drain once again. "Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about."
"Go on, then, aru."
"On Saturday night, I received an odd phone call," the prime suspect admitted nervously. "I don't know who it was – I didn't recognise the voice, and I didn't think to record it or anything at the time. They told me… They told me they were outside my house and that they had a gun and that, if I didn't leave, they would shoot me. I was terrified, I had no idea what to do. For a moment, I considered putting the phone down, but then he said if I disconnected the call, he would shoot me."
"Wait, someone threatened you?" Yao narrowed his eyes. "What stopped you contacting the police earlier? It's almost been two weeks since the death of Niklas Edelstein, and you've had evidence like this all this time?"
"Wait, there is a reason I needed to keep quiet," he fretted. "Once he had my attention, he told me to gather my things together and whatever money I could get and then to follow instructions he had laid out for me. I asked why, and he answered the address of my younger brother. I don't know if you have siblings, but I'm honestly best friends with my little brother, and I can't imagine anything bad happening to him. I would defend him with my life if I could. So, I did exactly what the stranger said. I packed everything I could in a duffel bag, extracted nearly all my bank savings, and got back into my car. He told me there was a house up for rent, and that he'd arranged some late night dealings beforehand. He told me where to direct the money, which is what I did. Hard out cash in a package. Weird, right?"
"Yeah, aru," Yao frowned. "Keep going."
"OK, so I arrived at the little house just as he told me he was outside my brother's house," Gilbert continued. "Hooked, I realised I was bound by what he said until he was finished with me. It came to the point where I didn't even pause to question whether he was telling the truth. I could never risk my awesome brother's life for something like this, and fear kind of put me on autopilot... His instructions were to take the next flight out, but I told him I didn't have the kind of money for travelling. I'm not rich, OK? But that doesn't mean I'm not happy. I'm very happy. He told me to wait in the house – he intended to send cash, and have me sent off to some place across the world. It was only then that I began to wonder if I was talking to a dangerous man and, more importantly, the murderer of Niklas. I think he wanted to frame me, to get me beyond the picture so I was unable to defend myself."
"If you were being threatened," Yong Soo said. "How come you're here now?"
"Ah, well, he told me I was being watched and that his people in the area, the guy I'd paid, had tabs on my every movement," he worried at his thumbnail at this point. "My next instructions were to dispose of my phone. I did. I took it to the back of my house, smashed it to pieces with a shovel until it was just pieces, then dumped the fragments in my bin. I'm sorry. I understand now I got rid of the closest evidence possible, but I strongly believe I had no choice. I spent the next few days wondering if his threats were true, but there was no way I could risk any attempts to leave. I stayed until his vicious payment arrived in the post, with written instruction and everything. The first was to memorise the instructions. I did that. I was to take the money and buy a ticket to Germany. I have nothing against my homeland, but I left for a reason. It didn't offer me the awesome future prospects I'd wanted.
"After that, I was to break contact with anyone and everyone," he continued. "I understood that, even if I could never speak to him again, this included my brother. He would find that suspicious; Ludwig's a smart cookie, but a brother must do what he can for his siblings. The last instruction was to stand outside and burn the paper. I took the instructions and walked out into the front garden, flicked on the flames of my awesome lighter, and burnt it to nothing. The paper was no more. I took my car and drove to the airport. All the while, I kept an eye out for anything suspicious, but there were just so many cars going the same way as me that my stalkers could've been any one of them. I arrived and took my one bag through. I bought a ticket, all the while watching for suspicious activity. It's hard; I don't know how you police types catch people, because I couldn't see anything. I checked through customs and was one step away from taking a plane to Germany when-"
"Wait, you just said you checked through…" Yao interrupted.
"Ja, why?" Beilschmidt frowned.
"We ran a check through, but found nothing implying you'd travelled, aru," Yao said. "Is there a reason for this?"
"It really depends when you ran the check," Gilbert replied. "This all happened to me yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Yao blinked.
Beilschmidt nodded. "Rather stressful, I know. But that's not the end of my awesome story, Detective."
"Obviously not, aru, because you're still here," Yao folded his arms. "Do continue."
"Right, well, I checked through customs, and that was when rational thought finally returned to me for the first time in days," the German said. "Once I was on the other side, I began to question whether I really needed to travel or not. I knew they were probably waiting to make sure if I was there or not. I did what was sensible. I used what little money I had left to buy myself a meal, and I remained in the airport for nearly twelve hours. I never thought I would live in an airport, but this really is a strange existence. I understand I probably caused an entire flight to delay, but I was not going back to Germany. I waited beyond my flight, and then some more, until finally, I deemed it safe to leave. I left, and here I am. Obviously they had believed me gone."
"How did you not get spotted when at home?" Yao asked.
"Easy – I didn't go back," Gilbert answered. "I stayed at a B & B for the rest of the night, wondering what my strategies would be. I couldn't afford a taxi at this point- I was near broke, man, so I just sped the car away as fast as I legally could and hoped no one was watching. It seems hoping worked out for me..."
"Why did you rent a car in the first place, aru?" Yao asked.
"Ah, I can't afford to have and uphold a car of my own," Gilbert looked embarrassed. "I commute by train. The stranger told me to get that car in the first place. Anyway, I stayed at a B & B. I knew I was probably a wanted man by now, so I couldn't go to the police. They would make my face too public and that risked my little brother. I hung around town, staying undercover, when I overheard that Roderich had hired a PI to find out who had killed his father. That obviously took my interest, so I searched about and ruled out the establishments that weren't currently on the case. That led me to you, but you weren't in at the time, so the young man at the desk told me a few names and faces I could contact. He told me you were likely out of town, so finding you would be harder."
"Kasam spoke to you?" Yao gawked.
"Kasam? I don't know his name, but he was very helpful," Gilbert said. "He was the one who pointed out where Mei lived, and that's how I got here now, getting her to call you instead."
Yao felt anger boil within. "Kasam knows where you live, aru?"
That was directed at Mei, who looked indignant. "Kiku's the only one, so it was probably him. What do you care anyway?"
"I don't," Yao scowled. "No matter, this has all been valuable information, aru. I'll have details on your passport chased up just to see if they match with your story. Quite frankly, this changes a lot. You don't know anything about the mysterious caller?"
"Hmm, one thing," Gilbert said adamantly.
"Tell me, aru."
"It was a man."
A/N: Well, this is certainly a crucial chapter... I really hope you enjoyed this week's work! If anyone has any thoughts or feelings concerning Investigasians, feel free to leave a review! Honestly, hearing from everyone just makes me, as a writer, super happy, and I really like replying to what people have to say! For now, though, you'll all hear from me next week! Thank you!