A/N: Has it already been a week since I last posted? It honestly feels like time is just flying by! I've been completely wrapped up in an essay they only gave us a week to research for a write... I didn't think that was fair, considering some people don't have to write this essay until like late November/start of December, depending on the Seminar group we were placed in. It's put a lot of stress on me, so I wasn't very well last night! I'm a trooper, though, and I've just been itching to immerse myself into the world of Hetalia FanFiction, as sad as that may sound!

Speaking of Hetalia in general, I've been notified that the Dubbed of World Twinkle is coming out on the 9th of November! I mean, that's less than a month away. I'm a massive fan of the Dubbed Hetalia- I'd probably say I prefer it to the Subbed, which is rare for me in anime- so I'm just glad to get another dose of Hetalia this year. Also, as is the pattern between Twinkle and Beautiful World, the later came out in 2013, and the former in 2015, so I'm hoping the next season may make an appearance in 2017/2018. I'm a desperate fangirl!

Without further ado, the next chapter is here!

Chapter 17

Formalities had been carried out after that. "Did you get along with Niklas Edelstein?" "Not in particular, nein." "We heard you were suspended. Were you bitter about this, as well as Niklas Edelstein's refusal to kick start your music career?" "I was angry at first, sure, but nothing to kill him over. I got over it." "You liked your job?" "Loved it." "Was that you we caught on the footage?" "No."

It was Yong Soo who had rounded on the last question. "Are there clippers usually stored in the music theatre?"

Gilbert Beilschmidt had been surprised. "Yes, but they're only used for emergencies. There's a storage cupboard in the janitor's room under the theatre. You need keys to get in them, though, and only staff have access to keys."

That last sentence had brought Yao's attention. He had vigorously pondered that whilst arrangements for Gilbert Beilschmidt had been discussed. The idea of it being staff only meant that their list of suspects was brutally narrowed down. He hadn't thought about the clippers for some time, now, but they must've come from somewhere within the facility. That would be something that would be investigated soon enough.

Meanwhile, his teammates had had their own plans. It seemed, for his own protection, Gilbert Beilschmidt would be crashing at Mei's place, sleeping on her sofa, until the murderer was found and the case was closed. Whilst the idea of a stranger and still potential killer (for he could've been lying at this stage) being in the same house as her made Yao feel uncomfortable, there was little he could do. They were already set on their ideas, and Beilschmidt had promised not to be a trouble. In a mood, Yao had left that place, Yong Soo at his heels. There had been no conversation in the car ride home.

The next morning, Yao had wanted to get straight into things. Mei was working, so it was just he and Yong Soo who went to the music theatre early on a Thursday morning. Today marked an official ten days since Yao had first taken up the case. He had begun to wonder if his living expenses had taken more than the promised money made by Roderich. He knew his ramen consumption had increased with the amount of times he was eating at Kiku's during the day. However, he remained determined to reap his monetary reward, so frog marched Yong Soo to the music theatre.

His sidekick didn't seem to mind. He was unusually enthusiastic, with a seeming determination to get going. In fact, he seemed so into the case that he initiated their course of route throughout the day.

"I think we need to take another look at the footage," he'd said.

"We'll have to ask Lei about that," Yao had handed his phone to him whilst driving. "For which case, do it now. It took us long enough to get it from the police and Officer Arsehole from the start, and if we can get ahead of the game, that's fine by me."

The result had been a tired and angry Lei telling them he'd burned a copy of the footage onto his computer. Yao was fairly sure that was illegal, but a lot of what Lei did wasn't within the law, so he'd barely questioned him on that. What he did tell him to do, though, was to check the passports once more, to ensure if Beilschmidt was telling the truth. Lei had grumbled about doing it later before hanging up. Yao took that as a good sign.

The music theatre had seen its official reopening. There were no more police cars surrounding it, so people milled in and out, eager for the oncoming events that had built up and been planned for its grand return. Even Roderich Edelstein had set forth his own concert to welcome the public to the new music theatre.

"He moves on quickly," Yao muttered under his breath upon seeing the sign.

The pair of them wandered inside without any difficulties. The lobby was packed with people excitedly chattering about a show that was about to begin, and others booking tickets for later dates. Some had arrived to collect their tickets.

Amongst them, Yao spotted the elegant figure of Roderich Edelstein. He was dressed well, formal and proud, his hair brushed and neatly styled. He walked about receiving condolences from those who vaguely knew him in the music society, but also gaining congratulations on achieving his first concert solely written by him. The moment he laid eyes on Yao and Yong Soo, his entire countenance changed. His eyes darkened, shoulders slumped slightly, and the rest of his body became unnaturally rigid. They weren't on the best of terms, so Yao knew his intrusion in the young master's career would only bother his client. He pressed forwards nevertheless and faced Roderich.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, guiding Yao away from the centre of the crowd and to a back office. "Because I assume this isn't about the show… Did you find Beilschmidt? Did he kill my father?"

"I actually came to ask permission to access the underground area once again," Yao admitted. "I can't currently disclose any of my findings, but I feel we're getting closer to the revelation."

"I take that as a 'no' about Beilschmidt, then," the light left his eyes and a tight frown formed on his majestic features. "Fine, take a look down there. Take these keys to move around. Just don't interrupt the oncoming show. This is a reopening and I want it to go smoothly."

"Understood," Yao nodded, and pushed open the door.

He wandered back into the busy lobby, eyes scanning the small room for Yong Soo's lanky form. He was easy to find, in conversation with none other than Giuliano Zwingli. Roderich seemed affronted by the very sight of them, but said nothing when his father's nemesis caught sight of him.

"We have permission," Yao said, tapping Yong Soo by the shoulder.

He didn't want to be involved in the feuds of rich families. Zwingli patted his sidekick's shoulder and wandered through the room to Roderich for a personal conversation. His two children followed, leaving Yong Soo at the hands of Yao.

"Since when did you get so friendly with Giuliano Zwingli?" he asked.

Yong Soo shrugged. "He took a liking to me. Who am I to deny the friendship of someone rich and powerful?"

"Tactics – I finally see how you function, aru," Yao and his assistant took the steps down through the backway.

They had one purpose in mind, and that was to find the drawer that Beilschmidt had mentioned in the janitor's room. Yao assumed that was the place where William James' body had been discovered. Retracing his steps from all those days ago, he wandered into the small room, Yong Soo right behind him.

It had seen intense cleaning since they'd last been there. No traces of James could be found, and the smell of the room was overbearingly sterile. It was like a hospital room, with all the chemical smells. A lot of the furniture was no longer present, likely to be replaced, and the desk had been cleared of all personal belongings. A tragic event had been instantly deleted from the world, but at least William's murder scene had been witnessed. Yao pulled out the keys and glanced around the room, but his searching eyes were unsuccessful in their findings.

"We're looking for the compartment Beilschmidt mentioned," he murmured, ducking to peer under the desk.

"What about these filing cabinets?" Yong Soo asked.

"He said a storage cupboard," Yao turned and noticed a steel box attached to the wall.

Approaching it, he tried several of the keys in the lock. Most were unsuccessful, as he'd expected, but then one fit and he swung it open. Half expecting it to be an electrical unit, he was pleased to see the empty space, the dust still forming the faint shape of where clippers were to go. Naturally, he expected the police would hold onto the murder weapon. However, this was proof that the clippers needed the keys to obtain this. To have ended William's life, the murderer would have needed keys to access the clippers. That meant the murderer was someone who had access to keys – a member of staff or management.

"What do you think, Yong?" Yao asked. "Seems pretty strange to me, aru."

"I think we need to take another look at the footage," he repeated anxiously. "Just to make perfectly sure that Beilschmidt isn't actually the killer after all."

He didn't know why Yong Soo was acting so nervous, but then recalled that Beilschmidt wasn't entirely innocent until proven otherwise. He was still a threat to Mei, and currently, he was living under the same roof as her.

It had been a busy day for her. She had finished work, only to come home to Gilbert tidying her house to the point of perfection. She hadn't minded at first, until he'd commented on the overflowing laundry and had set about to that. He was strangely maternal, and since she hated doing housework, she had let him do that. She had to rush out to the supermarket to buy more food fit for an extra person, which she had done straight after work, and had organised food around the fridge for that purpose. Although it was a financial setback, she had anticipated looking after another human wouldn't have been easy.

It was only when she'd sorted out everything that Gilbert had approached her with an anxious expression on his face.

"Is everything OK?" she'd asked.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a favour…" he had twiddled his thumbs.

"Yeah, sure."

"Since I'm not allowed out, I was wondering if you could check on my brother?" he'd winced, watching her every movement. "Maybe tell him I'm OK?"

Mei had contemplated that for a moment, but then deemed it was fine. As long as Gilbert wasn't moving around in public, that was fine. Besides, seeing his brother and reassuring him of his older brother's safety hardly affected Yao's mission and confidentiality of it all. In other words, there was no reason for her not to help him.

"Of course," she had smiled. "Give me an address and I'll go there right now."

That was how she'd ended up in the middle of the city, idly following a map and generally avoiding any area where she could potentially encounter Yao. She didn't want any awkward complications about her having left Gilbert home alone. She was determined to help the German set his brother's mind at peace. His instructions led her to a garage that presumably had a living area above it. It was more of a manufacturing workplace, but there were a couple of cars that had been brought in for repairs and maintenance. There was something orderly and professional about the place. Mei liked it; the sign 'Beilschmidt & Co.' was pretty self-explanatory; she was in the right place.

There was no door to knock, but she was met relatively quickly by a young man, tall and extremely well-built, wearing a white tank top and baggy combat trousers tucked into ankle high military fashion boots. In his hand he held a spanner, and he looked in the middle of work. With the way Gilbert had referred to him as "little" brother, she had expected someone small and in their late teens. This man was handsome, with a strong, defined jaw and particularly masculine features. He radiated the aura of man; Mei wondered if there were other benefits to being linked to Gilbert.

"Hello?" he asked in a deep, firm voice.

"Uh, hi," she offered a sweet smile. "I was wondering… is Ludwig Beilschmidt around?"

"That would be me," he said stoically.

It seemed he had a pretty stony personality, too, because he remained impassive in her attempts to appear cute. That, or she just wasn't cute. Stubborn Mei chose to think he was just resistant.

"Can we talk somewhere a little more…" she glanced around. "Private?"

Ludwig shrugged and motioned for her to follow. He led her to a small, cramped office that looked fit for only three people at a time. He offered her a seat, which she took, and put a pair of reading glasses on.

"Is there something you need?" he asked. "Has something happened?"

"Actually, I came here to speak on behalf of your brother, Gilbert," she explained, and watched his body tense.

"He's supposed to be under police surveillance," Ludwig said slowly. "Where is he?"

Mei swallowed, choosing her words carefully. "I have information enough to say your brother is innocent, but in hiding. He's now allowed to come out, but he wanted to let you know he was doing well."

"I see," Ludwig set his pencil on his desk and assessed her carefully. "And you heard this from him?"

She nodded. "I actually work alongside a PI. Please trust me when I say I speak on behalf of your brother."

"Right, well…" he tapped his fingers on the desk. "I'm glad he's OK… and not a murderer… Wherever he is, does he have a good supply of potatoes and sausages? He loves those foods… And beer. I suppose… tell him I'm fine. He'll want to know that."

He fell silent, so Mei had to assume he'd finished speaking. "Right, yes, I'll make sure he's sufficiently supplied. He'll be glad to hear you're doing well."

The room hushed, and the two sat in a short, awkward silence. It seemed Ludwig wasn't as talkative as Gilbert was, and it also seemed their conversation had come to a swift close. Nodding with a slight smile, Mei stood, and the younger Beilschmidt repeated her movements, shaking her hand gently, as if doing business rather than hearing his brother was free of charge.

"Danke," he said, as she was leaving. However, Mei didn't speak German, so wasn't sure what he meant.

As soon as she was out of view, she chose to reconsider her plans. She had bought potatoes, sure, but she hadn't even thought about what meats Gilbert would like. She had focused on the chicken she normally ate, and sometimes beef, but had never thought about the dietary preferences of her guest. Taking a quick detour back to the supermarket, she pounced straight for the meat section. Carefully browsing their wares of sausage, she eventually picked a basic pork one and hoped Gilbert wasn't fussy with what he ate. She paused, considering this. What if, being his favourite food, he was a gourmet concerning sausages? She set the plain ones back down and looked at the slightly more expensive ones.

"Mei Xiao? Is that you?" she raised her head and glanced to the side to see Elizabeta Hédeváry approaching, a sunny smile on her face. "It is you! How are you?"

It was a surprise to see her, considering the last time she'd seen the young woman was her mysterious late night travels. However, Mei feigned ignorance and beamed back. For all she knew, this woman was the real murderer.

"I'm doing good," she replied. "What about you? How are things at home? Is Roderich coping?"

"Don't worry about Roderich," she chuckled. "He's made of sterner stuff. Actually, he's running a return concert this evening, which I'll definitely be attending. We're having a dinner beforehand, which I'm really excited about. As for me? I'm handling things just fine. You know, I actually saw Yao the other day. You all are so busy, but I always find I never get to really know any of you."

Mei nodded with a slight laugh. "What can I say? We get preoccupied."

"You know, we should have a chat, just you and I," Elizabeta suddenly said. "Woman to woman, I always say, over for afternoon tea."

"Today?" Mei blinked.

"Yes, you ought to come over, whilst we're here," Elizabeta suddenly pondered. "We can have a nice lunch, talk about… anything, really. Just anything. That would be nice…"

"It would be," she agreed, wondering if she was detecting hints of loneliness from the other woman. Had something... happened between she and Roderich? They never seemed to be with one another recently, despite the dinner planned tonight...

"Here's an idea, then," Elizabeta smiled. "Be at my house for six. I should have everything ready, then – it's too late for lunch, really, but tea and cakes is still in time for me! That sounds wonderful, right?"

Mei caught herself nodding in agreement.

Elizabeta patted her on the shoulder. "I'll see you there, then."

Sausage forgotten, Mei wandered off into the supermarket, urgently needing to ready herself at home for her sudden plans.

Yao and Yong Soo had arrived back to find Lei hard at work. Yao had been surprised, considering the young man acted like a teenager and rarely did things. However, he had been diligently sat at the screens, the room illuminated blue by their garish glow.

"I have the result of the passports," he said. "Everything stands as what Beilschmidt said. I think it's safe to say he's been telling the truth about this whole person on the phone thing."

"I guess so," Yao nodded. "And I thought we were so close."

"We still have the footage to look at," Yong Soo said. "He may have orchestrated this beforehand."

"He's hardly financially set for stunts like that, but I suppose anything to escape the slammer…" Lei had changed to screen for them to take a look. "Take as long as you want."

Mei stepped out of the car she'd borrowed from Kiku. He had been wonderful about it, as usual, but she still felt bad about constantly using his things. Although twenty minutes early, she had arrived at the wonderful stately house of Roderich and Elizabeta. Anxious, her feet carried her to the door. As Elizabeta counted as the client, she needed to be careful about what she said. She raised her hand, lifted the knocker, and let it drop down three times.

After watching the footage, Yao came to the same conclusion: it was the janitor.

"I don't understand," he complained. "There were only two janitors, and we've proved they can't be the killer. What now?"

"Watch it again," Yong Soo said, and Lei replayed the video. "Stop here."

"What is it, aru?" Yao asked.

"Look at that person – it can't possibly be Gilbert Beilschmidt," he tapped the screen.

"Why not?" Lei asked.

"You should look at how he's built; he's much sturdier compared to this person," Yong Soo said. "Taller, as well. This person's smaller, slimmer – you could even say they're almost effeminate."

"Effeminate?" Yao glanced at his sidekick, then let his eyes drift back to the screen and the person on it.

It was true; the size of the person couldn't have been taller than him – he'd easily deduct they were smaller. The uniform made their gender unclear, now that he was looking, but he could see what Yong Soo was edging towards.

"Rich people pay others to do all sorts of things for them," he said. "What's to say the voice Beilschmidt heard was only someone who'd been given money?"

"Are you trying to say it might not necessarily be a man who murdered Niklas Edelstein?" Yao felt his blood go cold.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," Yong's eyes were on the screen. "I think it's perfectly within reason to believe that the killer could be a woman."

There was only one woman Yao could think of, and he could definitely say she had access to the keys.

A/N: I hope this was enjoyable to read! I quite liked writing this chapter, so I hope you guys like it! Thank you for supporting Investigasians, and I hope to have a much more pleasant week starting from tomorrow. I have no essays due next week... just reading, which is a lot more manageable! Until next time!