A/N: Hello, everyone! I hope everyone's had a good week! Mine began a little rough, because I've had this particularly nasty cough (and then I got an eye infection... which I'm still dealing with but it's much less painful now...)- in other words, I've just been ill this entire week and struggling to keep my life going, aha! I'm feeling much better, though! I've managed to eat an entire bag of chocolate raisins, and it's rather painful just thinking about it... I love them so much!

I went to a chocolate festival yesterday, and there was a chocolate fountain where you basically got a cup of chocolate, strawberries, marshmallows, a brownie and a flake... It was so delicious, despite the hour and a half wait... Worth it, too... I was also thinking of starting to scrapbook- I think I need something creative to keep my mind preoccupied from time to time!

Anyway, without further ado, the next chapter is here!

Chapter 18

Yao had never run towards the Old Civic so quickly. After considering the actual build of the character caught on tape, he needed to let Mei know their findings. Had she been correct this entire time, with her decision to follow Hédeváry? Had Mei endangered herself that night? He had no idea, but she deserved to know the truth, rather than aimlessly throw herself into another dangerous situation of tailing Elizabeta late into the night. Yao was all about the protection of each Investigasian. As much as he would've denied it, around ten days ago, Mei was just as much a part of the group as he was. He had come to respect and regard her as a formal member. That was why he had been so bothered about the idea of Beilschmidt being in her house.

Any potential threat to an individual under his watch was a threat to Yao's authority and position. He believed himself blameful if anything were to happen to any of them.

He was about to start the car when he noticed Yong Soo wasn't present. Desperately, he glanced around, only to see his sidekick battle his way out to the front of the music theatre, and dash across the parking lot towards the Old Civic. He winced as a car halted to a stop and blared its horn, the young man's eyes widening as he skipped across the road towards his car. Yao was tempted to drive away, to abandon him to his shame and pretend he didn't know such a fool, however, he allowed a tight frown of pity to spread across his face as he stared Yong Soo down.

"Where were you, aru?" he demanded, as his sidekick slid into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind him.

"I thought I'd at least hand the keys back to Edelstein," Yong Soo huffed. "Since you suddenly went on a mad rush, Aniki. He has every right to know when we arrive and when we leave."

"Fine," he didn't wait for the student to put on his seatbelt, but instead set off driving down the road, determination pulling him along. "We're going to Mei's house, by the way."

"You know, this is probably the reason she never told you where she lived," Yong sighed. "She didn't want you driving wildly around her street almost every day."

"This is a special occasion, aru," he snapped. "She needs to know our findings."

"Couldn't you just call her?" Yong asked.

"I could," Yao scowled. "But she might want to discuss things, and I personally don't like doing that over the phone. Anyone could be listening into a phone conversation; you just never know these things."

"Right," his assistant was unconvinced, but he chose to ignore him.

The Old Civic ploughed through the city, until it finally broke free from the traffic. He could guess Mei would be home. Their analysis of the film had taken them long enough, and it had already gone five. She usually took the train home, so Yao expected her to be there before them. He took the windy path down to the small cottage she lived in and parked the car where he'd left it last time. The little house looked lonely, hidden amongst trees and shrubs, but the overgrown look was somewhat appealing to him. He could envision himself living in something like this.

Stepping out of the car, Yao let it swing shut, just as Yong Soo copied his movements, leaving the Old Civic. With a flick of the keys, the lights flashed and it was locked. He drew his coat a little closer to himself and strolled up the pathway, boots crunching on the sandy, gravelly path and the dead leaves that had long drifted down since the passing of autumn. Snow was struggling to stay. It wasn't quite cold enough that it could settle, but he knew it was coming soon. His breaths were hot plumes in the air. He stopped at the front door and knocked.

There was a long pause. Yao peered around to see if there were any signs of life, but there appeared to be none. Was it possible Mei wasn't home yet? He checked his watch. It was twenty to six. It was in his full belief that Mei should've been back from work again. He tried the door again. She didn't have a doorbell. More waiting followed, and yet, no one answered the door. Was Gilbert not in?

"I think she's out," Yong Soo commented. "Not sure about Beilschmidt…"

Yao began to worry. Although they had already proved time and time again that it couldn't possibly be Gilbert who was the murderer, he still couldn't get the thought that he was a dangerous individual out of his mind. He knocked again, just be safe.

"Aniki, she's not in," Yong Soo sighed.

"I'm just making sure, aru," he grumbled, just as the door opened a crack to reveal Gilbert's red eyes peering back. "Oh?"

"Oh, it's just you, Detective," he swung door wide open and ushered them inside.

The house was a changed place. The familiar clutter had been cleared away completely. Gilbert Beilschmidt had gutted the rubbish out and organised everything accordingly. Mei's house had become very much like his, impersonal yet professional. Yao wasn't sure what to think of it. Even the smell of flowers in the air had been replaced by some kind of air freshener, and Beilschmidt seemed to have left a few of the back windows open. However, it really was just Gilbert in the house. There was no sign of Mei.

"I'm not opening the door recently," Gilbert admitted, guiding them into the kitchen. "I worry that, one day, I'll swing open the door and it'll be the police or even the henchman standing on the other side."

"Why did you open it, then?" Yong Soo asked.

"I was listening near the door after I heard you knock," Gilbert frowned. "I wasn't sure how to identify who was on the other side without being seen myself, something I really can't risk right now. However, since I'm awesome, I came up with the idea for voice recognition. This house isn't very thick; you can hear outside noise really easily. I recognised Mr Detective's voice."

"Mr Wang, aru," Yao corrected.

"Ah, right, Mr Wang," his German routes almost made it seem like he was saying 'Vang', but Yao didn't mind. He thought it best to stay on formal terms with Beilschmidt rather than befriend him. "Anyway, what brought you here? I wasn't expecting anyone to come by."

"That's because we didn't call in, aru," he said. "Where's Mei?"

"Mei?" he blinked. "Mei's out."

"When will she be back?" he asked, glancing out the window, half expecting her to be irritably running down the drive.

"It's a woman's tea thing," Beilschmidt pulled a face. "So I can't be sure, really…"

"A woman's tea thing?" Yao glanced at him incredulously. "What's that?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure – a tea party, I guess?" Gilbert shrugged. " She was quite vague... Hey, it wasn't awesome enough for the awesome me to enquire into. Do you two want drinks? I assume this is urgent enough for you to wait her out."

"I'm fine," Yao said. "Do you even know where she is, aru?"

He noted how Gilbert Beilschmidt had become suddenly confident, now that he was no longer under suspicion. His relaxed body language told Yao he was making himself too comfortable in Mei's house.

"With Elizabitch," he scowled, then nervously chuckled. "Sorry, I really don't like her at all, but at least the feeling's mutual… She came in really late and told me she was going round Elizabeta's house. They're having tea and cake; I think that's what she said."

"She's at Elizabeta's house?" Yao felt his blood run cold.

"Yeah, why?" Gilbert made himself coffee.

"Coincidence," Yong Soo stepped in, before Yao could speak. "We were just heading over there. Funny how things turn out."

Gilbert snorted. "You came out all this way for nothing. Ja, she's at Elizabeta's house. Tea and cakes. Maybe you'll get there in time?"

"Maybe," Yong Soo nodded, grasping at Yao's shoulder. "Come on, Aniki."

"That's right, aru," he nodded firmly, snapping back into reality. "We can't waste another minute. Thanks, Mr Beilschmidt."

"Just Gilbert," he called out after them. "Have fun, I guess?"

Yao slammed the door shut behind him and hurried along the path to the Old Civic. He was gutted at how quickly fortunes had changed. Mei seemed to be unconsciously throwing herself into the quicksand in the past few days, and it had really put Yao on edge. It would take ages for Yao to reach Roderich and Elizabeta's house. He desperately hoped the pair of them would make it in time.

"My phone," he told Yong Soo, holding out the device. "Call her."

"Are you sure?" Yong's eyes widened. "What if Hédeváry's stalling for the best moment to attack? She might want to draw it out, put Mei in a comfortable environment. Calling may only alert her to our arrival."

"I don't care, aru," Yao replied. "I need to make sure Mei's alive."

"Alright, then," his sidekick called her number and waited.

There was a tense pause as Yao swung out onto the main road and began speeding along. He kept anxiously glancing at Yong Soo, noting the impassive expression on his face.

"Disconnected," Yong Soo grimaced. "She's evidently not in a talkative mood."

"That, or she's dead and Elizabeta hung up, aru," Yao snapped.

"That's only suspicious," the young man replied. "Trust me when I say it was Mei who disconnected the call."

Although reluctant, Yao finally conceded. He gave his approval with a short nod, but continued down the road in a crazed manner, eager to cut down the amount of time it took to get to their destination. In no way would he ever allow a false sense of security blanket him. From now on, Yao would make sure Mei never went into the danger alone. He didn't want to find something had happened to her.

In the distance, he heard the wailing of a police siren and raised his eyes to the rear view mirror. A car was flashing its red and blue lights, aimed towards them, and rounded them off to the side of the road. Yao groaned, but complied, choosing not to get on the bad side of the cops. It only made investigating more miserable, and getting past Officer Arsehole was bad enough. His groan became increasingly louder and more inside his head to see Officer Kirkland step out of the police car and lightly tap at the driver's window with an indolent knuckle.

Wearing the fiercest of scowls he could muster, Yao rolled down the window and watched mock surprise appear on the policeman's face.

"What? Yao Wang?" his voice was laced with fake astonishment. "Never in a million years did I expect you to be speeding down the road, breaking the law."

He leant out of the window, desperate. "I don't have time for this, Arthur."

"That's Officer Kirkland to you, civilian," Arthur began writing down a note on a ticket. "I might have to give you a speeding fine for such insolence, really…"

"Fine, do it – just do it quickly," Yao said.

Arthur's smug expression became suddenly sullen. "Whatever. A hundred quid and three penalty points, since you're so eager. Expect something in the mail in the next two weeks or so. If you fail to pay, you could end up in a court case, and I most certainly will pick you up on this again if I catch you speeding. It would be difficult to host a crooked detective agency without a driver's license..."

Bitterly, Yao pinched the ticket from the policeman's fingers. Out of all the people it had to have been, it was, of course, Arthur.

"On your way now," Arthur smiled thinly. "And remember – no speeding!"

Yao nodded as he rolled up his window and slid past the police car. He checked himself quickly, before matching his pace to the rest of the cars on the road. Yong Soo wore a grimace, and Yao couldn't help but look in the rear view mirror every now and then, just to see the self-satisfied look of the driver behind him. Unfortunately, it stayed that way for a considerable amount of time. The positioning of Mei's house in relation to Edelstein's meant he had to drive through the city and, as a result, battle his way through the six o'clock traffic. With a dismal sigh, he let the ticket flutter into Yong Soo's lap.

"Do with it what you like," he complained. "I'm just done, aru."

"At least it's not Monday," Yong Soo had replied, an attempt to be helpful that only grated on Yao instead.

They spent the next forty-five minutes or so deadlocked in busy traffic. He managed to crawl out the other side eventually, and even then movement wasn't speedy due to the amount of cars on the road. However, he escaped Officer Kirkland. He wasn't prepared to risk the art of speeding again. Yao wasn't even sure he could pay the one hundred pound fine given. Thoughts like that only made him the gloomier, so he tried not to relish too much in them.

If Elizabeta had planned to kill Mei tonight, then they were possibly too late. His heart lurched at the thought. Yao didn't want to think his careless actions had led Mei to an early demise. Combined with boundless pride, Mei's lack of caution had walked her straight into the enemy's house. If they happened to be too late, Yao would do all within his power to make sure her sacrifice wasn't worthless.

He swung into Roderich Edelstein's fancy drive and leapt out of the car. For once, Yao didn't bother locking the doors. It was such an impressively private estate that anyone entering would be spotted within moments. Besides, compared to the expensive cars sitting beside it, the Old Civic was hardly worth chancing a glance at. He grabbed the door knocker and repeatedly hammered on it for three seconds straight.

"Aniki, calm," Yong Soo hurried to his side, anxious young face turned towards the door and what was potentially on the other side.

He was just reaching for the door again when a harassed Elizabeta Hédeváry answered the door. He watched her wild green eyes widen in surprise, only to then soften and be replaced by mild curiosity.

"Detective Wang?" she opened the door wider for him. "Is everything OK?"

Storming in, he glanced around the house. "I heard Mei was here?"

"Mei?" she chuckled. "Yes, Mei's here, but why are you so anxious? Has something happened?"

Yao stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards the owner of the house. She was dressed formally, ready to go out, it seemed, with her hair and makeup done. There was an amused expression dancing in her eyes, and her mouth was quirked into near laughter. Was she laughing at him because she already knew his intentions; because she was aware of what had truly happened to Mei? Or was this just bemusement at another's erratic behaviour? Yao suddenly felt a fool, so shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and attempted to look aloof.

"Where's Roderich, aru?" he asked calmly.

"Roderich's at the music theatre," she said. "He's been there all day, busy with arrangements for tonight's concert. He's actually dropping by at eight to come pick me up. Why?"

"Ah, was just wondering," he continued to glance around.

"You're an idiot, you know that, right?"

He stopped and turned, to see Mei standing in the doorway. Rather than pleased to see him, she looked annoyed. That was never a good sign, considering she usually only became less inclined to communicate with him as time progressed. He tried to ward off any anxiousness, but the judgemental, cold stare was not comforting.

"I was only wondering…" he admitted. "You weren't home, aru."

"You tried to call me," she scowled. "Whatever happened to texting? Why am I going to answer your calls when I'm having a perfectly good time with Elizabeta?"

Lost for words, Yao only offered a mere shrug.

"Whatever," she sighed. "Your journey here is wasted. I drove here in Kiku's car and I intend to return it by the end of the day."

"Ah, right, well…" Yao shifted from foot to foot.

"I feel terrible," Elizabeta said melodically. "Having come out all this way, only to have to go back! How about, when Roderich comes, you come to the music theatre with us and watch the show?"

"The show?" Yao blanched. "I'm afraid we haven't bought tickets for that."

"It's fine," she waved a hand. "There's spare VIP seats. Roderich might not be too pleased, but think of it as a token of my gratitude; for taking on our case, and looking into his father's death."

Yao couldn't believe what he was hearing. Could the woman who had murdered Niklas Edelstein be offering them free tickets to her fiancé's show? When he, Yao, had shown such suspicious behaviour that inclined towards her? Elizabeta Hédeváry confused Yao. Maybe that was why she was potentially such a dangerous individual?

"He's honestly been very ratty about that recently, but I'm glad he's getting back into the music," she continued, oblivious to the hurricane of mad thoughts swirling around his head. "It always makes him a calmer person. He loves the music, so I'm hoping it'll bring a part of him back that… ebbed when Niklas… when he died."

"Of course we'll come," Mei said excitedly, equally unaware to what was going on beneath the surface.

"When did you say Roderich would be getting here?" Yao asked tiredly.

"Eight," she replied.

That gave them two hours before the client had even arrived. Yao wondered if Elizabeta truly was the killer. A significant portion of evidence was pointing towards her, yet not enough for Yao to be flinging accusations in her face. He was bothered by something, though. It had been on his mind for quite some time, and it felt appropriate to bring it up whilst he was present.

"Miss Hédeváry, I was just wondering what time Roderich left the party…" he rocked on his heels, anxious that she should take offence similar to as he did.

Her green eyes flitted towards him. He watched her mouth stiffen and her entire body tense. However, she took it rather gracefully, allowing her demeanour to become quickly relaxed once more, smiling with ease.

"Actually, Detective Wang, can we save this for tomorrow morning?" her tone was friendly, pleasant, even, but the underlying warning was noticeable. "After all, this is an important day in Roderich's career, and I don't want anything to dampen his mood."

All eyes were on him. Her refusal was blatant. But it meant nothing.

Yao managed an easy-going smile. "That's perfectly understandable, Miss Hédeváry."

This woman possibly a murderer. The look on her face was innocent, a mask that could fool anyone.

"It wasn't anything urgent, anyway."

Yao wasn't fooled.

A/N: That's all for this week! I'm sorry if it seems a little slack, and it's a little late... but it's here! I really hope it doesn't seem like nothing's happening, but this case has just been full of ups and downs! I don't want it to drag on but, equally, I don't want to rush it out- I want everything to make sense in the end! Thank you for patience and until next time! If you want to leave a review, please do so! I love reading and replying to what everyone has to say!