Phew! So this chapter is long compared to last few that I have posted. The next few will probably be around the same length. I have been trying hard to stick to my at least once a week timeline but I still have some catching up to do! I hope you enjoy!
As always I do not own Fairy Tail, it belongs to Hiro Mashima and I thank him for it's use in my own creative expressions. *bows*
Gray saw the flashing blue and red lights from the police car parked in front of the salon before he read the swirling golden lettering on the large front window. He parked behind the car and turned off the engine.
"You two stay here and keep the doors locked, Daddy will be back in a few minutes." Gray didn't know if they heard him or not, Josie was staring out the window with wide eyes, watching the crowd around the building with awe. Uri was trying to be more discreet but Gray could tell that he was also curious about the scene. He slammed his door shut lightly and hit the auto lock twice just to be sure. He flashed his badge at the uniformed officer standing by the sealed front door; he must have been someone from the Crocus precinct since Gray knew every officer in Magnolia and Elm by sight and this one was unfamiliar.
The young man nodded and stepped aside to let Gray pass, inside the salon was a mess. Water squished under Gray's shoes as he walked around debris littering the floor and crime scene techs scurried around taking pictures of the wreckage. Mest and his shadow Romeo were standing near the rear of the room where there was the least amount of damage. They were questioning a shaken u looking young girl, one of the other assistants or the receptionist Gray assumed.
"Thank you Miss," Mest replied to her just as Gray reached them "Officer Conbolt will escort you out the back door and we will contact you if we have any more questions." The girl nodded following Romeo through an archway in the back wall that led to the supply room and exit to the alley.
"You got here quick," Mest observed.
"I was already out of the office and I don't have much time. Why did you get the call? This isn't in our jurisdiction."
"Crocus is short-handed because of that fundraiser thing that is happening tonight at the castle, all the city's big wigs will be there so they are beefing up security. Plus a lot of senior officers are attending as guests so we got the call for assistance; it's just dumb luck that we ended up with this scene."
"Well it could be Natsu's work, the man thrives on chaos and anarchy. Who is the witness that he assaulted?"
"Just wait." Mest motioned with his head to the archway where Romeo was returning with another man. He had dusted brown skin and red hair woven into intricate cornrows that rose up to look like horns on his head. His clothes were designer and expensive, but water stained and dirty, he was also wearing sunglasses.
"I already spoke to you people once," the man complained to Romeo loudly. "You've let everyone else leave, why do I have to stay? You should be out there trying to catch that maniac before he attacks someone else!"
"Mr. Cancer," Mest interrupted, sounding like they had been through this before. "We just need a little bit more of your time. This is Detective Fullbuster from the FPD, can you tell him what you told me about the man who attacked you? When did you first see him?"
Cancer glanced at Gray and sighed heavily, like he was tired of saying the same thing over and over again, Gray knew that under the glasses he was rolling his eyes. "I was between clients so I took a short break. When I came back to my station it wasn't prepped yet so I looked around for my assistant, Lucy, and she was talking to him. I didn't see him come in and I had never laid eyes on him before that."
"Was that when he attacked you?" Gray asked.
"Well no, I told Lucy to get back to work and he told me that she couldn't because she needed to leave. I asked him who he was to tell me what my employees are doing. Then he had the nerve to tell me his name and turn his back on me! No one speaks to me like that, I am a professional!"
"What did he say his name was?" Gray asked before he could continue his rant.
"N-something, Nabu, Nagoo, along those lines."
"Natsu?" Gray prompted.
"That's it! Strange name."
"Did he tell you his last name too?"
"No, or if he did I wasn't listening. He tried to leave, that was when we… exchanged some heated words and then he attacked me."
"Other witnesses say you lunged at him with a pair of scissors and cut off some of his hair," Mest added dryly.
Cancer paled a little under his tanned skin. "I was insulted! He insulted me in my own salon, in front of my staff!"
"What happened next?" Gray needed to finish questioning him quickly before he went off on another rant.
"Then he threatened me, we chased each other around, I defended myself by spraying him with a hose from my work station sink… I don't remember everything, I'm traumatized! I'm going to need therapy after this."
"What about your assistant, Lucy?" Gray asked. "What was she doing during this time?"
"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to anyone else, just the lunatic chasing me," Cancer responded sourly. "I didn't even know that she was gone until the police got here and wanted her statement."
"Are we sure they left together?" Gray directed this to Mest and Romeo.
"The receptionist confirmed he pulled her out the front door by the hand. Outside witnesses say that a man and woman matching the descriptions took off on a motorcycle right before the police arrived."
Gray thought about this for a minute. "Thank you Mr. Cancer, you are free to go."
"Finally!" The man exclaimed. "But what about my shop? Who is going to pay for all these damages? This is going to take a week to fix, I'll be ruined."
"I understand your frustration sir; give me your insurance information and I'll provide them with the case number so they can start proceedings," Mest placed his hand on Cancer's arm, escorting him to the back room.
"What else did you find out about the girl?" Gray asked Romeo.
"Mid 20s, has worked here for over two years and no major problems until now." Romeo dropped his voice. "Everyone said that Mr. Cancer is impossible to work for, she's the only assistant that he's had that lasted more than a few months."
Gray could believe that statement. "Is that all the information you have?" It wasn't much to go on.
"Some of the other assistants said she was quiet and kept to herself but friendly. According to them she has no family and lives with a roommate that she is close to, who is also her emergency contact but when we tried the number on file it was disconnected."
"What is her name?"
Romeo glanced down at his notepad. "Levy McGarden. We are going to head over to their apartment after things were done here to check it out."
"Try the office first." Gray didn't know why but he had a feeling he couldn't ignore. "If Natsu was so hell bend on taking this girl it has to be about a case, they might be at the Agency."
"Would he be that careless to go take her to the place we would think to look for her first?" Mest raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
"He couldn't have known that we would find him out so quickly, like you said, it was only luck that you pulled this case when it isn't even in our area."
"So we are assuming that this is Natsu then?" Romeo asked the two older men. They paused and shared a look; Natsu Dragneel had been an important role model for Romeo while growing up and it was because of him and Romeo's father that he became a police officer. Neither of them wanted to knock down his hero, but the evidence was overwhelmingly in favor of the incident being his handy work.
"I think that it is a safe assumption until we know otherwise," Mest finally replied. "If we question Natsu and he has an alibi or new evidence is found that we can at least rule him out."
"Are there any security cameras in the building?"
"Just one, but it's outside the back door that leads into the alley. I guess they thought that during a robbery that would be the most obvious place of entry, it would attract the least attention since downtown is busy even at night."
"There aren't any cameras in the street? Or any of the adjourning businesses?"
"I'll order a canvas, but I doubt it. We will head over to Seven Dragons and then the girl's apartment and see what more we find out, unless you want to check it out yourself?" Mest asked.
Gray thought about his children waiting for him in the car, he had already left them alone too long. "No, I have to be somewhere, but call me when you find out anything."
"Will do, talk to you later Gray."
Gray nodded goodbye to them and turned to leave, the crime scene techs were still busy taking pictures and gathering evidence. The young Crocus officer was no longer standing at the door, but Gray saw there was no need, the small crowd that had been in front of the salon when he drove up was pretty much gone. No one had been murdered and there was no significant damage to the outside of the building, people grew bored easy when there wasn't blood, gore and mayhem to keep them interested. Gray pushed the unlock button on his key fob and was relieved when two blue heads where visible still sitting in the backseat.
"Are we going home?" Josie asked him as he got into the driver's seat.
"Yes Sweetie, we're going home."
"Ok."
The rest of the drive home was silent, which gave Gray a chance to think about what he had just seen. He couldn't help the nagging feeling that Gajeel being at a murder scene and Natsu allegedly kidnapping a girl in broad daylight had to be connected somehow, but he had no proof. He admitted to himself that it could also be his brain creating conspiracy theories where there were none, but when it came to the Seven Dragons he had never been able to be completely unbiased in any of his opinions.
It took a little longer than it should have because they ran into the beginning of rush hour long weekend traffic but he still managed to make it before Juvia. Their home was a medium sized blue and white bungalow style house with a white picket fence and large willow tree in the front lawn. This time of the year the grass and leaves were green with bright colored flowers planted between the lawn and the double wide driveway leading into the attached two car garage.
Everything about their home screamed typical middle class family but it was far from the whole truth. Gray knew that his neighbours felt safe because they lived close to a cop, but what they didn't know is that they also lived next to someone who was at one time on all the city wide crime watch lists. If ever there was a neighbourhood wide crime spree it wasn't Gray that would be the most valuable asset, but his wife.
He turned into the far left lane of the driveway and shut off the engine, but before he could open the door he heard the rumble of another vehicle. Juvia's blue minivan pulled up beside them in the right lane, he had been hoping they would at least make it into the house before she got home. Josie bounded out of the car and raced to the back passenger's side door of the van to watch as her mother unbuckled the little ones.
"Mommy! I got a goal today at practice!" She exclaimed happily. Uri had decided to skip greeting his mother and younger siblings, Gray watched as he ambled up to the house silently and slipped inside.
"Mommy is very impressed Josie," Juvia praised as she lifted the three year old Lyra out of her car seat and set her down on the ground. The little girl immediately saw Gray still standing beside his car and let out a squeal before running towards him with her short legs. He lifted her up in the air and she started to giggle loudly. "Daddy!" She squeaked.
"Hello Princess," Gray cooed. "How was your day?"
"Lyra has an owwie." She poked at a spot on her shoulder where the nurse would have given her the needle although he couldn't see the Band-Aid because of the light sweater she was wearing. Lyra was the only one so far who had picked up Juvia's first person speaking habits which was why she was trying so hard lately to break out of it before it permanently affected her speech.
Gray kissed her light blue curls. "Poor baby. How did the appointment go?" He asked Juvia as she slammed the side door shut on the minivan.
"The doctor said Gage is now the right weight which is why feedings have gotten easier. He will check in again in a few months but this is good news, yes?" Juvia followed Gray up the driveway toting their six month old son in his car seat. Gage had been born over a month premature and underdeveloped, so reaching their goal of a healthy weight was a big relief for Gray.
"That is very good news." He opened the front door for his wife and older daughter while still carrying Lyra.
"Juvia is happy too, why is Gray getting home so late?"
Gray winced slightly, he was hoping that the news about Gage would have distracted her. "Well, its kind of a long story…"
After Gray left the crime scene Mest sent Romeo to make sure that back rooms were clear and the rear door secure while he checked in with the crime techs.
"We got a lot of photos but not much physical evidence," the head tech explained. "The water washed away most of the trace evidence and fingerprints but we did find this on Mr. Cancer's work station." She held up an evidence baggie containing a pair of golden scissors with the Cancer Zodiac sign engraved on the center pivot. There were a few hairs caught in the blades and dried blood on the sharp ends.
"You think it could be the victim's?" She asked Mest, he took the bag from her to examine it closer. Cancer hadn't appeared to have any injuries on him other than a few superficial cuts and bruises from the assault, nothing that would have been caused from blades like this. He also knew that had the man been stabbed they have heard all about it, he seemed to thrive on drama and the serious injury would have given him the best excuse to lay it on as thick as he could. Mest had a new theory about why Natsu would suddenly attack Cancer, and this one made more sense.
"No, it's not the victim's." He handed the bag back to her. "Get that back to the lab as soon as possible, I want trace to send blood and hair samples to DNA and tell them to run the results against the FPD database and see if they get a match." Natsu's profile should still be in the system from when he was an officer. "Also, dust the handles for fingerprints, send the results from everything to Detective Gray Fullbuster at the Magnolia precinct, he's the lead detective on this."
"Yes, Sir."
Protocol dictated that Crocus was supposed to assign a detective to the case since they had primary jurisdiction over the crime scene, but the fact that one failed to show up suggested that the case was low on their priority list. Mest would inform them that Detective Fullbuster believed there was a connection between this case and one of his open cases from Magnolia and offered to take it on as well, just to make it official, but he already knew it wouldn`t be a was notorious for shuffling off the petty crimes to other divisions and precincts or taking over high profile cases out of their jurisdiction. It normally wasn`t made to be a big deal except for the occasional territorial officer on either side but that was quietly managed and the hierarchy of the Fiore Police Department remained.
Mest waited until the techs left before locking the door and leaving the scene. On their way to Seven Dragons he explained to Romeo about the scissors and blood. Obvious relief came over the young man's round face that his boyhood hero might not have completely gone to the dark side, yet.
"So are we going to go pickup Cancer and re-question him? Take him to lock-up and make him sweat this time; it might help him tell the truth."
Mest shook his head. 'No, we are going to stick to the plan and track Natsu down first and get his statement. I want more concrete evidence than we have now before we talk to Cancer again, something that he can't dodge or get out of by playing the victim."
The relief from a minute ago turned to disappointment and frustration, Mest kept telling him that if he wanted to be a good cop he was going to have to work on his poker face. Truthfully, Romeo's genuineness and passionate nature where two of his better qualities, it made people want to trust him and open up about their problems.
"Don't worry kid, we will figure it all out one way or another."
Romeo slumped down in his seat. "I guess… Sir, can I ask you a question?"
Mest glanced at him in surprise; usually Romeo didn't hesitate to ask as many questions as he could. "Of course, what's up?"
Romeo looked down at his lap before replying. "How come you've never accepted the promotion to Detective? Back at the crime scene you knew every question to ask, you give orders like you are already a Detective but you stay in uniform. I've heard things from around the locker room but I've always wanted to ask you why."
Mest was less surprised by his curiosity; he knew that his job status and history were hot topics of conversation for both veterans and rookies around the precinct. Romeo would have been filled in about Mest's past by the others after being assigned to him for a Training Officer, even though they had known each other since he was a boy through him father he wouldn't have known anything about the politics.
Romeo squirmed in his seat, taking his silence for insult rather than contemplation. "I'm sorry sir, I know it's none of my business, forget I asked."
"No Romeo, it's not that." Mest sighed; they were stopped momentarily at a red light so he had a chance to collect his thoughts. "I don't mind the question, I appreciate it that you're asking me face to face, man to man. The reason I've never taken a shield is because I like my job the way it is, I like what I do and the way that I do it, I feel that I make the biggest difference this way." He looked over at Romeo again with a smile. "Besides, if I go Detective then who is going to teach the Rookies like you the proper way to do things?"
Romeo smiled as a blush crept across his cheeks. "Yes, Sir." Mest pulled in front of Seven Dragons and shut off the police cruiser. "Let's go."
Stay tuned!