A/N ~ Thank you guys for the reviews. Some of you are picking up on some important factors and it does my heart good to see that. This case will be a hot and cold one, so be prepared for this chapter as thinks start to heat up.
Brown eyes opened to take in the swirling lights over her head. She was swathed in layers of fabric and her chest and torso were squished tight by what she could only guess was a corset. Still, she felt a hand resting at the small of her back and another wrapped around her own. Her eyes fell to take in the masked man who spun her around the ballroom in elegant swirls. The black mask hid his face completely from view and as she glanced about the other dancers who moved around them she understood that she had unwittingly stumbled into a masquerade ball.
The combined effect of the movement, lack of breath, and swirling colors was enough to leave her feeling nauseas. The dark waltz music pounded through her head as she was guided about the floor against her will no matter how hard she struggled with the man's hold on her.
He said nothing and she had no idea what kind of expression he was making to get a better read on the situation. All she had to go off of was the iron-like grip he had on her and the tittering laughter and conversation around her.
The song swelled and the man spun her about, pulling his hand away from her back, and when her weight pulled against him he let go. His fingers slipped through hers and she found herself stumbling over the steps that lined the ballroom. Haltingly, she righted herself, and spun back to watch as the mass of twirling bodies continued to dance on without her. Loneliness swelled forth within her chest, threatening to burst forth, and she turned back towards the line of French doors that led out onto the stone balconies that overlooked the gardens.
But where was Gene? She wondered absently as she stepped forward and pushed a pair of doors open to step out into the cool night air. She took as deep a breath as she could manage in a corset and looked down at the dark and sparkling emerald gown she had found herself in. The skirts swished about her feet as she stopped at the railing. She supposed that the masked man could have been Gene but why hadn't he spoken to her? And now that she thought about it, he had been far taller. The man she had been dancing with was nearly as tall as Lin!
Something at her throat burned and she grasped for the chain around her neck that had once held her mother's house key. A locket fell out into her black gloved hand and she eyed it curiously before working the clasp open. Within it was a small picture of two identical women, faces blank of any emotion, wearing their hair up in intricate curls.
"I'm sorry, Irene," she spoke in a stranger's voice. Tears welled forth and her throat tightened as she slid the locket back between her breasts. "I tried, so hard, but it will never be the same . . ."
Her hands were placed upon the marble balustrade and her fingers shook within the confines of the black silk gloves as she was forced to move against her will.
This is a dream, right? The questioned screamed through her mind as her body leaned forward and lifted the skirts around her ankles. One leg was thrown over the balustrade and then the other until she was perched atop it. Her feet dangled over the hedges that ran along the wall of the cellars beneath the kitchens and just a few feet ahead was the hard cobblestone of the garden paths. The drop was about twenty feet, not enough to kill her if she was lucky with her fall, but Mai had a feeling that the woman whose body she was inhabiting was well aware and had other ideas about the matter.
Her heart was pounding and she was trembling as she climbed to her feet and stood balanced looking down. The music of the ballroom swelled behind her and she imagined that the sound was building up and pushing her forward.
No! She wanted to scream but she had no control over her body. There was no Gene with a conniving smile to swoop in and save her. No one would have been able to hear her over the music even if she had been able to open her mouth.
Avery and Jenna had taken up residence on one of the couches of the sitting area of the main suite for the evening. They had been informed, before they had even arrived, that some of the members of JSPR occasionally suffered 'adventures' at night and it would be wise to be ready at all times to document such events. So it was safe to say they weren't exactly surprised when the door to the women's room opened and a dazed Mai stepped out into the moonlight wearing plaid pajama pants and a black tank top. She was barefoot and her steps made little to no sound was she padded across the hardwood and carpeting with a worried Rocco tailing her. He panted and whined, tail between his legs, while Mai continued oblivious to the world.
Jenna smacked Avery in the shoulder and the two jumped to their feet to follow at once.
Mai lead them through the halls of the house on a quiet journey that was only interrupted by Rocco's increasing agitation. He paced around her, cries growing in volume, and often turned back to perk his ears in their direction before he would huff and return to pacing.
Jenna frowned as the dog paused and then turned back down the hall towards them. Paused again, went back to Mai's side, and then turned once more to race past them and back into the main foyer. Jenna watched him go and glanced over at Avery who only shrugged in response.
They entered the ballroom after Mai and watched as she stood in the center over the carved word, eyes vacant, for several minutes. Avery shifted on his feet, attempting not to jostle the camera too much, but holding the position for so long was causing a strain on his body. Jenna fidgeted at his side, taking notes on the tablet she carried with her everywhere, waiting for something to happen.
There was the sound of a crash coming from down the hall and the two turned back to look curiously. Jenna met Avery's urgent expression and she rolled her eyes before she strode through the doors and back down the hall to investigate. Avery scowled and turned back to look through his camera only to belatedly realize that Mai was no longer standing in the center of the room.
"What?" he whispered, a jolt of fear running through his chest, before the sound of the wind pushing one of the French doors into the wall drew his attention. Mai had wandered outside onto the balcony and he turned to follow at a slow pace.
His nerves were at an all time high. The palace was large, drafty, and filled with ominous secrets and he felt it all pushing down on him in the dead of night. Following around a sleepwalking medium of some sorts made it all the worse.
The radio at his hip beeped and let out a wail of static and he jumped, cursing technology, and glanced down to turn the thing off.
Again, when he looked up, Mai had moved. Only this time, she had climbed up onto the marble railing and was lifting her arms as if she were about to swan dive off into the deep end of a pool. Only, Avery realized at what felt like a snails pace, there was no pool below.
"No!" he cried and dropped the camera to the marble floor below to lunge into a run after her.
"Mai!"
Avery looked back over his shoulder in time to catch sight of Rocco as he barreled into the room, paws skidding across the floor as he attempted to gain traction, with a furious Oliver Davis in his wake. The man wasn't even wearing pajamas yet, still clad in the black slacks and black button shirt from that day, and his rubber soles gained far more traction than Rocco's fur covered paws. Oliver flew past Avery in record time and crashed through the swinging French doors without care for his safety, glass shattered and fell to the ground, but he reached Mai just as she leaned forward. He threw his arms around her waist and bodily pulled them both back off the railing, tumbling to the ground in a pile of limbs and future bruises.
Avery collapsed to his knees, limbs weak with relief, and ran his shaking hands through his hair.
Oliver sat up cradling Mai in his arms, gasping for breath, while Rocco crowded him with whines and a wagging tail. Mai's eyes popped open and she stared up at Naru uncomprehendingly while her mind slowly processed what it had just experienced. Her body felt numb but the lack of feeling was quickly leeched away by the cold of the night, left in its wake was a trembling body.
Naru dropped his eyes to hers, still panting for breath, waiting for her reaction. And sure enough, as soon as their eyes met, hers filled with tears, and she lifted her hands to hide them from sight while she let out a pitiful wail. It was like the cry of a newborn babe. Her sobs signaled that she had returned to her own body and that whatever she had experienced had passed. He adjusted her in his arms, resting her head against his shoulder, and bent over her as if to shelter her from the world itself.
"Fuck," Avery muttered from the doorway, still shaking.
"What happened?" Lin commanded as he arrived on site, pushing his way past Avery while a confused Jenna followed in his wake.
"She almost jumped," Avery rambled with wide eyes. He gestured to the two figures seated on the balcony floor.
Lin wore a stony expression as he stepped forward, wanting to assist, but Naru was not otherwise aware of anyone else other than the woman in his arms. Mai had wrapped her arms around his torso and her fingers clutched at the back of his shirt as if her life depended on it. They trembled as she cried, mumbling nonsense words, while Naru rocked back and forth ever so slightly.
"Is she alright, Noll?" Lin asked. He took another step and the glass that littered the floor crunched beneath his feet.
"Physically," Naru answered quietly, curtly, and he adjusted his hold on her once more before he climbed back to his feet with her in his arms. Mai hid her face in the crook of his neck, equal parts terrified and mortified, as he heaved a long and steadying breath.
"How did you know . . .?" Avery questioned breathlessly as he pushed himself up.
"The dog," Naru stated bluntly and shuffled through the doorway and back into the ballroom carefully.
"Please return to base, we'll review the footage there, if it's salvageable," Lin muttered as he stooped down to take a look at the battered camera on the floor.
"But what about . . .?" Jenna murmured, her eyes following the retreating figure of Naru with the quivering Mai in his arms.
"Noll will take care of her," Lin assured her quietly.
Naru entered the main suite at a careful pace. His heart was pounding and any adrenaline that may had flooded his bloodstream minutes earlier had been sapped from his body leaving his arms trembling but he did not want to alarm Mai anymore than she already was. He strode across the room to the double doors directly ahead that lead to a small office and shut the doors with a kick of his foot before he set Mai down on the love-seat that sat across from a large desk. The room was empty of any personal artifacts but it was obvious the whole set up had once belonged to some family that may have resided in the palace.
Mai sat on the sofa, boneless and staring off into space, and looked for all the world like a lifeless doll. Naru stared down at her, fingers twitching, before he stepped back into the suite and moved into the men's quarters to claim the comforter from his bed. Monk and Yasuhara snored away, oblivious to the tragedy that had almost taken place. He returned to Mai to wrap her up in the heavy comforter before he hastened back out once more to start the kettle.
Mai lifted her feet onto the couch and pulled the comforter around her. Its folds went up over her head as she stared out the window into the moonlit night, mind blank of anything but the gathering warmth beneath the covers.
She had just experienced the events that led up to Florence's death. And had Naru not arrived in time she would be seriously injured if not dead. She had almost died. Somehow, she had been sucked into the past and had actually reenacted the memory. And Gene had not been present. Did he prevent such things when he guided her, she wondered, and if so, where was he?
Curiously she recalled as her mind cleare, that Florence had had a twin sister. Something she would need to look into as it seemed to play a part in her death. But the knowledge did not sit well within her stomach and she shifted uncomfortably.
The door to the study opened and shut once again and Naru came back into view with a cup of tea in hand. He offered it to her and she thoughtlessly reached out to take it from him. It clattered and shook in her grasp but she lifted it to her lips to take a hesitant sip nonetheless. The warmth trailed down her throat and blossomed in her stomach, soothing some of the frayed nerves, and she let out a quivering sigh as Naru sat down on the couch next to her. She watched as he leaned forward, elbows to his knees, hands clasped together.
"Florence killed herself," Mai mumbled quietly, shattering the stiff silence of the room.
Naru lifted a hand and dragged it over his mouth before he nodded once.
No further information was needed. They both knew what had happened. It had been theorized that she had killed herself after bearing witness to the massacre of her guests. But, Mai noted, there was something else important that should be brought to Naru's attention.
"Everyone was alive," she added and took another sip of her tea, "Before she jumped, I mean."
"Stop, Mai," Naru muttered, the closest he could get to snapping, and grasped his head between his hands. His fingers raked through his hair anxiously, hands shaking, while he worked to calm himself. "Not now," he added as he struggled with the storm of emotions in his chest.
He had almost lost her. The realization was haunting and he doubted he would ever forget the moment he had burst into the room and caught sight of her about to step out into open air and into the awaiting arms of death. Gene would have had her then but she would have been forever lost to him. They did not have a connection like he and his brother did. There would be no reflection in a mirror for Mai to utilize to cross over the threshold between worlds.
Mai set the cup of tea on the small side table next to the couch and leaned forward to pull one of Naru's hands away from his head. He obliged after a moment's hesitation and leaned back in the couch, allowing her to curl up under his arm, before she threw half the blanket over him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly and wiggled her bare toes under his leg for a bit of extra warmth.
"It wasn't something you could control," he assured her and pulled her closer.
Mai nodded and closed her eyes and took in the familiar scent of pine and tea that seemed to linger around Naru like an aura. Their combined warmth lulled her into a sleepy daze and although a part of her was afraid to fall asleep she knew there was no safer place than where she was right then. She felt Naru shift on the sofa, pushing himself into the corner, and pulled her along with so that they both could stretch their legs out comfortably. He buried his nose in her hair and wrapped his other arm around her to secure her in place before she fell asleep.
"So what happened last night?" Yasuhara asked Madoka. The woman was currently crouched in front of the couch that held a peacefully slumbering Mai and Naru with phone in hand. She had turned the sound off so there was no resounding click of a fake shutter when she took a picture.
Madoka stood and shuffled around the couch and back towards the door and said quietly, "Mai had some sort of dream and sleepwalked all the way out onto the balcony of the ballroom and almost threw herself off of it. But Naru got there just in time. Based off of her actions, we can assume that Florence actually killed herself."
Yasuhara blanched, mouth hanging open, and followed the strawberry blonde out into the main sitting room where a few others had gathered. Ayako was toweling off her hair, clad in jeans and a tank top, while Monk quietly informed her of what had occurred the night prior. Yasuhara watched from the corner of his eye as Ayako lifted a hand to shield her eyes from sight and the monk wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"It's going to be a sensitive topic today so I would advise not bringing it up," Madoka murmured.
Yasuhara heaved a heavy sigh but followed her out into the hall and back down to base. As per the day before, they would discuss any gathered information over breakfast, but he imagined it was going to be far more somber this time around. Which meant Yasuhara would be doing his best to break the mood and keep things light. He severely hoped that this case would not be a repeat of their last international adventure but things were not pointing in Mai's favor. It was ironic how they had thoroughly believed not a day before that the property was the furthest thing from being haunted.
"Are you sending that photo to Luella?" Yasuhara asked offhandedly.
"Naturally," Madoka chirped with phone in hand.
"Can you send it to me too?" he questioned. He knew just the photo album that could use it.
Unsurprisingly, it was Naru who woke first. The rising sun peeked over the tree line through the window and the light happened to hit his face first, given that Mai's was buried in his neck and hidden by the comforter. He lifted a hand to rub at his eyes as he registered all the aches and pangs from sleeping in the same position on a cramped couch for hours on end. He grunted and reached for his phone to check the time only to belatedly realize it was down in base, left on the table next to the monitors. He hadn't spared a thought to grab it when Rocco had come charging into the room in search of him. Having no idea what time it actually was, though guessing by the position of the sun it was nearing nine AM, he was certain his alarm had gone off several times unless someone had been present to dismiss it. There was a brief spark of irritation aimed at Lin for not coming to wake him but it was soon dashed by a cold wave of realization upon recalling what had happened the night prior. The warm weight on his chest shifted and he lifted a hand to bury his fingers in her hair, cradling her head to his shoulder for a moment, before he closed his eyes once more. For the first time in years he truly felt that a few more minutes wouldn't matter.
There was a creak as the half closed door was pushed open.
"Noll," Lin's voice filtered in, lowered and far more gentle than Naru was used to hearing from him.
"Hmm?" he hummed back sleepily, refusing to open his eyes. He mentally noted to have more faith in Lin even if he had just decided that he was glad the man hadn't woken him yet.
"Everyone's gathered in base, Madoka offered to make breakfast," Lin reported quietly, " . . .And your mother is here."
Naru did not respond. Instead, he took a moment to process the information and began mentally preparing himself for the upcoming day with a side of anxious Luella on top of it. Today, he thought, he would have a cup of coffee. Tea just wasn't going to cut it. He reminded himself not to be so hard on Luella. She loved Mai just as much as the rest of them and Naru himself had come close to a breakdown last night when he had almost lost her. Luella deserved to make sure she was alright just as much as he did.
"I'll be down shortly," he mumbled in response. Once he was certain that Lin had retreated from the room he glanced down at the woman in his arms and sighed. "Mai," he called simply and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear as she stirred.
"Is it time for tea already?" she mumbled through a dreamy haze.
Naru smirked before he sat up, bringing Mai along with him, and leaned forward to capture her lips with his. Fingers slid across her jaw and rested at the back of her head while she leaned forward to deepen the kiss. Naru pulled away to gaze into her eyes, now awake and alert and staring at him curiously while a blush worked its way across her cheeks, and then kissed her on the forehead.
"It's time to get up," he said in way of answer.
Mai stammered, mouth flapping in an effort to formulate words, and wondered briefly if he had only kissed her to wake her up.
"Close your mouth, Mai, you look like a fish," he commented dispassionately before he pushed himself to his feet. His shoulder popped while he briefly arched his back.
Mai watched him stride from the room while she remained on the couch utterly flabbergasted by his behavior. Her face was flushed scarlet at the injustice of his manipulative techniques and wished that she was capable of returning fire. But she knew, if she ever attempted to twist him around her finger, he would only mock her attempts with a quirked brow and a half smirk. Then he would demand tea. She snorted at the thought and stomped out of the room to take a shower and get ready for the day. Today was the day that the black sweater she purchased for her birthday would return, she decided, and maybe it would be enough of a distraction for one Oliver Davis to serve as revenge.
"So this place is haunted," Monk stated bemusedly over breakfast.
Yasuhara snorted into his biscuits and gravy and refused to meet the glare Bou-san sent in his direction. The Monk was forced to eat his own words twenty-four hours later and it was nearly impossible for Yasu not to see the humor in it, serious though the situation may be.
Naru had strode into base just as Luella was serving tea and coffee and she had swept him up into a hug as soon as her eyes had landed on him. To his credit, Naru did accept the gesture, but he was obviously more intent on reaching the table to begin discussing the previous day's events. His hair was wet and looked to be combed back by anxious fingers once more, but Yasuhara was beginning to realize that Naru did this on purpose, as when his hair dried it would fall back into its customary style naturally. He had personally never witnessed Naru fidget or lose composure in a normal setting. He was aware that Oliver Davis, though as much as he tried to convince the world, was not a robot. He had seen the man crack in life or death situations. But where such situations would have left a lesser man pissing himself, Naru had only ever been enraged. Of course, Yasuhara was not omnipotent and had not borne witness to the previous night's events.
"Astute observation, my dear Bou-san," Yasuhara added a moment later when silence had fallen over the table.
Avery grunted from his reclaimed spot on the chase lounge by the window. He was fiddling with the camera he had thrown to the ground last night, attempting to rectify the damage, while the rest of the camera crew ate around the coffee table. He cursed as a piece of plastic fell off between his fingers and he scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground.
"Were you able to get footage of the event?" John asked quietly, his eyes turned to Lin.
"We were . . ." Lin answered lowly and paused before he set his fork down, "But I do not feel it is necessary for the team to view it. The only thing it successfully documented was Mai sleepwalking and I hardly feel the emotional distress it would cause is worth the watch."
John nodded slowly and dropped his gaze to his own plate. His heart ached for what Mai had experienced and he wished such a lighthearted and jovial person did not have to suffer through the experiences she did. But he was no fool. He knew that Mai would go through any lengths to help everyone she could, even if it could possibly result in her own death one day. How such a beautiful soul as hers had been cultivated, he would never know.
"No one will be watching it," Luella's voice resounded through the room as she set a pot of coffee down on the wheeled cart they had used to transport everything to the base. It was the commanding tone of a mother that she spoke in and no one felt the need to challenge her. Though she herself had viewed the footage over Lin's shoulder not a few hours ago. She would never forget the view from the camera as it crashed to the ground and continued to film, on its side, as her son cradled one of the few people he held dear in life and attempted to quiet her sobs.
"We've confirmed that Florence killed herself and at the time of her death, the other guests had still been alive, I believe that is all the necessary knowledge we will gain from the event," Naru's cold voice, where his mother's had shot through the air, rolled across them like a cool fog.
"So then, who killed all the guests?" Monk questioned stoically with a frown marring his face.
"She still could have done it," Ayako stated darkly, "It was stated that they all ingested poison. She could have easily set it up and then killed herself knowing the deed was done before anyone had even suspected."
"I don't think so."
All eyes lifted to the doorway as Mai stood with her chin in hand, a trait she had obviously picked up from their boss, while she thought deeply on the matter.
"Why is that, Mai?" Naru asked quietly, not wanting to break her train of thought.
"She wasn't someone capable of such a thing," Mai stated simply and moved forward to stand behind an empty chair at the table and gripped the back, still distracted with her own thoughts.
"You of all people should know that doesn't really matter, Jou-chan," Monk murmured quietly, grimly, as the rest at the table dropped their eyes to the table sadly. They would never forget the Prudence Case and how a once gentle and loving woman had been driven to murder and madness and surrendered herself to the darkness after death until all that was left of her was nothing short of demonic.
"No," Mai argued with a shake of her head, "Prudence had been broken and jagged, spurred on by passion, but Florence . . ." While Mai attempted to organize her thoughts and trailed off Luella was wringing her hands in anguish, wanting to comfort the girl after all that she had been through. "Florence was depressed, faded, and no longer had the strength to continue," she explained quietly and squeezed the wooden chair beneath her fingers.
"Is this your own belief or is this your intuition?" Naru questioned clinically, hands clasped and elbows resting on the table.
Mai lifted a hand to her chest, fingers splayed against her collarbone, and bit her lip. It was honestly hard to say. She had been relying on her intuition all her life, whether she had been aware of it or not, and to separate it from what she wanted to believe was a hard thing to do. She was so accustomed to relying on it that the lines had only recently begun to come into focus.
Naru sighed through his nose after a moment of silence, and then; "Is Florence a murderer or not?" he barked.
"No!" Mai exclaimed.
Naru leaned back in his chair and lifted a hand to his mouth to cover the growing smirk that he struggled to restrain. He had chosen to startle the answer out of her and it appeared that his method had worked. Mai had a tendency to overthink things and spiral as doubt in her own abilities took hold and it was much easier to snap her out of the decline before things got too far. Putting her on the spot did the trick.
"Naru-bou," Monk admonished with a scowl
"Honeslty, Oliver," Luella scolded as she hurried around the table to wrap an arm around Mai's shoulders.
"Cheeky bastard," Mai grumbled and smacked Naru in the arm, causing Monk to let out a laugh and Masako to lift a sleeve to her mouth. The action only succeeded in hindering Naru's battle against the growing smirk and he took a sip of his provided coffee in order to give his facial muscles something else to do.
"Madoka," Naru called after Mai had been settled in her seat and provided breakfast, "Did you find anything useful in town yesterday?"
"Just groceries," Madoka shot back slyly from where she sat at Lin's side.
"Much of what we managed to find in the library and through interviewing locals we already knew," Yasuhara added to negate the rising irritation he was certain Madoka's statement would cause. Though they were usually all for tag teaming against Oliver, they had decided that morning that they would ease off a bit given what he had been through.
"Go back today and try again," Naru instructed as Luella set a plate down in front of him, "And take Mai with you."
Mai scowled as she took a bite of her own breakfast but she did not have the heart to argue. Not after the gentle support and assurance Naru had provided her just a few hours before. After years of working with him she understood that sending her out then was a way to provide her with a break to reorient her emotions and clear her head. Besides, she recalled mischievously, she had her own bit of information she wanted to look into.
"Sure thing, Big Boss," Yasuhara stated with a smile.
Mai lifted her eyes to Yasuhara and he gave her a curious tilt of his head in response, confused by the meaningful expression she wore, but Mai returned to her breakfast a moment later.
She cornered him an hour later as he offered to take all the dirty dishes back to the kitchen. He had pulled the cart over to one of the many sinks and was elbow deep in bubbles when she sidled up to him and leaned against the counter with crossed arms. He paused in his work and leveled her with a knowing look.
"I have a favor to ask . . ." she began pleadingly.
Yasu's shoulders slumped and he leveled her with a dry look before he asked, "Why do you always pull me into you schemes?"
"Because I know you like them," Mai answered with a sly smirk and leaned over conspiringly.
"No," Yasuhara corrected her with an upturned nose, "I like to prank and tease. Your brand of scheming is unsportsmen like and I don't appreciate it."
Mai pouted and dropped her eyes to her fingers thoughtfully, "What if I sweetened the pot?"
"Oh?" Yasu prodded delightfully, grin pulling at his lips and brows lifted.
"A favor for a favor," she offered seriously. It was a dangerous card to play with Yasuhara. The man was relentless and held little pity for anyone. If she offered to provide him with a favor in return for accepting her task he would no doubt request her to do something far out of reasonable limits. And if the devilish grin he now wore was any indication of what he had in mind, she was surely doomed. Mai swallowed at the look and leaned back self-consciously.
"And what is it that you so desperately require my services for?" he asked as he turned back to the dish in his hand and scrubbed a sponge across its surface absently.
Mai glanced about the kitchen to make sure they were still alone before she turned to rest her elbows on the counter top and clasped her hands together. "Last night, in my dream, I learned something interesting . . ." she trailed off and watched as Yasuhara nodded while he worked, "Florence had a twin sister who I think passed away before she killed herself. In fact, I think her death was the leading factor behind her actions."
Yasuhara dropped the dish into the sink and leaned back, hands braced on the lip of the sink basin, and lifted his eyes as the information processed. It was a heavy bit of information on its own but when he took into account the fact that their current stoic and well loved boss of darkness had recently lost his own twin and was still mourning, well, it took on a whole new level of bad luck. If Mai were to tell Naru of her findings he was certain the man would not visibly react but they all knew his heart was a deep hole of pain still struggling to fill itself. It would certainly devastate him and reopen still festering wounds.
He could understand Mai's hesitation and want to delve into the issue further but she was a fool if she thought she could keep it from him. It would come to light eventually whether she informed him herself or if he dug a little deeper into Florence's history.
"Mai," he began haltingly and leaned against the sink, "You know you can't keep this from him."
"I know," she assured him with a heavy sigh, "But I want to find out if it's important to the case overall before I go to him. I know Florence didn't murder all those people so her suicide might not even have anything to do with this case. I just want to be sure."
Yasuhara sighed as Mai latched onto his arm and set her begging eyes on his face even as he refused to meet her gaze. "We'd have to keep Madoka from finding out," he stated lightly.
"Keep me from finding out what?"
The two jumped, guilt washing over them, and turned to look as the previously mentioned woman entered to kitchen with a brow raised. She was truly an intimidating person when she wanted to be. She had to be with Oliver Davis as her number one protégé. With their hands caught in the cookie jar they both hurried to come up with something to throw her off the scent.
Mai smacked a hand to her face and laughed nervously as Madoka crossed her arms. "I may have wanted to use our outing as an excuse to go shopping for a dress . . ." she admitted sheepishly and twiddled her fingers.
That sneaky brat! Yasuahra thought behind his mask of careful indifference.
Madoka grinned wryly down at the shorter woman and said, "Locally owned dress shops happen to be a perfect place to hear all the juicy town gossip. Surely we couldn't possibly pass up such an opportunity."
Mai lifted her sparkling eyes and clasped her hands together in delight, "Really?"
"Of course," Madoka chirped, "We can send Yasuhara to the library to do more research while we interview the locals."
"That would be awesome!" Mai gushed and turned to look back at Yasuhara with another one of her meaningful looks.
"Leave all the dirty work to me, I see how it is," Yasuhara drawled and turned back to the sink.
Mai winced but knew that Yasuhara would get her back for what she was asking of him and balance would once more be restored – she would make sure of it. Honestly, she wasn't even certain if Madoka would be opposed to thoroughly researching Florence and her twin before bringing it to Naru's attention, after all, it was a common practice that he himself partook in often. He withheld information from them all the time and while that did not justify her actions, it certainly made her feel better, especially since this was all in an effort to protect him.
"I think you should stick with neutral colors," Madoka commented as they sifted through a dress rack in a small shop. A few other women could be seen flitting between gowns in the store but they all looked of higher class; perfectly curled hair, expensive glasses, and heels higher than Mai could ever manage. They weren't exactly the kind of locals Mai would expect to participate in local legends.
Mai glanced down at the purple dress she held in her hands and frowned, "What do you mean?"
"With your hair and eye color I think you would look good in dark green, blue, beige, or grey to black," Madoka answered knowledgeably. "You're so small and innocent looking that I feel like more vibrant colors would make you look, well, childish?" she added lamely, wearing an apologetic expression.
Mai pouted and put the purple dress back before she stepped back to scan the rest of the rack thoughtfully. She guessed it made sense. Appearing childish was actually one of her biggest insecurities given her round face and short stature. She was often mistaken for a tween and she had already graduated!
"What kind of dress are you wearing?" she asked Madoka curiously, hoping for some inspiration.
"I'm wearing a white gown. It's a halter dress and it goes down to my ankles. It's kind of simple but it's made of good quality silk and I planned on spicing it up with lots of jewelry ," she rambled while searching through the several gowns in front of her. "Lin's just wearing a normal suit with a white shirt so I figured it would look nice. I'm assuming Naru will be wearing black . . ." she trailed off facetiously.
Mai hummed in thought while a light dusting of pink spread across her cheeks. Should she wear a black dress? There was quite a wide selection in black so she wouldn't struggle to find a suitable option, she was certain.
"On my birthday he wore a grey shirt," she pondered, "Are you certain he's wearing black?"
Madoka paused and smiled a soft smile as she fingered a grey dress between her fingers. Grey, huh? It seemed he was attempting to branch out, if only for Mai. She was certain the gesture was not wasted on the girl, no matter how oblivious she seemed to be at times. "We could always ask," she assured the girl and reached into her purse.
"Madoka, no," Mai whined as the pink spreading across her cheeks turned scarlet.
"It's a perfectly reasonable question to ask," Madoka cried in amused exasperation. She batted away Mai's halfhearted attempts to grab her phone from her while she searched through her contacts. Mai slapped her hands over her cheeks as Madoka lifted the phone to her ear and the muffled ringing slid through the quiet of the shop.
"Yes?" Naru's voice sounded and Mai sunk into a crouch in mortification. Why did he have to answer?
"Naru, what colors are you wearing to the gala?" Madoka asked casually and returned to sifting through the dresses in front of her. She was utterly unaffected by Mai's antics.
"I fail to see how this has anything to do with your assigned task," Naru drawled coldly.
"Mai saw a really nice dress shop and she wants to match," Madoka barreled over Naru's statement with practiced ease and pulled on the skirts of a long black gown to examine the rhinestone detailing with a critical eye. She ignored the mortified squeak that sounded at her feet.
Naru sighed, the sound barely enough to be heard over the phone line, and Madoka could just imagine him lifting a hand to pinch of bridge of his nose. That boy was going to have wrinkles as soon as he turned twenty five, she just knew it.
"Did she already find one?"
Madoka grinned and glanced down at the girl who had reached out to grip the skirt of the charcoal grey dress though her eyes did not leave the ground. "She seems to be clutching onto this dark grey one for moral support," she commented airily and pulled the dress from the rack to give it a look over. It was a mermaid dress of dark grey silk with black flowers sewn into the bodice and bottom of the flowing skirt. Black mesh sleeves with similar flowers sewn in along the forearms and shoulders added a bit more cover but offered just the right amount of visual appeal. "I didn't know you had it in you, Mai, but you've got the hips for it," she mumbled just loud enough for the man on the other end of the line to hear, "How adept are you with heels?"
Mai lifted a hand and held her thumb and pointer finger apart by about three inches.
"Really? I thought you were a flats kind of girl but that should do nicely," Madoka continued casually.
"Then I'll wear grey," Naru muttered.
"Perfect!" Madoka exclaimed and ended the call. "This will look really nice on you Mai, and we can do your hair up with some of these spare black flowers they've got here. I can glue them onto bobby pins," Madoka continued thoughtfully as she lifted the plastic baggy attached to the tag that held a collection of the black flowers in the event that one should fall off. "I told you it wouldn't be a big deal," she shot down to the thoroughly embarrassed woman.
With all that being said, Mai winced when she saw the price tag. She quickly did some calculating in her head and estimated that the dress would be roughly twenty-two thousand yen and while it was something that she could now afford with a bit of convincing, it still hurt her frugal soul. She counted out the cash that she had exchanged upon their arrival in England and handed it over to the cashier, ignoring the way her fingers burned as the money left them. The dress was covered with a plastic protector and Mai was left to carry it in her arms bridal style to avoid wrinkling it.
They returned to the library to find Yasuhara glued to a computer screen, searching through old newspaper articles, and left the dress lying across the table before stepping back out into the grey afternoon light of a rainy day once more.
When they were out of sight Yasuhara slid a folded piece of printed paper into the dress for safekeeping.
"My friend went there during the day once," a young man stated as he and Mai stood under an awning in front of a convenience store, "He was caught by the caretaker but he said he saw a room full of dead animals before he kicked him out."
"Like taxidermy?" Mai questioned as she took half a step to the right to put her further under the awning while rain poured down around them. Her hair was soaking wet and she was glad they had thought to drop her dress off at the library before returning to the streets of the town. She had learned that the small town, the only other closest form of civilization to the Wicks residence, was called Moog. It suited the small and stale town, Mai thought dryly.
"Like the floor was littered with starved cats, dogs, and rats, ma'am," the boy clarified, "He said he almost threw up and he didn't go back to school for a full week."
Mai paled and glanced through the window of the store where she could see Madoka paying the cashier for two cups of steaming coffee. Charles had been the caretaker for several decades now and if what the boy was saying was true then he had left out some pertinent information during his interview. Such an event would surely be considered odd, unless, he was the cause of the dead animals. She thought back to the interview and tried to imagine such a kind man treating animals so poorly but she couldn't fathom it. It didn't sit well within her chest and she furrowed her brows in thought. An image of the koi pond filtered through her mind, crisp, clear, and filled with fat fish that had lived several years given their size. No, he was not a cruel man.
"Did he tell you where the room was?" she asked hopefully.
"He said it was in the cellar," the boy answered with a shrug.
Mai nodded absently before she brightened and handed the boy the rest of the change from her earlier purchase, "Here, get yourself a warm treat. I appreciate the help."
"Nice!" the boy crowed and hurried inside without even bidding so much as a goodbye.
Madoka stepped back to allow him to pass before she pushed the door open with a foot and shuffled out with a cheery smile, "We get anything?" she asked curiously.
Mai frowned but accepted the offered coffee appreciatively. She took a sip, allowing the sweet and bitter drink to warm her stomach, before she met Madoka's eyes hesitantly. "He said his friend went in once during the day and found a room full of dead animals in the cellar before he was caught by Charles and escorted out," she reiterated hesitantly.
Madoka paused and frowned as she processed the information, "Well, that doesn't sound right."
"I haven't been down to the cellars but I think we should investigate," she murmured distractedly as she lifted her gaze to the stormy clouds above, "and I want to speak with Charles again."
"Good plan," Madoka nodded and took a sip of her coffee, "We'll talk to Naru about it when we get back."
They hurried back to the library, sharing one umbrella Madoka had pulled from her bag, and collected Yasuhara and Mai's dress before jumping into the van they had borrowed and setting off back towards the old Wicks residence. It was only a twenty minute drive with traffic but Mai still managed to doze off while clutching the dress in her lap. It was probably the most elegant thing she had ever owned and she had no intentions of letting it out of her sight.
She didn't really dream as she slept but when the car had pulled to a stop she jolted awake, unnoticed by the two other occupants of the vehicle as they were already climbing out onto the gravel driveway, and lifted a hand to her chest. The words "It knows you're here" playing on repeat through her mind were hard to ignore. "What does?" she mumbled aloud before she stepped out of the car and shut the door behind her.
The palace loomed over her as she followed in Madoka and Yasuhara's wake up the stone steps and through the front doors.
Mai parted ways with the two under the need to hide her dress away before anyone else could see it, especially Naru, and shut the women's bedroom door behind her with a relieved sigh. She shuffled over to the large walk in closet, already occupied by several kimonos and dresses owned by the other women on the team, and added hers to the collection. As she straightened the gown on its hanger a piece of paper fluttered to the ground beneath it. Curious, Mai bent down and snatched it up to look it over while shuffling over towards the bed she had claimed as her own.
"Irene Wicks dies of consumption at age eighteen . . ."
Mai lifted a hand to her mouth and sat on the bed as her eyes scanned over the rest of the paper. It was obviously just a print out of an old newspaper that Yasuhara had found but it held much of the information she needed.
" . . . with no other living relations her twin sister, Florence, has inherited all that the once esteemed family left behind. Florence has refused to provide any commentary currently due to the circumstances and wishes to remain in mourning until further notice. It is rumored that the old manor is undergoing construction while Florence takes the reins of the Wicks Candle Company . . ."
An additional article beneath it read:
" . . . Florence Wicks falls further into debt as funds are put towards hosting weekly celebrations . . .Outcast Florence Wicks stirs up the community with scandalous parties . . . The Wicks Company falls to recent competitors . . . Florence Wicks yet to marry, rumored to be a daft spinster for the remainder of her days . . ."
Mai felt tears prick her eyes as the cut headlines continued to grow crueler and crueler as they continued. No wonder Florence had given up, she thought sadly, everyone was so horrible to her. She wiped at her eyes to prevent any tears from falling and folded the printer paper into a small square before stuffing it into her bra for safe keeping. She would have to inform Naru of her findings but she didn't want anyone else to see what had been said about Florence Wicks. She would throw the paper out when the case was over and done with but until then she would carry the words close to her heart. If she had needed any inspiration to clear the woman's name she had certainly found it.
There was so much about the property history that they didn't know, either due to negligence or lack of easily accessible information, they were slacking. Really, she should have figured that with a name like Wicks, the family would deal in candle making, it was pretty obvious. Again, she was reminded of her horrid obliviousness.
Mai slapped her cheeks in an effort to bring some natural color to her face and made her way back down to base with new resolution. She still needed to speak with Naru about what she had found.