The aged man sat rigidly on the couch, his face a tensed neutral expression. His gaze seemed empty, his mind occupied with faraway thoughts.

The silent image was interrupted by the detective's soft voice, offering condolences to the unresponsive statue.

After a moment, the grandfather's eyes trailed slowly towards the others in the room. Behind the glossy eyes, a turbulent storm of emotions was barely restrained by the man's determination to stay in the present.

The detective, likely aware of the condition threatening to overpower the grieving grandfather, pressed on.

"Would you be able to walk us through what you witnessed? Include as much detail as you can remember and take as much time as you need."

Augustus nodded and his eyes shifted. Despite his current vulnerability, he still held himself in a way that gave the impression he was a respectable and proper man.

"Of course. We agreed to meet at Cafe Capellas, we'd go there every week since he left home..." he took a deep breath to gather his thoughts. "We agreed to meet at the cafe at 9, but sometimes Feliciano's a little late. I wasn't too worried when he didn't show up right away. He's a silly boy, he gets distracted easily..."

Augustus' eyes drifted to the side, then snapped back to the detective. "He usually isn't so late. Usually, he isn't later than 9:30. I was a little worried after that, but for some reason, I kept waiting... I should've checked on him sooner..." his voice trailed off into a whisper. The crows' feet in the corner of his eyes become more prominent as he scrunched his face up in despair.

"Could I have a glass of water?"

"Of course," the detective replied, the sound of footsteps and a door creaking followed. A moment later a hand placed a glass and pitcher on the table beside the box of tissues.

"Thank you."

Augustus' hands were steady as he poured the water, which seemed to echo around the tense room. He took his time to place the pitcher back down and bring the glass to his lips. He slowly drank half the glass before breaking away.

"I don't think there's much to tell," he continued. "It was suddenly 10, and I knew something was going on. I walked to his house with no expectations. I remember thinking he had just slept in."

He swished the glass in his hand distractedly. Despite the fresh suffering, it was evident Augustus was doing his best to be friendly and charismatic. He understood why the detectives were there and what they needed and he did his best to cooperate.

"It's about an eight-minute walk, I'd say. I had his key with my house key, so I let myself in. I called for him, he didn't respond. So I went searching for him."

Augustus grimaced. "And then I called the police from his landline."

He downed the rest of the glass in one go.

"I don't think I could point out anything you won't notice," he said grimly and placed the glass on the table with a thud. "I can't really offer insight about his personal relationships. No one who knew him would be able to do this. No one wanted him gone."

"Ok, thank you for your recount. If you don't mind I have a few questions to ask of you?"

"Of course," Augustus replied formally and refilled the glass, his posture rigid.

"Now please don't take this as an accusation, but did you potentially interfere with the scene? Did you move or take anything?"

Augustus shook his head. "I only touched the door and the phone. I didn't touch him... Feliciano. I sat by him until the police came."

"I believe you, but I still have to explicitly ask. Did you touch the wine bottle we found at the scene?"

"No," Augustus shook his head again. "Sorry, I didn't even notice wine at the scene. I wouldn't have touched it anyway, I know better than that."

"Ok, thank you. What we can tell you is the suspect didn't know Vargas and was the one to touch the bottle. We just had to eliminate the possibility that someone else touched it."

Augustus nodded and uttered words of understanding.

"We'll keep you updated as the investigation develops," the detective said sympathetically. "Thank you for your time and cooperation, I'm truly sorry for your loss."

"Well, thank you for your efforts," Augustus said as he stood and leaned over to shake the detective's hand. "I appreciate it."

To cue the end of the interview, the video came to an end. The last frame depicts Augustus as he stepped back from the handshake, frozen on the computer screen.

Ludwig wondered if he looked as tired as he felt. He closed the video player and stared at the computer, hand motionless on the mouse.

He already knew he wouldn't be watching the other videos. Not just because he wouldn't sit through it, but knew there was no point.

The other tape had neighbours and community members, none of which has seen anything. Their interviews wouldn't add any more information to the case. From experience, all they would have to talk about is Feliciano's character.

Ludwig felt it would be unnecessary to acquaint himself further with the victim. At least for today.

Ludwig turned his thoughts back to what he just witnessed. A strange emotion stirred within him as he thought about how hopeful Vargas's grandfather had seemed. It was apparent the man was devastated, but he still held onto the hope that justice would be delivered.

He felt sour. Knowing the outcome of his lost hope. Surely at some point, Augustus Vargas knew he would perish before his grandson got justice. Before he got answers. He likely expected the truth would never come to light.

Suddenly Ludwig's vision was razor-sharp, the haze over his mind lifted. He would see Feliciano Vargas' case through to the end. Even if the villain has already met their end, he will still uncover the truth and give them no peace in death as he exposes their depraved sins.

It's long-awaited, but he will do his best to deliver justice and uncover the answers that taunted those left behind for so long. When the case is completed, Feliciano Vargas' name will once again be in the spotlight, restored and avenged.

The fire was raging now, the intensity of the heat consuming him. He stood up and paced the room to alleviate the severity. There was nothing he could do now to further unravel Vargas's case. All he could do was think.

He kept reviewing the timeline in his mind, though there was nothing left to uncover.

He halted in his pacing and faced the window. Everything was so bright outside, a cutting contrast to the atmosphere inside the lab.

Though focused on the horizon, Ludwig's eyes were unseeing. In his mind, a sketch came to life. An anguished grandfather guarding the body of his long-gone grandson, unable to protect or comfort him.

Ludwig hoped the man found some form of consolation before he passed.

A small part of his mind thought of his grandfather, which both Beilschmidt brothers looked up to. Neither weren't remarkably close to the man, which Ludwig noted with slight regret. But Ludwig was sure that if a similar tragedy befell their family, their grandfather would likely be reduced to a comparable state. He too would act strong for the sake of himself and others. Though fortunately, he would be in an advantageous position and would be able to control. Being the Chief of Police and having many years of experience under his belt, he was sure to pull through.

Ludwig seriously doubted that they'd ever been in a similar scenario, and pushed it to the back of his mind. Maybe it was the residue feelings stirred from uncovering the lasting trauma of the case, but Ludwig felt like he should speak to his grandfather more. Usually, they only spoke about work-related topics in a formal tone. He was comfortable with it, but maybe now not so content with.

Maybe he'd act on those feelings. He wasn't the best at showing affection, but he'd be damned if he chose to do nothing.

A sound interrupts his thoughts. His hand acts before his mind, whipping out his chiming phone and looking at the caller ID.

"Coming back?" he asked as he answered.

"Yeah," came a distracted reply. The sound of traffic and the quality of the call indicated Gilbert had him on speaker.

"Are you calling while driving?!" Ludwig demanded. His agitated reflection caught his eye. Somehow routine took over and all his earlier thoughts about his brother that the case provoked vanished. He sighed, let out a calming breath, and turned his back to the window.

"What? It's through Bluetooth so it's not illegal!"

"I suppose that's true," Ludwig admitted sceptically, "What did they say about the DNA?"

"Uhhhhhh," for a moment Gilbert was occupied by traffic before gathering his thoughts. "They're gonna extract it asap. They'll tell us by tomorrow if the DNA is in the police system, and then we can move the case on from there. Oh, and I gave them your email. Cuz you're the lead detective so..."

"Ok, thanks for the update. I'll see you when you get here."

Gilbert started to say something and Ludwig hung up. He smirked, knowing it would irritate Gilbert. Not that they had anything more to discuss - he got straight to the point and didn't need any more information.

His phone began buzzing again and he tentatively accepted.

"Uh, you accidentally hung up on me!" Gilbert grunted.

"Yes, accidentally. My mistake."

Gilbert sighed melodramatically into the speaker. "Do I even bother asking what you've been doing?"

"Paperwork for my dear brother." he teased.

"Well, I have good news! I've got some more for you!"

"Wonderful," Ludwig said dryly.

Gilbert's cackling crackled through the speaker. It took a moment to die down before he spoke. "So do I get your report?"

Ludwig tsked as if it was such a hassle to divulge the information. "The tapes are processed, I have them on a USB for you with the documents from the previous detective about the investigation. I'll give them to you later. Anticipate them to be heavy, though."

It just occurred to him he should have the documents scanned and digitised as well. He made a note to do that afterwards.

"Ok got it."

"Great, focus on driving," Ludwig heard Gilbert start whining and cut him off. "I'll see you when you get here." He hung up without waiting for a response. If he did, Gilbert would steer off-topic and start chatting about something irrelevant.

He tucked his phone away and ran a hand through his hair. Their familiar, playful relationship made him feel less edgy after talking to Gilbert. The burning fixation was temporarily tamed.

Stepping out of the lab, he made his way back down to the now empty lobby. He had some time before Gilbert got back, so he decided he would use it to scan the documents.

Natalya was typing swiftly on a boxy computer when he stepped into the front office. Ludwig walked past her and set on scanning to documents. It wasn't a lengthy process, and when he was finished he emailed the result to himself.

Natalya was looking at him. He couldn't read her expression or the way she held herself as anything other than nonchalant.

"You ok?" she asked. Despite her facial expression suggesting otherwise, her words were always deliberate. She meant what she said, even if her face didn't match.

"Yeah."

"Ok." She turned back to the computer and continued typing. She always took answers as the truth and didn't try to pry. Ludwig was grateful.

He supposed he was alright, or at least he will be. He wasn't currently upset, which was about as okay as he could be.

Leaning against the wall, Ludwig slipped the documents back into his jacket. Feeling a little lost, he didn't know where to go now. With nothing to immediately do, he felt slightly guilty watching Natalya work. Though he wasn't distracting her, he still felt obliged to work. Gilbert always called him a workaholic, and he wouldn't deny the truth in that statement.

Glancing around the office, there weren't any obvious chores to do. It wasn't surprising, Natalya had taken care of everything already.

Ludwig decided not to waste time lingering on it and headed back to the lab. Closing the door behind him, he appraised the room for tasks. Once again, he couldn't see anything that needed to be immediately done.

He sat by the computer and realised things may be like this for some time while they wait for the case to progress. Unlike a modern case, most of the information had been gathered for him. Interviews, people of interest, the crime scene - already available and prepared.

He rested his chin in his hand as he thought about a solution. Maybe he could email Natalya asking for a list of things to do around the precinct?

Deciding that sounded reasonable, he began typing up an email.

He was about to click send when the lab door swung open and Gilbert pranced in. "I'm back!" he announced and leaned on the desk.

Ludwig sent the email first before addressing Gilbert. "Expect things to be slow. We can clean your office while we wait."

"Absolutely not," Gilbert responded and pulled out something from his jacket, slapping it on the table. "Anyways I got you a wrap! Sure, I got it when before I went to the DNA place but it hasn't been in the danger zone for longer than four hours so it's still safe to eat."

Ludwig picked up the squishy cylinder and raised an eyebrow in mock-suspicion, then smiled it off.

"Thanks, Gilbert," he said as he began unwrapping it.

"You're seriously not going to go somewhere to enjoy lunch?!"

"Tastes the same," Ludwig insisted between bites.

Gilbert huffed dramatically. "If things are gonna be slow then you can start having proper lunches again."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Where do you want me to eat? On the steps of the front door?"

"At least it's outside!"

Ludwig made deliberate eye contact with his brother as he took another bite.

"Fine then! Be like that! I'll give up on looking out for you!" Gilbert stormed over to the windows and tried to slide them open. His fingers struggled with the opening mechanism but he eventually got it. The stagnant air in the room shifted to something fresher as a light breeze blew through the window.

"Fresh air is good for you," Gilbert stated as condescending as possible with a smug look. Ludwig nodded and took another bite.

"Where did I go wrong?" Gilbert groaned and slumped on the desk. "Forgive me, brother, for I have failed you."

Ludwig finished the rest of the wrap while ignoring Gilbert's exaggerated whining as he lay face down next to him. He leaned over to scrunch up the wrapper right by his ear.

Gilbert picked himself off the desk and slapped Ludwig's arm away. "I can't believe you've done this!"

"I think you can believe it," Ludwig replied and shoved the wrapper into his pocket.

Gilbert was cut off - though he should be used to it by now - by Ludwig's phone buzzing. He checked the ID and answered, changing it to speaker for Gilbert's benefit when he saw 'Natalya'.

"I know you're not busy now," she stated.

"That's right, do you have a job for us?" Ludwig was quick to connect the sent email and now phone call.

"Hi Natalya!" Gilbert interjected and Ludwig shot him a warning glance.

"Hi. I have a non-emergency call about a nearby McDonald's. A customer is being problematic and the manager can't reason with them. They want police intervention. I'm offering it to you first, want it?"

"Say yes!" Gilbert stage whispered at Ludwig.

"We'll take it."

"Well you know where it is, I'm going to take them off hold and tell them you're on your way."

With nothing left to say, Natalya hung up and the brothers made their way out of the lab to the parking lot.

"Ten bucks it's an old lady," Gilbert heckled.

"Fine, ten bucks it's not."