“So, fraulein detective, what do you make of this case, in your professional opinion?”
Seeing as she was currently sitting on his desk (since her sitting on his lap – his personal favourite position for discussion – had failed to achieve anything even remotely constructive) with a glass of wine sitting beside her, she didn’t feel much like she was being a professional. “He’s our only suspect, but only because he’s the only person we can pin to the scene. I’m not saying he didn’t do it, but the case needs work. And there’s something else – are you listening to a word I’m saying?”
He was in the process of pouring himself a glass of wine. “Ja. He’s all we have to go on, but you have noticed something else.” He smirked. “I always listen to you, fraulein. Every word you say.”
She rolled her eyes, placing her feet on his lap as she leaned against the wall. “Guinevair mentioned her having expensive tastes, and that’s certainly true based on what I saw of her apartment. But it didn’t all come from him, and she certainly didn’t pay for all of that. I think even you would’ve had trouble paying for it.”
“So how do you think she came by it?” He looked at her feet, not quite sure what to make of her using him as a footrest.
“Well, I don’t think Guinevair is the first man to provide these things for her. Running a florists, I suppose you get your fair share of men buying extravagant gifts for girlfriends...and if you don’t have a particularly strong conscience...”
“You could make a move on the richer customers.” Klavier mused, removing her shoes and beginning to massage her feet. “Fraulein, you need to spend less time on your feet.” He shook his head. “You are putting them through hell.”
“We can’t all sit around in an office all day, writing songs and reading reports. Besides, being behind a desk all week drove me mad.” She paused. “Actually, my feet shouldn’t be too bad...I was behind a desk all week...”
He frowned. Clearly they had differing ideas of ‘too bad’.
She sighed happily. “That is lovely, though, maybe we should review cases every day after work...” She sipped at her wine.
He grinned. “You will return the favour soon enough, I’m sure.” He removed a hand from her foot to sip at his own wine. “If you were to discover you were being used for your wealth...”
“Not likely, but alright.”
“...you would not be best pleased, would you?”
She frowned. “Would it be enough to kill?”
“It is all we have.” Klavier replied simply. “We may need to speak to other ex-boyfriends, though, to confirm her pattern – “
“Already put into place, tomorrow I’ll be talking to lots of rich men.” She grinned broadly at him.
Klavier gave her a look. “And we need to bring in his ex-girlfriend to confirm his activity earlier that evening.”
“Again, I’m working on it.”
“Clever fraulein.” He smiled. “Is that all we have for the case now?”
“That’s all. We haven’t found the weapon yet.”
“That could make or break the case. You have searched the surrounding area?”
“Both around the shop and around the defendant’s apartment, yes. Nothing yet.”
Klavier frowned, releasing her other foot (causing her to pout, but only briefly). “Odd. He must’ve gone out of his way to get rid of it.”
“I suppose if you didn’t want to get caught...he cleaned the floor as well.” She frowned. “You know, there was something else. She had a gun. Why would a florist have a gun?”
“She may have been prepared for someone discovering her scheme. She may have been ready to defend herself.”
“Not ready enough.” Ema sighed.
“We can work it out when we have more information. For now, we are finished with work.” He grinned broadly, making a grab for her and tugging her from the desk into his lap in one (fairly) fluid movement.
She smiled, happy to lean into his shoulder. “Mmm. I don’t mind working late when it’s like this.”
“I don’t think you can count it towards your overtime.” Klavier’s arms wrapped around her. It had been a long day – it was almost eight o’clock now, dark outside, and neither had eaten. A restaurant wasn’t really an option, leaving them waiting in Klavier’s office until they got the call from front desk informing them that their take-away had arrived.
“So long as everyone else believes that we’re working.” She smiled.
“We are working. We are working on how well we know one another.” Klavier reasoned.
“Team-building.” She teased.
“Encouraging trust.” He grinned.
“Strengthening our partnership.” She stroked his hair absently. “You know, the relationship between detective and prosecutor is the most important in the justice system.”
“I can believe that.” Klavier murmured, enjoying the feeling of her fingers through his hair.
She grinned. “That’s what Gumshoe told me, anyway. I don’t think he and Mr Edgeworth used to be this close, though.”
“I think the combination of Herr Gumshoe and Herr Edgeworth would have broken one of these chairs.”
“Mind you, Mr Edgeworth used to have a sofa...”
“Perhaps that was where they conducted their team-building.” Klavier grinned, enjoying the banter between them.
She closed her eyes as she toyed with his hair. “You really should get a sofa in here.”
“But we can bond so much more effectively like this.” Klavier smiled, gently rubbing her back. Clearly he had quite a sleepy detective on his hands. “It makes closeness a necessity, and I intend to enjoy my necessities.”
She opened her eyes, looking up at him. “So what do you want to know? Full family history? I’m not sure it’d be much fun for either of us.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Later. When we are both more awake. For now...your favourite movie?”
She thought for a while. “Probably Occam’s Razor.”
Klavier frowned. “What’s it about?”
“It’s one of those indie films about a teen who was depressed, but found meaning in the world through the application of science and maths. Oh, and he finds love with a girl in the science club. He impresses her with his mighty brain, tempting her away from the horrible science teacher who was trying to seduce her. It’s cute.”
“So for all your scientific reasoning, you’re a romantic at heart.” He smirked, filing that one away for future reference.
She smiled, removing her fingers from his hair and instead fanning them across his shoulder. “I suppose so. What’s your favourite movie, then?”
He tried not to be distracted by the feel of her fingertips moving across his shoulders. It was odd – other women had done more to him and received less of a response, and yet with her... “Sparka, Defender Of The Air Deserts.”
She burst out laughing. “Oh, I wonder why you like that film...”
“Nein, nein, she is beautiful, but that is not why I enjoy the film. Kristoph took me to see it when we were younger, and it was the first film we both really enjoyed.” He rested his chin on her head. “And it is laughably bad.”
Ema grinned. “Lana and I felt that way about Halls Of The King. It was a terrible film, but we made fun of it all the way through, it was so much fun...” It had been one of the few times they had enjoyed themselves over the period of time when she had been under Gant’s thumb.
Klavier’s office phone rang. He reached across Ema to pick it up. “Ja?” He smiled. “Danke, I’ll collect it now.” He hung up.
Ema reluctantly got up from his lap. “Food?”
He smiled. “Food.” Standing up, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded, taking his seat. “Shall I pour more wine?”
“An excellent plan.” He winked at her as he left.
She leaned back in the chair. She couldn’t quite believe this was happening. Sipping at her wine, she did wonder how she would get home. She was probably over the limit to drive now, and she didn’t intend to stop drinking any time soon. She would probably have to get a taxi home.
Not that she really cared at that moment in time. Being able to spend time with him, time that meant something, affectionate time – it was worth it. She undid her hair – it was already a mess, she may as well just let it down. She poured more wine into his glass, before moving to look at the guitars that hung on the walls. The remnants of the acoustic that had been set on fire during that fateful concert hung on the wall, a jarring inclusion when compared to the other, pristine guitars. His usual acoustic was sat beside his desk – apparently he had been composing today. He’d been very excited about this, although it had mostly been lost on her.
He reappeared through the door, grinning. “Chinese food!” He laid the tray of boxes on the desk.
She beamed, picking up a pair of chopsticks and perching herself on the other end of the desk. She reached over and took a box. “All noodles?”
“Mostly noodles.” He picked up his own box and chopsticks, leaning against the desk. “You like noodles?”
She nodded. “So long as they aren’t Eldoon’s. He doesn’t serve salted noodles so much as salt with some noodles.”
“This does not sound good.”
She shook her head, finishing off the inexplicably tiny box. She reached for another. “Ooh! Chicken!”
He grinned at her, enjoying how happy she appeared to be after just finding a chicken-based noodle box. He frowned. “Your hair...you should wear it down more.”
She looked up. “It gets in the way.”
“It looks lovely.” He reached for another box of noodles – they appeared to have purchased some particularly tiny boxes. “Now. What were we discussing?”
She tipped her head. “How about favourite books?”
- - -
Ema ended up taking a cab home, paid for by Klavier. The next morning she ensured she arrived earlier than usual, lest she be caught not driving in. She had deliberately left her moped at the precinct, even though she had been working with Klavier at the Prosecutor’s Offices.
Damn but she was cunning.
She had a busy day ahead of her – going to see the ex-girlfriend, and seeing some of the other boyfriends that Acedelia had entertained (and probably used, really). It wasn’t the best motive they’d ever heard of, but she knew Klavier could spin it well. She also knew that it was all they really had.
Hopefully she’d be able to gather enough information today to change that. She wondered if Guinevair had hired a lawyer yet. No doubt she’d end up running in to him if he had.
The addresses had been left on her desk – perfect, one was near to that cafe she and Trucy had gone to. She could get herself a coffee whilst she worked out what questions needed answering.
Her phone rang. “Hey?”
“Erm, hi, Ema, I was wondering...could you give me the address for the florists, where the body was found?”
She smiled slightly. “I wondered who Guinevair’s lawyer would be. Why don’t you meet me, at that coffee shop near the Wonderbar? I’ll give you all the information that I can.”
She had long since given up trying not to tell him things. He’d get them out of her eventually, and it was just easier this way. She might even be able to get a free coffee out of it.
She got up, gathering what she needed in her bag. It was good to get back to the practical side of the job. As much as she still wanted to be a forensic investigator, she was enjoying her work much more than she had previously. Maybe she would be able to try that forensics exam again this summer, and get a transfer. Or maybe she could fight to include some basic forensics training for the detectives. It wasn’t particularly likely, but it was worth trying.
Apollo had got them a table and coffee – “You like lattes, right?”
She smiled and nodded. “How did you hear about the case?”
“Apparently Trucy’s boyfriend’s uncle knew the defendant, he was the one who recommended the florists. He feels quite guilty now. The defendant had heard of us and he was happy for us to defend him.” Apollo shrugged. “Pity it’s a weekday, we could’ve got a discount if it was Trucy’s boyfriend serving us.”
“The world is a cruel place.” She smiled. “You know, if you want the full story, you’ll get me a pastry or something.”
He looked at the menu. “Croissant?”
She grinned. “Here, I’ll pay half, it’s only fair. I didn’t think you’d go for it.”
He smiled. “No argument here.” He took the couple of bills she offered, going up to the counter. By the time he’d returned, she had a few documents laid out on the table.
“Autopsy, address of the florists, address of the defendant’s home – although I suppose you probably have that one. Plan of the florists, indicating where the body was and where it was moved to...”
Apollo frowned. “The body was moved?”
“Yes. We haven’t quite worked out why yet. But the body was dragged from this corner to behind the desk, it left a bloodstain. Your defendant was spotted cleaning that stain up.” She nibbled at the croissant. “It doesn’t look good.”
“You haven’t found the weapon?” Apollo frowned, reading over the autopsy. “It says unidentified firearm.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s odd. We’ve searched the surrounding area of both his apartment and the florists. He went quite far to get rid of it.”
“Or he didn’t do it.” He countered.
“I wouldn’t lead with that one in court.” She gave him a wry smile. “But, then again, I’m not a lawyer.”
He returned it grimly. “I’ll keep trying. I believe he’s innocent.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” She sipped at her latte. “I think that’s all I can tell you. But – “
“Wait, wait. It mentions that the bullet didn’t come from her gun. Why did she have a gun?” Apollo’s frown deepened.
“That’s another of those questions we need to answer.” She pursed her lips. Should she inform him of what she believed, about Noir’s interior decor? “You should make sure you check out her apartment. She’s got expensive tastes. I wish I could afford half of that stuff.”
Apollo seemed mildly surprised. “Maybe you should become a florist.”
“I’m not convinced that’s how she got it...”
“Rich family?”
“Somebody’s rich family, maybe.” She smiled wryly. “I don’t know, it’s all conjecture. Nothing you can use.”
“Nothing I can use yet.” Apollo had his victory grin in place, although she was fairly certain that it was premature. “But give me time...”
It was sweet, really, his optimism. She had the greatest respect for his faith in his clients – it reminded her of Phoenix. And, really, he’d been right so far. “Right. I’ve got to be going. I’m talking to the ex-girlfriend of your defendant, and then various ex-boyfriends of the victim.” She made a face.
“So where will you be, if I need to ask you anything?”
“You’ve got my mobile, but I suppose I could give you the address of the girlfriend. I think I’ll be there for most of the day.” At his nod she took a paper napkin and scribbled down the address. “I’ll see you later, no doubt.” She smiled knowingly.
He nodded, having yet to finish his pastry and coffee. “See you!”
She rose and left, going to the address she had just written down.
When she arrived, Klavier was already there – or at least, his bike was. She strongly suspected that he was probably charming the woman inside into telling him everything he needed to know, and probably quite a few things he didn’t.
Entering, she could hear a tinkling laugh, as well as Klavier’s voice. She rolled her eyes –she could only hear the tone, but he was definitely flirting. Shamelessly. She knocked briefly on the door.
“Ah! Our fair detective. She will take good care of you, Fraulein Verrad.” Klavier smiled warmly at her, which she returned briefly, before taking a seat beside him.
“I’d much prefer you take good care of me, Mr Gavin.” Juno replied, her voice low and heavy. Ema had to use most of her willpower not to at least roll her eyes. How many times had she heard that?
Klavier chuckled, and Ema forced a smile. “I’m sorry, but our prosecutors are very busy – I’m sure Prosecutor Gavin would want to spend his afternoon with you if he could.” Ugh. She hated this game. Almost every female witness reacted this way, and she had to respond like this. They had their script almost perfect.
“And Fraulein Skye is my own favourite detective – only the best for you, Fraulein Verrad.” He winked at her, before patting Ema on the shoulder, leaving his fingertips resting there a little longer than he should.
Juno gave another tinkling laugh. “Well, I suppose if she’s the best...”
Klavier nodded. “Of course, I do not have to take my leave of you yet. If you could tell the lovely detective what you and I discussed earlier...?”
She nodded slowly. “Well...there’s not much to say. I spoke to Jason earlier that evening, I think I left at about half past nine? Our break-up was amiable...he was honest from the start, he didn’t cheat on me with her...he’s a good man, Jason, I was so shocked...I can barely believe...” She sighed. “But it just goes to show. You never really know someone.”
“How long were you together?” Ema asked gently.
“Oh, it wasn’t too long, a month, maybe a month and a half? I suppose I didn’t really know him.” She sighed. “If only...”
Ema nodded sympathetically. “So why did you go and see him that night?”
“We were friends!” She answered, a little too quickly. “I went to see him, to see how he was...we hadn’t spoken much since the break up, but I wanted us to stay friends.”
Ema nodded slowly, noticing Klavier’s response out of the corner of her eye. He didn’t think much to that, clearly. If that came up in court, Apollo would have a field day.
“That’s all? The only reason? You weren’t trying to get him back?” Ema asked, slipping into the role of bad cop (well. Not exactly bad. But not as nice.) “If some floozy took my boyfriend, I wouldn’t take it lying down.”
She folded her arms. “No. I wasn’t trying to get him back. I’ve got my pride.”
Ema raised her eyebrows, feigning surprise. “So you let this florist get away with it? You let her have your man?”
“She didn’t get away with it!” Juno snapped angrily.
Klavier had once informed her, during one of her many angry moments whilst he was in the vicinity (probably caused by him), that anger could do one of two things to a beautiful woman – either highlight their beauty, or make them terrifying. The harpies of myth, as it were – so beautiful until they became deadly. He had assured her that she fell into the former category (which had made her angrier with him, which had lead him to repeat it, which had made her angrier – on and on, until she had stormed off to go and scream into a pillow).
Juno was almost certainly a harpy.
“So how did you get her?” Ema asked, holding onto her cool. She’d seen worse.
“I...” Juno calmed herself. “Ah. Hmm. Sorry. I flew off the handle there, didn’t I?” She chuckled gently.
Klavier waved a hand, stepping into his role perfectly. “Affairs of the heart, they bring out the best and worst of us. I completely understand.”
“Of course, you’re European, full of fire and romance!” Juno beamed.
“He’s German.” Ema muttered. Quite the opposite, if one were to go by national stereotypes. Thank God they were wrong. She glanced at him, seeing the bemused look he was giving her. At least it’d registered as a joke. “So. You did get her. How?”
Juno looked at the desk. “I don’t want to...I mean, to speak ill of the dead...”
“Really, it’s our job to find the truth. Nobody’s perfect.” Ema informed her gently.
Juno’s eyes rose to Klavier. “Well, you say that...”
Ema smiled, placing a hand on Klavier’s shoulder. “Even our debonair prosecutor here has his faults.”
“Such as what, fraulein?” Klavier asked in a low voice, meeting her eyes.
“Your ego.” She replied shortly, removing her hand and looking at the witness. Enough distraction. “You found out something about her?”
Juno nodded. “Yes. The reason she went after Jason – because she did. She seduced him. She took him away from me. And I wasn’t the first.”
Ema made a soft noise. “No?”
“No. She’d done it to other girls. Each of her ex-boyfriends...she’d seduced them, after she served them.”
Ema fought a grin. Her instinct had been dead on. Clearly she was a master detective! Or a potential seductress. “But why? Why would she want to break up happy couples?” Ema asked gently.
“She was scum! She did it for money! Money, I ask you! She’d make them buy her expensive things, then sell them when she needed the money! She’d date them until the money ran out, or she got bored...but you know the worst part?”
Ema shook her head.
“They all still love her. I spoke to them. They still love her.” She sighed. “I...I was trying to warn Jason. I didn’t want it to happen to him. I...I think I still love him.”
Ema felt that tug at her heartstrings. She found a packet of tissues in her bag and passed it to Juno – she wasn’t crying yet, but Ema could see the beginnings of tears forming. “I’m sorry, I have to ask this, but how did you get the information about her ex boyfriends?”
Juno dabbed at her eyes. “Well. That’d be telling now, wouldn’t it?” She attempted to tease, but both Klavier and Ema gave her a stoic look. “I...a few of my friends. Well. Colleagues. A couple of people at work, and my cousin, and more women when I asked around...they’d lost their boyfriend, to a florist. With a little bit of questioning...and then I got the addresses from them.”
Ema nodded. “We could do with more like you at the precinct.” She joked half-heartedly, in the way police officers were meant to, she supposed. “And they were all – “
“They wouldn’t hear a word against her. They said they’d broken up on the best of terms. She was clearly very good at what she did.” Juno finished bitterly. “Will you need me to say this in court?” She asked, almost back to her normal self.
Ema nodded. “To establish motive, yes.”
Juno’s shoulders sank. “I...caused him to...caused her to...”
“No, no. It would’ve happened regardless – if he was going to kill her when he found out, it doesn’t matter how he found out. You were only acting to try and help him. It isn’t your fault.” Ema assured her. “Now, tomorrow, Prosecutor Gavin will take good care of you – he’ll prepare you that morning, and you’ll be going up after me.” She smiled. “The defence attorney might seem scary, but he’s alright really.”
“Trust in the truth.” Klavier commented, unusually sagely. “Well, then, do you need anything else, detective?”
Ema tipped her head, going through a mental checklist. “I think that’s all. If we need anything else, we’ll be in contact. No leaving the state, though.” She smiled, to show she was joking. Well. A little bit.
Juno nodded. “OK.”
Ema went through her bag, finding the sheet of paper given to witnesses. Scribbling in the date of the trial, she passed it to Juno. “Any questions, just call the precinct or courthouse, the numbers are there. Thank you for all your help.”
“Ja, danke for everything.” Klavier winked at her, leading to Juno’s tinkling laugh.
Ema waved her goodbye as she and Klavier left. “If you ever try and be that way with me – “
“I wouldn’t dare.” Klavier replied, smirking.
She returned his smile as they left. “Right. I’ve got a list of Noir’s exes to see. How exciting!”
“Surely you should be more excited at the thought of meeting a legion of rich men?” Klavier asked innocently.
Ema chuckled. “A legion of rich men with terrible judgement who are all in love with the woman who stole most of their money. So they aren’t that rich anymore.”
Klavier leaned over to her. “The correct answer is that your heart already belongs to a man rich of heart and talent.” He whispered in her ear.
“Oh, ok, I’ll remember next time.” She laughed. “You’re rich of cash as well, right?”
He rolled his eyes, opening the door for her as they left the apartment building. “I knew that was all you really wanted...”
She turned back to him, giving him a look that quite clearly told him it wasn’t his money she wanted.
He grinned. “I think we may have to stay late this evening, detective, we have to construct our case for tomorrow.”
She sighed. “You work me so hard. Far too hard.”
He nodded. “The price you pay for being a good detective. Allow me to walk you to your next address?”
She smiled, bringing the list out of her bag. “Ah, well, the nearest one is – actually, I think if we cut behind this building, then...”
They walked down the alley in between two apartment buildings, looking around to find the necessary building. Glancing around, Klavier held up a hand to block Ema’s path. “I think I’ve seen something.”
“What, some sort of urban fox? Or wolf?” Ema replied doubtfully.
Klavier shook his head, looking in the dumpster. “Do you have an evidence bag?”
“Always!” She opened her own bag, finding the relevant evidence bag. “What have you found?”
Klavier took the clear bag, moving to the dumpster. “A gun.”
She frowned. “You don’t think – “
Klavier’s face was hard. “I don’t know.”
x 
there. :D
My fanfic fanart
but yes i agree . that was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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