Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties ❯ Chapter 34 ( Chapter 34 )

Disclaimer: I don't own the G Boys, I just borrow them from time to time and return them a whole lot happier. I do own the plot line and any other characters that appear here that are not in the Gundam Wing Universe; please do not take them without permission. Written for pleasure not profit.

 

Warnings: Angst, sap, fluff, violence, Mpreg.

 

Rating: NC 17

 

Pairings: 1x2x1, 3x4x3, 5xS, HxOC

 

Betaed by Yami_tai *snugs*

 

Summary: Sequel to Chimaera. Life in the Maxwell -Yuy household has undergone some big changes when Duo brings Keitaro home from the hospital. Hilde's wedding is approaching and the guys find there's more to this baby business than they thought. Struggling to raise a child, work at Preventer and keep the home happy is certainly a trial for both guys. Add an assassin's threats to prominent government officials' lives and both men find their lives are suddenly changed. Just how far will one go to protect the ones he loves?

 

Dedication: to all my lovely readers out there who enjoyed Chimaera and have since begged, threatened, pleaded, bribed and blackmailed me for a sequel. ^_^

 

 

 

 

"Family Ties"

 

January. 2007 ShenLong

 

 

Chapter 34

 

“Thank you for coming so quickly, detective,” was the security officer's greeting as the local police arrived, complete with a detective.

 

The detective nodded then spoke. “Has anyone entered the crime scene since you called us?”

 

“No. I've posted one of the other security officers at the door with strict instructions that no one is to enter,” replied the guard as he led the way into the residence.

 

“Good.”

 

“Would you like to start in the ambassador's room?”

 

“Not yet. I have some questions first. Can we go somewhere private?”

 

“Certainly. Follow me.” The guard escorted the detective to the study.

 

“Thank you. If you don't mind, I'd like to have the two constables stand guard over the crime scene. The sergeant can remain with me.”

 

“No problem. I'll have one of the other guards show them up.” The security guard called for another of his team and passed on his instructions. The young guard left with the two constables in tow.

 

The detective took a quick look around the study then sat himself down in the leather chair behind the large desk, the sergeant standing just behind him. He pulled a notebook out from his pocket along with a pen and flipped it open. Fixing the security guard with a firm stare, he began his questions.

 

The guard answered as honestly as he could and produced the list of all staff currently working at the residence along with a second list of all staff that had been working there in the previous twenty-four hours.

 

Scanning the list, the detective asked that all those listed be available for interviewing and have their statements recorded. With the preliminary questioning done, the detective was ready to view the crime scene.

 

The guard took him and the sergeant to the ambassador's room. “Nothing has been touched that I know of. The maid brought him his breakfast and that's when we discovered the body. I checked to confirm he was deceased then removed everyone from the room and put the call in to you.”

 

“Thank you.” The detective turned to the sergeant and two constables and spoke briefly with them before turning back to the guard. “Constable Stevens will accompany you and the sergeant back to the study and begin to take down statements from the staff. I will examine the crime scene and go from there. I'll call for you if I need anything.”

 

“No problem.”

 

“Sergeant, Stevens, if you will?”

 

The constable nodded and followed the sergeant and security guard back down to the study to commence taking the statements from the staff. The detective took a deep breath, slipped on a pair of latex gloves and entered the ambassador's room.

 

* * *

 

Chang parked the car in the car park near where they had found Nurse Brown's vehicle, Quatre pulling in beside him. “Did you bring a recent photograph of Keitaro, Nurse Brown and Duo?” he asked Heero.

 

“Hai.” Heero pulled three photos from his pocket and handed them over. There was one of Keitaro and Nurse Brown, one of Nurse Brown, Duo and Keitaro and the last one of Duo and Keitaro. “They were all taken in the last three weeks,” he informed Chang.

 

“Good.” Wufei took a quick look and seemed satisfied.

 

They got out of the car and joined an impatient Quatre and long suffering Trowa.

 

“I suggest we split up,” Chang began. “We can search the park looking for clues and ask anyone we see if they have seen any of the three. Here.” Chang passed over the photo of Nurse Brown, Duo and Keitaro to Trowa. “Show anyone you meet the photo, see if they may have seen any of them at all in the past twenty-four hours anywhere in this vicinity.”

 

“Okay.” Trowa studied the photo and then passed it to Quatre. “We'll cover the east side from north to south with the lake as the middle boundary.”

 

“Fine. Yuy and I will take the west side. If you find anything, anything at all, call either Yuy or myself on our cells, we will do likewise.”

 

“Roger that. Good luck.”

 

“And to you. We will rendezvous back here in two hours, unless you find out anything in the meantime.”

 

“Right.” Pocketing the picture, Trowa checked his watch, took his husband by the arm and steered him in the easterly direction.

 

Chang and Yuy set off for the west side.

 

* * *

 

The detective looked carefully around the room, noting the position of the body in the bed, the lid from the breakfast dish still lying on the floor where the maid had dropped it and the complete silence that reigned over everything. He approached the bed, taking in the gashed throat and dried blood on the bedding. From the bed he moved to the window, carefully pushing the drapes aside and scanning the latch, sill and surrounding woodwork for any sign of entry.

 

There was nothing.

 

Or rather, nothing that the naked eye could detect.

 

Moving around the perimeter of the room, the detective searched for any clue to answer the question of how the murderer had gained entry. The more he searched, the more uneasy he felt. There was simply nothing to be found. This was looking more and more to him like the case of a professional hit man, something that forensics would be needed to confirm. Checking the body over as best he could without actually touching, he noted that the murderer knew what he was doing. The cut to the throat was precise, ensuring the victim would die within seconds with minimal, if any, pain.

 

Not at all comfortable with the case and crime itself, the detective pulled his cell from his pocket and called the precinct.

 

“Captain?” The detective explained the case to his superior officer, detailing all he'd learnt so far. The captain mulled over the information and asked a few questions of his own which the detective replied to as best he could.

 

“The ambassador was here for meetings with the ESUN?”

 

“I believe so,” the detective answered.

 

“The residence he was staying at is an ESUN delegated residence?”

 

“Yes, Captain.”

 

“Detective, considering that this is a high profile person connected with the ESUN and associates, and that it would appear from what you have observed thus far it's a case of a professional hit man, I'd recommend we hand this case over to the Preventer Organization.”

 

The detective sighed. “That's what I was thinking.”

 

“I would assume that this man would be covered by the Preventer network for security and such so I'll place the call to Preventer headquarters now and let you know what to do. Meanwhile, sit tight, take as many statements as you can from the staff and don't touch anything in the crime scene. I will advise you shortly.”

 

“Right, Captain. I'll wait for your call.”

 

The detective pocketed his cell and took one last look around the room. In one way he was more than happy to hand this case over to the Preventer network, he had enough cases on his plate right now to deal with without another, especially one such as this involving a high profile person. The press would have a field day once they got wind of it. He walked over to the door and exited. Removing his latex gloves once he was out of the room, the detective rubbed a weary hand across his face and then addressed the constable still guarding the door. “The captain is contacting the Preventer organization. This is a Preventer case, not local police. I want you to remain here and not let anyone in until told otherwise by myself.”

 

The constable nodded.

 

“I'll be back downstairs with the sergeant and Stevens taking the rest of the statements if you need me.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

The detective left and went back to the study to join his colleagues and continue with the 'leg work'.

 

* * *

 

Trowa and Quatre scoured the park looking for anything at all remotely related to any of the missing three. They found nothing. Quatre stopped many people passing by and showed them the photograph; a couple of people recognized the nurse, commenting that they had seen her in the past, but not the previous day.

 

It was getting frustrating to say the least. Trowa hoped that Yuy and Chang were having better luck.

 

Wufei had taken the job of showing people the photos, he figured with the current look on Heero's face the man would scare off anyone as soon as they took a look at him, and that was something they didn't need to happen.

 

Heero was scouring the edges of the lake, the ducks following him around with hopeful expressions on their little faces. Completely ignoring the wildlife, Heero concentrated on searching for any clues at all.

 

* * *

 

The council worker lifted the rubbish bag he was carrying and trekked on along the footpath. He picked up the odd piece of litter here and there, muttering to himself about lazy public and their habits of disposing of their rubbish everywhere but in the provided bins. To the side of him, another worker was making his way through the garden beds and lawned area, also cleaning up after the public.

 

Still mumbling to himself, the council worker looked up to see how much further he had to go when he spotted something on the edge of the path and partially in the garden bed. “That one's yours, Mike,” he grinned.

 

“Thanks a lot, Bob,” Mike replied and headed to the bed. Bob really didn't mind picking up the rubbish, quite often he found useful things, not to mention the odd bit of money in the form of a coin or note. His best find, in Bob's opinion, had been when he'd stumbled across a six pack of beer, still in its carton and lodged under one of the bushes. Bob had enjoyed a drink for a few nights after that find.

 

He walked casually towards the garden bed, popping a few more pieces of rubbish into the bag he carried and then stopped at the large item Mike had pointed out to him. Setting his bag and 'litter pickers' to one side, Bob reached forth and grasped hold of the item, tugging it free from the shrubbery and out into the open. “Well shit,” he muttered. “Who would want to chuck something like that out? It looks fairly new.”

 

Bob studied the child's stroller he'd liberated from the garden. It was in good condition. He scratched his head.

 

“What is it, Bob?” Mike questioned and walked over, his own rubbish collection forgotten for the moment.

 

“A kid's stroller,” Bob replied. “It's in good nick too.”

 

Mike had a look. “Geeze, people these days, they chuck out anything.”

 

“I think I'll keep this. Nothing wrong with it that I can tell and with our Susie expecting her second in the next couple of months, it will come in handy,” Bob said as he studied the stroller and figured out how to close it up. With the stroller folded up, Bob managed to grab his rubbish bag and hang onto the handles of the stroller at the same time. It was too far to walk back to their vehicle with just the stroller, he'd only got a little way left to cover before he was finished this part of the park and then they would be moving to the next section.

 

* * *

 

“Preventer headquarters. How may I help you?”

 

“It's Captain Lewis from the 43rd Precinct. I need to speak to someone.”

 

“Can you give me a few details, captain? Then I can direct your call to the appropriate person.”

 

“I have a situation involving the death of an ESUN ambassador.”

 

“One moment, sir.”

 

“Commander Une speaking.”

 

“Commander. It's Captain Lewis from the 43rd precinct here, I have a situation that I think the Preventer group should be investigating and not us.”

 

“Please explain, Captain.”

 

The captain went on to give Une all the details they currently had on the suspected murder of the ambassador.

 

Une listened without comment.

 

“I have my men currently guarding the crime scene and taking statements from all staff at the residence,” the captain finished.

 

“Thank you, captain, for bringing this to my attention. I'll have agents dispatched immediately to the residence to take over the investigation. You are right, this is a matter for Preventer, not the local police and I appreciate your assistance.”

 

“No problem, commander. I'll contact my men and have them wait at the residence until your people turn up. They can continue with their statement taking.”

 

“That is acceptable. I'll be in touch.” Une closed the connection and rubbed her temples. It was going to be one of those days. Pushing the intercom, she spoke to her secretary. “Shirley, I need coffee, now.”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

“Now, who can I put on this case?”

 

* * *

 

The four searching the park met up after their two hours were up and compared what they had found out. There were no clues worth investigating. No one had seen anyone remotely matching Duo's picture, a few people had seen the nanny and Keitaro though. Unfortunately, none had seen her the previous day so there wasn't anything the guys could do.

 

“What about asking them?” Quatre said as he spotted a couple of guys by a truck.

 

“Who?” Heero questioned and turned to look where Quatre was pointing. There were two council workers putting what looked like rubbish bags into the back of a small truck.

 

“Worth a try,” Wufei said and began to walk towards the council workers, the other three following behind.

 

Mike and Bob looked up when they noticed a group of four young men approaching. Two of them were wearing Preventer uniforms, the other two were dressed casually.

 

“Can I help you, guys?” Bob asked. They were used to being approached by members of the public for anything from street directions to people wanting to vent their anger about something they felt the council wasn't doing properly. During his twenty years of service for the council, Bob had pretty much seen and heard it all.

 

“I'm Preventer Agent Fire,” Wufei introduced himself and produced his badge. “My fellow agent and I are investigating the disappearance of a nanny and child from this vicinity yesterday.” Wufei produced the picture. “Do either of you recall seeing this woman or the child here in the park at any time yesterday?”

 

Bob took the photo and studied it before passing it to Mike. “I've seen her a couple of times feeding the ducks, but I've not been in the park for the past couple of days. What about you, Mike?”

 

Mike took the picture and stared at it. “I do recall seeing her on occasion, but I wasn't in the park yesterday either, had some trees to prune.” He passed the photo back to Wufei. “Sorry we can't be of more help to you.”

 

“Thank you, gentlemen.” Wufei took the photo and slipped it back into his pocket.

 

“Chang?”

 

Wufei turned when he heard Heero call his name.

 

“Take a look.”

 

Chang walked to the rear of the truck where Heero was searching through the rubbish.

 

Whilst Chang had been talking to the council workers, Heero had moved around the truck, eyes scanning over everything as he normally did. The handle of a stroller caught his eye and he called the other agent over. He reached into the pile of rubbish and tried to get hold of the handle.

 

“What is it?”

 

“A stroller. It looks similar to Keitaro's,” Heero replied and began to tug and pull with renewed vigor.

 

“Hey! What do you think you're doing?” Mike called out when he realized the agents were going through their carefully stacked rubbish bags.

 

Heero ignored the worker and finally managed to yank the stroller out. He gazed at it, feeling his heart rate speed up and the knot of fear tighten in his gut.

 

“Is it?” Chang began.

 

“Hai. It's Keitaro's stroller.” Heero could feel the emotion swelling inside and did his best to put a lid on it - for now.

 

“Look here, you guys can't go pulling the rubbish out the back of the truck,” Mike began, but was quickly cut off by Heero.

 

“Where did you find this?” he demanded.

 

Mike instantly shut up when he saw the look on the agent's face.

 

“I found it,” Bob spoke up.

 

“Where?” Heero repeated.

 

“Over there, in the garden bed.” Bob pointed in the direction he'd found the stroller. “Why?”

 

“Was there anything else there?” Heero asked, ignoring the worker's question and preparing to grab the many bags of rubbish from within the truck and start to empty them out.

 

“Hang on a minute! You can't go dumping all that rubbish back out! It's just taken us both the best part of a couple of hours to pick all that up. Besides, it's called littering and that's an offense punishable by the law,” Mike yelled as Heero pulled one bag out.

 

Chang thought it best to intervene. “This stroller belongs to the missing child.”

 

“Ah.”

 

“Now, did you find anything else in the vicinity of the stroller?” Wufei asked, keeping his patience.

 

“No, we didn't. Just the usual rubbish, you know, cans, bottles, wrappers; that type of thing.”

 

“Can you show us exactly where you found it, please?” Trowa decided to join in seeing as how the other two were getting a little ruffled. A calm, polite voice just might have more of a result than Chang's bluntness or Yuy's glare he figured.

 

It did.

 

“Follow me.” Bob led them to the garden bed where he'd located the stroller. “It was in here.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Wufei's cell went off and he pulled it from his pocket, an eyebrow raised when he saw the caller ID. “Commander?” he answered as he moved slightly away from the group.

 

* * *

 

Une ran all the agents she currently had available through her head and sighed. There was no two ways about it, she would need Chang on this one. Actually, she would like Chang, Yuy and Maxwell to investigate, but with Maxwell still missing, that wasn't an option.

 

Knowing she really didn't have any other choice, reluctantly she placed the call to Chang.

 

“Commander?”

 

“Agent Fire. I have a situation come up and I need you and Yuy back here to take it on.”

 

“Damn! You sure you can't give it to another agent?”

 

“Agent Fire, need I remind you I am your commanding officer and this is a very important case that requires the skills of my best agents.”

 

“My apologies, commander. You are correct. It's just that we may have a break in the case of the missing persons.”

 

“Oh? What break?”

 

“We have located the child's stroller.”

 

“Are Barton and Winner still with you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then have them continue with the investigation into the disappearance, I need you and Yuy back here pronto.”

 

“Yes, commander,” Wufei replied, his tone one of resignation. “We will return immediately. Chang out.”

 

“Good. Report straight to me when you get back for a briefing. Une out.”

 

Wufei pocketed his cell and walked back over to where Heero, Trowa and Quatre were scouring the garden bed and surrounding area for any further clues. “Yuy? We are to report back to HQ immediately.”

 

Heero looked up sharply. “But, Chang, we've just had a break here.”

 

“I know. I did explain that to the commander but she insists we return. Barton and Winner can continue with the investigation here for the moment.”

 

Heero was about to object again when he saw the look on Chang's face. He didn't like it either.

 

“You two go, we can carry on here. We'll continue to search around and get a statement from the two council workers. Once we've got all that, we'll head back to HQ too and give you all the information.” Trowa gave them both a reassuring smile.

 

“Thank you, Barton. Yuy, move out now.” Wufei turned to his agent who wasn't looking at all happy and the pair made their way back to the car and Une's office.

 

Heero thought the commander had better have a damn good case waiting for them, otherwise Heero would be back in the park and searching for his missing family and to hell with the consequences.

 

~ * ~

 

tbc...