Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Song of the Phoenix ❯ You Have the Right to Remain Silent ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Sooner than I thought I'd write it. I never realized how much people really do hate cliffhangers. Heh, silly me.

NOTE: A few people thought it was awfully suspicious how Quatre knew sign language. However, if you look back at chapter two, it said something about Quatre's father owning a big business, yadda yadda yadda. Well, I figured that if Quatre grew up in an environment that was so…worldly…so…sophisticated, that he would have learned sign language. Sorta like how you see many big business people knowing many different languages. I figure, why not sign language?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, nor do I own the right to evil cliffies. Please forgive me. ^_^

"You Have the Right to Remain Silent"

Wufei sat up with a deep groan. His hand came to rest on his head, where a large gash cut angrily across his forehead. As his hand contacted with it, it sent a fiery pain through his head. The blood ran in a sticky stream down his face, and he had to blink the thick liquid out of his eyes. His body was bruised and battered from crashing into the trashcans. He murmured a string of curses under his breath, looking up to see Sally standing over him, her face looked very pale in the darkness, making her light blue eyes seem dull. She knelt beside him, moving his hand away from his wound.

"I had a little bit of medical training," she said softly, and all of Wufei's protests died on his lips. As she checked his cut, he merely stared at her, blinking slowly.

"I think you should have a doctor look at it, but I'm pretty sure you don't need stitches," she said, leaning back on her heels and looked at him, her face void of expression.

"I thought you couldn't talk," Wufei stated softly, raising his hand to touch her lips lightly. Sally pulled away and stood up, offering him her hand, which on normal occasions he would have ignored, but since he was buried in trashcans, he didn't object. She pulled him to his feet, and the two turned to look at the damage done by the large and tattered recliner.

"Someone didn't want us to find something," Sally said, walking towards the pile of cans. Wufei stared at her silently…she hadn't answered his question…but, no matter. He would talk to her once they were off the case. Instead, the Chinese man turned his gaze to the sky, gazing at the roof where the recliner had hailed from moments ago. He snorted. Lay-Z-Boys did not merely rain from the sky…so who pushed the chair off?

Wufei turned as Sally tapped him on the shoulder. In her hands she held the tattered remains of a video tape. The film inside was ripped and torn…most likely from the cans. The outer casing was also smashed, and it was all he could do to keep from shouting out. He had been so close, and it had slipped through his fingers!

The two looked up as they heard the scuffing of feet approaching. The figure rounded a corner to reveal Heero, his hand resting on the handle of his gun, which rested in its holster, much like a deadly serpent lying in wait. The man's Prussian blue eyes fell to the mangled tape in Sally's hands, and then to the deep mark on Wufei's face, which was just discernible in the moonlight.

"What happened?" he asked in his deep baritone, trained eyes taking in every detail.

"It's raining recliners, that's what happened," Wufei said bitterly, unable to stop the biting remark. Sally smiled sympathetically.

"Actually, we were searching for evidence when this chair fell out of the sky," she said, holding out the tape. "But I think we were too late."

The look on Heero's face was priceless. It took an awful lot to get Heero surprised, and right now was a momentous occasion.

"Sally?" he asked, face puzzled.

Sally looked at the far wall, unable to meet either man's gaze. She took shuddering breaths. Why had she spoken? True, Wufei could have been seriously injured if she had not said anything…but had she gone against everything she had come to believe in all for the sake of a man she had met only days ago? Her stomach turned with nauseousness. She took deep breaths to steady herself. 'Work on the mission, Sal,' she thought to herself. 'Just concentrate on the case.'

Wufei nudged Heero lightly in the ribs. "I wouldn't ask about it," he told the officer quietly as Sally turned to face them.

"Is there a medic down here that can look at Wufei's head?" Sally asked softly, beginning to walk out of the alley. Wufei's hand rose unconsciously to said gash. Heero nodded to her question, and the trio began walking towards the front of Winner Apartments where all of the squad cars were located. As they drew closer, Sally noticed an ambulance nearby, set strategically "just in case." As people moved busily around them, Sally's abrupt speech was forced into the back of their mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Duo Maxwell walked out of the front door of Winner Apartments, flanked by Quatre Winner, Hilde Schbeiker and Trowa Bloom. Hilde's cries had long since quieted, and she was studying the scene outside with obvious curiosity. Quatre still looked disturbed about the events of that evening, and he clutched a wad of folders tightly in his pale hands. Trowa's face remained inexpressive, but his bottle-green eyes searched the streets, looking for any sign of a taxi, which would be proof of his sister's return. He was glad she hadn't been here during the murder…she could have been injured.

The braided officer led the odd trio towards a small group also approaching the street. He recognized Heero and Sally, and then distinguished Sally's partner….what was his name again…oh, Wufei. Heero stopped in front of Duo, while Sally and Wufei went to find a medic (to the protests of the latter).

"These were the only ones in the complex at the time of the murder," Duo said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder towards the three. "Ms. Schbeiker's the one who found him, Mr. Winner owns the place, and Mr. Bloom is a resident, along with his sister."

"Where's his sister?" Heero asked, his intense gaze studying the trio of people before him. Duo turned to Trowa questioningly.

"Grocery shopping," the Latin man said, his gaze unwavering. "She should be back any minute."

Quatre snapped out of his sorrowful reverie, handing out the folders towards Heero, who took them from him silently, skimming through the first one, labeled "Trowa Bloom." Quatre had kept files on all of his residents, and he had brought them along in case the police could make any use of them.

"You worked with Mr. Sprague?" Heero said with interest, turning his Prussian blue eyes towards Trowa. The man in question nodded, his stomach twisting painfully…this wouldn't go over well…

The tense atmosphere was broken as another squad car pulled up, and Lucrezia Noin and Zechs Merquise stepped out, immediately walking over to the group of officers and civilians…and suspects.

"Lu!" Duo called, slinging and arm in a friendly gesture over Noin. "You are just the gal I wanted to see. Do ya think you and Zechs could run another search through apartment 12…we could use a new set of eyes checking it over." Zechs and Lucrezia shared a glance, before nodding and walking away as quickly as they had come. Trowa narrowed his eyes…but his insides were churning.

'Why do they suspect me?' Trowa thought to himself, clenching his fists that hung at his sides. His head whipped up, however, when he heard a car pull up. The yellow paint betrayed the fact that it was a taxi, and he watched his sister walk out. Her violet eyes were wide as she took in all of the police cars surrounding the building.

"Trowa!" she called, spotting the group. The flat soles of her tennis shoes flapped against the pavement as she ran towards him, balancing a grocery bag on one hip. The brown bag bounced dangerously, and Trowa relieved her of the burden as she drew up in front of him.

"What's going on?" she asked him, placing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Someone's been murdered," he told her softly, studying her reaction.

"Oh," she replied in a whisper, her hand flying to her throat in shock, and then much softer. "What's happening…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wufei scowled as the medic fussed over the cut on his head, applying antiseptic liberally. The Chinese man fought against the urge to wince. He bit back a growl as he heard his partner's quiet laughs.

"How can you be laughing?" he asked her incredulously. "We were this close to the answer to this murder, and it slipped through our fingers."

"I know," she said, the side effects of her laughter still echoing in her voice. "I'm sorry, Wufei."

He 'humphed' with indignation, "You should be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Look at this," Heero called to his partner from behind a laptop computer which was resting on his lap. The braided man walked over to him, making certain to keep an eye on the small group they had been watching.

"Is that," Duo began but was cut off by Heero.

"Trowa Bloom's crime record. It appears Mr. Bloom has only been accused of petty shoplifting crimes in his past history," the stoic man stated.

"What was the stuff he stole? Jewelry, perfume, clothes…?" Duo trailed off.

"Surprisingly enough," Heero admitted, "it's none of those. Every count against him was for thievery of food."

"Duo! Heero!" a voice called, and the two turned to see Zechs and Noin approaching them. Zechs was clutching a zip lock bag tightly in his hands, the clear covering slightly smeared with blood. Heero's blue eyes narrowed.

"This was found in room 12," the blonde man told them, but Heero had his handcuffs out before the sentence was complete.

"Trowa Bloom, you are under arrest for the murder of Jason Sprague," the man droned. "You have the right to remain silent…" Trowa didn't hear the Miranda Rights as his hands were being bound.

"Trowa!" Catherine called in fright, rushing towards her brother. She glared at Heero coldly.

"What are you doing?! Trowa didn't do anything, let him go!" she cried, growing hysterical. "Trowa!!"

"I think you have the wrong person," Quatre said, speaking up against the officers alongside Catherine. "Trowa could never do something like that, you need more evidence…"

"They found this knife in his fucking room!" Duo said, angry at all of the commotion that was going on around him and holding up the bag with the bloody weapon."

"What's going on here!" Wufei demanded as Sally and him approached the scene of all the chaos.

"We're just arresting the suspect here," Duo said testily, glaring at Wufei. "It's not in your rights to demand things from me, either."

Sally grabbed Wufei's arm before he could lunge at Duo. Heero put Trowa in the back of the squad car, climbing into the drivers seat while Duo rode shotgun. Hilde and Quatre clutched onto the now sobbing Catherine to keep her from chasing after them. Zechs and Lucrezia had gone somewhere quieter where they could report to Une on Zechs's cell phone.

Sally had pulled Wufei away from Catherine and the two attempting to comfort her. The Chinese man was glaring at her the whole time, so she spoke quickly to amend herself.

"Trowa was with Duo when the attack against you was preformed," Sally whispered, her eyebrows knit in confusion and contemplation.

"He may have an inside accomplice," Wufei suggested, turning to his partner.

"True," she admitted, "but why was the knife still bloody? It took awhile for Zechs and Lucrezia to find the knife so it must have been hidden well."

Wufei nodded, agreeing. "And why would you hide a knife, but not clean the blood."

"It doesn't make sense," they both thought.

So did that mean the murderer was still out there?