[FIC] Deal-breaker Chapter 4

[kikotei]

Oh dear god! I finished a chapter. And it only took 6 months this time. ^_^ I just need to get new glasses so I won't get a migraine everytime I sit down to type. Needless to say pen and paper have been my friends the last few month. Also, I need Deal-breaker iconage. Seriously. 

Pr0n soon. We swears it.

Title: Deal-breaker

Author: Amy

Email: deathscythehellcustom@yahoo.com

URL: http://www.kikotei.net/

Series: Chapter 4/?

Rating: NC-17 Overall

Pairings: 2+1, eventual 1x2x1

Category: 1st Person POV, AU, Crossover

Warnings: Adult Themes, Homicide, Supernatural

Summary: An investigation gone to hell. Literally.

Notes: Crossover, fusiony thing with ‘The Dresden Files’ novels.

 

 

Deal-breaker

Chapter 4


"Similar, yes, but there are some small differences. Whether those mean anything yet, I’m not sure." Heero frowned at the now substantial pile of case folders. "I'd like to try looking at the details on this one new case."

 

"Yeah, I want to go through this one first before we start digging in. Personally I think we need to treat this as an isolated death until we find a signature."

 

Heero crumpled the wrapper from his sandwich, which I picked up for him because I'm a nice guy like that, then very meticulously cleaned his hands before reaching for the folder for today's corpse. And I just oh-so-innocently continue to polish off Heero's fries. Okay, so there was an ulterior motive, but he doesn't need to know that.

 

"The victim, Franklin Margoline, was last seen leaving the "Paradiso" sometime between 12:45 and 1:00 this morning."

 

"That’s the drug hole dive of a club on Lexington and Peachtree, right?"

 

Heero raises an eyebrow at that one. Perhaps I never cease to amaze him with my knowledge of all the dens of iniquity in the city. More likely it's amazement that I've made it out of those places alive. Honestly, where's the trust. Actually, I've become familiar with some of the seediest places around because what's left of the magically inclined community gravitate to the deep dark anonymity of those places. And in this day and age some of the more obscure and dubiously legal ingredients of basic spell work are best bought on the black market.

 

"Correct. The body was then discovered at approximately 1:30 am by a road maintenance crew on 12^th as they were coming back from break."

 

"That’s the other side of the city and a fair chunk of the 'burbs! That's," I start counting with my hands, "more blocks than I have fingers." I wiggle said fingers at Heero and try to look adorably befuddled.

 

"Seriously, Duo. How can a person make it that far in such a narrow window of time? I don’t think it would be possible even by car at that late of an hour."

 

I know a couple of ways, but they’re not the kinda things I would share with Heero. "Maybe the witnesses got the time wrong, after all most of them were probably well past wasted by then. Do we have the shuttle records for the city? Not the most efficient way to dump a body, but I can’t think of anything else that could travel that far that fast."

 

"Apparently the detectives checked that. They found nothing scheduled for that time period, and no reports of unregistered flights in the area."

 

"Maybe we should check ourselves, just to be sure. A request from the Preventers office might make tongues a little looser."

 

Heero nods briefly at the suggestion before getting up from his worktable. "We’ll send the request on our way out."

 

"Where are we going?"

 

"Preventers Medical. Let’s see what Dr. Andwer has to say about the body."

 

-------------------

 

Preventers Medical Examiners office gets no action unless something blows up. Most agents try to avoid the whole body count thing. Heero and I have trouble with that. Avoiding the body count, that is. For some reason we seem to get a rather large proportion of the tougher cases, the kind that usually end with something going up in a huge ball of flame. We've become rather well acquainted with the people in this branch of Preventers.

 

"You're out of luck today, gentlemen."

 

"How so, Pete?" I like Pete Andwer. He's a pretty cool guy for a doctor that messes with dead bodies all day, though he’s a bit of a smart-ass sometimes. Although he's got more self control that I do; I can't seem to shut my mouth when I really should.

 

"I can't find a cause for you, at least not yet. So far everything we've checked just says the boy dropped where he stood." I notice out of the corner of my eye that Heero is watching Pete's fingers as they tap in an arrhythmic pattern on the occupied slab. And obvious sign even if you didn't know the man that he was annoyed at the lack of progress. Or maybe he's just staring at the dead body, with Heero I can never be quite sure. "No heart attack; much less family history. There's also no bruising or obvious sign of what killed him. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that the city ME’s estimate for time of death is accurate enough."

 

"Any possibility that drugs or alcohol played a part in his death?" Heero is starting to sound a bit annoyed himself.

 

"That would be the easy answer. Margoline was a pretty heavy user, but the preliminary tox screens don't show any signs of overdose as the cause. And there are no signs on the body that he used prior to death."

 

"Let us know if you find anything useful." With that Heero made for the door and I was left to give Pete a helpless shrug, wave to the other folks in the lab and trail after my partner.

 

I finally catch up at the car, grinning at Heero over the roof. "So if Frankie can't tell us anything, maybe one of his buddies will know something."

 

-------------------

 

"Yanno, there are times I really wish the motor pool didn't make you swear not to let me drive." It was really starting to get on my nerves, not being allowed to drive, but far be it from me to test the patience of the people that dole out cars. I don't want to end up with a piece of crap that falls apart while I'm driving it.

 

"And face another round of tank commander, no thank you."

 

"Oh very witty, man."

 

For a moment neither of us speak, the silence comfortable and familiar, both of us secure in the quiet rumble of the engine. And I swear Heero's grinning. Not smirking, but a subtle, pleased grin. He'd probably deny it if I asked, and then we'd have Mr. Sulky Pants back to cover for the lapse.

 

"Hey, Heero?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I’ve been wondering for a while now… are you angry with me at all, for forcing you to give up the undercover work. We were the best suited for the job. Experience and all that bullshit."

 

Heero didn't take his eyes off the road, his expression turned serious and thoughtful. "We had no other choice. Both of us were burning out. Preventers can’t have undercover agents crack in the middle of an operation; you and I both know very well that good people end up dead that way. You were right to demand that we be reassigned to a field office."

 

"I know. I know. Still, it had crossed my mind a couple times in the last few months, what if we had stayed in the field for another year or two. I think we could have done it. We could have made it out intact. Or as intact as you ever get." I give my very best manic Shinigami grin, diffusing what others would have deemed an insult into a tease. "And I never did find out why you chose the name 'Wednesday' as a code name. For God’s sake, who picks a name by looking at the calendar?"

 

For that bit of wise-ass I get an almost playful shove at my shoulder. "Go read a book, Duo. You’ll figure it out."

Comments

[sharona1x2.livejournal.com]

The more you write, the more I want. I'll get those new glasses for you. ^____^ This keeps getting even more interesting. I love the banter between the guys. They have a fun working relationship.

Btw, you might want to fix a small typo. 'inequity' should be 'iniquity'.

[kikotei.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Heheh. I can't even get in to see the optometrist until just before I leave for Otakon. Pooh.

It's hardest to make sure Heero's not too OOC, that you can still see the possibility from series, to here, to him getting in Duo's pants before long. That and keeping Duo from going all maudlin. heh.

Whooops. Fixed! I should know better than to post so late at night.