Murder in the Lee Manor - SHINee & EXO (9/9)
Groups: SHINee, EXO
Genre: Mystery, AU
Rating (this part): G
Warnings (this part): None
Word count: 950
Summary: Who murdered Mrs. Lee?
Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional.
A/N: So, this is the end. And I'm getting emotional over a fic again. Anyway, even though this fic ends in a kind of bittersweet note, I hope you enjoyed it.
Previous chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
In the local police station, Chief Inspector Do offered Suho his hand. “Congratulations, Detective Inspector.”
Suho shook it. His cheeks felt hot. “Thank you, Chief Inspector.”
“And you too.” Chief Inspector Do shook hands with Baekhyun. “You helped Suho solve his first murder case. Not bad at all. And now…” He snapped his bag shut. “Let’s go home.”
Suho and Chief Inspector Do began to clear up their desks that they had set up in the local police station. They were almost ready with their packing when they heard the front door open.
A distant voice said, “I’m here to meet Mr. Lee. Taemin. I’m his solicitor - for now.”
“Alright.”
Soon the pair of footsteps reached them. Mr. Lee walked past Suho, Baekhyun, and Chief Inspector Do, following one of the local officers. His tired eyes met Suho’s briefly. They exchanged a nod before Mr. Lee entered the cells.
“I feel so bad for him,” Baekhyun muttered. “And he seems hell-bent on getting Taemin freed.”
“He does,” Suho answered thoughtfully.
“Well, there’s probably not much hope for him,” Baekhyun went on. “So sad to see Mr. Lee lose a son in addition to losing a wife.”
“Yes. But as long as he can convince Taemin to stick to the truth, Taemin won’t be sentenced to death. The same goes for Jongin,” Suho replied. “If both of them confess to one murder, they will be sentenced to a life. But if Mr. Lee lets Jongin take the fall for both murders…”
“Taemin goes free but Jongin will be hanged,” Baekhyun finished.
Suho nodded, looking at the closed door through which Mr. Lee had just entered. “Exactly.”
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the locals will take this. Especially with the boys’ home closing. The Lees had to put on quite a fight back then when they wanted to establish the Home. The locals were very much against it,” said Baekhyun.
“Yes. I don’t envy Mr. Lee at all right now. But then again, that director of the boys’ home fooled us all,” Chief Inspector Do interpolated. “Mr. Lee had no way of knowing that man was a swindler. The bottom line is that we have him now.”
“It’s odd…” Suho began.
“What is?” Baekhyun asked.
“That in a way it was thanks to that murdered boy, Sehun, that you had a closer look at the boys’ home. Well…” Suho sighed. “I hope Mr. Lee can find those boys a new director. A good one, this time. But it looks like he has his hands full as it is.”
* * *
On the other side of the door, in the cells, sat two men - a father and a son.
“Taemin, do you trust me?” the older man asked, taking his son’s hand.
Taemin was quiet for a long time.
“Yes.”
“Then you have to do as I say - confess to the murder of Sehun. I will go and tell that to the police. And when you are brought to the dock, that is all you have to confess to. I will go and tell Jongin about this. I will go and tell him that he has to admit to the murder of… of your mother, and nothing more,” he said, trembling. “You will be interviewed in his trial. Do not let him take the blame for Sehun’s murder for you. Will you do as I say, Taemin?”
Taemin looked into his father’s eyes, and wondered how this man, five years ago a complete stranger, had so much love for him, endless love and forgiveness, even though there was no blood to connect them.
At least there hadn’t been until now. Now there was blood; the blood of Taemin’s mother and Mr. Lee’s wife.
And Taemin knew that Mr. Lee would get him out of this, like he always had. He had given Taemin a second chance; now he would give him a third.
“Yes. I will.”
Mr. Lee nodded, relieved. “The jury might even let you free. You’re young, you made a mistake. They will take pity on you. You weren’t in your right mind because your mother had just been killed. And Jongin… Jongin grew up without parents, in an institution… he couldn’t help it… Nobody taught him better.”
“I don’t think that’s true - Jongin, I mean,” Taemin said weakly. “He isn’t a monster.”
“But I have to present it that way, Taemin. The important thing is that we don’t lose hope. Alright? Don’t lose hope, Taemin.”
“A couple of days ago, Jongin asked me to go to South Africa, or Australia with him. I wish I had gone. I wish we had gone,” said Taemin.
Mr. Lee smiled at him. “Maybe one day. You know, Kibum misses you. And Jonghyun and Mr. Choi do too.”
“I miss them too.”
Pain flashed on Mr. Lee’s face, and for a moment Taemin regretted saying it.
He gave Taemin’s hand a squeeze. “Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Mr. Lee got up. “I’m sorry I can’t stay any longer today, Taemin. I have to go and take care of the…”
“Funeral arrangements. Yes, I know. Father, do you think they’d let me come to the funeral?”
Mr. Lee lowered his gaze. “I don’t know. I will go and ask them. I’m sure they will understand.”
Mr. Lee turned to leave.
“Father - will you take care of Jongin? Don’t let him take the fall for something he didn’t do. I murdered Sehun, out of my free will. I should take the responsibility for that - not Jongin,” Taemin said.
Mr. Lee’s tired face was distorted with sorrow. But finally a comforting smile rose to his lips. “Yes. I will take care of him.”
© fulushouxi 2015
Genre: Mystery, AU
Rating (this part): G
Warnings (this part): None
Word count: 950
Summary: Who murdered Mrs. Lee?
Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional.
A/N: So, this is the end. And I'm getting emotional over a fic again. Anyway, even though this fic ends in a kind of bittersweet note, I hope you enjoyed it.
Previous chapters:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
In the local police station, Chief Inspector Do offered Suho his hand. “Congratulations, Detective Inspector.”
Suho shook it. His cheeks felt hot. “Thank you, Chief Inspector.”
“And you too.” Chief Inspector Do shook hands with Baekhyun. “You helped Suho solve his first murder case. Not bad at all. And now…” He snapped his bag shut. “Let’s go home.”
Suho and Chief Inspector Do began to clear up their desks that they had set up in the local police station. They were almost ready with their packing when they heard the front door open.
A distant voice said, “I’m here to meet Mr. Lee. Taemin. I’m his solicitor - for now.”
“Alright.”
Soon the pair of footsteps reached them. Mr. Lee walked past Suho, Baekhyun, and Chief Inspector Do, following one of the local officers. His tired eyes met Suho’s briefly. They exchanged a nod before Mr. Lee entered the cells.
“I feel so bad for him,” Baekhyun muttered. “And he seems hell-bent on getting Taemin freed.”
“He does,” Suho answered thoughtfully.
“Well, there’s probably not much hope for him,” Baekhyun went on. “So sad to see Mr. Lee lose a son in addition to losing a wife.”
“Yes. But as long as he can convince Taemin to stick to the truth, Taemin won’t be sentenced to death. The same goes for Jongin,” Suho replied. “If both of them confess to one murder, they will be sentenced to a life. But if Mr. Lee lets Jongin take the fall for both murders…”
“Taemin goes free but Jongin will be hanged,” Baekhyun finished.
Suho nodded, looking at the closed door through which Mr. Lee had just entered. “Exactly.”
“It’s going to be interesting to see how the locals will take this. Especially with the boys’ home closing. The Lees had to put on quite a fight back then when they wanted to establish the Home. The locals were very much against it,” said Baekhyun.
“Yes. I don’t envy Mr. Lee at all right now. But then again, that director of the boys’ home fooled us all,” Chief Inspector Do interpolated. “Mr. Lee had no way of knowing that man was a swindler. The bottom line is that we have him now.”
“It’s odd…” Suho began.
“What is?” Baekhyun asked.
“That in a way it was thanks to that murdered boy, Sehun, that you had a closer look at the boys’ home. Well…” Suho sighed. “I hope Mr. Lee can find those boys a new director. A good one, this time. But it looks like he has his hands full as it is.”
* * *
On the other side of the door, in the cells, sat two men - a father and a son.
“Taemin, do you trust me?” the older man asked, taking his son’s hand.
Taemin was quiet for a long time.
“Yes.”
“Then you have to do as I say - confess to the murder of Sehun. I will go and tell that to the police. And when you are brought to the dock, that is all you have to confess to. I will go and tell Jongin about this. I will go and tell him that he has to admit to the murder of… of your mother, and nothing more,” he said, trembling. “You will be interviewed in his trial. Do not let him take the blame for Sehun’s murder for you. Will you do as I say, Taemin?”
Taemin looked into his father’s eyes, and wondered how this man, five years ago a complete stranger, had so much love for him, endless love and forgiveness, even though there was no blood to connect them.
At least there hadn’t been until now. Now there was blood; the blood of Taemin’s mother and Mr. Lee’s wife.
And Taemin knew that Mr. Lee would get him out of this, like he always had. He had given Taemin a second chance; now he would give him a third.
“Yes. I will.”
Mr. Lee nodded, relieved. “The jury might even let you free. You’re young, you made a mistake. They will take pity on you. You weren’t in your right mind because your mother had just been killed. And Jongin… Jongin grew up without parents, in an institution… he couldn’t help it… Nobody taught him better.”
“I don’t think that’s true - Jongin, I mean,” Taemin said weakly. “He isn’t a monster.”
“But I have to present it that way, Taemin. The important thing is that we don’t lose hope. Alright? Don’t lose hope, Taemin.”
“A couple of days ago, Jongin asked me to go to South Africa, or Australia with him. I wish I had gone. I wish we had gone,” said Taemin.
Mr. Lee smiled at him. “Maybe one day. You know, Kibum misses you. And Jonghyun and Mr. Choi do too.”
“I miss them too.”
Pain flashed on Mr. Lee’s face, and for a moment Taemin regretted saying it.
He gave Taemin’s hand a squeeze. “Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Mr. Lee got up. “I’m sorry I can’t stay any longer today, Taemin. I have to go and take care of the…”
“Funeral arrangements. Yes, I know. Father, do you think they’d let me come to the funeral?”
Mr. Lee lowered his gaze. “I don’t know. I will go and ask them. I’m sure they will understand.”
Mr. Lee turned to leave.
“Father - will you take care of Jongin? Don’t let him take the fall for something he didn’t do. I murdered Sehun, out of my free will. I should take the responsibility for that - not Jongin,” Taemin said.
Mr. Lee’s tired face was distorted with sorrow. But finally a comforting smile rose to his lips. “Yes. I will take care of him.”
© fulushouxi 2015