Crocodile Tears [5/?]
Title: Crocodile Tears [5/?]
Rating: R
Fandom: Bandom [Elliot Minor/Empires/Suns]
Pairing(s): So far, Tom Conrad/ Mikey Russell
Summary: Murder and abduction is never easy, but the Princes in the Tower case is turning out to be something else entirely. Alex Davies wasn't expecting this after the Bernstein case.
Genre: AU/Angst
Warnings: swearing, violence, murder, character death, child abuse, domestic abuse
Notes: [1085 words]
Edward and Richard
Mikey put his hand on the crook of the man’s elbow, laughing softly. His fingers ran up and down the other’s skin. Tom narrowed his eyes, stabbing maliciously at his lunch.
“Cheer up.” Alex followed his friend’s line of vision. “Tom, it’s just-”
“Just Mikey messing around?” The blonde muttered through gritted teeth. “It’s how we started, after all.”
“Have you got the research back from the analyst?” The constable changed the subject.
“No.” He sighed. “How difficult can it be, really? Check that the handwriting’s pretty.”
“The call from York gave us our second suspect.” Mikey came briskly into the conversation.
“What was that call about, anyway?” Alex asked, when he realised Tom wasn’t going to talk.
“Let’s just say it gave us a lot of leads.” The chief smirked enigmatically. “I’ve got Sean on it, but he says the computer’s malfunctioning.”
“Malfunctioning how?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
“Not returning any search results. He’s going to have to have a look at it.”
"So tell us about this suspect." Alex folded his arms and rocked back in his chair. Mikey pushed a piece of paper over, and he took it, blue eyes scanning it nonchalantly. "Holy shit."
"Precisely." Mikey nodded.
"So... the kids, they're not…?" The constable bit his lip. "That would make sense, I guess."
"So, he's like… the UK Kampusch case? Cause if we have proof, then we have to get him in." Tom furrowed his brow.
"We've got no proof it's sexual abuse." The chief sighed, shaking his hair out his eyes. "He could just be a lonely guy who took the kids."
"What are the chances of the kids being kidnapped three times? Something is not right here." Alex read through the information again.
"Maybe it's a sex ring." Tom was only half joking.
"So These kids are taken from their mum by their dad." Mikey flipped the paper over and began to scrawl a flow diagram. "They're taken from their mum. Then, somehow, this Alistair Paul guy gets the kids kidnapped from him. And then someone takes the kids from Hetherton. Something is not right here, kids don't get kidnapped that often, it's logically impossible."
"So they were definitely taken by Paul, right?" Alex looked across at the flow chart.
"Yeah. York Social put it out; he ran off on bail and took the kids. They saw the pictures of the "Princes" - that's what the media are calling them - and recognised them as their kids, called me." Mikey sighed, shaking his hair out his eyes. "This is not supposed to be this complicated."
"We need a mean Uncle Richard." Tom nodded. "Not a mean Daddy."
"Actually, there's no proof that Richard killed them, that's just Tudor propaganda." The constable overrode.
"Well, unfortunately, there's growing proof that Teddy killed them." Mikey folded his arms. "Either that, or this Alistair character..."
"Let's hypothesise." Alex stood up. "Paul takes the kids. Steals them from their mother. And then what?"
"Him and Hetherton have... business dealings? Maybe the mafia shot wasn't far off. And they get into a fight - maybe over money. And Hetherton takes the kids." His boss took over.
"And then Paul finds them and takes them back?" Tom suggested, a frown on his face. "What about the mum?"
"Wouldn't work though." His husband shook his head. "It's too easily into place, some three-way circle."
"Maybe they're a polygamous threesome." Alex snorted. "And they broke up, and they're playing hide the kiddies. Would make sense of Hetherton's creepy child molester ways."
"Let's face it." Mikey said impassively. "We're no further. The only advancement we have is an extra suspect and a headache."
-
Tom kicked the door open as soon as he saw the two draw close. His husband had the grace to look ashamed.
"Max, I think you should leave." The photographer's voice trembled. "Now." The constable, one of Sean's, left, blushing.
"Tom..." Mikey bit his lip.
"It wasn't what it looked like." The blonde rolled his eyes. "You forget, I've heard them all before. Only I wasn't on the receiving end of the excuses."
"I guess." The chief constable sighed.
"We're not going to work." Tom said bluntly, folding his arms. "This is not going to work. You are never going to be satisfied, are you?"
"Tom-"
"You know how complicated this is, dammit!" The blonde shouted over him. "We're both working the same case, Mikey! We are working together, on a case about children being kidnapped and possibly abused! I saw the fucking case notes, I know that Paul was being investigated for spousal and child abuse when he took the kids and ran, and you're more interested in where you can hide your cock?!"
"Are you calling me unprofessional?" Mikey challenged coolly. "Tom, I am anything but-"
"Oh, so fucking me over your desk the second time I met you was professional behaviour, was it?" He sneered. The other man flinched. "You had an adulterous affair in your office, how cliché."
"You weren't complaining at the time." Mikey sighed, looking old and tired.
"I was young, very young." Tom said softly. He wasn't angry anymore, just... tired. "I was young, and naïve, and you were chief constable. I'm going home."
"Tom, don't be - I'll take you, it's raining." The older man reached out a hand to touch his husband's arm.
"I want to walk." Tom snarled. "I want the rain. I'll see you at home." He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out briskly, cutting through the park.
The blonde wasn't focusing on where he was going, his mind was full of too much else. When he tripped over, it jolted out of his head. Tom took one look at what he'd landed on and jumped up as fast as he could. His hands felt dirty, he felt - the blonde turned around from the scene and threw up, before racing as fast as he could back to the station.
He collided with Mikey as he ran across the car park. "Tom, what's-" His husband stepped back in shock as Tom almost fell on him, trembling. "What's happened? What the fuck has-?" Tom spilled out what he'd seen, and Mikey stepped into chief constable mode.
Tom wasn't really aware of what was going on, stuck in a whirlwind of policemen. He was clinging to Mikey as though he'd never let go, his husband's arm tightly around his shoulders. He couldn't rid his mind of the cold, dead eyes of Edward Hetherton.