Crocodile Tears [13/?]
Title: Crocodile Tears [13/?]
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: [1141 words]
“Do you smoke?” Tom stood awkwardly in the small room Teddy was sat in.
“Yeah.” The younger man stopped studying his hands. Tom reached down and fastened his fingers around Teddy’s wrist, tugging him gently out the room and outside. “I’m not wearing cuffs.”
“I’ll trust you.” The blonde smirked, lighting up two cigarettes and handing one to the other.
“I could run away.” Teddy raised the cigarette to his lips. “I could just run now.”
“One, I’m wearing a wire.” The policeman leaned back against the wall and exhaled deeply. “Two, I have a gun in my pocket. I’m a photographer, my aim is pretty good. Plus, I gave you cigarettes, that’s breaking the smoker’s code.”
“Right.” The younger man smiled faintly.
“Why Teddy Hetherton?” Tom asked softly.
“Teddy - Edward - is a family name.” Teddy stared thoughtfully at the cigarette between his fingers. “And Hetherton was Rebecca’s maiden name. It... it reminds me to keep on my toes, reminds me of what happened.” He looked down at Tom’s fingers circled gently around his wrist.
“Do you think she’s got them?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” The younger man bit his lip. “I would have said no, because of... of what happened to Edward. I didn’t think she’d... she’d hurt them. If she’s got them... no.” He closed his eyes. “If she’s got Richard, then it makes sense, I guess. I just want him back, you know?" Teddy's voice was barely a whisper. Caught out, he choked on a mouthful of smoke.
"Yeah..." Tom said inadequately. He held out another cigarette for the suspect.
"Thanks." The younger man gave him a wan smile. "Do you have kids?"
"No..." The blonde looked to the wooded area, still marked off with police tape. "Guess Mikey doesn't want them. He's got a daughter, she's fourteen."
"Huh." Teddy looked down at his cigarette. "Always used to wonder what it would be like to have a teenager. Used to tease Edward about it."
"Trust me, judging on Cassie, it's not that great." The blonde mumbled. "Why did you choose Edward and Richard, anyway?"
"You looked at Boleyn, right? Or at least made the connection?"
"You're Alistair Paul from Boleyn. That's the extent of it, I wasn't really into them. So, what, was it a band of history nerds?" The older man raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much." Teddy's half smile didn't reach his eyes. "We all did Early Modern History, and we made a deal to call our kids after characters we studied. Which was quite difficult, because they're all called Edward, Richard or Henry."
"Why?"
"Because the royal family is unimaginative?" The younger man shrugged. "You better take me back. They'll think we're eloping and running away."
-
"What are you doing?" Alex raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You're not normally into..." He looked again at the screen. "Paedophilia?"
"Fuck you." Mikey didn't raise his eyes from the screen. "This is Boleyn. Hetherton's band."
"And you're looking at them why?" William's face mirrored Alex's.
"Background research. Alex, come watch this." The chief constable flipped the screen around.
"Alistair, Alistair, look at the camera." Matt jeers from behind it. The screen shakes as the camera moves.
"I'm changing, pervert!" The younger boy laughs, darting out of sight of the camera.
“Half the people watching have probably seen you naked anyway, the whole band has.” The older boy points out calmly. “Probably half our fans have slept with you.”
“I don’t sleep with groupies.” Alistair reappears from the next room, his hands on his hips. “Most of them are about fourteen anyway. That’s paedophilia, Matthew - you’d know a lot about that, wouldn’t you?”
“What are you supposed to be looking for?” William huffed.
“What does he mean by that?” Alex looked across at Mikey. “About that guy knowing about paedophilia?”
“Uh...” The older man flipped his page of notes over. “They slept together. He’s older. I think it’s a joke - I hope it’s a joke. I do not want to add sexual abuse to the list of crimes involved in this case, not now we’ve cleared Hetherton for it.”
“You’ve cleared him of full sexual abuse.” William corrected, folding his arms. “God knows what else he could have done. There’s plenty of things that don’t leave marks he could have done - Alex said it himself, his behaviour equates...”
“Looking at this.” Alex’s eyes were glued to the screen. “His behaviour collaborates with his story.”
“What do you mean?” The taller man frowned.
“He’s a weird teenager, and he’s grown up into a weird adult.” Mikey murmured.
“Well, yes.” The dark haired man grinned. “But...” His grin faded slowly. “He’s happy here. Weird, but... I mean, can you see Teddy Hetherton dating...” He read over Mikey’s shoulder. “Twins at the same time - and an entire band?”
“According to my notes, he was a slut.” The chief constable nodded.
“Him now and him then... they’re totally different, they’re different people. I’m inclined to believe his story.” Alex bit his lip.
The older man was silent, staring blankly at his notes. “I see.” He said eventually.
“And what about her marks? What about the burn on Edward’s shoulder?” William frowned.
“She did them?” Alex shrugged. “I don’t know, William, I’m not psychic, it just seems... it makes an explanation, it makes sense.” He watched as his boss buried his head in his hands. “Mikey?”
“Either way, it’s someone who should be taking care of those boys, isn’t it?” The oldest man murmured. “Either way, it’s someone who should be taking care of those boys.” He jumped to his feet. “I hate this fucking case, Alex! Those boys are innocent, they’ve done nothing wrong, and either Teddy Hetherton is lying through his teeth and he knows where the boys are and he killed Edward and probably Richard too, or Rebecca Paul is a fucking psycho, some psychotic bitch that hunted him down and is punishing him for leaving her, and I don’t know what to believe!”
“You don’t think it was him, do you?” Alex whispered. “You believe his story.”
“I know what he’s thinking.” Mikey said in a strangled voice. “I know what he’s feeling, and it makes me want to believe him so much.”
“What do you mean?” The younger man tilted his head uncertainly as William crept out the room.
“When I was eighteen, I was in an abusive relationship.” The father of one sighed. “It lasted a few months, it never got this deep, my friends got me out. Twenty three percent of domestic abuse cases have a male victim, but we’re never represented. It’s one thing to be abused by a boyfriend. Why would Hetherton say he’d been abused by a woman? It’s not... generally accepted. It’s a risk, it would be easier to frame another guy, you know?”
“Does Tom know this?” Alex asked softly. Mikey just shrugged.