Fic: Not Giving Up (Victorian!AU) 2/?
Title: Not Giving UpPairing: Charles/Erik
Rating: PG
Warnings: mentions of murder
Summary: In 1895, Charles is a lowly constable at the Toronto Constabulary when a surprising man is pulled in for murder that he didn't commit. Victorian AU. Chapter 1 Chapter 3
Word Count: 500 (I haven't been able to do much editing. I promise, the writing will increase with the demand)
Author's Notes: Technically this is a crossover but I don't know anyone who is familiar with Murdoch Mysteries (a Canadian, Victorian, turn of the century, mystery show). I promise that you won't be confused if you've never heard of it. The characters that aren't mine aren't central to the story and are very well explained.
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters. Charles and Erik belong to the comic book world and the rest belong to Maureen Jennings
Just as Charles finished cleaning off the last of the household items, Murdoch called him in to his office along with Constable Crabtree.
Detective Murdoch was a very neat and highly moral man but his appearance was hardly remarkable. He was always properly dressed and managed to stay mostly neat even after chasing after a criminal. He had eyes that were big and slanted downward, Charles was always tempted to compare him to a puppy dog. He spoke in mild but direct tones when explaining facts about a case as he did now.
“As you both know, we’re working on a murder investigation. Admittedly it appears rather simple. We’ve just brought the main suspect under the charge of having murdered Mr. Sebastian Shaw, a wealthy business owner with dubious work ethics. The suspect, a Mr. Erik Lensherr, was working directly underneath Shaw in a position of some power yet he didn’t earn much money. We have yet to interview people who worked around him but the relationship between Shaw and Lensherr appears to have been tense. We found a gun in his small bachelor’s apartment and he is without an alibi. He claims to have been working late at one of Shaw’s storage facilites but no one can confirm his whereabouts at the time of Shaw’s death at 2 o’clock this morning.
As Murdoch spoke he walked back and forth with his hands behind his back and wrote any names that came up on the board that stood on the left wall of his office in chalk. He continued speaking.
“All the available evidence points to the guilt of Mr. Lensherr, who we now have in custody. I will need you both to complete the interviews of coworkers and such but the case seems to be rather open and shut.”
“Pardon me, Detective,” Charles spoke up immediately and out of turn, “The suspect you are speaking of was brought in only an hour ago?”
“That is correct.”
“Sir, hard as it is to believe, that man is innocent of the murder of Sebastian Shaw.”
“I see,” Murdoch hesitated, “Do you have any specific reason for that statement?”
“No…” Charles saw his argument losing credibility. He couldn’t very well say that he had read Lensherr’s mind. “But I can assure you that that man is not guilty of the crime for which he is in custody.”
“Constable, I will consider your statement but as of yet we have nothing to support it. For now I can view it as no more than a supposition.”
“Will you be interrogating him, sir?”
“Of course, immediately in fact.”
“I will be observing, sir.”
“I don’t believe I gave you permission, Charles.” Murdoch looked at him as would a scolding parent but eventually let up, “Very well. George?”
“Sir.” Crabtree woke from a moment of stunned silence at seeing Charles so… rebellious for lack of a better word.
“You’ll help Higgins continue inquiries on the workhabits of Mr. Lensherr and the murder victim.”
“Yes sir.”
“Xavier? If you’ll follow me.”