The smells were hard to get used to. A mixture of cooking and fire and animal manure hung in the air, there was no way to escape it. At least the smell of fish dissipated as they moved away from the river. The east end of the city was certainly a different world from the one in which Luhan and Minseok had come from.

Jongin had volunteered to take the two of them to see someone who could help with their problem – namely someone who could find out who was living in a certain apartment. Kyungsoo tagged along too, mumbling more than once about how walking around in broad daylight was a terrible idea for a fugitive.

“No one is going to recognize them here. Not the way they are dressed.” Jongin explained, motioning towards the clothing that Luhan and Minseok now wore. They certainly didn’t look like wealthy, titled gentlemen. It was amazing what some patched up trousers and grubby shirts could do in terms of changing a person’s appearance.

The man they were going to see, as Jongin explained, was a sort of handy man. If you paid him he would do almost anything – other than kill or start fires. Minseok wondered if that meant the man would do a list of other illegal things that did not involve murder, but he thought it might be best if he didn’t know what the man he was about to meet was capable of doing.

“Here we are.” Jongin stopped in front of a tavern.

“The Speckled Pig.” Luhan read of the name on the sign hanging above the door. “How…”

“Interesting?” Minseok offered, following Jongin through the doorway. The small tavern was already busy, even though it wasn’t much past three o’clock in the afternoon. Minseok spotted some dock workers, busy guzzling their drinks in a corner as they loudly cursed and used slang that Minseok had never heard before. There were other rough looking men, a woman who Minseok guessed was employed in a certain field, and a barkeep that was missing an eye. A very interesting place indeed.

“Kibum!” Jongin approached the gaggle of dock workers, turning his attention to a blonde man who was currently having trouble standing up.

“Who in the hell are you?” The man asked, squinting.

“Jongin. Taemin’s brother.” Jongin answered, gesturing for Minseok, Luhan, and Kyungsoo to stay back as he conversed with the man.

“Taemin?” The person called Kibum looked at the ceiling, still swaying a bit he seemed to be trying to recall if he had heard the name. As if a fire was lit from within he suddenly called out “Taemin! Aw! What can I help you with?”

“I am in need of some information. I can pay well.” Jongin felt the money in his pocket. Minseok and Luhan had argued over how much was appropriate to pay someone for the information, spurred by Jongin explaining that they should be the ones to offer a price first. Finally Minseok agreed to a high price, mostly because Luhan kept stressing that his freedom and future were dependent on this.

“Well if that’s the case…” Kibum started to listen intently as Jongin explained the location of the apartment and what they needed Kibum to do. After his explanation was finished he turned to leave, beckoning the others to follow.

“We will pay him once he returns with the information. It will likely be tomorrow.” Jongin said, pushing the door to the tavern open.

Kyungsoo walked out first, his head down as he contemplated how Jongin knew such people. He wasn’t paying a lot of attention to where he was walking, which almost proved disastrous.

“Kyungsoo, Watch out!” Minseok called from the doorway, shrieking in terror as he watched a turn of events that seemed to play out in slow motion.

From up the road a horse jerked free of its owners grasp, galloping up the crowded road as pedestrians ran and jumped from its path. The horse, galloping at full speed, was headed directly at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo lifted his head in time to see the horse, only a few yards away, coming straight for him. He froze, for some reason the shock of seeing the large animal barreling down on him made his body tense up, his brain not registering that he needed to get out of the way. Then he felt a pair of arms around his waist. Kyungsoo was being pulled back, out of harm’s way. Time seemed to start again as the horse raced past him, making it clear that if Kyungsoo hadn’t have been moved he would have certainly been terribly injured.

“You should be more careful.” Jongin scolded Kyungsoo, letting go of his hold on the smaller valet’s waist.

“I…” Kyungsoo gulped, digesting the fact that Jongin had saved him. Again.

“Come on, we should go back.” Jongin led the way, Kyungsoo staring after him dumbly. Finally he found his voice “Thank you.” Jongin didn’t seem to hear Kyungsoo, or if he did he didn’t register the fact.

***

Heechul was not in the mood. He had a splitting headache born from the past nights revelries, a debauched party being his final destination after leaving the Hayden gala. Why anyone thought it was a good idea to try and wake him up now, when he was at his weakest, was beyond him.

“Sir, you have a caller.”

It was his butler first, attempting to wake him by knocking on his bedroom door. When he didn’t answer the butler knocked again. Heechul groaned, realizing he would have to say something.

“Tell them to go away. And hit them for me.” Heechul shouted.

“It is a Mr. Kim Jongdae, sir. He says the matter is important.” The butler, accustomed to Heechul’s anger, knew that he had to ignore his employer for a little while, at least until he had notified Heechul of who was calling at his apartment.

“Tell them to –“Heechul was in the middle of his automatic reaction when it finally sunk in. Jongdae? As in that hot piece of that he was after Jongdae?

“I will be down shortly.” Heechul changed his tune promptly. It was no more than twenty minutes before he walked into his parlor, the circles under his eyes masked by some quick powder. His headache was still there, but some things had to be tolerated in the name of desire.

Jongdae did not stand to greet him when he entered, instead launching right into his point of visiting before Heechul had even sat down. “You know where Minseok and Luhan ran off to, and I want you to tell me.”

Heechul smiled. Jongdae thought the man looked a bit like a mischievous cat when he did so. He was not amused.

“Why would you think I know where the criminals got off to?” Heechul asked, still smirking.

“You helped them escape, didn’t you?” Jongdae countered “Look, Minseok will be in a lot of trouble if the Home Office finds him. Luhan will be seen as an accomplice as well. Please tell me where they are so I can try to at least get their side of the story.”

“Is that what you want? Their side of the story?” Heechul looked thoughtful “Judging by the fact they ran away I would dare to wager their side of the story is that they don’t want to be caught and thrown in prison- and that is the only outcome they could foresee occurring. How do I know you are not working with the Home Office and want to claim all the glory of finding them for yourself?”

Jongdae tried to look shocked. It wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge he was working with his Uncle. “Me, work for the Home Office? You must be joking.”

“Perhaps.” Heechul shifted in his seat “Or perhaps you are out to arrest your friend.”

“I have known Minseok since we were children. Please, you have to believe me, I just want to help him.” Jongdae started to feel even more desperate. True, he was working for the home office. True, his Uncle thought that Minseok was the thief. But it was also the truth that he wanted to do what he could to understand Minseok’s side of the story, something that was impossible if he didn’t locate Minseok himself.

“What an enticing plea for help.” Heechul leaned forward, moving his hand to rest on Jongdae’s knee. Jongdae scowled at the gesture.

“If you tell me where Minseok is I will go on a date with you.” Jongdae couldn’t believe the words came out of his own mouth. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Oh, oh? My, you are desperate.” Heechul removed his hand, sighing “Unfortunately I have no idea where the little lovebirds ran off to, so I can’t help you. However if you are still interested in a date I would be more than obliged to say yes.”

Jongdae groaned internally. So Heechul had no idea? Then truly it would be a manhunt to find the two. He just hoped he found them first, before Yunho did.

***

Tao was terrifying when he was angry. Truly terrifying. When he was not angry he was as harmless as a kitten, or at least Sehun thought so. Tall, lean, with black hair and piercing eyes he was a sight to behold when his temper flared.

“You mean to tell me you are going somewhere for a few days but you can’t tell me where or why?” Tao crossed his arms, glaring at the younger man “What are you hiding, Sehun?”

“Nothing.” Sehun tried to ignore Tao, instead choosing the focus on the newspaper in his hands. Tao was not having any of it, reaching out he yanked the newspaper away. “Hey! I was reading that!”

“No, you weren’t.” Tao leaned down, placing a hand on each arm of the chair that Sehun was sitting in, effectively trapping him there. Sehun began to squirm from the proximity of his angry lover, his eyes darting anywhere but at Tao. “What are you hiding?”

“I am not hiding anything!” Sehun stomped his foot on the floor, growing angry with the interrogation “Can’t you trust me?”

“Ha!” Tao shook his head “NO, not when I am pretty sure whatever you are doing has something to do with that money you owe.”

Sehun paled. Why was Tao also so perceptive? It was annoying.  “No. It doesn’t. And I am not going to tell you anything as long as you keep bullying me.”

“Bullying you?” Tao retreated, leaning back he shook his head “If I am bothering you, Sehun, I will make a very dedicated effort to no longer do so. Please don’t talk to me anymore.”

Sehun watched helplessly as Tao strode from the room, his strides long and his posture stiff. He was angry, very angry. Angrier than Sehun ever remembered seeing him. This was bad, really bad. Stupid Minseok running away. He had ruined everything.

***

“Hey! Another round!” Baekhyun shouted at the barkeep, giggling tipsily as he sat back down. He almost fell, Chanyeol reaching over to right his friend.

“Don’t you have to be somewhere soon, old boy?” Chanyeol asked. He was a bit drunk too, though nowhere near the state of Baekhyun’s inebriation. He had followed his best friend to a tavern gladly. Ever since Luhan had broken their engagement Baekhyun had been a mess. Chanyeol learned not to question why Baekhyun wanted to drink during the afternoon – he only hoped it made his friend feel better.

“Hm. I do. Yet I need to continue celebrating the fact that stupid Easton didn’t announce his engagement to that disgusting Viscount yesterday.” Baekhyun raised his nearly empty glass. “I think I may have a chance after all, old boy.”

Chanyeol didn’t know how to break it to his friend that there was likely little chance Luhan would change his mind, even if the engagement hadn’t been announced. No, there was likely no way Luhan would decide Baekhyun was the more suitable party.

“Baekhyun, don’t you have to meet your Father?” Chanyeol shooed away the barkeep as he approached, cutting in to make sure his friend didn’t drink any more.

“My father?” Baekhyun laughed “No. Not my Father. My sister.” He hiccupped.

“Your sister?”? Chanyeol had known Baekhyun since they were school boys, he never recalled Baekhyun having a sister. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Baekhyun winked, still swaying “I didn’t either, until recently. A very interesting person told me of her existence.”

“And who would that be?” Chanyeol asked.

“That, my good friend, is a secret.” Baekhyun grinned, feeling the world start to spin.

***

Jongdae found his Uncle’s office empty. The doorman had stated that Yunho was out for a bit and should return shortly.  Jongdae elected to wait, taking a seat he eyed the large stack of receipts that still dominated the room. He had debated if he wanted to visit his Uncle that afternoon, but he needed to know if there were any further developments in ascertaining Minseok’s whereabouts.

The minutes passed, Jongdae growing bored. He started to pace the room, thinking of all of the evidence in the case so far. As he turned to walk back towards the far side of the room his foot caught the large rug that covered most of the office, tripping over it he steadied himself by holding onto Yunho’s desk. As he did so a stack of bound papers fell from the lower shelf of the desk.

Once Jongdae regained his footing he bent over to pick up the report, pausing when the title caught his eye. He knew he shouldn’t be reading his Uncle’s documents without his permission, but he had to in this case. It was about the apartment they had been staking out, the apartment where the fake jewels were possibly being funneled through.  He was certain it would do no harm to read the report, as Yunho would very likely share it with him once he returned to his office.

Opening the report he flipped page after page, reading quickly. When he read the name of the woman who resided in the apartment he felt his heartbeat increase, his breathing speeding up. She was Baekhyun’s sister?

Jongdae quickly snapped the report closed, putting it back where it had fallen from. A few minutes later Yunho arrived. Jongdae and his Uncle conversed for many minutes, Yunho informing his nephew that as of yet they had not found Minseok.

“We are working at posting notices around the city, offering a reward for his capture.” Yunho explained.

Jongdae thought of walking down a street, endless fliers with Minseok’s face on them plastered everywhere. It was a terrifying thought. “Uncle, are there any other developments? Have you found the resident of the apartment? I know you had mentioned ordering a break in if necessary.”

“No. Sadly we do not know who lives there, though I fully suspect D’Adderleigh knows. In fact, I have the beginnings of a plan to hopefully capture him, aside from advertising his crimes.”

“A plan?” Jongdae bristled at the fact his Uncle had withheld information from him. Yunho knew who lived there, he had the report….yet he wasn’t willing to share that information with Jongdae. It bothered Jongdae to no end, compounded by the sudden talk of a plan.

“Yes. I am hoping I can bait D’Adderleigh out of hiding. Though I don t have anything definite at this time, so sadly I can’t explain how we shall go about this.”

Jongdae suddenly doubted his Uncle’s words. His Uncle probably already had a plan, he just wasn’t willing to share it. A definitive, large wedge had suddenly been driven between them – Jongdae no longer willing to believe everything Yunho had to say. It was a dangerous turn of events. Which man was in more danger, however, remained to be seen.

***

Luhan sat at the end of the bed, his head in his hands. He didn’t dare to look up, he couldn’t face Minseok now. “I am so, so very sorry if I caused any of this.”

Minseok was tired of repeating himself “Luhan, it isn’t your fault.”

It had been a few hours since they had learned the identity of the woman residing in the apartment. She was Baekhyun’s half-sister, the ruffian Kibum had explained before taking his pay and scurrying off. To Luhan this piece of news suddenly brought Baekhyun into the picture.

“Sehun’s Father was still seen visiting her, I saw it with my own eyes. We can’t be too sure Baekhyun or Sehun are guilty. As I said before, we need to follow this lead and find more evidence. Nothing is proven for certain.” Minseok tried to comfort Luhan, even if he was now leaning towards Baekhyun and away from Sehun as the prime suspect.

Baekhyun’s sister was tied to the movement of the stolen jewels. Baekhyun was present when the jewels were stolen. Baekhyun wouldn’t bat an eye at framing Minseok, whom he hated.

“Why would he steal?” Luhan finally raised his head from his hands.  

“I am not sure. How well off is his family?” Minseok asked. He moved to sit next to Luhan, tracing comforting circles into Luhan’s back with the palm of his hand.

“They are wealthy. Baekhyun’s allowance was a few thousand pounds a year.” Luhan vividly recalled when Baekhyun shared that information. Of course Baekhyun was not as wealthy as Luhan, but very few people were. A few thousand pound allowance was nothing to laugh at, however.

“Perhaps there is something we don’t know about him.” Minseok offered.

“Perhaps.” Luhan tried to remember everything he could about Baekhyun. Minseok’s life depended on it.

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

a/n- So now everyone pretty much knows that Baekhyun’s half-sister is tied to the jewel thefts in some way and that Sehun’s Father knows her somehow. Which gives us some more evidence to ponder and perhaps a clearer picture of our suspect list. Which also means…drumroll please….TIME TO TAKE THE SUPER WHODUNIT POLL! Yep, please vote for who you think perpetrated the crime below. I am super curious to see who the majority of you guys think is guilty :)

Thanks for voting. Another ramble -Minseok’s face on posters around town?! That would be the prettiest city in the world! *please slap me for my lame jokes*

Thanks for the new subscribers! I can’t believe this story has almost 400 subs! I started this one afternoon because I was down in the dumps and thought writing something fun would cheer me up. It did, and I am glad people are giving this story a lot of love, I really enjoy writing it.  Until next time <3 LC