Work Text:
Of all the things Riddle expected to do upon waking up that morning, investigating a fresh crime scene was not one of them. At least the District Attorney’s office had the decency to wait until he and Trey were in the midst of wrapping up their brunch date to call, already buckling seat belts and securing their to-go café goods when his phone rang in his bag. Trey, thankfully, didn’t mind playing chauffeur one bit.
It wasn’t unheard of to send a prosecutor out into the field in the Queendom, but neither was it the precedent by any means. Riddle supposed it was a nice change of pace from rifling through case files and leaving repeated, firm messages for unresponsive opposing counsels.
He just wished the crime wasn’t murder.
“Thank you for driving me,” Riddle said as he popped the seat belt and unlocked the door. “This may take some time, so you needn’t waste your day off by staying.”
To his surprise, Trey shrugged and killed the engine. “I don’t mind. I mean, it’s not like this is the first time I’d be following you around on duty.” He paused to push open his door, then leaned over to grab his drink from the cup holder. “...or while investigating a murder, for that matter.”
“Not that I don’t appreciate your company on such occasions, but I worry about the mental toll cases like these will inflict on you if you keep coming along.”
“I’ll be fine.” With his free hand, Trey reached across the car to take and squeeze Riddle’s fingers. “I promise. It’s not gonna keep me up at night.”
A beat passed, and then Riddle sighed and returned the squeeze. “If you insist. Should anything here prove to be too much to handle, though, you are free to leave at any point.”
“Got it.” Trey nodded.
It wasn’t exactly their most professional appearance, Riddle had to acknowledge, strolling up in casual fall jackets with hot chocolate in paper take-out cups. Luckily such a thing was easily fixed with a spell cast from his custom-made magical pen, and it only took a moment for his date wear to be replaced with a buttoned suit far more appropriate for his position. His badge was retrieved from his bag and pinned on his lapel, and the pen was slotted into his breast pocket to signify his status as a mage.
The hot chocolate stayed, though. It was too good to let go to waste.
An officer eyed their approach from the minute they stepped out of the car. Riddle watched his gaze flit over to Trey, and the incoming interaction played out in his mind’s eye, an exchange he’d grown familiar with. Right as the officer’s arm lifted to halt them, Riddle’s hand dove into his pants pocket and fished out his wallet to present his ID.
“This man is accompanying me as an assistant, on my authority,” he stated, and waited patiently as the officer glanced between them.
After taking a moment to radio them both in, the officer allowed them to pass, head nodding respectfully towards Riddle.
“You’d think they’d recognize me by now,” Trey murmured in amusement.
“They’re merely following protocol. As they should,” Riddle answered.
Standing just outside of a section squared off with police tape, a horse beastman in a dark trenchcoat shooed away two officers, and wiped an exasperated hand down his face as he turned. Upon spotting Riddle, the hand doubled back up and ran through his red hair, a grin coming to his lips. “Well well, Rosehearts. Didn’t expect to see you out doing the grunge work,” he greeted, nodding acknowledgement towards Trey soon after.
“Hello, Detective. I didn’t either, but the District Attorney’s office specifically requested I inquire in person,” Riddle informed, and his eyes drifted towards one of the evidence markers beyond the tape where a bloodied greatsword of all things laid. “Please fill me in on what we’ve found so far.”
“We pretty much just started, really. Got one guy in custody, two others as witnesses, some gaudy looking sword as the murder weapon. Look around if you want, but at this point you’d probably be better off asking the responding officer for information.”
“And where are they?”
Lifting his head, hand raising as though he had to hold his (rather short) bangs out of his eyes, the detective looked around the area. “Last I saw, he was—”
“Right here, sir!”
In that very second Riddle was grateful he didn’t decide to sip from his drink, because he likely would’ve sputtered it all over his jacket; he knew that voice.
He knew that voice well.
A single glance was exchanged with Trey to affirm what he’d just heard, and then he leaned to the side to see around the detective, eyes wide as the officer in question jogged right up, entirely serious yet brimming with an unrelenting, eager-to-please energy. The moment their eyes met, the sheer surprise in Deuce’s expression mirrored his. “Riddle?! And Trey?!” he exclaimed with a start. “What are you doing here?!”
“That’s a question I should be asking you. Were you not assigned to the department in your hometown?”
“I was! But they brought me over to fill in for an officer on leave temporarily.”
“Oh? You all know each other?” The detective asked, clearly amused by the turn of events despite the grim context surrounding them.
“Yes, sir!” Deuce saluted him. “The three of us all attended the same school, sir!”
Riddle cleared his throat. “As nice a surprise as this is, we have a duty to perform. Please explain what you’ve seen.”
“Ah!” Deuce immediately stood ramrod straight, arms slamming to his sides. “Yes, of course! Follow me.”
With Deuce as the responding officer, Riddle wasn’t sure whether he should be comforted or concerned. Nevertheless, he and Trey followed behind as Deuce led them both towards the side entrance of the park, circling around the perimeter of the police tape.
What a complete and utter sham that had turned out to be.
The weapon was a fake, the suspects were scapegoats, the body had been moved, and, most infuriatingly of all, the real culprit had turned out to be a member of the police! Someone he’d had tea with not three weeks prior, even! The thought had him crinkling the paper in his grip, which he subsequently balled up entirely and threw into the wastepaper bin rather than burn it to ashes like he’d wanted. A new sheet was fished from the drawer of his desk to replace it and start the summary again.
“I don’t care who you are or what protections you may think you have, you’re not getting away with murder in my jurisdiction,” Riddle hissed under his breath, glaring at the mugshot photo from the local precinct with enough ferocity to make it smoulder next. The case was about as open and shut as he could possibly get with all the evidence they’d uncovered during the investigation, but he knew better by now than to walk into court without taking extra precautions. Even if it meant bringing his work home from his office, something he’d been warned against frequently during his years as an intern. Not that that stopped him; the law wouldn’t wait for him to finish kicking up his heels and playing with his pets.
The door swung open, and Trey shouldered his way in, a saucer and teacup held carefully in his hands. Riddle cleared a spot for it without so much as looking up, murmuring a soft “thank you” as Trey set it down out of the way of any important documents. Something red caught his eye, and he allowed himself a curious glance. A small, flower-shaped cookie with a dollop of jam packed inside the center sat tucked in the saucer alongside the cup. He couldn’t help but smile.
…Perhaps the law could abide by a five minute break for tea.
“Thank you,” he said again, and slapped a sticky note on the paper before putting it aside.
Trey shrugged. “Figured you could use a treat. It’s been a long day.”
Riddle paused to take a sip, only partially able to appreciate its sweetness. Worry furrowed his brow. “Are you alright? That investigation turned out to be a bit more grisly than anticipated.”
“Me? Oh, I’m fine. If anything, I’m more worried about you. You just indicted a colleague for murder. That’s gotta be a shock to the system.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bothered by it. It’s an officer’s duty to uphold the law, and yet he went and abused his privileges and committed premeditated murder for some,” he waved his hand haphazardly, “petty grudge?! Some reckless teenager chasing a vendetta I can understand—and understand very well at that, not that it makes such a thing more acceptable—but a grown man did this! It boggles the mind!”
“It takes all kinds.”
“How the district let a man capable of such things on the force is beyond me.” Riddle lifted the saucer and prepared to sip again from the cup, but stopped, gazing down at his own reflection rippling on the surface of the tea. His face fell a little. Well, they did let you in without batting an eye, didn’t they?
As if hearing his inner thoughts (or perhaps he’d just read the expression on Riddle’s face), Trey set a hand on the back of Riddle’s chair and turned him away from his desk. “I think some fresh air would do us some good here. That way you can come back to the case with a clear head.”
It took a second longer to answer than he would’ve liked. Proof positive he was beginning to run on fumes. “...I think you’re right.”
Trey offered a hand out, and Riddle slipped his palm into Trey’s, a thrill running through him when their rings clinked softly. That would never get old. With his other hand he lifted a finger, and the saucer and teacup floated up obediently, ready to follow him wherever he went. He’d barely taken a step away from the chair when he suddenly stopped and took his hand back from Trey. “Ah, hold a moment, please.”
“Take your time.”
Stepping aside so he wouldn’t bump the floating teacup, Riddle began to undo the buttons on his coat. He hadn’t taken it off since he returned home. He shucked it in one fluid movement and hung it over the back of his chair, a king leaving his mantle behind. Freed from duty, at least for a little while, he reached to reclaim Trey’s hand.
“Hey, so, remember that lady I told you about?” Trey asked as he led Riddle out of his office.
“The regular at the bakery?”
“Yeah, her. She gave me an update about the guy trying to uproot her flowers, and I think you’d get a kick out of it.”
“Oh? Do tell.” Sparing one last glance behind him at his desk, eyes landing on the rose badge on his lapel gleaming in the evening light, Riddle closed the door behind them.