Private Investigation

Truth

"Dorothy Sheriff! Open this door or I swear to God I will bash it in shortly followed by your-" 

"Please take a seat." Dot pointed a bewildered Tedros to the leather couch rather than the usual wooden chair, which had been pushed into a corner. 

Tedros cautiously did as he was told. He opened his mouth to speak but decided against it as Hester listed off more threats. 

"You'll catch flies if you carry on." 

Tedros snapped back to reality, realising he was just gapping at the door, even if did expect an angry detective to burst through it at any minute. "Why have you locked her out?"  he finally asked struggling to make sense of the situation. 

"I'm just at qualified as she is."

"I don't doubt that, but-" 

Dot rested her elbows on the desk leaning closer to the suspect. "Over the past few days I have seen Hester intimidate Agatha into a response terrify Sophie and judge Kei for a crime she is no less innocent of. Fear is how Aric gets his answers and I refuse to stoop to his level." Dot's voice picked up pace with every accusation. 

This case had put a firm divide between the three detectives, more than any other had, and Dot would be lying if she said it did not worry her. She was almost certain it had something to do with Aric's  involvement, which explained Hester's strange change of character but she couldn't be certain. 

One deep breath and a fake smile restored Dot's demeanour. "I'm going to ask some questions approved by detective Brooke, I'll then type your response and any gestures I deem important. Detective Caro can then read it and make a deductions from there. Got it?"

Tedros took one last look at the door certain her saw splinter fly off from the incessant hammering, before turning back to Dot and nodding his head. 

"Great! Let's get started." 

***

Outside the study Anadil watched Hester throw herself, shoulder first, against the door which was miraculously still intact. "All you are going o achieve is a bruised arm and maybe a broken limb." Anadil remarked as she leaned back in the loveseat against the opposite wall. 

 "Why are you letting her get away with this?"

"Because she's right." Hester stopped and turned to the other detective. "Scaring and threatening people is not how we get answers and you know it." 

Hester moved away from the door towards Anadil, hesitating before she sat down. "Who, exactly, have I threatened?" 

"Everyone, and more than normal. I know you have never liked to play the 'good cop' but this isn't you Hester." Hester looked up at Anadil and for the first time she could see concern in her red eyes. "Tell me what's going on." 

At first Hester hesitated, it really wasn't that important, but then she started to think Anadil was right. Hester leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees and staring straight ahead. "I can't let him be right." 

"Aric?" Anadil questioned as Hester avoided her eyes. She knew she was right. "but we've taken cases from him in the past why is this any different?" 

"I don't know" Hester lied "I just feel like he has been one step ahead of me al this time. It bothered me how easily he gave up on the case but then when I found out Rafal was involved it all made sense. Aric was scared." 

A silence hung in the air but nothing needed to be said, Anadil could figure the rest out for herself. If Hester solved this case it would prove she was untouchable, that she no longer had any ties to the corrupt police that put innocent people behind bars, especially Aric. Hester never spoke about why she left but from what Dot had told her Anadil knew it was still a heavy burden on both of them. 

Lost in thought, Anadil suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. She looked down to see Hester, resting her head against her. You can only be tough for so long. 

*** 

"Agatha had fallen asleep in the car, I was carrying her back to our room when I heard Sophie scream." Tedros stated, finishing his recollection of the night in question. 

Dot finished typing before scanning her eyes over Agatha's alibi. They matched up, but there was still a nagging doubt at the back of her mind. She looked up at Tedros as he ran a hand through his hair. She couldn't quite figure this man out. He wasn't posh but he wasn't rough. He wasn't smart but she also wouldn't class him as an idiot. He didn't seem to fit into any category or box. But there was one thing Dot could be certain of, one way to know he was telling the truth. "Tell me about Agatha." 

Dot pushed her typewriter away and pulled out a fresh piece of paper from her bag and a pencil that had clearly been crudely sharpened by a pocket knife. 

Tedros just gawked at the detective as if she had just asked the most intrusive question imaginable. It made Dot feel guilty knowing this was going to get a lot worse for him. "Where did you meet?" Dot pressed as the man before her remained silent. 

Tedros swallowed the lump in his throat and tried his best to relax. If he argued or asked questions it would not only look bad on him but on Agatha too. "I was studying in London, my father insisted. One day there was this massive gathering in the park. There was a blonde girl stood at the front shouting and leading chants. Everyone's attention was focused on her, they were captivated by what she had to say, except me." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and Dot quickly jotted down notes about how his finger ran along his jaw to try and hide his smile or how his eyes didn't fix on one spot, instead drifting across the room as if he was watching the events unfold. This was Tedros Pendragon telling the truth. 

"I saw Agatha and went over to ask what was going on. She was so caught up in it all I had to ask a few times to get her attention. Before that day, I would only ever hear my fathers opinion on matters, I was brought up to think anything else was wrong. As you can probably imagine, Agatha had a lot to say about that." (I just want to say Arthur is not going to be a great guy in this story, sorry) Tedros' fingers started to play with the silver ring on his thumb. "She dragged me to one of their meetings which was - er- interesting." He laughed to himself remembering Agatha sit him down two hours before and explain the history of all the different causes. She was appalled by how little he knew and made it her personal mission to educate him. To Agatha's surprise he turned up to the next meeting and the one after that and so on until weekly meetings became a daily trip to Agatha's favourite café. 

"A few weeks later Sophie went off with Rafal and we just got closer over time." 

Tedros returned his gaze to the detective awaiting the next question but Dot had frozen. Suddenly everything fell into place in her mind. That explained why Hester was acting so out of character. She quickly shook her head and pulled her typewriter back. 

"Please understand that what I am about to ask is crucial to our investigation." Dot already felt guilty before even asking the question. It was clear this was something Tedros had put behind him and she really didn't want to be the one to dig it up. "Mr Pendragon, Why did your father disinherit you?"

 Tedros' whole body seized up. Of course that is what they thought. That he was jealous, that he wanted his own justice. It had taken Tedros years to come to terms with what happened but finally he had. Yes, he still despised even the thought of the twins but he finally had his own life now, with Agatha. 

"I didn't kill him." Tedros spat. 

"Please, Mr Pendragon, we need to know." Dot pressed, worried about what the others would think if she didn't get a response. 

"On one condition," Tedros looked up to meet Dot's eyes. He really wasn't in a position to be bargaining with a cop but he was not prepared to risk it. "Agatha, doesn't find out."