In the Black of Night (Jegulus Crime AU)

Chapter 2: The Secret

Regulus huffed, slamming yet another file down onto his desk. He had been staring at unsolved case files for the last six hours, and he hadn't managed to get anywhere. He felt as if everything he was doing was pointless. James approached the case from a distinct perspective, while Regulus was practically looking for a needle in a haystack. He rubbed his temple in frustration.

"No leads?" A nasal voice interrupted his thoughts.

"None," he replied, although that took quite a bit of energy. Regulus planned on ignoring the man. He had learned quite a bit about Mr. Pettigrew. It seemed he always stuck his nose in places where it didn't belong - a sign of insecurity.

"May I ask why you're looking at unsolved case files?"

"You can ask, but I won't answer," Regulus said, again burying his focus on the little bits of information the cops had managed to gather regarding the many missing persons. He didn't exactly have the time to chat.

"Come on, Black, you can't keep everything to yourself. And besides, aren't two heads better than one?" Pettigrew persisted, his tone almost pleading.

Regulus looked at him with suspicion. Everything he had uncovered about this man thus far was completely against what he was doing now. Peter Pettigrew was a selfish individual; there was no way he would offer to help unless he was getting something out of it.

"No thanks; this is official business, you know, FBI things," Regulus said, retrieving his badge from his inside jacket pocket to gloat it to Pettigrew.

"But these are local cases, and I worked on them. Almost every one of them."

"Is that why they're all unsolved, then?"

Peter clenched his fists, which hung by his sides. The veins in his forehead seemed to nearly protrude, and were bulging. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he seemed to be slightly shaking. Regulus studied his movements anxiously. Detective Pettigrew seemed to be seeing red like a bull, ready to charge at a flag.

"You okay there, Pete?"

Peter seemed to be holding back a snarl, "Of course."

Regulus wiggled his fingers in a playful wave as Peter continued to stand. "Off with you, now," he jested.

Peter ignored his antics but got the message. Regulus wasn't even sure when Peter had actually left; that's how little attention he paid to the man.

His focus was redirected to the files, which were sprawled out on his desk. He knew there had to be something; he knew there was an answer to the puzzle somewhere. After all, Lily had confirmed his suspicions.

With the initial investigation, Regulus was starting to believe it was an inside job. The victim, Marlene, didn't fight back. There was some sense of trust between her and her killer, and that's what made Regulus feel uneasy. He just had to find the connection. He just needed one clue.

Marlene was a cop, not just any cop, but one trained in undercover work. She didn't just throw her trust around, and with the amount of faith Lily had in her, Regulus was starting to believe someone in the precinct had killed her. Although he didn't want to suspect Lily, everyone was a suspect at this point.

Regulus looked at the crime scene pictures again, but his photographic memory allowed him to recall the scene even without the physical image. He began to focus on the things he didn't notice on his initial trip, and as he did, something caught his eye.

The table had been shattered into many pieces, but there was one particular piece that seemed to speak to Regulus. He picked up the picture, and turned it on his desk slightly, allowing himself to see it from another angle.