Darkness Finds You [Andley]

Chapter Twelve

"So like... Can you tell me what happened? Or are you just gonna stare angrily at your text messages all of this lunch date?" Ashley huffed, leaning back in his chair.

Currently the two of them sat at the small restaurant across the street from the police department. Andy sat with his heavy black coat on over his regular button up, tie, and dress pants. Ashley was in his usual as well, a sweater about a size too big and a skinny jeans, minus the coffee shop apron though.
"Date? Is this a date?" Andy cleared his throat.
Ashley cocked a brow. "You asked me to accompany you on your lunch break, and we are dating, so-"
"We are?" Andy blinked.
"You asked me out on a date. Remember?" Ashley stared at him.
"Well, yeah, of course I do. I just wasn't sure if that meant we were officially a couple or... I dunno." Andy blushed.
Ashley rolled his eyes and sipped his iced tea, scoffing a bit into the glass.

Andy narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"It's a good thing you're cute, detective." Ashley hummed and set his crumpled up napkin on his empty plate. "Speaking of which... How did you convince your Chief to let you back?"
Andy pursed his lips. "Uh... Y'know. Just a bit of talking. Maybe some lying."
Ashley frowned. "Andy..."
"I told her I'd stopped receiving messages from the killer, ok?" Andy sighed heavily. "I- I didn't want to get my job back like that but-"
"He made you do it..." Ashley figured and laid back in his seat again. "Andy, you're so stupid, you know that? You're taking orders from a serial killer!" He whisper-yelled as to not alarm any other customers around them. Andy cringed.
"I know." He sighed.

Ashley said nothing for a while, glancing out the window. He looked back at Andy. "Promise me you'll be careful?" He murmured, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. Andy smiled softly at him and nodded.
"I promise, Ash." He gave his hands a good squeeze.

Ashley sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine. On s different note, y'know what some people do when they ask their boyfriend out for lunch?"
"What?" Andy cocked a curious brow.
"They pay for lunch." Ashley cooed and stood up.
Andy pouted. "Mean." He took out his wallet and paid the bill, then escorting Ashley back outside. "Ok, I gotta go back to work. I'll see you later."
"Alright. Have fun, be safe." Ashley pecked his lips and walked off, while Andy crossed the street to the department building.

Once inside, Andy walked casually over to Alice's desk. "Hey." He sat on the end of her desk, giving her a look. "So..."
Alice looked around, checking over her shoulder to see if Chief was looking. She then directed her gaze back to Andy and leaned in a bit.
"I tracked it, but..."
Andy sighed. "But?"
"There's a firewall. A tough one. It'll take me at least a week to crack it." She sighed heavily. Andy stood.
"A week?!" He whisper-yelled.
Alice frowned. "I have work to do besides this, Andy. We both do, look." She pointed over to his desk, where a new case file sat neatly. Andy went over and grabbed it, flipping through.

Andy rolled his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Alright, fine. Let's go." He mumbled.
Alice smiled. "That's the spirit, Biersack." She teased and went along with him.
"I am driving." He shouted as she ran up ahead, no doubt to get to the car. Alice shot him a pout.
"Fine. Shotgun, then." She huffed and exited the building. Andy rolled his eyes with a light chuckle and did as well, getting in the car. He drove to the crime scene they had been assigned to and parked along the curb.

Alice got out first and stopped when she saw Andy just sat there, eyes set on his phone screen. She opened her door again and leaned in.
"Hey, Detective Biersack. You can chat with your boyfriend later." She taunted and shut the door again to go inside the building.
Andy swallowed thickly and shoved his phone in his pocket, getting out of the car. It wasn't his boyfriend, unfortunately. Ashley never texted him while he was working unless it was an emergency.

It was a simple message that was clear in conveying it's message, but Andy chose to ignore it. He didn't want to think about it.

"So what do we got?" Andy sighed, standing in the doorway of the small dining room, looking around at the trashed display and noticing the black body bag get removed, no doubt containing a body.
"Uh... Victim was Michael Crown, aged 28, lived alone."
"Uh huh. And what was his occupation?" Andy asked out of simple curiosity, gazing around at the packed book shelves and the odd decorations. Suit of armor, a coat of arms. Who was this guy?
"Professor at the university. Specifically in Medieval and Renaissance studies."
Andy laughed a bit. "Makes sense." He muttered to himself.
"It looks like this started as a simple breaking and entering, but I guess in an attempt to scare the perp off, he tripped and knocked over the suit of armor he had set up in the corner. And, well. The sword, being stupidly sharpened, fell at such an angle that it... Pierced through the poor fellows chest. Heart, to be exact."
Alice grimaced, watching as Andy pulled gloves on to exam.
"I doubt it." He mused.
"Oh come on, Andy, don't do this now." Alice sighed, as Andy lifted the sword, the second time it had been moved and the first being to remove the body.
"It's quite a coincidence that it would go straight through his heart, isn't it? What are the chances of that?" Andy cocked a brow, examining the sword and the blood stained on it. "Wouldn't it have gone in just a little bit crooked, you think?"
"I mean.. I suppose, but odder things have happened." The examiner blinked, watching. Andy set the sword back down on the evidence bag and looked at the toppled over armor.
"Has anyone else touched this?" He murmured.
"Uh- no. I mean- yes. To remove the body."
"And where was it touched."
"The... Shoulders of the armor, I believe, Detective. Why, may I ask?"
Andy narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said this fell on him."
"That's what I exami-"
"Why are there handprints on the back, then? As if it were pushed?" Andy stood.

Alice frowned. "What?"
Andy rolled his eyes. "There's dust covering the back of that thing. There are visible handprints on the back in the dust. And where the sword was originally held by the hands of that thing, there's no dust there either, almost as if someone forcefully removed the sword first, stabbed the man, and pushed the armor on him to make it look like an accident." Andy sighed.

"Oh- oh, well. I guess that's very plausible." The examiner grimaced. Alice crossed her arms.
"So... We're dealing with another murderer?" She raised an eyebrow. Andy shook his head and took his gloves off.
"Nah." He shrugged.

"But you just-"
"I know. But look. There's a safe behind that painting hanging open on hinges, there. If you look inside, you'll  whoever it is didn't open the safe itself. My best guess? The perp intended on robbing Mr. Crown here, but got caught before he could get anything, freaked out, used the sword to stab him out of instinct. He realized what he did, tried to make it look like an accident, and bolted." Andy explained.
"Any idea how we find the guy?" Alice asked. Andy looked around at the attracted group of crime scene investigators.
"Check the fencing club at the university. Don't tell anyone; no professors, no administrators, no students, about this, ok? Take a member out to the hall one by one, ask if they know anything, if they don't; explain to them that they can't tell anyone. If they do say they know something, then that's our guy." Andy shrugged. "Easy."
"Why the university?"
Andy rolled his eyes. "So many questions... Because there's not money in that safe, it's test answer sheets. It's midterm season."

There was silence, and then a gradual round of applause. Andy grinned a bit, and left the small house with Alice. His grin had faded by the time he got to the car.
"That was amazing, Andy- Geez, it's good to have you back. That's why you're Head Detective." Alice got in the car. Andy nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"What?" Alice frowned, noticing the sudden attitude change in her partner.

Four days, my dear kitten. And then you shall know.
xo 27

Andy shook his head. "Nothing. Let's go." He muttered and drove away from the house.

A/N: hello I turned 18 today (Aug. 17) :') but yo enjoy the chapter lol (thank you for the feedback on the authors note too!)