#Sorry my mom is dying and I have to be mid career to pull myself out of the priced out of rent cycle

[sintheyokai]

Layton Brothers: Devil’s Child (10): Chapter 9: It’s Finally Over

Word Count: 1756

Time- 12:46 p.m.

"I can't get him to talk, Al," Hilda sighed, "He says he'll only talk to either you or Lucy."

"Very well," Alfendi responded, getting up with a grunt.

He entered the interrogation room. Lucius let out a short, dark chuckle.

"Well, well, look who it is~" he said.

"Hush," Alfendi responded, "You were the one who wanted to see me."

"Oh, of course!" Lucius leaned in, "Because I know you're just dying of questions~"

"Then I guess I should start with my main one: Why would-Why did- you abuse your children?"

"Because God willed it so! The triplets are Demons, and no child of mine, toddler or grown, were going to stand up for them."

Alfendi restrained himself from socking Lucius in the face and continued.

"How many children would you say you tortured?"

"Oh, hundreds, perhaps even thousands! There were a point in time where they all made their own little club and pretty much tortured each other. I believe the brother of Angelo Fassi, Francisco, were the leader!"

"Angelo Fassi? Of the Agonni family? The mafia gang?"

Lucius grinned, "I see you know of them. I believe it was Barbarossa who were an old friend of mine, before he started killing. How is he?"

"Dead. So is Angelo. Not by our hands, mind you."

Lucius remained silent at this information. Finally, in a quite, mournful voice, he spoke.

"There were times..." he said.

"Times where what?" Alfendi raised an eyebrow.

"Times where I doubted my actions. You said it yourself: I tortured children, and I confirmed it by saying hundreds and thousands. There were moments where I wondered: 'Is this really right?' 'Is this what God wants me to do?'. I always tried to back it up and tell myself 'Yes! If it weren't, I wouldn't be hearing the voice of God in the first place!"

The room, again became silent. It stayed that way for a while, Lucius staring off into the distance with glazed eyes. He suddenly put his hand on Alfendi's and patted it.

"Layton, promise me this-"

"Why should I keep promises to someone who took advantage of an inspector?" Potty snarled, quickly retracting his hand.

"Let me finish, dear boy. Promise me you'll take care of her. All three of her."

Alfendi's eyes widened a bit. Slowly, he nodded.

"I will, Mr. Baker."

And it ended there. No goodbyes, no tears, just Alfendi walking out of the interrogation room, leaving Lucius inside.

"Well?" Hilda asked, "Any luck?"

"Yes," Alfendi responded, "But I can't decide whether he should be placed in jail or in a mental hospital. I'm thinking he might have schizophrenia; he's talking about a voice he heard, and he thinks it's God talking to him."

Lucy suddenly came into the room.

"Prof!" she shouted, promptly smacking him in the shoulder with something red before shoving it in his face, " Ya never told me Strawberry were down there!"

Alfendi had completely forgotten that Lucifer had grabbed the little stuffed bear on the way up. He supposed Lucifer had also forgotten he had it if Lucille was hearing about it just now. Lucille didn't bother listening to Alfendi's response as she tightly hugged the toy close to her, the giddy joy of a child coursing through her.

There was a tapping sound, and the trio looked to see Lucius at the interrogation room window. Having their attention, he pulled something small out of his suit pocket.

It was a bag, tied with a singular red satin ribbon. Untying it, he pulled out something red and semicircular.

It was an ear to a stuffed toy.

"Lucille... Are you looking for this?" He said from behind the glass, "Are the others looking for their parts too?"

Alfendi and Hilda looked back at Lucille to see that her originally joyful attitude had been replaced with a ghostly pale face and tears in the corners of her eyes. She reached her hands out, then retracted them quickly, fighting with herself over whether or not she should get close to her father.

"It's alright, dear. I won't pull anything," Lucius looked to the side before angrily saying, "No! I'm sorry, Lord, but not now, of all times!"

"Mental hospital." Both Hilda and Alfendi said before the latter went to get the bag from Lucius. Once retrieved, he peeked inside.

A chocolate brown tail, a white leg with blue patches, and a leg as red as Potty's hair.

They were the pieces that were missing from the Bakers' stuffed toys.

Lucille came over to Alfendi and shyly reached for the ear. Alfendi chuckled and handed it to his assistant.

"Is... Is 'e goin' away now?" Lucille suddenly asked, clutching the ear close to her heart, "Y-Ya know... f-for good?"

Alfendi smiled before leaning down to softly kiss her.

"Yes Lucille. He'll be gone."

Blaine suddenly came speeding down the hall. Alfendi knitted his eyebrows.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Blaine looked at him and sighed.

"Off to do community service and a slight demotion for my actions," he said, earning a surprised raised eyebrow from Alfendi. "I was quite surprised myself and told Commissioner Barton that he's much too generous sometimes."

And with that he was gone. Lucille looked at Alfendi.

"'e's still gonna work 'ere?" she asked. Alfendi sighed and shook his head in shame.

"I believe so. What he did was somewhat intentional, but all the same he was sort of tricked into doing it."

They went down to the Mystery Room. Suddenly, Lou spoke.

"So what's th' verdict?" Loopy asked.

"Mental hospital for your dad, we just have to file some papers for him, and community service and a demotion for Dartwright." Alfendi answered. Loopy clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Tha's all? I'm 'appy wiv Beelzedad's punishment, but a li'le disappointed that Shitwright gets nowt more but a slap ont' wrist!"

"You'll find that the Commissioner is very generous. Blame my father a bit will you?"

Loopy stomped her foot and comically shook her fist at the sky, "CURSE YA, 'OT STUFF'S DAD!" she shouted, causing Potty to double over and laugh like a hyena.

"Eh now, Red!" Loopy suddenly exclaimed using her little nickname (she called Placid Wine), "Wot say you tha' after we do those pappers, we 'ead on down to th' joint tha' Lucille works at for a sarnie or summat?"

Placid returned, tears in his eyes, "O-Ohohoh, does- does Lucille work as a- a waitress?" he asked between laughs. Loopy nodded her head.

"Aye! El Café de Mamá; a real cute Spanish cafe whose sarnies are th' absolute best!" Loopy gave her mentor a wide, toothy grin, "An' I 'ope ya don't mind me draggin' along ma siblin's!"

"Not at all, Loopy. But on that note, we really should complete those papers."

Soon after this was said, they approached the Mystery Room door, which, as always since she started working at Scotland Yard, Loopy wanted to bust open. Denying her permission, Alfendi promptly unlocked the door.

As they were signing and filing papers, Loopy remembered something.

"Oh! Lucille told me an' Longstockin' tha' you fenced wiv ma pops! Now where'd a sexy rat noodle like you learn to fence?" she asked.

Alfendi restrained himself from laughing at Lily's quirky flirt, "Oh several of my family members fence, it was only natural that I fence as well."

"Go on! Who fences in your family?"

"My sisters, Flora and Katrielle, but not Fauna, my father, my uncle, Desmond Sycamore, and my aunt."

"Eh?" Loopy raised an eyebrow, "Sycamore, the archaeologist? Funny! 'e seemed like your uncle to me, dunno why. Didn't know ya 'ad an aunt though!"

"Ah, yes, well, she's seldom spoken of. As far as I know, she's entering her... mid 50s or 60s now. And still kicking!"

"Hmm... D'ya know where she is now?" Loopy asked, signing her last paper. Alfendi sighed, finishing as well.

"No... She visited me in my coma for about a week before having to leave for some assignment."

"Wait- She valued summat for work more than 'er own nephew!?"

"I'm unsure. My sisters thought the same, however. They were furious, but my father and uncle seemed to understand at a moments notice. None of us really learned what she went to do."

He sighed again before standing up.

"But enough of that! Seeing as we're both finished, let's set off! I'm interested in seeing Lucille's workplace."

So they left, Loopy skipping up and down the hall. She turned to Alfendi.

"Quickie li'le note: after lunch we should stop by my house. My mum baked 'er cherry pie cake tha' she used to make me, an' th' Yuferivers sent me their monthly treat: Daddy Remimbur's pate choux!"

Alfendi laughed and nodded, "Alright! Sounds like a plan for the evening!"

And the plans ensued. The duo ate with the Bakers and Fauna at the cafe, later treating themselves to Mrs. Barde's cake and Remimbur's pate choux, which Alfendi enjoyed quite a lot (Lou, get your mom and foster dad to give me their fucking recipes please these are so fucking goddamn good~)

After lunch, they began heading back to the Yard. And as they approached the doors, a train carrying a woman came along.

--At Kings Cross Station--

The woman stepped off the train, stone in hand. She was on the phone with an old friend.

"I know, I know, it was inconsiderate of me." she spoke. She listened as the voice answered. "Yes, I know, I was here. I watched him hold onto his life for a week."

She was outside the station. The voice was yelling at her.

"You don't understand," she said irritablely, "I had to leave! If officials got their hands on it, they'd try and use it! And I know I've told you what will happen if it's misused. It has to be used by them."

She was silent as the voice continued. It said something to make her grimace slightly.

"Cover story? Hmm... I'll make up something. You know I always do. It'll hopefully explain my whole, 'I gotta go' in the middle of my nephew's coma. Anyway, I'm in London, so I'll hang up."

And doing just that, she removed her hat and glasses, her curly white hair shining in the light.

"Well now... Alfendi and Katrielle... I heard you've created great careers for yourselves." she glanced at the palm sized stone she had retrieved, "But..."

"I wonder if you'll be able to handle the secrets I kept from your poor souls."