Quick update for once! xD

I decided to update quicker for once since I'll be going on a little hiatus until mid october ^^" Please don't worry, it's not because I've lost interest in this story or anything... But I'm on holiday + moving in with my boyfriend, so I don't have much time to write anything :( Once the move is completed I should be able to upload on a more regular base :)

Also I now have Tumblr! I'll use it to post some cosplay stuff but also for small teasers for upcoming chapters and new stories. So please check it out if you're interested :) Also ask me anything! ^^
You can find me as: chibi-mathilda

First impressions weren't always right, Levi realized. When he first met Eren Yeager he had thought him to be a loud-mouthed brat with an anger issue and a magnet for attracting trouble. A pretty face more than brains who liked to brawl because he had a short fuse. He was wrong… Sure the kid was all of these things but he was smart, smarter than one gave him credit for. He saw through the façade of mrs. Harrigan and was obviously looking forward to the challenge that this case would no doubt bring him. He might not be the brightest crayon in the bunch but he had street smarts and a some degree of human psychology. Maybe working together with the brat wasn't so bad as he had first feared.

And then the kid had opened his mouth and asked that question about the fingerprints… The black haired detective knew they had her cornered with that question, the woman realized that she had placed herself in a tight spot and damn if the brunet didn't realize it as well. The smirk on his lips was almost predatory and gave him a wild, feral look. Levi had always wondered what those pigs from the diner had seen in him, but as he suddenly saw the brat in a new light, he could understand it just a little, tad bit – minus the whole we-are-going-to-sell-you-as-a-sex-slave-thing obviously.

Right now Erwin was question both the butler and the lady of the house – Levi snorted since that woman was anything but ladylike- while the kid and him were looking around the vault. Those bright green eyes looked carefully and thoughtfully around taking everything possible in. Right now his eyes were firmly planted at the blanc space where there used to be a painting. Grey eyes followed the same path and immediately saw some inconsistency with the story. He wondered if the brat had figured it out as well, so he subtly questioned the boy – and yes… he could be subtle if he wanted to be! "What are you looking at brat?"

Those bright eyes glared at him for a few seconds before answering: "I was wondering what those wires were doing against the wall. It seems that they run straight to the back of the painting, but none of the other paintings have the same wiring. And I doubt that they are just for electricity."

"Is that all you see?"

The questioning look send his way was enough of an answer for the black haired detective. Sure he was right about the weird wiring – they would have to ask that witch about it later – but that was not what he had meant. Sighing he asked his next question. "Eren, what do you know about the Mona Lisa?"

At first the kid looked surprised by the use of his name, a look that quickly turned sheepish. "Art has never been my strong point, I found it quite boring to be honest. I know that it hangs in the Louvre and that there is a film about its painter and some sort of code…"

Rolling his eyes, he decided to forgive the brat for this little slip-up. "The Mona Lisa is not only know because Dan Brown wrote about it you brat. And while her 'mysterious' smile is something a lot of people like about it. It is also a small painting, barely 77 cm on 53 cm. Or at least smaller than some of the other paintings of its time. Knowing that, what do you see now when staring at that blanc space?"

Again the calculating look appeared in those bright eyes – damn it if he didn't find those eyes quite fascinating – as he studied the blanc wall again. He frowned as he slowly began connecting the dots that Levi had noticed earlier. "The shape is all wrong! That yellowish color on the wall suggest that the painting hanging there was small but long and with an oval top. But why would they lie about the painting if they wanted us to find it. Unless they got the proportions all wrong." The kid pulled a face at that, clearly stating that he didn't believe it himself. And it would indeed be weird: a gallery holder/amateur painter who didn't know what the Mona Lisa looked like? A woman claiming how much she adored the original but wouldn't be bother by the mistakes in the copy? It just didn't add up…

"Then again they wouldn't hire us to find a painting if they didn't want anyone to know what it really looked like. It's a strange case…" And it frustrated him! The short male might looked pretty bored all the time but he hated it when people lied to him. Unless they were suspects… Then he enjoyed slowly pulling the information he needed out of them – and yes he had a sadistic streak when dealing with low-lifes. "Let's join Erwin upstairs and then we can ask our 'host' – he nearly spitted the word out – about the weird wiring in here." He sharply turned on his heels and walked out, keeping a brisk pace all the while. He didn't look back to see if Eren was following him, knowing that the young man was just a few paces behind him. As he climbed the stairs he could only hope that his blond partner had more look in finding things out.

XOXOX

The cold look in those blue eyes told the ex-detective all that he needed to know. While Erwin's face remained charming enough to any onlookers, Levi had known his partner long enough to see the nearly unperceivable twitch in his left eye corner. The tall man was losing his patience… and fast! The fact that mrs Harrigan was all draped over his arm probably didn't help much. Next to him he could feel Eren tensing – and while he couldn't see the boy's face – he could easily imagine the other rolling his eyes at the 'lady of the house'.

He cleared his throat to gain there attention before elbowing the kid in the side. "If you don't mind, our assistant had a question about the wiring in the vault."

The kid looked surprised for a moment but when the bitch turned to glare at him, he swallowed, straightened his back and asked with a voice full of confidence: "We've noticed some brown wires coming down from the ceiling toward the back of the missing painting, yet none of the other paintings had these wires. Would you mind telling us what they are for?" A pleasant smile was sent her way and it caught her off guard for a moment. It caught Levi of guard for a moment as well – the fake politeness in the brat's voice that is. His words were nearly dripping with sarcasm and that stupid woman didn't even notice! The black-haired male smirked as he suddenly felt proud of their 'assistant'.

"Those connect with pressure pads, so that when the painting gets lifted off the wall, the alarm will go off."

"I see…" Oh they most defiantly saw through the lies now. Who in their right minds would go to extreme measures to protect a painting that isn't worth a dime, while neglecting the other treasures in that vault? No-one! Which meant that mrs. Harrigan had been lying to them this entire time. They would play dumb off course but they would eventually find out the truth and when they did, Levi was sure he would either be arresting her or her husband – and Heaven knows he really hoped he could throw her ugly ass in jail!

"Mrs. Harrigan can I use the bathroom please?" The short detective wasn't charming like Erwin, nor was he over the top polite like Eren, but she seemed to find his bluntness attractive anyway – or at least pretended to- because she smiled coyly at him while nodding her head.

"It's on the first floor, 3 door on the right. Do you want James to lead to way?"

"I'm sure I can find it myself." Without so much as glancing backwards he trudged up the stairs and into the indicated room. Of course he didn't really have to use the bathroom – Heaven knows how unsanitary they could be! – but he had something entirely else in mind, to solve this case more quickly. He pulled on some disposable gloves – which he always had with him – and looked around for a brush or something. When he finally located the antique looking thing, he pulled a few of the blond strands from between the teeth and put them in a little plastic bag. He did the same for the little black hairs he found in the man's razor. Later today he would drop them off at the police station and who knew…? Maybe the resulting DNA profiles would give them the clue they've been missing?

Putting the bags in his pocket, he pulled the toilet – to make it more believable – washed his hands and joined Eren and Erwin downstairs. They said their goodbyes to the lady of the house and then made their way outside. One they were all seated they let out one gigantic sigh. "That woman gave me a killer headache." Levi grumbled. The brunet could only agree, while closing his eyes. If he could, he would fall asleep right there and then…

"Next stop: the station?" His blond partner asked rhetorically while starting the car and driving away from the weird mansion.

Before you ask... Yes this chapter is slightly shorter than my previous onces ^^" It seemd like a good point to stop the story without dragging it out to much :)

Next chapter will be something special since it will be in Erwin's p.o.v. :D