I'm back and good news IT'S A LONG CHAPTER! That's why it took so long.

On a funny note can I just say I had to do an insane amount of research on chess, yes CHESS just for this one chapter because I didn't want Erwin and Pixis to play the game like dumbasses.

Anyway, here it is, a late Christmas present to you all, the next chapter of my story :)

Erwin removed his watch and turned out his pockets, placing everything in the plastic tray.

"No phones or electronic devices," came a curt reminder from the guard (someone who clearly hated their job). "You'll have to put that in a locker."

Erwin sighed as he was subjected to a series of demeaning security checks; including a thorough pat down. He had nothing to hide, yet he still felt a wash of relief when he was given the all clear and directed to a small lounge.

"The warden will be with you shortly." Without further instruction the guard turned and left.

Time dragged on. In his boredom Erwin picked up a newspaper but put it down immediately when he spotted his name in a column. Not today, he thought, settling for a mindless celebrity gossip magazine instead. He was halfway through an article on 'skincare essentials for people over forty' when the peace and quiet was shattered.

"Well if it isn't Erwin Smith!"

The Chief Inspector rolled his eyes. Why had such ill fate cursed him today?

"Hello Hanji," he said without enthusiasm. A pair of glasses glinted at him.

"Well hello and nice to see you too!"

Erwin forced a smile. Dr Hanji Zoe. It had been a while. Their mutual interest in criminal activity had led to many successful collaborations throughout the years. She still emailed every now and then with updates in her research; or at times just to gush about the latest true crime podcast. Erwin always promised he'd give it a listen. But never got round to it.

"You'll never guess who I saw on TV the other day?" she announced. Erwin stiffened as she sidled up beside him.

"I have absolutely no idea."

While he was perfectly fond of Dr Hanji, the woman was a damn busybody. Erwin had to protect himself. The consequences of her finding out what he was up to here could be disastrous.

"Go on, guess!" she urged. Humouring her Erwin yielded.

"Damn, I give up," he said. "Who?"

You, silly! On the news. And I have to say you looked terrible!"

"Well thanks."

"No, no, I just mean you looked tired is all," she burbled. "Also don't they say TV adds up to ten pounds?"

"You do always give the loveliest compliments Hanji," said Erwin, shaking his head.

They shared a brief laugh but it was followed by a long silence. Erwin didn't like the gleam in her eye. He knew what was coming.

"So …" she wheedled, slithering closer. "What brings the Chief of Police to this lowly prison hmm?"

Erwin folded his arms.

"What took you so long?"

This made the doctor titter.

"Must be top secret police business huh?"

"Correct."

Erwin's smirk was a guarded one. She wasn't getting a word out of him.

"Come on," she pestered. "At least give me a hint."

"No."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Just whisper it!"

"What part of no can't you understand?"

"I won't tell!"

"Fine!" the Chief Inspector relented, beckoning her to come closer. "Come here and I'll tell you."

Her excitement was pathetic. The doctor was almost drooling as she leaned in to hear the gossip.

"Closer," Erwin summoned. A wicked part of him was enjoying this power. He waited till she was close; pausing for effect before whispering in her ear, "none of your damn business."

"Erwiiiiin!" She belted him with a cushion as he tried not to laugh. "Why would you do that? That's so cruel!"

The Chief Inspector cleared his throat and wiped the grin from his face. His defiance only made her more determined.

"Are you here to see an inmate?"

"No!"

"Is it Levi?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Aha!" Her finger drilled his chest. "So it is Levi!"

Erwin growled. Perhaps it was best he just said nothing at all. Hanji edged closer till she was almost on his lap.

"Ah, I'm right aren't I?" she persisted, wagging a finger between his eyes. "Blink once for yes."

But when he stubbornly held his eyes open, the doctor shrieked.

"Aw seriously Erwin!" she cried, stamping her feet like a toddler. "After all the times you've consulted my research!"

"Hanji I can't!"

"Bet you solved a lot of cases thanks to me!"

"This is too important."

"You don't trust me do you?"

Erwin pitied her desperation. This was no longer funny, just infuriating.

"Don't push it!" he warned as she gripped the front of his coat.

"Pretty please!"

"How many times? No!"

"Pretty please with sugar on top!"

"NO!"

"Um … Chief Inspector?" piped a shy voice.

Mortified, Erwin turned. An awkward young woman hovered in the doorway with a clipboard.

"Sorry to interrupt but … Mr Pixis will see you now."

"Ohoho! So you're here to see the warden?" hooted the psychologist. Erwin shoved his hand in her face.

"About bloody time!" he grumbled. The woman with the clipboard looked appalled. "Sorry, yes. I'm ready."

Erwin stood up to follow, but not before wishing Hanji the best of luck in solving the mystery. A cushion struck his back as he walked away.

"You bastard, Erwin Smith, I will figure this out!"

And he left her there fizzing. He followed the young woman who introduced herself as 'Anka', the warden's assistant. She led him up to an important looking door.

"Mr. Pixis," she called, knocking. "Chief Inspector Smith is here to see you."

A chair scraped the floor.

"Ah, perfect," came the same cheery voice Erwin heard on the phone earlier. "Just the man I want … well send him in."

When Anka opened the door Erwin felt like he'd stepped back into the 19th century. From the ornate Persian rug to the shelves of leather books, the warden's office had a distinctly Victorian feel.

"Ah Chief Inspector, glad you could make it. Sit down, make yourself at home."

The warden sat behind a grand mahogany desk, nursing a glass of scotch. He was an older gentleman, completely bald with a prominent grey moustache. He nodded to his assistant.

"Thank you Anka. That will be all, and please ensure we're not disturbed. If that pest of a psychologist finds out about my esteemed guest …"

"Too late," Erwin warned. The warden just laughed.

"Oh dear, well nonetheless, please ensure we're left in peace."

Anka concurred, closing the door behind her. Erwin listened as the clicking of her high heels faded away down the corridor. Mr Pixis began to chuckle. That was when Erwin noticed the chessboard right in front of him.

"Ah! Checkmate," he said, flicking the white king off the board. "I win again!"

Playing chess against himself and heartily drunk before noon, thought Erwin. Mr. Pixis was every bit as unconventional as whisper had it. The warden reassembled the pieces.

"Join me, Chief Inspector," he said. "Are you familiar with the rules of chess?"

Erwin sniffed. As an adolescent he'd been something of a local champion. He'd even won trophies. But Erwin wasn't one to boast.

"I'm familiar with the rules, yes."

He took a seat. Mr Pixis stood up.

"Can I offer you tea, coffee?"

"No thank you."

"Or perhaps something stronger?" He opened a well stocked cabinet. Erwin did well to hide his disapproval.

"No, no thank you," he politely declined. "I shouldn't. I'm on duty."

The warden laughed.

"That never stopped me," he said, pouring him a shot anyway. It seemed Erwin had no choice.

"Alright, go on then."

"That's the spirit!"

Perhaps one wouldn't hurt, but it did feel tacky to be knocking back the hard stuff so soon after breakfast. Mr Pixis sat down, placing both glasses on the table.

"Your move," he said pointing to the chessboard.

Erwin initiated the game with a king's pawn opening. Mr Pixis responded with the Scandinavian defence. Erwin thought this a strange choice and immediately suspected his opponent was trying to throw him off.

"So Chief Inspector, that's quite a bold proposal you sent me," he said. "If I'd been clear headed last night when I read it I might have just said no on the spot."

Erwin nodded.

"And I wouldn't have blamed you."

Instead of taking the obvious move and capturing a pawn, Erwin brought out his kingside knight. He wondered if his opponent was too smart to fall for the tennison gambit.

"I gather you're a gambling man," said Pixis. Erwin nodded. Admittedly his plan did sound crazy; the scheme of a madman. But he'd exhausted all his resources and he was running out of ideas. And time.

"The Superintendent has had it in for me for quite some time," he admitted. "If my time as Chief Inspector really is up, might as well take a risk."

The warden chuckled at this.

"You and Levi Ackerman go way back don't you?" he said, gripping his chin. "Tell me a little about that. Is it true you're the one who 'discovered' him?"

Erwin gritted his teeth. It seemed the warden had heard just as many whispers about him.

"Is this really necessary?" he said. He wasn't trying to be rude but he hadn't come here to pour over the past, drink and play board games. He feared Mr Pixis wasn't taking this seriously. But the moment his opponent looked up Erwin realised how mistaken he was.

"Absolutely," the warden said indignantly. "It is absolutely necessary that I establish why you place so much faith in a coldblooded killer. The same man who humiliated you in the public eye just five years ago."

Erwin watched as his trap was foiled. The warden saw the tennison gambit coming miles away and zipped his bishop to D2, threatening the white queen. Erwin was forced to shift her to safety. As he suspected his opponent was no beginner.

"Remember, Chief Inspector I'm taking a huge risk if I indulge this harebrained scheme of yours," Mr Pixis chided. "I'm not a gambler like you; I like to know what I'm getting myself into."

Erwin nodded. Even though he'd promised the warden a hefty sum for the risk, he couldn't hold the man's caution against him. But condensing twenty years of history in one afternoon? How could he begin to make a stranger understand what Levi had meant to him?

"Chief Inspector?"

Erwin's fingers hovered over a bishop, debating the next sensible move.

"I first met Levi Ackerman back when he worked for his uncle," he imparted. "He could only have been about sixteen, seventeen …"

The corridors echoed with the barking of dogs.

"You just had to get gutsy didn't you?"

"Let go!"

Eren grasped Jean by the collar and crashed him against the wall.

"What the hell were you playing at back there?"

"GET OFF ME!"

With a hard shove Jean sent Eren wobbling backwards but he came flying back with a vengeance.

"Damn it, Jean!" he despaired. The animals whimpered and whined, distressed by the sounds of dispute. "Why did you do that? You've gone and pissed off our people of interest!"

"Look what you've done, stretched it," griped Jean, straightening his collar and tie. "Oh and what I did back there, it's called 'interrogation.'"

"Funny! All I saw was a dirtbag on a power trip!"

"She was defensive!"

"You can't go around accusing people of murder!"

The two of them were locked in a stare off. Jean scuffed his feet. For a moment Eren thought he was going to apologise. But instead he just shrugged.

"Like I say … she was defensive."

That did it. Eren stormed away.

"You're a fucking idiot you know that!" he bellowed. He needed to put distance between them before Jean ended up with a bloody nose. "You've given the game away completely!"

Not only had Jean offended Isabel, making her uncooperative but they'd also given Farlan Church a heads up that they were onto him. Gasping for breath Jean caught up.

"Look Eren, how the hell was I supposed to know Church was here?" he fumed. "Damn it, how? How is he here in plain sight? We searched everywhere and he isn't on any public records."

"The hell should I know?" spat Eren. The blood left his face when he heard the rustle of voices inside Isabel's office.

"I can't go down for this Isabel! You gotta believe I didn't do it!"

Slowly the detective crept to the door and pressed his ear against it. He listened so closely he could hear the ticking of a clock inside the room.

"Isabel?" the voice pleaded. "You do believe me … right?"

Gulping, the young detective leaned off the door. Sooner or later he'd have to go in there and face them. Behind him Jean paced the corridor.

"Look, we need a plan of action." he hissed. "We need to proceed with caution …"

"Oh now you want to proceed with caution!"

"Shut up and listen!" Jean didn't give Eren another chance to interrupt. "So I've riled them up ok, and now they hate me. Well that gives you the perfect chance to go on in there, be the good guy and win them over. If they still don't talk then I'll come in and give them another push."

Eren snorted at this.

"Good cop, bad cop?" he sneered. "That's your great idea?'"

"Hey! It's a proven technique!"

"Oh yeah, where? On CSI Miami?" Eren mocked. "Wake up shithead! This is the real world!"

"Got any better ideas?"

The young detective bit his lip. Unfortunately he didn't and they'd left the two of them alone too long already. With his heart in his mouth, Eren reached for the door handle. But not before firing one last vicious glare at his partner.

"In future leave the talking to me," he said, adding "idiot!"

And on that note he barged right in. The room fell silent upon his entry. Not a good sign. Isabel's eyes followed him as he crossed the room. Her male colleague on the other hand stared right through him like he couldn't bear to look. His own unease stopped Eren getting too close. He knew he was the enemy and little could change that. But he'd be damned if he didn't try.

"I - I'm so sorry," he blurted. "You'll have to forgive my colleague … he's um … he's new! Don't listen to him. He's just trying to make his mark y'know …"

Four unimpressed eyes blinked back at him. This was torture, absolute torture.

"Look, I really … I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Oh get to the point!"

"Isabel!" her colleague cautioned but her face was reddening in anger.

"Do me a favour Detective and spare us the bullshit!"

"I ugh … I -"

Eren stood there with an open mouth. He found his eyes drifting to her co-worker in the background; the man he now knew to be Farlan Church. He didn't speak; he avoided eye contact. He was doing everything he could to feign disinterest, even scrolling through his phone. Unfortunately for him, the young detective was locking onto him.

"Farlan Church?" he said. The man sniffed but didn't look up.

"Yeah, what about it?"

The young detective cleared his throat. Farlan Church was taking a childish stance. That left him with two options; stoop to his level or rise above it.

"I'm going to be straight with you Farlan," he said. For once in his life Eren was going to be the bigger person. "I wasn't expecting to find you here."

Farlan shot him a poisonous glare.

"Oh yeah?"

But Eren refused to be intimidated.

"I want to emphasize, you are someone we need to talk to but that doesn't automatically make you a suspect." He detected no relief from Farlan whatsoever. "During our investigation your name came up."

"Huh?"

"You're an old friend of Levi Ackerman?"

"Well not anymore."

Eren sighed. Farlan Church wasn't going to make this easy. The youngster urged himself to be calm and draw upon his training.

"Sorry to be blunt, Farlan but would you explain where you've been all these years?" His tone was not rude but it was firm enough to command respect. Or so he hoped. "There's no trace of you in any public records since the year 2000."

There was a crack as Farlan bit down on his thumbnail. Patiently the young detective waited. Sooner or later the man would realise he was cornered and this problem wasn't going away no matter how much he ignored it. At last Farlan sighed and dropped his phone on the desk.

"Just when I was getting my shit together," he lamented. "Should have known my past would come back to bite me on the ass."

For the first time Farlan Church looked up and held the detective's gaze. He had the most piercing blue eyes.

"Trust me," he urged. "I have no loyalty to Levi Ackerman. He can rot in hell along with that animal he calls an uncle."

Isabel nodded in agreement.

"I don't know how to make you believe me," Farlan pleaded. "But I'm not a killer. I got away with many crimes and God I'd rather serve my time for all of them than go down for this! I'm not a serial killer! I've done bad things but I'm a good person!"

Isabel placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Eren wondered what she was thinking. Did she believe him absolutely?

"Wanna know why I'm not in the records?" said Farlan. "Because 16 years ago I needed to disappear! Got myself a fake ID and a new life! I'm a fraud ok! But I'm no killer. You gotta believe me!"

Eren wanted to but there were still so many suspicious blanks.

"But Farlan why?" he beseeched. "I don't understand. Why did you have to disappear?"

"I did it to protect myself!" Farlan launched "You don't know what it was like in Rosewall. You don't know what he was like!"

"What who was like?"

"Kenny!" he sputtered. "Kenny the fucking ripper!"

Farlan lowered his voice when he said the name as, if uttering it would summon the man himself.

"Kenny Ackerman?" Eren exclaimed.

Warily Farlan nodded.

"You'd be a fool to get on his bad side."

"And did you?"

Farlan squeezed his eyes shut.

"I couldn't sleep for paranoia; I carried a knife wherever I went. I was so damn terrified I got myself locked away in juvie thinking I'd be safer there than on the streets. Even then I was terrified he'd send one of his thugs in after me."

Eren decided it would be wise not to mention that Kenny Ackerman had been released on parole. He didn't want to cause any unnecessary distress.

"I was just a kid, I was terrified," Farlan disclosed. "I skipped town with a new name and social security number … but the paranoia followed me wherever I went. I drank heavily, got addicted to drugs. I turned my back on everyone who cared about me!"

Don't be so easily fooled, a voice in the back of Eren's head warned. He could feel himself being taken in by this tale of woe. He thought of Levi Ackerman and all the years he remained undetected. There was a reason serial killers were hard to catch.

The persistent squeak of Isabel's fidgeting grated on him. As though she read his mind her eyes suddenly locked with his. The silence was building uncomfortably. It had been far too long since anyone said anything.

"So um … have you two been in touch all this time or? …"

It was Isabel who answered.

"Farlan started working for me …" and she paused for thought. "Must be about six years ago now, right?"

Farlan nodded. Eren was glad to see Isabel relax a little, as she spoke her hostility lessened.

"We bumped into each other by chance one day in a store," she continued. "He was a recovering addict who nobody would hire. We got talking … then I guess I felt sorry for him and offered him a job."

Farlan shrunk away when she said this.

"I really needed a friend," he said. "If I hadn't ran into Isabel that day I probably would have relapsed ... or worse."

"But hey!" said Isabel with encouragement. "Seven years clean next month huh?"

This made Farlan smile.

"Over time I became brave enough to use my real name again," he said. "But on paper my name is still 'Gerhard Becker', that's why I can't be traced. I'll admit when I heard Kenny Ackerman was let out I decided not to risk it."

Having met Kenny yesterday Eren knew the man was in no fit state to be following up on an ancient (and possibly imagined) vendetta.

"Can I ask?" said the youngster. "Was Kenny Ackerman really out to get you or…"

"Was I just a paranoid junkie?"

"No, no!" said Eren, raising his hands. "That's not what I was going to say!"

But it was. Although not worded quite so unkindly.

"I think Kenny forgot about me long ago," said Farlan. "But there was a time he tried to kill me …"

Farlan's narration was chaotic. He recounted the brush with death in such a hectic manner that little of it made any sense.

"I did nothing wrong!" he vented, colour draining from his face. "I tell you, you don't know what fear is until that maniac has a gun against your head!"

He trailed off at this point. Eren could see his eyes dilating at the memory.

"We don't need to go into detail," he interjected. As someone with horrors in his own past he knew how intrusive it was when someone demanded he open up. There had to be a quicker way of getting the information he needed.

"Did this run in with the Ackermans affect your friendship with Levi?"

Farlan muttered something Eren didn't quite catch.

"Hell yeah, I couldn't forgive him," he said, shaking his head. "He snitched to the cops and I almost got killed for it. Damn! That Edwin guy must'a brainwashed him something good."

"Edwin?"

Farlan reached into his top pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. His face was one of absolute disdain.

"He was this cop," he explained. "You know, like an undercover one, but Levi, that idiot, thought he'd made a new friend. The guy was just using him to get to Kenny."

As Farlan started to light up Isabel smacked his hand.

"Hey! How many times, Farlan. No smoking inside."

He gave a great guffaw at this.

"Well sorry but I'm fucking stressed!"

Isabel looked less than pleased when he went ahead and lit the cigarette anyway. Eren winced as her chair scraped the floor.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to give the dogs their medication."

Eren felt powerless to stop her. She left, banging the door behind her. The young detective didn't know when and if she'd be back. Her departure left an uncomfortable tension brewing. Farlan reverted to staring at his feet.

While Eren was mulling everything over something suddenly clicked. Edwin? he thought. Or did he mean?

"Erwin!" he exclaimed. Farlan looked up, confused.

"What?"

"Erwin." the youngster pressed. "Not Edwin. Erwin Smith? Was that the name of the undercover cop?"

Farlan gave this a moment of thought. Then he gave in and shrugged.

"Can't remember," he said, drawing on his cigarette. "We're talking nearly twenty years ago ..."

"I was 22 years old and it was my first undercover assignment," said Erwin, rocking a captured piece between his thumb and forefinger. "My mission was simple; get close to the nephew then capture the uncle."

Erwin could feel the alcohol humming in his head, steadying his nerves. He wondered why he didn't drink on duty more often.

"If only the reality had played out as simply as that," he said. That was when he paused, realising he hadn't opened up about the horror of that assignment since the immediate aftermath. The warden leaned back, scotch in hand.

"Undercover is a dangerous business I imagine," he said, nodding at the board. "Your move Chief Inspector."

Erwin looked down at the game. Now was not the time to get complacent. He had to say it was refreshing to have an opponent who kept him on his toes. Winning usually came too easily to him.

"I was full of youthful arrogance," he said, shifting his queen. "But Levi Ackerman wasn't the naïve teenager I'd hoped he'd be. He was impossible to get close to and sharp beyond his years."

"So what did you do?"

Erwin smiled as he took a drink.

"I watched from afar," he said. "And I saw how terribly his uncle treated him."

"Ah, good old emotional exploitation," said Pixis, smiling but shaking his head. Erwin sighed.

"When you put it like that it does sound cold," he said. "But yes I used his difficult relationship with his uncle to make an ally out of him. I gained his trust by being there for him when Kenny kicked him to the curb. I listened, gave him hope."

The deeper into the story Erwin got, the harder it was to tell. The complex emotions from that time all came flooding back.

"But nobody warned me …"

He tilted his hand, amber ripples shimmered on the surface of his drink. If only someone warned him that during those lonely days of undercover his enemies would become his closest friends. Why had no one told him that he'd drink, laugh and share genuine moments with the people he was trying to trap? Erwin brought the glass to his lips, breathing in the deep peaty aroma. If only someone warned him that he'd lose himself completely.

"Levi poured his heart out to me one day," he bewailed. "And I realised what a terrible thing I had done. He trusted me enough to bare his soul while I'd told him nothing but lies. That was when I realised I was in too deep … I wasn't pretending anymore."

"Let me guess," scathed Pixis. "He was different from the others and you thought you could fix him?"

Erwin smiled wryly.

"Remember, I was young too," he said. "And so childishly optimistic."

The warden nudged forward a pawn.

"But how on earth did you persuade him to turn on his own uncle?"

"People talked," said Erwin coyly. "And I learned that Kenny had been lying to Levi his entire life about the reason his mother was murdered. I saw a real opportunity."

The warden perked up at this.

"Oh?" he said. "And how did he take it? … It's your move again by the way."

Erwin growled. Once again the warden had spotted one of his traps and turned it against him.

"He didn't take it well," he said, moving his queen out of the firing line. "He screamed at me, called me a liar … among other things. But I expected nothing less. It was all part of my plan."

"How so?"

The Chief inspector laughed and raised his glass.

"The following night I exposed myself as a cop."

"Well that was foolish," said Pixis. "You could have been killed."

"I know."

"You could have blown your entire operation. What if he'd told Kenny?"

Erwin smirked.

"I knew Levi wasn't going to do that."

"Hah! Once a gambler, always a gambler," said Pixis, shaking his head. "Carry on, so what happened next?"

Erwin sighed.

"He was upset of course; he had every right to be. He made sure I knew how much I'd hurt him."

"And what was your response?"

"Well I told him he had two options," said Erwin bluntly. "Either I arrested him there and then or he could help me bring Kenny to justice."

"An offer he couldn't refuse huh?"

"Indeed. He chose the latter as I knew he would."

"And is that how you captured the Ripper?"

Erwin's heart sank. He was getting to the hard part. The reason he never worked undercover again.

"It went horribly wrong," he said. "Kenny found out Levi had turned informant. What he did to him … it was all my fault."

Erwin screwed up his eyes as the memory surfaced. He'd used Levi like a pawn, a piece to be sacrificed. But was the great prize worth it? Erwin hung his head.

"In the end we got Kenny," he murmured. "But that didn't make me happy. All I could think about was the mess I'd left behind. I hated myself for what I'd done. I got people killed. I sent my friends to prison. There were so many others like Levi … but I couldn't save them all."

Pixis snorted.

"You clearly think yourself some great hero, Chief Inspector," he scoffed. "All this talk of saving people."

Erwin nodded shamefully.

"You're right, I was arrogant," he said. "But I paid a heavy price for it."

Pixis leaned forward.

"But why? Why did you 'save' Levi Ackerman?" he implored.

"Because I saw something in him," said Erwin. "I convinced him to leave his old life behind and start afresh … but I was a fool. I thought I could shape him into anyone I wanted him to be."

Pixis gave a 'hah!' of laughter. Erwin didn't blame him. He was embarrassed by what an egomaniac he was coming across as.

"Levi excelled as I knew he would," he continued." He cruised through police academy. Less than three years later he made detective and by the age of just twenty five he'd been promoted to Detective Inspector, the youngest person to ever hold that title in our department."

"Impressive," said Pixis. "You sound proud of this."

"Oh I was," said Erwin. "Every time I looked at Levi, I remembered what he used to be and I wrongly attributed myself to all his successes. When he got his first pay check I told myself 'I made that happen'. When he solved his first case I thought 'I did that'."

"Bet you weren't so quick to take credit for all those people he murdered," said Pixis. He was only half joking. All Erwin could manage was a rueful laugh.

"Indeed I was not," he said. "Guess I learned the hard way that some people can't be fixed."

Erwin sighed and stared deeply into his glass. If only he hadn't taken that gamble back in 1999. Yet here he was seventeen years later about to make that same mistake again.

The room was silent. The warden made his move, bringing out his kingside rook.

"So after all of this, you still trust him?" he remarked.

Erwin considered this for a moment. He looked up from his shoes.

"Yes," he said. "Yes I do."

"And you're prepared to accept full responsibility if anything goes wrong?"

Erwin didn't answer right away. He thought of the worst thing that could happen. And it was bad, for him and for everyone involved. It was enough to make him pause and almost reconsider.

But that selfish part of him was still willing to take that gamble.

"Yes," he said firmly. "Yes I am."

"I didn't think he had it in him," said Farlan.

Eren listened with great interest. Learning about the killer in his youth only fuelled his desire to know more; to know everything. There were so many things he wished he could ask.

"He was Kenny's loyal dog," Farlan continued. "Nobody thought for one second that Levi was the informant. Least of all Kenny."

Around this point Jean came back into the room. Soda in hand he leaned against the wall. Farlan at first seemed intimidated but slowly he got back into his stride. Eren just prayed Jean had left his bad cop routine outside.

"After the incident, I shut Levi out completely," admitted Farlan. "I guess I blamed him for what happened."

"What was he like back then?" Eren asked. He had to know. "Did you ever suspect …"

"No, never!"

"I wasn't accusing!" But the young detective noticed how sharply Farlan's eyes shifted to the right. His gut told him that Levi's old friend was holding something back.

"Farlan," he urged. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Jean started to open his mouth but Eren raised a hand for silence. He sensed a gentle push would go a lot further than threats and intimidation. Farlan shifted in his seat.

"I - I don't know," he blurted. "I don't know if I should …"

Jean was impatient, Eren could feel it but jumping to vicious conclusions rarely yielded a positive outcome. No, he was going to give this man a chance to come clean on his own. The rookie found that his patience was rewarded.

"Now you listen here!" hissed Farlan, gripping his knees and leaning in closer. "I didn't believe him. We were young. I thought it was just tough talk because he'd had a few to drink but …"

When the end of that sentence didn't arrive Eren's stomach fluttered. He prepared to give another gentle push.

But Farlan got there on his own.

"God damn it," he hissed, face contorting in angst. "The summer before ninth grade Levi was forced to kill a man … while Kenny watched."

"He - what!"

Eren choked on his own breath. For a moment he forgot where he was.

"Holy fucking shit! Ninth grade?"

Jean however had a very different reaction.

"So all this time you knew he was dangerous and kept that to yourself?" he accused.

"No, no, no! You don't understand!" Farlan scrambled to defend himself. "You don't know Levi like I did. He had such a dark sense of humour. He mentioned it once and never again. It was only in hindsight, after the truth came out I realised!"

Eren puffed. Every mystery solved, revealed several more. Perhaps there were some things he was better off not knowing.

"Hmm, I don't buy it," said Jean, still contesting Farlan's claim. "Your friend confessed to murder and you thought it was a joke?"

"Enough!" cried Eren, bringing the discourse to a halt. "No point arguing something we can't prove."

Upset as he was by this newfound intelligence, the young detective pushed it to the back of his mind. Right now, it was hearsay and unconfirmed. He couldn't afford to get emotional at this crucial time.

"Farlan when was the last time you made contact with Levi Ackerman?" he asked calmly. Farlan huffed. Eren sensed another heavy story was coming.

"My mom's funeral," he said. "She died nearly ten years ago now. I'll admit I was surprised when Levi showed up as I hadn't seen him in years."

The longest sigh graced the end of that sentence. Once again Farlan withdrew eye contact.

"We talked a little," he muttered. "He offered his condolences and asked what I was up to these days. I was too embarrassed to tell him the truth, that I was living in a drug den and my life was a wreck so I shrugged, said 'not much' and changed the subject."

Farlan spoke like there was gravel in his throat; like every word had rough and painful edges. It harrowed Eren to listen. How he wanted to believe this man was being sincere.

"I knew reconnecting was a terrible idea," Farlan keened. "Considering he was a cop and I was a heroin addict. Things could never be as they were ... We weren't the same two people anymore and damn I was jealous. He seemed so successful and I …"

The end of that sentence faded to silence. Farlan's pale eyes darkened.

"To think what that success was built on," he smouldered. "God, it makes me sick."

As those words hung in the air, the young detective sighed. In his eagerness to catch a killer, Eren had desperately needed Farlan Church to be the Stohess Slasher. He'd saw what he needed to see and he'd made him fit the profile. But that wasn't fair. And it wasn't good detective work either.

"Listen Farlan …" he cajoled. Jean was giving him side eye but Eren was going with his gut on this one. "I believe you."

Perhaps that made him a fool but he did. He believed Farlan. This man had no loyalty to Levi Ackerman. Bitterness yes. But now he was clean and rebuilding his life, would Farlan throw all that away over something as fleeting as jealousy?

"If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear. We're just following protocol," the rookie asserted. "We can clear you, today; all we need is an alibi for Wednesday afternoon -"

"I can give that."

Eren looked over his shoulder. Isabel had returned.

"Farlan always works Wednesdays," she affirmed, forcing a laminated document into Jean's hand. "Here, look! It's a record of all my employee's working hours. See right there, he was on stable duty the afternoon of the incident."

Jean passed the sheet to Eren so he could see for himself. He skimmed it and nodded.

"Ok …" he said. "This is good. We'll take this back to the station and our superiors can confirm your alibi."

"Make sure they do!" cried Isabel. "And make sure they know I was here too. This ends today!"

"Did the killer leave DNA at the scene?" asked Farlan.

The rookies exchanged hesitant glances. Eren wasn't sure this was information they were at liberty to disclose.

"Um … yes," said Jean. "Why do you ask?"

"Then take a sample of my DNA!" Farlan insisted. "That will prove I didn't do it!"

"Wait, wait! That isn't necessary at this stage," Eren protested. "Nobody is saying you did it."

"Not from where I'm standing!"

Farlan's chair hurtled backwards. For the first time Eren felt physically threatened by him.

"Wait! Ok I'm sure we can arrange something," he placated, leaping aside as Farlan thundered past. "If it means that much to you -"

"Damn right proving my innocence 'means that much' to me!"

The whole office shook when he slammed the door. The echo seemed to last forever. Eren instinctively looked to Isabel but she skirted his gaze. Jean coughed loudly and caught his attention. The youngster knew what that look meant.

"Well thank you for your time Miss Magnolia." Jean didn't hang about. He threw on his coat and was off like a shot.

But Eren didn't follow. Isabel blustered round the office, doing everything she could to look busy. The young detective knew he had well and truly worn out his welcome. But he couldn't bear to leave on this note.

"Isabel, I'm so sorry for all of this."

He couldn't have been more sincere but she sneered at him and shook her head.

"Just 'following protocol' right?" she mocked, opening and slamming a drawer. "What do you want, Detective? Haven't you kept me long enough?"

The rookie rubbed his arm. He wanted to say something but his mind was drawing a blank.

"I wanted to ask …" he said, already regretting it. "Do you ever think of him?"

Isabel retorted with a hard and bitter laugh.

"I wish I didn't!" she said, crashing a heap of files on the desk. When a tear ran down her cheek she gasped and turned the other way. It seemed to have caught her off guard.

"He was like a big brother to me," she sniffed, wiping her eyes and nose. "But now I wish I'd never met him … God damn it, you should leave!"

Sniffling and sobbing Isabel turned her back. The signal couldn't be clearer. Eren picked up his coat.

"Thank you for everything," he said bowing his head. "And sorry if our questions came across as harsh."

He felt deflated when she snubbed his apology, but who could blame her after what they'd put her through. Coat in hand and tail between his legs Eren saw himself out.

"For what it's worth," Isabel intoned. "I hope you catch the real killer."

Eren paused in the doorway. Defeat weighed heavily on his shoulders. What a fool he'd been to think a rookie like him would be the one to solve these murders. Assured that her words were in earnest the young detective gave a solemn nod.

"Thank you Isabel," he said, and quietly he closed the door.

"Run it by me one more time, Chief Inspector," said the warden. "Check!"

Erwin growled. After a series of failed traps and gambits the odds of winning were now stacked against him. Reluctantly he shifted his king.

"What I propose is a 'reverse undercover operation'," he slurred. He shouldn't have accepted that second drink. "Instead of a cop playing a criminal, the criminal will play a cop. Levi should fall quite naturally back into his old detective role."

"The only reason I'm even considering this ludicrous proposal," said Mr Pixis. "Is because despite the nature of his crimes Levi Ackerman is a model inmate. In his five years at Stohess Penitentiary he's had no real behavioural issues."

But then the warden laughed like he'd just remembered otherwise.

"Oh other than that one time he threw a punch at Officer Zacharias," he quipped. "Oho what a black eye he had that week."

"Really?" said Erwin, capturing a pawn. "Why did he do that?"

Mr Pixis shrugged.

"Ironically that was the same week we'd decided to move him out of solitary and into gen pop."

Erwin nodded. That answered that question. Levi was an ex cop. Gen pop would be crawling with people he helped put in here. He threw that punch to protect himself.

"Only and if only the strictest conditions are adhered to I would be willing to consider Levi Ackerman for short term release," said the warden. "His psych profile indicates he is completely sane and as a self described 'vigilante killer' he poses little risk to any of your colleagues or the general public. But to ensure absolute safety he needs to be under constant supervision."

"He'll never be out of my sight," Erwin assured.

"Is there anyone else you've told about this," said Mr Pixis. "Oh and … check!"

Erwin moved his king to safety.

"Unfortunately there is one D.I. on my team, Nanaba, who remembers Levi from five years ago."

"And does she know what you're planning?"

Erwin nodded.

"Although I may have told a few white lies about the permissions I have to pursue this course of action," he said.

"And what of the kid you've been sending here to interview Ackerman?"

"Yes. I have no choice but to make Eren Jaeger a part of this too," said Erwin. Thankfully he'd already taken this into account.

"And do you trust him?"

"Absolutely."

Mr Pixis clicked his tongue. Erwin sensed he didn't share his instant willingness to trust an inexperienced rookie. But the warden didn't question it any further.

"Oh and you ran into our resident nutjob on the way in?" he said. Erwin realised he meant Hanji. "Well I hate to say it but she's part of this now."

"Whoa, wait, you're not suggesting?"

"She's too damn nosy for her own good, she'll figure it out." the warden countered. "Plus I could do with someone keeping an eye."

Erwin grumbled at the insinuation that he needed 'keeping an eye' on.

"Not to mention she'll be lost without Ackerman," added Pixis. "She spends half her days down in that basement talking with him. Trust me. She'll notice he's gone."

"Fine!" Erwin reluctantly agreed. "But nobody else. No one else can know."

Pixis nodded but the way his eyes skimmed the room had Erwin worried.

"I suppose I should warn you." His low voice affirmed the Chief Inspector's fears. "I've been running a little investigation of my own and a certain Ms Ilse Langnar twice has managed to get in here without clearance. I suspect she's been bribing a guard. Trust me, when I find out who there will be consequences …"

Erwin had to bite his tongue. He almost yelled at the warden, demanding why he didn't tell him sooner about the meddling journalist.

"But Chief Inspector," Pixis urged, eyes flitting about the room. "Knowing she's snooping around do you really want to go through with this?"

Erwin's breath stuttered. The thought of Ilse Langnar exposing this illicit operation and his career ending in disgrace wasn't a scenario he welcomed.

But he'd come too far to give up now. Erwin took a gulp of air.

"It's fine," he croaked. "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Mr Pixis shook his head.

"It seems there are a lot of risks you are willing to take," he said. "Never mind, that brings me to my final question. Before I allow this and accept all the risks that come with it. Why are you doing this?"

Erwin frowned.

"I already told you, for the benefit of the investigation."

"For the benefit of the investigation?" tried Pixis. "Or for the benefit of Erwin Smith?"

Erwin didn't know how to respond.

"Don't look so alarmed Chief Inspector," said the warden. "I just have to ensure this isn't some self indulgent project of yours. If this is about reconciling with your old friend …"

"This isn't about me or him," Erwin refuted. "It's about bringing a dangerous criminal to justice!"

The Chief Inspector slammed his glass on the table.

"I can't explain it," he urged. "Him and me. We just work; we work so damn well together. It's like our minds combined are greater than the sum of their parts!"

Erwin grimaced. His own desperation disgusted him. He was frustrated with the situation and even more so with himself. He knew he wasn't making a good case. But he also knew he was right. And Mr Pixis would not stand in his way.

"I can't explain it because I don't understand it myself!" he urged. "But I need his help and he's no good to me stuck in here."

The warden considered him for a moment. Never had Erwin felt so at the mercy of another person. A slow smile spread across Mr Pixis' face. His eyes flitted to the chessboard.

"Very well then," he said, leaning back with folded arms. That was when the Chief Inspector realised he'd just made a move.

"Checkmate!"

Erwin hissed through gritted teeth.

"Well played." The veteran blamed fatigue and distraction for his poor judgement. Pixis chuckled and slapped him on the back.

"Hey, you were a worthy opponent," he commended. "Those are hard to come by these days."

"I'd like to see him!" Erwin blurted.

The warden began to laugh.

"What … right now?"

"This can't wait!"

Slowly the laughter lines faded. It seemed Mr Pixis had realised his guest wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Right," he clipped, rolling back in his chair. "Very well. Let's not wait then."

His reluctance couldn't be clearer as he plucked the phone from the receiver. Erwin swallowed. It was one of those old fashioned rotary telephones he hadn't seen since childhood. He wondered if the warden was averse to modern technology or simply liked the aesthetic.

"Anka?" he chirped, when the call was answered. "Yes. Could you do me one last favour before lunch? Find the nearest officer and have them bring Ackerman to my office."

"Ackerman?" his assistant shrilled.

"No you didn't mishear me." Pixis flashed Erwin a dubious glare. "My humble guest requests his presence."

Erwin's bowels began to churn. The last time he saw Levi was the day of his trial. In just a few moments, he'd be here, in this room, close enough to touch. The Chief Inspector knocked back the last of his scotch.

I wonder what he'll say when he sees me, he thought.

And suddenly he was laughing and couldn't stop. The warden raised his eyebrows.

"Is something funny, Chief Inspector?"

But Erwin shook his head, sliding his empty glass across the table. This may have been his greatest gamble yet.

"If you don't mind warden, I could use another drink."

Just a heads up, the next chapter is gonna be INTENSE!

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