lawsend

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Extras

Thanks to @secretaryunpaid for these graphics, which are amazing as always!! These go with chapter five, when Riley and the gang gather at the local hangout for off-duty law enforcement officers, a bar called The Beat.

#trr au #the royal romance #trr #choices #angelasscribbles #choices stories you play #the royal romance fanfic #cordonia city #crime drama #law's end #graphics #riley brooks #liam rys #maxwell beaumont #leo rys

[lawsend]

Character Profile: Riley Brooks

Thanks @harleybeaumont for making the graphic!!

#law's end #cordonia city #angelasscribbles #crime drama #laws end #trr au #riley brooks

[lawsend]

Character Profile: Maxwell Beaumont

Shout out to @harleybeaumont for the graphic!!

#law's end #cordonia city #angelasscribbles #crime drama #laws end #maxwell beaumont #trr au

[lawsend]

Law's End: Murder at Vista Heights Ch 5

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Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 5

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: Riley x Liam (past, sort of). Riley x Drake (future potentially), Riley x Max (he wishes)

Word Count: 2,431

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

Riley leaned in close to Max as they entered the bar, “He’s a source, I need to flirt with him for information so make yourself scarce.”

“I’ll be at the bar if you need me.” Not that she would. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But he didn’t want to leave her alone at night in a bar…even one filled with cops.

The Beat was a hidden gem. A dingy hole in the wall from the outside, a drab exterior graced by a small rusted tin sign, easily missed amongst the shops and eating establishments that crowded the rest of the block.

Inside, the place was alive with activity. To the right as patrons entered the front door, a highly polished bar stretched halfway down the length of the room, curving around at both ends. A big screen TV on the wall above the bar was tuned to ESPN. Bottles clanked as the bartender served drinks and the hum of twenty different conversations floated across the open area.

As Max detoured for the bar itself, Leo guided Riley to a table near the back. He wasn’t even seated before a waitress appeared at his side, “Hey Leo, Riley. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

Riley arched an eyebrow at her companion, “You really have been here before! You must be a regular if Siobhan knows your name.”

“I used to be a regular,” he grunted as he waved away the drink menu, “The usual.”

“You got it sugar,” the waitress winked at him before turning to Riley, “What are you having tonight?”

After they gave their drink order and Siobhan left to fill it, Riley focused her attention on Leo, “Okay. You promised me details about the case so start spilling.”

“No, no, no, Ms. Brooks, nothing is free in this life. The price for what I know is you telling me what’s going on with you and my brother, remember?”

“I remember. But I’m not very trusting, so you first.” She sat a recording device on the table between them, pushed play, and looked at him expectantly.

Leo threw his head back with a laugh, “All right. I see how it is. You don’t trust the disgraced cop that you just met fifteen minutes ago. Fair enough.”

Leo passed along the information that he had gleaned from his interrogation while Riley furiously scribbled notes.

They discussed the case as the waitress came and went. When everything else had been covered, Riley asked, “What’s your connection to Katie Sloan?”

Leo nearly dropped his drink, “What makes you think I have-“

“Your entire demeanor changes when you mention her. You flirt shamelessly with the waitress and you’ve been eye fucking the blond at the table behind us for the last ten minutes, but when you talk about Kaite, there’s a tenderness in your tone and you keep steering the conversation away from her every time she comes up.”

“You really don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“I try not to. I’d be a pretty shitty reporter if I didn’t notice details.”

“Listen. Katie and I have a past and I don’t want to-“

“You want me to tell you intimate details about my personal life, I expect the same level of transparency from you.”

“Shit,” he stared at his beer bottle as he fidgeted with the corner of the label, “I just don’t want a hatchet job done on her in the paper.”

“I understand and if you’re worried about her being slut shamed for cheating on her husband, well I won’t do that but if she murdered a man-“

“She didn’t!”

“Leo, all the details are going to be public soon enough then every paper in the state will be reporting on it. I’m your best chance at spinning a more positive image for her and mitigating the fallout. Her husband is going to find out. There’s no way Liam isn’t going to bring both her and him in for questioning and you know it.”

“Fine,” he leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his hair, “We dated briefly several years ago, before she hooked up with that Trent guy. That’s our connection.”

“That’s not why you were threatening him.”

Leo heaved a loud sigh, “No it wasn’t. Damn, you’re better at this than the cops, girl.”

“So, tell me why you were threatening him.”

“Can you promise me you won’t make Katie look like a horrible person in your story?”

“I can promise to do my best to spin her in the best possible light and minimize the damage, but I’m in the business of reporting the facts.”

“Fair enough I guess.”

When Leo was finished telling Riley the same basic facts he’d told Liam he sat his beer on the table in front of him with a thunk and gave her a pointed look, “Now I believe you owe me the story of why you showing up at the precinct rattled my brother so much.”

“Because something happened between us that he’s trying to convince himself he regrets.”

“Why would he want to do that?”

“He thinks I used him. Seduced him just to get confidential information for a story I was working on.”

“And did you do that?”

“No! Well…kind of…”

“So, which is it? Yes, or no? There doesn’t seem to be much room for grey area here.”

“Yes, I knew who he was, and he had no idea who I was. Yes, I targeted him specifically because he was the detective assigned to the case I was covering-“

“Starting to sound a lot like Liam was right…”

“No! I don’t have sex with sources in exchange for information. I will, however, flirt shamelessly. You’d be surprised how much information I can get out of a man just by showing him a little attention.”

“No, I would not,” Leo smirked as his eyes ran down her body.

“Anyway….” she rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat, “My plan was to do a little flirting to see what I could shake loose. Get him to drink with me. Drunk people talk more. But your brother was an impossible nut to crack. Impenetrable. He wasn’t giving anything up!”

Leo laughed, “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“I honestly gave up and if you knew me, you’d know how huge that is. I don’t give up easily.”

“I could have guessed that about you. So why does he think you used him for information if he didn’t give you any?”

“I’m getting to that! We ended up talking all night about things unrelated to the case and the attraction was real! I hadn’t planned on going home with him, but that’s what happened. Because there was a real vibe and we clicked.”

“I’m sensing a but in there somewhere.”

“We went back to his place, and it was…well, it was…” An involuntary smile pulled her mouth up as the memories of that night danced through her head.

Leo groaned, “Yeah, that’s far enough, please don’t paint me a picture!”

Riley laughed then her smile faded, “But I got up in the middle of the night for a drink of water. I didn’t want to wake him, so I found my own way around the kitchen. On my way back I noticed the file laying on the desk…”

“And you read it?”

Riley had the good grace to look ashamed, “Read it, photographed it, quoted it in my article.”

“Wow, that’s a really big but,” Leo shook his head as he signaled the waitress for another round, “I don’t know whether to be impressed or disappointed in you.”

“Liam was understandably furious and hurt.”

“You sound troubled by that.”

“I mean, I knew he was going to be mad, but I didn’t realize how mad.”

“That bad, huh?”

“That bad. We’re not really on speaking terms.”

“You want to know what the most disturbing part of that whole story is?”

“What’s that?”

“The part where you slept with my brother, putting yourself off limits to me,” his eyes glittered with humor as he tipped his bottle to her.

Riley scoffed, “I doubt you have any trouble attracting women.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know…the boyish good looks, the devil may care attitude, the sparkling blue eyes, the bad boy demeanor, those goddamn dimples!”

“What makes you think I’m a bad boy?”

“Oh, you’re definitely a bad boy,” she answered as she lifted her drink to her lips, “and a fuck boy. And I don’t do fuck boys. So, I was never an option.”

He watched her toss the drink back with amusement, “Seems like you’ve got me all figured out then.”

“I’m a good judge of character. You may be a fuck boy, but I like you, Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. The fact that you wouldn’t sleep with someone your brother is interested in elevates my opinion of your character.”

“What makes you think he’s still interested in you? You just told me he was furious with you.”

“Oh, he’s still interested,” she told him with a cocky grin, “He just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“I think you’re right,” Leo choked on his drink as he nodded toward the door.

Riley turned to find Liam bearing down on them, his expression grim.

Riley slipped her recorder discreetly and quickly into her bag with the arm he couldn’t see as she turned her body to face him and shoved her belongings behind her, “Can I help you, detective?”

“Wow!” Leo marveled at the innocent tone of voice and flutter of eyelashes.

“You!” Liam addressed Leo first, “Please tell me that you did not divulge any confidential information relating to an ongoing case to a civilian…to a reporter no less!”

Leo threw his arms up in surrender, “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

“Fucking great,” Liam huffed under his breath as he spun on Riley, “And you….you know you can’t print whatever he told you, right? It’s unverified hearsay. He could be making stuff up just to get your pants, you see that, don’t you?”

“First of all, calling him an unidentified source close to the investigation and liberal use of the word alleges covers most of those bases. But more importantly,” She plunked her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her hand with a smile, “What makes you think he’s trying to get into my pants and why do you care?”

“Yeah, okay,” Leo tipped the bottle back and finished his beer before setting it down in front of him with a clunk, “I’m just gonna….go….”

Liam never pulled his eyes from Riley, “That’s probably a good idea. Stay away from this case, Leo.”

Leo paused when he was standing directly behind Riley, “The case? Or her?” He grinned at his brother then leaned down to whisper against her ear, “Keep an eye on the bartender tonight. You might get the answer you’re looking for.”

“Hm,” she replied struggling to keep her eyes locked on Liam. If he knew the bartender had any information, he’d question him himself and forbid her from doing it. She’d let him know if the man had anything pertinent to add to the investigation.

Her eyes quickly swept the bar as she turned her head to smile up at Leo, “Thanks for the tip.”

“Thanks for the conversation. We should do it again sometime,” he winked at her before giving his brother a grin, “See you Sunday at dads?”

“Mm,” Liam grunted. The weekly Sunday dinner was a command performance at his father’s estate ever since the advent of his most recent marriage.

“Oh, you have Sunday dinner with your father?” Riley perked up at the personal information, “I think that’s very sweet!”

“You wouldn’t if you ever attended one,” Liam snorted.

“I would love to attend one! Was that an invitation?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I would be delighted to have you come to Sunday dinner as my guest, Riley,” Leo offered.

“Why would you do that?” Liam asked in dismay as Riley and Leo quickly exchanged cell numbers.

“Trust me, bro, I’m doing this for your own good.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re an idiot sometimes,” Leo told him with a wave as he walked away.

Liam watched his brother leave then turned back to Riley in consternation, “Are you seriously coming to my father’s house as my brother’s date?”

“Oh, absolutely!” She answered as she scoured the bar again, “Does that bother you?”

“No!” He lied. “So, what did my brother tell you?”

“No more than he already told you, I’m sure.” She decided to try and deflect his attention, “Hey, remember last time we were here?”

Heat flushed through him as the memory of the night they met flashed through his mind, “Don’t change the subject, Riley.”

“Oh, it’s Riley again? Not Ms. Brooks?”

“I was working. It’s called professionalism.”

“You sure it’s not called sour grapes?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Riley pushed her drink away with a sigh, “Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times you want me to say that. I didn’t sleep with you to get information out of you. I slept with you because I liked you. The rest just kind of happened…”

“Even if I believe you, you can understand why it would be hard for me to trust you again, don’t you?”

“I suppose,” she agreed, “But what if I could tell you who Katie Sloan is having an affair with?”

His head snapped up in interest, “How could you possibly do that?” 

“Riley! Riley!” Max nearly tripped in his haste to make it to the table she was sitting at.

She smirked at him, “I already know.”

“Know what?” Liam demanded.

“Who Katie Sloan is sleeping with, I told you!”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Who? And how do you know?”

“Dean Collins, owner and proprietor of The Beat.” She tipped her head toward the bar.

Liam’s eyes traveled across the room to land on the owner who was currently leaning across the bar, his face inches from the woman on the other side of it, his expression clearly besotted.

Her blonde hair was tucked under the brim of a stylish oversized hat and she hadn’t removed her sunglasses but it was Katie Sloan.

They watched as Dean tossed the register keys to one of the waitresses then moved around the bar, taking her hand in his and disappearing up the stairs in the back corner of the establishment, into the living quarters above.

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 5

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: Riley x Liam (past, sort of). Riley x Drake (future potentially), Riley x Max (he wishes)

Word Count: 2,431

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

Riley leaned in close to Max as they entered the bar, “He’s a source, I need to flirt with him for information so make yourself scarce.”

“I’ll be at the bar if you need me.” Not that she would. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. But he didn’t want to leave her alone at night in a bar…even one filled with cops.

The Beat was a hidden gem. A dingy hole in the wall from the outside, a drab exterior graced by a small rusted tin sign, easily missed amongst the shops and eating establishments that crowded the rest of the block.

Inside, the place was alive with activity. To the right as patrons entered the front door, a highly polished bar stretched halfway down the length of the room, curving around at both ends. A big screen TV on the wall above the bar was tuned to ESPN. Bottles clanked as the bartender served drinks and the hum of twenty different conversations floated across the open area.

As Max detoured for the bar itself, Leo guided Riley to a table near the back. He wasn’t even seated before a waitress appeared at his side, “Hey Leo, Riley. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

Riley arched an eyebrow at her companion, “You really have been here before! You must be a regular if Siobhan knows your name.”

“I used to be a regular,” he grunted as he waved away the drink menu, “The usual.”

“You got it sugar,” the waitress winked at him before turning to Riley, “What are you having tonight?”

After they gave their drink order and Siobhan left to fill it, Riley focused her attention on Leo, “Okay. You promised me details about the case so start spilling.”

“No, no, no, Ms. Brooks, nothing is free in this life. The price for what I know is you telling me what’s going on with you and my brother, remember?”

“I remember. But I’m not very trusting, so you first.” She sat a recording device on the table between them, pushed play, and looked at him expectantly.

Leo threw his head back with a laugh, “All right. I see how it is. You don’t trust the disgraced cop that you just met fifteen minutes ago. Fair enough.”

Leo passed along the information that he had gleaned from his interrogation while Riley furiously scribbled notes.

They discussed the case as the waitress came and went. When everything else had been covered, Riley asked, “What’s your connection to Katie Sloan?”

Leo nearly dropped his drink, “What makes you think I have-“

“Your entire demeanor changes when you mention her. You flirt shamelessly with the waitress and you’ve been eye fucking the blond at the table behind us for the last ten minutes, but when you talk about Kaite, there’s a tenderness in your tone and you keep steering the conversation away from her every time she comes up.”

“You really don’t miss a thing, do you?”

“I try not to. I’d be a pretty shitty reporter if I didn’t notice details.”

“Listen. Katie and I have a past and I don’t want to-“

“You want me to tell you intimate details about my personal life, I expect the same level of transparency from you.”

“Shit,” he stared at his beer bottle as he fidgeted with the corner of the label, “I just don’t want a hatchet job done on her in the paper.”

“I understand and if you’re worried about her being slut shamed for cheating on her husband, well I won’t do that but if she murdered a man-“

“She didn’t!”

“Leo, all the details are going to be public soon enough then every paper in the state will be reporting on it. I’m your best chance at spinning a more positive image for her and mitigating the fallout. Her husband is going to find out. There’s no way Liam isn’t going to bring both her and him in for questioning and you know it.”

“Fine,” he leaned back in his chair and raked a hand through his hair, “We dated briefly several years ago, before she hooked up with that Trent guy. That’s our connection.”

“That’s not why you were threatening him.”

Leo heaved a loud sigh, “No it wasn’t. Damn, you’re better at this than the cops, girl.”

“So, tell me why you were threatening him.”

“Can you promise me you won’t make Katie look like a horrible person in your story?”

“I can promise to do my best to spin her in the best possible light and minimize the damage, but I’m in the business of reporting the facts.”

“Fair enough I guess.”

When Leo was finished telling Riley the same basic facts he’d told Liam he sat his beer on the table in front of him with a thunk and gave her a pointed look, “Now I believe you owe me the story of why you showing up at the precinct rattled my brother so much.”

“Because something happened between us that he’s trying to convince himself he regrets.”

“Why would he want to do that?”

“He thinks I used him. Seduced him just to get confidential information for a story I was working on.”

“And did you do that?”

“No! Well…kind of…”

“So, which is it? Yes, or no? There doesn’t seem to be much room for grey area here.”

“Yes, I knew who he was, and he had no idea who I was. Yes, I targeted him specifically because he was the detective assigned to the case I was covering-“

“Starting to sound a lot like Liam was right…”

“No! I don’t have sex with sources in exchange for information. I will, however, flirt shamelessly. You’d be surprised how much information I can get out of a man just by showing him a little attention.”

“No, I would not,” Leo smirked as his eyes ran down her body.

“Anyway….” she rolled her eyes as she shifted in her seat, “My plan was to do a little flirting to see what I could shake loose. Get him to drink with me. Drunk people talk more. But your brother was an impossible nut to crack. Impenetrable. He wasn’t giving anything up!”

Leo laughed, “Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“I honestly gave up and if you knew me, you’d know how huge that is. I don’t give up easily.”

“I could have guessed that about you. So why does he think you used him for information if he didn’t give you any?”

“I’m getting to that! We ended up talking all night about things unrelated to the case and the attraction was real! I hadn’t planned on going home with him, but that’s what happened. Because there was a real vibe and we clicked.”

“I’m sensing a but in there somewhere.”

“We went back to his place, and it was…well, it was…” An involuntary smile pulled her mouth up as the memories of that night danced through her head.

Leo groaned, “Yeah, that’s far enough, please don’t paint me a picture!”

Riley laughed then her smile faded, “But I got up in the middle of the night for a drink of water. I didn’t want to wake him, so I found my own way around the kitchen. On my way back I noticed the file laying on the desk…”

“And you read it?”

Riley had the good grace to look ashamed, “Read it, photographed it, quoted it in my article.”

“Wow, that’s a really big but,” Leo shook his head as he signaled the waitress for another round, “I don’t know whether to be impressed or disappointed in you.”

“Liam was understandably furious and hurt.”

“You sound troubled by that.”

“I mean, I knew he was going to be mad, but I didn’t realize how mad.”

“That bad, huh?”

“That bad. We’re not really on speaking terms.”

“You want to know what the most disturbing part of that whole story is?”

“What’s that?”

“The part where you slept with my brother, putting yourself off limits to me,” his eyes glittered with humor as he tipped his bottle to her.

Riley scoffed, “I doubt you have any trouble attracting women.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know…the boyish good looks, the devil may care attitude, the sparkling blue eyes, the bad boy demeanor, those goddamn dimples!”

“What makes you think I’m a bad boy?”

“Oh, you’re definitely a bad boy,” she answered as she lifted her drink to her lips, “and a fuck boy. And I don’t do fuck boys. So, I was never an option.”

He watched her toss the drink back with amusement, “Seems like you’ve got me all figured out then.”

“I’m a good judge of character. You may be a fuck boy, but I like you, Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. The fact that you wouldn’t sleep with someone your brother is interested in elevates my opinion of your character.”

“What makes you think he’s still interested in you? You just told me he was furious with you.”

“Oh, he’s still interested,” she told him with a cocky grin, “He just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“I think you’re right,” Leo choked on his drink as he nodded toward the door.

Riley turned to find Liam bearing down on them, his expression grim.

Riley slipped her recorder discreetly and quickly into her bag with the arm he couldn’t see as she turned her body to face him and shoved her belongings behind her, “Can I help you, detective?”

“Wow!” Leo marveled at the innocent tone of voice and flutter of eyelashes.

“You!” Liam addressed Leo first, “Please tell me that you did not divulge any confidential information relating to an ongoing case to a civilian…to a reporter no less!”

Leo threw his arms up in surrender, “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”

“Fucking great,” Liam huffed under his breath as he spun on Riley, “And you….you know you can’t print whatever he told you, right? It’s unverified hearsay. He could be making stuff up just to get your pants, you see that, don’t you?”

“First of all, calling him an unidentified source close to the investigation and liberal use of the word alleges covers most of those bases. But more importantly,” She plunked her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her hand with a smile, “What makes you think he’s trying to get into my pants and why do you care?”

“Yeah, okay,” Leo tipped the bottle back and finished his beer before setting it down in front of him with a clunk, “I’m just gonna….go….”

Liam never pulled his eyes from Riley, “That’s probably a good idea. Stay away from this case, Leo.”

Leo paused when he was standing directly behind Riley, “The case? Or her?” He grinned at his brother then leaned down to whisper against her ear, “Keep an eye on the bartender tonight. You might get the answer you’re looking for.”

“Hm,” she replied struggling to keep her eyes locked on Liam. If he knew the bartender had any information, he’d question him himself and forbid her from doing it. She’d let him know if the man had anything pertinent to add to the investigation.

Her eyes quickly swept the bar as she turned her head to smile up at Leo, “Thanks for the tip.”

“Thanks for the conversation. We should do it again sometime,” he winked at her before giving his brother a grin, “See you Sunday at dads?”

“Mm,” Liam grunted. The weekly Sunday dinner was a command performance at his father’s estate ever since the advent of his most recent marriage.

“Oh, you have Sunday dinner with your father?” Riley perked up at the personal information, “I think that’s very sweet!”

“You wouldn’t if you ever attended one,” Liam snorted.

“I would love to attend one! Was that an invitation?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I would be delighted to have you come to Sunday dinner as my guest, Riley,” Leo offered.

“Why would you do that?” Liam asked in dismay as Riley and Leo quickly exchanged cell numbers.

“Trust me, bro, I’m doing this for your own good.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re an idiot sometimes,” Leo told him with a wave as he walked away.

Liam watched his brother leave then turned back to Riley in consternation, “Are you seriously coming to my father’s house as my brother’s date?”

“Oh, absolutely!” She answered as she scoured the bar again, “Does that bother you?”

“No!” He lied. “So, what did my brother tell you?”

“No more than he already told you, I’m sure.” She decided to try and deflect his attention, “Hey, remember last time we were here?”

Heat flushed through him as the memory of the night they met flashed through his mind, “Don’t change the subject, Riley.”

“Oh, it’s Riley again? Not Ms. Brooks?”

“I was working. It’s called professionalism.”

“You sure it’s not called sour grapes?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Riley pushed her drink away with a sigh, “Listen, I’m sorry. I don’t know how many times you want me to say that. I didn’t sleep with you to get information out of you. I slept with you because I liked you. The rest just kind of happened…”

“Even if I believe you, you can understand why it would be hard for me to trust you again, don’t you?”

“I suppose,” she agreed, “But what if I could tell you who Katie Sloan is having an affair with?”

His head snapped up in interest, “How could you possibly do that?” 

“Riley! Riley!” Max nearly tripped in his haste to make it to the table she was sitting at.

She smirked at him, “I already know.”

“Know what?” Liam demanded.

“Who Katie Sloan is sleeping with, I told you!”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Who? And how do you know?”

“Dean Collins, owner and proprietor of The Beat.” She tipped her head toward the bar.

Liam’s eyes traveled across the room to land on the owner who was currently leaning across the bar, his face inches from the woman on the other side of it, his expression clearly besotted.

Her blonde hair was tucked under the brim of a stylish oversized hat and she hadn’t removed her sunglasses but it was Katie Sloan.

They watched as Dean tossed the register keys to one of the waitresses then moved around the bar, taking her hand in his and disappearing up the stairs in the back corner of the establishment, into the living quarters above.

#trr au #trr au fanfic #writeblr #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

[lawsend]

#law's end #cordonia city #crime drama #angelasscribbles #laws end #trr au #drake walker #liam rys #maxwell beaumont #riley brooks #riley's report #Riley's reports #Riley reports

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 4

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 3,070

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

The Italian Lighthouse restaurant wasn’t crowded yet and they were seated almost immediately.

“Thank you so much for meeting with us, Mrs. Haltom,” Riely greeted the older woman as they followed the hostess to their table.

“Oh, please, call me Stella!”

“Stella?” Riley slid a mirthful glance at Max, “Is that short for Estelle by chance?”

Stella lit up, “It is! How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” She raised her eyebrows at Max.

Max shook his head, his cheeks pinkening a little as he pulled the older woman’s chair out, “I think Estelle is a lovely name.”

“It is a lovely name,” Riley chuckled as she sent a quick text. And an old woman’s name told ya!

Max was staring down at his phone as Stella introduced her granddaughter, Miranda, “We call her Mandy for short!”

“Ohhh,” Riley cooed, “Max and Mandy, I like it!”

“That’s-“ Max fumbled his phone onto the tabletop.

“Oh, no…we….we just met!” Mandy objected.

“Give him a chance, dear, he seems like a nice boy!” Stella patted her granddaughter’s hand as she leaned closer and stage whispered, “And he has a good job!”

Mandy’s eyes met Max’s with a long-suffering sigh, she mouthed, “Sorry!”

Max leaned back in his seat as he gave her a reassuring smile.

Once they had given their orders to the waiter, Riley started questioning Stella about what she had seen and heard, “Did you see anyone else with him today or yesterday?”

“Oh yes, dear!” Stella lowered her voice and in a disapproving tone told her, “That man always had a woman coming or going!”

“So, someone else was there today?”

“I can’t be sure about this morning, I left early to help organize the church rummage sale and then I had brunch with a few friends, but there was a young lady there last night.” Stella nodded as if she’d just delivered a great revelation.

“One you’ve seen before?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you know her name?”

“Not that I can recall. Mr. Hayes wasn’t very social with the neighbors,” Stella sounded deeply offended by this.

“Is this the woman?” Riley pushed her phone across the table to the other woman, open to a recent photo of Katie Sloan.

“No,” Stella shook her head, “That’s not her.”

“Oh! Well, can you describe this other woman?”

Stella launched into every detail she had ever noticed about the woman from her nail polish to her footwear as Riley furiously scribbled notes.

Meanwhile, across the table, Max and Mandy were conspiring in hushed tones on the best way to diffuse the situation with Stella.

“I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice man,” Mandy whispered, “but I’m already in a relationship.”

“You are?” Max yipped in surprise, his eyes flying to Stella before lowering his voice again, “Then why don’t you just tell her-“

“I’m in a relationship with another woman and I just haven’t figured out how to come out to her just yet. She can be a little….judgy….”

Max lifted his eyes again to take in Stella as she finished giving Riley the rundown of the woman’s attire and her opinion on it.

“I can see that,” he smirked, “So shall we just tell her we have a date next weekend then later you can tell her I was a total jerk or that I stood you up or something?”

“Oh, I like the way your mind works!” Mandy laughed.

Both conversations continued until the food arrived.

“…did you tell any of this to the police?” Riley asked as the waiter set a plate of manicotti in front of her.

“Oh dearie, no,” Stella gestured dismissively, “They only asked about the man shouting threats. No one ever asked me about the parade of young women that came and went.”

“Would you be willing to come down to the station and talk to the sketch artist again?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Stella agreed happily as she watched her granddaughter getting along with that delightful boy from the paper. Maybe if that didn’t work out, one of those friendly detectives was single.

Back at the seventh precinct, Leo sauntered into the room like he hadn’t a care in the world, “Hey little, bro. What’s up?”

“Take a seat please,” Liam gestured to the chair across from him then beckoned his partner over, “Flynn and I have a few questions for you.”

The smile on his face never wavered, “Ohhh, sounds serious!”

“It is serious, Leo! Could you please treat it that way?” Liam leaned across the desk and hissed, “I’m trying to help you!”

“What do I need help with?” Leo asked as he dropped into the chair and kicked his feet up on the edge of Liam’s desk.

Flynn knocked Leo’s feet off the desk as he walked by, “Trenton Hayes was found dead in his apartment earlier today.”

Leo locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, “So?”

Flynn stood with his arms crossed glaring down at the blond man, “So witnesses overheard you telling him you were going to kill him just hours prior.”

“Oh, yeah,” Leo’s blue eyes twinkled with humor as he laughed, “I meant that shit too!”

“Leo!” Liam slammed a fist down on his desk, “You’re not helping yourself here!”

“So, you admit to threatening him?” Flynn pressed.

“I admit to threatening him,” Leo agreed.

“Jesus!” Liam exploded, “How can you be so cavalier about this?”

Leo’s eyes shifted from Flynn’s face to Liam’s, “Because I didn’t actually kill him. I only threatened to! Which you already know. Lying about it would make me look guilty, which I’m not! My DNA will be at the crime scene, but I’ve already admitted to being there, hours earlier! If I were going to kill him, why wouldn’t I have just done it then? If you have the murder weapon, my prints won’t be on it. If he was shot, which is the most common method of murder, the ballistics won’t come back to me.”

“Nice speech. Now back to the questioning,” Flynn checked his notes, “You told him to back off. What did you want him to back off of, exactly?”

“That’s between me and Trent….I mean, it was!”   

“Well, he’s dead now, Leo,” Liam flipped a crime scene photo across the desk, “So you can see how that makes you our prime suspect…”

Leo shrugged expansively, “Yeah, Li, I know how it works. I was a cop, remember?”

“A corrupt cop, Rys,” Flynn gritted, “doesn’t exactly help your case.”

The smile faltered for the first time as Leo sprang to his feet and jabbed a finger at his brother’s partner, “Fuck you, O’Malley! You have no fucking idea what it’s like to be undercover in vice for two fucking years! I did what I had to do to survive!”

Flynn shoved him, “Your actions lead to a good cop getting killed!”

Liam bolted around the desk getting between them before things could escalate any further.

Leo tried to surge around his brother as he yelled, “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about dickweed!”

Flynn scoffed, “I know the two big rules are don’t use the drugs and don’t sleep with the target and you did both!”

“She wasn’t the target!”

“No, she was the target’s wife! You think that’s better?”

“Heather had nothing to do with-“

Bertrand’s voice boomed across the room, “What the hell is going on in here?”

“Nothing!” Liam shoved Leo away from Flynn and lowered his voice, “Stop!”

Leo threw both hands up in the air as he took a step backward, “I’m cool, talk to your fucking partner, he started that shit!”

Bertrand barreled down on them, the mayor right behind him, her white-blonde hair swept into an elaborate updo, a jade green dress hugging her curves, and her Louboutin heels echoing like gunshots as she easily matched his stride.  

Leo’s face broke out in a wide-open grin when he saw her, “Hey there, Mads!”

Madeleine Amaranth colored from the top of her head to the tips of her toes at the all too familiar voice that both grated on her nerves and still, infuriatingly, sent shivers of desire down her spine.

She managed to control her face as she clipped frostily, “Leo.”

“That’s it? Leo?” He spread his arms wide, “No hug for your favorite ex-fiancée?”

“You’re not my favorite anything, Leo. Not anymore. You gave that right up when you went rogue.”

“Yeah, right, I remember. Your public image and political career over my little squabble with the CCPD concerning their false allegations and my wrongful termination.”

Madeleine shook her head, “I don’t have time for this. Bert, can we discuss the case in your office?”

“Certainly, right this way,” He glared back over his shoulder as they left, “I want an update in ten minutes!”

“Hey Flynn,” Liam gave him a pointed look, “Why don’t you go check with forensics and see if they’ve made any progress?”

Flynn’s gaze darted to Leo then back to Liam before nodding his head, “All right.”

Leo watched Flynn walk away, “Sorry, Li. I just don’t like that guy. He’s a dick.”

“He’s a good detective, Leo and he’s just doing his job. I had to beg to stay on this case. Everyone thinks you did it. I know you’re not a killer though so please help me prove it! I’m trying to help you, Leo! Give me something!”

Leo slumped in his chair with a resigned sigh, “What do you want to know?”

“What were you arguing with Trent about this morning? Were you fighting over Katie?”

“Not exactly…”

“Are you sleeping with her again?”

“What? No! Listen,” Leo ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, “She isn’t sleeping with me, and she wasn’t sleeping with Trent. He was blackmailing her…that’s what I was threatening him about! I wasn’t actually going to kill him; I just wanted him to back off!”

“What was he blackmailing her with and how did you find out about it? And why insert yourself in the middle of it in the first place?”

“I found out because she told me.”

“Katie told you she was being blackmailed?” 

“Yeah, she came to me for help, and I wanted to help her out. You know, for old time's sake.”

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, “Why do you always let your dick get you in trouble, huh?”

“Hey!” Leo protested, “Katie and I are friends now!”

“Friends, right. What was he blackmailing her with?”

“Okay, so she was cheating on her husband…just not with me. Trent somehow found out about it and was using it to blackmail her. She paid him at first, but he kept demanding more and more. She was worried it was never going to stop.”

“So she came to you.”

“So she came to me.”

“She came to you because she knew you’d do anything for her,” Liam shook his head as he tried to control the inner turmoil seething inside him.

His half-brother came across as a self-entitled prick most of the time. It was a misconception that he actively fostered for some reason. The Rys money conveyed privilege and opened doors, but the Rys name, which had once commanded respect, had become synonymous with corruption, entitlement, and misconduct thanks to their father’s thirty-four-year stint as the most corrupt Sherriff in Lantano County history. For some reason, Leo tended to lean into that image.

Liam knew that his brother was actually soft-hearted, generous, and loyal to a fault. If he cared about someone, he would go to any lengths to protect them, and Katie Sloan had used that to her advantage.

“Listen, Li. I know you never liked Katie, but she’s not a killer! She didn’t do this anymore than I did!”

They were interrupted by Flynn’s return. He dropped a file in front of Liam as he perched on the edge of his desk, “Money transfers, big ones, into his account from one Katie Sloan.”

Liam picked up the manilla folder and flipped it open as he asked, “How many?”

“Four of them over the last few months.”

“That tracks with what Leo just told me about Trent blackmailing Katie.”

“Yeah?” Flynn raised an eyebrow, “Over?”

“She wasn’t cheating with him,” Liam said, “but she was cheating with someone, and Trent knew it.”

“Who was she cheating with?” Flynn asked.

“I don’t know,” Leo answered, “She never said, and I never asked.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. He was lying. Turning his attention back to his partner he asked, “Did you find out who Maxwell Beaumont is doing work for other than The Ledger?”

“Looks like he has cashed a couple of checks from Walker and Sons Investigations,” Flynn answered.

Turning back to Leo, Liam said, “We can pull Drake or Jackson in for questioning, or you could just tell us who she’s sleeping with.”

Leo shrugged, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A lab-coated man with warm terra-cotta skin, black hair, and deep oak eyes approached the trio, “I was told I needed to test a suspect for gunshot residue, and I have the ballistics report.” He handed a sheaf of papers to Flynn and turned toward Leo, “Wait…you’re the suspect?”

“Hey Rashad, what’s up?” Leo grinned as he extended his hands, “Yep. These idiots think I killed somebody.”

“The test will help exonerate you, Leo,” Liam said tersely.

“Right,” Leo’s eyes went to Flynn, “Because O’Malley is so interested in proving my innocence.”

“I’m interested in the truth,” Flynn told him as he passed the test results to Liam.

Leo scoffed, “You and I both know that if I did it, I’d have had ample time to wash my hands.”

“True,” Flynn agreed, “But I wouldn’t be much of a detective if I didn’t test my prime suspect for gunshot residue, now would I?”

Leo ignored him, focusing instead on the man carefully swabbing his hands, “How did you end up at the seventh precinct?”

“Transferred last year,” Rashad answered as he added the swab, and several drops of diphenylamine to a test tube.

“To be closer to your mom?” Leo guessed.

Rashad nodded as he held the test tube up to watch for any color change.

Leo’s attention moved back to Liam, “So what does the ballistic report say?”

“Nothing we didn’t already suspect. Nine millimeter matches the gun found at the scene. Registered to the vic.”

“The idiot was killed with his own gun?” Leo snorted.

“Yes,” Flynn replied, “And the gun was wiped clean so we couldn’t lift any prints. Something a former cop would know to do.”

Leo rolled his eyes, “Something any idiot who ever watched one episode of any crime show ever would know to do.”

“No gunshot residue,” Rashad announced, “Do you need me for anything else?”

“No, you can go. Thanks,” Flynn waved him off.

“Told you,” Leo smirked.

“Doesn’t prove you didn’t kill him, Rys.”

“Sure doesn’t prove I did!”

Bertrand’s voice cut through the argument, “Rys! O’Malley! I need that update now!”

“Coming, sir!” Flynn yelled across the room. Jerking his head toward Leo he asked, “What about him?”

“We have to cut him loose, Flynn, we have no real evidence and I’m vouching for him. He’s not going to leave town,” cutting his eyes to his brother he demanded, “Are you?”

“Nope,” Leo used his index finger to draw an x over his heart, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Fine,” Flynn grunted, “But see to it you don’t.”

Leo took to his feet and stretched, “Well boys, it’s been fun but-“

“Sorry to interrupt-“

All three men turned to find Riley striding toward the desk.

Liam was visibly startled, “Riley! What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Haltom saw a woman with Trent last night and it wasn’t…” she trailed off as her eyes landed on Leo, “the suspect we discussed earlier.”

A smile crept across Leo’s face, “Wow, the homicide detectives are much better looking at the seventh precinct!”

“Not a homicide detective,” Riley extended her hand, “Riley Brooks, investigative journalist.”

“You’re a reporter?” Leo’s grin broadened as he took her hand.

Liam audibly groaned, “No, do not make friends with her!”

Leo’s eyes tracked back and forth between Liam and Riley in amusement, “My brother talks to reporters now?”

“I do not talk to reporters!”

“You’re the brother?”

“You’ve heard of me?” Leo sounded pleased.

“A little. And don’t let him lie,” she leaned in and lowered her voice, “He talks to me.”

“I’ll bet he does.”

Riley shifted her attention back to Liam, “Any updates about the case?”

“If there were, I couldn’t tell you and you know that.”

“I, on the other hand, am free to discuss whatever the fuck I want. One of the benefits of being a civilian.” Leo interjected.

Riley’s head snapped back to him with renewed interest, “You have details about the case?”

“Leo!” Liam warned.

Bertrand’s office door opened again, “Flynn! Liam! I said now not next week!”

“Shit!” Liam pointed at Leo then Riley, “I mean it. No discussing the case!”

Riley watched as Liam and Flynn retreated to Bertrand’s office before turning back to Leo, “So…you have information about the case?”

“I do. And I’ll give it to you if you tell me what’s going on with you and my brother.”

“What makes you think anything is going on between me and your brother?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that flustered before.”

“All right. I was on my way to The Beat. It’s a bar where all the cops hang out.”

“I know what it is. Share a cab?”

“No need. My ride is outside circling the block. We couldn’t find a parking spot.”

Inside Bertrand’s office, Flynn answered the mayor’s questions as Liam glanced over his shoulder through the office window. His jaw clenched as he watched Leo drop an arm across Riley's shoulder as he ushered her out of the office.

He still had her number, didn’t he? He’d call her after the meeting was over. To find out what Leo had told her and to ask about the woman the witness had seen. Not because he was worried about his brother flirting with her. Not because Leo had a way of getting every woman he smiled at into bed.

He didn’t care about that at all. Right?

#trr au #trr au fanfic #writeblr #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

[lawsend]

Thank you so much!!!

I thought I had already responded to this, lol then all of my Tumblr issues happened.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Yep, Leo has some 'splaining to do!! 😆

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 3

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,521

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

“Well?” The chief of homicide demanded a glower on his face.

“I…this has to be some kind of mistake…” Liam’s face was ashen as he pulled the sketch from Bertrand’s hands.

Max gripped Riley gently but firmly by the shoulder and pulled her back and to the side, quietly shifting them out of anyone’s direct line of sight.

Riley allowed herself to be moved. If no one noticed her, they would speak more freely, and she might learn something.

“Are you questioning Ms. Nevrakis’s ability to render an accurate image from the witness’s verbal account?”

“What? No, of course not!” his eyes jumped to Lilith and the woman he had questioned earlier. Lilith’s sketches had helped catch plenty of perpetrators. She was very good at what she did. Still.

He stalked across the room and thrust the sketch under the older woman’s nose, “Mrs. Haltom, this is the man you saw arguing with the victim?”

Riley strained to hear, holding her breath as she leaned in their direction.

“That’s the man I saw leaving his apartment after hearing the argument.”

“Did he say anything as he was leaving? Anything you can positively attribute to him?”

“Yes, he said ‘If you don’t back off, I’ll personally fucking kill you!’”

“I…thank you,” Liam’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “You can go now.”

“Max!” Riley hissed as she drug Max toward the door the woman was headed for, “We have to follow her and see if she’ll tell us-“

“You’re not going anywhere!” Liam’s voice thundered out, freezing her in place, “Stay right there! I’m going to need a word with you!”

“Fuck!” Riley muttered as she watched Liam and Bertrand disappear into the chief’s office, “She’s getting away!”

“I’ll go!” Max offered, hesitating as he waited for her response.

“Yes!” Riley made a shooing motion with her hands, “Go! Get her full name and phone number so I can question her later!”

“On it!” Max scrambled out the door and down the hall after the witness.

Riley sauntered closer to Liam’s desk, her eyes scanning the top of it for any files or notes that might be left lying around in plain sight. Her eyes flicked over to the glass window of Bertrand’s office.

She’d give a lot to be a fly on the wall in there right now.

Her gaze fell back on the paperwork scattering Liam’s desk. There was a manilla file folder labeled, “Hayes”. She glanced quickly around the room. No one was paying any attention to her.

Her fingers tugged the folder out from under the two others and slid it to the edge of the desk. Flipping it open, her eyes scanned the first page quickly. Before she could turn to the next page, she was startled by a voice from behind her, “Can I help you with something?”

Shit!

She jumped guilty and spun around to find an unfamiliar man standing behind her. He had shaggy shoulder-length brown hair, hazel green eyes, and a deadly serious expression on his face. Her eyes dipped to take in the badge clipped on his belt and the gun holstered on his hip.

“I was waiting for Liam- I mean detective Rys, he told me to wait here.” She hoped he couldn’t hear her heart thundering guiltily in her chest.

The detective’s gaze stayed stern as he asked, “Did he tell you to go through his confidential police files?”

“Ah…n-no…I wasn’t…I mean, I didn’t mean to, I just…I was looking for a pen and some paper so I could jot down a few notes.”

“Right.” His eyes narrowed.

“It’s okay, Flynn, Liam did tell her to wait here.” Lilith came to her rescue, handing her a pen and notepad, “Here you go. Why don’t you have a seat right over there.” She pointed to a couch near the wall.

“Thank you,” Riley gave Lilith a grateful smile and slunk away quickly before she got herself arrested.

The hardened homicide detective’s face softened as he turned his attention to the redhead, “I wasn’t trying to be an ass, but she was digging through confidential files!”

“I’m sure she didn’t realize it.”

Flynn threw a dark glance at Riley as he harrumphed before remembering the two cups of coffee in his hands. He thrust one toward Lilith, “Here. I…uh, thought you might like some coffee.”

“Oh! I…”

“Cream with two sugars, right?”

“That’s right! How’d you know?”

Flynn shrugged as he moved to the desk next to Liam’s and busied himself scooting folders around randomly. “That’s how you always take it. I’m a detective. I notice things.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” Lilith dropped her eyes to the cup in her hand as her cheeks flushed.

Riley clocked the interaction with interest and filed it away for future reference. Information was power and you never knew what secrets might come in handy down the road.

Liam shook his head as he faced off with his superior officer, “No. No! There’s no way Leo did this!”

“Liam….I know he’s your brother, but-“

“Look, sir. I know that his background is problematic but-“

“Problematic?” Bertrand snorted, “That’s the understatement of the year!”

“Like I said, I’m aware of his issues but-“

“I just don’t think you can be objective about this case. I’m transferring it to-“

“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve already investigated the scene, deposed the witnesses, coordinated with-“

“Yes, but if your brother is the perpetrator-“

“He’s not!”

“Even if he’s not, he’s at least a suspect and I need someone on this case that will give full and equal consideration to all leads!”

“Okay. How about this? You leave me on the case until and unless Leo becomes the prime suspect! Please, sir! Give me a chance to exonerate him!”

Bertrand pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger as he regarded the earnest detective sitting across from him. He knew that Liam struggled against the same obstacles that he himself struggled against. Namely, a family legacy of corruption.

Liam was assigned to the seventh precinct because Bertrand had been the only chief willing to take a chance on him. Liam was the son of Constantine Rys, the not-quite-disgraced former Sheriff of Lantano County, and younger brother of Leo Rys, a fully disgraced former vice detective in the CCPD.

Bertrand had seen himself in the younger man when he’d agreed to hire him. In contrast to his father and brother, Liam was by the book, conscientious and honorable. Leo though… he lived on the other side of the law now and gave two shits less who knew it.

“Liam,” Bertrand said gently, “I don’t think you see your brother clearly-“

“I do, sir. You don’t know him the way I do!”

“Maybe not, but we both know what he’s capable of, Detective.”

Liam shook his head vehemently, “That was different! He wouldn’t just-“

“And what if he did?” Bertrand snapped, “What if all the evidence points to him?”

Liam glared at his boss for a minute before wilting, “Then I’ll arrest himself, sir. No one is above the law.”

“Right now, everything points to him. We have an eyewitness that puts him at the scene, and multiple witnesses that overheard the very loud, very heated argument just hours before the murder!”

“I have another suspect!” Liam protested, “I was just about to interview the informant!”

Bertrand nodded his head, “Tell you what. I’ll leave you on the case for now, but O’Malley takes the lead. You’ll assist him and I expect hourly updates! Is that understood?”

“Yes! Thank you, sir!”

“And Liam…if it turns out Leo did this, you’ll have to step away.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

Max slid himself onto the black faux leather couch next to Riley.

“Did you get the information?” She whispered.

“Oh yeah,” his grin lit up his whole face, “Her name, her number, her life story, the fact that she has a granddaughter my age who’s single and a dinner date for six o’clock tonight!”

“Six o’clock?”

“She’s old, Riley.”

“Fine. Six it is. I’m impressed, Max! How’d you get her to agree to dinner?”

He shifted uncomfortably, “I agreed to meet her granddaughter. She’s coming to dinner too.”

Riley clapped both hands over her mouth as she tried to repress the giggle that threatened to bubble out of her.

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up. The shit I do for you…”

“Ah, Max, you love this as much as I do! And who knows? Maybe she’ll be a hottie and you’ll hit it off!”

His shoulders slumped as his eyes tracked across her face, “That’s not very likely.”

“Why not?”

Before he could answer, the door to Bertrand’s office opened and Liam stepped out.

“O’Malley!” Bertrand barked.

Flynn pulled himself away from Lilith and jogged across the room as Liam made his way back to his desk and motioned for Riley and Max to take the chairs across from him.

Liam drew in a deep breath to steady himself before lifting his eyes to Riley, “You said you have a suspect with motive. Who?”

“William Sloan.”

Liam blinked slowly, “William Sloan? The CEO of Sloan Enterprises?”

“That’s the one!” Riley smiled brightly at him.

“What’s the motive?”

Riley glanced around the office then leaned over the desk, “His wife, Katie Sloan might have been sleeping with the victim!”

“Might have been? Based on what evidence?”

“Well, he was concerned enough to hire a private detective to have her followed and she was followed right to a meeting with the murder victim.”

Liam sat up in interest, “When was this meeting? Where did it take place? Who was the private detective?”

“Oh…um…” she slid her eyes sidewise to Max.

Max straighten in his chair as he counted backward in his head, “Five nights ago, at the bar in the lobby of the Savoy Hotel.”

Liam’s gaze swung from Riley to Max in surprise, “Now I know you’re not a private investigator, are you?”

“No, officer, I’m a photographer.”

“So how do you know this and who-“

Riley placed a hand on Max’s chest to forestall any further comments from him, “Max just happened to see them there and he’s reporting it to you, as a good citizen.”

“Uh huh,” Liam leaned back in his chair as he returned his attention to Riley, “And how do you know about William Sloan hiring a PI?”

“I can’t reveal my sources,” She returned his gaze levelly.

“Riley, I’m going to need a little more to go on than your word.”

“Well, I would imagine you can pull security footage from the bar on the night in question.”

“We can and we will. It would be really helpful if you would just tell me the name of this PI.”

With a coy grin, she placed her elbow on his desk and leaned her chin in her hand, “And what do I get out of that deal?”

His mouth went dry as he properly identified the teasing lilt in her tone and the flirty flutter of her eyelashes. This woman was infuriating. She had no right to be so frustrating and alluring at the same damn time. She did things to him that he didn’t like to admit. But she was a reporter and had already proven that he couldn’t trust her. He hated that he knew exactly what it sounded like when she came and that he desperately wanted to hear it again.

Pushing his sudden arousal to the side, he shook his head, “Helping solve a murder? Isn’t that enough?”

“If I go around throwing my sources under the bus, they’ll stop telling me things.”

“Fine,” Liam blew out a frustrated sigh, “Is there anything you can tell me? Do you know the nature of Katie and Trent’s relationship? Was she cheating on her husband with him?”

“I don’t know if she was sleeping with him or not, but Trent and Katie used to be engaged!”

“Did they?”

“Yes, you can look that up. It’s a matter of public record.”

“Oh, I will,” he pushed away from his desk, walked around it, and motioned toward the exit, “Now, unless you have anything else useful to tell me-“

Riley and Max stood, but while Max headed for the exit, Riley turned back to Liam, laying a hand on his arm she lowered her voice, “I hope this is enough to take the suspicion off your brother.”

His face paled, “You heard all that?”

“Enough,” she shrugged, “For what it’s worth, if you say he didn’t do it, that’s good enough for me. I believe you.”

He stared at her hand on his arm for a long moment before lifting his eyes to her. He found nothing but sincerity there as he whispered, “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” she smiled as she dropped her hand away from his arm and turned to go.

“Riley, wait!” He reached for her and spun her back toward him, “Please…don’t print my brother’s name.”

“Liam….I have a duty as an investigative journalist-“

“Please!”

She hesitated. The vulnerability in his eyes and the pleading in his tone conspired to weaken her resolve. “Fine. I won’t print his name for now but once you narrow down a suspect, you tell me first!”

“Riley, you know I can’t-“

She placed her palm flat on his chest, “I’m not asking you to give me confidential information. All I’m asking is that once the information is cleared for release to the press, you slip it to me first!” Because fuck that smug bastard Neville. This was her story and she intended to scoop him on every detail. “Deal?”

Liam’s jaw clenched as he considered her offer. “As long as the information has been cleared through official channels, then fine, I’ll call you before I send it to public relations.”

She gave him that smile again. The one that made him feel like he could climb a mountain for her if she wanted him to. She leaned forward and went up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, “I think this is going to be a very mutually beneficial arrangement, Detective.”

He watched her walk toward the exit, and Max, who was waiting with his hands shoved in his pockets, giving Liam an appraising look.

Max placed his hand on the small of her back as they exited, shooting a glance back at Liam as he did so.

Interesting. Liam was suddenly curious about the nature of her relationship with her photographer. But there was no time to worry about it now. Right now, he had much bigger problems.

Liam’s head was spinning with the information he had just obtained. Far from exonerating his brother, this new piece of evidence could bury him further. Katie Sloan nee Vanderhilt wasn’t just Trenton Haye’s ex-fiancée, she was also his brother’s ex-girlfriend. If Katie Sloan was rekindling old flames, could she have fallen back into Leo’s bed? Pitted one lover against another?

With a sigh of trepidation, he pulled his phone out and dialed, “Leo, it’s Liam. I’m going to need you to come down to the station and answer some questions.”

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 3

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,521

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

“Well?” The chief of homicide demanded a glower on his face.

“I…this has to be some kind of mistake…” Liam’s face was ashen as he pulled the sketch from Bertrand’s hands.

Max gripped Riley gently but firmly by the shoulder and pulled her back and to the side, quietly shifting them out of anyone’s direct line of sight.

Riley allowed herself to be moved. If no one noticed her, they would speak more freely, and she might learn something.

“Are you questioning Ms. Nevrakis’s ability to render an accurate image from the witness’s verbal account?”

“What? No, of course not!” his eyes jumped to Lilith and the woman he had questioned earlier. Lilith’s sketches had helped catch plenty of perpetrators. She was very good at what she did. Still.

He stalked across the room and thrust the sketch under the older woman’s nose, “Mrs. Haltom, this is the man you saw arguing with the victim?”

Riley strained to hear, holding her breath as she leaned in their direction.

“That’s the man I saw leaving his apartment after hearing the argument.”

“Did he say anything as he was leaving? Anything you can positively attribute to him?”

“Yes, he said ‘If you don’t back off, I’ll personally fucking kill you!’”

“I…thank you,” Liam’s shoulders slumped in defeat, “You can go now.”

“Max!” Riley hissed as she drug Max toward the door the woman was headed for, “We have to follow her and see if she’ll tell us-“

“You’re not going anywhere!” Liam’s voice thundered out, freezing her in place, “Stay right there! I’m going to need a word with you!”

“Fuck!” Riley muttered as she watched Liam and Bertrand disappear into the chief’s office, “She’s getting away!”

“I’ll go!” Max offered, hesitating as he waited for her response.

“Yes!” Riley made a shooing motion with her hands, “Go! Get her full name and phone number so I can question her later!”

“On it!” Max scrambled out the door and down the hall after the witness.

Riley sauntered closer to Liam’s desk, her eyes scanning the top of it for any files or notes that might be left lying around in plain sight. Her eyes flicked over to the glass window of Bertrand’s office.

She’d give a lot to be a fly on the wall in there right now.

Her gaze fell back on the paperwork scattering Liam’s desk. There was a manilla file folder labeled, “Hayes”. She glanced quickly around the room. No one was paying any attention to her.

Her fingers tugged the folder out from under the two others and slid it to the edge of the desk. Flipping it open, her eyes scanned the first page quickly. Before she could turn to the next page, she was startled by a voice from behind her, “Can I help you with something?”

Shit!

She jumped guilty and spun around to find an unfamiliar man standing behind her. He had shaggy shoulder-length brown hair, hazel green eyes, and a deadly serious expression on his face. Her eyes dipped to take in the badge clipped on his belt and the gun holstered on his hip.

“I was waiting for Liam- I mean detective Rys, he told me to wait here.” She hoped he couldn’t hear her heart thundering guiltily in her chest.

The detective’s gaze stayed stern as he asked, “Did he tell you to go through his confidential police files?”

“Ah…n-no…I wasn’t…I mean, I didn’t mean to, I just…I was looking for a pen and some paper so I could jot down a few notes.”

“Right.” His eyes narrowed.

“It’s okay, Flynn, Liam did tell her to wait here.” Lilith came to her rescue, handing her a pen and notepad, “Here you go. Why don’t you have a seat right over there.” She pointed to a couch near the wall.

“Thank you,” Riley gave Lilith a grateful smile and slunk away quickly before she got herself arrested.

The hardened homicide detective’s face softened as he turned his attention to the redhead, “I wasn’t trying to be an ass, but she was digging through confidential files!”

“I’m sure she didn’t realize it.”

Flynn threw a dark glance at Riley as he harrumphed before remembering the two cups of coffee in his hands. He thrust one toward Lilith, “Here. I…uh, thought you might like some coffee.”

“Oh! I…”

“Cream with two sugars, right?”

“That’s right! How’d you know?”

Flynn shrugged as he moved to the desk next to Liam’s and busied himself scooting folders around randomly. “That’s how you always take it. I’m a detective. I notice things.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” Lilith dropped her eyes to the cup in her hand as her cheeks flushed.

Riley clocked the interaction with interest and filed it away for future reference. Information was power and you never knew what secrets might come in handy down the road.

Liam shook his head as he faced off with his superior officer, “No. No! There’s no way Leo did this!”

“Liam….I know he’s your brother, but-“

“Look, sir. I know that his background is problematic but-“

“Problematic?” Bertrand snorted, “That’s the understatement of the year!”

“Like I said, I’m aware of his issues but-“

“I just don’t think you can be objective about this case. I’m transferring it to-“

“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve already investigated the scene, deposed the witnesses, coordinated with-“

“Yes, but if your brother is the perpetrator-“

“He’s not!”

“Even if he’s not, he’s at least a suspect and I need someone on this case that will give full and equal consideration to all leads!”

“Okay. How about this? You leave me on the case until and unless Leo becomes the prime suspect! Please, sir! Give me a chance to exonerate him!”

Bertrand pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger as he regarded the earnest detective sitting across from him. He knew that Liam struggled against the same obstacles that he himself struggled against. Namely, a family legacy of corruption.

Liam was assigned to the seventh precinct because Bertrand had been the only chief willing to take a chance on him. Liam was the son of Constantine Rys, the not-quite-disgraced former Sheriff of Lantano County, and younger brother of Leo Rys, a fully disgraced former vice detective in the CCPD.

Bertrand had seen himself in the younger man when he’d agreed to hire him. In contrast to his father and brother, Liam was by the book, conscientious and honorable. Leo though… he lived on the other side of the law now and gave two shits less who knew it.

“Liam,” Bertrand said gently, “I don’t think you see your brother clearly-“

“I do, sir. You don’t know him the way I do!”

“Maybe not, but we both know what he’s capable of, Detective.”

Liam shook his head vehemently, “That was different! He wouldn’t just-“

“And what if he did?” Bertrand snapped, “What if all the evidence points to him?”

Liam glared at his boss for a minute before wilting, “Then I’ll arrest himself, sir. No one is above the law.”

“Right now, everything points to him. We have an eyewitness that puts him at the scene, and multiple witnesses that overheard the very loud, very heated argument just hours before the murder!”

“I have another suspect!” Liam protested, “I was just about to interview the informant!”

Bertrand nodded his head, “Tell you what. I’ll leave you on the case for now, but O’Malley takes the lead. You’ll assist him and I expect hourly updates! Is that understood?”

“Yes! Thank you, sir!”

“And Liam…if it turns out Leo did this, you’ll have to step away.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

Max slid himself onto the black faux leather couch next to Riley.

“Did you get the information?” She whispered.

“Oh yeah,” his grin lit up his whole face, “Her name, her number, her life story, the fact that she has a granddaughter my age who’s single and a dinner date for six o’clock tonight!”

“Six o’clock?”

“She’s old, Riley.”

“Fine. Six it is. I’m impressed, Max! How’d you get her to agree to dinner?”

He shifted uncomfortably, “I agreed to meet her granddaughter. She’s coming to dinner too.”

Riley clapped both hands over her mouth as she tried to repress the giggle that threatened to bubble out of her.

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up. The shit I do for you…”

“Ah, Max, you love this as much as I do! And who knows? Maybe she’ll be a hottie and you’ll hit it off!”

His shoulders slumped as his eyes tracked across her face, “That’s not very likely.”

“Why not?”

Before he could answer, the door to Bertrand’s office opened and Liam stepped out.

“O’Malley!” Bertrand barked.

Flynn pulled himself away from Lilith and jogged across the room as Liam made his way back to his desk and motioned for Riley and Max to take the chairs across from him.

Liam drew in a deep breath to steady himself before lifting his eyes to Riley, “You said you have a suspect with motive. Who?”

“William Sloan.”

Liam blinked slowly, “William Sloan? The CEO of Sloan Enterprises?”

“That’s the one!” Riley smiled brightly at him.

“What’s the motive?”

Riley glanced around the office then leaned over the desk, “His wife, Katie Sloan might have been sleeping with the victim!”

“Might have been? Based on what evidence?”

“Well, he was concerned enough to hire a private detective to have her followed and she was followed right to a meeting with the murder victim.”

Liam sat up in interest, “When was this meeting? Where did it take place? Who was the private detective?”

“Oh…um…” she slid her eyes sidewise to Max.

Max straighten in his chair as he counted backward in his head, “Five nights ago, at the bar in the lobby of the Savoy Hotel.”

Liam’s gaze swung from Riley to Max in surprise, “Now I know you’re not a private investigator, are you?”

“No, officer, I’m a photographer.”

“So how do you know this and who-“

Riley placed a hand on Max’s chest to forestall any further comments from him, “Max just happened to see them there and he’s reporting it to you, as a good citizen.”

“Uh huh,” Liam leaned back in his chair as he returned his attention to Riley, “And how do you know about William Sloan hiring a PI?”

“I can’t reveal my sources,” She returned his gaze levelly.

“Riley, I’m going to need a little more to go on than your word.”

“Well, I would imagine you can pull security footage from the bar on the night in question.”

“We can and we will. It would be really helpful if you would just tell me the name of this PI.”

With a coy grin, she placed her elbow on his desk and leaned her chin in her hand, “And what do I get out of that deal?”

His mouth went dry as he properly identified the teasing lilt in her tone and the flirty flutter of her eyelashes. This woman was infuriating. She had no right to be so frustrating and alluring at the same damn time. She did things to him that he didn’t like to admit. But she was a reporter and had already proven that he couldn’t trust her. He hated that he knew exactly what it sounded like when she came and that he desperately wanted to hear it again.

Pushing his sudden arousal to the side, he shook his head, “Helping solve a murder? Isn’t that enough?”

“If I go around throwing my sources under the bus, they’ll stop telling me things.”

“Fine,” Liam blew out a frustrated sigh, “Is there anything you can tell me? Do you know the nature of Katie and Trent’s relationship? Was she cheating on her husband with him?”

“I don’t know if she was sleeping with him or not, but Trent and Katie used to be engaged!”

“Did they?”

“Yes, you can look that up. It’s a matter of public record.”

“Oh, I will,” he pushed away from his desk, walked around it, and motioned toward the exit, “Now, unless you have anything else useful to tell me-“

Riley and Max stood, but while Max headed for the exit, Riley turned back to Liam, laying a hand on his arm she lowered her voice, “I hope this is enough to take the suspicion off your brother.”

His face paled, “You heard all that?”

“Enough,” she shrugged, “For what it’s worth, if you say he didn’t do it, that’s good enough for me. I believe you.”

He stared at her hand on his arm for a long moment before lifting his eyes to her. He found nothing but sincerity there as he whispered, “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” she smiled as she dropped her hand away from his arm and turned to go.

“Riley, wait!” He reached for her and spun her back toward him, “Please…don’t print my brother’s name.”

“Liam….I have a duty as an investigative journalist-“

“Please!”

She hesitated. The vulnerability in his eyes and the pleading in his tone conspired to weaken her resolve. “Fine. I won’t print his name for now but once you narrow down a suspect, you tell me first!”

“Riley, you know I can’t-“

She placed her palm flat on his chest, “I’m not asking you to give me confidential information. All I’m asking is that once the information is cleared for release to the press, you slip it to me first!” Because fuck that smug bastard Neville. This was her story and she intended to scoop him on every detail. “Deal?”

Liam’s jaw clenched as he considered her offer. “As long as the information has been cleared through official channels, then fine, I’ll call you before I send it to public relations.”

She gave him that smile again. The one that made him feel like he could climb a mountain for her if she wanted him to. She leaned forward and went up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, “I think this is going to be a very mutually beneficial arrangement, Detective.”

He watched her walk toward the exit, and Max, who was waiting with his hands shoved in his pockets, giving Liam an appraising look.

Max placed his hand on the small of her back as they exited, shooting a glance back at Liam as he did so.

Interesting. Liam was suddenly curious about the nature of her relationship with her photographer. But there was no time to worry about it now. Right now, he had much bigger problems.

Liam’s head was spinning with the information he had just obtained. Far from exonerating his brother, this new piece of evidence could bury him further. Katie Sloan nee Vanderhilt wasn’t just Trenton Haye’s ex-fiancée, she was also his brother’s ex-girlfriend. If Katie Sloan was rekindling old flames, could she have fallen back into Leo’s bed? Pitted one lover against another?

With a sigh of trepidation, he pulled his phone out and dialed, “Leo, it’s Liam. I’m going to need you to come down to the station and answer some questions.”

#trr au #trr au fanfic #writeblr #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

[lawsend]

Just posted chapter 2

My Stories: Law's End

This one has it's own blog @lawsend

These for the overall series were made by @harleybeaumont

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Gifs from @secretaryunpaid:

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 2

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,622

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

They pulled up in front of a row of buildings. Walker and Son Investigations sat near the middle of the block; the name emblazoned on a plate glass window that overlooked the street. A dry cleaner on one side, a coffee shop on the other.

“Can you believe I found parking on the street?” Riley gloated as she parked the Tahoe at the curb.

“I’m pretty sure this is tow away zone, Riley…”

“It’s fine, we won’t be in there that long!”

Max heaved a long-suffering sigh, knowing from experience it was fruitless to argue with her when she was hot on the trail of a story. She became focused to the point of being obsessed, stubborn, pigheaded, and bossy.

Not that he didn’t like the bossy part.

She also became excited, exhilarated, and spontaneous. Her eyes sparkled and her enthusiasm was contagious. Despite the abuse and neglect of his precious Estelle, he enjoyed her single-minded determination very much. His adventures with her were worth the risks to his car.

A dark-haired woman looked up from her desk when the bell tinkled as they entered the tiny office. “Welcome to Walker and Son Investigations, how may I help you today?”

Max peered around Riley, “Hey, Savannah!”

“Oh, hi Max!” her face lit up in recognition, “What are you doing here today? Who’s your friend?”

“This is Riley. We’re looking for Drake. Is he in?” Max’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the other three desks in the room, all empty.  

“Yeah, he’s in the back, moving boxes of files into storage,” She lifted her head and raised her voice, “Drake!”

It took a minute but a man appeared from the hallway at the back of the office, “Do you really have to scream like that? You could have just-Oh! Shit, sorry! Didn’t realize we had company!” He wiped his hands quickly on his pants to get rid of the dust and extended one toward Riley, “Drake Walker, PI, at your service! And you are?”

Riley shook his hand as she took in his appearance. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, tall, broad-shouldered, definitely worked out, with chestnut hair that hung just below his ears. His eyes were the color of golf-flecked copper as they bore into her, and his touch sent electricity jolting down her arm. She certainly wouldn’t kick him out of her bed.

“Riley Brooks, I was hoping I could ask you a few questions.”

“Sure,” he grinned at her as he motioned to his desk, “Have a seat. So, what do you need?” He asked as he settled into his chair across the desk from her and Max, “Cheating husband? Lost dog? Background check on a new boyfriend?”

“No, nothing like that,” she laughed.

He leaned forward with a smirk, “So you’re single?”

“I am. Why do you ask?”

“I find it hard to believe that a woman with your…” his eyes dipped down her body and back up, “attributes is single.”

She rewarded him with a coy smile, “I could say the same about you.”

“Maybe we could discuss it over dinner sometime?”

The grin on Riley’s face broadened but Max leaned forward, clearing his throat, “Yeah, she’s too focused on her career for serious dating. Could we get back to the subject?”

Drake barely glanced at Max before asking Riley, “What’s the subject?”

“What do you know about Katie Sloan?”

Drake turned his head to give Max a suspicious look before returning his gaze to Riley, “Who’s that?”

“The wife of Sloane Enterprises CEO, William Sloan.”

Shooting an accusing glare at Max, Drake snapped, “What makes you think I would know anything about her?”

“Because you had me follow her!” Max blurted out.

This time the look Drake gave him was murderous, “Have you ever heard of client confidentiality Beaumont? What the fuck?”

“I….” Max’s shifted nervously in his seat, “Not really…”

“Well, if I did pay you to follow someone, then you’re bound by the same standards I am with regard to client privacy!”

“No one told me that!” Max gulped.

“Savannah!” Drake bellowed at his sister.

“What? I was rushed that day; I didn’t get a chance to cover everything. I sent him home with some paperwork.”

Drake heaved a long-suffering sigh as he muttered under his breath about being surrounded by incompetence before snapping at Max, “Did you read it?”

“No…” Max admitted, “It seemed pretty boring.”

Drake shook his head as he looked up at the ceiling as if asking God himself for guidance. After several deep breaths, he returned his attention to Riley, “Why are you asking questions about Katie Sloan?”

“Because Max photographed her with Trenton Hayes.”

“So?”

“So he’s dead. Someone just shot him.”

Drake froze for a moment, his face expressionless as he gazed at her. “That’s unfortunate for him, but I don’t know anything about it. What did you say you do for a living? You’re not a cop.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know. Now who are you really and why are asking so many questions about a homicide?”

“I’m an investigative journalist.”

“You’re a reporter?”

“Investigative journalist and true crime author.” She corrected him.

“Anything I’ve read?”

“I don’t know. Do you read true crime?”

“Not really.”

“Then I’m guessing not.”

“Well, Miss Brooks, sorry I couldn’t help you, but even if I theoretically hired Beaumont here to follow this Katie Sloan, I couldn’t tell you.” Drake pushed away from the desk and stood up.

Riley stood, but made no move to leave, “If you theoretically did hire him for that, what might be a theoretical reason?”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

“What’s the harm in playing a game of theoreticals?”

“Nice try but I wouldn’t stay in business very long if I went around-“

“I’ll go to dinner with you!”

Drake froze again, “What?”

Max also froze, “What?”

Ignoring Max, she took a step closer to Drake, reaching out and adjusting the collar of his shirt, “I said, if you’ll indulge me in a game of theoreticals for a moment, I’ll go to dinner with you.”

“I….” Drake stood unmoving with his arms crossed over his chest as he fought an internal battle. He already knew what his father would say. And Savannah would probably rat him out if he did it.

Still. The girl was hot.

Max shook his head, “No, Riley, you don’t have to-“

“Shut the fuck up, Beaumont!” Drake finally moved as one hand shot out to strike Max in the chest. Eyes locked on the brunette bombshell in front of him, he licked his lips and then agreed, “Okay, but everything I say is just theoretical, right?”

 “Of course!” Riley fluttered her eyelashes for added effect then asked, “If you were theoretically following Katie Sloan, what would be the theoretical reason?”

“I can’t speculate on something like that, but I can tell you that the most common reason anyone hires a private detective is to catch a cheating spouse.”

“So, William Sloan thinks his wife is cheating on him?”

Drake shrugged, “Theoretically if he hired a PI, that might be why.”

Riley’s eyes widened, her head swiveling between Drake and Max, “Was she cheating with Trent? Because that would be motive!”

Drake held his arms up in front of him, “Whoa now! Don’t be jumping to conclusions! We have no proof of any cheating! And I’ll tell you this because it’s a matter of public record, but if you say the information came from me, I’ll deny it….” He leaned forward and lowered his voice even though they were the only ones in the office, other than his sister who sat watching the whole exchange with amused disbelief, “Trent Hayes and Katie Sloan used to be engaged.”

Riley’s eyes widened, “Oohhh, an ex-fiancée! That’s interesting! Why’d they break up?”

“You’re an investigative journalist, look it up. Shouldn’t be hard to find. She was a fucking heiress before she married the rich guy.”

“Right. So, society pages. Max-“

“Already on it!” He told her as his fingers flew over the keyboard of his smartphone, “Katie Vanderhilt, college graduation…..engagement announcement….inherits grandmother’s fortune….second engagement announcement….wedding to William Sloan….ah, here we go….the gossip page! Hmmm…..just an article saying she suddenly dumped Trent and went on a cruise….no reason given….speculation was that once she inherited all that money, she knew she could catch a bigger fish. Sorry, dead end.”

Riley turned her attention back to Drake, “Is there anything else that I should theoretically know?”

“Can’t think of anything,” he gave her a scorching look, “but if I come up with anything else, we can discuss it over dinner.”

“Absolutely!”

“Tonight at seven?”

“Sorry, can’t tonight.”

“Hey, we had a deal!”

“Yes, and I fully intend to live up to it, just not tonight. Here,” she handed him her card, “call me later and we’ll get it set up! Come on, Max, let’s go!”

“But-“ by the time he glanced up from the card, Riley and Max were already out the front door.

“Dad is going to eviscerate you,” Savannah told him gleefully.

“You could just not tell him…”

“In exchange for what?”

Drake’s head fell back with a sigh, “I’m not letting you drive my car, Sav!”

“Just for one night! It’s my high school reunion! Besides, if I tell Dad what you just did-“

“Fine! One night! But I swear to God, Sav if there’s one scratch on it when I get her back-“

“Oh, cool your jets, I know how to drive,” she turned her head to the plate glass window, “Your new girlfriend just talked her way out of a parking ticket.” 

“Did she now?”

“She did. And she’s parked in a tow-away zone too! You’re going to have to be careful with that one. I’m not sure you can handle her.”

“Shut up, Sav.”

Outside on the pavement, Riley climbed back into the driver’s seat of Max’s Tahoe, “See? I told you it wouldn’t get towed!”

Max shook his head ruefully, “Yeah, well, if that had been me talking to that cop, I would have gotten a ticket and gotten towed! I got to hand it to you….you always seem to get your way.”

“It’s a gift!” She laughed as she threw the car in gear and pulled out into traffic.

“Are you really going to go to dinner with Drake?”

“What?” She glanced at him and then back at the road, “Yeah, why not?”

“I don’t know….he doesn’t seem like your type.”

“Trust me, he’s my type! Besides, a deal is a deal!”

 “I guess,” Max thunked back against the seat with a heavy sigh, “Where are we going now?”

“Seventh precinct!”

“Why?”

“Because we have to tell Liam that William Sloan has a motive for murder!”

“Is that the only reason?”

“I mean….if we happen to stumble across some more information about the case while we’re there then so be it!”

“That’s more like it!” He grinned, his good mood returning at the promise of further adventure.

Built in the early 1900s, the seventh precinct stationhouse took up most of the city block that it sat on. Three stories above ground and two below, the many renovations it had endured over the years made it a labyrinth of hallways, stairwells, and a sometimes confusing mix of old architecture and new. The homicide division was located in a warren of offices on the second floor.

“I need to speak to Detective Rys, I have some information regarding a murder,” Riley told the desk sergeant as they entered the building.

“Second floor,” The officer waved his hand in the general direction of the one lone elevator.

“Thanks!” Riley chirped as she grabbed Max’s hand and drug him away from the elevator and toward the stairwell. Lowering her voice, she told him, “I don’t trust that thing! It creaks, groans, and shakes like it’s hanging on by a thread!”

“Yeah,” Max agreed with a backward glance at it as he allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs, “It probably hasn’t been inspected or maintained in a hundred years!”

“That would be a violation of the fire code,” Riley quipped, “How ironic since the 112 is right across the street!”

“Yeah, well…”

They exited the top of the stairs, made their way down a long hallway, took a right about two-thirds of the way down, and found themselves in a large, open area filled with desks, filing cabinets, and a few scattered couches. The wall to their left was covered from left to right in giant casement windows. Directly across from them were doors to private offices and to their right a myriad of doorways and hallways lead off to places unknown. A water cooler gurgled in the corner.

“Can I help you?” A tall, pretty redhead asked them.

Riley adopted her best professional stance, radiating that she had every right to be there as she replied, “Yes, I’m looking for Detective Rys. Have you seen him?”

“He’s around here somewhere, that’s his desk,” she pointed to one close to the windows, “I’m sure he’ll be with you in a moment. I’m Lilith,” she offered her hand.

Riley took it, “Nice to meet you, Lilith! I’m Riley. Are you a homicide detective?”

“No, just a sketch artist,” she smiled.

“Oh? Are you working on the Hayes case?”

“Miss Nevrakis!” a voice called across the room.

“Oh, that’s me, gotta go!” Lilith gave her an apologetic smile as she scurried over to a desk near the water cooler to talk to the man who had called her name and a nervous-looking woman standing next to him.

“Hey! That’s Liam’s boss!” Riley squeezed Max’s arm, “Aren’t you two related? Go see if you can get any information out of him!”

“I don’t think so, Riley. He doesn’t really like me….”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, something about our family’s money being tainted and me taking it.”

“He doesn’t take any? No trust fund? Nothing?”

“Nope. Can’t you tell?”

She cocked her head to one side taking in the off-the-rack suit and shoes that had probably come from Mervyn’s or Sears. Bertrand Beaumont looked like every other police detective in the department. Eschewing the Beaumont money, he had risen to head of homicide on his own merits. A good twenty years older than Maxwell, he viewed his young cousin as irresponsible, frivolous, and entitled.

“Okay, fine. But that’s a little judgy. Not taking the money won’t wind back time and fix what your great-grandfather did.”

“That’s what I said!” People fell into two broad categories when they found out he was a Beaumont. They either judged him on his family’s history of having built its fortune from organized crime, or they wanted to use him for his money and family connections. Riley fell into neither of those categories. It was just another reason that he liked her.

“What are you two doing here?” Liam’s voice was so close behind her that she jumped.

Whirling to face him, Riley answered, “Looking for you!”

“I already told you that I’m not giving out confidential case information, Riley.”

“Well, then it’s lucky for you that I’m here to help you!”

“You’re here to help me?” Liam scoffed, “How?”

“I know someone that might have a motive for killing Trenton Hayes.”

Liam’s mouth fell open, “How the hell did you already find out the name of the vic? We haven’t issued any-“

“Detective Rys!” Bertrand’s voice boomed out as he strode across the room, clearly seething.

Confusion spilled across Liam’s features, “Yes sir?”

Bertrand waved a page from a sketchbook in the air, “Do you want to tell me why the main suspect in your murder case looks exactly like your brother?”

#trr au #trr au fanfic #writeblr #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

[lawsend]

I do! It looks like real news coverage!!!! And I love the way the words flash and appear on the image!! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Murder at Vista Heights Extras

Thanks so much to @secretaryunpaid for these amazing GIFS!!!! I cannot express how much I love them!!!

[lawsend]

Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 1

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here. I've just borrowed the names).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 2,524

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

A/N: Thanks to @harleybeaumont and @karahalloway for prereading and bouncing ideas with me.

“Riley! Riley! Come here!”

Riley Brook’s head jerked up from the keyboard she’d been furiously typing on, her lush auburn brown curls bouncing freely, her deep emerald eyes wide. Her gaze darted from the source of the interruption, who was standing on the other side of the room waving his arms at her, to the coworker sitting at the desk across from her who looked completely disinterested as he lifted a shoulder and brought a sandwich to his mouth, lettuce and mayonnaise falling onto his desk.

Gross. That’s what the break room was for.

She carefully closed the lid of her laptop before walking across the newsroom. Goddamn if she was going to let any of these vultures scoop her story or copy her work.

“What’s up, Max?” she asked as she approached the over-exuberant freelance photographer who often hung around the office.

His cobalt blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he ran a hand through his short, russet brown waves and practically danced in place, “You told me to tell you if anything interesting came across the police scanner!”

Riley grabbed his arm, her fingers sinking in almost painfully as she glanced around the newsroom in panic. Dragging him into the empty breakroom, she glared at him, “Keep it down! It’s not a scoop if everyone knows!”

“Sorry! Sorry!” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to her, “The seventh precinct was just called out to investigate a homicide!”

“The seventh precinct?” Her eyes widened, “That’s Liam’s beat! Did you get the address?”

“Of course!” He dangled the keys to his midnight blue Chevy Tahoe in front of her, “We can take my car!”

She deftly swiped the keys right out of his hand, “Fine. But I’m driving!”

“But-“ he tried to protest but she was already striding for the door. He quickly gathered his equipment bag and stumbled after her.

Sliding into the passenger seat of his own vehicle, he glanced over at the woman in the driver’s seat, “It’s my car, Riley…”

“Don’t be a baby,” she admonished him as she put the car in gear and flew out of the parking garage, “Besides, I like to be in control.”

“Yeah….” His eyes tracked across her face then dipped down her body, a flush creeping across his cheeks before he turned toward the window, “Just try not to sideswipe anyone this time.”

“That wasn’t my fault!”

“Which time?”

“Any of them!”

Max wrapped his hand around the grab handle above the window and held on for dear life as the Tahoe careened around a corner, “You know the murder victim isn’t going anywhere, right?”

“I want to get there before that asshole Neville! He’s not scooping me again!”

“Okay….” Max squeezed his eyes shut and said a quick prayer as his vehicle jolted over a curb.

The Tahoe skidded to a stop in front of the Vista Heights apartment complex. Riley hopped out and made a beeline for the crime scene.

“Are we really going to just leave her in the middle of the street like that?” Max yelled after her.

Riley answered him over her shoulder without slowing down, “No one’s going to tow it right now. The cops have bigger fish to fry. Come on!”

He hesitated only briefly before grabbing his camera and scurrying after her. He glanced back at the SUV doubtfully, but the sight of Riley’s retreating back spurred him on. He could always bail out a towed vehicle. Riley never waited for anyone or anything.

He kind of liked that about her.

By the time he caught up to her, she was leaning over the caution tape as she tried to get anyone’s attention, “Excuse me? Excuse me?”

“Stay behind the tape!” a uniformed officer yelled at her.

“I know that…” she muttered as her eyes scanned the area until she spotted a familiar face, “Liam! Liam!”

Detective Liam Rys turned his gaze toward the crowd as a voice he knew all too well screamed his name. Shaking his head, he strode over to the caution tape with his lips pressed firmly together, “I’m at work, Miss Brooks. How can I help you?”

“Sorry, detective,” she gave him a look that was half repentant and half teasing, “I was wondering if I could get a comment, or at least the name of the victim.”

“You know better than that, Riley. This is an active crime scene.” There was a slight edge in his voice as his eyes flicked over her shoulder to take in Max as well, “You both need to get out of here. Wait for the press release, like everyone else.”

Riley tipped her head back to look up into his face. At five foot seven, she was tall for a woman, but he had a couple of inches on her. The tailored suit he was wearing fit him perfectly and gave away his family background of wealth and privilege. He wasn’t buying Armani suits on a detective’s salary. His raven hair was cut short, not quite military short, but close. His onyx eyes held several emotions, the primary of which was annoyance.

“Are you still mad?”

“I was never mad, Riley,” he glanced at Max then leaned forward so only she could hear him. His breath tickled her ear, “But fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I’m not falling for your tricks a second time.”

Goose bumps cascaded down her spine at the  memory, “It wasn’t a trick, Liam.”

“Hm,” he pulled back with a smirk, “Right. That’s why my case ended up on the front page of the Cordonia City Ledger the next day.”

“Coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences so move along.”

“But-“ she watched his retreating back with a frustrated exhale.

Max’s gaze swung from Riley to Liam then back again, “Whatever happened between the two of you anyway?”

Riley shrugged, “Nothing that wasn’t mutually beneficial.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning none of your business!”

“I was just-“

“Max, look!” she punched him in the arm as the body was wheeled out and loaded into the back of an ambulance.

Max brought the Canon EOS Rebel up and started clicking furiously.

Riley’s eyes swept around the crime scene, looking for anything that would help her identify the victim.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? If it isn’t the scruffy underdog and her mangy sidekick.” The voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

Riley turned with disdain toward the biggest pain in her ass. Neville VanCoeur, the highest-ranking journalist at their rival publication, The Cordonia City Herald. He had curly, dirty blonde hair that he kept gelled so thickly to his head a hurricane wouldn’t move it an inch. His face was fixed in a permanent sneer unless he was on camera, and he’d had it out for her since day one.

Probably because she’d turned down both his sexual advances and his job offer. “Scruffy underdog isn’t the insult you think it is, Johnny Bravo.”

Max erupted into gales of laughter as Neville stiffened, “Who is Johny Bravo?” he sneered, making Max laugh even harder.

“Your long-lost twin, ass wipe,” Riley smirked at him before turning her back to scan the crowd, looking for a neighbor that might talk.

Neville’s response was lost as Riley made her way through the throng of onlookers, hoping for anyone that knew which apartment the murder had occurred in. No one knew anything.

She stomped her foot on the ground in frustration as her eyes fell on the spot the ambulance had been. “Hey, Max, I have an idea!”

Max listened and a mischievous grin spread across his face, “I’m on it!”

He quickly found Neville’s photographer and sidled up to him, “Dude! There’s a delivery entrance open around back! I got some amazing shots!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

The man’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, “Why would you tell me this?”

“Oh, am I not supposed to?” Max acted startled, “I’m new at this. I thought we all helped each other out like that! Isn’t that how it works?”

“Sure, kid. That’s how we do it,” the guy gloated, “Thanks for the tip!”

Max watched the photographer whisper to Neville who looked gleefully around before sneaking around the parking lot to the back of the building. He gave Riley a thumbs up.

Riley waited for Max’s signal, then found a uniformed police officer, “I’m sorry to interrupt but I just saw that reporter go around back. Aren’t they supposed to stay on this side of the caution tape?”

“Yes,” the man was obviously annoyed, “Thank you ma’am, we’ll take care of it.”

“Any time, officer,” she smiled disarmingly at him.

Riley and Max ran back to the Tahoe, giggling the whole way.

“That should keep him busy for a while!” She laughed as she climbed back into the driver’s seat.

“So, we can get to the coroner’s office first, I presume?”

“Of course!” She started the car and threw it in reverse.

“Be careful with Estelle!” Max yelled at her as the car went up onto the sidewalk.

“Sorry, sorry!” She put it in drive and made her way carefully away from the crime scene. Curbs were one thing, she didn’t want to hit a pedestrian, and the street was now full of onlookers.

They drove in silence until they were clear of the crowd. Max relaxed into his seat with relief, but it was short lived as Riley gunned it the moment they were back on open road.

“Jesus, Riley! I want to get to the coroner’s office as a photographer, not a body!”

“Have I ever killed you before?”

“No…but there’s a first time for everything!”

Riley was quiet for a moment, then her tone turned serious, “Can I ask you something?”

Max’s face lit up at what he thought was a change of subject, “Sure Riley, you can ask me anything!”

“So, I’ve been wondering….Why did you name your car Estelle? That’s an old lady’s name, isn’t it?” She took her eyes briefly from the road as he answered.

Max gave her a flirty wink, “I like older women.”

Riley rolled her eyes as she returned them to the road, “Grandma old?”

Max’s face fell, “No…no, that’s not what I meant!”

“How old are you, Max? Twenty? Twenty-one?”

“I’m twenty-three, Riley. I’m a grown ass man.”

“Sure you are.”

“I’m only five years younger than you, you know.”

“Only,” she snorted, “Five years is an entire college career and then some.”

Max let out a frustrated exhale as he shifted in his seat, “Whatever.”

They pulled up in front of a small, nondescript building situated behind a UPS hub and across from a warehouse in the industrial district. It was a squat, one story structure made of faded brown brick with a row of tiny windows stretched across the front and a red windowless door in the middle. Actually, the door was just off center, a detail made her want to knock it down with a wrecking ball.

“This building is depressing,” Max muttered as he climbed out of the Tahoe.

“You always say that.”

“It’s always true!”

“Considering what it is, that seems appropriate,” Riley responded as she made her way into the building and down the hall to the morgue, bypassing the reception desk which was thankfully empty.

“Come in!” a voice called in response to her knock.

“Hey, Dr. Lee!” Riley greeted the woman with the lab coat.

“I told you to call me Hana,” the doctor was shorter than Riley, with warm caramel colored hair falling to her shoulders, deep brown eyes and an upturned nose.

“Sorry…Hana…I was wondering if you knew anything about the murder at the Vista Heights apartment complex earlier today.”

“Just brought him in,” Hana swept her hand toward the body on the table, “the cause of death seems obvious, but you never know. All homicide victims are autopsied, as you know.”

“Who is he?” Riley craned her neck trying to get a better look. The man on the table looked to be in his mid to late forties with jet-black hair and sharp features.

Max hung back near the door. He had no desire to see the dead body.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” Hana admonished.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Riley shot Max a meaningful look, her eyes darting from his to a manila folder laying on Hana’s desk, before stepping closer to the other woman. With a slight pout, she reached out and rubbed a hand down her upper arm, “Forgive me?”

Hana flushed slightly as a shy smile spread across her face, “It’s fine, I know you’re just doing your job.”

“And you’re just doing yours. I respect that.” Riley’s eyes flicked over Hana’s shoulder as Max closed the folder and gave her a thumbs up. “You said the cause of death was obvious?”

Hana hesitated, “I really shouldn’t say…” 

“I promise to keep your name out of it.”

“I mean…it’s going to be out there soon enough anyway. I don’t think it’s a huge secret that gunshots were fired just prior to 911 being called. That’s all I can really say.”

“Thank you!!” Riley knew about the gunshots because Max had heard that much on the police scanner. It was nice to have confirmation though. “We’ll let you get back to work!”

“Riley?”

She paused on her way to the door, “Yeah?”

“Are you going to be at the bar later?”

“The Beat?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Of course!” she grinned, “There’s been a murder! Where else would I be but the bar all the cops hang out at?”

“Okay, maybe I’ll see you there.”

“That would be awesome!” Riley gave her a wave then exited the room. The moment they were back in the car, Riley turned to Max and demanded, “Well?”

“Well, the victim’s name was Trenton Hayes, he was shot dead in his apartment.”

“Trenton Hayes…Trenton Hayes…” she searched her memory, “Isn’t he some kind of wall street tycoon?”

“Yeah, I don’t really keep up with that type of stuff.”

“Really?” Surprise pulled through her, “You’re a Beaumont.”

“Not a very good one,” he laughed humorlessly, “My contribution to the family empire consists of spending the money…”

“Okay….” She didn’t know what to say to that. She smacked him on the shoulder as she drove, “Well, look the guy up!”

“I am!” He swatted her hand away as he typed into his phone, “Oh, shit! I’ve seen this guy before!”

“Really? Where?”

“I took pictures of him for this PI I work with sometimes.”

“What? Why?”     

Max shrugged, “I don’t know. He pays me to take photos sometimes, or hack into shit. I wasn’t following the guy; I was following the woman he met with!”

“Who was the woman?”

“Katie Sloan.”

“Wait! The wife of William Sloan? As in, the head of Sloan Enterprises?”

“Yeah, that’s the one!”

“Holy fucking shit! Who is this PI? We’re going to talk to him right now!”

“Walker and Son Investigations, it’s on Canal Street.”

“Hold on!” She yelled as she yanked the wheel and skidded into a U-turn, “Canal Street, here we come!”

#trr au #writeblr #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #trr au fanfic #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city

[lawsend]

Law's End: Murder at Vista Heights

A prominent businessman is dead.

A homicide detective struggling against his family's ignominy, a photojournalist turned cyberhacker and a reluctant PI are united by one unrelenting reporter determined to find the truth at any cost.

Chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Reports:

Murder at Vista Heights

Extras:

Breaking News

The Beat

#trr au #writeblr #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #trr au fanfic #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city

[lawsend]

Indeed

Drake, ( Daniel di Tomasso) at 40 is a delicious thing.

🔥🥰😋💥

[lawsend]

Law's End Master List

Situated on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, Cordonia City is the largest metropolitan area in the country. Renowned for its culture, it’s an epicenter for artists of all types, world-class culinary establishments, and financial institutions. But there’s a dark underbelly to the city, one that never sleeps.

Law’s End, the largest of the boroughs, is rife with turmoil. It’s a place where wealth and privilege live side by side with poverty and squalor, where passion intertwines with betrayal. A place where lies and deceit are commonplace, politics and corruption rule, and crime and violence flow through the city streets.

These are the stories of the people that fight against the tide of injustice, and the woman who chronicles those crusades.

You can find all my other stuff on my main blog @angelasscribbles

credit for the below edit: @secretaryunpaid

Original Teaser for Series

Episodes:

Episode One: Murder at Vista Heights

Episode Two:

Character Profiles:

Riley Brooks

Maxwell Beaumont

Liam Rys

Drake Walker

#trr au #writeblr #riley brooks #drake walker #liam rys #maxwell beaumont #angelasscribbles #crime fiction #crime drama #Law's End #laws end #Cordonia City