Under the Layers

4: Deadly Dance(IV)

Levi prepared to go back home and he checked his wristwatch for the time.

Drat! I should get going, he bolted towards the door and he saw Noa with a man about six feet tall or more and was tan skinned which showed he was obviously mixed. They were laughing together while enjoying a glass of champagne.

He looked so familiar to Levi but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Be careful next time.

It was the man he ran into. What was he doing with Noa? And his face was much different from the scowl he delivered to him the past week.

Usually people of Chevalier didn't get decent jobs or weren't invited for events, it was recently that the Diamante allowed them to come.

But why was Noa with that man? Her family had been against people like them for as long as he could remember.

There's work tomorrow so I'll ask her.

Noa turned her head to see Levi then she widened her eyes and shielded her face with the menu. He pretended like he didn't see her and went his way.

☬

Levi walked round the city with Noa the next day. He had seen her in the Diamante with that man and he didn't know what to say. He had nothing against people from Chevalier but he was worried that she being caught with him would tarnish her family's image.

Like meeting with that woman in secret won't tarnish mine, he reminded himself.

"So," Noa began, "Daniel told me you finally found someone."

"What?" his ears turned red.

"Is that why you didn't show up for lunch yesterday? You were meeting your mystery woman?"

"I wouldn't call her my 'mystery woman'."

"Then your future wife then?"

"I can assure you, Noa, we have nothing going on."

She let out a broad yet fake smile, "Oh yes, you meeting with a cabaret girl in her dressing room. Definitely nothing is going on."

"Noa!" Levi chided her.

"What? I'd been seeing you going to the cabaret a few times and I remembered Chris's words so I put two in two together."

"Speaking of cabarets," he instantly changed the subject, "I saw you at the Diamante."

She glanced at him for a few moments, "You don't say?"

"You were hiding your face behind the menu. Are you and that man..."

Noa gasped, "No! Not at all. We were friends in the university so we decided to meet up at the Diamante."

"He's a coroner?"

"No, he's an engineer."

"So how long have you and this... man been meeting?"

"A few months. Nothing more."

"Do your parents know?"

"No. You know how my parents despise people that come from..." she tried to find a more polite word "...the other side. But his family are from here, high class infact. My parents would chew me out before I give them a chance to explain myself. "

It was true, her parents were very bullheaded but not as bullheaded as his father so compared to him, she was lucky.

"So how's your case going?" she brought up a new topic.

"You know, we're on a dead end. We didn't find the killer."

"I'm sorry about that. I know you'll figure it out."

Luckily my mystery woman will help me with that.

☬

He waited on the roof for the officer as she said but she didn't come. Did she forget? Did she break her promise? Did something bad happen to her? He started to get worried at the same time annoyed.

Levi got ready to jump the next roof.

"Going so soon, Lout?"

He turned to see her in a black coat and pants.

"Where were you?" he questioned, "do you know how long I waited for you?"

"You came too early, that's why," she placed a hand on her hip.

He saw her badge sticking out of her pocket. It was silver and had the letters, AIC: Ashford Investigation Center.

"What?" she arched an eyebrow.

"You're a P.I.?"

P.I., Private Investigator. The Ashford Investigation Center was an organization that recruited and hired private investigators. Police officers did not like P.Is because they always tended to get in the way of their work and always made them look like failures.

Instead of the instant denial, she just smirked, "So you figured it out."

"Let's not talk about that now," Levi droned, "you said you want to give me an insight on Swanson, did you not?"

"Oh yes, I did, didn't I?" she cleared her throat, "Swanson was involved in some illegal dealings and turns out, he was working with Adam."

"I've noticed something about you," Levi noted, "you never call them by their titles."

"And why should I? They're not Lords of anything," she responded coldly. "As I was saying before you rudely cut me short, Jacques and Adam had been smuggling illegal supplies. Rifles, shotguns, bombs you name it. I checked his documents and they never said what they were for.

"From my mission, they were both the middlemen in this business, and there are more people associated with them."

"But what about Lord Swanson's murder?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. But I suspect that someone more superior to him was responsible."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. I'm still trying to figure out what this body of people are. This mission is going to be dangerous but someone has to do it. "

"Does anyone know you're on their trail?"

"Of course not, as I said before, I'm more discreet than you."

The moon was overshadowed by the clouds and wind violently blew her straightened hair back. She looked at the sky and hissed, "Looks like a storm is coming. Now my suit will be all ruined."

Levi imagined her going back home, clothes drenched in rainwater. Judging by how heavy the clouds were and the booming sounds that came with the lightning, the storm wasn't going to be kind to her at that moment.

"Miss," he called out, "my automobile is downstairs so I'll be glad to take you back home."

Her eyes widened and her lips parted showing little of her teeth.

He's actually serious? she thought.

"Thank you for your help, Lout."

"Levi," he went to the stairs, "my name's Levi, not Lout."

"Mmm, Lout describes you better," she said.

He just narrowed his eyes and went downstairs. He was associated with a private investigator the whole time and he didn't even know. Him working with someone like her was as bad enough as it was.

He got out of the building and he opened the car for her.

"In," he ordered.

She crossed her arms and sat next to Levi.

As he drove past the line of buildings and people who were rushing back to their homes for safety from the rain, she watched the young officer having his eyes on the road.

His platinum hair moved in the direction of the wind and his baby blue eyes were narrow. Levi's reaction towards her still remained the same despite knowing her line of work.

"This is my stop," she opened the door.

"But it's going to rain," he gestured to the sky.

"Thank you Lout, but I know my way from here."

She stopped in her tracks and turned back to him, "Oh and by the way, my name's Shiloh ."