"So, another murder?" Matteo said deep in thought as he unconsciously leaned back in his chair.

"Yes," Levi said, still sipping his now cold tea. He missed Charlotte sitting next to him, but she had retired upstairs to their room for sleeping.

After that, Levi had filled Matteo in on everything that had happened in his absence. He would never admit it, but telling Mateo had helped him organize his thought, see the whole picture in clear focus.

He started with when he saw Scarlett and Anthony coming out of Carter's room last night after Levi had named him as the murderer. Then he went on to say how angry Anthony was with Carter this morning, and finally when they all found Carter's body.

After finishing with his little speech, Levi couldn't help but think back to how strange Anthony had reacted and how desperate he was to know why the letter was fake.

"Wait, so you found Carter's body just an hour ago?" Matteo asked.

The question pulled Levi back to the present as he realized he was still not done with Matteo. "Yes. I told you. We were waiting for you when we noticed Carter hadn't come down even once in the whole day. This sent off the alarm bells in my hand I rushed up, only to find him dead."

"But you're saying the room was locked? How can it be murder?" Matteo asked, fearing that Levi was going to say something snarky. He didn't disappoint.

"My God, you're even dumber than I expected," Levi commented and shook his head slowly.

Matteo gnashed his teeth and narrowed his eyes, "How did the killer get hold of the keys?"

"Bravo! Finally asking the right questions," Levi said with fake enthusiasm, angering the detective sitting opposite him even further as he noticed him clenching his jaw.

Matteo glared at him for a good time before raising his eyebrow in question that Levi hadn't answered yet.

"Robert, the hotel manager, said that his original keys were missing. He had to take out the spare key to unlock the door. Acquiring the keys wasn't that hard, you just need to sneak in the right moment," Levi said, "I believe Robert just keeps them at the reception anyway."

Matteo just hummed in response as silence fell on the two detectives. Levi could sense the cogs turning in Mateo's head as he absorbed all the information.

"Do you... do you think Anthony or Scarlett did it? Killed him off, I mean," Matteo asked the first thing that he needed an answer to.

"It's possible, although, to be very honest I see no motive," Levi admitted as his mind ran through all the possible scenarios. "However, if you're thinking that's the case because I saw Anthony and Scarlett exit Carter's room late at night, then you're wrong."

"I overheard Emma and Scarlett talking about the fact that they went to see Carter last night. From the context and tone of the conversation, I imagine Scarlett and Anthony went to Carter's room to check if he was alright. Even though I had named him as the murderer, there still wasn't concrete proof." Levi was deep in thought.

"If Anthony went to check up on Carter at night, then why was he so angry at him in the morning? What changed between the night and morning?" Matteo asked, face twisted into confusion. "It doesn't make sense."

"Exactly."

The two men fell into silence again, each one lost in their own theories.

"Unless, of course, Anthony killed Carter. Or maybe all three of them did as an act of sick revenge for Eric," Matteo said after a few moments.

"And here I thought you didn't have a brain," Levi smirked slightly, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Actually, I... I want to confess something," Levi said hesitantly, fidgeting with the rim of his cup.

"Oh?" Matteo didn't try to hide his shock and anticipation as he leaned forward, eyes alert.

"I knew Carter didn't kill Eric. It was all a tactic, a facade, albeit a failed one. I had to blame someone, someone who I was sure wasn't our culprit."

Levi took a deep breath, "I knew Carter wasn't stupid enough to kill anybody, let alone one of his closest friends. He had worked too hard in his life to give it all up just because he couldn't control his anger.

"There was a sensibility about him, a hardness which can only be there if someone had suffered hardships ever since they were a child.

"And Carter had suffered a lot. His tattoo told me that, the way he hid it told me that. He wasn't proud of his childhood, but it shaped him into the man he is- sorry, was. So he wore the tattoo as a bitter reminder of his past. He wore it on his neck so he could see it every time he looked in the mirror." A strange feeling settled in Levi's stomach as he talked about Carter. He made a mental note to ask what had really happened in his past.

Matteo knew Levi was just rambling now, but he didn't stop him. Levi was in a vulnerable state. He felt strange compassion towards Levi. Strange because all he had done was insult him ever since he first laid his eyes upon Matteo.

"He was proud of the man he had become, and now he's gone," Levi said softly, his grip on the cup getting tighter, so he set it on the table in front of him. He rubbed his hands on his face, feeling the stubble of his overgrown beard.

Here comes the hardest part.

"And," Levi said, inhaling shakingly, "And I think it's my fault that he's dead."

There, he said it.

"What?" Matteo asked incredulously, "How on Earth did you reach that conclusion?"

Levi sighed, "I don't know, maybe they killed him for revenge. Eric was special to all of them. But Carter was wrongly accused. And I did that on purpose!" The last few words were not easy for him to say. He knew he was talking nonsense, the guilt was overriding his logical reasoning.

But it was still possible, right?

"No," Matteo said, shaking his head firmly. "I don't think anything like that happened."

"I just wanted to speed things up. I knew my fake accusation would spark a reaction, but I didn't, for the life of me, think that Carter would die as a result." Levi admitted, the taste of defeat bitter in his mouth.

"Okay... well, you're clearly unhinged right now. I'll leave you to wallow in your self-pity," Matteo said as he stood up, dusting his already immaculate jacket. "Also, I think it's time the official detective interrogates this time."

Levi scoffed at that as he leaned his head back, getting lost in the mural painted on the roof. "Yeah, right, official detective. I don't think you can tell me anything other than what I already know," Levi said as a matter of fact.

"But sure, go ahead and knock yourself out," Levi said, "Forever, if possible." He managed a weak smirk. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be more useful right here on this very soft and comfortable chair," he declared with confidence, rubbing the velvet arms of the chair.

"Doing what?"

"Work this wonderful brain of course," Levi smiled and tapped his head with his right forefinger. "Go away now, your stupidity is spreading across the room. It's stopping me from thinking." he couldn't help but add, then closed his eyes, shutting Matteo off.

Levi felt Matteo's eyes boring into him, undoubtedly loathingly, before hearing his heavy footsteps slowly fade away into the background.

***

After a couple of hours of intense interrogation, Matteo was spent. Emotionally and physically. He stretched on the armchair, his tall limbs reaching out in all directions before relaxing and slumping in the seat.

Matteo closed his eyes and thought back to all the questions that he had asked. Despite what Levi might think of him, he actually was smart and intuitive. Both of these qualities merged into one as an important question kept repeating in his head, nagging him.

Mateo was mentally going through the key points when a realization made his eyes flew open. He couldn't help himself as a slow smirk came over his lips, an interesting idea forming in his head.

***

"Sir... sir?" Robert awkwardly said, fidgeting with his hands behind his back.

"Yes?" Levi rasped and then cleared his throat quickly when he heard his own voice. Did I fall asleep again?

"Detective Matteo has called upon you. He's in the library," Robert said, his voice and posture professional as he saw Levi come back slowly to his senses.

"He called me? Why?" Levi frowned.

The question prompted the hotel manager to shift uncomfortably on his feet.

"Err... I believe he said... that, umm, that he wanted to interrogate you." Robert winced and unconsciously cleared his throat.

"He wants to do what?" Levi shot up from his seat. Robert might have just dumped a bucket of ice-cold water for that was the effect that his words had on Levi.

"Interrogate you, sir." Robert cleared his throat as he repeated himself. The whole situation was very awkward for him.

"I heard you the first time," Levi snapped at him.

"My deepest apologies Sir. I hope I haven't offended you," Robert said ever so gracefully.

Levi instantly realized that it wasn't Robert's fault that Matteo wanted to interrogate him. He was just there to deliver the message. He visibly cooled down and nodded.

"Thank you for informing me," Levi began, "I'll go deal with detective Matteo now," he smiled dangerously.

Robert's eyes widened a fraction as he heard Levi speak. There were already two murders committed in this hotel.

Was there going to be a third?

***

Matteo shot from his chair, ready for action as the door to the library slid open roughly with a sharp sound, revealing a flustered Levi.

"Oh, it's just you," Matteo said, "Where are your manners?" he asked, shaking his head but smiling on the inside.

Levi ignored the question as he marched in the library, Matteo straight in his line of view, sitting comfortably on the armchair by the window.

"Robert said you wanted to interrogate me? What, pray tell, is the meaning of this?" Levi managed to say the last few words through gritted teeth.

"You don't know the meaning of interrogating?" Matteo smirked, "It's when you question a possible suspect for-"

"I know what it means!" Levi snapped, interrupting Matteo. The situation combined with the fact that he got disturbed from his sleep earlier, really didn't favor him right now. He was running low on patience.

"Don't get smart with me, You know what I'm asking," Levi said, his voice low. "Unless, of course, you're just that stupid, which is more believable now that I think about it." Levi grinned, feeling slightly in his element now.

Matteo's lips pressed into a thin line as his blood slowly started to simmer. And here he thought he had the situation in his control. How did Levi manage to turn the tables against him so quickly?

Levi took slight comfort in seeing Matteo turn a light shade of Red. A few silent seconds passed between the two men as Levi took the seat opposite Matteo's, eyes still trained on his opponent.

"Okay, that's enough. This is no time to be childish," Matteo said calmly, his voice deeper than usual.

"Childish? Me? You're the one who called me in for interrogation," Levi said incredulously, "Me! I'm the detective on this case! Do you know how insulting this is?"

"Yes." Matteo grinned and then composed himself quickly, "What I mean to say is, calm down. Were you not here the night of both murders?" Matteo questioned, growing more serious now.

"Yes, but-"

"No buts. This is an official inquiry, detective. You cannot say no to this," Matteo said, eyes boring into Levi's. "Do you understand?

"Fine," Levi agreed through clenched teeth as Matteo smiled in triumph.

"Shall we begin?"

***

Hey guys! I designed all the chapters so you can guess who's our culprit too! We are down to the last few chapters and I would love to hear all the theories and assumptions! Feel free to message me privately for any comments, suggestions or questions if you're shy. I'll always answer them :)

I hope you like the relationship between Levi and Matteo just as much as I do!

Please don't forget to vote if you liked the chapter! If you didn't, please tell me what I can do to make it better :)