"Thank you for your time Mr Spectre, Mr Storm." Andromeda said. "May I call you Balfour, Johann?" She did in the pub. This was work. The verbatis quill wrote this all down. "This is a voluntary interview." Andromeda said. "You are not under arrest. You are free to ask for legal advice from someone else. You are free to leave if you do not wish to continue. This conversation does not exempt you from future formal investigation if necessary." Andromeda felt like a robot sometimes. She felt like a robot doing all the forms. "You were both tenants of The House of Atreus. The property belonged to Ira Almasy. Please could you tell me the date you first became a tenant in the House of Atreus?"

Ugh, it was never a good day when he was sat in one of these box rooms. Johann didn’t even enjoy visiting when he was sat this side of the table facilitating conversation by interpreting. At least he wasn’t facing the likes of Adon Eleor here, that auror had done enough sniffing around Johann to last him a lifetime, and he was very much keeping that red-robed wizard at arm’s length.

Atreus and Ira was just a great big blinking arrow in the direction of Balfour and Johann, in his opinion. He might be cocky and arrogant and suggest he’d be impossible to pin down with this literally falling down of the Almasy facade, bricks and mortar included, but cocky made mistakes. If they were tarred with Ira’s brush they were going down in the sense neither coquettish wizard ever wished to indulge in. No, they were best to keep heads down and show neighbourly willing as coincidental informants. Unwitting witnesses.

“… this conversation does not exempt you from future formal investigation if necessary…” Yeesh, Andie did not mince her words, but that was one quality Johann liked in the witch. She was direct, blunt and practical, you could always get a straight answer out of her. She could always cajole her big brother into their social plans if he was unwilling. Johann liked both Gamp siblings he’d met, and he hoped he remained on the right side of them. Johann glanced to Balfour beside him, hands knotted in his lap beneath the lip of the table.

“… could you tell me the date you first became a tenant in the House of Atreus?”

“Twenty-first of October last year, well, I was.” Johann offered, tentatively, looking to his partner, “Balfour had been living there before then of course, and I only really ‘lived’ in there until early December, when I pretty much moved in with Balfour.” He paused, “Barely furnished my place, and the lease ended in April, six months, see.” He shrugged and looked to Balfour to elaborate.

To say that Balfour Spectre was nervous would be an understatement. It was, however, not the nervousness of having been nastily surprised - they had both been expecting to make this visit. In some ways a part of him had waited for it with a kind of excited anticipation, the way he looked forward to meeting a new dangerous creature on a sanctuary for magical beasts. But the stakes today were higher than his life alone.

They were two lives now, bonded together. The Scottish wizard glanced casually at Johann, who had already begun answering Andromeda's question. Ceph's sister disposed with niceties in a way that her brother did not; Bal could appreciate it under these circumstances.

            "Barely furnished my place, and the lease ended in April, six months, see."
"Yes, it was just much more comfortable and convenient to be in one place, so there wasn't a point in keeping it."

Balfour smiled a little - fondly, because they had essentially moved in after only a little time as a couple. Nobody was surprised. They were blatantly smitten. That was the card he would be playing today, he decided, and dragged his gaze away from Johann to properly address Andie.

"I moved into my flat in um...well, about five years ago, so 2006..." he trailed off thoughtfully, "August. Tenth of August, shortly after my birthday. I had met Ira at a fundraiser of sorts and I'd been looking for rooms in London. She quickly took a liking to me, I'm afraid."

He laughed awkwardly, reaching for Johann's hands on the other man's lap. "I have been her tenant ever since." Balfour glanced away, adding in a dry tone: "Well, until quite recently I mean."

Balfour and Johann were able to answer her question. Andromeda looked at Balfour. "Yes. Your neighbors said you moved out very recently. That was lucky." She looked at Johann. "Why did you rent a flat? You did not need it?"

“… That was lucky.”

“Why did you rent a flat? You did not need it?” Andie asked, presumably trying to join the dots.
“At the time I did.” Johann replied with a shrug. “Ever since I came over to Britain I’ve been sharing places with people. I was house sitting for my cousin Ignan in April last year, he bought a place in Godric’s Hollow. But when term finished in June he asked me to move out, so I stayed odd nights with different friends.”

Johann wriggled a little uncomfortably, Andromeda had quite a direct stare, natural to her appearance. He knew her socially, and understood she was nice beneath it, but it was quite intimidating across a table. He was glad of Balfour being there. He hoped by mentioning this to Andie he also painted an innocent, hard done by persona for her to perceive entirely innocent.

“It wasn’t a good few months, what with my father’s trial. Actually, that’s what kind of sealed it. I met Balfour - well, properly met - early September, and I ran into Ira when I went to Atreus to see him in October. She offered me a place because she knew my father. At the time I’d no idea what she meant by it, he had lots of friends with money. He was a banker after all.”
“I felt it rude to say no, and well, it was nice to have somewhere to at least store my stuff. It was getting embarrassing leaving stuff in people’s cupboards all over the place.” Now his things were finding homes all over the Edinburgh family home. Forever homes. The thought eased Johann’s heart as he looked to Balfour lovingly.

He found himself looking at his partner more than at their interviewer, as Johann explained his living situation last year. Balfour's brow wrinkled in that pained and worried way it always did when he was reminded of those couch-crashing days. It was obvious that Joh seemed uncomfortable as well - whether that was because of Andie or because of the memories, difficult to tell. That they had met amid tempestuous events was both miraculous as well as necessary to their souls. 

           "It was getting embarrassing leaving stuff in people’s cupboards all over the place."

"Darling..." Balfour murmured before he could quell the impulse and, still holding his lover's hand, brought it up to meet his lips for a moment. Their eyes met; he felt the worry in his chest disperse at finding affection in Johann's gaze. All of that was in the past.

Nobody should live in the past. "It's very difficult to say no to Ira," he cleared his throat and brought his thoughts back to the present, to Andromeda Gamp. "She liked to make a show of being generous, you see."

Andie nodded. Ira Almasy had donated to lots of places. She had donated to the hospital. Even though they now suspected she could be a poisoner. She had invited people to the opera. To dinner. It was all a front. Had Balfour Spectre and Johann Storm been duped too? Andromeda wanted to believe.
"When was the last time you saw Ira?" Andromeda asked.

“Darling…” Johann paused, looking to the love of his life. They were nervous enough about talking Ira with Andromeda and digging it all back up like this was stirring bad memories. Balfour was sensitive and intuitive to reading Johann’s mannerisms and he hadn’t meant to upset him further, though it was … helpful… to their cause. He gave a somewhat soppy and loving smile to the kiss of his hand and drew a little closer.

“It’s very difficult to say no to Ira, she liked to make a show of being generous, you see.”
Johann outwardly grimaced as Andromeda nodded in agreement at Balfour’s description.

“When was the last time you saw Ira?”

They had agreed - enough truth - but no more. They would answer questions but not offer additional information or detail. If more was pushed, then they would engage in the assistance of someone more equipped legally, to protect themselves.
“Tuesday.” Johann replied, “Twenty-sixth. She asked to see me, by way of a note. Called up early evening to see her after leaving here. She asked me to draft her last will and testament.” He studied Andromeda’s expression. “I know how, in a fix, you see. It’s no hidden fact I do private work, not normally that though. But given the request I honoured it. Drafted it on the spot as I asked her wishes, and then left her copies to have signed.” He frowned, “I don’t know if she had it signed before her death.”

Johann was marvellous. It was rather surreal, sitting here together and speaking half-truths to keep their records somewhat untarnished by Ira Almasy's existence. Balfour let his lover answer first, one hand still clasping his, and thought about that final meeting[1] with the witch. How wretched she had looked.... and yes somehow undefeated. Like death was precisely what she needed.  Maybe it was.

"I saw her the day after that," he followed up with a shrug. "We take care of her huskies sometimes, I went for a chat and to pick them up. She seemed tired at the time but we didn't talk about anything significant."

Besides making some melodramatic proclamations about what could have once been a friendship. Balfour glanced at Johann, pulling a thoughtful look. "Think that's it. I guess we're keeping the dogs for good, now."

1.	The Labour of Thine Love - 27th April

"She did." Andie said. Ira Almasy trusted Johann Storm to write her will. Andie would not trust a neighbour to write her will. Only if they were a lawyer. Then maybe not. Nobody could trust lawyers for sure.

"I guess so." Andie said to Balfour. Ira Almasy trusted both of them. Dogs and Death. Andie thought. She stared at both of them.

"Did you know she was sick?" She asked.

            "Did you know she was sick?"

He glanced down at his hand in Johann's, as if thinking about this question. "I did, in a manner of speaking. She didn't tell me she was sick when I went to collect Ivoire and Sangre. Just didn't look very well." This was essentially the truth of what that final meeting had been like - it settled his nerves to keep reminding himself they were only concealing what was necessary.

"I don't know if we can offer any more information..." Balfour trailed off with a shrug. "Ira had been quiet for a few months. I just assumed she was busy with the Opera House or fundraisers."

Johann agreed, nodding. He rubbed his forehead and propped his elbow on the table between them, frowning.
“We’d hardly seen her. But we never saw her in the building with great regularity. Assumed she had other places to be, or she liked to keep to herself.” He shrugged his narrow shoulders, “One never likes to see the landlord too often.” He glanced to Andromeda and then to Balfour.

“Sorry we can’t be of more help, Andromeda. Horrible to discover it all.” He shuddered and squeezed Balfour’s hand supportively.

Andromeda frowned. She wanted to believe Balfour and Johann. She had a niggle. She did not have anything firm to go on. She would have to think for now. Something was not right.

"I understand." Andromeda said. "Thank you for your time. I may have more questions. In the future." She stood up. She shook hands with them. She saw them out.

END