"Francisco is fortunate to have such a defender," Emanuel said pleasantly. He had not choked on his first lie, and his dark voice was as warm and smooth as polished obsidian. "Unfortunately, we cannot rule out anyone based on our personal experiences alone," he explained. "We must get to the bottom of this. The murderer shall face justice, and the innocent shall see their names cleared. Nothing less will suffice." Like Andre, he hoped to find Francisco among the innocent, but he did not have the luxury of certainty, unlike the representative. For their mission to become a success, he needed to keep an open mind.<br/><br/>The more he learned of the suspects, the more questions arose. Hikaru's alibi seemed solid, but Emanuel wondered what had been so crucial that the 'inseparable' Hikaru had left the Luminary's side to travel to Japan? Had someone wanted her out of the way? Or was her absence just a coincidence? It was possible. Even when the hands of Fate were at work, coincidences happened. No, there seemed no reason to suspect this scion. And yet...<br/><br/>Emanuel would be the first to admit that he was no expert on relationships, but what little experience he had, had involved a healthy amount of arguing among friends. No, this particular relationship sounded too good to be true.<br/><br/>There was precious little information about Jennifer, which aroused his curiosity. Kieran sounded like he would be worth a visit as well, and privately, Emanuel found himself looking forward to meeting him. If Kieran had locked horns with the Luminary regularly, he had to be someone with strong convictions. Those convictions had caused arguments, but had they led to murder as well?<br/><br/>"Thank you," he said to Alana when she arranged for a list of data."That will be useful." Already he suspected that some housecalls were in order. It was just a question of who would visit who. If it were up to him, they'd work in two groups, each group taking on two of the suspects, one at a time, for a preliminary investigation. "We may cover more ground if we split up," he offered, addressing the other scions. "One group of two, and one of three. Unless someone has a better plan?" Before he could worry about communications, Andre's suggestion solved that issue before it became a problem.<br/><br/>"That is an excellent idea," Emanuel said gratefully when Andre suggested a base of operations. "I should have thought of it myself." He smiled. "I take it you have a location in mind?" Although Emanuel was willing to give Andre the benefit of the doubt, the earlier passionate defense made it likely that Andre would share his lover's Fate - whatever the outcome would be. Still, rejecting the offer would send too strong a message at this stage. He was not yet ready to distrust Andre. First, he wanted to hear what his nephew had to say.<br/>