Blamed for Murder | finished

Ch. 5: Shocking News

I woke up early. I was used to having only little sleep, which was a side-effect of being up all night as Ladybug and still attending school as Marinette. A look into the mirror confirmed what I have felt. I didn't sleep well at all this night and I looked like it. Maybe taking a shower could change that, since I wasn't thrilled about looking like a walking dead.

I still needed some time to comprehend what Chat told me. It felt good to have the full trust of my best friend and my partner. Actually, Chat Noir became more than a partner to me. Somehow I feel like I am closer to him than to Alya. She is my BFF, but Chat is a special kind of a friend. We were protecting each other dozens of times. Actually, he protected me for the most time. He took so many hits for me and never complained. He still trusted me and noticed things about me that even I did not. Alya was good with computers, maybe she could find out more. The video was our first clue to prove my...Ladybugs innocence.

I finished the shower, put on some make-up and entered my room. Tikki came out of her hideout, hovering in front of my face. "Good morning Marinette. I knew Chat will believe in you. You two have been through so much together. Don't let yourself down. He will always be there for his Bugaboo." The little red kwami started giggling. "And I also think he likes you."

"Tikki! Don't call me Bugaboo! You know I hate it! Chat is just one big flirt!" I Somehow got defensive but started laughing at the same time. She was such a sweetheart.

Tikki continued teasing me. "Why are you so upset? Ah, I see. You like him, you like him! Why don't you give him a chance?"

I poked Tikki on her nose, putting on a smile. "Maybe you are right. But not as much as Adrien. And you know I will never cheat on anyone, nor playing with Chats feelings. Why are you so pushy anyway?"

"Hey, I was just asking since you really do like him. You should call Alya and ask her for help with the video", Tikki responded as she started her breakfast with a macaron I left for her.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes", I answered as I sat down at my computer screen and opened up the Ladyblog. The video Alya made from the press conference really wasn't looking great. I guessed that's what happens if you were filming something from a screen with your phone's camera. I investigated the whole video, just to see if I see the same change in the way Ladybug moved as Chat did. He was right, but I wouldn't notice it until someone told me. What did the stray cat look at, while we were on patrol? I also noticed something else.

I took my phone and called Alya. It took her a minute to actually answer the call, as she sounded really tired. "Girl, it's 9 in the morning. On a Sunday. It better be important if you wake me up for it." She yawned into the phone. "It's not like Paris isn't going crazy enough on its own right now."

I somehow felt bad for her but was unable to wait. I had to tell her. "Good Morning Alya. Sorry for waking you up, but I was watching your video form the press conference again and I have seen something nobody has pointed out yet."

Alya sounded like she instantly became completely awake. "What is it? Any clue about what happened?"

I took a deep breath and continued. "The video basically consists of two parts, separated by a short blackout. Look at the way Ladybug moves before and after the blackout. She has a fast, harsh and aggressive movement before the lights turn out. You can't see anything between the lights turning off and on again, but look how careful but smooth Ladybug moves afterwards. Like she is a different person." I hoped Alya could take the hint.

"Alright alright. Give me a second, just let me access my blog."

I wasn't done yet. "And now a really huge thing. Look at the window you can barely see in the background. It is open before the lights go out, but closed when they turn on again. I admit it's hard to notice since it is in the corner of the background, but that's still odd."

A loud gasp gave away how shocked Alya was. "Damn it girl, you're right! That's a big scoop, but sadly this doesn't prove enough. Maybe it was closed by the wind and the security system locked it afterwards. Remember the bad weather we had this night? I don't want to disappoint you, but we need more than that."

I hated to admit it, but she was right. It wasn't enough to prove anything in court. But I already had a solution for this. "Maybe we can see more on the original footage. You know, something that wasn't recorded with a phone from a TV. Could you find out more if I can get my hands on the original?" I tried to not sound rude as she did her best to get good footage.

Alya's voice sounded upset but curious at the same time. "I want to see you try making a better one. Anyway, how do you want to get something that is kept locked at the police department and maybe at the hotel's surveillance room? It's not like basically everybody at the press conference asked for it, while the police just said no. I had the luck of being the only one filming it since everybody else thought they will get the video afterwards. So good luck with that."

I put on a sly smile. "I think I have an idea. But please don't ask me anything about it."

"Okay, but how...", she asked me as I instantly interrupted her. "I said don't ask. Please. Just roll with it."

She sighed after a moment of silence. "I don't know what you are up to, but please be careful. I don't want you to get arrested for breaking into the probably best-guarded hotel in France right now."

"Don't worry Alya, I'm not a cat burglar", I smirked. But I knew somebody who was. "See you around Alya", I said as I hung up. Maybe it was a bit unfair not going in myself, but I was sure that Chloé still hated my guts. She would kick me out of the hotel before I could even reach the elevator. Going there as Ladybug would be even worse. Alya was probably right about the police guarding it, so Chat was my only chance.

I just wanted to go into the bakery to get something for breakfast and sat down in front of the TV. "This is Nadja Chamack with the 10 o'clock news. City officials announced the funeral of mayor Bourgeois to be on Tuesday morning. All public facilities, including schools and offices, will remain closed on this day, so people can attend the funeral. Furthermore, new elections will be held in three weeks. The first one to announce his candidature is the famous designer Gabriel Agreste."

I dropped my croissant, as I heard this. That felt so wrong. I wasn't sure why, but I had a bad feeling about this.