There's a thin line between pleasure and agony, she figured, looking at the stock of papers needed to be filled out. The only joy she got from this is the knowledge the bugger pile is the solved cases. Nonetheless, it's a lot of paperwork, which means headache and eyestrain. And boredom. On the other hand, this kind is nothing compared to the pain created by her ability. For now, she is safe from the pain, until another crime happens.
"Blok!" the man shouted, approaching her desk. She rolled her eyes, knowing that he is never there to spill complements.
"I expect paperwork done today," he grinned looking at the overdue pile. It's not that he wasn't a likable man. He had some god about him. But it seemed like he enjoyed being an ass sometimes a bit too much.
"Aye-aye, Capitan," she responded, waving him off.
"But," he said, placing his hand on her table. That captured her attention more than his words.
"Before you do that. There's a call. Noise, disturbance, potential domestic abuse," he nonchalantly said. Cops, they get used to things like that fast. It touched her too.
"You just said you expected paperwork done!" the woman exclaimed. She didn't want another case today. Even so minor, just a bit of investigation and questioning. And that's what she hated sometimes. Questioning.
"And take the youngling," Captain added. "He better start learning now."
"I have no choice," she commented dimly.
"None at all."
She stared at the man before her. Smug asshole. She picked up the phone and pressed on a button.
"Detective Blok," she said passively, "get Junichiro Tanizaki to me. And get me the details about the recent disturbance call."
The Captain smiled at her brightly. Not a note of maliciousness in it. But she didn't appreciate it still. The reason she was picked is obvious. Potential domestic abuse, which means she would know immediately if it was the case. Her sixth sense is getting famous and obnoxious. Perhaps, she needs to start making mistakes. Or else, they would get onto her case. The boy came jumping to her. She met him exactly once before, briefly, and it's been awhile.
"I'm Junichiro Tanizaki," he said seriously. He paused though it was obvious by his tone he wasn't finished. He didn't plan to stop talking just yet.
"Detective Blok." The sentence came out strained. The woman smiled. It was better than Blok-sama she feared. It didn't sound right to her.
"Call me Saskia," she said. Junichiro looked at her thoughtfully.
"Then you can call me Junichiro."
"I'll do my best," she joked. Her hand patted the boy on the shoulder, prompting him to go with her.
"Let's go, Captain says you need to start learning."
She drove on the street of Yokohama, following the directions of the navigation system. Junichiro was driving shotgun and the conversation didn't exactly flow between them. Strangers they were and with an age gap at that.
"I heard good things about you, Saskia-san," the boy awkwardly started. Saskia guessed he wasn't comfortable with this dead silence in the car interrupted only by the robotic voice of the navigator. She was a detective he never met before. He was young and curious. She could understand that but she also knew where this was going.
"Probably understated," she replied. The car made a turn.
"Familiar neighborhood," the woman whispered to herself.
"You live somewhere nearby?"
"No, I've been here before."
"I heard about your sixth sense," Tanizaki continued. "How do you know it's always right?"
"Oh, trust me," the woman smiled woefully, "it's an unmistakable feeling."
She stopped the car in front of the house. It was definitely familiar. The sky-blue door. She remembered that is didn't suit the house at all. It should have been dark-grey or beige. Something neutral, not sky-blue. When she just started working in Yokohama, she was assigned a senior partner. She didn't go into the house that time. He told her to stay away. She thought it was a mistake at that time. Well, karma is a catty bitch.
The woman and her young partner were waiting outside the sky-blue door. They heard steps from the inside and an overly cheerful male voice. The door opened to present a middle-aged man in a grey shirt and dark pants. Saskia didn't like him immediately. Too cheery for someone who discovered someone in a uniform outside their door after dusk.
"Detective Blok," the woman introduced herself and showed her ID. "We received a noise complaint."
"I'm so sorry about this!" the man apologized. Saskia winced in pain.
"My little one is learning to ride a bike in the back yard and had an accident," he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Little girls tend to cry a lot over scraped knees."
Detective Blok grimaced, "Reported shouting."
"I admit I lost my temper a bit," he said sleepily, "when the incident happened."
"Can I speak to your daughter?" Saskia asked.
"She's… in the bathtub…"
Saskia looked at her wristwatch. She sighed and rubbed her temple. The situation was giving her a headache. Literally.
"It's been a while since the accident, what is she doing in the bathtub? Definitely not cleaning her scraped knees."
"She's washing the dress," he hurried, "it's delicate."
"Well, then, nothing is here to stop me from talking to her," Saskia pushed the man inside and out of her way. "Where is she?"
"You can't!" the father screamed in panic. The young girl ran out of the room when she heard it. Saskia smiled upon seeing the child. She ran to check upon her abusive father, and she looked no older than twelve. She's brave and strong. Blessed be her delicate dress. Her eyes red and there's a red mark on her cheek. She was hit. Her knees were scrapped a bit, that's true, but there were no grass stains. The wounds were not deep enough for a bike accident.
"Go inside!" her father screamed at her. The girl stepped back, frightened and confused.
"Shut up," Saskia slapped the man with the tips of her fingers. It will sting, but the mark will be barely noticeable.
"Junichiro," detective said, "get the girl."
The man was apprehended, and the girl was given to the Child Protective Services. The house was being investigated for any more clues of abuse. Saskia didn't doubt that they would find something else inside. It's not like the man was a bright one. His lies were incredibly dumb. She wouldn't even need her "sixth sense" to see through the pile of…. lies he was trying to sell her.
"How did you know?" Tanizaki asked curiously.
"Didn't you hear what he said? He's one of the worst liars I've met," she answered, rubbing her temple.
"Headache?"
"You already have the makings of a great detective," she said. The boy stepped away from her, embarrassed.
"I mean it," Saskia added, noticing that she hurt the young boy, "you did good. You didn't panic. You calmed her down. You made her feel safe. I mean it, kid."
"Umm, thanks, Saskia-san. Saskia."
"I have a favour to ask," she carefully said.
"I didn't see anything," he promptly responded. The woman smiled brightly through the sting of pain that ran through her head.
"You'll go far, kid," detective put her hand on Junichiro's shoulder, "I wish you were old enough to be my partner."
Junichiro smiled brightly.
