Death in Tokyo

Oliver Davis

"Honey? I'm home." A young woman called as she closed her front door with a quiet slam, dropping her handbag on the small table by the door. "Aoki?" She called again, in case he hadn't heard her. She sighed, taking off her coat and hanging it up and kicking off her shoes, before entering the living area, half expecting her to find her boyfriend fast asleep on the sofa, maybe even with the TV still on. You could never tell with Aoki, she thought. He was hardly the most active person on the planet-

She froze, horror, disgust and shock plastered onto her features. Her mouth hung open.

Then she screamed.

Mai slung her coat over the back of the chair and sat down, turning on the monitor.

"Hey Mai, have you heard? You know that English detective they're bringing in?" Yasuhara looked up.

"Has he arrived?" Mai immediately looked up.

"He should be coming in this morning. He arrived late last night, so presumably he'll come in for the afternoon. Must be pretty jetlagged."

"Yeah. What do you think England's like?"

"Never been." Yasuhara shrugged. Mai typed in the password and got up to get a coffee.

"You want anything?"

"Tea please."

She made her way through the office, and down the corridor to what was essentially a small cupboard that had been kitted out with a dishwasher, kettle and microwave. She searched the tiny room for two clean mugs while the water boiled.

Five minutes later she pushed open the office door with her hip, carefully walking with the cups. She turned to walk into the office, only to collide with something soft, spilling one tea and one coffee down said soft thing. She looked up into the face of a serious, tall, black haired man.

"Oh my god, I'm so so sorry, I didn't see you…" She said horrified. The man looked at his ruined shirt and he sighed. Mai glanced around, the whole office was looking at her (she hit the floor, she hit the floor XD). The man pushed past her out the office.

"And you are…?"

Mai froze. She looked around. A young man, maybe a couple of years older than her, was leaning over the desk. The desk. The desk of the detective in charge.

No way… He couldn't be, could he? He was what, 25? Mai felt her cheeks go hot. He was handsome too, with these deep, bright blue eyes.

"Taniyama Mai."

"So that leaves… Takigawa Houshou and Matsuzaki Ayako." He murmured to himself, studying a sheet.

"Oh, they're always late. Takigawa-san lives ages away and Ayako's… just Ayako." Mai said helpfully. The man ignored her. Mai blushed, turned on her heel and marched to her desk. Fine, just blank me… How rude.

"What's left of my tea…" Yasuhara looked at the half empty mug. Mai gritted her teeth. "So, that's him. I'm surprised he came in to be honest. Davis Oliver."

"It wasn't my fault." Mai grumbled. "I honestly didn't see him."

"Yeah well. That was Lin Koujo. Apparently he's some sort of research assistant. So… what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Davis-san."

"I don't know yet, I don't know him."

"Yeah, but you must have first impressions…"

"I don't judge people by their looks, Yasu." She frowned slightly.

"He's going to have just about every girl in this department running after him, y'know."

"Hmm." Mai's brain back-tracked. "Isn't he English?"

"Yes. Davis Oliver is a pretty English name."

"He doesn't have an accent." Mai observed. "Not even a trace. Speaks Japanese as fluently as one of us."

"Maybe that's partly the reason why he came."

"Maybe." She took another sip from her mug.

The door opened, and Ayako barged in, making her way to her desk.

"There was this simply awful woman on the bus-" She started to complain, but was interrupted by a calm voice.

"Matsuzaki Ayako?"

"Yes?" She turned, to see Oliver giving her a cool, hard glare.

"Why are you…" He paused as he looked at his watch. "2 hours and 23 minutes late?" He asked.

"Uhh…" She hesitated. "I missed my stop on the bus." She said quickly.

"And that made you almost two and a half hours late?"

"My bus doesn't go very regularly. Er… are you… are you the new detective inspector?" She asked in a very small voice.

He gave her a calculating look. "Yes. In future, refrain from coming in late."

"Uh. Okay." Ayako asked, feeling rather like an isolated rabbit caught in the headlights.

When he moved away she squeaked and turned to Mai.

"Wow, he's a looker! Mai, are you going to… you know?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You know…"

"No, I don't…" Mai shook her head. Ayako gave up and ruffled her hair.

"Never mind." She smiled innocently. Yasuhara snickered behind his hand, then leaned closer.

"She means, try to get with him." He said, bluntly.

"Ooohh." Mai said in final understanding. Then she blushed and shook her head. "No!"

"Oh well. He seems to be pretty grumpy. I was only slightly late…" Ayako grumbled.

"Two and a half hours? That's slightly?"

"Is Houshou in?" Ayako checked her nails and swiftly changed the subject.

"Not yet."

"Oh."

"Why, bored already?" Yasuhara flashed a grin.

"Well, it's not like anything's happened. I mean, there was that burglary, but that just turned out to be his daughter who'd left her house key at home when he was on a business trip, and he came back to find a boarded up window…"

"Davis-san came…"

"Yeah, but he hasn't done anything yet."

"Could you stop chatting and get on with your work?" A serious voice said behind them. Mai and Ayako jumped. Oliver Davis was standing behind them, his arms folded and one eyebrow raised. And he was glaring. Politely, but still.

"Uh… We don't actually have anything to do…" Mai said quietly.

"There's always work to do. And in that case you can go get me a tea."

"Yes, sir…" Mai said.

The next day, Ayako actually came in one time.

"Maybe he's just tired." Mai whispered to Yasuhara, referring to Oliver.

"If he was tired he wouldn't have come in the day after he arrived."

"But it's not normal to be so grumpy."

"He's always working. That's why he's grumpy. Maybe you should talk to him."

"Talk to him?" Mai whispered, aghast at the very idea.

"Yeah. After all, he is a new face here. Maybe he just needs to, you know, get used to it."

"Oh. Okay…" Mai sighed and got up. She crossed the room and stopped at his desk. He looked up.

"Yes?"

"Um, er… We were wondering, why did you join the police force?"

"Because it is needed."

"But… there must have been cases you couldn't solve, right?"

"No."

"Amazing. Smart and handsome." Mai muttered as she turned on her heel and walked away from the desk.

"You think I'm handsome?" Oliver suddenly asked, looking up again.

"Well, you are, aren't you?" Mai huffed, not bothering to turn around.

Yasuhara chuckled. "And he's got super hearing too." He whispered when Mai sat down.

"That was a waste of time."

"Maybe we should invite him to drinks after work."

"You actually think he'd accept? In the day he's been here, I've never ever seen him smile once. Let alone accept an invitation to drinks."

"True."

"And what's with his bloomin' attitude? It's all, worship me, worship me. Oh, look, I'm so amazing, I can solve any problem you stick in front of my handsome face!"

"Mai calm down," Yasuhara chuckled.

"I think he's a narcissist." Mai said decisively, sticking her nose in the air.

"A narcissist?"

"Naru the narcissist!" Mai exclaimed.

"Mai…"

"Narcissistic Naru." Mai tried to look serious, but a giggle gave her away. "I'm going to call him that from now on."

"Not to his face, I hope."

"Do I look like I want to die early?"

"Taniyama-san?"

Mai froze. Maybe he'd heard them? "Yes sir?" She looked up.

"Tea."

"Oh. My. God. If he asks for tea one more time…" She threatened no-one in particular. Then she sighed and went to the kitchenette, made a mug of tea and came back.

The office was eerily silent except for one voice. Mai froze. Oliver was on the phone, everyone else was watching him intently.

"Yes, I'll be right there." He sighed and hung up, getting up and putting on his jacket.

"Taniyama-san, grab your jacket."

"But your tea…!"

"Doesn't matter."

"Oh." Mai said bitterly, dumping it on his desk anyway and then going back to her desk to get her coat.

"Could you tell us what happened?" Mai asked sweetly of a young, sobbing woman.

"I- I- I came home-"

"From where?" Oliver demanded. Mai sent him a furious glare.

"It was a night out, you know, know, with my friends… An- and, and, I came home this morning – I'd stayed at a friend's – and- and – Oh, god!" Her sobbing increased tenfold. Mai rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, but you need to tell us." Mai comforted.

"Aoki – Aoki – he was lying on the floor, and, there was all this blood- and his eyes- they, they were open-" The rest of her speech became incomprehensible due to more tears. Mai hugged her.

"I'm so sorry." She said, letting the woman create a wet patch on her shoulder. Oliver stopped himself rolling his eyes. He'd never found enough patience to deal with distraught people. A police woman came with a blanket and wrapped the woman up in it, leaving Mai free. She wound her way to Oliver's side.

"So she comes home and finds her boyfriend dead." Mai clarified. "And there's a window broken."

"I know that. I'm not blind."

"Noll!" A voice from behind them exclaimed. Mai turned and heard Oliver swear quietly in English.

A woman, dressed in a white body suit with a mask pulled down, was approaching them.

"Hello Madoka." Oliver said icily.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Mai asked, looking between them.

"Unfortunately." Oliver said.

"Of course. I trained in England." Madoka beamed. Then her face contorted into pity. "Luella told me about-"

"I know."

"Oh." She looked away for a second, then riveted her attention on Mai. "Mai, I haven't seen you in an age!"

"We haven't had a murder case in ages."

"True, true."

"Can we skip the chitchat and cut to the analysis?"

"Oliver, all work and no play. Seriously, a girl's gotta have her fun." Madoka said reprovingly. Mai smothered a giggle. Even though this was her second day of knowing Oliver Davis, she could tell he would hate that kind of reaction.

"Ok, since you're giving me the glare of impending doom, we're talking male, late twenties. Killed by a blunt instrument to the back of the head, single blow. Death would have been pretty instantaneous."

"Could it have been done by a burglar if he found him in the flat?"

"I guess so. I don't see no reason why not."

"Time of death?"

"Late yesterday evening. Maybe between 9 and 2 the next morning."

Oliver nodded and walked away. "Thanks!" Mai said quickly and hurried after him.

"Don't worry Mai, I'm used to him!" Madoka called after them.

So. Yeah. Death in Tokyo is finally up and running. I've had an idea, as is often the case, brewing and developing for quite a while now.

And I know that this is probably all culture wise, but just go along with, it okay?

Anyhow. Please review, and let us know what you think! Especially if you like it so far :P

I may have to change the name at some point 'cos my sister keeps singing 'Left my heart in Tokoy' by... er... someone whenever I mention 'Death in Tokyo'. Which is, will not lie, preety damn annoying.

DISCLAIMER: I do not, and my sister does not, own Ghost Hunt or its characters in any way.

I just like bashing them up.