Hi, everyone! This here is a story I've been wanting to write for ages. I love murder mysteries, and the idea of writing one seemed too good to pass up. Just a quick heads up; this is experimental as all hell. This is completely out of my writing style, so please forgive any inconsistencies. This fic is purely an experiment and I'd appreciate it if you saved your detailed critiques for my other stories.

This story will be uploaded in very short chapters, by the way. Just for a bit of housecleaning: It takes place in a variation of Onett in the 1920s.

This story may be unsuitable for some viewers! This fic contains:

-Blood/Violence
-Weapon usage
-Depictions of death and loss
-Major character death
-References to drugs and alcohol
-Cartoon mischeif
-Adult language
-It's a murder mystery, you get the point.

Ness was a familiar face in the law enforcement community. He was a bit of an anomaly to some. What an incredibly gifted boy he was, having graduated high school early at age sixteen. While some would expect that he would move on to become a lawyer or a scientist due to his intelligence, Ness had a different plan. A common plan among most young boys: Ness was going to be a police officer.

Perhaps it could be reworded differently; he would be an officer temporarily. This wasn't his end goal, as he would end up putting his intelligence to use after all. Not only was be going to be a cop, he was going to be such a good cop that he would be promoted in now time to his actual dream position; a homicide detective. Or rather, just a detective in general.

He wasn't the type to give up on his desires. Ness worked tirelessly to get himself a degree in Forensic Science, before granting himself a spot in police training. He toughed his way through all six weeks of the brutal schooling, with another several weeks in field training. This was worth it, as Ness joined the police force not long afterwards. After being recognized as one of the best officers on the force, just as he'd hoped, Ness was called into his superior's office and promoted to the newest detective on the team. Ness had never been happier than he was the day he received that title. He had to admit that he enjoyed showing off his new status, being not only the newest, but the youngest investigator to be seen in quite some time, just clocking in at twenty two. Despite living in a dinky little apartment and surviving off of uncooked pasta in the meantime, Ness felt like his life couldn't get any better. He just couldn't wait to get his hands on his first case file.

That was, until the thinnest manila folder he'd ever seen was gracefully dropped onto his newly received desk, barely making a sound as it landed.

Ness stared at the practically empty folder for a few moments, before slowly looking up at the blonde young woman who'd generously delivered it to him. After a few moments of silence, mainly of disbelief on Ness' part, the girl finally tipped his head to the side and gave a sweet, but sarcastic smile.

"Chookas." She said.

"...B-but...wait!" Ness stammered, breaking out of his trance. He looked down at the case file and flipped it open. All he saw were a few documents and a couple of pictures. "There's practically nothing in here. Are you sure you gave me the right case, Paula?"

"That's the one the boss wanted you to take, I triple checked." Paula nodded her head, leaning over and resting her elbows on Ness' desk, "And from what I've seen in there, am I ever sorry for you."

"Good lord, you'd think he'd give me somethin' a little easier for my first case." Ness muttered, gripping a handful of his shadowy hair.

"Oh, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean, yeah, sucks to be you with that little info. But take a look at some of the pictures. It takes a lot to frighten a coroner, and...well, those gave me chills."

Paula slid a few of the images towards him with two fingers. Ness squinted to get a better looks against the grainy black and white image. It took him a good few seconds to finally realize what he was looking at. What he was faced with was a murder victim, and they clearly did not have a quick, painless death. His eyes widened a bit at the sight of torn flesh and caked blood, and he set a hand over his mouth. Paula nodded in understanding while watching his reaction. Ness wanted to look back up at her, but couldn't tear his gaze away from the image. While the body was decorated in gashes and bruises, the part that stood out were the two gaping sockets in the face where eyes used to be.

"Jesus." He mumbled, "Missing eyes?"

"And nose, and lips, and hands. Not to mention several lacerations and slit wrists." Paula relayed, "Possibly more, once I start the autopsy."

"Interesting murder tactic, to go for the wrists. Don't see why they didn't just stab 'em and get it over with." Ness said with raised eyebrows. He held up one of the information reports and read aloud, "AKA name was 'Nana'. Twenty two years old, female. She worked as a nightclub singer. She was found by a family friend near the docks. This family friend and his brother were particularly close with her."

"Poor thing, he's been shaking like a leaf all morning. Completely unresponsive to anybody except his brother." Paula shook her head sympathetically. Ness eyed her, interested.

"Is he still here?" Ness asked. Paula bit her lip and glanced towards the door.

"Yes, he is, but I really don't think you should bring him in for questioning right now. I'd be surprised if you even got a peep out of him." She said.

"I have my ways," Ness said, as he got to his feet and approached a nearby cabinet. On it's surface rested a censer. He took a moment to light it, and a thin trail of smoke rose from the scented stick. "All we need to do is loosen the kid up a little bit. Besides, if worst comes to worst, we've still got his brother. Do me a favour, and send them in."

Paula gave him a playfully agitated glare, as she clearly wasn't his assistant. However, she nodded and briskly made her way out of the room, leaving Ness alone with his thoughts. He'd considered taking this to an interrogation room, but the last thing he wanted was for his leads to feel even more shaken. Baby steps, he thought. He took another look at the collection of crime scene photos. Judging by the state the body was left in, she hadn't been found even an hour after her death. Ness drew in his lower lip. As he waited, he sifted through the other contents. He was met with several other photographs. His heart skipped a beat; it had happened more than once. Nana was not the only victim, for she'd been the latest murder of five girls. Ness didn't have much time to think about it, before he heard a few knocks on his door.

"Yep." He called, prompting Paula to once again enter the room.

This time, she was followed by two boys. One, a redhead who looked incredibly troubled. The other, a blond, who stared at the floor and tightly gripped a shock blanket. Ness instantly felt a wave of sympathy for the nearly catatonic boy. His eyes were blank and unmoving as he was guided by his brother, who gave Ness a nod in greeting.

"Here you are, Ness. This here is Claus," Paula gestured to the redhead, "And the one beside him is Lucas."

"Twins. Fascinating," Ness replied as Paula quickly exited, "There should be a couple of chairs over there, feel free to sit."

"...S-sure, okay." Claus murmured, pulling over a few chairs and guiding Lucas to sit. Ness prayed that the incense he'd burned would at least relax him a bit. He took a moment to fetch his notepad and pen, before looking up at Claus.

"Claus, she said your name was?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, that's me..." Claus trailed off to ponder on what to call him, "...Officer."

"No need for the formalities, just 'Ness' is fine." Ness said. Claus gave an awkward bow of his head. Thus, Ness continued, "Now, then. Just yesterday, the two of you discovered the body of a young woman, yes?"

"No, only Lucas did. He came to tell me right after."

"I see," Ness directed his gaze towards Lucas, "Are you okay to speak?"

Lucas' eyes shifted only a bit. He shook his head, shrinking back into himself. Claus sighed and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Ness only put on a comforting smile.

"Not to worry, take your time." He said, "I have a few questions for Claus, then. First thing's first, how long have you two known the victim?"

"Who, Nana? She's been our friend for ages. We go way back," Claus explained, before pausing for a moment, "...W-well, we went way back. We were classmates right up until graduation."

"What was she like?" Asked Ness, "Personality wise, I mean?"

"Nana was sweet as candy, if I'm being honest. Kind of a goody two shoes. Always went home on time, got good grades, all that. I can't even think of anything negative to say. Well, she did talk a lot, and she did have a bit of a sleeping issue, but..."

"Care to describe that issue? Insomnia?"

"The opposite; Narcolepsy. Nothing serious, but it could get pretty bad sometimes. She had to take meds and shit."

"Right, okay," Ness paused to scribble something down, "And on the topic of medication, was this prescribed?"

"Yeah, don't see why it wouldn't be."

"Well, let me put it another way. Did Nana ever indulge in things like...Methamphetamine? Diomorphene? Drugs, to put it simply?"

Claus' eyes went wide, "Jesus, no! Like I said, she was super goody goody. She practically couldn't even say the word 'drug' without crossing herself. Why'd that come up?"

"To put it simply, your brother found Nana near the docks, under the boardwalk, yes? That happens to be right near the location of suspected opium dens. You know, crack houses and the like. Places where people go to get fucked up." Ness explained, "That gives us a possible motive lead."

"I guess, but...again, she never went near the stuff."

"What about you?" Ness asked, "Have you ever used anything like that?"

Claus went still, and his eyes went wide for a moment. He hesitated, opening his mouth to speak. Ness held up a hand of assurance.

"Don't worry, this is confidential. I won't tell any parents." Ness said.

"R-right, well..." Claus said, "...I mean, pot, sure. W-what kid hasn't? I was younger and stupid, I don't do that anymore. But nothing crazy, like smack, or anything."

"Mmm." Ness nodded, before giving a quiet sigh. He set his notepad down and leaned forward a bit, looking Claus in the eye, "Claus, Nana was found last night around midnight. Where were you during that time?"

Claus' jaw dropped, and he stood up in his seat, nearly knocking it backwards.

"Seriously?! You're accusing me?" He exclaimed, "My friend is dead, and this is what you do?"

"I am not accusing you, I just need the details. Every fact counts in a murder case, and everyone's a suspect."

"Well cool it, because I didn't do it! Nana was like a sister to us!"

Claus was suddenly stopped when he felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down to see Lucas looking much calmer, pulling at his shirt, but still gazing at the ground.

"Please don't yell." Lucas murmured. Claus' eyes softened with regret as he quickly took his seat again, hunching his shoulders shamefully.

"Sorry." He said.

"Not to worry, that reaction is more common than you think," Ness assured. He directed his attention to Lucas, relieved to see he'd loosened up. "Lucas, was it? Are you okay to speak?"

Lucas's eyes just barely met his, and he gave a sheepish nod. Ness felt a flutter in his chest. Such bright blue eyes, he thought. He'd never seen anything like them.

"My dad asked me to go to the docks to fetch him something from his boat; the keys," Lucas explained quietly, "But when I got them, I dropped them through a crack in the boardwalk. So I climbed down near the shoreline to get them, and...that's where I found Nana. I ran home and told Claus and my father, and...I can't remember passing out, but I was out cold for a few hours, apparently."

Ness gave a sympathetic nod. "Okay. Thank you, Lucas. Did you see anything odd when you found Nana?"

"I didn't see any people, but I found this..." Lucas reached into his pocket and brought out something, "...It's a flashlight or something. I just remembered I had it. It was lying in the sand."

"Interesting," Ness reached over to take it. He inspected the black flashlight and clicked it a few times. No power. "Looks like something we'd use here, at the department. This is all you found?"

"That's it. I didn't stay to look anywhere, I just took off." Lucas finished.

"Hmm. Alright." Ness said, "Well, this is still a very young case, so that's all I'll need for now. But please prepare for future questions, you two are our main source of info at the moment. Lucas, I am trained in counselling, so I am going to offer daily therapy sessions, if you'd be willing. Gives us some time to calm you down, and maybe get some more questions out of the way."

"Um...y-yeah, okay, sure." Lucas nodded and gave a weak, smile. Ness prayed that being younger than most officers would make things less uncomfortable for Lucas, who looked to be about his age. Lucas turned to his brother and shrugged off the orange blanket he'd been given, "Could you go return this? I'll catch up, I just need to...gather my things, is all."

"What 'things?" Claus asked.

"Uhhh..." Lucas glanced around him, not able to find an answer, "J-just go, it's fine! I'll be there in a second!"

He hurriedly pushed his twin out of the room, before awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck and looking back at Ness over his shoulder. Ness, charmed by the sheepish boy, grinned and casually put his hands in his pockets. He gave a bit of a snicker. Lucas hung his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry you had to see all that, I-I'm kind of a frantic person." Lucas explained. He seemed much more relaxed now.

"Nothing wrong with that. Are you going to get your 'things' now?" Ness asked, just barely teasing.

"I just...! I didn't bring anything with me, heh. Um...I had a question." Lucas said, "...If you wouldn't mind."

"Sure, shoot."

"How old are you?" Lucas blurted, "I mean...! Dangit...sorry."

Ness gave a lighthearted laugh, "No, it's fine. I'm twenty two."

"What? You're only a couple years older than me!" Lucas gasped, "Don't officers have to be much older? Training, and such?"

"Well, I had a bit of a head start. I graduated early." Ness explained proudly.

"Wow, heh..." Lucas brushed a strand of hair out of his face, "...You must be really smart."

"I don't wanna brag, buuut..." Ness trailed off, shrugging and giving a half smile, "Why do you ask? Do you wanna join the force?"

"Who, me? Oh, nonono, I was just curious. I'm too soft for that." Lucas clarified.

"Aw, don't say that. You're not soft, you're just quiet." Ness said.

"Very, very quiet. I'm pretty shy, if I haven't already made that obvious." Lucas chuckled a bit.

"Nothing wrong with being shy." Ness shrugged.

"You're the first to say. Growing up, the other kids thought it was weird."

"I don't think you're weird." Ness murmured. He hadn't realized it, but they'd been walking towards each other. They now stood only about a foot apart.

"Really?" Lucas asked, eyes shiny.

"Sure. You're just reserved. You like to stay with your own thoughts, and listen to what's around you." Ness said, "I like that."

A sudden knock on the still open door caught their attention. It was Paula, leaning against the door frame. She raised an eyebrow. Ness quickly cleared his throat and brushed off his clothing, respectfully putting his hands behind his back.

"A-anyways, yes! Those are all the questions I needed to ask, you're free to go." Ness stammered. Lucas, getting the hint, nodded.

"I guess I'll take off, then." He said. He headed towards the door, glancing back at Ness with a smile, "Have a good rest of your day, officer."

Ness watched the blond exit, keeping his gaze on him even once he was out of the room. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the back of his head. He stared ahead for a few more seconds, before realizing that Paula was snapping her fingers to get his attention.

"Wake up." She said, narrowing her eyes, "I saw every bit of that. Don't go for him, Ness."

"Don't what? I have no idea what you're talking about." Ness shook his head bashfully and headed back to his desk.

"He is nothing more than a pawn, alright? Just a stepping stone in the case. I don't want you getting in trouble because of some affaire d'amour."

"Oh, go cut open some dead body, won't you?" Ness teased, "Preferably the one we need inspected for this case. Have you received the body yet?"

"Not yet, but I'll give the go forth once we do. I don't suppose this autopsy will be any different from the other victims," Paula said, "All young women, all higher class, all found in some form of warehouse, et cetera."

"Sorry, warehouse?" Ness repeated, hastily rushing back to his desk to sort through the file he'd been given, "Huh. You're right, all the others were found in storage houses."

"What do you mean, 'the others'?"

"Nana wasn't found in a building, she was found near the docks. Over near the drug dens and shit." Ness explained, "...Hm. Just something to keep in mind, I suppose. Well! This is exciting. Ten minutes in, and I'm already making progress. Just watch, I'll be promoted to a Sergeant in no time."

"Oh! Speaking of 'Sergeant', I outta tell you why I came back here in the first place. You are a lucky duck; you get a partner." Paula winked. Ness' eyes glimmered as if he were a child in awe.

"Me? My very own investigation partner? I get to tell them what to do, right?" Ness asked excitedly.

"You do! It gets better; he's a few ranks above you, meaning you'll be bossing around someone of higher authority." Paula said. "He's a transfer from another department, from what I understand. He's never been to Onett in his life, so it's a good thing he was paired up with you, Mr. Born and Raised. C'mon, he just arrived."

"It just keeps getting better. I've got myself a minion." Ness tidied up the case file and stacked it neatly, tucking it under his arm.

"Yes, and you've also found yourself a new plaything too, haven't you, Casanova?" Paula said over her shoulder, half teasing, half agitated.

"Piss off, won't you? Lucas is just a source of evidence and information. I've known the guy for a few minutes, and our relationship will remain strictly professional." Ness dismissed as he followed her, trying to hide his obviously red dusted face.

Ness was relieved to walk out of the stuffy office and into the crowded, but roomy department lobby. Several uniformed coworkers either greeted him or congratulated him. Ness had to admit that he was enjoying the attention quite a bit. He could almost see the disappointed faces of his family members who wanted him to be a doctor. Sucks to be you, he thought. Ness followed Paula down a branch hallway. As he did so, he suddenly walked right past Lucas and Claus, who both seemed much more relaxed and comfortable. Lucas, instantly spotting him, gave him a gentle smile and a wave. Ness waved back, feeling that flutter in his chest again. Paula noticed this and rolled her eyes, grabbing Ness' wrist and yanking him along.

It didn't take long for her to lead him to an emptier section of the department. Ness immediately spotted the Chief speaking with a brand new face. He patted down his hair and straightened his collar. The Chief had seen him approaching, and quickly backed away with a nod of acknowledgment. Ness replied with his own nod, making sure to seem as respectful and professional as possible. Upon directing his attention to the stranger in his midst, Ness found himself slightly put off guard by an enthusiastic handshake offer.

"Hiya!" Exclaimed his newly appointed partner, his dark brown eyes gleaming excitedly. He had black hair tied back, with a sharp, heart shaped face. However, Ness was more interested in the khaki uniform bearing three upwards arrows on the patch over his heart. A Sergeant.

'This guy's a Sergeant? He looks like a rookie who just got hired.' Ness thought, giving a hesitant smile as his hand was shaken vigorously, "H-Hello, pleasure to meet you! My name is-"

"Oh, I know you. Officer Wyman, the newest addition!" His partner interrupted.

"Y-yes, but you can just call me 'Ness'." Ness waved a bit to Paula, signifying that she was dismissed. The Chief, who seemed satisfied with the interaction, also made his way out.

"Whatever floats your boat! As for me," His partner proudly set his hands on his hips, "Name's Ninten! It's a nickname, really. I came here all the way from the PPD! That's the Podunk Police Department, by the way. Kind of like the OPD, but in Podunk. you get what I'm sayin'?"

"That is the general conclusion I'd come to, yes," Ness said, "So! You're my investigation partner for this homicide case, Ninten?"

"You bet I am! Gee, lemme tell you. I've done lots'a cases, but never a homicide! I've always done robberies, and vandalism, and all that. This is an exciting change!"

"Exciting is...certainly a word you can use, sure." Ness shrugged. "Well, Sergeant, I look forward to the process. It's a tough one. A serial killer is on the loose."

"Ooooh! Spooky." Ninten whispered, "Well, what'chu waitin' for? Show me the files!"

"Right, of course. Very determined to get things done. I like it." Ness quickly retrieved the folder and dropped it on a nearby table. Ninten's eyes widened, as his expression turned confused and disappointed as he began to flip through it.

"What? That's all we get?" Ninten breathed.

"No leads, no artifacts, nada. Like I said, it's tough."

"You weren't kidding..." Ninten muttered. He picked up one of the photographs and inspected it, "Yikes."

"Yeah, it's pretty brutal. Think you can take it? It's a lot more different than robberies."

"We gotta start somewhere!" Ninten chirped enthusiastically, "So, spill the tea. What super helpful evidence have you got in your handy dandy detective notepad?"

"Not much," Ness slipped the pad from his pocket and turned to the first page, which wasn't even full yet, "The most recent victim was found by a young man who was a close family friend. There's a bit of an inconsistency with the killings. The bodies are usually found in warehouses and storage units; things like that, where they'd be hidden. But this girl was found underneath the docks boardwalk, in plain sight, for all to see."

"You think that could mean something?" Ninten asked.

"Probably. Of course, it's just something to keep under our radar until we uncover more information."

"Good plan." Ninten inspected Nana's crime scene photograph, "Hm. Under the boardwalk, huh? That's such a coincidence! My little sisters live right here in Onett, and they work at a nightclub right near that place."

Ness' eyes widened, and he snapped to look up at him, "Your sisters? They work at The Seventh Needle?"

"Yah! Is that...bad?"

"No, it's perfect! The Seventh Needle is the exact same nightclub Nana sang at!" Ness excitedly gathered the contents of the folder together and tucked it away again, "Well, Ninten, this is the start of our little adventure! Come along, off we go to the hottest nightclub in Onett, yeah? It's a Saturday night, I'd only assume your sisters are working."

"H-Huh?! Well, yes, they are, they're full time!" Ninten stammered as he began to hastily follow Ness, "But Ness, that place is really protected. The guy who owns it is probably the richest guy in the country, and he's got ties with corrupt everything. I don't even know if we'll be able to get in!"

"What happened to that fire in your soul just a few minutes ago? C'mon, we'll be alright. Besides," Ness assured, reaching into his coat pocket and retrieving his badge, flashing it to his partner, "We've got these. No one can say no to a badge."

"Ohhh, you'd be surprised." Ninten mumbled as he reluctantly ran after him, "Well, whatever you say. You're the investigation leader."

"Damn skippy." Ness replied with a smirk, "Time for a family reunion."

Lord almighty, this is so different from my usual writing style. Anyways, remember that this is pure experimentation! Please save detailed critiques for my more serious stories, as this isn't meant to be amazing. It's meant to challenge my storytelling abilities with a genre I'm unfamiliar with!

Thank you for reading!