[AO3] [Chapter Master Post] [Soundtrack]
Rating: M (Violence and Smut)
Chapter Word Count: ~3500
Summary: Over three years after the close of the Red Killer case, Korra and Mako are called upon to investigate a poisoner whose targets include the city's rich and powerful elite. But with three years worth of baggage between them, the duo's task will be their most difficult yet. [Sequel to Rhapsody in Red and Mystery on the Republic City Express] Noir AU
Author Note: I am very excited to present this final full installment in the Rhapsody in Red universe. It is possible to read this fic as a stand-alone, but I highly suggest you read both Rhapsody in Red and Mystery on the Republic City Express.
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Chapter 1 – "That Old Feeling"
"I saw you last night and got that old feeling
When you came in sight, I got that old feeling
The moment that you danced by I felt a thrill
And when you caught my eye my heart stood still"
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Korra adjusted the lit cigarette that dangled loosely between her slightly parted lips. She inhaled, the sweet relief of smoke slithered in wispy tendrils out of her mouth and into the already heavy air of the downtown coffee shop. A comfortable rumble of conversation set the baseline of noise in the establishment as Korra's eyes skimmed over the paper. The place was richer than she would have picked; dark wood formed bookcases with ornate carvings from ceiling to floor.
The dim atmosphere was doing nothing to help her wake. Despite the coffee mug steaming beside her, she still was not able to shake the grogginess that was draped over her like a fog. The mornings were evil, after all. Korra ran a hand through her now short hair. Just earlier in the month, she realized that she hadn't changed her hairstyle since her toddler days. Her brown hair now fell just below the chin in an angled bob.
Only a few of the headlines caught her eye, but the large picture of Varrick shaking hands with Mayor Raiko stood out boldly. The title of the piece read, "RAIKO AWARDS CONTRACT FOR NEW GRAND CENTRAL STATION."
Korra flicked the paper in half so she could peer over it, "I thought that was supposed to be your contract?"
Asami took a long drag of her slim cigarette. "Future Industries seemed like a lock for it, but you know very well that my father isn't favored under Raiko."
Her hands had an elegant grace to them that she was convinced existed in no one else but her. Her red lipstick stood out against her pale skin bared to the world by the low neckline of her burgundy dress. Even in the low light, Asami's hair shined in gentle, curly waves.
"Didn't Varrick try to have Raiko run out of town by seducing his wife during the election?"
The businesswoman rolled her eyes, "Well all sins are forgiven if you can write a fat check like Varrick can. Didn't even matter that he supported Tarrlok's failed run."
Raiko was elected nearly two years ago, and Varrick had bankrolled him ever since. It had been a long term already for the new mayor, but truly nothing had changed. The city was still just as bleak for the vast majority of its citizens. Vice Department work was unaffected as Raiko refused to cut police department spending because of stigma. Then again, no one in elected office cared about law enforcement until someone high profile got killed or robbed.
Korra dabbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and took a sip of her coffee before placing a fresh one between her lips. "Can you light me?"
Asami smirked and leaned in close enough that the detective caught a whiff of her floral perfume that left her feeling slightly heady. In the wake of her nasty break-up three years ago, Asami had been a source of comfort in more ways than one. Turns out that as fun as Asami was in bed, they were incompatible in almost every other way. But being friends, drinking partners, wing-women, (depending what activity was at hand), just seemed to work; keeping things as uncomplicated as possible kept them both happy.
"You'd think a chain smoker like you would carry a lighter," Asami flicked her lighter ablaze and held it carefully to the end of Korra's cigarette. "Let me buy you a nice one. Something steel with your name engraved on it…maybe the police department logo."
"Nah," Korra took a puff and waved her off. "By the way, how's Hiroshi doing?"
Asami grimaced. Korra knew it was a soft spot, but the Varrick and Raiko headline had her curious and she decided to go out on a limb and ask.
"He's fine," she snapped, crossing her arms and wearing an expression that could burn a lesser person. "You don't need to ask in such a…biting way."
Hiroshi Sato was released from jail a year ago or so for good behavior. Korra, as the investigating Vice Detective, hoped his sorry ass would be in prison for a lot longer than it was, considering how big of a drug operation he was running. But she needed to let it go; most of the crooks she busted didn't stay in for long unless they had a violent charge thrown in there. Out of jail, Hiroshi took back control of Future Industries, much to Asami's displeasure. The woman enjoyed full control over her own company and of course, she wasn't perfect at the helm, but at least she wasn't distributing drugs.
"Does that mean you're still doing your," Korra made a nebulous circular gesture with her hand, cigarette dangling between two fingers, "thing?"
"If you mean the chemical applications division," Asami rolled her eyes, "then yes."
"I always thought you were more on the mechanical side of things."
"Things change."
Things did change, and so did people. Then again, change didn't always for the better. Korra wasn't sure that the last three years had brought her a whole lot of good. She was still a Vice Detective twice passed over for leadership in the department. Chief Beifong always threw her a line about being "more valuable in the field" or some other slaps in the face meant to keep her from getting angry. Korra was beginning to wonder how many more times she would stand still as the people around her moved up and on.
Asami took a sip of her coffee, "Did you hear about the coroner situation?"
"Oh yeah," she laughed. "What a fucking mess."
People like Zhou, who were instrumental in the closing of the Red Killer case, were removed in the political regime change as Raiko brought in his own people into appointed positions in return for their help. It was a complete racket; an incompetent supporter of Mayor Raiko occupied every single office like that.
The current coroner was recently removed after an embarrassing incident to say the least. The guy showed up at the scene of an extinguished building fire, still drunk from his outings the night before. Korra wasn't surprised; the coroner barely did anything. The office was a sham, run by someone who barely knew a liver from a pancreas. But the city reacted more harshly that she could have expected, with almost every major paper calling for the man's swift resignation and an improvement of the coroner office.
"Any clue who Raiko might appoint?" Asami asked.
Korra shook her head, "My ear hasn't been that close to the ground, but whoever it is, it'll be announced soon."
Silence settled over the two, and Korra's mind wandered. In many ways Asami was a link for her. She was a bridge over a violent river that connected her to a world outside of her work. Nowadays, her detective job consumed her. It was difficult to draw a line to separate Detective Korra and Korra in her mind. But at the moment, she supposed it was okay for the two to be one in the same.
Things had been like this…well since Mako broke up with her nearly three years ago. They still worked out of the central Republic City Police Department Station, so it was impossible to avoid him. Yet they kept their interactions to accidently meeting gazes from across a room that never lasted for more than a second or two. In three years she had barely spoken a full sentence or two to him, only using a broken phrase if she was required to interact with him.
After the way things ended, Korra figured it was best to have it this way.
"Have you…" Korra steps out on a limb again, "…heard from Mako lately?"
"Not really," Asami sighed.
Things were complicated between those two also. Asami never directly mentioned it (when she was sober anyway), but Korra knew they spent time together. She didn't need to be a keen detective to see that. She knew sometimes they got drinks or fell into bed because neither of them could hold down a relationship that had any semblance of stability. But once Asami realized that the normality that she sought with Mako was impossible, the two returned to a more typically friendly basis.
"Have you? You work in the same building."
The detective shrugged.
"I really thought you would have made up by now," Asami casually pulled her slim cigarette from her lips. "It's been three years."
"There's no way we're making up," Korra gritted her teeth.
Just thinking about the break-up raised a tidal wave of mixed emotions in her. Even three years later, she was embarrassed to say that she was still so deeply affected. Usually when it came to these sorts of relationship difficulties it was easy to her to pack her emotional baggage away and move on. It felt as if there was something stopping her, as if she had come up against a wall in the dark and was still waiting for morning to illuminate her way over or around.
"We broke up," she sipped at the cold coffee dregs at the bottom of her mug. "That's it."
"I've told you I'm here if you ever need to talk."
"And I don't want to talk about it," Korra snapped.
Asami was great, she really was. But whenever it came to her spilling her guts to the woman, it was never an ideal situation. As silver-tongued as Asami was in her boardroom or at the club, the instant Korra looked for personal assurance she always seemed to say the wrong thing. For a woman that was so talented in other areas, Korra was more than willing to realize that maybe those sorts of conversations were not Asami's forte.
Without Mako, she was largely without a confidant or someone to even vent to. Nights when the world weighed down on her and she only had a half-empty bottle of whiskey to talk to were the only times she ever felt truly alone. But Korra didn't like the idea of having to depend on someone else for such a large portion of her emotional welfare; perhaps she just needed more time to figure out exactly how to live.
Korra dropped the folded newspaper on the table next to the soft leather chair she sat in, not intending to read any further. "Thanks for the coffee, Asami. Really, I mean it," she smiled slightly. "I've got to get going, I'm already late."
"Don't be a stranger," Asami didn't move as Korra swung on her heavy gray trench coat and black leather gloves.
Korra popped her collar and placed her fedora on, ready for the early chill. "I try."
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When Korra waltzed in the station was already bustling for the day. She flashed her badge as she passed the reception desk, earning a nod from the guard. Uniformed officers rushed every which way through the organized chaos that was the Republic City Police Central Station.
For a Friday, it was busier than she expected. Honestly, if she hadn't been almost finished with the paperwork on the Red Monsoons case she recently closed she would have taken the day off. The gang had thought it a clever idea to smuggle in cocaine to the city in porcelain dolls, which they would smash for their contents before distributing throughout the city. Still, this was not enough to stump Korra or throw her off their trail. The case resulted in the arrest of three Red Monsoons; not enough, but it was a start.
The Vice Department was on the fourth floor of the station. Korra quickly ascended the main staircase. A few people patted her on the back in recognition of her case bust. Although Chief Beifong and Vice Chief Saikhan didn't think she was cut out for the formal leadership structure in part because of her "lack of predictability," many still saw her as a leader. She was often sent new cops to take under her wing or mentor while they got their bearings. Formal schooling really only got you so far to be a successful member of the Republic City PD.
Korra strode into the Vice Department floor bullpen, hat in hand. Desks covered the entire large room, almost each one occupied by a Vice Department officer. She dropped her coat and gloves on her desk before sliding into her chair. The pile of half-finished paperwork still covered her workspace in a messy pile. Unfortunately, offices were reserved for people above her pay grade.
This was always the worst part of a case: the cleanup. The pursuit was exhilarating, but the documentation that came afterwards always deflated any enthusiasm she had.
"Korra," a pale hand leaned on the corner of her desk.
"What do you need, Tahno?" Korra said dryly, swiveling her chair to look up at him.
"Kai called," Tahno flipped his hair back into place. "He said he was calling about 'flowers for his mother,' and that you would want to know right away."
"Well, I appreciate you letting me know and doing your job well for once."
"Thanks for being snide…as usual," Tahno drawled before stepping away.
"Flowers for his mother" was a code, and an obvious one to anyone like her that was involved. Kai, one of her underground informants, didn't have a mother. He was an orphan that fell on hard times (she knew especially from Mako that this was the unfortunate norm). One day in the park, she caught his hand in her jacket pocket, his fingers searching for her wallet. Korra believed in second chances, so she took Kai under her wing. Now he was helping her to bust the Triple Threat Triad's heroin black market at the docks. People would notice a cop, but would overlook someone who they perceived to be just another street urchin.
Korra sifted through her things; it would be crucial to make contact with Kai immediately to move forward on the case. Paperwork would be here when she got back on Monday.
"Detective Korra."
She spun casually in her chair until her eyes met those of Chief Lin Beifong. The woman didn't seem to age. Her hair was still silver, and her green eyes had a steely edge to them that could strike fear into even the most hardened criminals. Lin was forged into the strong leader she was by her long and illustrious career in Republic City, yet even with her efforts the city had so much farther to go.
"Morning, Chief," Korra gave her a polite nod.
"My office in five," Lin walked off.
"Shit," Korra mumbled under her breath.
She took her jacket off and draped it over her chair, revealing her light blue button-down and gray pants. Rolling up her sleeves, Korra made a half-hearted effort to straighten the papers on her desk.
What could she have possibly done wrong to warrant a conversation with Chief Beifong in her office? In the last three years, Korra had kept her nose out of trouble regarding the department. Did Lin find out that sometimes she illegally parked her car outside the station and burned her parking tickets if she got one? Fuck, what if this was the promotion she was waiting for? Or shit, what if she was going to get reamed out for not having her paperwork in yet?
Korra walked towards the stairwell and jogged up to the fifth floor. Chief Beifong's office was just around the corner. The hallway was lined with pictures and plaques for cops who had illustrious careers. Their names and faces were forever immortalized, their careers reduced to just a few lines of engraved text. She wasn't too sure what she thought of that. They were like park statues to her; no doubt the person whose likeness was preserved did deserve the monument, but the idea of how overtime such things became just another part of the scenery for people to overlook left a bad taste in her mouth.
She quickly shook this thought though and took a deep breath before rounding the corner into Chief Beifong's spacious corner office. Deputy Chief Saikhan stood next to Lin behind her desk, his baldhead reflecting some of the lighting of the room.
What surprised her, however, wasn't the presence of the two most powerful individuals in the Republic City Police Department. It was the man in the corner who stood stiffly, his lips pressed into a stern line. Korra would recognize the visage of Detective Mako, Deputy Director of the Homicide Department. His golden eyes stubbornly avoided hers as she tried to cover her shock in seeing him.
"What the fuck is going on?" Korra forgot to speak with the decorum that she reserved for formal occasions.
"Sit down," Lin rolled her eyes before taking her own seat and cuing Mako and Saikhan to do the same.
"Okay then," Korra took an audible breath in, "what did I do wrong this time?"
"You haven't," Saikhan frowned. "This is a serious matter and I'd appreciate if you'd act if it were."
"Well, you haven't told me a thing yet, so how am I supposed to know it's important other than looking around at who's in this room?"
"Cut it," Lin snapped, taking a side-glance at Mako, who sat too rigidly and upright in his chair. "What we are going to discuss in this room doesn't go beyond a need-to-know basis, am I clear?"
Korra nodded, suddenly intrigued by whatever information the three were sitting on.
Chief Beifong pulled a file out of her desk and placed it in front of Korra. "We have some growing concerns about suspicious deaths of three Raiko supporters, all of which were Liberalist Party members and were appointed to governmental offices."
The detective pulled the file into her lap.
"We think these cases are linked, as well as a few others with businessmen an other people in powerful positions," Lin continued. "All were killed by what may prove to be poison, but many of the cases are without a proper cause of death. We see a concerning pattern emerging, and we want it investigated before it gets out of hand." She placed another file in front of Korra, "These two men were mid-level executives with two of Varrick's subsidiary companies."
"Mayor Raiko will be announcing his new coroner today," Saikhan crossed his arms. "After what happened with the last one, we have been assured that the new person will have excellent qualifications. We're finally getting a proper medical examiner to help with cases."
"Which will be of great benefit outside of this case also," Lin interjected.
"So you see a pattern," Korra didn't see much of any connection besides the shoddy one that was probable cause of death. "So what? You know this isn't enough reason to look into this. Unfortunately people knock each other off with poison, it happens."
"Those people don't send a letter to Mayor Raiko's office in warning," Lin directed her to a location later in the file.
Korra's eyes ran over the short amount of text.
"You may have not noticed the men who have left the ranks of your corrupt regime that extends past your government and around those whose pockets placed you in office, but I can assure you that you soon will. Step down, change is coming."
The note was unsigned. The notion of "change is coming" rang oddly familiar.
Saikhan coughed into his sleeve before clearing his throat. "This needs to be taken care of as swiftly and quietly as possible."
"So, where do I come in then?" She looked up expectantly, not willing to assume incorrectly.
"Deputy Chief Saikhan and I agree that this case demands our best minds," Lin acknowledged her second-in-command with a nod. "As Mako is now the Deputy Director of the Homicide Department and well experienced, we chose him to lead the case."
Korra stole a glance at him, but his eyes were trained firmly on his bosses.
"…I said he could chose anyone to work with."
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"He chose you."