WARNING: I chose to rate this fic M for a reason. It'll contain drug use, sex, violence, and profanity. It's a fair warning. I obviously don't advocate anything as this is purely fiction.
Summation
Set in the present day in the gritty paved jungle of New York City. There's been a murder of a young, beautiful, and wealthy woman. The police's trail to search for the killer has turned cold. Detective Sano Sagara seeks the help of his good friend Kenshin Himura, PI who's an ex-homicide detective to help solve the case. Kenshin must battle with his own demons as well as decipher the blood trail to solve the murder mystery all before another innocent life is taken.
Main Characters
Kenshin: 29, ex-detective since turned Private Investigator.
Kaoru: 22, daughter and business student of wealthy business family.
Tomoe: 25, older sister of Kaoru.
Sano: 28, Kenshin's ex-partner on the force and long-time friend.
Megumi: 26, Forensic Analyst and friend of Kenshin and Sano.
Misao: 21, Kaoru's longtime friend and school mate.
Aoshi: 31, Kenshin'sfriend anddectective on the police force
Saitou: 47, Kenshin's ex-boss and Aoshi and Sano's current superior on the police force. Married, two kids.
Muraki: Police Chief
Miscellaneous: The other cast of characters will be introduced as the story progresses. If I feel it's necessary for the story, they'll have a back story otherwise they won't.
Authors Notes:
Just reread the warning at the top if you must.
I will switch back and forth in at least this chapter between the narrator and from Kenshin's POV. Not sure if I'll continue that with other characters yet, but I'll let you know.
If an entire passage is in italics it happened in the past. Otherwise if it's just one sentence 'in single quotes and italicized' it's the character's thoughts.
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Chapter 1
CRIME SCENE
"You stupid, stupid bitch!"
The sound of a slap reverberated through room followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor.
"I told you to stop this shit!" he screeched towering over her crumpled form on the ground.
He got no response and bent down towards the person at his feet. He reached out and grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her to sit up and look at him.
"Do you want to die?" he shook her.
No answer.
"DO YOU WANT TO FUCKIN' DIE?" he screamed again.
She was still mute.
One hand still bruising her slender wrist, he took his other and harshly held her face, "I don't want you to do this to yourself" he tried again his tone softer than before. "Do you want to stop? Do you want my help?"
She finally pulled her gaze from an abstract point and looked into his eyes, "Just give me my stuff and go fuck yourself" she hissed harshly, her face still within his tight grasp.
A look of disgust passed through his face and he closed his eyes, still not moving from hovering over her. A few seconds later they opened, "You'll regret this."
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Riiing, Riiing, Riiing… …Riiing, Riiing, Riiing… …Riiing, Riiing, Riiing
"Sano why are you calling my phone at" I peered over at the digital display of my alarm clock on the night stand, "10 o'clock in the morning on a Sunday you ass?"
My friend's annoying chuckle came through my cell phone, "Good Morning to you too sunshine. Why the hell are you still bed? There are crimes to solved, murderers to be caught…"
"Friends to be shot" I interrupted rubbing the crap out of my eyes.
"Now, now Kenshin, that's no way to talk to a friend. I think your only friend at that" the rooster-head chuckled.
"If you're done with your social call you bastard" I muttered, "I'll be going back to sleep now."
"Hold on a sec, actually this isn't a social call."
I knew it, I just knew it. What else would he want from me at 10 in the morning? It was too early to drink, for him at least, and he couldn't possibly have picked up a few good looking skirts already. Or maybe he had? When was the last time I got laid anyway? Fuck if I had to think about it, it'd been too long.
"What?" I snapped back sitting up in bed, my eyes still closed. I am not a morning person!
"I need you down here at a crime scene. It's by the docks in the city, call me when you're near and I'll tell you the exact location. Get a move on!" Sano quickly informed.
He knew I had no patience for any crap. Either get to the god damned point, or don't talk to me.
"What is it now?" I asked stretching while sitting up in bed.
"What else? Homicide. A body's been found in a garbage container" he responded.
"Male or female?" I asked still not opening my eyes. It was a part of my daily grind to deal with murders and other brutal crimes. By now I guess I'm just numb to everything.
"I can't say just yet. Whoever did it started a fire after dumping the body. Our victim has been burnt extra crispy."
"What kind of answer was that?" I thought. "Feh, fine give me about 45."
"You have 20" he answered.
"Fine, I'll be there in an hour" and without another word I hung up my cell phone.
I rubbed the crust completely out of my eyes and scratched the skin of my bare chest. After stretching and cracking the joints of my arms, wrists, knuckles, neck and jaw I finally opened my eyes to scan the room of my small one-bedroom Queens apartment.
My bedroom was a bit dusty at best: clothes thrown in the closet, books and files littering the small desk in front of the window. Yea, it's a shit hole. Ratty, worn wooden floors, old sagging mattress, walls with peeling paint here and there. A few mismatched lamps for light and a single window with shades. Curtains are for chicks!
I looked over at the wooden chair and saw my jeans and shirt draped over the back of it. My coat was on top of the table, covering the mess of paperwork and my shoes were somewhere on the floor. "5 minutes in the shower and I should be good to go."
I went to throw the rest of the covers off when my hand connected with something warm beside me. A bit shocked and still dazed from waking up, I looked over to scan the figure. She lazily turned from sleeping on her stomach and onto her side to prop up on her elbow and looked back at me.
"Shit" I thought, so it hadn't been that long. How drunk was I last night?
"Morning" she replied and smiled. Her lipstick was smeared all over her mouth, her eye liner smudged and her hair looked like a mess.
"I hope she looked better last night" I mused.
"You want to grab some breakfast or something?" she asked softly. The sheet slipped down her shoulder and exposed her bare chest. It took me a minute to see the purple/bluish marks I'd left all over her. I can honestly say that I'm a boob man and she had a great rack!
"Right, right, the bar last night. That's where I met her. What's her name?" I looked at the young woman besides me. Dark hair, dark eyes, tan skin, about 20-something. She was Hispanic. I think. "Catherine? Kathy? Kate? Christina? Oh fuck who gives a shit!"
"You gotta go" I informed her flatly.
Instantly her pretty smile disappeared and she scowled at me, "What? Why? You going out? Can I get a ride?"
I took a deep breath and stood up not remembering or caring that I slept in the nude, oh well. I gathered my waist-length red hair and gave her one last glance, "Get the fuck out. Oh and lock the door on your way. Thanks."
I grabbed my towel and clothing and walked out of the room. I could hear her cursing. Well I think it was cursing. She's definitely Hispanic, very hot if I remembered correctly from last night. Very curvy and filled out in all the right places. Damn I would need that shower soon.
I walked passing through my sparse living room: an old couch, a bulky 26 inch screen TV on top of a wooden TV cabinet. A few lamps here and there and more windows with shades. I never said I was an interior decorator!
My first stop was my tiny, cramped kitchen. It was more like a closet sized room off of the living room/dining room/foyer with an old fridge; a dish washer I never use and am assuming hasn't worked in years, a few cabinets on the wall, a microwave and stove. My only fully functional appliance was the coffee maker, which I instantly pressed the 'On' button for and walked back out.
Half way through my 5 minutes shower I heard my front door slam shut. "Thank god" I thought. I'm not really a bad guy or anything. Just that I think girls that get picked up by perfect strangers in a bar and then sleep with them on the first night really aren't looking for a relationship. Neither am I so the arrangement suits me just fine. Otherwise I think I treated her pretty well. If I remember correctly I paid for her drinks. See! I'm not a bad guy!
Am I against marriage? Not really. I like kids I guess, and they seem to get along fine with me. But not every guy is cut out for married life. So those of us that are smart and realize that don't waste our time.
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After practically creating my own lane in traffic by driving on the shoulder, I managed to get into Manhattan and arrive at the correct pier to meet Sano.
As I pulled up in my beat up, rust-ridden old Buick I could see the familiar flashing lights and neon day-glow yellow police tape. A few reporters had already gotten wind of the story and were setting up their cameras to report the scoop for the mid-day news. I hate reporters and news people. They're all a bunch of morons in my opinion.
My years on the force were filled with punching out one smart-mouthed reporter or another. I had sort of an anger management problem when it came to uncooperative suspects, witnesses, and people in general. I can't count how many times Sano had to cover my ass and bail me out. He's a good guy. We met back in the academy and he's probably the only one that can out drink me, although I'd never let him know it.
Right, I should probably make a mention here that I'm an ex-homicide detective for the NYPD (New York Police Department). It was a gritty and hard living, but it was a passion of mine. The only reason I left was because apparently it wasn't cool to beat known criminals to a bloody pulp for raping, stealing, and murdering. You see this whole judicial justice system thing really nips all of that behavior in the ass.
So eventually the fantasy of fight crime and putting away the bad guys was completely overshadowed by having to deal with slick lawyers and a system that could put criminals back on the streets in a matter of hours. I got tired of it and left. But I couldn't leave the business completely and decided to become a PI (Private Investigator). Sano stayed with the force and from time to time would require my assistance.
It was another paycheck I could use I guess, but more than that, I enjoy being back at the crime scene, trying to decipher the clues. Damnit, I sound like some no-life-havin' chump. No wife, no kids, no immediate, long-term relationship. Just me, myself and the occasional one-night stands.
"Shit I feel like I need a drink already."
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The redhead walked towards the towering figure of the spiky-haired, smart-mouthed detective. Standing next to him they initially said nothing and just watched the Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) collect evidence and whatever was left of the victim's remains form the garbage container and surrounding area.
"Any ID's found?" the shorter man asked.
"None. We can't tell if even if it's a man or woman. The fire burned unnoticed for hours it seems" he replied.
Sano led them to the container to a designated spot where the detectives could conduct their investigation. All other areas were strictly off limits as the CSI team collected every fiber and piece of possible evidence. A small two step ladder was at the side of the metal, rectangular garbage bin. It was type of dumpster normally found behind restaurants.
Kenshin peered inside and found that most of the inside was black and gray with soot. The garbage itself was either minimal when the body was dumped in it, or it'd completely burned up. The only remains of the victim were skeletal, left at the bottom of the metal dumpster. Kenshin took a few moments to study the entire scene.
"What else?" the red head asked wanting to get as much details and facts as possible. He stood besides Sano again, both watching the evidence getting collected.
"We got a call about 9:13 this morning reporting a garbage bin on fire here. The caller was a maintenance worker just getting in for his shift. 911 didn't think anything major of it, so the Fire Department was called. It was only after they put out the fire did they discover the source, the victim."
Kenshin was quiet for a few seconds after Sano had finished, "And the person that initially found the victim?"
Sano looked down at the small note pad in his hands, "52 year old James King. Lives in Brooklyn, took the train into work this morning. Married for over 30 years, father of 3 and was the first to discover the fire. His background check is clean, no prior records or arrests, just a few parking tickets but other than that nothing."
"In other words a dead end" Kenshin muttered.
"Not quite, we'll know more as soon as Megs gets on with the evidence collected" Sano smirked.
The two men saw as the photographer took several photos of and around the crime scene.
"So you're messing around with the fox-lady again huh?" Kenshin muttered.
Sano grinned not taking his eyes off the scene ahead of them, "We hung out a few times, kicked back a couple beers. Nothing to get yourself worked up over Kenshin."
"Who's getting worked up?" the shorter man turned to his long time friend.
Sano turned to look at Kenshin, "God damn man you look like all hell!"
Kenshin grinned, "Late night."
The taller man chuckled.
Kenshin's serious demeanor returned, "So why did you call me out here? It seems the boys in blue have this thing covered. You're just waiting on a few more pieces of the puzzle to fit together."
"This isn't what it all looks like Kenshin. Someone went out of their way to dispose of this body. I mean look at what we have so far-"
"Yea I know there's no blood evident so the murder took place somewhere else, the use of accelerants must have been quite large because the body is has no skin, hair, even nails, and the fact that whoever did this didn't close the container lid says a lot too" Kenshin interrupted.
"Why?" Sano asked perplexed.
"If the lid had been closed the lack of oxygen would've put the fire out. The fact that the perp knew the fire wouldn't be discovered even in the open means they planned this out to some degree. They left the lid open either knowing that the body would burn to ashes or just some lucky coincidence on their part."
"You don't believe in coincidences" Sano exclaimed.
"Exactly, but that doesn't answer my question. Why am I here Sano?"
"Why is he here Sagara?" came an icy question causing both men look up.
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So this is where the ice man makes his entrance. Aoshi, Sano and I all attended the academy together. Initially me and Sano were partners but after I left he was paired with Aoshi.
He's a good guy just entirely too stoic. It's a bit creepy and at first I never really saw him hook up any chicks. Of course I thought he was gay and while I have nothing wrong with anyone's preferences, I found out that that wasn't the case! Turns out the guy has plenty of game, which incidentally makes him cocky as hell. I mean me and Sano are cocky bastards too when we want to be, but this guy takes the cake.
I don't think he's ever had a serious girl friend, but then again I don't see what type of woman would actually put up with him. The man barely cracks a smile, like he's constantly got a stick up his ass.
But all in all, he'd dependable, smart and strong. A good partner is like an angel in the line of work that we all chose for ourselves. You've got watch each other's back in these streets or else you might be coughing up bullets. I talk like I'm a character from an old detective movie huh? Well that's because I grew up on those things and decided to join the force for that same reason. Although upon getting where I wanted to be, I saw that it wasn't really what it was cracked up to be, but never mind that.
I turned to him and cracked a grin, "Ice man."
"Kenshin I hate that name."
Does his voice ever change in tone? I can imagine him trying to talk dirty to a girl. Actually lemme' strike that from my mental picture!
"Sorry detective Shinomori" I responded intentionally stressing detective. "It seems your husband here got me up too damn early today for this."
I absolutely love giving these two hell. Especially Aoshi, it was interesting to see the different inklings of expressions pass through his stone face.
The man seemed to ignore me for the moment and turned to Sano, "Well?"
"Nothing yet. We'll have to wait on forensics" Sano replied.
"And I ask again what in the hell am I doing here?" I asked reiterating my question and getting a bit ticked off. I was in my nice warm bed, next to some big-boobed chick that I probably could've kicked back with until at least the evening, but instead I had to be standing here in the middle of some smelly pier in front of a smoldering oversized garbage can.
Sano instructed me to walk alongside him as he spoke. Aoshi followed behind us and we walked away from the scene and towards where our cars were parked. Sano kept his voice intentionally hushed and low, "We think there's more to this case than meets the eye, although it may be too early to speak" Sano started. "We received a missing persons report yesterday for a prominent, wealthy and well-known model slash actress."
"Model slash actress?" I asked dryly. "Come on you don't expect me to get involved in that sort of nonsense do you? One of the pretty people has gone missing and you call out the reserves?"
"Shit, shit, shit! What the hell is this clown getting me involved in?" I walked cautiously along with them, contemplating on whether or not I should just jump in my car and drive off.
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