1 An enemy of women is my enemy
1.1.1 Part 1
Rays of moonlight glittered onto the rippling waves of the dark murky water of the canal. Along the sides of the canal, scurried the furry rats, their dark eyes reflected with energy. One of them suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. It smelled wicked. Following its senses, the rat turned around and slowly scuttled back. The smell grew stronger and stronger with each step. Then, the rat felt something cold and wet beneath its paws. Looking down, it finally realized where it was. It was stepping on top of an outstretched human's hand. Facing the rat was a young woman, her eyes dull and lifeless yet a silence pled for justice cries out in them…
Shouji Toukairin parked his bicycle at the bicycle parking lot. A butterfly fluttered in front of him, he lifted his finger towards it. The butterfly circles itself a few times around the finger before finally deciding to land, revealing more its lavender blue and green coloured wings. Toukairin smiled.
"Another new day, wonder what Nastumi might do today."
The sound of a car horn disrupted his thoughts, he turned and sees a silver BMW behind him. A car screen rolled down. Grinning at him, was a man in his early thirties. He has a slightly rugged square-jawed face, hazel brown eyes accompanied with a fine nose that rose straight from the forehead in the center. Ivory-black hair neatly tied into a ponytail. To top it up, was a bronze-rimmed sunglass sitting comfortably on his fine nose.
"Long time no see, mountain boy, remember me?"
"Kazumi Takahashi."
At the canteen, Takahashi waited as Toukairin bought themselves 2 cups of black coffee. Takahashi immediately ripped opened 3 packets of sugar, poured them in and stirred vigorously. Without letting the coffee whirlpool to settle down, he took a deep gulp.
Placing the cup onto the saucer, he folded his hands together and crossed his legs. Toukairin observed his movements quietly.
"You seem to be agitated. Something wrong?"
Taking out his bag, Takahashi pulled a file and passed it to him. Toukairin opened it and flipped out a stack of pictures. He frowned as he look at each picture, his jaw clenched; a knot of disgust tied in his stomach.
"How old was she?" Passing the file back to Takahashi.
"14, 15 the most 16."
"And how did she end up like this?"
"A strong possibility that she could be one of those teenage prostitute."
"Prostitute? At her age?"
"It's common among these teenage girls. A faster way of getting money to buy new clothes and stuffs. Put a lot of makeup and her face transformed into an adult's. Maybe she works as a bar girl."
"And I supposed," Toukairin took a deep breath. "There is more to it than that."
Takahashi took another gulp of coffee. "I'm involved in this case where we are suspecting that there is an illegal movement among of these teenage prostitutes or bar girls. It seems like their clients who are not those normal working status people but rather people who are damn filthy rich. People who have power."
"Absolute power corrupts."
"Tell me about it. The main problem is that we need solid concrete evidence to prove them guilty. Every time, we get to the place where the crime scene is believed to take place, it's always too late. Somehow, someone had cleaned the place so well that there is not even a speck of evidence to be found. No fingerprints, no blood stains. Nothing."
"An insider?"
"Perhaps… but we had already cleared that out…" A monotonous ringing tone was heard. "Excuse me, yeah, Takahashi here. What? When? Where?" Looking at his watch. "Alright, I'll be there in about half an hour."
"Something happen?"
"They found a body," finishing up the coffee. "And I can guarantee that the victim is connected to our case. You know what? You should come along, mountain boy. It can be quite 'educational'."
"Yoriko, tell me again why are we visiting a florist shop on our lunch break?" grumbled Natsumi, folding her arms. "We should watch a movie or something. Hey, wanna watch 'Kakashi'? I heard that it's a great horror flick. Then, we could get Toukairin and Nakajima to join us, eh, Miyuki?"
"NO!" burst out Miyuki, giving a light punch on Natsumi's shoulder. "I hate horror movies and you of all people should know that. By the way, Yoriko, why is it important that we should go to this particular florist shop and wear normal clothes?"
"Because," her glasses gleaming in the sunlight. "I heard that the florists have a attractive appeal on their customers especially the school girls." Grinning. "That's why I must go there. To investigate on what they did they do to attract customers."
"That's the most stupidest thing I have ever heard from you, Yoriko," groaned Natsumi. Here am I wasting my lunch time on a florist shop where I could be at Bokutou with Toukairin!!
"Ne, Aoi. What do you think?" asked Yoriko, glancing at the curly blonde- haired man whose figure strikingly resembles of a woman's. Not to mention, his dressing.
"It's most likely that the florists are very handsome. Typical for young schoolgirls to feel that way. Anyway, I would like to buy flowers before going home. Hopefully, they have what I intend to buy. Oh! There's a crowd over there…"
Crowding at the entrance of the florist shop were schoolgirls wearing all sorts of uniform that one could name of. They were chattering among themselves, flashing the "in" things to their friends, giggling uncontrollably.
"It seems… like…" Natsumi, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. "… they are waiting for a pop star or something."
"So desu ne…" replied Miyuki.
Then, the schoolgirls screamed. Their high-pitched tones forced Natsumi and the rest to cover their ears. Standing at the entrance stood 4 young men – A cool composed blonde-haired guy with dark glasses, a cold-looking red- haired guy wearing a ear-ring on his left ear only, a shorter dark-haired sporty-looking man and the shortest, presumably to be the youngest of them all was an innocent-looking schoolboy.
"Irrasshaimasen," the florists greeted. The schoolgirls swiftly flooded the shop surrounding their 'idols', hailing their names one by one.
"Aya-sama!!"
"Ken-sama!!"
"Omi-sama!!"
"Yoji-sama!!"
Aoi looked at the cheeky-grinning Yoriko who is calmly videotaping the entire scene. Natsumi and Miyuki stared dumbly at the schoolgirls in a can't-believe-these-kids-nowadays manner. He cleared his throat softly and asked.
"And I bet that you have all their details as well, Yoriko?"
Yoriko flashed out a notebook from her pocket and handed it to Aoi, who turned the cover and read its contents while darting his eyes at the florists every now and then.
"Red-haired guy with earring. Name: Aya Fujimiya. Age: suspected to be around 20. Blood type: A. Height: 178cm. Birthday: 4th July. Rumours: the earring that he wears has to do something with a loved one. Breakup? A remembrance gift? Why does the gals adore him? His ice cold attitude."
Blondie guy wearing sunglasses. Name: Yoji Kudou. Age: 21. Blood type: AB. Height: 182cm. Birthday: 23rd March. Rumours: he used to be a detective??? Why does the gals adore him? Guess some women adore womanizers.
Brown haired guy. Name: Ken Hidaka. Age: 19. Blood type: B. Height: 175cm. Birthday: 23rd December. Rumours: he was a soccer player. Why does the gals adore him? His gentle naïve nature.
Innocent-looking schoolboy. Name: Omi Tsukiyono. Age: 17. Blood type: O. Height: 163cm. Birthday: 29th February. Rumours: sadly nothing. (Sob!). Why does the gals adore him? Probably his child-like smile."
"My my, you ladies are really flattering us," said a bondie guy with the sunglasses, taking the notebook from Aoi. "It's a not problem for me. But as my pals, they may not like it especially Aya…" Flicking page after page. "My my, you ladies have really done your homework. For your hard work, I get to keep it." Sliding the notebook into his back pocket.
"Chotto!" protested Yoriko. "What right do you have to do that?"
"And what right do you have to investigate our background, kitten?"
"I have any right to do so because I happen to be a policewomen." Shoving her badge to Yoji, who is slightly taken back by her outburst. His pals eyed on her suspiciously.
Natsumi placed her hand over her head. Miyuki sighed wearily. Aoi pretended to be interested in flowerpots. For one moment, can't she keep her police identity to herself?!
"A policewoman…" a slight curl formed at the corner of his lips, his eyes twinkled with amusement. His slender fingers rubbed the edge of his sharp chin. "How interesting, we don't get such girls visiting us. So have we done anything illegal that you have to videotape us the entire time?"
"No…" stammered Yoriko, who had not recovered from the receiving intense amount of attention.
"Then," taking the video camera from her. "That's means that I get to keep this too."
"WHAT?"
"Well, since we have not done anything illegal and as citizens, we do have the right of privacy. Therefore, this camera has to be under my possession."
"NO WAY!"
"Yes way, my dear. I can't let you videotape me. It won't be fair to my loyal fans. Since I don't allow them to, the same applies to you."
The red-haired man frowned at his companion's delay in handing the policewoman, silently nudged the schoolboy who automatically switched on the television. The familiar sound of the afternoon news danced into the 'tense' atmosphere.
"Konnichiwa. This is Sayuri Morita, reporting live at the DEKI canal, where the body of a university student named Kumiko Akimoto was found. The police believed that the cause of death was by drowning. No further detail is given. "
The screen shifted to the scene – an ivory-black haired man with sunglasses talking to some police officers. In a sliver BMW car was another black haired man, wearing a navy blue shirt and jeans, reading a file.
"Hey, isn't that Toukairin?" asked Miyuki. "What is he doing there?"
"Does it matter?" snapped Natsumi, taking her hand. "Let's go!"
"We should go too," said Aoi, dragging the haven't-recovered Yoriko out of the store.
"My camera…." She groaned.
"Alright then, take the body for autopsy. Make sure all details causing her death is given. Also, let me know everything about her in about 2 hours' time, you heard me people? Get moving!" yelled Takahashi at his team before walking back to his car where Toukairin was waiting for him.
"You ok? You don't look so good." Eyeing at him with 'concern',
"Yeah. It's that… I mean… the bruises… the cuts… "
"Makes you want to beat the heck of whoever who did this to her. Seems like our suspect has changed his taste. His usual victims are young schoolgirls but his style of killing is still the same. Like all bastards, they loved to leave their trademark behind. "
"You have some lead suspect, don't you?"
"Of course, baka. How do you think I became a detective? And why is that girl trying to get into the crime scene? She should stand behind the police line where she belongs. My goodness, 4 men can't even handle her. What kind of training are these rookies receiving these days?"
"It's alright, Takahashi. I know her. She's a policewoman."
"You know her? Her strength is abnormal for a woman." Giving a wave to the helpless rookies whom gladly let her and her accompanies in.
"She's my girlfriend, Natsumi Tsujimoto," Toukarin smiled and waved his hand at her.
"Sou ka…," taking a packet of cigarettes from his inner pocket. "You told me before. Don't me that you are having a serious relationship with a woman who is an year older than you."
"Takahashi …" muttered Toukairin in annoyance.
Nastumi ran towards Toukarin and gave him a big hug. "What you are doing here and not at Bokuto station?"
"Let me explain, will you?" He touched her face fondly. "Natsumi. This is Detective Takahashi. Enchi, this is Natsumi Tsujimoto and her friends, Kobayakawa Miyuki, Nikaido Yoriko and Futaba Aoi."
"Dozo yoroshiku," Enchi greeted, shaking each of their hands, his eyes were wavering over Aoi. He took a step towards him.
"Hey, Aren't you the Aoi Futaba who used to catch those sex manics before transferring into another department?"
"Hai."
Takahashi tilted his head at an angle, his face impressed thoughtfulness while chewing the end of his crooked cigarette. Then, his eyes brightened beneath the sunglasses.
"That's it!" Grabbing the startled Aoi by the hand. "Come along with me, people. I've a idea that would nail the bastard for good."
The girls followed Takahashi without asking. Toukairin proceeded as well, but his eyes caught a young tall man with blonde hair dressed in slick purple shirt and black jeans with dark sunglasses, standing among the crowd. He was observing the scenario with caution. Abhorrence was portrayed in his face.
Toukairin felt a light squeeze on his hand. He turned around and saw Natsumi.
"Nani?"
"Nan demo nan." He replied, looking at the crowd again. But the young man was gone.
Inside Bokuto Station, Takahashi explained his idea to the gang in a conference room. He seems to be excited like a scientist who has invented something unique that has never been done before.
"Nanaho Ishimaru, our prime suspect." Placing a photo onto the brown table. The gang crowded over it to get a closer look at the fiend. To their surprise, the suspect's appearance was like an ordinarily man in his 40s. He had a friendly fatherly look - grayish sliver hair, a rounded face with a warm smile, button nose, and almond-shaped black eyes.
"Don't judge the book by its cover," said Takahashi, placing more photos onto the table. "He may look like a normal door to door man but a monster beneath that human skin. Ishimaru is a shrewd businessman who could turn a barren field into a gold mine. Nobody into somebody. Apparently, he has a thing with teenage prostitutes and bar girls."
Aoi pointed his finger at his eyes, "His eyes… they seem to hide a dark arcane secret in them."
"No mysteries, Aoi. It's plain that he loves to torture women before killing them." Dumping a pile of photos onto the table. Each of them displaying the naked bodies of the victims – purplish patches of bruises garnished the fair skins while angry slashes trimmed the wrists and legs or the necks of some of the victims. Others had shown sighs of strangulation or suffocation. But for each victim, 4 distinctive cuts were exhibited on her chest.
Yoriko turned her face at the sight of the gruesomely displayed bodies. Natsumi held Toukairin's hand tightly. Miyuki looked away, her eyes trembling. Aoi studied each photo, one after another. His lips pressed tightly in disgust.
"Unforgivable. These poor girls," he spoke bitterly, arranging them neatly in the file before handing back to Enchi. "Don't you have any concrete evidence to nail him?"
"We do. A simple concrete evidence. He left his DNA with us after having sexual intercourse with his victims."
"That's enough to have him hanged," cut in Natsumi. "Why didn't you use that?"
"That's because," Takahashi puffed out a ring of lavender blue smoke. "He has alibis to prove him that he was at a function which so happens to be at around the time when the murder happens."
"Impossible!" snapped Toukairin. "Shouldn't his DNA convince the Jury that he's guilty?"
"It would provided if not for those people who attended the function. 100% confirmed that he was there. The security cameras even taped him down. Real and alive not those digital images. His alibis are those people involved with the country's market shares. Their words weighed such more heavily than ours. That is why, I'm resorting to this. It's the only way to convict him forever."
"As well as to rest the souls of those girls," Ended Aoi. "I'm supposed to bait him, right?"
"Correct. Not only that, I want you to make him confess that he did murdered those girls. My team has already established his next location. You will be disguised as a university student. Standard procedures. The place will be bugged and so will you. A hidden camera will be installed as well. And I strongly recommended that you bring something to defend yourself." Crushing the cigarette into the ashtray. "The 4 distinctive wounds that you seen on each of the victim's chest. According to the autopsy, the cut wounds are deep and unlike the clean straight cuts of a knife, the wounds are slightly curved. On the rib bones, the weapon left behind curved and jagged cuts. I don't know what kind of weapon he used that it's got to be something curved."
A monotonous ringing tone was heard. "Excuse me, yeah, Takahashi here. Really? When? Okay then, continued as planned."
He clicked the handphone into his pocket. "Seems Lady Luck is smiling on us, Ishimaru is going to appear at the ZanGUN pub tonight. And we are going to catch him. Listen, Aoi. I can understand if you wished to back out now…"
"Tonight will fine, Takahashi." He walked to the door. "Just leave the rest to me." Walking out and closing the door behind him.
The gang looked at each other in an unusual manner. Takahashi quietly cleaned his sunglasses with a handkerchief, a sly grin formed on his face.
"For a moment, I thought he sounded like a man."
1.1.1 Part 1
Rays of moonlight glittered onto the rippling waves of the dark murky water of the canal. Along the sides of the canal, scurried the furry rats, their dark eyes reflected with energy. One of them suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. It smelled wicked. Following its senses, the rat turned around and slowly scuttled back. The smell grew stronger and stronger with each step. Then, the rat felt something cold and wet beneath its paws. Looking down, it finally realized where it was. It was stepping on top of an outstretched human's hand. Facing the rat was a young woman, her eyes dull and lifeless yet a silence pled for justice cries out in them…
Shouji Toukairin parked his bicycle at the bicycle parking lot. A butterfly fluttered in front of him, he lifted his finger towards it. The butterfly circles itself a few times around the finger before finally deciding to land, revealing more its lavender blue and green coloured wings. Toukairin smiled.
"Another new day, wonder what Nastumi might do today."
The sound of a car horn disrupted his thoughts, he turned and sees a silver BMW behind him. A car screen rolled down. Grinning at him, was a man in his early thirties. He has a slightly rugged square-jawed face, hazel brown eyes accompanied with a fine nose that rose straight from the forehead in the center. Ivory-black hair neatly tied into a ponytail. To top it up, was a bronze-rimmed sunglass sitting comfortably on his fine nose.
"Long time no see, mountain boy, remember me?"
"Kazumi Takahashi."
At the canteen, Takahashi waited as Toukairin bought themselves 2 cups of black coffee. Takahashi immediately ripped opened 3 packets of sugar, poured them in and stirred vigorously. Without letting the coffee whirlpool to settle down, he took a deep gulp.
Placing the cup onto the saucer, he folded his hands together and crossed his legs. Toukairin observed his movements quietly.
"You seem to be agitated. Something wrong?"
Taking out his bag, Takahashi pulled a file and passed it to him. Toukairin opened it and flipped out a stack of pictures. He frowned as he look at each picture, his jaw clenched; a knot of disgust tied in his stomach.
"How old was she?" Passing the file back to Takahashi.
"14, 15 the most 16."
"And how did she end up like this?"
"A strong possibility that she could be one of those teenage prostitute."
"Prostitute? At her age?"
"It's common among these teenage girls. A faster way of getting money to buy new clothes and stuffs. Put a lot of makeup and her face transformed into an adult's. Maybe she works as a bar girl."
"And I supposed," Toukairin took a deep breath. "There is more to it than that."
Takahashi took another gulp of coffee. "I'm involved in this case where we are suspecting that there is an illegal movement among of these teenage prostitutes or bar girls. It seems like their clients who are not those normal working status people but rather people who are damn filthy rich. People who have power."
"Absolute power corrupts."
"Tell me about it. The main problem is that we need solid concrete evidence to prove them guilty. Every time, we get to the place where the crime scene is believed to take place, it's always too late. Somehow, someone had cleaned the place so well that there is not even a speck of evidence to be found. No fingerprints, no blood stains. Nothing."
"An insider?"
"Perhaps… but we had already cleared that out…" A monotonous ringing tone was heard. "Excuse me, yeah, Takahashi here. What? When? Where?" Looking at his watch. "Alright, I'll be there in about half an hour."
"Something happen?"
"They found a body," finishing up the coffee. "And I can guarantee that the victim is connected to our case. You know what? You should come along, mountain boy. It can be quite 'educational'."
"Yoriko, tell me again why are we visiting a florist shop on our lunch break?" grumbled Natsumi, folding her arms. "We should watch a movie or something. Hey, wanna watch 'Kakashi'? I heard that it's a great horror flick. Then, we could get Toukairin and Nakajima to join us, eh, Miyuki?"
"NO!" burst out Miyuki, giving a light punch on Natsumi's shoulder. "I hate horror movies and you of all people should know that. By the way, Yoriko, why is it important that we should go to this particular florist shop and wear normal clothes?"
"Because," her glasses gleaming in the sunlight. "I heard that the florists have a attractive appeal on their customers especially the school girls." Grinning. "That's why I must go there. To investigate on what they did they do to attract customers."
"That's the most stupidest thing I have ever heard from you, Yoriko," groaned Natsumi. Here am I wasting my lunch time on a florist shop where I could be at Bokutou with Toukairin!!
"Ne, Aoi. What do you think?" asked Yoriko, glancing at the curly blonde- haired man whose figure strikingly resembles of a woman's. Not to mention, his dressing.
"It's most likely that the florists are very handsome. Typical for young schoolgirls to feel that way. Anyway, I would like to buy flowers before going home. Hopefully, they have what I intend to buy. Oh! There's a crowd over there…"
Crowding at the entrance of the florist shop were schoolgirls wearing all sorts of uniform that one could name of. They were chattering among themselves, flashing the "in" things to their friends, giggling uncontrollably.
"It seems… like…" Natsumi, raising her eyebrow in disbelief. "… they are waiting for a pop star or something."
"So desu ne…" replied Miyuki.
Then, the schoolgirls screamed. Their high-pitched tones forced Natsumi and the rest to cover their ears. Standing at the entrance stood 4 young men – A cool composed blonde-haired guy with dark glasses, a cold-looking red- haired guy wearing a ear-ring on his left ear only, a shorter dark-haired sporty-looking man and the shortest, presumably to be the youngest of them all was an innocent-looking schoolboy.
"Irrasshaimasen," the florists greeted. The schoolgirls swiftly flooded the shop surrounding their 'idols', hailing their names one by one.
"Aya-sama!!"
"Ken-sama!!"
"Omi-sama!!"
"Yoji-sama!!"
Aoi looked at the cheeky-grinning Yoriko who is calmly videotaping the entire scene. Natsumi and Miyuki stared dumbly at the schoolgirls in a can't-believe-these-kids-nowadays manner. He cleared his throat softly and asked.
"And I bet that you have all their details as well, Yoriko?"
Yoriko flashed out a notebook from her pocket and handed it to Aoi, who turned the cover and read its contents while darting his eyes at the florists every now and then.
"Red-haired guy with earring. Name: Aya Fujimiya. Age: suspected to be around 20. Blood type: A. Height: 178cm. Birthday: 4th July. Rumours: the earring that he wears has to do something with a loved one. Breakup? A remembrance gift? Why does the gals adore him? His ice cold attitude."
Blondie guy wearing sunglasses. Name: Yoji Kudou. Age: 21. Blood type: AB. Height: 182cm. Birthday: 23rd March. Rumours: he used to be a detective??? Why does the gals adore him? Guess some women adore womanizers.
Brown haired guy. Name: Ken Hidaka. Age: 19. Blood type: B. Height: 175cm. Birthday: 23rd December. Rumours: he was a soccer player. Why does the gals adore him? His gentle naïve nature.
Innocent-looking schoolboy. Name: Omi Tsukiyono. Age: 17. Blood type: O. Height: 163cm. Birthday: 29th February. Rumours: sadly nothing. (Sob!). Why does the gals adore him? Probably his child-like smile."
"My my, you ladies are really flattering us," said a bondie guy with the sunglasses, taking the notebook from Aoi. "It's a not problem for me. But as my pals, they may not like it especially Aya…" Flicking page after page. "My my, you ladies have really done your homework. For your hard work, I get to keep it." Sliding the notebook into his back pocket.
"Chotto!" protested Yoriko. "What right do you have to do that?"
"And what right do you have to investigate our background, kitten?"
"I have any right to do so because I happen to be a policewomen." Shoving her badge to Yoji, who is slightly taken back by her outburst. His pals eyed on her suspiciously.
Natsumi placed her hand over her head. Miyuki sighed wearily. Aoi pretended to be interested in flowerpots. For one moment, can't she keep her police identity to herself?!
"A policewoman…" a slight curl formed at the corner of his lips, his eyes twinkled with amusement. His slender fingers rubbed the edge of his sharp chin. "How interesting, we don't get such girls visiting us. So have we done anything illegal that you have to videotape us the entire time?"
"No…" stammered Yoriko, who had not recovered from the receiving intense amount of attention.
"Then," taking the video camera from her. "That's means that I get to keep this too."
"WHAT?"
"Well, since we have not done anything illegal and as citizens, we do have the right of privacy. Therefore, this camera has to be under my possession."
"NO WAY!"
"Yes way, my dear. I can't let you videotape me. It won't be fair to my loyal fans. Since I don't allow them to, the same applies to you."
The red-haired man frowned at his companion's delay in handing the policewoman, silently nudged the schoolboy who automatically switched on the television. The familiar sound of the afternoon news danced into the 'tense' atmosphere.
"Konnichiwa. This is Sayuri Morita, reporting live at the DEKI canal, where the body of a university student named Kumiko Akimoto was found. The police believed that the cause of death was by drowning. No further detail is given. "
The screen shifted to the scene – an ivory-black haired man with sunglasses talking to some police officers. In a sliver BMW car was another black haired man, wearing a navy blue shirt and jeans, reading a file.
"Hey, isn't that Toukairin?" asked Miyuki. "What is he doing there?"
"Does it matter?" snapped Natsumi, taking her hand. "Let's go!"
"We should go too," said Aoi, dragging the haven't-recovered Yoriko out of the store.
"My camera…." She groaned.
"Alright then, take the body for autopsy. Make sure all details causing her death is given. Also, let me know everything about her in about 2 hours' time, you heard me people? Get moving!" yelled Takahashi at his team before walking back to his car where Toukairin was waiting for him.
"You ok? You don't look so good." Eyeing at him with 'concern',
"Yeah. It's that… I mean… the bruises… the cuts… "
"Makes you want to beat the heck of whoever who did this to her. Seems like our suspect has changed his taste. His usual victims are young schoolgirls but his style of killing is still the same. Like all bastards, they loved to leave their trademark behind. "
"You have some lead suspect, don't you?"
"Of course, baka. How do you think I became a detective? And why is that girl trying to get into the crime scene? She should stand behind the police line where she belongs. My goodness, 4 men can't even handle her. What kind of training are these rookies receiving these days?"
"It's alright, Takahashi. I know her. She's a policewoman."
"You know her? Her strength is abnormal for a woman." Giving a wave to the helpless rookies whom gladly let her and her accompanies in.
"She's my girlfriend, Natsumi Tsujimoto," Toukarin smiled and waved his hand at her.
"Sou ka…," taking a packet of cigarettes from his inner pocket. "You told me before. Don't me that you are having a serious relationship with a woman who is an year older than you."
"Takahashi …" muttered Toukairin in annoyance.
Nastumi ran towards Toukarin and gave him a big hug. "What you are doing here and not at Bokuto station?"
"Let me explain, will you?" He touched her face fondly. "Natsumi. This is Detective Takahashi. Enchi, this is Natsumi Tsujimoto and her friends, Kobayakawa Miyuki, Nikaido Yoriko and Futaba Aoi."
"Dozo yoroshiku," Enchi greeted, shaking each of their hands, his eyes were wavering over Aoi. He took a step towards him.
"Hey, Aren't you the Aoi Futaba who used to catch those sex manics before transferring into another department?"
"Hai."
Takahashi tilted his head at an angle, his face impressed thoughtfulness while chewing the end of his crooked cigarette. Then, his eyes brightened beneath the sunglasses.
"That's it!" Grabbing the startled Aoi by the hand. "Come along with me, people. I've a idea that would nail the bastard for good."
The girls followed Takahashi without asking. Toukairin proceeded as well, but his eyes caught a young tall man with blonde hair dressed in slick purple shirt and black jeans with dark sunglasses, standing among the crowd. He was observing the scenario with caution. Abhorrence was portrayed in his face.
Toukairin felt a light squeeze on his hand. He turned around and saw Natsumi.
"Nani?"
"Nan demo nan." He replied, looking at the crowd again. But the young man was gone.
Inside Bokuto Station, Takahashi explained his idea to the gang in a conference room. He seems to be excited like a scientist who has invented something unique that has never been done before.
"Nanaho Ishimaru, our prime suspect." Placing a photo onto the brown table. The gang crowded over it to get a closer look at the fiend. To their surprise, the suspect's appearance was like an ordinarily man in his 40s. He had a friendly fatherly look - grayish sliver hair, a rounded face with a warm smile, button nose, and almond-shaped black eyes.
"Don't judge the book by its cover," said Takahashi, placing more photos onto the table. "He may look like a normal door to door man but a monster beneath that human skin. Ishimaru is a shrewd businessman who could turn a barren field into a gold mine. Nobody into somebody. Apparently, he has a thing with teenage prostitutes and bar girls."
Aoi pointed his finger at his eyes, "His eyes… they seem to hide a dark arcane secret in them."
"No mysteries, Aoi. It's plain that he loves to torture women before killing them." Dumping a pile of photos onto the table. Each of them displaying the naked bodies of the victims – purplish patches of bruises garnished the fair skins while angry slashes trimmed the wrists and legs or the necks of some of the victims. Others had shown sighs of strangulation or suffocation. But for each victim, 4 distinctive cuts were exhibited on her chest.
Yoriko turned her face at the sight of the gruesomely displayed bodies. Natsumi held Toukairin's hand tightly. Miyuki looked away, her eyes trembling. Aoi studied each photo, one after another. His lips pressed tightly in disgust.
"Unforgivable. These poor girls," he spoke bitterly, arranging them neatly in the file before handing back to Enchi. "Don't you have any concrete evidence to nail him?"
"We do. A simple concrete evidence. He left his DNA with us after having sexual intercourse with his victims."
"That's enough to have him hanged," cut in Natsumi. "Why didn't you use that?"
"That's because," Takahashi puffed out a ring of lavender blue smoke. "He has alibis to prove him that he was at a function which so happens to be at around the time when the murder happens."
"Impossible!" snapped Toukairin. "Shouldn't his DNA convince the Jury that he's guilty?"
"It would provided if not for those people who attended the function. 100% confirmed that he was there. The security cameras even taped him down. Real and alive not those digital images. His alibis are those people involved with the country's market shares. Their words weighed such more heavily than ours. That is why, I'm resorting to this. It's the only way to convict him forever."
"As well as to rest the souls of those girls," Ended Aoi. "I'm supposed to bait him, right?"
"Correct. Not only that, I want you to make him confess that he did murdered those girls. My team has already established his next location. You will be disguised as a university student. Standard procedures. The place will be bugged and so will you. A hidden camera will be installed as well. And I strongly recommended that you bring something to defend yourself." Crushing the cigarette into the ashtray. "The 4 distinctive wounds that you seen on each of the victim's chest. According to the autopsy, the cut wounds are deep and unlike the clean straight cuts of a knife, the wounds are slightly curved. On the rib bones, the weapon left behind curved and jagged cuts. I don't know what kind of weapon he used that it's got to be something curved."
A monotonous ringing tone was heard. "Excuse me, yeah, Takahashi here. Really? When? Okay then, continued as planned."
He clicked the handphone into his pocket. "Seems Lady Luck is smiling on us, Ishimaru is going to appear at the ZanGUN pub tonight. And we are going to catch him. Listen, Aoi. I can understand if you wished to back out now…"
"Tonight will fine, Takahashi." He walked to the door. "Just leave the rest to me." Walking out and closing the door behind him.
The gang looked at each other in an unusual manner. Takahashi quietly cleaned his sunglasses with a handkerchief, a sly grin formed on his face.
"For a moment, I thought he sounded like a man."