AN: This is another Mystery with romance. This is an S+S fic with a bit of T+E. It's Alternate Universe so there is no magic, no cards and no guardians. This will have some language in it (hence the rating of PG-13) and will be in First person P.O.V, mainly, but some scenes might be changed to Third Person and you will be notified when it does.
Summary: Li Syaoran is a Private Investigator who is cold to everyone. His boss assigns him to be allied with Kinomoto Sakura on a case that involves a crazed serial killer. Both decide to work on this case apart but this killer will bring them closer than they ever thought imaginable.
Little piece of information: Tomoyo and Sakura will be twenty-three years old while Syaoran and Eriol are twenty-four.
Things you should know:
"Someone talking"
Someone's thoughts
~*~*~ Changing to someone else's Point of View (You will be told whose point of view). When I am changing the setting of the story and that doesn't appear, it means it is still the same point of view from the previous setting.
[Author's Notes]
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Clamp but the plot is mine and any new characters are mine.
Murdering Angel
Chapter One
(Monday: PI's Point of view)
The killer has struck again. Mr. Jack the Ripper himself, or at least the descendant of him. Ten Killings, and not a single clue on who this is, not a single fingerprint, not a single eyewitness.
Until I came along.
I glance down at the memo on my new desk, in my new office.
'Li
,' it read, 'First assignment for you is the John Doe killings. Head of the case is on vacation so until she comes back, the case is all yours.' Signed the boss.Head of the case,
I thought. When I first met my employer, he had said the head of the case was a pain. Well, from what I had heard around here, the boss is the pain. The only reason why he considers the head of the case a pain was because she practically took the case from him. How, is my question, though. Guess I won't know until she comes back next week.I glance over the victims' files. The only thing they had in common was the fact that they were police officers. Gender, eye and hair color etc. . . is all different. The report says that the first victim's husband hired my boss. Her husband was rich and wanted everyone to find the killer, the police, private investigator . . . anybody whose job is to find a killer, but right now, it doesn't really matter what type of job we have, all of us are now trying to find this killer.
I pick my name plate. 'Li Syaoran' it read. Yep, that's my name, a man with Amber eyes and Chestnut hair.
Which is messy,
I thought. Never can get it tame."WHAT!?!" Came a loud shout from the hallway. I look up as I hear pounding steps pass my door and then a door opening and slamming shut. I hear shouts that I can't quite make out come out of whatever room the person went into. I feel the muscles of the side of my mouth tug downwards.
What the hell?
I thought. I look at my door when it opens and a male around my age comes in. He had bluish hair and had thin glasses."So you're the new addition to the force, welcome aboard!" He said.
I lean back on my chair. "Who the hell are you?" I say.
He only smiles. "Hiiragazawa Eriol, another fellow Private Investigator."
I don't like making new friends, and this one is no exception. "Why are you here?" I can tell he knew I wanted him to leave, but he just ignored it.
"Just to see whom Sakura's next victim is." He finally begins to leave but turns back around. "By the way, what's your name?"
I growl. Why does he need to know my name?
"Li" I bit out.
"No first name?"
"Li" I say again.
"Okay, Li, Li" he said, purposely doubling my last name as he exits the office. "Good luck" he says before closing the door.
Good Luck? For what?
I wonder. I also begin to wonder whom this 'Sakura' person is. I begin to look over the John Doe killings when my door flies open. I blink with surprise when I notice it's a woman . . . an angry woman.~*~*~(Sakura: twenty minutes earlier)
I couldn't believe that sexist boss of mine! Instead of him being named 'Henry Bennett' he should be called 'Jerk Bennett.' I knew going on that damn vacation shouldn't have happened! The only reason why I went was because he threatened to fire me.
"Thank you for choosing us as your car-rental service, Ms. Kinomoto."
I flash the receptionist a quick, friendly smile as she hands me the keys of the car I rented. Having my own car in the shop bites. I sign an agreement before saying a good-bye and walking to their parking to where all the cars are. I press the button on the set of keys I got and smile with satisfaction when the lights of a four-door Mercedes-Benz start flashing. Quite a good choice, if I do say so myself.
I get in quickly and start it up. I take my cell phone out of my purse and begin dialing for my secretary. It rings a few times when a very familiar voice picks it up.
"Hello, Kinomoto's secretary, Daidouji speaking."
"Tomoyo?" I say as I put one hand on the wheel and the other to hold my cell to me ear. I put the car in reverse and begin to back out of the space. "It's me, Sakura."
"Hey, Sakura! Welcome back to Tomoeda, Japan! What time did your plane land?"
"Five minutes ago, I went to one of those car rentals that's next to the airport so I can have something to drive in." I put the car back into drive and begin to get out of the Parking lot, heading towards the little building where other Private Investigators are, and where my boss is going to get an ear full. "I'm heading over there, okay? And thanks for calling me about this new so-called 'Partner' of mine."
"You're welcome, but sorry for cutting your vacation very short."
"Wasn't much of a vacation anyways, I still worked on the John Doe killings. Besides, two days is better than two weeks."
"Yeah, but I think you needed it. You've been busting your ass off for two months straight on this case."
"You know I hate leaving during a case, and I damn well refuse to share it. That's why he had sent me, so he can give my case off to another person. I knew he would do that anyways, but I had thought it would only be a temporary substitute, not a permanent partner." I hadn't notice the car in front of me had stopped and I yelped as I pressed the brakes. The tires screeched as it skidded to a stop. I take a deep breath as I sigh with relief. "I-I think I'll hang up now before I cause an accident."
"How close are you to the front car?"
I lean forward a bit and frown. "Um . . . a centimeter?"
"Oh yeah, you have to hang up."
"See you in twenty minutes."
We say our good-byes and I hanged up. My shoulder-length auburn blew in the wind as I placed sunglasses to protect my emerald eyes from the sun. I begin to think about the case and how that boss of mine gave me a partner.
He had a partner . . .
I think absently. Tears threatened to fall but I hold them down. I push back the awful memories of the past and concentrate on the present. The twenty minutes past by in a blur as I reach the building. It looks like a police station, only that there are offices and secretaries and all of us are PI's.I park the car and get out quickly, making my way into the building and where my best friend is. I see her talking with Eriol, who is suppose to be on vacation too. Tomoyo is blushing like mad while he is complimenting her, no doubt. Funny, they are in love yet they haven't told each other yet. I cough so they can be aware of my presence. They both look at me, Eriol grinning while Tomoyo fails miserably in covering up her blush.
"Sakura!" Eriol says cheerfully.
"Hey, Eriol" I say. "What are you doing here? You're suppose to be in England."
"Yeah, well, my cousin wasn't too happy with me for interrupting her honeymoon."
"Sakura?" Tomoyo says. I look at her.
"Yeah?"
"He's here."
I put on a confused expression. "Who's 'he'?"
"Your partner."
My eyes widen. "WHAT?!?!"
"Just came five minutes ago" was all I heard before I began moving my legs towards my boss's office as fast I can. I open the door, quite surprised that it didn't fly off the hinges, and slammed it behind me. Not giving my boss time to respond to my . . . rude entrance, I began to lash out at him.
"HOW DARE YOU GIVE ME A BLOODY PARTNER WHEN YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THEM!! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW IT SINCE YOU TOO HAD HIRED MY FATHER!! NOW I HAVE SOME GUY YOU RANDOMLY CHOSE TO HELP ME WITH A CASE YOU DAMN WELL KNOW I DON'T WANT TO SHARE!! NOW YOU SEND IN THE GUY AND TELL HIM THAT YOU HAVE CHANGED YOUR MIND AND WILL FIRE HIM!!"
He slowly stood up. "How dare you come into my office in such a rude manner. I can get you suspended for that!!"
"I don't care" I say through clenched teeth.
"Well I do. I am the boss and you are not going to just barge in here and tell me what to do. Yes, I know how you feel about partners but it's about time you grow up and get over it. "
I glare at him. "It's something that I just can not get over you sexist! It was not my fault the mayor was here that day two months ago. I didn't even know he was here! Just because you are angry with me and think a woman can't handle this case doesn't mean you can just give me a guy partner!" I turn around and stomp out the room. "I'll get rid of him myself" I mutter.
~*~*~(The boss)
I watch my employee storm out of my office and slam the door again. I sigh and sit back down, rubbing my temples.
"It's not that I'm a sexist, Kinomoto" I mutter. "I am only following orders from my own boss, who wants you to work with him and only him. It's for the best, you'll see."
~*~*~(Back to Sakura)
I walk up to Tomoyo.
"Which one?" I say. She knew what I was talking about.
"The office next to yours" she said. I see Eriol walk out of the office next to mine. I walk to that one and open the door, giving the new Private Eye my worst glare.
"His name is Li" Eriol whispered before leaving me. I walk in and close the door behind me. He was surprised at my entrance.
Good . . .
"Li" was all I said, coldly. I expected him to get up and smile at me or something and then leave the office. This wasn't the first 'partner' the boss assigned to me, and all I had to do was say their name coldly and give them a glare and then they would leave.
"That's my name" was all he said, in the same tone I had said his name. He, too, gave me a glare. I was very surprised at that, but I didn't show it. "Who the hell are you?" He asks.
I narrow my eyes at him. He wasn't suppose to talk back, he was suppose to leave. I guess I'll have to put him in his place. I knew I was a hard core Private Eye and cold as ice, but in this world, that is how you have to be.
"Leave" I say. "I am in no way having a partner." He leaned back in his chair, which looked brand new compared to my ripped, tarnished one.
"Your the head of the John Doe case" he said.
"So what if I am? Now leave!"
"What makes you think I'll listen to you? You aren't the boss of me."
I growl. This guy is so annoying!
"If you don't leave, I'll make you leave."
"How?"
I stay silent. How exactly was I suppose to make him leave? I couldn't threatened to shoot him with my gun, for one, that could get me suspended or fired, and two, my gun was still in my locker. I couldn't just drag him out either, he was taller and, most likely, stronger.
~*~*~ (Syaoran)
I smirk at how she stayed silent. This was most likely 'Sakura.'
"Can't think of anything Ms. Sakura?"
She looked at me, probably wondering how the hell I knew her name.
"Kinomoto to you" she spat.
I frown. Kinomoto sounded like a familiar name, but I couldn't place it. I knew it wasn't because I had met her sometime ago, I am good with faces and her face was very unfamiliar.
"Now I said leave!" She continued. Man, this woman would not give up, would she? Well, I don't really like being bossed around by a nobody.
"No" I say coldly. "Now I suggest you leave my office or I'll make you leave."
She stomped up to my desk and put her face close to mine. "I won't have a partner, I work solo. Got it? You can stay here, but you won't be working with me."
"That's okay, I never liked the idea of having a partner."
"So it's settled. We will work apart, solo."
"Damn right" I say. She backs up and turns around.
"Don't get in my way, Li" she says "or there'll be hell to pay." She leaves the office, closing the door behind her.
"Likewise" I mutter.
(Next Day: Tuesday)
I stroll into my office in the building in the early morning. My shift doesn't really start until 8:30 AM (it's currently 7:00) but I'm an early person. I put my briefcase where all the files of the case is at on top of my desk. I sit down and open it. I take out the file of the first victim, an officer that goes by the name of Young Sally, killed and found in her bathroom. She was strangled and then placed in the tub, officer clothes on, while the water filled it up. She, along with other four female officers, were found the same, each strangled. The other five victims were male, each were stabbed. They were found on the bed, and like the women, their uniforms were on. He was killing them in a girl-boy-girl order, and if he continued with an eleventh victim, it would be a female. Whoever this killer was, he definitely had a thing for order, and for killing police officers. But that was just it, he or she only went for police officers, us PI's aren't really a target, unless the killer had a change of heart and is now going to kill ten PI's.
I recline back, and close my eyes for a bit. I am glad I can now get away from my sisters who all day only says 'Kawaii!' which can get on anybody nerves. I swear, that is the only word they know in their vocabulary. But the lack of vocabulary doesn't really explain their insanity.
I look at my door when I hear the knob being shaken. It sounded like someone wanted to come in here, but why not knock like a normal person?
"Damn it" came a voice. I recognized it as Kinomoto's.
No wonder there is no knock, it isn't a normal person who is trying to come in here.
I get off the chair and walk a few paces towards the door but heard the lock being picked. An idea pops into my head as I glance at the big book case. I immediately hide next to it where it is somewhat dark, mainly because the lights in the office aren't on. I hear the door creak open and foot steps come in, the door then closes. Kinomoto walks towards my desk, as slowly as a turtle it sounds like. I can see my desk straight ahead, and that is where she is heading, but it sounded that she was walking next to the book case rather than just walking straight from the door, since my desk faces the door.
She's getting closer,
I think to myself as I strain my ears to hear the steps. She all of a sudden appears in front of me, and for a split second I thought she had found me, but then noticed that her back was facing me. She walked to my desk, not knowing that I was now starting to follow her."Now let's see what Bennett the boss gave you for the case" she whispered. I raise an eyebrow. "If I don't have it, I'm taking it."
"Isn't that stealing?" I finally say, making her jump and spin around, pulling out her gun and aiming it at me in the process. "It should be me pointing the gun at you, after all, you are the thief."
"I'm not a thief" she replied, glaring at me. I cross my arms, her gun never moving away from me.
"Really, then why did you come in here, without permission must I remind you, and then say 'if I don't have it, I'm taking it'? Sounds like something a thief would say, don't you think?"
She stays silent, and then begins to lower her arm.
"I'm right, aren't I?" I ask, smugly.
~*~*~(Sakura)
I glare at his smug look, angry at him for being right. Me saying that certainly did make me sound like a thief, but it doesn't mean I am one. I thought his shift doesn't start until 8:30, and I had decided to just come in here and look for anything the boss had decided to give this newbie anything about the case that I didn't get. I wasn't going to take it, just borrow it . . . until the case was over.
He walks over to his desk and sits down. I eye him as I put my gun into my holster.
"Aren't you going to leave?" He asks as he takes out papers from his briefcase. Oh, believe me, I wanted to leave, but he might have something on the case that I don't got. That boss was a sexist, and probably gave him information on John Doe that he refused to give me.
"No, the boss gave me no information except the things you already knew" he said, as if reading my mind. "Can you go, now?"
I narrow my eyes. Who does he think he is, telling me to leave?
He looks up at me. "You still think I have something, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. All you men are alike, thinking that women can't handle anything so you guys hide things from us, whether it's you cheating on us or holding out info on cases."
"Listen, not all men are alike. I'm not a sexist, I do know there are women out there who can do remarkable things, but apparently you aren't one of them. For one, you don't know the meaning of 'leave the office'. Just because one man probably hurt you by cheating doesn't mean that all men are like him."
"Not a single man has cheated on me-"
"Probably because you are as annoying as a fly, a thief, and you don't even go out on dates."
I glare at him as he stands up, glaring back at me.
"I am not a thief and whether I go out on dates or not is not your business."
"Never said it was."
We stay silent for a moment, my head spinning with confusion. This guy was fighting back, and so many things he said were right. I was usually the one with the smart remarks, but now, I'm getting beaten at my own game!
You aren't suppose to win . . . Men aren't suppose to win . . . Or else I'll get hurt again.
"Remember Kinomoto" he said "we are working on this apart, so what if I get some info you didn't get? That's my business, not yours. Just because I have something new doesn't mean I'll go running to you to tell you, the same way you won't come to me if you ever get a new piece of information."
Once again, he is right. Damn it, I'll show him one of these days, I'll show him. I turn around and walk out of the office.
(Next day: Afternoon: A cafe)
I take a sip of the lemonade as Tomoyo continues to talk.
" . . . And I just don't know how to tell him, Sakura. I mean, I want to tell Eriol I love him but I don't know how."
"Well, you are asking the wrong person, Tomoyo, for I haven't fallen in love with nobody."
Tomoyo bit her lip, and glanced away for a moment before taking a bite out of her pasta. I knew why she did that, but I am glad she didn't say anything about it. The cafe was a pretty little place, with tables in the inside and in the outside, us choosing an outside table. The food was excellent too, especially the pasta. I wasn't really interested in coming here at first with me working on the case, but Tomoyo insisted, saying that I needed a break. And in truth, I did. Ever since I had put the case over my shoulders, I have not once taken a breather, and Tomoyo said no breaks means my mind wouldn't have time to relax and that wouldn't let me think. And me not being able to think clearly is something that is very bad with the pressure I have put on myself.
I, too, took a bite out of my own pasta, before speaking.
"How about a poem" I say. Tomoyo looks at me. "How about you tell him your feelings through a poem, your good at poetry." And she really was. Hell, this best friend of mine was multi-talented. Piano, photography, singing . . . you name it, she can do it. And me, I had barely passed math in high school. That was an accomplishment in itself.
"No, I don't want to do it that way. I want to do it differently . . ."
"How about just saying 'I love you, Eriol'? That is the best way to let him know."
Tomoyo sighed and shook her head. "Too nervous . . . I'll blush, I'll stutter, god, I'll probably faint!"
I roll my eyes. This girl is not using her head. What's wrong with 'I love you'? It's just three little words, easy to say it to the one you love.
"Then what other way do you want to say it?" I ask. Tomoyo just stares at me, red tinting her cheeks. I become confused until I realize it wasn't me she was staring at, it was something behind me . . .
~*~*~(Syaoran: Ten minutes earlier)
I glare at the blue-haired man. "No, now get out of my office" I order. Hiiragazawa merely smiles that smile that I have now realized creeps me out. It's like it has it's own vocabulary, This-innocent-smile-that-I-have-is-in-no-way-innocent.
"Come on, Li, it would be a chance for us to become buddies! You're the first partner of Sakura's-"
"We aren't partners."
"Okay, you're the first person who was supposed to be her partner who actually stayed. Others would be here for one day before quitting. Since you are going to be here for a while, we might as well get to know each other. Come on! There is a nice little cafe just a few blocks away."
I narrow my eyes. Nice little cafe just a few blocks away? Someone at the front of my door said that just a few minutes ago. It sounded like Kinomoto's secretary, what's her name? Daidouji Tomoyo?
"This doesn't have anything to do with Kinomoto's secretary, Daidouji, does it?"
He blinked, his cheeks reddening a little. Guess he was surprised that I had found out his motive for wanting to go over there.
"Well, you can forget it. Daidouji is with her at that cafe and I don't really want to talk to her right now."
"Who, Sakura?"
"Of course Kinomoto. Who else? She's like a leech, and yesterday she tried to steal anything that I might have had that the boss gave me. She tells me to get out of her way, but yet she gets in my way.
Hiiragazawa smiles again, that . . . creepy smile. Can't he just stop that?
"You just need to understand her" he says.
"I'd rather not. Besides, I have to go to ask somebody a couple of questions."
"About?"
"About none of your business."
I was right, this guy is annoying. He walks over to my desk and glance around it. One of my eyebrows rises while I wonder what this guy was doing. He leaned a little forward and suddenly grabbed my notepad. I try to grab it back but he held it away from me.
"Rui Eleanor? She is the wife of one of the police officers in your case, right?"
"Yeah, so what if she is?" I ask as I walk away from my desk and make a lunge for my notepad. He took a step back and I was barely able to land in a crouch position.
"There is more stuff in here that you don't want me to see, isn't there?" He asks, and that was right. There was some scribbled notes that had nothing to do with the case. I watched as he put it in his pocket. "Come to the cafe, and I might give it to you."
Bribery?
This idiot is bribing me!
"What if I don't go?"
"I'll just read what you don't want me to read."
I growl, and then sigh with defeat. We walked over there, since it was close to the building, him babbling away about useless information. I inwardly sighed with relief when we reached the place.
"Now where-" my question was cut short when he just walked in there in a quick pace. I followed him, occasionally bumping into a few people, most of them being women. I had a suspicion that they were bumping into me on purpose so I may have a chance to notice them.
Women . . .
I thought. These women are exactly the same back in Hong Kong. Don't they realize that when I ignore them, it's because I don't want to look at them?I stopped dead in my tracks when a picture hanging on the wall caught my attention. A woman, who had on a very tight shirt, was sitting on the booth that was under it. I can tell she was looking at me, probably thinking that I was staring at her.
The picture had a man in a long brown coat standing next to, which I suspected, was a younger version of my boss. They were shaking hands and smiling. At the top was an inscription.
In Memory of Fujitaka, our best PI,
It read. I don't know why, but this picture intrigued me.I notice the woman stand up and I quickly walk away, not wanting to make conversation, but the picture was still in my head.
~*~*~ (Third P.O.V)
"Ooh, Shirley, he left" said the red head woman who sat next to the female with the tight shirt.
"He was just a little shy, Erika" said Shirley as she sat back down. "No man can resist me. I'll have him."
"But you already have Erik" Erika said, a little sad. She was in love with Erik, but Shirley sank her teeth into him first, and that is what made Erika jealous and angry. In truth, Erika hated her. Shirley was a conceited bitch who thought that any man can fall for her because of her beauty. Sure, Shirley was beautiful, but she flaunt it the best she can. Erika was also a beauty, but no one noticed because everyone paid attention to Shirley. Erika had thought she was nice when they first met. Who knew she would turn out to be the way she was now, a conceited, vain, spoiled brat. The only reason why she still hanged out with her was because of Erik. If Erika stopped hanging out with her, she would never see the one man she has ever loved ever again.
"I know I have Erik, but I can have mystery man too. Didn't you see the way he was looking at me?" Shirley asked.
"I know, every man stares at you."
"Yup, and I can have any man I want, and I want mystery man."
~*~*~(First person P.O.V: Syaoran)
I finally see the back of Hiiragazawa standing outside where the outside tables are at. I make my way over there just as he began talking.
"Hello, Tomoyo, Sakura" he said. Daidouji was red, blushing I think. "Fancy meeting you here" he continued.
"Yeah, why are you-" Kinomoto stopped talking and glared at me when she saw me. "Here with him?!" She demanded.
"Because you're annoying friend has something that belongs to me, and he refused to give it until I came here with him" I answer. "I didn't want to come here in the first place, Kinomoto. I knew you were here with your friend, and that is why I said no . . . until he bribed me." I look at the annoying PI who took my notepad. "Can I have it back, now?"
He merely smiled and sat down next to Daidouji, who turned even redder.
"I don't think so" he replied. "I give it to you, you'll leave."
Damn this guy! All I want to do is go back into my office and work on the John Doe case. Is that so much to ask? What is so wrong about it that this guy, who I don't even know, took my notepad that had a few things that I don't want him to read and bribe me to come here?
"Listen Hiiragazawa-" I get interrupted when my pager began to beep. I look at the number and happiness fills me knowing that I now have an excuse to get out of here, although I kept my composure. "Too bad, Hiiragazawa, I have to leave. Now give me my notepad."
"Where to?" Daidouji asked.
"Need to ask someone questions about the case I'm working on." Hiiragazawa loses his smile, remarkably, and hands back my notepad.
"The John Doe case?" Kinomoto asks. "Who are you asking questions? Is it someone new?"
I merely look at her and narrow my eyes. "None of your concern, we aren't partners, remember?" I turn on my heels and walk away, quickly as possible so I wouldn't have to bump to any of the people here, and walk over to the PI building. When I enter it, I see people rushing around like chickens with their heads chopped off.
The boss comes to me through the crowd, face covered with a serious look.
"Problem, a new body has just been discovered, a female, another officer" he told me. "Since you and Kinomoto are working together on this, get her and go to this address." He hands me a slip of paper, the address written in nice, neat writing.
Before I can say about how me and Kinomoto are not working together, he leaves me in a blink of an eye.
What do I do?
I think for a moment before I smirk. The answer is pretty simple.
Just don't tell Kinomoto.
I turn around, prepared to immediately leave, but ram into someone that sent us both crashing on to the ground. I groan as I put a hand on the back of my neck. I look at whoever I bumped into and glare.
"Don't you ever watch where you are going?" I sneer.
Kinomoto, who was fixing her collar from her shirt, glared back. "It was you who wasn't looking where you were going."
I growl as I glance around, trying to find the piece of paper I had dropped. I then spot it . . . right next to Kinomoto's thigh. I groan inwardly.
She looks at me as I stare at the paper and then looks near her thigh. She frowns and grabs it. She then reads it. A smile slowly appears.
"Female officer found dead in her tub, eleventh victim" she reads. Her smile gets bigger. "Ooh, and look it here, an address for me to go to. Too bad."
I then smirk. "Have I ever told you how good of a memory I have?"
"What does that have to-"
She blinked and then growled, understanding my statement.
I get up and walk around her, not bothering to even help her up, and walk out. I smile to myself, knowing how I have won this round. I freeze when I hear footsteps pound on the ground behind me. I turn around and watch as Kinomoto runs past me, getting her keys out in the process, back of coat flying behind her, and gets into her car.
"Damn it" I mutter as I rush over to my own car, a black, four door, BMW. I jump inside, determined to make it over to that house before she does, and drive quickly out of the parking lot.
~*~*~(Third person)
Tomoyo and Eriol stood on the sidewalk as they watched the two PI's drive out of the parking lot in a high speed. Tomoyo sighed.
"They are treating this like a competition instead of a case. Do they not realize that these are real people who are dead?"
"They do, but when it comes to solving cases, we tend to try our best to be the best. I, too, have had my share of competition, remember Takahiro?"
"Yes, how can I ever forget him" she said with a frown. "That man did not know the meaning of 'No.' He asks for a date, I say no, but to him it meant 'Keep on asking, Takahiro, keep on asking.' I was glad that he had left that day when-" She looked at Eriol. He got the look in her eyes and slowly shook his head.
"No, it's still a cold case. One year, and it is still remembered as the Perfect Crime."
Tomoyo nodded. "Sakura still finds it hard to believe that she is now alone, but if she would just stop being a work-Alcoholic and stop being so cold, then maybe she wouldn't be alone."
"I know, that is why I think Li is the perfect match for her."
~*~*~(First person: Syaoran)
I see the yellow tape surrounding the big house, police men all over the place. No CSI, and no morgue. Good, this means I still have time to inspect the body and hopefully get some fingerprints, although I very much doubt it. I park the car a few feet away from the drive way and get out. I close the door and look back when I see Kinomoto's car parking behind mine. I frown that she has the nerve to park behind my car but simply turn around and walk into the house. I look around for a bit before I see someone who looks like the person who is in charge.
"Sir" come a voice from behind, and I already know who it belonged to. The woman in the blue, officer suit who I was looking at turned to look at us. She walked over to me and, unfortunately, Kinomoto.
"Kinomoto" the woman stated. She looked at me with her silver eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not a man. 'Sir' is just something that shows I am boss here of the police department. Your boss, however, just called saying that you" she pointed at Kinomoto "and your partner would be coming here. What happened, I thought you said you were working on this John Doe case solo."
I notice the tension between them, the smile on that woman's lips while Kinomoto glared at her. I wondered how exactly they knew each other when Kinomoto is a PI and this woman is a police officer, but it clearly shows that this lady is in charge.
"I am working on this case solo, and my so-called partner is working on it on his own."
"Yeah, but it seems you enjoy stealing things that were given to me" I stated icily. The blue-suit woman looked at me, in her eyes I saw shock and . . . happiness, I think. But it feels like it is a little deeper than that.
"You are her partner? Hi, I'm Lang Amanda" she introduced herself as she held out her hand. I look at her, then at her hand, then back at her. "Okay" she continued as she put her arm down. "I understand if you don't want to shake my hand. How about you tell me your-"
"This is no time for introductions" Kinomoto interrupted, definitely not sorry for doing it. "Where is the body, and what clues have you found?"
I am kind of glad she interrupted, I didn't really want associate with this Lang woman.
"Right this way" Lang said as she turned around and began leading us towards the body. I look at the surroundings on the way and notice all the pictures that were hanging on the wall consist of the same person, either by herself or with someone standing beside her. We walked up the stairs, walked down a few halls before reaching a room. I didn't know the inside of the house would be so big, on the outside it looked like a regular big house, not a mansion.
"As the other female victims, found in her tub, fully clothed in her uniform and strangled" Lang stated as we entered the wet bathroom.
"Name?" I ask as I walk up to the tub that was overflowing with water.
"Raven Lidia" Lang answered.
I look at the face through the water. "Has anyone moved the body?"
"No, nothing here has been touched except those handles to stop the water from flooding the whole damn house."
I frown when I figure out this woman is the same one on all the pictures.
"This woman was on every picture" I say. Kinomoto walked up and stood next to me.
"She must have been a pretty vain woman" she says.
"No" Lang said. "She wasn't." She walked out and we followed. "When something is placed on a wall and left there for a long while, the color surrounding the picture is darkened by dirt and other substances, leaving a mismatch between the color surrounding the picture and the color behind it."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Kinomoto asked.
"It has to do with everything" Lang stated as she stopped in front of a picture with the victim on it. She put on her plastic gloves before grabbing the frame and pulling it down. Surprise fills my face when there is a lighter white box that stands out from the darker, white paint that the walls are painted in. "There was a smaller picture here. At first my men thought it was this one picture, until every picture was moved showing smaller, lighter white boxes under them. We believe it's the killer leaving a clue of some sort."
"But on the other victims, nothing was left behind" Kinomoto said.
"I know, I think this killer is now starting a game, beginning with Victim Number Eleven." Lang looks at me. "Hell of a time to join the case, huh?"
Yup, hell of a time . . .
AN: That's it for chapter number one. I think I am going to enjoy writing this story, and hopefully you guys will enjoy reading it. Please review, and no flames!
Oh, and, just in case anyone is wondering, the only reason they are calling the murderer John Doe is because since they don't really know who the murderer is, they decided to just give him that name. I'm kinda using what those people who do autopsies do: when they find a dead, unidentified body, they name them either John Doe (male) or Jane Doe (female). See the connection? Only difference is that John Doe (I'm talking about my murderer character now) is alive, he just isn't identifiable. *shrugs* It was easier to do that, instead of always saying 'the murderer this' and 'the murderer that.' I wouldn't be able to keep up.
