Author's Notes: It's amazing what a completely fucked up sleep schedule can do for you. On the one hand, this makes it hard for me to get errands and stuff like that done. On the other, I write better when the sun's down. Go figure.
Midnight at the Singin' Hound Lounge
Chapter 2- A Dead Woman and a Set-Up
The next morning, Inuyasha was walking down the street toward the grocery store. The whole band was living out of a boarding house, and part of the way they paid for their room and board was by running errands for the old lady and her brother who owned the place. He rolled himself another cigarette and had just lit it up when two police officers approached him.
"Pardon me, sir. Are you Inuyasha Masters?" one of the officers asked.
Inuyasha gave them both a critical look for a moment. "That's what my mother calls me," he mumbled around his cigarette.
"We'd like you to come down to the station with us, please." The cop said it in such a straightforward, almost casual manner that Inuyasha nearly dropped his cigarette.
"What?" he asked in disbelief. "What the fuck did I do?"
"We need to ask you a few questions." With that the officer placed a firm hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and attempted to pull him toward the squad car.
Inuyasha forcefully shrugged the hand off and adjusted his tie. "I don't like to be touched," he grumbled. "When do I get my phone call? Miss Kaede's gonna want to know I'll be late coming home."
"When we get to the station," the first officer said as he escorted Inuyasha to the squad car.
-x-
Inuyasha sat at a table in a small bare room with two cops. He rolled himself another cigarette and broke the silence. "So, why am I here?"
"Do you know Miss Kikyo Anders?" the first cop asked.
"Yeah." There was a pause as the two cops waited for him to say something else. "Point?"
"She was found dead in an alley this morning," the second cop answered.
Inuyasha blinked in surprise and furrowed his brow. "Say that again?"
"She was killed by gunshot wound," the second cop continued. "As soon as we identified her, we started looking for all known relatives and associates. We were told she went to see you last night, so we told our patrolmen to look for a man by your description."
Inuyasha gave the man a critical look. "So I'm on the suspect list, then?"
"Mister Masters," the first cop chimed in, "until we have more leads, everyone around her that night is suspect. Now... did you meet with her last night?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha said simply.
"Where?"
"Some bar. I don't remember the place," he lied.
"How did she know to find you there?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I think that woman was stalking me."
"What makes you say that?" the second cop asked.
"We broke up two months ago." Inuyasha paused to take a drag off his cigarette. "We didn't trust each other, so it didn't work out."
"Is that what she came to talk to you about?"
"Yeah. I told her that I wasn't going to change my mind, and she left."
"Did you see her after that?"
"Nope."
"Are you sure?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, ask me again, Sam Spade. Maybe my answer'll magically change," he spat sarcastically.
"Sarcasm'll get you nowhere, kid," the first cop said. "Just answer the questions and you can get outta here."
Inuyasha made a sound that was between a sigh and a growl. "Look, I don't know who killed Kikyo, okay? I don't even know who'd want to. She never talked that much about herself."
"You don't seem too upset about it," the second cop remarked.
"I'm not a very emotional guy," Inuyasha drawled. "Dad always told me real men never cry."
The questioning afterward wasn't too bad and Inuyasha was let go. He grumbled irritably as he would have to walk back home in this cold weather. He didn't have the money for a taxi, and Miss Kaede would know if he spent any of her money on one. At least she had told him she would send out Miroku to get the groceries so he could come straight home.
The long walk gave him time to think. Who would want Kikyo dead? Inuyasha never figured her for the type to have enemies. He wondered if the police would catch her killer. The sleaze that did it would deserve whatever he got. Inuyasha just shook his head and pinned his fedora down against the cold winds. It was starting to snow, and there were still another ten blocks back to the boarding house. Inuyasha swore the universe was mocking him right now.
-x-
Kagome sat anxiously by the window in the kitchen, watching for Inuyasha. She nearly had kittens when Miss Kaede got off the phone to tell everyone that the police had taken in Inuyasha. But what could he have done? When he left for the store earlier, that was the first time in a week he had left Kagome's sight. It was the uncertainty that scared her so much. Not knowing what they took him away for.
Kagome nervously bit her lip as the snow started to pick up. Then she saw the figure in the grey suit and fedora trudging up the street with long black locks waving behind him in the wind. "Inuyasha's back!" she cried out happily and dashed to the front door.
As soon as Inuyasha let himself in, Kagome grabbed hold of him into a tight hug. "Never scare me like that again!" she shouted, mixing anger and relief.
"I... but I... I didn't..." Inuyasha struggled in vain to form a complete sentence. This probably would have gone on for a little longer if Sango didn't shout from the living room.
"Shut the damn door!"
Kagome immediately released Inuyasha and closed the door behind him. "What happened? Why did the police bring you in?"
Inuyasha heaved a growl/sigh and rubbed his arms to get some warmth back into them before taking off his hat and jacket. "Kikyo was murdered last night," he drawled. "Guess who they put on the suspect list? Yours truly."
Kagome gasped and put her hands to her mouth in shock. Kikyo was murdered? "Why do they suspect you?"
"'Cause I'm the last person she supposedly was with before her death," Inuyasha answered as he hung up his jacket. "It's bullshit, really. I'm no killer."
"I know," Kagome reassured him. "But who would do such a thing?"
"Hell if I know," Inuyasha grumbled.
Kagome sighed lightly and fixed him with a level, yet concerned look. He stared back at her for a minute in confusion before finally shrugging. "What?"
"I worry about you, you know," Kagome explained. "I know this sounds silly, but I just wonder if whoever got rid of Kikyo will come after you next."
"Why would they want to?" Inuyasha asked with a half-shrug. "I don't really have a lot of enemies, you know. Just Koga, and he's just a son of a bitch. That reminds me, has he been harassing you again lately?"
"Don't try to change the subject," Kagome said firmly.
Inuyasha sighed and looked off to the side. At last he looked Kagome straight in the eye. "Kagome, listen... I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere." His voice was unusually soft and caring. It was one of the few moments when he allowed himself to look vulnerable. It was one of the reasons Kagome had fallen for him.
She allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Just don't scare me like that again. Now come on, we have to practice."
It was a shame the music would drown at the noise of the intruder that night as they shimmied up the gutter, slid open Inuyasha's window, and planted the black box underneath his bed before escaping the way they came.
-x-
The next morning, Miroku was helping with breakfast when Sango came downstairs. He set a mug of coffee down on the table for her and went back to helping Miss Kaede, though he was paying more attention to his band mate than the bacon in the skillet. "Sleep well?" Miroku asked conversationally.
"No more than usual," Sango grumbled as she sipped at her coffee. Miroku immediately knew what the problem was.
"That nightmare again, eh?" The question was rhetorical. Sango knew it and wouldn't answer. Miroku just sighed before turning the bacon over. "You know, it might help to tell me about it. You know I'm a good listener," he offered.
Sango just frowned and stared at the contents of her mug. Every morning it was the same routine. Sango would come down looking burnt out, Miroku would ask her to talk about it, she'd stay silent, and by noon it was forgotten. Miroku wouldn't say it out loud, but it bothered him that after three years, she still wouldn't open up to him. Confronting her about it would be a bad idea, however. You don't grow up the child of a champion lightweight boxer without picking up a few moves. And Sango was never squeamish about using them. Miroku had plenty of memories of black eyes to prove it.
Everyone else began slowly filing into the room. It was odd how everything settled into a pattern around here. Miroku and Miss Kaede were the first ones up every morning and prepared breakfast. Sango would come down and start with a cup of coffee and some ham and eggs. Shippo was next, and he always wanted milk and pancakes, no exceptions. After that, Kagome and Myouga came down within about two minutes of one another and would eat whatever was put in front of them. When Shippo was about half-way through his meal, Inuyasha would come down cross as a bear until he had eaten a little bit of everything then attempt to get to the shower before Shippo. Every morning, just like clockwork.
This morning would be different, however. As Inuyasha dug into his second plate, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it, you all finish eating," Miss Kaede said softly and stood up. Miroku couldn't help but smile at the thought of how motherly she was to the motley little crew of musicians. He didn't know where they'd be without her.
Voices came from the foyer. "Yes? Can I help you gentleman?" Kaede asked politely.
"NYPD, ma'am," came a stern voice. "We have a search warrant to investigate the property."
Everyone stopped eating immediately and looked to the door out of the kitchen. No one could see what was going on, but they couldn't bring themselves to move.
"I beg your pardon," Kaede said in a huff. "I run a clean boarding home here. Oh what grounds do you think you can come in here-" She was cut off by the stern voice again.
"We received an anonymous tip last night, ma'am. This is standard procedure, so please do not interfere. We don't want to be here anymore than you want us to."
There was a tense pause before Kaede answered, "Very well." She came back into the kitchen moments later as several police officers passed by through the hallway into the house and one entered the kitchen.
"What is the meaning of this," Myouga squeaked. He was trying to sound outraged, but the fact that he was less than 5 feet tall made it difficult to take him seriously.
"We received an anonymous tip last night that one of you is in possession of an illegal firearm and possibly involved in the murder of Kikyo Anders," the officer explained flatly.
"What?!" Inuyasha shouted in outrage as he swiftly stood up. "Who the hell told you something like that?"
"Calm down, Mister..."
"Masters," Inuyasha growled. "Inuyasha Masters. Your boys already brought me in for questioning yesterday on the same damn thing."
The cop didn't respond. He just proceeded to inspect the kitchen.
"I may be overstepping my bounds here," Shippo piped in, "but don't you guys find anything wrong with following an anonymous tip? I mean, jeeze, don't you read the dime novels?"
The officer just ignored Shippo and went about his inspection.
"I guess 'no' and 'no,'" Shippo grumbled and put his head in his hand.
Miroku didn't like this at all. He had a gut feeling that something wasn't right. Something about this whole situation seemed wrong.
A moment later, one of the cops came downstairs into the kitchen. "Lieutenant," he said curtly, to which the officer in the kitchen looked up. The two crossed over to one another and the cop whispered something in the lieutenant's ear.
"Which one of you has the room at the top of the stairs, second door on the left?" the lieutenant asked.
"That'd be me," Inuyasha answered.
The lieutenant nodded and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Inuyasha Masters, you're under arrest as a suspect in the murder of Kikyo Anders."
"What?!" Inuyasha shouted for the second time that morning.
"Officer Banks discovered a Thompson sub-machine gun under your bed in your room," the lieutenant explained. "We'll need to take you downtown."
"Inuyasha doesn't own a gun!" Kagome protested.
"Yeah!" Inuyasha said in his own defense. "I've never even handled a gun in my life. I'm a fucking musician!"
Heedless of Inuyasha's words, the two officers stepped up and put the handcuffs on Inuyasha without another word. The entire kitchen broke out into arguments, protests, and attempts to subdue the bedlam. Miroku's eyes widened when Inuyasha was escorted out the door followed by two officers, one carrying a black box, the other a Thompson gun wrapped in cloth so as not to interfere with fingerprinting.
They watched helplessly as Inuyasha was shoved into a police car and taken away amidst his tirade of obscenities. Kagome looked like she was about to burst out crying. "This can't be happening," she whispered hoarsely. Sango embraced her friend comfortingly as the tears began to fall.
"Something doesn't add up," Miroku said in a low voice. All eyes were on him suddenly. "Inuyasha hates guns. Hates everything about them. How the hell did that thing get in his room?"
"I don't know," Shippo said plainly as he scratched his head. "But Inuyasha was with all of us the night of the murder. He was never out of our sight. That's an air-tight alibi."
"You're right," Sango nodded in agreement. "We need to get to the station and clear him."
Miroku nodded and retreated inside to call a cab. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong however. Something was very, very wrong with this whole situation.
-x-
Author's Notes: This is the fastest I've ever gone to go into the action. I want to keep this story fast-paced and action-packed, so in the next chapter, the shit will start hitting the fan. Repeatedly.
sapphirepink: Make sense now? I just needed to establish an atmosphere and a set-up.
ixchen: If I've plotted this thing out right, you'll be asking that question a lot.
waterlily: I'm just having one of those moments of high productivity. I don't know how long this will last, but I might as well make the most of it.
Cetacea92: I think at this point, we can safely say that I'm sticking to InuKag. I just can't see the other pairing people coming up with working.
Magellan-chan: As they say on MST3K, this one's a little more "late night." There's going to be some black humor here and there, violence second only to Quentin Tarantino, sexual tension, and a few dirty jokes thrown in every now and again.
Mimiko: I look at that as a major accomplishment that I can get people into different things. It's also good to know that I don't have to confine myself to specific setting and genres. Much as I admire authors like Agatha Christie and Stephen King, I just prefer to have a large palette of subject material to work with whenever I want to.