Section 3: Flowers in the Haunted Library – Day 1

Author's Note: Wow, that was a challenge. Put Lin and Naru in a room and try to write plausible dialogue. Thankfully, Madoka insisted on being included in this section too.

A note on the names: Now that Naru is in Japan, characters will be introduced in conversation with their last names first. I will leave off the honorifics, because j'étudiais le français au lycée and I don't know enough about Japanese culture to risk it. The names are courtesy of Google.

Disclaimer: It's been about a week since I last updated and I still don't own Ghost Hunt. Clearly not a productive week.


Chapter 9: New Office, New Case

Noll surveyed his new office space dispassionately. It was empty, mostly, save for a desk and chair left from the previous owner. Noll would need a better desk for the back office, obviously, and maybe some book shelves. He made a note of it in his notebook. The office was a symbol of independence and a promise to his parents that he would not be consumed by the hunt for Gene, but it wasn't actually necessary. He didn't plan on staying around long enough to need it for more than the single case he owed Madoka.

Noll nodded slightly to himself, approving the room.

Lin watched, but even for Noll, Noll was being hard to read.

"Noll?" Lin asked.

"Satisfactory," he replied. "And it's Shibuya now, though I suppose Kazuya is acceptable if you feel like being familiar."

Lin didn't reply. He followed quietly behind the boy whose life he had somehow become responsible for, the boy who would be playing the role of his boss come Monday.

Monday morning saw Noll sitting in his new desk chair poring over maps as Lin sat quietly typing in the other room. Every so often, Noll would reach for his teacup only to find that it was empty. He'd give a slightly annoyed exhale, then continue with his work. A few moments later, he'd unconsciously try again and find that the cup was still empty.

"Lin!" he called.

"I work for your parents," Lin replied coldly, never looking up from his computer. "I will pretend to be your assistant should it be required in order to protect your identity from the press or the murderer, but you make your own tea."

Noll stared out his open doorway at his "assistant", eyes narrowed slightly.

Lin began to wonder if he should take pity on the younger boy and just make the damn tea for him, - he'd spent enough time with Luella and Madoka over the years to know that the beverage was a means of psychological comfort – but this was the closest Noll had come to behaving like himself since they landed in Japan. By that of course, Lin meant cold, argumentative, and slightly petulant. Noll's worst traits seemed to recover the most quickly. Nevertheless, it was a considerable improvement from the almost catatonic state in which he had spent the plane ride. All the while, Lin had sensed an unspoken, unyielding determination burning behind the boy's glazed expression. Lin was beginning to wonder, for the first time in his life, if perhaps there was such a thing as too much silence.

He allowed the silent internal struggle to continue and continued to type placating reports to the BSPR. Noll was fine, they were still working on a plan of where to search, and Lin would write again if anything of interest happened. He'd write tomorrow anyway, because Luella would worry if he didn't. It was going to be a long trip.

Lin had resorted to analyzing the data from active BSPR investigations for entertainment. When he'd agreed to work for the Davises, he had believed that there would be more paranormal activity and less babysitting.

Noll was glaring at his teacup.

Lin glared at his computer screen in annoyance when the chat bar opened with a message from Madoka.

M-Mori: Is Japan as awful as Lin-family legend would have it?
K-Lin: . . .

Lin didn't know what to say to that. He wasn't willing to relinquish his prejudices easily, but to be honest, what little of Japan he had seen had been fine. Japan wasn't the problem.

K-Lin: Noll is staring at an empty teacup.

He could almost hear Madoka laughing a continent away. It was a bright, pleasant sound, but it was always tinged with worry now.

M-Mori: How's he holding up?

What could Lin say to that without making Madoka board the next flight to Japan? Noll was too pale, his eyes were void of emotion except for the occasional glimmer of pain, and trying to outlast an inanimate object in a battle of will was the closest to normal human interaction that he had managed since landing?

Noll reached a decision, sparing Lin from the challenge of finding a way to say that Noll was as traumatized as ever, but basically fine.

K-Lin: The teacup won. He's going to make more. Think he'd bring me a cup?

M-Mori: Not a chance.

K-Lin: Client.

Lin abruptly cut off conversation as a middle-aged businessman walked through the door of the newly opened office of Shibuya Psychic Research. The newcomer was respectable from the rigid lines of his posture and relentless regularity of his haircut to the decidedly but not ostentatiously present shine of his shoes.

The man scanned the room and turned decisively towards Lin.

"My name is Tanaka Sota and I have a case. Are you the head of this establishment?" the man, Tanaka, asked.

Noll walked quietly over to the two men, sipping his tea. His lips curled slightly in annoyance at the interruption, but soon settled into an expression of bland curiosity.

"What case?" he asked without inflection.

Tanaka rounded on Noll.

"You should show your superiors respect," Tanaka chastised. "You'll never make it in the world if you can't learn your place in it. That's what I taught my children, and that's what I'm teaching my grandchildren. If you really want to be involved in this investigation, you can bring over some tea while I give your boss the details."

He flashed Lin a commiserating smile.

"Teenagers," he finished.

Lin waited uncertainly for his "boss's" reaction. This was an area in which Noll was unpredictable. He was known for his scathing tone and biting wit, but he was also known to be scrupulously polite and professional with clients. Having never been lead investigator, Noll had never dealt with those classified only as potential clients. Lin was unsure what level of courtesy the client would merit even if Noll wasn't a bit emotionally unstable.

"Potential investigation," Noll replied mildly, his eyes glinting dangerously. He took another sip of his tea.

"What?" Tanaka asked.

"Potential investigation," Noll repeated. "I haven't agreed to take your case yet. My name's Shibuya Kazuya and I see you've already taken the liberty of introducing yourself to my assistant, Lin."

Pointed, accurate, but within the realm of civil communication. Overall, Lin felt that Noll had handled the situation well, though he couldn't help but feel that the word "assistant" had been spoken with an unnecessary emphasis.

"You're Shibuya?" the potential client demanded in disbelief. "You're running this business? How old are you?"

"I'll turn seventeen soon," Noll replied coolly.

"How does someone that young become the owner of his own business?" Tanaka wondered aloud.

"By being very good at what I do," Noll smirked. "Apparently, my skill set is one you wish to make use of. I'll ask again, what case? You might as well take a seat. I expect a detailed answer."

Tanaka automatically did as he was told, unused to being outmaneuvered by children. Even as he settled into the hard seat, he realized that he had made a strategic error. The other two men beside the desk now loomed over him. Resigning himself to the mistakes he had made, he began to tell his tale.

"I'm here on behalf of my daughter, Watanabe Matsuyo" he told the ghost hunters. "She, her husband, and their two children moved into a new house a couple of months ago after her husband got reassigned to Tokyo for work. Since then, she claims that she has been hearing knocking sounds, especially on the library windows, and that the books keep turning up on the wrong shelves. Sometimes furniture is overturned. She also claims that small objects don't stay where she leaves them. This apparently occurs throughout the house. Does this sound like something you would investigate?"

Noll considered the question.

"It has several indicators of a poltergeist, but it can also be easily explained without involving spirits. Has anyone else observed the phenomena you described?" Noll asked.

The case admittedly met some of the criteria for a poltergeist, but the more likely explanation by far was still that Tanaka needed the services of a psychiatrist rather than a ghost hunter. Besides, even if it was a legitimate case, if the ghost could only be observed by the woman, then it was of little scientific use to the BSPR.

Tanaka frowned thoughtfully.

"It depends on who you believe," he said. "Her eldest child, Gen, adds that he's sees the ghostly outline of a person, again around the library. Her husband hasn't seen anything and believes she's hysterical. And Nazumi, well, Gen says she hasn't seen anything, and she isn't the type to believe in spirits, anyways. She's a little scientist."

Noll was interested in the case now, however much he disliked the client, but he was beginning to question his choice in decor. He chose limited, uncomfortable seating, because he didn't want people to come. He intended to spend most of his time in the office sitting behind his desk in the other room, continuing the search for his brother.

The problem with that was, now that he had an actual client, there was nowhere for him to sit in the main room, and it had been less than a week since he convinced his parents to discharge him from the hospital despite doctor recommendations that he remain for a few more days. He was quickly becoming tired.

He found a compromise between looming impressively and collapsing, and decided on a suave pose leaning on the edge of Lin's desk, most of his attention still focused on the information the client imparted.

Unfortunately, his weight-bearing hand hit a pen, almost causing him to slip. To his immense, but unobservable, surprise, Lin was already at his side. His "assistant" steadied him subtly and pressed a fresh cup of tea into his other hand. If Noll had been paying attention, rather than balancing on the line of scientific detachment and overwhelming grief, he would have noted the unexpected behavior with interest and some emotion similar to warmth. Who knew that Lin cared?

Lin certainly hadn't been aware of it himself before he noticed Noll swaying slightly where he stood. It was hard for Lin to remain aggravated when he was having flashbacks to the younger boy lying semiconscious in Luella's arms. Besides, he promised the Davises and Madoka that he would take care of Noll.

He returned to his laptop as if nothing had happened and continued recording details of the case. Noll took a sip of tea.

Tanaka remained oblivious to the scene that had just played out before him.

"How old are the children?" Noll asked as if nothing had happened.

"Gen's twelve. Nazumi's nine.

"Look," he continued. "Matsuyo's husband doesn't believe in ghosts, and I'm not so sure that I do myself. It's not important. It doesn't even matter if you're a fraud. I just need you to look like you are investigating and then declare the problem solved. Then my daughter will be able to move on from this strange obsession."

Noll bristled, and though Lin was still determinedly facing his computer, anger could be seen lurking in the depths of his eyes.

"We will consider your case," Noll told him, his voice the epitome of detached professionalism. "We will need to do some preliminary research to see if it is worth our time. If you are determined that we investigate, you may return tomorrow –"

Noll was interrupted when the front door of his office flew open to reveal a small figure. The boy had untamed dark hair and an infectious grin.

"Grandpa!" the boy yelled, rushing in and throwing his arms around the somber figure. "You do believe me! I knew you'd find a way to fix everything even though daddy doesn't want you to. I told Nazumi it would all be okay. Thank you!"

Tanaka did his best to seem unruffled, but the truth was that he was a bit embarrassed, given what he had just told the SPR, to have his grandson saying "you do believe me".

Noll was unfazed by the irony. He did, however, feel his heart twist slightly as he regarded the twelve-year-old's beaming face. He regarded the boy somberly.

"Gen," he said, "your grandfather was telling me that you've been seeing a ghost in the library. Can you describe it to me?"

The boy nodded solemnly.

"It's a man, and he's super tall," Gen said. "Even taller than you, but not as tall as your friend."

Noll blinked at the reference to Lin.

"He's sort of a blue-white color and he's really scary," the boy continued with wide eyes. "I told Nazumi to stay away from him."

"Has Nazumi been with you when you've seen this man?" Noll asked softly.

"Uh-huh," Gen replied. "I told her about him after the first time I saw him, and she came with me the next time I went into the library. The man was there, but she couldn't see him. I tried to talk to him, ask him to leave, and he sort of walked towards me. It was scary. Then, it got really cold in the room and then a whole bunch of books sort of jumped off of the shelves and I pushed Nazumi out of the way. When I looked up, he was gone."

"Is this the only time this has happened or have there been other occurrences?" Noll asked.

"That was the worst one," Gen answered. "I told Nazumi not to go in the library without me to protect her. Even though she said not to be silly, she protects me, she's scared of the library and doesn't go in there much anymore. When we do, I sometimes see the man in the shadows and books move, but he hasn't tried to come close to us again."

Noll folded his hands, deep in thought.

"Thank you," he concluded, shaking the boy's hand. He looked over at Tanaka.

"We'll take the case."


Chapter 10: Meeting the Watanabes

Lin pulled up to the Watanabe house in the SPR's rented equipment van. The house was modern, but it was built in traditional Japanese style, with the many-layered rooftop and the sliding screens. This confirmed what Lin had already suspected: the clients were very rich.

Noll, on the other hand, seemed uninterested in the house that they would soon be investigating and was instead captivated by the garden. This too was traditional, for the most part. There were stone paths through beds of tranquil green and quaint wooden bridges crossed peaceful brooks that led into still ponds. The serenity was disturbed, however, by small patches of vibrant color. Among the gentle pinks and reds of the typical blossoms, someone had planted some orange and yellow annuals. Interesting.

"Start bringing the cameras in," Noll ordered. "I'll find out what room they want us to use as base."

"Perhaps we should meet the rest of the family and allow introductions," Lin rebuked mildly.

Noll shot him a dark look, but agreed.

"Fine, but we hurry. We'll solve the case, make our reports, and then we can return to our true purpose here."

With that, he strode off to meet the Watanabes.

Mrs. Watanabe opened the door. She was a conservatively dressed woman, but her hair drifted playfully around her face and there were tired lines at the corners of her smile. She had some contradictions.

"I'm Shibuya, and this is my assistant, Lin," Noll said, his tone courteous but brusque.

"Welcome," she replied. "Father told us you'd be coming. He said you'd take care of our ghost problem."

"If it is truly a ghost, we will," Noll told her.

"Well then, come in," she said, gesturing Noll and Lin inside.

Gen came racing in from an adjacent room.

"Mr. Shibuya!" he said brightly. "You came! Are you going to find the ghost?"

"Gen," Mrs. Watanabe scolded. "They've just arrived. Let's show them the library and the room we set up for them to use, before you ambush them, okay? You and Nazumi can lead the way."

"All right!" Gen cheered, racing ahead.

"I see you've met my son," Mrs. Watanabe said with a smile, "and he seems to have taken a liking to you."

"He's a friendly child," Noll replied blandly. Mrs. Watanabe felt something almost like criticism hiding in his words. Lin could have told her that it was nostalgic, playful dislike.

"Well," she continued, recovering, "Nazumi, you can help your brother show our guests around."

The two members of SPR exchanged a glance and looked around for the girl. She emerged quietly from behind the edge of the doorway her brother had come running through earlier. She was a pretty girl, dressed in a pink t-shirt and dark jeans. Her socks were decorated with small pink flowers. In contrast to her brother's unbridled enthusiasm, she was sleek and cat-like.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Nazumi greeted respectfully. Her voice was crisp and careful.

"If you'll follow me," she said, "I can show you the library. Gen will be waiting for us outside."

"Thank you."

Lin and Noll followed Nazumi towards the door to the library, where Gen was waiting just as she had said he would be.

"Here it is," Gen announced brightly. "Are you afraid?" he asked curiously, the remark addressed to, of all people, Lin.

Lin just looked at him in surprise.

"Hauntings tend to be quiet when newcomers arrive," Noll told the boy.

"Oh."

He seemed both relieved and disappointed. Next to him, Nazumi let out a quiet breath she didn't realize she had been holding, tension melting away.

Her brother slipped his hand into Noll's.

"Come on, then!" Gen said brightly.

Noll tensed at the unexpected contact, but allowed himself to be pulled into the library. The others followed behind.

The library was essentially a library and not an especially impressive specimen aside from the claim that it was haunted. There was row upon row of shelves, some of which were horribly unorganized. Noll could tell even with his limited ability to read kanji. On one side of the library, there was a row of floor to ceiling windows. Noll noted the trees outside that pressed against the glass.

A poltergeist was starting to look less likely.

"Gen," Noll asked, "are the books in the library supposed to be alphabetized?"

Gen shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he said.

Nazumi whispered something in his ear.

"Yes," he said. "Is it important?"

Noll looked the boy in the eyes.

"Some of the shelves appear to hold the correct books," he explained, "but not in the right order. It looks like they were dumped off and then hastily put back on by someone who didn't know what he was doing. Did the ghost do that?"

"He must have," Gen said guilelessly.

Noll nodded.

"Right. Lin, we're leaving. There isn't a case here."

"There is," Gen argued desperately. "I saw the ghost and I saw the books fly. You have to believe me."

Noll kept walking.

"We moved the books," Nazumi interjected.

Noll paused.

"Why?" he asked without looking back.

"No, don't!" Gen protested. "He thinks we're lying about the ghost and that it's just a prank."

Nazumi shot her brother a scathing but affectionate glance.

"They're scientists," she explained. "Didn't you see all of their research equipment? They can't find the ghost and make it go away if we don't give them accurate information."

She turned back towards the investigators. Gen sulked, but Noll and Lin were fully engaged now. Noll smiled imperceptibly, his ploy successful. So it wasn't just a prank and the wind knocking branches against the windows. It was a case.

"Gen really did see the ghost and the books really did fly off of the shelves," Nazumi elaborated. "We were the ones who put the books back in the wrong place, though. We're not great at alphabetizing and we didn't want to stay in the same room as the ghost for any longer than necessary."

"Why return the books at all?" Noll asked.

Nazumi turned away, eyes dark. That was fine. It told Noll immediately that this was not related to the ghost. While she had been ready to contribute to the information needed to solve the case, she wasn't going to open up to them. He didn't expect her to. Noll knew better than anyone that it wasn't the role of the reserved younger sibling in a relationship like that. He turned expectantly towards Gen.

The boy shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other and back again.

"We didn't want Mom to see the books all scattered," he said. "She'd know it had something to do with ghost and she'd tell Dad. Then he'd decide that she really is crazy and send her away. That's why we need you to get rid of the ghost."

"Please," Nazumi chimed in quietly. "Don't tell Mother or Father about this."

Noll looked at them seriously.

"We won't," he promised. "We take the privacy of our clients very seriously."

"We're clients?" Nazumi asked skeptically. "We're just kids."

Noll smiled at her and it almost reached his eyes.

"Your parents are the ones funding our investigation, but you're our clients," he said. "You're the reason we accepted the case, and we will find your ghost."


Chapter 11: Fleeting Things

Noll rubbed one of his stiffening shoulders in annoyed exhaustion, having finally finished setting up all of the equipment. Most of it was stationed in the library, the center of the alleged paranormal activity, but heat censors had to be placed in every room. After all, objects moving of their own accord were phenomenon not limited to the library. Noll needed to know if the report was true, or if the Watanabes were just careless with their possessions.

He missed having a team, though not for any of the sentimental reasons others might wish to project on him. He had the knowledge necessary to set up all of the cameras – that was easy – but heavy lifting was not in his job description. Noll was an investigator. There were interns to carry equipment so that he was still awake for the brain work when the case was finally truly underway. The whole two-man team thing would take some getting used to.

"How's the investigation going?" Mrs. Watanabe asked warmly as Noll returned to the front room.

Lin was already there, waiting with an expression of bored impatience. He had never been lead investigator either, because no one had wanted him to be in charge of the BSPR's public relations. Noll was, surprisingly, a bit better with clients.

"The equipment is in place," Noll replied, patiently and with only the faintest hint of condescension. "We'll take temperature readings for every room, and then we will have done as much as we can here for the time being. We have to wait until the phenomena you reported are observable. This seldom occurs on the first day. In the meantime, we will research the history of the house and surrounding area."

"Are you going to stay here tonight?" she asked. "The guest room near the library is set up, as you requested, and Nazumi and Gen are just down the hall. I can have them show it to you, if you like."

Noll considered the offer. Though protocol dictated otherwise, he preferred to be close to the scene of the activity. Staying would not be overly dangerous, because no one had been harmed yet and the apparition seemed to be limited to the library. However, staying would not be especially interesting either. It was the first night and nothing was likely to happen.

"We wouldn't want to impose any more than is necessary," Noll answered smoothly. "Our research can be done as well from the hotel as from here. We will return in the morning to see the data, and depending on the results, we may stay tomorrow."

He was almost amused to see Lin's subtle relief at the response. Yes, Noll had heard that "guest room" was singular as well. He knew that after the near-constant company, Lin was looking forward to some time away from him. That was perfectly alright as far as Noll was concerned. Despite what everyone seemed to believe, he didn't need a babysitter.

"Lin will get started on the readings now," Noll added, feeling spiteful. The older man did as he was told, but reluctantly. Noll knew that he was going to regret his dismissal of his "assistant" later.

Mrs. Watanabe smiled.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as soon as you need to," she said. "I know the children will be sorry to see you leave. I fear the experience has been frightening for them, Gen in particular."

"Why 'Gen in particular'?" Noll asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Well," Mrs. Watanabe replied, looking confused as she thought about the question. "I suppose it's just hard to say what Nazumi thinks about all of this. I don't think she believed me the first time she heard me telling my husband about it. I'm not even sure she believed when Gen told her what he'd seen, and then ever since their adventure in the library, she's spent a lot of time shut in her room. I wish I could blame it on the ghost."

She continued talking in response to Noll's probing stare and inquisitive silence.

"It's just . . . with the move . . . my husband . . . Ryusei and I have – well, Nazumi notices things and I worry that it's been hard on her. Gen too, of course, but he's older and he's better at only seeing what he wants to. He's only concerned with the ghost."

She turned imploringly towards Noll.

"I know this ghost thing is just revealing problems that already existed, but I can't deal with it on top of everything else. Please just get rid of whatever is causing this."

"We'll do our best," Noll promised. "Lin!"

The tall man peered around the corner.

"Yes?"

"If you're finished with the readings, we'll be going," Noll said. "Good day, Mrs. Watanabe."

She smiled, embarrassed now that the moment of confidence was broken, and showed Noll and Lin out as if nothing had been said.

The drive back to the hotel passed in silence until Lin, who was regarded with fearful awe by his colleagues at the BSPR for his ability to withstand awkward silences, could not stand it anymore.

"Noll," he said. He waited for a snide retort to the concern he hadn't voiced and became even more concerned when one did not come.

"I'm thinking," Noll replied after a long pause. The conversation had to make its way into his musings and then he had to realize that a response was required. That took time.

"About?" Lin tried to make it sound like a casual question rather than a demand. It didn't matter; Noll wasn't really listening.

After waiting a few moments, Lin decided that Noll was refusing to answer. That was a common occurrence, and Lin was willing to let it go.

He jumped slightly when Noll finally spoke, the words soft as if the sound hung suspended in the air.

"Happy families and other fleeting things."

The image of the last Davis family photo lingered for a moment in their memories. Martin and Luella stood with their hands intertwined, gazing fondly at their sons. Gene took his place in front of them, laughing. He had his arm wrapped around his younger brother, who for once shared a willing smile with the camera. It was a different time. Gene was alive, the family was whole, and Noll had yet to don black. Unable to find the words to send the image back to the abyss of regret from whence it came, Lin was content to let the rest of the car ride pass in blissfully unemotional silence.


Chapter 12: Not Tonight

Lin closed his laptop resolutely and displayed only minimal surprise when Noll rounded on him.

"You're giving up?" the younger boy demanded. His tousled hair and shadowed eyes detracted from the vehemence of the question.

As Noll had told Mrs. Watanabe, he and Lin had returned to their hotel to research the history of the house and surrounding land. So far, they had failed to find any explanation for the potentially spirit-related events, paranormal or otherwise. The land was not shrinking or shifting, the house was structurally sound, and nothing noteworthy had happened to the men in or around either for hundreds of years. It was frustrating, but not completely atypical. After all, Japan was an old country. Years of history haunted the nation's current inhabitants.

While the cause of the haunting at the Watanabe house might have been hiding somewhere in a different millennium's history, Lin had no intention of finding it that night. Since he and Noll had arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, they had been researching diligently. Their concentration never wavered, aside from a brief dinner break. This was typical of the first day of an investigation. At midnight, however, Lin felt that it was only reasonable to retire for the night.

Apparently, Noll disagreed.

Lin took a peaceful breath, imagining himself back to his apartment in England and wrapping himself protectively in the solitude. When this failed to completely dispel his irritation, he reminded himself that, though Noll's frustrated insistence that they were missing something was illogical, it was only normal under the circumstances. It was late, they were both tired, and Noll was under a lot of strain. He was hurting and looking for proof that the entire world was responsible for his pain, a belief that would be confirmed if Lin could somehow be made into a target. The least productive of Lin's possible responses was to give Noll someone to fight with.

Besides, he had to keep his promise to Madoka.

With his self-control renewed, Lin was prepared to try to defuse the situation, though not to buy into Noll's irrational search for the history of the "ghost".

"We have searched through the complete records of the house and the land for the past thousand years," Lin reminded Noll gently. "We haven't even confirmed that there is paranormal activity or that it is of spirit origin. It's late, and if you plan to work on the case tomorrow, it's time to sleep."

Lin's attempt at patience went unrewarded, largely because Noll was too far gone to notice.

"There is a case," the overtired teenager muttered distractedly, not taking his eyes off of his computer screen. "The woman may just be crazy, but the kids aren't and they think there's something there."

"The boy already lied to us once," Lin pointed out shortly. It was too late for his resolve to be understanding to last long.

"Yes," Noll retorted, "and Nazumi called him on it and told us the truth. Therefore, she doesn't think he's lying about seeing the spirit. She didn't see it, so that rules out the mass delusion theory. They're close enough that she would know if something was wrong, so odds are, he did in fact see a spirit. He probably has some sort of ESP. There is a spirit, and thus there is a reason for there to be a spirit. We didn't find a reason, so we're missing something. Oh, and I believe that eliminated insanity, pranks, and structural instability, our first possibilities to investigate before we are supposed to suspect paranormal activity, as dictated by BSPR policy. Any questions?"

Lin paused. The reason why Noll was allowed on cases even when he was quite young, Lin recalled, was because he was an absolute genius. When Noll seemed to flout the rational order of hypotheses to test, it was because he was several logical leaps in front of everyone else. It was still possible that there wasn't a spirit, but the reasoning in favor of a ghost made sense.

Lin felt slightly guilty for doubting Noll, just because the boy was grieving and sleep-deprived. He knew that, in addition to Gene's death, Noll was still smarting from the insult of having been sent with a chaperone when Gene had been allowed alone – and from the lack of trust this implied. Questioning Noll's logic had been a mistake, especially when it was too late for a reasonable discussion and would be taken as criticism.

Noll still had his customary cool expression pasted on his face, but he was breathing hard. It was time for Lin to make amends.

"You're right," Lin said, swallowing his pride despite his usual reluctance to feed Noll's. "It is likely that there's a ghost, and that means we're missing something. Nevertheless, we won't have any data to go off of until morning. It's time to sleep."

Noll gave him a long, wary look.

"Goodnight, Lin."

The boy departed without protest for his own room next door.

Lin was not as relieved as he had thought he would be by the sudden stillness. He wasn't questioning his decision to call it a night – Noll's argument rambled in noticeable contrast to his usual concise style, proving that Lin had made the right choice – but Lin had a nagging sense of doubt. He was having trouble forgetting the look that Noll gave him just before he shut the door. It held the usual level of intense determination, but also the faintest hint of wild desperation. While Lin couldn't be certain what answers Noll sought so relentlessly, he suspected that they were completely unrelated to the case.

Lin allowed himself a moment to imagine his return to England and Madoka, accompanied by a Noll who had been magically restored to the person he'd been before Gene's death. He feared that dream was impossible. When Noll had broken, some of the pieces were lost, taken with Gene into the realm beyond. Lin gave up and fell asleep.


A/N: Next time . . . Noll takes a nap! In case that isn't exciting enough, Lin and Noll also make some progress on the case.