Chapter Four: Detective Gary Oak
From dazzling views from a fancy restaurant to the dull walls of the detention centre, May had grasped a sense of reality. For May, a trip to the detention centre had become a part of her routine. She wouldn't be seeing her boyfriend this time, but instead her client, Eiri Uesugi. She still wondered how Ash was getting on, but she felt bad for not being able to see him. When the guard escorted them to Eiri's cell, May noticed a tall brunette sitting down and three children leaning against the glass in front of Eiri.
May recalled that Tohma had two children: one of each. He went on to explain further that Riku was Yuki Kitazawa's orphaned son. Riku had been living with his transsexual aunt, Yoshiki Kitazawa until she left him with Eiri and Shuichi to look after. Eiri ended up adopting Riku, which surprised May. Eiri didn't appear to be the kind of man who would be interested in children. From what she had seen of Shuichi in the media, he wouldn't have had the time nor place to look after a child.
The boy's biological aunt, Yoshiki Kitazawa was found outside Eiri's house. Eiri was the prime suspect, but he was released without charge. Her killer was never found and the case was eventually closed. The deeper May got into Eiri's life story, the more she realized how much she was getting herself in for. She wished she was back in her childhood, and on her Pokémon journey. She used to travel around the Pokémon regions without a care in the world. Times had changed. She was an adult and she had a job to do: She had to seek the truth at all costs. If Eiri was innocent, then she would defend him at all costs. If Eiri was guilty, she wouldn't hide it, but she wouldn't give up on her client.
It was a lot to take in, but May felt she knew enough about Eiri to help him out. She could see that Tohma was a dedicated family man who worked his butt off for his family to live in comfort. Eiri was a huge part of the family that Tohma.
"Uncle Eiri," The little blonde girl said. "I thought only bad guys go to prison."
"Your uncle has done something terrible," Eiri responded. The pain he showed in his voice made May's stomach churn. She gulped as she watched Eiri hide his face in his hands. His fingers crawled all around his face. May was startled of how deep and soft his voice was. "I am a bad guy… I have to be punished."
"Daddy! That's not true," The tall blonde boy said. "Uncle Tohma is going to get a really good lawyer to save you." When the three children saw Tohma and May's reflection through the glass, they turned to face them. They all scurried towards Tohma and embraced his coat. The tall boy cried in happiness as the other two children called for their father. "It's great to see you, Uncle Tohma. Have you hired the lawyer?"
"Yes, Riku..." Tohma told his nephew. He nodded as his arm reached out towards May. "Here she is."
"Daddy..." The girl muttered. "She's the lawyer? But she looks so young."
"She is young," Tohma nodded as he spoke. "But she's the just the kind of lawyer we're looking for."
"I think it's time to take you all home," The woman said. May assumed that the woman was Tohma's wife, or at least the mother of both of the kids. That would have meant that she was Mika, the defendant's sister.
"Home?" Riku said. "With Daddy Shuichi? He's not in the best of moods right now."
"Then why don't you stay with us?" Mika offered as she patted the top of Riku's head. "Your cousins could do with your company right now."
"Okay Aunt Mika," Riku said with a smile on his face. Riku and his cousins followed Mika out of the room, which left Tohma and May alone with Eiri.
"So you hired this brat to represent me in court?" Eiri hissed. "You know I'm going to be guilty anyway."
"Eiri," Tohma raised his voice. "Don't talk like that. That was in the past and it's been resolved. I know you didn't kill Mr. Aizawa and Miss Maple will prove that."
"But I'm a killer," Eiri stated with his hands over his ears, his eyes wide open and his lips shivering.
"That was a long time ago," Tohma roared with his hands pressed against the glass. "You shouldn't have to suffer for a crime you didn't commit because of your past."
"Tohma's right," May nodded. "He told me about your old tutor. They can't bring you to trial over that anymore because of double jeopardy. It seems to be that the prosecution wanted to tie you in with something else."
"I'm the only suspect," Eiri snapped. "Everyone knows I'm a killer. Band members get shot, one of them dies and they think it's me cause I'm a killer."
"Did you actually kill Taki Aizawa?"
Eiri glared at May and remained silent.
"Either you did or you didn't."
"No..." Eiri whispered.
May believed in him. "Then you don't need to suffer from your past anymore."
"Where's Shuichi?" Eiri asked. "How is he? Does he think it was me?"
Tohma shook his head. "Shuichi is crying a lot, but that's nothing new."
"Is that why Riku didn't want to stay at Shuichi's house?" May asked.
Both men nodded.
"Shuichi's a fun guy," Eiri admitted. "But he can sometimes get too hot to handle."
"What do you mean by that?"
Tohma chuckled as he hugged his cloak. "Mr. Shindou can be a very difficult person to work with."
Eiri banged his fist on the table as pressed his forehead against the table. "Try living with him!"
"Mr. Uesugi... Please don't take this the wrong way." May gulped before she continued to speak. "But if Mr. Shindou gives you so much misery, why are you still with him?"
"Because I love him," Eiri responded. But May couldn't detect any sense of emotion in his plain tone. If anything, May could almost detect a sense of sarcasm. He didn't even smile when talking about Shuichi. Conversations about loved ones are meant to make one smile. On the other hand, May realized that she was in Eiri's position, smiling would be the last thing on his mind.
"Your relationship with Shuichi could be an important part of this case," May announced. "We'll get back to Shuichi later. Right now I need to talk about that happened on Taka Aiwaza's death. Do you remember what you were doing?"
"I was taking a walk around the cemetery," Eiri admitted. He pulled himself up and straightened up his shoulders.
"Were you with anybody at the time?"
Eiri shook his head. "I was alone."
"I was afraid of that," May admitted. She lowered her head for a few moments then lifted them back up. "I was hoping that there would be some witnesses to give you a solid alibi."
"Well," Eiri hissed. "What you want and what you get are two very different things, Darling."
"What were you doing walking around the cemetery?" May asked.
"I had to clear my mind," Eiri snapped.
"Eiri and Mr. Shindou were meant to be going out on a date," Tohma told May. "They quarrelled, and Mr. Shindou ended up eating alone."
"How do you know?" Eiri barked.
"Remember what I said? I am always watching over you," Tohma proclaimed to Eiri. His black gloves crushed against the glass and his face wasn't so far. "I failed you once," He suddenly whimpered. "I can't fail you again." Tohma had so much passion in his voice that May felt that Tohma was madly in love with him.
"You won't fail," May told Tohma. "Because Eiri is innocent."
"NO I'M NOT! Eiri yelled.
"You are," May declared. "You've been set up to believe that you're a serial killer. That's not the case."
"Can ya prove it?" Eiri snapped. "I bet you can't."
"I don't have any evidence on me right now," May confessed.
"That means you can't prove it?"
May shook her head. "Well, I've heard a lot about the real you from Tohma." Why would Tohma go all this way just to hire a defence attorney? Why is Tohma covering all the legal fees and extras? Why did Yoshika leave her nephew with her brother's supposed killer? Why would Shuichi stay with you? Why do fans all over the world proclaim your innocence and still love you regardless of your past?"
Eiri shrugged his shoulders. "Because it's a mad world."
May stood up. Her chair slid off and crashed on the floor as she slammed her hands so hard against the table it hurt. May sneered over to the glass and roared at the top of her voice, "BECAUSE YOU ARE INNOCENT! YOU KILLED NOBODY!"
"KEEP THE NOISE DOWN!" The prison guard demanded.
"Oops..." May whispered. All three of them remained silent. "I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Someone out there still has it in for Eiri?" Tohma asked.
May nodded. "I'm pretty sure whoever tried to frame Eiri this time, is the same person that tried to frame him for Yoshika and Yuki's death." May pursed her lips and her mind hovered for a few moments. "I'm going to go to the crime scene," May decided. "I'm going to speak to the detectives and see where we are heading."
"Okay," Eiri muttered. "Bye."
May was going to defend Eiri and clear his name: whether he liked it or not!
The crime scene was the cemetery three streets away from N-G Records. Tohma had decided to go home, but as he left May, he had a warm smile on his face. May had a feeling that he was going to sleep well tonight. It didn't take her long to find the crime scene in the cemetery as she followed the sounds of flashing cameras and police jargon.
"I'm sorry Miss," A young man said behind her. May jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Only authorized personnel are allowed past this point." May swiftly turned around. It was a tall man with a white coat and large spiky brown hair. He looked very familiar and so did the sound of his nasal voice.
"Oh I'm looking for the detective in charge of this case," May responded.
"That would be me," The guy nodded. "Hey!" He cried out. "I remember you. You're Ash's girlfriend."
May was able to remember him. "Gary Oak, right?"
"Detective Gary Oak at your service. Mr. Wright was right; I thought he was pulling my leg when he said you joined his agency. So what made you become a lawyer?"
"I'm going to clear Ash's name," May told him with a huge smirk on her face. "But I need the experience first."
"That's the same reason why I became a detective," Gary admitted. "I know Ash is innocent, but I need to get the evidence and experience to convince the Chief of Police to reopen the case. So you're Mr. Yuki's lawyer?"
"I am indeed." May nodded. After the meeting with her client in the detention centre, it felt strange for people to call Eiri by his pen name. "So what have you found so far?"
"It's a triple murder," Gary announced. "Ma-Kun and Ken-Chan passed away in the hospital."
"They're the other band members?"
"Taki, Ma-Kun and Ken-Chan formed the band, A.S.K. in the 90's. Their popularity has gone up and down over the years but their music was always pretty solid. They were first signed to N-G Records, but after a dispute, they were dropped."
"What was the dispute about?" May asked, thinking she could find some clues.
"Do you know about Mr. Yuki's previous trial?" Gary asked.
"Yes I do," May replied. "And I also know about his past too. I believe that he was framed for all the murders."
"You do?" Gary asked. "Sorry to break it to ya but he's known to the police as a killer. You won't have much a chance in this case."
"The evidence is out there," May retaliated. "And the truth will speak for itself in the trial."
"Anyway, your friends are over there," Gary pointed over to a man in a blue suit and a girl in a big blue hat. May knew from a distance that it was Phoenix and Trucy.
"Hey!" Trucy shouted out with her palms pressed upon her face. May heard her and decided to run towards her. "I don't think this has anything to do with the case, but take a look at this!"
"What have you found?" Phoenix asked.
"Take a look at who's name is on the stone," Trucy shrieked.
"What is it?" May asked curiously.
"No way!" Phoenix shrieked. "It's..."
May crouched over towards the small white grave as the words engraved with gold sent shivers down her spine. She gasped with twice as much horror in their faces as Phoenix and Trucy. "That's...That's my name."
May Maple
Beloved Daughter Of Norman and Caroline
Forever missed
"Maybe it's a coincidence," Trucy muttered with little conviction. "Maple is a common surname, right?"
"Maybe," May shuddered. "But Norman and Caroline are the names of my parents!"
"Hey guys!" Gary yelled across the graveyard. "That's the cemetery for the babies and children. There's nothing to see there!"
"Is it really appropriate to be shouting in a place like this?" Trucy asked.
"Nope," Phoenix quickly responded. He looked over at May. "I wouldn't worry about the grave. Like Trucy said, Maple is quite a common surname. And Norman and Caroline are very common names. Must be a coincidence."
May carried on with her investigation, but she took a picture of the grave on her phone. For some reason, she couldn't believe Phoenix when he said it was just a coincidence. May felt that the image of her grave would burn her mind for the rest of her life.
