The Valor Files

Case No. 1

By GreatAngemon

1996, August 5 08:03:45

Through the window, a man with bloody fist sat, tapping his fingers and foot impatiently. His eyes moved rapidly, watching everything, though they obviously saw nothing but gray. Admittedly he was drunk and angry, violent beyond measure. He looked like the psycho from a movie that Link's father would've shown him to prove to him why he needed to be good and listen, with his large physique and crude facial features.

Link wasn't willing to be so quick to speak to the man who had just assaulted his partner. He wanted to say that it was to cool him off, but the truth was, he was infuriated and wanted him to suffer anxiety over what would happen next - even if nothing did happen. It was mental torture, and anyone who had any sense knew that was worse than anything someone could do to a man physically.

"He's been in there how long?" The chief sighed, rubbing his temples. That was never a good sign. The older man stood there with arms crossed and a deftly transparent face that was easily read as annoyance with the entire situation.

If he rubbed his temple again, Link was sure that his career would be on the line however, being a man with a great poker face, the detective pretended not to notice his frustration.

"Ten hours," Link said. "Give or take, ah, thirty minutes. Is that a problem, chief?" It was always best just to answer questions as clearly and if possible, as vaguely as possible in this situation. Trying to be funny would only get him in trouble. If he told the truth, that would be even worse.

The chief looked through the window into the interrogation room, where Mutoh Valey was sitting. "Of course it's a problem, Link. Unless we charge him with something, we only have sixty-two hours to hold him. And, under the circumstances, I'd say that keeping him contained is the best plan."

"Sheik feeling okay?" Link looked away, feeling slight remorse for his partner. He hadn't expected the man to be so violent, and a part of him blamed himself, unsure if he had taught him how to deal with drunken angry folks.

"He'll be fine," the chief said. "Valey hit him pretty hard. It still surprises me just how hard those drunks can hit." He cocked his head slightly as he turned his head to Link. "Do you think he did it?"

"I don't know yet," Link replied. "I left him there alone. I still need to question him."

"Get in there, kid. We need to get this case closed. The sooner, the better."

"Yes sir."Link walked away from the window and exited the room.

"Link!" the chief called after him.

"What?"

"Where are you going? I told you to question the suspect."

"Yes sir, I know."

"So get in there and question him." The chief's eyes narrowed.

"I will, Chief. But not yet. If he is guilty, we can charge him at the end of the seventy-two hours, and he'll have to stay with us. If he isn't, it'll keep him here a little bit longer while we question him. Can I go now?"

The chief chuckled and nodded to Link, who left. "Kid, you're pretty good," he said to himself as he stroked his short, red beard. "Pretty good."

1996, August 5 08:15:26

Link leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. He let out a strangled breath as he closed his eyes.

He could only see red locks on a little girl, smiling, happy to be invited to where her sister was going. He imagined she was probably skipping - maybe, even humming a tune. What kind of child was she? Too young, he thought, to be walking alone. That, itself, didn't help at all. No matter how hard he tried - he was drawing a blank, nothing to give his heart and mind some closure to the case. He just needed something to jump out at him - something that was off -something not right- in the case. What would that be? Furthermore, where would he find it?

'Think, idiot, think,' he thought to himself. 'Think… one girl. An eight year old, redhead. Goes missing. Turns up dead in a remote area.' He tried to imagine being eight years old, being by himself - without his legal guardian or an older sibling - who would he talk to? And, why?

Did she know the killer? More often than not, most murders were done by the people closest to the victim... but if that were the case, what relationship would the little girl have with her murderer? Was she scared or excited to see him? Did she give him a hug, or cower away? What would prompt her to go with him, when she was supposed to be meeting with her sister?

He grabbed his hair in frustration, his eyes looking down. There was no way he could understand her; his parents wouldn't even allow him to talk to strangers at the grocery store if they weren't with him. It wasn't nearly as dangerous back then, and even then, they had been so overprotective...

There had to be something that he could use to understand this and move forward in the case.

'No signs of sexual abuse. Major physical trauma; enough to cause internal bleeding and death. What would cause someone to do this? The only thing that comes to mind…'

"Link."The detective jumped, knocking his mug of coffee off of his desk. He looked up. Sheik was standing there, looking curiously at him.

"What do you want, Sheik?" he asked, picking up his mug. "Can someone get this for me?"

"Link, we just got a call from Cremia Stead's neighbors," Sheik said. "They said that she's been screaming for over three hours. They want us to go over and see if we can get her to stop."

Link sighed then stood and pulled his jacket off of his chair. "Let's go." As they walked away, Link turned back to his desk and saw an officer cleaning up his spilled coffee. "Thank you… uh…"

"Officer Shiro Stone."

"Thank you Officer Stone," Link said. "Are you new?"

"No sir," Stone replied. "I've been working here for several years." This wouldn't be the first time that he hadn't cared enough to notice someone.

"Oh." Link sighed and noted to himself to stop asking if people were new. The chief would have his head if he heard that Link was ignoring colleagues. Again.

1996, August 5 08:38:41

"Shut up!" a voice shouted from inside the house. Link recognized it as Cremia's, and he looked at Sheik.

The sound of a woman screaming came from the house like the sound of thunder, but neither head nor junior detective could be sure about what they had heard. Link stood with his back to the wall, watching his surroundings and listening for anybody to come around the corner. Before him stood Sheik, with his back to the parallel wall, his eyes on what Link couldn't see behind him.

The sound of glass breaking from inside the house changed the situation completely as Link pulled his gun from its holster and stepped forward, his eyes telling his partner everything that needed to be said. Sheik moved forward first then stepped to the door and kicked it in.

"Cover me." It was all the Head Detective needed to say as they crossed the threshold of the house.

They leveled their guns, aiming them at what was generally the height of a man's chest and began walking through the rooms, checking around every corner for possible threats. Another crashing sound came from the back of the house, quickly followed by more shouting and a man's scream. The two detectives glanced at one another then moved quickly to where the sound was coming from.

Finally getting to the sitting room, they found Cremia holding a vase in one hand, tears streaming down her face. On the other side of the room, there were two people. Kafei Dotour was standing next to a bookcase with broken glass lying around his feet.

Next to him was Vaati, the tech from the crime lab, cowering. "Miss Cremia!" Link bellowed, holstering his gun and jumping forward. He grabbed the vase from her, tossed it onto the sofa and pinned her arms to her sides. "Miss Cremia, calm down, please," he said, wrestling her into a chair.

"Get him," she said, choking on her words through her sobs. "Get… him… out…"

"Get them out of here," Link hissed to Sheik. The Junior Detective hastily began ushering both men out of the room while Link knelt down to talk to Cremia. "Tell me what's wrong. Why have you been screaming?"

"He was… he was taunting me. He was saying how… Romani ran… how Romani ran away… and that's why she's dead." She sniffled.

Link's eyes widened, shocked. "Kafei said that?" It didn't seem in his character.

"No, it was… the other one." She grabbed a box of tissues off of a side table and blew her nose. "The short one…"

'Did he now?' Link's blue were ablaze with flames hotter than the scorching fires of hell. Vaati? What is he even doing here?

"I'm sorry, Miss Cremia. I'll make sure that he never comes back here again." The detective looked her in her eyes as he touched her shoulders, angered and saddened by his associate's cruel words.

He stood up, his eyes warm and kind as he said, "Miss Cremia, next time you need something, please, call me." He handed her a business card.

"I will, detective," she said quietly, wiping her eyes again.

Once Link had stepped out of the house and shut the door, he grabbed Vaati by his shirt collar and pushed him towards his car. "Go to the station. Now. Go into my office and wait for me. Touch nothing."

There was something in his tone of voice that kept Vaati from arguing. "Yes sir," he said sulkily. After he had driven off, Link turned to Kafei. He noticed that he was holding flowers.

"Why did you come here?" The adrenaline and anger seethed through his veins, making itself known in his voice.

"I needed to see her. Anju said I should bring some flowers," he said, slightly rustling the bouquet of pink and white chrysanthemums. "When I got here, that guy was in there harassing her. Once she saw me, she seemed to lose it, and she started throwing things."

"Go home. See your wife. Don't come back here until I tell you that you can. Do you understand?" Link's eyes softened but his expression and voice were cold. His decision was final.

"No." Kafei's face was a mask of both anger and stubbornness.

Link's eyes hardened. "Kafei, we're doing our best to find the man who killed Romani, and right now, you being here isn't doing anything except distressing her sister. You won't come back here, or I'll have a police escort assigned to you until the end of the investigation. Do you understand?"

Kafei glared at him. "I'm going to go tell her."

"Five minutes. That's it, and I'm timing."

1996, August 5 08:50:34

"What were you doing there!" Link roared, slamming his office door shut behind him. "What Goddess forsakenly stupid man told you that you had permission to go to the witness' house?"

"I-"

No,`you don't talk! You listen, and you listen good." As Link spoke, his voice dropped from the range of eighty decibels to less than fifty. "I don't care who told you that you could go there. You're working my case, you take your orders from me. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir, but I-"

"No but's. You don't take orders from anyone else until you're off my case."

"I told him to go, Link." The chief was standing in Link's office doorway. "I told Vaati to go to the house; I needed him to get any evidence he could."

Link couldn't have stopped himself from glaring even if it weren't intentionally. The old man had no right to make those kind of decisions without, at least, checking with him. Yeah, he was chief, but to send a newbie on his case... seriously?! Was he trying to ruin everything?

"From what Cremia said, it sounded more like he was there to interrogate her," Link mused, leaning back. "Did you have anything to do with that, chief?" He knew he shouldn't do it, but his voice was practically challenging his boss.

"No," the chief admitted, his red eyes narrowing. "Vaati, what were you doing questioning the witness?" Link could tell that the older man heard the challenge in his voice, but just this once, he had let it go - and despite his anger, he was glad that the chief did.

"I wasn't!" Vaati protested. "I did what you said, chief. I went there to see if I could find anything that'd help us find the girl's killer, but the lady refused to let me into the kid's room."

"I can't imagine why," Link muttered. Vaati glared at him. "What? Think about it from her perspective. You're a rookie cop who's come into her house and wants to go through her baby sister's room." He laced his fingers behind his head. "If you wanted anyone to go, chief, it should have been me or Sheik. Or at least, give the guy a warrant."

"You're right," said the chief. "Vaati, if I catch you going anywhere near the victim's house again, I'll have your badge. Am I clear?" The chief looked at Link, his eyes narrowed in warning as if, without saying a word, he had told him to test him with that tone and he wouldn't be getting off so easily again.

"Yes, sir," Vaati whimpered, his stubbornness and resolution crumbling under the boss's frustration and rage.

The chief walked out of the door, closing it.

"Did you get anything from Cremia?" Link asked. "Besides that nasty cut on your arm," he added.

Vaati looked down, startled to see the blood staining his pale –almost pure-white– skin. "No, detective. Like I said, she wouldn't let me into the girl's room."

"Then you can go," Link said, sighing and waving his hand dismissively. As Vaati neared the door, Link called after him, "You've earned yourself a two-week suspension. You don't take orders from anyone – not even the chief– when you're doing my case."

1996, August 5 12:34:01

Link unwrapped his cheeseburger and took a bite. Almost at once, ketchup fell from the sandwich onto his shirt. He rewrapped his meal and dropped it into the bag. Sheik walked in as the detective stood from his chair.

"What's that?" Sheik asked, pointing at Link's chest.

"Lunch," Link muttered. He began unbuttoning his shirt, and un-tucked it from his trousers. "Did you talk to Cremia?"

"Yeah. I went over there and asked if I could search Romani's room. I didn't see anything that'd make someone want her dead."

"Alright." Link opened one of the drawers on his desk and pulled a clean shirt out. "Then how about we go talk to Mutoh."

"His seventy-two hours aren't up yet, though."

"I know, but we need a lead. We can still hold him after the questioning even if we don't charge him."

1996, August 5 12:44:41

"Ar, whad'dya wan'?" Valey asked when Link had sat down opposite him in the interrogation room.

"Why did you attack my partner?" Link frowned, his eyes intent on watching the man, readying himself for any sudden moves. The man should have been much more sober by now; however, that didn't change the fact that he could easily have a temper tantrum and go after him this time. Even so, Link had never been one to worry about whether he could win in a fight with a bigger guy; he'd taken down people three times his size who were trained in martial arts or were known street fighters. The detective wasn't a big guy, but he could hold his own and if he had to; he didn't mind busting a lip or two.

"'e was tryin' ter boss me aroun' in me own 'house," Valey said gruffly. "I won' 'ave it, I won'."

"He wasn't bossing you around, Mister Valey." Link clenched his fist and sucked on his inner cheek, a habit that he had stated when he was young whenever he was trying to keep from acting out, "He just didn't want you getting angry."

"Whad'dya wan'?" Valey asked again. "Beside' why I 'it yer pally."

Link stared at the man in disbelief. How was his slurs getting worse after being away from the alcohol for so many hours? He bit his lip in thought. "Can you tell me where you were at four-fifteen on August third?"

"Why?" The big giant looked honestly confused as if he had ask him about unicorns and where to find them. He was either an idiot or so smart that he played the role like a pro.

"This girl," Link said, sliding a picture in front of Valey, "was found dead on August fourth. The medical examiner said that she died at four-fifteen the day before." Valey looked at the picture in front of him before leaning back in the aluminum chair.

"I ain' never seen dat girl before in meh life," he said.

Link stared the man down. For several minutes, there was silence between them with Link's blue eyes locked constantly with Valey's crinkled black ones. Finally, Link spoke again, though in a much gentler tone. "Tell me about yourself, Mutoh."

The giant was surprised. "Yeh wan' ter know abou' me?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tell me everything." Link smiled as if he were just a friendly neighbor, wanting to meet who was next door. There were times when pressure didn't work, and this man, he wasn't one to fall under when cracks were made. Being a detective, there were times when he had to play a role, and right now, he was playing friend - not the man who wanted him to suffer for touching one of his friend.

Mutoh watched Link for a moment, before speaking. "I use' teh be a carpenta'. Then me guys quit. 'Tired o' de 'ard work,' dey said. 'Don' like de long 'ours,' dey said. Dey lef', an' me company wen' unda'." The big man looked like a gentle giant - some kid's movie character - when he spoke. His eyes were glistening with his speech.

The muscular drunk cupped his hands in front of his mouth, silence filling the air then finally sighed, adding, "Afta' de company wen' down, meh wife lef' me. Thass wen I sta'ted drinkin'. An' thass tha'."

He finished speaking with a finality that surprised Link. "That's it?" The detective's mouth hung open. Was this guy really that big of an idiot? He chewed on his inner right cheek, his nervous and angry habit intensified. He was getting nowhere fast. Oh wait, Mutoh was opening his mouth again.

"Thass tha'."

Never mind, Link sighed, this interview was as eventful as visiting his great grandma's bingo stories, and half as exciting.

"I showed you a picture at your house. Are you sure you didn't recognize him?"

"Arr, I'm sher."

Why wasn't Link surprised? The detective scratched the back of his neck, wondering if this man had studied the power of a poker face and gotten a masters degree in perfecting it. Nobody could be this bad at an interview!

Link sat for a moment, arms brought across his chest, eyes closed. Then he stood, turned on the spot and walked from the room.

1996, August 5 12:53:24

"He still saying that he doesn't know the guy in the photo?" Sheik asked.

"Yeah." Link was sitting in his own chair again, leaning back, rocking very slightly. "I don't know, Sheik. He's lying, and yet, I feel like he isn't."

"Can I see the picture again?"

Link handed him the small photo from his pocket. "Doesn't he look familiar?" Sheik asked.

Link took the photo back and stared at it. He watched the light reflect off of its surface; the man's purple-white hair, his pointed nose, his deep red eyes… he loathed everything about the man. Finally he realized who the person in the photo looked like.

A/N: I have a poll on my profile. Everyone, please go and vote.