So here's the second chapter of the double upload. Sorry again that it took me so long! Oh, and just to change things up a bit, I decided to do this chapter from Shinji's point of view.
Shinji:
Christ, this kid's got one hell of a story.
I got the call late afternoon. They said Uryu sent them. Prick.
But the place I'm at now is nice. The taller guy is some kind of corporate manager or something, and the younger kid is a mangaka. Both are well-paying professions. I can expect to get a decent take away from this. Really, that fact alone is the only reason I even considered the case.
I don't like cases involving stalkers. They're messy and complicated and not easily solved. And even when they are, the stalker usual gets out after a minimal sentence and the whole process has the potential to start over again.
"So when was the first time he actually spoke to ya?" I ask. I've already heard the whole story from the beginning, but there's a few details I wanna clarify.
The kid—Ichigo—rubs the back of his neck. I can tell he's pretty worn out. Dark circles under his eyes, tension coiled in his shoulders, he jumps at every little thing. But depending on how long it takes me to solve this, it could get way worse.
"Uh, after I opened the first letter. He called literally seconds after, asking if I'd opened it yet. I don't really remember what else he said—something about trying to protect me maybe?-before I yelled at him to leave me alone and chucked my phone at the wall."
I run one of my fingernails under another to remove a miniscule piece of dirt. Doing tiny things like that help me concentrate. Weird, I know, but it helps.
"What did ya do then?" I ask, standing. So far, we'd been sitting in the big guy's—Grimmjow's-ridiculous dining room. Seriously. Who needs a table with seating for ten? But I stand and make my way out into the living room, where the couches and television set are. There's a brief pause, but Ichigo and Grimmjow follow me out.
"Um, I packed a bag and went to Grimmjow's for the night. It kinda freaked me out."
I nod absently. "I can see why it would."
I walk across the room to the large picture window. I can feel them staring at me, wondering what the hell I'm doing. The blinds are down, but I spread them apart and peek through. There are no buildings directly across from the apartment on this side. Just a rather nice view of downtown Karakura. I step away from the windows and turn to face Ichigo and Grimmjow. They're standing close together, and Grimmjow has his arm around Ichigo's shoulders. They're both wearing slightly confused looks. I consider filling them in, but decide to finish what I started first.
I walk across the room quickly. I wanna get outta here soon so I can make a quick stop by Ichigo's place before calling it a day. I head to the bedroom and check out that window before also stopping in the office. It only takes me a few minutes to make a full circuit through the flat.
Back in the living room, I take a seat on the armrest of one of the couches. Ichigo and Grimmjow sit on the adjacent couch.
"So, from what ya told me," I begin, "I can surmise that the stalker has some way of knowing what goes on in yer apartment. This could either be due to some kind of video or listening device, or it could be that he has a direct line of sight into yer apartment."
I let that sink in for a moment. "How do you know that?" Grimmjow asks.
"Well," I say, "I seriously doubt the guy has good enough timing to know exactly when Ichigo would open that first letter. In my opinion, he probably has an apartment across from ya, or has some other way of seeing through yer windows. Which is why I checked here."
They stare at me for a second. "Ya have nothin' to worry about, though. Yer too high up here and there's no buildings around that would give a direct line of sight into any of these rooms."
Ichigo visibly relaxes. That' good. Grimmjow puts a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, squeezing gently. I decide that now's probably as good a time as any to get outta here.
I stand and offer my hand out. Ichigo stands and shakes first, then Grimmjow.
"Thanks again for coming over, Mr. Hirako," Grimmjow says. "Call me Shinji," I say, making my way to the door. Grimmjow follows to let me out, but Ichigo goes back to the couch.
"Oh!" I say, snapping my fingers and turning back to Ichigo. "Can I have a key to yer place? I wanna head over there in tha mornin' and take a peek around, see what I can find out."
Ichigo frowns. "Uh, sure. But I don't want you to feel rushed or anything. I mean, Grimmjow and I obviously would like this to be finished as quickly as possible, but I don't want you to feel like this has to be figured out tomorrow, either."
I nod at the sentiment. Nice kid. "I understand. But I like doing things my way, and I think it would be better to look around before anyone has the chance to mess with things there. Just so I get a more complete feel of what exactly is goin' on."
Ichigo nods and walks to the bedroom. He comes out a minute later with a ring full of different keys. He slowly winds one off and hands it to me.
"Thanks again, Mr... uh, Shinji." He gives me a small smile and I just nod back. I turn around and head back to the door, where Grimmjow's still waiting for me.
He opens the door and lets me out, but doesn't shut it behind me. I turn one last time. He's giving me a curious look, like he's concerned or something but there's also unmistakable steel in his eyes.
"I know that Ichigo doesn't want to pressure you, but I also have to think about his well being. I want you to work as hard as you have to to get this bastard, understand? Spare no expense. But also know that I don't appreciate being jerked around. If you're not doin' your job, then we'll find someone else who will."
I stare at him for long moment before nodding. "I know ya care about him, Grimmjow, and that ya want what's best for 'im. But ya don't need ta worry about things on my end. I don't fuck around with any of my cases. Especially not when the stakes are high."
He gives me a nod back. "Good. I'll be expecting to hear from you when you find somethin'."
"Will do."
Grimmjow says a final goodnight before he finally shuts the door. I head to the elevators and make the uncomfortable journey downstairs and to the parking garage where my motorcycle is waiting for me.
Ichigo's place is about twenty minutes away from mine, although I push the speed limit a bit. Before I go into the building, I stop by the car park. Ichigo's car is easily identifiable. He'd told me about it bein' covered in roses, and there's still some scattered around, but many of them must have either been taken by others or blown away by the wind. I check closely, but it seems nothing new has been left for him.
Just after entering the building, I stop and check his mail. Nothing of importance there either. I skip the elevator and take the stairs to his floor. I don't like elevators really. Too claustrophobic. So if it's possible, I take the stairs.
Ichigo's only a few floors up. I let myself in and start snooping.
The first thing I notice is the letters scattered on the floor. I stoop down and pick through them, but there's nothing really important here. I take one of them though and fold it, tucking it inside my vest. Next I seek out the letter he left on the countertop.
There's a difference between this letter and the ones on the floor. This one has more time put into it. A longer message handwritten in the middle, printed on what seems to be parchment. The others were only types—although in red ink—and on plain paper. There's no return address on any of them.
I leave this letter on the counter and start examining the windows here like back at Grimmjow's. But unlike the blue haired man's place, this apartment complex has two different wings to it, giving the building itself a kind of crescent shape. Directly across from both the bedroom and living room windows is the second tower of apartments. The living room window, which is not covered by its shades, would give ample viewing access to Ichigo's kitchen, where he opened the letter.
I stand before the window, thoughtful. While it is still possible for the place to be bugged, I don't think that's the case. To me, this whole thing seems to be moving pretty fast. I doubt the stalker would have had either the time or the foresight to do something so sophisticated.
So then which of the apartments across from this window does the stalker have access to?
I glance at my watch. It's only noon.
I leave the apartment, making sure to lock and deadbolt the door behind me. Ichigo said some of the letters were waiting for him insides the flat, indicating that either the stalker has a way into the place, or that Ichigo left the door open and the stalker got lucky. I make a mental note to come back every few days and see if anything's been disturbed.
In the lobby of the building, I stop by the front desk. The attendant here is young and tough looking, with dark skin and hair and a serious face. I smile at him. He stares blankly back at me. I sigh; he will obviously not be charmed into helping me.
"Hello, I'm interested in renting here." I'm about to continue, but the stoic stone-faced man surprises me by speaking without much prompting.
"Then you should talk to the manager of the building."
I pull a small notebook out of my pocket. "And that would be?"
"Kisuke Urahara." I jot the name down and return the notebook to the inside of my vest. The attendant seems to be a man of few words. But maybe I can get a few more out of him.
"Well, I've just toured the apartment of a friend, and while I liked it, I was hoping ta find a vacancy on the other side of tha building. Do ya know of any?"
The man quirks an eyebrow. "Like I said, you should speak to the manager."
I wave my hand back and forth. "Yes yes, but I don't wanna waste my time if there's no vacancies, ya know? So come on, help me out. Any open flats?"
The man considers me for a moment before seeming to think about it. "One that I know of, maybe a few others."
"I see. And, uh, what about the neighbors. Know anything 'bout them?"
"Who's flat did you say you toured?"
I chuckle lightly. Clearly this man takes his job very seriously. "Ichigo Kurosaki." It can't hurt to mention his name here. I'm not too worried about this guy being the stalker.
But at the mention of Ichigo's name, the man's face lights up. "Oh, Ichigo. Yeah he's a good guy. Always stops to talk to me on his way in or out."
He's silent for a few seconds, but I wait to see if he'll continue, which he does. "Uh, I don't really know many people from the other side, but there's been a few complaints in the past."
I lean on the counter, intrigued. "Really? Can ya tell me a bit more?"
The man—Sado, as his name tag reads—leans in a bit closer to me too. "There's not a lot, really, just some guy whose been too loud at weird times of the day or night. Some of his neighbors complained, but the guy moved out pretty soon after. Nothing special."
"I see. Is there any way you can tell me which apartment number this guy lived in?"
Sado looks up at me through the thick hair covering his eyes. "This isn't really about you living here, is it?"
I smirk and shake my head. "Nah. It's about your boy Ichigo. Someone seems to like him a bit too much."
Sado's eyes, from what I can see of them, widen. "Oh. Well, I'd like to help if I can. The apartment is number 423. Been vacant since he was evicted."
I can't believe I'm getting this information so easily. Hopefully, this is some kinda omen that the rest of the case will be just as easy.
I lean further over the counter. "Well in the interest of helping Ichigo out, you wouldn't happen to have a key to that apartment, would you?"
Now Sado looks a bit uncomfortable. I knew I was pushing a bit too hard. "Sorry, but I've already said more than I should have. You understand?"
"Of course. I appreciate all your help."
I push myself off the counter and head outside. I hop on my bike and head home, with plans to return late tonight.
There's a new attendant at the front desk. Good. I didn't wanna have to try and sneak past Sado.
I walk in, casual but confidant. I don't wanna attract attention now. But the woman behind the counter doesn't even look up at me. Some attendant.
I head right instead of left, heading to the opposite side of the building and bound up the stairs until I reach the fourth floor. Same floor as Ichigo's apartment. I walk slowly down the hallway, looking for 423 while slowly pulling on a pair of leather gloves. I wanna check the place out, but I don't wanna leave traces.
I finally find it. It's on the right side of the hallway for it's windows to face Ichigo's, so that has to be a good sign. I glance around before dropping to my knees and pulling a slim case from my vest pocket. Inside are various slim metal tools. I pull two out and go to work on the lock.
Within seconds, I've got the door unlocked. I let it swing open and take a step inside. It looks pretty normal. It looks a lot like Ichigo's place, but with none of the personal touches. But something seems off. None of the lights are on, but in the kitchen, I see that the coffee maker is still programed to make coffee every morning. I pull the fridge open next. More anomalies. There's a half full carton of spoiled milk and a few bottles of water inside. What the hell?
Maybe this guy was only recently evicted? I snoop a bit more. The counters are cleared, as is the coffee table. The pillows on the couch are the same that come with the furnishings, and not disturbed. Next, I head to the bedroom.
What. The actual. Fuck.
I let the door swing easily open. The room is dark, but I'm gradually able to make it all out.
The walls are covered with pictures of Ichigo. Absolutely plastered, floor to ceiling. I walk around starting counter-clockwise from the door, looking at everything. The pictures don't seem to be very recent, either, at least not all of them. Some show him walking into work, some show him through a window, bent over a table hard at work on something. One shows him waiting in his car at a stoplight. A few are of him in his apartment.
I'm careful as I walk around the room. There's flowers—roses—scattered here and there over the carpet. On a small table near one of the windows lays two different sets of binoculars. The bed itself is also completely covered in photos.
I consider that for a moment. Until this point, I'd been assuming the guy still lived here as a squatter, despite the eviction. But considering the mess on the bed, it would be impossible for him to sleep here. I make a note to check the flat for other places the guy could be sleeping.
I try to finish my sweep of the room but stop at a specific point on one of the walls. Here, all the pictures of Ichigo include Grimmjow. Only in most of the photos, Grimmjow's face has been either scratched out, x-ed out with a sharpie, or his head simply torn off. Holy shit.
I exhale deeply and decide to leave the room. I make sure to shut the door behind me, as I'd found it. A guy as meticulous as this would notice such a simple error. I wander around the rest of the apartment, but I don't find anything new. I also don't find any place where the guy could sleep.
I head to the door and leave, closing and locking the door behind me. I feel kinda unsettled after being in there. I shake my head and pull my gloves off. I need to find out who used to live there.
I take the stairs slowly, trying to piece together what I know. So Ichigo's been bein' followed maybe as long as a year. Only recently, something changed. The stalker is no longer okay with just watching. He contacts Ichigo through roses, letters, and calls. He lets himself be seen by Ichigo.
This brings up a couple of questions in my mind: How did the stalker know the apartment across from Ichigo was vacant? What happened to trigger the progression of his habits? Why was he stalking Ichigo in the first place and what triggered the obsession? I shake my head again.
The lobby is mostly clear when I get to the bottom of the stairs. I peek around the corner, watching the desk attendant and waiting for my chance. Five minutes later, she gets up to take a bathroom break.
I quickly walk to the desk and slide behind it. I scan all the drawers before finding one labeled "residents." I pull the drawer open and find a list of tenants. The list is a few months old, I think, because it's got a name listed under 423. Ikkaku Madarame. In the same drawer is a list of forwarding addresses, so I snag this Madarame guy's and put everything away. I slip back into the main lobby just as the desk clerk comes back. I breath a sigh of relief and head outside to where my motorcycle is parked.
I consider calling Grimmjow to tell him what I found, but ultimately decide against it. All I've done is raise more questions. I don't want to put more strain on either of them, especially not Ichigo. I'll call them after I talk to the Madarame guy, if I find out anything relevant.
I pull my helmet on start my bike up. Ikkaku Madarame's address puts him two cities over. It'll be a long drive.
Did you like it? Let me know what you think of the POV shift and hearing things from Shinji. As always, reviews would be much appreciated!
~Frankie
