Choosing
Part I: "Place Your Face"
Chapter Eight
The establishment formerly known as the Tapestry Diner looked worse up close than the others did in pictures. Mello had been successfully brought to the crime scene without anyone but the members of the task force to notice him. Said seven had informed their colleagues that both he and Charles worked for M and were only there to take pictures and get copies of the witness statements. It seemed strange to allow a teenager to work with a high-profile detective, but after seeing how much Charles was speaking with the teen, they assumed the boy to be an intern or trainee, so they let it go.
Meanwhile, Mello had a look around the building. Everything was destroyed and whatever wasn't was in shambles, knocked over, and burnt to a crisp. There were even bodies that were melded into the ground; some with all of their flesh gone, other still somehow having parts remaining. Mello had seen a lot with reading police reports for L, but this was the first time in a long time he felt the urge to vomit.
The blond shook his head. Now wasn't the time to feel sick. He had to investigate the crime scene and make sure nothing was glanced over. So he continued to walk; the snow piling up on him as he made his way across the vicinity. The snow was already ruining the crime scene and that meant hands on searching for anything that stood out. It was bone chilling that morning, which didn't help matters any.
Regardless, Mello had put on a pair of latex gloves over the gloves he already had on before getting on his knees; sifting through the snow for anything that might stand out. He could hear the officers laughing at him from the distance, but Mello ignored them; yelling at a group of police officers wasn't going to do him much good. He was still a teenager after all, and he couldn't claim authority by claiming to be M. Besides, fools like them didn't understand the importance of what he was looking for. No matter how small, any piece of evidence was a better lead than nothing at this point. Twelve bombing sights in just over two weeks wasn't good and Mello wasn't as close to catching Shroud as he would have liked.
Shivers ran through the boy's spine; frostbite coming about him as he thought back on his time in Russia. He had been in a similar position that day, doing something far less helpful to other people not to mention who he was doing it for.
The blond swallowed the bile that was rising up his throat. That day was a long time ago and long left in the past. The only kindness Mello earned the memory was the relocation to Whammy's House with a much more prominent future than what he would have been if he stayed in Russia. If not for that, it would have been scorned like many of those memories. But, that bit of kindness it earned because it allowed the blond to meet L and gave him a passion and a goal.
A small shimmer caught Mello's attention and he went to retrieve it. Picking up the object, he saw a dog tag that had barely survived. How it did to begin with was a mystery to him but he did notice something else. There was a phrase written on it. Most of which was melted away by the heat, but he was able to make out a few words: "for the better."
The letters were partially melted, but Mello could still read that one part. The adornment seemed to be there on purpose and judging by the fact it survived, was meant to be found. Whatever the message was, the motive would allow Mello to narrow down his target.
He let out a sharp whistle; holding up his prize as the investigators turned their heads to face them. After they took it, they promptly ordered the others do what Mello had started, making the teen smirk as the officers who were laughing before got on their hands and knees and began to search for more evidence. Mello stayed for about fifteen minutes longer, just to make his trainee position stick before allowing Charles to lead him off of the scene.
The first thing he did was take a warm shower and change his clothes; getting sick wasn't on his agenda and he had enough to worry about as it stood. After that, he left to think over the evidence he found. The statement was incomplete, but it did describe a clear goal set in mind. Whatever the reason be for the bombs, Shroud clearly thought it was "for the better" as he put it. "For the better of what, though?" Mello grumbled, eating some more of his chocolate as he skimmed through the candidates.
Their true colors differed from what they claimed they wanted for the crowd, excluding Thomas Reed. Without another word from that tag, Mello couldn't pin on who exactly it was since they all had different ideas on what made things "better" for the town and said item didn't give a hint as to why these deaths were so important. Another thing the blond couldn't quite pick up on. Theories came in abundance, but there was no way for Mello to stick one to them without more evidence.
Charles walked in not soon after, handing Mello another bar of chocolate before saying: "Commissioner Riley just called. It appears Nicholas Heshnor needs to speak with you again." Mello only nodded once before heading to the computer and microphone. Sitting himself down, Mello took a few calming breaths before connecting with the RCPD once again.
Like before, Mello found himself looking at Riley's office again. Unlike the first time, though, Commissioner Riley and Nicholas Heshnor were staring at the screen, waiting for him to make the connection. "Commissioner Riley, Mr. Heshnor," he greeted before getting started.
"My apologies for interrupting you, M, but-"
"If Mr. Heshnor has something of relevance to say, then neither he or you are interrupting me. What is it that was so important, Mr. Heshnor?" Mello asked him, hoping for a new lead of some kind.
Nicholas let out a small sigh before speaking. "Two things, detective. I've first come to apologize to you. I should have recognized Reign when she passed me but I didn't."
Mello nodded at the other end before stating: "Yes, she did make it clear you've met a couple times. For the sake of consistency, I'd like to hear from you how you know her, exactly." He stated.
Although a bit surprised the two had met, Heshnor only nodded as a serious expression crossed his features. "Of course, M. But...I wouldn't say that I know her all that well, if at all. I've only seen her out on the streets some nights, playing a violin and collecting money from the people who watched. She was never in the same place twice in the same week, but I did walk by enough times to notice that some men were giving her a lot of trouble. I stopped them myself and insisted she talk to the police about it. She'd always say no and beg that I didn't go to them, either. She even tried to hand me the money she made to ensure it."
The blond noted the man's expression. Heshnor seemed to have great concern for the girl and knew she wasn't doing well. Despite the stories matching, Mello couldn't help but ask: "How bad were these situations?"
Heshnor bit his lip; taking a deep breath of air through his nose before answering. "Bad," he soon replied before adding: "Some people were trying to take the money she earned and assaulted her for it. Others wanted to have sex with her and she always said no to such a thing. In the end they'd grab her and try to tear off her clothes. Either way, she always ended up getting hurt in one way or another and refused to go to a hospital or report it to the police." He explained.
Well, that explained a lot. "And your second reason for wanting to speak to me?" He questioned, feeling frustrated that the girl didn't go to see someone for help.
Nicholas looked straight before stating firmly: "Reign called me, earlier today; she wanted me to pass a message to you."
"Which is?"
"Mary and Felix at high noon tomorrow."
Mello was silent for the next few moments, processing his conversation with Leila and the new information before saying: "Thank you, Mr. Heshnor." And with that, Mello disconnected from the police department.
I know this isn't as long as the other chapters, but I hope you've enjoyed it regardless. Reviews are wanted if you want an update, so REVIEW! XD
~ K. Fang-sama
