THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
Chapter 10: "Unusual Suspects"
By Bill K.
It was eleven p.m. in Tokyo. Toshihiro Manabe was reclining his girth on the sofa, watching the late night news. He did it casually, but no longer absently as he had in the past. There was always an undercurrent of tension in his viewing until all the top stories had been reported. For Toshihiro Manabe always worried that one evening he'd tune in and see the Sailor Senshi in the heat of battle, and one particular senshi with blonde hair tied in a red ribbon dead or mortally wounded.
The door rattled. He looked over and saw his house-mate, Minako Aino, close the door. She stood for a moment and expelled a sigh of fatigue. But she turned and brightened when she saw her bespectacled, slightly overweight, wickedly funny significant other hold out his hand to her. Minako walked over and clasped it, allowing him to gently pull her into a spot on the sofa beside him. She cuddled up, then pulled up the McDonalds takeout bag and jiggled it at him with a naughty grin.
"The shoot wasn't catered?" Toshihiro asked as Minako jammed five fries into her mouth.
"They only serve healthy food," Minako answered, opening the wrapped burger. As she munched, she said, "Only three more episodes to shoot for this season. THEN I get to actually take a day off before I start on my next album. Woo hoo." She glanced at the television. "The news? Am I on it?"
"No."
"Then why are you watching it?"
"Not all of us can be beautiful but blissfully ignorant," Toshihiro quipped. Minako head-butted his shoulder. "Your label called. They still think you should tour to promote this new album."
"And I'd love to," Minako mumbled through the fries, "but what happens if a Senshi emergency comes up during the tour? Besides, I got some good news at the studio today. Ko Agashi contacted my agent and asked if I'd be interested in a part in his new film."
"Really?" Toshihiro replied, impressed. "A big one?"
"Probably not. Hideki said it sounded like sixth or seventh billing. I'll probably play the heroine's best friend or little sister so they can get my name in the credits and draw on the popularity of 'Island Girl'. But who cares! It's Ko Agashi! Do you know what that could do for my career? Hell, it'd probably boost sales on the album more than any tour could!"
Just then, Artemis leaped up onto the back of the sofa. Minako and Toshihiro both looked over to him.
"What's up, Artemis?" Minako asked. "You look like the mouse got away."
"Don't be vulgar," Artemis scowled.
"Everybody says that to me," Minako replied.
"I'm still working on the hospital slasher case," Artemis told her. "Before you ask, yes there's news, but it's not news you or Superintendent Sakurada is going to like. I've eliminated Derek Johnson as a suspect. He was at the ballpark in Seattle in front of twenty thousand witnesses for two of the Seattle killings, and on a road trip during one of the Chicago murders."
"Well, that's good!" Minako exclaimed. Then she thought. "Well, for Rei, anyway."
"And I've eliminated Gendo Mugashi, too," Artemis continued. "I just found out that he was hospitalized during one of the Chicago killings with a broken ankle he suffered in intramural racquetball at Northwestern. The links to him were iffy at best and that blows the theory he did it out of the water."
"Bummer. Yeah, you're right. Sakurada-San's not going to like this."
"Neither is Ami - - or Usagi, for that matter."
"Why Usagi?" Minako asked.
"Stop stuffing hamburger into your mouth and think. Who does this make prime suspect now?"
They both stared at the white cat.
"Mamoru," Artemis told them with exasperation.
"Ouch," Toshihiro said.
"Well you haven't eliminated everybody yet!" Minako argued.
"No, but he's number one on the list now," Artemis countered.
Minako frowned and stared at the television. She didn't want to believe it.
It had been a month since court and things were, to Junko's judgment, settling back into some sort of normalcy. Her mother and father still glared when she phoned Haruka and gave her dire warnings whenever she visited the home of her sister. But otherwise the tension had eased and life had returned to mundane concerns such as studies, boys and the merits of the latest music download from Midnight Run, her current favorite band.
After dinner that evening, Junko was - - reluctantly - - washing the dinner dishes while her mother tended to her husband. He'd almost completely recovered from his bi-pass and was making plans to return to work with the Bank of Switzerland. As she performed the chore, Junko heard the phone ring. For a moment she hoped it was either Eiko with news of her date or Haruka with news of her latest race. But her mother called her father to the phone and the girl's momentary expectation dimmed.
"Junko?" her mother said, poised at the door to the kitchen a few minutes later. "Are you finished with the dishes yet?"
"Just about," the teen replied.
"When you're finished, come into the next room. We have some news for you."
Curious, Junko finished her task and dried her hands. She entered the den, where her father often worked on bank business into the night. He was sitting at his desk, an old roll top desk he'd imported from Switzerland. Her mother was standing beside him.
"Junko," her mother began, "we've been concerned about your father's health. Now don't worry, the doctor said he's recovered nicely from his operation. But we've both felt that the stress of Tokyo isn't good for him. That's why your father asked the bank if he could transfer back to the branch in Bern."
"Bern?" Junko asked.
"Yes," her father replied, trying to mask something with the gruff Germanic exterior his ancestors were so famous for. "The smaller town environment, the clean air - - it would be good to see again. Familiar . . ."
"Switzerland?" gasped Junko.
"I realize that it will be a sacrifice," Himeko began.
"I don't know how to speak Swiss!" wailed Junko.
"The languages are German and French, you know that," scowled Himeko.
"I don't know anything about Switzerland! What am I going to do in Switzerland? My life is here! My friends are all here! Haruka is . . ." Then the teen's eyes widened. "This is about Haruka."
"Don't be ridiculous," Himeko snapped.
"Do you hate her that much? You'd travel half way around the world to keep us apart?"
"The decision is made," Himeko stated with finality. "You'll adjust, Junko. You'll make other . . ."
"Other what? Other sisters?" Junko screamed. "I can't believe you'd go this far!"
Himeko started for her daughter. That caused the girl to bolt. Junko turned and fled the room.
"Junko!" Himeko called after her. The only response was the door slamming behind her. "Junko, come back here!"
And in the den, still sitting in his chair, Gert let his head rest in his left hand. The man emitted a tired sigh and began rubbing his chest with his right hand. His normally pale complexion seemed almost ashen.
At lunch the next day, Mamoru was eating in the cafeteria rather than go out for lunch as he often did. He had a patient that had experienced two uremic episodes in two days and the feeling in his mind was that he should be close in case he was paged. And the food wasn't THAT terrible.
"May I sit here?" he heard Ami ask. She was standing by his table, holding a tray in her hand, dressed as usual for her in a light turtleneck, dark mid-length skirt and white lab coat. He recalled asking her about it once, as most of the doctors favored the more casual surgical scrubs. Her response that it didn't look professional amused him at the time, but he had drifted away from them and into a tie and slacks since then.
"Ami, you know you don't have to ask," Mamoru said, putting down his bowl of rice and motioning her to a seat. Ami took the seat offered.
"But good manners say that I do," she gently admonished him, glancing at him over the glasses perched on her nose. "How are you doing, Mamoru? It seems like it's been ages since I've talked with you. Now Usagi I talk to practically every day."
"Oh?" he smiled. "She's not going behind my back for medical advice, is she?"
"No," Ami smirked. "She feels obligated to update her circle of friends on Rei's progress with her baseball player. As I understand it, they've grown quite close. Usagi feels a marriage is imminent, though she is admittedly an optimist in that regard. And naturally she feels obligated to pump me for information regarding Makoto's pregnancy."
"And you tell her to mind her own business, of course," Mamoru chuckled.
"Of course," Ami replied with a twinkle in her eye. "But you haven't answered my initial question. Forgive me if I'm prying."
"Ah," Mamoru shrugged. "I've got a patient that's teetering on uremia. I can't decide on whether to invest in a new apartment or start a private practice. And, well," he began, smiling wistfully, "Usagi's been putting some long hours in on the drawing board, trying to keep up her deadlines on her current assignment and work on that new story proposal she came up with. She's so tired when she comes to bed - - when she comes to bed. I kind of understand what she went through when I was interning."
"Nothing else?" Ami asked.
"Did you have something else in mind?" Mamoru countered.
"Forgive me," Ami demurred, then steeled herself. "Have the police contacted you again?"
"About the slasher murders? No, not for a month now. It's been, what, three months since the last murder, maybe more. Maybe he's given up."
"I'd like to think that," Ami frowned. "The reason I asked is that I got some news from Artemis concerning some of our leads. They didn't prove out." Ami ate some of her food. "This is such a baffling mystery. If only I knew what the motive was for the killings. Artemis and I have delved into every aspect of the victims that we can find and the only thing that links them is the general fact that they're all medical professionals and . . ." and Ami trailed off.
"And they all worked with me," Mamoru completed her thought. "Some very closely. That fact has been brought to my attention."
"Well, if the police are following a similar train of inquiry, the new information puts you back at the top of the list of suspects."
"Super," Mamoru said, running his hand through his hair. "Too bad I wasn't in a room full of people at the time of any of the murders. I know I didn't do it. I know I haven't had any blackouts. But I can't prove it."
"Well, no one can prove you did it, either," Ami told him. "That's your saving grace at the moment. And we'll keep working on the problem. Don't worry."
"What more can I ask?" Mamoru grinned. Then he looked at Ami's tray. "You started after me, but we both finished at the same time?"
"Efficient use of time maximizes opportunity," Ami quoted to him. He got the feeling that it was a lesson that had been drilled into her head as a child. Taking her tray with his, Mamoru headed for the trash can while Ami headed back to her rounds. At the door, though, she stopped to speak to Dr. Koda, who had just entered the dining area with a tray of food.
"Was that Dr. Chiba you were eating with?" Haruki asked.
"Yes," Ami replied.
"Anything I should know about?" she grinned.
"Mamoru and I are old friends," Ami assured her. "I've known him since my middle school days." And Ami returned to her rounds.
Michiru heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was after twelve noon and that once again she'd gotten lost in a sketch. Since she wasn't expecting anyone and Haruka wouldn't ring, the woman glanced out of the side window first. When she saw it was Junko, she ran to answer the door.
"Junko, come in," Michiru said, ushering the teen inside. Her sharp powers of observation told her that the girl was quite upset and that she'd been in the same clothes for a while. "Your parents called here last night. They said you'd run out of the house upset."
"Is Haruka here?" Junko asked. The girl was, to Michiru's eye, a bubbling mixture of rage and fear, distress and determination - - an emotional cauldron that conjured up visions of Haruka when she was in such a state.
"Haruka is flying back from Shanghai," Michiru told her. "I don't expect her until this evening. You're welcome to wait, if you like."
"Thanks," Junko whispered, nodding. "I'll do that."
"Would you like something to eat?"
"Um," the teen hesitated.
"It's not an imposition."
"OK," and Junko allowed herself to be led into the kitchen.
The only reason Michiru had instant noodles in the house at all was because Haruka was sometimes too impatient to cook properly when the artist wasn't there to cook for her. At this moment, though, she was grateful to have them. One pot of boiling water later and Michiru was watching Junko wolf down the noodles in a manner eerily similar to a memory of Haruka that Michiru had from what seemed like a lifetime ago when they were both teens and just discovering each other.
"I'm assuming you didn't have much to eat in wherever you were," Michiru observed gently as she sat down across from Junko.
"Vending machine stuff," Junko admitted between bites. "I spent the night at the train station."
"Would I be imposing if I asked what happened?"
Junko stopped eating. The scowl on the girl's face was another familiar warning sign to Michiru. Once more she was struck by the way Junko resembled Haruka with no contact between them for sixteen years.
"Mom and Dad want to move back to Switzerland," Junko choked out, literally willing herself not to cry. "They want me to come, too. I know they're only doing it to try to keep me and Haruka apart." She looked over at Michiru desperately. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Did they say that was the reason?" Michiru asked.
"They gave me some story about it being for Dad's health," Junko scowled. "That's so phony, it's laughable. They're just trying to keep me and Haruka apart."
"Well, that's possible, given recent history," Michiru began cautiously. "But your father does have a heart condition and Switzerland is his ancestral home." Junko looked at her sharply. "Perhaps there's more truth here than you want to admit, Junko. I'm not saying you're completely wrong. I'm saying that, rather than it being the reason behind this move, keeping you and Haruka apart would just be an added bonus."
Frustration seemed to land squarely on the teens shoulders, so much so that she sagged visibly.
"But Michiru-San," Junko said, her voice cracking with emotion, "I don't want to go to Switzerland! Everything I know is here! Everyone I know is here! And," and she took a second to compose herself, "and Haruka and I were connecting. I've missed sixteen years of knowing her! And now, after just knowing her for a few months, I have to leave? Isn't there something we can do?"
Michiru thought a moment while Junko looked at her pensively.
"Let me contact my attorney," Michiru said finally. "Maybe there's some legal route that would let you stay here in Tokyo."
"I'll get a job! I can find a way to support myself!" Junko offered.
"Junko, that's very admirable," Michiru smiled to the girl as she leafed through her address book for her attorney's number. "But Haruka and I are both very well off financially and could very easily provide for you. I just want to find out how the legal system would react to a sixteen year old defying her parents' custody rights."
She began dialing a phone number.
"And I want to find out how your parents would react to such a situation. If this is just a ploy to keep you and Haruka separate, I have a feeling I know how they'll react. If it isn't - - well, there still could be trouble. Hello. May I speak with Kuwazuki-San? This is Michiru Kaioh."
As Michiru spoke over the phone, Junko sat at the table and rested her head in her hands. Her future seemed grim and covered in black clouds at the moment and an unease born of facing the unknown gnawed at her. But for all the unknowns she suddenly faced, Junko Tenoh knew one thing: She wasn't going to Switzerland.
Continued in Chapter 11