Matsuda
-Day six-
In complete disbelief, I listened to the tape Sayu had brought me, but any time I started to say something, she hushed me and indicated for me to listen.
When it was finally over, I demanded, "Are you crazy?"
We were in my living room on Wednesday evening. All week, the team had focused on finding Nishi Yamaguchi, since whatever Chiba had learned about him died with him, but there wasn't a trail to follow, and the only thing we'd managed to learn was that he'd had a bartending license. Ide seemed to think that whoever killed Yamaguchi must have also killed everyone who could have connected him to our case after Chiba was dead, but no related murders had been reported.
Meanwhile, trailing Hiro Miyami had gotten much more difficult since he spotted Ide and I outside his house, so Aizawa put Mogi and Yoko on it instead, saying he expected they'd be more subtle, and I was back to desk work. But I didn't dare complain.
There wasn't any time left, and tensions ran high; Ide and Aizawa seemed to bicker almost constantly about what few facts we had and how to use them. I had never seen them act that way, but Mogi said not to worry about it, so I guess maybe he had.
Every night for the last three days, I'd been losing sleep, worrying about what we were going to do, and trying desperately to think of something I could do, but despite the fact that I'd been the one to find the leads we had now, it seemed like we couldn't get any further with them.
And then when I came home and looked at my phone for the first time all day, I found more than half a dozen messages from Sayu, demanding that I call her back. Before I even had a chance, though, she was knocking on my door, barging in almost without permission, telling me I had to listen to the tape she'd brought.
Its contents shocked me.
Sayu frowned at me. "Hey, I risked a lot to get this evidence."
"Exactly. You never should have done that." I wondered if this was how the others felt when I did something stupid, but I still couldn't believe Sayu had taken such a risk.
"I know it was dangerous, but you can arrest him now."
She made it sound so simple. "How do I explain where I got this tape? It's obviously you talking to Rei." I already knew the guys would assume I'd put her up to it, but that might be better for her.
"I understand I could get in trouble, Matsuda," she told me solemnly. "It'll be worth it if we catch this guy. He admitted to making fake IDs last week—I think there's a good chance he really is connected to the case, especially after that stuff he said about Aizawa." She paused, toying with her necklace. "I guess you don't have to take the tape in if you don't want to, but it would be dumb to let it go to waste."
I turned the tape over in my hands, reluctant to trash it. Even if the others wanted to look the other way, they might not be able to do anything to protect her.
Pushing papers all week while they were out investigating, though, had really gotten frustrating after a few days, and it felt like, no matter how many times I said I wanted to help, Aizawa wouldn't let me. I knew it was because I dropped my wallet in Rei's yard and then screwed up the stakeout with Ide, but it wasn't fair. And besides, so far, Miyami appeared to be completely clean, and we were getting nowhere fast.
"Here's what we'll do," I said finally. "I'll go with you tomorrow night and try to get pictures as you make the exchange with Rei. If you disguise yourself a little we might be able to hide the fact that you were there—at least for a while. That should be enough to get the others' attention; and then I'll talk to Aizawa about this tape. Hopefully we can arrest and get a confession out of Rei without bringing you into it at all."
Sayu smiled. "Wow, Matsu, I'm impressed."
I tried to laugh. "Hey, I can think of good ideas from time to time."
"I told you we make a great team." She touched my arm, and then her smile fell as she seemed to think of something. "What about some of that stuff Rei asked me about you? I get that he's keeping tabs on Aizawa-san, by why would he be interested in you?"
I thought a moment, but it didn't take long to come up with an answer. Reluctantly, I said, "Because of my ID. I think I dropped my wallet in his garden. I had to cancel my credit card and everything."
Sayu's expression hardened. "So what are you saying? He found it and just asked to see if you're really a police officer?" Her worry transformed into horror. "Or is he going to come after you?"
"Nah." I did my best to sound cool. "I doubt it. If he was going to press charges, he would have done it, and there's not much else he can do to me, especially if he's lying low." I hope, I added silently.
Still, Sayu looked skeptical and concerned, so I didn't tell her I'd lost my Taro Matsui ID along with my real identification. If Rei was involved with the person behind these killings, this gave them the perfect opportunity to find out exactly who I was.
"That's it?" Sayu demanded. "That isn't very comforting."
"Nothing's gonna happen to me, Sayu. So he found my ID? Who cares?"
"Yeah, but if this guy is after you, you shouldn't be anywhere near him."
My face flushed. That's what Aizawa thought too, but her concern didn't make me feel stupid or incapable. It was actually kind of nice. "I'll be all right," I assured her. "We'll pick this guy up as quick as we can, and hopefully he'll tell us everything we need to know. I mean, we're going to be too late no matter what we do, but at least this way we might be able to solve the case before anything too terrible happens."
"And you still won't tell me what's going to happen on Friday?"
"I don't know what's gonna happen on Friday," I told her truthfully.
It was obvious she didn't completely believe me, and she didn't agree with me, but she gave it up. "Okay, we'll do it your way. But on Friday, I expect a full explanation."
"You'll get one. I promise." I didn't know if I could necessarily keep that promise, but chances were, by Friday, everyone would know the consequences of our failure anyway.
Sayu studied me, really searching my eyes for the truth, and then she suddenly cupped my face between her hands and leaned up to press a kiss against my lips, not quite long enough for me to kiss her back.
With that, she got to her feet. "I better go."
The kiss left me in such a daze, I barely had enough presence of mind to show her to the door, but I caught her hand before she went out and squeezed it. Her eyes glowed as she smiled back at me, and then she was gone.
-Last Day-
After work, I drove up to the cafe in Chiyoda where Sayu was supposed to meet with Rei, bringing the best camera I could get my hands on.
The neighborhood was clean, and the place was upscale. Bright lights and classical music poured out of it, and all the people coming and going were dressed in tuxedos and expensive gowns. They even had valet parking, so I pulled into the natural grocer next door, and by then Sayu was coming toward me, wearing a black dress with her hair down for once. I couldn't imagine her getting on the bus that way, and I hoped she'd taken a cab.
I'd meant to get here ahead of her. but leaving work had been tough. It was our last day to investigate, and everyone was frantic with their own worry and anger because we hadn't gotten anywhere, and we didn't understand why that was. Aizawa had organized the others into groups at the end of the day to go out investigating after hours, in hopes that they could at least get something on Miyami.
When I'd told them I had a date and couldn't help, they'd all scowled at me and grumbled about how I'd never change, but in the end, Aizawa had just spat, "Fine. I can't make you work overtime." As I left, everyone was mad at me, and that made me feel guilty, but I knew this would make up for it.
Lugging the camera with me, I met Sayu on the sidewalk. "Sorry I'm late."
"It's all right." She adjusted her hair, and I tried not to stare at her. Tonight she looked like a princess, standing in the light of the setting sun, pink lips puckered nervously as she glanced around the street, and I'd never seen her looking so grown up and beautiful.
Standing next to her, I felt insignificant and grungy.
At least it was a quiet neighborhood, with the café and market set in the middle of a residential area. The old trees quivered in the breeze, and the streetlamps glowed with a violet blue cast, and everything was calm.
"Rei should be here by eight," she said. "That gives you thirty minutes to set up your camera."
I checked for a decent vantage point, but there wasn't a place with great cover. "You guys are going to meet out here in the parking lot, right? Maybe I'll set up across the street."
Sayu scanned the narrow alley directly across from us. It was poorly lit and empty, but there were a couple of trash bins to provide a hiding spot at least. "Okay. That's creepy… Don't you think you could just sit in your car?"
"I don't want to risk him noticing me." I thought the alley looked creepy too, but I added, "I'll be fine."
"In that case, I'll be sure to stand here under this streetlight so you can get decent pictures."
"Great. If the papers he gives you are in an envelope, make sure you take them out and try to hold them up so I can get a clear shot of what they are."
She raised an eyebrow. "You must have an amazing camera."
"I took it from the station." I patted my camera bag. "But no. They'll have to be blown up later." I surveyed the situation one last time, from the bluish streetlight haloing her, to the people laughing on the café patio, and back to her dress, which was hemmed just at the mid-thigh. "Are you sure you'll be okay out here?"
Folding her arms against the chill, she nodded, and the breeze rustled her hair softly. I couldn't stop thinking about how she kissed me last night. "Will you?"
"Yeah." I handed her my keys. "Feel free to sit in my car until he shows up."
With one last smile at her, I crossed over to the alley, picking out a spot where I'd be hard to see and setting up the tripod. I didn't know much about my equipment, but at least I was smart enough to remove the lens cover. I looked through and focused on Sayu to check my vantage point, distracted again by how great she looked—I wished we could actually go inside and have dinner together—that made me feel like a creep though, so I moved the tripod a couple times, always careful to stay out of sight, and then stuffed the camera bag against the corner of the dumpster and the wall. After that, there was nothing to do but wait, so I crouched down in the alley with my back against the cold bricks.
In the crisp, cloudy night, the smell of rain hung, and the neighborhood seemed to be bound by a spell of utter silence. Scents of rich food drifted across the road to tempt me, and I remembered I hadn't eaten since lunch. Breeze tugged at my hair, and I turned up the collar of my jacket and blew into my hands to keep them from getting stiff.
Across the street, Sayu had gotten into my car, and I could just make out the shape of her head past the tinted glass. My phone said five til eight.
I was disappointed but not surprised to have to wait another ten minutes. It wasn't very long—things came up. No big deal. My hands were getting numb at that point, and my back was starting to feel stiff, but I knew he'd come soon.
In my car, it looked like Sayu had turned on the radio, and I even imagined I could hear her sweet voice singing.
When another fifteen minutes had gone by, I realized I'd missed my opportunity to stand up and stretch; if he pulled up while I was distracted, I might not get a chance to take photos good enough to arrest him.
After a grand total of forty minutes, I was freezing and seriously annoyed that he'd make her wait so long. It wasn't even professional. Trying to get some feeling back into them, I rubbed my hands together—at this rate, I wouldn't be able to take the stupid pictures because my fingers were numb.
Soon, an hour had passed. My back ached. Then it was another twenty minutes before Sayu finally stepped out of my car, walked carefully to the edge of the road in her heels, and hissed, "Matsuda!"
Groaning, I got up again, twisting to pop my back and stretching my arms over my head while I scanned the parking lot for any sign that someone was watching, but dinner rush was over, the café quieter. "Yeah?"
"Come here, please."
Still reluctant to leave my post and equipment, I picked up my camera, tripod and all, and was just about to dash across the street.
A roaring engine accompanied by the screech of tires burning on the asphalt cut through the night, and a small, white car zoomed around the corner, barreling right at me. I raised one hand to shield my face against the blinding, blue headlights.
The terrifying bang of gunfire reverberated through the night, drowning out everything else.
Instinct kicked in. I dropped the camera to the ground, screaming for Sayu to run, and dove back into the alley to duck behind the dumpster, covering my head with both arms.
Gunshots rattled off in the darkness around me. It was like a warzone. I heard bullets ricocheting off the walls and the fire escape over my head. Voices shouted and dogs started barking. The ground itself seemed to quake. I lay with my face pressed against the concrete, gritting my teeth, eyes closed, just praying I wouldn't be hit.
It felt like it went on forever, each shot like a ringing gong inside my ear. One bounced off the ground right beside me. My body jerked in terror. I hadn't expected this to be my last night alive.
Finally, the shots stopped and the tires squealed. I heard the engine roar away into the distance and slowly disappear.
After that, the only sound to disrupt the silence was that of my ragged breathing. My muscles felt knotted, and my body shook.
Slowly, I sat up on my knees, voice hitching dangerously close to a sob as I called, "S-Sayu!"
"Matsuda!"
She was already racing toward me. Behind her, a crowd of people milled in front of the café, some brave enough to run in my direction also, but she burst away from them, kicking off her heels to sprint across the street.
I wanted to run to her so bad. I wanted to catch her in my arms and never let go. Clumsily, I shambled to my feet, collapsing again immediately. "S-sayu…"
She hit me hard, flinging her arms around my chest. She buried her face in my shoulder and started to bawl. "Matsuda! Matsuda! Oh my God!"
Automatically, I threaded my hand into her hair and clenched her tightly against my body. I was shaking like a leaf in the wind, and my voice ached. I realized for the first time that I'd been screaming. "I-I'm okay…" I rasped. "Are you?"
She just cried, but she didn't seem to be injured.
Other people collected around us, carefully. A few of them were already on their phones, filming or calling for emergency services.
"Sayu. Sayu. It's okay. I'm all right."
She pulled away to stare up into my face with teary eyes and flushed cheeks. "Someone tried to—oh my God, Matsuda, you're bleeding!" Gently, she swiped at my forehead, fingers coming back crimson.
Both my palms were torn open too, and one knee was scraped where my pants had ripped. My right hand had a sliver lodged in the fat part of my thumb, and I looked down to see I was kneeling in a pile of broken glass. "I-I'm okay…"
Shaking her head, Sayu jerked away and dug her phone out of her bodice. "I can't believe this," she choked. "I'm calling Aizawa."
"No." I grabbed her hand, accidentally smearing blood on her creamy skin. "No, it's okay." I felt strangely calm, despite what just happened. "I'm fine. I promise."
"You idiot," she spat. "Someone tried to kill you."
"Yeah. But if the others come here you'll be in trouble…"
Shaking her head, she jerked away and pressed the phone to her ear.
Meanwhile, an older man with glasses and a white beard approached us. "Excuse me." He reached out his hand to help me to my feet. "I'm a doctor. Are you all right, son? Does anything hurt?"
"No. I'm fine. Thanks."
He looked me up and down like he didn't believe me, one hand on my shoulder. "The police have been contacted, along with the paramedics. They'll all be here soon, so why don't you both come inside? Just in case."
Next, he offered his hand to Sayu, but she ignored him, clinging to my arm and sobbing fiercely. I realized she was already on the phone with Aizawa. "I'm all right…but…but Matsuda…"
"Sayu!" I hissed. "Don't scare him."
"No, he's fine…but…someone tried to kill him," she wailed. "Just now! Right. Chiyoda."
I realized she was holding one of my bleeding hands carefully in her own, leading me across the street. The doctor walked on the other side of me, still gripping my shoulder, and a small group of interested people trailed along with us, an instant community created out of human decency.
Sayu gave Aizawa the address to the café and then said goodbye. She looked up at me. "He'll be here soon."
"Okay," I muttered flatly. That was the last thing I needed, Aizawa barging over here, barking orders and demanding to know what happened, telling me how dumb I'd been to do this by myself. It sounded so awful, I even glanced at my car, wondering if I might be able to get away before he showed up.
At the café, all the patrons and staff had come out to see what had happened. They made me sit down at a table on the patio. Some of them checked me over and asked if I was all right. The manager brought me some water. A mischievous waiter slipped me a shot of bourbon. Everyone promised over and over that the police and the ambulance were on their way, and I should remain calm.
I'd never realized a group of strangers could be so interested and concerned, but I'd also never felt so calm in my life. Everything was more like a dream, and the knowledge that I'd wake up soon turned the horror of almost dying hazy and dull.
Absently, I yanked the shard of glass out of my hand and watched the blood run all the richer.
Sayu swept the hair out of my eyes. I wondered where my mother was and what she'd have to say if she knew her youngest child had almost died. I wondered what my two sisters would say. I'd always been their baby. Best not to alarm them.
"What were you calling me over for?" I asked Sayu.
Mascara streaked her pretty face, and she dabbed at her eyes. "What?"
"You called me across the street. Why?"
"Matsuda…" Teary-eyed and pink-faced, she studied me, and I felt bad for making her cry. I'd give almost anything to kiss her again. "I don't think that's important right now."
Harshly, I drummed my fingernails against the iron table, listening carefully to the metallic rattle, wanting it to be the only sound on Earth. "Please tell me."
Sighing, she wiped her nose with the back of her wrist. "Rei called and told me we'd have to reschedule for later. That was all."
So that's how it was. He must have known I was going to be here somehow. Maybe he'd even tried to kill me himself—that would make sense if he had my IDs, both real and fake.
I couldn't believe I'd been stupid enough to lose my wallet. It had almost cost me my life.
Mogi
Aizawa was driving too fast, with his siren blaring, but I tried to stay calm as we raced through the remnants of evening traffic. "What did Sayu say?"
He hadn't given me much information, and that was frustrating. Without information, how was I supposed to know whether or not I could panic?
Constant worry creased his forehead already, so maybe he simply didn't have much information to share. "She just said someone tried to kill him."
"No details?"
"Mogi, don't you think I'd give you the details if I had them? She was upset, crying. I'm lucky I got the address from her."
I found it odd that someone would try to murder Matsuda while he was on a date.
"I knew this would happen!" Aizawa's voice hitched with mild hysteria. "He's been taking way too many risks—obviously this psycho thinks he's the one who killed Kira."
"That doesn't make sense," I told him, softly. "If he knows Matsuda shot Kira, why not shoot him the day of the carjacking?"
"Maybe he's sorted it out since then."
Or else we were just panicking because we do knew Matsuda shot Kira.
"I can't think of another reason someone would try to kill him," Aizawa insisted, insincerely, though, as if he did have some idea.
Ever since I'd found out Matsuda had been investigating on his own, I'd thought he and Sayu must be doing something behind our backs—it couldn't be coincidental that Matsuda had started finding vital clues all by himself and getting close to Sayu at the same time.
What I didn't understand was why Sayu would even want to be involved in the case, or why Matsuda would let her.
"Is he hurt?"
Not seeming to hear me, Aizawa raced through a stop light, and I clutched the door in a white knuckle grip.
"Is Matsuda hurt?" I asked again, not bothering to raise my voice.
"No. She said he isn't."
In that case, no need to be going code three.
I considered Matsuda's black eye. It had faded some since last Saturday, but it made me wonder if he wasn't in trouble over something that had nothing to do with the case.
What an inconvenient time to go rogue. We'd been up since dawn, desperately trying to find something out before tomorrow's ominous deadline, and now, just as we'd finally seen Miyami sneaking around an abandoned warehouse—presumably trespassing—we got called away, and of course, all of this was to protect Matsuda in the first place.
As usual, I doubted he was thinking very hard about how much trouble he was really in, but Aizawa, Ide, and I all understood it, and really we were trying to solve this case as quickly as possible to keep anything from happening to him, whether it be that this murderer uncovered his identity and made a move, or the NPA figured out he was the one the terrorist wanted and betrayed him.
"What was Miyami doing?" I wondered. "Normal citizens aren't allowed in that warehouse."
"No. That place closed years ago," Aizawa agreed with a certain reluctance. He had a one-track mind and obviously just wanted to focus on his current preoccupation.
But by simply being there, Miyami was acting suspicious, and for all we knew it might be the only thing we could ever get on him to begin with, but just as we'd moved in to confront him, Aizawa's had phone rang, and he'd said we had to leave immediately.
Even if I'd stayed behind, I couldn't make the arrest without backup—not in an illegal arms case—and Aizawa needed the car, so we did what we could, radioing Yoko and Okoshi, who were closest, asking around Kabukicho for information on Nishi Yamaguchi, and now they had to try and rush over to arrest Miyami themselves.
Frankly, though, even if they found something useful about Yamaguchi—even if they found the exact information that got Chiba killed—even if they successfully arrested Miyami or Rei, it would still be too late.
Shaking his head, Aizawa muttered, "Shoulda arrested Miyami when we had the opportunity."
"We don't have anything on him."
"I mean we should have arrested him tonight instead of running over to Chiyoda."
I heaved a slight sigh.
"I know. All right? I know. We couldn't ignore Sayu." He pounded the steering wheel, suddenly shouting, "Damn that Matsuda! What could he be thinking?"
I tried to come up with something to calm him down. "This could be a new lead. If there's a witness—"
"It's too late! We were supposed to have this figured out by tomorrow. We just…underestimated these people."
For the rest of the way, I was silent, contemplating my own fears.
Twenty minutes later, we screamed into the parking lot of a fancy Chiyoda café, where the ambulance sat already, along with several police cruisers, lighting up the night with their red and blue lights. A group of citizens stood off to one side, being questioned, and a crowd of restaurant workers were talking to the police as well. I saw Matsuda sitting in the back of the ambulance with a medic wrapping his hand while Sayu clutched the other.
Not bothering to close his door, Aizawa jumped out of the car, so I went around to shut it for him, and then jogged after, half worried he'd chew Matsuda out. Between getting nowhere in the investigation, having one thing after another go wrong, and the trouble we all knew he was having with his wife, he seemed to have a little less patience every day.
Matsuda flinched when he saw us, so he must be expecting to get yelled at also. "H-hey, Aizawa," he said quietly. "Mogi…"
"Hey?" Aizawa echoed, like he couldn't believe Matsuda would say something so casual, given the circumstances.
Next, Matsuda lowered his eyes and murmured, "Sorry."
Sighing, Aizawa slipped his hands into his pockets. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah… Just a little scraped up."
As the medic finished with the small cut on Matsuda's forehead, he assured us, "He should be fine." He gave Aizawa and me a once over. "Are you his father?"
I think all three of us gave him the same questioning look. Granted, Matsuda appeared a little younger than he was, but I couldn't believe anyone could jump to that conclusion.
Then again, Matsuda didn't seem to have parents of his own to show up during a situation like this—he'd never seemed to, not even when he was younger—and frankly, at his age and marital status, they should still be the ones called to a scene like this. I supposed the medic expected as much as well.
"Gimme a break," Aizawa grumbled. "Do I look that old? I'm his partner."
Sayu, puffy-eyed from crying, gave a little sniff that almost sounded like a laugh, and the medic nodded gravely.
"Oh, I see." He glanced between the two of them with a knowing expression. "I just assumed he and the young lady—"
Matsuda turned beet red, and Aizawa practically shouted, "No, no! Not like that! We're partners—detectives—you know? We drive around in the same cruiser sometimes." As if it would somehow vouch for his orientation, he ripped out his badge and showed it to the man. "See? Captain Shuichi Aizawa."
"No offense was intended," the medic replied calmly, though it must have been jarring to be shouted at without warning. He started to pack up his supplies.
Looking mortified, Matsuda turned away, and I felt a laugh beginning to creep up my throat, partially out of relief and partially from the awkward nature the situation. I coughed to disguise it.
"Excuse you," Aizawa growled at me, and then asked of the medic, "Look, does he have to go to the hospital or can he go home? That's all I want to know."
The medic was starting to look a bit offended by Aizawa's lack of manners. "There's no need for him to go to the hospital…unless he wants to."
We all turned to Matsuda, and Sayu stroked his hand.
"I feel fine," he repeated, much too calmly, and even a little blankly.
"In that case, he should go home and rest. I believe he's in shock, so he shouldn't drive."
Matsuda scowled. "I can't drive? I feel totally fine."
"Someone tried to kill you, dummy," Aizawa muttered. "Use your head."
"I guess," Matsuda agreed, with a sigh.
For several seconds, I looked him over, but he was dressed down in a t-shirt and slacks, somewhat tattered, and wide-eyed. Next, I studied Sayu, who seemed to be prepared for a night out, though her feet were bare, her shoes missing. Based on their individual appearances, they didn't seem to be together.
"What the hell happened here?" Aizawa demanded brusquely.
While we looked expectantly at Matsuda, he fidgeted with the bandage on his hand, voice strangely cool. "Where should I start?"
"What about what you two are doing here in the first place," Aizawa told him, with all his general firmness.
As if they'd already discussed what answer to give us, Matsuda and Sayu exchanged the briefest glance, and she held his hand tighter. "We came for dinner," she said.
Never mind that a place like this was typically out of Matsuda's price range. He made decent money, but tended to spend it on frivolities, eating out or purchasing gadgets for his phone and his car. He was always walking into the station, bragging about the latest piece of nonessential tech he'd purchased. God, I was so glad he was okay and could keep doing that.
Suddenly, Sayu looked seriously at Matsuda, "Maybe we—"
Matsuda cut her off, "Anyway, I came out to get my wallet."
"You left your wallet in the car?" Aizawa demanded. "Can't you keep track of it?"
"Yeah, I guess I was distracted. While I was out here—"
The screeching sound of tires drowned him out suddenly, and headlights flooded the parking lot.
It was just Ide's cruiser, but Matsuda jumped out of his skin, a strangled cry struggling to escape from his mouth.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow at him.
Gently, I said, "Drive by, huh?"
"Y-yeah…" Matsuda pushed one shaking hand through his hair, staring nervously at the cruiser even as Ide and Kei stepped out. "I took cover, but it was close…"
"That's fortunate," I remarked. Police training had obviously saved his life.
Smoking furiously, Ide jogged up beside us. "Hey. I made it in time for the tailgate party," he joked wanly, and then stared at Matsuda. "You okay?"
Matsu nodded.
Kei joined us, looking a touch less cheerful than usual, and Aizawa caught them up to speed. "Apparently, our ace detective here got caught up in a drive by shooting."
Looking all the more startled and disturbed, Ide pulled the cigarette out of his mouth without taking a drag. "Drive by?"
"Oh my gosh!" Kei threw her arms around Matsuda's neck, nuzzling him with her forehead. "That's so scary! Are you okay?"
Disdainfully, Sayu looked her up and down, but said nothing.
Ide, also, looked dissatisfied, rolling his eyes and grunting, "Be professional for once in your life, Komagata."
"I'm okay," Matsuda assured Kei, prying her off.
Maybe he and Sayu really were together. Maybe they had been here just to eat. I stepped back to survey our environment.
We were in a valet-attended parking lot, which meant all the cars were in the back somewhere, away from the street, but I noticed his sitting in front of the market next door, at the far edge of the parking lot, not so much as a nick in the paint. For that matter, none of the cars around it were damaged either. Across the street, I noticed damage to the walls of the mouth of an alley, and an overturned garbage can lay there, along with what looked suspiciously like a camera tripod tipped onto its side.
"Matsu," I said. "Which side of the street were you on?"
From his distressed expression, I gathered he had been intentionally withholding that detail, but he pointed across the street, resignedly. "Over there."
Aizawa and Ide both turned to study the alley.
"What were you doing?" Ide wondered.
"I…I was just…looking at something."
"Even after those two ex-cops were killed the exact same way?"
"Miraculous, isn't he?" Aizawa scoffed under his breath.
"I know." Matsuda rubbed the back of his neck. "It was stupid."
It didn't sound completely truthful to me, but I didn't see any point in grilling him right now; later, we might be able to get the full story from Sayu. In the meantime, I said softly, "At least you're all right."
"Okay, well what kind of car was it?" Ide asked. "Did you get a plate number?"
Matsuda blinked at him. "No… No… I didn't see much. It was white. I don't know anything else…"
Ide looked at Sayu next.
Slowly, she shrugged. "White. Compact. I didn't see plates, but I wasn't looking…" She shivered. "I'm sorry."
Aizawa mumbled under his breath something that sounded a lot like, "What am I doing?" and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sure the cops around here already took as many eye witness accounts as they could get. I'll take Matsuda home… Kei, do you mind driving Sayu?"
"Not at all, Captain," Kei answered, smiling at Sayu.
"Mogi, you and Ide stick around here, see if you can collect some evidence. Give me a call later."
Immediately, Ide produced a notepad. "Got it."
"I'd like to come along with you," I told Aizawa.
The request seemed to catch him off guard, but when he saw my serious look he knew better than to question it. "All right, you're on board, but we're leaving now. Kei, take Matsuda's car to drive Sayu and then bring it to his apartment."
She gave him a thumbs up. "All righty, let's go."
"Just a sec." Sayu turned a long, tender look on Matsuda, and she was still clenching his hand tightly, the way I'd expect a girlfriend to in this situation. "Are you sure you're all right?"
He nodded, tiredly.
"I'm glad," she sighed. "Call me tomorrow?"
"Right."
With that, she leaned in close to kiss his cheek, and then let go of his hand at last, but slowly, like she didn't want to, and walked away with Kei. I heard Kei ask, "Want some gum, oneechan?"
"C'mon guys, move out," Aizawa ordered.
Immediately, Matsuda hopped down from the back of the ambulance, but his legs buckled and gave out. I managed to steady him before he fell on his face, and realized for the first time how badly he was shaking.
"You all right?"
"For the last time, I'm fine." The words sounded firm, but his voice was too quiet, and it was trembling also. As usual, he wanted to be tough for us.
Ide patted his shoulder. "Take it easy." Next he looked at Aizawa with a somewhat smug smile. "Drive carefully, all right? It's over."
"Mind your own business," Aizawa grumbled half-heartedly. "You nag."
Still chuckling to himself, Ide walked away to begin collecting evidence, and we half-led half-dragged Matsuda to the car. Aizawa drove. I sat shotgun, and Matsuda sank into the back with his forehead pressed to the window, breath leaving a steamy mark on the glass.
We reached his apartment in decent time. Aizawa was still driving a little fast, likely from leftover adrenaline, but I refused to comment. I wasn't Ide, and I didn't want to get snapped at over the fact.
By the time we parked, Matsuda could walk again, and he was surprisingly casual as he led the way inside, saying, "I'm sorry it's so messy, but make yourselves at home." He threw his jacket over the back of the couch and dumped his keys onto the coffee table. "I've got food and drinks… You know. Just grab whatever you want."
In the light, he looked pale and anxious, eyes darting occasionally, and his nostrils were flared. He gave us a weak smile and headed toward his bedroom. "I'm gonna take a shower. You can let yourselves out though, right?"
Aizawa snorted like that was ridiculous. "I'm not leaving, Matsuda."
"Oh." Matsu paused in the hallway to look back at him. "Um. Okay. Well, make yourself at home." Next, he turned to me. "See you tomorrow, right, Mogi?"
"How hard did you hit your head?" Aizawa demanded. "Someone tried to kill you—you think I'd leave you here alone or expect you at work tomorrow?"
Matsuda sighed and leaned against the wall, exasperation taking over his confusion, like he may have been playing dumb. "Aizawa, I'm fine. Really. I don't need—"
"He's right," I intervened before they could start arguing. "You should stay home tomorrow."
"But tomorrow is—"
"I know." Aizawa sounded incredibly tired. "I know, and I don't care if tomorrow's doomsday and we need the help of every cop in the world; you're staying home."
Matsuda took some time to give him a steady look, as if trying to think of a way to change his mind.
"Look." Aizawa walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to act so tough. If you freak out right now, no one's going to laugh at you."
"But… I'm really not freaked out. At least, I don't feel like I am." He lifted his hands to watch their violent shaking. "I mean, I guess I am a little gun-shy."
"We get it, Matsu. It's okay. I'm not saying you have to sit down on the couch and cry, I'm just saying it's okay if you're not fine."
I got the feeling he wasn't just referring to tonight's events, but I doubted Matsuda would catch on.
Still staring at his trembling hands, Matsuda asked in a quiet tone, "Guys… Who would try to kill me?"
"We're going to figure that out," I assured him.
"That's right," Aizawa agreed with unexpected patience. "It would help if you'd tell us everything you can."
Obviously Aizawa wouldn't have missed it the tripod tipped in the alley.
We both waited to see what Matsuda would say, and from the thoughtful look in his eye I could tell he was close to confessing everything, but at the last second he visibly changed his mind, stiffening his upper lip, pushed his hand through his hair, and mumbled, "Yeah…I guess. But is it okay if I tell you later? Right now…" He heaved a breath. "I'm kinda tired."
"Of course," Aizawa said gently. "Go get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on things."
Nodding, Matsuda finally muttered, "Goodnight, you guys," and continued down the hallway.
Once he'd gone, I scanned the apartment. Dishes hadn't been done in several days and the faucet was leaking, the floor needed to be swept, and such clutter ruled the living room, I didn't bother considering where to sit down.
Aizawa went over and dropped onto the couch, rubbing his face like he had a bad headache, and in the other room, I heard the shower turn on. "So," Aizawa said suddenly. "You wanted to talk, right? Let's talk."
Even though I had several things to say, I waited for him to start.
"This whole thing is obviously about Matsuda; the question is, who would try to kill him? And what do they stand to gain?"
"Sounds like you've got a theory."
He rubbed his chin. "Just that some Kira fanatic somehow uncovered the classified events of January 28th."
"There shouldn't be any written information concerning that day, other than Kira was apprehended by five members of the taskforce."
"Well, let's say for sake of argument someone told them."
"That would mean an NPA official is leaking information."
"Yeah. God knows we've got as many enemies there right now as we have friends. If not more. Even then though, the perps would have to know what Matsuda looked like, and they'd have to know where he was going tonight. We already know that idiot dropped his ID somewhere, so that mystery is solved. As for knowing where he was going tonight, they had to have followed him, overheard his conversation with Sayu, or set him up."
I leveled a serious look on him, lowering my voice. "Do you really believe they went to Chiyoda for a date?"
"No. Particularly not since that café is just a few blocks from where Atashi Rei lives. Matsuda must really think I'm stupid." He scowled down at the cluttered coffee table, where a smiley face mug beamed up at him. He turned it around. "Matsuda's a doofus, but I have a hard time believing he'd honestly go out on a date while the rest of us were working overtime to prevent a catastrophe."
"Not to mention the camera," I said.
Aizawa nodded. "The camera… Looks like the corporal's been sneaking around gathering information without us, so in answer to the original question—who would want to kill him—I say it has to be someone he was investigating who saw his face, found his ID, and felt threatened."
"Atashi Rei?"
"Sounds about right." He bit his thumbnail. "What I don't understand is why Matsuda suddenly feels like he has to sneak around behind our backs."
I thought back to the days of working with L. Matsuda had felt the need to investigate the Yotsuba group behind L's back, an action I hadn't personally identified with but could at least understand. Aizawa wasn't there at the time, so I told him, "The last time he did something this…careless, I think it's because he felt underappreciated, and he happened to be in a position where he thought he could take action. Impulse really."
"I don't think this is impulse. And I can't imagine why he'd feel underappreciated either, since he is involved in the case."
All week, Matsuda had been at a desk, and though he hadn't bothered to complain much, I'd caught glimpses of dissatisfaction on his face, honest testaments to exactly how frustrated it made him to be, in his mind, excluded from the real investigating. I shrugged. "I think he wants to prove himself to you."
"Why?" He turned the coffee mug around again and stared at the smiley face like it would give him some insight into Matsuda's psyche, whispering, "He shot Kira. I'm as impressed with him as I can possibly be."
I ventured to say, "You don't act it."
He shot me a questioning, almost offended look.
"Matsuda, you idiot," I intoned. "Our ace detective. That careless moron."
Folding his arms, Aizawa sat back and huffed, "Well, he is most of those things. It doesn't mean I'm not impressed."
"You could tone it down."
"I'm not his father."
"You're his superior."
His expression darkened. "This isn't kindergarten, Mogi. His self-esteem issues aren't my responsibility."
Briefly, I wondered what Matsuda's father was like, and if there was any correlation to the way he acted now, but, clearly, if Matsuda wouldn't call the man after a near death experience, like tonight, there must be some rift there. "You're potentially about to be chief—it makes sense for him to want to prove to you he's a good officer—and I don't think he expects us to be impressed by something he hates himself for."
Immediately, Aizawa blinked and frowned like he'd never thought of that.
"Furthermore…" I glanced toward the hallway, where I still heard the shower running. "I think Matsuda wants to help you, Aizawa."
"Me?" His expression transformed into confusion. "You mean us."
Even after what they'd put him through, he had no idea how concerned the three of us had been. For the most part, Aizawa had resumed to business as usual, almost acting as if that relentless interrogation had never happened, refusing to even consider all its true implications, and if I pointed that much out to him now, I knew he'd deny it, brush it off, not wanting to show anything outside of blazing confidence.
"You're in charge—you have a lot riding, personally, on this case." I hesitated, and then went on, quieter, "We all know…it's hard for you to be in charge of an investigation that isn't going well, especially since you're being asked to risk things you care about. Matsuda, of course, wants to alleviate some of that."
Also glancing toward the hall, he hissed, "He isn't doing a very good job, giving me a heart attack every other day."
"Possibly," I cleared my throat, "if you'd give him a task you know he'll excel at, he wouldn't feel the need to try and help you behind your back."
That was where L had mismanaged Matsuda also, turning him into an errand boy and making him look after Misa even when he'd made it clear he wanted to help. I'd thought then that it wasn't right, but I'd kept my mouth shut, telling myself there was no reasoning with L; when Matsuda almost lost his life over it, I'd told myself I'd made a mistake. I understood him. Even if I didn't know him that well, I'd anticipated he might do something careless once he felt pushed into a corner and undervalued, and yet I'd stood by and let it happen. Just because I wasn't in charge didn't mean I couldn't have helped him out some way, and I was determined not to do that again.
"He has a lot of energy and drive, he's good with people, and he's competent with his gun. He's an ideal undercover agent, and I'm not at all surprised that's what he always gravitates to."
Aizawa scowled. "You're talkative tonight. What are you saying? I should look the other way while Matsuda sneaks around playing secret agent because he's good at it?"
"No. But you're the boss. It's your job to put your men on tasks you know they'll excel at—you do it with everyone but him."
A long time passed, and Aizawa sat in silence, while I waited. In the back of the apartment, the water shut off.
Finally, he grumbled, "Maybe I don't know how to use Matsuda. He's so unpredictable, he might do something perfectly one day and screw it all up the next."
I couldn't help grinning a bit. "Yeah, I know. You don't want him to get hurt."
"Or killed," Aizawa corrected, saltily, but then he suddenly slumped down in the couch, saying, quieter than ever, "It's…more than that, Mogi. I don't want to be the one who fucks him up… Sometimes, I think about the day Soichiro died and how well Matsuda did on that mission—he does have the energy and instincts and skill with a weapon to do something like that—but he's not a killer."
Considering the way he'd shot Light, I wasn't completely convinced of that.
"Well," Aizawa amended, likely thinking of it as well, "not currently. He could be. And that's what I'm saying. If I turn Mr. Smiley into a cold-blooded killer, am I really doing him any favors?"
"That's a bit extreme."
"We're living in an extreme time. Anyway." He sat forward again. "None of this explains why he's investigating behind my back, because I made it perfectly clear that I'd sooner support him than stop him. So there's no logic. He investigates the same things we do all day long; who gets off work and hits the streets alone?"
"I think it has to do with Sayu."
Aizawa gaped at me. "Sayu? Why?"
"Last I checked, he's depressed and disinterested in anything outside of work. So why get involved with Sayu Yagami of all people out of nowhere?"
He got to his feet, starting to pace. I'd been afraid of that. "You know, that makes me think of something else. Don't you think it's weird we've gotten nowhere on this case?"
I didn't follow, so I waited.
"We've been investigating these seven deaths—not to mention Chiba's—for over a week, and the only good leads we've gotten have both come from Matsuda, who's apparently been sneaking around pretending to be a civilian at night."
"What do you think that means?"
"It's no secret all this Kira shit turned the people against us."
"You think they'd lie about anything they'd seen or hadn't seen? Omit details?"
"Withhold information," Aizawa snarled suddenly. "In a world where Kira is absolute, why should they have to tell the cops anything?"
I raised my eyebrow at him. "And you're telling me Matsuda figured that out before we did, and that's why he's investigating by himself?"
"I guess!" He threw his hands up.
Briefly, I mulled it over. "It doesn't sound like a conclusion he'd arrive at on his own, but if he knows something the rest of us don't, that would explain why someone tried to kill him."
"That doesn't help it make sense. Why did he go out of his way to confess to me that he's been investigating alone if he wasn't going to knock it off when I told him to? He promised me-" His phone rang, and he cut off, grumbling as he answered it, "Hang on, Mogi. Okoshi? What did you find?" After listening a few seconds, his expression turned disappointed. "I see. I'm at Matsuda's apartment. He's okay. Would you guys mind hitting a few more bars to see if you can find anything on Yamaguchi? Thanks. After that, you can call it a night. Good. Bye."
"Miyami?" I asked.
"He was gone by the time they reached the warehouse. They looked around but didn't find anything suspicious."
I shook my head. "That's that."
Next, my phone buzzed, and I read the text. "Kei's outside. I guess, if you want, we can take a taxi and go meet up with Ide to try and find out more about Yamaguchi."
"Sure." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Don't run too late though. I have a feeling we'll need to be fresh for tomorrow."
"All right. Same to you."
I met Kei downstairs and we got a hold of Ide, who said he'd come meet us. We walked a few blocks, and Kei chattered about her time with Sayu, expressing several times how cute she thought she and Matsuda were.
I didn't know about that, but based on what I'd seen tonight, Sayu was apparently helping Matsuda investigate, and the close proximity to Rei's house likely did mean they'd been trying to get something on the forger. The tripod in the alley suggested he'd hoped to get photographic evidence of it. He'd been dressed for investigating, Sayu had not. It couldn't be more obvious that he'd apparently arranged for Sayu to meet with Rei, and if they'd hoped to get photos, that seemed to mean only one thing—they'd found some way to prove he was a forger.
In that case, Sayu must have somehow managed to hire Rei for his services. It was an idea Ide had kicked around a couple days ago, but we'd hit a snag in not knowing who to send, because, assuming he was watching our squad, we'd need someone Rei wouldn't recognize, and there just weren't enough people who wanted to help us. Matsuda could have taken the idea to Sayu and executed it on his own.
I got all that from an evening gown and a tipped over tripod. Maybe I am cut out to work with Near.
Assuming Aizawa was right about people not trusting the police anymore, my whole premise for joining the force had been to protect and save people had been destroyed, and I wasn't a man for thankless heroics.