Disclaimer: All the DDS characters belong to their creator.
More twists and truns and possible red herrings
10. Wolf in the Flock
"This is terrible…" Their principal whispered as the cortege got ready to leave for the crematorium. Beside him, Yukihira nodded grimly. She cast an eye over the mourners. Shiramine and Gouda were there. Saburomaru had put it a brief appearance earlier, but got seen off by Mr Toya for trying to push insurance at the wake. Class E's Kagome and Junior were present. Junior was in his wheelchair, attended to by a dour-looking nun acting as his nurse. Class Q was also there to pay their last respects, all except for Ryu. "Someone in that hostel did it…" Nanami murmured. He glanced askew at his niece. Kagome acknowledged him with a slight bob of the head. Her Gothic Lolita outfit stood out even among the sombre hues of the mourners. Her doll was still cradled in her arms. It would be best if the graduates of Class A, Class Q and the students of Class E stayed out of the investigation. It was getting too close…
"Is it true?" Kyu nudged Megumi. The pink-haired girl nodded. "I got a glimpse at the autopsy report earlier at the DDS medical facility. Maki-sensei left it on the table when I came for my check-up. Kuniko-san's last meal was wholegrain bread, and creamed broccoli and chicken, taken about three hours before death… I remembered the menu in the kitchen of the hostel. They had bread and cream of broccoli and chicken soup. There was a trace of a certain drug- I think it's some sedative- in her body. Injection marks on the arm under a plaster…"
"Not only that," Kazuma whispered. "The plaster on the injection mark was the same type as that from the hostel's first-aid box, which was in plain sight on the kitchen shelf. My guess is that they needed her sedated to get her into that vest…" Kyu scrunched up his brow in thought. He might not hold any degrees in psychology yet, but the implications were painfully clear.
"I don't think Kuniko was the target. It could have been Yukihira or Megumi they took… Remember what happened to Shiramine-san? I think their aim is to…"
"Guys, we're leaving now," Junior called out. He struggled to wheel himself down the gravel path but got stuck. His silent companion assisted by taking the handles of the wheelchair and lifting it free with much difficulty.
"They wanted someone near Ryu to die, preferably in front of him… That's why they waylaid Shiramine and led Class A on a wild goose chase. They even searched the empty fields behind which were not church property," Kyu pondered. That person knew Ryu exceptionally well to predict he would act the way he did. A calmer Ryu might have noticed the undisturbed state of the crypt but racing against what he believed was a bomb… "After this, we better call on Ryu…"
Two hours later…
"He's not answering the doorbell. He may be out…" Kyu added optimistically. "It is a lovely sunny Sunday." He put on a show of forced gaiety. "What say we go to Akihabara to check out some new games? I hear they have a new dessert shop there that makes great yogurt ices."
"You guys go on ahead. I have some deliveries to make," Kinta excused himself. "I could give you a lift," Kazuma added. "I do have some new software I have to get…" Megumi suddenly grabbed at Kyu's arm. "Look there, by the trees." The teens looked and froze.
Koda Kagome smiled at them from under a lacy white parasol. She had obviously been observing Ryu's house. She closed her parasol and entered a black limo. The man who held the door open for her was none other than Kerberos. Too stunned to react, the four teens watched as the limo sped away.
"Wasn't that Nanami's niece?" Kinta gasped. "With Kerberos!" He blinked uncertain if it were a mirage or some trick of his eyes. Kazuma wiped his glasses with his sleeve. Megumi frowned. She can't be certain at that distance and the brightness of the sun. Kagome was wearing the same outfit she wore to the funeral earlier. Or was she?
The Sunday mass had long ended. "Forgive me, for I have sinned…" Jormungand started in the dim confessional. The priest on the other side of the screen was silent as he poured out his sins in hasty whispers. Sister or not, Hel would kill him.
"Little brother, you should be more careful… do you really believe there is some all-merciful God?" the voice from the other side of the screen chilled him to the bone. Fenir pulled aside the confessional's curtain and blocked the exit so that there was no escape.
"You killed her…" Jormungand hissed. His words seemed louder than they were in the empty church. Fenrir pushed him back into the narrow booth. "I don't believe in Heaven or God. But I believe in Hell. You should know. We are all living in Hell… so watch your step …" Jormungand's bones felt delicately small under his hands. It would be all too easy to snap his neck…
Sunday evening. Akihabara cyber café.
"Anything unusual on their files?" Kyu asked. He hated this. It felt downright sneaky having Kazuma hack into the DDS student files. It was the only way. Nanami sensei had ordered them, and the former Class A, to stay away from the case. The current Class A would take over the investigation with the Tokyo police. "Class E will not survive if they continue this investigation," Nanami had said. "Do you really think the killer's one of them?" Kinta had asked. Nanami had no answer to that. The chances were very high. Class E didn't have the trust which had kept Class Q together back then.
Megumi sipped at her soda, ready to commit to her memory any details Kazuma turned up. It would be too risky to print out the information. The background check on the nuns and the priest did not yield much information. Through the priest and older nuns have been in the parish for decades, the novices often came and left. Still, aside from the mystery priest who accosted Shiramine, there was nothing unusual on the priest and nuns.
"Their files read like a bad drama serial," Kazuma whistled lowly.
Qin Meiling- Father executed in China for murder. Mother is a Japanese citizen. She aims to clear her father's name… Has seven older half-siblings, all members of a performing troupe run by her paternal grandfather. Megumi frowned when she read Meiling's personal statement. It was painfully simple and direct: I will find my big sister's real killer and clear Papa's name.
Koda Kagome, niece of Nanami sensei. Into Gothic Lolita fashion and is a self-proclaimed psychic detective. Moved out after 'difficulties' with her stepfather. Kyu thought for a while and added. Probably has a huge crush on her uncle. Those heated glances she often cast in Nanami's direction were unmistakeable.
"She worked in a maid café for a while but quit to tell fortunes at Harujuku," Kazuma added as he scrolled down the bio. "Had a twin sister, Arisu, who died when they were in kindergarten. Acute appendicitis." Alice, Kyu made the connection with that doll.
Erik Thorsen, nephew of the current Norwegian counsel to Japan. Parents deceased. Witnessed the brutal shooting of his parents. Infant sister remains missing… "Check out this article," Kazuma added as he opened a new window. "Erik survived because he hid under the kitchen sink… Johannesburg police suspected gangland connections and a case of mistaken identity… the Thorsens' killers were never…" Kazuma's voice rose as he became more excited. Someone a few terminals away stood up with an angry curse.
"Kazu-" Megumi hastily warned. Kazuma turned to find Erik's Thorsen's fist heading towards his face. He braced for the impact, which never came. Kyu had caught the full force of the punch by stepping between his friend and the blond. Clutching his aching stomach, Kyu hastily apologized. "Sorry, Thorsen-san. We shouldn't pry but-"
"Look here, I don't like you digging up my past," Erik grumbled, suddenly aware of the other eyes watching their exchange. "Some things I want to forget." He turned to go but Kyu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But you never gave up looking for your sister, have you? The posts on the DDS forum from Thunderer… you're using the forum to trace your sister," Kyu asked calmly. "Would she be about Meiling's age now?"
"If you want to ask someone questions, ask that brat on wheels. He knows," Erik spat and wheeled around so he faced Kyu. "One day, I'll wipe that smug look off his face…"
"I don't know how I can help you, but don't give up."
"Eh?" Puzzlement showed in Erik's blue eyes.
"Don't give up looking for your sister no matter what they say. Because if you do, then the case will remain unsolved." There was an uneasy silence as Kyu and Erik stared at each other. Then the frown on Erik's face eased into a smile. "You're the first person to tell me that in a very long time." He blinked awkwardly and dabbed at the corners of his eyes with a sleeve.
Author's Notes:
Has Class Q gained another ally? Class E will get more time in the coming chapters. I guess all of them have a strong motive for joining DDS. I'm drawing on Kyu's 'never give up' attitude to his case-solving. Still, Class Q will be in some trouble when Nanami finds out they disobeyed his instructions.