AN: Sorry for the wait, but here's chapter eleven! Well? Didn't I say that things would really heat up from this point on? I hope everyone looks forward to it! I know I am! As always, I want to thank everyone for reading, especially those of you who have left reviews for me!
Until next time!
Bloodsport
Chapter Eleven
An Unspeakable Thing
"About that theory of yers- I'm pretty sure that you an' I are on the exact same page."
He wasn't able to hear what it was that Conan had to say in response to that- because just afterwards, the line that had been threatening to drop finally cut out. Considering how deep he had gone underground, that was to be expected. He'd have to remember to give him a call later, otherwise he was certain that his friend would worry about him.
In the meantime...
"Oi, Sera-han!" Turning on his heel, Heiji called up the stairs. "It looks like the passageway isn't goin' ta close on us, so why don't ya come down here? There's some things that ya might wanna see!"
For a brief moment, he wondered if she had heard him- before he faintly made out the sound of her reply. Making out the sound of her footsteps heading down the stairs, steadily growing louder, Heiji turned back on his heel once more, facing the room in front of him. In the back of his mind, he could almost see the triumphant look on Kazuha's face when she told him that her theory was most likely right- because what possible explanation could there be for this kind of set up other than witchcraft?
Granted, he didn't know all that much about witches, and what he did know- green skin and flying brooms- probably wasn't even anywhere near the real picture. Taking a few steps forward, Heiji's eyes scanned the darkened room, not needing any light source to take in what he could only describe as the sight of some kind of strange ritual. There was even a magic circle in the middle of the floor- one that he mentally noted that it would probably be for the best if he avoided stepping on it.
Frankly, the place gave him the creeps. Some creature of the night he was.
At the very least, he wasn't alone- she might let it be that obvious on the outside, but judging from the way the sound of her heartbeat changed upon entering the hidden room, it was clear that Sera pretty much shared his sentiments. Turning around again to face her, Heiji gave her something of a helpless shrug of his shoulders, wincing a little as the light of her flashlight shone a bit too bright in his eyes.
"Ya see? The kind of thing ya really need ta see fer yerself ta believe, isn't it?" Heiji asked.
"You could say that again." Sera noted. She was torn between regretting only having her penlight with her- and half being grateful for it. She really couldn't make up her mind if this place would be better or worse in better lighting. Briefly though, she couldn't help but recall Heiji's claims of having a flashlight with him- and yet, he didn't have anything of that sort in his hands.
Had that been a lie? But why lie about something like that? And in the first place, if it really was a lie, how exactly had he been able to see anything down here in the first place?
Putting aside such questions for the moment, Sera instead shone her flashlight on the floor, eyes narrowing as she took in what she was pretty certain was some kind of magic circle. The substance it had been drawn in... she was almost certain that was blood, though she couldn't say for sure what kind of blood it was. It had long since dried, though. "I'm not even sure how we'll report something like this to Jodie. It feels like I just stepped into a horror movie."
"Aw, c'mon now, Sera-han." Unable to help himself, a hint of a grin worked it's way onto Heiji's face. "We're chasin' a mysterious serial killer, one who paints supernatural portraits based off the scenes they create with their victims, an' yer only just now thinkin' we're in a horror movie?"
"A fair point." Sera noted, quirking a brow. "In that case, which of us is the detective that ends up getting ahead of themselves, and gets murdered for their troubles? No offense, Hattori-kun, but I'd rather not have it be me."
"Well, if ya think about it, that's already happened." Heiji noted. He had already been technically murdered- nearly half a year ago, at this point. "Ya know, with the sixth victim."
"I suppose that's true." Sera noted, taking a step forward, continuing to shine her penlight around the room. "At the very least, we should take some pictures of this place. I think it's safe to say that judging from this, even if she wasn't involved with the serial murders, Amelia Hayden was probably guilty of something."
"Unfortunately, I don't think they can arrest ya fer havin' lousy taste in interior decorating." Heiji quipped. "But yer right, we should probably take pictures of this place. Otherwise I'm not sure Jodie-han will actually believe us."
Well, exposing the two of them to this much should probably be fine- just because there was a ritual set up here, didn't mean that they would instantly be lead to believe that whatever had been done down here had actually worked. "I'm not sure that I believe it myself, an' I'm standin' right in the middle of it."
Besides, the secret he was working to keep was his own- if they happened to realize that perhaps there was some kind of supernatural element to this case that they couldn't deny, that wasn't entirely his problem. Just so long as it didn't get any of them in danger- he couldn't exactly put one of Kudo's allies when it came to that shady Organization of his in any danger. And as for Sera... well, he was starting to come to like her, really. Suspicions and all.
"Then, I'll leave the photography to you, Hattori-kun." Sera told him, casting a glance back his way. "I'll provide you with some lighting."
"Sounds like a plan." With a quick nod of his head, Heiji briefly recalled the lie that he had told her earlier, dimly realizing that she must have recognized it for one. To be fair, while he had been expecting to find something of importance down here, a room that looked as if it had unmistakably been used for some kind of weird black magic ritual was not chief among them.
Perhaps, in retrospect, it should have been. Because vampire or not, he was still relatively new to all of this- and while he had been doing a pretty good job of it, there were still places in which he hadn't yet begun to readjust his way of thinking about the world.
Using the cellphone that was still in his hand, Heiji switched it into camera mode. It was probably for the best that he was the one taking the pictures anyways- if Sera hadn't asked him to, he would have offered. There would be problems should she notice that there were shots he should have been in, that he was suspiciously absent from. Quickly setting to work snapping photos of the place, he made sure to get in as much of the strange room as he possibly could.
"Still, what do ya think they used this place fer?" Heiji found himself asking, carefully sidestepping the magic circle on the floor to get a few more pictures.
"Obviously nothing good." Sera noted, crouching down in front of the very same magic circle that he had just avoided. Carefully placing her finger on the edge of it, she frowned a little, rubbing her fingers together. "If I don't miss my guess, this is blood. Dried, though, for some time now at that."
"Might be animal blood." Heiji noted. It was for the best that it was dried up- that much blood on the floor would have definitely evoked a reaction from him. In that state though, even he wouldn't be able to tell what it had once belonged to. "Wasn't there animal blood found in the cups at the scene of the first murder?"
"Goat blood, if I recall." Sera noted. "Quite a bit of it."
"Charmin'." Heiji quipped, finishing taking the photographs. Switching his phone out of camera mode and tucking it back away in his pocket, he turned back towards Sera. "If that's all, I think we should probably wrap things up here. This place is givin' me the creeps."
"Honestly, I can't really blame you." Sera noted, shrugging her shoulders. Normally she would be all for pushing past such a feeling and investigating until she had exhausted every inch of the place- but the memory of her own encounter with that invisible thing was still rather fresh in her mind. She'd prefer not to encounter something like that again, not in a place as dark as this.
"Then, let's go. The faster we can get this information back ta Jodie-han, the better." Heiji told her, already heading towards the staircase. "Seems like she probably has a few new questions ta ask that Caroline girl. Seventeen might be pretty young to be carryin' out serial murders, but it's plenty old ta know if yer old lady was up ta somethin' mighty fishy."
"Probably with those four." Sera noted, following behind him, carefully shining her penlight in front of her. The room was so dark, she couldn't even make out where the first step was. "That's probably the real meaning of the list that the sixth victim left behind."
"Yeah." Tucking his hands into his pockets, Heiji's brows furrowed together. "An' judgin' from the fact that Caroline-han's name is on that same list as well, I get the feelin' that she's not as innocent as she seems ta be. I don't know about the murders before now, but there's no way that she's not involved with the two recent ones- an' probably pretty directly, at that."
And if his theory wasn't wrong- the very same theory that he shared with Kudo- it might very well be the case that she was behind the first four murders as well. Or at the very least, one half of her was- the other, perhaps, was no longer in this world. If that really was the case, then it was a truly unspeakable thing that her mother had done- and for that, he couldn't forgive her.
He'd never have any way of proving it. He'd have to live with that, though. As long as someone managed to put a stop to these murders, then that was what mattered the most. He still didn't understand what her motive might be- but whatever it was, now that he knew the person who was likely the real suspect, it might not even matter anymore at this point. Perhaps the motive too, was something that he would never be able to explain to human ears.
As such thoughts crossed his mind, he found his steps halting, a cold chill traveling up his spine. That in itself was rather unusual- considering his body temperature was that of a corpse's, he didn't really feel the bite of cold air any longer. Eyes snapping fully upwards as he sensed that Sera's footsteps had ceased behind him as well, his gaze quickly fixed on the specter that seemed to loom before him.
Perhaps it was because he himself was already dead, that he could sense at once that this had at one point, been a living thing. Human, probably, at some point. Though he heard the pace of Sera's heartbeat quicken slightly, he didn't think that she was seeing the same thing he was- if she was seeing anything at all, that was.
An invisible man, he had jokingly called the apparition that had attacked her, that had pushed Madeline Craven to her death. He never doubted her claims for a second- but it would appear that his joke had rather missed the mark, and by quite a bit. What was before him was no invisible man, for even his eyes most likely wouldn't be able to see such a thing- but probably something much worse.
He'd come to begrudgingly accept it- the fact that ghosts really existed in this world. But this was no ghost- no simple shade of a person that had once lived, unaware that they were no longer a part of this world.
Not only did this one know, but it almost appeared as if it were chained to this world by something. At least, that was the only reason he could think of for the chains that were entwined around it's wrists and ankles, trailing off ephemerally once they reached a certain point. Right away, he got the feeling that there would be no reasoning with this one.
"Hattori-kun." Though she spoke in a whisper, it was easy to make out the sound of Sera's voice. There was plenty of tension in it- though no fear. "Do you feel that?"
"I don't just feel it." Heiji muttered underneath his breath, his eyes narrowing as he took half a step back, one hand straying to the case he had slung over his arm. Would this thing even work on something like this? No, it should. If this was the same thing that had attacked Sera, then there was no reason to think that it wouldn't work. Still, that said, he'd rather not deal with this with her around- if he suddenly pulled out a sword and started swinging, he could only imagine what her reaction would be.
"Don't just-" Narrowing her eyes, Sera took a step forward even as Heiji took a step back. His gaze was squarely fixed on something, his body language tense- but what was it? What was he looking at? "Can you actually see something, Hattori-kun?"
"Yeah, unfortunately. Ya can't?" Casting a brief glance back towards her, a trace of a grin surfaced on his face. He hadn't been aware that he had said that much aloud, but perhaps that was for the best- he didn't think this thing had orders to let them out of here alive. For the moment, it was simply hovering there- but this pressure that he felt from it... he couldn't mistake that for anything but bloodlust. Probably the moment they approached it, it would attack.
Strangely, it felt almost as if this wasn't the first time he had seen the apparition before- there was something almost vaguely familiar about the young woman that had manifested before him. Of course, he didn't think she had such a haunting appearance to her the last time he had seen her- that was definitely new. From where that would have been, he didn't quite know at the moment- but in the back of his mind, he had a vague idea.
"If there's really something there, I can't see a thing." Sera confessed. "There's something weird about this case after all, isn't there?"
"So it would seem." Through gritted teeth, Heiji gauged his options. There were two of them, and only one of it- and it was possible that he might be it's main target. "Do ya trust me, Sera-han?"
"Vaguely." Sera noted, unable to help herself. "Enough to know that you're probably not pulling my leg, considering you were willing to hear out my story earlier."
"Vaguely works." Heiji said, reaching one hand to unzip the very top of the case. "I'm gonna count ta three. When I hit that, get ta the side of the staircase an' run up them as fast as ya can. Ya should probably concentrate on gettin' back ta the helicopter, so ya can tell the pilot ta get ready ta leave."
"Running away, huh?" She couldn't help but frown at that idea- but even she had to admit that not being able to see her opponent put her at a stark disadvantage. This pressure that she was feeling- she had recognized it at once as the same one she had felt back then. She could feel the bruises that encircled her neck almost throbbing in response. "Can't say that I like it."
"Ya got any better plans?" Heiji noted, quirking a brow.
"Not at the moment, no." Sera said simply. Briefly, she couldn't help but wonder what it was that Heiji was seeing that she couldn't- enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Still, strangely enough, he didn't seem to be surprised- almost as if he had been expecting to come across something like this. It was true that he was fully aware of her encounter with her invisible assailant, but something was still off there.
Whatever it was that he was hiding, it may have very well been more tied to this case than she could have guessed. She would have plenty of questions for him when they got out of here- but until then, she would put those on hold.
"Then we'll stick with mine. Sorry that yer Jeet Kun Do doesn't get a chance ta shine right now." Heiji quipped, in spite of the situation. "Maybe next time."
"Look forward to it. You'll be quite surprised, I think." Sera shot right back. Carefully edging her way to the side of the staircase, feeling the wall with one hand, her other tightly gripping her penlight. "Okay. Let's run."
With a curt nod, Heiji fixed his full attention towards the specter before him, carefully pulling the handle of his sword from within the case. "One." In the darkened staircase that seemed to stretch forward forever, his voice echoed, though he didn't quite want it to. "Two."
In spite of not needing to, he drew in a breath anyways, bracing himself for anything.
"Three!"
Though it was only for a moment, as Sera broke into a spring on the count of three, she could have sworn that she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, just as she pushed past the heavy presence in the air. What that something was, she couldn't define, and it might very well simply be a trick of the light- or it would have been, if the only light in the area wasn't coming from her small penlight.
Skidding to a halt at the top of the hidden entrance, Sera cast a glance back down where she had just been. Within the pitch black darkness that the stairs extended into, she couldn't make out anything- though she could faintly make out the sound of something metallic striking stone. Through gritted teeth, she briefly considered going back, not being fond of the idea of essentially abandoning someone- but she got the strange feeling that Heiji was far more well equipped than she was when it came to dealing with whatever it was that was down there.
It appeared as if she had stumbled into one hell of a case. Somehow, she got the feeling that her older brother had no idea that there was something like this down here- she still wasn't sure she half believed it herself. Even so, she knew what her eyes had seen- and what they hadn't seen, for that matter. It would do no good to go into denial about it at this point.
For now, her job was to return to the helicopter, and to tell the pilot to get ready to take off. She had trust that Heiji would be following behind her shortly. Judging from the cold air that seemed to be clinging to the inside of the house now, when it hadn't been there before, it probably was for the best that they get away from here as fast as possible.
Even if she didn't quite know what it was that she was running from.
"Is everything alright, Kazuha-chan?"
"Ah, yeah." Slowly nodding her head, Kazuha took in and let out a breath, a hint of a frown lingering behind. "Sorry about that, Ran-chan. I just got a bit of a chill all of a sudden."
"No, it's okay. You don't have to apologize to me over something like that." Ran told her. "But that's strange. I thought it was supposed to be really warm where you are right now."
"It is. A bit too warm, if anythin'." Kazuha told her, her brows furrowing together. Even within the confines of her hotel room, that much was true- so what had that been? All of a sudden, she had been overcome by an ominous feeling- but then it had been gone, almost as if it had never been there in the first place. It must have lasted a bit longer than she had first thought, if she had Ran worried about her, and frankly, she didn't have a good feeling about it.
"Maybe I'm just worried about Heiji?" Kazuha ventured after a moment, turning on her heel and making her way towards the window. "He's out with that female detective I told ya about, lookin' into somethin' far away. I can't help but worry about him, ya know."
"Well, I couldn't say that I blame you." Ran replied. "I worry about Shinichi the same way. But well, at least you know what Hattori-kun is doing right now, right?"
"That's right." Kazuha said, nodding her head, a hint of a smile crossing her face. "That's true. Honestly, that Kudo-kun! When he finally gets back home, I'm goin' ta make sure I give him a proper talkin' ta, fer yer sake, Ran-chan! Runnin' off on such a cute girl like that, he's a shame ta men everywhere!"
"I wouldn't go that far." Unable to help herself, a small laugh escaped from Ran. "But thank you, Kazuha-chan."
"It's too bad that ya couldn't get any answers from Heiji about where Kudo-kun is, though." Kazuha said after a moment. "Since he seems ta know about ya know... that. I don't think that's somethin' that he could prove to him without actually meetin' him in person, so they must have met up with each other at some point durin' these past six months, but..."
"He obviously knew something, but wasn't telling me about it." Ran huffed slightly- it was almost too easy for Kazuha to picture what kind of expression she wore, even over the phone. "But well, I suppose it can't be helped. The situation back then wasn't the best to be asking Hattori-kun questions under, since he had his own troubles to worry about. How is doing, by the way? There haven't been any side effects from that flower, have there?"
"Not that I can tell." Kazuha said, shaking her head even though she knew her friend couldn't see her. "Given what kind of case this has shaped up ta be, that's fer the best, really." Heaving a long sigh, Kazuha twitched back the curtains of her window, gazing out at the street below. "I almost miss the fake supernatural cases that he used ta run into all the time."
"Frankly, I'm amazed that you can put up with it." Ran admitted after a moment. "If it were me, I might have a bit of trouble. Though I suppose if it were for Shinichi's sake, I could probably manage."
"Well, ya know how it is." Closing the curtains, Kazuha turned back around on her heel, her smile growing. "I can't leave that guy on his own. Who knows what kind of trouble he'd get himself into without me around? What a bothersome guy he is, that high school detective of mine!"
"Really. That type's nothing but trouble." Ran noted, not trying to conceal the note of fondness her words carried. "Hopefully Shinichi won't decide that he needs to follow suit."
"Let's hope not. One vampire detective is more than enough." Kazuha told her, letting out a small laugh. As she did so, a small sound at the door caught her attention, and she frowned. "Ah, Ran-chan? I'm goin' ta have ta let ya go. Someone's at the door. It's probably Jodie-sensei."
"Alright. Then, I'll talk to you later, Kazuha-chan." Ran told her. "Take care, okay? I won't to hear about everything when you get back to Japan. Make sure you bring Hattori-kun with you too, when you visit the agency!"
"I will. He'll be wantin' ta visit Conan-kun himself too, so that'll probably be easy." Kazuha told her. "Well then, later, Ran-chan."
Hanging up her cellphone, Kazuha set it aside on her desk. Hearing the sound of knocking at her door again, she turned on her heel, heading that way. "Yes, yes, I'm comin'!"
Perhaps Jodie had gotten word from either Heiji or Sera- that would be a relief for her, frankly. The fact that he had taken that sword with him was a small bit of comfort for her, but vampire or no, she couldn't help but worry about him. Just because he was already dead didn't mean that he couldn't die- that much had been proven all too clear back during the vampire hunter case.
The sight of him half blind and missing one arm... certainly it was an image that paled in comparison to what that flower's scent had done to him, but nevertheless, it was one that haunted her all the same. It had been close- far too close. If his father hadn't shown up when he had... she didn't even want to think about what might have happened then.
Pausing outside the door, she frowned a little, peeking through the peephole. It was probably Jodie, but it would always be best to check just to make sure, given what they might be dealing with here. At least, that was her first thought- but when she peered through, nevermind Jodie, she actually couldn't see anyone on the other side of the door. For a brief moment, she wondered if it were perhaps some kind of prank, or perhaps someone had simply realized that they had gotten the wrong room, but...
Just as she thought that, another knock sounded against her door- even though there was still no one there.
Jumping away from the door, Kazuha felt her heart lurch in her chest. Suddenly, Sera's earlier words came back to her- about her invisible assailant, about how she was convinced that Madeline Craven had somehow been pushed to her death. It couldn't possibly be...?
Turning on her heel, Kazuha hurried to make for the cellphone that she had left behind on her desk- but no sooner than she did, did she feel the strange sensation of the world almost dancing around her. Dimly, she became aware of a strange aroma clinging to her nose, an overpowering scent that drowned out her consciousness. Biting on her lip, she fought to stay awake, but it was no avail- it wasn't nearly enough.
Out of the corner of her eye, just as she collapsed, she thought she could faintly make out the sight of the door to her room opening up- and someone's very visible foot stepping inside the room.
It was the last thing she knew, before there was only black.
Just as he thought, that thing's main target was him.
As soon as Sera started moving, so too, did he- charging straight towards the wraith-like apparition that loomed before him. Though it briefly cast it's attention, turning milky white eyes towards Sera as she closed in on it, it's attention was quickly taken by Heiji- and for a moment, it was all he could do to fight back the chill that it's howl sent down his spine. Howl, really, was the only word that he could think to describe it- an eerie sound that filled up the dark staircase, and one that he was almost certain was something that only he could hear.
In the back of his mind, even as he unsheathed his sword, the only thing he could think about was the fact that this thing would set Ran off something terrible. And quite honestly? He wouldn't be able to blame her.
As it lurched towards him, Heiji came to a halt, standing his ground as best he could on the uneven staircase. Really, this wasn't exactly the best place for a fight, even if he could see in the dark- especially not one that involved a sword- but beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed. Still gripping the sheath in one hand, he fought off a note of relief as the specter's hands clashed against the blade itself, almost seeming to sizzle upon contact, causing it to recoil.
It might have been a sword designed to hunt his own kind, but it appeared that it was quite effective on other things as well. Unlike with Sera, though, this simple act of retaliation wasn't enough to make it back off- and that was probably for the best. It was best if he dealt with this thing here and now- whatever it might once have been, it was clear that it had long since left the land of the living, in a way that was very much unlike himself- he didn't think there was any coming back from this.
Familiar.
The word popped into his head as he dodged another strike from wraith-like apparition, not quite wanting to find out when something dead contacted with something dead. He didn't need to know any further details about what this thing was to know that it probably wouldn't be anything good- for him, not for it. Still, it would appear that he really would need to speak with that contact that Mitsuta had mentioned- the one who knew more than her about witchcraft.
If he had any lingering doubts after seeing that room, then they were largely cleared now- honestly, Kazuha really wasn't going to let that go. He'd give it to her thought- right from the beginning, she had probably been right. If the person who he suspected was the culprit really was behind these murders, then they were hundreds of miles away from them at the moment- and yet, this thing was still here.
There was no doubt that this thing had been behind the accidents of Madeline Craven's three remaining students. As for the fourth, the one who had been murdered before them, he couldn't say- it was possible that the culprit had done it themselves, though for what reason, he wasn't quite sure. Even if she wanted to go to the police about this, would they really believe what she might have to tell them?
Unless she had some kind of concrete proof- proof that had probably already long since been destroyed. Too bad, really- he could kind of use that proof himself right now. All that strange hidden room would be able to prove was that Amelia Hayden was definitely up to something fishy- and not that she really had any direct connection to the serial murders after all.
He definitely wouldn't be able to prove what he now suspected to be true- that the real Caroline Hayden was already dead.
For someone who had already murdered three people, sacrificing their daughter must have been simple. It wasn't the first time he had dealt with a criminal that had murdered someone that they shared blood with- but it was the first time anyone had ever gone this far. It was all the more reason to make sure that she was stopped this time- once and for all.
The real question was- how exactly did one stop someone who so easily escaped from their own death?
"There's a sword in there, isn't there?" It was after a long, awkward silence between the two of them, neither knowing quite what to say to the other, that Sera finally broke the silence. Quirking a brow, Sera cast her gaze at the case that Heiji had leaned against the seat next to him. "A real one, that is."
For a moment there, she had been worried about him- it almost seemed as if he were taking a bit too long to join up with her. Just as she had thought that, Heiji had finally emerged from inside of the house, whatever it was that he had taken out of his case back there securely tucked back away inside. However, judging from the faint metallic sound that she had made out back there, she could take a good guess at what it was.
"I have no idea what ya mean." Heiji remarked, quirking a brow. "In the first place, how would I be able ta bring somethin' like that into the country with me? Don't ya think they would have stopped me?"
"Not if you put it in your checked luggage." Sera remarked, shrugging her shoulders. "A rather dangerous thing to be carrying around though, Hattori-kun. Were you already expecting trouble on this case?"
"Well, considerin' the one who sent me-" His eyes briefly going wide, realizing that he had nearly said a bit too much, Heiji quickly shut his mouth, averting his eyes from Sera. If there was one thing that she didn't know, it was the fact that the person who had approached him with this case was none other than the very same woman who had nearly tried to kill him not four months ago- Okubo Karen.
Doing a favor for a convict, and one that he had helped to capture in the first place, would raise a fair amount of red flags- more than he was raising already. It wasn't enough to shout the truth to the skies, that he wasn't human, but it certainly made him look rather suspicious.
"The one who sent you?" Sera asked, tilting her head. "I thought you were here because you regretted that you couldn't prevent the murder of the first victim's niece. Are you saying someone sent you here?"
"Even if they did, it's none of yer business." Heiji noted, narrowing his eyes. "After all, ya haven't quite been forthcomin' about yer own reasons fer bein' here, Sera-han. I haven't been pokin' my nose in yer business, so ya should stay out of mine."
"I can't help it, when your business seems rather interesting." Sera told him, a hint of a smile crossing her face. "But that's fair, I suppose. I'm sure you can understand it though, Hattori-kun. After all, you're also a detective, right? If you see a mystery in front of you, don't you want to solve it?"
"There are some mysteries not meant ta be solved." Heiji simply said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Mine's one of 'em."
"So you're admitting that you have one, in other words." At the glower that earned her, Sera merely shrugged her shoulders. How could she not be all the more curious after what had just happened? "There's no need to give me such a scary look. We're on the same team here, after all."
"Well, fer the moment, we are." Heiji noted, forcing out a long sigh. "One way or another, when we get back, we have ta find a way ta break down that old man's guard, get him ta answer a few questions fer us. I doubt the daughter is goin' ta be all that forthcomin' with what she knows."
"You suspect her?" Sera noted. "Well, I doubt she didn't know what was hidden just off her mother's room, but that's enough to say that she's involved. Nor Amelia Hayden, for that matter. There's no evidence."
"Then we'll just have ta find it." Heiji noted. "That's what detectives do, right? Find evidence? Either that, or I can get that old man ta squeal like a pig if I can just manage ta get a few minutes alone with him."
"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Sera asked, arching her brows. "He was rather closemouthed when Jodie-san and I spoke with him. I doubt he's going to be that easy to break, all the more so if people are being killed for that much."
"I have my methods." Heiji told her. It wasn't a method that he liked to use, and if the situation were different, he'd find another way. But he couldn't help but be on edge after that close call- and for more reason than one.
Why hadn't Kazuha gotten back to him yet? Given how worried she had been about him when she had sent him off, one would think that she would have mailed him back right away. Even if she was eating something, or taking a shower, or something along those lines, it wouldn't take this long, would it? His message hadn't even been read yet.
It made him uneasy.
"Is something wrong?" Putting aside the other topic for the moment, Sera frowned. "This is the fifth time you've checked your phone. Expecting a call?"
"Somethin' like that." Heiji frowned. "I've been tryin' ta get into contact with Kazuha since we left, but haven't been able ta get a hold of her. Maybe she's out with Jodie-han?"
"Then, why don't you call Jodie-san and ask?" Sera offered, pulling out her cellphone. "I can try and contact Kazuha-chan from my own phone while you do that."
"Yeah, I'll do that." With a curt nod of his head, Heiji pulled up Jodie's number, grateful that he had thought to save it to his phone. Frowning a little as he listened to it ring, feeling his shoulders relax when he heard her pick it up. "Jodie-han? It's Heiji."
"Oh, Hattori-kun." Jodie noted. "What's wrong? Are you already on your back?"
"Yeah, I am." Heiji said, nodding his head, casting a glance over towards Sera, watching as a slight frown crossed her own features. Somehow, he didn't like the look of that. "More importantly, is Kazuha with ya? She hasn't been answerin' any of my messages, so I'm a little worried."
"Toyama-san? No, she's not with me." He could almost hear the frown in her voice, making out the faint sound of what seemed to be a chair being pushed away from a desk. "That's odd, though. I'll go check her room right now. Maybe she just fell asleep?"
"Thanks, Jodie-han. We should be back ta where ya are not too long from now." Heiji told her. Were it still able to beat, he doubtlessly would have heard his heart pounding heavily in his chest with every step Jodie took, as he made out the sounds of her leaving her own room, heading down the hall to the one he shared with Kazuha.
"That's strange... it's open."
It had been looming over him before- the feeling of dread- but with those words, it threatened to crash down over him, like a wave. It was the words that Jodie spoke next that did the trick- and for a moment, he felt as if he were frozen in the second that they had been spoken.
"She's not here."