Author's Notes: Okay, so I didn't quite make my deadline of two weeks—sorry! But I swear it wasn't completely my fault. I had the whole chapter finished and ready to post on time, but then my computer had a tantrum and wouldn't let me get to my files for a few days. By the time I had fixed the computer issue, I'd had a little more time to think about the chapter, and I'd realized there were some weak bits that I really wanted to take another crack at—so I decided to hang onto it for a few more days and do some rewriting. The good news is that the new version of the chapter is longer and much improved. So everybody wins, right? (--grin--) By the way, for those who may be curious about where we are in the overall plot, by my calculations there are at least four chapters left after this one, possibly more depending on how everything shakes out. But we're getting close to the home stretch…
The chapter title is a song by Richard Marx.
Playing With Fire
Chapter 12: Suspicion
Kagome rolled over onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, which was already reflecting a dim blue light through the curtains over the window. She had finally fallen into a fitful sleep a couple of hours after midnight, but it hadn't done her much good. She couldn't stop thinking about that argument she'd had with Inuyasha the night before. That look on his face when he'd grabbed her by the shoulders—there had been something so desperate about it. She didn't know whether to be worried or disgusted or…something. She just didn't know.
He hadn't come back at all during the night—she was sure she would have heard him come in, but even if she hadn't she was sure she would have been able to hear him snoring away at the foot of the bed, or at least breathing. But she could hear neither, so that meant either he was still gone, or he was dead.
She snorted at that thought and rolled over onto her side, squinting at the illuminated digits on the alarm clock beside the bed—five forty-five in the morning. She rolled her eyes in self-disgust, heaving a sigh and half-burying her face in the pillow. If she was going to make any kind of a decent showing in the pairs competition that afternoon, she knew she really ought to take advantage of this empty morning and get a few more hours to make up for all the sleep she'd lost during the night—but, exhausted as she was, she knew that wasn't in the cards. For better or worse, she was now officially awake.
Conceding defeat, she slid over to the edge of the bed and pushed aside the covers, sitting up and rubbing a hand over her face. Then reluctantly, she got to her feet and went to take her shower.
The warm water helped somewhat to wash away the fuzziness of a bad night's sleep, and a nice shampoo always made her feel considerably fresher. Toweling off, she slipped into a pair of jeans and a sweater, leaving her hair wrapped up in the towel as she went to slip back into the bedroom. When her hand grasped the doorknob, she found she was a little hesitant to open it, afraid that Inuyasha would have returned while she was in the shower. Then she realized she was being an idiot and just opened the damn door, scoffing at herself.
He wasn't there.
As expected.
Thinking that maybe having another voice in the room would help her take her mind off things a little, Kagome flipped on the television. It was set to some morning news program—looked like one of the local channels—and she left it there, listening absently as she toweled off her hair.
"…Well, when workplace violence is perpetrated by an existing employee, statistically the perpetrator tends to be a male between the ages of twenty and forty-five."
She grabbed her brush off of the dresser with her free hand and tossed it onto the bed, scrunching the towel around the ends of her hair with the other. Then she hung the towel on the bathroom doorknob to dry, running her fingers loosely through her the wet strands to shake them out as she crossed over to sit on the edge of the bed and begin to brush.
"Now, it is true that roughly two-thirds of workplace violence situations are perpetrated by strangers, as in a robbery or a situation with a disgruntled customer. However, in these cases the victims are usually male. When a female is attacked, it's usually by someone she knows."
Her brushing movements became slower as she glanced over at the television, frowning curiously at the news anchor and his guest—some sort of college professor, from the looks of him.
"What are some of the warning signs?"
"A person at risk of committing workplace violence will generally tend to be very aggressive and possessive about his space, and particularly territorial about his job. He'll tend to be very excitable and easily frustrated, sort of a hair-trigger type. People should be especially wary of such persons who have access to and expertise with any kind of weaponry."
Kagome's eyes widened slightly, and she stopped brushing altogether, glancing over at the knife kit sitting on the dresser and then back to the television.
"An at-risk person may also be a loner, someone who avoids contact with others, and especially one who has antagonistic relationships with co-workers, and who exhibits signs of obsession or frustration regarding his career."
"Well, Dr. Hamline, thank you very much for your time—"
"Thank you."
"—Speaking of workplace conflicts, this week has been a particularly contentious one on Capitol Hill as thousands of protesters descended on Washington…"
Kagome continued to stare at the television for several minutes, brow furrowed nervously, though her brain had tuned out. The other morning, when she'd been searching for the intruder, Inuyasha had taken such care to slip quietly into the room. Why? Why was he so afraid of seeing her? Only her equipment had been missing, hadn't it—and he'd been so conveniently generous with his own set. She kept seeing that look on his face again, the one from the night before. The one that had looked…desperate.
Easily frustrated.
Territorial about his job.
Antagonistic.
Expert with weaponry.
This tournament was all he had—he'd said it himself. And he wasn't giving it up to anybody.
Especially not her.
No—no, no, she was being ridiculous again, and she knew it. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she stood up and resumed brushing her hair with renewed vigor. There was just no way that Inuyasha was responsible for all the weird stuff that had been happening the past week. Yes, he was a selfish, childish, competitive, obnoxious, whiny little prick, but she'd never known him to be deceitful or intentionally cruel. Messing with the reservations, maybe, but poisoning people and stealing expensive equipment just wouldn't be like him. Would it?
When a female is attacked, it's usually by someone she knows.
That was really the question, wasn't it—just how well did she know Inuyasha?
Kagome finished pulling herself together rather quickly, realizing that it probably wouldn't be long before Inuyasha came back from…wherever he'd been all night to grab a new set of clothes. She suddenly didn't want to be here when he arrived, so she grabbed her purse and headed down to the breakfast room. As she walked through the hallways and waited for the elevator, she kept catching herself peaking over her shoulder, as though she was afraid he was going to creep up on her from behind or something—which she knew was the most ridiculous thing yet, but somehow she still couldn't seem to shake the burgeoning feeling of paranoia that was trying to swallow her up. When she forced herself to resist the impulse to check behind her, it only served to make the feeling stronger. Finally she arrived in the nearly-empty breakfast room, choosing a table near the back and determinedly burying herself in the menu. When the waiter came over, she ordered herself a stack of pancakes with extra butter, hoping a nice heavy meal would help to distract her.
She was just beginning to feel a little more secure, settling in with a cup of strong, bracing black coffee, when suddenly a pair of hands were clamped over her eyes from behind, blinding her and making her jump so hard she nearly upended her cup.
"Guess who."
Her breath escaped her in a rush of relief as she recognized the voice. "Hojo—what are you doing here?"
He let her go, and she stood up to greet her grinning roommate with an only slightly strained smile and a grateful hug.
"My project got wrapped up early, and they needed someone to attend a board meeting here in New York in a couple of days, so I volunteered," he replied.
Kagome sighed, her smile turning a bit more genuine as the shock wore off, and she realized she really was glad to see him. "That's wonderful—you have no idea how glad I am that you're here," she said, hugging him once more. "I've really missed you."
"Thanks," he said, sounding slightly stunned. "I've missed you too."
Finally she pulled away and offered him a seat, settling back into her own just as her breakfast was being delivered. Hojo ordered a cup of coffee as well.
"So," he said as the waiter walked away, "how are things going?"
"Pretty well—I'm in the lead at the moment."
"That's fantastic! Congratulations!"
"Thanks," she said noncommittally, and he gave her a sideways look.
"Something the matter?"
She smiled wryly. "Not sure where to start."
"Uh-oh—what's he done now?"
"Who?" Kagome asked, suddenly on her guard.
"Jerkwad—that guy from the restaurant, the one you're always complaining about."
"Ah," she replied, shifting in her seat and taking another sip of coffee. "Well, it's complicated. I mean, it's not just him that's the problem. See, a lot of weird things have been happening since we got here."
"What kind of weird things?" Hojo asked, looking concerned.
Kagome set about filling him in on what had been going on the past few days, finding that it was a bit of a relief to have an outside person to tell it all to, like she was getting it off her chest. Well, most of it. She glossed over a few of the details—mainly those surrounding her occasional brief and strange encounters with Inuyasha. That she wasn't really ready to talk to anyone about—even herself. And she wouldn't know what to say about them if she did.
Meanwhile, across the room, Inuyasha and Miroku had entered and taken a seat at a table some distance away. Normally they would have gone over to join Kagome, but they'd seen her embracing a man they didn't recognize just as they'd walked in, and—sensing Inuyasha falter at the sight—Miroku had decided that now probably wasn't the best time to pop over and introduce themselves.
Even sitting at their own table, the already surly Inuyasha's mood seemed to have darkened considerably since they'd entered the room, and Miroku's halfhearted attempts at conversation were largely rebuffed with vague grunts and grumbles. Every once in awhile Miroku even caught him flicking a look over at the other table out of the corner of his eye. Sango joined them soon, however, so she and Miroku were able to carry on a conversation together, leaving Inuyasha to himself.
Just as they were finishing their meal, Miroku noticed a man in a suit, who he thought was one of the competition judges, enter the breakfast room accompanied by two uniformed hotel security guards. They were muttering to each other, casting their eyes over the people in the room, until finally they fixed on their table. The judge in the suit pointed, and the two security guards led the way determinedly toward them.
"Inuyasha," Miroku said, nudging his friend on the arm.
"What?" Inuyasha grumbled. Miroku nodded toward the approaching men, and Inuyasha turned curiously just as they came to a stop beside his chair.
"Inuyasha Takahashi?" one of the security guards said.
"Yeah," he replied with an incredulous frown.
"Sir, you'll have to come with us," said the other guard.
"Come with you? Why?"
"Please sir," the guard repeated evenly, laying an encouraging hand on Inuyasha's arm, "if you'll just come with us."
Inuyasha jerked his arm away. "No—you tell me what the hell this is about."
"Sir—" the other guard began, but the judge lifted a hand to silence him.
"Mr. Takahashi, there's been an accusation."
"An accusation?" Inuyasha said, getting to his feet to face the three men fully. "An accusation of what, exactly?"
"It has been reported that you were witnessed trying to…coerce one of the competition judges to manipulate the scores in your favor."
"What?" Inuyasha bellowed, indignant.
"What's going on?" Kagome broke in curiously as she reached their table. Her friend was at her shoulder, hanging back a bit awkwardly.
"Apparently somebody says they saw Inuyasha trying to bribe a judge or something," Sango repeated.
"This is bullshit," Inuyasha fumed, yanking his arm away from the guard again, who had made another grab for it. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"
"Inuyasha, calm down," Miroku admonished sternly. "You're not helping."
"Calm down!" He rounded on Miroku. "They just accused me of cheating!"
"I know that, but shouting about it isn't going to convince them otherwise. Let's just go with them and talk this through reasonably—if there's been a mistake, we should be able to straighten it out without any problems. Alright?"
Inuyasha glared at Miroku, then back at the judge and his two thugs—but finally he heaved a resigned sigh. "Fine. Lead the way."
The security guards flanked Inuyasha on either side, and the others followed as they threaded their way out of the dining room. Kagome made to follow as well, but paused after a couple of steps, remembering Hojo.
"Oh—Hojo, maybe you'd better—"
"I'll wait here," he finished for her, giving her a "don't worry about me" smile.
She smiled back apologetically. "Thanks. I'll be back soon." And then she turned and left, jogging to catch up with the others in the lobby.
The judge and his guards lead the four of them into the business complex of the hotel and finally around to one of the smaller conference rooms. Opening the door, he stepped in and held it back for the others to enter.
When they filed into the room, they found that Kikyo was already there, standing next to the conference table with her arms crossed over her chest, her expression decidedly grim. Kagome saw Inuyasha give a questioning frown in her direction, but she revealed nothing, as usual. He went to stand near the end of the conference table next to Miroku, Kagome and Sango sidling up beside Kikyo on the near side of the table. The two security guards hovered over near the door, and the judge came to stand before Inuyasha, addressing him directly.
"So, now can you tell me what's going on here?" Inuyasha said impatiently. "Where'd you get this crazy idea that I tried to bribe a judge?"
"I'll get to that in a moment," the judge said. "First, I have a few questions for you."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Fine, whatever you got."
"You left your hotel room late yesterday evening, correct?"
Inuyasha's eyes flicked over to meet Kagome's briefly, and she quickly looked away. "Yeah, so?"
"About what time would you say it was when you left?"
"I don't know—maybe eleven, eleven fifteen, something like that," he shrugged. "What does this have to do with anything?"
The judge ignored his question. "At around midnight, you arrived at Mr. Hayashi and Ms Kuonji's room—does that sound right?"
"Yeah, I guess—get to the point already, will you?"
"Can you tell me what you were doing in the meantime?"
Inuyasha scowled. "That's none of your damn business, that's what I was doing."
"Unfortunately, I can't accept that answer, Mr. Takahashi. You see, a member of the hotel's wait staff observed you outside the hotel room of Hanae Bryant, one of our judges, at approximately eleven thirty-five last night."
Inuyasha frowned, not liking where this was going.
"The waiter, Mr. Giordano, says that you knocked on the door, and then proceeded to proposition Ms Bryant, offering her sexual favors in exchange for a better score in the final round of the tournament."
"What?" Inuyasha gaped.
"That's ridiculous," Miroku said.
"No kidding! I don't pull shit like that," Inuyasha jerked his head toward his friend, "I'm not Miroku!"
Miroku scowled at that and muttered, "Thanks a lot."
But Inuyasha just waved him off. "Oh you know what I mean. Come on, this is ridiculous—what about the judge? She ought to be able to tell you I never went to her room."
"Ms Bryant wasn't in her room at the time—the panel meeting yesterday evening ran late, so she was with the rest of us down here in the conference rooms. We tried to confirm Mr. Giordano's story by checking the security tapes, but when we did we found that the particular tape we needed was missing, and there was evidence that the door to the surveillance room had been forced."
"Oh, so I suppose you think I broke in and stole the tape too, right? What a load of—"
"Inuyasha," Miroku cautioned. Inuyasha flicked him a glare, but shut up all the same.
"Unfortunately," the judge continued, "that's not all. When we discovered the security breach, we went to the manager of the hotel, and he gave us access to your storage locker down by the arena. We didn't find the missing tape, but we did find this." He motioned to one of the security guards, who produced a small, black leather knife case, which the judge then placed on the conference table.
"That's mine," Kagome said, stepping forward in surprise. She picked it up and glanced up at Inuyasha, who looked back at her like a trapped animal. What was he doing with the knife set? If he'd found it, why hadn't he told her? If he hadn't, how had it gotten into his locker? If he'd taken it…
She set her jaw nervously, stepping back and clutching the knife case close to her stomach. She didn't know what to think anymore.
Seeing her close off, Inuyasha looked away, fuming. "Look—this is ridiculous. I just went for a walk, okay? I…had to blow off some steam, and I wandered around for awhile before I went to Miroku's—that's it."
"Can anyone confirm that?"
"No—but come on, you can't just blame me for everything that's been going on around here based on a couple of stupid coincidences or…whatever they are. It's not fair—all your evidence against me is completely circumstantial."
The judge stood his ground. "We have eyewitness testimony stating that you were observed trying to influence a judge—that's hardly circumstantial evidence."
"But you've got no proof," Inuyasha insisted. "It's just his word against mine!"
"These are very serious charges, Mr. Takahashi, and given the profusion of evidence against you—circumstantial though some of it may be—we have to do what is best for the organization and the integrity of the competition."
"But—"
"This is not a legal proceeding," the judge continued, cutting him off. "The panel reserves the right to disqualify any competitor at any time if we feel that we have sufficient cause—you knew that when you signed up." The older man sighed heavily, his demeanor of authority slipping a bit to reveal a small measure of pity. "I'm sorry—that's the way it has to be. If you can produce a satisfactory alibi before two o'clock this afternoon, we'll reinstate you and allow you to compete in the final round of the tournament."
Inuyasha gave a growl of frustration, clearly trying to rein in his temper. "Look, I didn't steal that knife set, okay?" He indicated the others in the room. "These guys can vouch for me. I was with them when the break-in happened. Kagome was heading back to the room just as Kikyo and I were going downstairs. Kagome met us downstairs again, but she left to go back to the room before I did—by the time I got back up there, Kagome was already there, and whoever stole the knives had already come and gone."
The judge frowned, shifting his gaze to Kikyo and Kagome for confirmation. "Is this true?"
"Yes," Kikyo said firmly, and Kagome nodded silently, though she kept her expression closed.
"But," the judge continued, turning back to Inuyasha, "that still doesn't explain how the knife set ended up locked in your supply locker."
"Well obviously whoever took it put it in there to make it look like I did it."
"That's impossible—the only key to the locker, besides your own, was a backup passkey that's kept in the hotel manager's office, and there's no evidence that his office has been tampered with in any way. Unless your key was stolen at some point and you failed to report it, the only way anyone could have gotten into your locker is if you gave them entry yourself. Now, has your key been stolen at any time in the last couple of days?"
Inuyasha sagged slightly. "No."
"But," Sango broke in, "why would he have gone to the trouble of getting someone else to break into the room and steal the knives when he could just as easily have stolen them himself without going to all that trouble."
"Yeah, right!" Inuyasha said, perking up a bit. "Thanks, Sango."
Sango gave him an uneasy, almost sheepish smile.
"To throw Ms Higurashi off the trail, presumably," the judge said. "If the knives had disappeared at a time when he had been alone in the room, and there were no evidence of a break-in, it would be pretty obvious who had taken them."
"Oh…yeah," Sango conceded.
Inuyasha slumped into the nearest seat at the conference table, looking dejected.
"In any case, that would still leave the matter of the incident with the judge and the missing security tape. I'm sorry—unless you can provide a solid alibi to vindicate yourself, I'm afraid we're going to have to disqualify you from the tournament."
"But wait," Sango interrupted. "You can't do that—that'll mean Kagome is disqualified as well."
"I know that, and I am sorry," the judge replied, giving a wearily sympathetic smile. "But we really have no choice. You can put in a substitute if you have one, so that Ms Higurashi could still compete in the third round."
Everyone's eyes flicked to Miroku, who in turn glanced over at Inuyasha. Inuyasha's jaw tightened, and he looked away, chin resting on his fist.
"Let me know what you'd like to do before two o'clock this afternoon. After that, it's out of my hands." The judge and the two guards swept out of the room, leaving the rest in heavy silence.
"You guys believe me, don't you?" Inuyasha asked gravely after a minute or two, looking around the room at all of them. One by one they shifted their gazes toward Kagome, watching her for an answer.
Kagome looked around at all the pairs of eyes resting on her—and finally met Inuyasha's. She swallowed, fidgeting with the clasp of the knife case clutched in her hands. "I…I don't know."
Hurt flickered in his expression, but only for a moment. He dropped his gaze again.
Sango shifted uncomfortably and exchanged a troubled glance with Miroku. Kikyo dropped her hands to her hips with a mildly frustrated sigh.
"Can I speak to Kagome alone for a minute?" Inuyasha said finally, not looking up.
Everyone looked at Kagome again for her approval. She glanced around and then nodded. "It's okay."
The others accepted this, turning to file out of the room. Sango paused in the doorway and said pointedly, "We'll be right outside waiting for you, alright?"
Kagome replied with a wan smile, "Yes, thanks, Sango."
Sango gave Inuyasha one last warning look before letting the door click shut behind her.
Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet and rounded the end of the conference table, coming to stand before Kagome, just a few feet away. "Look, I'm sorry for last night. You were right, okay? I was being a jerk. And…I'm sorry for that."
He seemed to be waiting for a response. Kagome nodded slowly. "That's okay."
He nodded back. "Thanks." And then, with some effort, he looked her straight in the eyes. "Kagome—I know you don't have much reason to believe me right now, and a lot of reasons not to, but I swear, I didn't do it—any of it. I didn't go to that judge's room last night, I didn't mess with our reservations, I didn't steal your knife set, and I definitely didn't try to poison you. I may be a jerk, but I'm not a cheat, and I would never…I would never try to hurt you. I promise, I wouldn't—if nothing else, you've got to believe that."
Kagome swallowed, looking back at him steadily, trying to decide whether she could really trust him or not. That was what it all came down to, really—trust. The truth was that she barely knew this man at all. They'd been fighting each other tooth and nail since the day they'd met; they hated each other, and yet, there were moments when they didn't. She'd never met anyone so stubborn and arrogant and infuriating in her entire life, someone that just made her want to kill him sometimes. So why did it bother her so much to think that he was the bad guy in all of this? It made perfect sense, after all. He'd been antagonistic towards the idea of a female colleague even before he'd actually spoken to her, and he'd done his best to make her life a living hell ever since. He was the enemy—but she had also come to think of him as a friend.
He was looking at her with that same desperation again, but this time it wasn't the least bit threatening. This time he just looked…helpless.
All at once, she surprised both of them by stepping forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, her cheek pressed against his chest. He stood stunned for a moment before cautiously putting his arms around her as well, returning the embrace.
"I believe you," she replied, her voice slightly muffled.
His arms tightened around her slightly as he breathed a sigh of relief, resting his cheek on the crown of her head. "Thanks," he murmured.
They stood there like that for several long minutes. Then, finally, Kagome eased away, and they stepped apart. She cleared her throat, smoothing out her hair and straightening the hem of her shirt, swiping a trace of moisture from the corner of her eye. He shoved his hands in his back pockets, rocking back on his heels and glancing off to the side, putting on a show of peering at some inconsequential spot on the wall.
"Well," Kagome said, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to affect a businesslike tone. "If we're going to salvage this situation, then we'd better figure out how to get you off the hook—and fast."
"Right. How do we do that?"
"Well, if you didn't go to the judge's room, then whoever says you did was either badly mistaken, or on the take."
"Probably the second one."
"Yeah—given all the weird stuff that's been happening, that was my guess too," Kagome concurred.
"So we start with the waiter then?"
"Right—have to track him down and find out exactly what he saw. And hopefully figure out who paid him to 'see' it."
Kagome flicked her eyes up to his again, and held them for a moment. Then she smiled and glanced away, turning toward the door out of the conference room. "Come on—let's get going."
A/N: It's funny—in some ways this chapter was a complete breeze, but in others it was one of the trickiest chapters I've had to write so far. Lots of pieces I have to fit together in the right order, and it's hard to keep them straight sometimes…
