Disclaimer: All the Detective School Q characters belong to their creator.
Sorry for the abrupt end to the Ripper case. Maybe someday I will write an AU fanfic with DDC working on the actual Ripper murders of Victorian London. I do have my own little theories on old Jack's identity, being the avid murder mystery fan I am…
28. Jormungand
Junior Bartley stuffed his dirty laundry into a basket on his lap and wheeled himself over to the hostel's washer. Normally, Sister Anna would help him. Since the nun was not around, he would have to manage it himself.
"Need a hand?" Kagome called out from where she was soaking a flimsy bit of black lace in cold water. "Thanks," Junior thanked her. The older girl heaved the load of muddied clothes into the washer. "I'll add in my own clothes, you better go grab breakfast. St Clair-sensei made pancakes. If you don't hurry, it will be all gone." She reached for her own laundry hamper.
"Sure," Junior wheeled himself out. Kagome muttered a soft prayer under her breath and tipped her sheets in.
"All the things are in place," Katagiri said as they hurried to Meiling's ward. They had discussed this and both Nanami and she agreed it was worth taking a risk. Meiling could have been hypnotized. "Will Kazuma be safe?" Katagiri asked.
Nanami nodded. "We had him transferred out quietly to another ward. He is showing signs of coming to. Erik has been released for lack of evidence. My niece just requested us all to wear bullet-proof vests if we are going to confront the killer. She will join us after she's done at the hostel. Class Q suspects our Pluto spy will try to silence Narusawa one way or another."
"Nanami, I would take Koda's suggestion. Hollowpoints were used to kill Yamada and we have seen the results from one of those," Katagiri knocked twice before opening the door. It was highly unusual for Pluto to intervene like this, certainly not the late Hades or Kerberos.
Meiling was asleep. Katagiri gently shook her awake. She hoped that the words they had obtained from Kerberos two years ago will work at breaking any hypnotic spell cast on Meiling. The girl stirred and rubbed her eyes. Katagiri quietly whispered into her ear. Meiling blinked.
Jormungand fidgeted uneasily. His plan had gone awry. Stash Kauzma in the freezer and dispose of the body once the uproar died down. He hadn't expected anyone to be near the freezer. He had been careless not to realise the boy had his phone in his pocket. Kazuma was not dead, only in a coma. Hel had assisted him in saving Meiling's life. At what price? His sister and Kerberos had both vanished after that. The look on Meiling's face when she recognized him haunted Jormungand. However, she did not speak of Kerberos must have stepped in to erase her memory of those terrible minutes. If they found out…
He had been sick in the car after blowing that pervert's brains out. He couldn't confess to anyone… If only Kazuma would continue in his coma…
"If anything happens, there is always this path open to you… Sometimes, it is the only path…" Hel's cloying voice whispered in his head. The gun felt icy in his hands. He tucked it away in his jacket with a shudder. There were other, less messy methods.
That person had died when the shotgun accidentally went off in his face. It was a messy way to go. Had he felt any pain? After all, the body was still warm when it was found. His whole life had been a lie…
"Visiting Narusawa Kazuma? Room 513," the smiling nurse at the counter directed him. "Do you need a hand, sir?"
"No thanks," he waved her offer aside. It would be simple and almost untraceable. Sorry, Kazuma-kun. He entered the ward. Kazuma was lying peacefully on the bed. The ventilator humming as they worked. Jormungand cautiously reached for the IV tube and pierced it with an empty syringe. Suddenly, the comatose boy seized his wrist, forcing him to drop the syringe.
"Why did it have to be you?" Kazuma spoke in Meiling's voice. She tore off the mask. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Why?"
"I never thought it would be you…" Nanami stepped out from behind the curtains. At his signal, the others entered the ward. The Pluto spy realized that he was trapped.
"You're the most promising students in Class E. Why? Why would you kill Kazuma?" Meiling asked. Jormungand stared at his feet in sullen silence. "Silence?" A disdainful voice called out. "Is that the answer you have for us? You were caught red-handed. Any explanations we should hear?" With cat-like grace, Erik stepped up and positioned himself strategically between Meiling and their captive. Kinta stood by the door, though they did not expect their captive to make a break for it.
"I first suspected you when I saw the tracks in the basement. They do not match those made by the trolleys," Kyu explained. "They do, however, match these," Kinta indicated the wheels of the wheelchair. "Then I realized that it made no sense for those at the DDS medical centre to be used, unless this was available at hand and you could not move Kazuma," Kyu continued.
"Do you have any proof?" Jormungand attempted to act defiant. Nanami nodded. "You sent your dirty clothes to the wash this morning. Kagome intercepted them. They are now in the DDS science lab. Preliminary tests show traces of blood… matching Narusawa's blood type as well as Yamada's."
"I couldn't have used this to move anything. You know I can't…" Jormungand patted his knee. "Lastly, your shoes… They were worn out on the soles. The right more than the left…" Kyu pointed at the shoes. "My guess is that you limp. Well enough to get around…"
"There is a big difference between being a detective and being a killer," Ryu gingerly picked up the syringe from the floor where it had rolled. A small bubble of air introduced into the veins, causing death. Naturally, that person had reason and access to medical syringes. Even if they had traced the cause of death had he succeeded, they would have easily overlooked him. Like him, Pluto had sent this person into DDS with a purpose. Unlike him, he had fallen, unable to trust anyone in his class. He gave a grateful glance in Kyu's direction. Things could have turned out very differently for him if it weren't for Renjo Kyu and Dan-sensei.
"Amakusa Ryu. You have no idea at all…" Jormungand said quietly. "Have any of you seen Hell? Known what it is to really taste Hell? Yamada the Ripper deserved what he got."
"Where's Father?" a little boy waited hopelessly at the dusty airport. Be patient, little one. Father will be back soon… Soon, two weeks, two months… Father's not coming home, little one…
"Please, stop… it hurts!" he curled up in a ball, trying to shield himself from the barrage of kicks. The other kids cowered a safe distance away, watching, and probably thanking their lucky stars it wasn't them being beaten. He was coughing blood into the cheap carpet. "I'll teach you to say no, you worthless brat!" His tormentor lashed out with his steel-capped boots. The blow connected with his hip. He heard the sickening crack of bone breaking…
Lying in the sheets, pretending to be asleep. Praying that they wouldn't come for him tonight… A rough hand on his arm pulling him, no, dragging him to that room where…
A wave of nausea washed over him. He swallowed, forcing the unwanted memories back into the recesses of his mind.
"Will it be alright to leave him like this, Lady Hel?" Kerberos asked. Hel shrugged and threw on her bathrobe. "It is not necessary to observe him, Kero-kun." She uncorked a bottle of wine and poured out two glasses, offering one to Kerberos. "Ryunosuke will die before he betrays us," she downed hers in a long gulp. After he has done what she wanted him to do, he wouldn't be able to live with himself… Otherwise, there was still her back-up plan… The room suddenly seemed to spin.
"Lady Risa!" Kerberos watched in horror as Lady Hel's knees suddenly buckled and she fell to the floor of the cheap motel in a swoon. He was at her side, shaking her and calling her name. Her eyes fluttered open as he carried her in his arms to the bed.
"Risa. You need a doctor… I'm getting one," he insisted as he made his way to the door.
"To hell with doctors, Kero! I've enough of them to last a lifetime!" Hel screamed. The bottle of red wine smashed onto the wall beside the door, leaving an ugly red stain on the wallpaper.
Author's Notes:
Any comments on my pairing between Hel and Kero? Jormangand suffered through a very bad childhood. I guess everyone should know who Jormungand is now.
About introducing an air bubble into the bloostream to cause death, this is real. The bubble will cause cardiac arrest by stopping the heart. That's why before administering jabs, nurses and doctors will check the syringe to ensure that no air is present inside. Next time you get a jab, watch how they go about filling the syringe.
