Chapter 14

Matsuoka glared down at the chains shackled to the exposed beam. So this is where they were kept. Damn! Two instances now this building has been used to house human beings like animals. For the moment he let it slide that counted Narihisago as human. Hondomachi's cries still echoed in his ears shifting the line he had drawn so many years ago. He knelt down and snapped photos of the evidence, cringing when he spied the blood lining the cuffs. Those must have been hers, he still had his on one of his wrists.

A chill breeze whipped through the rusted holes in the panels. No blanket, no power, no light source, no heat. Nothing would have spared them from exposure to the elements. According to the thugs down there neither of them had been fed—four days without food and only minimal water.

And she was still on her feet, fighting. "Damn, she is a tough one."

"Hey, Matsuoka? I think this guy over here must be Izanagi, that one they wanted your inmate to assassinate."

He looked over his shoulder, Yokota examined a man ziptied to an old ratty office chair. With a gloved finger he placed a finger to the man's neck. Drawing it away he shook his head. "Guy's frozen solid. No pulse. No breathing. Looks like they didn't need your friend to do it."

"He's not my friend." Matsuoka snapped.

"Ah, ok. My mistake." Yokota nudged his glasses up his nose with the back of his hand.

Downstairs the uniformed officers worked on cataloging the rest of the evidence. Kenta and Ryota were now in their care.

Matsuoka wandered the loft until he stood below the hook, recalling what the thugs had told him. He crouched down. Spatters on the grating fresh enough to fit their story. They were telling the truth. Just beyond that was the spot of the railing where Konya would have gone over.

He took the chain without the cuffs and pulled it as far as it would go. Not even halfway to the railing. He dropped it with a clatter, running his hand through his hair. "That damned bastard did it again. I have no doubt in my mind."

"Did what?" Yokota wandered over, looking around and trying to piece together what was going on. "Picked a lock? I saw the EMT's carry him out. He looked pretty thrashed."

"He was, but that's not what I'm talking about. There was no way this chain allowed him to reach that railing. Just like down in the cell block, he could never physically reach the other prisoners. But he didn't have to. Not him. Narihisago just needs to be in ear shot of them. This means … shit … Hondomachi watched the scumbag do it!"

"Uhhh, not quite following. Wait … does this have to do with what those two were babbling about?"

Matsuoka clenched a fist. "Yes. It has everything to do with it. That wasn't just a story they were telling. The piece of shit can actually pull that move off."

"Kill … with his voice? I find that very hard to believe."

Staring him in the eye, Matsuoka folded his arms. "Tell that to the fellow inmates he did it to. He's such a perceptive profiler that he can dissect the psyche and weaponize it, turning it inward like some sick game. He claims he can't control it." Staring down at the splatter on the concrete floor he huffed a breath. "There's the proof he's lying—he can."

Yokota stood at the railing and swallowed. "I can see why you didn't want him getting away."

"He's back in prison where scum like him belongs." He pushed off from the railing and stalked across the floor. "Welcome to the Kura's dirty secret. Remember, you're sworn to secrecy."

~ID~

Momoki's knee bounced up and down in an endless cycle. The moment the office door opened, he snapped a glance.

Kokufu walked into his own office with two cups of coffee, handing one over. "Figured you could use this. Looks like it'll be a long day."

Taking a deep gulp of it, Momoki barely tasted it, but the warmth helped. "Is there an update?"

"Several." He sat down and pulled out his phone. "Matsuoka's been sending updates of the investigation. Photos of the evidence and a quick summary of what the two remaining thugs told him. They are now in First Division custody. It is doubtful either of them were the owners of the wells, which means they don't fall under our jurisdiction."

"Ok, then who did the wells belong to?"

"Likely two of the three deceased on the scene."

Momoki raised a brow. "Two of three?"

Kokufu held up a hand. "I'm not jumping to any conclusions. We'll need to wait until we can talk to Hondomachi to get a better idea of what happened. That won't be for a while now. From the looks of things they weren't treated well at all. We're lucky they were found alive. There was another captive who wasn't."

"Shit!"

"Not the worst of it." Kokufu bowed his head. "I've got an update from the medical ward."

Heart pounding, Momoki leaned forward.

"Hondomachi is out of surgery. They had to reattach ligaments in her left elbow. Apparently the car crash dislocated it. She must have put it back in, but it seems like it was wrenched back out of joint again. After that heals she'll have extensive physical therapy to get range of motion and restrengthen it. But before that begins, she is fending off a serious case of pneumonia. The only good news there is the inflammation was caught early. Fortunately her concussion wasn't serious, nor are any of the abrasions of cuts she had. Those should heal with some tending. None-the-less, she'll be in their care for a bit."

"You had me a bit worried. That doesn't sound so bad." Momoki took a sip of the coffee. "And Narihisago?"

His eyes closed tighter. "That's … less promising."

Sitting up straighter, he blinked. "What? What is it?"

"Narihisago is still in surgery, and will be for at least a few more hours … " Kokufu shook his head. "Don't lose it! Listen to me. His life is not threatened anymore, as it was when the ambulance pulled up. The first thing Araya had to do was close up a vein in his wrist that had been torn open during a fight on the stairs with their captors. That wrist was a mess from the chip extraction, but he was able to reinsert a new one in the process of cleaning all that up. Due to bandage changes, there won't be an option for an amplifier bracelet until that heals. He theorized that when they'd taken them hostage at the crash site and cut his chip out they must have weakened the vessel wall. It held til they were forced into the scuffle. Thankfully it wasn't an artery, or he'd be dead. The skin around it was hard to work with. It had been burned, as if cauterized."

Momoki cringed, his hands gripped the coffee cup just for something to hold.

"I wish that was all. But, he sustained a decent concussion in the crash and it was obvious at a later time he cut his forehead open. I am guessing this was … his usual. The EMT's discovered his back had been whipped repeatedly, likely by a leather belt. According to Matsuoka, Hondomachi mentioned this before he carried her down the stairs. They had tried to force Narihisago to comply, to use his way to kill the man they were holding captive—which means they knew what he was capable of."

"Did he?" His heart thudded in his ears.

Kokufu's gaze faltered before he nodded. "Not their intended target. Instead Narihisago targeted their leader, Yuu Konya, into throwing himself over the railing."

A pit opened in Momoki's gut. "No … he couldn't have … without a dive? This isn't possible!"

"There is a man with a split skull and two witnesses who prove otherwise."

"Kokufu! He can't!" Momoki stood, hands planted on the desk. "No … you know what this means!"

He lowered his eyes. "He's a greater risk than ever to work with. You know his temper."

"He wouldn't hurt us!"

With a somber smile, Kokufu shook his head. "I'm not so certain now. This situation? You do realize it's our fault. They never would have gotten their hands on him if we hadn't pushed for that test, transported him out of the facility. And now—he might be a cripple."

"What?"

"During the crash his ankle shattered, his foot caught in the wreckage and partially crushed. It's the reason he's still in surgery. Araya nearly opted for an amputation. But he's decided to at least try reconstructing the bones. Word is he's running out of hardware trying to piece the bones back together."

It sunk in slowly, Momoki hung his head. "How long will he be in recovery?"

"Unknown. The deeper question is, will he even consider cooperating with us ever again."

Momoki wanted to answer that immediately. He wanted to pound his fist on the desk with a certain reply … but instead he stared at his open hand. "What have we done?"

Kokufu's hand rested on his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed him come around. "We tried to help never imagining this would happen. It seemed unthinkable that anyone outside of here could have possibly known what he was capable of, most don't know he even exists. I'm sorry, I know that's not helping, but it's true. For right now we have to work with what we know. If you're up to it, I'd like you to talk with Hondomachi when she wakes. See if we can't get a better picture of what happened. Remember, she's got a decent fever still, though hopefully the antibiotics in her IV will kick in soon and start helping. Don't stress her out. She's been through a lot."

"When should I go down?"

Kokufu pointed to his phone. "They'll call me. For now, just try to relax."

Swallowing a gulp of the coffee, he stared down into the cup. "Easier said than done."

~ID~

Sitting propped up in the hospital bed, she looked worse than he'd imagined. Then again, he had to keep in mind she'd only emerged from anesthesia a short while ago, likely the main reason her usual excessive energy was sapped.

Momoki sat in the bedside chair leaning on his elbows trying to force a confident smile. This wasn't the room she'd be staying in, just here for observation. The nurses lingered right outside the door.

Hondomachi was awake, blinking slowly, unevenly. Her blackened left eye sluggish. Every breath she took was measured, rattling in her chest. He'd been waiting for her recover from the coughing fit he had entered on. Her complexion was pale, the oxygen stat on the monitor showing she was struggling. Not alarmingly so, but enough to make a marked difference. A sling held her arm in place, the cast peaking out of the edge.

"Welcome back." His voice sounded too cheery, even to him. "Sorry it took us so long to find you two." When she didn't respond he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess." There was no strength to her voice.

"Good." He almost cringed at the automatic response that came out. Softer, he replied, "I know you're probably really exhausted right now, but is there anything you want to tell me about what happened?"

She sniffled through a stuffy nose, her bruised gaze wandering his way. "You want to know what happened?" Her right hand curled into a fist, a bandage around the wrist.

"Easy. Stay calm."

"You have no idea what we went through, Momoki." Her voice was a low growl. "No idea!"

He leaned back in the chair glancing at the monitor tracking her heart rate. "Ms. Hondomachi, please, it's really important for your health that you not stress yourself."

"Stress myself? What kind of a joke is that? These last days Narihisago and I were treated like animals! We had to literally fight for our lives. They beat Narihisago so savagely that on the stairs after he saved my life he begged, all he wanted was to see his wife and daughter again. I know you are aware what that actually means, I can see it in your eyes. Before that, I had to crawl onto his lap for warmth to combat hypothermia because those assholes tried to drown Narihisago and when they were finished they threw the bucket of seawater on me before they left!" Her raw voice crackled, threatening another coughing fit.

"That explains the pneumonia." He held up a hand. "But you're safe now. And you'll be well in no time."

"Don't patronize me." She grumbled. "Did you even notice someone from the staff was missing? Where's Itoh?"

That caught his attention. "How did you know he was missing?"

"Because he's the dick who sold Narihisago out to pay some debt and had me taken as an additional prize!"

"What? But he's the head of security!" The gears slammed into overdrive. They had known what Narihisago could do. Holy shit! That's how! "Where is he now? Do you know?"

Before she could answer a coughing fit seized her, and it didn't stop after a few. The nurse rushed to her side as another grabbed Momoki and shoved him out the door, closing it behind him.

He stared through the small observation window, at a loss, only half the story. Taking out his phone he heaved a sigh. "Kokufu. I have bad news. I know who the leak was."