After being brushed off by Ino, Sai remained out in his car, keeping a close eye on her place as the next morning dawned. At some point, he'd fallen asleep waiting; upon rousing, he saw that her car was still there, the drapes were still shut, and while he could see lights on and movement behind them, there was nothing else he could make out. It was time to search for another plan, something that he could work with.
Driving home, he took a shower and cleaned up, heading to the office and getting settled. He was still in the extra conference room next to Ino's office; upon reaching the room, he saw that Ino's assistant, Hinata, appeared to be extra-busy today.
"Excuse me, Miss Hyuga," he greeted gently. "Has Miss Yamanaka been in today?" Perhaps she'd got her thing together and come to the office after he'd left.
"No, she isn't," Hinata replied with a shake of her head. "She is not feeling well today, so she won't be in." Too bad for Hinata; that meant that she would be fielding the same question all day, given how important Ino was in the office.
"Ah, I see. Good day to you, then," he said with a nod of his head, leaving the girl to her own devices. Had he been wrong not to say anything, perhaps? Then again, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place when it came to the whole situation.
He would need to find a way to talk to her. He thought about the things they'd discussed on their date and about the case, and only one stood out to him. Her friend, Sakura, seemed like the most likely candidate to handle such a thing. He'd yet to see Detective Uchiha in the office, which likely meant that Dr. Haruno wasn't there, either. That concerned him because he also needed to speak with Detective Uchiha.
Just then, Detective Uzumaki made his way past the door, leaving Sai scrambling to catch him. "Detective Uzumaki? Could we chat for a moment?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure Sai, whatever ya need," Naruto replied cheerfully, making his way back. He flashed a smile at Hinata, whose eyes widened, and her face was quickly hidden, followed by a small wave.
"It's about Miss Yamanaka," Sai explained. "I am worried about her, and I would like to check on her, but I do not think she will speak to me. I intend to take Dr. Haruno with me to attempt to get her to converse, but I also need to speak to Detective Uchiha about the interrogation with Idate." He had far too much to do and not enough of him to do it. "Could I perhaps rely on you to speak to Detective Uchiha regarding the case? I think it would be the most prudent decision, as it was you that he left in charge of the case while he was away." Ideally, it made the most sense for Naruto to speak with him.
"Yeah, yeah, I can do that. I think it'd be better anyway. I don't know if you and Sasuke would get along too well, ya know?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. It sounded like Detective Uchiha wasn't the most friendly person from the way Naruto described him.
"Thank you, I do appreciate it. Have you seen him or Dr. Haruno as of yet?"
"I think so, yeah. Maybe let 'em get settled though since they just got back, maybe an hour or so before we talk to 'em." That was a good idea; a bit of time for them to get settled for the day before being dragged out of their offices to take care of things was good. It would also give Sai time to do some research into Dr. Haruno before he spoke to her. He liked to have a rounded knowledge of people before he spoke to them; he felt it gave him a better insight into what sorts of people they were.
His research led to very little that he wasn't already aware of; Dr. Haruno was an established medical expert with more degrees than the average person could sneeze at. She'd graduated high school at an early age, attended university even earlier than expected, and was honours and advanced placement in almost all of her classes. Her father was a wealthy businessman who spent most of his time travelling the world, and her mother was a busy fashion designer. Both of them seemed to spend very little time in Konoha City with their daughter. He wondered how their relationship was; perhaps he'd have to ask Ino about that at some point. Feeling a bit better armed with information, he made his way down to the morgue, politely knocking on the door to the doctor's office.
"Agent Gaka," she said with a surprised look; she must not have been expecting him. He wasn't aware of just how worried his expression was until he saw hers change into one of suspicion and concern.
"Hello, Dr. Haruno. May I come in? I have something I would like to discuss with you." There. He was polite and professional. Hopefully, that would be polite enough not to invoke her ire. She nodded and waved him in, gesturing for him to close the door behind him; he did so without question, greatly preferring the privacy it offered.
"What is it?" She asked, closing the file that she'd been reading.
"I was wondering if you had heard from Miss Yamanaka at all?" He asked with a concerned tone. "I understand that you two are very close friends?" Ino had said something along those lines... best friends, that was what she had called it. He was not exactly sure what that entailed, but from the way she'd spoken of it, he could tell that it was important. Perhaps it was familial in nature, except without blood relation.
"No, I haven't, which is surprising," Sakura replied. "Usually, she'd be down here grilling me for details about my weekend. I figured she might have had an early court session if she wasn't here."
Sai shook his head. "She did not come in today. I have spoken to her assistant, miss... Hyuga, I believe?" What was the girl's name again? She was so quiet and shy; he hadn't had a chance to ask her name.
"Hinata Hyuga, yeah," Sakura confirmed.
"Yes, I believe Miss Hyuga told me that she was under the weather. I do not believe that is accurately the case, however." He chose his words carefully, feeling hesitant; he didn't want to give too much away, as it felt... wrong in some way. He felt like the news that Ino had received better told by her to Sakura. He could feel the scrutiny in the pinkette's gaze; it made him uncomfortable.
"What aren't you telling me?" Sakura demanded, slowly standing from her chair. That wasn't good. Her suspicion was only going to make the situation worse. He needed to find an explanation and fast; Ino had warned him about the pinkette's temper when anyone pushed her buttons, and it seemed he was making his way down that path very, very quickly.
"I... I am sorry, Dr. Haruno," he apologized quickly. "I would like to tell you, but I do not feel that it is my news to tell. I believe it would be more prudent if she were to speak to you as opposed to myself." He felt too uncomfortable to explain the situation. He wasn't certain what the feeling was, nor could he explain it. Guilt, perhaps? Was this what guilt felt like?
"Fine. But you're coming with me, got it?" Sai could tell by her tone that she wasn't feeling particularly trusting. "I have time now. Let's go."
Sai followed Sakura up the stairs to the main area, first heading toward Ino's office. They would have made it there if not for the voice that hollered across the foyer, drawing both of their attention.
"ITACHI!" Was that... Detective Uchiha? Sai turned to see the situation, an angry Detective Uchiha being held back by Detective Uzumaki, and a surprise-looking Idate Shimura with his lawyer frowning at the rattled detective. Itachi... Itachi Uchiha was his brother. Itachi was the one supposedly responsible for the death of his family. And he believed that Idate was Itachi. Curioser and curioser... Especially since Ino had made a connection with that case that even he hadn't anticipated. He saw the shock on Sakura's face, the way she was seemingly stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Come on. Detective Uzumaki can handle him. He will be fine momentarily without your aid. I am not so certain about your friend." Sakura seemed to pick up on what he was saying, nodding at him.
"Yeah, you're right," she replied. He turned back in the direction of Ino's office to grab his things so they could make their way to her house.