They reached the shop, Sai expertly pulling the vehicle up to the front. He held up a hand for Ino to wait, get out, and come around to her side before letting her out. They had to handle this carefully and gently; if there was any danger inside, Ino could not be the one at the front of the line. He had to be there in case there was any danger.
"Stay behind me," he ordered, reaching for his gun and holding it in front of him. He produced a flashlight in the other, ready to use it if necessary; the lights in the shop were on, but if there were other areas where lights weren't on, he might need it. He slowly led the way toward the shop's front door, pushing it open as someone had left it unlocked. They could hear the shop bell chime as the door was pushed open. At first glance, the shop appeared fine, but as they moved further in, there were plant pots knocked over and shattered on the ground near the counter. There were clear signs of a struggle, and behind the counter was a small pool of blood; someone had been injured in the struggle, it seemed. Sitting on the counter was the same floral arrangement Ino had received a photo of. Unlike in the photo, the pot and some of the leaves were smeared with blood.
Ino's eyes widened in shock at what she saw. She knew what it meant, but it was taking her a moment to process what was happening. Her mother always worked late, putting together arrangements and organizing orders so that she could be ready to prepare them. She sometimes had late-night deliveries that she'd attend to; whoever had been coming for her had to have known that she would be working late. They were likely the person who had put in the order for the flowers in the first place.
Sai signalled for Ino to be quiet and follow him, leading her around behind the counter and away from the mess they'd found. They checked the backroom carefully to ensure there was nobody else there, both staying silent until they knew it was just the two of them. Ino was barely holding herself together; she'd seen crime scenes like this, but never when it was someone she knew. Once they'd moved back to the front of the shop to survey the area, Ino could feel something coming on.
"I- I need some air," she choked out before ducking outside, turning the corner into the alley and retching onto the ground. So much for her delicious breakfast. She felt sick to her stomach with what she'd seen in there; her mother was missing. It seemed that someone had come for her, prompting her mother to either send a message to her daughter or the person who'd kidnapped her had sent it. Ino assumed the latter, but how? There were supposed to be police watching her mother, keeping an eye on her, making sure nothing happened to her.
Sai, too, was baffled by the situation. He'd had officers assigned, but where had they been when this all happened? Looking around, he couldn't see a single squad car. There were supposed to be two cops patrolling the area; Chief Hatake had promised to make sure of that. It made him wonder who had been asked to look after things. He trusted Chief Hatake, but now he was beginning to wonder if Akatsuki's influence ran deeper within the system than he was anticipating.
Coming outside, he could see Ino just around the corner, along with hearing the familiar sound of retching and gagging. He gave her a moment to compose herself before approaching, handing her a tissue he had in his pocket and gently rubbing a hand on her back. Her hunch had been correct, and he'd almost been a fool and ignored it. How stupid of him. They might have been much further behind. The only problem now was that their investigation had to be kept under wraps, even from her best friend. The tighter their circle, the easier it would be.
"Listen, Ino," he said, chewing his lip. "This... we will determine what it was that happened." He couldn't help sounding almost callous; he didn't know the right words to say. "But I must inform you that our investigation must be kept under wraps. I know that you will want to reach out to her, but... this includes keeping details from Dr. Haruno." The last thing he wanted was to force Ino to keep secrets from her best friend, but it was a necessity. Until they knew where their information leak was or who was watching, they had to be extra careful.
Hearing that fact, Ino nearly whirled on him but found she was too in shock to be angry with him. "I can't... Are you implying that she, or Detective Uchiha-" She couldn't believe this. How could he not trust them?
"It is not that I do not trust them, Ino. It is that they, too, may be under surveillance. The threads of this Akatsuki... I believe they run far deeper inside the world around us than we have been expecting. I would not be surprised if they have surveillance directly inside the precinct, especially since Detective Uchiha's older brother seems to be connected, at least according to him. Think about it. A suspected Akatsuki member nearly killed Dr. Haruno. Detective Uchiha has investigated at least three cases-including Dr. Haruno's-that have involved suspected Akatsuki members. One of those suspected members is potentially his brother, albeit under an alias. It would not surprise me if they were also under surveillance by its members." Even he was afraid. This case was getting bigger and bigger the more they looked at every new factor. It was dizzying to try and keep up with.
"Wait, do you think... could they be-" Ino was suddenly worried for her friend's safety, feeling panicked and frantic. She was brought back to reality by Sai's hands firmly placed on her shoulders, drawing her attention back to him. How he was calm among all this chaos, she would never understand. Not in a million years. At the moment, she welcomed it because it was one of the only things keeping her from losing her cool any more than she already was.
"I believe that they are safe. I... I am monitoring their movements to ensure that there is a quick response time. I began doing so after learning that Dr. Haruno was a target for a former Akatsuki member. Detective Uchiha is with her, and while I may not know him well... I suspect that he would do everything in his power to ensure her safety." The mention of Sasuke being with Sakura seemed to draw Ino's attention briefly, making her think. They were... together? Meaning... Uchiha had grown the balls to actually go and talk to her?
"Hold on. You said he's with her. You mean like, with her right now, as in, physically?" She had to know if that was the case. It meant a whole lot if Sasuke had worked up the courage to talk to Sakura. He'd been incredibly nervous and worried, and she could have sworn she'd never seen him looking so guilty.
"Yes, right now," he said with a confused frown. Talk about a quick distraction. That was the main point Ino had taken from his statement?
"Well, I guess that means he grew a pair," she said offhandedly, closing her eyes and taking a calming breath. "So... what do we do now? Do we investigate this?" Who else could they even trust to handle this investigation?
"I have called Detective Uzumaki on a secure line and asked him to open an investigation. I have also contacted Chief Hatake and asked him to keep the matter as quiet as possible. The investigation will not go on record with the precinct for the time being; they will be secure files that only the three of us will have access to. When I deem it appropriate, I will add Detective Uchiha into the investigation. For now, we need to focus on ensuring your safety. Do you think it is possible that your father may be in danger as well?"
Ino shrugged. "I don't... really know. I haven't talked to him in a few months; he sort of just... fell off the radar the last little bit. I mean, we've texted back and forth a little, but we haven't really done any family stuff, you know? He's always busy, and last I checked, he was out of town to begin with." Her father often took a lot of business trips, given his psychology work. He was frequently guest lecturing at different colleges and universities around the world.
"I hate to ask this," Sai began, feeling a sense of dread in his stomach. It was an answer he didn't want to consider, but he had to ask. He needed to have Ino's perspective. "Do you think it is possible your father could be behind what happened here at the shop?"
Ino was shocked at the boldness of his question. "I..." She thought about it, about all of the things she'd learned, the things she was investigating, and she couldn't formulate an answer. Not a direct one, anyway. "At this point, I'm not even sure. I don't know if I even know my own parents anymore. They've lied to me my entire life, so how can I really know whether this is something my father would be capable of or not? How am I supposed to know that they didn't just set this up as a ruse to warn me?" Her head hurt just thinking of everything. She rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers, groaning in frustration. Sai watched as she struggled, wishing he hadn't had to ask that question.
"Let's... head back to the safe house. I think it's best if you're not seen anywhere near this, and I can get in touch with Detective Uzumaki over other secure lines of communication. For now, it is best that you're kept safe and that we do our part when it comes to looking into your family and their dealings. The more answers we can find, the better off we will be." He had to reassure her as best he could that things would turn out all right. Her safety was paramount. For now, it would be looking into their family's dealings right from the get-go to trace things. Uzumaki could handle the rest. Sai had to trust those two to get the job done and find out who it was within the police force working for Akatsuki. It seemed like the conspiracy was getting bigger and bigger the more they looked into it.