Chapter Four: Don't Kale My Vibe
As he cut the ignition Kakashi was certain of one thing; Sakura had the potential to be a force to be reckoned with, even more so than Tsunade. Which lead him to one obvious and terrible conclusion.
You need to guide this one closely, Kakashi.
Obito, as usual, sensed the apprehensive feelings before Kakashi had been able to figure them out for himself. Unfortunately this time he wasn't so sure he would be able to convince her that her smarts were better suited for a lab, where it was infinitely safer. It had worked on Yamato once long ago but Sakura was a different breed. She was a born detective. Just like Obito had been.
He wasn't going to let another tragedy like that happen again. He needed to be better. Needed to keep her safe at all costs.
The details she had picked up from just from photographs alone, on her first day and with no input from anyone else… Well it was almost like having Obito here with him in the flesh, just with added sass, and that flesh was indeed much easier on the eyes.
Bakashi, don't be disgusting, that's your partner. Pervert.
He felt the sigh escape him as he fought the urge to say the words out loud, 'no harm in looking'. Seeing as he was now alone with Sakura in the elevator it would most definitely not end well if he started blurting out his thoughts and conversations with a fictional Obito.
Fictional? Gee, thanks pal.
"Why won't you just shu…"
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"Oh, no. Not really, I was just wondering why it was taking so long for that door to shut."
Nice save, idiot.
Arguments with his deceased partner could wait until he was within the sanctuary of his own apartment. Usually his self appointed conscience kept quiet around others, although it could be said that there weren't usually a lot of people to speak of around Kakashi in any case. Today might be the longest amount of time he'd spent with any human being in an entire year, precinct mandatory psychiatrists aside.
The doors opened to a full view of the night staff with some of the regular faces thrown in. Tsunade herself waiting ominously by his desk as if she had anticipated their exact time of arrival.
"Captain." Kakashi greeted curtly, her aura was not so murderous this evening though it was still prickly. This wasn't his first rodeo on thin ice however.
"Hatake. Ah, Haruno, there you are. Excellent preliminary work on the skull. Your references were not exaggerating your skills with forensics."
"Thank you, Captain."
Kakashi was already at his desk and pulling out the various containers of Chinese food, he paused to put a hand to his chest in mock hurt.
"Y'know it hurts that you would just assume that it was Sakura who made the discovery and not the seasoned veteran..."
"Uh huh, over seasoned if you ask me. Which is exactly how I knew that it was Sakura who worked this out so quickly without going to 5 different experts first. I know you, Hatake."
Kakashi offered his best smirk as he extended a container to his partner to take, though it was now cool. There was a shadow of something over Sakura's face, displeasure or disdain, at him or the food... he couldn't be sure. She took it cautiously with a raised brow.
"Is it him?" Tsunade now turned serious.
"Too soon to tell." Kakashi was already opening various boxes of food and skimming quick bites.
"His victims were all accounted for prior to his execution but it wouldn't surprise me if that psycho had one more up his sleeve. What are your thoughts Detective Haruno?"
Sakura seemed ever so slightly startled, wiping the scowl off her face and pausing her cautious removal of the container lid. She was treating it like a bomb that was to explode in her face and this was bemusing to Kakashi.
"Well, my psych teachings were extensive, but even I can't imagine the kind of person who would sit with a skull in hand and remove... everything. The hate they must have felt for the victim."
"There's no chance of this being a corpse removed from its grave by animals?"
"Wishful thinking, Tsunade." Kakashi chimed in with a mouth full.
It was like watching a switch being flipped with Sakura, she would be all innocence and unassuming until she had something to prove. The second she sat the food down on her desk and brought up the images with a few quick taps of the keyboard.
"Impossible. You can see the marks on the jaw bone here, and here. This person used needle nose pliers to pull each tooth to prevent identification. The ridges align perfectly from the photos alone, we can probably get impressions from the skull itself and narrow down what was used exactly."
A snide smile crept onto Kakashi's lips. He would not underestimate this woman and he would do well to remember that at a later date. For now he was content in seeing her teach the Captain a thing or two with no idea of the wrath that could fall upon her head. It was nice not to be the one in imminent danger for a change.
The Captain's phone rang just as she leaned in for a closer look. Saved by the bell.
Usually that's my line for you, Bakashi.
"Excellent, excellent work Sakura." She took her phone out checking the screen. Kakashi stared on, perplexed, while Sakura looked like the cat who got the cream. "Shizune. Tsunade here."
The Captain didn't even bother to move as she took the call standing in front of them. Shaking his head a little to snap himself out of it, Kakashi offered Sakura another of the containers and she shook her own head violently. Now it was his turn to raise a brow.
"Brilliant work, Shizune."
As soon as he overheard the words Kakashi almost felt his jaw drop to the floor. What the hell was going on here today? It was odd to hear Tsunade sound anything other than irritated, perhaps he was just too used to that timbre. But now she had complimented two people right here in front of him. It was insanity.
"I have them here, I'll inform them. Keep us posted on the results."
"Good news?" Kakashi asked cautiously just to be sure.
"As good as it could get in a homicide investigation. Though we only have proof of dismemberment yet. Sakura, can you bring up that image of the jaw bone again?"
Feeling decidedly left out as the women surrounded the computer Kakashi made the unconventional (for him) decision to join in.
"The mandible wasn't recovered in the lake?" Sakura asked Tsunade without even sparing Kakashi a side glance.
"Not yet, they scoured it pretty heavily but there wasn't enough light to finish the job. We may get lucky tomorrow but don't hold your breath."
Kakashi's first instinct was a sudden and uncontrollable urge to make a play on words, Tsunade had set it up perfectly and he liked to think that it was on purpose. Just like it was probably purposeful that she give no pause for him to retort with any satisfaction.
"Here it is, Captain."
"Alright, now zoom in if you can on the upper left, third molar."
Kakashi raised a brow as he tried to get a look at what they were seeing. As in, he could see it, but he was exactly sure what it was.
"Brilliant." Sakura said under her breath.
"Brilliant, how?"
"The wisdom tooth was embedded in the maxillary. Whoever removed the teeth from the skull wasn't able to see this one under the flesh."
"That's exactly right, Sakura. And Shizune has been able to extract it in perfect condition. Which means we may get enough undamaged tooth pulp for DNA analysis."
"That is good news."
Haruno finally glanced back to Kakashi and he could see it in her eyes, see the hope at this new lead. It was a look that he was all too familiar with, one that almost pained him to be reacquainted with, it was so very Obito like.
"It's not good news unless we find something to compare it to." He hadn't meant it to come off so somber, but this was a murder investigation, there was no such thing as good news when it came to homicide.
"Our perp has made a mistake and we need to take advantage of this while we can. If he's made one, he'll make another."
"Yes Ma'am."
Both detectives chorused in reply to Tsunade. Without another word the captain nodded and stormed back to her office. Through body language alone Kakashi was able to discern that she still wasn't thoroughly pleased about this case... or him for that matter. But at least they had something to work with.
In a blink Sakura was back at it, huddled around some files with the computer screen open to the ME's pictures of the skull. Kakashi took the opportunity to sit back in his chair and dive into a container of fried rice. It was tepid at best after being left for so long but the hunger was at a stage where that detail no longer mattered. He only found it slightly odd that Sakura was now not interested in food though she'd grumbled about it before leaving to the lab.
"You should eat something, Sakura."
"Have you got anything remotely healthy or nutritional in any of those containers Hatake? Salad maybe?"
"This one has cabbage in it... I think... At least it used to be cabbage in a past life."
"That's disgusting." She let out a sigh of defeat, wheeling her chair around and grabbing the wonton soup.
"You're welcome by the way."
"I'll be sure to thank you properly when I have a massive coronary episode. Though I'm certain you'll beat me to it at this rate."
They ate in silence for a while and it was pleasant enough. Kakashi's mind began to list the information that he could be certain of at this point, about the case and about this new would go places fast if she lived long enough, she had certainly proved her potential on her first day. The detective portion of his brain that took over more often than not was actively resisting the urge to do some digging on her. He might've if it weren't for the case at hand.
"So, what's next?" She asked matter-of-factly, leaning back and downing some soup, despite her earlier protest she appeared to be enjoying it.
"Well, we have two options. First being, we eat, we go home and rest for the night. Wait for the DNA results or potential cause of death to be discovered by forensics."
"And the second?"
"The method that I usually take for these kinds of cases. We fast track it. We narrow down all the missing persons reports that fit the age and description that can also provide DNA for matching. Means we have something to run as soon as the skull results are in. The precinct field office can be notified to run it as soon as it's ready. We may be here for another couple of hours but we also may have the identity of our vic by the morning."
Kakashi expected Detective Haruno to be like every other detective he'd had the displeasure to work with in the past year. He expected her to pack up and go home at the first chance of rest, and her shift was technically over, so she had every right to. Not everyone had the obsessive need to work until all possible leads were exhausted, Obito being the only exception.
He did not expect for her to down the soup so rapidly. He did not expect her to turn back to her desk and pull out more reports without so much as a word.
Kakashi maybe smiled just a fraction.
She certainly exceeds all expectations.
They had designated piles for each case. One for where the age and description matched but there was no DNA available for comparison. This pile would need to be followed up with should they not find a match later. One pile for cases that did not match the age or had dental records with the upper wisdom teeth already removed. And one for potential leads.
As the night went on two of the stacks continued to grow at a depressing rate. Sakura was the first to find a missing person within the age range and with DNA on record.
"Raiza Gabriel, aged 24, arrested two years ago for public indecency in a church confessional." Sakura slapped the file down onto the empty spot with a grin. "Looks like I'm in the lead."
"I didn't realize we were racing, Haruno."
"What can I say, I enjoy competition. Especially when I'm given the chance to show up a seasoned veteran such as yourself."
Those are fighting words Bakashi. Let's show her how it's done.
"Listen, detective work isn't a competition or game. There are lives at stake. Work that needs to be done for the good of the city." He tried to maintain a monotone throughout the spiel. "That being said now that I know we are racing prepare to have your ass kicked, Detective."
"Pfft, yeah sure, that'll be the day."
"Your sarcasm is duly noted and will be used against you in the event of your inevitable defeat."
Kakashi couldn't pinpoint exactly the name of the feeling that was roused within him as they locked eyes for a second. It wasn't familiar enough to name with any certainty, some long forgotten mix of excitement, camaraderie and fun that he didn't think himself capable of feeling any more. Obito would have approved.
It became a blur of files after that, searches, paper. Kakashi had barely registered when the night crew shift had come in to the precinct, he only noticed when he looked up to place his first potential vic on top of Sakura's lonely file.
"Avalon Jones, 25, missing four weeks. DNA on record for felony charges. Inciting a riot and breaking parole, ties to black market pornography. Dental records attached. One all, Haruno."
He didn't miss the veritable death glare that was shot his way from over her shoulder. It probably pleased him more than it should. Sakura was taking this little bet a lot more seriously than he anticipated but it was a credit to her character.
Kakashi maintained his cool and calm demeanor even after he was jolted from his work by Sakura slamming another file onto his one glorious find.
"Jessie Davidson, 22, missing for two weeks. Madam of a known prostitution ring running on the lower east side of Konoha. Went underground once she was let out on bail. One of her 'sister wives' reported her as missing a while after that. 2-1, Hatake and we're almost out of files. Did you want to call it a day now, old man?"
Old man... Kakashi, I like her and all, and she's a good detective... But you're younger than me so you definitely need to kick her ass right about now.
"You forgot wise, handsome, superior..."
"Funny, I'll add delusional to that list then."
Kakashi usually hated small talk, hated everything that came with it, and on this day in particular there was a lot that he didn't want to remember. But when he looked up at the clock and saw that it had passed midnight, passed the anniversary of that terrible day, it came as more of a relief. The hours had passed quickly with banter and investigation tonight and honestly he couldn't think of a better way to honor the memory of Obito.
A question surfaced in his mind, why had he been in such a hurry that morning? A hurry to dismiss this case, dismiss Sakura Haruno as a good detective or viable partner.
It was fortuitous that Kakashi and Sakura both reached the final missing persons reports on their stacks at the same time. He forced back a chuckle when he saw Sakura pouting like a small child as she threw the file into the middle pile.
As he glanced down there was something about the name on this particular missing person report that struck a strange chord with Kakashi. It was that same feeling he'd had as Sakura had found their first lead, that same prickling on the back of his neck, a foreboding kind of intuition.
Samantha Winters.
For some reason this name was calling to him. Brow furrowed he perused the file but there was no clear reason for it to be standing out so much to him. Even Sakura noticed the way he slowly went through each page as if his life depended on it. But still there was no inkling for Kakashi.
"Are you trying to drag this out Hatake so you won't have to admit defeat? How sad."
"Not quite." At his lack of a witty retort to the insult she wheeled herself closer.
"You got something?"
"I'm not sure yet. Just a feeling. Here."
Kakashi handed the file to her.
"Samantha Winters, 26. No priors or arrests. Mother reported her missing two weeks ago when she failed to pick up her son."
"Okay, but there's no DNA, why this one Hatake? It's not just for the bet, right?"
"What bet? No, no... Look at where her apartment is." He pointed to the address. "That is across the road from the lake we found the skull in. Don't know why but I have a hunch... sorry I can't explain it further."
He really was sorry that he couldn't explain it with any brevity. It sounded stupid to himself as he said it out loud. What shocked him out of his stupor was when Sakura threw the file onto the smaller stack of leads. He looked at her with his brow raised.
"We will be able to get mitochondrial DNA from the son to compare. With her last known sighting so close to the lake we need to consider this one seriously. Nice find, Kakashi."
"I'm not sure if I should thank you for the compliment, I'm expecting an immediate insult to follow if I'm honest."
"No, I mean it. Not sure I'd have taken a second look at that one. You're pretty clever for an old... seasoned detective."
"And there it is..."
A moment of terse silence and then they both started laughing.
"I really should be thanking you though. As far as first days go, plant shopping aside, it was better than average." She was already standing and donning her coat. "See you in... 7 hours, Jesus Christ I didn't notice the time."
"That happens with murder investigations." Kakashi stood and stretched his cramped muscles. "Just be thankful there's no drugs involved with this one. The paperwork for that would put you off the job completely."
"Noted. Call this one a tie?"
With a nod he leaned over to retrieve his own coat before picking up the 4 missing persons files that were their leads.
"I'll run these over to the precinct field office on my way out, get that DNA ready to roll by the morning. Except... this one." He held up the last file on the stack. "I'll contact the mother in the morning and see if we can get a willing sample."
"Good plan."
Sakura was stifling a yawn as they both made their way to the elevator, back in the same place he'd seen her for the first time the morning previous. Her face was still impassive, just a hint of a smile on her lips, hair still outrageously pink. She hit the button for the ground floor.
"I meant to ask about the hair."
"What about it?"
"How is it so... pink? Is that on purpose or were your born in a bubble gum factory?"
The doors opened, Sakura turned to look at him with a deadly expression. One that Tsunade would probably have been proud of.
"If you behave yourself I might just tell you the story, Hatake, and it is quite the story..." She winked and began to walk towards the doors before calling back. "Night, partner."
Kakashi smirked and shook his head.
"Night...partner."
In a blink she was gone, while the words still hung in his mouth, the aftertaste not at all as unpleasant as he thought they would be. It had been a simple reaction to Sakura's own words and almost entirely out of his control.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, working with another detective again, and this time he would do it right. Make sure that tragedy never befalls anyone else, Sakura included. Kakashi fell into autopilot as he left instructions with the field office, his mind a jumbled mess of excitement and trepidation.
There was just one thing that bothered him all the way to his car, and for the whole journey to his apartment. Perhaps it was because of the file placed on his passengers seat, the one whose relatives needed to be contacted, but it felt as if he was forgetting something. Like he had left something behind at the precinct or lab. It dogged him continuously even as he walked up the three flights of stairs to his place. He'd have asked that voice of Obito that usually never left him alone but now he was conspicuously silent. It added to the feeling and Kakashi didn't like it one bit.
When something bothered Kakashi Hatake he usually made sure that it stopped. He had enough cumbersome worries as a detective without this unnamed feeling thrown into the mix.
Pakkun barely looked up from the couch as he came in, locking the door behind him. The pug would only move at the sound of his biscuit bowl being filled. Kakashi's next steps were into the kitchen, throwing on the light, illuminating the distant madness that was his living room. True to fashion the pug only appeared once the first biscuit had hit the ceramic. At least some things never changed.
For the second or third time that evening Kakashi felt that prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Felt the rush of cool excitement out of nowhere. And it happened as soon as he turned on the light to the living room, as soon as he could see the walls plastered with pictures, notes, evidence, leads...
Anything he'd been able to find out about Obito's murder in the last year had ended up on these walls. So much of it was scribbled, frantic notes from the man himself, with Kakashi's added underneath. Even the windows were covered now.
Kakashi didn't care. This was his work, his method, and he would find a way. He would find the psycho who had murdered his best friend.
The vengeful feelings were not able to overcome him in this moment because he was still in the throws of that unnamed feeling. The calling he felt. With the file still in his hand Kakashi shot a glance down to it...
Samantha Winters...
He would never be able to explain it to a sane person, and he attributed it to the late hour and stressful day... but he swore he could hear a key being turned in a lock. Except it was in his mind, and it hit him at the very instance he spied what had been calling him to the walls, what had been calling him since he had read that name back at the precinct.
Because it wasn't the first time he had read it.
The closer he stepped to it the clearer he could see. There, on the receipt they had found in Obito's pocket at the time of his death, the name of the cashier printed in bold.
Samantha Winters.