Mai sat dumbfounded, even Lin had stopped typing in shock. There was no way they were talking about the Kabe Nishiki. What could SPR possibly do for a man like him? Snapping back to reality she pursed her lips, all too aware of the lawyer's beady eyes.

"I'm not really interested in taking a case in the middle of a media frenzy." Leave it to Naru to remain unfazed by the news.

Matsumoto leaned forward, "I know you must've heard the news by now but hear us out! Whether you do or don't take this case, Nishiki-san's connections and resources will ensure the safety and discretion of your involvement. You'd be paid quite handsomely as well, money is no problem. If you find proof of his innocence we can come to an agreement around payment and testimonial letters. He begged us to come here, and we've worked closely with Nishiki-san for decades now. Had it been anyone else I would've scoffed at the idea. No, I would've thought it were the rants of a deranged lunatic trying to avoid the death penalty."

Naru raised an eyebrow, "What if the evidence points to his guilt?"

Watanabe gulped, "We'd accept your findings and would do everything we could on our end to help him."

"I still don't see the exact reason as to why an accused murderer is requesting help from SPR."

Watanabe wiped his forehead with his silk handkerchief, "Right, but first we request that you sign the contract. It's very straightforward, any information discussed during this consultation is to remain confidential. That means no discussion with the press or anyone outside of this room, or until the criminal investigation against my client is completed. If the contract is breached then we would request a hearing from the judge to demand a hefty fine as punishment."

Matsumoto handed out the contracts. Mai took hers and noticed right away how short the document was. It really was just as straightforward as Watanabe said. Naru grabbed his copy immediately, his eyes skimming down the page rapidly. He looked at Lin who had also reviewed the agreement and they both shared the tiniest of nods. He signed his copy, followed by Mai and Lin. Both lawyers took the documents and checked their signatures before carefully sealing them in a manila envelope. Matsumoto placed it in his briefcase and took out another folder which held the seal of the Nishiki family.

"As Nishiki-san is unable to be here while he remains at the police station with our colleagues, he wrote the following statement to read to you:

To whom it may concern,

I want to say first and foremost, I did not kill my wife, my Ueno. I have loved her from the moment I met her, and I will continue to love her until my own dying breath. There is no doubt that the news of my wife's murder has made national headlines, and by the end of the day, the whole of Japan will have found me guilty before I have the chance to utter a word in my defense. However, before my lawyers file any motion to defend me, I would at least like to try to make my case to you… and hopefully it will be with concrete evidence to present to a judge and jury.

Last night, I found myself next to my wife's bloody body in the library. I have no recollection of the events before 10 pm. I was distraught as you can imagine, and I called the police as soon as I could collect myself. I am missing six hours of the night, and in that time my wife was killed. I know what the evidence looks like, a disoriented husband covered in his wifes blood, no one else present in the household, and the murder weapon thrown out the window. But this is where I request your help. I have been a chronic sleepwalker all my life, my family can attest to this. My lawyers would like to use this information to submit a sleepwalking defense, in which cases in Europe and Canada have presented the argument that a chronic sleepwalker may experience episodes of aggressive behaviors that they normally would not display when awake, leading in murder. I can understand their reasoning but for my wife's honor, and for my children who are suffering, I need the whole story out.

Yes, I sleepwalk.

Yes my body murdered Ueno.

But I did not kill her.

I wholeheartedly believe I have been possessed by the evil forces that reside in my house. Something possessed me last night to kill my wife, it's bloodthirst unstoppable.

In the past few months, my wife and I began to experience things. My sleepwalking had lessened as I grew older and yet I was practically sleepwalking every other night. I'd wake up to find myself naked in the gardens or in the kitchen playing with the stove top. My wife could no longer rest easily at night, often telling me she felt as if something were watching her from the closet. This caused her to have frequent nightmares and she could not stand being alone in the house. Sometimes I would hear my wife call me from another room, but she would deny it. She too would hear my voice. I often saw a shadow from my peripheral vision… and terrifyingly it stepped closer to me as the days went on. Even our staff began to report strange noises, some have reported heavy breathing just behind them, and more recently, they've begun to be touched on their back or their ankles tugged hard enough to trip. Probably the worst is the staff hearing Ueno and I fight, even when we're not home. Tension and uneasiness were constantly on the rise, and it felt as though everything that had been happening peaked last night. My sleepwalking episodes have never lasted that long, and I had been planning to take my wife on a romantic getaway next week. I am beyond devastated, and I humbly request your help to investigate my claims.

Find evidence of the evil forces lurking in my home and banish it from this realm so that it cannot harm anyone else lest it possess one of my children. I beg for your assistance and hope that you may find it in yourselves to help my family. If not for me, then for my children who are desperate for answers.

Sincerely,

Kabe Nishiki'

And there you have it. He asked us to make sure a decision could be reached today so that we may begin processing any accommodations or requests your team requires."

Naru sat in his thinking pose, his brain working a mile a minute before he slowly spoke, "It certainly is an interesting claim to make in regards to a murder charge. I'm not sure whether any evidence found is likely to sway the courtroom. It is worrying that the staff has recently been experiencing physical enouncters and that there is a strong fixation on the Nishiki couple. This would be my first time dealing with a case of a spirit taking possession of a person to commit murder. My concern would be protecting my team from the media. I do not want their names dragged through the mud for investigating paranormal claims from an accused murder."

"Well-" Watanabe chuckled nervously, "Getting in and out of the property would be no issue. Given the wealth of the Nishiki family, they wanted to make sure that privacy could be guaranteed.. A tunnel was created towards the back of the property, so none of the media would spot your team's arrival. We were instructed to pay in cash to avoid creating a paper trail should the media go snooping in Nishiki-sans personal finances."

Mai interjected, "Don't you think that casts more suspicion on your client if it were to be discovered by the police or media?"

"We're going to do everything we can to cooperate with the police, but our hope is that your investigation would be done in a week or less to reveal the second entrance."

Naru sighed, "And the staff, can they be trusted?"

"Many of the staff have been employed by the Nishiki family for ages! They can be trusted and they willingly agreed to sign NDA's to prove their loyalty. And… we plan to get Nishiki-san released on bond as soon as possible." Watanabe held his hand up, "I understand if it would be too uncomfortable for him to stay at his primary residence, but upon his release I'm sure he can provide much more information.

"If you could excuse us for a moment to discuss?"

"Of course"

The three headed into Naru's office and huddled closely together, speaking in hushed tones.

"What are your thoughts Mai?"

"It's a pretty crazy defense… but I think that if Nishiki-san were lying then he wouldn't go to such lengths to keep this on the down low. If he killed his wife in cold blood, wouldn't it make more sense to go public with his possession story to get the public on his side?"

"I agree. He could be facing the death penalty for his crime, he needs all the time he can get to build a legal defense. It doesn't make sense to give us a week for us to investigate if he were lying."

Naru rubbed his temple, "I'm still concerned about the mass media attention the case has generated already. We'd have to be extra careful if we decide to move forward. I can't lie and say I'm not interested in the case, this could be a useful opportunity to gather data given the unique circumstances. If we're all in agreement, we can accept the case. Mai, do you feel uncomfortable being around Nishiki-san? We will have to question him further about his experiences."

She closed her eyes thinking before speaking slowly, "I can't say for sure how I feel about him staying at the house while we're there. If his home is being haunted, we might be able to get more data and see how or why Nishiki-san has caught the spirits' attention. I want to ask him a few questions and see what my instincts tell me."

"I see. Lin and I can work out the finer details about our accommodations. We should wait till we get to the residence before deciding if we'll call any of the others to assist." They all nodded in a final confirmation, Lin striding back out quickly.

Naru grabbed Mai's arm, "Are you okay with this?"

"Yes, I'll tell you the second I'm not. And if it is the case that Nishki-san is innocent, then we owe it to his children to give them peace of mind."

She took his hand from her arm and kissed his knuckles in reassurance. They headed back out to rejoin the others, it was clear as day to see the relief on Watanabes figure as he spoke to Lin, Matsumoto nearly in tears. It took a while longer to sort out some of the details, and Lin set another time to speak over the phone before the group would make the trip over.

It was dark by the time Mai was able to fully close the office. Lin had already left as he rushed home to be with his family. Naru was waiting by the door with Mai's belongings to take her home. They shared a quick kiss before leaving, and avoided the topic of their new case along the way. Nau held her hand firmly in his the entire time, rubbing his thumb across her knuckle as if he were trying to soothe himself. She gripped his hand tighter.

"Do you want some tea? It'll get your mind off the case, I know it's already pretty stressful." She said as they entered her apartment. Naru hummed in response.

"Are you absolutely sure about taking this case? It won't be like the others."

"You mean because the guy might be a murder? Hmmm… it won't be a problem as long as I stick close to my knight in shining armor" Mai teased.

"I'm serious."

"I know I know. Like I said before, if it feels wrong to have him in the house then we can send him to stay somewhere else. I'm sure he has a bunch of other places to stay while we investigate. And I doubt he would do anything in a house full of people with the media and police circling around him… or at least I hope" Mai mumbled the last part. "Don't be such a worrywart, you'll get wrinkles."

Naru stood behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. "I always worry when it comes to you."

Mai giggled as he kissed her neck, "Why is it that you're always so affectionate when I'm making tea?"

"I'm far more attracted to the beautiful tea maker."

She cleared her throat before speaking, obviously flustered, "We should relax for a bit before going to bed early. We're gonna be running around like madmen since we've only got tomorrow to prepare."

"Hmm," Naru squeezed her waist before letting her go, it had become normal for the two to frequently sleep over each other's place. It had felt natural for them early on in their relationship, and Mai found much comfort being by his side before any case.