X-Forces
Wintry Evolution
22-02-2003
Chapter 4
Saturday, Dec 12, 14:13:26
After making the fatal mistake of allowing the girl the slip earlier that day, Sendoh was determined not to repeat the same error now. His eyes trained on the entrance of the trendy café like a hawk lying in wait for its prey, he absentmindedly added his fifth packet of sugar into the cup of black coffee.
It was already thirteen minutes past two in the afternoon and yet the girl was nowhere in sight, which was very strange. This was her favorite haunt and she would usually frequent it at this time of the day every day. Perhaps she was held up by something. But unfortunately, that lame reason did not dissipate his anxiety one bit. If anything, it only served to increase the sense of foreboding that was fast growing in him.
Apologetic about screwing up the assignment, Mitsui watched worriedly as his partner opened the seventh packet for the day. Finally he could take it no longer and voiced his concern.
"I'm afraid you will be getting diabetes soon if you keep adding sugar to your coffee."
Distracted from his reverie, the younger man returned his gaze to the silent, motionless cup sitting before him and the several opened packets on the table. Issuing an audible sigh, he pushed the cup away from him and rested his forehead in the palms of his hands.
Mitsui politely cleared his throat, an indication that he wanted to talk to his partner about something. However, Sendoh did not raise his head to look at him but Mitsui decided to proceed with what he wanted to say anyway.
"Why didn't you tell Kenji that I blotched up the operation?"
"Does it matter?" The spiky-haired boy leaned back against the cushioned chair and crossed his arms in front of his muscular chest with an undecipherable frown on his face. "The most important thing now is to get the assignment back on track."
Mitsui made no visible reply.
"If you feel guilty about it, it's up to you then to confess it to Kenji." Sendoh leaned forward, thrusting his grim face towards his slightly guilt-stricken partner, "But don't depend on me to soothe your conscience for you."
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 14:29:42
"Ruthie!" A pretentiously gentle voice cooed in the midst of a rich residential area in Kanagawa, "Wherrrre are you?"
When it became clear to him that the stupid psychotic poodle was nowhere in the vicinity, the redhead crossed out one of the names of the districts in his dog-eared notebook. The sun was hammering down harshly on him and wearily, he wiped the profuse beads of perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand. Eyes going starry-eyed at the wide psychedelic array of flowers in the area, he leaned against the wall in exhaustion.
At this juncture, a ball came rolling up his way and finally stopped a few inches away from his worn-out shoe. Not long after he picked it up, he heard a shuffle. Raising his head in the direction of the noise, he noticed a little boy standing some distance away from him. The little boy caught sight of the picture of the dolled up poodle and giggled childishly.
"Is that your dog?" He pointed to it while he reached his hand for his ball.
The older man smiled affectionately at the small boy, who was only the height of his thighs. "No but I'm looking for it. Have you seen it anywhere?"
Nodding fervently, the little boy wriggled his chubby little index finger in the direction of the woods.
"Thanks." Sakuragi grinned widely and patted the little boy's head before heading quickly for the woods.
***
Deciding on a different tactic to lure the stubborn animal from its hiding place, the redhead began to whine like a forlorn lover searching for his partner. After several attempts, an equally whiney piney yelp sounded in the far distance. Elated, Sakuragi followed in the direction of the bark but before he could do so, accidentally tripped over a stone lying in his path.
Except it was not a stone.
It was a foot protruding from the bushes.
Shocked but nevertheless curious, he approached the bushes slowly and cautiously, pushing his way through the bushes. What he saw next horrified him so much that he lost his balance and toppled over, falling headlong onto the object lying in wait for him there.
Eyes widening in terror and heart thumping fast, he instantly pushed himself away from the open-eyed dead corpse. His hands were stained red with the pool of blood that was oozing in abundance from it. Disgusted yet afraid, he began to wipe his limbs dry of the red liquid but without any success. If anything, the stain on his hands only got worse.
However, his detective instincts soon began to set in and he accessed the dead body before him. Glaring bloody stab wounds littered its torso. Even though he was not touching it, he could still feel slight warmth radiating from her mutilated body, which meant that she was not killed long ago. Perhaps the murderer was still lurking around the area. At that thought, he swiftly stood up and scanned the surrounding as best as he could for any signs of human movement but there was none. Eyebrows knitted together into a grimace, he returned his scrutiny to the corpse, feeling that he had seen her somewhere, though he could not exactly match her looks with a specific name.
Another pitiful whimper sounded in the distance.
It was then Sakuragi remembered where he had seen the girl before.
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 14:48:10
"How could that call have come in without you noticing it?" An enraged Inspector Maki hollered at the squirming young officer, nearly deafening him in the process.
"Not that I could help it, you know." Constable Kiyota blurted out defensively despite his fear for the burly, broad-shouldered man, as he had done nothing wrong.
At least nothing seriously wrong that warranted such a severe scolding from anyone.
After all, the police station was severely short-handed and he was the only person manning the enquiry desk at that time. What with six different calls coming through at the same time as well as the public streaming into the station in hordes complaining about trivial insignificant things like someone stepping on his toes, it was a wonder he was still standing here today. Things did not pick up even with the addition of the new recruit, Miyagi. The workload was still as heavy as before. Instead of assisting them in any way, Inspector Maki would bellow at anyone for not following his orders.
As if he owned the police station.
However, judging from his superior's expression of disbelief, it was very clear that the inspector had thought Kiyota incompetent and inefficient.
A wave of indignation flooded through him as he glared at the hunky taller man. "Anyway, there wasn't any call that was worth checking into at that time."
"A murder isn't worth checking into?!" Inspector Maki snapped scathingly as he threw the file forcefully onto the table and grabbed the note from the in-tray once they entered the untidy office.
"I didn't remember anyone calling in to report a would-be murder." If Constable Kiyota were another inch taller than the inspector, he would not be standing there, asserting his innocence. He could have beaten the arrogant and demanding man to a pulp for doubting him.
"Didn't remember or just plain forgotten?"
"I might be slow but I'm definitely not a forgetful person." The monkey-faced constable half screamed at the unforgiving hateful man.
Muttering a string of curses under his breath and crushing the note in his hands, Inspector Maki turned to face the red-faced officer, who was boiling with uncontrollable anger. "I'll deal with you later."
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 14:58:19
Coat half worn, Doctor Rukawa was hurrying out of the mortuary when Inspector Maki paid him a visit.
"There's a second body found in the woods. Didn't you get the message?" The pale doctor adjusted his coat and tie while hastily making his way through the empty parking lot to his white Benz with the man following after him.
Bummer!
Suddenly remembering his unreliable mobile phone in his pocket, the exasperated inspector slapped his forehead. Following that, he accompanied the doctor into his car.
"Why did you summon me just now?" Inspector Maki fingered a weird looking ornament, which faintly resembled the shape of a dead body, hanging from Doctor Rukawa's rear view mirror.
An expression of revulsion displayed on his tanned, wrinkled-drawn face, he slipped his hand into his pocket for a cigarette while the doctor floored the accelerator as soon as the engine started. Due to the unanticipated action, the packet of cigarettes hurled itself out of the inspector's grip and onto the floor and seats in the car. The doctor sure knew how to drive.
As the pale-faced man turned the corner, he flicked his eyes towards the inspector, who was bending downwards to retrieve all his cigarettes, before returning his attention towards the road. "The dead body you found in the woods this morning was a man."
At the unexpected revelation, Inspector Maki's mouth gaped open and his cigarette fell out from between his lips. Uncertainly, he looked at the driver for a second confirmation at what he had just heard.
"That's right. He underwent a sex-change operation. Thought you might want to know that." The doctor repeated grimly as he brought the automobile to a halt in front of the traffic lights that had just turned red.
Millions of thoughts immediately flashed past the inspector's mind. However the most significant of them all was the connection between the man in the article and the dead body in the woods. Without wasting any time, He borrowed the doctor's mobile phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Kiyota!" He barked immediately once the line got through. "No, I don't care what your fu*cking name is! Now listen very carefully…" He raised his voice another notch higher but continued in a slower manner than before, as though he was speaking to a retard, "I want you to find out all you can about Taku Ito and Sumiko Taki (the name of the dead body)."
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 14:59:07
"Kenji?" An urgent voice filtered into the phone. "You there?"
"Yes, speaking." The brown-haired boy spoke into the receiver as he uploaded new information about their detective agency on their home page. "What's the matter, Sakuragi? Lost sight of the dog again?"
"No?" The person on the other end of the line exclaimed in resentment at the insinuation of his incompetence. "I've found a body. Haruko's body to be exact."
The mention of that name distracted Kenji from his work.
Haruko's body? She was killed?
Instantly, his quick mind clicked into gear, pondering over the best course of action Sakuragi was to take at the moment.
"Now listen very carefully. I want you to look out for any possible clues the murderer might have left behind. Anything out of the ordinary, anything… just take note of them."
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 15:18:56
A series of furious and frantic barkings greeted them the moment they arrived at the scene of the crime. Straight away, the efficient doctor wore the synthetic beige gloves and got to work.
Meanwhile, the inspector walked over to a flustered police officer who was, at that minute, taking down a statement from a redhead. The redhead was gesticulating wildly and dramatically in a bid to get his message across more clearly while the excited poodle was joyously adding to the commotion by barking without any self-control.
But since when did dogs have any self-restraint?
"Good morning, Inspector Maki." The reassured officer presented a smart salute at the taller man as he recounted the details of the statement off his notebook but the man waved him off, preferring to speak to the witness himself.
However, before Inspector Maki could do that, he heard a low whistle from Doctor Rukawa. Striding towards him as briskly as he could, the inspector reached him in a matter of seconds. As the doctor stood up, he relieved himself of the bloody gloves and threw them into a plastic bag.
"There are signs of rape on this girl." Doctor Rukawa uttered, throwing one last glance at the mutilated figure on the grass. "But the MO is the same as the body found in the morning. Multiple slashings and stabbings. I suspect the fatal wound came from the stab at the chest but I can't be certain until I examine the body in greater detail."
"Can you estimate the time around which she was killed?" Inspector Maki brought out the crumpled pack of cigarettes and was about to light one of the said items when he detected the frown of disapproval on Doctor Rukawa's pale, worn-out face.
Nodding his head in apology, Inspector Maki silently slid the packet back into his coat pocket while taking a rectangular piece of chewing gum from the other pocket. Popping it into his mouth with agile ease, he had hoped that would help him fight off the urge to smoke for the moment until he left the place.
Everyone in the police circle knew how particular Doctor Rukawa could be about contaminating the crime scene. He had always reiterated that the importance of re-constructing the misc-en-scene to the most perfect detail ever with the available information on hand. That was not only a major requirement in his line of professional ethnics but also a respect for the deceased. Since the deceased could no longer speak up for their own rights, it was only up to the pathologists and the police to fight for theirs. And therefore, he imposed the famous three rules – no smoking, no touching, and no tromping on the grounds which were of fifty meters radius from the location of the body even when he arrived at the site.
"The body is still warm. My guess is she is dead for four to five hours but with the weather we have today, it is hard to tell. I can only confirm the time when I examine her further at the morgue." Doctor Rukawa held his briefcase in his hand, an indication he was about to leave the place when Detective-Inspector Jin appeared, huffed and red-faced from the running.
"What's going on here?" The pimp-faced man glared at his rival in anger, irked that the burly man should have arrived earlier than he did and received first hand information about the mutilated body from the doctor when he gave extremely strict orders about the confidentiality about this case.
"Dead body, multiple stab wounds…" Inspector Maki shrugged his shoulders carelessly, deliberately positioning a cigarette between his lips for the younger man's benefit, knowing well enough that it would only get Detective-Inspector Jin more worked up. "You name it, she has it."
Not going to be lured into a juvenile argument between two equally immature delinquents, Doctor Rukawa quickly took his leave, leaving the two inspectors to fight it out among them.
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 15:57:12
"How was the girl killed?" Sendoh and Mitsui returned to the office immediately after receiving Kenji's call. "How did she get to the woods in the first place? It's so far away from the place we had last seen her."
"Wait a moment, Sendoh. Let's see what Sakuragi has to say." Kenji motioned for the spiky-haired boy to sit on the empty chair beside him.
"She was first raped, and then stabbed to death. And apparently from what I heard from their conversation, there was a same murder there this morning." Sakuragi placed a plate of dog food on the floor for the poodle, which had been whining for the past one hour. "They deduced the murders were committed by the same person."
"You discovered her body at about half past two?" Mitsui asked the redhead and when he nodded, Mitsui added thoughtfully, "We lost her at about a quarter to twelve. That makes it about two and a half hours…"
"The time needed to take a bus to the woods stretches far more than that. Imagine the time needed to wait for the bus." Sendoh interjected, "And what about the time needed to switch between buses?"
"You are suspecting someone brought her there instead and killed her?" Sakuragi scratched his head, a frown on his smooth chiseled face.
"Why not?" countered Kenji, clearing a space on the table for him to sit on, "Did you notice anybody suspicious while you were following her?"
"Not that we can think of." Mitsui rubbed the unshaven stub on his chin ruefully. "What about you, Sendoh?"
Before his colleague could reply, the redhead slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a crumbled piece of paper for his colleagues to take a look. "Oh, I noticed a very bizarre thing at the scene just now but I didn't point it out to the officer-in-charge."
It was a drawing of a crisscross mark.
"What can you make out of this imprint, Sendoh?" Mitsui called out to his partner but the spiky-haired boy was far too immersed in his own thoughts to notice.
Sendoh could distinctly recall someone following the girl earlier that day. However, as the man disappeared after walking along the same route as the girl for a couple of blocks, Sendoh had not taken much notice of him. Now come to think of it, there was a very high possibility that the stranger vanished because he had somehow detected Mitsui and Sendoh trailing the girl. In his mind, he could see the faint outline of the male who was following Haruko and there was something not quite right with his getup. Slowly, he ran over the vague figure inch by inch, starting from his head, after that, his shoulders, then his hands…
There was something awkward about those hands. What was it? How was it that Sendoh could not recall seeing any fingers? And then he had it. The man was wearing gloves, which explained why the spiky-haired man could not remember seeing any fingers. But whoever in his right frame of mind would wear gloves under the hot afternoon sun?
Unless he had a devious plan in store for his victim…
Eyes flying open in shock, Sendoh placed his index finger on his lips, an act he had grown accustomed to do when he was rapidly working his brain cells. As best as he could, he attempted to construct the facial features of the man in his mind.
* * *
Saturday, Dec 12, 16:03:56
"Earth to Ayako!" Her smiling assistant knocked lightly on the slightly agape door, knocking her supervisor back into reality before she entered the neatly tidied room with all the files and books immaculately situated in their respective places. "I've been knocking on the door for ages. What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Ayako whipped her long curly hair into a bun and inserted an elongated object akin to a chopstick into the coil of hair. "What do you want?"
As the curly-haired supervisor motioned her to sit on the chair in front of the table, her assistant handed her some documents. "I've got some news about the person you wanted me to find out about. Apparently, the Immigration Department has records of Taku Ito traveling out of the country but he never returned to the country ever since."
"What's so new about that? People move around all the time." Pausing for a moment, Ayako rapidly gleaned through the papers.
"But one month later, someone else returned to Japan despite having no records of leaving the country." Her subordinate beamed, seemingly very proud at her accomplishment of being a step ahead of her superior. "No prizes for guessing who."
That caught Ayako's full attention now. "What are you suggesting?"
"Doesn't it strike you as odd that two people can bear such uncanny resemblance to each other when it's proven that Taku Ito has no living kin in this world?"
Ayako narrowed her eyes at her jubilant junior while she waited for her assistant to continue.
"He was said to have a fetish for dressing in women's clothes."