Author's Notes: Ahem…The characters are not mine hell the plot really isn't mine either. Sorry it took so long but as usual I got distracted by bright shiny object. Oh whatsdat….

IV

Besides the great newspaper ad Setsuna had another great plan. She wanted to know the friends of Soichi Tomoe, for that she had to gather them from all over the city for an in house meeting. I, of course got to present the invitations. Funny, you'd think a guy like Soichi would have more friends: Oozora Kakeru worked in an adjacent lab, and his own two assistants Mimete and Eudial.

Oozora Kakeru was a nice guy, wore a little too much pink under his lab coat but a decent looking sort. He carried himself with ease and would not kill a fly if his life depended on it. We almost looked alike. Eudial-san on the other hand looked as though she would have no problem killing anything or anyone. There was a gleam of malicious glee at the mention of Tomoe Soichi. Mimete, the other assistant (if you want to call her that) burst into tears. I could have gone for either of them had Eudial not been so cynical (I could get a dose of that from Setsuna) and Mimete so dizzy about the professor and who starred in which new movie. My god the man was insane. The only true friend it seemed was Oozora.

"Yes, I'd say he was a bit eccentric but aren't we all?" He was sitting in the red chair in front of Setsuna's desk flanked by Eudial and Mimete. His black fedora laid calmly on his knee, on his other was a small cup of sake.

Setsuna, with her poker face merely nodded. "True, his genius required the sort of perspective to produce his experiments, but what I desire is his habits, his likes…"

"Most notably in the female form," I added merrily.

The boss gave me a withering glance but continued. "Tenoh-san has a point. You see I have a client - Kaiou-san, his late wife - and a former lover of his is blackmailing her. She has bought my services to find this vixen and to expose her."

The only vixen I wanted to expose was the one that hired us but that is strictly off the record. Oozora nodded, his mind already working.

"Yes, it would make sense. I never understood what she wanted with Tomoe but she seemed happy."

That seemed to satisfy her, almost. "How did you meet Tomoe-san?"

He looked up with a small smile. "Oh we all share the same building. So we struck up a friendship. You see we were both dreamers, he and I. While he sought to forge the instabilities of man with machinery, I longed for the Moon and all her mysteries."

Eudial groaned from her seat in the chair facing the window. "Oh not that again. They're both crazy."

One green eyebrow went up as another went down. Setsuna leaned forward. "While I do not appreciate interruptions, I am curious to why you would say such a thing."

The spunky red head pushed her rectangular glass up her narrow muzzle. "Tomoe-san was always talking about a future where no one had to die, where everyone could live on forever. He talked about it all the time. Sure, I'm glad he gave me a job but if I knew that I would have to listen to him rant all the damn time I would never have signed the contract. Besides, who would want to live forever?"

"An interesting question indeed. Tell me, Eudial-san, did Tomoe-san receive a lot of calls at work? Were they at all business related?"

"You'd have to ask the spastic over there that. I only answered phone calls from the professor and not without some reserve."

"Certainly you must know of some names. Even the most absorbed people catch names on a breeze." I loved it when she got poetic.

"Some but not a great deal. I don't like this. Never have and never will."

"Your opinion is duly noted. Haruka?"

I looked down at my note pad. "Never have. Never will. Good enough?"

Her lips twitched. "Satisfactory. Now Mimete-san -" She was cut off by the sound of a cat drowning in a lake. "Mimete-san?" No good the girl was still crying. Setsuna looked to me, panic in her eyes. She never knew what to do when people were emotional.

Putting down pad and pencil I walked around my desk and over to Mimete. Maybe the girl had realized that she had bought her clothes from a retired circus performer and paid too much. Maybe she wanted to confess that she was Hotaru's mother. And maybe just maybe she realized that a relationship between her and me would just never work out.

"Miss? Miss?" I knelt down beside her, my handkerchief in hand. "I know this is dreadful work but you have to be strong."

A small ring covered hand reached out and took the offered hanky. Dabbing at her eyes she tried to regain composure. "I know I know. It's just horrible that someone would want to do this. Kaioh-san has lost a husband and now blackmailed by one of those harlots. I will help you in any way that I can."

My employer and I shared a glance. She raised an eyebrow and I scowled. Finally with a sigh of defeat Setsuna gave her the thumbs up.

"Satisfactory, Mimete-san. I thank you for your willingness to cooperate." It was getting close to lunchtime and Setsuna was getting antsy. Makoto was preparing a new recipe and Setsuna was more than curious to this little 'experiment.' "Could you have the list of names by this evening? I would like to put my men on it as soon as possible."

Oozora stood up. He was nearly as tall as I was. "I will have it for you within the hour. If there is anything else I can do call me at my office. I'll have my assistant forward you immediately." He bowed respectfully and left.

Eudial got up as well, pulling a sniffling Mimete with her. "I have to finish up the findings for the University's science council. Though he maybe long gone, Tomoe-san's work still lives on. Mimete will be there as well putting everything into boxes. Once this is done I can get a real research job." She glared down at her companion. "We will give you our list as well. It's not right that Tomoe-san's mistress should get away with it all, husband and blackmail."

I saw them to the door, putting on their jackets. Eudial wanted to do it herself and out of spite I wouldn't let her. Mimete didn't want to go at all. Oh the pains of having a sympathetic heart. Once they were out of the door I went back to the office.

"So which of our little ducklings is going to turn out to be the goose?"

"Such licentious behavior is contemptible! That Kaiou-san put up with it so long is beyond me." She grabbed the papers and handed them to me. "Get the blackboard from the basement. When those lists arrive I want who they were from and any detail that might come with it."

"What for?"

"To cross examine them of course!"

"Won't that take some time?"

Garnet eyes burned with indignant wrath. "What would you have me do, Haruka? Go outside and… and call out for every one of those women? No, we must be discreet. We must have candor from them. Running about crying for an adulteress is only going to shut them up. It's the only option we have for now." Setsuna stomped out into the hallway. "I never should have taken this case!"

I pulled her ear and that meant that she would do her best to solve the case as quickly as possible less I get even more irksome. I followed her out to add fuel to the fire.

Setsuna's long legs had taken her into the dining room. "Get Chiba, Kou and Furuhata over here for a briefing. You shall work on the buttons while they search for Tomoe-san's elusive mistress."

"Couldn't have done better myself. What about Kaioh-san?"

"Haruka, I am at a meal! Do whatever it is you want to."

"I'll call her when we have something then."

"Wonderful. Now shut up and eat."

Not one to turn down one of Makoto's meals I was there in a flash. Lunch consisted of broiled fish with lemon and a white wine with raspberry tarts for desert. I was glad that I didn't miss this meal.

Around two o'clock we got a call from the newspaper add. A Kayama Mika who said she knew a girl who had horsehair buttons but she wouldn't be able to see me today. We made a date for tomorrow on her lunch break and where to meet. I came into the office just as Setsuna sat to read a new book.

"Today is my lucky day," I told her. "First I get to comfort a delicate flower here in your office, I think I'll call her Marigold, then I get a date for tomorrow at one with a girl who knows what horse hair buttons are and we plan on discussing them for an hour or so. I am one lucky dog."

Setsuna sat in her comfortable maroon chair and gave me a flat look. "Yes, you are a dog."

I ignored that remark. "Until then I am going to twiddle my thumbs and wait for a phone call. Mamoru and Motoki are on a job. As for Seiya we could do without him. Perhaps I could get a list of available women who have no qualms about being seen by a rake like me."

She had returned to her book and flipped a page. "Are you going to blather the entire time?"

"Maybe."

"Then shut up. I cannot read with your lips moving. Go to a movie or something. Go and get Chiba and Kou personally if you have to. Just leave me with a moments peace."

"Can you answer the phone all by yourself?"

Another look that I have seen a great deal. I was pushing too hard. "I have answered the telephone without your assistance before. I have no doubt that I will remember what to do."

"Just remember, the long part is the receiver." And ducked out before any literary giant could make contact with my head.

I didn't go about getting Chiba or Kou; instead I went to the club bought a couple of lovely ladies a drink and feeling rather chummy towards myself bought myself a gin and tonic. I danced once or twice but not without the itch of wondering just how good Ms.Kaiou's long legs would have looked on the dance floor. The thought sent me to the brownstone to see if Tomoe's friends had come through.

When I entered the office just a little before five I found that I was not alone. Chiba Mamoru, Furuhata Motoki, were in sitting in front of Setsuna's desk sipping drinks. It didn't take me long to find Kou. Kou Seiya always figured himself for my job and liked to sit behind my desk for the feel of it in case something should happen to me or I push Setsuna too far. He wanted to protest but a look from Chiba stopped him.

Mamoru and I have been friends for quite some time. We met tagging the same girl, the girl he later married, Tsukino Usagi. I had been hired to protect her from a big bag oil firm and Mamoru was there to tag her by the murderer. We teamed up together to save her, much to the delight of Usagi, using one of Setsuna's better schemes. The haul was great and Mamoru seeing us work pledged himself to help Setsuna. A truly nice guy if a bit shy at times and despite good looks can follow a man five paces without drawing attention to himself.

My other friend sat close to Mamoru, Motoki. Motoki was by no means as good as Mamoru but if it came down to a brawl I'd want Motoki on my side. I have seen the guy move like a lion, pouncing with his claws. And when Mamoru was too shy or I too busy, Motoki could reel the damsels in closer for more information.

"Glad you could make it, Haruka. I was just explaining the list," said Setsuna from behind her desk. I think she liked being surrounded by handsome guys but she would never admit it.

"So they came through. How charming." I sat down behind my desk, noticing scuff marks from Seiya's shoes. He would get his.

"Yes. We gentlemen are going to look for the mother of an illegitimate child. She will not want to be found and will more than likely lie about the entire affair. We have four lists - three from the close friends and one from the wife. As absurd as it sounds I am hiring you three to find a new possible lead while Haruka goes looking for buttons. Have faith in me and we shall find her."

Setsuna sounded like one of those great sea pirates promising her crew riches just over the horizon. I closed my eyes momentarily to picture her with the wind in her hair and an eye patch but it did not last long enough for my imaginary Setsuna turned to me with a scowl and demanded to know why I was thinking about pirates at a time like this. I shook the image far away. Little did I know how much trouble those buttons would get me.