Author's Note: Ah, another month I see. Gomen nasai. However, this chapter is a lot longer than the last so maybe that'll satisfy some people. Sorry for the many little scenes, but I just wanted to show the week in quick retrospect. Also, the game is changing now as we approach the present. I think probably two more chapters until back to the present then maybe 5 more until the end, then probably some sappy epilogue. We'll see.
Arigatous to The Great One (yeah, the movie was pretty good), Kan-chan, chibicherry, Kitty Neko, Stormy Wind, KanbiAme (originally, it was gonna be sap at the end. Now? Probably still will), Amy, Isa-chan (yeah, I'm thinking about another chapter in her POV, but nothing's really changed much since the beginning so…), e t e r n a, Ongaku, Kirika (I like people guessing), JcherryWolf89, Jessica Janowiak, Final Fantasy Princess, reveileb maerdyad (yeah, finally got around to doing the bio, adjusted my age too *shudder*), bishounen lovah (yeah, a month's wait for this chapter), cherryblossomsakura2111, japanfan (Mrs. Peacock was on the original clue to the opera, was continuing off of Professor Plum at the fair. Hmm, I'm thinking maybe 7 more chapters or so till the end. Actually, I've been measuring the time over the chapters and we're coming up on the present. This chapter starts changing the game), nightshadow, Silly*Niecy (oh yeah, I'm getting like 10 hours of sleep a night now. Love breaks so much. I took astronomy this semester too, didn't do too well though…), ice-cold, Nimuwayy, Ophelia Winters, Yuki (believe me, I have no idea how the Japanese police act so this is basically American with some fiction and some TV stuff. Syaoran's name is one of those unanswerable questions. The subtitles from the anime spell it Shaolan, Shaoran, and Syaoran. Great huh? Technically, the hiragana romanization is Syaoran, but pronunciation is Shaolan so… but I like the 'y' better, hmm, go figure)
Disclaimer: No, not mine.
The Hunt For A Cherry BlossomChapter 15: Mr. Green
September 1"Where the fuck were you? On a coffee break?"
I follow Touya's stalking form across the living room. The entire group is staring at him, eyeing him warily as if he was had some fizzling fuse trailing out of his head. As it is I'm too tired to be bothered by getting angry, not after being reamed through by Kaho. "We chased him, but lost him in the crowd."
Touya wheels around. "You mean you lost him."
I sigh heavily and make a move to get up. Screw being tired; I'm ready to resolve it all in a fistfight, if only for relieving stress. Luckily, Yukito tugs Touya down on the couch opposite. "I've been through this already. Look, I blame myself as much as you do, but we have to fucking move on."
Fujitaka nods and tries to clear the air. "He's right Touya, we need to get past this and try to focus on getting Sakura back."
The words only serve to infuriate Touya more. He gets out of Yukito's grip and stands to glare at Fujitaka. "God, what do we do? He asks us for help and we give it to him only to find nothing. Then he finds out the bastard that kidnapped Sakura and does he even tell us? He lets him get away!"
"That's not true Touya." All attention goes to Daidouji. The air if filled with an uncomfortable tension; even Hiragisawa has the tact to keep quiet. "He didn't have time. Besides, Li-san said he wouldn't put us in danger."
Touya grunts and prowls back and forth. "Then what the hell are we doing here? Do we just let the guy taunt us until he finally kills her." He turns again to glare at me. "And what are the police doing? What the hell are they doing to help?"
"We're trying to narrow down the list of suspects, but it's a very long list." I sigh again, a habit I've been developing the past few weeks. "It's a frustratingly slow process." It's silent and the air is charged with a kind of thick stifling electric feel. And all the stress and anger and frustration wells up in the back of my throat, gathering into a knot so big that I convulsively swallow. The longer the case drags on, the more impossible it seems. Police proverbs always says that the criminal has to make a mistake sometime, but it's been months since the kidnapping, and nearly a year of the bombings. When is the stupid slip up supposed to come? When Sakura's body has long been disposed of? I shake my head angrily. Faith. Is that what we're supposed to have? All bullshit.
"Officer Li?" I look to Tomoyo and almost sense that she knows what I'm thinking. She softens slightly, looking hopeful and apologetic. "We'll still do anything we can to help. We'll save her, I know it."
I nod dumbly, nothing more than a police puppet. "Sure," I say without an ounce of meaning it. Slowly I stand up to go, ready to limp back to my apartment and sit, staring bug eyed at the many dead end police reports.
"Officer Li?"
"Yes, Kinomoto-san?"
The older man smiles a little. "Would you like to eat with us? It's nothing really great, leftovers mostly."
I make a move to refuse but the thoughts of my dark apartment and the approaching hours of futile searching spear me with such disgust that I nod and follow them to the dining room. I know it's going to be uncomfortable, but it's nice in a way too, just to sit with people that understand how I feel, even if we don't say anything. As I predicted, dinner is completely silent, only the random clinking of chopsticks and spoons on plates and bowls is heard. And strangely, it felt good.
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It's a few days away from the next scheduled bomb, another three weeks to another stupid, pointless clue. I find myself sitting back in the federal office conference room, on one side of the giant oval desk, facing the giant window that stares off into the bay. Hwang sits leisurely to my right, talking casually with two suited agents. The line of chairs opposite remains quiet, the panel of high level officials neat and blank. We wait in complete silent. Finally, a man hurries in and sets his folders and files on the desk before taking his seat. He takes a sip of the coffee before him and nods sharply to the gray haired woman in the center.
She begins in a clipped business, no nonsense tone. "As we all know, this situation has gotten out of hand. We cannot afford this maniac loose in Tomoeda. A young woman's life also hangs in the balance." She turns an appraising eye on me. "Mr. Li, we have several commendations on record for your work. Have you been able to find any new evidence that may help us in this investigation?"
I shake my head bitterly. "I'm sorry, there has been nothing new. It's proven to be a difficult to obtain any new evidence. No fingerprints have been found on his notes and he was able to likewise escape at the concert hall."
"Yes, we have these incidents on file already. We agree with you; this man is very quick, very professional. This game that he plays cannot be allowed to continue. There's no telling how this will end. Dr. Hanaka, what is your opinion of the subject now?"
The bald man stirs nervously in his seat, flipping hastily through a mess of papers. Eventually he finds the right one and adjusts his glasses. "Yes, of course. This game has certainly worried me. Placing himself at the concert hall is something I would have never suspected he would do. It shows that his confidence is high. His willingness to use violence is also indicated. The injured agent testifies to this. While it is not wholly unusual to see this progression, the transition from taunting to violence has been within the span of only a few months suggests that we are dealing with someone that is truly dangerous. I fear that soon he may find it within himself to kill the Kinomoto girl."
"Has your profile changed any doctor?"
"I don't believe so. Despite the new show of violence, his bombing pattern suggests a connection with the government. I still believe that he was probably once a civil servant."
The gray haired director nods solemnly. "How about the suspect lists?"
I glare at the two agents on my left. "The Tomoeda police have eliminated around 500 suspects. However, the district office is in officially in charge of the bulk of the lists."
She turns her attention to the agents who make a great show of being proper and respectful. "We have our office working around the clock, ma'am. So far we have narrowed the list down to a less than thousand."
"I see." Silence stretches across the board. Finally the director makes a move to get up, announcing in her flat voice, "This man is a threat to Tomoeda's citizens and I will not accept anything less than your best. This meeting is adjourned."
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"You heard her Syaoran right? She wanted your best." Hwang leans a little closer. "Five months and nothing. With your reputation, I thought your best would be better."
I inadvertently crumple the side of the file in my hands. "May I remind you Hwang that you've been on the case longer than I have? What has it been, a year?"
He frowns and scowls, ready to make some stupid remark back at me. But Naoko interrupts us, and it's a well know fact that one makes way for Naoko, or be picking up your teeth from the floor. "There're some people to see you Syaoran."
I nod quickly, glaring at Hwang's back as he drifts across the room. "One of these days, I'm going to kill him."
Naoko almost smiles for a second. "I'll pretend that I didn't hear that, witnesses you know."
A second later and a woman and her child are standing in front of my desk. The little girl is fidgeting at her mother's side, trying to pull away. The woman abstractedly yanks her child close, looking stressed and nervous. "Ano…Detective Li?"
"Yes?"
She hastily pushes the child forward a little. "Give Officer Li the book, Noriko." When the child makes no move, the mother sighs and prods the girl again. Finally after what seems like an hour the child frowns and begins to unzip her jacket and pulls out a book.
I take the book from her. It's a paperback Japanese translation of 'The Secret Garden.' Very ratty cover, sporadic holes, pages barely sticking to the spine with the help of tape and stained disgustingly brown. "Is there something about this book?"
The mother flusters and starts to stammer out a story, rushed and all together hard to understand. "You see Li, I mean Officer Li, there was this book report and Noriko was at the library and then we found it inside. I mean I didn't think for a moment it was what it was, but we thought it just might be and then we thought it would be best to show it to you."
I must've looked I've just been staring at the TV for hours, blank. She recriminates herself under her breath and tries to stumble through the full story again, but I hold up a hand to stop her. "How about I just ask?" She nods gratefully. "What exactly did you find?"
"A note. Page 70. We thought…well, we thought it was some joke or something, but then we looked at the newspapers and well, it might be it right?"
I don't even bother to question her for the moment, instead flipping through the book, careful of the crackly half disintegrated pages. At page 70, there's a white slip of paper, blank. "This paper?"
The woman nods earnestly. "Yes, the writing on the other side. We thought well, it might be that crazy bomber guy."
I freeze, completely, fingers inches from touching the paper. It must be a few seconds later that I find my coordination again, picking up a pen from my desk and carefully flipping over the white slip. The crisp letters show themselves one by one. A-N-O-T… I hastily turn the whole thing over, finding verification. 'ANOTHER CLUE SOLVED. A VERY WORTHY ADVERSARY YOU ARE. NOW THE GAME GETS HARDER. MRS. WHITE WITH THE GUN IN THE STUDY.'
The woman's still staring intently at me, something in her eyes that I can only think is anticipation. No doubt, once I confirm it, she's ready to go home and tell all her neighbors and family about her discovery. "Well?"
"It might be, though we'll have to test it." She nods happily and I lose myself in the book. I shake myself and try to get back into policeman's mentality. "May I ask a few questions?"
Fifteen minutes later, I'm sitting alone at my desk staring down at the note through the clear plastic of the evidence bag. Apparently Noriko had a book report to do and they waited till last minute to check out a book. All the other copies of 'The Secret Garden' had been long checked out so they ended up going into deep storage in the basement to find this copy. Lead pipe probably referred to the heating pipes surrounding the storage room and Mr. Green could've been the green cover. It's all insane, the kidnapping, the game, the stupid notes. There's no way in hell I would've figured it out. There's no way I would've found that one book, especially since Tomoeda library has over 50,000 books and there are three other major branches throughout the city, not to mention dozens of bookstores. I bet the lunatic didn't factor in book reports. Something else annoys me, but it's late and I make a note to get to it first thing in the morning.
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The morning's barely begun and I'm waiting out in front of the receptionist desk at the federal security office. I munch the rest of my breakfast, some half stale breakfast bar that the vending machine stocks up on. It tastes a little like peanuts with a strange crunch that I think is honey gone hard. Men and women in pressed suits and pants circulate around me, disappearing into elevators and stairwells. My target comes in a few minutes later, briefcase at his side, the picture of all work and no play. I give him a professional nod, approaching him with the patented 'detective with a lead' gait. "Excuse me Dr. Hanaka, I'm Detective Li from the Kinomoto case. I was wondering if you had any free time now? I wanted to discuss the note that came in yesterday."
He searches my face for a few seconds trying to remember me. "Oh yes, Li-san. Yes, that note was quite the surprise to me too. Please follow me, I have some time before morning meetings."
I follow him through the twisting hallways, passing through security checks and thinly carpeted halls that look like they belong three star hotel. He stops in front of a plain wood door and ushers me into his office. The office is a small cramped place, bright with the wall sized glass window. I sink into the offered chair, taking in the absence of those stereotypical framed diplomas and certificates of recognition that most shrinks have up for display.
After a few minutes of shuffling and setting things down, he flops down behind his desk and straightens his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Now, what did you want to discuss about the note?"
I had sent the note over to their forensics team pretty much as soon as I got it. The results haven't been finalized yet, but they assure that it is from the bomber. Fingerprint analysis yet again came back negative except the mother and child. "Maybe I'm making something out of nothing, but it didn't make sense. The note was planted at least three weeks before the designated time, but he was on scene the last two times."
Dr. Hanaka nods. "Yes, that has puzzled me and my colleagues too. Generally when someone of this nature begins this kind of game, he follows it exactly. Like his handwriting, everything is clear without exception. In his mind, there's no other alternative than playing by the rules. There could be no reason for breaking them."
"What about fear of being caught? We almost got him last time."
He shakes his head negative. "Sorry, he's shown by starting the game that he doesn't believe the police to be a threat. He feels confident that he'll never be caught, which allows him to play the game by the rules. He likes taunting the police and he wouldn't derive that enjoyment unless there's a level playing field."
"Then why would he plant the note this early?"
Lines crease on his head. "There's no telling. The human mind works in strange ways. I'd lean toward some change in mindset, but I have no idea what. He might have come up with a better game. He could also be preparing to dispose of Ms. Kinomoto. The possibilities are infinite." He stares into space for a moment. "This man, he's a strange case; it's like two different minds. He is not following the general profile." Hanaka's mouth thins into a line. "It makes him very dangerous."
A shiver runs up my back as I stand up to shake his hand. "Well, thank you very much doctor." My footsteps are a little bit faster as I exit the office, a little bit more hurried knowing that time is running out for Sakura.
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I run into Hwang outside the forensics office. He's there for the same reason as I am: fingerprints. We have our customary argument and then head inside. It's bright and busy, a large room of probably a dozen people going and back and forth between big and small machines. White coats abound. One of them stops briefly and asks us what we want. She leads us through the door to another office, saying something about lunch and then disappears. I knock against the door a few times but there's no answer. Hwang impatiently opens the door to find that the director's gone. "Early lunch," I say, in the fashion of someone who just got the meaning of some big joke.
"Great, leave a note then."
I pull out my pad and start scribbling down a message, but Hwang snatches the pen away from me in mid sentence. "What the hell?"
He gives me that annoying smug grin and starts writing his own note. "My handwriting's neater; yours looks like it's from some person with a broken hand."
I huff and look at his writing and find he's right. Stupid neat, perfect penmanship. "Whatever. Let's get back to the station; there's work to do."
The rest of the afternoon disappears in a mess of telephone calls and alibi tracing. The government suspect list isn't getting any shorter. It's amazing how many people have been fired, quit or transferred in the past five years. Must be the economy I guess.
The clock tells me it's six when the phone rings. I have just enough time to cross out another suspect's name before the fourth ring. "Li here."
"Oh, Detective Li, this Director Nasakawa from the federal forensics office. Sorry, I was out for early lunch. I received the note. Was there something you wanted to know?"
"Just wanted to confirm the fingerprint analysis on the book."
"I'm sorry. It's been handled too many times to isolate any useful prints. Besides, the moisture content in the air down there has distorted the pages some. I'm afraid there's no useful evidence here."
I sigh and shake my head, oblivious to the fact that she can't see me. "It's fine; I didn't really expect any. Thank you again."
I stare ahead of me a little afterwards, the kind of spacing out that leads to nothing but hurt eyes. Eventually, I shift back to the suspect list and pick up the phone again. It was likely my pillow tonight would be the stack of papers strewn over my desk. I hate it when I'm right.
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It's two days later that I'm rudely awakened at my desk. Another night of tracking down alibis. Every inch of my nerves are twisted into small painful little knots, knowing that today is the date of the next bombing. Kaho assigned me to the courthouse and I thought I might as well sleep at the station so I could get to my post earlier. Who knew the lunatic would be me to the punch?
Someone bangs against my desk and I awaken blearily to a scene of complete chaos. People rushing out the door and the wailing of many sirens. I manage to stumble onto my feet and catch hold of Yamakazi as he's rushing by. "What's the hell's going on?"
"The bomb. They just found it."
I look at the clock, momentarily confusing the hour and minute hand. Eventually, I realize it's barely 7 in the morning. "Already?"
"Yeah, let's go."
"Where?"
"The post office in the shopping center."
"Right." I stumble a few more steps before the fuzziness goes away and I can actually feel my fingers and feet for real. The ride's long and loud, an army of sirens and lights flanking out sides. It feels like some ridiculous parade.
The scene is basically the same as the one in the library those months back. Layers and layers of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars. Early morning workers are cordoned off to the side, still growing larger as passersby stop to stare. Even Chief Mizuki is up near the entrance, swatting away reporters.
I reach her after a strenuous early morning workout of pushing away nosy cameras and people with no sense of danger. "What's going on?"
She spares a quick irritated look before going back to rebuffing some media people that wouldn't take 'no comment' for an answer. "I'll tell you once I get these bloodsuckers back behind the tape." She snarls fiercely at the black camera lenses and the blinking red lights. "Okay, listen. You'll get your statement as soon as we have one. Now get back behind the line or I will have all you in for obstruction." She adds a murderous glare for good measure and the reporters slowly edge back toward the wooden police barriers. "Finally. Come on."
I follow her obediently as she heads into the mall. "What's happening?"
"Dud. Bomb was a dud, at least that's how it seems. One of the cleaning staff found a box outside the postal office. Guy opened it and found the bomb. Somehow it didn't blow up in his face and he called the police. Fourth precinct got to it first and called in the bomb squad."
We descend a flight of stairs into the lower level, passing by dark stores. Voices drift from down the hall, a few indistinguishable dark blobs murmuring in the echoing near silence. As we approach, one of them straightens up to meet us. "It's disarmed. A wire had slipped out of place. Lucky guy. When he opened the box the trigger stayed unarmed. Or else he'd be half way to Tokyo by now."
I approach the remaining group while Mizuki starts to get all the details, preparing her speech for her unavoidable television debut. The other three technicians are working on the bomb. Two are hunched over carefully wrapping the disassembled pieces in packing foam and gently placing it back in its box. The third is carefully snapping shut a plastic evidence box, dusting off her hands with a clapping motion. She looks up at me and then down at her blackened hands. "I guess we'll have to do without the introductions. Nasakawa Hitomi. Detective Li right? You're the one that left the note at my office a few days ago right?"
"Oh yes, of course, director Nasakawa." I point toward the bomb. "Was there anything useful?"
She smiles proudly, patting the box at her side. She almost looks ten years younger for a moment. "Don't know if it'll help but I think I lifted a partial print off the bomb casing. We'll do a full dusting at the office later."
Fingerprint? So he did slip… "How long would analysis take?"
"Um, maybe a half a day? Would you like to be notified once we get the results?"
"Yes, please. It might be the only solid lead that we have right now."
She nods in understanding and directs her team toward the back exit, all three carefully lifting the box. "A fingerprint huh?" Hwang suddenly appears at my side as they disappear through the glass doors. "Finally, a break for our hard working detective."
"Yeah, and maybe you'll finally be able to say you've solved a real case." I smirk back maliciously just to rub it in more before getting away to interview the witness. If the world were perfect I'd have Hwang's stupid, red insulted expression photographed and framed.
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The afternoon disappears into a flurry of avoiding newspaper agents, talking via speakerphone with the district office and constantly checking up on the forensics team. Again, if the world were perfect, they'd have been locked in their office with no food or water until they finished the stupid analysis. As it is, I distractedly try to cut down on the suspect list, reading over files and affidavits, but always involuntarily straying back to look at the phone every now and then.
I'm partially through a packet of terminated post office employees when the phone finally rings. I snatch it up quickly, unaware of how my breathing seems to have stopped temporarily. Everything seems to converge in that moment. Expectation. Hope. Fear. "Li here."
"Detective Li, this is Nasakawa from forensics. Congratulations, we've found a fingerprint match in the database."
The world stops. For a second, maybe a little longer and all that I can do is fumble back a thank you and try to place the phone back on its cradle. A match… The bastard's going down.
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Author's Notes: Hehe, thought I'd end with that kind of 'your ass is grass' police bravado. Anyway, soon it's back to the present, with all new plot twists. Yay!