Back at the office, Kate is poring over the autopsy reports, the blonde
girl having tossed the whole thing at her. "One thing the pervert was
right about, I really don't want to see those gory pictures," she'd said,
walking off with an issue of "Vogue" in hand. Kate had shaken her head,
but wasn't surprised. That girl will find a way to weasel out of anything,
she thinks, but doesn't mind. She enjoys reading as quickly as Michael
does, with just as much committed to memory. "What kind of Ring was he
using?" she murmurs to herself, flipping through page after page on the
clinically described bodies. There doesn't seem to be anything unusual
about the deaths, in fact, it seemed downright mundane.
A ringtone interrupts her musings, and she sits up, brushing her long hair back as Michael takes the call. "Michael," Karasuma's level voice says over the line, "Mrs. Kono reports having vacuumed sand from her husband's room several times. The last time she tried, however, she broke her hip. She said she probably slipped on sand outside his room, but it's very likely it's the result of using his Craft."
"I see," Michael says, "I'll pass that on to Amon, then."
"Have you heard anything from him?" she asks.
"Not yet," the hacker replies, "I'm guessing he's still talking with Kono's former employers. Any luck?" he turns to Kate.
The black-haired woman shakes her head. "They look like mugging victims, actually, not really witch victims. Maybe there's something they overlooked -- oh!" she says, looking back down at the report, then back to one of the photos.
"What is it?" Michael asks.
"Sand," she says, "they're not specific, but I'm guessing that's what Kono used." She looks at him, "None of the victims were found anywhere near a beach, but it was discounted because they were all found at construction sites."
"Which would have a lot of sand, as well as other building materials," Michael finishes, "Karasuma, I'm going to run a check on all of Kono's coworkers, see if any are missing. Talk to you later." Then he opens another connection, dialing their leader. When there's no answer, he resorts to text messaging him. "Amon, are you there? It's possible Kono will strike at another construction site. Have you found anything from his workplace? I'm going to check a list of his coworkers."
"He's pulling his famous Incommunicado Act, isn't he?" Kate says, not surprised.
Michael nods, the fluorescent lights bouncing off his orange-tinted glasses. "Not for long. I'm sure once he finds something good, he'll pass it along." Already his fingers are flying over the keyboard, and he only pauses to put his earphones back in and turn his CD player back on.
A ringtone interrupts her musings, and she sits up, brushing her long hair back as Michael takes the call. "Michael," Karasuma's level voice says over the line, "Mrs. Kono reports having vacuumed sand from her husband's room several times. The last time she tried, however, she broke her hip. She said she probably slipped on sand outside his room, but it's very likely it's the result of using his Craft."
"I see," Michael says, "I'll pass that on to Amon, then."
"Have you heard anything from him?" she asks.
"Not yet," the hacker replies, "I'm guessing he's still talking with Kono's former employers. Any luck?" he turns to Kate.
The black-haired woman shakes her head. "They look like mugging victims, actually, not really witch victims. Maybe there's something they overlooked -- oh!" she says, looking back down at the report, then back to one of the photos.
"What is it?" Michael asks.
"Sand," she says, "they're not specific, but I'm guessing that's what Kono used." She looks at him, "None of the victims were found anywhere near a beach, but it was discounted because they were all found at construction sites."
"Which would have a lot of sand, as well as other building materials," Michael finishes, "Karasuma, I'm going to run a check on all of Kono's coworkers, see if any are missing. Talk to you later." Then he opens another connection, dialing their leader. When there's no answer, he resorts to text messaging him. "Amon, are you there? It's possible Kono will strike at another construction site. Have you found anything from his workplace? I'm going to check a list of his coworkers."
"He's pulling his famous Incommunicado Act, isn't he?" Kate says, not surprised.
Michael nods, the fluorescent lights bouncing off his orange-tinted glasses. "Not for long. I'm sure once he finds something good, he'll pass it along." Already his fingers are flying over the keyboard, and he only pauses to put his earphones back in and turn his CD player back on.