She had woken up to darkness, and she thought her Craft was acting up
again. Instead, it was merely the proprietor of Harry's being kind in his
mistaken way. She'd answered the call of the hunt with as much clarity as
she could muster, grabbed her coat and keys, paid the owner, and drove off
to the site where Sakaki, reckless soul that he is, jumped the gun.
Kate narrows her gray eyes as she gets out of the car and walks up to the first construction site, allowing the Craft to assert itself. Like a cat, she walks confidently in the night, gun pointed out and down, as she moves in. "Kate here, I'm in position," she reports into her earpiece.
"Gotchya," Michael replies, as Karasuma reports her positions and Amon, as usual, does not. "I still haven't heard from Haruto yet. Move in carefully."
"Copy that," Kate replies, and keeps her eyes open for any signs of the Craft, especially a Ring of Ogham, about the place. A noise startles her, and she spins, gun pointed at the origin of the sound. Nothing. Great.
Every so often, Karasuma checks in her position, which is the other side of the building from where Kate is. Finally, she says, "I'm reporting no suspicious activities down here. Any sign of Haruto, Kate?"
"No, nothing," Kate says, "see you on the second floor."
"See you," Karasuma replies, and they both walk carefully upstairs, since the elevator has yet to be installed.
The second floor is anticlimactic, revealing nothing worthwhile, and now Kate wonders where Kono has stashed Sakaki. Or if Kono is still in the building. Or if Sakaki is still alive. Or if Amon is even here. Speaking of Amon, where the hell is that ghost? Did Kono get him again?
A motion at the corner of her eye catches her attention before she walks up the steps to the third floor. "Amon?" she asks, stepping away from the stairs.
A flutter of clothes around the corner is the only response, and perhaps it's Kono, not Amon. She pulls out her gun and runs after it. The long- haired woman finally chases it down to a small room, one she'd quickly scanned because the door read "Men's Restroom." "Hold it right there!" she shouts, and the figure turns around slowly.
If there were any light in the bathroom, Kate's face would be dead white. Instead, it is the figure in front of her who is both dead and white, providing a weak illumination against the pitch black of the room. "Mototsugu Kosaki," Kate whispers hoarsely, having seen the first victim's autopsied body in the reports. She's never seen ghosts before, why is she seeing one now?
As if in answer to her question, the floating dead man turns again, pointing to the last stall. Cautiously, she nudges the stall door open with her gun, then stands with gun drawn. Inside, there is a glowing Ring of Ogham around the toilet, and, literally caught with his pants down, is Michio Kono. She doesn't know whether to laugh or sneer, then opts for both.
"Kate!" Karasuma's voice crackles in her ear, "We found Haruto! Where are you?"
"Still on the second floor," she says, looking around the bathroom. Kosaki's ghost has disappeared. Figures. "I found Kono."
Kate narrows her gray eyes as she gets out of the car and walks up to the first construction site, allowing the Craft to assert itself. Like a cat, she walks confidently in the night, gun pointed out and down, as she moves in. "Kate here, I'm in position," she reports into her earpiece.
"Gotchya," Michael replies, as Karasuma reports her positions and Amon, as usual, does not. "I still haven't heard from Haruto yet. Move in carefully."
"Copy that," Kate replies, and keeps her eyes open for any signs of the Craft, especially a Ring of Ogham, about the place. A noise startles her, and she spins, gun pointed at the origin of the sound. Nothing. Great.
Every so often, Karasuma checks in her position, which is the other side of the building from where Kate is. Finally, she says, "I'm reporting no suspicious activities down here. Any sign of Haruto, Kate?"
"No, nothing," Kate says, "see you on the second floor."
"See you," Karasuma replies, and they both walk carefully upstairs, since the elevator has yet to be installed.
The second floor is anticlimactic, revealing nothing worthwhile, and now Kate wonders where Kono has stashed Sakaki. Or if Kono is still in the building. Or if Sakaki is still alive. Or if Amon is even here. Speaking of Amon, where the hell is that ghost? Did Kono get him again?
A motion at the corner of her eye catches her attention before she walks up the steps to the third floor. "Amon?" she asks, stepping away from the stairs.
A flutter of clothes around the corner is the only response, and perhaps it's Kono, not Amon. She pulls out her gun and runs after it. The long- haired woman finally chases it down to a small room, one she'd quickly scanned because the door read "Men's Restroom." "Hold it right there!" she shouts, and the figure turns around slowly.
If there were any light in the bathroom, Kate's face would be dead white. Instead, it is the figure in front of her who is both dead and white, providing a weak illumination against the pitch black of the room. "Mototsugu Kosaki," Kate whispers hoarsely, having seen the first victim's autopsied body in the reports. She's never seen ghosts before, why is she seeing one now?
As if in answer to her question, the floating dead man turns again, pointing to the last stall. Cautiously, she nudges the stall door open with her gun, then stands with gun drawn. Inside, there is a glowing Ring of Ogham around the toilet, and, literally caught with his pants down, is Michio Kono. She doesn't know whether to laugh or sneer, then opts for both.
"Kate!" Karasuma's voice crackles in her ear, "We found Haruto! Where are you?"
"Still on the second floor," she says, looking around the bathroom. Kosaki's ghost has disappeared. Figures. "I found Kono."