Green Eyed Monster

Chapter 3: "Specter of Evil"
A Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

With a morning spent looking over apartments without finding one to her liking, Ami suspended her search to keep the lunch date Usagi had made with her. Approaching the door to the office of Happy Eskimo Productions, the art shop run by Marie Baishaku, Ami checked her watch. It was two minutes to twelve. The young intern-to-be nodded her head. Punctuality was important to her. She hesitated at the door, wondering if she should knock. Then she recalled that she hadn't the last time. That convinced her to go right in.

"Hello," the chubby woman dressed in jeans and a floral blouse at the nearest art board said. Ami recalled her name was Mika. She was inking the background scenery on an art page for the manga "Love Sorceress". "Can I help you?"

"Obviously you don't remember me," Ami smiled. "I'm here to pick up Usagi."

"Are you that doctor friend she keeps going on about?" asked the artist farther down, a thin woman with glasses that Ami remembered was called Himeko. "She'll be out in a moment or three. She's in the office with Baishaku-san."

"Have I come at a bad time?" Ami asked. "We had a lunch date."

"Usagi and Baishaku-san are just going over the layouts for the next chapter," Himeko said.

"Usagi's penciling now?"

"Yeah. The publisher wanted an art book based on 'Love Sorceress'. Baishaku-san gave me the assignment. It lets me paint, so I'm pretty hyped about it. But there was no way I could do that and my regular assignment too. So Baishaku-san's letting Usagi do about a third of the penciled pages, then she inks it all."

"And I pitch in with the backgrounds and letter," Mika added.

"My, Usagi's certainly coming up in the world," nodded Ami.

"She's not bad, either," Himeko agreed. "I don't know if she could handle a mecha or a supernatural story just yet, but she's got magical girls down. Occasionally Baishaku-san has to give her tips on storytelling, but other than that she's good." Then Himeko grinned. "And tell her I said that. She doesn't seem to believe she's that good."

"Modesty has always been one of Usagi's traits," Ami agreed.

"And klutziness," Mika added devilishly. She got a sympathetic glance from Himeko. When Ami silently inquired, Mika continued. "Well one day she was inking one of Himeko's pages. And she must have either done a good job or was happy she was finished, because all of a sudden she jumped up and squealed for joy."

"And hit her board with her hip, spilling a whole bottle of ink all over the page," Himeko finished. "Oh, I wanted to strangle her - - until I saw how heartbroken she was. Honestly, what are you going to do when she looks at you with those puppy dog eyes?"

"Are you two talking about me?" Usagi demanded as she closed the door to Marie Baishaku's office.

"Why do you think that?" Mika asked. "Did you hear the word 'klutz'?"

"Don't pay any attention to them, Ami-chan," Usagi huffed in mock umbrage. "They're just a couple of old busybodies who sit in a room all day and draw pictures."

"Who are you calling 'old'?" Mika jabbed back. Usagi patted her shoulder on the way out with Ami.

The pair sat in a booth in The Crown, at Usagi's insistence. "For old times sake," she said. While Usagi had a gigantic hamburger with fries and a double milkshake, Ami went for a more sensible salad and fruit juice.

"Usagi," Ami grimaced, looking at the grease puddled under her friend's meal, "have you ever had your cholesterol level tested?"

"No," Usagi said in the middle of a huge bite of burger with cheese, lettuce and tomato. "Do I have to study for it? Because between my art, running a home and taking care of Mamo-chan, I don't have the time to study."

"You don't have to study for it," Ami replied, shuddering internally. "But I would mention it to your doctor the next time you go." Ami took a bite of her salad. "I was surprised you called me so soon after dinner last night. Was there something you wanted?"

"Ami, I've seen you three times in eight years!" Usagi huffed. "We've got a lot of catching up to do! You can't do that all in one night!" Her eyes narrowed and she got a familiar feline grin. "One thing you forgot to mention was whether you were seeing anyone in England."

"Because I wasn't," Ami scowled.

She glanced up and saw one of Usagi's eyebrows raised cynically.

"You're holding out on me," Usagi smirked. "Don't deny it. I can tell."

"No I'm not," Ami replied, flushing.

"Ah hah! Now I know you're lying! Out with it!"

"It's not that big a deal. I'd hardly call it a romance."

"Was there kissing involved?" Usagi smiled.

"Usagi," sighed Ami. "Graham and I were two doctoral students helping each other through a difficult stretch. We supported each other. That was all. I have a - - certain fondness for him, but it was strictly platonic."

"Well that's no fun," Usagi replied glumly.

"I wasn't there to have fun, Usagi." Ami took another bite. "So what's new in Tokyo that nobody told me about last night?"

Usagi clouded over. "Well," she began, "I'm beginning to think something might be wrong with Mina-chan."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I went over there this morning to see how she was. And she seemed real down."

"Well she and Toshihiro seemed pretty happy together," Ami recalled. "Maybe she's discouraged about her show business career. She did just lose the television comedy she was working on."

"I thought about that. I think that was part of it, so I invited her to go with me and encourage Rei. You know Rei has that appointment with that fashion photographer this afternoon." Usagi's brow knit. "But she got real angry. I wonder if I said something wrong."

"This modeling offer that Rei received," Ami started, "was it something Rei sought out?"

"No, that was the weird thing!" gasped Usagi. "This guy just comes up to her right in the middle of the airport, gives her his card and tells her she could be a model!" Usagi frowned. "I wish someone would do that for me."

"Was Minako there to witness this?"

"Yeah, we all were. Honestly, you could have hit me with a mallet and I wouldn't have felt it!"

"Well the obvious answer to me is Minako may be jealous of Rei's instant success in Minako's chosen field. You said yourself that Minako's career isn't going according to plan. Perhaps Minako is feeling slighted because Rei received an opportunity that Minako desired."

Usagi stared at her wide-eyed. "No," she gasped.

"It's an honest human emotion to feel envy, Usagi. Even a good friend can be envious of another good friend, particularly if the person has encountered personal or professional setbacks."

"You have to be wrong. Mina-chan couldn't think anything like that!"

Her gaze tumbled down to the half-consumed burger on her plate.

"Could she?" Usagi squeaked.

Dr. Mizuno - - the elder - - arrived at the duty station in the maternity ward. Her presence instantly put the three nurses on alert. It didn't do to be seen being inattentive in the presence of Dr. Kaname Mizuno.

Plus she wasn't scheduled for the hospital today.

"Dr. Mizuno," the head nurse said, giving her a cursory head bow. "Were you scheduled today? I thought you did rounds on Monday."

"You're correct. I do," the perfectly controlled, well-tuned machine that was Dr. Mizuno responded. Then the mask of the perfect doctor slipped just a little. "I - - was wondering how Nurse Kazama was bearing up after - - after yesterday."

The looks of surprise from the three nurses weren't lost on Dr. Mizuno. How she wished she could somehow bridge the professional gap between them and relate to them as human beings. But she'd spent too many years being the ultimate professional and she didn't know how anymore.

"Um," stammered Nurse Fujima, a thin but still dynamic little ball of energy even at forty-two, "well, she's naturally upset. She keeps wondering if she did something wrong. And she didn't!" Fujima emphasized, lest her colleague risk being scapegoated for this. "I reviewed the logs. She followed procedure to the letter."

"Yes, I agree," Kaname replied softly. "I reviewed the logs as well and there's no evidence of error or negligence on her part." She looked up again and met Nurse Fujima eye to eye. "So what killed that child?"

"I-I don't know, Doctor," Fujima replied.

"Maybe there's something going around," offered Nurse Seihara, a plump, fresh-faced woman just out of school. She'd momentarily forgotten Dr. Mizuno's no-nonsense ways.

"Explain?" Mizuno inquired. Nurse Seihara froze, for the piercing stare of Dr. Mizuno was worse than anything she'd ever encountered, even the challenging glare of her anatomy professor in college. She swallowed, trying to clear her throat.

"W-Well," she stammered, "it's just - - I was talking to Kenji Mototoki. He's one of the medics at the fire station in this district. And-and he was telling me about a run they brought in last week."

"Go on," Mizuno prodded, seeming to dissect every word, tone and expression the woman made.

"Well, it-it was another dead baby!"

"Do you know any specifics? Age, cause of death, anything?"

"Um, Kenji - - Mototoki-san - - he said there was no obvious signs of trauma, no obstruction of the nose or trachea - - nothing to indicate a cause of death. And he remembered the mother saying that she'd been a normal, healthy baby." Seihara swallowed again. "Right up to the moment she found her daughter dead."

The other two nurses looked from Nurse Seihara to Dr. Mizuno. They were clearly spooked by the eerie similarities to the death in the nursery yesterday.

"Do you remember the name?" Dr. Mizuno prompted her.

"O-Of the child?" Nurse Seihara squeaked.

"Never mind. I'll find it myself." And off Dr. Mizuno went, headed for the elevator and the records department, a woman on a mission. Nurse Fujima and Nurse Sato looked at each other curiously. Dr. Mizuno was always intimidating, but never more so than when she was on the trail of something.

"Um," Nurse Seihara spoke up, sounding uncannily like a trauma shock victim, "am I in trouble for this"

Turning the key in the lock, Toshihiro eased the door open and peeked in. The portly, bespeckled television director - - he could say that now, since he actually had a series under his belt - - wasn't sure if Minako was home or not. Since she was currently "at liberty" in the entertainment industry, he figured she might be. Since he had a free afternoon, the possibility of spending time with the vibrant, exciting woman who was becoming increasingly important to him spurred him on.

If she was out, he'd just have to look her up later.

"Minako?" he inquired.

Instantly her cat entered. Toshihiro usually liked cats, but Artemis was different. There was an intelligence to this cat that other cats didn't possess. This little white cat would watch him when he talked to Minako and seemed to understand every word they said. And he always looked at Toshihiro so suspiciously. Of course cats were very territorial, particularly males. It wasn't unusual for Artemis to view him as an intruder, even though he'd been coming over here since Minako moved in.

Still, every time the cat looked at him, Toshihiro expected to hear him say "get out".

"Is that you, Toshi-chan?" Minako said from the next room. She came out with a rumpled jogging suit on and a forced smile on her face. "How's tricks, kid?"

"Are you all right?" Toshihiro inquired. "You look like you've been crying."

"What would I have to cry about?" Minako gave a shrill chuckle. "My series got canceled out from under me, no record producer in Japan thinks I have any talent, I'm washed up as a commercial spokesperson at twenty-six, and . . ." and Minako's mask started to crack.

Instantly Toshihiro extended his arms. Minako fell into them and allowed his arms to close around her while she clung to his chest.

"I told you that you're going to get another series, didn't I?" Toshihiro whispered into her ear as he stroked her back. "You're too good not to. I got torpedoed out of that series, too. I'm not worried. Just yesterday I was contacted by a producer about a new family comedy."

"Is there a part for a no-talent, conniving, evil blonde in it?" Minako whimpered.

"What really happened?"

Minako didn't answer. When she was embarrassed about something, she would always not answer and hope you didn't ask again. A little childish, but then that was Minako sometimes.

"Come on," Toshihiro told her. "I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"In the airport," Minako squeaked. "A photographer from The Kano Agency gave Rei his card. He thought she could be a-a model."

"Go on."

"Toshi-chan, he didn't even LOOK at me!"

"You probably weren't the type he was looking for. You've been in this business long enough."

"I know. That's what I keep telling myself." Minako looked up at him with desperate eyes, tears streaming down her face. "But what if I'm just no good?"

"Minako," Toshihiro sighed.

"How many years have I worked for a break like that? How many things have I endured? And then fate walks right up - - AND PICKS REI!"

Helpless, Toshihiro hugged her more tightly.

"And-and I actually hated her for it," Minako sobbed. "Rei's one of my best friends in the entire world, and I HATED HER FOR IT!"

The woman sobbed pitifully into Toshihiro's shirt while he held her.

"I'm such a terrible person. Maybe I should just quit," Minako whispered, no voice left to her. "Maybe the gods have been trying to send me a message and I've just been too stubborn to listen."

"Minako," Toshihiro whispered in her ear as his hand braced the back of her head. "You shouldn't quit. You've got a wonderful gift. And I'm not saying that because I love you. I'm saying that as a man who has to judge and work with talent all the time. You've got a wonderful gift. It would be a crime to deprive the world of experiencing that gift. It seems hard now, I know. We all go through it. But please don't quit. If you just stick it out, I promise you that an entire generation of people are going to be grateful."

Minako sniffed loudly. When she looked at him, there was an appreciative smile on her face.

"Oh yeah," she said timidly. "That's why I keep you around."

"And I thought it was because of my dashing good looks," he replied, caressing her nose with his index finger.

Minako lay her head on his shoulder and squeezed him tight. As he hugged back,
Toshihiro happened to glance at Artemis. The cat was watching them again and Toshihiro once more got that eerie feeling.

Artemis seemed visibly pleased.

When Ami arrived at the penthouse apartment that evening, she found her mother in the living room. Case files were piled up all over the sofa and she was immersed in reading the one in her hand. This wasn't completely unusual behavior, as her mother was known to take cases home with her for further thought and study, being the maniacal perfectionist she was. What surprised Ami was the volume of case files.

"Mother, I'm home," Ami announced when her mother failed to respond to the sound of the door closing.

"Hello, Ami," her mother mumbled, not looking up from the file she was reading. "How did your apartment search go?"

"I haven't found anything," Ami reported. "There doesn't seem to be anything that fits the location, quality and price range I'd set. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm being too picky."

"You know you're welcomed to stay here as long as you like," Kaname said. "Don't make a selection because you feel you have no choice."

"I wouldn't do that, Mother," Ami bristled. "What are you working on?"

"Do you remember that case I showed you yesterday? The infant who died in the nursery without any apparent cause?"

"Yes. Did something turn up?"

"You might say that. A second victim."

"Today?" gasped Ami.

"No. Last week," Dr. Mizuno replied. She turned from the case file and looked up at her daughter. Ami saw she had that intimidating stare of hers, the one that seemed to see everything, even your innermost secret. "That discovery made me curious." She gestured to the case files sitting on the sofa and the coffee table. "These are all files from the last three months. They're files of infant deaths. I've compared symptomologies, vital statistics, race, economic status,genetic histories, pre-natal care, even family location. There are only a few common factors in every case. Every victim was seen, either pre or post-mortem at the hospital. Every victim was an infant no older than five months. And every victim was judged perfectly healthy before death occurred."

"Mother, you must have eight files there!" Ami goggled. "Eight infants dead in three months?"

"And I haven't cross-referenced to see if there were any cases at other hospitals," Kaname responded.

"Is it some sort of new pathogen we don't know about yet?"

"Possibly, but I'm inclined to doubt it. I'm more inclined to believe something you proposed yesterday. I think Tokyo may have a serial killer on the loose."

Continued in Chapter 4