Chapter 7

Zuko kept a spare set of clothes in his locker for the days he came in directly from working out, or the nights he didn't go home at all. He grabbed his spare shirt and pants and took a quick shower in the station's locker room. All the while he turned the new information over and over on his head, fitting it in to what he knew from the old cases and the latest. If Koh really worked at the prison, that meant he was law enforcement. Zuko wasn't a stranger to corrupt officers, but the idea that someone who had sworn to protect and serve could kill people so cruelly was beyond his pressed his hands against the shower tiles and let the water run through his hair.

He didn't know how it all fit together. The day would be spent sifting through the new leads and scheduling visits to follow up on whichever of them seemed the most promising. Ordinarily, having his leads narrowed so far would be a relief for him, but this time….

If none of the leads panned out, then he would be back to square one. The longer it took to find Koh, the longer Katara would be living in a state of fear, even if Koh moved on to a new victim. He couldn't leave her with that hanging over her head. With a heavy sigh, Zuko shut the water off, and got ready to work. Katara had sent him the names of the hospitals earlier. Zuko decided that his first priority would be getting someone to look into them.

"Detective Kaji." Zuko spun towards his uncle. Iroh had caught him halfway to his desk. The slight look of amused exasperation told Zuko that it wasn't the first time his uncle had called him.

"Sorry," he said. "What were you saying."

"You seem very lost in thought," Iroh commented. Zuko shrugged.

"Got a lot on my mind."

"Koh?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Iroh nodded. "Tell me what you're thinking. We can go into the debriefing room." Zuko followed him and shut the door behind them.

"We may have been to hung up on Koh being a doctor," Zuko told Iroh. He explained what Bumi had told him the day before, and then the possibility that Katara had brought up that Koh might work at the prison. When he was done, Iroh thought for a long while, worrying at his bottom lip.

"That all rather widens our scope," he said at last. "But Ms. Imiq's information is helpful. We have some of the personnel files for the hospitals. We can begin, at least, looking for records of who was working maintenance 15 years ago to cross reference with any new information we get."

"Right," Zuko said. "I think I should leave the hospital to the uniforms. I don't know, I think the prison might be the stronger lead."

"Whatever you think is best." Iroh smiled at his nephew with no small amount of pride. "I trust your instincts on this."

"Thank you, Chief." Zuko smiled slightly at Iroh. Then the older man cleared his throat.

"How are things going with Ms. Imiq?" Iroh asked. "I heard about the incident yesterday morning. She went running alone?" Zuko flinched.

"That was not completely her fault," he explained. "She thought the guy following her had been caught. You know, that guy Jet."

"Oh, yes." Iroh hadn't been present for the interrogation of the young man, but he had heard about his combative attitude and his disinclination to give a straight answer. Zuko had spent several more hours than was really necessary trying to get basic information from Jet. It had been a test of patience and an exercise in futility for the detective, and it was in the early hours of the morning before Zuko had been able to release Jet.

"Katara has a habit of taking unnecessary risks," Zuko continued. "But she's decided to stay at hotel tonight, so...progress, I guess." Iroh frowned and stroked the end of his beard.

"Has she been giving you issues?" he asked. "I can have someone else in charge of her." Zuko waved him off.

"No, it's fine," he said. "We actually get along pretty well. For the most part." Iroh's frown deepened. Zuko shifted in his seat under his uncle's sharp gaze. He hadn't felt this way in his uncle's presence since he was in college.

"Is...is something wrong?" he asked. Iroh blinked, and then smiled.

"Not at all," he said. "It's just not often that you admit that you get along with someone. Particularly when that someone is a very clever, very attractive young lady." Had Iroh had a cup of tea, he would have taken a sip. Zuko felt his face heat up and he cleared his throat a bit guilty.

"It's not like that," he insisted. "Katara's isn't hard to get along with, that's all." The intensity bled back into Iroh's gaze for a minute. Then he smiled and nodded his head.

"I know you very well," he said at last. "I trust you to keep everything above board. You of all people wouldn't allow this situation to become a conflict of interests." Zuko released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Yes...well," Zuko cleared his throat again. "I should call the prison. I'd like to stop by if I can." Iroh waved his hand in dismissal. Zuko hurried back to his desk and fought the blush still in his cheeks.

"Hey Zuko!" Jin leaned against the side of Zuko's desk. Zuko flinched in surprise, but he managed a small smile.

"Oh hi, Jin," he greeted her.

'How's it going?" Jin asked cheerfully.

"Not bad." Zuko turned his chair to face her. "I'm really glad you're here." Jin stood up straighter and her smile grew wider.

"You are?"

"Sure am!" Zuko scribbled the names of the two hospitals on a sticky note and handed it to her. Then he explained the new lead on the succinylcholine.

"I need you to call up these hospitals and see if they're available to answer a few questions," Zuko told Jin. "I'll email you exactly what I need to know from them."

"Oh!" Jin took half a step back. Her cheeks flushed lightly. "I thought...um...Well, anyway…" She looked down at the paper in her hand. "Wait, you want me to investigate this?"

"Yeah," Zuko said. "I have to go to Republic City Pen, so it would really help me out if you could handle these phone interviews. I don't think these leads will go anywhere, but we need all our bases covered." Zuko smiled at Jin apologetically. "I know it sounds like busy work, but it's actually really important. I trust you with it."

"Thank you!" Jin's smile grew to a beaming grin. "I won't let you down." Zuko nodded and turned back to his computer. The number for the penitentiary should be in the police department's directory. Jin hovered at his elbow, though. He looked up questioningly.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Jin shook her head.

"I was just wondering if you'd thought…" she trailed off mid-sentence and cleared her throat. "You know what? It's not important right now. Don't worry about it." She cleared her throat again. "So, the penitentiary is the new angle, eh? How'd you get there?" Zuko turned in his chair to face her. There was a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Katara's suggested it," he said. He told Jin what happened. "She worked with the hospitals as part of her research not long ago. She knows how they operate, and she was able to narrow down the hospitals that would have succinylcholine to these two. And she gave me the tip about the penitentiary, too." Jin's smile froze in place.

"Lucky for us," she said. She added under her breath. "Maybe she should be a detective."

"Huh?" Zuko's brow furrowed in confusion. Jin laughed and waved him off.

"Oh, nothing," she said breezily. Her smile shifted again. It was almost wistful. "You...get along with her pretty well, huh?"

"Well, yeah," Zuko said. He shrugged self-consciously. "She's not hard to get along with. I mean, you spent time with her yesterday. What did you think."

Jin froze. A lot of things ran through her head to say, but after a moment, she decided to tell the truth. With a small shrug, she told Zuko,

"She's really nice. And she's clearly very smart." Jin folded her arms and looked down at the tops of her impeccably shined shoes. "She's very pretty, too. I get it."

"Get what?" Zuko asked. The baffled expression on his face almost made Jin laugh, but not quite.

"You're a good detective," she said, managing a smile as she turned to leave. "You'll figure it out. Anyway, I'll go look into this."

Zuko frowned after Jin for a moment, but shook his confusion quickly. He had work to do. The first thing was to contact the penitentiary.

After about twenty minutes of being passed up the chain of command, and a surprisingly short conversation, Zuko was scheduled to meet with the warden, a woman named Jun Hei, that afternoon. He was relieved. It was almost never this easy to get an interview. As soon as he hung up with the warden, and updated Iroh on his plans, he prepared to go.

Bzzz

Bzzz

Bzzz

Zuko paused halfway in his car and took out his phone. Katara's expectant face stared up from the screen.

"You don't have to video call me," Zuko greeted her. Katara's brow quirked up.

"And deny you the pleasure of a face to face conversation with me? I don't think so." Zuko chuckled in spite of himself.

"I'm about to get in the car," he told her. "What's up?"

"I'll be quick," Katara promised. "I just wanted to let you know that I found a hotel for the night."

"Great," Zuko drawled sarcastically. "And that couldn't be a text message because…?" Katara shrugged.

"I'm bored," she said. "I needed to see another human being. I figured you'd do." Katara smiled mischievously. Zuko just rolled his eyes.

"Well, I have a job to do now," he retorted. "Text me the details. I'll send someone to take you."

"A police escort to a hotel." Katara shook her head. "Well, maybe they'll think I'm famous and give me free room service." Zuko shifted the phone from one hand to the other, so he could reach the seat belt.

"If they think you're famous, they'll probably think you've got enough money to pay for room service yourself."

"Do you think the rich and famous get rich by actually paying for things?" Katara chuckled condescendingly. "No, dear boy. When you're famous, people give you stuff for free so you can save your money for important things, like fancy hair and multiple divorces." Zuko laughed at that.

"If you say so. Text me the info, okay? I really have to go. I'll call you later."

"Aye aye, sir." Katara saluted at the camera, and then hung up. Zuko tossed his phone on the passenger seat and pulled out onto the road. His phone buzzed, alerting him to a new message-Katara, he assumed- but was silent for the rest of the trip. He wondered if Jin was having any luck with the hospitals.

Republic City Penitentiary was an anachronism. A fortress ripped from some long ago time, built of stone brick and patrolled by armed guards walking along the parapets. It stuck out among the suburban sprawl just down the road from its outer walls, yet despite that, the building wasn't out of place. It was as if the prison had always been there, and the town had grown up around it. Zuko turned down the unassuming gravel road to the guest parking lot. The weight of the silence pressed in like a barrier from the rest of the town.

There was no one in the parking lot when Zuko arrived. He pulled into an empty spot at the far end of the lot and looked around. The trees surrounding the prison did little to hide it from the outside, but from inside the walls, Zuko couldn't see the low buildings of the town. It was eerily quiet and isolated. Zuko locked his car and headed towards the main building. The sooner he got in the sooner he could leave.

The inside was mundane. There was a small, drab reception area directly ahead, presided over by a bored looking middle aged man in uniform. Before him was a short line of people holding slips of paper. Visitors, Zuko figured. Two more officers stood nearby, guiding people through the metal detector by a heavy metal door that must have led to the visitation room inside the prison.

Zuko caught the attention of than at the desk and flashed his badge at him. The guard nodded at him and motioned him off to the side. He turned his attention to the woman at the front of the line.

"Ma'am, I can't let you in without the inmate number," he said. The woman scowled and snatched her visitor form from the formica counter.

"I don't didn't know I had to write it down," she insisted. "It wasn't on the list of things to bring with me. Can't you just look him up on your computer?" The officer shook his head.

"It's against protocol, and it's not worth me getting fired over. You can try again next week if you don't have his number." The woman stomped her foot angrily, but Zuko could see tears forming in her eyes.

"I live four hours away!" she insisted. "And I have kids. I can't do this trip again next week."

"Sorry, lady," the officer replied with a shrug. The woman glared at him before storming away, muttering some choice words and and digging through her purse for her phone.

"Mom," she said as she ducked into the waiting area. "I need you to look something up for me…" The officer waved Zuko over, to the annoyance of the rest of the people in line. Zuko raised his hand apologetically, but the officer didn't react to the cutting glares at all.

"How can I help you?" he asked Zuko.

"I'm Detective Zuko Kaji from Republic City PD," he explained. "I'm here to see Warden Hei." The officer nodded.

"She told me you were coming. Wait over there. Someone will take you to her shortly." The officer picked up the phone and spoke briefly to someone and hung up. Then he went back to processing forms without another glance at Zuko. The detective found a chair in an unobtrusive corner of the waiting area and sat quietly.

He wound up waiting for about ten minutes for his escort. When the new man finally showed up, Zuko was surprised how old he looked. He seemed to be around Iroh's age, just past too old for this job, yet here he was, escorting Zuko around as if he were a fresh recruit doing grunt work.

"How's it going?" He asked Zuko cheerfully. At least he had a good sense of humor about his job. Or maybe he was still in this position by choice.

"Alright," Zuko replied. "You?" The guard shrugged.

"Oh, can't complain." The officer scratched his craggy chin with a contented sigh. "Just thinking about getting home to the wife's cooking. Maybe challenging my oldest boy to a game of kuai ball." He chuckled.

"Sounds nice," Zuko mumbled. It really did. Zuko wondered if he'd ever get to a point in his life where he could feel as quietly content.

"So, you're a detective in the big city?" The officer looked Zuko over curiously, his eyes lingering just a little too long on Zuko's scar. "What brings you way out here?"

"Can't really say," Zuko responded shortly. "It's an official investigation. I need to speak to the warden first." The officer nodded.

"Gotcha." He stopped them outside of a door with frosted glass. A small woman sat at a small desk just outside.

"Yes?" She asked. She didn't even glance up from the computer.

"Got the detective here to see Warden." The woman, the warden's secretary, finally looked up.

"She's expecting you," she said. "Give her a few minutes to finish a call, and she'll be right with you." The woman flashed a perfunctory polite smile then went back to what ever had claimed her focus on the computer screen.

"Thanks," Zuko said, aiming his reply at both people in front of him. The officer waved cheerfully.

"Not a problem," he chirruped. "Of you need anything else, just ask for me. Name's Yon Rha." Zuko nodded.

"Sure." Yon Rha spun on his heels and disappeared around the corner. Zuko remembered then that he had his own call to make. He pulled out his phone and quickly scanned Katara's text from earlier. Then he called the precinct.

"Republic City police department," Biyu greeted tiredly. "How may I direct your call?"

"Biyu, it's Zuko. I need you to ask Haru to give Katara a ride. She's going to a hotel for the night."

"Oh! I don't blame her a bit, poor thing!" Biyu suddenly sounded much more energetic. Zuko gave her the details, and hung up just in time for the door to the warden's office to swing open.

Jun Hei, the warden of the prison was a woman in her late-thirties. She was about a head shorter than Zuko with a curvy frame and lips painted a deep almost burgundy red. She was strikingly pretty, but what caught Zuko's immediate attention was her razor sharp gaze. Her light brown eyes scanned him toe to top, as if sizing him up. Zuko was fairly certain she was trying to decide if she could take him in a fight. He was fairly certain she could.

"Come in, Detective," she said at last. "Tell me what this is about."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Katara zipped her duffel bag shut just as the doorbell rang. She checked her watch. It was a bit early for her ride to be there, but not by too much.

"Just a minute!" she shouted down the stairs. She hoped that her escort could hear her as she rushed around her room, shoving her laptop and charger into her purse. At the very least, maybe she could put a dent in her thesis while she was away. After she spent an hour or two at the pool, of course.

Katara sent a quick text to Zuko and Sokka, letting them know she was heading to the hotel and promised to let them know when she got to her room. Then she tossed her phone into her bag with her computer and ran down the stairs. She opened the door to a tall uniformed man with iron grey hair standing on the stoop outside. She smiled politely as she stepped aside to let him into the vestibule. She noticed that his uniform was darker than she thought it should be, but she shrugged it off. Zuko didn't wear a uniform, and the only other officer she had any extended interaction with was Jin. Maybe there was more than one version of the uniform.

"Hello," she greeted him. "I just need to grab my shoes."

"Oh, there's no need," the officer said.

"What?" Katara looked up in confusion just in time to see him swing something dark and heavy towards her. Her vision exploded into bright stars and then went dark as she landed in a heap on the floor.

Koh tossed the rock aside and rolled Katara onto her back. He wiped the blood away from her face and sighed. He had been aiming for the back of her head. He wasn't sure if he'd have time to let any bruises on her face heal.

Oh well, he thought, scooping Katara's still form into his arms. There was no helping it now. Someone would be by soon, and he needed to be gone.