Autor's note :
And so, I left you last time with a rather short chapter ! But it seemed to me that he pleased you too so it's really a pleasure to start writing the next one quickly !
Sadly, early in january I was cutted from Internet. We had a lot of wind and our house losted it. It took some times to be working again. What didn't stop me from writing :D
I prefer to tell you that now… it is a sad chapter. Really. So I will start immediatly to write the next one !
Joys :
Thank you for your regular review ! :D I'm super happy every time !
Slvrphoenx :
I do think that alone time between them is needed. They don't have much. :D What i wanted for this all went as planned. I hope the same think for the next one !
Nannaly :
Fort malheureusement ils ne seront pas seuls éternellement :D désolée d'avance ! J'ai tardé un peu pour ce chapitre, désolée. Internet a mis du temps à être réparé ! :(
Rosaji :
Thank you ! I'm glad to read all that ! So here, chapters are coming !
Disclaimer : Of course, I don't own anything other thant new characters.
Summary : Slow burn story about the relationship between Lin and Mai through life at the office and on cases. From co-workers to lovers with all the in-between.
Pairing : Lin x Mai
Hated or not ?
4
The Cabin's case
Ten
Three in the morning.
Naru was on his way back way sooner than he had expected in the first place. Well, someone would be asking him « why ? », he would answer that he was a genius and that he knew how to work efficiently. But that and being content with what he finded was different and Oliver wasn't pleased at all with the result of his research. This was what had him keep his car at a good -but safe- speed and come back in the middle of the night. He trusted Lin and Mai, but was quit worried about them anyway.
Everything was still outside the house when Naru parked the car. He saw that the lights was on at base but it was logical as someone had to look at the recordings.
His first impression while entering the cabin was that it was a mess. It was clear that his coworkers wouldn't have done that. Naru went directly to base, Lin would do his report, he himself would relate his results and they would wrap this case fast.
The sight he had when entering the room called « base » was unexpected. It was a war zone. The computers were all completly broken. He saw that even a window was broken and wondered how he didn't see it sooner, from outside. There were shard of glass in the wall and a safe zone protected by charms made by Lin.
And in the safe zone was a topeless Lin being treated by a shy Mai.
« Can someone explain things to me ? »
« First, Naru, you should come with us inside »
And Lin waited for naru to do just that before telling anything else. There wasn't much space available with them but it would have to do. And then they related everything to Naru, from the constant attack on Lin to his inconscious state and the attack on Mai.
Naru took his time to reflect on it. What happened while he wasn't here was matching perfectly well with what he finded. He knew who were the spirit and started to explain.
« It didn't take me long to find what I wanted. »
Silence answered him, letting him set the pace.
« The estate agent we saw told us that the previous owner died ten years ago. In fact, the whole story is that he buyed the cabin thirteen years ago at the age of thirty six years old and died twenty years later at fifty six. As said, he had no family but I've found some interesting things. I didn't knew for sure before but what you just told me tend to confirm it. »
Lin and Mai were looking at him intently.
« The years of his arrival here, a tragic murdering case took place at Nagano, in a quiet neighborhood. It was the first out of ten cases. The pace was approximativly one every two years. The culprit was never found out. Strangely, the last case was one years before the owner died. And it never happened again after that. »
Silence answered him.
« It is actually the biggest thing I have found out during the time and until I heard you out, I had my doubts. But the way it attack looks too much at how theses murders had happens. »
« ... »
« Now for the details… The murders followed some sort of strategy. It targeted only family of four people. Two parents et two children, always an older son and younger daugther, the girl between nine and twelve, it never was the other way. In fact, at first, polices were thinking that it was only the murder of one person, until someone looked at the big picture. »
« ... »
« The murders always took place on a two weeks periods of times. First, the father, supposedly the strongest person of the family, was dying from an « accident » who wasn't always the same. Car accident, streets accident, electric shock… Some days later was the turn of the son, aggression on the street, false suicide following the death of the father… Then some days after that, when the mother was psychologically wounded, it was violent death like jumping from a building for exemple… until the only one remaining were the more vulnerable, the young girl. Generaly those girls were taken in by family and it always ended the same... »
There, Mai was turning white. These storys were just atrocious. Lin's face had closed off some time ago as well. The air was heavy while listening to the sinister story.
«Every time the family came back home to a sea of blood. But never the police had finded the body. They were only able to speculate that for there to be so much projections of blood, the girls had been violently attacked while alive. Then the murderer took the body as a souvenir, maybe. »
Mai suddenly wanted to threw up, her dream coming back full force. All the bones on her dream was from those girls… little girls… they were all there somewhere...
« Then, you're telling us... » started Lin « ...that the reason why it started by attacking us and not Mai was him following his method of hunting his prey ? He was removing the stronger ones to let the real prey psychologically very wounded and defenseless... »
« It is exactly that. It is the reason why he started to target Mai. With me gone and you out of the way, Mai was alone and eventually, he was even able to take his time dealing with her. As we saw, the attack on us were always quick and violent while he took the time to start terrorising Mai... »
« ... »
« It is only me guessing and surely is not a fact, but I suppose that every girl he killed suffered a lot. »
At this point Mai was crying. It was silent but her soul was crying her saddeness for all those ten little girls. There was nothing that either Lin or Naru could have done to relieve her of her saddeness. They knew, and it was a quality of hers who sometimes was making her suffer, that her empathy was kikcing in. That and the natural fact that everyone -and particularly women- was naturaly more touched by kids suffering. They waited calmly in silence for her to calm down.
It took quit a while as the emotion was strong, her dream not helping at all. But eventualy her composure came back.
« Concerning our case, I took the liberty to call for Monk and John to help us. They should be arriving soon. I want this case solved fast. »
« It would be better... »
« Those girls... » started Mai « … they are somewhere here… we have to find them... »
Lin and Naru looked at her for some times, assessing that all her thought were going on those girls and that she wouldn't even think of going back without finding them. Naru answered without much emotion.
« Eventually we will come to know the wereabout of their remaining.»
It was a trully sad and terrible case. It was one of those were you like better to stay silent because the air is way too heavy. Except baby, there wasn't people more innocent than little girls, or boys by the way. The simple fact that this man seemed to take his pleasure by terrosizing those children…
The rest of the night went uneventfull and quiet.
At six in the morning, Naru heard a car park before the house. He took a look at Lin, sitting. The man took the opportunity to take back forces and was currently meditating. But Oliver saw him starting to move when they heard the entry door open. Then the young scientist looked at Mai. She felt alseep on her side near Lin, facing the Chinese man and giving her back to himself. It was as if she was protecting herself from the outside world and were including only Lin in her little bubble. Naru didn't stayed long on the thought. Lin saved her life just the day before. Eventually, it would permit them to be less tense with one another. His thinking came to a stop when the door to base opened, letting in Monk and John.
The spirit fighted hard not to disapear. There was absolutly no hope to save his soul and actually, not one person present really wanted to save it. Touching children for the fun of it was something no one would pardon. Plus, his soul really didn't regretted it.
That has been a long fight of four hours with three people, Lin, Monk and John to get rid of it. Naru was there to look to it but everyone had advise Mai not to stay. Obediently, for once, she waited in the van and felt asleep there.
The cabin was cold. There was little light. And there was this cruel man standing in the living room, his dreadfull bag at his feet. He was smiling, like satisfied after a really great day. Mai wanted to vomit and cry. Wanted to throw her hate at his face.
She saw him remove to carpet off the floor and it picked her curiosity. There was a trap-door. She saw him opening it and enter it. It seemed big enought for him to disapear completly in it. When he came back, the bag was empty.
« Mai... »
Her eyes flutered open. Tears escaped it slowly. Monk was shaking her lightly like if she would break would he put to much force to it.
« It's finished. He is gone. »
He was whispering the words and it took him some time to comprehend what Mai whispered back.
« … under the carpet… in the living room... »
Monk understood. He talked to someone behing him, maybe John, then resumed to take care of her. She seemed fragile and he didn't want to left her alone again.
And yes, in the hidden room under the living room were neately stock the bones of ten litte body.
They called the police. They called the estate agent. Their work had ended. They waited for the police, gave their testimony and contact information then took the way back home in silence. It was already late in the day, they would be back at night.
It was so late that Mai stayed at the office to sleep on the sofa. Naru and Lin took in charge to unload the van and for once, Naru kept his mouth shut about Mai not helping. It was his way of taking care of her. Of caring. Lin knew it and Mai knew it. Nobody was telling anything but it was aknowlegde and appreciated.
Another solved case. Another sad case.