Chapter.6: Voodoo Moon pt.2
"And so I ended up paying for a card reading, regular past-present-future-layout and a Limpia." Momo detailed to Kurosaki over the cell. The time was half-past three and she was leaning against her car, the de facto lead Hunter had called ten minutes before to question her about any impressions or senses she had picked up with their former suspect.
Former, because as Kurosaki intoned with his usual dryness. The Coroner had called him informing that Mitsuo Kobayashi had died of a dog attack. Simply this and nothing more. It seemed that a neighbor's Rottweiler was roaming the streets and came upon Mitsuo walking the family's cocker Spaniel. A neighbor at the corner, speaking with the Police gave testimony to seeing the dog attack the victim…and well. Kill him.
Momo heard the resignation in Kurosaki's voice, "SCG is pulling out of this. It's obvious from these statements that a witch isn't involved. By the way…where is Jeagerjaques and Kuchiki? You haven't mentioned them at all only to say that they'd gone in ahead of you."
The brunette shot a glance over to the Café window, seeing the missing hunter and Policeman paying their bill. "Across the street," she said, smiling, "they had Lunch together."
It had sounded like an innocuous sentence though immediately when he spoke from the sharp intake of breath and soft hiss, she knew him to be angry. Or angrier than usual, "do they take this as a joke?"
"Excuse me?" her eyebrow quirked up, "Kuro—"
A sharp click and she realized he'd hung up, "—saki?"
"What's going on?" Grimmjow had his arm casually entwined with Rukia's as they walked up. Momo snapped her phone shut, taking the keys from her pocket, "We've been taken off the case. The Coroner has determined cause of death to be from a Rottweiler attack.
"No, shit!" Grimm swore.
"So where do we go now?" Rukia asked, the car lights blinked and then the doors unlocked. "Home, I guess. Kurosaki didn't say anything about—" Momo's phone rang again, she checked the number, seeing it to be Rangiku's.
"Hey, where are you?" frowning she heard the blonde's answer.
"Outside City hall? Why? Oh…you want us to get there? Sure. Be right there!" the brunette hunter opened the drivers side, "Rangiku found something she wants to show us. We' re going to back to Raven's 13. Grimm, you coming?"
He got into the car, "do you really have to ask?"
The girls glanced at each other exchanging humorous grins, "guess not," Momo muttered.
~~~Voodoo Moon pt.2~~~
"Kurosaki called us to say we were off the case, a dog had killed the victim not a witch he said. Well!" Rangiku hesitated dramatically. And her audience, Renji, smirking because he already knew what she was going to say and Grimmjow waiting, Rukia curious and Momo with her arms crossed, prompted, "well?"
"The man two houses down from the Kobayashi residence had a Rottie but about a month ago, Scooby, was run over by a truck or something and died. Now no one else we talked to knew of anybody else that had a dog matching the description given to the Police."
"Did you call Kurosaki?"
"No."
"Why not? It's obvious there's something else going on here. Unless it wasn't a neighbor's dog—" Momo paused, observing the familiar pursed lips of the Clairvoyant. "What? There's something else, isn't there? I'm right aren't I?"
Rangiku looked down at her folded hands, "Renji…well that dog he saw…this morning, remember? It was—he said it was black and big and had a particular star-shaped brown patch on its head. Now the dog seen by the witness and whom was asked to describe any identifiable characteristics about it. Said one thing…it had a brown star-shaped patch on its head."
~~~Voodoo Moon pt.2~~~
The office was silent following Rangiku's ominous statement. Even Hanataro on the other side of the room had halted his typing. "You know…" he spoke up tentatively, "some witches…have familiars. Spirit animals that do the Master's bidding…there was a case back in the days when it was Ms. Neliel here and it involved a Totem spirit displaced at a Shrine in Yogawa. A Priestess there became possessed and an exorcism was needed to expel the attached spirit. Maybe," he continued on after seeing he had their attention, "the witness did see an animal, just as Renji did. But instead of a physical body it was a spirit."
Rangiku ran her fingers through her hair, "maybe. So then is it…our original suspect? Kurosaki was disinclined to think much of the Santeria items Grimmjow identified. Mitsuo Kobayashi was bringing a case against that man…Rukia," she glanced over at the petite silent hunter, "hypothesized that could have been a motive for murder. And if you think about…it sort of makes sense."
Momo nodded thoughtfully, "hey I just remembered, what was it you had found at City hall?" Rangiku dug in her coat pocket, "this might cement your opinions on the matter. Our Litigator brought four separate lawsuits against Mystical Eye and its proprietor in a four-year span. This would have marked the fifth and probably last time Kobayashi could hope to get a conviction. It almost seems like a vendetta…trying to ruin someone's life like that," she shook her head, "I can't imagine why though."
Grimmjow studied the paper with scribbled dates and overruled convictions, "going after a Santero…that's risky business. Even for a nonbeliever."
"So are we going to tell Kurosaki?" Momo piped up. Rangiku took the paper from Grimm, flashing it to Rukia. "No, she said finally folding it up and replacing it back in her pocket. "For now we're going to go our separate ways. Tomorrow maybe Renji and I can find an excuse to scope the area around the suspect's place."
The hunters parted ways at the doors. Momo driving Rukia back to her apartment and dropping Grimmjow off at the station. Rangiku trotted off to her Sedan, claiming the drivers seat before her partner reached it. "Aww man! How come I can't take the wheel?" Renji whined, slamming the passengers' side door shut.
"Quit complaining. The Chief's started in on our gas usage again…and I'm the one who has to deal with him," Rangiku muttered grimly, she inserted the key and started the engine. The car lights bounced in an arc over the cement walls, illuminating for an instant a vague half-defined shape of an animal…standing near the opening of the underground parking lot. It watched them as the Sedan pulled out, leaving it to hulk in darkness.
~~~Voodoo Moon pt.2~~~
Renji lived on a quiet block filled with brick lined townhouse fronts. A better part of Tokyo closer to the outskirts than most. Rangiku had been quiet during the ride, only punctuating the comfortable silence between them with vague comments about what her suspicions were about their case. If and when Kurosaki found out about it before they had any definite proof…they could always appeal to the Administrator for permission to continue investigating.
Renji had added a minute amount to this so that it almost seemed like a one-sided conversation. She pulled up at the curb and he got off under the metal streetlight, quaint in its old-world charm. The sky was darkening and indeed Rangiku saw why, it was nearly six o'clock. She wished her partner goodnight and waited until he had disappeared under the curlicue eaves and unlocked his door, going inside.
Rangiku sat a moment, leaning on the steering wheel, her eyes closing sleepily. It had been a tiring day. Made even more so by Kurosaki's decision to abandon the case. She knew there was more to it than a simple dog mauling, her instincts told her that much. But then why—
A man's scream echoed loudly outside the car windows. Rangiku jolted upright, recognizing her partner's infamous screech. She grabbed her phone, hitting speed dial and yanking her door open. She put her feet on the pavement and began running. "Renji?" she scrambled up the three steps, hitting the front door with her fist, in the other she clutched her phone. Momo answered on the second ring, her soft voice coming through, "Rangiku? Why'd you use—"
"Something's happening! Get over here as fast as you can!" Rangiku yelled into the mouthpiece, she snapped the phone shut, withdrawing her gun from its holster. The door she pushed open, the room she entered silent now except for the faint sound of heavy breathing coming from the adjoining room. The Kitchen and farther back a curved staircase where upon a dark shape, small and growling crouched up the first steps.
Rangiku cocked the safety off, peering around the open doorway. The shape—what was it? The overhead circular lamp fixture above the kitchen was on, its light path fell a good way. As her eyes adjusted she drew breath in, sharply. A thud hit a part of the higher stair and Renji's red head peered over the high banister.
Rangiku! Be careful—the dog-!" he warned. She leveled the gun, her eyes widening in realization. The mellifluous shape grew form and became to her startled gaze the dimensions of a dog. Black, big with massive muscled legs and drooling jaws, the eyes were tiny and red glinting malevolently as it came down from the stairs. Blood droplets marked the treads and she felt sick. Renji must've been bitten.
She locked eyes with the infernal canine. A second passed and then it charged. Nails scraping the floor as the muscled body came pounding across the tile towards her. Rangiku fell back, shooting once, twice, her gun discharging the bullets that shattered against the opposite wall. They had gone through it like smoke. It was almost upon her, a door banged open loudly and several pairs of footsteps pounded. Someone cried out her name; "Rangiku!"
Renji, she thought.
Ice exploded like glittering daggers before her. Great chunks skittered, leaving behind a watery glaze and then four more shots rang out. Rangiku turned, Momo, her gun held out before her, smoking slightly. Rukia, her violet eyes fearful but her expression calm was clenching her fists at her sides, her field of Isa illuminated beneath her feet. Grimmjow was there too. He was in a state of disbelief, his service pistol held loosely in his hand.
The dog had disappeared.
Rangiku turned to see Renji limping across the floor to them, his feet in socks and red staining them. "Now do you believe me?" he asked with wry amusement, grimacing somewhat in pain.
~~~To be continued in pt.3~~~
A/N: hmm, shorter than usual but eh I'll do the conclusion faster that way. :) Please review.