Case File #1: Skeletons in the Closet
Part 11

Shimizu Ikezawa was a tall and ordinary kind of man, not at all the type one would automatically entangle within the confused details of a police file cold case, and if he had been included it would have been for background information purposes at best. Or as the tell-tale innocent bystander who'd somehow been roped into the mess and would do anything just to get out of it.

It was the distinctly nervous aura about him, however, that caused Mai to truly pay attention him. He was really unassuming, dressed in a light heather grey suit and polished black shoes – the ensemble looked rather awful on him, to be honest. He looked to be more at home in chinos and a pressed shirt in Mai's mind.

Ikezawa sat rigidly in the chair provided for him, hazel eyes scanning the other occupants – these being the remaining SPR team and Katsu – as he consciously ran long fingers through thick sepia hair. The atmosphere was more like what Mai would have expected from a police precinct interrogation room.

Of course, with Naru conducting interview from behind Otonashi's desk and Lin sitting off to the side with his laptop, it probably wouldn't have felt like anything else.

"You're Shimizu Ikezawa, the owner of the property, correct?" Naru began.

Ikezawa nodded automatically. "It came into my possession after my father died. The banks seized his property and I had to pay back what he owed before ownership passed on to me."

"I see." Naru set his notebook aside, eyes cast off to the corner before settling back on his interviewee. "Mr. Ikezawa –"

"I think I can guess what it is you're going to say," Ikezawa interrupted suddenly, holding up a hand. Naru leaned back in his chair, an eyebrow raised questioningly. Taking a deep breath, the grey-suited man looked at the prodigy nervously. "This is about all the weird things that have been happening here at the construction site. Mr. Otonashi said he'd hired a psychic research team out of Shibuya to assess the situation after the police had turned up unsuccessful."

Naru nodded in assertion. Ikezawa sighed heavily. Hazel eyes looked wearily over at the stacks of notes, photocopies, and printed pages set on Katagiri's desk just off to the side. The tired orbs roamed over to the monitors, taking in each image coming from the cameras.

Shaking his head, Ikezawa passed a hand over his eyes, fingers then running upward through the thick strands of sepia bangs.

"I can't take it anymore," he muttered lowly. The team, however, heard it clearly.

It was an impulse not unlike any she'd had before that brought Mai to the man's side. Ignoring the warning look Naru gave her, she gently placed a hand on one of Ikezawa's sagging shoulders. His head snapped up, looking at her with a face displaying both shock and fear.

The warm and comforting look in her eyes unconsciously permitted him to relax minutely, and he turned back to SPR director.

"We do strange, sometimes damnable things for the ones we care about the most," he said slowly, eyes now fixated on Otonashi's desk in order to avoid Naru's steady gaze. Mai had dropped her hand from the man's shoulder and was now standing next to Katsu, who'd suddenly stiffened at the man's words. "After Mom died when I was still in grade school, it was just Dad and me. He worked all the time, but he somehow managed to spend at least a little time with me, especially when it was important. It wasn't the greatest and it was a pretty strained atmosphere growing up, but I still loved the man and clung to him. He was my only family and I was grateful to have even those rare moments when we'd actually eat together.

"As I grew older, though, I think his attentions became more focused. When I was kid, he didn't really seem to know what to do with me. When I was a teenager, I think he was able to handle me better. Or at least understand me to a greater extent. After I graduated out of high school, we seemed to get even closer. It was nice. But…"

He sighed again. "Dad was still an absolute workaholic. He took his job way too seriously – used to think that something would go horribly wrong if he so much as budged away from all those stock market observations, evaluations, Nikkei index averages, and whatnot. I guess I couldn't blame him, seeing as the economy had suddenly plummeted and his income was what supported us until I was old enough to start working part-time in the local convenience store. But he was totally obsessed with what he did for a living." Ikezawa laughed bitterly. "Actually, Dad obsessed over just about everything. His job, the stock market, his clients' investments, my future when I got older, protection…"

His voice trailed off as his face darkened. "I told him to take a vacation. A week at the very least just to recharge his batteries, you know? He used to tell me that the old workhorse never stops – he has to keep going. He'd been doing his job for so long that I guess he just didn't know how to loosen up. Unfortunately for him, he'd been going overboard at the time and couldn't see it was time to stop and take a breather."

Naru cupped his chin in his hand, looking reminiscent of Rodin's The Thinker before speaking.

"Was this time when he had his breakdown?"

Ikezawa nodded. "I'll never forget it: I was coming back from my high school classes and was going to get something to eat before dashing off to my part-time job. I barely had my sandwich in my mouth when Dad crashed in the house. He was a total mess – I'd never seen him in such a state! He was always wearing freshly ironed shirts, pressed suits, his hair slicked back, shoes shined – total businessman. But that afternoon, he looked like he'd gone off and gotten drunk, wound up getting mugged, and somehow stumbled back home. He kept muttering about screwing up and his life being over. He collapsed right there in the front door.

"I called my boss and told him I had an emergency right after I called the ambulance. The hospital staff said he'd be okay, but Dad wasn't the same after that," Ikezawa said sadly. "He wound up going through counseling and peer therapy for a while before he could really face the world again." He looked up with a brighter look on his face. "But then, Dad was okay again! He started to open up again: he helped me with my homework, took care of the house when I was out, and saw to the bills. We even went out to eat a few times, which was a pretty rare thing for us. And then he took up hunting. He'd kept a rifle in the house since I was a kid, but waited until he was cleared again before renewing his license. When he did, he taught me how to fire a few rounds and even took me out during one time to go hunting for crows*."

Ikezawa's face fell again. "But even then, I don't think Dad was back to being one-hundred percent. A few years before his breakdown, he bought the old building that used to stand here and leased it out to a small bookstore and later a church group that ran a soup kitchen. The lease added up nicely, and we were doing great. But afterwards, he up and kicked everyone out, leaving the building empty again. I never told anyone, but there were a few times when we'd be out tidying up the building to keep it in shape for the city code inspections and he'd wave his rifle at trespassers. He'd work himself into such a state that I'd have to practically tackle him just to get him to stop. The few times antone had asked, I told them that Dad kept the safety on, and he was just trying to keep those people safe. After all, everyone knew what a wreck the old building was. The first floor was the only place the city code enforcement officers would allow operation in. City council was actually thinking of buying it from us and condemning it. If it had been left up to me, I would've agreed and sold it without another thought."

"Your father wasn't as willing," said Naru, more a statement than a question.

"No…" Ikezawa's jaw clenched. "He thought it was his to protect. He just wanted to protect his investment. And I let him…"

"And were aware of his activities in regards to 'protecting' the building?"

The man shook his head. "No. Not immediately. It wasn't until I had a day off of work that I decided to see what he was up to. I kept coming home late and fell asleep over my textbooks – I took high school and my job seriously, just to keep Dad happy – so I never really knew if he was at the old building or not. But I had a nagging suspicion that he was, and decided to act on it."

He inhaled sharply. "There used to be a furnace and an old freezer in the basement. We had it installed for the soup kitchen and homeless shelter that used to be there. I honestly thought that he'd cut off the electricity, but I was wrong. I found him…"

Tension spread throughout the tiny trailer. It was palpable – they could feel it, practically see it. Mai felt as if she'd drown…

"It was a girl with long, dark hair." Ikezawa's voice muttered in the tension, sending a creeping fear through the brunette's internal system. "In the furnace… it was running…"

Katsu took in a sharp, barely audible hissing breath as she looked at Mai in slight panic. Mai herself looked ill.

Against of her better judgment, Katsu gripped Mai's clenching fist with her bad hand. The girl started at the sudden contact, but quickly grasped the offered appendage. Katsu winced slightly, but said nothing as her gaze slipped back to Ikezawa.

"There was a boy in the freezer, not much older than myself, I think… " the troubled man continued, voice dying and reviving intermittently, as if his vocal chords were attempting to function against their own volition. "I let him out and he got away, but she didn't… And there were others… even after that, I know there were…"

Mai's heart pounded fiercely. This man… this man sitting before her and her friends… he'd known! He'd known what his father had done, and yet he –!

"Now we know what happened to Renji Taka and Chiharu," she heard Katsu hiss through clenched teeth. Mai gripped the interloper's hand ever more fiercely, feeling the pressure returned. Neither of them wanted to hear this…

"Why did you not go to the authorities about this?" Naru demanded, his own voice dripping with ice and venom, a combination that struck fear in all inhabitants of the room.

Ikezawa's face screwed up in a heart wrenching look of misery and desperation. "Because he was my father; my only family. I loved him and I despised him, Mr. Shibuya. But how could I have betrayed my only blood relation? I hated myself for it, covering his tracks. So many times I wanted to just end it then and there, but there were days when he'd only smile because his building didn't get vandalized. On the nights people broke in, he'd get so upset and he'd run to me when he panicked. And… and I just… damn it, what was I supposed to do?" he wailed, and bowed his head, hands clutching as his skull as if in agony.

"I-it took me so long just to get the property back after Dad died. Before he died, he said he wished he'd just sold the damn thing before things got out of control. He felt awful about in the end, once he'd seen things in clearer perspective. But by then…" He sniffed. "When I got it back, I just started gutting the place and throwing things out. After helping Dad evade the police that eventually came, it seemed like it was routine all over again. I was going to sell this place after the construction was finished… I just wanted to get rid of the memories…"

Naru's gaze at the man was just as cold and venomous as his voice. "Do you realize that you've just admitted to being an accessory to murder, and are guilty of not only concealing evidence but tampering with a crime scene?"

"Yes, I'm very aware of it," said Ikezawa, his tone shockingly sincere though slightly dreamlike, as if he'd suddenly gone into shock. The rest of the team froze upon seeing his tearstained face suddenly blank. "But I don't suppose it would do any good to tell you all of the intricate details."

"That is a matter we'll be leaving up to the police," said Naru. "After gathering information on the old building and the property's previous owners and discovering your father's possible involvement to past disappearances, we contacted the Nakameguro police station. They will be arriving soon to handle the situation. My company only deals with the spirits that still linger."

Ikezawa nodded numbly. "Yes… when I'd heard about all the strange rumors going round about the building being haunted, I knew what it was. I think I knew it all along. How could anyone rest after being hunted like an animal? And the incidents at the jobsite… they just wanted to be heard."

Ikezawa stood up, a bit unsteady on his feet. "And now I can finally face what I've been dreading for the past sixteen years. But… before that…"

What he did next surprised them all. Not even Naru could stop his eyes from widening a fraction as Shimizu Ikezawa bowed lowly before him, humble and defeated.

"I just want to thank you and your company, Mr. Shibuya, for helping me end this nightmare. This may seem strange, stupid, or even ridiculous to you, but to me… what just transpired…" he looked up and smiled sadly. "It was a relief."

He walked out of the base, the opened door revealing a pair of uniformed officers standing just outside. Sighing, Ikezawa turned and bowed again, shutting the door behind him.

Mai heard and felt the released breath of those around her.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" she heard herself ask.

"I think he will be now," Katsu said softly. Mai looked at the girl, now realizing that at some point they'd stopped holding hands. The interloper's arms were folded, her head hanging down so that her bangs covered her eyes. "After all those years of beating himself up, I think facing the music will seem like Nirvana for him." Dark green eyes looked up sadly, startling Naru's brunette assistant with their intensity. "And that's a tragedy unto itself."

…

That night they began the exorcism, their primary target the fox-fire in the basement. After much debate, it was agreed that the portion left over from the old building was the focal point of the activity, thus making it priority. Takigawa, dressed in his ceremonial robes, performed the ritual; John in his priest attire and standing just behind him for additional support.

The others remained in the back and watched, Mai standing just off to the side next to Naru. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd noticed that Katsu had separated herself from the group entirely, opting to lean back against a nearby wall as she watched.

It was difficult trying to split her attention between the interloper and the exorcism. The entire time Monk was chanting his mantra and the room was filling with a spectrum of colored lights, Katsu's eyes were riveted to the scene, oblivious to the brunette watching her.

It was like watching someone entranced, Mai thought as the room glowed in a faint gold before dying back down into the dim lighting. Though Katsu may have looked composed with her back against the wall and her arms folded in a lazy sort of posture, there was a definite looked of contemplation and perhaps even conflicted emotions playing in the dark green irises. And all the while, the interloper was silently chanting words that Mai couldn't make out.

"I think we're done," Takigawa announced in a low tone, snapping Mai out of her reverie. A quiet order from Naru to sweep the building as a precaution was given and the tiny crowd dispersed.

The next morning, the exorcism was confirmed to have been a success.

…

Day 4

"And that's that, ladies and gentlemen," Takigawa announced as Lin closed the doors to the back of the van. The Chinese man quickly went back to the jobsite, where Naru was still engaged in conversation with Otonashi, Katagiri, and Sendo. "Case closed."

"And now we can all go home." Ayako yawned loudly. "I can't wait to get back in my own bed. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I guess all that procrastination can really wear you out." Monk's flippant remark was met with a loud harrumph from the self-styled shrine maiden.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Mai commented, smiling a bit sadly in Katsu's direction.

The other girl gave the brunette a crooked grin as she held up one finger, waggling it almost sagely as she said, "There are as many people as there are stars, as many encounters as there are stars, and as many partings."

The others merely looked at her.

"Wow, that's deep," Monk commented.

'This whole case was deep,' Mai thought bitterly, her thoughts briefly meandering to Ikezawa before shaking them off.

Yasu's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "You lifted that from Nadesico: Prince of Darkness!" he accused.

"It was appropriate," Katsu defended. Silently, Mai rather agreed with her.

"Still, you must really like stars a lot," John commented as he made his way back to the jobsite to see if they'd overlooked any cables. "You have that phrase on your hardhat and all."

"I can't help it if I'm a stargazer." Katsu shrugged nonchalantly, closing her eyes. The dark green orbs shot open again immediately upon feeling a strong hand pat her on the head.

"Well, you just take of yourself and keep out of trouble, Katsu," said Monk, leaning over and grinning. "Try not to beat up any more people with that right hook of yours."

"I'll give you no guarantees on that one."

The small group burst out laughing, Katsu pretending to look innocent but failing with the smirk that played on her lips. The case was over. Shimizu Ikezawa was in the hands of Nakameguro's local police, the spirits had been cleansed, the equipment was sitting safely in the first SPR van, and now it was time to depart. They were relieved it was over, but it was almost sad having to bid farewell to someone they'd only met and yet had experienced a great deal with.

"Seriously, though," Monk said after the laughter died. "Keep out of trouble. No more sneaking onto haunted construction sites in the dead of night and getting yourself caught by hawkeyed CEO secretaries and weathered old foremen."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Katsu assured him, hands held up in mock protest. "This was the only time I've ever snooped around a construction site, and I honestly don't want to repeat the experience. Haunted or otherwise, constructions sites just aren't my cup of tea."

"Good. Keep it that way." Takigawa pulled her into a bone-crunching hug, seemingly oblivious to the wild protesting coming from the girl and the angry glare he was receiving from a certain redheaded shrine maiden. "And I meant what I said about getting you and Mai tickets to my band's next big concert." He released her with one arm and fished around in his pocket before pulling out a thin piece of paper and shoving it in the dark-haired girl's direction.

"Huh?" she blinked at the item.

"It's my cell phone number," he explained, stuffing it in one of the side compartments of her bag. "Give me a call some time and we'll make arrangements, okay?"

"Uh… yeah, sure." Katsu looked a bit bewildered.

Ayako sighed and smacked the monk upside the head, a little less intense than normal but producing the appropriate indignant reaction before admonishing in a hissing voice, "Cut it out, you're only going to make her arm even more painful than it already is! Perverted old man – do you have a Lolita complex?"

"Ow… sorry…" Takigawa bowed apologetically to Katsu while rubbing his now very tender skull. He then glared at his assaulter. "And who are you calling old, you mountebank shrine maiden?"

"No, it's okay!" Katsu assured him. "Really, guys, you –"

"Mountebank?" Ayako practically screeched. "Look who's talking, you charlatan!"

"Hey!"

Mai whipped out one of the SPR business cards she kept with her and quickly jotted something down on the back. Grinning, she went up behind Katsu and tapped her gently on the shoulder.

Thankful to have been torn from what was beginning to look like another tango of tempers between the monk and the miko, Katsu turned around found herself looking at a small white rectangle, a smiling Mai just beyond it.

"This is my home number," the brunette said cheerfully. "My cell number is just under it. Whenever you get a chance, give me a call. Maybe we can get together sometime other than just Monk's concert."

Katsu blinked before offering a small smile. "Sure thing."

"And add this to that collection!" Yasuhara butted in, waving a scrap of notebook paper in front of the interloper's face and startling her. "Call me any time! Day or night, or even when I'm in the shower – I'll answer!"

Katsu snatched the paper and glared at him. "I'll take it, but don't be expecting any phone calls out of me, Four-Eyes."

"My Lady, you wound me," Yasu lamented, hanging his head on her shoulder in mock hurt.

Katsu awkwardly pat his head gently with her uninjured hand, slyly sneaking Mai a wink before saying,

"Now, now, Four-Eyes. I thought you'd cast your gaze in the direction of that fine Master Takigawa?"

Yasu's head shot up, glasses glinting in the sunlight. "Ah, yes, I still have him…"

"Oh, no you don't, Yasu!" Takigawa yelled, having heard the conversation. "Katsu, don't go encouraging him!"

"She needn't encourage the flames of true love," Yasu assured him, swaggering exaggeratedly in the monk's direction. "What will be, will be!"

"Yeah, and you will be a splatter on the side of the road if you keep this up!"

"How could you threaten to murder me after everything we've been through?"

"Well, Four-Eyes, at least you know that if you die, you'll have a priest nearby to give you last rights and see to your remains properly," Katsu stated, jerking her head in John's direction. The poor Australian, having only just re-entered the conversation, could only look at them all in confusion.

The utterly mystified look on John's face sent them all into a gale of laughter, confounding the priest even further.

"Well, now that everything's been settled, I believe it's time for us to leave," the superior tone laced with irritation interrupted, settling the rowdy crowd down to a degree.

Naru looked at them all, somewhat pleased in his own right though his face would never show it. He allowed his gaze to settle on his young brunette assistant, who was currently showing something on the back of one of SPR's business cards to their now ex-volunteer Katsu Shinomori, Mai smiling broadly and talking in a low voice so as not to attract too much attention.

'And failing miserably as usual,' he added to himself, mysteriously amused by her as always. Yet another reason he opted to keep her around, he duly noted.

"Miss Shinomori," he said, earning a sudden scowl from the aforementioned person.

"I thought I told you I hated being addressed as 'Miss'," she snapped, voice not lacking in venom.

Her scowl dropped into a look of bafflement when he held a sheaf of papers in her direction.

"Your notes," he said succinctly in response to her confusion. "You may have them back now."

He watched as the interloper looked at them, the gears in her mind obviously processing something, though as to what he hadn't the slightest.

It irritated him. If there was one thing Kazuya "Naru" Shibuya did not like, it was the rare occasion of finding himself unable to read a person by their actions. The only thing he could conclude was that she was hiding something and he could decipher nothing further than that.

"Keep 'em," Katsu said after a moment's thought. She looked up at Naru and shrugged nonchalantly for the second time that morning. "I don't need them, but youguys might have to reference something later on for all I know. They're all yours."

Naru slowly retracted the offered package, eyes scrutinizing the girl carefully. It came across as odd that she'd part with something of hers so easily.

"Hey, thanks, Katsu!" Mai said gratefully, already knowing that her boss would never offer any form of gratitude if his life depended on it.

"Don't mention it." She shrugged. "Like I said, I don't need them."

There was another round of farewells and well-wishing from the SPR bunch, sans the Dark Duo of Naru and Lin. Katsu was coerced into assuring them that she would attempt to contact both Takigawa and Mai in at least a week, and had outright refused to promise the same to Yasu, who managed to look both injured and amused in one indefinable facial expression.

Soon after, the group was off and heading home.

Katsu waited until the two vehicles disappeared around the distant corner before stretching out her arms and turning on her heel, sighing heavily before contemplating the direction in which she'd travel.

'They mentioned being from Shibuya, so I really ought to be heading in that direction…'

"Of course, I don't have any real reason to hurry anywhere in particular," she said aloud, forcing her mouth into a grin that was both thoughtful and pleased at once. "And that fake-o shrine maiden did say I need to have my injuries checked out…"

The grin faded quicker than it had come, and a small frown played over her lips for a moment before she grimaced as she looked thoughtfully at the wrappings covering her hand and forearm. That would need to be looked at for sure. She might have been able to fool the others, but her arm hurt considerably, and her hand was throbbing. And she still felt dizzy.

'It hadn't been much blood, but still…' A low and familiar pain in her lower abdominal region pulsated, shooting up her back and seeping into her thighs, making her grimace involuntarily. Her breath hitched. 'I really hate the way my internal systems function.'

She sighed as the pain lulled into a dull but bearable throb, and walked along the length of the fence surrounding the front part of the construction site. A set of lyrics slipped from her lips, almost as easily as breathing, before her eyes drifted to the watch that dangled pitifully on its charred band from her left hand. She'd had to transfer it because of the bandages. It felt odd being on her other wrist, but it couldn't be helped.

'I really worried him, didn't I?' She frowned sadly at the thought and sighed, the pain flaring up again. 'This and running into that Kazuya Shibuya guy so suddenly… I didn't think I could handle it…'

"We do strange, sometimes damnable things for the ones we care about the most." Katsu exhaled and smiled a little upon remembering Ikezawa's statement from before.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I've known that for a while now. And I still keep doing them…

"Okay!" She straightened up and plastered a grin on her face. "Time to get moving and get checked out."

With a hitch to her rucksack and a thousand thoughts buzzing in her mind, Katsumi Shinomori walked along the streets of Nakameguro, nobody noticing as the teen strode briskly by. She headed in the direction of Shibuya, following the trail of the SPR group and humming a sprightly tune that she matched her gait to, snatches of song lyrics flitting about intermittently.

…

Obitsu Katagiri gathered his papers from his desk and carefully placed them in his briefcase late in the afternoon. So much work to do, now that the incidents were over…

A quick glance upward revealed his boss muttering tiredly at the various notes left over from before the psychic research group's investigation. Katagiri felt inwardly relieved – maybe now Kazehiro would be able to take it easier.

He picked up one of the manila files from off to the side, puzzled slightly by its tilted appearance. Upon removing the file, one graying eyebrow rose. In the small file box laid a silver lighter, a small dent in the bottom right corner. Underneath it was a folded piece of scrap paper.

Katagiri picked up the two items, lips pursed together as he unfolded the note and read it.

Dear Mr. Katagiri,

I came across this on the jobsite six days ago. I'd seen you use it in passing, and figured you must've dropped at some point. I wanted to return it to you sooner, but things got kinda screwy.

Don't worry: it's still full of lighter fluid. I checked before I put it on your desk. Sorry for making you think I stole it.

The "Mutt"

"Well, Obitsu, I think that's everything." Otonashi looked up, startled to find his secretary smiling warmly down at his father's old lighter and a small scrap of paper.

Otonashi shook his head, smiling to himself at the sight. 'And here I thought he'd never relax with how frantic he'd been when he realized he lost it. I'm glad.'

*~ Case File #1: Skeletons in the Closet~*
CASE CLOSED

*I read somewhere that in Japan crows are seen as evil birds, particularly by farmers as crows cause damage to crops and rice fields. Apparently the government offers a bounty on crow hunting (not big – ¥500 per crow, I think). Please correct me if my information is wrong.

A/N: And thus concludes my first ever Ghost Hunt case! Yay! I was so happy to see the reviews for this SPR excursion, and reading everyone's theories in regards to Katsu is a lot fun. Don't worry – little by little, her connections to some characters and back story will be revealed in due time! In the meantime, keep the theories coming! Some of you might be closer than you think!

Special thanks goes out to the following people for their wonderful reviews and input for this Case File:

Torublossom, Tbonechick2011, TheAmateurArtist, Aoi Kitsukawa, Foxgrl18, rika-carol, GhostHunt13, Cuz-im-just-that-awsum, scizzors, akjupiter, YummyCake, seiyuurabu, lil whit, HellImRenee, Moons-Chan, melodyann75, kikifan21, sakura2112, and Malindorie.

And to everyone who added Inception to their Favorites/Alerts lists – thank you so much! I'm so glad everyone liked this case, and I hope you like the next one as well.

Thank you, everyone! Until the next chapter – peace out! ^_^