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- Chapter 3 -

Akane

Ms. Kunizuka and Kagari left to investigate the crime scene at the public fountain hologram; Mr. Masaoka chose the first crime scene in the alley saying that being the oldest of the scenes it would also be the hardest to find anything so that leaves the scene where the victim was found on the bench to Mr. Kougami and I. Anything that could have had important DNA have been long ago destroyed by the elements since this was the second crime scene.

How could division three not put all those five murders together? All of them died the exact same way so how could they have missed that? Because of their lack of observation it may cost us one of our own. It's frustrating knowing that all of this could have been prevented… Why couldn't those first cases just have fallen to division one instead? I know Mr. Masaoka and Mr. Kougami would have been able to solve it in no time…

If you take this crime scene, we are exactly a mile away from the first crime scene and the fourth crime scene, only difference is that they are on complete opposite. The first crime scene is west while the fourth is in the east. The third crime scene is ten miles south from here and the fifth is also ten miles but north. These distances and locations just can't be coincidence. There must be a meaning to these numbers and why these locations in particular. Each body was placed in plain view, the murderer did not even try to hide the bodies, he wanted them to be found. If that was the only thing he wanted, he could have placed them in other places so why here?

"Mr. Kougami, do you see anything worth noting?" I ask as I inspect the park bench in case the murderer had left something more on it but nothing or maybe there had been something but it's long gone by now.

"He could have used other benches in this park but he chose this one." He answered casually like he always does but more in a way of thinking.

It's rather remarkable watching Mr. Kougami work, how he thinks and how he places everything together. It's intriguing and I don't know, just remarkable.

"Is it strange that the distances from here to the other crime scenes are similar or is it just me?" I ask. I just can't help but have this feeling that these specific locations must mean something.

"He's showing us that he's getting more comfortable with his surroundings by going back and forth." A smile grew on his face as he explained, taking out a cigarette and lights it, blowing a puff of grey smoke into the air.

It makes sense that whoever murdered those five men is getting more comfortable with his kills but it still doesn't explain his choice of location only that he is able to go to all these distances without getting caught or rising any bit of suspicion. However, it is safe to assume that this person has access to a vehicle that does not stand out and probably has a driver's licence too.

"His first location he chose… An empty alley with minimum traffic of people and lack of lighting means that it was probably his first kill and had doubts about being caught. The second scene here which is more public during the day but at night, chances that there are people here wandering around are pretty slim but he'd showed that he's becoming more confident." He explains as continues looking around, taking another drag on his cigarette before continuing. "The third scene he took a leap into a cemetery, he's starting to expand in his location and then he returns back to his comfort zone a mile away from here but used his first real public location and he succeeded without being spotted, giving him confidence so he tested his luck with his fifth kill right next to a museum and he succeeded too."

"So you're saying that the murderer is even more comfortable now?" I ask and the very thought of it frightens me knowing that this criminal might be out of my league, more than what I can handle with the experience that I currently have.

Mr. Kougami sits down on the murder bench before giving me his answer that I dreaded to hear. "That's exactly what I'm saying. He knows how to get around; getting his victims, killing them and then placing their bodies are now a second nature to him. He's perfecting his skills-…"

He puts out his cigarette when he looks up and just stares at a stone statue for a few minutes and then just like that, a grin of satisfaction grows unto his lips as he gets up. "Contact pops and Kunizuka; ask them if they see any types of artwork in their location."

"Yeah sure…"

I quickly call Mr. Masaoka and Ms. Kunizuka asking them if they saw any possible artwork in their respective crime scene, whether it is statues, murals or anything that could be viewed as a form of art. Mr. Masaoka confirmed that there was indeed a piece of artwork but you had to say it fast, apparently it didn't look too appealing. A stain glass made by a now deceased artist whom Mr. Masaoka claims that he had a very poor taste but considering what the building was used for in the past and has now been long abandoned, Mr. Masaoka says the stain glass was quite fitting but I didn't inquire to know what he meant by that.

I could hear Kagari shouting in the background as Ms. Kunizuka spoke saying the same thing but that the only artistic thing they were able to find in the area was the fountain itself. Long ago the fountain used to be a real one but it was just a waste of water and it was just too much to maintain so the jets and all were replaced by hologram of falling water but the manmade bowl had been kept, restored to its former glory and preserved.

"Alright, return back. I think we might have something." I tell them before ending the call returning my attention on Mr. Kougami. "They confirmed that there was some form of artwork, Mr. Masaoka a stain glass window and Ms. Kunizuka confirmed the old fountain bowl." I add.

"The museum is just an art gallery and the southern cemetery is filled with old statues… He places his victims near old art pieces of various forms, which could signify that he's an artist or works in the artistic field." Mr. Kougami explains.

I guess it could make sense or maybe it's just his choosing of location, trying to place art with death, trying to create a message that death is a form of art maybe. Anyhow at this point, it's just best that we return to the MWPSB and see if Ms. Karanomori was able to find any new information for us. She said that she would try to get more information about each of the victims; maybe that would help to figure out exactly why they fell victim other than their appearances. I really do think knowing who they were and what was their jobs will give us more information to keep moving forward. Other than physical appearance there must be something else that ties each victim together.

It didn't take long for Mr. Masaoka, Kagari and Ms. Kunizuka to join us at the paddy wagon and without a single word they all got inside waiting to be transported back to the MWPSB. Watching them go into that darkness, the large metal doors closing… Is that really necessary… All of division one's enforcers, they're not like the criminals we've seen, I know I shouldn't trust them and I should keep my distance but I just can't see them as those murderers who take innocent people's lives. Today, all of them showed me exactly who they are. They could have run off, they had the perfect opportunity to do it but they all came back.

It feels strange walking to the car alone, normally I would sit in the passenger seat while Mr. Ginoza drives but not this time. I wonder what's happening to him right now. From the other victim's deaths, I know that their blood was purged out of their bodies from the brachial artery on each arm but exactly how it was done is still unknown. Mr. Kougami believes that it's a slow procedure so is Mr. Ginoza even conscious right now as his blood is slowly being taken out of his body? Is he afraid? Afraid that he might die?

I know he might be hard on me, strict and maybe a little too much at times but I know he does mean well in his own way. He's a good person deep down, just like that time I had to take the metro one morning and there was this middle aged woman who had been trying to sell a bunch of roses to be able to get by because she had lost her job. She was only charging a dollar for each rose but when I entered the metro she was crying but not of sadness but from joy because apparently a young man had bought all of them not long ago, maybe a few minutes before I got on so I just missed him by not much and had asked her to give the roses away for free. I later learned from Yukie that she had seen the man and had been able to take a picture of him and it turned out it was Mr. Ginoza himself of course I never told him that I knew the act of kindness he had done but it was really nice of him to do so.

The drive back to the MWPSB is too quiet, if it wasn't a problem I would have preferred having at least Mr. Kougami with me to keep me company but that would look as if I favor him over the others-

A ringer from my terminal catches my attention as I quickly answer it when I see it's from inspector Aoyanagi. "Inspector Tsunemori. Do you have a moment?" She asks but continues anyway without waiting for my reply. "I confiscated some evidence from the Museum much to say I'm not pleased and I don't think you'll be either." Her voice was sharp; I can hear some frustration in her tone as she spoke. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm returning to the MWPSB, I should be there in about ten to fifteen minutes." I answer back.

"Good I'll meet you there; I'll take the evidence to Shion." She tells me before hanging up in haste. By her tone I know inspector Aoyanagi found something important which also makes me kind of nervous, it can't be good…

The rest of the drive left me anxious, I couldn't help but think about what could have been confiscated. From what I've heard of inspector Aoyanagi, she doesn't mess around and if she dared to confiscate something from the museum it has to be serious and just knowing that is what makes it all the worst.

I never walked that fast to Ms. Karanomori's work lab as I did right now, followed by the enforcers who were chatting amongst each other. Inspector Aoyanagi and her partner were already there waiting for us when we walked in the dimly lit lab.

"Inspector Aoyanagi what did you find?" I ask her trying to look and sound as professional as possible. The last thing I want is for her to view me as someone who is incompetent in their job.

"These." She points at five paintings on a ten by twelve canvases. The paintings are really well done but the color they were painted with kind of kills the whole beauty though. However, I think I'm missing the point and everyone else has already figured out what it is.

"So that's what he does with the victim's blood. He fucking uses it to paint a portrait of his victim with their own blood." Mr. Kougami voices out. I had not even noticed that but now that Mr. Kougami mentioned it, I can see the similarities of each victim on the individual paintings and knowing that it isn't paint is making me nauseous.

"The curator bought the paintings without a second thought. If I had not known any better I would have been just as easily fooled." Inspector Aoyanagi says as she takes one in her hands to observe.

"Risa, did the curator say who sold him the pieces?" Mr. Kougami asks. I can't tell if he's angry but I wouldn't want to be the murderer right now. Mr. Kougami is taking this too personal.

"Yes, Shion ran the name into the system but it did no good. The name belonged to a five year old boy who died in an accident seven years ago." Inspector Aoyanagi answers.

Somehow the man giving out a false name doesn't come much of a surprise, he'd have to be pretty foolish to do that but if you ask me selling those horrifying paintings in such a grand museum can't have been a smart move on his part.

I quickly glance at my team and Mr. Kougami's eyes just flat out spell bloody murder. Mr. Masaoka is already by Mr. Kougami's side to try and calm him down which does little good but never the less he still complies and sits down much to my relief. I can't have my enforcers go on a rage fit but I'm just astonished at how calm Mr. Masaoka is. His composer is relaxed and focused, I know he must be stressed and worried but he hides it so well.

"Kougami breathe in breathe out." Inspector Aoyanagi blurts out but it's not like it did much good, I think it might have only fueled Mr. Kougami's already present rage. "You know as much as I do that there are no such thing as a perfect criminal and this one isn't a smart one if he thinks he can sell his monstrosity he calls art and not get caught." She adds as Ms. Karanomori presses a few keys on her keyboard to make another picture appear of a man holding a canvas so I'll take it that it must be security footage from the museum.

"That's right the security cameras in the museum. That was foolish on his part." I blurt out as I give a smile to Mr. Kougami who has now started to calm down a bit much to my relief.

"I ran a check on his face we manage to get from the security footage in our database and I can say we have a match." Ms. Karanomori states as she opens up a file of a man in his mid-thirties, brown hair and brown eyes. The database says that he's unemployed due to being terminated for being unreliable and poor performance; he used to work as a technician a year ago.

"So that's his stressor."

"What do you mean Mr. Kougami?" I ask which I know should be quite obvious…

"He lost his job a year ago, about the same time the killing started. He has knowledge in technology, it all makes sense now." He explains and I guess it makes sense but why start committing murder by losing his job? That is what just doesn't make sense to me but for Mr. Kougami it all makes perfect sense and it just fascinates me how he works like that. Mr. Kougami can just take all those random information and mold them together and it just makes sense when he says it, it's just amazing.

"That's how he gets his victims. He chooses his victims, hacks into their home security system causing problems and he uses that opportunity to act the Good Samaritan. In this day and age, you don't suspect a single thing being odd about someone wanting to give you a hand." He further explains and he's right. With the systematic scanners are scattered all around the city, you just come to believe that you are completely safe that the person right next to you isn't going to hurt you. Now a days it just isn't unusual for people to not lock their homes anymore, we've just gotten so careless when it comes to security and that's a problem…

"Now that you mention it Kougami, Ginoza did mention he was having troubles with his security system that it was always lagging about a month ago on and off." Risa states.

"Nothing was wrong with his security system when we inspected his place; it just hadn't been turned on." Kagari mentions as he looks at the blood paintings with disgust.

Ms. Kunizuka personally checked the security system herself and was able to say for certain that it had not been turned on at all. It's either Mr. Ginoza just forgot to turn it on or it was hacked and turned off by the murderer but one thing is for sure Ms. Kunizuka had said that it was in perfect condition when she checked it…

Looking at this man's picture, he looks so nice and normal but when I look closer I can see something is definitely wrong in his eyes. However, it's not the same look in his eyes as the previous killers we've already encountered but there's without a doubt something about them and I don't know if it's because I know now that this man had Mr. Ginoza but he makes me sick. Why would someone do such a vile thing? It just doesn't make any sense to harm someone and most of all just knowing that he kills his victims just to use their blood to make paintings and sell them, it's just wrong. Everything is just so wrong.

"So what now. How do we find him?" I ask as I continue looking at his information on the screen. "From what the database says, his home address is unknown because his former address has been vacated but he must be doing his kills somewhere."

"Abandoned buildings. That's where I'd check first." Inspector Aoyanagi suggest.

"Abandoned buildings… I don't know Risa, just sounds too predictable for this guy. He wants to play a game but he also doesn't want to be found and that's what sets him off." Mr. Kougami explains catching inspector Aoyanagi's attention. "He enjoys watching his victims die, the longer the better, he loves watching them bleed to death but he also feels a thrill knowing a hunt is going on. He didn't make this crime known for no reason; the previous ones just didn't attract the attention he wanted. Now he has it and I'd be ready to bet on that he did on purpose to sell those paintings at that museum just to get the race moving." He further explains.

I have to agree with Mr. Kougami on this one, everything seems to be falling into place too quickly and way to easy. Mr. Ginoza hasn't been missing for twenty four hours yet and we already have a huge lead but I feel like we might not be as close to solving this case as we think. This man, Izaya Hinamiya is without a doubt a cunning man. He's murdered five people already and yet he hasn't been flagged by a single street scanner, he manages to avoid them all which can't be an easy thing to do I'm sure.

"Is division two still going to give us assistance?" I inquire, not wanting to sound needy but the more people I have to work on this case the better it will go. I know I can't do this on my own but I don't understand why she would even want to help us since chief Kasei gave division one the job into finding Mr. Ginoza and apprehend the murderer while division two has no obligation to even cooperate with us.

"I'm not stopping until Ginoza is found and safe. Division three can take over anything that comes up I think they can manage it." She states and from the sound of it I'd say that she's not very fond of Division three, I wonder if she's had some sort of confrontation with them in the past.

"At worst my partner can handle herself in the field." Inspector Aoyanagi adds. She seems to have so much confidence in her partner, I wonder if Mr. Ginoza has that same similar confidence in me? Would he be at ease leaving me on my own to deal with unexpected cases just like Inspector Aoyanagi would be willing to do? Somehow I don't think he would…

Without a doubt inspector Aoyanagi is dead serious in helping to the very end, her resolve is undeniable but why? If something happens to her unit the fault will be on her shoulders entirely for being the one who independently decided to go along division one so why risk it but right now I need all the help I can manage to get.

"There's definitely something more to this guy than what we think. By what we've gathered so far we know he's intelligent and cunning. So far it's been child's play, he must know this so we better start being cautious or we'll be walking right into the palm of his hand, the real game begins now." Mr. Masaoka states and I can't disagree and that's what I fear, we just hit the tip of the iceberg and the real problem is still beneath…

I need to kill people, kill more people yes that is what this fic needs. Death...