Ryou waited for the carriage to pass in front of him before crossing the street, the wind threatening to shove him about. He left behind the homes of wealthy auteurs and politicians in favor of the slums that remained hidden away. The people of London found it oddly intriguing that Jack the Ripper would target prostitutes in such a scuzzy part of town.
He supposed that was why people were so intrigued with these murders. Everybody loved a scandal.
Ryou passed by a familiar lodging house, one that he planned on visiting later after he finished checking out the potential crime scene. For a supposedly educated murderer, Ryou didn't understand how the killer chose his targets. It seemed too simple to just kill brothel workers because he knew it would draw attention.
Perhaps Isis Ishtar would provide light on the whole scenario.
Ryou glanced to his side at Isis's little brother who had joined him. He had heard of the Ishtar family in the news. They had done tremendous work helping to recover and preserve Egyptian artifacts as well as translate previously unreadable texts. The three siblings had moved to London five years ago, Isis leading the archaeology team.
Her name would have been known to the public, which meant Jack the Ripper would have known about her. And his interest in dead languages was intriguing already. It was certainly serendipitous that the lead Egyptian historian in London disappeared shortly after Jack the Ripper left a message in Egyptian hieratic with his last victim.
Coincidence didn't seem likely. The murderer was more cunning and clever than that. He had always been careful and deliberate in his actions before. He had a collected and informed approach to his appearance that sent a clear message to those who paid attention. Each murder victim was like another note left for Ryou to decipher.
He intended to figure out the mystery around Jack the Ripper.
Ryou slowed down his pace, glancing around and spotting a street sign for Commercial Street. The drab houses and buildings pressed together indicated that they were in the Whitechapel district. "This is where she would have passed through, right?"
Malik nodded, turning right and looking down the main street. "Yeah. She would have taken this road all the way up until the intersection. So if there's any indication she was here, we'll find it along here."
Ryou rolled his eyes, immediately trailing off the main road down one of the side roads. A smile grew on his face when he heard Malik call after him. "Didn't you hear what I said?"
Ryou snorted, keeping his smile pleasant. He knew Malik was trying to be helpful, yet ironically questioned the detective's methods. Still, Malik was oddly persistent and there was something refreshing about it all the same. "I heard you. But chances are, the killer interacted with your sister. Which means she may have wandered down a side road. We need to examine every possibility."
Malik frowned, a skeptical look on his face. "So, you're going to wander down every alleyway in Whitechapel until you find something?"
Ryou shrugged. "If you don't want to look, that's fine. It's only your sister we're talking about."
He knew he was pushing his luck, but he could tell he hit a nerve by the Malik bristled at that remark. Malik crossed his arms, brushing past Ryou and searching for any indications that his sister might have been there. Ryou resisted the urge to chuckle, focusing on any missing tokens or hints of a struggle.
The morning fell into afternoon, the two surreptitiously searching along the various side roads. Ryou frowned, annoyed by the lack of evidence. It really did seem like Isis had disappeared, though that seemed unlikely. He bit back a sigh of disappointment – perhaps this was a red herring. He had been sure that there was a connection. Maybe he had just wanted a sign, anything, to indicate that this case hadn't reached a dead end.
He glanced behind him at Malik, who continued to kick debris as he looked for clues. Perhaps he wanted the two cases to be tied because he really did want to help Malik. He seemed so desperate to help his sister that Ryou was willing to consider a connection. He did have a soft spot for family, and he admired Malik's tenacity.
Even if he couldn't differentiate between male and female. Ryou was less than forgiving towards his remarks.
Still, Ryou knew to keep his own personal thoughts out of his work (or at least he thought he did). As Ryou turned around to call off their search, Malik knelt down, tilting his head back. "I found something!"
Ryou ran over to catch up to see what Malik found, his heart racing. He knelt down next to the blond man, narrowing his eyes. Malik extended a hand, holding a few dirty pebbles. As Malik's thumb brushed the dust away, Ryou noticed the blue shine. "A gem, of some sorts?"
Malik nodded, his fingers digging into the dirt as he found a few more pieces. "Sapphires. I found a broken silver chain. I think this was my sister's."
"You think?"
Malik raised a hand to brush back his bangs. "My sister used to wear a silver bracelet from our late mother. A parting gift."
Ryou leaned back on his haunches as he considered the evidence. It was a bit of a stretch, since there was no way to confirm whether these were real sapphires or if it was even the same bracelet. But it was at least a start.
"Let's keep looking around here," Ryou decided, standing up. He turned down another alley to keep searching for clues. If they could find something a bit more concrete to tie the two together, that would help, but as far as he was concerned, this could be the evidence necessary. He didn't express one thought that lingered on his mind…
Chances were, the broken bracelet meant there was a struggle.
That information wouldn't help Malik at the moment. Ryou didn't know how the man handled stress and didn't want to waste time calming him down. He suspected that Malik was mostly even-tempered, but there was no point in causing him worry when he needed his focus on the case. Despite not being an officer, Malik willingly hopped onto a case chasing down a madman to help his sister. That spoke enough about his character.
Ryou continued down the narrow alleyway, glancing at the locked doors around him. He couldn't help think that these various houses would make for a quick escape from curious eyes. Perhaps he should consider looking into who lived in these residences. He would have to see if Yugi could help him out with that and the whole legality part of the issue.
A glint caught Ryou's eye as he turned, spotting the peculiar sheen hidden in the shadows. Ryou crouched down, digging through the trash. His heart started to race when the glint revealed itself to be gold.
"Malik!" Ryou's voice sounded small in the narrow alleyway. He narrowed his eyes and called again until he caught his partner's ear. Malik ran up to catch to him, his jaw dropping at the necklace in Ryou's hand.
"I trust you recognize this?" Ryou asked, carefully studying Malik's face. Malik nodded, his brows furrowed as he reached out for the necklace. His fingers trailed along the gold chain until they fell on the golden eye, the pendant that hung at the center.
"This is the Sennen necklace. It was an artifact that Isis was holding on to at our brother's request. Pegasus, our boss, wanted to study the historical implications of the item and asked Isis to bring it with her that night," Malik spoke softly, his expression soft in retrospection. His fist clenched around the chain, holding it tight as he met Ryou's steady eyes.
"And I'm guessing it's one of a kind?"
Malik nodded. "You're not going to find another necklace like this in all of London."
Ryou nodded, a hard look crossing his face. Perhaps it was a jump, but most detective work was deduction and guesswork. It was a lot about making inferences and postulating theories to explore possible avenues of thought and character. One had to make assumptions in order to move forward. One had to think like the killer did if they were to catch one.
In Ryou's mind, he was fairly certainly Isis and Jack the Ripper were tied. The question now was why and how.
Ryou turned back to leave the alleyway, ignoring the exasperated sigh behind him. "We need to go back to the precinct. Let's go catch a cab before the offices close."
(LINE)
Two men blocked the entrance to the precinct, chatting outside in the late evening. How the day escaped Ryou was beyond him, but frankly not a huge concern. He squeezed past the strangers, Malik following close behind as he found his way to the atrium, traffic fairly sparse at this time.
With the fading sunlight dimly lighting the room, the hall appeared dark and shadowed despite its relatively open appearance. Ryou heard Malik swear behind him, but didn't spare a moment to check on his companion. Instead, his eyes scanned the officers milling about, searching for his superior officer. It wasn't too difficult to spot the tall brunette, who never seemed to find time to rest. Despite his disagreeable personality, they had at least that in common.
Ryou trailed after Kaiba, whose long gait outpaced most on the task force. He followed him back to his office, catching the door before he could shut it. Confused by the pressure on the door, Kaiba turned to glare at the albino.
"Detective. Finally at work, I see."
"It's good to see you too, commissioner. I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Ryou asked, his expression still pleasant and soft. This sweet and kind disposition usually worked on most people, but Kaiba was a tough nut to crack.
"Depends on the favor. I have to finish this budget for the next quarter and don't have time to waste running errands," Kaiba snapped, his blue eyes flicking behind him to Malik.
Ryou stepped back, standing next to Malik. He noticed the Egyptian man smirking at Kaiba and figured he didn't want to ask about that right now. "I need the case file regarding the disappearance of Isis Ishtar. I have reason to believe that she's tied to the Jack the Ripper case."
Kaiba blinked, opening his mouth to speak before narrowing his eyes. He flicked his eyes between the two, his question a low growl. "What made you reach that conclusion?"
Ryou fiddled with a strand of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail, twirling the white lock around his finger. "We were able to figure out where she was before disappearing. The physical evidence suggests a struggle and the location and timing aligns with Jack the Ripper's usual murdering spree."
Kaiba crossed his arms, still looking annoyed. It was as if his face was permanently stuck in that position. "You're certain about this? You're not doing this as a favor to Ishtar and wasting time away from the Jack the Ripper case."
Ryou sighed, dropping his hand down. "Nothing's ever a sure thing, commissioner. You know that. It's more about figuring out how the killer thinks and piecing together a picture. Right now, I have reason to believe that Jack the Ripper abducted Ms. Ishtar. If the evidence discredits this theory, then we dismiss it and continue to move forward. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Ryou knew that wasn't the answer Kaiba wanted. The commissioner didn't like to waste time and resources on dead ends. Ryou felt the same way in many regards, but the air around the situation was suspicious enough to consider seriously. In the end, nothing Ryou said would convince Kaiba. It was really a question on how far he would argue.
And based on his expression, Kaiba was feeling rather aggressive this evening.
Kaiba scowled as he walked into his office, trying to dismiss the detective. "If it turns out Ms. Ishtar isn't connected to Jack the Ripper, then that's days spent chasing after a false lead. Days that we don't have. I don't need you taking on this case just to be nice to some poor fool who duped you into helping him."
Ryou heard an exaggerated sigh behind him. "Can you not talk about me as if I'm not here, Kaiba? I can hear you. Git."
Ryou bit back a smirk at the snark. He didn't know much about Malik, but he was certainly fun company if he could make Kaiba bristle. Almost enough to make Ryou forget his earlier comment about looking like a woman.
Almost.
Kaiba gave Malik a death glare before snapping his gaze back to Ryou, as if trying to freeze him to his spot. "I don't need you pursuing any distractions, detective. I've overlooked your past behavior; I won't turn a blind eye to you wasting my time."
Ryou frowned at the implication, a flicker of anger passing briefly through him. So that's what Kaiba was implying. Ryou crossed his arms, a hard look appearing on his face to replace the genial smile. "I know how to do my job, commissioner. Now are you going to let me get back to the case?"
The two gave each other a long hard glare, waiting to see which one would blink first. Ryou could feel Malik's eyes flick back and forth between the two of them. Kaiba raised a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut. After a long sigh, his eyes fluttered open, Kaiba stepping over to his desk. He rummaged around until he pulled out a key.
"Third floor. Room 203. The file should be under active cases, organized alphabetically," Kaiba stated shortly.
Ryou took the key and pocketed it. As Ryou turned to step out, he paused, another thought crossing his mind. "Do you know when Yugi will next drop by?"
Kaiba snorted, sitting down at his desk to study his outline. "You just missed him today. He should be back later this week to finish business. We were unable to complete his analysis due to a certain interruption today."
Ryou smirked at the pointed look that Kaiba gave Malik, who just rolled his eyes in response. He decided to file this information away. Perhaps Yugi could do him a favor and help him research more into who owns the apartments around various murder locations.
Ryou gave a soft farewell, which Kaiba ignored in favor of his work. He stepped out of the office, shutting the door once Malik followed suit. He gave him a dry smile, raising an eyebrow. "So I see you've met the commissioner."
"Met. Pissed off. Same difference really." Malik shrugged, a smirk on his face.
Ryou chuckled, deciding that he wouldn't dare ask their history. It was more fun not knowing. "Come on. Let's pull up your sister's case file."
The two climbed the two flights of stairs to the third floor, which was nearly empty as most people had left for the evening. Aside from several officers working night shift, this floor was relatively quiet and the archive room, vacant. As Ryou unlocked the door, he saw another shadow come join them. He jerked his head back, his momentary panic disappearing when he recognized the crazy, spiked hair.
"Namu? What are you doing here?" Ryou asked, finally unlatching the door.
Namu just snorted, his blond hair glowing a strange amber in the gaslight. The doctor had a tired, rather worn expression on his face. His sudden appearance distracted Ryou before he realized Namu was holding a file. Ryou noticed that the name of one of Jack the Ripper's victims was written on it.
"Trying to track you down, but that's a lost cause. Do you ever come into the office?" Namu snapped, practically shoving the papers into his hands.
Ryou chuckled, a light blush on his face. "It gets too crowded around here. It makes it hard to think."
"Makes it difficult for me to do my damn job," Namu growled, running a hand down his face.
"I suspect me not being here has little to do with that," Ryou teased, flipping through the file. Inside, he noticed the new notes that Namu had added in, including potential weapons that the killer might have used based on the serrated edge of the knife and the depth of penetration. He smiled, grateful for Namu's quick work.
Ryou realized that he had someone with him and he was probably being rude. He closed the file and turned back to Malik. "Forgive me. Malik, this is-"
"Namu, you work for the police?" Malik asked, a strange look on his face.
Ryou blinked, glancing over at Namu, who seemed equally as awkward. "Hi Malik. It's been awhile. I'm a coroner for the police department."
Malik gave a quick nod before glancing away. He looked almost embarrassed as he coughed. "I see. I suppose being a doctor wasn't a good match?"
"More a matter of natural affinity. I'm good at what I do. Though I don't get much opportunity to help people nowadays," Namu frowned, his face stuck in a permanent scowl. Then again, Ryou figured Namu felt frustrated with his job. He had mentioned wanting to get back into working at a hospital, but it had been difficult to get the job transfer solved.
"That's fair. Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well," Malik stated cordially, though the formality felt stiff. Ryou said nothing as Namu shrugged, grunting something resembling a farewell.
Ryou reached out, grabbing Namu's shoulder before he left. He turned back, violet eyes watching the albino. "Not to keep asking for favors, but could you do me one more?"
Namu rolled his eyes. "You know I can't say no to you. What the hell do you need now?"
"Would you be able to provide a list of all missing organs from each victim?"
Namu gave Ryou a long look before letting out an exaggerated sigh, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Do I want to know your logic behind this?"
"Probably not, but I don't mind filling you in." Ryou shrugged, knowing that his request was already going to prompt questions out of Malik once Namu left.
"Don't bother. I'll do it. Though I'll need a few days to complete it."
Ryou nodded. "That's fine. I'll be back later this week to see Yugi. I need to ask him a favor and it's easier to track him down here instead of the state building. He practically lives at the precinct nowadays."
"Everybody lives at the precinct. Yugi needs to hurry up with repairs and get all these extra people out of my building," Namu snarled, shrugging off his jacket as he walked away. Ryou smiled, amused by the doctor's annoyance. Since one of the other offices had been deemed structurally unsound, the police force had been forced to split up the officers in that office to various precincts around the city.
This unfortunately meant several dozen new faces and not enough space to house them all. Ryou didn't mind since he could research and do his work away from his office. However, for someone like Namu, who had to be at the precinct working down in the morgue to identify corpses, having people go in and out all the time would be rather grating.
It certainly didn't help that the doctor had a short temper. Though he was still better composed than Kaiba seventy percent of the time.
Ryou opened the door to the archive room, lighting a lantern first before attempting to read any of the names. He heard Malik follow him in, though Ryou didn't bother turning to face him. "You know Namu?"
Malik grunted, Ryou noticing how his companion stood close to the lantern, watching him. "Old family friend. He moved to London half a year before we did."
"I didn't realize that. What are the odds you'd run into a fellow Egyptian?"
Malik snorted. "My thoughts exactly. We were pretty close as kids, but when we got older… well, our lives took very different turns than we expected so we fell out of touch."
Ryou smiled, his face was hidden from view. "No time like the present to catch up!"
"Maybe. I don't know. A lot has happened. I'm definitely not the same kid I was back in Egypt. And… I don't know. He was always a bit odd."
Ryou rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "Does that put you off? Strangeness?"
Malik seemed to rethink his response. "Not necessarily, but first impressions do last."
"Indeed. You made quite the first impression today."
Ryou stole a glance, smiling when he saw Malik looked away to hide his embarrassment.
"Is there any way I can help?"
Ryou returned his gaze to the files, flipping through these folders until he drew closer alphabetically. "I was probably going to head back to read up on the case file. It's getting pretty late and I imagine you'll be wanting to get home soon."
Malik shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "My brother usually works overnight at the university. I won't be missed. If there's anything I can do to speed up the work, I'd be more than willing to oblige."
Ryou blinked, leaning back to study Malik. He couldn't tell if his companion was tired, but he seemed alert and determined. Ryou had figured Malik would want to get some rest, but then again, this was his family at stake. Ryou wasn't sure how his new companion could help since a lot of it was speculation and piecing together the evidence to form a picture.
At the thought of a picture, Ryou perked up, an idea forming in his head.
"Do you think you could translate the hieratic I showed you earlier?" Ryou asked, snagging the file in question.
Malik flicked his eyes up in thought, raising a hand to scratch at his chin. "It might take a while, more than one night even, but I think I could do it. There's a chance the killer would try to use modern grammatical structure, so I'm not sure how accurate it'll be to his message."
Ryou shrugged, moving to leave the room. "Anything's better than nothing. Perhaps it'll help provide some insight."
Malik gave a slow nod, a more vigorous one following as he grew certain. "I'll do it."
Ryou nodded, a smile growing on his face as he contemplated his new partner. He had never had consistent help on a case before. He was usually left to his own devices, but the extra hands on deck would certainly help him get more research done. Who knows? Perhaps the translation would reveal the killer's identity for all they knew. It was worth a shot.
Ryou closed the door, pocketing the key and turning back towards Malik. "Okay. Let's head back to my place and start researching."
