Ryou sat in a small room, a table between him and Bakura.
The night had worn on, Kaiba roused from his sleep to place Bakura under arrest. Ryou had argued that since this was still related to the Ripper case, he should be the one to interrogate Bakura. Kaiba, begrudgingly, agreed to this, allowing Ryou the first shot at the paroled criminal. Ryou didn't have a lot of time, but he had to make the most of it.
Something wasn't right.
Bakura glared at Ryou, a sharp glint to his crimson eyes. Gone was the usual confident smirk and instead he faced a rather grave looking man. The bags under their eyes was evidence of how long the night had gone on, the night sky growing lighter, dawn soon approaching.
Ryou looked down at his notes before glancing back. "Bakura-"
"Fuck you."
"Bakura, please. I'm trying to help."
"I somehow doubt that. You nearly got us both killed," Bakura snapped.
Ryou shrugged, feeling too tired to try bantering or putting up with Bakura's usual shenanigans, especially if Bakura was in a bad mood. "You were running away. I needed answers."
"I turn you back to my original response of 'fuck you.'"
Ryou sighed, leaning back in his chair. His eyes studied the conman, who had his arms crossed and glared decisively at the wall. Ryou tossed his notes on the table in front of him, deciding to take a gamble. "I don't think you did it."
Bakura's body didn't move, but his eyes shifted, catching the detective's gaze. "What makes you say that?"
"Multiple reasons. The most evidence-based one is that the knife used in the murder hasn't been found. The alleyways, the home and yourself have all been searched and no knife matching the murder weapon has been found."
Bakura shrugged, an angry snarl in his voice; "Just because it hasn't shown up doesn't meant it won't. And when it does, I'll take a guess who's the first guy they'll blame."
Ryou leaned forward, resting his folded hands on the table. "That's the other reason. Despite how much of an asshole you are, I know you well enough to know that you would never murder someone. You're a thief and crook, but you're not a killer. You don't match the profile."
Bakura didn't say anything, his eyes narrowed as he returned his gaze to the wall. Ryou leaned forward, an earnest edge to his voice. "Bakura, please. I want to help you. You taking the fall for this criminal will only close the Ripper case and that real culprit walks away free. I need your word."
Silence.
Ryou felt frustrated at the thief before him, remembering how he barked his innocence in the alleyway and yet remained stone cold now in the interrogation room. The levity of the situation wasn't lost on either man, but Bakura still wouldn't cooperate. Just his word, his oath of his innocence and Ryou would stake his case on it.
Ryou sighed, standing up. He ignored how his head spun, exhaustion and lack of sleep catching up with him. As he pushed in his chair, he caught the soft murmur; "What does it matter? I'm guilty until proven innocent. I've fallen through the cracks enough that if they can pin this on me, they will. You know that's how it works."
Ryou turned back, noticing how Bakura's harsh, impenetrable defenses seemed to lessen slightly. His face was still hard, but his eyes were soft, vulnerable even. Ryou furrowed his brow, leaning over to take Bakura's hand in his own. The thief looked up, their eyes a mirror of each other.
"I won't let that happen. I'll talk to Kaiba and convince him otherwise. I know he wants to catch the killer as much as I do – I won't let an innocent man fall through. Well, mostly innocent." Ryou corrected himself, fighting the grin that wanted to grow on his face.
Bakura let out a dry chuckle, pulling his hand away. Ryou blinked as Bakura leaned back, his arms crossed. "It won't work. He may want the killer away, but it's also a gamble to let me take the fall. If I'm hanged and the killings stop, then he's right. If the killings continue after my death, that's one less criminal off the street. Kaiba has nothing to lose with me taking the fall."
Ryou swallowed, trying to ignore the fact that Bakura was probably right. Kaiba was ruthless and vigilant, but not always for the sake of justice. The commissioner didn't mind taking a gamble if it posed no great risks to himself or the general populace. He would see it as doing the public a favor.
Worse than that, if Bakura was executed for being Jack the Ripper, then the real killer could get away. The real Jack the Ripper could stop his killing spree and slip away, never to be caught and live as a free man. There would be no risks on his end either.
In the end, the only person who would suffer would be Bakura.
Ryou couldn't let Bakura hang on a falsehood.
"I won't let that happen. Trust me," Ryou reassured him, a firm edge to his voice. Bakura flicked his eyes up, his face a careful mask. Ryou held his gaze, unblinking and unrelenting. After a long moment, Bakura flicked his eyes away, his expression too relaxed and bored given the situation.
"I appreciate the gesture. Just focus on your case and I'll take care of myself," Bakura murmured softly. As if he had resigned himself to his fate and knew that Ryou couldn't change his stubborn nature on the matter. Ryou knew arguing any further would accomplish nothing. He grabbed his file, snatching it as he left the room.
Ryou sighed as he exited, noticing Malik standing in the room across from him. A smile grew on his face, Ryou stepping forward to talk to him, but not making it far. A sharp voice caught his ear, Ryou resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Malik smirked at the gesture, watching the detective bite his lip as he tried to gather himself to deal with his boss.
Ryou paused briefly, turning to face his commissioner who stood next to the door waiting for Ryou's return. Kaiba stepped forward, his arms crossed, eyes cold and brittle.
"Did you get a confession?" Kaiba asked, direct and to the point.
The fact that his commissioner had already decided Bakura's guilt only confirmed their detainee's suspicions. Still, Ryou would try. "The opposite actually. Looking at the case, I believe he's not the real culprit. Jack the Ripper is still out there. If we mark a perimeter-"
"You caught him yourself after fleeing the scene of the crime, did you not?" Kaiba snapped.
Ryou paused, contemplating his answer. "I did give chase, but he slipped out of my vision after giving me this." He gestured to the throbbing, dull wound on his arm. "I got a little distracted. There's a window of time when I didn't have my eyes on him and he might have given me the slip then."
"He might have? You're speculating now of all times? Why was he even near the scene of the crime otherwise?" Kaiba snorted back, his decision already made.
"I'll admit it does look suspicious, but I don't believe Bakura is a killer. We have the wrong man-"
"Are you sure your feelings aren't clouding your judgment on the case?" Kaiba growled, each word carefully weighted. He took a single step towards Ryou, a scowl on his face as he studied the detective.
Ryou frowned, his eye twitching. If Kaiba was going to bring this up every goddamn time Ryou shared his thoughts on the case, then he would never accomplish anything. "My feelings are clear on the matter. I have enough sense to recognize when a man is truly guilty. I'm not willing to risk a man's life to prove myself."
Kaiba narrowed his eyes, the two glaring at each other. Ryou refused to budge on the matter. Kaiba may have public pressure to show results, but they needed to catch the killer and not a provide a wrongful conviction. Just because it might show results doesn't mean those results were worth the cost.
Before Ryou could argue his case further, he felt fingers brush against his shoulder. Ryou jerked his head back, jolted by the gesture. He relaxed when he saw Malik watching the two men, a reserved expression on his face.
"I imagine you two still have business, but you really need to get your arm looked at."
Ryou blinked, glancing down at the wound on his arm, blood staining his coat. Though he certainly hadn't forgotten about his injury, it had grown numb after a few hours. An infection was the last thing he needed. Ryou sighed, his eyes flicking up to Kaiba one last time, but his commissioner ignored him, brusquely sweeping past to return to his office. The commissioner's eyes were focused ahead, unflinchingly looking forward, refusing to acknowledge the other two in the room.
When the commissioner slammed the door behind him, Ryou let out a heavy breath. Ryou knew they would have this argument again later.
He felt Malik take his hand, his fingers warm against his icy fingers. He suspected the blood loss drained all warmth from him. Ryou let himself be lead by Malik, his head snapping up when he heard Malik chuckle.
"I swear you're trying to get fired from your job some days."
Ryou shrugged, a bitter smile on his face. "He can be difficult to work with. And I guess I'm more stubborn than I realized."
"Don't I know it," Malik huffed, blowing his bangs out of his face. Ryou noticed the bags under his eyes, realizing that Malik was probably just as tired as himself. He suspected the doctor would prescribe them a night of full rest because lord knew they needed it.
It wasn't until a minute later Ryou realized that Malik led them further into the building and not outside to a hospital. "Malik, where-"
"You forget there's a doctor currently here. Thanks to our little discovery." Malik smirked, turning the corner. Ryou blinked when he saw Namu's office, a smile growing on his face. Of course the coroner would be here. There was a murder last night and Ryou was always impatient to get the autopsy report.
They could kill two birds with one stone.
Malik knocked on the door, a grumbling noise indicated that the coroner was inside. They let themselves in, Namu hunched at a small desk as he jotted down some notes. He didn't look up, though his scowl revealed that he knew who was here.
"Damn it, Ryou, I'm working on it. Give me a half hour to finish this."
Ryou chuckled, a wave of exhaustion hitting. "I'm actually here on a different request."
Namu rolled his eyes, lifting his head to stare at the two men. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed the dark red stain on the arm of the detective's coat. He stood up, swearing under his breath. "Shit, Ryou. I swear he's going to kill you one of these days. What is this, a knife wound?"
Ryou fell into the nearest chair, Malik helping him to shed his coat and peal back the layers. "Yeah. It doesn't hurt too much now, but I feel like that's not a good sign either."
"No shit. You've probably lost too much blood. How the fuck did you manage that?" Namu asked, though his eyes focused on examining Ryou's wound. He took a knife to cut away the sleeve, revealing the rather deep puncture wound. Ryou watched with morbid fascination while Namu carefully studied the injury, looking for any clues as to the details of the weapon.
Ryou tried to shrug, though with Namu holding his one arm still, he only managed to lift one shoulder. "He was getting away. I had to give chase."
"Of course you did. I swear you have a death wish," Namu muttered, annoyance tinging his voice. Ryou didn't take it too personally, knowing that the doctor was more concerned about his well-being than actually irritated by his recklessness. Or at least, that was what Ryou told himself.
Malik's voice interrupted the haze that settled in Ryou's mind. "Where did you get this book?"
Ryou turned with Namu, noticing that Malik was studying what looked like an old tome resting atop a small bookshelf. Namu turned back to his needle. "Family heirloom. I don't have much from where my parents died, but what I kept is all here in this office. I imagine you might recognize those armlets."
Malik chuckled, a hand tracing the gold. "I'm surprised you don't wear them."
"They get in the way while working."
"As would the headband." Malik snorted, picking up the golden crown with an odd eye centered on it.
Namu rolled his eyes. "Don't ask me why my parents had that. Tomb keeping meant we had some weird shit in our place."
"Tomb keeping?" Ryou asked, watching the two bond over nostalgic artifacts.
Malik nodded. "Namu's family was one of several who were charged with protecting the king's graves, including my own. Though at the risk of being disrespectful, they didn't take their duties all too seriously."
Namu shrugged. "They never wanted the job. I'm glad I got to skip out on that shit. Just leave me to my dungeon of corpses." He winced at the remark. "That was somewhat tasteless."
Malik scrunched up his nose, giving Namu a sidelong look that only Ryou caught. "Yes, it was."
Ryou turned to the doctor, sensing the conversation was close to derailing and wanting to divert the impending crash. "Hey Namu, while I have you here-"
"Do you ever stop working, Ryou?" Namu smirked. Ryou flinched as the needle pierced his skin, but he kept his eyes trained on the doctor. He was no stranger to pain or blood.
"Were you able to check in on the missing organs of our victims?"
Namu sighed, his eyes not leaving the careful stitches he made. "I was, but I haven't found the time to write down an official report. The long and the short of it, all the victims were missing the same three organs – their heart, left kidney, and spleen."
Ryou frowned, reflecting on this information. He flicked his eyes over to Malik. "Well, the missing hearts fit our theory, but what does the missing kidney and spleen mean?"
Malik gave him a blank look that told him that he didn't have a clue either. Namu chuckled, a dry note in his voice.
"You're dealing with a mad serial killer. Does everything have to have a reason?"
"It does with him. Jack the Ripper has been very meticulous and careful. He doesn't leave anything to a whim," Ryou gave a short response back. His mind was racing to put these clues together, but nothing seemed to fall into place. In fact, with Bakura sudden appearance disrupting the case, everything grew even more disjointed and confusing.
He noticed Namu rolling his eyes, not believing Ryou's assertion. "I think you give this jackass too much credit, but you're the detective. I trust you'll figure it out."
Ryou leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. "I hope so too." This case drained him. The good night's rest from the previous evening felt so long ago.
He heard a chair scrape as Namu stood up, walking back to his desk. "There. You'll live. Remember to change your gauze. I got a report to file and I think you have a city planner to go harass."
Ryou blinked, looking over to a clock. It was already seven in the morning. He felt completely exhausted and tired and just wanted some sleep, but he couldn't rest. He needed to get the report from Yugi regarding those proprietors. The sooner he got answers, the sooner he could convince Kaiba of a different suspect.
"For once, I'm thankful Yugi is a morning bird. Thank you so much, Namu." Ryou stood up, moving slowly as he adjusted the sleeve to cover the bandages. There wasn't much left to adjust since Namu had done a hack job on his shirt.
The doctor just ignored him, turning back to filling in details. "Yeah, sure, get the hell out of my office."
Ryou chuckled, glancing at Malik for a moment before filing out. He was surprised by how quiet Malik had been, but he suspected that his companion was also feeling exhausted and tired. They both needed to rest after the night they had.
The two made the slow trek back towards Kaiba's office, knowing that's where Yugi would be waiting. If they were lucky, Kaiba would still be caught up on some details from last night's escapade so they could have a moment alone with Yugi. That would make things much easier. Ryou glanced over to Malik, noticing his downcast eyes. Ryou frowned. "Are you okay?"
Malik glanced over at Ryou before returning his gaze to the ground. "Yeah. Tired, I suppose. I don't know. This case… it's taking a lot out of me."
Ryou nodded sympathetically, raising a hand to light against Malik's shoulder. "I imagine this is especially hard, what with your sister."
Malik let out a deep breath, glancing up to Ryou. His eyes seemed lost, a desperate look on his face. "… We nearly had him, didn't we?"
Ryou couldn't even attempt a smile for his friend's sake. Even Malik knew Bakura wasn't their culprit, but who really was behind the murderers still remained a mystery. The fact that he had been so close and yet they still missed him agonized Ryou's thoughts. His hand fell away, his own frustration mounting. "I'm sorry – I should have moved quicker. If I hadn't wasted time speculating, perhaps-"
A hand grabbed at his uninjured arm, stopping Ryou in his tracks. He looked up in alarm at the stern look Malik gave him. It was almost reprimanding in nature. "Stop that. You did what you could. We won't let him get away next time. We just need to prepare better and you need to get some rest. We make a plan and we stop him – simple as that."
Ryou glanced down at the hand still holding him. His head fell forward in a slight nod before the movement firmed, a smile growing on his face. He raised a hand to trace the crow's feet near those lavender eyes. "Fine. Then you need to stop staying up worrying about your sister. I know you're concerned, but your lack of sleep isn't aiding my case. I need your help."
Malik blinked, startled at having been caught. Ryou knew that the night that Malik ordered him to get rest that Malik had not done so himself. He had been running the last two days on only one night's worth of sleep. Ryou knew from personal experience that one couldn't keep up with that.
Malik chuckled, lowering his hand as he shook his head. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"
"Well, I am a detective. It's sort of my job."
Malik laughed out loud at that, a grin on his face. Whether because he was genuinely amused or just deliriously tired, Ryou didn't know, but the sound was delightful nonetheless. The two continued down the hallway, their conversation light. Ryou saw Yugi standing by Kaiba's office, a bored look on his face. It looked like that had beaten the commissioner back.
Before Ryou could even greet Yugi, three officers burst into the hallway, running past all three men. Ryou blinked, noticing how they raced towards the set of interrogation rooms near the end of the wall. His heart seized in his chest, his eyes meeting Malik's momentarily before he jogged down to the end of the hallway. Before he could enter, an officer blocked his way.
Ryou was ready to snap at the officer when he recognized him. Familiar green eyes darted around, alarm evident across his face. "Officer Devlin, what the hell's going on?"
Duke recognized Ryou, glancing around as if unsure if he was allowed to speak. He glanced behind him into the hallway, officers scrambling about as more burst past him, now armed. "I'm not sure, I was told to secure the entry way."
Ryou frowned, stepping back at this. What the hell was Kaiba thinking? What dumb as hell thing did Bakura say? What the fuck was going on? Duke leaned back, his eyes flashing as he tried to get more instructions. That's when Ryou spotted the broken lock. The door to the interrogation room where Bakura resided hung ajar.
"Shit…"
Before Ryou could even prepare himself, an all too familiar voice clashed against his ear. "Detective Ryou! My office! Now!"
Ryou didn't need to look to see how pissed off his boss was.
