Shino gave instructions to the officers on scene while Kiba got the engine started; then it was a three block drive to the crime scene. Investigators had done a standard sweep of the apartment after the murder, but nothing in-depth. Most of the victim's possessions would still be in place at this point. Crime tape covered the door, but there wasn't so much as a police detail left on site. Parking the car across the street, Kiba put up the convertible's top and leaned against the hood to wait for Shino to get out.
"Planning on starting a stakeout?" Shino asked.
"Actually," Looking up to the late afternoon sky, Kiba bit his lip and chuckled, "I was thinking about grabbing a bite to eat from that French place on Grove Avenue."
"Latours?" Shino sighed. "Isn't that the place that's kicked you out five times already?"
"Six times. First time was when I was with my mother when she was told to leave. It's become a family tradition to be ejected from that institution now."
Opening the door, Shino got out of the car and removed the seat cover from where he was sitting. Having forgotten to remove it after Shigure was in there; Kiba went to the trunk and let Shino put it inside. "If you're hungry, go down to the club on the corner and get some sandwiches. You owe me one anyways."
"The usual?" Not waiting for an answer, Kiba started walking towards the beach. The strip was busy with high school kids out of school and looking for a way to waste the rest of their day. On the corner some kids were playing "Footloose" on a boom box. Unable to resist, Kiba spun around and repeated a shuffle step he had seen in a club a few weeks ago. A couple of times he had practiced this had left him on the floor with Akamaru whining at him, but he pulled it off, to a cheer from the kids.
Most of the night clubs weren't open this early, but Kiba knew one where the kitchen was always open. In the alley, smoking a cigarette was one of his local contacts; Francisco was a holdover from the days of rock and roll, and was more excited than anyone should be about the upcoming Ritchie Valens movie, but he was a good short order cook and knew the area. Kiba slipped him a twenty dollar bill in a handshake that became a half-hug.
"Kiba! ¿Qué pasa?"
"Lo mismo. Dos medianoches porfa." Kiba's Spanish was not his strongpoint, but he knew enough to get by from one neighborhood to the next. Truth be told knowing the slang was as important as knowing the language in his line of work, so he made it a point to at least know that much.
"Eh, how is your partner?" Francisco led Kiba inside and started on the sandwiches.
"Good, we're working a case and I was hungry." Sitting down on an empty milk crate, Kiba took in the scents of the kitchen. It was a weeknight so it wasn't too likely to be busy, but living in Konoha meant that there was no 'off-season' for tourism.
"Bueno." Francisco was only half-listening. "Let me guess what case… it's not to bust those patas sucias por el jardín? By the Kampong."
Taking a slice of ham from the counter before it went into a sandwich, Kiba shook his head and grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge. "Not today. We're investigating a few overdoses that are probably murder."
"Drugas." Francisco stopped himself before going into a rant. When he finished pressing the sandwiches on the grill he wrapped them up and gave them to Kiba. "Tell your mother I said hi." Flashing a smile of discolored teeth, he saw Kiba to the door and waved goodbye.
"Keep asking about my mother and maybe one day I'll arrange an introduction… and one should always be careful what they wish for." Kiba took a bite out of his sandwich as he began walking back to the car. Shino was still sitting inside, so Kiba left his sandwich out on the hood of the car and waited for him to come out. He eventually did and the two sat on the car waiting for half an hour before Kiba got bored.
"Give me the key Shino." Kiba demanded. "And stop giving me that look. Those photos from the file aren't doing it for me; I need to see the apartment for myself."
Shino looked thoughtful for a moment, but then complied with Kiba. Going up to the second floor, Kiba removed the police tape and opened the door. A sticky sound came from behind him and Kiba turned to see Shino cleaning up the police tape before pulling a small roll from his pocket and reapply the tape to the front door before closing it behind them. "I was down there long enough to know that nobody was watching the apartment other than us. If we are expecting the real killer to show up, it would be best for him to think the apartment is empty when he gets here."
With a light chuckle, Kiba nodded at his partner's plan before turning his attention to the apartment. A tape outline on the carpet showed where the body was found. Fingerprints had been taken, but none were found outside of the girl's and her friend Moegi. Kiba went to the kitchen while Shino went to the bedroom. A few medical books and stray papers were all that was on the table. A white powder was on the kitchen counter, with a quick taste Kiba realized it was a sugar and cornstarch blend that was often used to cut cocaine with. The fridge was well stocked, seemingly reminding Kiba of his need to go shopping.
"In here Kiba, found something." Shino spoke quietly from the other room. Kiba knew that if they were going to wait for someone else to show up, they had best stay quiet. Taking off his shoes, Kiba went to the bedroom where Shino waited by the closet. "I heard a quiet hum in the closet and found a hidden door, likely the crime scene team didn't find it on their sweep." Opening the panel showed a mini-refrigerator.
"Hello, what have we here?" Kiba quoted Lando Calrissian, Shino clearly missed the reference. "Come on? I remember taking you to see Empire Strikes Back. Never mind, open it." Syringes, petri dishes, vials, medical slides, and all manner of equipment filled the small fridge. Most of it was new through, unused. It was part of the case, but how exactly it fit was still unclear. "Just what was she doing here?"
"Look for medical files. We can get Sakura to look them over later. If she has samples, she is sure to have some sort of data on them." After giving the apartment a thorough, and quiet, look-over, they found nothing.
"Wait…" Kiba stopped for a moment. "Shigure said mustache man was going to come back here. But if he was the killer, that means he was here before. So either he already has what we're looking for, and has no reason to come back… or…" Kiba's train of thought lost all forward momentum at that point.
"Or Shigure was lying to us, or mustache man was lying to Shigure, or he didn't have time to find what we're trying to find either. There's any number of possibilities Kiba." Taking off his shoes and socks, Shino scrunched his toes and breathed deeply. "What? This relaxes me."
Shaking his head, Kiba rubbed his neck and remembered something he had seen in one of the kitchen drawers. "Phillips head screwdriver." Getting the tool, Kiba saw that the tip had residue from white paint on the tip. A quick check of the apartment later and Kiba found a grating that had screws with paint worn off from usage. Four screws and a dusty coat sleeve later turned up nothing. "Dead end." Standing up, Shino motioned for silence as he turned off the bathroom light. The sound of tearing plastic and rustling locks came from the front door, it was too quick for a lock pick, meaning it was a key.
It was dusk by now; a hard time for the eyes to adjust is an excellent time for sneaking around. The intruder closed the door behind him and turned on a flashlight. In the darkness, Shino crouched down and stayed in the shadows while Kiba sat on the toiletseat. Hearing footsteps go into the kitchen, Shino crept through the bedroom door and out of sight.
Wanting to get the drop on the intruder, Kiba snuck out of the bathroom, drew his pistol, and waited until he saw Shino in the corner of his eye. Shino pointed two fingers at his eyes and then motioned towards the kitchen. The only light source at the moment was the man's flashlight, and it was shining towards the living room. They would be at a disadvantage in a gunfight unless they turned the lights on, but turning the lights on would alert the other person to their presence. The other uncertainty was whether he was even armed at all.
All at once the lights in the kitchen came on, and the sound of a chair scooting and someone sitting down followed. Peeking his head out, Shino holstered his gun and walked out. Sure enough it was a man with glasses and a thick mustache. His gloved hands were palm down on the table and he was calm as could be.
"I take it you are with the Konoha Police Department. You have caught me trespassing a crime scene; I surrender myself to your custody." It was clear to Kiba that was a cool customer, there was sweat on his brow, but his nervousness wasn't showing.
"How did you obtain a key to the apartment?" Shino asked. There was a certain 'knowing' look in the man's eyes, too much confidence.
"It will do no harm in telling you that I am the co-signer of the lease on this apartment, that's a fact you will find out easily enough. But please let's not waste time; I'll not answer any further questions until I have a chance to speak to my attorney."
"Call it in Shino." Kiba walked towards the table and took a seat across from the older man. "How about one question, or should we say we need a human-shaped sack of crap that needs to be hauled in to the station?"
"Fascinating dialect inflections. You grew up around here but your mother… northern Florida? You'll forgive my hobby, sociolinguistics fascinate me." With a placating gesture he reached one hand into his front shirt pocket and pulled out a card. "There you are, Doctor Manabu Akado, at your service."
Everything about this guy was ticking Kiba off. Way too casual, and way too confident. Card looked legit, University of Konoha, School of Medicine, the whole thing. There were about a dozen questions Kiba wanted to ask, and Shino probably had thirty more to add on top of that, but Kiba got the feeling that the more he heard from this guy, the more it would make him want to punch him in the mouth.
"Squad car will be here in five." Shino lowered the phone and took the card from Kiba.
"Read him his rights Shino." Walking outside, Kiba reached for his pocket and grabbed his lighter. From his inside pocket he pulled out his cigarette case only to find it empty again. With a laugh he closed it and put it back before saying, "Another point to you Hinata." Turning his head he saw Shino bring Akado out of the apartment, "Now let's see how you deal with him."