Chapter 4: Case I - The Missing Statement
A/N: Ugh, another late update. I'm so sorry, guys! I'm going to update at least once every month from now - college life is too busy for me to update quickly (sadly). All your reviews were lovely to read and they do give me the motivation to continue on. (:
Thank you for every review, favorite, alert and for simply giving this a chance! I love getting mails for these!
Onwards!
"The document doesn't look completed," Mai said, thumbing through the pages, her eyes scanning each sheet of paper briefly. She pursed her lips as she pondered over the statements of the client, then pushed the file to Yasuhara. "Have you looked through everything?"
"Not yet." Yasuhara took the file from her. She was already booting her laptop, drumming her fingers on the table impatiently.
"This laptop starts up too slow," she complained, puffing her cheeks and blowing at the strand of hair blocking part of her vision. She slumped back against the couch, watching Yasuhara flip through the pages, his glasses glinting under the light. A crease was between his brows as he paused between pages, then he took a post-it from the table and stuck it on the page.
"I think I'm going to make some tea," she said out loud, then turned to her best friend beside her, "hey, would you like some too?"
He nodded, eyes not leaving the printed words. She rolled her eyes, got up from the couch and shuffled towards the kitchen. After she filled the kettle, she leaned against the counter and waited for the water to boil. Her mind drifted off to consider the possibilities of the case they'd just gotten; it was their first one and she wished fervently that they'd do well for it.
The house was three-stories high and had a garden located at the back of it; the space was huge (to her, at least) for just three people. The knocks, creaks, footsteps the Wood family had heard - she wasn't sure if she could reason them all with an overactive imagination. Then there was the problem of furniture being shifted the next morning... she hummed thoughtfully. Land subsistence would be a logical explanation, but the house was constructed only five years ago and the family had moved in for around two years. There wasn't any gap that could cause the house to slant or have no stable foundation.
She wasn't sure if she should consider the possibility of the paranormal being involved; she had learned that most of the time, these reports have sound reasoning behind that people often overlook. Poltergeist activity is possible, then. There is a teenager living in it after all, but the file didn't mention any family problems or psychological problems the girl may be -
"Mai!" The call jolted her out of her thoughts, and she realized with a start that the kettle was boiling, the sharp shrill of the kettle bursting through her ear. Wincing, she quickly turned the fire off and poured the hot water into two cups.
"Tea, tea, tea," she murmured to herself as she busied herself with the beverage.
"Don't think too deeply when you've the water going, idiot," Yasuhara said as he entered the kitchen, "I don't wish for an early death."
"Oh, shut up, Yasu," she said, passing him the cup. "Careful, it's hot."
"Thank you," he said, grinning as he took a small sip. "I finished reading the file."
"What do you think?" She asked curiously, setting the cup back on the saucer.
"I do have a few in mind," he said. "But do you realize that there was nothing reported by the grandmother?"
"I thought it would be because of her non-spiritual beliefs that made her immune to all the happenings in the house." Mai tapped her finger on the stone counter. "No?"
Yasuhara hummed thoughtfully, then said, "So you're concluding that it has nothing to do with the paranormal."
She shook her head. "I'm not exterminating that possibility, but I think there should be some logic behind this."
"Thing is," he said, setting the cup back on the saucer, "land subsistence seemed to be out of the question. Of course, we'd likely be confirming that when we're there tomorrow. And then the strange noises heard by the daughter and the mother - why would they both hear the same things but the grandmother be clueless about it?"
Mai pondered over it for a moment, then shrugged. "I have no idea. I think we can ask them that tomorrow. But before we left, Drake had mentioned that he thinks this is a fairly simple case which probably doesn't have anything to do with the supernatural."
"I got that," Yasuhara said. "Well, we can look more into this. Give me a moment."
He brought his cup back to the table and logged into the laptop. His fingers flew fast over the keyboard and she watched him with great interest for a few minutes before a triumphant smirk curved his lips. "Look."
She slid into the seat next to him and peered. "Wow."
The information of all three clients were listed in respective boxes under their names. "How - "
He shrugged. "I merely played with the system."
Mai pressed her palm against her forehead in mild exasperation, but nonetheless felt very impressed. No matter how many times he displayed his technical talents or skills, she never failed to be surprised by how efficient he worked. Like a certain someone. A heaviness settled in her chest at that thought.
She had cleared her mind after Naru's and Lin's abrupt departure and accepted it as the inevitable after a few months. She had felt empty, depressed, sure, but it was after all these stages that she realized that she had been in love with the idea of Naru previously. Gene's first appearance in her dream convinced her that Naru had that part in him somewhere, and that made her live with the fantasy that he was secretly sweet and caring.
She had to admit that she was cruel to both her and him; she had visualized him as someone that he wasn't and she wanted to conform him to her own ideals - it made her realize how selfish she was. But amidst it all, she also realized that she had fell in love with Naru for himself afterward. He was a jerk, but he cared in his own way; he was cold, but his concern was simply expressed differently; he was sharp with his words, but the truth he provided was meant to help you in the long-run. Yes, he did have flaws, but the strengths he had overshadowed them.
After she knew that it wasn't Naru in her dreams, she felt admittedly disappointed, then released, but sad that she couldn't meet Gene in the real world. He was a mentor and friend that was special to her in many ways, and he had guided her through numerous dreams and kept her safe in his own way. She had lots to thank him for, but the feelings that she had for him - she realized it was probably platonic. After Naru departed, Gene didn't appear in her dream since and she felt a definite sense of loss of having two important people disappear right before her.
She had cleared her thoughts and she was angry that Naru had treated her feelings as a mistake of identity. But she did understand why he felt that; at that point her thinking was still not clarified enough and when he questioned her in such a way, she was actually kind of glad that he didn't press her. If he did, she would not have the time to find out what she truly felt.
However, it didn't change the fact that he doubted her and it still hurt.
Sighing, she continued scrolling down the page and read out loud to distract herself from the weight in her chest.
"Stella Kott was married to Andres Abbott in 1963 and gave birth to Maris Abott, now Maris Wood, in 1965. Andres Abott died a few years later in 1972 because of a heart attack. They were in financial crisis for a few years and Stella had to juggle three jobs a day for that period of time. After their new-found financial stability, they moved into a larger home located near Oxford. Maris then married George Wood in 1993 and Christine Wood was born in 1997. George Wood died a few years later in 2003 because of break-in in his office."
Yasuhara gave a low whistle. "Damn, their family has a history of the husbands dying early, don't they? Gotta stay away from these people."
"Yasu," Mai said, tutting her tongue. She read the bottom of the screen for medical illnesses. "It also says here that Stella was diagnosed with dementia in 2000."
"Her statement considered invalid because of her medical condition?"
"But it wouldn't mean that it'd be unreliable information," Mai said, getting annoyed, "what are they doing to exclude her out of this?"
Yasuhara chuckled mildly. "Relax, Mai. I'm sure we can get a few words out of her."
Mai arched a brow. "Like..." she trailed off, catching the grin lighting up his face, "now?"
She understood immediately what he meant, of course. But it was emphasized by the professor that private calls to clients were against the rules, unless in case of emergencies. This was obviously not one and the call will be dialed primarily to quell both their curiosity. And possibly help the case too, of course. It felt reasonable suddenly but she was still sure they would get into trouble for this.
Yasuhara tapped the number on the folder. "Come on, I checked both working and school hours. I'm sure the only person there would be Stella."
"First name basis already, aren't you?" She commented, shaking her head, exasperated.
"Old ladies love me. I've the vibe of a young man in the 1920s." He winked at her and she made a gagging motion.
"That pretty much explains why you don't have a girlfriend."
He wiggled his brows. "I can be holding back, you know."
She rolled her eyes. "Yasu, I get that you'd grown out of your rather bookish phase - "
His eyes narrowed at her words, the weight of his gaze clamping her mouth shut. "So you find me good-looking now?"
"Uh, maybe," she said, shrugging. Honestly, she hadn't really noticed his looks before. It was till one of her friends asked for his number in Oxford while gushing about his looks that she actually looked - really looked at him. She simply didn't think of him that way.
"You seem immune to my charms though," he said, the corner of his lips tugging up slightly.
She laughed, pushing his shoulder. "Yasu, you do have exploding amount of charm but it just doesn't work on me." She paused. "Usually," she added as an afterthought. He could be cunning in his own way if he wanted to be.
"Why?" His voice softened, though the question wasn't brought up timidly, his eyes hard on hers.
She didn't seem to notice and shrugged again. "You're my best friend - even my brother. I guess that makes me hold strong." She attempted a wink of her own and failed terribly.
"Did something get into your eye?" He asked deliberately making her cheeks redden slightly.
"You suck!"
He pushed the file to her, the topic changing smoothly. "So shall the person with the charm do this, or will you be brave enough to take up the challenge?"
"Stop taunting me," she said, smacking him on the head lightly. "I will do the talking."
"Sure."
She reached for the phone on the table and pushed the buttons, then halted, suddenly nervous. "We'd get into trouble for this."
"Fabricate a story, don't tell her where we're from."
"Like?" She whispered urgently. It was ringing already and it wasn't a good idea to discuss their 'story' when anyone could pick up the call anytime. She rubbed her temples and pushed through her stressing mind for some pathetic story she hoped would be believable enough.
After ten seconds, both teenagers exchanged glances. She shook her head. She'd just wait till the line dies.
The ringing continued and she drummed her fingers on the table, getting slightly impatient. Sighing, her finger hovered over the 'end call' button -
The line cackled. Then someone picked up the call. Mai straightened her back, switching to speaker mode and nodded at Yasuhara who immediately poised himself before the laptop, ready to take notes. "Hello?" Mai began, making sure to take her pitch down a notch or two. "Is this Mrs. Abott?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"Sounds normal enough," Yasuhara mouthed to her and despite herself, her lips quirked upward.
"Good afternoon, m'am," she greeted smoothly. "I'm Hanna from Caring Community Centre. This is a survey we 're conducting to gather some information on the comfort of the residential areas. It won't take more than five minutes, I assure you."
A shuffle of the feet; probably the dragging of her feet across the room. "Sure, an old lady like me has nothing much to do anyway."
Mai smiled, shaking her head. "Thank you, Mrs. Abott." She paused. "Is the area you're living in convenient?"
"Not bad. There's a mall nearby and a marketplace down the street. Some great eateries are around this area as well. There's a park you can reach in a five-minute walk; I often do some light exercising there."
"So it's a comfortable place to reside in?"
There was a short silence. Then she started slowly. "The community is nice. Place is comfy but..."
Mai picked up on her reluctance. "But?" She encouraged.
"Sometimes I hear voices. Things. I see them. I'll hear an evil voice screaming for me to get out, I'll hear things scrat - scratching on my door!" Her voice rose an octave, sounding pinched and panicky at the same time, "I get so scared. So scared. They're always laughing at me. Always."
"They?" Mai probed.
A quivery voice answered. "There're two, sometimes three. The shadows stretch on my walls at night and they taunt me!"
"Mrs. Abott, perhaps you should tell your daughter about it."
"She thinks I'm crazy! Till she heard them. Yes, she did..." she laughed a bit. Then her voice dropped, so low that it almost seemed like a male's. "You think I'm crazy too, don't you?"
Mai's skin prickled. Something off must be showing on her face because from the corner of her eye, Yasuhara suddenly inched closer to her, pulling his laptop along as his fingers remained busy on the keyboard. "No, I don't," she said, voice surprisingly calm in contrast with her quickening heartbeat, "relax, Mrs. Abott."
"Really?" She sounded slightly hopeful.
"Yes," she replied firmly, "do the shadows do anything to you?"
"No, but they draw on my walls sometimes." Her voice shivered again. "I see my husband. He talks to me. He smiles so much."
Mai pursed her lips. "Mrs. Abott, try talking to your daughter again tonight. Maybe she had already called for help."
She could hear the dripping of the sink over the line in the silence. "Y-yes. Maybe I will." The old lady sighed wistfully. "Thank you for listening to me, Hanna."
"It's no problem," she said.
"Would you - " there was a clutter. "Oh, Andres is back!" Her tone brightened considerably. "I'm going to help him get his things. Sorry, Hanna, I've to go!"
"Sure, have a great day!" She ended the call and turned to face Yasuhara.
"Just so my memory serves me right, Andres is her husband's name, right? Are there any living relatives or close friends sharing the same name?"
His fingers flew over the keyboard. After a few moments, he looked up, shaking his head. "She's probably referring to her husband." He tilted his head to the side. "And the report didn't mention anything about drawings."
She slumped back against the couch. "It was kind of spooky."
\\\\\+\\\\\
"I baked too much cookies," Luella said deliberately loudly, setting two trays on the table.
Martin looked up from his papers, "Don't you always bake a tray?"
"Shh!" Luella hushed him, waving him forward then whispered conspiratorially to her clueless husband, "We can always get them to the new students."
"You mean Noll bringing the," he made two air apostrophes with his fingers, looking quite baffled, "'extra' cookies to them? That's near impossible."
Luella shook her head, a triumphant smile gracing her face. "Men," she said, shaking her head. "How I wish Madoka is here - she'd gladly help me."
"And now you're choosing my student over me," Martin said, amused. "She's coming back tonight with Lin after all. She sounded really enthusiastic over the phone to meet them."
"Of course she is," Luella said, "have you ever seen Noll behave the way he does around Taniyama-san?"
Luella was no fool. She knew her son very well and the exciting display of his emotions on his face the night Taniyama came for dinner was something that was rarely seen. She knew immediately that something was up and she was sure that Madoka will be in for this. She grinned at the thought of having a partner to aid her.
"Noll!" She called up the stairs as she packed some cookies into the container. "Come on down for a minute."
A few moments later, Noll trudged down the stairs, a book in hand. "Yes, Mother?"
"Do you've some time?"
Noll eyed her suspiciously as he reached the end of the stairs. He could clearly tell something was up with her eyes sparkling so brightly. "What do you need me to do?"
"I got over-enthusiastic and baked too much cookies," she said, attempting to look apologetic and failing quite miserably, "do you think we should get some to the students?"
"The students as in..." He narrowed his eyes. "Mai and Yasuhara-san?"
Luella clapped her hands, nodding. "Would you like to?"
Noll stared at the walls behind his mother; if Luella didn't know him well, she'd have thought that he was annoyed. But this was Noll - he was considering whether he should bring them. And this was not what Noll would usually do. Her inner self squealed at the possibilities.
"No, I've some cases to arrange in SPR," Noll said after a moment. Martin gave Luella a look that said 'I told you so' but she simply rolled her eyes. Men like Noll really did need a little push.
"Their apartment is around that area, Noll," Luella said, "you can just drop by with the cookies."
"Why can't you do it? You said a few days ago that you'd like to visit them anyway."
Luella's eyes brightened. "Well, we can always go together!" She directed a hard look at Noll. "Won't we?"
Noll sighed, acting rather exasperated. "Yes, it's not as if you'd let me back out of this, anyway," he said, though he was admittedly quite... glad that he could see his clumsy assistant again; he reasoned that he was probably getting bored with only work and her antics would probably entertain him quite well. Luella's eyes brightened even more if possible; and Martin arched a brow: it was surprisingly easy to drag Noll along. He usually would flat-out refuse to and storm back to his room to bury himself in more papers.
Luella's lips suddenly curled into a smirk. "Well, it's great that they both live in the same apartment, this makes it more convenient for us."
Noll froze mid-step as he was making his way back into his room. "What?"
"They live together in the same place," Luella said, feigning surprise, "you didn't know?"
His knuckles whitened as he clutched the handles of the stairs hard to reign in his temper, though he had no idea why he felt so annoyed and disturbed at the thought of them being alone together. "No, it's none of my business." His voice sounded tight and tense, even to his own ears.
Luella flashed another triumphant grin to her husband. "Get back down in five!" She called cheerfully, finishing her packing of the baked goodies.
Martin stared at his son's retreating back and his wife's happy disposition. "Luella, you're really quite evil," he said, though the display of his son's irritation took him aback - it made to one of the top five Noll's most emotional moments and the second was already taken by one with Taniyama's presence during dinner. He could see why his wife was so bent on doing this, but he'd rather not get involved.
"No, I'm not." She winked at him. "I'm merely trying to speed up things."
Martin chuckled at his wife, his hand reaching over to steal one of her cookies. She made to smack his hand but he ducked it swiftly, laughing again. "Martin! You didn't wash your hands!"
He crunched on the stolen cookie, satisfied; his wife baked the most delicious pastries. "Sorry," he said, clearly not apologetic, "I'll wash them now."
"You're already eating it," Luella said, shaking her head though amused at Martin's antics.
He pressed a quick, gentle kiss to her temple, making her lips tug up involuntarily despite herself. "I will be back for more cookies. Don't be in a hurry to give them all away."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Yay, things are finally moving forward - aren't you excited to see how Naru will act when he sees the Mai and Yasu together in their apartment? I can't wait! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and do drop me a review to tell me your thoughts!
May Dream!Naru and/or Gene visit your dreams tonight.
~mysticflakes