"My assistant is slipping," Saeko said, chuckling. "First, he let in Hino without an appointment, and now you."
Yamato smirked and pulled out his badge, showing it to Saeko. "I have one to identify myself at crime scenes. To laymen, it looks a lot like a detective's badge."
She shook her head, but she was smiling. "I'm impressed you were so underhanded. I didn't expect that of you."
He sat down in the chair in front of her desk as he put away his badge. "I did come as part of an investigation."
"You're doing detective work now? Since when?" She challenged him.
"In unofficial police work, I have to do some of the investigating on my own. And since I don't want a digital record, that means I walked the pertinent documents over to you."
She shifted in her chair, obviously excited over the intrigue. "You need to consult with me?!"
"No. I was hoping you'd talk with your nurse friend, who was more than willing to show up and help civilians and not ask any questions."
"I can't help?"
He shook his head. "Nurses are better with knowing about drug interactions and…" He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed her a list. "I was hoping she would be willing to look this over and then forget it existed."
She scanned the list, and her shoulders fell. He knew it meant she agreed with his assessment. "I'll talk to her. I assume this has to do with the dead guy, Sora?"
"It does. What bothers me is that he was a pharmacist and would have had an even better understanding than any of us of drug interactions."
"It's not what killed him."
Yamato frowned, "Yet. I did the autopsy. He didn't have long to live."
"Then Why kill him?"
"None of this makes sense. Artemis is looking more into his background, but that's a bit hidden due to his father's position. Meanwhile, Hatori is contacting the prosecutor that charged him with the theft of controlled drugs."
"And Detective Itsuki?"
After letting out a long breath, Yamato said, "What's the chance that of all the detectives in the station, he was the one on the case?"
"No stranger than Hatori being the Chief."
"Fair point. And at least he hasn't realized that his grandmother really was a witch."
"He's still stuck on the alien theory?"
"Yu-p!" He then added, "Thanks for looking into that list of drugs. The circumstances behind his death are all too disturbing for my liking."
Saeko grew concerned, "Something specifically is bothering you."
"A dead man from Sendai turns up in my jurisdiction with a ring placed next to him from The Order of Van Helsing. And my intern is…"
"Mamoru. A Vampire," she said, gasping. "You think he was killed there to send a message?"
"Yes. But I have no idea what the message is. Either someone from a group he should be a member of killed him or someone is framing them and possibly letting Mamoru know —something. Plus, I still maintain he didn't regularly wear a ring. If his father is the president, shouldn't he be a member?"
"And if he objected to his father's life's work?"
Yamato shrugged, "You make a perfect point there."
"The answers will come," she encouraged.
"Mamoru is like a son to me, and Usagi is the best thing that ever happened to him. I just hate that they are in danger."
"I understand," Saeko replied. "It puts my daughter and my future son-in-law in danger, too. We all have someone we love at risk."
"You're right. I'm just not used to having someone to lose like this. The last time I felt this powerless, my 12-year-old older sister was raped."
Saeko looked on in horror. "That's awful. What happened to the man?!"
"DNA evidence proved he was responsible, and he went to prison."
"She had to go through a rape kit?"
"No. The child's DNA proved he was responsible. Her daughter was born with Down syndrome." He smiled a bit. "Despite how horrible the circumstances were, she's perfect. You've never met a sweeter woman."
That got Saeko to smile. "What happened to him?"
"Eventually, he was released from prison after serving twenty years, and then he went missing."
"He ran?"
"Shallow grave. A vampire who objected to rapists killed him before they ever knew…" He trailed off, realizing he was about to say who killed the monster.
"Makoto would be my guess, but there is no need to verify either way. I have no objection to her… potentially deleting him."
He realized they were off-topic, and he didn't really like thinking about that time when his sister had been attacked. He had been six, but he had still felt helpless at the time. "My point was I don't like feeling this helpless."
"I would argue that you were almost killed. Didn't you feel helpless then?"
"I was scared out of my damn mind, but I didn't feel helpless in the same way. I wasn't sitting by, unable to do something to help someone else."
Saeko gave him a long, steady look. "I used to think good men didn't exist. My ex messed me up. But then I've met too many of your kind lately to believe that was true. It's forced me to come to the depressing realization that I have shitty taste in men." She then grinned sassily and added, "Well, in one man —actually. Everyone else I've dated has just been for fun."
Yamato commented, "You were young. Cut yourself some slack."
"I loved him so much," she said sadly. "It made me feel stupid, and I'm Type-A. I can't handle that."
He didn't mention that she was letting his betrayal rule her life. He knew that wouldn't be helpful. Instead, he decided on less personally invasive advice but still practical. "I'm a coroner. Most of the people I meet are out of options and time to change. Act while you can. And remember that looking back in sorrow doesn't help you live now."
She looked down at her phone, then grabbed it up, typed out a text, and sent it. "There. It was bothering me anyway."
"What?"
"I canceled my date for tonight. He's one year older than Ami. It was beginning to feel weird."
"You like younger men?"
She shrugged, "They're hot, fun, and easy to control. Other than that, I find we don't really have anything in common."
He smirked, "And boring, so you don't risk your heart."
"Yup."
"Too bad."
She questioned, "Why is that too bad?"
Yamato admitted, "You're a brilliant and stunning woman —and I'm not your type. It's a shame."
She blinked at him. "You're attracted to me?"
"Incredibly." He then stood. "But I'm an adult —which is part of the problem," he teased, alluding to how young her 'type' was. "I don't feel it necessary to refer to it again and make you uncomfortable."
He turned to leave, and she reached into her drawer and then, finding what she was looking for, tossed a paperclip at him. "You can't say that and just leave."
"Why?" He asked, turning back to face her.
"Because I said so," she replied, not caring how childish it sounded. "And because it's true! You're not my type. I don't date men I could see myself getting attached to. I did that once already, and…" she deflated. "And you're right. Looking back doesn't really help me truly live my life now."
He raised one eyebrow at her and said, "That's all your decision. If you end up deciding that I am your type, after all, you have my number."
As he left, Saeko sighed and slumped in her chair. She had a lot of thinking to do.