Chapter 8 Fratricide

Suspended in the pale, rain-soaked reflections of darkened windows swam the massive bones of an ancient shark. The megalodon made for an ethereal centerpiece to the museum lobby, especially with the lights turned off.

Looking into the serrated jaws of the primordial predator, Grant Grierson tried to imagine what it would have been like to be that thing's dinner.

He was there somewhat reluctantly at the behest of Kudo Shinichi who had asked him to brave the mounting storm and return to the scene of the crime.

Upon arrival, he'd dismissed Sgt Wilder, the Patrolman assigned to guard the building. There was no real need for both of them to get drenched after all. But that had been done based on the assumption that the power was working.

He tried the switch on the wall. Nothing. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. This was odd. Instinct told him something was off.

He pulled out a flashlight and his pistol, aiming both into the unknown. "Hello!? Kudo!? You here!?"

A distant voice echoed from the void. "Yeah! I'm over here! Is that you, lieutenant?"

"The lights are out! Where are you?"

"You noticed that too? They must be on a timer. I'm afraid I don't have the layout committed to memory. Just follow the sound of my voice."

Grierson rolled his eyes at the inconvenience. Still, he was happy to hear Kudo. The kid had sharp instincts and there was no note of alarm in his voice.

He started slowly up the portico stairs, listening to his own heavy footsteps clash against the polished marble. "Sounds like you're feeling better. You had me worried there for a minute. Looked like death on a pale horse when I left you."

"It comes and goes." Kudo admitted.

The top of the staircase ended in the golden ritual of the Egyptian gallery. "You-uh, wanna tell me what this is all about?"

"I figured out who the culprit is."

A shadow caught Grierson by surprise. He jumped back and leveled his hand cannon at the sarcophagus of Seti III, displayed the middle of the wing. Breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, me too. He's in surgery right now. Probably not going to make it though."

"No, the only thing we know Mr Faulkner is guilty of is evading arrest. And with Ran chasing him down, I honestly can't say I blame him."

"But we caught him red handed. Division IV confirmed almost a million dollars was transferred out of the charity that night. I found the forged books he was going to use myself."

"I believe the word in English is acrophobia."

"Fear of heights?" Said Grierson. He entered a dazzling assortment of rare earth gems and geodes, the flashlight producing a sympathy of color as its beam ricocheted across the mineral splendor.

"Precisely. He could have easily escaped by jumping over the retaining wall. But instead he turned and tried to fight his way past three opponents. He was petrified by a drop of less than two meters. Our perpetrator walked along a narrow ledge outside the second story of this building."

Grierson nodded to his logic, forgetting that the kid couldn't possibly see him. "Alright then. If not him, who do you figure? Abigail Park? She has the right kind of gun and killing your lover's wife is a strong motive."

"That is true however she was wearing high heels that night. That's what we found her in the following morning, having gone straight to the Wei residence. Again, not very conducive to a midnight stroll on the balcony. With this level of premeditation, I would expect flats."

Grierson descended still further into the museum, entering the cambrian display. Surrounded by the fossil record he could tell they were close now. "She could have taken them off and gone barefoot."

"We found mud up there too so unless she went barefoot through the grass on the way in, that's unlikely."

Grierson was impressed and allowed himself a devilish smile. "You sure do live up to the reputation. Okay then. By process of elimination, that leaves the widower, Mr. Wei. Same motive, perhaps even with Park as an accomplice. They were each other's alibi after all."

Kudo shot him down again. "If Mr. Wei had done it, there would have been no need to erase the serial number from the dummy pistol. It would have been far less suspicious to simply admit to owning the weapon and say she had access to it. Perfectly reasonable for a suicide. No, I'm afraid none of those three are responsible for the death of the dearly departed doctor."

Finally the search ended as Grierson came to the corridor where they had first met. The door where the whole bloody mess had started was left ajar and inside he found the lost detective. Kudo Shinichi was waiting patiently for him behind the victim's desk, hands in pockets and hair tossed by the cold breeze of an open window.

"There you are!" Grierson said. "Then who?"

Kudo gave him a steely look. "Where were you at 9:30 last night?"

Ice flowed through the Lieutenant's veins. "Hey hey! I don't like what you're implying there, kid."

"Implying? I'm not implying anything. I am accusing you of the murder of Dr. Michelle Wei, the assault and abduction of Miyano Shiho, framing Robert Faulkner and poisoning me."

Grierson laughed softly to himself in disbelief. Hanging his head low, he quietly gave a little sigh. "I don't suppose I can talk you out of this?"

Kudo adopted a flat expression which was the embodiment of "really?".

Grierson nodded. "Ah, well, shit. Didn't think so. Truth be told, I wouldn't have expected anything less." Like a viper's strike, he suddenly leveled his glock squarely at the detective's heart. "You caught me. Fair and square. But you haven't gone all this way to bring in McPherson at the eleventh hour. And I don't think I'm here just for you to gloat. Which means you found it. So why don't you be a good dog and tell me where the hard drive is?"

"You haven't figured it out? It's been in this very room, right under our noses this entire time."

He made a circle with the muzzle of his gun. "Just get on with it."

Kudo casually meandered over to the bookshelf he had admired the previous night. "There's one thing out of place here given what we know. One book that doesn't fit." He plucked a bible from the second row and tossed it towards the gunman. "Dr. Wei was Buddhist."

Without a free hand, Moonshine caught the book ungainly in the crook of his arm. He opened it to reveal a hollow. A large section had been cut out of the center spanning from the book of judges all the way through revelations. It was one of those novelty hidden safe boxes. But nothing was in it. "This is empty!"

Kudo wasn't there.

Grierson dashed over to the open window just in time to see the detective's coat tails disappear around the corner. "Where do you think you're going!?"

Running away was an empty gesture. He'd pioneered that path. All the exits were sealed and without the antiserum, Kudo was only wasting the last of his precious time.

Quickly he ran over to the corner office he had used for entry. That window was still locked. Surely Kudo wouldn't have overlooked something so obvious. He had time to prepare, so why? Unless…the roof! Crafty son of a bitch used his own subterfuge against him!

He threw open the window to be certain. True enough, the feet of his prey were scurrying over the eaves.

Moonshine cursed bitterly. There were three service stairs leading to the roof. He could go to any one of them. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and listened.

A high pitched scream of an alarm pierced the air. Evil crept into Greirson's grin as he honed into its source. I've got you now!

He eagerly ran off towards the klaxon but stopped abruptly as a second alarm and then a third split his attention. This wasn't going to be easy after all.

So the detective wanted to play cat and mouse? So be it.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

There was a cry of agony as a fresh wave of poison hit Kudo hard somewhere up ahead.

Good, Moonshine thought, not so far away. He advanced slowly, weapon first. "My offer still stands, y'know. I'll give you the antiserum in return for the hard drive. Make that pain go away. Then you can meet the boss. That's what you want, isn't it? A guy like you must be curious. I'd be happy to make the introductions."

"I intend to make his acquaintance on my own terms."

That one sounded like he was behind and to the right.

With a grimace he spun towards the new bearing. "You and I both know how it's going to end. There are only two possible outcomes. I can have you detained until it's too late and take that hard drive from you then. Or you can simply give it to me now and live to fight another day."

Kudo fought desperately to keep his heart rate down and his breath under control. "I've lost count of the number of murderers I've brought to justice over the years." He grunted, "But I've yet to meet one who's ever acknowledged there might be more to contend with than they originally planned."

"Know what? You're right. There is a third alternative here. I could kill you. Say you were resisting arrest? Say you tried to go for my gun? Tragic really, but it happens all the time. Unless I missed my mark, I'll only have to write a report to explain Faulkner's death. And I promised Sherry I'd kill you too. Right after I broke her silly leg that is."

That got him. Bastard! Kudo bore his teeth as he drew back his lips in a snarl. He vowed to make him pay.

"I could make it quick and clean for you if you cut out this childishness." Grierson continued. "One bullet to the side of the head. You wouldn't feel a thing. Then I can frame you for the murder of Dr. Wei. Without your alibi it'll be easier done than said."

"You'd have to explain a number of inconsistencies."

"Such as?" He rounded a corner sharply, certain that he was close enough to get a clear shot. The muzzle targeted only a desolate showcasing of crime and punishment throughout the years. It was an ominous room made all the more frightful with its wicked methods of torture and retribution cast in the stark, pointy shadows of Moonshine's light.

Kudo ducked behind a french guillotine to avoid the flashlight sweeping the room. "Such as ballistics. Your glock still has the threaded end to attach a suppressor meaning you'll have to explain how my prints ended up on your service weapon."

Grierson laughed. "I got a whole evidence locker overflowing with stolen pistols like this. All I'd have to do is swap out a barrel and presto! The prodigy wonder kid is now a persona non grata. Think they'll reopen your old cases once they find out you're a killer?"

He was getting dangerously close. Kudo darted to new cover, trying to be conspicuous enough to draw fire from his hunter. But Grierson was disciplined and refused to waste a shot on a blur.

Safely hidden behind a large iron bar gibbet, Kudo called out again. He had to keep him talking. He had to keep him moving forward. "Won't work. The receiver and extraction hook imprints its own set of markings on a shell casing separate from the barrel. You need both."

"In a full investigation maybe but with the suspect dead, I'm planning on abbreviating this whole mess to a mere inquiry. District attorney already has their hands full."

Kudo could feel more than see the distance between them closing. After refusing to shoot, Grierson had stalked his way around to a lethal new angle. He was cornered.

A sudden clatter behind them caused Grierson to turn abruptly, allowing the detective to slip into the next room.

The gunman cursed as he realized what happened. Oldest trick in the book. Throw something in the dark as a distraction. Hmpf! Made no difference, he concluded. He wouldn't fall for a cheap ploy like that twice.

He followed in cold deliberation into a hall festooned with masks from around the world. Somehow in the low light, Grierson found these twisted visages even more unnerving than the old implements of justice he'd left behind. Dozens of laughing and scowling faces, ancient demons and shamen with hollow, judgmental eyes that followed his every move.

"And what of the blood splatter on your clothes?" Kudo called.

Moonshine jerked his flashlight towards the noise but failed to illuminate anything beyond a series of crimson japanese oni mounted on a pillar. "What of it? You've ignored that so far."

"On the contrary. That was one of the first things I figured out. An officer of your rank is required by department policy to wear your kevlar body armor underneath plain clothes as you are now. But you had a problem. Your shirt was stained with the blood of your victim. Namely from the second shot when you had to be close to pull the trigger. Inverse square law dictates that particles radiating out from a central source decrease in intensity in proportion to the square of the distance. That is to say your torso was drenched. That's why you took off your bulletproof vest before the murder, placing it in your escape room. Once there, all you had to do was throw it on as the outermost layer to cover your crime."

"I got bad news for you kid. I burned that shirt. Nice try though."

"You're wearing that vest now, are you not?" Kudo huffed. He forcefully opened and closed his eyes. He was starting to see double. "Secondary transfer will show under a luminal test even if you cleaned it."

"It really is going to be a pity killing you. Like breaking a stained glass window. Grierson lunged to draw down on the far side of the pillar but found nothing. "Is that what gave me away?"

"No, I'm afraid your mistake was far more rudimentary."

Now the voice came from the other side of the room. How could he move so quickly from one spot to another?

"Don't be a tease."

"You wanna know the real slip up? What first drew my suspicion?"

The gunman shrugged. "Sure. I'm open to constructive criticism in the pursuit of my craft. It's not like you'll be able to boast about it later. Come on out at tell me to my face, whydontcha?"

"There were more than a dozen offices in that corridor, any one of which could have been the source of that gunshot. But you ran past me to the right one. You knew the body was right where you left it."

Kudo had to move. Grierson was again getting too close for comfort. Almost there. He waited until the column of light panned past before leaping into the next hall. But he misjudged his assailant. Moonshine was quick to reverse his motion, take aim and shoot. The bullet tore through the arm of the detective, instantly turning a slice of tricep into red mist.

Clutching the wound, he rolled out of sight in the opposite direction, hoping to throw off his aim. This put him in a dead end. There was only one way in or out of that final room. One way things could go.

Even worse, they both knew that such a graze would prove fatal. The blood seeping through his fingers and onto the ground would betray any attempt at concealment now.

Grierson advanced into the Otzi iceman exhibit with the sweet scent of imminent victory filling the air. This Japanese detective had put up one hell of a fight but it was over now. "Rookie mistake. Thankfully you're the only witness I have to worry about. So how about you come out and end this farce?"

"I think I'll pass."

He had to be hiding behind the mummified remains. There was nowhere else he could be.

"Come now. What's the point of playing this little game? You're only wasting time." Grierson's eyes suddenly went wide. He stopped in his tracks and lowered his flashlight as realization set in. "That's it, isn't it?" He said, almost to himself "You're wasting my time. You're stalling for something. But why? What are you getting out of this? You expecting help? No, that's not it. You chose the time and place. And you want to keep this in house. Any help would want to know about that hard drive and you don't have time to explain that. Unless," He paused. "Unless, it's not help for you."

Kudo bit his lip angrily.

"You sly dog! You figured out where she is! And you sent that girlfriend of yours to rescue her! How is God's name? No, know what? Doesn't matter. Have fun going insane. I'm going to go and kill her now."

It was now or never. Time to spring the trap. He pried himself to his feet and made his stand. "You're not going anywhere."

Grierson turned to level his artillery but was instead forced to shield his eyes and recoil. Kudo didn't have a flashlight, did he? Peering through the blinding light, he saw three silhouettes arrayed before him.

Jodie Starling and Akai Shuuichi flanked him on either side with their own firearms zeroed in.

It had been a close run thing getting them across an ocean in such haste and they were still tired from the flight. But this was their turf. They were determined to clean up the mess.

Jodie flashed her credentials and ordered him to drop the weapon.

"We heard everything." Akai added from over his shotgun.

Furiously trying to comprehend the situation, Grierson eventually came to focus on the cold look of defiance Kudo gave.

The pain was surging now. The detective felt it in his system like the sea retreating before a tsunami. But he fought to control himself and stand proud. "You're a disgrace to the badge. Drop the gun."

Like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Grierson offered a broad innocent shrug as he assessed the situation. Two FBI agents. That meant highly trained and highly predictable. He could work with that.

Only yesterday he had given fair warning to Kudo that he was the fastest gun in the west. This was as good a time as any to prove it.

The first bullet wrenched the shotgun out of Akai's hand, knocking him out of the fight in an instant.

Jodie was only vaguely aware that her body was already diving out of the way as two more slugs were sent flying into the air she vacated. She returned suppressing fire but like a true gunslinger, Grierson remained unfazed.

Then there was only the kid left in his sights. This one he would take pleasure in. He pulled the trigger and watched in delight as a 9mm hollow point rocketed into the detective's chest.

Kudo Shinichi felt the heavy strike thundering into his heart. It was a beautiful shot. The force broke bone and sent him reeling backwards. The air was instantly ripped from his lungs and his legs fell out from beneath him.

As expected, the feds abandoned any attempt at arrest in order to provide first aid to their wounded comrade.

Greirson was happy to let them waste their efforts. A normal nine millimeter parabellum added to near anything at 357 meters per second had only one possible result. A nine millimeter hollow point did much the same but with panache. Nasty things hollow points. The dented nose creates a pocket of super compressed gas which explodes on contact. Instead of a simple entry and exit, the metal then opens up like a flower, causing the projectile to tumble and careen its way through the cadaver, ensuring all of its kinetic energy is transferred to the target.

Nothing could save him. Kudo shinichi was as good as dead. And Moonshine slipped out in the chaos.