Gah! im sorry for not updating but i was at my grandparents' house and they wouldn't let me save anything to their computer! anyway here's the next chap for this case only one more to go but i promise there will be another case! i swear! lol enjoy :D
August Day 5, 1:38 P.M.
The campers were still enjoying their lunch, laughing and talking and loving each other's company. Meanwhile, Naru had the SPR team assembled, along with a grim looking Riku, in their Base. The majority of the group was present, missing two key members. They sat patiently, awaiting their chance to give their input on the happenings, only to have Monk finally show.
"Hey, sorry guys, but I was trying to see if Mai got left behind with activity cleaning or something," he declared, taking a seat. Unbeknownst to them, their boss's eyes widened, only for a second.
"Is she in the kitchen? Maybe she decided to make all of us tea," John offered, Masako seemed a little less than pleased by the comment.
"I was just in there, I didn't see her," Riku replied, you could see the exhaustion on his face.
"I checked in there before I came, no said they have seen her so I assumed she just headed here," Monk concluded, crossing his arms.
"No, I haven't seen her since this morning." The priestess shook her head.
"As I, I was surprised she didn't topple out of that bed the way she was tossing." Masako's smug kimono sleeve in its usual position.
"I saw her not too long before lunch, but after that she said she was going to get something to drink. Did she go back to her cabin? She's been having a lot of headaches," Yasuhara suggested.
Monk shook his head. "I checked there too, I knocked. No answer. The door was unlocked. I opened it and no one was inside…"
Naru stood up. "Lin. Camera four."
Everyone stopped their speculations, and simply watched. The wall of monitors easily seen by everyone in the room. Lin pointed to one on the second row. "Same as we found it this morning. Naru?"
Before anyone had time to react, with gritted teeth, the man in black dashed out of the cabin. Not a sound was made as the group stared in shock.
Monk was the first to regain his thought process. "Lin! What just happened?"
The tall Chinese man stood up. "Naru sent Mai to change the battery in Camera four," he explained, closing his laptop. "That was over an hour ago…"
By the time the group had run out to the whereabouts of Camera four, Naru was already there, investigating. "Find anything?" Monk questioned, as the narcissist motioned for him to kneel down.
"This is the battery pack Mai took, the other one isn't here," he commented, picking the little black box up.
"How do you know?" Yasuhara cut in. "Couldn't that just be the older battery and Mai realized she lost the other one and went looking for it?"
"That's a little far fetched, don't you think?" Ayako raised a brow.
Naru, feeling no need to reply with words, placed the battery pack on the camera and turned it on. A miniature battery appeared on the screen. Full. "Does that answer your question?"
"Um, guys…" John began, his tone worried.
"You're gonna want to see this," Riku added. The group walked the few paces behind them to where the two had been crouched down.
"This isn't good," Monk shook his head.
"It can't be…" Masako gasped.
"Is that…?" Ayako stepped a little closer.
"Blood." Lin said simply.
Within the middle of the group, on the dirt, lay droplets on crimson. Naru just exhaled.
"It's just a few drops. If that is her blood, she wouldn't die from losing that much." He stood back up.
"But, there hasn't been any blood left from the other victims. Why Mai?" John asked aloud.
"There also hasn't been any disappearances in the day." Ayako noted.
"But why?" Riku added, as Yasuhara's eyes widened.
"Because Mai knows something she shouldn't know…"
Back at base, the group sat, trying to figure out what was happening. Also, what did Naru figure out that always took the rest of the team much longer?
"Has anyone else been toying with the possibility that the cause may be human, not spirit?" Monk asked after a moment.
"What makes you say that?" Riku asked, astonished.
"Masako, you haven't felt anything malicious, as far as spirits go. Have you?"
She shook her head, and a memory came to her. "Mai asked me the same sort of question yesterday."
"Do you think she came to the same conclusion? That's why she has disappeared?" The priestess cocked her head.
"It's quite possible, but we don't have any idea who could be the culprit. Though I am fairly sure our dear Riku is guilty," Yasuhara added.
"Please tell me none of you think I would kidnap my own sister? My parents already have enough to deal with, their son being a criminal, would just…" the boy sighed.
"Yasuhara! The kid already has enough stress!" Ayako scolded. "Don't worry none of us think you did it."
"Still, we have no leads," the medium stated, getting everyone on track.
"Well, I know Mai had a dream last night," Ayako replied.
"Did she explain it to you?" Monk asked.
"No, well, not really she kept mumbling, about Dai and his death. Then she said something about brown hair."
"That limit's the lists of suspects," Monk retorted sarcastically.
"What was that!" THUNK!
"Hey!"
"As entertaining as it is to watch you two bicker like an old married couple, can we get back to the topic at hand?" Yasuhara suggested, earning him a couple of glares/
"WE'RE NOT A MARRIED COUPLE!"
"Anyway, we have no witnesses to the disappearances," Masako interrupted.
"Actually, we sort of have two," John confessed sheepishly.
"When were you planning to tell us!" Monk exclaimed, smacking his head.
"Who are the witnesses? Maybe they forgot to tell you something," Riku offered, hoping to find some sort of lead.
"Come to think of it, Itsuko barely talked," John answered, causing the workaholic to turn back to the group.
"Father Brown, find Nori and Itsuko, take Riku-san with you. Bring them here, I have a couple more questions." The two nodded and left the room.
"We already talked to you! What more do you want!" Nori huffed, turning away in his seat.
"Was there anything else that happened the nights Oscar and Wakana went missing?" Naru asked, ignoring the protests of the boy.
"I already told you what I know!" Nori refused to look at his interrogator.
"Are you sure?"
"Where's Mai-san?" Itsuko asked.
"Did either of them meet anyone outside the cabin?" Yasuhara tried. Itsuko's eyes widened.
"Mai-san's gone, isn't she?"
"Nori, Itsuko, please if there's anything you may have forgotten to say, it could be helpful," Riku tried softly.
"No!" Itsuko cried out, her head in her hands.
"Itsuko? What's wrong?"
"It is true! They're all dead and Mai-san's next! All because we told her!" she continued to cry.
"Mai, isn't going to die," Naru stated strongly, bending over to look at the girl. "And neither is Makoto, but if we are going to find them, you need to tell me what you're hiding."
Itsuko was still crying, Monk and Riku trying to calm her down. Nori looked at his younger sister with sympathetic eyes. "Wakana…" the little girl began her voice still shaking and quiet.
Everyone took a step back, allowing the girl some space. "She walked out of the cabin, having to use the bathroom, I guess, I could hear her talking to someone…"
"Who was she talking to?" Naru inquired quietly, not wanting to scare the child into not telling him what he wanted.
Gasps were heard around the room, when they heard the next statement.
Naru had allowed the children to return to their camp activities, or in Itsuko's case return to her cabin and take a nap. The group was still in shock with what they had just learned. "Setsuko? Setsuko? I can't believe it," Riku mumbled, his eyes wide.
"Or the fact that Nori confirmed he had the same experience with Oscar," John added, shaking his head.
"But I thought you said Mai had a dream about a girl with brown hair. Well, old hag?" Monk asked, earning a smack on the head.
"Had you not been a sarcastic little twit, I would have finished!" Ayako huffed, crossing her arms. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I was going to say, Setsuko made sense, because while Mai was still asleep she kept mumbling two words." She held up a finger for each word. "Purple. Hair." Ayako crossed her arms. "She also admitted to having brown hair before she dyed it."
"And there we have Setsuko's purple bangs," Yasuhara confirmed. "There is a lot of things against Setsuko's innocence here."
Ayako and Masako nonchalantly made their way back to their cabin. After making sure it was empty, Masako closed the door and stood by it, making sure no one came in. "So, Naru has us doing his dirty work," Ayako huffed, walking towards Setsuko's things.
"We are the only girls on the team, besides, I don't think Setsuko would want a twenty-six year old Monk going through her bras and panties," Masako scoffed, the priestess wanting to hit the little narcissist medium.
"What does he want us to find? A confession note lying with her socks?" she griped, going through the duffle bag. She gasped. "Masako, no one's coming right?"
"That's right."
"Then come here, you need to see this. It's not good."
"Hey, Tamotsu-san said he wanted to see me?" Setsuko declared, running into the office of her boss. No one was in there, she walked to the room next to it. A table with two chairs was set up. One chair occupied by a young man in black.
He motioned her to sit.
"What's going on?" she asked cautiously walking toward the chair. She noticed the other members of SPR and Riku standing around the room. She mentally counted heads. "Where's Mai?"
"Sit." Naru ordered calmly. She obeyed.
"What's this all about?"
"Where were you the night of Oscar and Wakana's disappearances?" Naru questioned without a second thought.
"What? What are you implying?" Setsuko was shocked.
"Where were you the night of Oscar and Wakana's disappearances?" he repeated, a little more forcefully.
"Fine. I was asleep in my cabin."
"We have witness reports stating otherwise." Her eyes widened, lighting up.
"Witnesses? You mean, someone knows who took them? You mean we can put this to rest? Who? Who's the culprit?"
"According to our witnesses," Naru stated ignoring her comments. "When Oscar and Wakana got up to go to the restroom, they met one of their counselors on the way. They claim it was you."
"Yeah, I did see them those nights. But I was on my way to the restroom myself."
"So you deny having any part in their kidnapping?"
"Is that what you think?" she was truly shocked. "You think I took them, stored them in the woods somewhere, and then killed them?"
"We have testimonies leading towards that theory. We also have other evidence." Naru turned back to the others behind him. Ayako and Yasuhara placed several objects on the table. A ribbon. A baseball. A teddy bear. A blue slipper. And a keychain.
"Do any of these objects look familiar?" Naru inquired, as Setsuko's eyes traveled over the objects.
She picked up the ribbon. "Wakana used to wear two of these in her hair. She would always ask me to put the in. And the teddy bear looks like something I saw Makoto wear one day. Why are you showing me these things?"
"These were object found in your luggage."
"You went through my bags?"
"I didn't."
"Wait, these things were in my bags? Since when? They weren't in there this morning when I woke up!" she exclaimed.
"Or so you claim…"
"Why would I keep these if I was the one to murder them?" she challenged, surely he couldn't counter it.
"Some killers like to keep trophies of their deeds. After we heard you were the last to see two of the abductees, it made more sense that we found this in your belongings."
"But, why would I kidnap them? I loved Wakana! She was the little sister I never had!" She turned to Riku. "Riku! Why would I take your sister? She was so sweet! A little annoying sometimes but I don't think anyone could have the heart to hurt her! You don't think I did it, do you?"
Riku sighed. "I don't want to believe it, but it seems that you're the one behind the disappearances…"
"I was framed!" She pounded her fist into the table.
"Prove it!" Monk challenged, Setsuko took a breath.
"The disappearances began last year with Emi and Chouko-san, right?"
"That is correct." Naru replied.
"And I am sixteen years old, I assume you have looked in my file. After all it is lying under your hands right now."
"That is also correct."
"In order to be a camper here, you must be between the ages of seven and twelve. In order to be a counselor here, you must be at least sixteen. This is my first year being at this camp and being a counselor."
"What if she lives nearby? You know, like Dai did?" The priestess tried, sure enough she was not wrong.
"My address should be in that file. I can assure you I don't live within twenty miles of this campsite."
A playful smirk graced the workaholic's face, as his employees and client stared in shock. He stood up and headed for the door. "Congratulations, you just proved your innocence."
"Are you sure, Mai said 'purple hair?'" Yasuhara asked back at base.
"Yes! She said the words purple and hair! I swear she did!" Ayako exclaimed exasperated.
"Don't feel bad, Ayako, you've been wrong before-"
THUNK!
"Hey!"
"Old man, don't say those things without thinking your going to get hurt!"
"What if Mai did say purple hair?" John asked aloud.
"John, explain please," Yasuhara asked.
"What if she only thought she saw purple? And t was something else?"
Everyone's eyes widened.
Everything was black, and yet, her head kept spinning. Slowly she sat up to see a ten year old boy with black hair and emerald green eyes standing there, looking sad. "Dai?" she asked aloud.
"I warned you to leave! But you wouldn't and now you were taken, too!" he stomped his foot, tears threatening to pour out.
"I probably should have listened to you. I should have figured out that the culprit was a counselor at the camp. Sorry, Dai," Mai apologized sheepishly.
"It's all my fault!" Dai began to cry, falling to his knees. Mai comforted him.
"It's not, Dai, I should have been more careful. Is Makoto still, you know?"
Dai nodded. "Yeah, she's alive. But I don't know how long you both have left."
Mai let out a breath of relief. "That's fine, but Dai, I need you're help. You don't want to see another child die like you did, right? You don't want Makoto to die?"
"Yeah," he hiccupped.
"I need you to go back to the camp and find the team I came here with, they can help. But they don't know where we are. Go. Now!"
"O-okay!" he straightened up and disappeared, Naru appearing in his place.
"You've gotten yourself into more trouble," he sighed.
"Don't I always?" Mai teased, then became serious. "Naru, I know this is really dangerous. But I need to help Makoto, where is she?"
"You'll find out soon…." Naru faded away.
August Day 5 9:26 P.M.
Mai awoke to her head pounding, and darkness surrounding her. Wherever she was, it was cool and damp. Underground? Maybe.
Her wrists were tied together with rope, but there was soft thick cloth between her skin and the rope. Very smart. That limit's the amount of markings from the rope, she thought, pulling down the cloth gag in her mouth.
Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and she looked around. It appeared to be an old cellar, and on the other side was a little girl. Makoto.
Luckily, Mai's feet hadn't been tied and she raced to the side of Riku's sister. "Makoto?" she asked, pulling off the cloth gag.
"Mai-san?" she asked weakly, even in the short time she had been missing, she lost a decent amount of weight. "Did you bring Mr. Meany with you?"
Mai managed to smiled. "No, he's not with me, but he should be coming real soon." She untied the girls arms with some difficulty, her own arms being tied. "Makoto, who did this? Who brought you here?"
"It was-" she never finished. She had no need.
At that moment the cellar door at the ceiling opened the glow from a lantern illuminating the silhouette of their captor. It was at that moment Mai realized the hair she saw in her dream wasn't purple at all.
It was red…
Me: sorry for the late update but yeah you kno lol i think everyone now knows who the culprit is (if you don't feel free to reread the chapter you'll figure it out) this is exciting!
Mai: not for me! i got hit on the head last case! why do you torture me!
Monk: you have to admit it makes things more interesting.
John: anyway, Kiki would like to thank everyone for making this her most popular story it is so far her longest
Masako: and has the most review
Yasuhara: and has the most people who faved it and have it on alert
Ayako: and has the most hits on it
Lin: she wants to say thank you to everyone who enjoyed her story otherwise she wouldn't have continued
Me: C'mon Naru, you know you want to say it!
Naru: *death glare* *reads off of card* hope you enjoyed and please review...
Me: killjoy...
jaa nee :D