Tatsumi had sunk deeply into his chair behind his small desk amidst the dimly lit police department, daring to glance at the clock from the corner of his heavy eyes. An exhausted sigh left his lips when the dreaded realization settled in.
His weary legs marched through the bureau, obligated to push the officer through another night riddled with violent domestics, drunk and bloody brawls, the not so occasional homeless man sleeping in his own piss and your average homicide.
"Another double shift, eh?" Captain Ogre pointed out as the two met just on their way out. "Gotta say, good on you for delivering that fella a few days ago."
Tatsumi yawned. "Which one? I detained lots of fellas. Some twice even."
"You know…that son of a bitch that stabbed a girl in broad daylight where everyone was watching. Voyeurist pig."
Emerald eyes snapped wide open. "You mean Ren Adachi? What about him?"
"Have you been living under a rock the past few weeks? This runt is obviously the guy who's been killing our colleagues in broad daylight. Guess we weren't enough for him anymore."
Tatsumi hastily moved in front of the taller man, blocking the way out of the department. "Listen! Whoever that killer is, it's not him! I can vouch for his innocence. The blood splatters-"
"And you think it's just a silly, little coincidence that there haven't been any murders during daytime while he was in custody? He's been denying it steadfastly of course but two of our guys are gonna make him crack eventually. He's our man." Ogre retaliated, staring down at his subordinate with that smug grin again.
"You've got the wrong-"
"And you think anyone gives a flying fuck? People just want it stopped and see someone hang at the end of the day. And by the way…it's 'Captain' for you. Remember that. Now get your ass in gear and return to your work." Captain Ogre gave him a light shove on his way out the door.
He silently stared at the tall figure diminishing beyond the door, eyes widened in disbelief.
"Fuck!" Tatsumi slammed his fist into the concrete wall. "Bastard."
He kicked the door open, riding through the freezing night like a horse spurred on by an ever increasing sense of dread. Apparently, these murders were going to solve themselves by hook or by crook, if Ogre's words were anything to go by.
*****
Tatsumi marched past the roulette tables, undeterred by neither the dazzling lights nor the relentless cacophony of saxophones and slot machines grating against his ears.
"Hey, excuse me, young man." A squeaky voice slurred from the left.
Tatsumi made a sharp turn. A small, middle-aged man came into view clinging onto the slot machine's one arm like the homeless people hanging onto their syringes. Hands trembled and lips moved quickly but no words came out.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you. What was it?"
Only drunk gibberish arrived on Tatsumi's end.
"Do ya got a coin for me? I need to play another game, ya know…I know I can win everything back. Trust."
Again, his skeptic gaze shifted between the giddy player dressed in a patchy suit and the one-armed bandit beside him.
"Honestly…they should prohibit stuff like this." Tatsumi reached into his purse with a sigh, pressed a piece of gold into the man's shaking hand and marched off to the next best gambling table with staff present.
"Good evening." He briefly held up his imperial badge.
"Good evening, officer. Please refrain from running in here. Is there a reason for your urgency?" The female dealer chided him.
"Oh, sorry. Didn't notice. I've got a few questions."
"Such as?"
"Could you turn the music down a notch?"
"Oh? Do you not enjoy it? It's pretty common for places like this."
Tatsumi pinched his temples. "I don't dislike it. I just never heard it before. It's just that it's too loud."
The woman left the table momentarily and gestured to the group to turn down the volume.
"Better?"
"Yeah, thanks." He took another look around the hall as the overbearing scent of sweet perfume and whiskey invaded his nostrils. "Shouldn't there be…you know, more customers around this time of the day?"
She adjusted her lips as cautiously as her bowtie and her collar. "With all due respect, officer but you actually have to pay the entry fee and sit down to play if you want to stay here."
"Yeah? Black Jack then." He languidly chucked a piece of gold towards her in exchange for a measly blue chip and two cards. "Did I just come in at an odd time of the day or is it always like this?"
"No, that's a rare occasion. Usually, we're either close to or at full capacity."
Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Strange. It looked sort of like this when I was here a few days ago. I mean look at this place."
Her artificial smile hardened into a genuine frown.
"You can drop the act. We checked your boss' income."
She let out a resigned huff. "Alright, yes. We've fallen on hard times recently. So?"
"Has your boss cut your salaries because of that?"
"No, he always pays us on time and in full. Just tap the table if you want another card."
Fingers impatiently tapped the green velvet. "I find that hard to believe. It's probably no secret to you that the casino isn't making money."
"Believe what you will, officer. He pays what he owes us. Nothing more and nothing less."
"Which probably isn't a lot as far as his wallet is concerned. Have you never asked yourself who actually pays for this whole thing? Not to mention the two hookers who threw themselves at me the second I passed the bar."
She let out a resigned huff. "Is this going anywhere?"
"Don't play dumb. You know that your boss is a cheapskate."
"Maybe my colleague can help you." She hurriedly escaped to another table.
"Good evening. You're the officer investigating the death of Ms. Horimiya, aren't you?"
"Where's your colleague gone? Doesn't matter. I want to check your accounting books."
The middle-aged man gently pulled at this glove. "Why would you need to?"
"We have reason to believe that organized crime has been at the very least partially related to her death. We just want to rule out that Mr. Horimiya was involved."
"Mr. Horimiya is a law-abiding citizen and a professional businessman. These allegations are quite far-fetched. Don't you think, officer?"
"You're nervous." Tatsumi remarked, smirking slightly as he pointed at his hands. "It's the little thing you do. You pull at your gloves before you speak."
"Well…It's a bad habit of mine, if anything…" He conceded with an affected chuckle.
"It's not like you could stop us. And if they were 'far-fetched', you wouldn't mind us checking, eh? You wouldn't want your boss to have his reputation dragged through the mud by said 'far-fetched allegations'."
"Officer, I really have no clue what you want to insinuate-"
Tatsumi slammed his cards on the table, knocking down several chip towers. Several heads turned only for them to return to wasting their gold avariciously at the altar of their vices. "I don't have all night for you. Mr. Horimiya is a scumbag who can't stop terrorizing those below him. You know it, I know it. Who exactly are you trying to fool?"
"Officer-"
Tatsumi closed in on the employee, glaring eyes relentlessly chasing down his opposition's elusive gaze.
"You've given your boss an alibi, but should I somehow find out that he got his wife killed or even did it himself, then I guarantee you, I will come back for you and put you behind bars for the rest of your life. Now tell me which thug I have to run to so I can figure out who killed Ms. Horimiya!"
The man spoke up, albeit reluctantly. "Keisuke Shozen is the man you're looking for. His debt collectors showed up yesterday to discuss something with the boss. Their visits have become more frequent as of late." He confessed, not meeting Tatsumi's glare once.
"And?"
"Nothing. It seemed like it was resolved in a civilized manner."
"I need access to his office. Now!"
"As you wish." The man unlocked the door after a moment of hesitance.
The initial sight mostly fell in line with Tatsumi's expectation. Neat, tidy, stripped down to its most basic functionalities. Only the bars were missing.
"I assume your boss doesn't want to be bothered when he sits in that…cabin."
"Indeed. It has become an unspoken rule."
"Someone probably found out the hard way."
"Well…" The dealer chuckled nervously.
Tatsumi quickly flipped through the pages of a random book from the nearest shelf. 'Social mobility and its opportunities.' Probably some desperately supercilious word salad on making money by the looks of it. The bastard didn't seem to care about much else anyway.
"I doubt this is of any value to you. These are mostly books Mr. Horimiya reads in his free time."
"We are what we read. It's what my mother used to tell me." Tatsumi reached into the drawer underneath the small desk, fishing out several documents.
A brief skim sufficed.
The dealer gulped when he could feel Tatsumi's scrutinizing gaze narrow on him once again.
"Your boss must have paid the debt collectors with the money from his wife's life insurance."
"A life insurance is nothing-"
"He doubled the payout sum not too long ago. Made several payments for his casino in advance as well."
"This might seem suspicious but…fate can be cruel, you know? Unfortunate events occur all the time. Do they not, officer? Please consider Mr. Horimiya's feelings."
Laying the insurance paper aside, Tatsumi's stare softened. "That's why I'm doing what I do. The family deserves justice. Any family who lost someone they loved to these animals." He paused. "I've got a feeling that someone gave fate a little nudge. Keisuke Shozen was it, yeah?"
"Yes."
"Where do I find him?"
The man recoiled, eyes widened in terror. "Do you seriously plan on just walking up to that…that f-fiend and demanding answers?"
"Sure, why not? I'm a police officer for crying out loud! I can demand answers from him as I can from anybody else."
"So naive…I hope you know what you're doing."
"I'll be fine." Tatsumi waved him off. "Look, I appreciate your concern but please tell me where I can find the man. He's surely the one behind this tragedy. I need to put him behind bars or more families will have to suffer the same fate."
The man glanced towards the exit and acquiesced with a sigh. "He probably lives in the wealthier suburbs of the traditional district but his base of operations should be located here in the red light district. One of his subordinates said as much while he was playing at my table recently. He was quite intoxicated though and complained a lot about his wage. Chances are, you'll find Shozen there if you head deeper into the district. In the general vicinity of where these three horrific murders have been committed..."
"Hana square."
Within the blink of an eye, Tatsumi knelt over the butchered prostitute in a puddle of her blood again.
"Officer?"
Once more he found himself in the tiny cell Mr. Horimiya called his office. "Excuse me…I spaced out there for a second. It's been a long day at the office."
Back on his feet he studied the shelf on the opposing side, giving the many near identical book titles a cursory glance at most. Just as he was about to return 'Taxes-the thief of wealth and joy' to its original spot something glistened against the light of the desk lamp.
"What the…"
"Something wrong, officer?"
Tatsumi dragged the sizable shelf back bit by bit, until a door in the same wooden color revealed itself. The dealer's trembling hand held in a gasp as the two exchanged a bewildered stare.
"I-We didn't know about any of this! I swear on my life, officer!"
"It's alright. I believe you."
At least you could always count on the tax office knowing what's up.
"That's it for my questions." Tatsumi came to a halt. "And…sorry I yelled at you earlier. I shouldn't have lashed out like that. You're just doing your job. I'm sure it isn't easy."
"As are you, officer. I don't envy you." Once more, he gave the door a baffled look. "At any rate, I hope you catch the perpetrator. Have a safe night."
"Thanks. You too."
The crowded, rain-slicked streets basked in shimmering red glow. Tatsumi's breath had dissipated into the humid air like Mr. Horimiya's alibi as he sauntered through the district in search of anything that could resemble a base of operation.
Going off his previous experiences with gang bosses, Shozen -or whatever this crook's name was- probably had a castle built in the district just to show off and intimidate his rivals. Or perhaps it's just about fulfilling some thug lord fantasy. The type that just loves to feel superior and make it known to everyone.
But that thing would stick out amidst all the brothels, casinos and restaurants like a sore thumb.
A yawn escaped his lips.
The man probably wasn't stupid. He'd hide his fortress in plain sight. Good luck finding that place. Back to square zero then.
"You seem a little lost, esteemed officer." A low, female voice seductively purred into his ear. By the time the words left her lips, she had already hooked her arm into his, perky breasts gently nudging him.
Turning to his side, a tall, beautifully made up woman came into view. "Errr…it's raining. Your kimono- You're getting wet." He managed to stutter out. Just a moment ago, he could have passed out on his legs, but now he was wide awake. He tried awfully hard to not get stiff down there, but his teenage body betrayed him in a rush of raging hormones.
The way her kimono left her back and shoulders shamelessly exposed, chest barely covered, left little room to speculate her intentions.
"Oh, aren't you considerate? It's alright, officer. Why don't we have this conversation somewhere more…private?"
"Sorry." He gulped. "I…I'm on duty."
Her hands delicately snaked around his waist. To make matters worse, he could feel her tits press even deeper into him. "Why don't you take a small break then? You're working very hard to keep us all safe. Let me make that up to you."
In his periphery, two men vanished past the alley on the other side of the street, carrying wooden crates.
"Excuse me." He ran off, took cover behind a house and listened in on their banter.
"Tsk. What a shame…he was kind of cute." The woman hissed.
"The boss wants this shit delivered to the base by tonight. Was quite the hassle to be honest." A gruff voice sighed.
"Yeah, what a mess. Why don't we take our cut in advance for all the trouble? What do ya think?" The other man inquired in a thieveish tone.
"Nah, thanks. If you want to have your fucking hands hacked off, be my guest."
"Ya think he'd stop there?"
"Fuck no."
"Damn, I hate this job. Shozen's a slave driver, if I ever seen one before"
Jackpot.
The deep voice let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You want to go back to honest work then? I thought you fucking hated toiling away as mailman even more."
"True. True. On second thought, it's not so bad, this life…At least you're not the doormat of some moneybags or these uhm you know, bigshots."
"We talked about that already, Taka. That ship has sailed already."
"We had our chance I suppose. No rest for the wicked."
Their conversation quieted down the further they walked ahead. Tatsumi peeked around the corner and followed the two black trenchcoats. Exiting the tight corridor, he peered through the many groups of people chattering and moving across the street. Perfect cover.
"We should hurry up a bit, before someone starts following us. Let me check real quick."
"Yeah, we're gonna marry in a month. I'm so excited." A woman pulled her fiance close, prompting Tatsumi to move next to them. "Hm? Something the matter, o-"
He hushed her with a finger in front of his sealed lips. Quick glance behind his back. The two thugs turned right.
Tatsumi dashed to the edge of the alley in front of him.
"You alright though? Ya know…it's 5 years now since your old man bit the dust."
"The son of a bitch can rot for all I care."
"Damn…you're cold, Masato. Ya never told me why you hated him so much."
A sigh escaped the taller of the two after a few moments. "That good for nothing was rarely home. And if he was, he always came home drunk, blowing his salary on all the sluts he humped after what the fuck ever he was doing during the day."
"Fun…"
"My mom had to sell her body to get us through. I lived with her in that brothel two blocks from here, which was anything but fun."
"Damn, I didn't know."
"It's alright. The only thing I'm really upset about is that I couldn't kill the fat fuck myself. A stroke killed him apparently. Good riddance." He took a second to recompose himself. "At least I make sure to feed my two girls. That's my duty as a man."
"Yeah, that's good. But maybe they'd want ya to do something less…dangerous, ya know."
"So they can share a bowl of beans and rice? Fuck, no. And where's scum like me gonna find 'honest' work anyway?"
"I dunno…"
"But at least we had our chance, right?" His bitter tone was laced in resentment and resignation.
Tatsumi crouched behind the nearby scaffolding next to a house, following them closely to their destination, as the two thugs turned left. "Guess the whole hide, seek and run when we were kids finally pays off." He chuckled to himself.
*****
Tatsumi stood before the yellow paper door, through which he could make out several voices. Stopping himself, he made sure to put his wet boots next to the other shoes. It's not like he wanted to end up on mafia boss' hit list because he ruined his floor. Should he knock too? His mother had always taught him that it was rude to not do so before entering. On second thought, he wasn't welcome anyway, so he might as well save himself the element of surprise.
He pushed the paper door aside, when a spacious room came into view. The burnt scent of smoke and the sound of metal drawn from its sheath from all angles immediately greeted him. The middle-aged man at the back of the table leaned on his elbows, glaring cold daggers at Tatsumi.
"Oi! How did this runt get inside?" One of the many soldiers in black suits bellowed through the conference room.
"Teach these two guys over there to look behind themselves every once in a blue moon and they might have noticed me following them." Tatsumi shot back with a smug grin.
Shozen raised his hand. Every sword obediently returned into its sheath and every suit to its original place. If eyes were blades, his head would already roll over the yellow tatami mats.
Leaning back, the mafia boss whispered something to the tall, older man standing beside him. His right hand by the looks of it.
"Choose your next words wisely, officer." The man next to Shozen sneered at him.
All eyes on Tatsumi.
"Errr…I just wanted to have a word with your boss. Keisuke Shozen, correct?" Tatsumi slowly kneeled down with raised hands, placing his sheathed katana in front of him.
One of his henchmen scoffed as he approached their intruder. "I'll write that on your epitaph."
"Stand down, Iwasa." Shozen commanded.
"With all due-"
"Don't make me repeat myself." He insisted in an utterly frigid tone. Iwasa froze up on the spot before he hurried back to his original kneeling position. The boss went through his kempt, black hair and cleared his throat. "What do you want, youngster?"
"I want answers."
"How dare you speak to the boss like that?!" Another one of his henchmen let out an outraged cry. Again, the boss raised his hand.
"Answers to what?"
"The murder of Ms. Horimiya."
For the first time, his expression softened, suggesting some semblance of humanity. "I heard about it. Terrible what happened to her. She always struck me as a good woman."
The brazen response inflamed him. "Spare me the bullshit! It was you, wasn't it? You ordered her death to send her husband a message. And cash in on the life insurance while you're at it. You destroy families without a single care in the world just for your own greed!" Tatsumi yelled as his blazing, emerald-green orbs withstood Shozen's cold glare.
The room remained deadly silent when the accusatory finger fell on their boss. All of a sudden, he giggled into his hand, breaking down into a full-on hearty laughter!
"Hey! What's so funny?"
"Everyone go ahead. You know your individual objectives. There's no time to waste. I will join you after I have dealt with this." Shozen ordered once he managed to regain his seriousness. The dozen or so men left the room, giving Tatsumi all kinds of sidelong glances on their way out.
He stood up and grabbed the katana from the wooden stand behind him. Tatsumi's hand clinched the hilt of his own.
"Relax. Killing you is not worth the cleanup."
"How flattering." Tatsumi pouted.
"You're in luck, because I always had a soft spot for Chise. So what are you willing to give in exchange?"
"What?! You're just going to tell me what I want to know."
Again, Shozen couldn't help but snicker. "Why? Because you're police? That's not how it goes, youngster. If you want me to scratch your back, you'll also have to scratch mine."
Tatsumi's gaze retreated. Feeling Shozen's demanding stare trained on him, his black eyes pierced right through his soul like the lengthy, black dragon adorning the yellow walls. He couldn't just negotiate with thugs! It was his duty to apprehend shameless criminals like Shozen so they could be punished with the full rigor of the law.
But at this point…he might as well indulge him before he calls his henchmen back.
"Fine. What do you want?"
Shozen pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his breast pocket. "Tell your Captain to leave five guards stationed at the docks at midnight in three days. He already knows the details."
"Why? Are you expecting trouble?"
"Nothing that should keep you awake at night. As for my second demand-"
Tatsumi raised his voice. "Hold on! Either in turns or not at all. I get to ask a question now."
"Huh, you learn fast. Alright, ask."
"You said you didn't kill Ms. Horimiya. Why should I believe you?"
"You don't have to believe anything. But if you want to see me behind bars, you have to prove it." Shozen merely shrugged before he lit his cigarette.
"Yeah…but it all makes sense. Why wouldn't you do it?"
"Look, officer…you may have your opinions about us, but at the end of the day, we're all family men. Fathers, sons and brothers. Killing innocent women and children is off limits. It's dishonorable and against the rules. It's our duty as men to keep them out of the business."
Tatsumi pursed his lips. "Am I now supposed to believe that you're some honorable crime lord dispensing law and order on the streets?"
"Unlike your average politician, we don't erase entire bloodlines simply because we can. We protect our people."
"As if-"
"Oh, they do it all the time. Whenever someone goes missing, chances are they knew something they weren't supposed to know. Be it an extra-marital sex orgy, shady deals or buying off their fellow bureaucrats." Shozen nonchalantly revealed as he puffed out another cloud of smoke.
"No way…you must be making this up. But the people-"
"'The people' do nothing. These bigshots up there, they don't care. They only tolerate the public to have someone pay for their lavish lifestyle. Beyond that, the people are supposed to shut up and go along with whatever happens. And if they don't, well… The only difference between organized crime and politics is that the latter is considered 'legal'."
The statement silenced Tatsumi. The reality he had come to know in the Capital heavily collided with the one Shozen just depicted, leaving but a pile of broken pieces yearning to be reassembled. If any of what Shozen said was true, then what was it that Tatsumi had seen? The people seemed to be happy. You can't just overlook stuff like that. Or are they as blissfully ignorant as he apparently was?
"That should answer your question. As for my second demand, tell your Captain to keep a leash on that dog of his." He demanded with a straight face. How dare some above average crook talk about his colleagues like that? Let alone ordering them, the guardians of the public, around as if they were his pawns or his private army? So much for the thug lord complex.
But that begged another, far more concerning question. Since when was the police abetting crime bosses? Unease increasingly weighed him down the more he thought about this. Moreover, how many of his colleagues were involved? It was like glancing at an apple that seemed perfectly normal from the outside but was already rotting from the inside. The question now was…how rotten was the apple?
Tatsumi's eyes blinked furiously. "Excuse me, what?!"
"You heard me right. Tell your Captain to keep Seryu Ubiquitous on a leash. Am I understood?"
"Alright. Will do." Tatsumi acquiesced with a grunt.
"Is that everything?"
"Not quite…Does Mr. Horimiya still owe you money?"
Shozen let out a weary sigh. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? I wouldn't murder Chise just to send a message. She had nothing to do with this. And beyond that, it would attract a lot of unwanted attention. If I had done it, there wouldn't be a body. To answer your question, he did owe me money but I decided to let it slide to pay respects to her."
"Alright…that kind of makes sense even. The whole scene suggested that it was emotionally charged. To you, killing someone is just business."
"Spare me the sermon." He hissed. "It's no different to soldiers, assassins or even you. Eventually, you too will end up in a situation in which you have to kill someone."
"Never. Not as long as I have a choice." Tatsumi retorted, daring to stare right back at the iron curtain that were the mafia boss' eyes.
"I can see that you're a good man. Sadly, it's them who go out first. One way or another." He paused without flinching. "Regardless, I have another demand. You see, these three girls that have been murdered at Hana square, they were working in the brothel I own. Who is the officer on the case?"
"That officer happens to be me. It's my case."
"What have you found out?"
"Nothing really. I've been busy cracking the nut that is this case." He replied and pinched his temples. Just thinking about having to solve another case of similar magnitude was a surefire way to give him another strong headache. "The following morning we found an officer near the scene. The man looked really roughed up and his leg was broken as well. At least the bloody knife he had fit to the cuts of the victims. Now he's being treated in a local hospital, until I can start asking questions."
"I understand. Keep me updated regularly."
Tatsumi raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Why would you suddenly care?"
"Do I have to spell it out to you? The state isn't going to grieve over a bunch of slain prostitutes. And it makes me look weak, if I can't defend my property."
"Property…they are women who've been brutally-"
"It makes no difference to me." Shozen cut him off again. "These are my demands. For now at least. Make your last question count."
"How come you know Ms. Horimiya? And how did her husband come across to you recently?"
"We were a couple in our youth. But once I chose this life, it was best to distance myself from her. As for her husband…he's scum. I told him to sell that thing and be a good father for the sake of Chise and her kids, but he wouldn't listen. He couldn't stop with whatever it is that he's doing, even if the life of his family depended on it."
"Like a gambling addict…Tatsumi muttered to himself. "He probably wasn't happy being beholden to the mob."
"Not really. He always tried to assert himself in front of me. It seemed desperate to be honest."
"Hm, sounds like him."
"Then I am glad that our partnership has proven useful to both of us." Shozen reached out his hand for Tatsumi to hesitantly shake it. Heading towards the paper door leading outside, the mafia boss turned his head back slightly. "Do not disappoint me, officer."
He probably meant well with these words as some sort of encouragement, yet Tatsumi couldn't help but perceive them as a threat. This whole conversation was probably as close as Tatsumi would ever get to bargaining with the devil. And neither the heavy rain nor a hot shower could ever wash that stain clean from him.
The next day…
Ceaseless chattering reverberated through the crammed police department, bouncing off Tatsumi's ears as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a brief respite, yet his mind remained restless. Pacing. Nearly racing.
"Focus, goddamnit…" Tatsumi yawned, while the smoky scent of freshly brewed coffee cradled his nose. He forced his heavy eyes back on the sheet of paper that could be the missing piece. The piece that would finally bring him clarity…and a good night's sleep.
At this point, merely holding the assignment, letters frequently blurring out felt foreign, as if his own body was attempting to obstruct justice.
"Morning, Tatsumi. You here already?"
"Morning." Without looking up, he jotted down several passages from the assignment Mr. Horimiya's son more or less smuggled under his father's nose.
"Any progress?" Tatsumi pulled his head up and that was all he needed to know the second he spotted the fat rings under his colleague's eyes. "Seriously…how can ya not sleep after pulling a double shift? No chance in hell my little girl could wake me up, even if she screamed through the entire neighborhood."
"I tried… I woke up after what? 3 or 4 hours maybe? But yeah, I made some progress."
"You're pulling too many doubles. Take today off for the love of god."
"Can't. For all we know, Ogre might've already busted some random civilian for the murder of Ms. Horimiya by the time I dozed off." At the very least, he was wide awake again, now that anger kept pumping the blood through his veins. "Organized crime didn't get her killed."
"How come?"
"They wouldn't have left a body."
"Yeah, that tends to be their MO."
"You could have told me that BEFORE I paid their boss a visit in his base."
"I could've. But look, ya learned something new, didn't ya? Want some coffee while I'm at it?" He shrugged with that cheeky little grin on his lips.
"Sure, thanks. Do we have sugar and milk?"
Hachirō frowned at that request as if his colleague had just said something outrageously offensive. "Why would ya wanna do that to your coffee though?"
"I can't get it down my throat otherwise. Don't tell me you drink your coffee raw." Tatsumi elaborated, a genuinely perplexed stare on his face.
"Coffee ain't meat, alright? It's called 'black'. And yes, I do. I'll sooner die of a diabetic stroke than thugs or the frontlines if I drank what you call 'coffee'.
"A diawhat?"
"Heart failure because of sugar overdose."
Tatsumi threw his hands up in the air. "Aw, come on. It's just a scoop or two and please stop looking at me like I assassinated the emperor or something."
"I ain't mad. I'm just disappointed." Hachirō turned away with folded arms, making sure to put as much artificial outrage in his tone as was possible.
"Alright, alright. I get it. Then just give me 'black coffee' or whatever. Goodness… As I was saying, it probably wasn't the mafia. There were no signs of forced entry either, which suggests she knew her killer. Or the killer had a key."
"Doesn't her husband have an alibi?"
"Turns out he had a backdoor in his office. His workers don't dare enter, when he locks himself in there. Mr. Horimiya had all the time in the world to do it."
"Let me guess. Life insurance."
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"It fits into the profile ya gave me. To be honest, it's kinda standard." He shrugged before he placed the untainted cup of coffee in front of his partner's desk.
Tatsumi recoiled from the strong impression the bitter liquid made on him. He knew what coffee was, but he had never drank one until a week ago and when he did he was up almost all night, twisting and turning in his futon. Ever since, coffee has always been a reliable colleague in keeping him from sleeping on the job. Almost more reliable than Seryu. Was probably doing her rounds by now.
Tatsumi briefly stopped pacing back and forth to peek into his notes. "Mr. Horimiya's driven by his greed. It goes hand in hand with his need for control to appease said greed. It's… What's the word? Compulsive?" He halted his analysis briefly to search for either confirmation or disapproval on Hachirō's face. His colleague remained impassive however.
Tatsumi had to be confident in his own work. It was his case after all and therefore his job to convince the vice-captain with his assessment. And why shouldn't he be? He's had enough time to dwell on the man's antics by now. After an internal reprimand, he continued.
"And like you said, when he feels broke and by extension powerless, he's getting abusive. Must've finally snapped that day because his wife dared to suggest cutting losses with his casino. Son of a-"
"A true gambler ain't never gonna never quit, no matter the stakes." Hachirō added, eyes following his colleague from left to right, back and forth across the dimly lit room.
"It's like an addiction kind of. I just need proof."
"Not just kind of. And that's why you've been staring at that letter for a while now?"
Tatsumi pinched his temples and sucked in a strained breath. "The son had to write an essay about his weekend."
"Poor kid… it must have been the weekend of his life."
"I think his son knows what's up. Maybe I can get Shinji to testify."
Leaning back in his seat, Hachirō let out a heavy sigh. "I wouldn't be so sure 'bout that. Just because his dad's an abusive scumbag, doesn't mean he wouldn't cover for him. And sit down please, will ya? You're makin' me nervous."
Restless legs ground to a screeching halt. "Why? Because he's afraid of him?"
"Quite possibly. Look, it's complicated… How do I explain this?" Several moments passed before he took the word again. "Naturally, children expect their parents to love and protect 'em. When that doesn't happen, children tend to put the blame on themselves. The children could be livin' in constant fear of their parents, wary of any misstep that could incite their parent's wrath."
"That sounds like Mr. Horimiya and his son."
"They could also be sad and confused because there might have been moments in which the parents were loving. Even worse, they could grow to hate themselves because they're thinking they deserve the abuse." He paused. "Or we meet their parents lined in chalk a decade later."
Tatsumi grit his teeth. "What the hell?!" Why would parents do this to their own kid? It's your duty as a parent to care for your child."
Rarely, if ever has he seen the man's eyes drop this low, no trace of that goofy and vibrant grin whatsoever.
He sucked in a breath, eyes darting quickly from side to side before his stare focused back on Tatsumi. "Imagine your mother was a widow and an alcoholic. She sends ya to grab some booze for her. And the first time it's all hugs and kisses. A few glasses later, she grabs whatever she can get her hands on and beats ya over the head with it. Then, when she gets tired of that, she uses her fists. And the next day…" He stood up, flashing his colleague a forced smile as if to sell the punch line of some terrible joke. "She sends ya to the liquor store again."
Tatsumi did not know how to respond to this depiction of a perpetual nightmare. In that regard, for all his troubles, he was truly blessed having been born into a loving family. Perhaps, true wealth was never to be measured in gold after all.
"Alright. I need to make Shinji angry at his dad. I can do that, I think." Once more, Tatsumi held the assignment close to his face. "I could be making stuff up, but lines like these just stick out: 'In the afternoon I jumped rope in the living room and my mother watched, when the door opened. She choked on her tea. It was my father.' That last phrase keeps coming up. Ain't no way, that's a coincidence." He highlighted each repetition as he recited the entire essay for the fifth time today.
Let me take a peek… Let's put aside that kids probably don't write this way. By that time Ms. Horimiya was either supposed to be dead or about to be killed by her husband, if I remember correctly."
"I've seen his room. He doesn't have a rope or anything really. My guess is that he was present when his father did it."
"So this is more or less a written confession. He needed a vent so he put it on paper because he can't tell anyone."
"Had his father seen that, he'd have beaten him horribly. He knew this. Regardless whether it was planned or a lucky coincidence, once we showed up at Mr. Horimiya's doorstep, Shinji figured he could tell me what happened that day by giving me that assignment without his father catching wind."
Hachirō returned the sheet and folded his arms. "Your theory's probably accurate. You've only got a little problem there…"
An unnerved sigh escaped Tatsumi's lips, as he rubbed the weariness out of his face. "What's it this time?"
"Like I said, there's a good chance his son's gonna deny all of that just to cover for his dad when push comes to shove. On top of that, if his dad ends up behind bars, who's gonna take care of him and his sister? It ain't gonna be his parents."
Tatsumi gave his colleague a dejected stare, slumping deeper into his chair as if the thing was bottomless. "Still, we can't let him get away with murder. Is the circumstantial evidence enough to get a warrant?"
"The DA's gonna grind her teeth but I think I can get her to sign the warrant. I'll just use my charm. Ya gonna move in for the kill?"
"I need a confession from him at this point. It's not like we're going to get more anyway."
"Alright. I'll grab the warrant for ya. Ya feel up to it?"
"I have to at this point, don't I?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure ya got this. Ya done all the work, so ya shouldn't be worried. At least in my opinion. Now get a few minutes of rest, if ya can. You're gonna need it." Hachirō patted his colleague on the shoulder on his way out the small office.
A/N: Next chapter: Kill the greed