[Log] Retsu, Toushirou
Title: Need It Yesterday
Characters: Retsu Unohana (flowingmists) & Toushirou Hitsugaya (kellenanne)
Timeline: April 15, 1950
Rating: PG
Summary: Captain Hitsugaya visits the forensics lab to see if he can hurry up the process; Retsu wants none of that.
The prints were a match, but it wasn't enough. Enough to hold Perez for a few more hours, but hell if Toushirou was getting a conviction out of it. Couldn't even take it to the District Attorney's office; Momo would never let him hear the end of it if he even tried.
But he wasn't Perez out on the streets again; no hitman was slipping through his fingers. He made his way down to the forensics lab, file in hand. When he'd picked up Perez, a gun came with it. He'd sent it down to the lab, hoping for the ballistics test would provide a match to the original case.
He had no doubt it would. This was, without a doubt, Perez's work.
Now, he needed answers and if he had to go down to the lab himself and demand it, he would.
Oddly, it had been nice to see a murder case come across her desk.
Of course, murder was hardly a happy matter, but a little more variety was more than welcome. Retsu's case load lately had mostly consisted of drug-related offenses and the occasional rape. The rest of the lab must have been handling the bloodier stuff.
She casually strode back to her workstation, three separate plastic bags dangling from her hands. One for the bullet from the crime scene, one for the test shot she'd fired a short time ago, and one for the .45 that they'd presumably both come from.
As she laid these items on the table, she heard the sound of footsteps elsewhere in the lab. This was hardly unusual of course, but these were in contrast the softer, scurrying steps of her people hard at work around her. These steps were more purposeful, and almost annoyed. Probably a cop checking up on one of his cases. Hopefully, he wouldn't be nasty about it to whoever he was here to see. Self-righteous cops could be rather irritating.
Dismissing the matter, Retsu turned her attention to preparing the microscope.
Toushirou walked into the forensics lab, halting in his steps when he saw the people moving around, working. He didn't want to just come in and announce what he was looking for; that seemed rude, even for him. He would, though, if he needed.
Gaze roving over the room, he finally lit upon Retsu Unohana, bent over a microscope with a gun and bullets beside her. Looked like his case, and if it wasn't, she was at least the right person to ask. He made his way over, then cleared his throat. "I need the ballistics results on the Perez case."
Oh. It seemed that she was the one blessed with a visitor this time. She looked up from her work to see Captain Hitsugaya standing before her with what she had come to know as his usual lack of cheer.
She nodded in deference to his request. "Why hello, Captain. I'm sorry to say, but I haven't had time yet to compare the bullets; I was just about to get started. I'm afraid that you'll need to wait a bit longer for the results."
Completely glossing over things like returning her greeting, Toushirou instead tapped his fingers against his thigh.
"How long will that take?" He wasn't trying to be impatient, really. He was just pressed for time and evidence on this one; if he didn't get something on Perez, he'd have to let him go.
Once that happened, Toushirou'd never catch him again.
She noticed the tapping fingers, and fought off a frown. Typical police impatience. Hers was a profession that required precision and detailed analysis; it was not something that could be rushed. Surely that wasn't difficult to understand.
"Making a ballistics match is intricate work, Captain," she said as she turned to finish preparing the microscope. It was rude to turn away from him, and she normally would have avoided such an insult. But apparently there was some great hurry; he was lucky that she was making this concession for him rather than having him stand there and learn a thing or two about patience.
Not that she was above doing so if he persisted in this manner.
"The time on this sort of thing varies. It's possible that it will be quick, but it's hardly unheard of for a definitive match to take a few hours."
She was firm, but not rude, though he did know it was intricate work. He'd been around a few cases in the past, had even been down in the forensics lab a few times here and there. He grunted, then nodded.
"I understand that," he said. "I have a suspect in custody and I can't keep him much longer without that report." That ballistics report could make or break his case; if it took a few hours, they might never have Perez again.
A suspect in custody. She could understand the rush, then. And while she had a healthy respect for the kind of dedication Captain Hitsugaya applied to his work, that didn't necessarily make matters any easier.
Retsu wanted justice done as much as anyone else. But this case was going to take as long as it was going to take. If she rushed it, then any decent defense attorney could call her methods into question and the suspect could walk. She had served as an expert witness several times; she'd been subjected to that kind of strategy. Never had she left herself open like that, and she was hardly about to start now.
"I see," she said, pulling the crime scene bullet out of its bag. She placed it under the scope and peered into it. After a moment, she increased the degree of magnification; the striations appeared to blend together otherwise. "I feel for your situation, but you needing the results by a certain time isn't magically going to make the match any quicker."
Toushirou frowned; her lecture was bordering on insubordinate and insulting. He knew damn well that time waited for no man; he was under constraints as well.
"Understood," he said, and he meant it. He did understand what she was trying to say. He wouldn't have stood for shoddy work, but he'd come down here to make sure they were actually working on it and to impress upon them the situation he was in. "However, if there's any way to rush the results, it would be appreciated."
He could be polite and professional. "I can only detain my suspect for another two hours; that ballistics report is the only thing I can use to make the arrest." She could fill in the blanks for herself; if Perez walked before that report came across his desk, Toushirou would be amazingly lucky to find him again.
Retsu sighed. She wasn't sure whether the captain was trying to appeal to logic or to guilt her into hurrying the process. He said that he understood, but she wondered how true that was. After all, had she not just said . . . And twice, even.
It was like dealing with a child. A cold, professional child, but a child nonetheless. She briefly considered bringing up that comparison to the captain, but stopped herself. That would have been unnecessarily rude.
And smacking him upside the head would have been stepping over the line, too.
She rotated the bullet to get a look at the other side. "I'm already doing what I can. Normally, I'd be giving you my full attention, but I'm currently dividing it in order to do my work."
He hesitated, file held loosely as he tapped it against his thigh. Fine, she was doing what she could. Retsu Unohana was hardworking and good at what she did; if she could have the result by then, she would. He'd just have to trust in that.
He hated that, but it had to be done. He couldn't very well do any sort of ballistics or forensics work himself. He sighed; very well, he'd concede the point.
"Have someone bring me the results as soon as you have them."
Hm. Well, now it was time to examine her test shot. Much as she had scolded the captain, Retsu really did want to get the results in as soon as possible.
It took until she reached for the other bullet for her to register the captain's next words. Oh, how lovely; he'd decided to be reasonable. She had been prepared for him to spiral down into an even fouler mood. And then she really would have hit him.
As it was, she turned to him and offered a peaceful smile. "I certainly will. You have my word on that, Captain."
She swapped the test bullet under the microscope and peered intently into the lens once more, frowning in concentration. But then her lips twitched up, just a bit. Already, she liked what she saw -- but it was far from definitive at this point. Still, she might just have the results within the captain's deadline after all. He would certainly be happy about that.
Or as happy as he ever got, at any rate.
He frowned at her answer; of course she would, but did she really understand the importance of this coming up to his desk on time? After their short conversation, though, it didn't make much sense at all to ask again. His concerns had been made clear and she'd responded with smiles and lectures.
Seemed par for the course. He sighed and turned away, going to head back for the interrogation room. Maybe he could get Perez to slip up and incriminate himself; that would at least give him more time if the ballistics testing didn't go quickly enough.
He paused at the door and tossed a look back over his shoulder. "As soon as," he reiterated before leaving.
Characters: Retsu Unohana (flowingmists) & Toushirou Hitsugaya (kellenanne)
Timeline: April 15, 1950
Rating: PG
Summary: Captain Hitsugaya visits the forensics lab to see if he can hurry up the process; Retsu wants none of that.
The prints were a match, but it wasn't enough. Enough to hold Perez for a few more hours, but hell if Toushirou was getting a conviction out of it. Couldn't even take it to the District Attorney's office; Momo would never let him hear the end of it if he even tried.
But he wasn't Perez out on the streets again; no hitman was slipping through his fingers. He made his way down to the forensics lab, file in hand. When he'd picked up Perez, a gun came with it. He'd sent it down to the lab, hoping for the ballistics test would provide a match to the original case.
He had no doubt it would. This was, without a doubt, Perez's work.
Now, he needed answers and if he had to go down to the lab himself and demand it, he would.
Oddly, it had been nice to see a murder case come across her desk.
Of course, murder was hardly a happy matter, but a little more variety was more than welcome. Retsu's case load lately had mostly consisted of drug-related offenses and the occasional rape. The rest of the lab must have been handling the bloodier stuff.
She casually strode back to her workstation, three separate plastic bags dangling from her hands. One for the bullet from the crime scene, one for the test shot she'd fired a short time ago, and one for the .45 that they'd presumably both come from.
As she laid these items on the table, she heard the sound of footsteps elsewhere in the lab. This was hardly unusual of course, but these were in contrast the softer, scurrying steps of her people hard at work around her. These steps were more purposeful, and almost annoyed. Probably a cop checking up on one of his cases. Hopefully, he wouldn't be nasty about it to whoever he was here to see. Self-righteous cops could be rather irritating.
Dismissing the matter, Retsu turned her attention to preparing the microscope.
Toushirou walked into the forensics lab, halting in his steps when he saw the people moving around, working. He didn't want to just come in and announce what he was looking for; that seemed rude, even for him. He would, though, if he needed.
Gaze roving over the room, he finally lit upon Retsu Unohana, bent over a microscope with a gun and bullets beside her. Looked like his case, and if it wasn't, she was at least the right person to ask. He made his way over, then cleared his throat. "I need the ballistics results on the Perez case."
Oh. It seemed that she was the one blessed with a visitor this time. She looked up from her work to see Captain Hitsugaya standing before her with what she had come to know as his usual lack of cheer.
She nodded in deference to his request. "Why hello, Captain. I'm sorry to say, but I haven't had time yet to compare the bullets; I was just about to get started. I'm afraid that you'll need to wait a bit longer for the results."
Completely glossing over things like returning her greeting, Toushirou instead tapped his fingers against his thigh.
"How long will that take?" He wasn't trying to be impatient, really. He was just pressed for time and evidence on this one; if he didn't get something on Perez, he'd have to let him go.
Once that happened, Toushirou'd never catch him again.
She noticed the tapping fingers, and fought off a frown. Typical police impatience. Hers was a profession that required precision and detailed analysis; it was not something that could be rushed. Surely that wasn't difficult to understand.
"Making a ballistics match is intricate work, Captain," she said as she turned to finish preparing the microscope. It was rude to turn away from him, and she normally would have avoided such an insult. But apparently there was some great hurry; he was lucky that she was making this concession for him rather than having him stand there and learn a thing or two about patience.
Not that she was above doing so if he persisted in this manner.
"The time on this sort of thing varies. It's possible that it will be quick, but it's hardly unheard of for a definitive match to take a few hours."
She was firm, but not rude, though he did know it was intricate work. He'd been around a few cases in the past, had even been down in the forensics lab a few times here and there. He grunted, then nodded.
"I understand that," he said. "I have a suspect in custody and I can't keep him much longer without that report." That ballistics report could make or break his case; if it took a few hours, they might never have Perez again.
A suspect in custody. She could understand the rush, then. And while she had a healthy respect for the kind of dedication Captain Hitsugaya applied to his work, that didn't necessarily make matters any easier.
Retsu wanted justice done as much as anyone else. But this case was going to take as long as it was going to take. If she rushed it, then any decent defense attorney could call her methods into question and the suspect could walk. She had served as an expert witness several times; she'd been subjected to that kind of strategy. Never had she left herself open like that, and she was hardly about to start now.
"I see," she said, pulling the crime scene bullet out of its bag. She placed it under the scope and peered into it. After a moment, she increased the degree of magnification; the striations appeared to blend together otherwise. "I feel for your situation, but you needing the results by a certain time isn't magically going to make the match any quicker."
Toushirou frowned; her lecture was bordering on insubordinate and insulting. He knew damn well that time waited for no man; he was under constraints as well.
"Understood," he said, and he meant it. He did understand what she was trying to say. He wouldn't have stood for shoddy work, but he'd come down here to make sure they were actually working on it and to impress upon them the situation he was in. "However, if there's any way to rush the results, it would be appreciated."
He could be polite and professional. "I can only detain my suspect for another two hours; that ballistics report is the only thing I can use to make the arrest." She could fill in the blanks for herself; if Perez walked before that report came across his desk, Toushirou would be amazingly lucky to find him again.
Retsu sighed. She wasn't sure whether the captain was trying to appeal to logic or to guilt her into hurrying the process. He said that he understood, but she wondered how true that was. After all, had she not just said . . . And twice, even.
It was like dealing with a child. A cold, professional child, but a child nonetheless. She briefly considered bringing up that comparison to the captain, but stopped herself. That would have been unnecessarily rude.
And smacking him upside the head would have been stepping over the line, too.
She rotated the bullet to get a look at the other side. "I'm already doing what I can. Normally, I'd be giving you my full attention, but I'm currently dividing it in order to do my work."
He hesitated, file held loosely as he tapped it against his thigh. Fine, she was doing what she could. Retsu Unohana was hardworking and good at what she did; if she could have the result by then, she would. He'd just have to trust in that.
He hated that, but it had to be done. He couldn't very well do any sort of ballistics or forensics work himself. He sighed; very well, he'd concede the point.
"Have someone bring me the results as soon as you have them."
Hm. Well, now it was time to examine her test shot. Much as she had scolded the captain, Retsu really did want to get the results in as soon as possible.
It took until she reached for the other bullet for her to register the captain's next words. Oh, how lovely; he'd decided to be reasonable. She had been prepared for him to spiral down into an even fouler mood. And then she really would have hit him.
As it was, she turned to him and offered a peaceful smile. "I certainly will. You have my word on that, Captain."
She swapped the test bullet under the microscope and peered intently into the lens once more, frowning in concentration. But then her lips twitched up, just a bit. Already, she liked what she saw -- but it was far from definitive at this point. Still, she might just have the results within the captain's deadline after all. He would certainly be happy about that.
Or as happy as he ever got, at any rate.
He frowned at her answer; of course she would, but did she really understand the importance of this coming up to his desk on time? After their short conversation, though, it didn't make much sense at all to ask again. His concerns had been made clear and she'd responded with smiles and lectures.
Seemed par for the course. He sighed and turned away, going to head back for the interrogation room. Maybe he could get Perez to slip up and incriminate himself; that would at least give him more time if the ballistics testing didn't go quickly enough.
He paused at the door and tossed a look back over his shoulder. "As soon as," he reiterated before leaving.