Non-challenge: A Policeman's Tale (Day 48)
Title: A Policeman's Tale (Day 48)
Author: ytak
Word count: 1100
Rating (chapter): K+ (PG)
Rating (whole story): T (PG-13)
Comments: I liked writing this chapter. Some things finally started to come together for me. :)
Other chapters can be read through here or here.
Day 48
Unconsciously, Takagi touched his jacket where the inner pocket was located. He felt compelled to double and triple check that the evidence bags were still there. As it was, they had almost no weight but he could just feel the seal of the plastic bag through the fabric. He had to remind himself that only Sato knew he was carrying the evidence.
It had taken a while to locate some hair from the missing man's home. The place was eerily clean. There was no hair caught in a comb or brush, none stuck in the small shower drain, and not even one strand in a corner somewhere.
Unhappily, and feeling they were a disgrace to their job, the crime scene investigators gave him the few strands of hair they found. Each hair was bagged individually and carefully labeled. Superficially, each hair looked similar but they would have to have a DNA test ran to determine if they matched each other and if they matched the victim.
When Sato had learned about the apartment, she went still. Takagi believed he had done the same thing when he learned that information. That was not natural and spoke of bigger things. It worried him a ways that he did not want to think about.
“But what does a weekend biker be involved in that would merit that kind of treatment?” Sato mused out loud, staring past Takagi at the desk they had spread the case out on.
Takagi shook his head. He kept asking himself the same thing but had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer or any real answer at all that did not fall into the realm of the preposterous and improbable.
“When does the lab open?” Takagi asked. He flushed a little, “I can't remember and I'd rather drop the evidence off personally.”
Sato blinked. She looked at her watch, “I think they'll be getting back from lunch in a little bit.” A beat passed and they both realized that they had worked through the normal lunch hour.
“So, drop this off and then we'll get lunch?” Takagi asked. He always kept an uninspired bowl or two of ramen in a desk drawer. But he hoped that Sato would want to go out. Talking about a case over a good meal was much better than sitting at his desk eating something that only required hot water.
Sato nodded, “I need to get out and stretch, anyway. Why don't we head down now? I know that there are one or two workaholics down there. I'm sure we can get the evidence processed a little sooner.”
Takagi nodded in agreement. They locked up the room as they walked out and headed to the elevator. Again, Takagi found his hand resting on the pocket. The lack of any trace evidence in the apartment bothered him greatly. What would happen if the few samples they found disappeared? The thought made him stop in the middle of the hallway. “Sato-san,” he said, quietly.
She stopped and turned towards him. “What's wrong, Takagi-kun?”
“I was wondering what would happen if the evidence of the apartment was 'misplaced.'” He looked at her, “This is all that was found and the circumstances are more than unusual.” His voice dropped further, so that Sato had to step closer to hear him, “I know it is against procedure but what if we held back one of the evidence bags?”
The ensuing silence seemed to drag on. Takagi noted that the hallway was surprisingly empty but he suspected that was going to change soon as he could hear voices down the hallway and the elevator dinging up each floor.
Abruptly, she grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the room they just came from. A few moments were lost in fumbling to unlock the door. Once the door was unlocked, she nearly shoved him into the room and closed the door behind her, locking it. She hissed, “Do you know what you are suggesting?”
Takagi nodded quickly. The intense look she was giving him was giving him chills and not the good kind either. He swallowed, “Look, if I'm wrong, I-I will accept the consequences. I'd rather be wrong. The whole thing with the apartment was wrong. No one lives that clean. There weren't any fingerprints, Sato-san! That's unnatural and very suspicious. It's just wrong!”
The very air in the room seemed to still as Sato closed her eyes and appeared to be counting. Takagi was sure that less than a minute passed but it felt like longer before she said anything. “You have a point, Takagi-kun, but sometimes, sometimes, you have a tendency to act without thinking an idea through all the way, running off and doing something, even if it is right or a good idea, without sharing it. It has gotten you into trouble in the past. First, we should talk to Inspector Megure about your suspicions.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, “I've been trying not too think too hard about it because, without caution, this sort of thing has gotten officers killed. Usually by organized crime. Some of the Yakuza groups are very well organized.”
Takagi walked back to the table the case files were spread out on. He opened the file of the missing man, “Nothing in his file indicates that he's ever been anywhere near organized crime. That's the way the whole neighborhood is.” Takagi mused, “What if they are two different men?”
Sato sighed, “Then we have two cases to solve. If not, then we have one very suspicious case.” She looked irritated, “Usually something has turned up by now or someone has said something. It doesn't make any sense.” He could hear her unspoken words, And now we have an apartment that has been wiped clean.
Takagi winced as he thought about approaching the inspector with him suspicions and request. He could imagine Megure's reaction and it was not something he really wanted to see.
"What's wrong, Takagi-kun?" Sato asked, looking up from one of the case files.
"Um, I was trying to figure out how to tell Inspector Megure," Takagi admitted.
She frowned as she considered the idea. "We'll just have to outline the circumstances before we present your… suggestion."
"Wait! Doesn't the inspector leave early today?" Takagi asked.
Sato cussed and looked at her watch, "We still have a little time to catch him. There's no time to waste."
Quickly, they gathered up the report about the apartment and headed out to catch Megure before he left for the day.