Kill the psychology

Tatsumi rolled around his futon, evading the thin rays of light peering into the bedroom. He was expecting the sunset provided that he slept through but it seemed to be early afternoon.

"Didn't sleep that long, huh…" He yawned, while he tidied up Sayo's and Ieyasu's futon. The events of the last night still lingered in his mind. Hell, he might have dreamed about them.

"The husband has an alibi…Why would someone kill his spouse anyway?" The officer mumbled to himself as he rubbed the sleep sand out of his eyes.

"Nggggh!" He dragged his hand away from the hot stove boiling water for his tea. His friends had eaten the omurice he had brought yesterday, so he just chugged a bit of oatmeal and milk into his bowl. The familiar bland taste slowly grated against his taste buds as the events from the last night repeated themselves. He forced the sticky mass down his windpipe and dropped his spoon into the full bowl.

At the very least, it was the wife of the casino owner and not the butchered prostitute.

The officer took a sip from his green tea to wash down the sour aftertaste. "This won't stop until the case is solved, huh?" He glanced at the muddied reflection in his tea. "No, I won't work today." He told himself. Only a few seconds later, he forced out a loud sigh. He emptied his mug, slapped on his armor and made his way to the police department.

"Tatsumi? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to have the day off?"

"Good afternoon, vice-captain Hachirō." Tatsumi saluted and fell into his seat at his desk. "I was supposed to but I couldn't sit still, so before I bore myself to death…might as well do some work."

"That's the spirit! Seryu would be proud of you." Hachirō chuckled. "How was the shift?"

His hand quickly stroked over his face. "Eventful. A few thugs tried to break into a store. There were also a bunch of murders. One was self-defense. The other could have been suicide and the last one could have been some random maniac with a grudge against prostitutes. They found 2 more prostitutes massacred the same way."

"And…how are you?" The older man maintained his intent stare towards his colleague. He has probably figured out by now why Tatsumi showed up more or less voluntarily.

"I'm alright. It was hard to stomach at first, but I'm getting better."

"Ok. By the way, do you want to come over for dinner with my family?" There it was again. That bright, goofy grin across both cheeks.

"With all due respect, vice-captain. I can't. If I keep eating the excellent cuisine your wife serves I won't be able to stand my own food at home anymore…" The teenager made a nervous chuckle.

"Then you'll just come over every day. Bring your friends too. Then they can meet my family too."

The father might have snickered but Tatsumi suspected that he was dead serious when he made that offer. "Speaking of family…They called it 'the average domestic'. The wife hung from the ceiling, the kitchen was a mess and the husband walked in on it with the kids."

"Oh…that's rough." Hachirō replied. "Any ideas yet?"

"Not really…theft doesn't seem to be it since nothing has been stolen. It could have been suicide as I already said, but the ravaged kitchen doesn't fit into that. It was probably the mob trying to get at the father."

"And the husband?"

"We've asked in the casino. His employees confirmed he was working in his office for most of the evening. Why?"

"Well…ya might not believe it but oftentimes it's the spouse."

Tatsumi's head recoiled with wide eyes. "Wait a second…why would a spouse kill the one he's married with? Have you ever wanted to kill your wife?"

"No, god forbid. But ya know…humans ain't perfect. It can be about money or spouses cheating on each other. In this job ya gotta be willing to believe anything. People kill for the pettiest reasons."

"Damn…when you say it like that it must be true then."

"Just a heads-up. When I started out I was the same until I learned the hard way. But ya only really start believing it once you've seen it. And it's ugly."

"Isn't our job all about cleaning up the streets?"

I mean, yeah. Just take it easy. When you clean up the dirt, stains might be left sticking on you." Hachirō answered with raised cheekbones. "And what about the maniac?"

Tatsumi leaned on the desk and let his hand stroke over his face again. "Nothing really. That animal just went in and must have killed these three women in a span of thirty minutes despite all the patrols. The more this swirls around my head, the more I get the feeling that this was carefully planned."

"Always trust your gut, Tatsumi. It never lies. If it was carefully planned out, perhaps there was an ulterior motive."

"Could be for all we know. We need to wait for the results from the autopsy."

The vice-captain pulled at his collar. "I gotta say, they gave ya tough nuts to crack for starters. Ya feel up to it?"

Tatsumi glanced to the side for a moment and then back at his superior with a weary smile. "I need to. I promised."

The older officer let out a soft sigh. "You're not gonna have to do it alone. We're partners after all."

"Appreciate that. And on your end so far?"

"Been alright." The man lowered his voice. "I had two more cases with extortion. Same as yesterday. 2 fellas walk up to some stranger, grab him, talk to him, take money or beat him up and then take money. No way in hell that's a coincidence."

"I bumped into another one on my way here. It could have been the exact same guys from yesterday even." The other officer whispered.

"Then it's gotta be a new scheme. I'll check other reports on that as well. The more evidence we get on this, the sooner we can put a stop to it." Hachirō declared. "There has also been a murder."

"In broad daylight?!"

"Yeah, it was awfully close to the department as well. It was a man around your age."

Tatsumi's hands quickly went through his hair. "What were our guys doing? And who kills on the police's doorstep? Either he's incredibly dumb or he's got ice in his veins."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Maybe putting a corpse on our doorstep serves a point? It's not the first time this has happened recently, remember?"

"Yeah, I heard about it. Then there's a decent chance that it's the same killer. Oh and could you please do me a favor and tell the others that they should not interrogate Ren Adachi. He's in temporary custody until the victim can make a testimony or until new evidence emerges. If there's any questions, I can vouch for his innocence." Tatsumi was on his feet again.

"Sure thing. What could be the odds that we're after the same person?"

"Slim. Unless he somehow botched it and left someone alive to identify him."

"Even professionals slip up eventually." Hachirō smirked. "Anyway, I got a job for ya. Come with me." The vice-captain dumped a folder into Tatsumi's hands. "You'll be interviewing that guy. Try to get a confession out of him. The case is straightforward. He killed his bedridden uncle for his inheritance."

The younger officer quickly skimmed through the papers on the way to the secluded room. Death by poisoning. It was small, claustrophobic nearly with the table and the 4 chairs crammed around it amidst tight, gray walls.

"Good day, sir." Tatsumi muttered in his stool. He stared at the middle-aged man in his black suit and took a deep inhale. "So…we have reason to believe that your client poisoned our victim here." The officer cautiously placed the picture in front of his opposition. Like the accused, he too took his first glances at the victim as if he'd try to get to know a stranger. Suddenly, Tatsumi felt a light clap on his back.

"Why would I do that? I took care of my uncle for years now!" The suspect retorted and pushed the picture right back to the officer sitting across from him..

"This is a tasteless accusation against my client. The police are obviously desperate for a scapegoat." The lawyer added with a scowl. Tatsumi stole a glance at his older colleague, but the man remained passive on his seat, arms folded into each other.

"With all due respect…no one else has a motive. We've found a lethal dose of arsenic in his body." Again, Tatsumi had to sneak a peek into the folder to make sure he wasn't lying.

"You mean I killed him for the money? I loved my uncle. No amount of gold could ever replace him."

"Is this leading anywhere? If not, then I will be heading home with my client." The lawyer got off his seat, briefcase already in hand.

"But the arsenic-"

"Anyone could have poured that substance down the victim's throat. Your evidence is thin at best. We shall be leaving."

Emerald-green eyes desperately searched for help from the vice-captain. The man let out a sigh. "You loved your uncle, huh? Must have been fun cleaning up his mess day after day."

The suspect's fist balled up. "It had to be done. He did it for me when I was young and now I'm returning the favor."

Hachirō cupped his chin. "That's funny…because everyone we asked told us that you complained about him whenever ya got the chance."

"It hasn't been easy, alright? Everyone needs to blow off some steam every once in a while."

"Oh, I believe ya. Your parents were also out of the picture pretty soon. It must have been a living hell." The vice-captain grinned at the man sitting across from him. Tatsumi could merely stare at his colleague from the side. While it wasn't the first time he sat in this room with the vice-captain, it still amazed him how quickly the man could shift gears.

The suspect kept massaging his temples. "Can you blame me? I've got a full-time job."

"Not really. I just have a hard time buying that caring nephew you're trying to sell us."

The lawyer interjected and sat back down with a sigh. "The relationship between my client and his family is none of your business."

"It's not. But it puts the whole story into a different light. 'What have I done to deserve all of this? What have I done that my parents had to dump me on that guy's doorstep?' I'm sure ya always asked yourself that. And ya never got an answer. You've waited so long for something that would never come, all while being chained to this unappreciative geezer."

"Shut your mouth! What the hell do you know? The old man wouldn't have had much longer to live anyway." The accused nephew leaned over and shouted at the officer. The slight grin on his face remained unshaken.

"Possibly. Ya could have let nature do its thing, but ya couldn't help but give it a little nudge. Who cares if that decrepit geezer bites the dust a year earlier? After all, he's just an empty shell that's trying to fill a hole that can never be filled. But he gave you everything and how do ya thank him? A cocktail for a good, long nap." Hachirō lowered his voice and reduced the distance between them. "We found the receipts. Ya bought rat poison in the drug store."

Lips quivered. Hands began to shake. The suspect sank deeper and deeper into his seat as if it was a bottomless pit.

The vice-captain's remained glued to the suspect. "All these long, lonely nights…hearing him wail in agony, keeping ya from sleep while knowing your purse is empty. It must have been hell, so you decided to end it for both of you. But ya couldn't bring yourself to drink yours. Ya couldn't help but hope that with your uncle's inheritance you'd build a nice home and maybe, just maybe your parents would come crawling back to ya and start caring about ya like they were supposed to. You're a fool…you traded the only person in this world that cared about you for a bit of gold."

Streaks of tears poured down the man's cheeks. "I had no choice! The doctors wouldn't let him move on to the afterlife. They said the legal situation doesn't allow for assisted suicide. I bet you the second I'd have stopped paying the bills they'd have let him bite the dust without a second thought. They made him suffer needlessly for their own greed!"

"So ya felt merciful that day and poured it down his throat. And take that sweet gold while you're at it."

The nephew sobbed uncontrollably, face buried in his arms. "We could barely make it through the month with my income. I didn't know how to keep going anymore…I'm so sorry!"

The lawyer let out a resigned sigh. "My client would be ready to make a confession and plead guilty if that averts capital punishment."

"Sure. The district attorney will be waiting." Hachirō stood up and headed for the door. "We're done here, Tatsumi. Come on."

The younger officer gazed at the killer for one more moment and followed his colleague outside.

The two men exchanged a brief glance.

"How did you do that?"

"You asked that the last time we sat in this room and I told ya it's simple. Half of it is knowing the facts, the other is educated guesses."

"But the guy in the suit didn't take me seriously…"

"Because you let him intimidate ya. Attorneys tend to be like that. Ya just have to be stubborn and not lose your cool. Pretend like the man in the suit wasn't even there. He's only an extension of the suspect if anything."

"Alright, I got that. Still I couldn't…"

"Take it easy. You get good at that with time. You just need cases and more cases. And then some more cases."

His younger colleague just gave him an insecure stare in response.

"To be fair to ya, I'm also to blame. I rushed you into the interview. You didn't have time to digest the facts and get everything straight. But ya gotta learn how to improvise on the fly eventually." The vice-captain put a hand on his shoulder with a smirk. "But I'm sure you can do it."

"If you say that, then I have to." Tatsumi chuckled.

"And one more thing." Hachirō turned his head. His smirk had dropped and his gaze hardened. "Don't take pity on these people. It's misplaced. Most of them are ruthless murderers."

"But they're still human…"

His stone-faced expression remained unchanged. "I know and it's good that you feel this way, but we have to shut that off on the job. Captain Ogre will tell ya the same."

He glanced over to see said man working in his office. "Yeah, he did say something like that…" Tatsumi skimmed through the added sheets placed on his desk. "Oh, that's interesting. The tax office just sent us Mr. Horimiya's tax declaration or lack thereof. The last year is missing. Isn't that tax evasion?" The teenager handed his superior the document.

Hachirō raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's tax evasion. He just isn't making income. He declared a bunch of losses over the past few years."

"Wait…The man owns a casino. Isn't he supposed to be rich?" Once more, Tatsumi's eyes rapidly scanned through the list of numbers, which he had never seen yet.

"Unless he manages it badly or if something unexpected has happened. Add a gang leader feeling entitled and there ya got your mess."

"That sounds good but he said he had no trouble of that sort."

"Then…question him on suspicion of tax evasion and see what you can get out of him. Maybe it puts the murder of his wife into perspective. And Tatsumi…remember that the people you're dealing with won't always tell ya the truth right away." The vice-captain flipped through another report. "Now get outta here before the captain gets the wrong idea. He'd make you work triple time, if he knew you're here."

"Alright, I got it." He chuckled. "I'll take my leave then." Tatsumi saluted and headed outside.

"Hey, Tatsumi." A colleague approached him right before the exit.

"Aizawa. What's the matter?"

"Can you please take my night shift tomorrow? My grandma recently passed away and right now I really need some time off to help my parents organize the funeral and all." He asked with a weary smile.

"Oh, my condolences. No problem. Just let Ogre know."

"Thank you so much. I'll take one of your shifts down the line."

"Alright, have a nice day." The two policemen went their separate ways. The sun had started setting over the city, dying the sky in a tender mixture of red, yellow and blue.

"How do I get a gang boss to confess…" Tatsumi mumbled to himself as he walked past a familiar place. He came to a halt at the small tavern's door.

It's my free day. Why not grab a beer or two? I can grab dinner here and take some for Sayo and Ieyasu.

The young man entered his trusted restaurant and slumped into the next best seat at the counter. There have barely been any customers around this hour as per usual.

"One more beer please." The sound of that familiar voice could always send shivers down his wallet's spine. The busty blonde at the other end of the counter turned her head to the side. "Oh, Tatsumi! Ain't seen ya for quite a while." Leone greeted him with a bright, whole-hearted smirk. The woman couldn't help but give him a light shove into the side of her perky breasts.

"I had a hunch we'd bump into each other again here eventually." He chuckled. Her boobs were indeed very soft. Like a comfortable, perfectly cushioned pillow in which he could easily bury his head.

"What can I say? I was thirsty." She snickered and sat back down. "Ya look tired. Long day at work?"

His hands slowly stroked down his weary visage. "I pulled a double shift yesterday. I wasn't even supposed to work today, but I still did."

"Wait, so you worked day and night and then some more today? Damn…take some rest, will ya? Told ya you'd be busy."

"My vice-captain said the same thing. If he didn't kick me out, I'd still be trying to crack some cases. And tomorrow I'm gonna pull another double shift. A colleague had a death in the family and needs some time off now." Tatsumi heaved out a soft sigh and laid on the bar counter. Leone didn't hesitate to gently pat his head.

"Sounds rough. Wanna talk about it?"

He rose up slowly, repeatedly stroking through his hair as the bartender brought him his first mug of beer without order. The man behind the counter probably figured that Tatsumi could use some comfort in liquid form. "And then I also botched an interview with a suspect. The vice-captain had to handle it for me."

"Interview as in you try to get confessions out of people?"

"Yeah. I had no idea what to do the whole time." The officer stared at his muddied reflection inside the yellow fluid.

Leone shot him a playful grin. "Maybe I can help ya with that. I know a thing or two about conversation."

"Oh really? That would be nice." Tatsumi's eyes shot wide open with renewed vigor.

The blonde chuckled. "Ya know the drill."

"Yeah, yeah. Pay for my dinner and my booze. Help yourself." The poor teenager sighed. "Don't you feel bad about ripping me off like that? I spend way more on your food than my own."

Leone just laughed. "Nah. View it as a date of sorts if that makes ya feel better."

The boy's cheeks reddened instantly. "A date?" He stammered.

"Sure. You're cute. I wouldn't mind going out with ya." She doubled down in a low, seductive purr, maintaining an alluring gaze towards the young man.

Tatsumi needed a second to recollect himself. He cleared his throat. "I mean this place isn't terrible and the beer's good but if we go on a date I'd take you somewhere fancy. At least that's what I should do as a man. Oh and there's also a beautiful park in the traditional district that I walked through during my shift."

"Eh, lots of girls like fancy places, being taken to expensive dinners and such but I guess I'm an oddball then. I prefer sitting down with a beer and havin' fun. I'm not saying I don't want that too from time to time but I don't need it either. Let's put it like that." The woman raised her mug with a nod and took her first sip.

"I guess everyone's different." Tatsumi replied. "I'd like the fried noodles with meat three times. Make 2 of them later for takeaway please." He ordered as the waitress passed him by. "Where have we left off? You said you could teach me stuff about conversation."

"Right. It's important to know what kind of person you're dealing with."

The officer took a second to think about his answer. "Ruthless murderers mostly. That's what the vice-captain said."

"Yeah, that's obvious. But not every person kills for the same reason. For instance, a man kills another because he had sex with his wife or a woman kills her husband because she wants his inheritance and life insurance, while she's already got her next one lined up. The list's almost endless."

"I also heard that already. People kill for petty reasons."

"Then what keeps ya? Ya already got it figured out, sunshine."

"I don't know. I just don't get it, it seems."

"Ah. You lack imagination." Leone diagnosed as she took another sip. "Let's play a little game, shall we? I'm gonna be your killer and you gotta figure out why I did it. To make it fair, I'll always tell ya the truth in the beginning. Each round, I'll play a different kind of person."

Tatsumi returned her smirk with a skeptic gaze. "I mean that sounds fun but how am I supposed to do that? You just said the list is endless."

Her grin only grew wider. "Ask the right questions and we're gonna see. I might give ya a nudge towards the right direction every once in a while."

"Alright."

"Ask away. I'll give ya a hint. Try to figure out what kind of person I am. Take it step by step. Not only what I tell ya but also how I tell ya. Habits can be dead giveaways. Give me the first case if ya feel like it."

Tatsumi's eyes scanned the barely visited tavern. He closed the distance between them and lowered his voice. "You own a casino. You're not generating income for a few years now. You're probably going into debt." He took a deep inhale. "Your wife has been murdered. You and your kids walked in on her hanging from the ceiling. It might have been the thugs from the gang boss, who wants to rip you off. But there's also a chance that it's been you. Though your employees gave you an alibi."

"Aight, I can work with that."

"So…"

"Don't start out like that. You're here to demand answers from me. I can't take ya seriously, if you're about to have a nervous breakdown."

He tossed up his hand and nearly swept his mug off the counter. "I know. I just keep saying that for some reason."

"Take a breath instead of just blurtin' that out. And use your eyes. Keepin' eye contact tends to make a lot of people uncomfortable." The woman did just that and only moments later Tatsumi averted his gaze towards the floor.

The officer did not speak right away. He tried to remember every single, minute detail from the interview the vice-captain conducted earlier. And he did indeed stare a lot at the suspect. Straight into his desperate orbs pleading for forgiveness.

"I saw that work already. It tends to keep people more honest."

"Yeah, they say the eyes are a gateway to the soul. And I think it's kinda true." She paused. "Make sure to look out for small stuff as you go. A twitch or odd movement. Just stuff that seems off. It might end up being important."

"Got it."

Suddenly, she showed him one of her smirks again. Of the devilish kind this time. "For every bad start or avoided eye contact, ya owe me another beer." Leone whispered into his ear in a teasing tone.

"Holy crap!" Tatsumi jerked up and immediately stared deep into the woman's yellow orbs.

She let out a delighted chuckle. "If ya weren't crappin' your pants, this could be kinda romantic, ya know."

The officer's chest heaved up. "Right…stay calm. I'm a policeman after all."

The woman couldn't help but giggle at his adorable attempt to project authority and seriousness again. "By the way, feel free to lie to me."

"Why would I want to do that?" Tatsumi immediately questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"So you make me reveal stuff only the killer knows."

"But I'm police…I shouldn't lie. My job is to find out and uphold the truth. My mother once said that we shouldn't replace truth with lies. One day they'll come to haunt us eventually." This time their eyes met in an unforced, genuine stare as restless emerald green peered into vibrant yellow.

She gently placed her hand on his, not averting her gaze. "Look, your mommy ain't wrong but you're being a bit too naive about this whole thing. Do ya really think that most of the people you're gonna come across will tell ya the truth straight up?"

The corners of his lips dropped. "No…the vice captain also said that."

"And there's your problem again. Ya know what the situation is, but ya don't wanna accept it. Ya refuse to do it. Ya need to be open to anything." Leone admonished him as she took another sip.

"I got it by now. But I can't just pull things outta nowhere. I can't just threaten a suspect with the death penalty if it's in fact not on the table. Or like any outrageous sentence that does not fit the crime. We'd just be getting one false confession after another."

"Makes sense. But you can lie about like…evidence that's relevant to the case or the circumstances, right?"

"Pretty sure I can."

"Then use that when the opportunity presents itself. By the way, you can stop staring every once in a while."

"Alright." Tatsumi took a breath and returned to gazing into Leone's eyes with a straight face. "I have a few questions regarding your recent tax declarations. The last year is missing. Any particular reason?"

"I didn't know. Must be a mistake from my accountant. Thanks for bringin' that to my attention. With all due respect, officer. My tax declaration's the last thing on my mind right now."

"Of course. My condolences." Tatsumi slowly turned away and nodded repeatedly. "It's funny because you haven't made any income the last few years. How do you do that with a casino?" He tried to shoot her that same unnerving smirk that Hachirō shot the nephew.

Leone's eyes trembled in anger. "The economy's fallen on hard times, alright? Not everyone's got gold to throw into my bank and I also gotta pay my employees."

"Still…surely some rich, drunk fool would come strolling into your casino and leave a bunch of cash for you on the table. You really have to do it wrong if you go bust with a casino." The officer almost laughed at her.

The blonde inhaled and held her temple. "Not everyone's got lucky in life, alright?"

"Yeah, obviously…Your employees said you were working in your office when the murder must have happened, correct?"

"Correct. Do ya need it on paper?" Leone hissed at the officer.

"No. I'm just asking myself…putting a casino into that part of the traditional district surely wasn't cheap. I just wonder where you got the money from."

"I took a loan, ok? My wife and I placed a deposit and paid off the rest with the revenue the casino generated."

His slightly mocking smile had hardened into a more serious expression. "Alright, then I'm sure the tax office won't object to that statement."

Leone averted her gaze but his eyes relentlessly pursued her wherever she went. She forced out a strained breath. "Alright, I had help. The local mafia boss laundered his money there."

"That makes more sense now. Let me guess…he ripped you off?"

She clenched her fist. "Yeah, he takes most of the profit for himself."

There it was again for a brief moment. That scornful smile. "Must suck having his boot on your neck. He probably threatened you with violence. And when you fell behind with the payments, he decided to send a message."

Leone did not stand up or raise her voice that much. Probably so as to not cause a scene but there were barely any customers to be bothered by that anyway. "I had no choice! I had to feed my family. If that sleazy son of a bitch knew his place and let me earn my money, my wife would still be living."

"You might not have hung her yourself, but you put the noose around her neck." Tatsumi let out a deep breath and glanced at Leone. Though her demeanor didn't suggest the burst of excitement or praise that he was hoping for. "How did I do?"

"Eh, ya did alright. Could have been worse." She answered before she slammed her empty mug on the counter. "What ya said all makes sense but you're giving me an easy way out. If I was the killer, I'd gladly run into the sunset with that story."

"You really think he did it, huh?"

"Our game says that I'm the killer no matter what. In this case, I'm the husband. Ya helped pinning the death of my wife on the mafia. And ya ain't getting these guys behind bars. Especially the big shots."

"But what if it really happened like that?"

"Then you're right. But until you're sure ya should keep that door open as well just in case the husband used her as a chandelier. Though I gotta admit ya started off strong."

"I did?"

"Sure. Ya really got under my skin when ya asked me how to go bust with a casino. I figured the guy had a bit of an ego and he's obsessed with making money. Oh and that little smile you had was gold. Keep that up!"

"Ah, so I ticked you off."

Leone nodded. "That can help a killer reveal himself. In most cases ya can pretty much tell who's got it in 'em to be a killer and who doesn't simply by how they act, no?"

"I mean…when you come across a lot of people, experience will certainly help though it's not always a safe bet. But the way you put it, anyone could become a killer given the right circumstances."

Leone exhaled a soft sigh. "Let's pick up our case again. Let's say you figured out it was me. Why do you think I did it?"

The policeman gently scratched the top of his head. "Let me think…for the money from the life insurance and the inheritance?"

"That's the motive. What I meant was that the guy is a greedy son of a bitch." The woman put her arm on the counter, supporting her head.

"Yeah, but I don't know if he's necessarily like that just because he owns a casino."

"Let's just pretend. You're gonna find out when you talk to him more."

"Ok, he's greedy…" Again, he tried to remember how the vice-captain built up his case against the nephew. "Maybe because he's grown up poor?"

"Possibly. If ya get some facts on his upbringing that could stick."

"Though…you said he had a bit of an ego…why would he kill his wife then? If he was that kind of man, he'd probably parade her around and boast around with her as his trophy instead of hanging her."

"Good thought." Leone praised him. "What else have ya noticed about him? Or when ya arrived on the scene?"

The officer took a second to relive the horrifying crime scene. The ravaged home, the wife hanging from the ceiling, the motherless son staring at him with these empty eyes the whole time. "The living room and the kitchen were a mess. Someone definitely flew off the handle there."

"Perhaps the guy threw a fit because of something and that's when he finally snapped."

Now the dots started connecting themselves. The wheels within slowly began to turn. "That 'something' could have been the situation with his casino. They might have had an argument about it and then he killed her. He's probably deeply unhappy about where his life is going so he lets it out on her." He surmised.

"See? I knew you could do it!" Leone snickered. "Ya got an impression of who the guy is and based on that ya figured out if he could have done it or not."

The officer cupped his jaw and gave her a skeptic glance. "I don't know…all I did was guess. It's possible but even if he did it, I have no proof."

The blonde shrugged and proceeded to pour more of the refreshing yellow liquid down her throat. Must have been her fourth mug since he bumped into her. "At least, ya got an idea why he did it. And ya got a direction in which to investigate. And if ya stumble across evidence that says it wasn't him, then good for him. Ain't that supposed to be your job?"

At this moment, their orders arrived. Two sizable bowls with fried noodles and bits of chicken meat in between. If the interior of the place was only half as good as the food, then this place would have significantly more customers. But it had remained as shoddy as the first time he set foot in the tavern. At least things didn't change around here too fast.

"It is." Tatsumi dug in and shoveled a fork of noodles into his mouth.

"If anything, it can help ya get your confessions. Because if ya know how the suspect thinks, ya know to crack him." Leone added before she did the same. "Hm, delicious."

The young man stopped himself and chewed before he spoke. Sayo would have probably jumped out of her skin if he hadn't. "Yeah, once the vice-captain had his suspect figured out, it was over. Now that I think about all of this…I feel like they often give themselves away without us doing much."

Leone shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back with a sufficient smirk. "Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscience. Ya just gotta figure out the way to make 'em do it. It's like findin' the right key to the right lock."

"If it was that easy…" A drop of sweat crawled down his forehead. "How do you know all that? This surely isn't stuff they just casually teach in school here."

"Ya should know by now that I'm a pro at readin' people. All this stuff ain't witchcraft. If ya put your head into it, you're gonna get good at it as well." Leone promised him, patting him on the head with that smug but also kind of adorable grin of hers. Like a cat that just coaxed her owner into giving her a treat with her charm.

Well, this 'date' wasn't that far off from that either.

Tatsumi pouted. "If you say so…" He mumbled and returned to savoring his meal.

"How about another round?" The blonde offered.

"Yeah, sure. This is kind of interesting."

Their game continued well into late evening. And with each new round played, a new type of murderer emerged, ranging from unhinged narcissist all the way to depraved sadist. The officer had to give it to her. This woman certainly had a vast array of potential murderers at her disposal. Far bigger than what he's had so far. Hopefully he wouldn't be forced to solve one of these mysteries she came up with in real life.

"I think I'll call it a day. I need to get up early tomorrow and if I don't bring Sayo and Ieyasu their food, I might be having the next murder at my own home."

"We haven't had cannibalism yet." Leone snickered. "How are they doing?"

The young man exhaled a long breath. "They're good. We got into the swing of things more or less. Ieyasu decided to stick with the army and is on his way to captain rank. And Sayo is working this desk job at this department. What was it called again? I think the department for domestic counterintelligence or something important like that. She keeps complaining that it's stressful as hell but she's holding up. If anyone can do it, it's her."

"That's good to hear. Tell 'em I said hello."

"And thank you, Leone. You really helped me out." Tatsumi answered as his lips spread to form a tender smile.

Leone gave him a charming wink. "Don't mention it. And make sure to drop by when you're not busy cleaning up the streets, sunshine."

"Sure, see you around." He chuckled with a blush on his flustered face and left the tavern. Who else was he going to spend his hard-earned money on after all…

The officer returned home to familiar loud noises. "I'm home."

"Why the hell can't you just-" Sayo started shouting once more before she stopped herself. "Oh, there you are."

"Don't worry, I brought dinner for you."

"My savior arrived…" Ieyasu murmured with comically sobbing eyes and hands clasped together as if an angel had just descended to grace him with salvation. "Thank you so much, bro." He immediately dove into the box of fried noodles. "Where have ya been last night? Did ya enjoy the nightlife that the city's got to offer?"

"Yeah, sure." Tatsumi let out a sarcastic chuckle. " I worked through the night. I had to pull a double shift with Seryu."

"Damn, that's crazy."

"That explains that. And where have you been today?" Sayo inquired as she helped herself to her meal.

Ieyasu swallowed down some more noodles. "She's been all worried, ya know. Usually you'd at least drop by to complain about your job. So when that didn't happen we thought ya dumped us for your secret girlfriend."

Tatsumi's eyes widened before he averted his gaze onto the tatami mats decorating the floor. "I don't have a secret girlfriend. And to be honest…you didn't like it when I talked about my job. I don't want to bother you too much with it."

Sayo leaned over to put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a considerate smile. "No, it's alright. We're friends after all. You can tell us what bothers you if you feel like it."

His hands stroked down his tired face. "But yeah, I went to work again today even though I wasn't supposed to and then bumped into Leone in that shoddy restaurant we went to when we got done with basic training. We ate together, chatted a bit about this and that…greetings from her by the way."

"Aw, so you two had a date." The girl hummed in excitement.

Ieyasu giggled. "Ya did catch quite the big fish, didn't ya? I gotta give it to ya. You're quite the player."

"No, you read way too much into this whole thing. We just bumped into each other and had a casual conversation." Tatsumi calmly dismissed and slowly stood up. "I need to get some rest for work. I'm going to pull another double shift."

Sayo raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is that your new work schedule?"

"A colleague had a death in the family recently, so I took his shift over for him.

Her cheekbones raised slightly. "That's kind of you. But make sure to take a break every once in a while."

"Oh and…please do me a favor. When you argue, keep it down or the neighbors are going to complain about noise and I'll have to show up at my own home." Tatsumi chuckled. "You know…you could just cook together instead of arguing about it all the time. That way no one gets left out."

The two other teenagers gave each other blank stares before they turned back on Tatsumi.

"Anyway, I'll be heading to bed. Good night, guys."

"Good night, bro."

"Sleep well, Tatsumi."

A/N: Next chapter "Kill the suspicion"

And done! Here it is! It finally arrived! The double stack. By sheer insanity I somehow pulled it off. Fuck sleep. Fuck eating. Fuck socializing. Just write. And that's precisely what I did. I locked myself in my room like a psycho in a rubber cell praying that the FBI would not raid me so I could get some fucking work done, so that you lot would not commit acts of domestic terrorism because I didn't post in a million years.

And before you all show up in front of my door with pitchforks and torches…Night Raid will show up eventually.

This right now is about setting up character development and also providing context to the depravity of the world the characters are inhabiting. After all, the world is a character too. And it's not like they're not there at all. Leone is around and so is Sheele occasionally. Enjoy it while it lasts. Plot progression is important, but so is character progression.

Now we can go further with the plots that I opened/set up in the last few chapters. At least that's what we'll be doing for the next chapters. But there will also be other stuff down the line. These plots are all relevant to Tatsumi's character and his place in the world to some extent. Let me know how long you'd like this arc to be or if you don't care particularly about length as long as you are entertained.

Before I terminate this intermission, I will add that I allegedly have a life and it's calling me back. I need to get on the lawyer grind and that's why I will hide from the CIA until no earlier than July/August. Do not expect a new chapter until then because I will be busy with university. But if a new chapter does come out, rejoice and don't ask me for shit, ok?

As I have already said, my discord tag is ashura3359. Hit me up there or dm me on ff.net or whichever platform you read this on. Feel free to share your thoughts and comment. Stay comfy and goodbye. ☺️