Non-challenge: A Policeman's Tale (Day 43)
Title: A Policeman's Tale (Day 43)
Author: ytak
Word count: 1041
Rating (chapter): K+ (PG)
Rating (whole story): T (PG-13)
Comments: I'm trying to bring some mystery back. It's tricky trying to overcome writing weaknesses. But that's what practice is for.
Other chapters can be read through here or here
Day 43
“And you should've heard the kid. He sounded just like he knew what he was talking about and not ferreting back what Mouri had told him to say,” Takagi overheard a random officer say in the hallway as he walked back from one of the file rooms.
The other officer added, “You need to have a talk a couple of the crime scene techs. They swear that if they didn't know better, the kid was running the show.” They both shared a hearty chuckle as Takagi walked away from them.
Takagi frowned. There was only one “kid” they would talk about in conjunction with Mouri. Conan-kun. So many clues and contradictions came back to Conan. Yet everyone seemed to over look it.
Not that I didn't overlook it before the incident at the Tokyo Tower, he thought sardonically. Are we all so willfully blind to overlook anything he does because it doesn't fit the framework for a grade-schooler?
He shook his head lightly as he stepped back into the office, files in hand. The mystery of Conan kept popping up. Takagi would try to direct approach if he had not already tried it. The memory of what Conan said still echoed through his mind. 'I'll tell you in the afterlife.' Those were not words to be said by any normal child.
Absently, Takagi shuffled the papers around on his desk. He knew he needed to work on case of the body found in the pool but the longer standing mystery would not leave him alone.
Sighing, Takagi lightly dropped his head to the desk. I'm not going to focus well today unless someone practically drags my mind away from this mystery.
As if summoned, Sato appeared in front of his desk. “Are you okay, Takagi-kun?” she asked, a concerned look on her face.
Takagi laughed nervously, “Yeah, um, I'm can't quit thinking about something.” He sighed again, “And it has nothing to do with this case,” he said, lightly tapping the files sitting on his desk.
“Anything you want to talk about?” she asked.
He considered her question. “Perhaps. But not right now. I still need to get my thoughts in order.”
“Okay,” she said, giving him a smile that made him feel like he could do anything. She flipped open one of the files and tapped the photo. It was a photo of the victim's custom outfit. “But I think we need to visit a couple of places today.”
He nodded. They needed to track down where the outfit had been made. That might give a lead on the victim's identity. If they were lucky, they would learn today. If not, well, then they had to hope some other lead might turn up. The police sketch of what the victim probably looked like in life was already on the streets distributed to all the police boxes. None of the officers assigned to them could say the victim was familiar but there was a chance that one might be on vacation right now and see the flyer when he returned.
There was that chance.
But in the meantime, Takagi knew they could not sit around, waiting for something to turn up. Quickly, they drew up the route to take to visit the various shops. As Takagi looked over the locations and calculated the time, he realized that visiting some of the further away places first would be best. “Because,” he explained, “We'll hit the beginning of rush hour if we visit them last.”
Sato winced and nodded in agreement. Takagi knew how she liked to drive and having an angry partner because traffic was not moving was not something he wanted to deal with. She had snapped at him, the last time. There was a reason no one made Sato upset.
So, in short order, he was seated next to Sato as they headed to the first business on the list. He read off the directions to their first destination near the outskirts of Tokyo. Only Sato did not seem to need directions to the general area.
In fact, she was wearing a rather feral grin. “Um, Sato-...san?” he said. “Are you familiar with the area?”
She blushed lightly, “This is the part of town I take my car to be serviced,” she said, lightly patting the steering wheel. “A good car must be properly cared for. Don't put those directions away! I only know that general area. I don't know where that place is.”
Takagi looked closely at the area they were passing through and then back at Sato. It was a rather rough looking part of town. He was not really scared for Sato. But he was worried about the the health of anyone who might have propositioned her.
Shaking his head, he decided not to say anything. Sato seemed to be in a pretty good mood. I guess she actually likes coming over here. A couple of people waved at her as they drove by. She gave a short honk of her horn in response. There was another grin on her face that he could not classify. But she seems happy. Takagi mentally shrugged. There was one thing about working with Sato, he was always learning something new about her.
“Takagai-kun,” she said, breaking him out of his thoughts, “Where do we go from him?” They were pulled off at a parking lot by a unnamed fork in the road. Takagi looked down at the map and the written directions.
“Um, we go left and then go past... the first three streets and turn left at the next one. The shop will be the third or fourth building on the right.”
“Third or fourth building?” she asked.
“Yeah...there should be a sign with the name of the business, which is Customs by Fredericks,” he sounded out the foreign name. “When I talked to one of the employees yesterday, he couldn't remember which business they were on the street.” He glanced over the map, “But if we still can't find it, there is a police box not too far away. They will know how to get there.”
Sato nodded and pulled out of the parking lot and headed the way Takagi directed her.