literature

Double Trouble: Part 3

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Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Bemused. All accurate descriptions of the kind of silence that had fallen over the group before it was broken by Uryu.

"Are you sure, Orihime? It has been thirteen years after all."

For the first time, Orihime's eyes flashed in irritation as she said, "Of course I'm sure!"

Looking back at Ichigo, Orihime went on quickly, "But I'm not saying you are the man. In fact, I know now for sure you couldn't possibly be him."

Scowling fiercer than ever, Ichigo demanded, "So one minute you're going to faint away because you think I'm a murderer and the next you say I couldn't possibly be the right guy. You're not making any sense."

Taking a deep breath, Orihime said in a matter of fact tone, "You are the same height and build as the man and all your facial features and the way your hair looks are identical to the other man, I'd swear to that."

Seeming to sense that Ichigo was about to snap, Orihime went on, "However, he had ghostly pale skin and hair to match."

Leaning forward, Renji said, "Well, as you can see, Ichigo doesn't match that description, so where did the confusion come in?"

Orihime explained, "Well, the skin could have been powdered when I first saw him or he could have done some serious tanning over the years. As for the hair, that could easily be changed with dye."

Grinning at Orihime logical response, Renji pressed, "True enough. Anything else?"

Looking down at her hands, Orihime said softly, "The ghost who murdered my brother had a high-pitched voice and his laugh…" she shuddered and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, she drew in a deep breath as she raised her eyes to meet Ichigo's. He wasn't quite sure what he felt as he realized that she was doing her best to fight back horrible memories and a burst of tears at the same time.

"The ghost was laughing and grinning as he killed my brother," nodding towards Ichigo, Orihime said, "On the other hand, you scowl quite a bit."

"So Ma'am, you mean to tell us that-"

"Orihime."

Blinking in surprise, Ichigo could only think enough to ask, "What?"

"Please call me by my given name."

"Fine, whatever. What I was trying to understand is what you meant by 'as he killed my brother'."

Frowning slightly in confusion, Orihime said slowly, "I'm not sure I understand."

Looking Orihime dead in the eye, Ichigo asked, "Did you actually witness your brother being killed, or did you simply come across the body?"

The wide gray eyes closed again and Ichigo knew he had his answer so he asked another in a slightly gentler tone, "If you actually witnessed your brother being murdered, why do you refer to the murderer as a ghost?"

Opening her eyes again, Orihime answered with a question of her own, "How else would you refer to a being who savagely enjoys watching the pain of two victims, one whom he is physically killing and the other whom he is trying to mentally and emotionally shatter, and then when he has had his fill of blood, gore and pain just vanishes into thin air?"

This time it was Renji who asked, "He vanished?"

With a sigh, Orihime said, "You and twelve hundred lawyers or judges could try to dismiss it as a young ten-year-olds imagination playing tricks on her after the trauma and horror she witnessed or say that she blacked out without realizing it before coming back to her senses. There are lots of 'rational' ways to explain why the murderer vanished from my sight."

Her gaze turned steely as she finished, "But as surely as I say Detective Kurosaki could be the murderer's twin, I know that I saw the ghost vanish. You can believe me or not, but you will not convince me otherwise."

Silence again fell over the group for a time before Uryu stood and said, "I can't make you do anything, Orihime, but if I know Detective Kurosaki and Detective Abarai at all, they will want to ask you more questions. However, if you don't mind, I'd like to give you a few minutes to rest and compose yourself before the interview, which will also give us a chance to talk. Is that all right with you?"

Nodding her head, Orihime said, "Of course, you may speak privately. However," she pushed herself up and then got to her feet, "I shall go and make a tray of refreshments and maybe make myself a little more presentable as well."

"Very well," said Uryu with the slightest hint of a smile.

When Orihime had left, Uryu adjusted his glasses and said, "So it seems the murderer has resurfaced. Which poem did he use this time?"

Renji looked at Ichigo and gave him a look that said 'let me handle this for now' before he said, "I think Ichigo and I need to know why you're here first. From what I've seen, you have a personal connection with Orihime."

Crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, Uryu replied, "Yes, that is true. I have known her since high school and she is a dear friend of mine."

At Renji's raised eyebrow, Uryu asked, "What is it?"

Shrugging his shoulders and imitating Uryu's posture, Renji said carelessly, "Oh, I don't know. You looked about ready to flatten Ichigo back there when you first walked in and then when Orihime woke up…well, I don't know quite what I thought, but it didn't strike me as just friendship."

Clearing his throat and giving Renji a side-long glare, Uryu replied, "That's ridiculous. I come by every now and again to see how Orihime is doing and she returns the favor. Especially when I have to do nearly twenty hour shifts or more."

"Uh-huh, sure," said Renji in a tone that clearly stated he didn't completely buy Uryu's story, "Anyway, Ichigo and I are here because we are working the case and it sounds like you were just here on personal business, so…"

Instantly slipping back into his usual cool manner, Uryu replied, "Don't forget, though, that the last time this particular murderer showed up three years ago, I was the one the police came to in order to try and understand more about his mental state. So, while I may have a personal connection to this case, I also have a professional one."

Adjusting his glasses again, Uryu said, "Now, going back to my initial question, what poem was used this time?"

Leaning forward on his knees, Ichigo gazed at the floor as he recited, "'This thing called parting/Has no color/Yet it seeps into our hearts/And stains them with loneliness.' A poem by Ki no Tsurayuki."

Without taking his gaze from the floor, Ichigo said, "Renji, you mentioned that last night a woman was murdered by Nikuyoku."

Uryu's head snapped around to give Renji an incredulous look as he asked, "Is that true? Nikuyoku actually exists?"

Nodding grimly, Renji answered, "Yes. I just told Ichigo in the car that we've been able to discover why Kouman's behavior has seemed rather sporadic."

Uryu listened intently to all Renji said and then sat thoughtfully for a time. Neither he nor Ichigo moved a muscle, but it was quite clear from their posture and aura that both were thinking quickly through the facts…and they didn't like their conclusions.

Eventually, Uryu broke the silence by saying, "So at least now we have a pattern we can follow with the love notes left on the bodies and alternating nights, but I don't think we have enough facts or insight to get ahead."

Running a hand through his hair, Ichigo grumbled, "You're right, Uryu."

Shifting his gaze back and forth between the two, Renji inquired, "Why not?"

Massaging his neck, Ichigo sighed, "While the guy at the lab has been able to dig up unsolved murders with the same M.O. as Kouman and Nikuyoku and all sorts of other good information, we don't know how the two of them are picking their victims to begin with."

Folding his hands, Ichigo went on, "Obviously, Orihime's brother was a young man in his mid-twenties, but the last murder we investigated was of a middle aged man with a wife and teenage children. I'm sure that if we tried to come up with some sort of pattern in the victims, both for Kouman and Nikuyoku, it would be negligible at best and we certainly couldn't do it before tonight when Nikuyoku is sure to kill next."

"It would be simple enough to track murder weapons," said Uryu almost bitterly, "if they used anything as convenient as a gun or regular house knife."

Nodding in understanding, Renji finished, "But any trace elements left by the weapon are nowhere to be found in any database, so we can't figure out anything that way."

"So the question becomes," said Ichigo gravely, "do we simply sit back these next two nights and gather more data so that when they reappear next year we can have a better chance of finding them or-"

"No."

All three men flinched in surprise before turning to see Orihime standing in the doorway with a tray of lemonade and sweet breads. While she had taken the time to comb her hair and change into a skirt and blouse, Ichigo found himself thinking that this woman didn't waste a lot of effort on her appearance, which he found intriguing. Most other women would have spent an absolute age getting themselves perfectly ready for company, yet Orihime had taken only as much time as was necessary and he thought she made herself up just as nicely if not better than those other women.

Before Ichigo had a chance, Renji asked politely, "Pardon?"

Giving him a sheepish grin as she set down the tray, Orihime replied, "I'm sorry if I was rather rude just then," turning her eyes to look directly at Ichigo, she said, "but I don't think that's quite the right question to be asking right now."

Leaning forward slightly, Ichigo asked, "Then what should we be asking ourselves right now?"

In a calm voice, Orihime said, "You need to decide how you are going to eliminate all impossible facts of this case so that whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the actual truth behind the mystery."

Frowning, Ichigo was about to say something when Orihime went on, "Paraphrasing from that same popular and wise mystery writer, are you going to try and make the facts suit your theories or have your theories coincide with the facts?"

She paused before she asked, "In essence, can you afford to believe that a flesh and blood human is committing these crimes or will you consider the possibility that something paranormal or supernatural is at work here?"
Hope this cleared up a few nagging questions from the last chapter...and yet still aroused curiosity as to what will happen next. =D
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