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detectiveforhierophant) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
social_linked2017-08-11 08:07 pm
detectiveforhierophant) wrote in social_linked2017-08-11 08:07 pm
The Inaba Copycat Murders: Initial Investigation
Location: Tokyo Police HQ, in and around Tokyo
Summary: Dojima's arrival in Tokyo to help the investigation of the disappearances and murders.
Ryotaro Dojima was a simple man, or so he told himself
He was accustomed to small town life; and small town crimes with practical, logical solutions, grounded in reality.
The Inaba Serial Murdercase that he had been placed in charge of a few years back had scattered that all to the wind, with national attention suddenly on the town, and a crime that just seemed to have no easy answers.
No logical answers, anyway. Dojima had no belief in the supernatural, or paranormal, even if the circumstances of the murders were... well. Unusual. Bizarre, even.
The victims-- Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi-- found dead, hanging in the air from telephone poles or antennas; and no immediate sign of what had caused their deaths. The city had been covered in a thick fog, so no one saw when the bodies were placed, or by who.
Along with strange television shows on at midnight when it rained, and his nephew's strange behavior, he was left at a loss...
Only to be forced over and over to deal with otherworldly forces; his daughter being kidnapped and vanishing, suffering from an unnameable condition when she was rescued, and then...
Her death, and... subsequent inexplicable revival. A 'miracle', he was almost pained to call it, but he had no other words for it.
And then his junior partner... the true culprit. Adachi's confession was supposed to shine light on the murders, but only led to more questions; pushing people through the tv, tricking Namatame into targeting other's who'd shown up during the 'Midnight Channel'... all of it was a mess. And yet, it both matched the timeline of the murders, and the accounts from both his Nephew and Namatame.
Dojima had hoped as bizarre as the case was, he could put it behind him; focus on raising his daughter properly, and protecting Inaba from more 'normal' crimes.
But... life was never so simple, was it?
Tokyo, 2017.
It had started with a couple of run away teenagers. One by one, they were found, hanging from cables in alleyways and forgotten corners of the city.
Largely unreported, or excused as wayward delinquents who got in over their heads, committed suicide out of shame. Whether that was the callous media writing off their deaths as teenage angst, or an intentional suppression of the information, Dojima got word about it via police gossip. That some sick bastard was stringing up bodies like what had happened a few years ago in town.
"Probably someone wanting to copy your old partner, huh--"
Dojima had to hold back punching the guy in the back of head, but the look he gave him was enough.
He'd made the trek to the jail a day or so later, practically interrogating Adachi about these rumors-- but well. Adachi deflected his questioning, as he usually did. He was quick to point out it couldn't possibly be him; he's not been allowed any contact with tv screens, and the cameras could prove he hadn't left the jail.
"But, you know, Dojima-san... I'm not the only one with this power, right?" And there it was, that smirk, his expression lazy and laid back, but with that edge Dojima had come to know was Adachi's true self, "I think it was... a few years ago that you mentioned your nephew and a few of his friends were headed to Tokyo? University, or something."
Dojima did his best to control his expression, even as Adachi hit on the exact thing he didn't want to consider, but knew he had to. That the only other people who had this ability, were Souji and his friends.
He didn't want to believe they would be doing this. His heart told him no, those kids wouldn't do this, not after spending that entire year trying to solve the case themselves...
But his logical side knew it was a possibility, and too important for him to ignore. That sort of dismissal was what let Adachi...
"...It's probably not them, Dojima-san." Adachi's tone was annoyed, his expression returning to a dull look of boredom, as he leaned his chin against his entwined hands, "...they're too damn goody goody to think about doing shit like that. But..." He shrugged nonchalantly, glancing back up at Dojima, "...You know they're probably involved somehow..." He smiled-- that near feline-like grin he got when he knew he was right about something,
"Good luck interrogating the brats this time."
Dojima couldn't help but hate it when Adachi was right. He left the jail with more questions than answers; so if Adachi wasn't the cause, it was probably someone like him. That did leave the kids as possible suspects...
He didn't want to believe they'd do anything like that, and yet he'd thought the same about Adachi. He couldn't trust his feelings on this, not when lives were at stake.
At the very least, he'd need to question Souji.
It was only a few weeks later, with the case file opened on his desk that it all came to ahead. Despite the Tokyo's Police department's best endeavors to suppress the information to the general public, the high profile murder of a foreign CEO's daughter couldn't be hidden. The media had a field day, declaring it the 'Inaba Copycat Murders', digging up all of the previously 'ignored' cases rile up a panicked public even more.
He'd gotten some calls from reporters wanting his 'opinion' as the previous head detective of the serial murders; but he blatantly ignored them, instead working on a copy of the case file to send along to Tokyo, making plans to call Souji that night and ask him what the hell was going on.
But he didn't get very far in either. Instead, he was called to the head office by his superiors who had news for him.
He was being temporarily transferred to Tokyo to assist with the copycat investigation, due to his previous experience. It was at the request of the Police Commissioner; having someone who had technically 'solved' the Inaba case would calm the public's panic, or so they hoped. Of course, some were quick to quietly whisper how Dojima may be being tossed under the bus, since the media would surely pounce on the fact it was his junior partner who ended up being the murderer...
Dojima was far more focused on the fact they were asking him to go to Tokyo on short notice, when he was a single parent. He couldn't just drag Nanako with him, she had school to go to, but who knows how long he was expected to stay in the city...?
Fortunately, small towns have their advantages. Gossip always spread like wild fire, and before the day was over, he'd gotten a call from the Amagi Inn-- Yukiko, Souji's friend, would be willing to take Nanako in temporarily and look after her while he went to the city. That was a weight off his shoulders, even if there was still more to work out. And... to talk to Nanako about this.
He'd gotten nothing but phonetag from Souji over the past several weeks, and Yukiko was also in the dark as to what was going on... or so he could discern from her words. Seems like he was going into this blind, with nothing but past experience to give him a sign.
A few days later, Ryotaro Dojima had arrived at the HQ in Tokyo, ready to hit the pavement and see what he could find out. Hopefully office politics here in the big city wouldn't slow him down too much. Namely, that he wanted to get especially hands on with the case.
If you were going to drag him out to the big city to help, he wasn't going to just standby to look pretty for the press, that was for sure.
(Locked to Naomi)
First order of business was to take a first hand look at the bodies of the victims. Apparently they had a well respected if... unusual forensic examiner working with them right now. There'd been some gossip about her in the media too, before, but honestly... who cared, if she could get the job done?
There was a knock at the door of the lab, before Dojima opened it, letting himself inside.
"...Pardon the intrusion. I'm looking for Dr. Kimishima?"
(Open to All)
Second order of business? Interviews. Lots of them. This would be... considerably more difficult compared to Inaba, but he had some ideas for who to ask.
Including some people not on the interview list...
Summary: Dojima's arrival in Tokyo to help the investigation of the disappearances and murders.
Ryotaro Dojima was a simple man, or so he told himself
He was accustomed to small town life; and small town crimes with practical, logical solutions, grounded in reality.
The Inaba Serial Murdercase that he had been placed in charge of a few years back had scattered that all to the wind, with national attention suddenly on the town, and a crime that just seemed to have no easy answers.
No logical answers, anyway. Dojima had no belief in the supernatural, or paranormal, even if the circumstances of the murders were... well. Unusual. Bizarre, even.
The victims-- Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi-- found dead, hanging in the air from telephone poles or antennas; and no immediate sign of what had caused their deaths. The city had been covered in a thick fog, so no one saw when the bodies were placed, or by who.
Along with strange television shows on at midnight when it rained, and his nephew's strange behavior, he was left at a loss...
Only to be forced over and over to deal with otherworldly forces; his daughter being kidnapped and vanishing, suffering from an unnameable condition when she was rescued, and then...
Her death, and... subsequent inexplicable revival. A 'miracle', he was almost pained to call it, but he had no other words for it.
And then his junior partner... the true culprit. Adachi's confession was supposed to shine light on the murders, but only led to more questions; pushing people through the tv, tricking Namatame into targeting other's who'd shown up during the 'Midnight Channel'... all of it was a mess. And yet, it both matched the timeline of the murders, and the accounts from both his Nephew and Namatame.
Dojima had hoped as bizarre as the case was, he could put it behind him; focus on raising his daughter properly, and protecting Inaba from more 'normal' crimes.
But... life was never so simple, was it?
Tokyo, 2017.
It had started with a couple of run away teenagers. One by one, they were found, hanging from cables in alleyways and forgotten corners of the city.
Largely unreported, or excused as wayward delinquents who got in over their heads, committed suicide out of shame. Whether that was the callous media writing off their deaths as teenage angst, or an intentional suppression of the information, Dojima got word about it via police gossip. That some sick bastard was stringing up bodies like what had happened a few years ago in town.
"Probably someone wanting to copy your old partner, huh--"
Dojima had to hold back punching the guy in the back of head, but the look he gave him was enough.
He'd made the trek to the jail a day or so later, practically interrogating Adachi about these rumors-- but well. Adachi deflected his questioning, as he usually did. He was quick to point out it couldn't possibly be him; he's not been allowed any contact with tv screens, and the cameras could prove he hadn't left the jail.
"But, you know, Dojima-san... I'm not the only one with this power, right?" And there it was, that smirk, his expression lazy and laid back, but with that edge Dojima had come to know was Adachi's true self, "I think it was... a few years ago that you mentioned your nephew and a few of his friends were headed to Tokyo? University, or something."
Dojima did his best to control his expression, even as Adachi hit on the exact thing he didn't want to consider, but knew he had to. That the only other people who had this ability, were Souji and his friends.
He didn't want to believe they would be doing this. His heart told him no, those kids wouldn't do this, not after spending that entire year trying to solve the case themselves...
But his logical side knew it was a possibility, and too important for him to ignore. That sort of dismissal was what let Adachi...
"...It's probably not them, Dojima-san." Adachi's tone was annoyed, his expression returning to a dull look of boredom, as he leaned his chin against his entwined hands, "...they're too damn goody goody to think about doing shit like that. But..." He shrugged nonchalantly, glancing back up at Dojima, "...You know they're probably involved somehow..." He smiled-- that near feline-like grin he got when he knew he was right about something,
"Good luck interrogating the brats this time."
Dojima couldn't help but hate it when Adachi was right. He left the jail with more questions than answers; so if Adachi wasn't the cause, it was probably someone like him. That did leave the kids as possible suspects...
He didn't want to believe they'd do anything like that, and yet he'd thought the same about Adachi. He couldn't trust his feelings on this, not when lives were at stake.
At the very least, he'd need to question Souji.
It was only a few weeks later, with the case file opened on his desk that it all came to ahead. Despite the Tokyo's Police department's best endeavors to suppress the information to the general public, the high profile murder of a foreign CEO's daughter couldn't be hidden. The media had a field day, declaring it the 'Inaba Copycat Murders', digging up all of the previously 'ignored' cases rile up a panicked public even more.
He'd gotten some calls from reporters wanting his 'opinion' as the previous head detective of the serial murders; but he blatantly ignored them, instead working on a copy of the case file to send along to Tokyo, making plans to call Souji that night and ask him what the hell was going on.
But he didn't get very far in either. Instead, he was called to the head office by his superiors who had news for him.
He was being temporarily transferred to Tokyo to assist with the copycat investigation, due to his previous experience. It was at the request of the Police Commissioner; having someone who had technically 'solved' the Inaba case would calm the public's panic, or so they hoped. Of course, some were quick to quietly whisper how Dojima may be being tossed under the bus, since the media would surely pounce on the fact it was his junior partner who ended up being the murderer...
Dojima was far more focused on the fact they were asking him to go to Tokyo on short notice, when he was a single parent. He couldn't just drag Nanako with him, she had school to go to, but who knows how long he was expected to stay in the city...?
Fortunately, small towns have their advantages. Gossip always spread like wild fire, and before the day was over, he'd gotten a call from the Amagi Inn-- Yukiko, Souji's friend, would be willing to take Nanako in temporarily and look after her while he went to the city. That was a weight off his shoulders, even if there was still more to work out. And... to talk to Nanako about this.
He'd gotten nothing but phonetag from Souji over the past several weeks, and Yukiko was also in the dark as to what was going on... or so he could discern from her words. Seems like he was going into this blind, with nothing but past experience to give him a sign.
A few days later, Ryotaro Dojima had arrived at the HQ in Tokyo, ready to hit the pavement and see what he could find out. Hopefully office politics here in the big city wouldn't slow him down too much. Namely, that he wanted to get especially hands on with the case.
If you were going to drag him out to the big city to help, he wasn't going to just standby to look pretty for the press, that was for sure.
(Locked to Naomi)
First order of business was to take a first hand look at the bodies of the victims. Apparently they had a well respected if... unusual forensic examiner working with them right now. There'd been some gossip about her in the media too, before, but honestly... who cared, if she could get the job done?
There was a knock at the door of the lab, before Dojima opened it, letting himself inside.
"...Pardon the intrusion. I'm looking for Dr. Kimishima?"
(Open to All)
Second order of business? Interviews. Lots of them. This would be... considerably more difficult compared to Inaba, but he had some ideas for who to ask.
Including some people not on the interview list...
no subject
"And? Would you care to properly introduce yourself before asking to look at them?"
He can be annoyed; looking over public interviews would be a waste of time.
"I probably should tell you to get started on those interviews for slipping up that much."
Point was, she couldn't just let anyone look at her bodies or be in her room without giving her their rank and name. This case was still a hot bed. Never knew who would attempt to slip into even her room.
no subject
He looked a bit sheepish, but quickly pulled out his badge and ID, presenting it to the Doctor. Ryotaro Dojima, Detective, Yasoinaba... it was all there.
"... I'm used to everyone knowing me, so it slipped my mind. My apologies. Ryotaro Dojima of the Yasoinaba Police force... I was the head detective on the Inaba Serial Murder Case."
This entire experience was just making him feel like a fish out of water. By the same token... it was good she was taking the entire case this seriously. He knew others on the force back home... well. It's easy to think you can slack off when you're in the sticks.
no subject
She had been right, but she needed to see his badge and ID still. Anyway, a look over and she nodded, turning back to the body.
"Well, Detective, do what you want. Besides the posthumous external injuries from where the bodies were recovered, there isn't much to see though. That's what you wanted to confirm, yes?"
no subject
"Yeah. When we found the first victim, all of the 'injuries' were posthumous, obviously from how she was hanging up. And then the second was no different."
He glanced over the body; she was young, though not at young as Saki Konishi, but younger than Mayumi Yamano...
"... when our forensic guys went over the bodies, they could pin point time of death, but not the exact cause."
It had been beyond frustrating-- the victims just seemed to drop dead.
"...The victims aren't all girls this time, if I remember right. So it's not an exact copy of what Adachi did..."
no subject
Uncrossing her arms, she nodded.
"Yes, they're both male and female. Though, besides that... there's no potential connection between any of them either."
no subject
He sighed in frustration, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I'd hoped it was just like what happened to the third victim, being just a copy cat and the culprit easy to track down... but it seems like this is the exact same MO as the original two."
Which meant... he was going to have to rely on what he'd learned from that case, and not what his logical mind was telling him.
"...Doctor. I... realise what I'm about to say is going to sound ridiculous. But I'd ask if you'd hear me out."
no subject
Either way, she was technically done with the body. However, if he still had something to look at, she didn't roll it back to a locker yet.
"Ridiculous, huh? Well, if you feel the need to warn me, but I'm sure you heard the rumors. Try me on this 'ridiculous' notion."
no subject
He was looking over the body. Looking at the girl's face...
"I'd never wanted this to happen again to someone else... to someone else's kid."
The Konishi's... he still remembered their faces. His own chest felt tight, remembering Nanako's...
He took a breath, stepping back from the body so Naomi could put it back into the locker. He'd do his best to chase down the culprit this time.
Glancing back up at the doctor, he shrugged a little.
"Yeah, I heard about them, but... as long as you do your job, I didn't really think much of it," A beat, "...though it does put you in a position where you may be more likely to believe me."
Because he could already tell, a lot of their 'co workers' were looking at him like he had two heads.
"...I'm guessing you already read the casefiles for the Inaba case, right? So... you know about what the culprit said was his method of murdering them was."
no subject
They needed her for this; she did have a certain amount of power. For now, he seemed finished so she wheeled the body back to its locker. In it went and she shut the door, locking it.
"I've studied the Inaba Murder Case, yes. It was paramount and provided incite. However... if someone or someones are repeating this, what really needs to be uncovered is how this ability has surfaced again."
no subject
He should be feeling annoyed, and part of him was, but... another part of him liked she was so serious about her work. Enough to threaten him about it. It was a refreshing change of pace, all things considered.
"I'm glad you're taking that part seriously, because most don't. Not that I blame them."
Rubbing his temple, he mulled over what to say next.
"... Adachi wasn't the only one with that ability. My nephew and his friends... they also have it. They were the ones who 'rescued' those who were tossed into the TV after the initial victims were found dead, and were vital in solving the case."
He looked up at Naomi, his eyes narrowing.
"At least three of them are in Tokyo at the moment; Souji Seta --my nephew-- Kanji Tatsumi and Rise Kujikawa. Naoto Shirogane also comes into town now and again. Chie Satonaka is at the police academy herself, while Yosuke Hanamura and Yukiko Amagi are still back in Inaba."
no subject
His nephew and his friends hadn't been really included in the official reports, but they did appear briefly when it covered Adachi's capture. They had been with him at Junes of all places - somehow the security cameras didn't catch them going in and out? How strange...
"I don't suspect they're behind this. At least, not behind kidnapping. There are no personal connections between them or any of the victims, and besides a few more prolific individuals, they wouldn't have a reason to interact with the deceased prior to their disappearances."
no subject
There was hesitation in his voice, and he seemed tired, like the weight of case was already on his shoulders.
"They were the entire reason we didn't have more deaths in Inaba. And Souji did a lot of good for a lot of people while he was staying with me. I know he's a good kid. But... I thought the same thing about Adachi."
So how could he trust his own judgement here?
"...At the very least, we need to interview them. But Souji's been scarce lately, which makes me more concerned."
no subject
Considering the lockers, there's not really any need to look at the other victims right now.
"You've seen the few photos of the vigilantes going around by now, correct?"
no subject
"...Vigilantes?"
This better not be what he thought it was.
"I haven't heard anything about Vigilantes."
Technically speaking, Souji and his friends had been those, while the case was going on...
no subject
Walking over to the desk she had, she flicked through the newspaper there, pulling out the most recent and picking it out. She held it out for Dojima to see.
"They were caught by some cameras in the district as usual."
no subject
He took the paper from her, reading the article-- nothing but sensationalism-- and then looking at the picture itself.
"..."
And then... squinting a little, His expression just becoming tired.
"...Is that a rabbit with a sword?"
no subject
So, there was a bunny vigilante. Maybe it had something to do with that rise in 'furry' culture she'd been hearing about in passing. Whatever...
no subject
There were a few others in the picture- a pink wearing girl that reminded him of that 'Witch Detective' show Nanako loved, And... some sort of character from those 'dark' video games he saw advertised now and gain. Something 'Souls' or...
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a frustrated sound escaping him.
"...Was life always like this, or did I somehow get pulled into some sort of badly done anime?"
no subject
The photo was ridiculous the longer one looked at it. He probably should put that paper down soon.
"There's always something strange in life."
no subject
He handed the photo back to her, looking about as enthused about these new revelations as one would expect.
"I may need your help with something, Doctor. Or, more specifically, someone."
no subject
Taking the photo back, she'll put it back on her desk.
"Hm? What do you need help with?"
no subject
It was embarrassing to admit it, but...
"Like I said, he's been hard for me to get a hold of, and if I go to him now, it may bring up 'conflicts of interest' or unwanted attention. I don't doubt he's involved somehow, but how exactly I don't know."
Looking up at the Doctor, he gestured towards her.
"Maybe talking to someone new about this may catch him off guard enough to open up. I can give you the recording of my interview with him if you'd like some more insight on what to ask him, and anything else I can help with, but... he's too important to just ignore in this case."
no subject
Well, someone would need to talk to that young man, but her? Really? She placed a finger on her cheek.
"... I'll take the recording. I cannot guarantee I'll be able to speak to him soon unless he has a reason to come to the hospital, or I manage to find a plausible reason - with current evidence - to see him. Right now, he's only on our radar."
no subject
Dojima nodded in agreement, crossing his arms.
"It's appreciated, really. I don't think anyone else would take me seriously about it."
no subject
It was only logical again. She wondered what kind of person he took her for.