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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
"Yes."
She stopped crying not too long ago, but she does look over the box of tissues, expecting to need them soon. Gwendolyn takes a sip of that water and breathes a small sigh.
"I'm...sorry if I'm taking up your time, detective."
no subject
He put down his pad of paper for making notes himself. He'd looked at her files and knew her being the culprit was extremely unlikely... Especially since she'd just returned from vanishing herself.
"I know you've already dealt with the police a lot in the past while... so I'm sorry to impose this on you when you probably just want to rest. But... I'd like to ask you some questions, all the same."
no subject
She's tired. Absolutely. She wants to just go home and sleep, but...part of her didn't want to go home right away. Seeing her inner self, facing those true thoughts about her family...she wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with her father right now. Not after all of this.
no subject
Not... her father, however. Not until some time had passed, anyway...
"...Where have you been these past few days?"
no subject
She seems doubtful, glancing down at her hands once again. How is she going to put this...
She shakes her head.
"I think I know, but I can't describe it without sounding insane. It...felt as though I was trapped in myself. Everything about where I was felt like a reflection of me. It was real, however. I could walk along the floor and touch the walls..."
The girl tenses up.
"They called it a...dungeon..."
no subject
Not that she'd been in a 'dungeon', but that she admitted it so readily. With Souji it took until the kid was in the interrogation room before he told Dojima what was going on, and... well.
"...I see. When you said 'they', who did you mean?" He quickly wrote down the notes in short hand-- "And could you tell me about this 'dungeon'? ...As much as you can."
no subject
Oswald and his friends. They all risked their lives to save hers. They saw that inner turmoil that so few before them even knew about. And when it was over, after Gwendolyn could finally accept her shadow and exhaustion caught up with her, Oswald held her in his arms with that look of joy and concern that made her smile. He really does care about her...and she's starting to care right back...
"...The heroes from the news. They rescued me and told me about dungeons. They said dungeons mirror a person's heart, especially the parts we don't admit to."
Gwendolyn takes a deep breath and sets down the cup, steeling herself.
"Mine took the shape of a circus. Every aspect of it was run by the same person: myself. Rather, my 'shadow,' as they put it. She adjusted the lights, ran the concession stands, served as the ringleader...and so on. She strived to put out the greatest show in history and performed all manner of stunts. From tightrope walking, lion taming...my...fourth grade band class..."
It ranged from "Exactly what you'd expect from a circus" to "anything Gwen felt like was an achievement," is what she's trying to say.
"...My shadow even played the part of the lion. It was...odd, watching her jump through hoops in that suit. I-in any case, she always glanced at an empty seat in the audience. It was reserved for someone who never came. Every time she looked at it, she grew more angry and desperate..."
no subject
She knew more than she was telling about those 'heroes', but he'd let that slide for now. It was becoming all the more obvious that Souji was involved; if the vigilantes that fought in open daylight were also the only ones who could go into 'Dungeons', it wasn't hard to work out.
Damnit, Souji...
But, more importantly, what this kid had dealt with. So... like what Souji had told him, the world reflected what someone's inner feelings were. A circus...
He glanced down at the notes again, looking at all of the things Gwendolyn worked on, or did. She had a fantastic record; hard working, studious, nothing but a good kid...
And yet it still wasn't enough to draw in the one person she wanted most...
"...Was it for your father?" His voice was... gentle. Or he tried to have it be; he was still working on this sort of thing. Dojima did his best to think how he'd talk to Nanako. Even if it was a little painful himself.
Nanako... he had neglected her himself, after Chisato... was killed. But despite the fact that Dellingr-san had lost his own wife, it was pretty clear he was capable of affection still, considering his reactions to Griselda were immediate. And yet... it was Gwendolyn's bosses that had reported her missing. Not a peep from her father.
...He could feel that angry feeling starting to burn in his gut again. But that wasn't what the focus was here.
no subject
"He never appeared. My shadow was preparing for a 'grand finale' that she believed was sure to lure him here. She believed if...if he wouldn't care for me in my life, then he would care for me in my death..."
Gwendolyn folds her hands together, the tight grip trying to disperse the tension from the memories.
"...Or if not me, then my half-sister, Velvet. She believed if I were the only living daughter, then he would have no choice but to love me..." The girl vehemently shakes her head, her voice starting to get shaky once again.
"She and Griselda cared for me when father wouldn't. They tried to convince me it's not worth trying to please him. Griselda...she only came back to see me..." Her hand reaches for a tissue to once again dry her eyes. "I didn't want to feel responsible for another sister's death, so...so I attacked my shadow. I called her an imposter. But she...she laughed and stared at me with those cold eyes of hers. She seemed...thrilled that I called her a liar, that I didn't believe we were the same. Things went dark after that..."
Another pause in her testimony to try and compose herself. Again, she shakes her head and tries to steady herself. "I'm sorry. It still sounds insane to me; I can't imagine what it must sound like to you, detective..."
no subject
His voice was firm, but... there was no edge to it. This girl... she'd gone through a lot.
"I've heard crazier. That's why I'm working on this case."
Because he'd heard all this before now; from Souji, from Adachi. From the other victims now that it was more of a fact than a flight of fancy.
"...And... to be honest, everyone has things about themselves they rather not admit. Wherever you were... took advantage of that. You're not a bad kid for having them too."
Because, well... weren't Souji's friends all good kids? But... focus on the case.
"So it went black... when do you remember waking up? Were you still in the 'dungeon', or back in Tokyo?"