InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Closing the Case ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

Closing the Case

Chapter 13

Inuyasha walked into the precinct fully rested for the first time in a week. But it was not just sleep that had lightened his step. They finally had the man who had had them chasing their tails. All they needed now was conclusive proof via Sango and, hopefully, a motive to go with it. Though, if yesterday morning was any indication, an insanity plea was in the man's future. Miroku met him at the door to the main office holding a file in his hand.

"Sango came through." He handed the file over and Inuyasha flipped it open. "We have fingerprints on the steering wheel that match Naraku Arachna, along with blood samples from Souta, Tony, Kohaku, and Kanna. She sent out the DNA samples for confirmation, but her in house preliminaries are a match. He also has several wounds on his legs and arms that resemble dog-bite wounds, but we can't get close enough to check them against the molds of Max's teeth."

"Thanks for the update, Miroku. Why can't you get close enough?" Miroku made a face.

"He's proving to be rather violent."

"No shit," Inuyasha replied dryly. "Never stopped us before."

"Let me put it this way," Miroku said as they entered their small side office. The room had been changed from evidence gathering to evidence sorting. Shippou was heading the effort of getting everything in order. Kirara was sitting in a chair in the corner with her stuffed cat and Max at her side. "We are currently holding him in interrogation room ten."

Inuyasha stopped and looked at his partner. Interrogation room 10 was never used except for suspects that were considered 'high risk.' The table and suspects's chair were both stainless steel and bolted to the concrete floor. The one-way mirror was bulletproof and the only door had dead bolt locks.  It was the closest they had to a maxim security holding area.

"And he's still fighting?"

"At least he's stopped screaming," Miroku shrugged.

"Has Kagura seen him yet?"

"She's with him now. Oh, and Sesshoumaru called, he plans to have that warrant to us by noon. He wanted to make sure we could strip the wallpaper off the place if it suits our fancy." Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head.

"That bastard really bite off more then he could chew by trying to hurt Rin." Inuyasha turned to look back at Shippou, "I assume your babysitter quit."

"Yeah," He replied with a grin, tapping the ends of some papers on the table to even them. "Couldn't imagine why." Miroku and Inuyasha laughed. Soon Shippou was laughing too, and several of the uniforms followed suit. It really was not that funny, but the laughter just felt good at the end of such a stressful week.

&&&

Sesshoumaru strode gracefully into Judge Toutousai's office. The room was furnished sparsely in dark furniture. The walls were an off white shade and the large window let in a lot of natural light; but the room looked like a cave all the same.

The judge himself was an elderly man, well past the age of retirement. He swore he would die before he retired, and seemed to mean it. Toutousai had large, bugging eyes and wispy, grey hair that he kept in a tiny ponytail. His body looked like skin draped over gangly sticks. Rin had once asked if he was a giant bug.

Sesshoumaru stood before the large desk patiently, waiting to be recognized. Toutousai did not look up from the document he was reading, or make any indication that he had noticed the intruder to his office. The lawyer waited, eyes scanning the many tomes that lined the bookcase; landmark cases up to the 1980s, amendments to older laws Vol. 1 - 32, Official Documents and How to Read Them. The minutes ticked by and still Toutousai stared at the paper, unblinking.

"Dog fang… zzz… swords… zzz… life and death…zzz…" Sesshoumaru slammed his fist against the desk. Toutousai jumped awake, scattering papers in all directions. As he looked around wildly for the disturbance, Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. The elderly judge looked at him, squinted, put on thick glasses, and then smiled.

"Ahh, Counselor West. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have a search warrant in need of a signature," he replied coolly, extending the neatly folded document.

"Ahhh…" Toutousai sighed, taking the warrant and unfolding it on his desk. After switching to a smaller pair of bifocals, he began muttering as he read. Sesshoumaru pursed his lips the barest amount, used to but by no means enjoying this part of the job. After what seemed a small eternity, Toutousai switched his glasses again and looked up. "This warrant is very… extensive. It says you want the right to seize his," He squinted through his thick glasses at the paper again, "All his pens. And you want to look for… human fluids. Can you clarify this in some way?"

"The man in question is accused of three counts of murder in the first degree, one count of attempted murder in the first degree, three counts of kidnapping, two counts of attempted kidnapping, three counts of rape in the first degree, four counts of child abuse, child endangerment, breaking and entering, assault, forgery, assault of an officer, and resisting arrest."

"And all this took place over one week?"

"Correct."

"Busy man." Toutousai turned back to the paper, switching his glasses, and reread the whole thing. Finally, he looked up, switched his glasses, and gave an almost toothless smile.

"I will sign the warrant as is, but answer me this. Most of these charges will get him life, if not more, why so many?" Sesshoumaru's mouth twitched into the ghost of a frown.

"The victims of these malicious crimes were all children somehow connected to the precinct I work for. Needless to say, several of the officers are up in arms."

"I see," Toutousai replied, leaning back in his overstuffed chair. He seemed lost in thought for a long moment before leaning over the warrant and placing his signature on it. He refolded it carefully and handed it back. "I do hope they find what they are looking for."

"As do I," Sesshoumaru nodded and swept out of the room.

&&&

Inuyasha and Miroku leaned against the wall across from the one-way mirror into interrogation room ten. Kagura sat in the single wooden chair across the table from Naraku, with her back to them. The man was held securely to the chair by handcuffs around his wrists and the arms of the chair. Kagura's dark hair was up in a neat bun, decorated with a pin of feathers and jade. It was a perfect match for her dangling jade earrings. Her voice carried over the intercom; it was strained as if she were doing her best to keep it calm and even.

The whole event was strange to watch. The same man who had been wild, knife wielding, and belligerent yesterday, now sat calmly and spoke in a smooth even voice. One was tempted to think they had the wrong man. But his answers to her questions were at best very cryptic. And he was not admitting anything. Finally, Kagura stood up and left the room.

She looked tired and her clothes were slightly out of place. She wore a simple blouse-skirt combo and low heels. A few strands of hair had fallen out of her careful bun and into her eyes. She took her time arranging herself before she turned to the two detectives.

"What do you think?" Miroku asked. Kagura looked back through the glass thoughtfully.

"I'd like to try something first. Inuyasha, will you step into the room and ask him some questions?"

"What do you want me to ask?" The detective replied as he pushed himself off the wall.

"Anything that comes to mind. I just want to see how he reacts to you." Inuyasha shrugged and walked over to the door. He looked back and waited for his cue. Kagura moved to the mirror and looked into the room. "Whenever you're ready."

Inuyasha pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Naraku turned his head to look at him as he moved to the extra chair. His eyebrows came together and his lips pursed ever so slightly. Inuyasha wasn't sure, but his brown eyes seemed to take on a reddish glow, if only for a second. The detective walked to the wooden chair, hung his coat on the back, and sat down.

"So tell me, what happened yesterday?" Inuyasha asked casually. Naraku narrowed his eyes, "I'm sure there was a logical explanation for what you did."

"Isn't it your job to decide what I did and why? Even one such as yourself can do that much." Naraku answered and Inuyasha lifted an eyebrow.

"And what do you mean by that?" Inuyasha asked, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the cold metal table. A sardonic sort of smile crossed Naraku's face and he sat up straighter in his chair. Inuyasha suppressed a growl. How could this guy be so damn smug?

"Wouldn't you like to know? How did you make detective, by the way? You obviously don't have the brains for it."

"Funny you should mention my brain," Inuyasha smiled almost pleasantly, "because my brain is the only thing that can help you right now. I can guarantee Sesshoumaru will do everything in his power to see that you spend the rest of your life behind bars."

"In your words, 'Feh!' That half-wit, bumbling, dimwit brother of yours couldn't find his nose on his face with a map and the help of you and that dumbass partner of yours, much less convict me of a parking ticket." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. His brother was far from one of his favorite people, but he did not take kindly to anyone insulting him. And no one, no one insulted his partner. Something else clicked in the back of his mind, but he could not put his finger on it. "Frankly, I don't know who I feel more sorry for; him or that brainless bimbo that willingly shares your bed."

Inuyasha visibly bristled, his jaw clenching and his fists gripping the edge of the table. It took all the control he had not to hit the other man. If he did, anything that Naraku said could be twisted into a confession through police brutality. Inuyasha had a sneaky suspicion that Naraku knew that.

"That's enough," Kagura's voice called over the intercom. Inuyasha huffed, grabbed his coat off the chair and stormed from the room. Miroku and Kagura met him on the other side.

"Don't let him get to you," Miroku soothed. "He's just trying to make you slip." Inuyasha snorted and Miroku turned his attention back to Kagura. "What do you think?"

"You want my professional opinion?" She asked, "I think he is completely off his rocker."

"Is that a technical term?" Miroku quipped. Kagura rolled her ruby eyes.

"He seems to have issues with repressed anger, an obsession with his late fiancé, and is prone to violence. The trigger seems to be the people he blames for his fiancé's death - i.e. the two of you, Sango, Shippou, and Sesshoumaru."

"Ok, so why attack the kids if his grudge is against us?" Inuyasha asked. Kagura simply shook her head.

"I don't know."

"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's cool voice called to them. They turned to see the lawyer striding towards them with his normal easy gate, his long hair swaying gracefully behind him. He stopped in front of his brother and handed him a neatly folded document. "Your warrant." Inuyasha took the paper and unfolded it, quickly scanning through it. "It's all there."

"And then some. Thanks, Sessh. Let's go, Miroku."