Better Than Gold || Daisuke Kambe

[6]

Yotsuki Himari

When the skies darkened, the team brought out their powerful spot lights to lighten the place. It was already sunset and the body count just kept on increasing as they excavated the area. Bags after bags after bags of mutilated bodies. And as they recovered each chopped up body part, the pathologists worked to rebuild a complete human body.

It was retching to see and to smell. Flies flew around us everywhere. It was utterly disgusting. Even though I wore two masks, I could still smell death and I'm sure I would smell it until tomorrow... The day after... Or maybe until next week... Or next month. This wouldn't let me sleep. But it was my decision to see.

My job here was done. They now had all the vital information they needed to get the investigation going. But it would be me who would have to be followed by these souls unrest until they find the culprit and serve justice.

In fact, I swallowed the urge to puke when the first body was recovered. They body parts were cut so cleanly and with so much precision that it looks like the culprit may have an in depth understanding of the human anatomy. They cut where the tendons would hold each bones together to cut it easier. It was very graphic.

All heads that have been recovered did not have eyes. They were cleanly popped of the socket with minimal damage to the body, indicating that these ladies were killed first before the killer took their eyes for some sort of twisted memorabilia or trophy.

These ladies were completely unidentifiable visually. Their fingerprints were invalid since the rotting had severely destroyed their prints. The only way to identify them was through a DNA sample which had been collected and sent to the lab as soon as they were excavated. It would take a few hours to get the DNA and a couple more to match it with their identity.

But I didn't have to wait for those to arrive to know which of these girls were which.
I asked for some paper and pen from one of the officers and thankfully, he had provided them to me without much of a fuss.

One by one i wrote their names down with no hesitation. Tore their names from the paper and placed it by their heads. Everyone watched me, I felt their curious gazes.

"Miss, get away from there." One forensic analyst said.

"No. I just... I know their names." I told them. But they looked at me as if I was crazy for even knowing that. Some gave me suspicious looks but otherwise, did not spoke up anyway. No one stopped me when Kato gave me a nod to continue. And until I named all bodies that lay piece by piece, I didn't stop.

You found us...

Thank you...

Thank you so much...

It hurts...

Help me...

The voices didn't stop but I felt how naming them helped lessen the pain they were in.

After I had placed a make-do name tag on the corpses, I stood back, knelt down on the damp soil and put my hands together, praying to put them at rest... And asking for strength to help solve this case.

When the skies finally turned black, Kato approached me and whisked me away from everyone, bringing me to the parking lot. "I'll drive you to your home, Miss Himari." He said. I didn't bother saying I wanted to stay here. I've seen everything I had to. I just want to see the cream house with blue roof tiles. Something was more evil in that place, the spirits told me so. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at me from the driver seat.

"Yeah." Was all I could form with my mouth. It felt like my energy has been drained so those souls could talk to me. I was just so tired. I wanted a nice warm bath and a soft warm bed to rest in because tomorrow, I knew they would require my help again.

I was staring blankly at my lap when suddenly, Kato-kun moved close towards me. I could smell his faint and cheap perfume... But I could also smell the stench of death that had attached itself to us. But nonetheless, he face up close was enough to raise my heart beat. He still looked perfect despite the dark circles underneath his eyes and the stubbles that ran down his chin. But all that moment vanished when he pulled back, the seatbelt strap in his hand. He secured the seatbelt in front of me and smiled. "Safety first."

"Right." I answered, nodding along.

Soon enough, he started the car and drove off into the dark roads that lead down the mountain.

I decided to scroll through my phone to distract myself from the sad and depressing thoughts. But a message from Eichi was the notification that popped up first.

From Eichi

Sensei! You were on the news! You're famous. Don't you dare forget about your favorite student.

https://VNN-news-daily/fjjeiaxn8385bfjsjje/

The boy attached a link to the message and upon clicking it, a video popped up. A breaking news from the national tv. It featured the earlier events of finally discovering the bodies of the corpses. The video had zoomed in to my face and the reporter boldly announced that the police department needed a help from a "psychic" to locate the body.

"Oh my fu*kin gosh." I groaned out loud, startling Kato-kun.

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized, briefly looking towards me before focusing on the road again. "I forgot to protect your identity."

"Don't apologize..." I chuckled, for the first time today. "I actually forgot too. I wasn't even wearing a mask yet in this video." I sighed, finally realizing that everyone of Japan probably had seen my face now. The school would learn of my abilities. I could get fired.

I leaned on the window and decided to take a nap for a while. Just a simple rest to get my shit together. But suddenly, Kato-kun hit the breaks forcefully, jerking us harshly inside the car.

"Damn it!" He cursed. His eyes, trailing the black pick-up that cut in front of our car. "I'm gonna have to call some colleagues to run that plate number." He said.

But actually, that may have helped me pick up on something I haven't before. A man with one eye... Was he tall? Was he short? He didn't look Japanese at all... But he still looked Asian. Chinese? Taiwanese? I wasn't sure. Then another man appeared in my vision. A man with.. red cap, red helmet... A pizza box. A pizza delivery guy?

"Kato-kun, I think you and Kambe-sam should look for unregistered immigrants... A man with a glass left eye... And a pizza delivery guy with a red staff uniform." I told him out of nowhere, just as we entered my neighborhood.

"Is that the killer?" He asked.

"I'm not so sure but I think those two people are involved in this case." I told him, fully knowing that the police couldn't just whisk away people that I say are suspicious. They could get in trouble.

"I'll remember that, Miss." He smiled, pulling up right in front of my apartment as I pointed. "Leave the rest to us, please have a good night's sleep." He smiled.

"Yes sir. Thank you." I smiled.

"I should be the one thanking you for helping us take a major leap forward in this case. Please contact me whenever you need someone." He bowed, staying until he saw that I had entered my apartment.

I shut the door, locked it and peaked at the window only to see him start to drive away.

Kato Haru, huh? Is whiskey his favorite alcoholic drink? And an underlying fire-arm trauma.... He's interesting...