The Black Cat [Detective Conan]

- Chapter 5 : Revelations -

Over the next few days, Hayato spoke very little, but Saeko did her best to establish a relationship of trust with the boy. He opened up a little more every day, but at the same time remained just as silent. The policewoman had already dealt with criminals who were reluctant to talk, but in this case, his silence was beyond comprehension. So she decided not to force him and to give him time.

The policewoman had been right, time is good for things. Hayato was no longer hiding behind the sofa, he was communicating a little more, even though from the start she hadn't seen so much as a hint of a smile. He had even come to greet her when she came home from work, or even to stand nearby when she was cooking. The only thing that seemed to repel him was her passion for the bottle and cigarettes. The boy always looked disgusted, even sad to see it. But for the moment it didn't matter to her, the black cat she had taken in was beginning to find his feet. Hayato was talking more and more. He even went so far as to give his first name.

He wanted to keep his surname a secret as a precaution. He had understood that the police officer did not want him any research on his account behind his back and his parents. If she found her parents and the Organisation found out, they might kill her. They couldn't take away the one person who had listened to her distress.

Unconsciously, Saeko was becoming really important to the schoolboy. He cared about her more and more, worrying when she was late coming home, worrying about her addiction to the bottle and cigarettes. Yet the invisible barrier created by his trauma prevented him from expressing everything he wanted to say to her. He did his best to show her, fighting his fears in the process. 

*** 

- ... Akiyama-keiji ?

- Hmm ?

The woman looked up from the paper she was filling in.

- Thank you...

She tilts her head to one side :

- Why are you thanking me ?

- F-for everything you've done ...

She arches an eyebrow before returning to her preoccupation :

- Boaf? No need to thank me, I wasn't going to leave you in the street like that.

The boy turns his head away quickly, not really expecting this reaction

- ...

- Hmm ? But why are you telling me this all of a sudden ?

Hayato's losing his temper, there must be some other reason? He remains silent, dancing from one foot to the other. Saeko quickly loses interest in the boy and continues what she was doing.

- You know, I ... You were right ...

The policewoman looks at the boy again, questioningly.

- I ran away from my parents.

Saeko is silent, Hayato has never said much about him since she met him.

- I-they didn't really want me, I was a burden to them ...

The boy took the last words out of his father's mouth. The policewoman had a right to know, after all she had done for him. He would keep within the limits of what she could know without her life being at stake. He would be careful not to talk about his parents' work or his collaboration in the crimes they had committed on behalf of the Organisation.

- I was in their way ...

The policewoman remained silent, letting him speak, listening to everything he had to say. She doesn't pick up on the word "embarrassed", although she finds the term strange. He touches her cheek with his fingertips.

- I decided to run away, I couldn't take it any more, they could have killed me just by beating me.

He clenches his fist, thinking about the real reason he decided to run away, the revenge he owed to all the innocent people killed by his parents. But he couldn't tell the policewoman that. Dying didn't matter to him, a scumbag like him couldn't deserve better. Prison wouldn't suit him, he knew that very well, the guilt would eat away at him a little more every day. A warm touch on the top of his head startled him. Saeko had put her hand on the boy's head in an affectionate way. His instinct was to flee, he stiffened but didn't move an inch. He has to trust her.

He had to ...

He must have ...

"He must have been 7-8 years old ...

- Hey kid, you do as you're told, you hold your head high, I'm your father, I'm taking you to the amusement park, you're happy.

The cold voice of Aiichirō, his father, echoes in his ears.

- The transaction should be completed quickly, our erasure of evidence must be completed even faster ...

Hayato can only nod as he enters the park's toilets with his father. A lump in his throat hinders his breathing. Once again, he's witnessing and participating in this without lifting a finger to stop it.

Everything happened very quickly, the man took care of the transaction and got rid of the troublemaker who had tried to blackmail the organisation. Hayato had never known anyone who had been able to blackmail them without dying.

- Let's get the hell out of here, hisses Aiichirō, he's a natural, we didn't see anything.

The man gently closes the toilet cubicle containing the corpse, taking care not to leave any traces. He then pushes Hayato in front of him. The boy tries to hide his trembling hand. They move towards the exit.

Pof

Aiichirō puts his hand on his son's head, and Hayato immediately stops. A shiver runs down his spine. He knows very well what's going to happen next, he's going to put on an act for the umpteenth time. His father smiles broadly and crouches down beside him, his hand still on his head :

- Did you have a good time with Dad ?

The boy nods vigorously, a gleam of terror shining in his eyes ..." 

Hayato takes a step back.

Hayato recoils, he can't help it. Saeko lets her hand fall slowly, a sad look on her face, she knows deep down that he's hiding other things from her ...