Sleepy Hollow

Chapter 1

"I guess that's all for today, that's it." Satsuki stopped recording, and ejected the tape out of the recorder; labeling and placing it inside a cabinet filled with them. Today's been a bothersome one, she wasn't able to solve another mystery, there was definitely something wrong with it; it didn't feel right.

Another police officer entered the room, Gakuto, a rookie. He approached her while carrying a metal briefcase that caught her eyes. "Found this near the crime scene earlier, figured it'd be best to let you know first."

"Hm, open it up, dear."

"Yes, ma'am." He opened the briefcase to reveal an old set of notes, even a folder containing some documents; the date on these were from 1998.

"Now what do we have here," she took the folder and began reading its contents, a buried case named only, "Sleepy Hollow murders." The incident took place in a separate location named "Sleepy Hollow," located near Neuville, a string of murders happened there and the police never uncovered who was the perpetrator. "Well...this is interesting, care to take a look?"

"Certainly." Gakuto looked at the documents inside the folder, interest evident in his eyes, "This feels like some sort of Jack the Ripper story, although only 3 women were killed, the others were 4 men."

Satsuki seemed calm, but her excitement was getting over her. She stood up and celebrated slightly; leaving Gakuto a little confused. "You know how exciting this case is? One that hasn't been solved in the span of 2 decades? It's so..." She let out a small, excited gasp, and she blushed after Gakuto just stared, she's getting overwhelmed by her emotions again.

"I understand your point, I can tell that something is exciting about this case," he finished it with an awkward smile, further embarrassing Satsuki. To get rid of it, Satsuki sighed and took the folder back, sitting down and drinking a can of soda.

"Hm, we can conduct this tomorrow."

"Won't the police pry?"

"Private investigator, remember? I can get away with investigating things without their approval, unless they decide to pry. Which might not happen since I'm closing this office quickly."

"Good idea. I think I may join you on this. I can just provide an excuse to why I'm gone for that day."

"Well, since you're really up for it. No reason for you not to join in. Just hope that if you get caught, it's on you and not me."

"I understand that. I can handle it."

Gakuto left the room, Satsuki kept reading the documents inside. Aside from the analysis done by the police, the witness reports were limited, with some saying they saw a tall, red-haired boy chasing the victims, but the reports were never verified; the lack of evidence was the primary reason why they couldn't convict anyone. The case was eventually buried when nothing could be found anymore, and every piece of evidence that was discovered led them to a dead end.

She put the files away back into the briefcase and finished the can of soda, then pulled out her phone and checked the messages she received. Nothing new, she did go back to the messages that were sent months back. The incident where she and Banri investigated the small crime perpetrated by Haroichi out, it was a short yet intriguing one, though she mostly focused on distracting the police and finding a way to make sure they end up burying the case.

"Hopefully he's doing better right now," she was talking about Haroichi, who's mental state was in a bad spot the past few years, and he's been reported to be recovering. She tasked Banri and Chinami to do so, since she didn't trust any doctors for that.

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Gakuto exited the building to take a breather, looking out the street. Satsuki's office was located in the slums area of Neuville, which made it a bit hard to get into due to the crime rate in the area. But she's one of the best you could ask for, even the price of her duties was reasonable at best.