Chapter 1

Hirota Seigi stood at the edge of the road as he stared out across the fields and river towards the neighbouring city of Yawata. He didn't turn as he listened to the soft crunch of his co-worker's footsteps in the dry grass approach. The sun shone weakly illuminating their surroundings, but Hirota was sure that, come night-time, the area would be extremely dark as there were few street lights and even fewer houses dotting the roadside to help illuminate the area. During the day, especially with winter fast approaching, the land looked dry and empty.

With nothing to attract people to the area, very few cars went by on the streets. At best, people might use this out of the way road as an alternate route towards crossing the Kizu River that separated part of Yodo, in Kyoto City's Fushimi Ward, from Yawata City. Being low ground near the river, essentially part of the river's flood plain, the ground was flat with little vegetation beyond grasses and occasional fields. There weren't even any wild maple or cherry trees to attract people. The land was virtually desolate.

Nakai sighed as she reached Hirota's side. She and Hirota had been sent to investigate a recent multiple murder in the area after the initial investigation had finished. Part of the case, the aspect they'd been called in about, had been an open and shut case as the perpetrator – Katou Hiroshi, 32 - had called the police and confessed to the crime immediately after having committed the act. However, something Katou said during his statement caught the attention of one of the investigating officers. That officer, a veteran of the services, then contacted Nakai's and Hirota's department eventually leading to their now being in the old capital.

Hirota sighed silently. The murder investigation had been so simple and clear-cut, he didn't really see why he and Nakai had been called out. Investigations couldn't get any simpler than the perpetrator calling immediately after committing the crime, handing the police the murder weapon, recounting exactly what had transpired and having the evidence support the story. The only thing that would've been more damning was if there'd been an eye witness. What made this case difficult, however, was that a child was missing. And given the length of time since the initial crime, the chances of that child being found alive were almost non-existent.

He looked at Nakai and waited for her to speak. When she didn't say anything for several moments, he heaved another silent sigh before finally asking, "So, what do you think?"

Nakai looked up at Hirota and shook her head. "I can't believe we were told to haul our butts out here like this, but..." Her voice trailed off as she considered what she'd heard earlier that day.

Nakai and Hirota both spent the better part of the morning reading through the various investigation files after having spoken to Detective Konishi who'd contacted their department. While most of their reading concentrated on the recent multiple murder case, they were also presented with files of other incidents that bore similarities to the latest case. And all of the files were of crimes committed in the area around Yodo in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward very close to Yawata City. While the area was rural, there was a large race track which attracted many visitors on weekends, so they reasoned that the higher crime rate might be accounted for because of its proximity to the track. However, coming out to the scene of the crime revealed only quiet roads and empty fields.

Nakai sighed as she stared into the distance. "I'm not sure. I'm a bit more inclined towards thinking something's off, but at the same time, it might be nothing," she said as she mentally reviewed what they'd learned that morning. She shook her head, "Remind me why we decided to walk out here rather than drive. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel like we're lost. Worse still, my cell's out of area here, so I can't even call us a cab," she said sounding annoyed. "What about you, any thoughts?"

Hirota shook his head, "I'll have you know, you're the one who thought walking would be a great idea." he said grumpily.

Nakai wrinkled her nose at Hirota's comment. Before she could comment, he changed the subject back to the investigation. "But, to be honest, I don't see anything particularly unusual about this case. The guy killed some people and confessed to the crime. What more could you want?"

Nakai looked thoughtful for a moment. "How about motive?" she asked.

Hirota frowned eventually shaking his head silently.

"Okay, what about his daughter? Where'd she disappear to?" Nakai sighed. "I don't know about you, but personally, I'm lost, cold, and want to sit down for a bit. Didn't the reports mention an abandoned house out here somewhere? If it's an old-style house, we can at least take a break and sit there for a bit. Certainly, I don't want to stick around that house right now. I wonder if the guys here would even notice if we went missing..."

When Hirota didn't move, Nakai stamped her feet slightly as she shivered in the cold. "Hirota, I know what you're going to say, but I think we could use some help with this one," Nakai said reluctantly.

He looked at her for a long moment after she said that. "Get help? Why? Neither of us is seeing anything unusual about the case, so why not just call it "investigated with no supporting evidence" and leave it at that?"

Nakai stared across the fields to where a large apartment complex could be seen in the distance. "Call it women's intuition."

Hirota snorted. "Do you honestly expect me to buy that one? Try again."

Nakai had a sour look on her face at Hirota's reply.

However, before she could reply, Hirota's expression suddenly changed and became very wary. "And just who are you suggesting we ask for help?"

Nakai smiled impishly. "Who do you think?"