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Chapter Twenty-Six: Review of the Case:

Back at Ju-Oh Cho, Tsuzuki brought back the new information. The Shinigami reviewed the case and played the tapes. If there were any more doubts about this case, they were gone now. Tatsumi placed the file on the table.

“We know both Yumiko and Kirika were kidnapped by their older brother, Yasuo,” he summarized.

“Haruka is an abusive mother,” Tsuzuki added on, “I have a feeling she is still abusing her sons.” A question came into Watari’s mind.

“Where is their father in all of this?” he asked.

“Do you think she killed Akio?” Tsuzuki offered. The others stared at him with judging eyes. The Shinigami shrugged at his coworkers.

“What? It could be possible!” he said.

“What I don’t understand is why kill her daughters?” Hisoka asked, “Their kitsune weren’t strong enough to begin with and Kirika’s powers had just manifested before she died. What’s the purpose?”

“Maybe to hurt Daisuke…” Watari offered, “Daisuke loved his sisters more than anything, right? Haruka seemed to be jealous of her own daughters. So what better way to hurt her youngest son and get rid of her competition all at once?” They all pondered that theory. When put that way, it did make sense. That point reminded Tsuzuki of two things.

“Oh, we also got this note from Yasuo today,” the oldest Shinigami said. He slid the paper forward. Konoe picked it up and unfolded it. The other four Shinigami read along with him.

“He means to hurt her in three days,” Tsuzuki said after they were finished. Konoe lowered the paper in his hands.

“Tsuzuki, Kurosaki go back Kimoto Manor,” he ordered, “Stay there with Kimoto-san. When Yasuo shows up, take all actions necessary to have him judged! Understood?”

“Yes sir!” the boys said.

“Who’s staying with her right now?” Older Gushoshin asked. Tsuzuki looked a bit sheepish on that one.

“Uh… I left with Emiko and her housemates…” he mumbled.

“You left her with demons?” Tatsumi questioned. Tsuzuki looked away nervously.

“They insisted before I left!” he whimpered, “How could I turn them down? Emiko and her girlfriend are so pushy!”

“Speaking of which,” Hisoka spoke up. “What about her friends?” Tsuzuki looked up at him on that question.

“Whose friends?” he asked blinking.

“Kimoto-san’s friends from the states, of course!” his partner said. A sweat drop formed on Tsuzuki’s head.

Aw shit/, he thought, /I knew I forgot something! Konoe raised an eyebrow at him.

“You mean they’re still in the country?!?” he shouted. Tsuzuki began panic even more.

“I’m still trying to work on that!” he wailed, “Becky won’t leave until she finds Anna and brings her back to San Diego!” Konoe looked at him sharply.

“You talked to one of them?” he asked trying to stay levelheaded. Tsuzuki nodded quickly.

“Apparently on the States, she and Anna’s other friends were told in the news that she committed suicide,” he explained. The other five thought this new piece of information. Ever since Jennifer Day’s murder back in 1976, the Japanese media covered up the Eda-Kimoto clan murders that involved foreigners with stories of suicides and accidents. If word got out that people were getting killed by a clan of kitsune handlers to other countries, the tourism industry and other foreign businesses would drop off dramatically. As for the natives in Japan, the Japanese media had no trouble the whole truth about the murders.

“And her friends don’t buy it?” Tatsumi finished. Tsuzuki shook his head.

“Becky believes that Anna was murdered or sold into prostitution,” he said. They all looked at him funny on that last part.

“Hey, I know that last part sounds silly, but that’s what she believes,” Tsuzuki said with a shrug.

“Either way,” Konoe cut in, “We can’t have them finding out anything about these cases!” He turned to Tsuzuki and Hisoka.

“Find some way to get rid of her friends!” he ordered them, “I don’t care how you do it; just send them back to San Diego! Understood?”

“Yes sir!” the boys said before they headed back to Chijou.