Detective Yamamoto and the Stolen Figure Part 2

SATURDAY

When Satoshi arrived at the detective agency at the appointed time in the morning, he found himself subtly surprised to find that Detective Yamamoto was up and about in as fit a state as she ever was. In truth, he had half expected her to be lounging around as was her wont, but to his vague dismay, she seemed too excited about catching a real life bank robber. She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even deign to look up as Satoshi walked into her office.

"Good morning, Detective," Satoshi said after moment.

"Good morning, assistant," replied the detective, still not looking up. As Satoshi approached her desk to see what she was so fixated on, the detective looked up with a conspiratorial smirk.

"What's with all this?" asked Satoshi. He gestured to the motley collection of odds and ends the detective had gathered, among which were a massive flashlight, a length of rope, and what appeared to be a crude facsimile of a police officer's badge made from paper.

"This is what a night of intense preparation looks like," Detective Yamamoto said proudly.

"Preparation?"

"Of course! You didn't think I'd go to apprehend a bank robber without a plan, did you?" Satoshi didn't respond for fear that his mouth would betray him. Taking his silence for confirmation that any and all doubts were assuaged, Detective Yamamoto packed everything into a bag and tossed it to Satoshi. "Let's go, we need to go get the figurine now."

Now, the prospect of going to confront a bank robber gave Satoshi pause, but the addition of being a passenger in Detective Yamamoto's car was harrowing in an entirely different way. The only benefit, if indeed it can be called a benefit, was that Detective Yamamoto's lead foot made any car ride as short as humanly possible.

With merely three near collisions with other vehicles and one instance of the detective briefly swerving off the road, Satoshi and Detective Yamamoto arrived in one piece. After Satoshi managed to pry his hand off the panic bar, he was grateful indeed to be able to walk around on his own two feet again.

The detective had parked down the street from the supposed bank robber's house. Her reasoning being that they might have to make a getaway and she didn't want the perpetrator to get a good look at her car. Satoshi wasn't sure he agreed, but the detective had been oddly defensive about her junk car before, so he felt it was best to agree and move on.

"So, what's the plan, Detective?" asked Satoshi.

"Simple, my dear assistant," replied the detective. "We go in, we talk to the perpetrator, we get the trinket back, and then, after a day or two, we let Ishioka know." To Satoshi's mind, the plan was a little lacking on fine detail, and a little heavy on being vindictive towards Officer Ishioka. Nevertheless, it seemed like he couldn't do much to dissuade the detective when they had come so far, and this was made all the more clear to Satoshi by the looming shape of the house they were looking for.

Now the pair stood before the front door of the supposed bank robber. It was just a simple door, but the circumstances surrounding it gave it an ominous air. As Satoshi was considering the implications of what they were about to do, Detective Yamamoto knocked on the door. A few tense moments of silence passed before the door opened slightly. A chain held the door from opening further and a suspicious eye peered through the crack.

"What do you want?" asked the figure from within.

"We're here about the listing for the figurine!" said the detective cheerfully. Satoshi knew that she fully intended on some sort of subterfuge, and he was amazed that none of that came across in her voice or demeanor.

"One moment," said the voice. There was a mechanical sound of locks being undone and chains being removed before the door opened fully. The man that was revealed by the opening of the door was, in Satoshi's mind, the prototypical bank robber. He was a tall, burly man and he had a constant scowling expression on his face. His clothing was dark-colored and nondescript, and Satoshi suspected that this served a purpose in the profession of bank robbery. "Please, come in," the man said. His words were ostensibly polite, but his tone of voice conveyed no kindness or warmth.

As the man led them into his house, Detective Yamamoto tugged on Satoshi's shirt, holding him back for a moment. Satoshi turned and gave the detective a questioning look and nearly spoke, but she motioned first for him to be quiet and then to look at the man's arm.

"Did you see those bandages on his arm?" Yamamoto asked, barely speaking above a whisper. In truth, Satoshi hadn't and said as much. Detective Yamamoto grinned. "My guess is that those bandages are covering up glass cuts, say, from the broken window at the bank." Satoshi nodded thoughtfully. It seemed to make a good deal sense the way Detective Yamamoto had presented it. Satoshi felt simultaneously reassured that they weren't wasting their time and nervous about entering the home of a fugitive criminal, but nonetheless he had to go through with it at this late stage. Fortunately, the exchange between Satoshi and the detective was brief enough to go unnoticed by the man. 

That truly would be the worst case scenario, Satoshi thought.

As with the front door and the man's clothes, the interior of the man's house appeared similarly bland and vague. Just taking in the surroundings at face value, Satoshi would not have arrived at the conclusion that the resident was a criminal. The man, who had been leading them deeper into the house, led them into a small room with a desk and a few shelves. The shelves all contained small knick-knacks and trinkets. The man turned to face them.

"Here's the figurine." said the man, picking it up off a wall-mounted shelf and holding it in his hand. "I trust you have the money?"

"Of course," said the detective. She began to rummage through the bag she had packed earlier. She made a big show of digging around, and while she did so, she surreptitiously nudged Satoshi's foot with her own. Presumably, this was supposed to be some sort of signal, but what precisely she was trying to communicate eluded Satoshi. In any case, he resolved to be ready in case the detective made a move. Rather than taking any money out of her bag, Detective Yamamoto instead produced a flashlight. It was a large, rather clunky flashlight. Satoshi considered that the flashlight would likely provide better utility as a bludgeon than as a light source based on how old it looked.

"Here's your payment! We'll be taking that poor old lady's figurine back!" Detective Yamamoto raised the flashlight right up to the man's face, and she pushed the button with an audible click. To the detective's surprise and Satoshi's horror, nothing happened. The man glowered down at the detective.

"The poor old lady's figurine?" he asked. His tone was calm, but deadly.

"You'll have to excuse my friend, she often-" The man interrupted Satoshi by raising his hand abruptly to silence him.
"What old lady?" the man asked. Detective Yamamoto seemed not to have noticed, but Satoshi became keenly aware of a note of menace that had entered the man's voice. It was as if he was hinting to them that they should give a reasonable explanation of what they really meant.

"The old lady from the bank," said the detective. She said it almost defiantly, as if to try and double down on her slip up. Satoshi could have strangled her. She could have lied and maybe the man wouldn't have known the difference. Satoshi wondered whether or not this would have actually gotten them out of the jam they were currently in, but it certainly wouldn't make things worse.

"The old lady from the bank," repeated the man. He set the figurine back on the shelf he had taken it from and reached behind the desk, pulling out a shotgun whose barrel had been sawn off. He made a show of pointing the firearm at Satoshi and then sweeping over to the detective. Satoshi raised his hands reflexively and Detective Yamamoto did the same, dropping her bag in the process. Its contents partially spilled out revealing the coil of rope she had packed previously. The man spared a glance to the bag and looked back up, exhaling slowly through his nose as his eyes narrowed on Satoshi and the detective.

"Now," said the man. "You're going to tell me everything you think you know."

"Look, I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding," started Satoshi.

"It all started on a Thursday morning," said the detective cutting him off. "I was in my office when I heard about a bank robbery that I definitely shouldn't investigate. No one can tell me what to do, so I went anyway."

"Go on," said the man. The shotgun he brandished hadn't wavered at all, and Satoshi was becoming increasingly nervous. His mind raced as the detective recounted the events of the day. Why was she divulging this information?
"We went to the scene of the crime, and there was an old lady who had been robbed-"

"I've heard enough. The two of you are very curious and I don't think I appreciate you nosing into my business."

"Then we're sorry to trouble you. We'll be on our way." Foolishly, the detective started to make a move for the door albeit casually.

"Wait just a moment. Knowing what you know, I can't let you leave." The man moved the shotgun so that it was pointed squarely at the detective.

"You're not going to shoot me first, right?" said the detective.

"We'll see," said the man. "For now, let's go to the kitchen. Blood's easier to clean off tile and I don't want to stain my carpet." Seeing few options and no way out, Detective Yamamoto and Satoshi walked ahead of the man with their hands above their heads as he directed them to the kitchen. Just as Satoshi thought that the moment had arrived, there came a knock upon the front door of the man's house. This forestalled the bank robber from shooting either of them, but the man didn't answer, and it seemed as though the interruption merely delayed the inevitable. After a moment, the knock came again. Another moment had passed and it seemed as though whoever had been knocking on the door had gone away. Waiting until the stranger was presumably out of earshot for good measure, the man once again raised the shotgun, now taking aim squarely at Satoshi. Before he could pull the trigger, the silence was broken by the sudden crashing sound of splintering wood.

"Police!" shouted a new, female voice. "Drop your weapon!" To Detective Yamamoto's surprise and Satoshi's relief, the unmistakable form of Officer Ishioka crossed the threshold, having already drawn her service pistol, and now pointing it directly at the bank robber. For a moment, nothing happened. Neither Officer Ishioka nor the man fired their weapons, but neither did the man do as he was commanded, and both of them continued to train their weapons on their intended targets. The man broke the silence.

"Thank God you're here, officer!" he exclaimed. "I was just dealing with these two thieves. They broke into my house and they were trying to rob me!"

"Liar!" Detective Yamamoto retorted. Perhaps reflexively, the man took aim at the detective and Officer Ishioka was forced to reiterate.

"Drop your weapon!" The man lowered the sawn-off shotgun a fraction, but he didn't drop it altogether and the barrel still pointed at Detective Yamamoto, prompting the police officer further. "There are many times I want to shoot Detective Yamamoto too, but neither of us has the justification." Satoshi's brow furrowed as he contemplated the implications of that statement.

"Detective?" said the man, slowly turning his head to glower at Yamamoto. The look he gave her was one of absolute and unrelenting malice. She stuck out her tongue mockingly.

"That's right, I'm a detective, and you're busted. Arrest him, officer." The smugness of Detective Yamamoto was palpable, and Satoshi couldn't help but feel she was a little too smug for someone with a shotgun pointed at her.

"I don't take orders from you, Yamamoto, but regardless, I can't abide by someone threatening innocent civilians with a deadly weapon. You're under arrest."

With her gun still drawn and trained on the man, Officer Ishioka took a pair of handcuffs and approached him. For a dreadful moment, Satoshi thought the bank robber might try something and things would boil over, but Officer Ishioka managed to take the weapon from him and cuff his hands behind his back with minimal truculence. Even as he was disarmed and handcuffed, he never stopped glaring at Detective Yamamoto.

Now no longer under threat of imminent death, Satoshi relaxed, slumping against the wall and letting out a long sigh.

"Thank God you showed up when you did, officer." said Satoshi.

"I'll say, you pair of idiots. You're lucky I'm not as stupid as you two seem to think. I've been following you since you showed up at the bank," replied Ishioka curtly.

"I know," replied Detective Yamamoto with an infuriating sense of nonchalance. "You turned up exactly when I was hoping you would." Officer Ishioka gaped at the detective for a moment, as it seemed like the detective had planned on her following the pair. She shook her head, dispelling the befuddled expression. She then busied herself for a moment talking into her police radio, informing her colleagues in the fastest possible manner about what happened.

"There, there'll be a squad car for you shortly," said Ishioka to the bank robber. She turned to Detective Yamamoto and Satoshi. "As for the two of you, you better get out of here before I see fit to arrest you for breaking and entering and trespassing."

"Oh Hitomi," whined the detective. "We were invited in, and it's for a case!"

"A case, I'll remind you, I told you to stay aware from and the chief wants you to stay away from. Now get out of here." Satoshi seized the initiative. While the detective continued to whine and argue with Officer Ishioka, he discretely made his way back to the room with desk and pocketed the figurine. Seeing as how they had gone to all this effort and had nearly suffered greatly for it, it would be a terrible shame not to at least get the old woman her figurine back.

"Alright, alright, we'll leave. Assistant!" Detective Yamamoto hollered.

"Couldn't agree more. Let's go," said Satoshi. "Thanks for your help, officer." Satoshi took Detective Yamamoto by the arm and started walking briskly towards the door, nearly dragging her in the process.

"What's the big rush, assistant?" asked the detective as they crossed the threshold. Satoshi didn't respond. He felt it was self-evident that he wouldn't want to stick around the home of a bank robber and would-be murderer. Eventually, Satoshi and the detective arrived back at her parked car. Satoshi got in the car and sat in silence. Detective Yamamoto got in the driver's side and sighed.

"It's a shame all this was for nothing," she said while fumbling with her car key, trying to fit it into the starter. "Stupid Hitomi had to spoil everything by kicking us out."

"A shame indeed," said Satoshi, with a hint of a smile. He put his hand in his pocket, withdrew the figurine, and set it on the car's dashboard.

"Satoshi, when did you swipe that?" the detective asked. She could scarcely keep the shock from her voice as she looked between Satoshi and the figurine.

"When you were busy arguing with Officer Ishioka." replied Satoshi. "She didn't seem to notice that I snuck off." Detective Yamamoto clasped her hands together.

"Today wasn't a waste after all!" Detective Yamamoto said happily. Her demeanor remained happy and cheerful for a while, but the longer she drove, the more the severity of the day's events seemed to set in. By the time Detective Yamamoto had haphazardly parked her car near her office, she was practically catatonic.

"I think I need a drink," Detective Yamamoto muttered as she lurched out of the car. "We can return the old lady's trinket tomorrow."

"I think I'll join you," said Satoshi, now feeling similarly downtrodden after having time to think about it.

~~~

Now a few drinks deep each, Satoshi and Detective Yamamoto reminisced on the day's events.

"That was a big mess, wasn't it?" said Satoshi as he took a sip.

"Yeah," agreed the detective as she finished her can. "I knew she would, but Hitomi just had to show up and spoil everything. She can't help but ruin anything fun." Satoshi set down his can and gave the detective a sharp look.

"I know you and Officer Ishioka don't seem to get along, but she did save us." Detective Yamamoto leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that makes us even now."

"Even now?"

Detective Yamamoto declined to elaborate, but merely gave Satoshi a mischievous grin.

 "It's a story for another time," she said coyly.