"I can see you're up to the challenge. I expect no less from our primary agent."
Dr. stood up. Jimenez and smiled at the young man. Now Nico has placed the pictures on his desk, studying them carefully and seems to be deep in thought. He gave no sign of hearing the words of their senior consultant. Dr. just sighed. Jimenez. 'Once a case interests him, he seems to have lost his attention on this planet,' he thought.
"Expect a raise in salary once this is over."
The young detective looked up, "Money has never been an issue for me, Doc. I do this out of passion."
"Whatever you say. By the way, you still need to know."
"Shoot."
"It's not just DEATH that Eastwood Police asked for help. They also hired an agent from SHADOW."
Nico's eyes narrowed. He had a different idea of it! "Damn it. Don't tell me --- ?!"
"Yes. Unfortunately, you'll be working with a partner in this case. Guess who?"
The detective completely lost his mood and did not want to lean back in his leather chair. If there’s anything he hates more than HELP, it’s SHADOW. Their opponent in receiving cases. "Is it too late for me to commit suicide? This should be illegal! Tell me, who did they choose to be a burden to me?"
Dr. smiled. Jimenez.
"Eastwood's second best detective. Maybe you'll get along."
Nico was stunned for a moment and stared at the old man as if he had been born with ten heads. When his brain processed what he said, he immediately banged his forehead on the table.
"What's in the name of Sherlock?"
He heard Dr.'s teasing laugh. Jimenez to him. "Before you throw a tantrum, better get dressed. Your meeting is scheduled later." He placed a piece of paper in front of him. Nico still didn't lift his head until he heard the door of his office close.
He frowned and read the details of their "meeting" later. Do the treacherous cops in HELP expect them to reconcile with SHADOW? What went into their elbows and even brought together the two best detective agents in Eastwood?
"An interesting case with a not so interesting partner. Couldn't this day get any worse?"
---
Nico took a deep breath and left his office. The moment he stepped out of the office, he was immediately met by his fellow detective.
"Yuki, it looks like you have a walk ah? I heard from the admin that you have a new case. Nice one!" Dan greeted him with a smile. His thick round eyeglasses making his eyes look a couple of times bigger. Nico frowned at the nickname and nodded.
They stepped into the elevator. There were a few agents there.
"Err ... thanks."
Nico pressed the button to the ground floor.
"I don't know the details. But, there is a rumor that you will be partnered with someone from SHADOW!"
Nico's eyes widened and even those with him in the elevator were shocked. He quickly covered Dan's mouth, "For Sherlock's sake! Keep your voice down!" He pushed her away and laughed. "Eh 'isn't that true? Dude, that's suicide!"
"Shh!"
"HAHAHAHA! Good luck, Yuki!"
Nico just sighed and was very grateful that the noisy colleague came out of the third floor. He could no longer bear the critical gaze of other agents. 'It looks like my reputation will be ruined in this case!' he bitterly thought.
He lazily walked the distance to the lobby. The large expanse of black tiles and gray walls stretched as far as the eye could see. He went through some agents who were in charge of the paperwork. 'Low class cases, as usual.' He felt more pity for them. They get worthless cases on a daily basis and Nico couldn't imagine himself wasting his precious time on such mediocrity!
"I could only hope this heartless case will be my salvation from boredom," he softly whispered to himself while glancing at the watch. Less than an hour away from meeting his so-called partner.
As he exited the building, he saw some doors on the other side of the hallway. A particular vault caught his attention. People call it the "Void". It was heavily guarded with the best technology money can buy. There are hidden important company documents. Nico is just shaking on his uncle's trip.
*
Nico looked again at what was written on the paper.
Night Sparrow's Tea House,
9:00 a.m.
He glanced at the time on his watch again and took a deep breath. Moments later he pushed open the shop door. He's ten minutes early, but it's better to make a good first impression. This is the first time he will have a partner and he's not happy about it. When he entered, he immediately went to the farthest place and sat down.
Nico's Rule #1: "Always sit in the farthest or farthest corner. That way, it'll be easier to spot any suspicious persons. It also helps avoid the risk of being attacked from behind."
Several staffs are buzzing their way around the place, serving freshly brewed tea to customers.
He started observing them one by one. His eyes went to the couple sitting near the window.
Nico smirked to himself.
"The girl is three months pregnant, no older than 17, half-Spanish, her boyfriend engaged them and that's probably the reason why they're going to marry each other next month. Based on the man's actions, he's just forced and it's amazing "Her fiancé hasn't seen the lipstick mark on her neck yet. It's impossible that her fiancé did it because it's a different color. Persian purple. It looks fresh, approximately 3 to 4 hours prior to this stupid date of theirs." Nico closed his eyes slightly. The information is rushing inside his head. Why the duration of his income?
"Eastwood's greatest detective knows a specific color of lipstick? That's surprising."
He lost his eyesight when someone spoke. The newcomer was wrapped in a gray coat and was still wearing a hat. It sat across from him. Nico's calculating eyes rested on the person in front of him.
"I don't frequently read magazines, but if I'm not mistaken, the second best detective is a SHADOW agent named 'Brian'."
The stranger smiled with his face still covered.
“I want to keep my identity in check,” she said before removing the wearing hat. Nico watched his pink hair fall. The agent outstretched her hand, a sharp look in her eyes.
"I'm Briannova Carlos."
---
"Briannova Carlos."Nico repeated the name of the girl sitting opposite him. "I should've known that you're a girl." She sighed and watched the waiter as they laid their order on the table. It's only been a few minutes since they've met, and the young detective already concluded that she's trouble."Is there a problem if I'm a girl? I wasn't informed that you DEATH agents are judgmental."The young man frowned. "That's not what I meant, Nova."The woman stopped sipping tea and quickly turned to him. Her eyes narrowed. "What did you just call me?""Nova," Nico shrugged, "or would you like me to call you 'Brian', instead?" He's teasing here.Nova stopped talking and continued sipping tea. Nico reluctantly swirled the tea before gently removing it from himself. He doesn't like tea.When Nova lowered her cup, "Looks like you don't like tea.""Never did, never will."He just nodded and picked up a brief case. Nova looked around first to make sure no one could hear their conversation. Fortu
The moment Nico stepped out of the shop, he immediately saw the female detective standing to one side and talking to an old man. 'She still has time to be a good samaritan while working?' he frowned at the thought. He waited for the old man to get away before speaking."Their family has just moved and she's asking for directions. She's looking for the hospital where her son works." Nico was unaware of those words coming out of his mouth.Nova immediately shot him an incredulous look. "How did you know that? You could've been eavesdropping."Nico shrugged without emotion. He doesn't have time wasting his saliva on an amateur who can't appreciate the art of deduction. He reminded himself that he had to talk to the old HELP chief to remove this woman from the case. 'She's just a weight,' Nico thought.They were just walking quietly when he suddenly stopped. Nova immediately noticed this and turned to him, "What is it?""On the count of three, run behind that black Audi." At the same time
Miranda Perez's residence11:32 a.m."Covs borrowed money from me that day. I was just going to deliver it to him because I was on my way home from work when I noticed the door was open."Nova nodded and took down notes like a good detective would do. He would not waste his several years of training with the agency just to miss a few details in an important case like this. "Did you notice a suspicious person before you saw your cousin's body?"Miranda, the victim's cousin and the first to see the body, thought for a moment.Yes, Special Agent Briannova Carlos is pretty sure that she's handling things smoo ---"Are you recalling scenes from your memory? Or, perhaps, you are thinking of an excuse to lead us off the case?"Miranda's eyes widened when the young man next to Nova suddenly spoke. Nico leaned closer and narrowed his eyes at the girl, making the witness feel uneasy. Nova just landed on his forehead. 'What the heck is he doing?' He stopped his annoyance by taunting Eastwood's "
Nico's apartment is a synonym for disaster. That's what visitors always tell him --- not that he always has visitors, that is. 'Having visitors is a waste of time,' he reminded himself. But the truth of the matter is, sometimes he doesn't want visitors because he doesn't want to be disturbed in his work ... often he doesn't want visitors because he doesn't want them to have an accident because of the amount of clutter. It is difficult to answer their hospitalization."But it's harder to get along with my partner in the case!"He slumped down on his favorite blue sofa and rested his feet on the pile of books in front of him. Nico winced as he still had the cup of coffee on his side. He can't even remember when he used it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes."Heartless Killer ... You really are heartless, in every sense of the word."Nico repeats the information he has read about the victims. ‘He leaves no evidence at the crime scene, and he seems to be socializing with the victi
Nova stared at the file reports on her desk for a long time. She had them neatly laid in front of her, with a cup of tea by her side. She sighed and finally slumped on her fluffy pink chair, as colored as her pink hair."This doesn't make sense! I can't really find any similarities between the victims --- well, they're women, that's a given fact. But if I can't find a pattern fast, we'll know who the next target of Heartless Killer? Gosh! "Nova just heard the door of her room open. She can almost imagine Nirvana frowning at her, "Ate, are you talking to yourself again? All right, I'll tell mama you're going crazy."Nova turned to the younger sister and gave her a sweet smile, "Try it. Go ahead, I won't serve you ice cream on Sunday."When the seven -year -old heard the 'ice cream' it automatically smiled and ran towards Nova. Nirvana hugged her older sister and kissed her cheek. "Just a joke, sister! You're really beautiful! You're free, aren't you?"Nova just laughed at her sister's
Detective Nico Yukishito stared at the man, assessing his appearance. In other words, he examines its soul. 'Nothing escapes my observation,' he thought before shaking his head. He could feel the tension building over them by the lawyer. "Lelouch San Andres? Doesn't ring a bell.""What are you doing here in my house?"Nico frowned, "That's also what we want to know, attorney. Enlighten us! Maybe you can explain to us why Ms. Bonnie Javier's head was found in your yard?"The young lawyer's eyes went to the crime scene. Nico's eyes could not escape its slight shock. Still, the man remained silent and composed. The detective knew it was probably practiced to control emotion. "I don't know anything about that thing.""Really? Then, care to have an interview over a steaming cup of coffee?" He casually offers it. The man immediately shook his head and grinned, "I have the right to remain silent. I am fully aware that anything I say on this matter might be used against me, detective."'Is th
During the interview, Nico let his attention drift towards the police officers who were busy enjoying their steaming cups of coffee. He remembers that he hadn't finished the coffee that Dan had given him earlier. He frowned even more. 'Don't they even plan to offer me coffee ?!'There is really no justice in this world!A few more minutes later, Nico realized that Vincent was with Inspector Ortega. He didn't notice that their boring interview was over. Losing interest in things that bore him is one of his many talents.Nova frowned at him, "Earlier you were stunned there. Let me guess, you intentionally ignored us because you find infidelity cases boring and a waste of your precious time?"Bingo.Detective Nico Yukishito smirked, "I'm a man of many talents.""Unfornately, handling a simple interview isn't one of them."The young man's grin disappeared. He just took the notes that Nova handed him. “Heartless Killer looks like a stalker,” Nico said as he read the information."How did y
Eastwood Forensic Crime Laboratory(EFC Lab)1:05 p.m.Jackstone.As far as Detective Nico Yukishito is concerned, he is the king of this game. Heck, he could even play it while he sleeps! 'Of course, that's just an exaggeration,' the young man sighed as he lost his concentration. At the same time, the small rubber ball hit the steel table. He could no longer get the teeth lying on it."Damn Sherlock."Yes, they are playing jackstone with human teeth as pieces. During the time they play it, Nico still finds himself distracted with the oddity."You're getting worse at this game. The last time I checked, I'm the senior citizen here, Nicodemus. Not the other way around."Nico watched the rubber ball bounce in the air, and the old man effortlessly pick up the human teeth --- all 32 pieces of them (a full set of adult teeth). It happened in a split second, and the man didn't even break eye contact!Nico grinned and caught the small rubber ball with the scorpion image in the design."Funny.