Ch.37Request Log #006 – Hunting the Hunter (2)

If he’s still using this number, the call should go through. It probably will. Older people don’t change easily.

I dial the once-familiar number on the telephone. After the automatic connector’s noise, the call begins to connect.

Am I right to call out of the blue like this? Detectives are always desperate for connections and relationships anyway. If I’ve become a detective myself, this old man who was something like a mentor should be happy to help.

I didn’t expect her to remember me. We meet countless people in our lives. And the number of people we meet is equal to the number of people we forget.

Just as I’m hoping she has records like I do, the call connects. I hear the sound of someone chewing tobacco and begin to speak.

“This is Michael Husband from Husband Detective Agency. So…”

Then something completely unexpected happens. The sound of someone who seemed to be half-lying in a chair chewing tobacco suddenly sitting up. They spit out their tobacco and speak.

“Well, if it isn’t little Mike who learned the trade here about seven or eight years ago? I never thought you’d call. What? Husband Detective Agency? I didn’t know you’d become a professional… What’s going on?”

What kind of impression did I leave back then? I couldn’t remember clearly. Eight years ago would mean removing a third of my life. For her, it would be a shorter period, but still.

“I heard there’s a detective who took on a job at your agency and then ran away. It was a job to find a fugitive, and the name…”

The detective on the other end of the line clicks her tongue at my attempt to naturally move into business talk.

“When you call after all this time, you should at least talk about how you’ve been… And if you’re talking about someone who abandoned a job, isn’t it that guy? The one who worked with those commies, what were they called… The Idealists? Right?”

Fortunately, she knew about it. Her manner of speaking was quite rough, but she seemed full of willingness to help, which was fortunate.

“That sounds right, but I should confirm properly. And… after I quit, I enlisted right away. I’ve been running my own agency since returning from the Great War. Well, I’d only contact you if there was something unusual. Plus, to be honest, I can’t even remember the name, but you’re my only connection to Blingkerton, so I called.”

“Ah, kid. You’ve really become a professional, haven’t you? As they say, for a detective, the number of people you meet equals the number of people you forget.”

It seems I learned my mindset from this detective. It was quite strange to hear someone naturally say the same thing I had been thinking. Not that it was bad.

“That’s true. Anyway, I’d like to meet and talk if possible. Blingkerton will need someone to find the guy who tarnished their reputation, and I’ve taken a job from those Idealist fellows.”

A laugh crackles through the static in response to my natural way of scratching where it itches. A voice that sounds quite proud follows.

“At least you won’t be starving, kid. Alright, if you want to meet, set a location. I can get anywhere in New York within an hour. Blingkerton isn’t called Blingkerton for nothing.”

Blingkerton detectives were skilled in blinking magic. That’s why they weren’t called “blinkers” for nothing. I had worked there before, but unfortunately hadn’t learned that magic.

If I had returned to Blingkerton after being discharged, I could have learned it, but instead I became a self-employed businessman with an office at home. I had to pay for colleagues and goodwill with my own hands.

“Let’s meet at Cafe Caligula on 5th Avenue. The staff is quite friendly, and it’s a place I like. Oh, your name…”

“What name? I’ll tell you when we meet, just come. Let me see my little kid’s face after so long. Are you coming right away?”

“I’ll head out now. See you there.”

I’ll get to see Levi’s face after a long time too. She was the kind of person who made you feel comfortable just by looking at her. The fact that she had nothing to do with detective work in the first place was what made her comfortable.

A detective’s relationships are always layered with calculations. I gave some goodwill to the kobold at the tobacco shop, so if I pay this much, I can get this much help. That kind of calculation is always running.

In that sense, there weren’t many places like Levi’s cafe where I could go with an empty head. I get dressed and leave the house again. I drive toward the bustling area.

This street was glamorous, but not exactly upright. Eden that everyone knew about, the hotel where I stole the bag from the reporter… the nobles’ restaurant, they were all gathered here.

I park my car in front of Levi’s cafe and enter with my hat pulled down. She greets me with a wave, her nicely tanned skin still the same.

“It’s been so long! I might forget your face at this rate. You haven’t been on some grand adventure, have you?”

“Just the usual sordid business. Milk and plenty of sugar.”

“I know, I know. Are you here for work again, or did you come to have a proper conversation?”

Her expression shines with curiosity. To her, I must look like a detective from a radio drama. The only difference was that my stories were a bit more realistic.

“Work, of course. Someone’s coming…”

She soon brings a cup of coffee loaded with milk and sugar, and since I can’t even feel the heat, I down it right away without waiting. I finally feel like I’m waking up.

Levi’s gaze, which had been meeting mine, shifts behind me. It seems another customer has entered. But I can’t hear any footsteps. In that case…

I immediately turn around and raise my palm to my face, blocking a fist. The customer who had been at the door just moments ago had somehow teleported in front of me and was throwing a punch.

“Yes, he’s here. It’s nothing serious, don’t worry about it.”

Right, I might not remember much about this mentor of an old woman, but I did remember this one thing. She always used to test me this way, and until now, I’d always been hit.

As she lowers her fist, there stands an elderly woman dressed similarly to me. Her hair was almost completely white with a little black remaining, making it appear gray, and her skin was covered in wrinkles like dried leaf veins.

But her forearms were firm, and her body was in good shape, enough to look good in a suit. She naturally sits down next to me and orders coffee.

“I’ll have a coffee with lots of milk and sugar. So you’re not just all head, kid. Do you have eyes on the back of your head?”

“When I see Levi looking behind me, it means a customer has arrived, but I didn’t hear any footsteps. As far as I know, the only ones who can walk without making a sound are Blingkerton detectives.”

The old detective smiles pleasantly and places a file on the bar. Judging by the eye-shaped logo on it, it seemed to be from the Blingkerton Detective Agency, and it had proper permission for external release.

I open the file and read it. First, the detective’s name was Zachary O’Brien. An Irishman? I hope he’s not mixed with fairy blood. I might get strangely entangled with the Irish.

Fortunately, he was a pure-blooded human. He was a detective with quite an impressive career, and his experience section was so packed that it was clear why he had dealt with the Idealists.

It seems he was planning to finish his last job in cooperation with the Idealists and then take a final vacation into their minds.

From the Hive Mind’s perspective, swallowing an experienced detective would be beneficial, so they would have approved. But then, his mind must have changed at the last moment.

Even those who talk about honorable death generally don’t like actually dying. What about a detective who simply thought of it as a vacation?

“All the personal information should be there, and I asked around a bit… they don’t know where he went. Whether he’s still in New York or not. Do you know anything about your client?”

No matter who it was, even someone I called a mentor, I couldn’t disclose information received from a client. If I easily spilled the beans and lost the job, I would be the one not getting paid.

“If you brought a proper collaboration request, I should tell you. This much I can share out of goodwill, but…”

I tap the file. Having the detective’s personal information would make the job smoother, but it was still information I could share. However, his whereabouts were the core of the job.

As if she had been waiting for those words, she takes out a collaboration request form from her pocket and slides it across the bar. A collaboration request between Blingkerton National Detective Agency and Husband Detective Agency… a somewhat overwhelming phrase.

The paperwork was already completed, and all I had to do was sign. The fee split was 9 to 1. Blingkerton would take a 10% commission for providing the information.

What a joke. They get money just for finding a stack of papers in their filing cabinet. Still, 10% was a fairly reasonable commission.

There was nothing strange about the other terms of the contract, so I sign it and return the document. Now it was okay to talk.

“I knew he was in New York, and the terminals will collect and provide the necessary information. After all, those Hive Mind commies are everywhere, and it’s hard to hide from their eyes.”

“It would be good if he’s at least in New York. Still, he’s one of our guys, so I know him well. He’s probably already called in mercenaries through his connections and is hiding. Can you find him and teach him a lesson?”

It had been a while since I’d seen someone who genuinely cared about others, or at least appeared to. She was looking at me as if I were her son.

This kind of situation was just uncomfortable. Having someone I couldn’t remember remember me so well wasn’t a joy but rather an unpleasant experience.

“Judging by how thoroughly you filled out the contract, you must know what kind of jobs I specialize in.”

“Yeah, looking at your clean jobs, you specialize in union busting. It’s good that you don’t shy away from dirty work, but dealing with union members who rarely pick up guns isn’t the same as dealing with these guys.”

Clean jobs were ones where I received proper compensation. Dirty jobs were… like what I did for Giuseppina this time. The kind of jobs where payment was usually in goods rather than money.

Still, I didn’t accept drugs as payment. Alcohol, tobacco, and coffee were my limit. Beyond that, I couldn’t work, and not being able to work meant crossing the line.

“I often do fixer jobs too, so don’t worry. If they have the intelligence network, they’ll know that guy ran away, and even if he hired mercenaries, they’re probably just a bunch of nobodies.”

“Does a bullet from a nobody hurt less when it hits you? Be careful anyway, kid.”

She really seemed to see that kid from seven years ago. Should I ask what kind of person I was? No… there was no need to give the impression that I was hesitating. After gathering the file, I show her the client’s file I brought.

She quietly reads through the files and then clicks her tongue as if feeling sorry for them.

“Poor things. Why would they work with those Idealist bastards? They’re the kind who force you to give either money or your soul.”

“Between a soul in your pocket and money that’s not in your pocket, which would you spend first? Obviously the soul. By the time you remember something precious, it would already be too late.”

“Catch that runaway properly, but try to persuade the other three. Ah, how are you going to bring that runaway to the Idealists?”

I had a method in mind. Having your soul extracted by the Idealist Hive Mind was far from surviving intact, but it was better than dying. And everyone chooses life over death.

“I’ll find him, take care of all the mercenaries, and put him in a condition where he won’t live long, then take him to the Hive Mind and ask them to merge him. That’s… not dying, right?”

“It’s similar, but not dying. Huh, choosing between bleeding to death or having your mind eaten by the Hive Mind… that’s perfect for a runaway.”

Her coffee arrives, and she also downs the sweet coffee with great pleasure. It seemed all detectives had similar tastes. Probably.

She takes out another file containing a list of Blingkerton National Detective Agency’s New York collaborators from her pocket and then stands up. She pays for both our coffees and disappears with a blink after just saying goodbye.

“Call more often, kid. I heard you enlisted, but with no contact, I thought you might have died without coming back. Call me if you need anything else, okay?”

She didn’t say more about the war either. War was always war, and people were always people. War always broke people, and she knew that much wouldn’t change.

Levi, who had been looking at another customer for a moment, returns and looks at me with a face full of curiosity. Among the stories I tell her, this would be one of the rare ones she’d like.

“Who was that? The way she called you ‘little Mike~’ makes it seem like someone you’ve known for a long time. Is that it? An old mentor?”

“I think I criticized those radio dramas you listen to quite a bit, but it feels bad to realize I’m not much different from them. Yes, that was my old mentor.”

“What did she teach you? I mean…”

I had a sense of what she was expecting, but unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what she hoped for. I tease her.

“How to break fingers, how to beat people up, how to make them submit, and how to extract information. My beautiful, beautiful mentor. Satisfied?”

She jumps in surprise and clenches her fists to hide her fingers. I laugh at her anxious expression.

“No need for that. What do you know that would make me break your fingers? I don’t have a hobby of listening to screams.”

“Ugh, it’s still scary! But I think I’d prefer you over that person just now. You seem like someone who came here for that purpose… but she’s just a grandmother, isn’t she?”

Is she old enough to be called a grandmother? Whether she was married or not, if she was, she would be old enough to have grandchildren. She seemed to be over sixty already.

“Didn’t you see her forearms? She’s still working in the field, so she’s not just a grandmother. Oh, Levi. Would you like to help me with something?”

Come to think of it, her cafe was a place where many people came and went. Since it was a cafe with no connection to illegal bars, it was a place anyone could visit with peace of mind. If I could visit comfortably, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable for others. Despite feeling a bit guilty, let me draw Levi in just one step. Just one step.

“If I can help! Are you making me your assistant?”

“What assistant? If you see this person around, contact me. Don’t try to follow him, don’t act like you know him… just contact me. Got it?”

I show her the detective’s image from the file. Now that I’ve gathered enough information, I need to properly check his personal details and start tracking. Until now, he might have been the hunter, but not anymore.