Ch.77Request Log #009 – How to Wash Away Sins (5)

I couldn’t help but prove my innocence with a few words, which softened the angels’ gaze but didn’t unlock my handcuffs.

The angels had only cuffed me loosely, just enough to keep me restrained until Yehoel could verify my identity. I leaned back in the chair they’d brought, hands cuffed behind me.

An angel who had inspected the office returned with an incredulous expression, crouching before me to meet my gaze. A rather handsome face was thrust before me.

Befitting an angel of the God-President, she had smooth golden hair tied up in a ponytail, and wore a wrinkled police uniform. The female-form angel’s uniform bore deep creases, suggesting she hadn’t been wearing it until very recently.

“Did you kill the magician alone? These definitely aren’t signs of humans fighting each other.”

“People who can throw desks around aren’t exactly rare in this city. Even if Yehoel flew here from the Divine State Hotel, it would take him at least five minutes. How about letting me have a cigarette?”

After giving a casual answer, I nodded slightly. A trace of uneasiness flickered in the angel’s eyes. Probably because they hadn’t caught him themselves. It was embarrassing for the police that the Civilian Cooperation had caught a serial killer who murdered dozens in a single day.

As the angel moved closer to give me a cigarette, I caught a whiff of cheap musk perfume from her neck. It was a scent commonly used by hostesses. Seems she’d been enjoying the company of male prostitutes at this hour.

“Thanks to that office worker’s testimony, I’d appreciate if you could just sit tight, friend. So, about this case, why don’t you hand it over to us…”

There were always angels who tried to steal credit, like someone who spent all day partying and then sucked up well-prepared shellfish. The credit needed to go to Yehoel. That was our deal.

The angel, acting friendly to persuade me, took a bit of flame from her eyes to light my cigarette. There’s no such thing as kindness without reason in this world. If there were, I’d feel afraid.

When she leaned in to light it, her voice carried the scent of absinthe. Bars selling absinthe were only found in Little Eire. It wasn’t hard to guess who had entertained her.

With these two clues, adding some exaggeration and lies would make for excellent blackmail. My body might be restrained, but she was bound by her fear of being exposed for accepting entertainment while neglecting her duties.

“Doesn’t Little Eire sparkle more at night?”

I didn’t particularly like the scenery of Little Eire, but I could smile while saying such things. The angel’s expression twisted with embarrassment. She became defensive. Seemed I’d hit the mark.

“What? That… damn it, don’t change the subject. We’re talking about you here, not me.”

She leaned in close with her cheap perfume-scented face and whispered, though to her it probably sounded like thunder.

“If I’ve figured it out, it’s about you now, friend. And don’t get excited. Save that excited face for the hostess the Irish gang provided for your entertainment. She was paid to endure that face of yours. Isn’t Internal Affairs full of other angels? There must be plenty who would tear into this kind of intelligence for their own credit.”

Again, she couldn’t refute my words and only trembled her pupils. Seems I’d hit more than just the mark. Judging by the perfume scent left on her clothes, she was an inexperienced angel.

Corrupt angels who had tasted desire possessed emotions. However, they were less adept at handling those emotions than people who had lived with them for decades. That made them easy to persuade or blackmail.

The angel before me gritted her teeth. She clenched her right hand, crafted of gold like the God-President’s might. Proper agitation showed in her eyes.

She wouldn’t hit me. With other angels present, she wouldn’t swing a fist at this level of questioning. Eventually, she lowered her fist.

“I’ll properly hand this over to Inspector Yehoel. Is that enough?”

“What more could the Civilian Cooperation want? I can’t trouble an angel who even lit my cigarette any further. Relax.”

Her expression seemed fixed at my words to relax, but there was nothing she could do. I needed something to redirect my focus.

It didn’t take long for Yehoel to receive the message and fly over. Since the office window was small, he properly entered through the front door and waved at me with a face full of smirks.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you tied up, Michael. Ah, he’s my Civilian Cooperation. I’d like him untied.”

Only then were the handcuffs binding my wrists removed. Not even a slight scratch had formed on my wrists. There wasn’t even any stiffness, so I just shook my hands a couple of times.

“You’ve done quite a job. I’ll have to buy you a drink another time. It’s annoying when a case wraps up in just one day. Tomorrow’s front page news will definitely read: ‘Serial killer who murdered forty people caught in one day.'”

“That bastard’s wife waiting at home would faint if she saw… damn it.”

Yehoel patted his waist and then extended his hand. I pulled out a cigarette from my pack and handed it to him. It was practically his habit to bring the cigarette to his eyes to light it before putting it in his mouth.

“Why would a man with a family do something like that?”

“Because of that family.”

Yehoel whistled with interest and continued.

“Was it revenge?”

“No, madness. I’m going now, so clean up properly. Ah, your gun should be inside… you’ll see what happened when you look.”

Yehoel’s tongue clicking sound followed me like a farewell. Whether it was because of his gun with the twisted barrel or because of the Rat-Catcher, I couldn’t tell.

I got in my car. Instead of searching my wallet for an invitation to a secret bar, I headed straight home. During the congested rush hour, I desperately longed for the dreamless sleep that The Morrígan’s pills would bring.

I barely made it home, but I couldn’t go straight to sleep. Remembering my promise to the Professor, I dialed the number for the association. The connection came uncomfortably quickly.

“Mongrel, is that you? So, the Rat-Catcher…”

“He’s dead. I need to get some sleep… I’m hanging up. If anything comes up, try the day after tomorrow. I’ll be out all day tomorrow.”

I’d probably go to Iris or Pandemonium. If I went to Iris, I’d have conversations. If I went to Pandemonium, I’d slide about a hundred dollars across the counter and borrow a handful of succubi to think about nothing at all.

After saying only what needed to be said, I hung up, threw off my clothes stained with gunpowder and blood, took one of The Morrígan’s pills, and collapsed onto the bed.

The drug was effective today too. I fell asleep with only the sensation of my vision fading to black, without dreams or memories, and was able to wake up the next morning.

My mood had improved somewhat. If I didn’t read the newspaper, this improved mood might last a bit longer. Still, I definitely needed a change of pace.

I wasn’t looking for a way to atone for killing him. Sin is closer to a wound than a stain; while it might heal, the scar remains forever. So, I literally just needed a change of mood.

I washed off the gunpowder smell that seemed to have permeated my body and got dressed. It would be better not to wear the light brown suit I’d worn when meeting Giuseppina for a while, especially when going to Fifth Avenue.

Since I didn’t need to be formal anyway, I left home in the comfortable clothes I wore for detective work. I drove straight to Fifth Avenue, heading for Cafe Caligula.

Once again, the little goblin newsboy standing in front of the apartment building was loudly hawking the morning papers.

“Morning papers for sale! Morning papers! The serial killer who acted like he was some kind of judge was killed in just one day! Looks like we can all sleep soundly tonight!”

I hoped there were no kids making such provocative sales pitches near where the Rat-Catcher’s wife lived. As that voice faded into the distance, I soon reached the bustling Fifth Avenue.

The Divine State Hotel was closed with a notice saying it would reopen after security checks. Since the bodies had already been removed, there didn’t seem to be any more onlookers gathering.

Ignoring that, I entered Levi’s cafe with its sign bearing a Roman emperor’s face. There were no customers. It was early, and there had been that incident right nearby yesterday.

Still, my arrival seemed to comfort her. She had been half-slumped over the counter, but raised her head at the sound of the door opening, and when she saw my face, she smiled brightly.

“Welcome! Whew, I didn’t expect the perfect customer to come at a time like this… Would you like your usual today?”

After nodding briefly, I sat on the stool at the bar where I could face her as usual. While enjoying the pleasant aroma of coffee beans being prepared, she placed a cup in front of me.

She seemed ready to start complaining as soon as she served the coffee, so I held out my hand to stop her and said with a hint of humor:

“Let me take a sip first. You seem to have a lot to complain about, and I don’t want to end up gulping down cold coffee if I listen first.”

“Oh, ugh! Can you stop reading my mind? Look at you. Your behavior is exactly like that detective on the radio, yet you claim to hate that drama.”

Her expression, looking like she might puff out her cheeks, made me laugh. After glancing at her face, I took a sip of coffee. Then I answered with a smirking voice:

“I’m not deducing anything. You’ve complained to me every time something happens around here. It’s inductive knowledge. You did it yesterday, so you’ll do it today. That’s all.”

She put her hands on her hips in her well-matched brick-colored apron and complained:

“Today I’m going to consider it annoying that you won’t even concede one point. Anyway, I had no idea something like that would happen right out front. So, when people started gathering and talking, I went out…”

She looked back briefly. This place had a direct view of the Divine State Hotel. I asked with a somewhat concerned tone:

“Did you see it?”

“No, thankfully a customer stopped me from going out… But still, you know, there was a body hanging right over there. It gives me goosebumps just imagining it. Plus, that incident is bad for business…”

Originally, I had planned to have a cup of coffee here and then go straight to Iris, but now I thought that might not be necessary. Someone who needed a mood change just like me was right in front of me.

I had wanted to visit Levi after finishing the journalist escort job last time, but that reporter kept asking unnecessary questions, so I couldn’t come. Now seemed like the perfect time.

“Well, since business will be slow anyway… how about taking a day off for a change of mood? I came out for a change of mood too. That apron suits you well, but you could take it off.”

Levi and I occasionally had these mood-changing outings. At first, she thought these were proper date invitations and was happy, but at some point, she seemed to realize that when I wanted this kind of mood change, something had happened. Still, the fact that she would go out with me showed she was definitely a good person.

“I keep telling you to use words if you have something to complain about. Don’t just bottle it up. But I’ll praise you for trying to change your mood! Ah, is it okay if I go upstairs to change clothes?”

“I left the office without removing the absence sign. We have plenty of time, so change comfortably.”

There were no romantic feelings between us. We both knew how different we were from each other. Even if there had been any feelings, they would have withered away on the way back, faced with practical problems.

The waiting time felt short. She came down from upstairs wearing a white shirt with a long brown skirt that reached her ankles, and a flat-topped, shallow women’s hat.

It was quite a formal outfit for her. Usually, she went out comfortably in dresses or two-piece outfits. I couldn’t even remember how many times we had gone out together.

“Today I put in extra effort because it seems like you need a big mood change. Ah, can I plan our schedule today too?”

“Planning and executing is also a virtue of a detective. I saw a new movie opened yesterday, so we could stop by there in the evening…”

I never disliked trivial conversations. They were like my personal method for clearing my mind and turning my eyes away from problems.

I offered her my arm, and she lightly linked arms with me as she approached. Of course, she immediately covered her nose and stepped back. It’s quite amusing that a cafe owner dislikes the smell of cigarettes.

“Ugh, cigarette smell! How many packs do you smoke a day?”

This time too, I answered with a silly joke.

“You’d better ask the tobacconist who has me listed in his VIP customer ledger.”

Levi’s delicate hand hit my arm once, then she shook it as if her own hand hurt more. When she kneaded my arm asking what I ate to make my body so hard, I didn’t hold back my laughter.

That day was spent solely on changing my mood, without thinking about work or anything else.

It’s like checking a car. For a car to keep running, you need to occasionally open the hood and examine the inside; for me, days like this were that kind of inspection.

We had breakfast together and spent time until the afternoon in a park far removed from things like murder or death. We talked a lot, but I didn’t particularly remember any of it.

Remembering also uses energy. It’s enough to do that only when working. And truthfully, it was all trivial stuff. Levi said she wanted to learn to dance, and I asked what kind of dance she wanted to learn. That’s about it.

In the afternoon, I recalled an advertisement I had seen when going to kill the Hanger of New York yesterday, and we went to see a movie. It featured a famous actor and was about an ordinary projectionist who becomes a brilliant detective in his dreams.

Ah, of course, the movie choice was a failure. Once again, the detective on the silver screen was a man who made brilliant deductions and protected ladies. I should have known this would happen when I saw the word “dream.”

Still, I didn’t dislike it. Levi seemed to really enjoy the movie. While watching, she tapped my lapel and spoke in an almost whisper:

“Though it’s a bit embarrassing… I sometimes dream of being an outlaw too. I think everyone dreams of becoming an outlaw with a big piece of iron at their waist. Has Michael ever dreamed of becoming someone else? Though I doubt it, since you seem like someone everyone would admire even now…”

I wrapped the truth in a joke and returned it to her. Everyone went to the battlefield with different hearts, but when they returned, they carried only one purpose in their arms. I was the same.

“Sometimes I dream of giving up being a veteran, a detective, and everything else, and opening a quiet cafe in an alley on 14th Street, living as a cafe owner like you.”

Levi let out a shrill laugh as if it were an amusing joke. It wasn’t unpleasant. That was exactly the reaction I wanted.