Cat and Mouse

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Karen only pouted silently in response to Tsu's words during the car ride.

When the two of them would reach the Mishima Hospital, interrupted before she could reply to Shikishima, Karen would nod as Tsu would be the first one to leave. It wasn't until now that she'd realized that this situation made her nervous. Not for herself, but for Tsu. Acclimated to situations like these as he might be, considering how he had always given a helping hand to her cases, she still couldn't help but be anxious when he'd put himself out there like this. She'd wonder to herself what if Tsu would end up unknowingly questioning the culprit himself? His MO may be targeting senior citizens, but would he be willing to break that to hurt Tsu if he ever got too close to the truth to the wrong person? Of course, if he tried to make a break for it, he'd be apprehended by the captain or her, but that wasn't what she was worried about.

Even so, she didn't act on her anxiety. After all, the plan was the plan, and they had to stick to it, no matter what, and that meant trusting Tsu. She waited until it was her time to make her move, and then when it came, she'd exit the car and make her way to the front entrance, entering the hospital and taking a moment to examine her surroundings before doing much else.

@Gula Gula​
 
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Having left Karen behind, Tsu went about entering the hospital. It was a pretty normal hospital, aside from the fact that it was rated #1 in Mishima City. Of course, such a ranking was to be expected of the hospital that shared its name with the city.

The waiting room was large. Seats were littered throughout, and there were a number of TVs set up that broadcast the news. There was no doubt that, if the perp spent most of their time here, they'd be able to get all the latest information on what the police knew about their activities. There weren't many employees nearby, and Tsu figured it'd be a bad idea to start here. Whoever was behind the killings would probably have access to the security camera feeds close at hand, as their job permitted. In which case...

There wasn't anything helping it. Not being an official employee had it's downsides in situations like this. He couldn't simply go behind personnel doors to ask questions. Not without a badge to mark his authority. Giving up on that idea, Tsu decided to take a seat without registering at the front desk. His hope was that someone would approach him and ask him what he was here for.

Surely enough, one of the employees approached him. That saved him the trouble of seeming suspicious for intentionally approaching one.

"Excuse me, sir, Can I ask what you're here for?"

"Oh, yes. I'm just here to interview some employees. See, I'm doing a little research of my own into the case of the Senior Serial Killer. My investigations so far lead me to believe that he or she may be an employee at this very hospital." His acting was impeccable. Anyone who saw him would probably believe he was some student of law enforcement looking for some credit.

"I'm sorry, sir, but everyone is pretty busy right now. I don't think there's anyway that you'll be able to interview the employees."

Tsu frowned, and gave a quick glance towards the entrance. Karen was just not entering. They'd avoided seeming suspicious at least. "No way at all?" Tsu asked. "Even in such a serious situation? If one of your fellow employees is involved... Why, wouldn't that be considered aiding a criminal?" Keeping the employee's attention, Tsu moved his eyes, signalling Karen to go check in the personnel only area. Once he was done tricking this worker, he'd retreat to the outside and call her with what he deduced. He could only hope she'd be alright on her own.​
 
Hmph.

There goes old Tsu, being the people person he was while Karen worked more behind the scenes. As far as metaphors went anyway. It was like clockwork, how both of them pretty much assigned their own roles when it came to working together. Nonchalantly walking into the clinic, not even having to actively try to blend into the environment, as the young woman figured she easily enough blended in (the one thing perhaps making her stick out being her inability to smile) naturally, Karen gave a brief glance at Tsu, catching his signal to go through with the suggested course of action.

She hesitated for practically a split-second, hardly noticeable to most people if they were even watching, wondering if there could have been a different way than waltzing into an area she wasn't cleared to go into, but then again, as long as the means weren't radical, they justified the ends, right? Especially since this was a delicate situation in which the slightest misstep had the potential of resulting in the perp successfully fleeing the scene.

I wonder if I should have gotten a warrant first, she thought somewhat dryly.

All that said, she would quickly pop into the personnel-only area, hoping that no one would spot her, though even if someone did see her, Karen had made sure to move in the kind of casual manner (as in, not looking like she was breaking in someplace) that would make any witness most likely just assume that she definitely belonged in there, maybe walking in to get changed into some doctor clothing.

... Hmph. Tsu would never let me live it down if he'd catch me in a nurse's outfit.

She could only hope that no one would freak out, should someone accidentally see the gun tucked in between her tucked-in shirt and pants. She really needed to get a longer jacket for cases like this.

@Gula Gula​
 
The employee was caught off guard by the male's question. "I d-doubt that's true, sir. A-After all, I don't know any more about the killer than the rest of us do."

"Is that so?" Tsu inquired, his tone snarky. "I guess it can't be helped then. I just hope it isn't revealed that you know something when the police find whoever the killer is." Tsu eyed the male worker with a mild smile. Once he made certain that Karen was in, Tsu rose from his seat. "I won't waste your time if I'm not going to get any answers from you. Is there anyone else I can talk to?"

"We're pretty b-busy right now," the male responded. "But I guess I can ask one of the administrators if they're available..."

'An administrator, huh? That could either be really good, or really bad.' After thinking it over, the blonde shook his head. Right now, he had to get outside and tell Karen what he knew. If he asked for an administrator, someone might notice Karen was out of place before it was good for them. "That's fine. I'll just look for clues elsewhere. Thanks for your time."

Tsu gave a curt wave and returned outside. Once out of view, he tapped his ear, activating a device inside that acted like a cellphone of sorts. He and Karen bought them some time ago out of convenience. "You there, Karen? I wanted to tell you what I gathered so far. I'm guessing that our suspect is someone who has easy access to the televisions and security camera footage - someone with access to means of watching over us. It might be worth your while to check that out with the chief."


The chief, who'd made his way into the back by this point, was making his way through the numbers of employees stationed there. His keen eyes were watching for any sudden movements. He knew his mere presence here would probably instigate an attempt to flee. Nothing of the sort happened though. A wise decision, he had to admit. The officer he brought along was waiting right outside for anyone who'd try to run. Tsu probably wouldn't be able to get past the lobby, so it was almost certain that both safe exits were being watched.

"Oh. Chief Shikimura. What brings you here?" One of the doctors approached him, sliding gloves on for work. It wasn't anyone Shikimura knew himself, so he implied it was simply someone who recognized him from the television.

"Investigating a serial killing," he bluntly told the female. "All the targets so far were discharged from this hospital within a month of their deaths. I thought of it as something worth looking into."

The doctor seemed a bit disheartened with the chief's answer. "I don't know about any of that, but I know none of my co-workers would do such a thing. They don't have a reason to."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Shikimura replied. "They don't need one."​
 
The first thing Karen had done when she entered the personnel-only area was to lean right up against the wall, hopefully out of sight of any of the cameras or other security measures. When going through a covert operation like this, you had to be prepared for anything. Expect the unexpected and all that jazz. Still, at least in the immediate area, it didn't seem like there were any cameras, at least, none that Karen could detect, though it'd be problematic if there were any that happened to be hidden in places she wouldn't be able to detect, though then again, what would the purpose be? It wasn't like a clinic was a convenient place to rob, compared to say, a restaurant or so.

All that said, when Tsu would communicate to Karen via wireless device, she would hold her finger to it, listening intently to what he had to say, before responding in kind. She nodded, mostly as part of instinct. "I see... So either someone working for security, or someone in an otherwise high position. I'll relay the info to the chief. See if you can get anything else in the meantime. Over and out," she said in a hushed tone, just in case there was someone around, before cutting out, before switching it to call for Shikimura, assuming that he had his own earpiece like the two of them did.

Waiting for him to reply, Karen would clear her throat. "Chief. Are you there?" She would curtly ask.

@Nimh​
 
His part of the job complete, Tsu waited idly outside. If someone tried to make a run for it through the front door, he'd be able to cut them off. Likewise, he'd be able to notice anybody entering on his side. It wouldn't do to look suspicious though, so Tsu seated himself on a bench and tapped a few buttons on a device on his wrist. A holopaper appeared, detailing the latest news. Everything was completely interactive, as though it were a physical newspaper, minus the messy page turning.
Shikimura was in the middle of searching for clues when his ear piece rang. After tapping it, he heard Karen's voice. "Yeah, I'm here," he replied. After hearing what she had to relay, he thanked her for the information and went back to his work. "So that's it... Officer. We're moving on." By moving on, he meant they weren't going to waste anymore time on the doctor's lack of information.

'A member of the surveillance team, or someone high up enough to have access to the feeds. What type of person that meets that criteria would kill the elderly?' It was a possibility that it was a security officer. Watching people come in all the time, some of them never making it out... Maybe one of them snapped and decided to end their suffering. Then again, it could also be someone that personally deals with them. Someone who believes the hospital's resources are better spent on people who have a full life ahead of them, as opposed to those on their last legs.

There were too many possibilities right now, and no way to narrow them down. All they could do was continue their investigation.
"Tsk. Of course they'd show up," a rough, masculine voice grumbled. "Expecting police to see my point... Ha! I kid myself!" The male closed his laptop and looked down over the person who was laid next to him. "Fleeting independence... Unheard resolve... People can fuss all they want, but it's easy, for anyone who understands, to tell what you want."

Brandishing a knife in his gloved hands, he held it against the throat of his victim. There was no screaming or writhing. They were so full of anesthetics that they couldn't feel a thing - not even the cold, razor steel against their throat. "A quick, painless exit... That's what I offer to the silent wishers."

SSSCHLNG!

"No more suffering," he whispered, wiping his blade. "It's time to go back to work. God knows who'll need me today." Rising, the male discarded the cloth, placed the knife on a table near his latest victim, and packed his laptop and gloves. "You're welcome."​
 
"Too many factors, not enough leads," Karen replied tersely as ever in response to Shikishima, continuing to scan the area she was in for a while, remaining cautious. Once she was a bit more confident that she was alone and in the clear, she would take a breath, before braving to walk around and scan the room, just on the off chance that there might be some clues left by the perpetrator lying around somewhere, "Gonna go back to looking around on my end. I'll keep you posted if I come across something," she would say, before preparing to hang up with that.

They felt so close, yet in reality, it was more like they were still far away. It felt like, in this place where the killer most likely worked, she had already jumped into the belly of the beast, hardly equipped. Of course, there was still plenty of time to rappel back up, but when deep in like this...

... Well. Actually. She wasn't actually that deep in it, not until she'd at least perhaps find the personal office of the perp or so. Karen, admittedly, was simply restless when it came to cases like these. Not that she let anybody know, though of course, Tsu probably had an idea. He always did.

If that was that, she would look through the place for any traces left behind by the killer, like a hastily hidden weapon, or discarded feed. In the meantime, if the coast was clear, she'd then switch her headpiece to contact Tsu in the meantime, wondering what he was up to now that his important bit was done.

"Oi. Any update?"

@Nimh​
 
Tsu hadn't been reading for long before Karen contacted him again. "Sadly no. I haven't seen anyone suspicious enter the hospital recently. Judging from you asking me that, I'm assuming you haven't found anything out either?"

As Tsu was talking, a white car drove into the hospital lot. The decals on it signified that it belonged to a hospital employee. Tsu caught notice of this, and found it odd that hospital personnel would park in the front. 'Just checking on someone, maybe?' When the driver got out of his car in full uniform, it erased the possibility from Tsu's mind. 'If he's trying to enter without seeming suspicious, he's doing a terrible job.

Without looking up from his newspaper, Tsu continued speaking. "Someone just pulled up. A man in a doctor's uniform. It's rather strange that they'd enter through the front though, considering they have a personnel-only lot in the back..." Tsu hushed himself as the man grew closer, not wanting him to know he was talking to someone. Once he was inside, the blonde resumed. "He just went inside. It might be worth checking out."


A black TLX-R pulled around into the back lot of the hospital. "Off," the individual inside stated, the car quieting itself in response. He looked around before getting out, making sure there weren't any unexpected guests about. There wasn't anything he could see. Shikishima had made sure to park his own car in a different lot, so that if their suspect did come to work after they got there, he wouldn't know the police were there until they saw each other.

Getting out of the car, he told the car to lock and straightened his outfit. He wore a suit, which wasn't really a trend among the lesser employees. Being a claims representative, such attire was normal for him. His was more of an office job anyway - looking into incidents, matching up security footage with statements... He was to make sure the hospital never came under attack of unsound accusations.

The suited man entered the hospital through the back, using the same entrance Shikishima had earlier. The chief noticed his entrance, but didn't allow his gaze to be averted. The male also took notice of the chief's presence, but didn't let on to this fact. Instead, he merely headed towards his office. The chief being here wasn't any surprise to him. The satellite feed he received on his laptop already revealed he was here.

"Keep an eye on that one," Shikishima told his partner, who nodded and moved towards the back entrance. At least with eyes on the front and back entrances, there wouldn't be any escaping for either of their suspects.​
 
"No, I haven't," Karen initially replied, shaking her head as she spoke, before taking a brief moment to wonder why she did that, considering Tsu wasn't able to see her shake her head anyway. When Tsu, however, would later follow up his words with an update, she'd stand against the wall once again, more on instinct than anything else. The young man furrowed her brow, wondering the same thing Tsu was; why would a worker enter the hospital through the front? It wasn't too unusual, but it definitely wasn't "usual" on the other hand either.

Still, considering that she was still inside the personnel area, she couldn't very well spring out just to check out the new suspect, lest she wanted to end up being the interrogated rather than the interrogator. And if he was really here to work or manage something behind closed doors, he'd likely be making his way through those doors any minute now, so it was better to wait, or so Karen reasoned. That said, she would attempt to hide behind whatever she could find, even if around the corner was the best she could find, speaking softly now.

"Duly noted. I'll wait for him for a little while, see what happens from here. Don't have enough probable cause just yet," she remarked, keeping her guard up, "I'll call for you if I might need backup, so stay ready just in case."

@Nimh​
 
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