"Is this something private?" Nabiki's partner asked.
"I think it might be," Nabiki responded. She looked toward Naoko and jabbed a thumb toward a booth in the back. "I'll just go sit back there with her, bring the usual and maybe some ramen for her."
"All right, Nabiki," Naoko said. "She said she was looking for her goddaughter." Kiima inwardly winced as Nabiki's eyebrow arched.
"Goddaughter," Nabiki repeated.
"Should be pretty easy to find," the cashier said. "White and pink hair." Nabiki's other eyebrow joined the first.
"That would stand out," Nabiki said. She took Kiima's arm and guided her to the back of the diner. "Come on, then, Kiima you can give me a description while we talk."
Kiima cursed her luck as she sat down in the booth across from Nabiki. The other woman looked very much like the cat that had swallowed the canary.
"Let's make this quick," Nabiki said. "Since we seem to have a situation."
"We," Kiima repeated.
"I'd like to see a certain girl found before certain other women realize she exists," Nabiki said.
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Kiima said.
"White and pink hair?" Nabiki repeated. "Who else has that? What's she doing here and does she know anything about where she's sticking her neck?"
Kiima hesitated a moment and leaned forward supiciously.
"Whose side are you on, Tendo?" she asked in a low voice. Nabiki leaned forward to face her.
"Ranma was one of my best friends," Nabiki said. "I helped Herb pick out the ring!"
"Blood is thicker than water," Kiima said in an accusatory voice.
"She can choke on the blood," Nabiki responded grimmly.
"If that's so, why haven't you done anything?" Kiima asked. "Officer Tendo."
"Because I need proof," Nabiki said insistantly. "I can't even prove that it wasn't an accident right now. I have a whole lot of suspicious coincidences at home, but I don't have enough of the pieces. Now, what is she doing here?"
"She found a clipped article," Kiima said after a pause. "That told where her parents died. From what we can tell she's heading there. Of course, she hasn't been to Nerima before so she'll have to find it."
"Does she know..."
"Yes, but my husband hasn't told her who yet," Kiima said.
"This is bad," Nabiki said. "I'll tell you two things. The five of you were in the paper not long ago."
"Yes, I know," Kiima said. "We were hoping nobody'd notice. Somebody obviously did."
"The night I was transferred to the detectives division," Nabiki said. "We had a celebration. Nodoka commented about grandchildren as if she had some. I dismissed it as wishful thinking until I saw that picture, otherwise I might not have noticed. Unfortunately, Akane was there to hear my berieved stepmother as well. I don't know how seriously she took it..."
"Then we should waste no more time," Kiima said standing up. "Is there anyone else that suspects?"
"Kuno knows it was murder," Nabiki said. "But doesn't realize his sister was involved and he's too unstable to confide in. Other than that, I don't know who to trust. I can't afford to take a wrong step with those four, not alone."
"Well, alone is not the case any longer," Kiima said.
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Sun, 27 Jul 2003 16:19)
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