Chapter Thirty-Nine: The World of Kido Midori:

Alex made it back to the police station around sundown. He spent the afternoon getting checked out at the doctor and checking on if the young man he and Honda-san picked up was going to make it.

“I’m so sorry,” Honda-san said in the waiting room. Alex rubbed his forehead.

“Please stop,” he said.

“It looked really bad,” his partner said.

“I know.”

“I mean really bad.”

“Please!” Alex sighed and buried his head in hands. “There was so much that we needed to ask him.”

Honda-san tilted his head. “You think you would’ve gotten him to talk?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Alex said with a muzzled voice. He dropped his hands on his lap and groaned.

“What is going on around here?” he asked. Honda-san shrugged and shook his head. Suddenly, the operation light switched off. The two detectives looked up. A surgeon walked into the waiting room. Alex and Honda-san crowded around him.

“Well?” Alex asked. The surgeon breathed out and cheered up.

“He’ll pull through,” he said.  “The bullet missed the heart and any arties and veins.” The detectives breathed out.

“Good, good,” Alex said. He turned to Honda-san.

“What do you want to do next?” the detective asked.

“Is he awake?” Honda-san asked.

“I’m sorry,” the surgeon said. “He’s not awake yet.” Alex sighed and dropped his shoulders.

“How long will it take for him to wake him up?” he asked. The doctor shrugged and shook his head. The detective fought to keep it together but the cracks started to show again. Honda-san rubbed him on the shoulder.

“Easy now,” he whispered. Alex snorted and shoved him off.

“I’m going back to office,” he muttered. “Let me know when our guy wakes up.” Honda-san and the surgeon were left standing there.

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Alex walked through the doors of the police station. By now, his mood lessened. The detective just felt agitated.

“Konoe-san!” someone yelled behind him. Alex whirled around. The receptionist sat at her desk holding up a pink and purple book in her hand. Curious, the detective circled back to her desk.

“What is that?” he asked. The receptionist shoved the book into his hands.

“This was left here for you,” she said.

“Okay… What is it?” Alex asked again.

“It’s Kido-chan’s diary,” the receptionist said. The detective’s grip tightened on the small book.

“Where did you get this?” he asked.

“Some boy with glasses walked in and handed it in,” she said. “I told him to take it to the Lost and Found section but he insisted that I gave it to you.”

“Did he say why?”

“No sir.”

“Did you get a good look at this boy?”

“Short black hair, glasses, and a school uniform with a big coat.”

“Anything else?”

The receptionist shook her head. Alex looked at the book front and back.

“Thank you,” he said. The detective power walked down the hall. He made it all the way back to his desk and sat down. Alex held up the diary in front of him. Why would some kid hand over a dead girl’s diary to the police? How did he get this? Did Midori give this to him? Did the boy took it? But why?

Alex took another quick look around. Which not much to do, what’s one quick little look? The detective opened the pink and purple Hello Kitty cover. Midori’s full name was written on the “This Diary Belongs to…” space. The shapes and strokes looked elegant for a girl her age. But that’s not what caught his attention.

Alex’s eyes happened to drop down to the bottom right hand of the corner. A message written in newer text stood out compared to the slightly faded name written above. This had to be written days before she died.

“If something happens to me, please give this to someone I can trust,” Alex read to himself. Those words slowly sank in. He had never met the girl personally but something told him that he couldn’t turn away from her now.

“What was going on with you that you had to write this?” Alex asked himself. Suddenly, his phone rang on his desk. The detective sat up with a jolt and picked up the phone.

“Hello?” he asked. The voice on the other side came through in a whisper. Alex narrowed his eyes.

“I’m sorry but I can’t understand what you are saying,” he said. “Could speak up, please? Hello? Hello?” The caller still whispered their message.

“I can barely hear you. Hello? Hello?” Alex asked. But then one line came through clear enough for him to take notice.

“Just stay right there,” he said. “Tell me where you are and I will come to you.” Alex picked up his pen and wrote down the address.

“I will be right there,” the detective said. “Don’t go anywhere!” He hung up and rushed away from his desk.

Meanwhile, another detective in the corner picked up his phone.

“He’s not letting this go,” he whispered as watched Alex run out the door. “What should we do?” The response didn’t take more than a minute. The detective nodded.

“I understand,” he said. He hung up and picked up a pen. One note later and the beginning of the end was set into place.