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“Keiji. Can I speak with you?”
Kai’s voice broke through the conversation Keiji had been having with Q-Taro, the man turning back to face Kai from where he sat at the bar. He raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same, giving a little shrug.
“Something you need, Kai?”
He gave a curt nod, glancing Keiji up and down, just to evaluate him. He could take him, if it came down to it, though hopefully it wouldn’t need to. He didn’t want to exchange blows tonight, just words. “In private,” he said, with a quick glance to Q-Taro.
“Alright, I can tell when I’m not wanted,” Q-Taro said, standing up from the bar stool and stretching his back a little, the faint crack-pop echoing in the small room. He turned, patting a large hand on Keiji’s shoulder before he ambled out of the room, not moving with any of the urgency Kai would have preferred, but still moving nonetheless.
Once he was out of the room, Keiji turned back to face Kai, an infuriating little smirk on his face. He leaned back against the bar, resting his elbows on the lacquered wood countertop. “So what’s so important?”
Kai looked at Keiji for a moment, letting the silence hang between them, before he finally spoke. “I don’t trust you, Keiji Shinogi,” he said decisively, staring up at the man in front of him. Keiji just raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything, allowing Kai to continue.
“I have a few questions for you. I would appreciate it if you would answer them honestly.”
Keiji looked at him for a long moment, his gaze evaluating. He did claim himself to be a detective, after all, and if that was true then this piercing stare was only further evidence. After a few moments of silence, Keiji finally spoke, his voice low and calm.
“All right. Shoot.”
The man leaned back against the bar, his elbows resting on the wood. Kai nodded, his hands clasped behind his back, a slight frown casting a shadow across his face. He knew better than to give away his emotions, so the frown was more of a blank look than any true expression, but it was there nonetheless.
“Your profession,” he began, his voice cold and distant, not a whisper of emotion betrayed in his tone. “What did you say it was again?”
He knew the answer of course, but it was always best to start interrogations with something familiar. He could read Keiji better that way, get a sense for what his tells were; if he shifted when he lied or swallowed when he was nervous. Every micro expression gave something away, and Kai had been trained since he was a boy to be fluent in the language of liars.
“Just your friendly neighborhood policeman,” Keiji replied smoothly. His body remained still in that same relaxed position against the bar, but his eye contact was too insistent, and the tip of his pointer finger twitched just a touch, as if itching for a cigarette.
He was lying.
Not entirely, some element of what he’d said was the truth, but not all of it. Maybe he was a policeman in training? No, he was in his mid thirties if Kai had to guess; far too old to be a rookie. Ex-police then? That would make sense with his age, and if he was discharged from the force or left due to something shameful, it would give him a reason to hide it. That had to be it, he was ex-police and didn’t want anyone to know he’d left the force.
Kai didn’t give away his realization; he didn’t want Keiji to know how much he did or didn’t know. Knowledge was often the sharpest weapon, or so his father used to say. He didn’t want to hand any of that knowledge over to Keiji, whose status as enemy or ally was yet unknown.
“I see,” Kai said, looking Keiji over. “And how long have you been a policeman?”
“Since I was eighteen. Joined fresh out of high school.” His voice was casual again, though this time the eye contact was far less intense, and there was no distinct twitch. He was telling the truth.
Kai nodded slowly, letting out a quiet hum. He wondered how long it had been since Keiji had left the force – or been kicked off – but he couldn’t ask yet. That would show his hand far too quickly, and Kai still had more questions to be asked.
“What do you want with Sara Chidouin?”
The question was sudden, jarring, just as he’d wanted it to be. He could see the effect it had on Keiji, the man stiffening slightly in his seat. He was hiding something, that much was glaringly obvious, but what it was remained to be seen. His finger twitched again – clearly Kai’s question had set him off – and he watched as the man forced an air of calm detachment into his body.
The entire reaction happened in less than a second, and a lesser trained eye would have missed it. But Kai had been preparing for this for years upon years of his life, and he would be remiss to miss something so simple now.
“Now what do you mean by that, Kai?” Keiji’s voice was calm, but it was a forced sort of calm, like he was staring down a rabid dog and trying not to blink first. It wasn’t an inaccurate descriptor, though Kai would have more decorum in disposing of him than a rabid animal would. It meant Keiji had some sense in him, knowing better than to show weakness, even in the face of an interrogation such as this.
But Kai refused to blink first.
He didn’t say anything, using his silence like a blade to cut to the heart of Keiji’s secrets, to pull him open so he could examine him. Keiji stared right back, clearly used to interrogations himself. He would have to be, if he was a detective as he claimed. Perhaps he’d even done a few interrogations in his time on the force, had pulled information from some unsuspecting criminals. Whatever he’d done, it didn’t matter now. Kai was better.
They stared at each other for a long while, Keiji obviously growing increasingly nervous while Kai just stood and watched him, unmoving. Eventually, Keiji ran a hand through his hair, and spoke again. “You’re an interesting man, Kai, you know that? I’ve met detectives with less gut than you. Makes me wonder where you got it from.”
Ah, so that was his game. Deflection. Kai nodded slightly, still standing in front of where Keiji sat, though the man was far less relaxed in his posture now.
“My father,” he said smoothly, looking down at Keiji with the same carefully blank look on his face. Not the entire truth, but enough of it to make the lie difficult to pick up on. The best told lies are true to some, after all.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Kai said, his tone as innocuous as if he were simply asking about the weather. “What do you want with Sara Chidouin?”
Keiji looked at him for a long moment, glancing him over like he was examining a cut of meat. He sighed after a few seconds, relaxing back onto the edge of the counter, stretching his arms out over his head before resting them on the countertop. “I suppose that’s fair. You did answer my question.”
Another pause, this one a bit longer, before he spoke again. “She reminds me of someone.”
He looked away.
Not a lie, this one was a full truth, almost too honest. Ms. Chidouin did remind him of someone, that much was sure. Someone important to him, someone valuable in his life. This was vital; but he clearly didn’t want to say any more.
Kai nods slightly, looking Keiji over for a moment, taking in the way he sat, the way he breathed, looking for any sign of a lie in him. When he found none, he smiled slightly, the first expression he’d given throughout the entire interrogation.
“This person she reminds you of. Who is she?”
Keiji sighed at the question, his body language still incredibly relaxed, though Kai could see the flicker of tension in his jaw, grinding his teeth. When he did speak, his voice held a tension that hadn’t been there before, one he was clearly trying to hide.
“Well this isn’t fair,” he said, crossing his legs one over the other where he sat on the bar stool. “I thought it was my turn to ask a question. That’s how the game works, isn’t it?”
Kai considered that for a moment, letting a soft hum escape his throat; a bad habit he had whenever he was thinking. On one hand, he would much prefer to have this interrogation be entirely one sided, and not allow Keiji any opportunity to find out something he didn’t want him to know. On the other hand, if he denied him now, Keiji would clam up and refuse to speak any further, and he would lose his edge.
“Alright,” Kai said calmly, his hands still clasped behind him where he stood. “Ask your question.”
The policeman nodded, looking Kai in the eyes and falling into silence. Kai met his gaze steadily, his posture straight and eyes ahead. The man could analyze him all he liked, he wouldn’t get any information from him.
“What’s your interest in Sara?”
Of all the questions Kai had expected, that hadn’t been one of them. He hummed softly, feigning disinterest as he searched for an answer. Had he played his hand? Perhaps interrogating the man head on had been the wrong move.
Regardless, Kai was not a man inclined to panic. He looked at Keiji for a moment, trying to piece together why he’d asked the question. It could be concern for the girl; Kai’s questions certainly had been born of concern, seeing a grown man take such an interest in a young girl. But it was more likely he was curious about Kai himself, not anything to do with Ms. Chidouin.
Well, the best told lies often held truths within.
“I worked for her family once, as a house husband. I doubt she remembers, it was so long ago now. But her father was a good man. I’d like for her to get back to him.”
Keiji’s eyes widened just a touch — the man wore everything on his face — and after a moment he nodded, seeming surprised. Apparently, he hadn’t expected Kai to be so forthcoming. He wasn’t, of course — he hadn’t mentioned his true mission with the Chidouins or anything about what his relationship with Ms. Chidouin’s father had truly been like — but it seemed enough to sate Keiji.
“May I ask my question now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at Keiji. The man looked at him for a long moment before shrugging, giving a single nod and gesturing for him to speak.
“The person you’re reminded of by Ms. Chidouin. An ex-lover perhaps?”
Keiji stiffened at that, so clearly even the untrained eye of Gin could see he was uncomfortable with the question. The trouble was, it was hard to tell if he was uncomfortable because Kai was right or because he’d missed the mark. Unfortunately, it looked like he wouldn’t have time to find out.
He stood abruptly, flashing Kai a smile that was far more venomous than any expression he usually made. “Wrong question, Kai,” Keiji said, voice low. He then brushed past him, hitting his own shoulder against Kai’s as he went, leaving Kai standing there in silence.
Curious.