Bungou stray dogs x Killua {Uninvited guest}

10- A Cake A Day Keeps The Murderer Away

"Where are we going?"

Killua kicked a pebble out of the way as he trailed behind Ranpo in his wake. 

Said detective paced ahead of him, chewing on a lollipop. He didn't elaborate further on the details, and no matter how many times the hunter pastered him, he refused to answer.

Ranpo didn't turn but Killua could hear the smile in his voice. "You'll see."

After a few miles of awkward silence and drivers screeching insults at them for crossing the road while the pedestrians' traffic light was red, they stopped between crossroads. Ranpo gazed to the right.

"Ah, this is trouble."

Ranpo stopped as he observed the cage of yellow tapes surrounding the perimeter. Inside, police cars were parked in such a fashion that blocked any nosy bystanders' views. And in the clearing, a worn-out officer in a trenchcoat waved them in.

"Heya, Minoura-san." Ranpo greeted cheerily. "Today's murder case sure is messy."

The officer - Minoura - grunted, "I've seen you deducted this much. But the most troubling of all wasn't the method but the corpse itself."

He led them toward a white-covered cloth, neatly wrapped around the body. Killua watched in fascination as one police fumbled with an old-fashioned camera, while another drew chalk around an empty ground. Two were having a passive-aggressive argument about placing checkpoints.

"It's to keep the evidence intact." Ranpo hummed, pleased to answer the hunter's unspoken question. "It's vital in catching the culprit. For them that is." Not for brilliant detectives like me though.

The hunter raised an eyebrow at the silent boast but he didn't remark.

Minoura crouched beside the cloth, oblivious to their exchange. "A fair warning. Don't freak out." He was eyeing Killua who wasn't sure to feel offended or disdain.

"My acquaintance has had experience. No worries."

"Last time you said that when you brought the Tanizaki-kid, our pharmacists had complained about him ransacking our medical supply."

"Ah, that can't be helped," Ranpo said matter-of-factly. Then without as much of a warning, he squatted beside the older and withdrew the cloth impatiently.

"Detective, wait-"

The stench hit Killua before the sight of blood did. The victim's bulky body had several cuts adorning the upper abdomen and thighs. Their fingers, forearms, toes, and legs were bent at odd angles, reminding him to remain at a healthy distance.

The long, bloody scar running from the victim's neck to the waist made some of their internal organs naked to the open eye, especially the liver. Their rib bones jutted out from the chest as if they had been twisted to form a mini bone desert. But the most disturbing part was the missing space on top of the body where the head should have been.

Killua whistled. Even by his standards, this was gruesome. "Damn."

"Seems like the murderer was insistent on making sure the victim suffered, even in death," Ranpo agreed, his emerald orbs opened slightly to regard the sickening scene.

Minuora shifted uncomfortably in his boots, his face already turning green. "We found a fake ID in his wallet so I'm afraid we have no leads about his identity. The fingerprints were already sent to the lab, but the results were yet to be confirmed. We can't be sure about the victim's age without his head. And his time of death is ranged two hours ago."

"Still fresh, then."

Minuora nodded grimly. "That makes everything worse since none of our search squads were able to find the culprit around every 30-kilometer radius. And it's already evening, it's going to get dark soon."