Hearing The Heartbeat (Sequel to 'Broken Perfection')

Needs To Go

"I found a few things." Katsumi enters the lounge, Homare by her side. Folders and files in hand, she sits down in front of the bidders, calmly handing the files to Eisuke, who begins to look through them.

"Kei, Manami... Daughter of Isao and Nao Kei." He read out.

"Isao and Nao?" Ota pipes in. "Isn't Isao Kei that famous American painter?"

"I heard Nao is his manager and publicist." Baba nods, peeking into the files. 

"Yeah, that's right. Manami's an only child and again, as you know, three months pregnant." Katsumi nods. "I looked into her hospital files in her hospital at Johsai but they never got a DNA sample from her so no record about the father has been made."

"That's the least of our concerns." Soryu says, leaning back into his chair. "We still don't know for sure if she's the one trying to kill Katsumi and we don't know what her motive is or if she's working for someone."

"Yeah," Mamoru sighs, "We can't suddenly bring her into the police station or kid'll know we're lookin' into it and she might run away."

"Then what do we do?" Katsumi asked, looking to the bidders for an answer. 

Everyone gives a moment to think before Homare speaks up. "I can check her house." he offers. Everyone looks to him with puzzled looks. "I can go visit her home and look around. I'll take back as much as I can."

"That sounds good, should someone go with him?" Ota asks before looking to Baba.

"Mitsunari should go then," Katsumi suggests. "If Homare will be taking anything from her home, we need someone who's experienced in stealing and hiding stuff. I'd go but I feel that Kei wouldn't be too happy about that."

"Then when do we go?" Baba asked seriously. "I'd suggest the weekend, you'd have more time to poke around." Katsumi answers.

~*****~

"We have a problem." Homare says as he enters the lounge, Katsumi in tow. 

"What?" Soryu asked, placing his book down. "I talked to Manami. She said she had to go on a trip with her parents somewhere in the States. So we can't go and look around her home."

"Why is that stopping you?" Katsumi chuckled from his side, before walking over and sitting between Eisuke and Soryu. The bidders all look at Katsumi with either cocky smirks or small grins.

"Her being gone is only going to make this job easier for us. Meaning I can also go in and look around." Katsumi says, "Not only that, we have everything we need to make sure we don't get caught. Baba can break in, if needed to mask us, we have Ota for disguises and Soryu as backup just in case there's guards. Mamoru and Eisuke can cover us if we're found."

"Quite the useful team..." Homare said with a slight surprise.

"What? You think we made this group for nothing? If you forgot, we run the underground auctions as managers, this stuff is necessary." Katsumi says. "But aside from that, let's just make a plan and look around this Saturday."

~*****~

"This is the place, Mamo?" Katsumi said as she looked up to the mansion. "Crap... This'll take a while."

"We got the guards, let's go Samejima, Inui." Soryu announces before climbing out the car, his faithful men following. 

"Baba, do you have the-" "I have the lock picks here, we'll go in as soon as Soryu calls safe."

They waited a few minutes before they spotted Soryu waving a quick hand to signal it was good. While Baba, Homare, Katsumi, Soryu and Mamoru were here to break in, Eisuke and Ota were making sure that nothing was going wrong from the penthouse lounge.