The Case-Book of Kakashi Hatake

A Study in Silence {Part 9}

Two days later, I was sitting in our small living room reading and petting Pakkun. The small dog had really taken to me in the month or so that I had roomed with Hatake. I will admit that I had dreams of enthralling the small canine to my side, making the lovable pooch forsake his master and become solely my friend. I knew, however, that that particular romantic notion would never come to pass for so long as Hatake kept feeding the dog his toast at breakfast, Pakkun would stay forever loyal, even if I was the one who appreciated his cuteness more.

So lost in thought about stealing my flatmate's dog was I, that I didn't even notice when said man entered the room with Inspector Aoba Yamashiro in tow.

"Dr. Watanabe."

I just barely managed to restrain the undignified yelping noise that almost escaped me when my reverie was broken, but I was powerless against the shock making me drop my book; it's spine hitting me in a particularly tender spot above my knee.

"Hatake, Inspector Yamashiro," I nodded politely, pretending like I wasn't rubbing the sore spot on my leg and surreptitiously closing the book that I had dropped, "what brings you here?"

Wincing, I realized that was a really stupid question. Hatake lived here; there were innumerable reasons why he might be in, oh I don't know, his own house.

I really was doing a fine job of embarrassing myself that afternoon.

"Wiggins just got back to me this morning," Hatake stated while taking the seat across from me and gesturing to Pakkun. The little dog dutifully trotted over to him, the traitor. Did the belly rub that I had just given him mean nothing?

"Exciting. Did your legion of crime-fighting urchins find anything of use?"

"They did. In fact, I called a cab."

Yamashiro looked over at the consulting detective, "Why on earth did you call a cab when you just sent away the one that I arrived in?"

Hatake sent a strange look at the man, "This one is special."

That certainly put an end to the conversation.

So we sat there in five minutes of absolutely painful silence while waiting for the "special" cab to arrive. I personally figured that there was something related to the two strange, bloody murders that we were investigating that made this cab so important. The inspector, however, seemed to hold some doubts. To me it always seemed like the policeman found the eccentric consultant to be a crazy yet necessary evil.

Genma finally came up and killed the oppressive quiet.

"Kakashi, there's a cabby here for you, says that you requested him to pick you up here."

Hatake stood with a smirk, "Tell him to come on up; I have some luggage that I need a hand with bringing down the stairs."

Our landlord's face light up, "You mean that you're going somewhere?"

"Sure..."

Genma spun around on the ball of his foot and dashed down the stairs with a spring in his step.

"Mr. Hatake, what do you mean that you have luggage? Why did you call me here if you're just leaving on holiday? And what does this have to do with the case you're helping me with?"

Hatake turned toward the confused and irate detective as he strolled to stand next to the door at the top of the stairs, "No need to worry, Inspector. If you wait just one moment, I believe that I will have your killer for you."

Even, light strides could be heard making their way up the staircase towards us as everyone in the room tensed in anticipation. Hatake's talk about nabbing the killer seemed to have assuaged Yamashiro's doubts, and I was excited to the see the brilliant man in action once more. I just wanted to know all that he had concluded about the case.