Conversation · Half-Finished Paperwork

These are fragments of the lieutenant's paperwork, left unfinished. Notes on this and other recent cases.

"Look, Cuno, Lieutenant Kitsuragi's notes."

The boy picks up the notes and shuffles through some of the case names: "'The Child', 'Dom's Unfinished', 'Dom's Unfinished 2', 'The Man With the Hole in His Head'... Boring ass shit," he concludes.

"Oh... 'Motorcycle Emptiness' -- that's a cool case. Cuno can solve that shit for the bino."

"Yeah, Kim is such a binoclard."

"Pig..." he says with a frown. "It's cool for Cuno to rip on the 'clard, but he took a bullet for you. You gonna shitmouth Cuno too if he falls in battle?"

"It just good-humoured banter among friends."

"For you, maybe," he replies seriously. "But take it from the Cunn: Binos don't always get that. They get their feelings hurt. Cuno doesn't want this for your pal. He's alright in Cuno's book."

He's right, you know? The lieutenant probably doesn't enjoy being called a binoclard -- the four-eyed dork.

"You're right, I shouldn't call him that."

He nods approvingly. "Now, let's get a move on, pig. Cuno's itching to crack this case."

"I call it like I see it, Cuno."

"That's cold, Pig. Sub-zero. Cuno ain't like that. Cuno's got heart." He looks at the notes. "You're done with these or...?"

"Don't call him a bino."

The boy hesitates for a moment, then nods. "No one tells Cuno what to call something, but the bino was alright in Cuno's book." He taps his chest solemnly. "Cuno's pig."

What has he written -- on this case?

Very little. This is a daily write-up. He's just started copying notes from his notebook, preparing them for filing. The case appears to be named, however.

What is the name?

HDB41-0803 (THE HANGED MAN)

Twenty-eight kilometres to the northeast, in the infirmary of Precinct 57, Lieutenant Kim 'Pinball' Kitsuragi rests under a heart monitor. A triage sign coloured yellow hangs from his injury record -- safe, it means. He coughs, propped up against the pillow.

"Why are you here?" asks the man as the cough fit resides. His eyes are black and moist.

"To inquire about the Lieutenant-Yefreitor, sir. I am his partner," says Satellite-Officer Jean Vicquemare, standing in the doorway.

"Then why are you wasting time here?" coughs Kim. "He's out there. In Martinaise. Unsupervised, without cover. You need to get there..." His cough gets the best of him, he grabs a glass.

On his right hand side -- a little blue notebook. Open at case notes...

He went with the 'Furies'. Perhaps the internal strife it implies was not so off after all? Or perhaps to honour your wishes? Or for some other reason. Hard to say...

KK57-0803-0815 (THE HANGED MAN)

HDB41-0803.1015 (THE HANGED MAN)

HDB41-0803.1111 (THE HANGED MAN)

HDB41-0803.1300 (THE HANGED MAN)

KK57-0803-0815 (THE HANGED MAN)

What about the other cases? What do we have here...

This year, you can see references to: THE CHILD, DOM'S UNFINISHED; DOM'S UNFINISHED 2, MOTORCYCLE EMPTINESS, and THE MAN WITH THE HOLE IN HIS HEAD.

Anything more?

Half a dozen stolen property cases titled CROSSWORD PUZZLES 2-2000.

[Close the notes.]

"I am sure neither of us feels solid enough to keep loitering in this room -- let's go."

These papers bear the stamp of the RCM. They appear to be fragments of the lieutenant's paperwork, half-finished. You make out notes on this -- and other recent cases.

"I had Garte open the door to your room." He closes the notes. "You were running a low bacterial fever the first night."

"Thank you for keeping this... thing alive a little longer." (Point to yourself.)

"It would have been easy were it not for my concussion... We both got lucky, considering the odds we faced." There's a pause. "Let's go?"

"I saw... apocalyptic visions. Of the darkness... behind darkness... behind darkness..."

"... behind darkness, I get it. Let's go."

"I'm such a burden. I should just fuck off..."

"Not this again... you pull your weight, okay?" He waves you off. "Let's go."

"I thought I was dead for a moment."

"Back there, on the plaza? I think you very nearly had a heart attack. Alcoholism has damaged you more than bullets have..." There's a small pause. "We should go."

"Back there, on the plaza? I think you very nearly had another heart attack. Alcoholism has damaged you more than bullets have..." There's a small pause. "We should go."