It had already been more than an hour since Neuro had left to survey the area for clues to the unexplained death of Kurojima-san. Since that time Yako had been trying to get some answers out of the people who were, to her misfortune, not very cooperative when questioned.

Maybe she should try the tall blonde first...

"How dare ya a'cuse me a bein' the killa ya lil' hussy!! Why th' hell would I kill that ol' timer!!" She practically screeched at her when she asked if she might have noticed something suspicious, since her table was closest to the victim. She decided to move on to the next one. A walrus of a man was nervously muttering to another beside him from the next table.

"Why of all the preposterous-...this is utter nonsense! I remained in my seat the whole time I'll have you know." He stuttered furiously at her when she questioned him if he saw something when he left his seat, as he had arrived at the time Kurojima-san had died. No good, she would have to ask the heavy-set old woman in pink next who was fanning herself with a matching French fan.

"Why of all the nerve! Can't you see that I am traumatized by all of this." She turned her nose up loftily at Yako as she catechized her if she knew Kurojima-san. She'd remembered that she use to be a former partner with him a few years back. She left as the woman demanded one of the waiters to bring her a glass of perrier lime water for her.

Yako really didn't blame them for being so defensive, but all the lack of answers were amounting to absolutely nothing. And with Chief Usui and the police force here it wasn't exactly going to be something she could accomplish on her own.

"Thanks Mateo, but I'm alright now." She looked across from her and saw Kurojima-san resting in one of the seats as Mateo offered her another glass of water. Although she tried to put on a weak smile of assurance, her tear-stained face showed clearly that she was devastated. Yako felt so sorry for her as she swept away a strand of hair behind her ear and kept up her poise.

"Are you certain Kurojima-sama?" The old man gave her a somber look as he retracted the tray from her.

"Really, I'm okay now." She nodded as she cordially smiled at him.

"Kurojima-sama, " He bowed to her as he quickly apologized, nearly knocking the cup off of the tray. "I must apologize for my lack of a better judgement. Had I not been so inclined to allow suspicions of your father slip by me while he was with us, perhaps he would have..." His hands shook as he asked for her pardon.

"No Mateo," She spoke in a firmer tone as she cut through his apology. "You did nothing wrong. I think if father were still here he would say the same, and would never consider you to be guilty."

"But, oh..." his hand slipped on the handle of the tray as he lifted himself up. The glass toppled off as the tray tilted forward, spilling the contents as it chipped off a large corner of the glass. He excused himself profusely again, assuring Kurojima-san that he did not require help as she got out of her seat.

But Yako noticed that he was endeavoring to pick up the pieces, and came forward to help.

"It's better if there are more people to help though." She smiled as she took a couple of smaller pieces that he had missed. "Ah, Katsuragi-tantei." Kurojima-san looked at her in surprise as she took a few more.

"Th-thank you Katsuragi-san." He bowed his head humbly again, feeling slightly embarrassed for being incapable of picking up bits of glass.

The two of them collected the shards and discarded them in a nearby trash bin before wiping the water with a cloth. Mateo then picked up the tray and assured that he would return with some more drinks for the them quickly. Once he was out of sight, Kurojima-san had sat herself back down and sighed.

"Mateo has been like a second father to me for the last ten years, so I could never bare to see him condemn himself for what has happened." Yako listened to her as she smiled fondly.

"Of course if anyone is to blame for what has happened, it should be me. Because back then I had that weird feeling that all those crimes were my father's doing, even though I knew he was dead." She folded her hands and rested her forehead against them as she said this to her.

"Really?" Yako's eyes widened a little at this. "You mean you..." Kurojima-san nodded a little.

"For how long?"

"Since I was thirteen, I definitely remember him acting peculiar when I reached that age. Although he still acted normal, he spent quite a bit of time in the office right after coming from work. Since it seemed like he was busy with papers, I didn't think to bother him, but..."

Yako edged a little closer. "One day he had come home late at night while I was in bed, or at least that's what he assumed. I was about to go out and greet him, but then I saw him dragging something across the floor. I watched him through the crack, and noticed that there was something trailing from it....it was blood. " She ran her fingers through her hair as she bit her lower lip recalling the memory.

"I was so afraid  of what I saw that night that I couldn't go back to sleep. was it just my imagination or real? I didn't know, and I was too terrified to find out the truth. The next morning there were police surrounding the manor, and paramedics were rushing into the backyard. The next thing I knew, Mateo was comforting me as he told me that my father was found dead in the old warehouse-hung, burnt, and with his limbs...his limbs...." She gripped her forehead as she shook Yako clasped a hand over her quivering one in her lap as she recalled her traumatic memories.

"Since then I completely forgot what I had seen that night and accepted that it was all just a dream. But even so, I could not get the feeling out of me that there was something more to this...and that somehow it was my father's doing. If I had only said this all sooner, perhaps all this would not have happened for so long..."

"No, you're wrong Kurojima-san." Yako stopped her from going further.

"Hmm?" She looked up in surprise.

"Just as you told Mateo-san, no one is really to blame for what happened. Your feeling guilty for not saying anything back then is understandable, but you shouldn't keep dwelling on that. I've met a lot of people who felt like they were the ones who should hold the burdens for things that they constantly felt was their doing, so they couldn't move on. But by listening and talking with them I learned that they were just trying to protect something important to them. You loved your father very much and didn't want to believe that he was a killer. You wanted him to still be the father who cared for you with all his heart."

"Katsuragi-tantei..."

"People may think that is simply ignorance or foolishness, but I think there is never anything wrong with people cherishing the way they remember those who they care for. Because there are just some things that can't be replaced no matter what they may find out in the future."

Kurojima-san was speechless. She had never understood her self well, but this girl was able to analyze her plainly and honestly without so much as a stutter or wavering voice. Kurojima-san smiled back at her as she brushed away the last of her tears as she felt a little bit of the weight lift from her chest. "Thank you for saying those things. "

"Hey! Where the heck did you come from!?" Ishigaki had stopped someone from passing through the now barricaded center of the room.

"Hmm? What's going on over there?" Kurojima-san looked over Yako's shoulder as she noticed Ishigaki pushing the guy away.

"You look rather suspicious, I don't even remember you being around here." He pointed an accusatory finger at a guy dressed in black. He was much taller than Ishigaki, and had an untidy hairstyle. The stranger yawned boorishly  as  Ishigaki  prosecuted him continuously.  He scratched his head  as he looked up at the ceiling, giving off the impression that he was here against his volition.

"Man, what a drag."

"Are you even listening to me?!" Ishigaki had just realized that the delinquent was completely ignoring him.
Yako stood up suddenly out of her chair as she recognized him instantly, taking Kurojima-san by surprise.

"Hour!?"

((Same disclaimer stuff, pics are not mine-didn't make them.))