It was drawing close to the holidays for most everyone in the city, every one but Detective Rapp at least. For three days straight he'd poured over the Kivisto case, without sleep and with very minimal contact with his peers. Not that most would have bothered him at all since Akiba was considered a bit out there even within his own department, being known for solving the oddest of case tended to make normal cops a bit weird with him. He couldn't believe the savage crime that was the murder of Merai & Samur Kivisto, and if he had to guess it looked an awful like a chimera attack. The worst of it, the part that bothered him the most was the lone survivor of the attack; Jarmo Kivisto, Merai & Samur's only child. The boy seemed to have developed a case of selective mutism in the wake of his parents murder, and with no other family was currently at the local orphanage where it seemed he was acting out like a wild animal.
He'd all but driven himself crazy by this point, trying to sort out the information with no sense of facts. Without a statement from Jarmo, and with no forensic evidence to go by Akiba was stuck going in circles. That was where he found himself on that overcast Tuesday morning with the case file spread across his desk, going in circles with only one hope. Sighing to himself Akiba found himself wishing that Zarya hadn't gone on vacation, she was so much better at dealing with kids than he was. Still after two years who knew if the boy was now ready to talk or not, which was how Akiba ended up stepping outside his precinct on that cold December day. Case files left behind as he made his way the five blocks to the orphanage, he had small hope that the boy had changed in that two years.
Pushing open the door to the orphanage, Akiba was greeted by Sister Bayles. Her kindly smile to him did not keep him from seeing the concern in her deep brown eyes, "
Good morning, Detective Rapp. What brings you here? Are you here to take one of the children out for the day like last year?" She asked in her usual gentle tone, ushering him to where the children were in the massive room just to the left of the entry. "
You know how the children look forward to your visits Detective, and we've missed you these last months." She told him in a sincere tone, reminding him of the fact of his absence. Akiba lowed his head a little at the statement, but the next one rocked him harder than he'd expected it to. "
Missa especially has missed your visits." She toned in with a hint of disappointment, and Akiba felt like a bullet had exploded in his chest.
His head hung in shame Akiba brought himself to speak, "
I'm not here for a visit, Sister. I'm here to try and speak to Jarmo." He spoke quietly, but he knew she would hear his words. True enough she did, and her eyes grew wide as she stopped in her traces and stared at him as if he'd grown a second head since he'd come in. Her shock passed quickly enough, but she only shook her head at no one in particular at him and Akiba swore he could see her muttering a prayer. Silently she lead him to a room further back in the orphanage, where the boy sat alone staring out the window at the snow covered garden. She didn't say anything, but Akiba could tell that he hadn't made any progress at all by the sad look in her eyes. "
Tell Missa that I'll be back in a few days, and I'll take her out then if that's alright?" He asked Sister Bayles as she turned to leave them alone, she didn't say anything in return simply nodded and swept back down the hallway.
Once the pair was alone Akiba took a chair from the wall and turned it around so he could lean on the back of it, "
Hello Jarmo, I'm Detective Rapp." Some how he knew the boy was aware of him even before he spoke, but he never even looked over at Akiba. "
I was hoping I could ask you a few questions Jarmo, would that be alright?" That got the boy's attention, and proved to be the a turning point. Instead of speaking however the boy shirked loudly, and tipped over the chair he'd been sitting in moments before as he literally jumped up from it.