Chapter 3: Something To Believe In

Saturday 20th October,
8.03a.m. Kalm Town, Vincent’s House

Vincent woke up to the loud ringing of his bedside alarm clock. He reached out for Lucrecia but found nothing more than bed sheets.
He looked around the room before realising. The damn woman was out again. Again he looked at the alarm clock. Eight o’ three. He sighed, work started in almost half an hour and the Turks were not keen on slackers.
Vincent picked himself off the bed and began to dress; he was going to kill Lucrecia when he got his hands on her.

8.25a.m. Kalm Town, Turk Headquarters

Vincent arrived at the Headquarters door before stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for his desired floor. Looking at his watch, he  breathed a sigh of relief; he’d made it in time. The lift clinked to a halt prior to the doors opening and he stepped out, bumping into Rude. There was no lop-sided smile. No immature silence. Instead, Rude just barged him out of the way and hammered on the buttons impatiently. Vincent looked around, puzzled.
“Something wrong, Rude?”
With a startled cry, the Turk jumped up into the air and stuck his hand out to stop the closing elevator doors. His shoulders slumped when he saw Vincent.
“Oh, shit, Vince... it’s bad.”
“What is?”
“I’ve been trying to get to you all morning,” he carried on. “but the phone lines were disconnected.”
“Rude, get a grip!” said Vincent angrily. “What is the matter?”
“I’m sorry, Vince. It’s Lucrecia.”

8.57a.m. Kalm Town, Yuffie’s House

“He’s taken it pretty well.” whispered Elena as she watched Vincent stand over Lucrecia’s dead body. Swarming over him were policemen and men in white overalls dusting for fingerprints.
“Don’t know if you can say that, he hasn’t said a word since I told him.” replied Rude.
“...You still think it’s that ninja girl Yuffie?” asked Reno.
“How could we not?” joked Rude quietly. “Her fingerprints are all over the victim. The body’s in the goddamn house for fucks sake.”
“I don’t know... it just doesn’t seem right.” ponedered Reno. “You know we met her five years ago, she seemed normal. A little hyperactive perhaps, but normal. And a gun? This chick was some trained ninja, doesn’t seem right for a gun to be used.”
“Get your head out of Detective books Reno, this girl killed Vincent’s wife whether we like it or not. It’s as simple as that.” Elena snapped.
Vincent slowly walked over to the group. Silent. Shocked.
Reno looked at the others before plucking the courage to speak to the speechless man.
“Vince? Are you okay? How’s it hangin’, ya know?” he said awkardly. He playfully punched his friend’s shoulder to try and lighten the situation.
Vincent replied by grabbing Reno’s fist and throwing it back at him.
“My wife has just been murdered and I assure you that right now, nothing is even remotely ‘hanging’.”
Again, silence.
“Elena...” asked Vincent.
“Yes?”
“Who do you think it was?” he asked.
“I don’t know, I haven’t thought about that yet.”
“You’re lying Elena. I know you’re lying. Always.” He grabbed onto her shoulder and shook her violently. Elena knew that, is he wanted to, that he could tear her apart withing seconds. “Tell me.”
“It was that little ninja girl, Yuffie. All the evidence points to her, I thought you would have known. It’s obvious.”
Vincent overcame his sudden shock. That one of his old friends could have done this. “...And you’re sure it’s her.”
“Yeah, either that or someone has stitched her up big time. But I don’t see that being possible, they couldn’t forge the fingerprints or the fact the girl ran away last night.”
“Right” he answered as he began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To find Yuffie.”
“Don’t do anything to her.”
“I’m not going to.”
Vincent turned away from his fellow Turks and walked over to the ageing, bearded man standing in the corner.
“Godo?” he asked.
“Why yes, what is it?” the old man replied, somewhat shaken by what the police had just told him.
“Where’s Yuffie?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie to me Godo!” shouted Vincent as he grabbed onto the old man’s shirt. “I’m not in the mood for lies right now.”
“Honest to the gods Vincent, I don’t know!” The old man stumbled back in fear as Vincent seemed to momentarily lose control of himself.
“Fine.” he cried, releasing Godo from his grip. “I’ll find her myself then.”
Vincent turned around and left the house. He grabbed his house keys from his pocket and took the hundred-metre road down to his house where he opened the door and stepped in.
Running to his bedroom, he opened the closet and pulled out his arsenal of handguns and rifles that lay rest there. Finally from deep inside the closet he grabbed a chest and dropped it on the bed in front of him, blowing the dust from the top, he pulled the key out of his pocket and turned it in the keyhole, opening the old lock. Vincent lowered his hands into the chest and pulled out the beautiful piece of machinery, the Death Penalty.
“I didn’t think I’d have to use you again for long time yet.” whispered Vincent, feeling the rifle in his grip once more.
He packed as much weaponry as he could, packing the separate pieces into a single bag.
There was a knock on the door; Vincent opened it, expecting one of the Turks. He predicted correctly.
“Yes?” he said.
“You can’t go after her, you can’t kill her.” said Reno calmly at the door.
“Who says I’m going to kill her?” replied Vincent, leaving the house and walking away.
“No one, but what are all those guns for? Threatening her?” he retorted as he followed Vincent out into the street.
“Something could happen. If I’ve learnt anything in the last five years, it’s be prepared.”
“Then why exactly are you following her?”
“That is my business and mine alone Reno, now get lost. I am going.”
“But what about your job here, what about your life here?”
“I have no life without Lucrecia.” replied Vincent, slinging the bag over his shoulder and striding away. “I have nothing against you Reno, but if you stand in my way I will not hold back. I need to leave. Alone.”
Reno nodded before looking up again to find Vincent long gone.
Vincent left the man where he stood and felt free again, now he could find Yuffie without the nuisance of the Turks. He had only stepped a few paces before being stopped again.
“Don’t leave Vincent.” said Elena firmly. Vincent looked at her blankly for a while. “You leave now and you resign from the Turks, I’m only telling you once.”
“Fine.” he replied. “I resign.”
He turned his back on Elena and Rude and started to walk away again.
“Not only that.” she shouted. “ You’ll lose me. I’m not going to stand by and let you go after Yuffie on a temper like this.”
“I’ve already lost one person today, two if you count Yuffie. And the last thing I want to do is lose you, but if you get in my way... I can’t promise that I won’t hurt you.”
Vincent pulled his handgun out of his holster and aimed it at Elena and Rude.
“You follow me now and I shoot. I won’t hold back, I guarantee it.” he said clamly.
“Vince, man, you don’t want to do this!” Rude shouted in reply.
Vincent aimed the gun at the floor near Rude’s left foot and shot, there was a loud bang as the pavement exploded, sending shards of concrete into the Turk’s face.
“I said I guarantee it.”
Walking away from the two Turks, Vincent broke into a run and soon dissappeared round the corner.
Reno waited until Vincent had gone far into the distance before coming out of the house.
“He’s gone?” he asked.
“Yes.” Elena replied.
“What are going to do now?” asked Rude. The question was aimed more at Elena than Reno.
“He said if we follow him now he’ll shoot. We’ll follow him tomorrow, see where he goes. We can’t let him get close to Yuffie, even if she did kill Lucrecia.”
“Anything you want us to do before tomorrow?” asked Reno.
“Just... get ready. Be prepared. Can’t think of anything else.”
“But that only leaves a few hours to get into shape!”
“Then you better train hard, because we’re leaving here. And don’t expect to be back for a long, long time.”

Elena is hiding something, even  a dumbass like me can tell that.
It was a mistake for them to under estimate me: to think I have more brawn than brains. As soon as I got back, I started to do a little investigating of my own.
The bullet that struck Lucrecia came from behind. That’s sneaky, but not quite Yuffie’s style. And there’s more.
I think that Lucrecia ran through the door to Yuffie’s house. If not her, then someone did. There’s blood on the handle.
 The smallest flecks of blood can be found on the doorstep. Obviously, that’s where the killing took place.
And what about the murder weapon? What bullets were used? At what range was she killed? Who knows what other crucial evidence she’s hiding from me? And why the fuck is she doing it?
She’s my leader, though. And I’m a Turk. So I follow the leader without question
Yeah, I’ll give her my support . For now.
If only to find something to believe in.

Reno’s Personal Log
 

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