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The Resolution

"So let me get this straight..." You start, swigging back the last of yer malt. "Anita... You an Carn were together about a week ago at the diner... but it was all business... And you Bai and Jiang. Carn owed yous two dough."

"That's right!" Jiang piped up before Bai elbowed him in the ribs.”Idiot…” She whispered under her breath.

You look sided ways at Jiang before continuing on. "And Jiro. Your gun went missin just about a week ago." You stroke your chin with your thumb and forefinger letting the facts simmer in yer pan

"Then there's Hazel and Chen..." You turn to scrutinize both of 'em. "Yous two got in a bad deal with Carn recently but you got stuck with the trouble…” You start scratching your head. Tossing yer hat on the counter, you start mumbling to no one in particular.

"Lots of mail from Suzu and Bai... Anita the back ally sale... Carns been avoiding the maltshop" Everyone is fidgeting around you, actin all nervous like. Yer quite for a few minutes as the facts sort themselves out in yer mind.

"I still say Anita done it!" Sgt. Carl starts after the Jeweler again but you stop him in his tracks.

"Carl! Yer breakin my concentration!" You shout grabbing the gun Carl found out of his hand. Funny that he found that first. And that he forgot to use a cloth...

You turn and go do the door still standing open, letting in the chilled rainy air. "Jiro... How long's this door been stuck open?" You ask him.

"Was like that this morning when I came back out from the back to stock the spoons and napkins…” You grunt, inspecting the door a little closer. That’s when you see it. Everything’s clicked into place. The girl... The ring... The gun... The door... It all makes sense now.

"Carn stopped seeing you a couple weeks ago didn't he Suzu? That's what all the letters were about weren't they?" You ask rounding on her quick.

"Yeah so what? An he was cheatin on me for who knows how long before that..." She mumbles.

"And then you saw him with Anita didn't you?" You press, "And then you got arrested in the street!" you shout.

"I told ya Suzu didn't get arrested that night!" Sgt. Carl shouts, stepping between you and Suzu.

"That's right, she didn’t.” You turn your focus to Carl, “Cause you was there weren’t you? You were the one that pulled her out of the street!” You thrust an accusing finger against the Sarg’s chest. He starts to protest but you cut him off.

“And that’s when she got to you isn’t? She gave you that doe eyed look and you just couldn’t help yourself could you? She told you all about Carn and Anita that night. She told you all about her plan! An you went along with it cause she just wrapped you right around her finger” The Sgt. looked positively cornered an you could see Suzu outta the corner of yer eye on the edge of her seat.

“I-I don’t know what plan yer talkin about! I wasn’t even there that night!” The Sgt. flat out lied, “T-Tell em Suzu! Tell ‘em I wasn’t there!” He shot a pleading look to Suzu but the look she gave him coulda frozen ice.

“Yea Suzu. Tell us all about how the two of yous planned to kill Carn that night.” You jump in before she can answer. Time to lay the rest of it out. “Tell us how you stole Old Jiro’s gun the next day. everyone knows he keeps it behind the counter. Tell us how you set up a meet with Carn here tonight in another one of yer letters. Tell us how you gave the gun to Sgt. Carl so he could shoot poor Carn in the back for yous. Tell us how you jimmied the hing on the door to make sure he had a clear shot!”

"I-No! That ain’t…" Carl shouts, coming to Suzu’s defense before she can speak, "Suzu didn’t do nothin see?!”

“What did she promise you Carl?” You ask rounding on him again, “Did she tell you she was in love with you? Tell you that you’d spend the rest of yer lives together?” You ask the Sgt. You feel sorry for the guy. The poor sap was always fallin for the wrong dames and this time there was no comin back from it.

“Now listen here,” Suzu pipes up, “I didn’t do nothin! This was all his idea! I just cried on his shoulder and he came up with the rest! He’s always had his eye on me. He probably just wanted to get Carn out of the way!” She said, layin the blame squarely on Carl. It was a clever move but you knew the Sarg. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Yer about to cut her off when Carl beats you to it.

“Suzu… Suzu w-what are you saying?!” Carl turns to look at Suzu with a pained expression, “You said we was gonna be together forever!”

“Clamp it Carl.” Suzu says, tryin to shut the Sarg up.

“You promised me we’d run away together! You said Carn was the only thing standing between us!” Carl keeps on confessing, “You said all I had to do was shoot him an plant the gun inside the shop! That no one would figure it out!”

“I said shut up you dumb clod!” Suzu’s on her feet now, red faced an shoutin, “I never loved you! I just wanted that rat Carn dead for cheating on me with that tramp! An you were the easiest way to get it done and still keep my hands clean! You've ruined everything!”

Suzu’s words shut Carl right up, an empty expression glazing across his features. Before anyone knows what’s happening, Carl’s got his heater in his hand and the air’s ringing with the sound of a slug going off.

Chen tackles the Sgt and wrestles him to the ground but Carl isn’t putting up much of a fight. Chen and Bai take away his gun an wrestle him into his own cuffs. Suddenly Suzu stumbles against the counter and drops to the floor. You rush to her side but you already know. It's too late for her. “He was gonna propose to you tonight." You whisper, "This was yer ring in his pocket. It’s inscribed, ‘To My Bell*’.” A pained expression passes across Suzu’s face. Then she’s gone. You set Suzu down gently and then help the others pull Carl into a seat where he can cry in peace.

*Suzu is Japanese for “Bell”

“I rang the police.” Jiro says as you sit back down at the counter. What a night. A somber mood fills the malt shop as everyone sits back down to wait for the police. You order up another malt while you wait. Placing the engagement ring on the counter, you give it a flick and watch it spin till it clatters to a stop.

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