"I cannot believe what you say, because I see what you do."  —James Baldwin

    "Kogami, you don't really have a choice in the matter!" Akane said.  Face flushed with frustration, she trotted alongside the irritated Enforcer to keep pace with his long, angry strides.  "Chief Kasei made it an order."

    "Did you bring a Dominator, Inspector?" he asked.  "Because you're going to need one.  I'm not doing it."

    "It's just an interview."

    "On camera, right?  Not happening."

    "Kogami!" 

    Akane's protest was lost in a crowd of people and activity on the bustling grounds of the Gotemba Equestrian Center.  With some difficulty, Kogami and she pressed through the throng of spectators along a narrow boulevard that was surrounded by small shops and boutiques.  The haut couture vendors were clustered on the far side of the showgrounds near the parking area, which was jam-packed with horse trailers, shipping vans, and trucks.

    Dressed in white riding breeches and polished tall boots, Kogami made fists of his hands to loosen the stiff white leather of his gloves.  Unstrapping the velcro enclosures on his wrists, he pulled them off and absently slapped them against his thigh.  A black shadbelly coat and a yellow vest completed his riding attire, including a black riding helmet emblazoned with the Japanese flag.

    "Are you trying to end up back in an isolation cell?" Akane asked.  "Because that's what Chief Kasei will do if you defy her."

    "Maybe."  He snorted playfully.  "But with powerful friends like Kurosawa, I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.  Especially if I win today."

    Akane glanced at her wristcom.  "Aren't you supposed to ride your first test in 20 minutes?"

    "Yeah, but Mi-Yeon's here to ride in the kids' division, and I promised I'd watch."

    Akane's eyes widened in genuine surprise.  "Really!  Why didn't you say something, Mr. Kogami?"

    He shrugged.  "Didn't seem important to mention at the time."

    She cuffed his shoulder, even as he pretended to retreat from her.  "You really can be such a jerk!  When did she get into riding horses?"

    "It was my mother's idea.  After the earthquake and everything else that happened, she wanted to make sure Mi-Yeon was getting the most effective therapy possible."

    "Hippotherapy?  She's riding horses to control her stress levels like you did.  A brilliant idea!"

    "I thought so, too." Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, his usual coltish demeanor diminishing as he read a communication on his wristcom. 

    "What's wrong?"

    "My mother messaged me a few minutes ago.  The therapy center's van hasn't arrived yet, and she can't reach the facility trainer."  With a frown, he shot her an apprehensive look.   "No van.  No Trainer.  No pony."

    "Oh no, why the delay?"

    "I don't know.  My mother wouldn't say.  She just wanted me to find her." 

    Kogami paused in mid stride, scanning the small village that had cropped up on the edge of the parking lot.  Large, canvas tents of every color dotted the horizon between the temporary stables and pasture.  The names of major stables were embroidered on hanging banners, displayed alongside their corporate sponsors and logos.  Personalized tack boxes were neatly positioned amid folding chairs and other furniture, which sat on carpeted floors that covered up the pasture grass.

    One black banner caught his eye, after he nearly walked on by it.  It was imprinted with bold yellow letters:  the Royale Hippotherapy Centre.  Kogami ducked slightly under the canopy.  Allowing his eyes to adjust to the dimness inside, he was greeted by a familiar face.

    "Shinya," his mother sighed in relief.  Through her smile, a subtle uneasiness manifested itself in her pale skin and the lines of worry that furrowed her brow.

    Kogami bowed deeply to her, but his show of respect was cut short when Mi-Yeon came running from the rear of the tent.  In tears, she held her arms up to him, her tiny hands trembling.  He picked her up and held her tightly against him.

    "Kogami-kun," she whispered in a cracked voice.

    Kogami rubbed her back to sooth the sobbing little girl.  "What's wrong?"

    Mrs. Kogami clasped her hands in front of her chin and bowed her head, her face long and drawn with emotion.  "Mi-Yeon's leadline division is coming up shortly, but the Centre trailer still isn't here."

    "What happened?" Kogami asked.  "You didn't specify—"

    "There was an accident on the highway, Shinya.  The ring steward was nice enough to call the Centre, but there was no answer.  I'm afraid something terrible has happened."  She looked at Mi-Yeon and ran her hands over the child's heaving shoulders.  "She's been looking forward to this for weeks now."

    Akane cleared her throat.

    Showing no remorse for his ill manners, Kogami took a stepped back.  "Mother, this is Inspector Tsunemori, Akane Tsunemori.  Inspector, my mother, Mrs. Tomoyo Kogami."

    "Mrs. Kogami," Akane said, "it is a pleasure to meet you."  She bowed respectfully to the older woman before her, waiting for the proper amount of time before straightening.  "Don't you worry, Mrs. Kogami.  I'll contact MWSPB headquarters and see what I can find out about that accident.  Excuse me."  She ducked under the loose hanging canopy of the tent and vanished into the sunlight outside.

    "Shinya," his mother said.  She caressed his cheek and chin with her soft hands.  "You're looking well."  Then skeptically raising an eyebrow, she added, "A bit too thin, but healthy.  Are you eating properly?"

    "Do I ever?"  Kogami smiled, reveling in her touch and the scent of rose petals.  "Don't worry about me."

    "I'm your mother, and it's my job."  She looked to the opening where Akane had departed.  "Is that your superior?"

    "Yes."  Feeling blush across his cheeks, Kogami was pleased that Akane had left them alone.

    "A very sweet girl, Shinya.  I hope you haven't been too unkind to her."

    "Mother, I haven't—" His wristcom chimed with an alert.  Awkwardly balancing Mi-Yeon in his arms, Kogami answered it.

    "Kogami!" Akane said.  "The Royale Centre's truck and trailer were involved in an incident at the interchange on the main highway leading to Gotemba.  Seems a limousine accidentally left its lane without properly checking for other vehicles and collided with them."

    "Was anyone hurt?" Mrs. Kogami asked.

    "No injuries were reported."  There was a pause on the line.  "Kogami, I think they just pulled into the parking lot."

    Kogami raised an eyebrow skeptically.  "Nothing like the last minute.  Hey?" He tugged at the sleeve of Mi-Yeon's riding jacket.  "Get ready.  Your pony's here."

    Eyes red and puffy, Mi-Yeon sat up in his arms with a heartsick frown.  Rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands, she shook her head dispassionately.

    "Don't believe me?  That's not fair."  Kogami poked her in the ribs and was rewarded with a half-hearted giggle.  Giving her a warm embrace, he waited for his mother to go ahead of them, and together they went outside into the sunlight.

    "Over here!" Akane called.  "Hello again, Mi-Yeon."

    "Akane-chan," Mi-Yeon whispered.

    In shock, Akane's eyes widened at the verbal greeting.  She signed a greeting of hello to Mi-Yeon, who smiled weakly at her feeble attempts to communicate with her hands.

    "You two get reacquainted," Kogami said, handing off Mi-Yeon to Akane.  He listened intently as the announcer made a 5-minute call for the children's division. "I'm going to help get this pony ready."

    "Mr. Kogami," a frazzled young woman cried.  "I'm Dr. Hira, Mi-Yeon's therapist."  She climbed down from the heavy rig.  "I am so very sorry.  One minute we're driving onto the interchange, and the next this limo comes out of no where, crosses three lanes of traffic, and hits the truck."

    "We heard," Kogami's said.  He undid the security latches in the rear of the trailer.  "Just glad no one was hurt."

    "I'll get the saddle."  Waving at Mi-Yeon, Hira smiled and signed as she spoke.  "Your pony is here, Mi-Yeon.  I'm sorry for being late."

    "Secret-chan," Mi-Yeon said in a high-pitched voice.  She struggled in Akane's arms until the Inspector set her down on the ground.  On tip toe, she stared through the trailer slots into the interior of the vehicle.  "Ko-ga-mi-kun," she whispered in a distressed voice.

    Careful to keep his fingers safe from being crushed, Kogami dropped the ramp to the grass and followed the child's frightened eyes.  The cause of her distress was evident.  A pool of blood had collected under the pony's left hind foot.  Though the animal stood calmly, eating from its hay bag, blood dripped down along its gray hide from a gash in its thigh.  Kogami bowed his head and sighed despondently.

    "What's the problem?"  Coming around to the back of the trailer, Dr. Hira saw the blood and dropped the saddle as she cupped her hands over her mouth in shock.  "I checked to make sure she was okay.  I looked through the door, and she was fine."  She looked at Mi-Yeon in horror.  "Oh, Mi-Yeon, I am so sorry."  Crimson ran from the wound, down the hind leg and into the shipping bandage, which was soaked with blood. 

    Kogami picked Mi-Yeon up in his arms and moved her away from the gruesome sight.  She threw her arms about his neck and sobbed uncontrollably.

    "Oh, Kogami," Akane whispered anxiously.

    He shook his head to silence her.  There were no words that could soothe him nor any to solace the crying child in his arms. "There's a vet on call.  Somebody should look at that.  Might need stitches."  Kogami walked back toward the ring where the other young riders and their ponies gathered for the start of the class.

    Surrounded by a small entourage of security, Miss Okamoto, Kurosawa's personal assistant, was waiting for him with a digital tablet cocked on her hip.  She was dressed in a formal black dress, her hair tied up in the usual tail knot with hair sticks added as decoration.  Kogami was not be certain how long she had been waiting at the in-gate watching him.

    "Mr. Kogami," Okamato said.

    "Is it time?" Kogami growled under his breath.  He shared a distressed look with Akane and his mother.  "I just need a minute."

    Mi-Yeon sobbed quietly on his shoulder.  Her tiny body shuddered with renewed grief while Kogami held her with what little strength he could muster.  She resisted leaving her big brother and sentinel, even when Akane tried to pull her away from his warm arms so that Kogami could leave.

    Mrs. Kogami smiled and gently rubbed Akane's shoulders.  "There is no greater comfort than her big brother's embrace.  When he's around, there's no separating them.  Don't take it personally."  She rubbed her hands nervously across her cheeks.  "Mi-Yeon was so excited for today.  She's made such progress since leaving that dreadful children's facility.  I do hope this won't cloud her psycho pass too badly."

    Okamoto frowned subtly, mindful of the despondent child.  "No rush, Mr. Kogami.  I've been updating Mr. Kurosawa about your situation.  When he heard that your little sister's pony had not arrived, he decided to take matters into his control."  She stepped to the side and just behind her, escorted by his personal security team, the wealthy businessman walked toward them, leading his famous black stallion, Touch the Sky.

    "I understand that you're in need of a good lead line mount," Kurosawa said with a grin.  "The leadline division will make a nice warm up for Touch the sky.  I can't think of a more ideal situation."  He handed the reins to Kogami. 

    Kogami laughed softly, shaking his head at the swinging moods of Dame Fortune.  "Thank you, Mr. Kurosawa."

    "Think nothing of it," Kurosawa said.  "You should smile more, Mr. Kogami.  It suits you."

    "Hey, look."  Kogami shook Mi-Yeon to get her attention.  He turned her toward the horse and breathed a sigh of relief when the child's teary eyes lit up.  Moving closer, he let Mi-Yeon reach out to hug the stallion's face.  "His name is Touch the Sky."

    Mi-Yeon stared up at the cloudless skies above them.  Tilting her head uncertainly, she extended a hand up to the heavens.

    "His friends call him Lancelot."

    Mi-Yeon leaned over Kogami's shoulder and whispered, "Lancelot-san?"

    Kogami laughed.  "Yes, Lancelot-san.  Stay close," he said, putting her down beside him. He handed Mi-Yeon the reins and then took the small saddle from Akane.  Snapping a leather lead to the bridle, Kogami offered it to the trainer.

    Dr. Hira waved her hands dismissively at him, refusing to take the line.  "The vet's on the way.  I have to stay with Secret."  She grinned at Mi-Yeon and gently pinched her cheek.  "Besides, I think a better trainer is available for Mi-Yeon right now."

    "Kogami-kun!" Mi-Yeon piped.

    Kogami picked Mi-Yeon up in one arm and settled her on the stallion's back.  As Akane wiped her boots clean with a towel, he picked up the reins and positioned them in her little hands.  Despite his usual brusque nature, it was difficult not to smile with Kurosawa and his personal assistant looking on proudly with his mother and Akane.  Leaving their cheering section for the ring, he politely waited for a chance to walk into the ring.

    "Your that Enforcer from the MWPSB, aren't you?"

    Kogami was hesitant to turn and reply to the curt question.  The conceit in the woman's voice was evident.  The nasal tone of it gave him a clear indication that, latent criminal or not, she would have found fault with anyone who did not rise to her standard of approval.  He signed to Mi-Yeon, whispering, "Don't pay attention to this lady."

    Mi-Yeon's eyes widened slightly as she glanced over his shoulder at the stranger and then looked away with some trepidation.

    "Yeah, that would be me," Kogami replied.  He turned to face the woman, sarcastically tipping the brim of his helmet to her.

    She was dressed in a rich mahogany tweed jacket and skirt.  The suit was designed specifically for a formal outing in the countryside, complete with stockings and brown boots that came up to the knee.  Her bleached blond hair was pinned in a French bun, the front held back by a tortoise shell headband.

    "Can I help you?"

    "Absolutely not.  Ours would be a perfect world except for latent criminals like you running around it.  Your very presence here is simply deplorable."

    "Therein lies the real problem," Kogami said with measured civility.  "No society can be perfect until it fully accepts the imperfections of all those who live within it.  That's called diversity, but I wouldn't expect someone like you to get that."

    "Someone like me!  What ever do you mean by that?"

    "It means that in a perfect world, there's a place for everyone, including someone like you."

    The ring steward opened the gate and summoned the division entrants to go inside and take their places on the outer rail.  Kogami quickly led Touch the Sky inside and went to the far end of the ring to be rid of the viper, who scowled at him from the opposite end. 

    Mi-Yeon looped the reins on her arm and signed, "Mean lady."

    "Yeah, mean lady.  Pick up your reins and get your heels down.  The judge is coming."

    "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please," the announcer said.  "The Gotemba Children's Leadline Division is about to begin.  There will be three separate classes, judged on the rider's hands and seat as well as the suitability and manners of the mount.  Class 1 will be judged at the walk, on lead.  Class 2 will be judged at the walk and trot, on line.  Class 3 will be judged at the walk and trot, off lead.  Entrants, you are now being judged at the walk."

    During their training, Kogami had learned the obedient nature of Touch the Sky.  Part of that training had been long walks on Kurosawa's massive estate.  While he could be feisty with his grooms and barn handlers, the stallion was well behaved under saddle.  He hardly seemed to notice the little girl on his back.  At one point, bored with the task, Lancelot pressed his muzzle against Kogami's pocket.  Alert ears detected the crinkling sound of candy paper.

    "Not until you're done," Kogami chastised him.  He moved the stash of peppermint candies to a different pocket and brushed the stallion's nose away.  "Make him pay attention, Mi-Yeon."

    After winning the first and second classes, Touch the Sky bowed his head to Mi-Yeon's quiet hands at the reins.  While acquiescent to her commands, the stallion's eyes were on Kogami's hand and the hidden peppermint.  Of the 12 competitors, Lancelot was one of three horses in a field of perfectly behaved ponies, and the only stallion.  So it was with great confidence that Kogami unsnapped the chain from his bit and stepped back to let Mi-Yeon show the judge and the audience that she was in control. 

    At ringside, Kogami saw his mother's smiling face as she held two blue ribbons in her hands.  She nodded her head to Mi-Yeon in anticipation of a third.  The announcer had just requested them to step into the trot when he heard it. 

    A whisper of wind, initially, the noise grew into a sweeping whirlwind and then became the roar of a small hurricane.  In the open field beside the ring, a black and red helicopter descended from the sky.  Its pilot seemed painfully unaware of the danger posed by setting the vehicle down near a ring full of show horses.  As grass and sand took flight in the swirl of its rotating blades, chaos erupted.     

    The pandemonium began with a shrill scream when a brown and white pony threw its head to the ground and, with a mighty buck, threw its rider to the ground.  It bolted headlong, running into the back of the pony in front of it.  Startled by the sudden assault, the second horse reared.  Another tiny rider tumbled to the ground, and a second pony ran loose as the handler missed a chance to catch him.

    Before Kogami could grab Lancelot's rein, he was thrown back as a third bolting pony shot between him and the stallion.  Unable to maintain their balance at speed, the young rider was thrown backwards out of the saddle.  Acting quickly, Kogami dropped to a knee and caught the hysterical child, sparing her a hard landing in the stone dust.  In a panic, he got the crying girl safely out of the ring by handing her to a bystander along the fence.  By that time, Lancelot and Mi-Yeon were well out of reach at the opposite end of the ring.

    The stallion's head was arced prominently as he extended his trot into the corner.  Tail raised with anticipation of the next command, Lancelot slowed to a powerful collected trot.  Bouncing in rhythm, Mi-Yeon held onto the reins and posted every other stride, smiling excitedly as they rounded the turn.  The two seemed to be in their own world, unaware of the helicopter, its rotating blade, and the battlefield of unseated kids and loose ponies running in the ring. 

    "Whoa, Lancelot-san," she said.  "Whoa."

    The stallion came to an abrupt halt and stood stone still.  Mi-Yeon dropped the reins and signed. "What happened?  Why did everyone get off?"

    Kogami sprinted across the ring to her, snapping the chain of the leather lead back onto the stallion's bit.   He sighed abruptly in great relief.  "I think you just won the last class."

    While Okamato and her security detail pressed in on the helicopter and its occupants, Kurosawa met Kogami beside the in-gate.  Anxiously chuckling, the businessman took the stallions' lead rope.  "Another impressive laurel to add to Lancelot's extensive resume."

    "A leadline championship?" Kogami asked.  He glanced at Kurosawa skeptically, pondering the man's sincerity.

    "I was thinking more of him being bomb-proof or rather child-safe, even in the face of helicopters."  Kurosawa laughed, slapping the horse on the neck in pride.  "He deserves a treat, don't you think, Mi-Yeon?"

    Kogami picked Mi-Yeon up in his arms and set her on the ground beside him.  As she held her hand out to him, he gave her a peppermint and watched in mild amusement as she offered it to the stallion.  Lancelot plucked the treasure delicately from her hand.  "Go get your ribbon," he said. 

    Showgrounds staff and EMTs rushed into the ring to assess the damage.  Kogami stared at the helicopter with genuine annoyance.  "What the hell is going on?  I thought this was restricted air space."  He removed the tiny saddle from the stallion's back and handed it to a waiting groom.

    "It is, Mr. Kogami.  Unless you happen to live in the area."  Kurosawa rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disgust. 

    "A neighbor did this?"

    "Unfortunately, yes.  A troubling ordinance of privilege.  But I assure you, there won't be a recurrence.  Disrupting a ring full of children on ponies is one thing.  I'll not have the championships disrupted at any cost."  He led the stallion away from the ring toward the stabling area.  "The show organizers want to let the dust settle.  Ride times have been pushed back by 10 minutes.  Use the time wisely."

    For a moment, Kogami watched Kurosawa leaving, heading back in the direction of the main exhibition hall and arena.  Then glancing over his shoulder, he watched Mi-Yeon in the throes of her victory dance.  With a blue ribbon in each hand, she spun around wildly at his mother's feet.  The grand champion ribbon fluttered from the front of her coat as she clutched a silver trophy tightly to her chest.  She twirled for so long that she made herself dizzy and fell to the ground, staining her jodhpurs on the grass.  Rather than scold her, Mrs. Kogami simply laughed and offered her arms to pick her up so that she could continue her celebration.

    Kogami laughed softly.  If this bit of mayhem had been an MWPSB investigation, the verdict was in, and the case was closed, job well done.  Time to move on to the next.  He retreated to the main path leading to the exhibition area.

    "Mr. Kogami."

    Hearing his name called by a voice that he did not recognize, Kogami paused to glance over his shoulder.  The stranger was tall, some inches taller than himself, with skin as black and mysterious as the greater depths of the ocean.  "Do I know you?"

    "No, but my employer knows you and would like a moment of your time."  He was dressed impeccably in a black business suit, complete with a white shirt, black tie, and a light gray waistcoat.  He wore aviator glasses, which hid his eyes.  The sides and back of his head were close shaved with a shock of longer dreadlocks spilling from the top.  These hung neatly above his neck with a few longer strands swaying at his shoulders.

    "I'm a little busy right now," Kogami said evenly.  There was something in the way the man moved that unnerved him.  It was graceful, with no wasted motion, not unlike a cobra before striking.

    "It will only take a moment—" He extended a hand to grasp Kogami's shoulder.  It was an action that would have resulted in a dislocated shoulder, if Kogami had been able to receive it and defend himself.  But before the stranger could make contact, two Kurosawa security guards intercepted the contact, interjecting themselves between Kogami and the newcomer.

    "Grigori!" a woman's voice said.  "Grigori, there's no need to be rude.  We're the unwelcome interlopers here.  Interlopers with blood on our hands."

    Wearing a pink and lavender kimono, the woman's fiery red hair was pinned up in a traditional Japanese maru-mage style with lavish kanzashi.  The elaborate hair pins and sticks jutted from her thick mane, blending in with the colors of the beautiful fabric.  Covered with a splash of freckles, a pale, youthful face flushed in the sunlight.  She was thin, unusually thin, so frail looking that she bore more of a semblance to a porcelain doll than a real human. 

    Bowing deeply, the woman said, "I apologize for my man.  He tends to be a bit myopic."

    "We're on a timetable," Okamato said with evident ferocity.  She was out of breath and vexed.  "May I help you?"

    "No, you can't," the woman replied.  Her voice held a superior air of authority meant to supersede any subordinate.  "But you can, Shinya Kogami."

    "Not until you explain what you mean by having blood on your hands." Kogami watched her, but kept an eye on her bodyguard behind her.

    "I'm afraid that I'm the one responsible for the incident on the interchange this morning."  The strange woman smiled demurely, her cheeks rosy with color.  "I was late for a business appointment and instructed my driver to do whatever it took to get me there on time or risk unemployment."  She clasped her hands in front of her nervously.  Matching her kimono, a small silk purse fell onto her tiny wrist. 

    "So you decided to cause another accident by flying a helicopter over a ring full of little kids on ponies?  Is your name Pandora by any chance?"

    "Actually, no." Her face grew quite serious, and it was then that Kogami noticed that her left eye was green.  The other was brown.  "My name is Roninn, Chimari Roninn.  I believe you know my brother?"