Heiji only responded with a huff as he grabbed for the envelope and opened it without much verbal fuss. The irritated reluctance upon his expression slowly turned into warm surprise as he read through the contents of the slightly smudged message.
Yet as quick as it appeared, that surprise fell back behind a neutral gaze. He allowed his eyes to dart to the nearby nightstand and fished out a pen from the drawer, immediately writing on the other side of the copy paper. Despite the brutish nature Hakuba associated with the Osakan, the way he wrote was almost silent, and penmanship smoothly legible—not that the British detective would know of the latter.
As soon as he finished scribbling his message, his fingers swiftly worked to refold the paper around the picture before sliding it back into its container. Heiji wet his thumb and slid it across the open lip of the envelope to seal it. “Wipe that smirk’ff yer face. This matter ain’ hardly intriguin’.”
The Osakan detective offered the sealed envelope back to Hakuba. “Fer some guy with a big vocabulary, are ya sure ya know how ta use it?”
“My client seemed to think that it was important enough to send me out here. She pays quite the retainer for my services.”
Hakuba knew fully well what his client had requested, but decided to allow Heiji his moment of false victory. The foreign detective retrieved the envelope from the Osakan’s hands and restored it to its place in his suit jacket, shifting then to adjust the ice pack on his cheek.
“I appreciate your cooperation and timeliness in this matter, Hattori-san, and I am pleased to hear that your case went so well tonight. That said, I suppose I should take my leave. Does this ice pack belong to you?”