"What were you doing at 9:45 a.m. when the fire broke out?"
Looking at the three suspects, Megure Juzo's face was serious.
There is a flower garden on the east side of the gymnasium and an incinerator on the north side, which are very close to each other and are the active places of gardener Samejima Toshio and cleaner Koizumi Ryuji.
It just so happens that these two locations are located in a corner of Teitan Elementary School. Ordinary students would not come here to play if they have nothing to do.
Without eyewitnesses, it is impossible to prove their innocence.
“What else can a gardener do?”
Samejima Liv glanced at the charcoal-black body and snorted:
"From 9:30 to 10 a.m., I was preparing insecticide in my room."
Seeing his unfriendly tone, Megure Jusan became alert and asked again:
"Mr. Samejima, do you have any grudge against the deceased?"
"...No."
Adjusting his straw hat, Samejima Liv raised his right eyebrow and said coldly:
"We are all colleagues, so it is normal to have some frictions."
Inconsistent answers...
Stroking his round chin, Megure Jusan seemed to be thinking:
“I see…”
He turned his head to look at the cleaner Ryuji Koizumi and found that he had sweat on his forehead, was trembling with fear, and looked suspicious.
With a flash of light in his eyes, Megure Jusan remembered the method that Makoto Sakaki had always used to solve cases, and immediately came up with a plan...
"Mr. Koizumi, what were you doing at the time of the incident?"
"I...I'm sweeping up the fallen leaves behind the gym..."
The sword pointed at himself, Koizumi Ryuji shrank his neck and stammered:
"Inspector, I...I have been in school for several years and I have absolutely no grudge against Mr. Ohta!"
"I... don't know anything about this case!"
"Then why are you so nervous?"
Megure Jusan looked closely at Koizumi Ryuji in front of him, and doubted:
"When the fire broke out, you were behind the gymnasium. Why didn't you notice anything unusual at the first time?"
As the saying goes, those who are close to the water get the moon first. If Koizumi Ryuji really had no idea about the fire, he should have been the first to discover it...
Look at how he is dodging his eyes and cowering, there must be something going on!
"Ah...I...I..."
Ryuji Koizumi was so anxious that he broke out in a cold sweat and didn't dare to look directly into the stern gaze of the police inspector.
"Inspector Megure, please allow me to interrupt..."
The old principal put his hands behind his back, stepped forward a few steps, blocked Koizumi Ryuji, and said:
"Mr. Koizumi has been working as a cleaner in our school for five years."
"He has always been conscientious and has never slacked off."
"at the same time...."
Sighing, the old principal lowered his voice:
"He has social phobia."
Social phobia?
Sakaki Makoto frowned.
This condition is not uncommon and is also known as social anxiety disorder, which refers to a series of emotions such as anxiety, fear, and tension that patients experience in social situations and during social processes.
Social phobia often occurs in children and adolescents. It is a chronic disease that rarely improves on its own.
If Ryuji Koizumi suffers from social phobia...
He would go out of his way to avoid contact with other people.
On a biological level, structural changes in the amygdala, an area of the brain responsible for managing fear, may trigger the disease.
There are also research results showing that genetic factors may also cause social phobia.
but...
The above two ways of developing the disease are not very common, and the most common one is acquired influence.
For example, marital conflicts between parents, overprotection of parents, abuse during childhood, frequent relocation during childhood, etc...
All of these may be the cause of social phobia.
What a coincidence...
Social phobia is a branch of psychology, which is exactly Sakaki Makoto's specialty.
Under his observation...
Ryuji Koizumi's social phobia has become very serious.
With his toes pointed out and his body tense, ready to run away at any moment, he was trying his best to avoid contact with others.
"Mr. Koizumi is also a graduate of Teitan Elementary School. He is only 22 years old this year..."
The old principal said:
"When he was in the fifth grade of elementary school, he was bullied at school and has since developed social phobia."
"In the final analysis, it's all my fault as a teacher..."
"It was also my personal decision to keep him as the school cleaner."
Megure Jusan and the others looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
What is the most fearful thing when handling cases?
Innocent suspects don't tell the truth.
There are many loopholes in Koizumi Ryuji's testimony, and he must have concealed something, but...
The old principal has already said so. There is no point in forcing the other party blindly, and it may even backfire.
It's tricky...
In desperation, Megure Juzo had to turn the gun again and look at the last and only female suspect, Goto Risa.
"I know what you want to ask."
Before he could speak, Goto Risa spoke:
"At the time of the incident, I was walking around and did see Kunimatsu Ohta entering the gymnasium."
"oh?"
With his spirit lifted, Megure Jusan quickly grasped the hard-earned clue:
"So, Ms. Goto, you are an eyewitness to the incident?"
"Well... you could say that."
Goto Risa shrugged and said calmly:
"I saw with my own eyes that Ota Kunimatsu entered the warehouse under the podium of the gymnasium, and I don't know what happened after that."
"You didn't follow in?"
"Why should I follow in?"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
