Chapter 4
Rina walked a long way before finally returning to the villa and arriving at the backyard.
Miyako and Sato walked side by side down the corridor. When she saw her, she greeted her, "How are you? Are you feeling alright?"
“I can take care of myself. What did you ask?” Rina turned her head and looked around, noticing that everyone else had tense faces due to unease.
Last night, the criminal police had already conducted a tense interrogation of them.
Witnessing the brutal murder scene, coupled with the story of a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, everyone slept poorly, including the murderer.
"Health is the foundation of everything. If you're not feeling well, you should see a doctor." Sato stroked his chin, glanced at his notebook, and said seriously, "Mrs. Kawashima, there are some situations that I hope you can cooperate with in the investigation."
Why is everyone becoming so fussy and indecisive?
“Yes, yes, yes,” Rina said with a complicated expression, and followed them to a makeshift interrogation room.
“My father called last night to ask about the situation here. I told him you came here to participate in the charity sale,” Sato smiled. “If he knew that you were here playing the role of Kawashima Hideo’s wife instead of being at home writing self-criticisms, he would probably be so angry that he would jump two meters high.”
Rina casually poured herself a cup of coffee, a curious expression on her face. "You can tell the two of us apart?"
"I can't tell us apart by looks and figure, but we're different. We've known each other for so long, and every time I see that knowing, arrogant look in your eyes, I can't help but laugh." Sato grinned mischievously, shrugged, and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Rina: "......"
If this continues, the two might very well come to blows.
Miyako sighed and reluctantly changed the subject, "You went to the ranch?"
“No, it’s only three kilometers away. How could I possibly go there?” Rina looked at Sato seriously for two seconds before looking away. “But Officer Sato is still the same as before, always the one who messes things up at crucial moments.”
Sato seemed to have been tickled, and after a long while, he suppressed a laugh and asked in confusion, "Hmm?"
Rina frowned unhappily: "I asked you to send someone to keep an eye on that grove of trees last night."
“Sweetheart, how can you not believe me? Although we have limited manpower and can't go in to search, I still sent people to keep watch around the gate of the villa and the woods all night. They didn't find any suspicious people approaching. Only you and Hoshino went there this morning.” Sato paused, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the matter. “Did you find something?”
"Just her and Hoshino?" Rina fell into thought and didn't reply.
Miyako took out the dessert from the lunchbox and placed it in front of her. "The autopsy report for Aoki Miyako is out. There are no signs of poisoning, and the time of death is consistent with the speculation. The short knife pierced her heart."
A rich and enticing aroma wafted over, and Sato reached out eagerly, only to have his hand tapped. He muttered under his breath, "You're really stingy... What did you find in the woods?"
“Time of death… there’s another possibility,” Rina slowly chewed on a slice of Swiss roll, pondering her next plan. “She might have died as early as five minutes ago. With such a short interval, it’s impossible to detect it with current technology.”
“Five minutes is plenty of time for someone you know to commit the crime.” The two were college classmates and roommates. Although they didn’t have the same level of understanding as she and Takizawa, with so many hints, Miyako quickly followed her train of thought.
Rina nodded.
“That’s right. If we follow your analysis, that scream was very likely the murderer,” Sato said excitedly, standing up confidently. “Then, the murderer used some kind of mechanism to climb over the high wall!”
“You’re right,” Rina leaned close to Sato, gripped his hand tightly, and smiled mysteriously. “The murderer is in this villa. When I arrived at the scene, the murderer was hiding somewhere, watching my every move.”
The atmosphere suddenly froze. Sato swallowed hard, then held his breath, feeling a chill run down his spine. "You're confusing me..."
Miyako couldn't bear to look, so she turned to look out the window and saw Hoshino standing under the corridor, gazing in their direction.
Sunlight streamed through the paper sliding door into the corridor, obscuring the expression on that half-face, though he seemed quite interested in Natsume Rina.
Unfortunately, Rina didn't notice him at all.
She continued to approach Sato, deliberately lowering her voice, and said, "She's hiding in a corner of the annex, watching your every move. She's very likely a wounded demon beast—"
"A Yin Beast!" Sato instantly got goosebumps and jumped up from his chair, but he lost his balance and fell to the floor with a thud.
He looked extremely disheveled.
Rina nodded slightly, indicating her satisfaction.
Miyako closed the window and said with great foresight, "I don't think you can keep your identity a secret for long."
Rina shrugged, looking nonchalant. "What did you find out from the maid?"
The maid dormitories in the annex consisted of one eight-person room and one seven-person room. At the time of the incident, all but two maids were sleeping in their dormitories, except for two who had gone to the toilet.
From a certain perspective, none of these people can clear their names.
Miyako sat at the table and opened the notebook. "Yesterday, to welcome your arrival, the annex was thoroughly cleaned, and everyone was very tired, so they all slept soundly. Only one person, Amin, said she was a light sleeper and would wake up at the slightest noise. She happened to be sleeping near the dormitory entrance, so she was sure no one had gone out."
Rina matched their names and faces after meeting them only once.
Amin lives in an eight-person room.
After catching his breath, Sato pursed his lips. "I went to the dorm and the lights in the eight-person dorm were broken. The more I think about this case, the stranger it seems. Could there be an accomplice? One was responsible for the murder, and the other was responsible for cleaning up the murder weapon. Maybe I should go check out the ranch next door."
Miyako concluded, "If that's the case, the latest developments suggest that the boy named Hoshino is highly suspicious."
“Indeed, I need to go back to the crime scene again.” Rina wiped her mouth with a tissue and stood up gracefully. “Thank you for the treat. Miyako’s cooking skills have improved again!”
After everyone left, Sato frowned, feeling particularly uneasy. "Why didn't she mention Hoshino at all? My intuition tells me he's highly suspicious!"
Miyako didn't speak, but she couldn't help but ponder it in her heart.
Sato plopped down in an armchair and sighed, "Two days ago, the police received news that Natsume Rina's bounty on her head in the aquarium arms incident has reached five million US dollars. She's really in danger now, and I'm at my wit's end."
Miyako nodded, her voice tinged with fear, "There was nothing we could do. Who would have thought that the weapons were from the Mafia?"
Those were a bunch of insane lunatics.
When Rina arrived at the crime scene, the guarding officer immediately stood up and bowed.
She stood where Hoshino had been yesterday and said gently, "I'll just stand here and watch; I won't come any closer."
Taking into account her relationship with Sato, the police officer nodded slightly.
The two dorm rooms are located opposite each other, separated by a lawn.
If you choose to observe the first eyewitness in secret, then hiding in the bushes on either side is the best position.
After all, the big camphor tree was close to the wall, and if she hid there, he would definitely find her.
Hoshino was standing on the left. If he weren't severely nearsighted, he would have been able to notice that someone was hiding in the bushes.
From this perspective, he could indeed be an accomplice.
As Rina was thinking, hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the foyer and stairs.
The maid approached her, her face grim, and said, "Madam, Miss Makoto wishes you to go to the tea room."
In fact, she sensed it from the very first day she arrived that the Kawashima family was very dissatisfied with her.
Servants are adept at reading people's expressions, and this is also true.
Rina hesitated for a moment, then simply hummed in agreement, lifted the caution tape, and walked into the bushes on the right.
"Madam, don't disturb the scene!" The police officer immediately chased after her and stepped forward to stop her.
Rina squatted down beside the grass, picking up the broken branches and leaves, a smile on her face. "I just came to take a look. All the roses here have been trampled. It's such a pity."
The police officer, unconcerned, said sternly, "Madam, please leave here immediately."
“Understood,” Rina dusted off her hands and turned to the maid. “Go back and tell Miss Xiuqin that if she wants to see me, she should come to the annex.”
"How dare you disobey Miss Makoto's orders?" The maid's face darkened, but before she could finish speaking, Rina had vanished.
Before the case was solved, rumors began to spread.
When Rina arrived at the restaurant, she heard the servants whispering among themselves.
"Do you think Miaozi's death might be a vengeful spirit seeking revenge?"
"During questioning, the police asked me if I had heard any strange noises last night, saying that it might be haunted, otherwise why would there be strange noises?"
“Those rumors must not be baseless, otherwise they wouldn’t have been circulating for so long, and it’s been more than fifteen years. So many things have happened in between, what else could it be but a ghost story? I’m even considering changing jobs now.”
"I heard from the old people at the ranch that the prostitute was young and beautiful, but vicious. So after she died, one of the people living in this villa died and another went insane. There must be something fishy going on!"
"Is her name Yuriko? They say Yuriko specifically punishes women who are not chaste."
"To blame others for one's own infidelity is truly malicious!"
Takase strode into the restaurant and said sternly, "It's working hours now. If I'm caught gossiping again, it won't be as simple as just a fine!"
The restaurant fell silent instantly.
Rina stood at the corner of the stairs and quietly took out her phone to send a message to Sato: Interrogate Takase again, and while you're at it, check if the maid in the eight-person dormitory has any scratches.
After sending the message, he leisurely went to the storage room in the backyard.
The storeroom was very simple. The yard in front of the house was surrounded by a fence, and azaleas were planted all around the fence. The colorful petals were like watercolor washes. A soft rustling sound came from the silence, and there was a faint sweetness in the air.
Rina smelled the same scent on Takase twice.
He had been here before and stayed for a long time.
Did he prune these flowers?
Rina took a step forward, carefully observing her surroundings.
She was lost in thought.
Suddenly, Takase appeared behind her without her noticing, staring at her expressionlessly. "Madam, it's lunchtime."
"!!!"
Rina was genuinely startled by him, her heart pounding, and she couldn't help but curse Sato inwardly.
What on earth is that idiot doing?
Didn't I tell him to take the person back for questioning?
Murakami tidied up the documents on the table, exchanged a glance with Sato, and handed him the file folder. "The Mafia boss, Kurosawa Shiran, is called a tyrant by his subordinates. He kills without hesitation and is ruthless. Everyone who has seen him is dead, so headquarters doesn't have a photo of him. In short, he's a very dangerous person. If he targets you, you're in big trouble."
Sato lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "What do you mean? He's got his eye on Rina?"
"Probably not. He's pretty twisted; he likes to pick tough targets," Murakami paused, trying to sound calm. "I'm just here to give him a heads-up and to help him refine some information."
Sato, lacking patience, cut straight to the point: "Why is the police department suddenly investigating her?"
Murakami hesitated for a moment, then turned back to continue organizing the documents. After a while, he finally said, after making Sato pout, "Don't you know? The other two members of the detective agency she worked for are dead."
As he spoke, he took out a group photo of the three of them.
The background of the picture is an abandoned factory at sunset. Natsume Rina, dressed casually, is sitting on a motorcycle with two men holding her shoulders down.
Although they looked angry, they didn't resist, so they actually enjoyed being with them.
He said, "The one on the left is Takizawa Nanase, and the one on the right is Shimono Gen. Both of them died mysteriously. Only Natsume Rina survived."
Sato was completely stunned. "What happened? What's going on?"
"The Suzaku Detective Agency is the only detective agency recognized by the National Police Agency. The abilities of these three individuals are beyond question, but they seem to be involved in some case and have been assassinated. The specifics are still under investigation." Murakami adjusted his glasses. "The National Police Agency takes this matter very seriously, and Officer Sato, you will need to cooperate with the investigation."
Sato stubbed out his cigarette, frowned, and looked over, already somewhat angry. He raised his voice, "The cases they investigate are all commissioned by the National Police Agency. You're not aware of the situation?"
“Junji Sato, please watch your words,” Murakami also stood up, his face darkening. “Natsume Rina is a prime suspect, you should be aware of that!”
Sato stared intently at him, as if he was about to hit him any second.
The living room fell silent. Murakami slowly exhaled and took out Natsume Rina's file. "Are Takizawa Nanase and Natsume Rina in a romantic relationship?"
Sato remained silent for a long time before lighting another cigarette, leaning back in his chair, and saying, "It's fake. These two argue every day."
Murakami was clearly skeptical. "Did they themselves deny it?"
“If you want to be publicly exposed for the stupid things you’ve done in the past month, you can go ask them,” Sato glanced at him coldly. “You should know that it’s not difficult for them.”
Rina Natsume is a genius, but also an incredibly oblivious and emotionally dense fool.
No wonder she seems like a completely different person. Over the years, the only people who have truly connected with her are probably these two.
Who could be so cruel as to kill two people?
The Mafia?
In the evening, Rina left her room and went to the storeroom in the backyard again.
The corridor was dark and damp.
She took a flashlight and shone it around the entrance to the dilapidated and dusty warehouse, only to find that the door was locked.
There was a musty smell everywhere, which was nauseating. And they even used high-grade, sturdy door locks.
Even thieves wouldn't bother with a place like this.
However, this did not stump her.
Rina took off her hair clip, quickly unlocked the door, and then checked the door frame to make sure there were no traps before going in.
But the place was dirty and messy, with dust mites weaving threads in spider webs everywhere, so she put on white gloves to make it easier to check the details.
The warehouse was a three-story building. The rooms on the first floor were filled with old furniture and some old grain bins. Of course, there were also a few rats whose eyes were gleaming in the corners.
Rina went inside and looked through all the rooms on the first floor, from the left end to the right end, and then went up the stairs to the second floor.
However, the old wooden floorboards made a teeth-grinding creaking sound and seemed like they might collapse at any moment.
Rina walked very carefully when suddenly there was a loud bang behind her, and a cold wind swept in from behind.
She steadied herself, glanced back, and shone her flashlight around. She discovered that the window in the stairwell had been blown open.
It's understandable that it's been in disrepair for so long.
She ignored him and continued walking.
Hoshino smiled in the darkness and followed her into a room.
This room should be a bedroom. Besides the dilapidated dressing table and the tatami mat woven from rushes, there is also a magnificent guqin (a seven-stringed zither) with black lacquer and gold trim.
Hoshino walked around the bamboo curtain, surveying his surroundings, when suddenly, a cold object pressed against his waist, followed by the sound of a trigger being cocked.
He was very familiar with it and could even guess the model number.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
