Chapter 41
Rina called Sato on her phone. After ringing for half a minute, he hung up and didn't reply to any messages.
Kurosawa Shiran wanted to add fuel to the fire, but seeing Rina's unpleasant expression, he kept quiet, looked ahead, and focused on driving.
Thirty minutes later, the car arrived at the textile factory.
Sato had just gotten out of the car when he saw Rina leaning against the wall in the shade, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet you here."
Rina's smile vanished completely: "Didn't you read your text message?"
“I haven’t had time yet,” Sato said. “Two years ago, there was a problem with the autopsy report of Bella, the little girl who accidentally fell down the stairs at Cradle House. One line of writing on it had been worn away. I found the old forensic doctor from back then, but he was old and it was very inconvenient for him to answer the phone, which took a long time. He said that Bella had also been sexually assaulted.”
Rina: "Wenmeru".
Sato didn't react for a moment, "Who?"
Rina said sarcastically, "You know him as the owner of the textile factory and the philanthropist who's in the newspapers every day?"
“I spoke to Durand before he died, so I came over to find out what happened.” Sato took out his phone from his pocket and checked the unread messages.
[Wimmelou is suspected of killing Vanilla and Bella.]
He exclaimed in shock, "Are you serious?"
Rina: "I'm not in the mood for jokes."
Sato hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is there any evidence?"
Rina: "You just need to take me to see Winmeru. If the timing is right, we can also meet another person."
Sato was completely bewildered: "Are you keeping me in suspense? Or are you plotting something again?"
Rina: "Someone told me that Laura sneaked out of the orphanage two hours ago."
Sato looked at Rina hesitantly: "What did you find out?"
Rina: "There is no conclusive evidence at the moment."
Sato chuckled helplessly, led her to the guardhouse at the entrance of the textile factory, and beckoned her over.
Rina casually took out her police ID and placed it in his hand.
"If there's a next time, I'll have to invite you to the station for tea." Sato took his police ID and showed it to the gatekeeper.
A moment later, the group successfully arrived at Winmeru's office.
Sato said seriously, "Mr. Winmer, this is just a routine check. Please cooperate. The police will record the information you provide, which may be used as evidence in court."
Rina looked around the comfortable office area and noticed a room on the left, which should be a lounge.
Winmeru gestured for his secretary to leave and invited them to sit on the sofa, saying with a relaxed expression, "I'm perfectly fine."
He cooperated fully and tried his best to clear himself of suspicion, but because of the phone call, the police would come to search his home sooner or later, so he must have been prepared and had prepared his story. However, he did not know the real purpose of Rina's trip, but he still had a sliver of hope of finding clues.
Sato: "When you called Durand last night, what exactly did you talk about, or did you notice anything unusual?"
“We talked about business. The stock market has been doing well lately. I chatted with him for a bit and didn’t notice anything unusual,” Winmer paused. “I feel deep sympathy for his situation.”
Sato pressed on, "What is your relationship with Mr. Durand?"
Winmeru lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Business partners will greet each other when they meet."
Rina asked, "Have you been to Cradle House recently?"
“No, I’ve been busy with business,” Winmeru sighed. “Honestly, dealing with those reporters every day is exhausting enough. Even if you say one wrong word, no matter how innocent you are, you’ll still be criticized. They’ll follow me like crazy, but unfortunately, I’m very strict with my moral standards when it comes to my private life.”
“That makes sense,” Rina said. “Do you know a girl named Vanilla? She’s only sixteen.”
Sato stared intently at his face, not missing a single detail. This man was a successful businessman, and his acting skills were already superb. From his thoughts to his answers, there was absolutely no flaw.
Winmeru remained calm and composed. "I don't know her. Her name sounds cute. Is there a problem?"
Rina carefully maneuvered, "What are your thoughts on Durand's death?"
Winmer exhaled a smoke ring and said with a sigh, "The murderer is extremely cruel. After killing him, he hung him outside the window to attract reporters and ruin his reputation. He is extremely insidious. In just one day, the speculation of a lover's revenge killing has become major news in the newspapers. Before this news broke, the headlines in the newspapers were always gossip about the entertainment industry or Mafia murders."
Rina: "Do you know Laura from the orphanage?"
"We may have met once or twice; she's someone close to Durand," Winmer said.
Rina smiled. "I see. I've been to Laura's dorm. The perfume on her clothes smells the same as the one in this room."
“It’s not surprising that the perfume is the same; perhaps it’s her boyfriend’s. Young officer, you seem quite dissatisfied with me,” Winmeru questioned in a wronged tone.
Rina: "No, I admire you. Hearing this explanation, I'm just glad that you and Laura are innocent, after all, she is the real killer of Durand."
Sato: "???"
Wenmeru's expression froze for a moment. "You're saying she's the murderer?"
Rina humbly asked, "Would you like to hear my reasoning?"
Winmeru smiled, leaned back slightly against the sofa, and said, "I'd love to."
Rina: "First of all, this matter has to start with the death of Vanilla. I asked Laura if she heard any noises from the dormitory building before the incident. She told me that it was the children's lunch break at that time, and everyone was resting and no one heard any cries for help. But I had someone test it. If a scream was heard from the lotus pond, some children who are light sleepers would say they heard it. But when I asked about the day Vanilla died, no one heard any cries for help."
And this was only with two sounds; no one fell into the river and drowned in a second.
Wenmer pushed up his gold-rimmed pince-nez glasses and shook his head. "They're just a bunch of kids, their words are unreliable."
Rina: "Being young doesn't mean being an idiot; they have their own judgment."
Winmeru acted as if he were a gentleman, saying, "Okay, to put it another way, this proves she's lying, but it doesn't mean she killed anyone."
“Her alibi was always when the children were asleep, including when Durand died. That alone makes her a suspect.” Lina paused for a moment. “And then there’s the method of killing Durand. The murderer put sleeping pills in his teacup. Only someone close to him could do something like that, and Durand had pursued Laura. He would have accepted Laura’s kindness without hesitation.”
Winmeru: "This is all in your imagination."
“Let’s talk about the motives behind this murder,” Lina said. “Laura and Durand had been working together for a long time, using Vanilla’s body for personal gain. Then one day, Vanilla got evidence of their crimes, and Laura realized this. After thinking it over, she made a decision: she chose to kill Vanilla, just like she killed Bella two years ago.”
Winmeru: "It sounds absurd; a woman wouldn't be so cruel."
Rina: "Logically speaking, after Kana and Bella died, no one should have been able to reveal their secret. However, she received a new order to kill her partner Durand and stage it as a suicide. But due to an almost impossible coincidence, someone ruined her plan and made her a prime suspect. I think she must be very anxious now, and she has even left the orphanage. I don't know where she has gone."
Wenmer said in a deep voice, "Without evidence, there is no way to convict. These are all your baseless speculations."
Kurosawa Shiran chimed in, "She's killed three people, so she's old enough to stand on the execution ground and get shot. But the executioners aren't very skilled right now. If one shot goes astray, they have to fire a second shot."
Sato: "......" What nonsense is this guy talking about?
With a dark expression, Winmer said, "If there's nothing else, please leave. I have other things to do."
Lina: "Durant and Laura, the police's attention is currently focused on these two, but this is a three-way alliance. Someone has perfectly disappeared in these three murders. He directed the whole process and left no evidence. Even if he did, Laura cleared it for him. In the end, only she is left with blood on her hands and sins all over her body, unforgivable. As for the person who controlled everything, he can continue to live a glorious life and enjoy his happy life. In comparison, she can only live like a rat in the gutter, hiding from the police for the rest of her life. She is only twenty-eight years old."
Winmeru stood up angrily and said, "Nothing you've said is supported by evidence. Please leave my office, or I will sue you!"
Lina said calmly, "We can leave soon, but I still have to say something. That third person who was perfectly invisible, he ordered Laura to kill two innocent children and his own ally. Such a cruel person, narrow-minded and violent by nature, will find an opportunity to kill her sooner or later to completely eliminate the evidence in order to save his own life. All the things he has done show that he is such a person."
Just as he finished speaking, a scream suddenly rang out from nowhere inside the room, coming from a small room inside the office—a terrifying scream that sent chills down one's spine.
Laura burst out of the door uncontrollably, letting out another piercing scream.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
"I didn't kill anyone! Don't kill me!"
"I was forced into it!"
Wenmer said sternly, "Calm down, this is all just her imagination."
Sato asked seriously, "Mr. Winmeru, why is Laura here with you?"
Winmeru: "We were talking about something, but she was just avoiding the topic."
Rina smiled slightly and asked softly, "You have absolutely no connection with her, right?"
Wenmeru glared at her fiercely, a fine layer of sweat already appearing on his forehead.
Laura called out, "Mr. Winmeru!"
Winmeru gritted his teeth and said, "Stop talking. We're lovers."
Rina: "Is that so?"
"I just don't want to get into unnecessary trouble," Winmer said matter-of-factly.
Kurosawa Shiran added fuel to the fire, "So the three people Laura killed have nothing to do with you, Mr. Winmeru is innocent."
Laura's eyes were red and swollen, and she was extremely agitated, almost frantic. "He's not!"
"Evidence! I need evidence! Evidence to kill Bella, to kill Vanilla, to kill Durand!" Winmeru said through clenched teeth.
Lina turned her gaze to Laura.
Winmeru was also losing control, "Don't listen to that bitch!"
Sato frowned and said, "Watch your words!"
“This bitch has angered me, and I’ll make her pay. I’ll take her to court, you stupid woman!” Winmeru emphasized again, “You just wait!”
Kurosawa Shiran smiled gently and said in the calmest tone, "If you can't speak, I can cut your tongue off."
As he spoke, the fruit knife in his hand had already sunk three inches into the white oak desk.
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