Chapter 57
Sato had looked at Hanazawa Yu's information and knew that she and Rina went to the same university, but Hanazawa Yu was three years older than her. She didn't expect that the two of them actually knew each other.
Hanazawa Yu greeted Sato politely, then asked Rina, "Do you work at the police station?"
Rina: "No, I just came to take a look around."
"You're here to investigate the case, aren't you? I remember you joined the detective club when you were in college." Hanazawa Yu accepted Sato's scrutinizing gaze quite calmly, without the slightest panic or deliberate attempt to hide anything, displaying remarkable composure.
Sato opened the door on the left, tilted his head, and said, "Come in, I have a few simple questions to ask."
Hanazawa Yu, wearing high heels that were a good eight centimeters thick, exuded a calm aura as she walked to the other side of the table, placed her bag on the left side of the table, and showed no surprise when she saw Rina sitting diagonally opposite her.
Based on the current situation, if the questioning continues, Rina will not find any flaws in her.
Sato asked calmly, "Number 28, where were you that night?"
Hanazawa Yu: "I spent some time at the bar with my friends and then went home."
Sato: "And then what happens after you get home?"
Hanazawa Yu smiled and said, "I live with my boyfriend, and we're already engaged."
As she spoke, she opened her handbag, took out a pen and paper, and wrote down his phone number and contact information.
"You can call him to confirm."
Sato took out Munakata's photo and continued, "Have you seen this person before?"
“Yes, I saw him at the bar. He spilled his drink on me,” Hanazawa Yu raised an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”
“This person is dead.” Sato stared into her eyes, not missing a single detail.
Hanazawa Yu was silent for half a minute before saying softly, "I only had a brief encounter with him, so I couldn't detect anything unusual about him."
Sato: "You left the bar before him?"
Hanazawa Yu gently replied, "I didn't notice. My friend and I parted ways at the bar, and then I drove home."
If this person has an alibi and has cleared their name, Sato was momentarily at a loss for what to ask.
Rina sat up straight and asked a trivial question: "I remember you used to be right-handed."
Ultimately, Rina is a detective, and her sitting next to him, keeping him hanging in the air without saying a word, is bound to arouse suspicion. Hanazawa Yu paused for a moment, then said helplessly, "Three years ago, I twisted my hand while playing tennis. I could have recovered by stopping to rest, but I was too busy with work and didn't take any precautions, which left me with a chronic injury."
Rina picked up the piece of paper she had written on, glanced at it casually, and then said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, Hanazawa Yu said, "Is the questioning over?"
Rina looked satisfied. "It's over."
Hanazawa Yu stood up, seemingly relieved, and said in a sympathetic tone, "I sincerely hope you can catch the murderer soon."
Sato also politely thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your cooperation."
After the questioning ended, Hanazawa Yu left the police station, walked ahead, and asked, "Shall we go for a drink after you finish work?"
Rina readily accepted.
Hanazawa Yu turned around, looked at her seriously, and suddenly smiled and said, "You've changed a lot."
The last syllable of her voice carried a slight magnetism. Rina was intently studying the nuances in her voice when she was suddenly asked this question, almost catching her off guard: "Why do you say that?"
“Well, how should I put it,” Hanazawa Yu said, “you weren’t this approachable before.”
"I see," Rina shrugged lightly, taking out the cigarette Sato had offered from her pocket. "You don't mind, do you?"
Hanazawa Yu: "I don't mind."
The two stood at the entrance of the police station. Rina lit a cigarette and asked, "Are you working as Fujiwara Yukino's secretary?"
“I’ve been so busy with my mayoral campaign lately that I’m barely able to spare a moment,” Hanazawa Yu paused, “but I’m enjoying it.”
Rina: "It seems you respect her a lot."
Hanazawa Yu chuckled softly, "I'm leaving now, see you tonight."
Rina watched Hanazawa Yu's retreating figure until she got into her car, stubbed out her cigarette, and suddenly thought, "Now I really feel like this case has reached a dead end."
I promised Kurosawa I'd quit smoking, but now look what's happened. I definitely won't be able to hide it from that sniffy guy when I get back.
Hanazawa Yu observed Rina's every move through the rearview mirror, started the car, and made another phone call, "Boss, let's send her abroad first. This case won't be easy to cover up."
-
Sato stood at the second-floor window, watching the car drive away, then picked up his keys and came out.
Then, seeing the cigarette butt in the trash can, he frowned and glanced at Rina, "When did you take that?"
Rina: "Let's go to the bartender's house first."
Sagara followed behind Sato, paused for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Natsume-san, where were you on the night of the incident?"
“I’m at a nearby hospital,” Rina said, opening the car door and getting into the passenger seat. “However, I went out for some fresh air that night and overheard them arguing.”
Sagara asked warily, "Was anyone with you at the time?"
Sato glanced at Rina, who had a smile on her lips and handed Sagara a phone number written on a piece of paper.
Sagara took out his phone and decisively dialed a number.
Sato: "..."
"Hello, is it convenient for me to connect to the phone now?" Sagara displayed excellent professionalism.
Kurosawa Shiran: "Who is it?"
Sagara: "I'm a police officer from the Yokohama Police Station. I'd like to confirm with you where you were on the night of the 27th?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "Hospital."
Sagara continued, "Did you leave along the way?"
Kurosawa Shiran: "I left, but my sister and I went shopping hand in hand. Is there a problem?"
Sagara didn't react for a moment, "Sister?"
Kurosawa Shiran slowly asked, "Do you have feelings for my sister?"
"Huh?!" Sagara panicked a little when he heard him say that. "How is this possible? This is just a normal questioning process."
Kurosawa Shiran: "Your sister can only belong to me, so you'd better keep your little thoughts to yourself."
The voice coming from my hand was neither too loud nor too soft, with a gentle quality, like the harmless big boy next door.
Sagara's face turned bright red, and he glanced at Rina in a flustered manner, explaining, "...Please don't misunderstand."
Kurosawa Shiran: "Then please tell my sister that I will prepare dinner and come back early."
Sagara hung up the phone and awkwardly swallowed.
Sato pondered for a moment and said, "This habit of fighting and grabbing is really asking for a beating."
Rina smiled, leaned back lazily, and didn't say anything.
For some reason, she now regrets making that call.
Perhaps due to accidentally overhearing someone speaking English, Rina couldn't help but think that he must be dining in a British restaurant, and the person opposite him was likely an elegant and dignified woman—the kind of person who could make Kurosawa Shiran sit down and eat obediently.
Aside from his mother, Rina couldn't think of anyone else.
It's impossible that the two of them were just catching up.
This can only mean that Kurosawa Toki was in contact with the mafia.
Rina is very worried that he will go down that path, but she has already done so much and still can't stop him, so what is the point of everything she is doing now?
Although she had never rationally considered the relationship between the two of them, and they didn't even know each other yet.
At this moment, perhaps it should be said that Kurosawa Shiran is more like a knife hanging over her head; on the day when he can no longer control her, he will take his revenge on her in a frenzy.
But perhaps he was just too worried; this little rascal really deserves a beating.
Rina's mind was in turmoil when she saw the text message from Shimono Gen and instantly snapped back to reality.
—Frank's activities in Yokohama over the past two days.
Sato noticed her absent-mindedness and asked, "What do you think is the connection between these nine people?"
"Arguing with your lover or wife, cheating..." Rina paused, finished replying to Shimono Gen's message, and continued, "If we can get similar information from the remaining victims—"
Sagara exclaimed excitedly, "That means all of these victims were injured!"
Sato thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think Munakata also has this problem?"
“He’s different from those people,” Rina and Sato exchanged a glance. “Don’t forget that bloodstained coat.”
Indeed, Zongfang was the only deceased with external injuries.
After they got out of the car, they went to the bartender's house.
The horse ran out of the door, and because it was almost lunchtime, he was still wearing an apron.
He asked, "Didn't we already ask them yesterday?"
"Let's double-check the other information." Sato observed the living room environment and was surprised to find that the room was very clean and tidy, and there was a Maine Coon cat lying on the cat tree. It didn't seem like a man's residence at all, but there were also strong signs of life.
Baba watched the police's actions, his expression tense yet feigning composure as he asked, "Was that man named Munakata also found in Lover's Lake?"
Sato looked at the shoe cabinet in the entryway and felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
They were a pair of black patent leather high heels with heels about five centimeters high, a narrow shape, and a sleek square toe design.
He would definitely resist wearing these shoes.
Sagara walked to the wardrobe, glanced at Baba, and asked if he could look inside. He was granted permission and opened the wardrobe.
He asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
When I asked him yesterday, he clearly said he didn't have a girlfriend, but now I see there are several dresses here.
Baba's breathing suddenly quickened, and his voice trembled slightly, "...I don't have a girlfriend."
Sagara's expression gradually became complicated. "You lied to the police?"
Rina casually flipped through the fashion magazines on the table. "It's a cross-dressing fetish."
Baba's shoulders slumped as he leaned back in his chair, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Police, are you still discriminating?"
“Transvestism is not a mental illness or a moral issue, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Rina said calmly. “I just want to ask, are you gay?”
Perhaps it was the first time he had received understanding and respect, and Baba's nose tingled with emotion. But when he heard the next sentence, his mood plummeted like a rollercoaster. Just as he was about to speak, Sagara pulled a paper bag out of the cabinet and exclaimed excitedly, "Senpai, we found something here!"
Sato looked and saw that what he was holding was a red wig.
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