Chapter 9
"Sister, this is grape juice, it helps with hangovers."
Kurosawa Shiran changed into a black tuxedo with a white bow tie and stood in front of her looking quite respectable.
It was the uniform for the party staff, but it was obvious that the clothes didn't fit.
The sleeves and pants were both too short.
Rina stared at him for a few seconds, her expression changing slightly. "What are you doing?"
His eyes were filled with suspicion and scrutiny; he was now considered a suspect in his relationship with Natsume Kanon.
Kurosawa Shiran looked aggrieved and said in a sticky, drawn-out voice, "I wanted to be with my sister, so I came."
Rina took the wine glass and ignored him.
Kurosawa Shiran sighed silently and was about to leave when a gorgeously dressed lady suddenly took her arm. "The waiters of the Kawashima family are all so handsome. I'm so envious."
She was a tall, brown-haired woman wearing a long, thin, crimson silk dress. She was rather unpleasant-looking, but had a slightly silly air about her, so she wasn't that unlikeable.
Rina smiled to herself without saying a word.
Mrs. Barkley lifted Kurosawa Shiran's chin with her hand and brought her close for a closer look.
"My God, those blue eyes exude an alluring charm that can only be appreciated and is incredibly captivating."
Her actions seemed somewhat abrupt and frivolous.
But Kurosawa Shiran smiled, took a step back and bowed gracefully, "I have one-quarter Russian blood and one-quarter British blood."
“It’s a shame he’s working as a waitress.” Mrs. Barkley slipped a room key into his pocket and stood between the two of them. “Mrs. Kawashima, would you mind sharing?”
She must have seen their interaction just now, which led her to misunderstand something.
Rina pretended not to understand, her face displaying a detached and indifferent expression. "What are you talking about?"
Mrs. Barkley spoke somewhat affectedly, but in a gentle tone, "Men."
Rina: "Mrs. Barkley still loves to joke around."
"Don't play dumb in front of me. Miss Makoto already told me that you have an improper relationship with the servants in the house." Mrs. Barkley put on an indifferent look. "Sharing a man is a perfectly normal thing to me. Mrs. Kawashima, there's no need to be ashamed. Living with only one man is a very boring and dull life, don't you think?"
Rina didn't want to argue with her about the latter issue.
She was more concerned with whether she had successfully faked it: "Ms. Makoto must be drunk."
"Drunk... Is Mrs. Kawashima really such an old-fashioned person? You and your sister are nothing alike," Mrs. Barkley looked her up and down and asked curiously, "Natsume Rina, is that her name? She's a VIP client at the Thirty Days Club. Do you know what the Thirty Days Club is?"
Rina's heart skipped a beat when she heard her name called.
She just went in to inquire about information, how did she become a VIP customer?
Mrs. Barkley spread her hands.
She suddenly smiled—a charming smile revealing a smug expression.
"That's a secret club for low-class interests and bizarre eroticism, where only men and men, and women and women, are allowed. The requirements for joining are extremely difficult. In addition to frequently mingling in some strange circles, you also need a letter of introduction from a senior employee to enter the club. She was actually a VIP, Mrs. Kawashima. Her mind was as outstanding as her charm, so she was very frank about her desires."
Kurosawa Shiran looked at her with an innocent and surprised expression.
Rina said calmly, "It's just a rumor."
"Is that so?" Mrs. Barkley opened her handbag, handed a letter to Rina, and gave her a malicious smile. "How strange. I came here just to attend the ball, why would I receive something like this? Seeing this letter, I thought we could have some fun together in bed."
"........"
Rina frowned slightly and opened the letter.
It was the photo she had seen before.
Mrs. Barkley studied the photograph for a long time. "On the back of the photo is written, 'Please offer your soul to the devil for invading the King's most sacred territory.' Is that you in the picture?"
Rina tried to remain calm: "Who gave it to you?"
Mrs. Barkley thought for a moment, "I found it when I was having afternoon tea in the tea room. It was in this handbag. I don't know when it was put in, but I'm sure it was someone from the manor, because it wasn't there when I went to the dressing room to touch up my makeup after lunch."
Takase arranged for the guests to dine at 12:30. Rina looked around and observed the expressions of the people around her.
"Afternoon tea starts at three o'clock. I didn't pay much attention to this letter when I saw it. Are you bothered by it?" Mrs. Barkley looked at her expression and her tone softened. "There's no need to take this to heart. Your abs are very nice. I receive photos like this almost every two months, but they won't say anything if the money is right. Of course, if they are greedy, just get the Mafia to teach them a lesson. Break an arm or a leg, and they will behave."
Kurosawa Shiran thought to himself: I'm really impressed.
Rina: "What did you do between 12:30 and 3:00 in the afternoon?"
Mrs. Barkley said thoughtfully, "Chatting with Miss Makoto, and some of her friends."
Rina put the letter away: "Have you had any contact with the butler?"
Mrs. Barkley raised an eyebrow and said frankly, "I don't like old men. I like tall, muscular young men. Their youthful bodies are full of energy, and they are more enthusiastic, like the one next to you."
The following sentence is a cunning implication.
"Excuse me." Rina turned and left, and Kurosawa Shiran bowed and followed her away.
"What? They're leaving already?" Mrs. Barkley sat down in a chair with little interest, but couldn't help glancing back.
They communicated entirely in English.
Although she had a slight London accent, Mrs. Kawashima's pronunciation was very fluent.
In her memory, Natsume Kanon didn't have any overseas study experience, right?
And that boy, his beauty was mesmerizing, but his eyes were very aggressive.
Rina walked out of the auditorium, glanced back, and found that the clingy guy was still following her. "Are you bored?"
Kurosawa Shiran quickened her pace and walked alongside her, asking, "Sister, are you having trouble sleeping?"
Her dark circles were even deeper than before.
You should know that Scotch whisky is a strong liquor. She drank half a glass, and even with the alcohol, she couldn't fall into a deep sleep.
Rina licked her dry lips. "Mary Mostan, that lady was the sole heir of an ancient and powerful family in England. Her fortune is immeasurable."
"Hmm?" Kurosawa Shiran rubbed her messy hair, pouted, and tentatively said, "Sister, you can't leave me, who is so vulnerable and helpless, aside."
Rina's expression went blank for a moment, feeling utterly ridiculous: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"How could you do this, sister!" Kurosawa Shiran leaned down, slowly approaching inch by inch, almost enveloping Rina in shadow. "Don't you feel that meeting me was destined?"
Even when she was acting strangely, Rina could still feel the oppressive aura emanating from her.
But she didn't move, her demeanor remaining perfectly calm. "If you're in the mafia, then this relationship can be described as a doomed, destined entanglement."
Kurosawa Shiran firmly stated, "I'm not. Mafia members all have tattoos, and I don't!"
How could it not be? Rina glared at him and fell into an odd silence.
Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated a few times.
Rina opened the text message interface, and her relaxed expression suddenly turned serious.
Sato: [Junichi Takahashi was murdered; his throat was pierced by a scalpel. During the autopsy, a mafia tattoo was found on his inner thigh.]
Junichi Takahashi was a member of the mafia, so the result was that he was murdered to silence him.
That does fit the Mafia's style of doing things.
But she lay low for almost a year, just to kill Aoki Myoko?
Rina found her contacts and called Sato, but the call was disconnected in less than thirty seconds.
She scrolled up through the messages.
The discovery came seven hours earlier when she had Sato investigate the high-class sanatorium where Hideo Kawashima's second wife was staying.
It was a private sanatorium, and the patients there were all related to government officials.
Even if you show your police ID, they will not cooperate with the investigation.
She was very worried about this.
Especially Sato's reply to her: "You can trust me to handle things."
Lina chewed two small pills, remained silent for a while, and as the redness on her eyelids slowly faded, she asked him, "What did you do today?"
"Me?" Kurosawa Shiran asked cautiously. "I was feeding the chickens this morning. After that, I went to the annex to deliver the key, and then chatted with the security guard for a while. In the afternoon, I rested at the annex's security post. After waking up, I came here. What's wrong?"
Rina took a step back without making a sound, widening the distance between them. "Takahashi Junichi is dead."
Kurosawa Shiran's eyelids twitched for a long time, probably for the first time feeling what guilt was: "My sister suspects I killed her?"
But he was really angry at that time, and he couldn't suppress his urge to kill.
Rina's expression darkened, and she looked at him coldly.
But at that very moment, a smile appeared on Kurosawa Shiran's lips. He hugged her waist and whispered in her ear, "Sister, someone is coming."
It was the first time Rina had been held tightly in someone's arms, and her face was pressed against a warm and hard surface.
Her heart pounded with alarm bells, but in order to observe the situation first, she could only be dragged by Kurosawa Shiran behind a tree in the small garden next door.
Kurosawa Shiran noticed that her expression had become a little stiff, and with great perceptiveness, she let go of her hand and whispered, "I forgot to tell you, sister, it was this person who secretly put the letter in Mrs. Barkley's handbag. I saw it."
"Really?" Rina stared at him for a few seconds.
The next moment, they forcefully pushed the person out from behind the tree.
Clearly, the commotion startled the furtive man, his eyes trembling. "Who's there!?"
Kurosawa Shiran smiled helplessly, and as if she had been startled, she walked towards the man. "Sir, are you lost?"
waiter?
The man stared intently at him, and he subconsciously took a few steps back. "...No, I just came out for some fresh air."
For some reason, the hairs on his body stood on end.
Even the words that slip out of his mouth have a tremor in them.
Kurosawa Shiran nodded in satisfaction, and before he could turn around, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it inward.
The man's arm was twisted by an invisible force, and he lost his balance instantly due to the excruciating pain, kneeling on the ground and almost immediately losing the ability to resist.
Amidst the man's screams, Rina seemed to hear a cracking sound.
"Sister, I caught someone." Kurosawa Shiran covered the person's mouth with a handkerchief, tilting her head as if seeking praise.
Rina straightened her clothes, walked up to him discreetly, squatted down, pulled out the handkerchief, and asked him, "Where did you get the photo?"
The man was terrified, trembling and unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time, "Mrs. Kawashima... I, I, what happened to me?"
Why are you so scared? Rina reached out, preparing to search him.
Kurosawa Shiran gave a soft hum, tinged with a hint of pride, "I'll do it."
The man felt a chill run down his spine and stood up shakily. After a search, they found that in addition to his bulging wallet and outdated watch, there was also a tag still attached to his suit.
Kurosawa Shiran remarked, "Ah, there's not a single trace of training on this person."
Rina rummaged through his wallet, glancing at his identification as she did so: "Who gave you the letter?"
Murai was taken aback for a moment, then realized: "Yes, yes, it was a woman in black who gave it to me. She gave me five hundred dollars and told me to put the letter in Mrs. Barrick's handbag and told me not to look at it."
The wax seal with feather markings on top will be discovered if you remove it.
Rina took out a wad of cash from her wallet: "Five hundred US dollars?"
“A thousand dollars, it’s a thousand dollars,” Murai swallowed hard. “Madam, I’m just a messenger. I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t even know the contents were photographs.”
Rina asked, "Do you remember the woman's height, appearance, and weight?"
“No, height, she was wearing high heels, about the same height as the lady, I don’t remember her face, she was wearing a mask and sunglasses, the light was too dim at the time, I couldn’t see clearly, it was last night,” Murai scratched his head, looking very distressed, “By the way, the place she asked me to meet was at a violin concert.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Rina's eyes: "How did she find you?"
Murai lowered his head. "I met her at the first-generation tavern. She said she'd pay me for anything, and I owed a lot of money at the casino, so I agreed..."
Rina remained silent for a long time, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips, before leaving the back garden.
Kurosawa Shiran was puzzled and cautiously followed behind her. "Sister, what did you discover?"
Rina: "In this manor, there is only one person who is connected to both the violin and the first tavern."
Kurosawa Shiran: "Who is it?"
Rina: "Kawashima Makoto".
"Hmm," Kurosawa Shiran said casually, "What is my sister thinking? Does she want to kill her?"
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