Chapter 4 Dead Men Tell No Tales
Metropolitan Police Department First Investigation Division, break room.
Officer Ida is on the phone.
"Natalie, what's wrong?"
"You've taken Xiao Liang to get his vaccinations? Who's Xiao Liang?"
"Oh, it's that cat... Oh, no, no, Xiao Liang sounds like a healthy and sunny name! I like it very much!"
"I had a sandwich for breakfast. Don't worry, I've been eating on time and I'm not injured. You should take good care of yourself too."
"I can't say right now. Can I come see you after I'm less busy? Xiao Liang will keep you company for now! That's all for now, bye-bye—"
When Date hung up the phone, she looked up and saw Sato staring at her with an enigmatic smile on her face.
"Oh my, I didn't expect Date-senpai to give that stray cat to his girlfriend! How strange, this is the first time I've ever heard Date-senpai speak so gently. But sacrificing dates and rest time for work, working overtime on weekends, senpai is really dedicated."
Date blushed a little at the comment and replied, "Sato, weren't you working overtime last weekend too? That's why you missed the class reunion."
Sato shrugged and said, "Not many classmates actually went; everyone's busy with work. Besides, I didn't have many good memories from my time at the police academy..."
With a toothpick dangling from her lips, Ida reminisced about her time at the police academy, sighing softly, "Really? But I do miss those days at the police academy; it was such a wonderful experience!"
Not wanting to disturb Date's fond memories, Sato held back the words he was about to say: "Isn't it all because Date-senpai's class was so troublesome that our next class suffered so much!"
When Date and Sato returned to the office, they saw Inspector Megure looking worried.
Megure said to them, "The hospital just issued a critical condition notice. Miyazaki Yu... might not wake up."
Ida frowned slightly; things were taking a turn for the worse, but this was not unexpected.
"Then we'll have to reconstruct the truth of the crime scene."
Ida turned on the slide projector and showed pictures of the crime scene.
"At 5:47 a.m. last Saturday, police received a report of a middle-aged man's body and another middle-aged man seriously injured in an abandoned parking lot."
"The deceased has been identified as Taku Nakagawa, and the injured person as Yu Miyazaki. A 20cm long knife was found at the crime scene, matching the wounds on the deceased's body. The injured person suffered severe head trauma and intracranial hemorrhage, and remains unconscious. In addition, a four-seater sedan was found at the crime scene, with a mobile phone under the car. The two men had no other belongings besides clothing, including driver's licenses, wallets, and car keys. Furthermore, tire tracks from another vehicle were found at the scene."
"According to the forensic autopsy, the time of death was between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. The murderer stabbed the victim in the back multiple times, but did not hit any vital organs. He eventually died from excessive blood loss. In addition, both of them had signs of a struggle. Mr. Miyazaki also had scratches on his face, which were identified as the work of Mr. Nakagawa after DNA comparison and analysis."
"In the trunk of the car, we also found a hair of a missing boy, Yuki Sakai. Based on the circumstances of the crime scene, it is highly likely that Nakagawa was stabbed in the back when he tried to open the trunk."
Megure nodded in agreement and asked, "What are the results of the investigation into that car?"
“We’ve confirmed that the car owner is the missing person’s father, Kazuo Sakai. The car was previously being repaired at a car repair shop, and the keys have been kept by Sakai’s driver, Makoto Ishiura. Yesterday, Takagi and I went to Ishiura’s house to investigate. Takagi, could you give us your report?”
Takagi stood up slightly nervously, cleared his throat, and said, “Mr. Ishiura wasn’t home yesterday; we only saw Mrs. Ishiura and their son, Kaede Ishiura. Neither of them knew anything about the car keys. And since the incident occurred late at night, no one besides family members can provide an alibi for Mr. Ishiura. However, Mrs. Ishiura and Mrs. Sakai are relatives, and their families have always been very close. Kaede Ishiura is a medical student, but his family is not well-off; a large part of his expensive tuition is funded by President Sakai. Therefore, we believe that the Ishiura family has no motive for the crime.”
Megure asked, "Since he's still a student, shouldn't Ishiura Kaede be at school on Mondays?"
Takagi replied, "We investigated at the school, and it's true that the lab where Ishiura Kaede works has been on holiday for the past few days. Also, he seemed very concerned when we mentioned the missing Yuuki. We also learned that before Ishiura Kaede went to university, he often hung out with Yuuki and even helped him with his studies..."
After pondering for a while, Inspector Megure concluded, "Nakagawa and Miyazaki stole Ishiura's car keys and kidnapped President Sakai's son. They went to a secluded, abandoned parking lot, intending to switch cars and hide the child in the countryside. An argument ensued, escalating into a physical fight, during which Miyazaki attempted to stab Nakagawa. However, lacking experience, he failed to inflict a fatal wound and was instead tackled by Nakagawa, landing on his head and sustaining serious injuries. The child was then kidnapped by another accomplice. Is that the current investigation result?"
Date corrected, "It wasn't necessarily Miyazaki who killed Nakagawa; there might be more than one accomplice on the run."
Megure asked, "Date, do you still believe that an accomplice who escaped killed Nakagawa and then framed Miyazaki?"
Date nodded and replied, "While investigating the social relationship between Nakagawa and Miyazaki, I discovered some rather strange things. Nakagawa and Miyazaki were childhood friends and had always had a good relationship. Two years ago, Miyazaki's wife died in childbirth. Since then, Miyazaki has devoted himself to his career. He poached his friend Nakagawa from the Ito Group and strongly recommended him to President Sakai. Nakagawa's career has soared ever since, and this year's Dr.Virus has been a huge hit."
Megure shook his head: "Date, you know that most murders happen between relatives and friends. Even if Miyazaki and Nakagawa are very close, friendship can still be corrupted in the face of money."
Date continued, "That's not the case, Inspector Megure. On the contrary, Miyazaki and Nakagawa have a very bad relationship."
"What?!" Everyone present was taken aback.
Date continued calmly, "I've heard some rumors among Sakai Group employees that the child Mrs. Miyazaki was carrying two years ago wasn't Mr. Miyazaki's."
Takagi blurted out, "Could it be Mr. Nakagawa's?"
Date nodded and said, "That's right. It's said that Mr. Miyazaki only recently found out about this, and their relationship has become extremely strained as a result. I've also heard that Mr. Miyazaki has recently become depressed because of this blow and has developed a drinking and gambling addiction."
Megure, chin in hand, said, "If that's the case, then the kidnapping plot between these two doesn't hold water. It's more likely that Miyazaki, burdened by massive gambling debts, was threatened by some criminal organization, forced to kidnap his boss's son for ransom. Demanding gold bars at exorbitant interest rates fits the characteristics of gamblers. Nakagawa might have been tricked by Miyazaki, who wanted to frame him for the kidnapping and avenge his deceased wife, but things went wrong, and his own life is now in danger..."
Takagi asked curiously, "Where did Date-senpai get this information? We only went to the Sakai Group once yesterday."
"Ahem... Well, of course I also have my own intelligence network."
Sato Yuuyu exclaimed, "Date-senpai's efficiency is just too high, it's like he has three heads and six arms!"
Upon hearing this, Ida broke out in a cold sweat.
"A woman's intuition is truly terrifying!"
Sato added, "But these are all just speculations now; the truth remains unknown. Alas! It's a pity the dead can't speak..."
Takagi hesitated before raising her hand to speak: "Um, actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask. Why is everyone more concerned about the truth of the murder case than finding the missing Yuuki? Aren't the living more important than the dead?"
Date retorted, "Takagi, how do you plan to find Yuuki? Based on those tire tracks left in the dusty parking lot?"
"Huh? Well, I haven't decided yet..."
"Investigating the truth behind Nakagawa's death is about finding clues about the kidnappers' accomplices. If this kidnapping is indeed related to some kind of casino syndicate, then things will become even more complicated. Tomorrow, Wednesday, we'll have a formal confrontation with the kidnappers, so we need to be prepared for a tough battle!"
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