Following Hayami Reika's scream, Fujiwara Yu immediately stepped forward and came to the collapsed snowman.
Hidden in the snowman was Michio Akashi, who had disappeared two hours ago. His body was in a severe state of rigor mortis under the cover of ice and snow, and the cold environment made it difficult to determine the time of his death.
Yamato Gansuke walked forward and looked at the collapsed snowman. He always felt that something was strange. The corpse would not move, and the weather conditions would not cause the snowman to melt and collapse.
Hmm? Could it be...
"Hey, Yingsi, you should have noticed it too, right? This snowman looks so uncoordinated." Yamato Gansuke patted the intact and sturdy snowman with his hand, and said with a slight smile on his lips.
Fujiwara Yu naturally understood what Yamato Gansuke meant, because in such a blizzard environment, the snowman would not collapse into this shape for no reason, so someone deliberately pushed the snow away. The purpose of this person was to let them find Akashi Michio's body as soon as possible.
The person who could do this was naturally the murderer, but why would he do this? Why did he desperately want us to quickly discover that Akashi Michio was dead? Wouldn't it be easier for him to act by hiding his body?
Because of this, the police would point the finger of suspicion at Michio Akashi, who had disappeared and had no alibi. Now that Michio Akashi is dead, he is naturally not the murderer of Rie Kano.
So what was the murderer thinking and what was his plan?
"Huh? Why is he holding some dry grass in his hand?" When Fujiwara Yu was observing the surface of the body, he suddenly noticed that Akashi Michio's left hand was tightly grasping something. After looking closely, he found that it was some dry grass.
Yamato Gansuke glanced at Takashi Sosuke speechlessly, and he corrected him:
"This isn't some common dry grass. It's forage specifically for livestock. After drying, it's perfect for feeding cattle and horses in the winter. It's not surprising to see it here, as the livestock industry is quite prosperous around here."
"But it's strange that he has grass in his hand. We just went around Beibing Village and didn't see any pastures or stables. Where did he get the grass?"
"This is indeed a major suspicion. Furthermore, Akashi Michio's rigor mortis is quite severe. To have reached this level in this kind of weather means he must have been dead for at least six hours... This proves he died before Rie Kano was murdered."
Did the person who was originally the most suspicious become the first victim of the case?
Fujiwara Yuu didn't believe there was a perfect crime in the world. As long as there was a crime, there would always be flaws. He glanced at Hayami Reika, who was shivering in the cold, not daring to move forward, and said in a deep voice:
"Well, it's necessary to interrogate the suspicious master in the room."
"Don't you care about the body?"
"We can only wait until his rigor mortis subsides before we can lay him flat on the ground properly, right?" Fujiwara Yuu tapped the stiff body with his hand and said helplessly, "We can only let him stay here for a while."
"Well, we can only wait for the snowstorm to stop and let the Hokkaido police handle it."
In order to ensure that Akashi Michio's body would not be damaged, Fujiwara Yu picked up some snow near the door and filled the exposed part. As for the grass tightly grasped in the body's hands... although it could not be pulled out, a piece could be broken off.
Yamato Gansuke walked into the house and brushed off the snow on his body. He turned his head and saw Takashi Sosuke putting the broken grass into the evidence bag. His eyes widened slightly and he said in a strange tone:
"Why do you still have this habit of carrying evidence bags around?"
"It's just a small habit I developed after becoming a policeman. It's because I always run into cases when I'm on a business trip or on vacation. I feel uncomfortable if I don't carry something with me." Fujiwara Yu shrugged with a wry smile. He didn't want to use this evidence bag.
Yamato Gansuke couldn't help but widen his eyes when he heard this. He suddenly remembered the gossip that Uehara Yui had said. It seemed that there was a detective in the Osaka Police Headquarters who solved dozens of homicide cases during his one year in office.
This guy might be able to compete with that unlucky policeman from Osaka Prefecture.
Fujiwara Yuu couldn't help but sneeze. Perhaps he had caught a cold from walking too long in the snowstorm? He didn't rush to take off his windbreaker. He walked towards the kitchen and asked:
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Well, have a cup. I'm sure I won't be able to sleep tonight." Yamato Gansuke held his forehead with a headache and turned to walk towards the restaurant. "I'll go to the restaurant to see if those guys are behaving well. Hayami, go and help him serve coffee."
"OK."
Fujiwara Yuu skillfully brewed coffee, preparing a few extra cups in case the others in the restaurant wanted some too. While waiting, he didn't let his mind idle, still pondering why the murderer had let them discover Akashi Michio's body.
"Officer Takashi."
His thoughts were interrupted, and Fujiwara Yu looked up at Hayami Reika, who was hesitant to speak, and said calmly:
"Just say it if you have something to say."
"...Is it possible that Yuki Yasha really existed? If Akashi-san was murdered before Kana-san, then we all have alibis. No one could have gone to the annex and killed someone."
Hayami Reika finally spoke out her thoughts. She knew they were childish, even fanciful. But the blizzard outside hadn't stopped, and the murderer hadn't been found. She was a little scared, worried that their enemy wasn't human.
Fujiwara Yu picked up the coffee pot and poured the brewed coffee evenly into the coffee cup. He did not rush to answer this meaningless question. He calmly finished brewing the coffee before slowly saying:
"Don't take this ridiculous rumor as reality. The murderer must have used some trick to make his alibi valid. I won't allow anyone to pin the murder on an innocent Yuki Yasha."
"But……"
"I will find out the truth before the snow stops. As for whether you will die or not, it depends on whether you listen to me. As long as you are not alone, the murderer will naturally have no chance to kill you." Fujiwara Yu guessed Hayami Reika's little thoughts. She was just worried that the murderer might be targeting her, and she didn't want to start having wild thoughts after dying at such a young age.
Snow Yaksha is not that bored and likes to play hide-and-seek with the police.
Hayami Reika immediately nodded vigorously. In order to leave Beibing Village alive, she would definitely cling to the two police officers. Even if someone asked her to be alone now, she would not want to. There was a corpse both inside and outside the house. The thought of it made her spine cold.
"Bring the coffee out, it's time to meet the suspects."
"Am I not a suspect?"
Fujiwara Yuu couldn't help but pause, raised his eyebrows, and asked:
"Do you have the guts to remove the snowman that's hiding the body?"
“…I don’t dare.”
Of course, Fujiwara Yuu did not rely on his courage to judge that Hayami Reika was not a suspect. He just made sure that the snowman was not opened before leaving, so the only person who could do this could be the one who stayed in the annex.
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