Fujiwara Yuu picked up his suit jacket and sprayed it with alcohol, trying to cover up the faint stench of corpses. Before leaving, he didn't forget to give a few instructions:
"Tsuda, contact the family and have them come identify the body. Before that, have the coroner sew the body up, making sure it looks as good as possible. Also, remember to send the two animal hairs found on the victim's body to the Institute for Research to determine what kind of animal they are."
"Okay, where are you going, Inspector?"
"To save some time, I'll go see the first reporter first. I'll leave this to you for now."
"No problem, don't worry."
Fujita Takashi's pet shop is located in Yoko-Nagishi-cho 2-chome, Kamogawa City, Chiba Prefecture. Coincidentally, it's near a food court and residential area, so business is booming. The shop is also quite large, suggesting he must be making a good living. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a Lexus LS 400 worth over 10 million yen parked outside.
Fujiwara Yu parked his car in the temporary parking area on the side of the road. He pushed open the shop door equipped with wind chimes and smelled the unique smell of deodorant that was unique to pet shops. In order to avoid the body odor emitted by cats and dogs in the store, maintaining the air quality in the store is also a necessary skill for pet shops.
Otherwise, the stench will be overwhelming as soon as you enter the door, which will directly discourage novices who want to spend money to raise pets.
"Welcome, sir, how can I help you?" A girl with a ponytail wearing an apron with a rabbit cartoon image on it smiled and closed the distance between herself and the customer, asking politely.
Fujiwara Yu looked around and noticed that there were many customers in the store who were selecting pet supplies. He did not rashly identify himself, but instead moved closer, lowered his voice, and quietly stated his purpose:
"Hello, ma'am. I'm Sosuke Takashi from the Metropolitan Police Department. I'm here to ask if your store manager is Fujita Takashi."
When the girl with a single ponytail heard that the handsome young man was actually a policeman, she covered her mouth to hide her surprise, glanced guiltily at the customers who hadn't noticed her, and nodded.
"Well, yes, but the manager is off today, so I'm the only one in the store."
"Is the car at the door yours?" Fujiwara Yu was a little surprised. Are there still people who drive luxury cars to work in pet shops? It seems that the girl in front of him likes pets more than he thought.
But when I saw the girl with the ponytail shaking her head and waving her hands, I knew I was overthinking it. She said that the store manager, Fujita Takashi, lived near the pet shop and it only took him ten minutes to walk there, so he usually parked his car in the store's parking space.
Fujiwara Yu nodded in understanding. He glanced at the girl's ID card and smiled faintly.
"Ms. Takano, I'd like you to contact your boss and ask him to come to the store as quickly as possible and tell him that a woman named Hasegawa Yuka is waiting for him in the store."
"Huh? Okay." Although Takano Ayaka felt that this request was a bit strange, she still honestly followed Sosuke Takagi's instructions and made the call, and completed the task without the other party suspecting anything.
Fujiwara Yuu pretended to be a customer and casually browsed the store, noting whether there were any golden-haired pets. For example, there was a golden retriever sleeping soundly in a small cage, or a golden-grey cat happily scratching its claws on a scratching post. There were quite a few golden-haired pets in the store.
"Um, Mr. Yingsi."
Hearing Takano Ayaka's voice, Fujiwara Yu turned around and noticed that she seemed to be hesitant to speak. He guessed that she might have some clues to provide, so he took the initiative to ask:
"Do you have something to talk to me about? Tell me boldly. You are facing a police officer, not a criminal."
"Actually, I know the Miss Hasegawa you mentioned just now. No, I should say I know her, but she doesn't know me." Takano Ayaka glanced guiltily at the store entrance, making sure the boss hadn't arrived before speaking. "I accidentally stole a peek at the boss's phone one time, and his screen saver was... an intimate photo of him and a strange woman."
At this point, Takano Ayaka felt a little embarrassed. She could probably guess what level of intimacy the so-called "intimacy" had reached. She reached out and touched the tip of her nose, then continued:
"A few days later, when I got home from get off work, I saw the woman in the photo getting into my boss's car. I also heard my boss call her name, Yuhua, so I wondered if they were the same person."
Intimate photos, is it extramarital affair?
Fujiwara Yu touched his chin. It seemed that this case was a little more complicated than he had imagined. If it was a vendetta, the social relationship would be clear, but if it was a murder of passion... it would be a bit troublesome to sort out the messy relationships between these people.
"Ms. Kono, thank you for the clue."
"Well, Mr. Officer, please keep this a secret from my boss. I don't want to lose my job yet."
"Don't worry, I won't betray you."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a burst of hurried footsteps outside the door. The door was pushed open forcefully, and a man in navy blue polo shirt and indoor slippers rushed into the store. His hair became a little messy due to the amplitude of his running.
He panted heavily and looked around the store, not caring at all about the looks people were giving him. After making sure there was no one he wanted to see, he frowned at Takano Ayaka who had called him and asked coldly:
"Takano, didn't you say someone was waiting for me in the store? Where is she?"
Ayaka Takano was startled by Fujita Takashi's tone. Her boss always looked like a gentle scholar on weekdays. This was the first time she saw her boss angry. It seemed that he really loved the lady named Hasegawa Yuka.
Fujiwara Yu was looking at Fujita Takashi when he came in. His anxious look didn't seem like he was acting. He even forgot to change his shoes and hurried over here. There was no fear or tension on his face. He should not be the murderer.
The murderer must have known that Hasegawa Yuka had been dead for several days, and the sudden appearance of the deceased would undoubtedly have triggered negative emotions in him. However, the man before him had been searching eagerly since entering the house. His anxiety seemed more like a way of ensuring the other person's safety, and one could even see worry in his brow. Therefore, Fujita Takashi could not be the murderer in this case.
Takano Ayaka opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. Her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with the expression "SOS." Receiving Takano's pleading gaze, Fujiwara Yuu walked over to Fujita Takashi and whispered in his ear:
"Hello, Mr. Fujita, can I have a moment with you?"
"Excuse me, who are you?" Fujita Takashi gradually calmed down. He pushed his glasses and looked at the stranger who was trying to get close to him. He was not sure whether the other person was his guest, so his attitude was still very good.
"I'm Sosuke Takashi from the Metropolitan Police Department. Let's go talk outside."
Fujita Takashi was stunned when he heard this. Why would the Metropolitan Police Department come to his house? Hadn't he reported the missing person to the Chiba Prefectural Police? Being clever, he quickly thought of a possibility. Could it be that... Yuka really had an accident?
"Okay, Takano, I'm really sorry for my bad attitude just now. I'll leave the store to you."
"It's okay, boss. Go ahead and do your work!"
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