July 28, 1:10 p.m.
Hotel Vischio Osaka, 7th floor.
A casually dressed woman with long black curly hair stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking into the distance with a sad look on her face. She turned sideways to look at the photo frame on the low table. The photo was a picture of a man and a woman.
She reached out and picked up the photo she always carried in her suitcase wherever she went to work. Thinking of the call from the police just now, she couldn't help but recall the news she received three years ago about the accidental death of her fiancé Soma Mitsuru.
Why do people close to us disappear one by one?
It’s impossible that God has given me absolute pitch and singing voice, but then deprives me of something more important.
Dong Dong Dong.
There was a knock on the door.
The woman put down the photo frame and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She walked to the door and reached out to open it.
Standing outside the door were naturally Fujiwara Yuu and Hattori Heiji. The former did not forget to take out his police officer ID. Due to the serious nature of the case, his tone sounded quite stiff:
"Hello, I'm Detective Sosuke Takashi from the First Investigation Division of the Osaka Police Headquarters. You must be Ms. Reiko Akiba, a friend of Ms. Imamura's, right?"
"Yes, I am." Akiba Reiko looked coldly at the boy standing behind Takashi, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is the Osaka Police Headquarters really short of staff? They actually recruited minors as assistants."
Fujiwara Yu could feel that Akiba Reiko was not very welcome to his arrival. He gestured backwards, and Hattori Heiji understood and had to walk towards the elevator and wait.
He bowed slightly apologetically, his expression softening.
"I'm sorry, but that child was the one who found Ms. Imamura's body. He's not a suspicious person."
"Oh, then, Officer, you came here... because you think I'm the murderer?" Reiko Akiba didn't like dealing with the police. When her fiancé Mitsuru Soma died accidentally, the police interrogated her as the first suspect, asking her questions without even looking at the evidence, so she had no good feelings towards the police.
"Ms. Akiba, you can rest assured. I won't jump to conclusions without evidence. I'm here just to ask about Ms. Imamura's social connections. As her friend, you should know where she likes to go on weekdays, right? Or does she have other close friends?" Fujiwara Yu was not annoyed by the other party's attitude. He even tried to force out a fake smile to try to ease the awkward atmosphere.
As a soprano, Akiba Reiko naturally participated in many social activities, so she could tell whether the smile in front of her was genuine. She leaned against the French window with her hands in her pockets, her backlit expression blurring.
"Fujiko became introverted after her parents passed away. She only talked to me a lot, and I didn't know she had any other close friends. As for the place she loved to go, it was only her home. She once said that she felt safe at home."
She has simple social relationships, is introverted and is a stay-at-home girl. It seems necessary to go to her home to investigate.
Fujiwara Yuu took out his business card and handed it to Akiba Reiko. Having already gotten the answer he wanted, there was no need to linger. He raised the corners of his mouth and tried to maintain a faint smile:
[To be honest, I've been using the Huanyuan app to read books and keep up with the latest updates. It allows you to switch between different sources and has a variety of reading voices. Huanyuan app is available for both Android and Apple devices.]
"Ms. Qiu Ting, thank you for your cooperation. This is my business card. If you have any clues you would like to provide, just call the number above. Of course, you can also call me if you are in danger, and I will come immediately."
Even without knowing the murderer's motive, it was still necessary to remind Akiba Reiko, the victim's friend, to ensure her own safety. He had noticed that when the other party opened the door, he didn't even look through the peephole to see who was outside, but just opened it directly.
"Wait a moment."
"Ms. Qiu Ting, is there anything else?"
"Was Fujiko...painful when she died?"
Fujiwara Yuu's steps couldn't help but pause. He wasn't good at lying, nor did he enjoy it, but he was quite happy to tell a white lie. He held the door with one hand, the other in his pocket, and turned around with a soothing smile.
"Don't worry, she didn't suffer when she passed away."
"Yes, thank you."
As soon as Fujiwara Yu closed the door and turned to the side, he met the gaze of Hattori Heiji. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask if the other party was hiding here and eavesdropping on their conversation. Hattori Heiji shrugged his shoulders in tacit understanding as if to acquiesce in his eavesdropping behavior.
But before reaching the elevator, Hattori Heiji couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Yingsi, I don't think there's any need to lie. A case of this nature will be reported in the news after it's solved. By then, she will definitely know that you are lying to her."
"I know." Fujiwara Yuu closed his eyes after entering the elevator. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly uttered a few words: "But I don't know how to tell her the truth. Although she looks strong, I can tell that she has cried."
He really didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her: Your friend died tragically, his body was cut into several pieces, and the arms he usually used to play the piano have not been found yet.
How could I possibly say such words?
"That's true... But Brother Takashi, I've wanted to ask you before, why do you always close your eyes when you get in the elevator?" Hattori Heiji actually wanted to ask this a long time ago, but he never had the chance before. Now that they are alone together, he can finally ask.
Fujiwara Yuu knew that people who had ridden in the elevator with him many times would ask this question sooner or later. He remained calm and didn't feel offended by the question. He said half-seriously:
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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