Hayashi Shuichi walked to the bedside and examined it closely. The bed sheets were a chaotic mess, half torn away, and amidst the wrinkles, a few dark red bloodstains were faintly visible, looking exceptionally glaring against the off-white fabric.
The blood had already dried, presenting a dull brownish-red hue.
"The killer was definitely not an outsider," Hayashi Shuichi stated with certainty. "Mr. Ito must have walked to the bedside, facing the bed, when he was attacked from behind by the killer with a knife."
"After being attacked, he fell to his knees in pain, clutching the bed sheets with both hands. At the same time, the knife that pierced through his body from behind splattered a few drops of blood onto the bed."
"After that, Mr. Ito collapsed helplessly on the floor, and the killer continued to stab him several times from the front, killing him thoroughly."
"But just based on this, it doesn't prove it was an inside job, does it?" Yamada Daisuke frowned, his thick fingers incessantly twisting the gold ring on his pinky finger—a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought.
"The gentleman who is tied up just said that they watched Mr. Ito lock the bedroom door from the inside before they left," Hayashi Shuichi continued unhurriedly. "Furthermore, Mr. Ito was wearing slippers when he died. The bedroom has an en-suite bathroom, so there was no need to open the door just to use the toilet."
"So, Big Brother opened the bedroom door for the killer?" Yamada Daisuke's eyes lit up as he immediately realized the implication.
"Exactly," Hayashi Shuichi nodded. "If the person who made Mr. Ito open the door was a stranger, even if that intruder could mimic the voice of someone Mr. Ito knew well, a conflict would have erupted immediately upon opening the door and seeing each other."
"In that case, the crime scene should have been at the doorway, not over here by the bed."
"It was someone Big Brother knew very well who tricked him into opening the bedroom door," Yamada Daisuke stroked the stubble on his chin, his speech accelerating. "After opening the door, Big Brother had no guard up against that person. He turned around, intending to sit back on the bed to talk, but he never expected that just as he reached the bedside, he would be attacked from behind with a knife."
Congratulations, you can even answer before the question is finished!
Hayashi Shuichi rolled his eyes internally but maintained a polite smile on his lips.
"So, the two intruders from last night were not the killers. Their goal was likely the... hundred million yen stolen from the study next door."
"If that's the case, the most suspicious person is Takigawa, who discovered Big Brother's accident first," Yamada Daisuke's face darkened. "He was a trusted aide who followed Big Brother for over twenty years. It would be simple for him to trick Big Brother into opening the door, but to arrest him based solely on this, we are still lacking key evidence."
"According to the rules, shouldn't Mr. Ito's underlings all be guarding the first floor?" Hayashi Shuichi walked to the window, his fingertips gently playing with the tassels of the curtains. "Did Takigawa ever mention why he went to the second floor last night?"
"I asked him once. He said he heard strange noises on the second floor and went up to check," Yamada Daisuke pointed to the tied-up underling. "Yamamoto said that last night, he and Takigawa originally went to the first-floor restroom together. Who knew that halfway through, they heard someone outside shouting that something had happened."
"I didn't even have time to wipe my butt before I ran out," the underling quickly interjected to defend himself. "Boss Ito's matter really has nothing to do with me."
Hayashi Shuichi stared intently at him and asked, "Before you went out, did you hear any movement of Takigawa leaving?"
"He should have been in the stall the whole time, right?" The underling thought for a moment. "Last night while using the restroom, I could occasionally hear the sound of diarrhea coming from the innermost stall."
"Let's go, let's check the first floor," Hayashi Shuichi beckoned, taking the lead toward the first floor, with everyone following closely behind.
Arriving at the first-floor restroom, the tied-up underling pointed to a stall near the door and said, "I used this one. That guy Takigawa said it smelled too bad being so close, so he went to the innermost one."
Hayashi Shuichi stepped forward, opened the innermost stall, and swept his gaze around the interior, finding nothing amiss.
He then stood on the toilet, tiptoed slightly, and peered at the top edge of the partition. It was a blind spot for cleaning and had accumulated quite a bit of dust.
In the dust, Hayashi Shuichi found a partial, clear footprint.
"Could it be that Takigawa climbed out?" Inspector Samezaki asked in confusion. "Why not use the door?"
"It was likely to create an alibi," Hayashi Shuichi climbed down from the toilet and dusted off his hands. "Lock the stall door from the inside, then use a tape recorder to play pre-recorded sounds of diarrhea. This way, people outside can't get in, and hearing the noise, they would assume Takigawa was inside the whole time."
"That's right, that guy did bring a Walkman with him yesterday," the bound underling recalled. "I even asked him why he brought it, since he doesn't usually listen to music."
"Takigawa answered that he recently got hooked on a Momoe Yamaguchi song, so he bought a Walkman for convenience."
"After the incident, did you see that Walkman again?" Hayashi Shuichi asked.
"This... I didn't pay attention," the underling shook his head.
"Search this house again, focusing on cassette tapes and a Walkman," Yamada Daisuke waved his hand to the underlings behind him. "Also, send a few people to search Takigawa's house and car."
"Also check the alleys near the house and the surrounding trash cans," Hayashi Shuichi reminded them. "Although it was chaotic at the time, Takigawa probably wouldn't have dared to burn and destroy it right then and there. If he didn't take it with him, nine out of ten chances are he threw it nearby."
The underlings rushed off to find the Walkman. Hayashi Shuichi pushed open the restroom window, and the night breeze, carrying the scent of flowers, blew against his face.
He leaned half of his body out and looked up. Above was the window of the second-floor corridor, about two meters high.
Hayashi Shuichi quickly returned to the second floor and pushed open the corridor window.
Under the moonlight, on the ledge of the first-floor restroom window, two clear shoe prints stood out conspicuously in the dust. The tread pattern matched perfectly with the one inside the stall.
"As long as we find the cassette tape, combined with these two shoe prints, it's enough to prove Takigawa is problematic," Yamada Daisuke rubbed his hands excitedly, the flesh on his face piling up due to his smile. "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Hayashi."
"No need to be polite, Mr. Yamada. I am also doing this for money..." Hayashi Shuichi rubbed his fingers together, intending to hint for the payment, but unexpectedly, a clamorous noise suddenly erupted in the yard.
Hearing the noise, everyone in the room went downstairs to check the situation, only to see several black Mercedes-Benzes brazenly charging directly into the courtyard.
"What is going on?" Yamada Daisuke roared with an ashen face.
"It's Boss Kiryu," an underling ran over in a panic, nearly tripping over his own feet. "We couldn't stop him."
"Yamada, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
An arrogant voice came from the most luxurious Mercedes.
The car door opened, and a man in his thirties stepped out.
He had spiky short hair like a hedgehog, wore a well-tailored black suit with a tie hanging loosely around his neck, and wore a cynical smile on his face.
"Pop's funeral hall doesn't seem to be over here, does it?"
Seeing clearly who had gotten out of the car, the face of Yamada Daisuke, which had been dark just a moment ago, immediately blossomed into a brilliant smile: "Boss, weren't you keeping vigil for Big Brother Ito? Why did you come here?"
"This is the new head of the Sumiyoshi-kai in Beika, Kiryu Yuji," Officer Teraoka introduced in a low voice.
Inspector Samezaki took a step forward, blocking Hayashi Shuichi behind him.
"This is the place where Pops was murdered. I came here, naturally, to pursue clues about the killer who killed Pops,"
Boss Kiryu raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping across everyone like a blade before finally resting on Officer Teraoka.
"Isn't this the officer from the Fourth Investigation Division... what was his name again?"
He deliberately dragged out his tone, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
"Yamada, Pops just died, and you bring the police to his house. What are you trying to do?"
"Of course, just like you, Boss, I want to find out exactly who killed the Boss," Yamada Daisuke chimed in with a laugh. "That's the only way to avenge him."
"Pops' affairs don't need police interference," Boss Kiryu scoffed coldly. "Asking the police for help—if word gets out, you might be shameless, but I still have my pride!"
"These two officers..."
Yamada Daisuke glanced at Hayashi Shuichi, who was completely blocked by Inspector Samezaki. His eyes darted around, and he immediately understood.
"They were invited by me in a private capacity. As long as we don't spread it, who outside will know about tonight's events?"
"Besides, thanks to these two officers, last night's matter has been largely investigated."
"Already investigated clearly?" Boss Kiryu paused, then eagerly pressed, "Who is the killer?"
"Takigawa," Yamada Daisuke pronounced the name word by word, his eyes fixed tightly on Boss Kiryu's reaction.
"Yamada, Takigawa is my Wakagashira now," Boss Kiryu's face instantly turned gloomy. "You say he is the killer who murdered Pops? Where is the evidence?"
Just as Yamada Daisuke was about to speak, an underling ran over excitedly, holding up a cassette tape in his hand: "We found a cassette tape that had been pulled out in the trash can in the backyard!"
"The evidence has been found," Yamada Daisuke's smile became meaningful. "Boss, the other members are all still at Big Brother Ito's funeral hall. Why don't we take the evidence and Takigawa over there together?"
"The cassette tape..." Boss Kiryu narrowed his eyes, then suddenly grinned, revealing his white teeth. "I'll send someone to find Takigawa right now."
Just then, the telephone on the first floor of the house rang abruptly, sounding exceptionally piercing in the quiet night.
An underling ran to answer it. A moment later, he ran back with a pale face and whispered into Yamada Daisuke's ear.
Yamada Daisuke's smile froze on his face, and his voice turned hoarse: "Boss, no need to trouble yourself sending people. My men just went to Takigawa's house and found that he has already committed suicide to atone for his crimes. He left a suicide note in the room."
"It clearly stated that because Big Brother Ito hadn't promoted him for many years, he held a grudge and killed Big Brother."
Takigawa died just like that?
Hayashi Shuichi blinked. He hadn't expected to complete one of tonight's objectives so quickly.
"I didn't expect it was really that ungrateful bastard who did it," Boss Kiryu waved his hand indignantly. "Thank you for your hard work on this matter, Yamada. I'm going back to keep vigil for Pops now. You come with me too, and bring the evidence you found."
"...Yes!" Yamada Daisuke lowered his head, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes.
Boss Kiryu came quickly and left just as quickly.
After he left, Yamada Daisuke finally exploded: "Damn it! Still one step too slow. Takigawa was actually silenced!"
After venting his anger, he turned to look at Hayashi Shuichi and pleaded earnestly, "Mr. Hayashi, about Takigawa's case..."
"Cough, Hayashi-kun is still a student and has school tomorrow," Officer Teraoka raised his hand to look at his watch. "It's not good to sleep too late."
"I will add another ten million to Mr. Hayashi's commission. As long as you can find out who killed Takigawa..."
Before Yamada Daisuke could finish his sentence, the phone on the first floor rang again.
After the underling answered the phone, his face instantly turned deathly pale: "Big Brother, first there was an explosion at Takigawa's house, and then a huge fire broke out. Besides Takigawa's wife and children, two of our brothers were also caught in it. I'm afraid they are all..."
"What did you say?" Yamada Daisuke grabbed the underling by the collar, the fury in his eyes almost erupting. "Explosion? Where were our men? Why didn't they stop it?"
"Damn it! Now the trail is completely cold!"
With Takigawa's house bombed and burned, any clues that might have existed were impossible to investigate now.
Fortunately, Yamada Daisuke kept his word. When Hayashi Shuichi and the two officers bid farewell, he handed the promised payment to Officer Teraoka.
As the three left in Officer Teraoka's private car, Hayashi Shuichi looked at the night view outside the window and suddenly spoke: "Yamada Daisuke probably won't live much longer."
"Why do you say that?" Inspector Samezaki turned his head from the passenger seat.
"Yamada is a veteran of the Sumiyoshi-kai," Officer Teraoka's knuckles turned slightly white as he gripped the steering wheel. "Even if Kiryu Yuji wants to purge his opposition, he shouldn't do it this quickly, right?"
"Takigawa was just bait," Hayashi Shuichi said slowly. "That Boss Kiryu knew full well that some people suspected Takigawa was the killer of Ito Ichiro, yet he still made him the Wakagashira."
"Firstly, it was likely to use him to fish out his opposition. Secondly, it was to use Takigawa to draw the attention of the opposition, making it convenient for him to plot other things in secret."
"Plotting in secret... Could it be that Kiryu Yuji wants to completely wipe out Yamada's faction within the Sumiyoshi-kai?"
Officer Teraoka slammed on the brakes, and all three of their bodies pitched forward due to inertia.
"I was just taking a wild guess," Hayashi Shuichi showed an innocent smile. "Maybe I guessed wrong."
After working hard for half the night, Hayashi Shuichi carried the bag containing ten million yen in cash and walked into his house, yawning.
As soon as he entered, he saw the lights in the living room blazing.
Reiko was sitting on the sofa like a wife waiting for her husband who hadn't come home all night. Her small face was dark, and her arms were crossed over her chest. "Where have you been in the middle of the night!"
"Here," Hayashi Shuichi handed over the money bag. "Just open it and look, and you'll know."
"What is this?"
Reiko scoffed coldly and casually opened the plastic bag.
Upon seeing clearly that it was filled with money, she immediately lost her voice and cried out: "Onii-chan, you earned this much money just by sleeping with Ms. Ikenami for one night?"
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