Chapter 51: The Swindler
Kishida Masayoshi sought ĹŚgami YĹŤsuke’s perspective on Yomikawa Tsuko.
Of course, this wasn’t about romantic inclinations. Judging by ĹŚgami’s categorization of the decapitations, the high school student, despite his youth, possessed a sharp mind. Furthermore, his closer proximity to Yomikawa might offer unique insights.
Matsushita Makoto immediately recognized Kishida’s subtle probing. She was about to interject, but a sharp glance from Kishida silenced her.
“Yomikawa-senpai?” ĹŚgami paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as Kishida abruptly mentioned her name. He scratched his head. “Senpai has been absent for several days. I haven’t had a chance to discuss the inn case with her. Though, within our club, there’s not much enthusiasm for the case.”
Kishida nodded. “I see. I heard that Yomikawa arranged the police report after the body was discovered on June 9th. She also confirmed everyone’s safety. Having such a senpai must be reassuring.”
Subtlety wasn’t Kishida’s forte, and his questioning came across somewhat blunt. Fortunately, ĹŚgami seemed oblivious.
“As our senpai and club president, of course she’s reliable.” At this, a subtle unease from the past few days resurfaced in ĹŚgami’s mind. He furrowed his brow, stroking his chin in thought.
He recalled that Monday after the incident. Senpai had come to the club after school, announcing the cancellation of that day’s activities. She’d also subtly warned him and Takada Shoji to be careful during their commutes.
Though unspoken, it was clear she was cautioning them about Kagehara Tetsuya.
Yet, she herself had invited Kagehara to the club. After his disappearance, she seemed to have completely disregarded the possibility of Kagehara being a “victim.”
Noticing ĹŚgami’s change in demeanor, Kishida’s interest piqued. “What is it? Did something occur to you?”
ĹŚgami looked up, hesitating. “It’s nothing important, really.”
Senpai’s behavior that day had been odd, but it didn’t necessarily imply anything. In Japan’s atmosphere of reading between the lines, everyone wished to distance themselves from a potential murderer, especially someone like Senpai, who had personally invited Kagehara to the club. She likely felt an even greater need to disassociate herself.
Therefore, ĹŚgami chose silence. He dismissed it as his overthinking.
“I see.” Kishida sensed the high schooler’s discomfort with deception. He could tell ĹŚgami was holding back. He handed him a business card. “Take this. If you recall anything relevant to the case, please contact me.”
ĹŚgami accepted the card with a nod. After a few more exchanges, he continued towards the school.
“Senpai, you’re not thinking of using ĹŚgami to investigate, are you?” Matsushita asked.
Kishida shook his head. “Of course not. What if he were in danger? I wanted to… never mind. Don’t worry about it. Go ring the Hasebe’s doorbell again.”
He thought he would have a more in-depth conversation with ĹŚgami later. Though ĹŚgami had already given his statement, he was a thoughtful individual. Perhaps he had noticed something that hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now struck him as odd.
“Ah, hello. I’m Officer Matsushita Makoto. We have a very urgent matter concerning Hasebe Koichi. Would you allow us to come in and speak?”
Unexpectedly, this time the doorbell was answered. Seeing this, Kishida quickly locked the car and rushed over. A minute or two later, Mr. Hasebe opened the door.
His first words, however, immediately set off Kishida’s alarm bells.
Mr. Hasebe appeared flushed and remarkably energetic, his attitude welcoming. “Hello. Has Koichi been rescued? His name has been completely cleared, hasn’t it? That’s wonderful. I just told Koichi’s mother. By the way, when can Koichi come home?”
Matsushita sighed and bowed deeply. “I’m very sorry. We’ve just discovered a male body without a head. We believe there’s a strong possibility it’s Hasebe Koichi. Please prepare yourself.”
Mr. Hasebe froze, a look of confusion on his face. “That’s impossible. You must be mistaken. Nothing could have happened to Koichi.”
“We found a tattoo identical to Hasebe Koichi’s on the body, along with his motorcycle license.”
“Also, here’s a photo of the body. The clothes he’s wearing are definitely Hasebe Koichi’s, aren’t they?”
Kishida handed a photograph to Mr. Hasebe. The photo didn’t show the neck, but clearly depicted the body’s general build and clothing.
“Impossible… this is impossible…” Mr. Hasebe stared at the photo for what felt like an eternity. The color drained from his face at an alarming rate. His hand clutching the photo trembled. Finally, his body swayed, and he nearly collapsed.
Matsushita and Kishida quickly supported him, helping him back into the living room.
Throughout the way, Mr. Hasebe’s eyes were vacant, his lips muttering, “Impossible… she promised Koichi would be saved…”
Compared to his appearance when he opened the door, the old man seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
Even Kishida and Matsushita, hardened detectives accustomed to such scenes, felt a pang of deep sorrow.
After a long while, Mr. Hasebe regained some composure. He drank some water and sat weakly on the sofa, his eyes bloodshot.
“To apprehend the true culprit as quickly as possible, I have a few questions for you,” Kishida said, signaling Matsushita to begin taking notes. “What did you mean by ‘she promised Koichi would be saved’? Did someone make you a promise?”
Mr. Hasebe nodded. “Yes, a girl. She said she was a private investigator hired by someone. We’ve been talking every day for the past few days. She said Koichi would be back by tomorrow at the latest. Could you please confirm if the body is really Koichi? Perhaps you’ve made a mistake?”
Kishida and Matsushita exchanged a look. They realized Mr. Hasebe had been the victim of a scam. The swindler had likely seen the news about Hasebe Koichi’s disappearance and seized the opportunity.
“Mr. Hasebe, you’ve likely been deceived. What’s the name of the woman impersonating a private investigator? How much money did she take from you? We’ll start an immediate investigation. If you can provide her contact information, it would be extremely helpful,” Matsushita said, a hint of indignation in her voice.
Mr. Hasebe was silent for a moment, still in disbelief. “Was I really deceived? But she didn’t take any money from me. Her name is Yomikawa Tsuko. As for contact information, I have her phone number.”
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