118: Chapter 118: Two Suspects

Beside her left hand lay a silver handgun.

On her right wrist, she wore a watch that looked quite expensive.

This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must be the oddity Takagi had mentioned.

Just as Takagi had questioned,

if this were a robbery, the perpetrator surely wouldn't have overlooked such a valuable watch.

'Left-handed?'

Observing the watch on Shinmoku Mako's right wrist, Fujino suddenly recalled something.

Wearing the watch on the right wrist, and the pen holder on the desk was also placed on the left side.

These were both characteristics of a left-handed person.

If Shinmoku Mako was left-handed, then the bullet hole in her left temple could be explained.

But why was the gun found near her right hand?

Pondering this, Fujino started ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to stand up, but froze mid-motion.

Because, in that instant, he spotted a small, gray button in the gap between the coffee table and the sofa.

Fujino examined the small button, frowning.

He picked it up and handed it to Sato Miwako. "Officer Sato, I found something new."

"A button?"

Sato Miwako took the button from Fujino and speculated, "It probably fell off Ms. Shinmoku's clothes, right?"

"I don't think so."

Fujino interrupted Sato Miwako's guess. "Officer Sato, could you please check Ms. Shinmoku's wardrobe to see if there are any clothes with matching buttons?"

Sato Miwako agreed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fujino's request.

She walked over to the wardrobe, opened the door, and began searching through the clothing inside.

While she checked the wardrobe, Fujino turned his attention to the ashtray on the coffee table nearby.

He had felt something was off about it since entering the room. Yes, the cigarette butts in the ashtray were clearly inconsistent.

There were two types: slender Seven Stars cigarettes, typically smoked by women, and thicker Marlboros.

Evidently, the Seven Stars were Shinmoku Mako's. But the other type was clearly not something she would smoke.

Combined with the button...

After a few moments, Sato Miwako finished checking the wardrobe and reported back to Fujino, "Fujino-kun, I couldn't find any clothing in Ms. Shinmoku's wardrobe that matches this button."

"If that's the case, then this incident isn't a simple robbery,"

Fujino stated gravely. "If my deduction is correct, before Ms. Shinmoku was killed last night, she must have entertained a guest in this room."

"A guest?"

Takagi Wataru looked puzzled. "Detective Fujino, how did you figure that out?"

"Officer Takagi, didn't you notice the ashtray?"

"The ashtray?"

Takagi still looked confused. "What's strange about the ashtray?"

"Fujino-kun is probably referring to the cigarette butts in the ashtray,"

Sato Miwako interjected, shifting her gaze to the coffee table. "There are two types of cigarette butts in the ashtray, which is indeed strange."

"I recognize these butts. One is the women's Seven Stars brand, the other is the thicker Marlboro. The Seven Stars likely belonged to Ms. Shinmoku. But the Marlboros... Ms. Shinmoku, who smoked women's cigarettes, wouldn't smoke those."

Fujino continued his reasoning grimly, "Combined with the button found at the scene, which doesn't belong to Ms. Shinmoku, I believe Ms. Shinmoku entertained a guest in this room last night before she was killed."

"I see!"

Takagi's eyes widened in understanding. "So, this might not be a robbery-murder case, but a deliberate murder! And the culprit is the guest Ms. Shinmoku hosted last night."

"It only makes them a suspect. We still don't know who the actual culprit is,"

Fujino corrected. After a pause, he added, "And I believe Ms. Hiroya could also be a suspect."

"Ms. Hiroya is a suspect too?"

Both officers looked at him, bewildered.

"Correct. Although she claims she was away at a photography retreat for the past two days, as the one who discovered the body..."

Looking at their confused faces, Fujino posed a question, "Don't you find her behavior overly unusual?"

Sato Miwako understood the implication in Fujino's words. "Meaning, Ms. Hiroya likely already knew Ms. Shinmoku was dead in the bedroom, which is why she chose to call the police."

"Precisely."

"In that case, Takagi, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take some men and investigate the neighborhood. See if anyone witnessed someone visiting this villa last night. Fujino-kun and I will question Hiroya Yayoi."

Villa Living Room.

"Ms. Hiroya, may I ask what time you returned to the villa this morning?"

In the living room, Sato Miwako questioned Hiroya Yayoi, who sat opposite her.

"I don't remember exactly."

Hiroya Yayoi, dressed in pajamas, thought for a moment before replying, "Before nine o'clock, probably around eight-fifty."

Sato Miwako continued, "Could you tell us specifically what you did before calling the police?"

"After returning from the photography retreat, I first took my suitcase back to my room. After unpacking, resting briefly, and changing into pajamas, I knocked on Mako's bedroom door, intending to tell her about my trip..."

Pausing, Hiroya Yayoi went on, "But no matter how much I knocked or called out, there was no response. I worried something might have happened to Mako, so I tried to push the door open to check on her... but the door was locked... In my panic, I called the police."

"Ms. Hiroya, how were you certain Ms. Shinmoku was in the room at that time, and that something had happened?"

Fujino suddenly interjected. "After all, it's possible she had simply gone out."

"Are you suspecting me?"

Hiroya Yayoi's brow furrowed upon hearing this, her tone laced with displeasure.

"Of course not,"

Fujino replied with a light smile. "Just reasonable suspicion."

"She and I were old friends, knew each other for many years..."

Hiroya Yayoi took a deep breath, calming herself. "Before she goes out, she usually leaves me a note or something. Is that a problem?"

"No problem at all."

Saying this, Fujino recalled the torn page from the notebook earlier and asked, "Did she leave you any message this time?"

"Certainly not. If she had, she would have left it on the coffee table between these two sofas, as usual. If there had been a note, I wouldn't have worried about her safety and called the police for help."

"Ms. Hiroya, you mentioned you met Ms. Shinmoku many years ago. Could you tell us how you two met?"

Sato Miwako, who had been taking notes, looked up and asked Hiroya Yayoi.

"Shinmoku and I met five years ago while traveling in the United States. Perhaps because we hit it off, we quickly became friends. After returning to Japan, we decided to rent this house together."

"I see."

Sato Miwako nodded, then continued, "Did Ms. Shinmoku have any financial difficulties currently?"

"Financial difficulties... While her income wasn't particularly high, it definitely wasn't too low either."

Hiroya Yayoi thought for a moment, then added suddenly, "Although, she did borrow some money from me not long ago, but she paid it back very quickly..."