socalfunplaces Page 99
Page 99
He may have plagiarized your research findings to make deals with commercial companies?
Perhaps he's putting pressure on you in ways that aren't academic?
Or perhaps you were a pawn planted by someone with vested interests, and now that your mission is complete, you need to silence them and frame someone else?
"That 'Mr. K,' that's you, Ms. Mizutani? Or perhaps, Ms. Kaine?"
Just then, Miwako Sato knocked on the door and came in, whispered a few words in Yuki Takada's ear, and handed him a newly printed document.
The content cracked from the deep encryption zone of Mizutani Keine's laptop included communication records with an anonymous email address.
The content involves stealing Yasuda Akiya's research data and instructing her to "find an opportunity to eliminate Yasuda during the seminar, create the illusion that he got into trouble because of dangerous research, and use Hayakawa Yosuke to set up the scene and then silence him afterwards."
During the communication, the other party identified himself as the "employer," and Mizutani Keine's code name was "K."
Yuuki Takada slammed the photocopy of the document heavily on the table: "Kaine Mizutani! Do we need to show you any more evidence?"
"Your notebook with Yosuke Hayakawa, your computer's communication records, and any trace evidence that may remain on your body."
For example, the special synthetic fibers found under the fingernails may match the clothing or warehouse environment of Yosuke Hayakawa, all pointing to you!
You took advantage of Professor Yasuda's trust in you and meticulously planned all of this!
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Mizutani Keine finally broke down.
She slumped into the chair, her pretense completely shattered, revealing a twisted and resentful expression.
“It was…it was me…” she said hoarsely, her voice filled with resentment and anger. “He deserves to die! He stole the core data I painstakingly researched and planned to make a deal with Nova Chemicals alone, kicking me out!”
"I gave so much for him, even..."
"But he only treated me as a tool! That Carson catalyst should have been my achievement!"
She confessed that she had used her academic position to plan the murder.
Chapter 118 Hotel Free Meal
The night deepened, like thick ink spilled outside the hotel window.
In the makeshift interrogation room, the lights were stark white, illuminating Mizutani Keine's face, which had lost all pretense.
That once innocent and sorrowful face was now replaced by resentment, unwillingness, and a twisted expression of a plan being exposed.
She stopped trembling and instead displayed a kind of resigned calm.
"Heh... What right does he have to say I haven't done well enough?" Mizutani Keine scoffed, her voice hoarse and chilling.
"Yes, on the surface, he is the highly respected Professor Yasuda, and I am his prized student on whom he places great hopes. But beneath the glamorous facade lies nothing but sordid deals and shameless plunder."
She raised her head, staring blankly at the ceiling, as if recalling the past that led her to the abyss.
“Carson catalyst…that’s the culmination of my hard work. From the beginning of my previous projects, I spent countless days and nights in the lab, failing hundreds of times before finally achieving this breakthrough.”
"I trust him and entrust him with all the raw data and experimental records for his guidance."
“I thought he would do as he promised, and let me get a foothold in academia as a co-author.”
Her fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"But I was wrong. He had already reached a secret agreement with Nova Chemicals, represented by Kentaro Ishikawa."
"He modified key data, appropriated the core ideas for himself, and prepared to apply for a patent and transfer it in his own name."
"And me? In his plan, I was just a student who made some contributions and whose name could be mentioned in the acknowledgments of his thesis."
"He even hinted that if I cooperated obediently, he might give me an ordinary position at Nova Chemical in the future, as a favor."
A mad flame ignited in Mizutani Keine's eyes.
“I can’t accept it!” Mizutani Keine continued to recall: “I gave so much, and even... even accepted some of his excessive demands, thinking that I could get his sincere support in return.”
"In the end, he just wanted to drain me dry and then kick me to the curb. He ruined my academic career and took away everything I deserved."
"So he has to die. And it can't be a simple death; it has to look like it's related to his dangerous research, an accident that 'caught fire,' or... a murder related to dirty business deals. That way, Nova Chemicals will also get into trouble, and it will teach his partner a lesson."
Yuki Takada listened quietly without interrupting.
He knew that Mizutani Keine needed to confide in him at this moment, and her confession was the last few crucial pieces of the puzzle.
“The plan has been brewing for a long time,” Mizutani Keine continued, her tone becoming calm, as if she were recounting a story unrelated to herself. “I know that this seminar is an opportunity for him and Ishikawa Kentaro to finalize the details.”
“I needed a stage, and I also needed a scapegoat. Through some channels, I found out which hotel the seminar was being held at, and I had already selected Yosuke Hayakawa, the hotel's manager. He was greedy and had the job of a hotel maintenance worker, which made things easier for me.”
"What exactly happened?" Yuki Takada asked at the opportune moment, his voice low and imposing. "It started with that mysterious phone call."
"A mysterious phone call?" Mizutani Keine gave a mocking smile. "That wasn't a phone call at all. I just made it up."
"It was my understanding of hotel network systems that helped me—some of Professor Yasuda's projects involved cybersecurity assessments."
“I secretly learned some techniques—I briefly hacked into the server and sent a text message disguised as an internal system notification to the IP phone in Professor Yasuda’s room.”
"The message roughly said, 'The system detected an anomaly in the room's data port. Maintenance personnel will arrive around 18:40 PM to inspect the room. Please cooperate.' Professor Yasuda wasn't particularly sensitive to technical details, and since it was during a seminar, he wouldn't have doubted this seemingly official notification."
"Unfortunately, I made an operational mistake that caused everyone staying at the hotel to inadvertently send a text message at that moment, which led to the current failure."
"So, you predicted that he would answer the 'repairman's' call and open the door?" Yuki Takada pressed.
"Yes. I told him to expect someone to come at that time."
"Then, I contacted Yosuke Hayakawa and asked him to go to room 1504 at 18:40 sharp and knock on the door under the pretext of maintenance and inspection."
“I told him that this was just to create a time witness to prove that a ‘repairman’ was near the room during that period, to cover up my subsequent actions.”
“I paid him a deposit and promised him a generous reward after the deal was done. He readily agreed, since it seemed like there was no risk involved.”
Mizutani Keion paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts to describe the crucial next steps.
"After the seminar, I pretended to go back to my room."
In fact, I used a pre-set web script to make my computer automatically run some document browsing and email sending programs, creating the illusion that I was always online.
Then, I quietly left the room and went up to the 15th floor through the fire escape.
I chose a blind spot in the surveillance footage to wait.
I saw Yosuke Hayakawa appear right on time and knock on the door of room 1504.
Professor Yasuda opened the door as expected. After a brief conversation, Yosuke Hayakawa went in and stayed for about two or three minutes—which fit the setup for a 'quick check'—before coming out. All of this was part of my plan.”
"After Hayakawa Yosuke left, you went into the room?" Takada Yuki's gaze sharpened.
“That’s right.” Mizutani Keine admitted it readily. “I was wearing prepared gloves and shoe covers, and a small spray bottle containing precisely calculated concentrations of ether.”
I knocked on the door. Professor Yasuda had just seen Yosuke Hayakawa off, so he naturally assumed I had returned. He looked a little puzzled when he opened the door, but I made an excuse, saying I had some crucial data I wanted to discuss with him immediately, in case I forgot it tomorrow. He let me in.
Then, her eyes turned cold.
"In the instant he turned around to get the documents, I covered his mouth and nose from behind with a towel soaked in ether."
He struggled for a moment, but not with much force. My dosage control was precise, just as written in my notebook, ensuring the target was incapacitated.
"He quickly lost consciousness. Then... I plunged a dagger into his heart. I chose a dagger because I could have Yosuke Hayakawa bring it to me, and the wound might become blurred later, making identification more difficult."
"Of course, I know it's hard to cover this up completely, but it can at least create some chaos."
"Where's the ice?" Yuuki Takada recalled the signs of low temperature mentioned in the autopsy report.
“I took some ice from the ice bucket in the minibar and placed it around his wounds and on other parts of his body.”
Mizutani Keine explained, "The purpose is to interfere with your judgment of the exact time of death."
After all, if the time interval between deaths is extended, my alibi seems more reliable.
After doing all this, I quickly cleaned up any fingerprints and traces that might be left at the scene, especially on the door handles and ice pick handles.
Ether evaporates very quickly, leaving very little residue in the air.
"Then, how did you leave? And why did you disguise yourself as Hayakawa Yosuke?" Takada Yuki pressed for the most crucial question.
"Leaving is a problem."
Although I try to avoid surveillance cameras, there's no guarantee I won't be accidentally photographed in the hallway.
Therefore, I prepared another plan.
Mizutani Keine took a deep breath. "I stole a hotel maintenance worker's uniform similar to Hayakawa Yosuke's beforehand—it wasn't difficult for me, I knew the location of the back storage room."
I changed into this uniform in the bathroom of room 1504, put on a hat and mask, and stuffed my clothes into a prepared tool bag.
I plan to leave the 15th floor disguised as a maintenance worker. That way, even if I'm caught on camera, it will be assumed to be Yosuke Hayakawa or one of his colleagues, and no one will suspect me.
"Just as I finished cleaning up the scene, changed my clothes, and was about to leave the room."
For the first time, a hint of unexpected annoyance appeared on Mizutani Keine's face. "I heard noises in the hallway outside. Through the peephole, I saw you officers coming out of the elevator and heading towards room 1504! I never expected you to arrive so quickly!"
Yuki Takada recalled the scene: "If it weren't for that strange text message, I wouldn't have called so many police officers over."
"By a twist of fate..."
Mizutani Keine gave a wry smile. "My heart sank at that moment, and I knew that the original plan would not work."
I can't just open the door and bump into you like this, wearing my repairman's uniform.
I could only retreat to my room immediately and quickly think of a solution.
In the end, I decided to bite the bullet and take the gamble. I immediately slipped out while you weren't looking.
"But the result was pretty good. I managed to evade your police surveillance, discard the repairman's uniform in a corner of the stairwell, and escape."
"You did act very well," Takada Yuuki said coldly. "I almost fell for your act. What about Hayakawa Yosuke? Why did you kill him to silence him?"
When Yosuke Hayakawa was mentioned, Katsune Mizutani's eyes turned fierce again.
“That greedy idiot!” she said through gritted teeth. “After the incident, he saw the news and realized that a murder had occurred in room 1504, and he was the ‘repairman’ who appeared around the time of the death.”
"He was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he felt that he had caught me red-handed."
He contacted me, demanding an exorbitant sum of money, threatening to "provide clues" to the police if I didn't pay. Where would I get that kind of money? Besides, his greed is a bottomless pit. Keeping him around will only ruin me sooner or later.”
"So, taking advantage of the time outside..."
"So, you arranged to meet him at the abandoned dock, pretended to agree to his conditions, but actually intended to kill him?" Yuki Takada speculated.
“Yes,” Mizutani Keine admitted. “I told him that it was a secluded place, convenient for cash transactions.”
He believed it.