socalfunplaces Page 3
Page 3
He extended his hand in greeting and said, "Takada Yuki, former head of the Special Crimes Division of the First Investigation Division of the Aichi Prefectural Police Department, now an inspector in the Special Crimes Division of the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Metropolitan Police Department."
After a brief conversation with Inspector Megure, Yuuki Takada finally understood the whole story.
"Sato has only been with the Metropolitan Police Department for a short time, so please forgive her if she has offended anyone. Inspector Takada, please forgive her."
Approaching him, Inspector Megure pointed to the policewoman and said, "Let me introduce you. This officer is Miwako Sato, and from now on she will be your subordinate."
Yuuki Takada took the identification from the other party, nodded, and had roughly guessed the configuration of the police officers in his hand during the previous conversation.
Since they sent Sato Miwako to receive them, they will definitely have to deal with her a lot in the future.
At that moment, a police officer rushed in from outside and said, "Inspector Megure, something terrible has happened! Matsui Shoyu... he... he... he's died from poisoning."
Died from poisoning?
Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure's thick eyebrows instantly furrowed into a knot, and he subconsciously touched his forehead with his broad hand, letting out a heavy sigh.
Sato Miwako's pretty face turned deathly pale, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief. She never imagined that the key suspect would lose his life right under the noses of the police.
Before the others could react, Yuuki Takada dashed away at lightning speed, his figure vanishing from their sight in an instant.
Chapter 3 The Cause of Matsui Shosuke's Death
After briefly asking about the location of the police officer outside the door, a glint of inspiration flashed in Yuuki Takada's eyes.
He rushed toward the cell where the suspect was, with only one thought in his mind: to find out what had happened.
His footsteps were exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.
Upon arriving at the cell, a pungent almond smell assaulted his nostrils, and Yuuki Takada immediately pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose.
Matsui Shoyu was lying stiffly on the ground, his face bluish-purple, with some unknown liquid still at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes wide open, as if he had suffered a great struggle before dying.
"Pick up 10 points of disguise".
“Collect 10 points of reasoning.”
"Collect 10 points for arrest."
Hearing the notification in his mind, Yuuki Takada roughly understood that the suspect in front of him was completely beyond saving.
"Immediately seal off the scene and notify the forensic team to come over," Yuuki Takada ordered solemnly.
Seeing that the police officers behind him were unmoved, he immediately took out his identification.
This convinced the police officers of his identity, and they acted swiftly.
Inspector Megure and the others arrived shortly afterward and witnessed the scene.
They never imagined that this thief would end his life so hastily.
She turned her head and glanced at him sideways. "Brother Takada, what do you think?"
"No need to look anymore, the person is already dead."
"Our initial assessment is that it was cyanide poison ingested orally." Yuuki Takada stared blankly at the corpse, then turned and asked after a moment's thought, "The time of death should have been shortly before we arrived, no more than ten minutes."
"Ten minutes ago?" Inspector Megure frowned, his thick eyelids revealing a sharp scrutiny. "Who was near the cell at that time?"
The young patrol officer in charge of guarding him turned pale and hurriedly replied, "Inspector Megure! After Matsui Shoyu was taken into custody, apart from Officer Sato who brought him back after the interrogation, only the staff member delivering dinner came once."
“But dinner was a boxed meal that was provided by the company. We checked and found that Matsui Shoyu hadn’t eaten it; it was left untouched.”
"After that...after that, no one came near this cell again until Inspector Takada rushed over!" The young patrolman pointed to an unopened simple lunchbox in the corner.
Miwako Sato added, "I brought him back about fifty minutes ago. After confirming that he was in his cell, I left. At that time, he was in a low mood but there was nothing unusual. I made sure it was safe when I locked the door."
“Wait a minute…” Takada Yuki immediately grasped the key point in the words: “It’s this, the dinner box. There’s definitely something wrong with this. Although Matsui Shosuke didn’t eat the box, it was the only thing he had in contact with the outside world.”
"Bring that unopened lunchbox to the Forensic Science Section later for a unified inspection."
“Alright…” Takada Yuuki looked at Sato Miwako and asked, “What did you do with Matsui Shosuke after you arrested him?”
“Inspector Takada, during the interrogation, we asked him about the recent thefts on the Shinkansen trains, and Matsui Shoyu confessed to all of them.”
“After confirming that, we put him in jail,” Sato Miwako replied.
“However…” Sato Miwako recalled the interrogation process, and said, “Now that I think about it, there’s something suspicious…”
"...when asked if he had broken into the home of B-Komachi, a famous idol, to commit theft."
"He became unusually agitated, resolutely sticking to his stance, refusing to admit the matter, saying that he did not kill Mizuno Ai. After that, his behavior became abnormal, and he stammered when he spoke, not saying a word."
"B. Komachi, Ai Mizuno?" Yuuki Takada smiled faintly. "It seems things have become quite interesting!"
These cases are far more complex than they appear on the surface.
There are many suspicious points surrounding the criminal named Matsui Shosuke.
Fortunately, one case has finally been solved.
That was the Shinkansen train theft case and several other thefts in the vicinity; the suspect was Matsui Shosuke.
Not long after, the forensic investigators came in. After examining the scene, they shook their heads helplessly at Inspector Takada and Inspector Megure: "The deceased had taken cyanide."
After collecting the items at the scene, they took the evidence that needed to be examined back home.
Megure waved his hand and said, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work."
"Officer Sato, go and retrieve the case files of B. Komachi and Mizuno Ai." After thinking for a moment, Takada Yuki gave the order, breaking the oppressive silence in the room.
"Yes!"
Sato Miwako immediately responded and quickly left the cell area.
Megure Juzo rubbed his chin, his thick brows furrowed in a frown: "Brother Takada, do you think these two things are related? Is there any connection between Matsui Shoyu's death and the Mizuno Ai case that's currently being handled?"
“It’s just a gut feeling right now.” Takada Yuuki crouched down, put on special gloves, wrapped his fingers in a handkerchief, and very carefully examined again the traces of liquid remaining at the corners of Matsui Shoyu’s mouth and inside his mouth:
"Cyanide causes death very quickly and with intense pain."
"He chose this method of suicide either because he was extremely afraid of something or because he was determined to cover something up."
"And the only reason he vehemently denied losing control of his emotions before his death was the death of Ai Mizuno. It's too much of a coincidence."
Yuki Takada stood up and looked around the small temporary cell.
The iron gate was sturdy, and the only small window was also welded with iron bars.
The ventilation opening was so narrow that even a cat couldn't squeeze in.
“But the cell is locked.” Inspector Megure pointed to the lock and said, “After Officer Sato finished interrogating him, he made sure the lock was secure when he brought him back. After that, no one went in or out except for the food delivery duty.”
"The meals were delivered by staff through a small window in the door. The boxed meals were unopened, so the contents couldn't possibly be poisonous."
"All his belongings were confiscated upon his arrest. Where did the poison come from? Did he really hide it in his mouth beforehand? But the interrogation and the initial search upon his arrest didn't find anything..."
“That’s the key.” Yuuki Takada said calmly, “The unopened lunchbox is precisely the biggest suspicious point. If the poison isn’t in the food, then the ‘unopened’ box itself, and the act of delivering the lunchbox, are the medium for transmitting the poison!”
Just then, a senior forensic pathologist from the forensic department rushed over with a preliminary report, his face grave:
"Inspector Megure, Inspector Takada! Preliminary autopsy results confirm the cause of death as potassium cyanide poisoning, orally. The time of death is consistent with Inspector Takada's estimation, approximately 8 to 12 minutes before your arrival."
"Furthermore..." the forensic doctor paused, pointing to an extremely tiny, pinhole-like red dot on the corpse's neck, almost completely obscured by the collar, and said:
“We found a very fresh, tiny puncture wound on the side of the deceased’s neck, very shallow, and not like it was caused by a syringe.”
"Given the high concentration of toxin residue in the oral cavity, this point seems more like... an auxiliary point where the toxin was forcibly inserted after some sharp object pierced the skin instantly? A very strange method."
"The point of penetration?!" Inspector Megure and Yuuki Takada simultaneously leaned closer to observe.
That red dot was extremely well hidden; it would be almost impossible to spot unless the doctor had extensive experience.
Countless possibilities flashed through Yuki Takada's mind in an instant.
Chapter 4 Meal Delivery Staff
Yuuki Takada stared intently at the preliminary forensic report in the forensic doctor's hand and said:
"Inspector Megure, immediately investigate the staff member who delivered the food!"
"Also, please try to recall the patrol officer who was on duty earlier..."
"...Was there anything unusual when the food was delivered, or before and after the delivery? For example, were there any unusual actions on the part of the staff? Or did they bring anything they shouldn't have?"
The young patrolman nervously recalled: "Something's wrong..."
"It seems not... Kobayashi, who delivers the food, just pushed the food cart over as usual, handed the lunchbox through the small window on the door, Matsui Shoyu took it and threw it in the corner, and Kobayashi pushed the cart away... The whole process was very quick, less than half a minute."
"Xiao Lin is a long-time serviceman here, he's a very honest man..."
"Kobayashi?" Takada Yuki pressed, "What's your full name?"
“Kenji Kobayashi,” the young patrolman replied.
"Find him immediately! Take him into custody!" Inspector Megure ordered.
However, a police officer soon reported: "Inspector! Kenji Kobayashi said he felt a little unwell after delivering the food and asked for leave half an hour early! We can't reach him by phone for the time being!"
"He escaped?!" Inspector Megure's face turned ashen. "Something's fishy! Quick, send men to his house!"
Yuuki Takada raised his hand to stop him: "Wait, Inspector Megure. Chasing him is important now, but more important is figuring out how he got the poison in there, and what his purpose is."
Carefully examining the photographs in the forensic report in the forensic doctor's hand, he murmured to himself:
"The unopened lunchbox was sealed with plastic film. If the poison was on the outside of the box, Matsui Shosuke could have been poisoned by licking his fingers after touching it, but the dosage and time might not have been enough to cause such rapid and fatal cyanide poisoning. Moreover, the puncture point doesn't make sense either."
He walked to the cell door and carefully examined the small window for passing items.
It was an opening slightly smaller than an A4 sheet of paper, with a sliding metal panel on the outside and a fixed iron fence inside.
Food could only be passed in through gaps in the fence.
Yuki Takada muttered to himself, his mind racing, “Disguise…transmission…instant stab…” A bold and ingenious method of committing the crime gradually took shape in his mind.
"Brother Takada, what have you thought of?" Inspector Megure asked anxiously.
“Perhaps…” Yuki Takada pointed to the edge of the metal partition of the food delivery window and analyzed, “The poison doesn’t need to be hidden in the food, nor does it require Kenji Kobayashi to have direct contact with Shosuke Matsui. He only needs to take advantage of the food delivery process.”
He mimicked the action and said calmly, "When Kenji Kobayashi pushes and pulls this metal barrier, the edges of the barrier, especially the sharper lower edge, can be coated with a high concentration of cyanide paste beforehand, or even have a very fine poison needle fixed in place using a special method."
"If, when he forcefully pushes or pulls the barrier, and Matsui Shosuke reaches for the lunchbox, Kobayashi Kenji deliberately lets the edge of the barrier quickly glide across Matsui Shosuke's outstretched fingers or arm..."
"That could leave that tiny puncture point, allowing the highly toxic substance to be injected instantly!"