Chapter 119: Two Suspects

On her left hand, a silver pistol lay scattered.

On her right wrist, she wore a seemingly expensive watch.

This should be the strange part Takagi mentioned.

As Takagi wondered, if it was a burglary, the robber shouldn't have overlooked this watch.

'Left-handed?'

Staring at the watch on Araki Mako's right wrist, Fujino suddenly thought of something.

The watch was worn on her right hand, and the pen holder on the desk was also placed on the left.

These were all characteristics of a left-handed person.

If Araki Mako was left-handed, the bullet hole on her left temple could be explained.

But why was the gun scattered on her right side?

As Fujino was about to stand up, he suddenly froze.

Because at the moment he stood up, he saw a small gray button in the gap between the coffee table and the sofa.

Fujino examined the small button and frowned.

He then picked it up and handed it to Sato Miwako: "Officer Sato, I have a new discovery."

"A button?"

Sato Miwako looked at the button she received from Fujino and guessed, "It probably fell off Araki-san's clothes, right?"

"I don't think so."

Fujino interrupted Sato Miwako's guess, "Officer Sato, could you please check Araki-san's closet to see if there are any similar buttons?"

Sato Miwako agreed to Fujino's request.

She then walked to the closet, opened the door, and started looking through the clothes inside.

While she was checking the closet, Fujino began to examine the ashtray on the coffee table.

From the moment he entered the room, he had felt something was amiss. Indeed, the cigarette butts in the ashtray were obviously not right.

There were two types of cigarette butts: one was a slim Seven Stars ladies' cigarette, and the other was a thick Marlboro.

It was clear that the Seven Stars cigarettes were left by Araki Mako, but the other type was definitely not something she would smoke.

Combined with that button...

A moment later, Sato Miwako finished checking the closet and replied to Fujino, "Fujino-kun, there are no clothes in Araki-san's closet that match this button."

"If that's the case, then this is not a simple burglary case."

Fujino said in a deep voice, "If my deduction is correct, before being killed last night, Araki-san must have received a guest in this room."

"A guest?"

Takagi Wataru asked in confusion, "Detective Fujino, how did you figure that out?"

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

"Ashtray?"

Takagi seemed puzzled, "What's so strange about the ashtray?"

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

Sato Miwako looked at the ashtray on the coffee table, "There are two types of cigarette butts in the ashtray. It is indeed a bit strange."

"I recognize these cigarette butts. They are ladies' Seven Stars cigarettes and thick Marlboros. The Seven Stars are likely Araki-san's, but the other type, Marlboro, is definitely not something she would smoke."

Fujino continued his deduction, "Combined with the button found at the crime scene, which doesn't belong to Araki-san, I believe that Araki-san must have received a guest in this room before she was killed last night."

"I see!"

Takagi suddenly realized, "That means this case might not be a burglary and murder, but a deliberate homicide!

And the murderer is the guest Araki-san entertained last night."

"It's just a suspicion. We don't know who the murderer is yet."

Fujino paused and continued, "And I think Hirotani-san could also be a suspect."

"Hirotani-san is also a suspect?"

The two looked puzzled.

"That's right. Although she claims to have been at a photography workshop for the past two days, as the one who discovered the body..."

Looking at the two confused faces, Fujino asked, "Don't you find her behavior too abnormal?"

Sato Miwako understood the meaning of Fujino's words: "You mean, Hirotani-san might have already known that Araki-san was dead in the bedroom, so she chose to call the police."

"Correct."

"In that case, Takagi, you take someone to investigate the surroundings and see if there were any witnesses who saw anyone entering this villa last night. Fujino-kun and I will go question Hirotani Yayoi."

...

In the living room of the villa.

"Hirotani-san, what time did you return to this villa this morning?"

In the living room of the villa, Sato Miwako asked Hirotani Yayoi, who was sitting opposite her.

"I don't remember clearly."

Hirotani Yayoi, wearing pajamas, pondered for a moment before answering, "Before 9 o'clock, probably around 8:50."

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

"After returning to the villa from the photography workshop, I first went back to my room with my luggage, organized my belongings, took a short rest, changed into my pajamas, and then knocked on Mako's bedroom door, intending to tell her about my workshop experience..."

Hirotani Yayoi paused and continued, "But no matter how much I knocked and called, there was no response. I was worried that something might have happened to Mako, so I tried to push open the door to check on her... but the door was locked... In a panic, I called the police."

"Hirotani-san, how did you know that Araki-san was in that room at the time and that something had happened to her?"

At this moment, Fujino suddenly interjected, "After all, it's possible she just went out."

"Are you suspecting me?"

Hirotani Yayoi frowned upon hearing this, a hint of displeasure in her tone.

"Of course not."

Fujino chuckled, "It's just a reasonable suspicion."

"She and I have been friends for many years..."

Hirotani Yayoi took a deep breath and calmed herself down, "Before going out, she usually leaves me a note or something. Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course not."

Fujino recalled the page that had been torn out of the notebook and asked, "Did she leave you any message?"

"Of course not. If there was, she would have left it on the coffee table between the two sofas we're sitting on. If there was a note, I wouldn't have worried about her safety and called the police for help."

"Hirotani-san, you said you and Araki-san met many years ago. Could you tell us how you two met?"

At this time, Sato Miwako, who was taking notes, looked up and asked Hirotani Yayoi.

"I met Araki five years ago while traveling in the United States. Maybe because we shared similar interests, we quickly became friends. After returning to Japan, we rented this house together."

"I see."

Sato Miwako nodded upon hearing this and continued to ask, "Does Araki-san currently have any financial pressure?"

"Financial pressure... Although her income isn't very high, it's definitely not too low."

Hirotani Yayoi thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "But she did borrow some money from me a while ago, but she quickly paid it back..."

(End of Chapter)