Chapter 219: Seeing Through the Whole Case

The entire small town was not really big. It only took Senichi and Natasha fifteen minutes to drive to the mayor's house, where they met Aissha, whose expression seemed a little impatient.

Facing Aissha's uncooperative mood, Senichi expressed understanding.

After all, it was only natural for an ordinary person to feel impatient when facing repeated inquiries from officers.

However, Senichi was still a stranger to Aissha and with his handsome appearance, after some small talk and greetings, Aissha agreed to let them question her.

"Miss Aissha, first question."

After thanking the maid for the tea, Senichi took a sip and looked at her, saying,

"I want to ask you why you suddenly thought of going back to see Mr. Ace after returning home.

Was there any reason or motive that compelled you to do so? Like making an appointment with his wife Akana, for instance."

"No, there wasn't," Aissha shook her head. "I really just had a sudden urge to see Mr. Ace."

"What was the root of this sudden urge?" Senichi asked again, digging deeper.

"I believe there should be some other factors influencing you, making you go back after returning home, which is rather untimely behavior."

After all, it was her first visit to their home, and it was also the first time they met. They probably received her out of respect for the mayor's status.

In such a situation, going back again after her visit was somewhat inconsistent with etiquette.

Ordinary people wouldn't make such a choice unless they had a reason like forgetting something, for example.

Senichi asked this question because he wanted to determine if Aissha had been manipulated by Reika Akana, specifically coerced through some means to become a witness to the crime.

"Well... if I have to put it into words, it's a lack of trust and curiosity", Aissha thought for a moment and said, "When I visited before, I didn't get to see Mr. Ace because he was in his study working on something.

Later, I asked Mrs. Akana what kind of person her husband was, and she smiled and told me that although Mr. Ace looks the same as in the photos, he's actually quite short.

She asked me not to be disappointed when I meet him."

"Short?" Senichi puzzled, "Is there any significance to that? Is it important?"

"Of course, as fans, we've always believed that Mr. Ace looks tall and handsome. It's the first time I've heard about him being short. If the fans were to find out, they would probably be disappointed."

Speaking of this, Aissha looked somewhat disheartened. "When I first heard this news, my initial reaction was disbelief.

So after having dinner and returning home, I couldn't resist going back again to catch a glimpse of Mr. Ace from outside. But who would have thought that such a thing would happen..."

Senichi, who was beside her, furrowed his brow after listening to her reason for going back.

Based on Aissha's explanation, it was evident that she went back on a whim.

Even if Reika Akana deliberately piqued her curiosity, it couldn't guarantee that Aissha would return after leaving. After all, she could have chosen another opportunity to visit and have a formal meeting with Mr. Ace.

So her return was not certain, which meant that Aissha witnessing everything was indeed just a coincidence.

For those who suspected Reika Akana as the culprit, this was indeed an unfavorable reality.

Usually, murderers try their best to create an alibi and avoid being seen by the police. But going in the opposite direction, it was unlikely because if you raised the police's suspicion, you would be investigated, and that's like walking into a trap.

Moreover, Reika Akana chose a time when they were alone together to poison the dessert. It was not a suitable moment for committing the crime, especially when the maid had already left the villa, leaving only the two of them.

This made it quite obvious who the culprit was.

Although this discovery was not satisfying, Senichi was mentally prepared for it. After all, if the case wasn't challenging, it wouldn't have fallen to him to solve.

At the same time, he obtained some other useful information during this questioning, confirming his initial thoughts.

But now was not the time to piece the case together. Senichi smiled as he continued to ask Aissha, "Thank you for your testimony; it's very valuable for reference.

Also, Miss Aissha, I'd like to ask again. In your previous statement, you mentioned the dessert that both of them ate, the round pastry with red bean filling. Did you get a clear look at the appearance of that dessert?"

Senichi looked at her and asked, "Did you truly see the shape of dessert with your own eyes?"

"I think so," Aissha frowned, thinking for a moment, somewhat uncertain, and said, "Because it was getting dark, and the fence was covered with plants, I couldn't see the living room clearly.

But during dinner, Mrs. Akana baked these Japanese-style pastries that look like waffles from the outside and have red bean filling inside. So it should be that one, I'm sure."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier!" Natasha, who had been quietly listening on the side, exclaimed excitedly. "Didn't you say you saw Mrs. Akana handing that kind of dessert to Mr. Ace?"

"At that time, after I mentioned seeing Mrs. Akana handing the dessert to Mr. Ace, you asked me to describe the ingredients of the dessert," Aissha said with annoyance.

"And after I finished talking, you guys were discussing the ingredients I mentioned and the types of food residues found in the victim's stomach. I naturally thought what I said was correct!"

Hearing this, Natasha's expression froze. When Aissha described the appearance and filling of the dessert, they compared it with the types of dessert ingredients found in the victim's stomach, assuming that the dessert was the same.

But now, at this moment, Natasha finally realized what they had missed during the investigation!

They overlooked the shape of the dessert!

The critical difficulty of Reika Akana's case lay in the paradox of poisoning through the dessert.

With a round-shaped dessert, it was impossible to determine where the poison was placed. But what if it were a different shape? Would that provide an opportunity for poisoning?

They were defeated by their lack of familiarity with Japanese cuisine.

Come to think of it, they had never seen the appearance of Japanese-style pastries before, so naturally, they wouldn't know that there was no difference between a certain type of dessert and Imagawa-yaki.

This was the dessert that Senichi had suspected from the beginning, and he had this inkling after visiting Reika Akana's home.

However, since Aissha's testimony stood, Senichi's guess remained just that—a guess.

But now, after personally verifying with Aissha, he overturned her testimony, which meant...

Senichi had fully seen through the whole case!

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