dmims Page 129
Page 129
Miwako Sato had already taken out her phone to request backup: "Attention all units, looking for a man around thirty years old, gray jacket, black hair, greasy..."
She paused abruptly, recalling the man's nervous expression and the way his right hand was always in his pocket. "He could be a key witness, or he could be... the murderer."
The scene was quickly sealed off.
Forensic investigators carefully searched for clues in the ruins, while Miwako Sato and Yuki Takada conducted a preliminary investigation inside the apartment.
Chapter 162 Warehouse Incident
"The deceased was named Yuko Kobayashi, 28 years old, single, and worked at a nearby law firm."
Miwako Sato rummaged through the documents she found in the bedroom drawer. "There were no signs of forced entry. The murderer is probably someone we know."
Yuki Takada pointed to an inconspicuous scratch on the door frame, "Look here, it looks like it was left by some kind of tool. The murderer may have first caused a gas leak, and then tampered with the door to ensure that the victim could not escape when the explosion occurred."
Sato Miwako pondered, "But why go through all this trouble? Since the victim was already strangled, why create an explosion?"
"Destroy the evidence? Or perhaps..." Yuki Takada's words were interrupted by the forensic personnel who walked in from outside.
"Inspector Takada, we found some skin tissue and fibers under the victim's fingernails, which have been sent for DNA analysis."
“Also, this might be important—” The forensic officer handed over a cell phone in an evidence bag. The screen was shattered, but it could still be turned on. “It was hidden under the mattress, and the explosion didn’t completely destroy it.”
Miwako Sato took the phone and operated it carefully.
Most of the data has been locked, but there is one unsent message on the SMS screen:
"If he harasses me again, I will... I can no longer remain silent about Mishima..."
Miwako Sato and Yuki Takada exchanged a glance, both wondering the same thing:
Mishima?
Could it be... related to Ryunosuke Mishima?
The on-site investigation lasted for several hours, and by the time Miwako Sato and Yuki Takada returned to the Metropolitan Police Department, the search for the missing man had already begun smoothly.
"According to information provided by the apartment manager, the man's name is Sakai Hikari, a friend of the deceased, and he has a history of schizophrenia," Sato Miwako reported at the case analysis meeting. "The deceased had sought medical treatment for an injury three months ago, at which time she accused Sakai Hikari of the crime, but later withdrew the charges."
Yuuki Takada pulled up Sakai Yoki's file and glanced at it carefully. "He has a criminal record for theft and assault. He's not a simple character."
"Perhaps, at some point in the park, his schizophrenia began to manifest, and he was thinking of attacking you at any moment."
"Luckily, I saw his trail behind you at that time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable..."
Section Chief Matsumoto listened and nodded solemnly. "At the same time, we need to find out whether the Mishima mentioned in the deceased's text message is related to Ryunosuke Mishima, who was rescued by that group of prisoners. Takada, you are in charge of tracking down Yoki Sakai; Miwako Sato, you will investigate the Mishima line in depth."
After the meeting, Miwako Sato stayed in the conference room and reviewed the photos from the event.
Yuki Takada walked in carrying a cup of coffee and placed it in front of her.
"You don't look well. You haven't rested since your morning jog, have you?"
Sato Miwako forced a smile. "Aren't you the same, Takada-senpai?"
She took the coffee, the warmth transferring from the paper cup to her palm. "That symbol... a triangle surrounded by a circle, I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
Yuuki Takada sat down and pulled up a close-up photo of the symbol. "It's been sent to experts for analysis, but I don't think it's a mark that someone like Yoki Sakai would leave. It's too... ritualistic."
“Unless he’s trying to divert attention, or…” Miwako Sato paused, “someone else is involved.”
The two remained silent for a moment, each pondering the possibilities.
Suddenly, Sato Miwako's phone rang; the forensic results were in.
"The DNA found in the deceased's fingernails does not match that of Yoki Sakai," the forensic technician reported. "We are comparing it with the database, but it will take time."
"In addition, fiber analysis shows that it is a specific workwear fabric, commonly used in automobile repair or factory operations."
Upon hearing the news, Yuuki Takada immediately stood up and whispered to Miwako Sato, "I'll investigate Yoki Sakai's work background. You continue to follow up on Mishima's leads."
Sato Miwako nodded and watched Takada Yuki leave before turning on her computer to search for information about Mishima Ryunosuke.
As the former head of the Mishima Group, Mishima is suspected of multiple financial fraud and violent incidents, but the police have consistently lacked crucial evidence.
The recent reopening of the investigation into the murder of a young girl has linked him to a series of even more serious crimes.
While browsing through the list of companies associated with the Mishima Group, one name caught Sato Miwako's attention—Shinsakai Kogyo, a small company specializing in the production of industrial equipment, whose logo is a triangle surrounded by a circle.
To her even greater surprise, the company's address was near Sanbancho.
Sato Miwako immediately retrieved the deceased Kobayashi Yuko's work records and discovered that her law firm had provided legal services to the Mishima Group, and the partner in charge was Kobayashi Yuko's boss.
The clues are starting to connect, but a crucial link is still missing.
As evening fell, Yuuki Takada returned with new information.
“Yoki Sakai had worked at Shinsakai Industries and was fired three months ago—which coincides with the time when Yuko Kobayashi withdrew her lawsuit.”
Miwako Sato immediately shared her discovery: "The Mishima Group is associated with Shinsakai Industries, and Kobayashi may have come into contact with some sensitive information through his work."
Yuuki Takada's expression turned serious. "If this murder wasn't a crime of passion, but rather an attempt to silence someone..."
His words were interrupted by an urgent notification: Yoki Sakai had been spotted in the port area, attempting to board a cargo ship.
The two immediately rushed out of the office, jumped into the police car, turned on the siren, and sped toward the port.
"The port district reports that Yoki Sakai may be armed; proceed with caution," Yuuki Takada relayed the latest news while driving.
Sato checked her sidearm, but the image of Sakai Yoki's expression in the park that morning kept replaying in her mind—tense and fearful, not like a cold-blooded killer, but people are complex, she reminded herself.
When we arrived at the port, night had already fallen.
In the dim light of night, a group of police officers had already surrounded the target area.
"He's in warehouse number 7 and appears to be holding a security guard hostage," the on-site commander briefly reported.
Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato quietly approached the side door of the warehouse and heard excited shouts coming from inside: "I didn't do it! I... I didn't kill anyone, I was just... I was just scared!"
Through the crack in the door, Sato Miwako saw Sakai Yoki holding a knife to the neck of an older security guard, whose face appeared even paler in the dim light.
“Mr. Sakai, please calm down now,” Miwako Sato said calmly. “I’m Officer Sato. We met this morning. You said you wanted to call the police; can you tell me the truth now?”
Sakai Yoki trembled, "They...they'll kill me...like they did to Yuko..."
Chapter 163 Interrogation
"Who are they?" Yuuki Takada slowly approached from the other side.
“Mr. Mishima’s men…they discovered that Yuko copied the files…” Tears suddenly welled up in Sakai Yoki’s eyes. “I just wanted to scare her into returning the files…but I didn’t kill her!”
The security guard seized the moment when Sakai Yoki was distracted and suddenly broke free from his control.
Sakai Yoki was taken aback, then raised his knife and stabbed at the security guard.
"No!" Sato Miwako shouted, and at the same time Takada Yuki rushed forward to block the security guard.
With a flash of light, Yuuki Takada groaned. He was still being careful, as a bloody gash appeared on his arm, but he held onto Yoki Sakai's wrist firmly.
Miwako Sato quickly stepped forward and subdued Yoki Sakai.
"Takada-senpai, your injury!" Sato Miwako looked anxiously at Takada Yuuki's bleeding arm.
"It's nothing, just a superficial injury," Takada Yuuki said through gritted teeth, his gaze fixed on Sakai Yoki, who was being held down on the ground. "You said documents, what documents?"
As Sakai Yoki was being led into the police car, he seemed to have lost all his backbone, repeatedly muttering, "It's over...it's all over..."
Those eyes, which once shone with terror and madness in the park, are now nothing but lifeless gray.
Yuki Takada's arm wound was treated with simple bandaging by medical staff who arrived later, and it was no longer a big problem, but he refused to go to the hospital for further treatment immediately.
“Let’s go back to the Metropolitan Police Department first,” Yuki Takada said to Miwako Sato, his words serious. “Right now, Yoki Sakai knows more than we do, and that’s the key.”
Inside the interrogation room, the cold light from the incandescent bulb shone on Sakai Yoki's haggard face.
After the initial excitement and resistance, Sakai Yoki fell into a state of numb confession.
“Yuko and I…we used to be lovers.” Sakai Yoki’s voice was hoarse. “Later I got sick and became emotionally unstable, which hurt her…and she left me. But I never wanted her to die.”
Sakai Yoki recounted in fits and starts that after being fired from Shinsakai Industries, he was struggling financially and would occasionally visit Kobayashi Yuko, sometimes to ask for reconciliation, and sometimes just to ask for some money.
About a week ago, when he went to see her again, he found her in a state of extreme panic.
“She told me that while she was helping her boss sort through the Mishima Group’s past legal documents, she discovered something… about a girl’s case from a long time ago, and… there were ledgers that recorded a lot of secret financial transactions.”
Sakai Yoki swallowed hard, his eyes filled with fear. "She said someone warned her to pretend she didn't see it, but she still made a copy and hid it because of her own perspective."
"Did she tell you where the documents were hidden?" Miwako Sato asked calmly.
“No… she won’t say. She said the more she knows, the more dangerous it is.” Sakai Yoki shook his head. “Yesterday afternoon, I went to see her again, trying to persuade her to hand over the documents to avoid trouble. We argued… I got angry, pushed her, and then left.”
He raised his head, a pleading look in his eyes:
“But I really didn’t kill her! I went to see her this morning to apologize and to try to persuade her one last time… but when I got to her apartment, I smelled gas.”
"I was terrified. I knocked on the door but no one answered. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw... I saw her lying in the living room... My mind went blank. Afraid that people would think I did it, I ran away... Later, in the park, when I saw the police, I was even more scared..."
"However, in the end, I still thought of calling the police to solve the immediate problem."
"What happened to the scratches on that door frame?" Yuki Takada asked in a deep voice.
“Scratches? I don’t know…” Sakai Yoki asked blankly.
"When you left, were you sure the gas leak had already occurred?" Miwako Sato pressed.
“I…I’m not sure. I was angry at the time and didn’t pay attention…” Sakai Yoki tried hard to recall, “but it seems…it seems I didn’t smell such a strong scent.”
Sato and Miwako exchanged a glance.
If what Yoki Sakai said is true, then when he left, Yuko Kobayashi was still alive, and the gas leak had not yet occurred, or had just begun.
The murderer did so after Sakai Yoki left.
"What does it mean that you can no longer remain silent about Mishima's matter? What else did Kobayashi Yuko say to you?" Takada Yuki tried to steer the conversation back to the unsent text message.
“She said…that girl’s death was related to the former Chairman Mishima, and…and it involved many people, an organization with a special symbol…” Sakai Yoki’s voice trailed off, “She said she found the record of that symbol…”
"A triangle inside a circle?" Miwako Sato immediately pressed for an answer.
Sakai Yoki nodded vigorously, his face drained of color: "Yes! That's it! Kobayashi Yuko said that symbol is terrifying, it represents... elimination and silence."
The interrogation has temporarily come to an end.
Sakai Yoki was detained on charges of assault and illegal detention, but his suspicion regarding the murder had been greatly reduced in the minds of Sato Miwako and Takada Yuki.