The female corpse wrapped in the closet

Chapter 11

"Uh... well... actually, I have something I'm very sorry to say." Looking at Kuniyu's face, Yuriko finally said what she had to say.

What is it?

Yuriko recounted how she received the phone call looking for Noriko, and how someone had overtaken her from behind the previous night. "I know it's all because I hid the phone call... Mr. Katase, I'm sorry," Yuriko said, bowing her head.

"No, it's not your fault. It's because I didn't care enough about Noriko."

Atsuko murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face, "Poor mother..."

"Then, if it were Mrs. Katase passing you, why would she be in such a hurry?" Kunitomo asked.

No one could answer. Yuriko said, "But the speed is truly astonishing; there must be some urgent matter that requires us to race against time."

"A race against time... So that's exactly what the killer expected; maybe he was lying in ambush there." After a moment's thought, Guoyou said, "By the way, was anything stolen?"

"My handbag is missing. Mom took it with her when she went out."

"A handbag. Please tell me what kind of handbag it is." The detective in charge took out his notebook.

While Atsuko was describing the features of the handbag, Yuriko and Kuniyoshi left the living room together.

"The misfortune continues," Guoyou said.

Was it a coincidence?

"You mean—?"

"It's really strange that a murder like this is happening right here in my neighborhood... This is the second time already."

"Is it the same killer? But it could also be a coincidence."

“I understand that, but…”

"The murderer is probably the man who made the phone call. I don't think he was trying to steal anything. To commit such a brazen crime in front of someone's door suggests it was premeditated. Perhaps the woman realized who the man was, so he killed her to silence her..."

"But if that's the case, why didn't you say so when you were asked earlier?"

"Well... I wasn't sure or certain at that time."

Yuriko nodded slowly.

"However... I always feel that it's somehow connected to what happened to my father. This feeling..."

The two went outside through the gate, where police officers were searching for clues left by the killer, crouching or crawling on the ground.

"Hi!" Looking in the direction of the voice, there was Anton wearing slippers and Ayako following behind.

"Ah, teacher."

"What's wrong? What's wrong, Mrs. Katase?"

"He was killed."

“What’s going on? — This really feels like the end of the world.” Anton shook his head as he spoke. “The guys at the milk shop told us. I got a fright and rushed over.”

"How scary..." Ayako, pale-faced, clung tightly to Anton's arm. Looking at them, Yuriko felt a strange, inexplicable feeling. It felt like this clinging gesture was different from a normal, unconscious action.

"By the way, is Zhu Mei alright?" Anton asked.

"I need to go to the hospital," Yuriko said. "The school would like you to help me ask for leave today."

"I understand. But what a ridiculous fellow."

“I can go too,” Ayako said.

"No way. Big sister has to go to work!" Yuriko glared at her older sister.

"Oh, right. I forgot something," Kuniyu said. "There's progress on the matter you asked me to do."

"Ah!—Come, come a little over here." Yuriko took Kuniyoshi's hand and walked away.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't want my sister to hear this. Because it's not safe to do this."

“Really? You two are such interesting sisters,” Kuniyoshi said with a smile.

"Any findings regarding the handwriting?"

2005-3-14 15:12:00

"Yes, they say you can tell at a glance."

"How can you tell the difference?"

“This leave application was written by someone else. That is to say, someone forged your father’s handwriting.”

"I knew it!" Yuriko's voice trembled with joy. It was really inappropriate to make such a joyful sound at the scene of a murder, and then she couldn't help but jump up.

"However, it was imitated by a rather stupid person, who also claimed to be an amateur."

"layman?"

"In other words, he's an inexperienced person. Even the ink he used is different. Anyone with even a little experience in document forgery would notice this." Yuriko nodded. "So, this should be enough to slightly change your boss's mind, right?"

"You haven't encountered it yet, so it's best not to expect any easy changes right away."

"Oh dear, but..."

Seeing Yuriko's unconvinced expression, Kuniyu said, "For the police, once a warrant for arrest has been issued, it's not so easy to change. I think they're afraid that admitting their mistake too easily would damage the reputation of the police force!"

"To know one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue." This is a sentence I read in a textbook before.

"Leave it to me for now," Kuniyoshi said, patting Yuriko on the shoulder.

Yuriko suddenly noticed and asked, "—Mr. Kunitomo, why are you here?"

“I spent the whole night lying in ambush, and as soon as I got back to the police station, I heard about what happened here. I was shocked, and then I remembered that was the family you were staying at.”

"So, you didn't sleep all night?"

"Because I was worried about you."

Yuriko felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

"So, what happened to your sister being hospitalized?"

After hearing Yuriko's explanation, Kuniyu's eyes widened. "That was really dangerous! We need to get it checked out properly."

"Yes. That's the plan, of course. But it's so difficult. I'm always so helpless!" Yuriko said, though her words didn't reflect her true feelings.

“But you have to be careful too,” Guoyou said sincerely.

"I... I've thought about it. On the way back last night, saying that we should rely on our own hands to bring the murderer to justice is basically absurd."

"I agree."

“So I want to do it by myself.” Kuniyu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard Yuriko’s words.

"—If there's anything I can help with, just let me know." Anton and Ayako stepped forward together.

"Sister, remember to go to work at the company properly," Yuriko repeatedly reminded her.

"Okay, I understand," Ayako said coquettishly.

"You must be a police officer," Anton said, looking at Guoyou.

"Yes. He's the person in charge of Mr. Sasaki's case here."

"Is that so? You still don't know Mr. Sasamoto's whereabouts?"

"Absolutely no leads. Issuing wanted notices is the most common method; although there have been a few, but..."

"Absolutely not."

"Although there are two, they are completely wrong."

"Really? He's such a good man. It's unbelievable that he would kill someone."

"That's what this young lady thinks too."

"Anyway, it's no use saying anything until we find him. I'll leave it to you then." Anton urged Ayako to head towards their house. —Yuriko watched the two walk away, a sense of unease creeping over her.

"Oh, Mr. Kuniyoshi."

"Um?"

"Those two people...don't you find them strange?"

"Strange? —Where?"

"No...it's alright, it's nothing." Yuriko knew Ayako's character very well. Although he was a man about the same age as her father, seeing him holding hands so intimately was still unimaginable to her. In short, Yuriko felt extremely uneasy. Moreover, Anton and Ayako came out, so why didn't Anton's wife come out?

The morning chill made Yuriko shiver.

“It would be better to go inside,” Kuniyu said gently. —But Yuriko couldn’t bring herself to step into the Katase family’s house. She felt an undeniable responsibility for Atsuko’s mother’s death, and suddenly realized that this was not her home.

"—Well then, thank you. Please contact us again. You should probably rest a bit." The detective left the house, still yawning.

"Yuriko," Atsuko asked, looking at her face, "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Hmm... I feel a bit awkward going in."

"Ugh. Don't say things like that, come in." Atsuko came out and took Yuriko's hand.

"If it were just me, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know how to cook."

After hearing Atsuko's words, Yuriko finally smiled.

2005-3-14 15:13:00

Chapter Seven: The Strange Guy

"Section Chief!"

Upon hearing Nogami Sachiyo's shout, Uematsu abruptly raised his head and, quite in time, knocked over his teacup.

"What are you doing?! Making such a loud noise, are you trying to scare someone to death?"

“Wouldn’t you be even more shocked if I told you quietly?” Nogami Sachiyo said unmoved. “Please rewrite this receipt.”

"What? You should go talk to Suzuki-kun about this."

“He’s on vacation today.” A new receipt was placed in front of Uematsu. “This shouldn’t take much time. Just fill in his name and the amount.”

"Understood." Uematsu reluctantly took out his fountain pen and removed the cap.

"Oh my, what an expensive pen!" Nogami Sachiyo said, raising her voice, which cheered Uematsu somewhat.