The female corpse wrapped in the closet

Chapter 19

"I feel that these events are gradually becoming intertwined."

"Yes. The person who heard Ayako answer the phone was someone who was at the Katase house at that time."

"Someone from my neighborhood? -- Unbelievable!" Yuriko had the same thought, but hearing it from someone else still surprised her.

Yuriko and the others heard about the incident after returning to the Katase residence in the evening.

The area around the apartment was chaotic, teeming with telecommunications and television camera crews, along with dozens of onlookers. In a corner where reporters were gathered, Ayako and Tamami were completely surrounded.

"Fortunately, they're both alright," Yuriko said.

"Then they noticed when the killer came back in." Kuniyu fell into deep thought. "Speaking of which, why did the killer come back?"

"Could it be that something was left behind that could serve as a clue?"

"If those two see that thing, I'll be thankful."

Ayako and Tamami, who were finally allowed to leave by the reporters, returned.

"Ah, I'm so tired. But it doesn't feel so bad to be the center of attention." Only Tamami could speak so nonchalantly. Ayako, on the other hand, was still pale.

"They said they needed to make a detailed record of the case. I was already tired from talking, and I was also hungry."

Guoyou laughed. "Oh my, you guys have some nerve. Okay, wait a minute." He went over and said something to the local police detectives, then immediately returned and said, "—They know. Let's go have dinner, the four of us."

"Wow, you're treating?" Zhu Mei clapped her hands happily. "That way, we can save on food expenses tonight."

Yuriko blushed with shame and glared fiercely at Tamami.

It wasn't exactly a lavish feast; it's common knowledge that detectives' salaries are limited, so the four of them went to a nearby chain restaurant. The prices there weren't too expensive.

"Perhaps it would be better to organize the information we have so far," Yuriko suggested after the meal.

"The famous detective has arrived!" Tamami said, taking a big bite of cake.

"Don't joke around. -- Well, anyway, Dad was under orders from Section Chief Uematsu, so he took a woman named Nagata Yoko and disappeared somewhere. Their whereabouts are currently unknown. And it's unclear why he won't come back. The one who killed Mizuguchi Junko was her lover. According to Kanda Hatsue, the man seemed tall and strong and had a wife. Also, that man had a key to our house, or had the opportunity to have a key made. But he couldn't know that Dad wasn't home that night."

“If that’s the case, the murderer must be someone who lives relatively close to us,” Tamami said. “This cake is cheesecake.”

“I think that’s definitely true. I think that even though this incident happened today, it also confirms that when Kanda Hatsue called her sister, the murderer must have been listening in at the Katase house. In other words, there is a very high possibility that anyone who attended that funeral was involved.”

"So, have we all met the murderer? Ugh!" Zhu Mei finished her cake and took a breath.

"Big sister, are you alright?" Yuriko asked.

Ayako looked dazed and absent-minded. "Huh? Ah... nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong at all." As she spoke, she stuck the knife into the half-eaten hamburger.

“Another related matter is the case of Noriko Katase’s murder,” Yuriko said.

What do you think the connection is?

“Although I’m not entirely sure, think about it: the murderer of Junko Mizuguchi is nearby, as is the murderer of Atsuko’s mother… Don’t you find this a bit suspicious?”

“Yes,” Zhu Mei nodded. “Hasn’t this area become a gathering place for those kinds of murderers?”

"Stop spouting such weird nonsense."

“If the murderer is the same person, then he must have seduced Noriko Katase as well,” Kuniyu said.

"Based on the impression from that phone call, the other party showed signs of mental instability..."

"If it's someone nearby, wouldn't you be able to tell, sister?"

"I can't tell from that way of speaking. So, if the murderer is the same person, it must be because of a strained relationship with his wife. And then he had an affair with Junko Mizuguchi. On the other hand, he has some kind of twisted mentality, and enjoys seducing housewives in the neighborhood..."

"There are a lot of those kinds of calls. But usually it's just for making calls. The Katase family is probably the one that's involved, maybe because there were problems between the couple."

"The relationship between men and women is very difficult to understand," Zhu Mei said.

"What I'm concerned about is the loss of Noriko Katase's handbag. Was it a deliberate attempt to stage a robbery? Or did she want something inside?"

Ayako suddenly shouted, "Black Veil!"

"W-what? Big sister! You startled me."

"Do you want pepper (the Japanese pronunciation of pepper is similar to black gauze)? I'll get it for you." Tamami said, holding out her hand.

"No! It was Kanda holding it in the cupboard."

"What are you holding onto?"

"Black veil, black armband."

"Are you sure?" Guoyou stood up, bowing slightly.

"Yes, although I only saw it vaguely, I always felt that she was holding something strange in her hand, and I still remember that feeling."

2005-3-14 15:53:00

"Great, I'll check right away and see if it's still there." Guoyou walked towards the phone.

“No. That’s what I saw,” Yuriko said. “That’s probably why the killer came back.”

"You mean, the murderer discovered the black veil was missing?"

"That's right. It's likely that Kanda Hatsue unknowingly grabbed the black veil while she was entangled with the murderer."

“It’s becoming more and more certain,” Tamami said. “If someone is wearing a black veil, they must have attended that funeral. But not everyone wore one.” Yuriko nodded slowly.

"The Murder of a White-Collar Woman - A Special Killer! Is She the Second Victim?" Yuriko smiled as she looked at the headline in the newspaper.

"That's great, Yuriko." Atsuko put her arm around Yuriko's shoulder and peeked over from behind to look at her.

“There’s nothing to be happy about. Someone else has been killed, and we don’t even know how Dad is doing…” Yuriko closed the newspaper. “Sigh, Atsuko.”

"Um?"

“It’s not a long-term solution for the three of us to stay here all the time. I’m thinking of renting an apartment somewhere.”

"I don't want to! What are you talking about! You can stay here as long as you want!" Atsuko and Yuriko sat side by side on the sofa, Atsuko holding Yuriko's hand tightly. "If you leave, I'll die of loneliness."

"Thank you. But... if Dad is no longer alive, I think the three of us sisters will still have to find a way to live independently. So, I'm sorry, but until then, we'll have to ask you to take us in for the time being."

"Don't be so polite, of course!" Atsuko said with a smile.

"Atsuko." The door to the living room opened, and a woman dressed in black poked her head in.

"Ah, Auntie."

"Then I'll be rude."

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"You and your father must be lonely. Cheer up! I'll come to see you often in the future."

"yes."

"Oh, right. Is there a Ms. Sasamoto here?"

Yuriko quickly stood up and stepped forward, "That's me."

"Ah, yes. This is a package delivered at today's funeral. It seems the house at the address was burned down and couldn't be found. After inquiring about the nearest address, we found out that they lived here."

"Thank you, very much..." Yuriko took the small box. What was it? It was wrapped in wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon.

“—Sister.” Zhu Mei peeked in.

"What's the matter?"

"Ayako-neechan is missing."

"Where did you go?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't have asked you?" That's true.

"I understand." Ayako is a college student, so there's not much to worry about, but she should know it's dangerous to go out and wander around at this time. "Go look for her outside..." Yuriko put the small package on the sofa and walked out of the living room.

It was completely dark outside. A few people remained nearby, seemingly doing some final tidying up.

"Where did she go?" Yuriko walked along the road, looking left and right for Ayako. Then, as if she remembered something, she walked onto a dark path.

Ayako was held tightly in Anton's arms, seemingly breathless, lost in blissful intimacy. She truly felt that even dying like this would be a blessing.

"teacher……"

At the end of the dark road, under the shade of trees, this act of concealment added a touch of suspense and thrill to their date, further fueling the passion burning within Ayako.

"You're such a lovely girl..."

Anton gently cupped Ayako's face and kissed her. Ayako's body trembled slightly, and she wrapped her arms around Anton's body.

“There are only unpleasant things in this world,” Anton said in a deep voice.

"Teacher, why do you say such things?"

"Isn't that right? Someone was killed. Why do you think that is? Don't you feel sad? So, there's nothing that can comfort my heart."

"Can't I do it either?"

Anton hugged Ayako tightly and whispered in her ear, "If only you could stay by my side forever..."

“I… want to stay by Teacher’s side,” Ayako said, burying her face in Anton’s chest.

"Is that really... what you think?"

"Um!"

Anton hugged Ayako tightly, almost violently. Ayako, who had no experience whatsoever, was overwhelmed by a dizzying excitement. "Ayako...do you want to...go to a hotel with me?"

Regardless, Ayako knew that going to a hotel was completely different from playing rock-paper-scissors or tennis. But right now, she'd be willing to go to Antarctica just the two of them. What was so special about a hotel? There were no dangerous mountains or treacherous waters inside.

“Okay!” Ayako replied.

"Really?"

"If it's about the teacher, I don't care."

Anton's intense kisses rained down on her once more. For Ayako, whose resistance was almost zero, this made it difficult for her to even stand; it was a dizzying and mesmerizing experience.

"Well, I only have classes in the morning tomorrow. Let's meet in the afternoon."

"good."

Don't you care?

"I don't care." Such a straightforward answer, no matter what, was rare for Ayako.

"Okay. — Well, if you don't go back soon, your sisters must be worried."