6:30 AM. Eijiro's morning started to commence when he was alarmed of the call from Officer Raone. Eijiro's wife, Lorraine was also informed that their family friend Ambassador Touya Kanzaki died. He is in his police uniform, holding his cellphone and drove fast to the house of the ambassador. He called the other police officers to go at the crime scene. It was reported that the ambassador is believed to be poisoned. He got his transceiver in the police car and called the officers.
The police officers that came in the crime scene together with the Inspector were serious and eager to see the ambassador. The ambassador was their friend when they were still beginning to be police officers.
Raone was the first one to report the news. He was in his way going to buy some fruit cocktail when he was informed by the ambassador's family.
Officer Miharu was asking the people who were with the ambassador the time he died. She was listing their alibis and placed the crime scene tape in the crime scene.
Daichi investigated the crime and found out that the ambassador died due to poison. He may accidentally consume a potassium cyanide. He suspected that a person planted the cyanide. It is Daichi who helps Rook when he needed some assistance in fingerprinting and evidence that he needs to prove his deduction.
"This is a murder case, inspector…I believe…no person would like to kill himself and take poison to end his life…besides…he is a jolly and nice ambassador…why would he end his life into something like this?" said Raone.
"I also think it that way…" Miharu agreed.
"If that is so, we must investigate this thoroughly in order to see what really happened. Raone is right, this is no suicide…its murder…" replied the inspector.
IN THE AMBASSADOR'S HOUSE
Eijiro and Raone are talking in the table where the ambassador was poisoned. On the other hand, Raone was waiting for Rook to come. Miharu and the other officers are working on the alibis of the person involved in the case. There were four people beside the ambassador before he died.
The one on the ambassador's left side on the table seats Cornelius Yanagi, a professor in a university in Funabashi. He is eating his pate de foie gras and a grape juice.
On the ambassador's right is Jiro Kanzaki, his only son and a leading engineer of the city. He is having a shrimp sea food as his dish.
On his front is Sou Kishuku, a Japanese teacher from Julliard University. He is having his curry the time before the murder happened.
The other things beside their dishes are a thermos of hot water, sugar and a French coffee. The one that Miharu suspects to be the killer is either the two beside him, Jiro and Cornelius. If anyone of them murdered the ambassador, she must look for any evidence to settle the murder and put the case to close.
Rook is busy studying a past case. Officer Raone called him but Tatsumi was the one to answer it instead. After reporting that the ambassador is dead, it was unusual for Rook to pass such case. He asked Tatsumi to go for it and investigate.
Tatsumi went himself and checked the case, it is not a hoax; Ambassador Touya Kanzaki is really dead. He checked the body and noticed he is dead for about one and a half hour, based on his rigor mortis. So it was just an hour before the person died. He opened his mini-note and listed the details. He also asked the alibis of the people involved from Miharu. She was very open to it and told him so. He listed it again.
He beeped Rook's cell phone and called and told him about the details of the case.
"Tatsumi, please check more on this Jiro Kanzaki…I have some hint that this guy is the killer."
"But he is the ambassador's son…? Would he kill his own father?"
"Tatsumi, remember Holmes' quote, when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. No matter who a murderer is, anyone of them can be the killer…no one is excluded."
"I understand…I'll check around."
"I'll be there soon…"
Tatsumi went to check on the places where the murder happened. He noticed the maid holding a large plate used for serving the masters. He saw a container with sugar contained on it. He asked the maid why there was a sugar there, if the table had their complete serving of the sugar, that the sugar container is already there yet there is an extra sugar.
"Master Jiro does not want to get a sugar if some person had used it for a long time…"
"What do you mean he doesn't want to get sugar from a used one?"
"Well you see sir, Master Jiro instructed us to place the sugar before the party started. Now that the party is finished and that it was disturbed because of this that happened, he instructed us to remove all the sugar because he want it placed on the kitchen and place a new sugar therein. He wanted new ones for the new guest as well. After that, the used sugar will be the ones used for the regular days."
"It means he wanted them changed?"
"Yes, we will use the sugar the days after this…Master Jiro said it's an old habit of his when I asked the same question from him…"
"I see, thank you for the information…"
"Is there a matter of suspicion he is the killer?" asked the maid from him. It seems that the maid is waiting for a further answer.
"No, no! It's just a question…" he defended and waved his hand.
"Speaking of investigation, before the incident happened, a man was shouting he said he saw a bomb. After the police officers checked the bomb, they found out that it was just a toy. The people and guest panicked but then they were calmed by the officers who checked the bomb."
"It seems the police are being alert this time. Thank you."
He called Rook again and stated the details. He said he is in the way already. After a few minutes, he's in the ambassador's house.
"Listen Tatsumi, the murderer is the son, Jiro Kanzaki."
"He is…?"
"Let me explain how this deduction of mine came to point..."
"Okay…"
He was listening to his explanation, providing it with the evidences based from Tatsumi's gathered data.
After the call, Tatsumi asked the inspector to gather the people involved and the other special guests of the party in the ambassador's house. The police officers agreed since Tatsumi is their friend but they were in a wonder what he said that there is something he will say important.
"Is there something important about this…?" asked Jiro.
"Well there is, I know the mystery beyond this poisoning incident."
"Is that so…!" doubted the Inspector. It was not just like him to tell such.
"Are you joking!" said Jiro.
"Tatsumi…how is that possible?" asked Raone.
"It is sure possible. The trick of the murderer is concerned on the potassium cyanide that was placed on the sugar, not on the food. I am sure Sir Daichi checked on the food and there was no poison."
"That's right…I checked on the poison on the food or the utensil…neither of them has no poison" answered Daichi.
"Then who is the murderer…?" it was the Inspector.
"The murderer is one of the four people beside the ambassador…"
"That is impossible, if one of us is the murderer! Anyone of us could be the one poisoned as well!" defended Jiro and Sou.
A voice from the door surprised all of the police officers especially Raone. It was the most awaited moment for Miharu and the most surprising moment for them. Inspector Eijiro was also surprised but kept his surprise on himself.
"Well who else…the murderer kept the poison on the sugar. Sir Daichi checked the sugar but the poison was not found there…it is because the murderer wanted it disposed after the crime. That way the poisoned sugar will be placed in a disposable area that the police already checked after the investigation…" says Rook, leaning against the door.
"I thought you are not coming...!" said Raone.
"I changed my mind. I found this case with interest. Setting that aside, I think the lovely maid over there may explain who wanted the sugar be changed."
The young maid told the reason and who wanted them changed.
"So what about it then?," asked the inspector.
"You see inspector…before the ambassador was killed…an incident happened before it, right?"
"You mean the bomb thing?"
"Yes, there was a big panic about the bomb news but then it was later on found out to be a toy. After they heard of the news, the people's attention was on the bomb. There at that time, Jiro placed a potassium cyanide on it. Since the potassium cyanide is a crystalline one, it can't be noticed easily when it get mixed with the sugar. After then, the ambassador probably made a cup of coffee. The next thing we know is that the ambassador died. The people were bothered and called the police officers and the hospital. Of course, before the police officers came, Jiro ordered the sugars to be disposed. Normally, the disposed sugar is not to be on garbage, instead placed on the cabinets where the sugars are."
"Then the murderer is Jiro…!"
"Yes…that's right. He is the murderer behind the poisoning."
"That's impossible, why would I kill my own father…have you had any evidence to point out all of your reasoning?" defended Jiro. His mood changed after he listened on the deduction.
"In the eyes of the forensic expert…will you still deny it? Sir Daichi, please tell us the thing I asked you…"
"Oh well, yes before he had his reasoning, he had me check on the cabinet and saw a sugar with the potassium cyanide on it…and on the cover of the container, all of the fingerprints were there…including Mr. Jiro's…but on the sugar container on their table…there were no fingerprints….also on the toy bomb, we checked the fingerprints and found the fingerprints of the man who found the bomb and the person who probably placed the bomb…its Mr. Jiro's."
"See…? That means that the person who devised this is you all along, Mr. Jiro…"
Jiro kneeled before all of them. The guests were disappointed. He was crying but then again he showed admittance that he is the murderer.
"It made me kill him because of the dispute."
"You killed the ambassador because he is not your father, am I right…?"
"Yes…it was at that time when we were having a dispute over the case ten years ago when I was just a kid. I found out later on when I hired a private investigator that my parents didn't take suicide because of a financial problem over a business…"
"What do you mean…?" asked Tatsumi, since his father served as a family bodyguard for the Kanzaki family before.
"Tatsumi…it was before then…when your father served as our bodyguard. Do you remember the time when they died…? It was that time. I found out on the investigation that my parents were forced to take suicide because of that old man! He pretended to be my father but he was not…he is my grandfather. My mother is his daughter. Because he didn't like my father much…he asked some businessman to stop the finance over the family business…therefore they declared the business in bankruptcy. They can't take it anymore and took suicide…because of that old man!"
"Idiot! Why not choose to forgive and go on with your life, even so that it was the ambassador who made them suicide…isn't it fair enough he raised you as an engineer? Isn't it not enough to let his daughter's vessel to live along with him? He have already regretted what happened…you didn't just take the name of your own kind down but also you have took the name…MURDERER!" says Rook with a high voice.
"That's a disappointing one, Mr. Jiro…the world losses a professional engineer when he becomes a professional criminal…learn to love somebody and all people…make forgiveness cover hatred…learn that while you are in prison…and then after that, make a new life…you are still young…you can do it."
Raone handcuffed Jiro and hauled him in the police station. The police officers drove their car back to the station. Police sirens were stopped, a group of media men's camera flashes continuously over the police officers Raone, Miharu and the Inspector.