"Well, since you have an exceptional understanding of the victim, we'll make an exception and allow you to participate,"
Hearing Senichi's explanation, Inspector Megure nodded. "So, Officer Miyamoto, we'll rely on you for the background information on the victim. Please have a seat for now."
Afterward, Inspector Megure turned to Officer Takagi and said, "The rest is up to you, Officer Takagi."
"Got it!"
Officer Takagi stepped forward and operated the equipment, projecting photos onto the screen. He began his explanation, "According to what Ms. Shibakusa, the victim's manager, mentioned, when she left the victim's house at 10 o'clock in the evening, Mr. Murakami was reading a book. The injury to his right index finger happened during the day when he accidentally fell while exercising to maintain balance."
As Officer Takagi switched photos, he displayed the cover of the light novel "The Heiress and the Famous Police Detective's Heart-Pounding Mystery Adventures" and the contents as it was opened from the left side.
"Horizontal writing? Is this a manga?"
"No, no, it's not at all!"
Just as Senichi was thinking about how to explain that this book was a new model supported by their publishing house, Yumi Miyamoto stood up again, speaking urgently, "This is a recent trend called a light novel! It uses horizontal writing as a style distinct from traditional novels, with a focus on providing a more relaxed and entertaining reading experience. Mr. Murakami has even mentioned on his personal blog that he pays attention to new trends, and lately, he expressed interest in this innovative format called light novels!"
"So, Mr. Murakami accidentally fell asleep at his desk after taking sleeping pills?"
After hearing Yumi Miyamoto's words, Inspector Megure turned to Sato Miwako and asked, "Officer Sato, did they find any sleeping pills at the victim's home?"
"No, they didn't," Sato Miwako shook her head. "During the investigation of his residence, there were no traces of sleeping pills found."
"What!?," Inspector Megure's expression turned serious after hearing Sato Miwako's denial. "In that case..."
"Maybe someone put sleeping pills in Mr. Murakami's food or drink, causing him to ingest them. Then, taking advantage of the poor ventilation in the room due to the heater, they could have poisoned him," Yumi Miyamoto suggested, raising her clenched fist and speaking with a sharp look in her eyes. "This might be a murder case disguised as a carbon monoxide poisoning accident!"
"Yes, indeed, we can't completely rule out the possibility of homicide," Inspector Megure nodded after hearing Yumi Miyamoto's enthusiastic words. He stood up and said, "Let's start by investigating the possibility of homicide. We need to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of the individuals who had contact with the victim on the day of his death."
With these arrangements made, Sato Miwako and the others went off to conduct their respective investigations. After the crowd dispersed, Yumi Miyamoto approached Senichi.
"Thank you so much, Officer Senichi," Yumi Miyamoto folded her hands together and thanked him. "If it weren't for you vouching for me and it would have been a disaster if Inspector Megure found out that I sneaked in,. I would have definitely been scolded and kicked out."
"You really have quite the nerve," Sato Miwako walked over from the side and playfully scolded Yumi Miyamoto while tapping her on the head. "Didn't I tell you not to come? Yet, you dared to sneak in, and you even spoke during the meeting."
"Because I wanted to give Mr. Murakami a proper send-off," Yumi Miyamoto apologized. "When I heard Inspector Megure's question, I couldn't help but speak up."
Apologizing and sticking out her tongue at her best friend, Yumi Miyamoto turned to Senichi and patted her chest, saying, "Thank you for saving me this time. If there's anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask!"
"Well, I do have something to ask of you," Senichi smiled and walked to the front of the room, taking out a manuscript from a drawer below. "I'd like to ask you to read this work. If you can, please share your thoughts when the time comes."
"'Love Mystery'?" Yumi Miyamoto glanced at the book's title on the cover and then became excited. "Is this Mr. Murakami's final work?"
"No, this is a novel written by Murakami's agent, Miss Shibakusa," Senichi replied. "She's Murakami's disciple, and after reading it, I also read Murakami's works. I felt that both styles and writing were quite similar. So I wanted you, as a fan of Murakami, to read it and see if you notice any differences."
"Is that so? I understand," Yumi Miyamoto nodded, though slightly disappointed. "Leave it to me. I'll read it and let you know my thoughts."
"Thank you for that."
Senichi smiled and then drove with Officer Chiba to visit the housekeeper, Mrs. Yamada Fukiko.
---En Route---
"May I ask if Mr. Murakami had a habit of taking sleeping pills regularly?" Senichi inquired.
"No, not at all," Mrs. Fukiko replied, pouring tea for both of them. "I've never seen Mr. Murakami take sleeping pills in his daily life, and I haven't seen any while cleaning the house."
"Do you happen to know if anything else unusual happened recently?" Chiba continued his questioning while recording the statement. "Such as arguments with someone or if he seemed off in any way?"
"Arguments..." Mrs. Fukiko thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers. "Now that you mention it, there was one about three days ago. Mr. Murakami and Mr. Yanagi had an argument, right in the room where Mr. Murakami died."
"They had an argument?" Chiba continued to record while asking, "Do you know what the reason was?"
"Well... I'm not entirely sure about the specifics," Mrs. Fukiko thought for a moment. "But I did hear Mr. Murakami shout, 'This is my freedom!!' And then Mr. Yanagi said, 'You've gone too far!' After that, they parted ways."
Upon receiving this testimony, Senichi immediately called Officer Shiratori, who was in charge of questioning Mr. Yanagi, to ask him to question Mr. Yanagi about this.
Later, forensic specialist, Officer Tome called and reported that they had conducted an examination. They found no fingerprints on the surface of Mr. Murakami's nightgown or buttons other than those of Mr. Murakami himself.
This ruled out the possibility that Mr. Murakami had been killed elsewhere and moved to the study to make it look like a suicide. Some might wonder if the culprit wore gloves, but here's where expertise comes into play.
While wearing gloves may indeed prevent fingerprints from being left behind, it would leave traces of glove marks. If there were marks on the buttons or the coffee cup, it would be enough evidence to prove that someone else had tampered with the scene, increasing the likelihood of homicide.
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