Chapter 18: The Old Man Wielding the Stool
Late at night, a ringing phone abruptly woke Megure Juuzou from his sleep. Climbing out of bed and glancing at his still-sleeping wife, Midori, he walked to the living room and answered the phone. "Hello... who is it?"
"This is Toji Fujino, we worked together a few days ago."
On the other end, Fujino's slightly muffled voice could be heard.
"Fujino?"
Groggy, Megure Juuzou mumbled in confusion. After thinking for a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "Fujino? What brings you to call at this hour? Don't tell me you've come across another murder case?"
Strange, why did I say "another"?
Reflecting on his earlier words, Megure Juuzou frowned.
On the other end of the line, Fujino continued in a calm tone, "No, I haven't encountered a murder case. I just solved a twelve-year-old homicide and incidentally discovered a drug trafficking ring..."
Hearing there was no murder case, Megure Juuzou relaxed. However, moments later, he exclaimed in shock, "What?! You said you discovered a drug trafficking ring?!"
"That's right. I've collected all the evidence, so I called you."
"Where are you now? I'll bring a team over right away!"
Megure Juuzou urgently inquired.
"Tsukikage Island... Wait, Inspector Megure, it looks like one of the drug dealers' contacts is approaching. Gotta go!"
"Wait, Fujino, don't act rashly!"
Before Megure Juuzou could finish, the dial tone of a disconnected call echoed in his ear.
"Darn it, Fujino, it's the weekend tomorrow and you're giving me more work..."
Megure Juuzou's expression turned serious as he dialed another number. "Chief Matsumoto, it's Megure Juuzou!"
"The twelve-year-old murder case on Tsukikage Island has been solved... Also, inform the Narcotics Division quickly; Fujino has discovered a large drug smuggling ring on the island and he might already be captured by them..."
Meanwhile.
"I didn't expect him to take the bait so soon... Looks like I need to act quickly!"
Fujino chuckled playfully after hanging up the phone, his gaze fixed on the man entering the public hall nearby.
Due to the late hour, Fujino couldn't clearly see the man's face, but judging by his physique, he was certain it was Hideo Kawashima.
Hideo Kawashima was already over fifty; Fujino believed he would be relatively easy to deal with.
This was also part of the plan.
"Ah-choo!"
Suddenly, Fujino's nose itched. Before making a sound, he quickly covered his mouth.
Suppressing the sneeze, he felt a headache coming on.
"This body is really weak... A bit of cold and I'm almost catching a cold."
Fujino rubbed his aching head, complaining. Then he activated the camera function on his phone, placing it in his suit pocket, and took off the necklace from his neck.
Holding a wooden sword, he quietly followed.
Inside the public hall.
In the dimly lit piano room, Hideo Kawashima felt particularly pleased after taking out a package of white powder from the piano's hidden compartment. "I didn't expect him to find a new cheap source. Looks like this batch of goods will last a few weeks."
Meanwhile, a shadow silently approached him from behind.
Hideo Kawashima, focused on the powder, noticed nothing unusual.
The shadow's wooden sword swung down, striking the back of Hideo Kawashima's head heavily.
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
A crisp sound and a scream echoed through the public hall.
"Who's there?!"
Reeling from the pain, Hideo Kawashima staggered forward a few steps, then turned around viciously to see a young man in a black suit holding a wooden sword.
[Detective mode activated, countdown: 0-0-59]
"My name is Fujino, and I'm a detective!"
Raising his wooden sword, Fujino declared, "Mr. Kawashima, I bet you can make quite a lot of money with this batch of goods, right?"
"Damn it!"
Hideo Kawashima glared at Fujino. "So you discovered it all?!"
After a moment's pause, Hideo Kawashima sneered and offered, "If you help me keep this secret, I'll give you a large sum of money..."
"I charge quite a bit, you know! How about five million yen?"
"Deal."
Hideo Kawashima agreed without hesitation.
"What about the murders?"
Fujino didn't agree, instead taunting further. "Shouldn't I get an extra payment for those? How about fifty million yen?"
"Fifty million?! Are you crazy?"
Hideo Kawashima cursed, then in surprise asked, "What murders are you talking about?"
"Yes, the murders."
Fujino nodded. "Yesterday, I received a commission from a man named Keiji Asou to investigate the truth behind his death twelve years ago."
"Through my detailed investigation and meticulous inquiries, I deduced that the murderers are the four who discovered the fire back then."
"Twelve years ago, it was you, along with Tatsunari Kuroiwa, Isamu Kameyama, and Takeshi Nishimoto who killed Keiji Asou, wasn't it?"
Fujino stared into Hideo Kawashima's eyes. "It was because he didn't want to help you smuggle drugs anymore, so you feared exposure and killed him!"
"As childhood friends, we didn't want to kill his whole family and burn him alive."
Hideo Kawashima shook his head. "But he was too stubborn... He said he wanted to quit after saving enough for his child's medical bills. Did he really think we would let him go?"
"You're right, detective. We killed him. So what?"
Hideo Kawashima nodded, then smiled appreciatively. "I admire you. Your reasoning and intelligence are top-notch. We need someone like you..."
He extended his arms, inviting Fujino. "If you join us, you'll enjoy wealth and glory far beyond what you experience as a detective!"
"Shut up! Who'd want to join scum like you, murderers and drug traffickers?!"
Fujino shouted righteously, activating his detective enhancement.
[Detective enhancement activated; countdown: 0-1-59]
Honestly, if the camera wasn't recording, Fujino might have considered extorting them and then turning them in. But unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
These drug dealers wouldn't just give him money; they'd likely throw him into the sea to fill a reclamation project.
"Hmph... Hmph hmph hmph!"
Hideo Kawashima lowered his head, laughing maniacally. "Years of hard work, ruined by a mere detective... In that case, you can go to hell!"
He picked up the stool by the piano and swung it at Fujino.