The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Is there more than one murderer?

The police officers present began searching for clues throughout the villa, and Jiang Hang also suggested that he wanted to go to the crime scene to take a look.

Soon, Inspector Megure led him into Tatsuo Wakabayashi's study.

He met Wakabayashi Tatsuo here yesterday afternoon.

Who could have imagined that in less than a day, he would enter the room again, and his feelings would be completely different from yesterday?

Jiang Hang silently activated Eagle Eye, and instantly all the clues in the room came into his view.

On the carpet, there was a spot that was clearly wet. With his expertise in poisons, he could easily tell that it was wet from red wine laced with poison.

This was likely caused by Wakabayashi Tatsuo knocking over his wine glass after drinking the poisoned wine.

On the other hand, there was nothing wrong with the wine cabinet in Tatsuo Wakabayashi's study. The police were also unable to find any other wines containing poison in the cabinet, so it seems that the murderer did not hide the poisoned wine in the cabinet.

After scanning the entire study, Jiang Hang's gaze finally settled on the bookshelf to the side.

It seems that Tatsuo Wakabayashi was also a fan of mystery novels during his lifetime, as the entire bookshelf is filled with all kinds of mystery novels.

Among all the lights that represented clues, Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" seemed somewhat dim. Jiang Hang could only deduce that this was probably the last novel Wakabayashi Tatsuo read before his death.

Inspector Megure noticed that Jiang Hang was examining the deceased's bookshelf, so he came up to him and explained: "Ms. Fujishiro told us that the deceased liked to drink a glass of red wine every night before going to bed after reading. However, during our investigation, we did not find any books on the deceased's table, which is why we previously thought the deceased committed suicide."

Following Jiang Hang's gaze, Inspector Megure glanced at the bookshelf but found nothing amiss. If the murderer had killed Wakabayashi Tatsuo and staged it as suicide, they certainly wouldn't have left any clues here.

Jiang Hang nodded, and at the same time took down the hardcover edition of "Murder on the Orient Express" and flipped through it.

Inspector Megure noticed Jiang Hang suddenly pick up a book and start flipping through it, and seemed curious, assuming that Jiang Hang had discovered some clue.

Just as he was about to say something, Takagi Wataru came over with important information.

To be precise, the murderer has been arrested.

“We just found an empty wine bottle in the room of the deceased’s second son, Shuji Wakabayashi. Potassium cyanide was detected in it. Shuji Wakabayashi has confessed and admitted that he is the murderer of the deceased. He is now being interrogated in the hall.”

Upon hearing the news from Takagi Wataru, Inspector Megure couldn't help but look at Jiang Hang beside him. Sure enough, Jiang Hang was right again this time.

If Jiang Hang hadn't pointed out this suspicious point, based on the description from the deceased's family, this incident might have ultimately been defined as a "suicide."

He quickly thanked Jiang Hang, but Jiang Hang shook his head, indicating that it was nothing.

Watching Inspector Megure rush into the lobby, Jiang Hang looked at the book in his hand, seemingly deep in thought.

Even though the case had been solved, for some reason, he still felt that something was wrong.

He looked at Takagi Wataru, who was still standing there, and made a request to him: "Take me to Wakabayashi Shuji's room. I want to check his room again."

Takagi Wataru was a little confused. Hadn't Wakabayashi Shuji already turned himself in? If there were any questions, he could have just asked him directly. Why did he have to go to the other person's room to check?

Trusting Jiang Hang, Takagi Wataru nodded to Jiang Hang and then led him to Wakabayashi Shuji's room.

On the way, Jiang Hang saw Wakabayashi Shuji, who had been arrested by the police. After surrendering, he was questioned by the police with a blank look in his eyes. He honestly answered whatever the police asked him, without any intention of hiding anything.

Meanwhile, Wakabayashi Tatsuo's younger brother and eldest son wore expressions of disbelief, as if they could never have imagined that Wakabayashi Tatsuo was killed by his most beloved youngest son, Wakabayashi Shuji.

"According to Wakabayashi Shuji, he felt that he could have obtained more property, but suddenly a woman appeared who wanted to take his property away from him, so he developed the intention to kill the deceased. The bottle of potassium cyanide was something he secretly took back from the hospital."

"He said that although the deceased seemed very sad when they stopped him last night, he did not seem to have given up on the idea of ​​marrying Fujishiro Masami, which made him very uneasy, thinking that his property was about to be divided up."

"So after the family meeting, he gave the deceased a bottle of poisoned wine, claiming that he had changed his mind and supported the deceased's marriage to Ms. Fujishiro and was willing to bless them. At 2 a.m. last night, he secretly entered the deceased's study, confirmed that the deceased was dead, and then staged the crime scene to make it look like the deceased had committed suicide."

Takagi Wataru told Jiang Hang about the murderer's motive and method. The reason why the bottle of red wine containing potassium cyanide was not discovered by Wakabayashi Tatsuo was because Wakabayashi Shuji used a syringe to pierce the cork of the red wine and then injected potassium cyanide into the bottle.

Tatsuo Wakabayashi had no idea that a bottle of red wine his son had given him, which appeared to be unopened, actually contained deadly poison.

After saying this, Takagi Wataru looked at Jiang Hang.

"Wakabayashi Shuji has now confessed everything. Do you still see any doubts about this case?"

Jiang Hang wasn't actually sure: "Wakabayashi Shuji should be the one who killed Mr. Wakabayashi, but I have a bad feeling about it, so I want to verify it."

He showed Takagi Wataru the copy of Murder on the Orient Express that he hadn't put back on the bookshelf.

When Takagi Wataru saw the book in Jiang Hang's hand, he didn't understand it at first, but when he remembered the story of Murder on the Orient Express, his expression became incredulous.

"No way... do you mean that some of them are accomplices?" He couldn't help but glance at Wakabayashi Tatsuo's other relatives.

Murder on the Orient Express is a classic case of multiple murders committed by multiple people. Before the mystery was solved, probably few readers could have guessed the final killer and the whole truth.

And now Jiang Hang is holding this novel, as if he is hinting at this point.

Jiang Hang shook his head, his tone slightly heavy: "I can't be sure right now, but I hope it's just my imagination."

Chapter 157: Chapter 156: The Poisoned Greeting Card

Once Jiang Hang gained insight, his intuition rarely proved wrong.

Advanced insight not only allows Jiang Hang to foresee impending danger and remain calm in the face of dire situations, but it also enables him to perceive things in daily life that eagle eyes cannot see.

After seeing the book "Murder on the Orient Express" in Tatsuo Wakabayashi's study, he immediately heard Shuji Wakabayashi confess. From that moment on, he felt something was wrong.

This time, although he hoped his intuition was wrong, the final result still disappointed him.

In a hidden compartment in Shuji Wakabayashi's wardrobe, he found the most crucial evidence.

In the lobby, Inspector Megure couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after finishing his interrogation of Shuji Wakabayashi.

The case is now clear: Wakabayashi Shuji felt that Wakabayashi Tatsuo would take away his property after marrying Fujishiro Masami. Recently, Wakabayashi Shuji was caught gambling outside and was severely reprimanded by Wakabayashi Tatsuo, which caused him to harbor resentment towards Wakabayashi Tatsuo for the past few days. Coupled with the argument last night, he saw an opportunity to kill his father and stage it as a suicide.

"Take the suspect back to the Metropolitan Police Department for further questioning," Inspector Megure instructed the officers present. Just then, he saw Jiang Hang and Takagi Wataru walking towards the lobby with grim expressions.

Inspector Megure was about to thank Jiang Hang again for his help when Takagi Wataru suddenly took out a white greeting card and reported it to him.

"Inspector Megure, I have important leads on a case."

Takagi Wataru's words immediately drew everyone's attention.

Upon seeing the greeting card in Wataru Takagi's hand, not only Shuji Wakabayashi, but also Tatsuo Wakabayashi's family members, who had been silent, suddenly became flustered.

"What...what is this?" Inspector Megure didn't notice the change in the expressions of those people, and instead took the greeting card from his subordinate with some confusion.

The first thing he saw when he opened the greeting card was four different handwritings of blessings.

Although the specific details of the birthday wishes varied, the underlying message was essentially the same: to celebrate Tatsuo Wakabayashi's birthday and to support his remarriage in finding his second happiness.

The names of those who sent their blessings were carefully written on the card: Wakabayashi Tatsuo's younger brother, Wakabayashi Teruo; his eldest son, Wakabayashi Keiichi; his daughter-in-law, Wakabayashi Harue; and Wakabayashi Shuji, who had become a murder suspect and surrendered to the police.

"Is this a greeting card from last night?" Inspector Megure finally noticed this, and his expression turned serious.

Jiang Hang stood next to Takagi Wataru without saying a word, just coldly watching the four of them.

The one who asked the question was Wataru Takagi, whose expression was also not very good. He asked the other three people besides Shuji Wakabayashi: "According to what you said, you had an argument with Tatsuo Wakabayashi about remarriage during the family gathering last night. So can you explain what's going on with this greeting card? Perhaps you need our police to help with some handwriting analysis to prove whether you wrote it?"

This greeting card, filled with a harmonious atmosphere and sincere feelings, shows absolutely no trace of the argument they had last night.

Either the greeting card is forged, or all four members of the Wakabayashi family have committed perjury.

Takagi Wataru stated his deduction: "The blessing on that greeting card was not written sincerely. You had already secretly planned to kill Mr. Wakabayashi Tatsuo. There was no argument about remarriage last night. On the contrary, the atmosphere at your family meeting was very good. You even expressed your willingness to support Mr. Wakabayashi Tatsuo's decision and presented him with the bottle of poisoned red wine along with this greeting card."

"Mr. Tatsuo Wakabayashi was very happy to receive your blessings. Before going to bed that night, he drank this bottle of red wine and passed away in bewilderment."

"So the perpetrator in this case is not just Wakabayashi Shuji alone. All four of you are accomplices. The initial staged suicide, and the subsequent scheme to have Wakabayashi Shuji confess after the police saw through your disguise, were probably all part of a pre-arranged plan!"

After Takagi Wataru finished speaking, Wakabayashi Harue collapsed to the ground in the face of this evidence. Then, Wakabayashi Keiichi also looked away, unable to meet Takagi Wataru's gaze.

Only Teruo Wakabayashi knew that everything could no longer be kept secret, and immediately questioned Shuji Wakabayashi with an angry expression: "Why did you keep this greeting card? Didn't we tell you when we were planning this that you had to dispose of this card and not leave any trace?"

This was the first time he had lost his composure in front of the police. He wasn't ashamed of having conspired with his brother's sons to kill his brother, but rather angry that Wakabayashi Shuji had kept this crucial piece of evidence and dragged him into the mess.

Upon hearing Teruo Wakabayashi's question, Shuji Wakabayashi, who had been timid and hesitant when questioned by the police, also snapped.

He stared at his uncle, brother, and sister-in-law, a mocking look on his face: "Why did I promise you that if the police suspected anything amiss with the old man's death, I would turn myself in? Wasn't it because you said I was still young, and even if I served ten years in prison, I'd only be 30 when I got out? You also said that once I got out, I'd get an extra share of the old man's estate."

"Do you really think I'm a fool? That greeting card is your only leverage. If I really get rid of it, given the personalities of you guys, do you think I'll still get my father's inheritance when I get out of jail?"

From the conversation between Shuji Wakabayashi and Teruo Wakabayashi, it can be seen that Tatsuo Wakabayashi's death was indeed planned by the four of them. They even had a contingency plan in place to have one of them confess to attract the police's attention if things went wrong.

Unfortunately, despite their good intentions, Wakabayashi Shuji never trusted his older brother and uncle to wait for him to be released before dividing the inheritance. So he secretly kept the greeting card with the four names on it as leverage and did not dispose of it as they instructed.

He didn't expect that the police would find the hidden greeting card so quickly when he did it.

Chapter 158: Chapter 157: Clues to Shiho Miyano

After the four suspects were handcuffed and taken back to the Metropolitan Police Department, only the bewildered nanny, Fujishiro Masami, remained in the large Wakabayashi residence.

She didn't even know where to go or what to do, and just stayed in the house crying alone.

Ironically, Wakabayashi Tatsuo's brother and son both wanted a larger share of the inheritance, but now that they are accomplices in his murder, they have legally lost their right to inherit the property.

As for how Wakabayashi Tatsuo's estate will ultimately be handled, that's no longer something the police and Jiang Hang need to consider.

Jiang Hang put the book "Murder on the Orient Express" back into Wakabayashi Tatsuo's study.

Looking at the empty desk, he could almost picture Wakabayashi Tatsuo's happy expression after receiving his family's support.

However, he couldn't imagine what Wakabayashi Tatsuo was thinking in the final moments of his life after drinking red wine laced with potassium cyanide.

Jiang Hang stood in the study for a while, and finally left the house silently.

He has been a detective for almost two months now, preventing many tragedies from happening, while also witnessing several tragedies firsthand. Every time he solves a case, he feels that even though he is just a "detective in name only," he must still shoulder the responsibilities of a detective.

This case is resolved, but in the future, there will be many more cases waiting for him to solve, and right now there is a winery in front of him waiting for him to deal with.

......

The reward for the case was distributed when Jiang Hang returned to the law firm.

Jiang Hang acquired the "First Aid (Basic)" skill, which is slightly related to medical skills, but more importantly, it can be used in emergency rescue.

After mastering this skill, Jiang Hang began to devote all his energy to investigating Tokiwa Eisaku.

From Tatsuo Wakabayashi, Jiang Hang learned that Eisaku Tokiwa had partnered with someone to start a pharmaceutical company, and that an accident occurred during the acquisition of Shirakage Pharmaceuticals, leading to the eventual bankruptcy of both companies.

Subsequent investigations into Eisaku Tokiwa, a prominent figure in the medical field, confirmed that the pharmaceutical company was indeed founded in collaboration with Kenzo Masuyama.

At this point, it can be basically confirmed that there is a connection between Eisaku Tokiwa and the brewery; all that is left is to conduct an investigation.

As a leading figure in the medical field, there are indeed quite a few drug research institutes and pharmaceutical companies that are associated with Eisaku Tokiwa or have his name used as an advisor.

Jiang Hang did want to follow and eavesdrop on Tokiwa Eisaku's secrets, but after three days of tracking and investigating him, he still couldn't find any valuable information.

Tokiwa Eisaku didn't even contact the brewery. For the past three days, he has been taking care of everything at the research institute, from eating and drinking to sleeping. He hasn't even left the institute. He looks like a 60-year-old big shot who is still working diligently on the front line of the pharmaceutical industry.