Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 140 The Cruel Reality

After reading the first part of the story of "The Third Time Limit", Jiang Liumei was certain that this story would be a "reverse reasoning" story!

The core focus of the story should be on capturing the murderer, Toshiharu Takeuchi, and investigating his motives!

After all, if it were just a very ordinary case of burglary and murder, then there would be no need for Maijo Kyosuke to write it down.

Jiang Liumei, filled with anticipation, turned to the second chapter of the story, wanting to see if the next chapter would take place in the interrogation room, interrogating Takeuchi Toshiharu.

But when Jiang Liumei opened the second chapter of "The Third Statute of Limitations," her eyes widened in disbelief.

Because the story in the second chapter was completely different from what Jiang Liu Meili had expected; there was no interrogation room, nor did Takeuchi Toshiharu appear.

The story of Chapter Two takes place fifteen years after the "taxi driver murder incident" —

Time reigns supreme over room 102 of the "Sunset Apartments".

Everyone in the room was looking at the clock on the wall, watching the hour, minute, and second hands slowly overlap.

At midnight, fifteen years have passed since the "taxi driver murder incident".

Yukie Honma sat among a group of detectives, exhaling a breath from deep within her body.

The detectives from the Major Crimes Unit at F County headquarters remained on high alert, staring at the "telephone detector" on the table, ready to find out at any time where the suspect's call came from.

Because Takeuchi Toshiharu, who is on the run, might think that his statute of limitations has expired.

(Japan's statute of limitations: If the statute of limitations has expired after fifteen years, the prosecuting authority will no longer have the right to bring charges against the suspect.)

However, in reality, the statute of limitations for Takeuchi Toshiharu should have been in effect at midnight seven days later.

Because after Toshiharu Takeuchi killed Yukie Honma's husband, he left Japan and traveled to another country for seven days.

According to the Criminal Procedure Law, the statute of limitations is interrupted when a fugitive is abroad.

Not everyone knows this rule, and the police's current thinking is that they are betting that Takeuchi Toshiharu is unaware that the statute of limitations has not yet expired.

Therefore, these seven days are the best time to arrest Toshiharu Takeuchi!

The detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division refer to today as the "first statute of limitations" and seven days from now as the "second statute of limitations".

In order to capture Toshiharu Takeuchi before the second statute of limitations expires, the Major Crimes Unit has laid a tight net throughout the prefecture!

Mori Takahiro from Detective Team One was temporarily transferred to support Detective Team Two's operations.

He sat on the floor against the wall, his task this time being to keep an eye on Honma Yukie's daughter, fourteen-year-old Honma Arisa.

Arisa Honma's profile resembles her mother, Yukie Honma, but Arisa has very large earlobes.

However, those earlobes were completely different from those of her father and mother, but exactly the same as those of the suspect, Toshiharu Takeuchi.

Surely Takeuchi Toshiharu, who was on the run, had noticed this too?

So three years ago, Toshiharu Takeuchi called Yukie and asked, "Arisa is my daughter, right?"

bait —

Mori Takahiro thought of how the squad leader of the Criminal Investigation Team 2, Nanami, called Arisa.

To be honest, Nanami, the class monitor, disgusted Mori Takahiro.

That guy's nickname is "Cold-Blooded".

He's the kind of guy who, once he catches a suspect, will do whatever comes to mind without surprising anyone.

Kenzaki Mitsuki finished reading the first two chapters of Maijo Kyosuke's "The Third Statute of Limitations".

My mind was filled with doubts, because the gap between these two chapters was unexpected.

So-called reasoning based on subjective evidence?

Where is the subjective evidence?

What's the riddle?

Is the riddle about catching the suspect, Takeuchi Toshiharu?

Arisa Honma's earlobes are exactly the same as Toshiharu Takeuchi's.

Was this a foreshadowing set up by Maijo Kyosuke?

Or was it a misdirection orchestrated by Maijo Kyosuke?

Although Kenzaki Mitsuki is a big fan of Maijo Kyosuke, she has used many connections to try and find Danna, the teacher from Ellery Queen, so that she can take a spontaneous trip to Europe and America with Maijo Kyosuke.

However, Kenzaki Mitsuki doesn't believe a single word or punctuation mark in the mystery novels written by Maijo Kyosuke!

Because whether it's the grand "Asod Case" in "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders", the truth behind the case in "A Bellflower", the identity disguise in "The Death Row Inmate", or the disastrous ending in "Convergence".

In short, Kenzaki Mitsuki is always thoroughly fooled by any mystery novel written by Maijo Kyosuke.

Because the foreshadowing is so well hidden, you can't guess the truth until you see the ending of the story!

Therefore, with this in mind, Kenzaki Mitsuki cautiously began reading the third chapter of "The Third Time Limit".

Hopefully, this time, I can anticipate the foreshadowing that Kyosuke Maijo has planted in the story, so as not to be deceived by him again.

It was just dawn, inside room 104 of the "Xiaguang Apartment".

Mori Takahiro closed his eyes in the bedding against the wall.

He needed to get some sleep quickly because Arisa had to go to school in three hours.

Since Toshiharu Takeuchi considers Arisa to be his daughter, it's hard to imagine him not secretly visiting her.

"Hey, Omori."

As soon as Mori Takahiro closed his eyes, he heard Detective Miyajima, who was lying next to him, calling his name. Miyajima's mission was to follow Yukie, who worked at a supermarket.

"What's up?"

Mori Takahiro asked.

Miyajima glanced at Mori Takahiro and began to discuss the case.

Miyajima believes that Toshiharu Takeuchi must have known that the validity period would be interrupted after he went abroad.

Otherwise, several hours have passed since the "first time limit" was reached, so why hasn't Toshiharu Takeuchi called yet?

When asked about this question, Takahiro Mori could only give a vague answer: "I know and I don't know, it's about 50/50."

After all, it was still early, and Takeuchi Toshiharu might still be sleeping.

Upon hearing Mori Takahiro's words, Miyajima looked towards Yukie's room and sighed heavily: "I wonder what Mrs. Honma is feeling right now—"

Upon hearing Miyajima's words, Mori Takahiro slowly closed his eyes, recalling some clues from the case.

Fifteen years ago, Yukie went insane after learning from a doctor that she was pregnant.

Is it her husband's child or...?

Yukie cried out, "This is God's punishment for me!"

She was assaulted, her husband was murdered, and she was pregnant with whose child, but she had no idea.

It's all my fault for being so heartless, allowing Takeuchi to take advantage of the situation, and I even think that I lured Takeuchi into committing the crime.

This caused her severe mental distress, and she underwent more than 30 sessions of psychological counseling.

But in the end, she decided to give birth to the child because she was young and immature and had already had two abortions. If she didn't give birth, she probably wouldn't be able to have any more children in her life.

Although Yukie insisted that the child must be her husband's.

However, Arisa's earlobes are the same as Toshiharu Takeuchi's, and they also have the same blood type, a result that Yukie cannot accept no matter what.

Raising the daughter of the man who assaulted and murdered her husband? What a cruel reality!

Miyajima's voice rang in my ears: "I think Yukie doesn't want Takeuchi to be captured."

Mori Takahiro, assuming Miyajima was already asleep, sighed, "Maybe."

Mori Takahiro doesn't know what Yukie is thinking, but being violated by a man she's known and trusted since elementary school must have caused her deep emotional trauma. She must hate the man who killed her husband.

But that man is Arisa's biological father.

Does Yukie believe she seduced Takeuchi? Does she still feel this guilt after fifteen years?

Mori Takahiro recalled the words he had spoken to Yukie over the past few days.

Words expressing regret and self-reproach, such as "carelessness," "recklessness," "playing tricks," and "how composed married women are," left a deep impression on Mori Takahiro.

But what troubled Yukie the most was also what Mori Takahiro didn't want to see—

Arisa may not have known that her father was Toshiharu Takeuchi, and the police have not released information about Toshiharu Takeuchi's sexual assault of Yukie.

But—once Takeuchi Toshiharu is caught and brought to court, the whole truth will come out.

Arisa will then learn of this abhorrent truth.

Mori Takahiro recalled how Yuki let out a long breath when midnight arrived yesterday, which, in Mori Takahiro's eyes, was a sign that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

It would be good if the police couldn't catch Takeuchi, and that they would stop bothering him from now on. Is this what Yukie really thinks?

But clearly, Yuki let her guard down too early; there were still seven days until the "second time limit" expired.

If Takeuchi didn't know about the "second time limit," there's a high chance he'd call in the next few days.

After all, Yukie had mentioned that Takeuchi had called her three years ago and asked, "Is that child mine?"

According to Yukie, Takeuchi only asked this question after apologizing multiple times. Even after Yukie denied it, Takeuchi persisted and asked several more times, saying with reluctance, "I'll call you again later."

Yukie was probably afraid of being harassed by Takeuchi again, right?

So I promptly called the police, and the former Criminal Investigation Division 1 intervened, setting up a tight net, waiting for Takeuchi to call again!

As a result, the operation three years ago was leaked by someone, and a large number of reporters publicized the incident, ultimately leading to the failure of the plan and the inability to capture Takeuchi Toshiharu.

But now everything is different.

Once the statute of limitations is established, Takeuchi will no longer have to worry about being arrested, so he will definitely call Yuki after the statute of limitations is established.

Although he was the murderer who violated Yukie and killed her husband, he was also Arisa's father, and the phone call from three years ago would inevitably evoke his longing.

But will they call today? Tomorrow? Or will they wait until the "second statute of limitations" is established in seven days before making a call?

The detectives had no other choice but to hope that Takeuchi would make a mistake.

Thinking about these things is too much of a torment for Mori Takahiro.

Under this torment, Mori Takahiro remembered a woman's face.

The woman's name was Kondo Akiko, whom Mori Takahiro met half a year ago when he was investigating a case.

Before the mission, Mori Takahiro hugged Akiko, hoping that she could divorce her husband and be with him.

Due to her husband's domestic violence, Akiko separated from him and took her eight-year-old son with her.

Upon hearing Mori Takahiro's confession, Akiko burst into tears and pleaded with him, "Please wait for me a little longer."

Mori Takahiro breathed a sigh of relief as he thought about all this; there were still seven days left until the "second statute of limitations" expired.

Regardless of the outcome, the matter will be resolved.

I only hope for a good outcome, just like my relationship with Akiko.