Not a detective

Page 103

But for some reason, everyone tensed up at that moment, as if they sensed some kind of crisis.

"Don't worry so much, I'm just here to investigate a case."

He had to calm his emotions.

Meanwhile, Kirisame Aoi and the doctor are facing off, while Inspector Takahashi is speaking to Asakawa Riku:

“We’ve considered that possibility… but believe me, once we’ve seen the crime scene, we’ll dismiss the idea.”

Following the gaze... there was a cold, sealed metal door in front of me.

He glanced again at the doctors and nurses sitting in the "witness box." Their expressions were very tense. Perhaps the surgeon, Takeshi Omura, usually held a high position among them. His resistance gave them a trigger for their discontent, and they got into a tense argument with the police officers who had come closer. The atmosphere was very awkward for a moment.

They wouldn't necessarily refuse to cooperate or rebel, but asking questions at this time would certainly not yield any ideal results.

Let them calm down first.

"Please separate them. There are many consultation rooms upstairs, right? Let them rest alone for a while. One policeman is enough. Don't let too many people surround them."

After thinking it over, Asakawa Riku suggested, "Let's go to the scene first. If we hear the testimonies beforehand, it might create preconceived notions. It would be better to make our own judgment and then supplement it based on the testimonies. This would be more comprehensive and objective."

Upon hearing this suggestion, Inspector Takahashi showed a look of delight, and he instructed his detectives:

"Do as this gentleman says."

Spring of Events: Chapter Thirteen - The Victim

The last people to enter the operating room were Riku Asakawa, Aoi Kirisame, and Inspector Takahashi, who was in charge of leading the way.

Additionally, the two investigators holding tablets were likely there to provide on-site intelligence at any time.

Like them, Asakawa Riku put on white plastic gloves, tightly wrapping his hands. To be honest, this feeling was quite novel.

As soon as I entered, a strong stench of blood and corpses hit me, and the feeling of death was overwhelming.

Tragedy is about to unfold.

Inspector Takahashi glanced at the two young men and was surprised:

"I've been a criminal investigator for twenty years, and I've encountered victims with gruesome deaths more than once or twice, some of whom were deranged and sadistic killers. But this time, even I felt a bit nauseous when I first saw it. You guys can remain expressionless. You truly deserve to be called elites sent by the department. I'm completely impressed."

He wasn't exaggerating at all.

The deceased was a woman, but now she hardly resembles a "human being," let alone a woman.

Her body and limbs were cut open, a standard dismemberment, and were displayed in six pieces on a light green cloth. The cuts were clean, and blood stained the entire operating table.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. What's even more horrifying is that her abdomen was completely ripped open, and along with her mutilated body, her internal organs and intestines were exposed in a bloody mess. The massive bleeding in her chest cavity had almost turned it into a pool of flesh, and the various indistinct shapes and the putrid smell were testing the limits of human endurance.

Her limbs were cut open, her internal organs were shredded, and that wasn't all; the woman's face was also injured and scratched, with her nose and the corners of her eyes cut open, and there appeared to be needle marks on her cheeks.

Although it's not to the point where the person is unrecognizable, the scars are still shocking.

This gruesome corpse was placed under the operating lights. The ample light illuminated every detail, leaving no shadows and making it all the more terrifying.

"Although this illegal hospital is not fully qualified, its basic hygiene conditions are decent. The sterile environment that the operating room should have is in place. Thanks to this, the body is still well preserved. Otherwise, if the decomposition had progressed, I doubt anyone could have withstood that kind of shocking scene."

Inspector Takahashi said with a wry smile.

"But on the other hand, this also makes autopsies more difficult," Asakawa Riku said.

“Yes, you’re right.” Inspector Takahashi was once again surprised by the boy’s professionalism. “Indeed, a large part of modern autopsies, besides examining traces, is determining the time of death. However, in a temperature-controlled and sterile environment like an operating room, it’s impossible to estimate the exact time based on the degree of decomposition. The fact that the body was damaged to such an extent has also brought difficulties to our forensic work. However, we have already determined the time of the crime: it was around 10 p.m. last night, during the surgery, between approximately 10 and 10:30 p.m.

"Is it determined based on the time recorded by the camera?"

Kiriyu Aoi also joined the conversation.

"Yes, at 10 p.m., they wheeled the patient into the operating room. After 10:30 p.m., you could see several people hurriedly running out of the basement in surgical gowns, their clothes covered in blood, looking terrified. Ten minutes later, almost everyone had come out, and no one was left in the basement except for the victim. At 11 p.m., someone called the police."

Following Inspector Takahashi's instructions, the evidence-gathering personnel displayed several screenshots from surveillance footage on a tablet.

The timeline is clearly visible in the bottom right corner, just as he said. The witnesses he just saw are all on camera, and this is basically the timeline.

"Aren't there cameras in the basement and operating room?"

"No, operating rooms rarely have cameras installed, and the basement is a place they want to hide anyway. If there were, we wouldn't need to bother investigating."

Inspector Takahashi replied with a wry smile.

Asakawa Riku felt there were loopholes in this, and even the behavior of these people was not enough to prove that a murder had definitely occurred at that time.

For example, it's quite possible the victim was already dead, and the hospital had the facilities to preserve the body. The operating room environment could also deceive an autopsy to some extent. Through acting and some form of substitution, the body could be changed to create the illusion that the crime occurred the previous night. It's also possible the body was deliberately made so messy, even with the face disfigured. There are other possibilities for this…

He immediately thought of some kind of trick.

"Has the identity of the deceased been confirmed? Was he really the patient who was wheeled into the operating room?"

Faced with Asakawa Riku's question, Inspector Takahashi appeared confident: "Of course, this is something we confirmed from the very beginning... Actually, it's also because the victim is a well-known person."

"A famous person?"

Asakawa Riku immediately thought of the media and reporters surrounding him outside.

"Yes."

Another investigator showed a different video on a tablet:

"Sip your drink and fall into a state of relaxed bliss! Chill Out's new sparkling water lets you enjoy the ultimate relaxation this hot summer!"

It was a TV commercial, only about fifteen seconds long. A beautiful idol in a bikini stood on the beach, showing off her gorgeous skin and curves. She held a sign that read "Chill Out" soda, and after reciting her lines, she drank it all in one gulp. Some of the liquid dripped from her lips, down her slender neck and collarbone...

It's an advertisement with a very clear target audience and is also visually appealing.

"This person is..." As Asakawa Riku looked at it, his first reaction was that he seemed to have seen this advertisement on TV before.

Secondly, he seemed to have seen this person more than once on television; her face and her name were very familiar.

"Rika Otsuka, she is the victim in this case."

Inspector Takahashi said, "Although I don't quite understand the tastes of young people, my son is a fan of hers. I heard she's very popular right now. I really don't know what to say when I get back."

The name instantly triggered memories for Riku Asakawa.

Yes, he had seen her. She was still alive, just a few months ago in Kyoto, at the lavish and extravagant "Christmas party" at the Shutenkan. At that time, Rika Otsuka was groveling at Kosuke Shinonome's feet, fawning and pressing her body against him. She was that tyrant's mistress, a rising idol who had sold her body for a promising acting career…!

Asakawa Riku learned of her name from Shinonome Sugetsu's account. She was present when Shinonome Sugetsu was interrogating the director about drugging her!

Everything from the past seems so vivid in my mind. Looking at the youthful and energetic smiles in the advertisements, and then at the horrifying death under the operating lights...

If it weren't for the scratches and damage to his face, Asakawa Riku would have recognized him immediately. Indeed, it was that person; there was no mistake.

Why is it that this person died here?

Is it really such a coincidence?

Spring of the Item: Chapter Fourteen - Dismemberment

"Due to the sensitive nature of the victim's case, we had to deploy more officers to keep out those annoying media outlets. To be honest, we really dislike having celebrities as victims... Ah, of course, it's best if ordinary citizens don't get into trouble either. What I mean is that we not only have to deal with the media, but also with fans venting their frustrations and the attention, and sometimes even have to hold press conferences, which makes a normal investigation very complicated. But anyway, we did our best to confirm Ms. Otsuka's identity."

Inspector Takahashi said, "Ms. Otsuka's family cannot be contacted. According to her household registration, she seems to be an orphan. Her agent seems to have recently resigned, but her agency sent someone to verify her identity and confirmed that it was indeed her. The forensic examination of her blood type, DNA, and fingerprints all match the records collected in the past... By the way, these severed limbs are also hers."

As expected of a veteran detective, he even considered this aspect. Since his limbs were cut off, there might be a possibility that they could be replaced.

Now that things have come to this point, it can be basically confirmed that the tragic deceased on the operating table is Rika Otsuka.

Asakawa Riku merely listened to these words casually, his mind preoccupied with other things.

Rika Otsuka... is Kosuke Shinonome's lover, so is this incident related to the Shinonome family?

Why did the Non-World Inspection Department suddenly approach Shinonome Suetsuki and ask her to take on this case? Is it because they're targeting this relationship?

Do they really need a detective's help to solve the case? Or is this a test?

At first, Riku Asakawa thought it was just an ordinary murder case, but the moment he confirmed the victim's identity, he began to feel that something was wrong.

Seeing that he suddenly fell silent, Kirisame Aoi took over the conversation:

"It was because you hired people from the agency that the news got out."

The murder that happened just last night is now being closely watched by the media.

"You're right... Sigh, it was our carelessness, but confirming the identity of the body is a necessary step."

Inspector Takahashi looked helpless and distressed; he must be under a lot of pressure taking on this important task.

Kirisame slowly walked to the operating table and examined the corpse. A normal girl would probably vomit immediately upon seeing such a sight, but she remained surprisingly calm.

He certainly doesn't seem to be an ordinary person:

"You said the forensic doctor came, so why is the body still here instead of being taken to the testing center?"

"Because the preservation conditions here are good, I suggested staying a little longer. Anyway, we've already dissected everything that needed to be dissected and taken away all the contents that needed to be collected. What I'm wondering is, why was the body dissected like this? Why would the murderer do something so cruel? I think there must be some meaning to it. Putting it here might reveal something."

Inspector Takahashi's answer was very professional.

—The reason for dismembering the body?

This question quickly pulled Asakawa Riku back from his off-topic reverie, reminding him of the various strange dismemberment cases in "The Causes of Disintegration".

Of course, such outlandish tricks don't exist in this world. As the book also states, in reality, the vast majority of murderers dismember bodies for only one reason—

Easy to move.

As everyone knows, there is no such thing as the perfect crime. With the advanced development of modern criminal investigation technology, any clue will lead to the criminal's downfall. To achieve the perfect crime, the crime must be kept undiscovered. As long as the police don't come and don't launch an investigation, there is naturally no risk.

Therefore, many people would think of destroying the body after committing murder, but a corpse is not so easy to move. Odor, weight, blood, and appearance are all issues to consider.

If it happens in a deserted rural area, you can just dig a hole and bury the body. But if the murder occurs in a city, how to dispose of the body becomes a big problem.

If you carry a large bag out, even if you put it in a car for transport, it is easy for witnesses to notice something unusual. You have to reduce your size and weight, so dismembering the body becomes a natural choice for many murderers. By breaking the body into several pieces, you can avoid being recognized as human and dispose of the body in several separate ways, reducing the risk of being discovered.

However, this most general conclusion does not apply in this case, because the body is right there in the open, and it has not been touched since it was dismembered.

In a closed operating room, there is no possibility of dismembering and disposing of the body, unless the police arrived at the scene before the murderer had a chance to act...

So Asakawa Riku thought of another, less likely reason—

The senseless torture and murder by a deranged serial killer.

"Your swordsmanship is excellent."

"what?"

Kirisame Aoi's sudden statement caught Inspector Takahashi off guard.

"I'm just making a judgment based on my own professional expertise, and I'm using it as a reference for your investigation."

Her slender fingers moved slowly and deliberately, as if cutting into the corpse, trying to reconstruct the order and force of each dissection.

In her mind, she may have already simulated the entire brutal murder process, and then said:

"No matter who the murderer is, his knife skills are excellent. Human bones are not so easy to cut. To be able to make such a clean and neat wound requires a sharp weapon, great strength, and a deep understanding of human muscle tissue. Don't be fooled by the mess on his stomach; every cut was actually very precise and deadly."

In the field of "swordsmanship," Asakawa Riku admitted that he was not as good as her, so he listened to her judgment very carefully.

He closed his eyes, imagining the scene. Thankfully, the body was still there, allowing him to carefully examine the angle of the wounds.

"So... what was the murder weapon...?"

"We believe it is a scalpel."

Inspector Takahashi pointed to the instrument cart in the operating room, on which were placed sterilized forceps, scissors, scalpels, tweezers, sutures, suction devices, and other instruments.

“We examined the victim’s blood and tissue structure on these instruments. It can be said that they were the perfect tools for committing the crime, and the operating room was the perfect crime scene.”

Asakawa Riku glanced at them. Although he couldn't name the technical terms for the instruments, he saw things like hammers and chisels, which looked like dentistry tools. They looked quite gruesome. The police's deduction was logical. If they were tools specifically designed to cut up human bodies, it wouldn't be difficult to injure the victim like that.

"So...who is the murderer?"

"It must be one of those doctors and nurses, or rather, it can only be one of them."

Inspector Takahashi's expression turned grim: "Or perhaps, they are all accomplices."

Spring of Events: Chapter Fifteen: Eyewitness Accounts (Part One)

[Excerpt from the first eyewitness's statement: Anesthesiologist Midori Fukushima.]

Inspector Takahashi: Please introduce yourself.

Midori Fukushima: I... I am Midori Fukushima, 42 years old, born in Nagasaki Prefecture, and I have been working as an anesthesiologist at this hospital for 15 years. I am licensed to be an anesthesiologist.