allendalepharm Page 34
Page 34
It turns out that the idol he admired was a cold-blooded murderer who would kill his colleagues for money and to escape.
“Takada-senpai, that evidence…” Sato Miwako quickly recovered from her shock, her professional instincts immediately leading her to the key point.
“That slow-motion footage of the external pushing action is direct physical evidence,” Yuki Takada said confidently. “The technical class can analyze its force, angle, and inevitable mechanical consequences frame by frame.”
"Secondly, the surveillance footage from the jockey rest area before the race might capture jockey White's unusual emotions, and could also reveal clues about the connections he has with the forces behind him."
"Finally, and most directly—investigate Jockey White's finances and his intricate connections with specific sponsors and underground gambling operations. This is sufficient to form a complete chain of evidence."
His gaze finally fell on the mess of documents. The edges of the papers, soaked with tea, vaguely revealed the outlines of words like gambling debts, pressure, and manipulation.
Yuki Takada's voice returned to its usual calm, yet carried the decisive power of a hammer blow:
"So, Mr. Mori, do you understand now?"
Then a video came from the television: According to a message from the Kyoto Prefectural Police, in the investigation of the death of Jockey White McQueen, they have found the most likely suspect, Jockey White Ryan, who has now been arrested by the police.
The office was deathly silent, save for Kogoro Mouri's heavy breathing.
Despair and anger intertwined on his face, finally culminating in a long, painful sigh.
Yuki Takada nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the television screen, where Bai Ryan stood on the podium, basking in false glory.
His voice was cold and clear: "I think the Kyoto Prefectural Police will investigate the rest very thoroughly. Mr. Mori, if you still don't believe me, you can wait for further news from the Kyoto Prefectural Police."
Yuuki Takada turned to Ran, who was still deeply remorseful, and nodded slightly: "Ran, don't blame yourself. You meant well, but some accidents are inevitable. Mr. Mori, there's no need to see us off, we'll go ahead first."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the door, his steps steady and decisive.
Sato Miwako quickly jotted down the key points, put away her notebook, and politely nodded to the Mori father and daughter: "Mr. Mori, Ms. Ran, we apologize for disturbing you, we'll take our leave now."
She quickly followed Yuki Takada's retreating figure.
At that very moment, Yuki Takada
"Ding-dong-"
The doorbell rings.
Chapter 52 The New Client
Kogoro Mouri jolted and immediately sat up, quickly straightening his wrinkled suit and trying to adopt the demeanor of a professional detective. He said softly, "Please come in!"
The man who entered was a middle-aged man dressed somewhat elegantly and looking anxious. He staggered to Kogoro Mouri's side.
After being bumped into by the flustered middle-aged man in front of him, Yuuki Takada simply stopped in his tracks.
He claimed to be the president of a small financial company, Junichi Tanaka.
Upon seeing this, Kogoro Mouri quickly invited the other party to sit down and briefly discuss business.
"Detective Mori, please help me!" Tanaka Junichi's face was filled with panic as he exclaimed in horror, "Someone...someone wants to kill me! No, they've even started threatening me now!"
Cold sweat poured down his back, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his hands gripped the edge of the desk tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Sweat trickled down his thinning temples, soaking the collar of his expensive shirt.
Kogoro Mouri's slightly embarrassed cough, caused by being caught tidying up his appearance, abruptly stopped, and his relaxed expression was instantly replaced by seriousness.
He straightened his back, his eyes sharpened, and his pretentious "professional detective" demeanor now carried a genuine air of seriousness.
"Calm down... President Tanaka!" Kogoro Mori tried to calm him down, speaking softly, "Explain yourself clearly, who wants to kill you? And where exactly did you go and what happened?"
He instinctively reached for the cigarette pack, but seeing the other person's terrified expression, he withdrew his hand.
Yuuki Takada seemed to be drawn into the conversation between the two.
Just as Sato Miwako was about to ask something, Takada Yuuki made a "shh" gesture.
He gently closed the office door, silently walked to the sofa and sat down, keenly observing every subtle expression and movement of Tanaka Junichi.
Tanaka Junichi glanced at Kogoro Mouri's Takada Yuki and Sato Miwako, his face full of doubt.
Kogoro Mouri smiled and explained, "These two are colleagues from the agency who help out, so you don't need to worry."
Hearing this, Junichi Tanaka felt relieved and took a few deep breaths.
"She...she's missing!" His chest heaved violently, as if trying to calm himself, but fear clearly prevailed. "It's...it's my company's assistant, Horikawa Airi! Just this morning!"
"And then, when I got back to my workstation, I found a threatening letter... Oh my God..." He closed his eyes in anguish, unwilling to recall the scene, "There was blood... blood written on it!"
"Words written in blood?" Kogoro Mori frowned and asked, "What did it say?"
“If you don’t hand it over, the story between you and her will be spread on the internet, and you’ll be punished!” Tanaka Junichi suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils dilating. “It says ‘You’ll be punished’! It’s written in red… like blood! It’s right here on my workstation!”
"A reckoning?" Kogoro Mouri stroked his chin and asked, "Is it targeting your company? Or you personally? What is your relationship with Horikawa Airi? And regarding this person who is threatening you, do you have any initial candidates?"
“Yes! He is… he is our company’s credit auditor, named Fuyuyama Reiji.” Tanaka Junichi’s voice was filled with regret and fear as he whispered, “He is a very honest man and works quite diligently… it’s just… it’s just that he may be under a lot of pressure lately.”
"The company...the company has recently encountered some difficulties in its operations, and its cash flow is not good. Employee bonuses...are temporarily...temporarily delayed..." Tanaka Jun's voice grew softer and softer, and his eyes began to dart away.
"Unpaid bonuses?" Kogoro Mouri shouted. "Is this his reason for writing 'Settle Down' on you? Because you demanded your unpaid wages?"
"No! It's not just that!" Tanaka Junichi shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off some terrible thought. "Yesterday... yesterday afternoon, he and I... had a fierce argument! Right in my office!"
"An argument? About what?"
"About...about a bad debt." Tanaka Junichi swallowed hard, muttering, "A loan they approved has run into problems; the borrower has absconded, and the amount is substantial..."
"I...I lost control of my emotions at the time and said some very harsh things..."
"I said his irresponsible auditing would bankrupt the company and leave everyone starving... I even... I called him incompetent and a sinner against the company... I said we should hold him accountable and make him compensate for the losses..."
Tanaka Junichi clutched his head in his hands: "I was so angry I lost my mind... Now that I think about it... the look in his eyes when he left... it was terrifying... empty, yet filled with hatred..."
"And then this morning, the word 'liquidation' was written in blood on my workstation?" Kogoro Mouri concluded, his face grim.
That makes the motivation seem quite clear.
An employee who was humiliated, threatened with huge compensation, and owed wages, chose an extreme form of "liquidation" out of despair and anger.
"Yes!" Tanaka Junichi said, trembling. "And...and what's even more terrifying is that when I got to the office this morning, I found...I found that the safe on my desk had been pried open! Inside...there was a banknote inside...and a sum of money is missing! Now...it's gone!"
Yuki Takada's gaze sharpened slightly.
The missing employees, the threatening words written in blood, the stolen sharp knife, and the president's own intense fear... the implications are too obvious.
"Did you call the police?" Kogoro Mouri pressed.
"No...no!" Tanaka Junichi immediately shook his head, his voice almost pleading. "Detective Mouri, you can't call the police! Absolutely not!"
“If I call the police, and things get out of hand, and the media finds out, my company will be completely finished! I’ll lose customers, the banks will withdraw their loans… and I’ll have nothing left!”
"And...and what if Yamamoto...he really did something irreversible...I...I..." He stammered, his fear mixed with extreme worry for his own interests.
Kogoro Mouri was silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing his options.
He understood the president's concerns, but the situation was clearly serious.
"Where is Fuyuyama Reihito's residence? Have you looked for it?"
"I searched for him! As soon as I noticed anything unusual, I sent my subordinates to his rented apartment immediately!"
The landlord said he seemed to have gone back last night, but left early this morning without taking any luggage, only carrying the bag he usually uses to go to work.
The phone is switched off, and we can't reach them at all!
"Detective Mouri, please! Please find Fuyuyama Reihito and stop him before things get out of control!" Tanaka Junichi pleaded urgently.
"Find out exactly what he's trying to do!! I'll pay him 200,000 yen after it's done."
"I suspect that Horikawa Airi may have been taken away by him."
"He wrote a threatening letter about 'liquidating' me, and now I can't even get through to my assistant, Airi Horikawa, on the phone... His next target... might be me!?"
Chapter 53 The Stolen Safe
Yuuki Takada, listening from behind, still sensed something was off about this request, and casually remarked:
"President Tanaka, if I may be so bold as to ask you a question, after all this time, you still haven't answered us about your relationship with Horikawa Airi?"
Upon hearing this, Junichi Tanaka glanced up at Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato, then said in a low voice, "Airi Horikawa is our company's finance manager and also my assistant."
"As for what's left, I think you and I, being men, should understand." Tanaka Junichi grinned as he finished speaking.
Although the other party did not say it explicitly, Yuuki Takada glanced at it and roughly understood the deep relationship between the two of them.
“However…” Takada Yuuki then asked, “How can you be so sure that Horikawa Airi is missing? Besides, maybe she had some unforeseen circumstances and didn’t come to the company today, who knows?”
“That’s absolutely impossible,” Tanaka Junichi continued. “When Horikawa Airi is not at the company, she usually informs me in advance. She would never take leave without a reason.”
"Moreover, I called her all morning but she didn't answer, and she didn't reply to my text messages either. During my lunch break, I even went to her house, but I still didn't see her. That's why I was wondering if something had happened to her."
Yuuki Takada questioned the middle-aged man in front of him: "Then why do you suspect that Airi Horikawa's disappearance is related to Reihito Fuyuyama?"
“This…” Tanaka Junichi looked up at them, but before he could speak, Takada Yuuki interrupted him, “If you don’t trust Detective Mouri, you can just call the police.”
"No, no, no... I'll tell you, okay!" Tanaka Junichi said calmly, "Actually, Horikawa Airi is Fuyuyama Reihito's girlfriend. They initially worked together at the company."
"I didn't expect your relationship to be so complicated!" Sato Miwako said softly.
"I understand!" Kogoro Mori slammed his hand on the table, immediately stood up from the sofa, and said excitedly, "There's no time to lose! President Tanaka, take us to your company right now!"
"We must immediately investigate the scene and find any clues left by Fuyuyama Reihito! Also, contact Ms. Horikawa Airi's family and friends immediately to confirm her last whereabouts!"
"Okay...okay! The car is downstairs!" Tanaka Junichi, as if grasping at a lifeline, hurriedly got up, his legs still a little weak.
“Sato…” Takada Yuki finally spoke, his voice calm and composed. He leaned close to Sato Miwako and whispered, “Don’t contact the Metropolitan Police Department for now. If anything serious happens, you can contact them then.”
"Understood!" Sato Miwako followed Takada's instructions without hesitation, remaining silent and still.
Yuki Takada's instructions were clear and decisive, demonstrating his familiarity with Miwako Sato's operational procedures.
"Brother Takada, what do you think about this matter..." Kogoro Mouri looked at Yuuki Takada, seeking his judgment.
Yuki Takada did not answer immediately. He stood up and glanced at Junichi Tanaka, who was still in shock, especially at his collar, which was soaked with sweat.
There seemed to be a tiny, barely perceptible powdery substance clinging to the edge of the collar?
The color is very light, almost skin-toned.
Yuki Takada's eyes paused slightly, but he didn't say anything.
“The surface evidence chain is very strong…” Yuki Takada said calmly, “but since the other party dared to write a threatening letter, it is clear that they already know some of Tanaka’s secrets. As for what those secrets are, we have no idea.”