Disclaimer: All the Detective School Q characters belong to their creator.
35. Blood on Satin
The narcotic's effect would not have been immediate. Ryu pondered this paradox once the ceremony was over. Judith might have seen the thief, and she would have known who else besides the bridesmaids and groom came to her room while she was preparing for the solemnization. Yet she had kept silent on that account. She was even reluctant to bring in the police, because… Ryu glanced towards his step-relations. Seeing his father alone, he approached him.
"Have you seen your mother, erm, I mean Judith?" his father asked Ryu. The momentary flash of annoyance in Ryu's face did not escape the notice of the older Amakusa. His father seemed worried. The bride was not in the crowd of guests at the buffet nearby. "I'll look for her," Ryu replied half-heartedly.
"You mean those new upper-class New England step family members of Ryu's are not as well off as we think?" Kinta whispered. Kazuma nodded. Kyu and Megumi were also there, perched on the folding chairs on the porch.
"Ryunosuke dug up all this dirt. Pearl Remington's finishing school for girls has been in the red for years. The board is looking into possible embezzlement of funds by Mrs Remington. Her estranged daughter, Delilah Remington, better known as Salome, is neck-deep in debt. Her brother, Joshua Remington has most of his share of the fortune sunk into a mining investment in Africa that is going bust. He also needs cash. Uncle Jonah Remington's under investigation for embezzling funds from his own ministry. Grandmother Neeves is in the early stages of dementia. Her daughter, Marguerite is in dire need of money for her mother's medical care as well as her daughter's. Rosa has a medical condition of some kind which Ryunosuke can't confirm yet. In addition, her late husband chalked up debts…" Kazuma pushed up his glasses. Ryunosuke was good at digging up such stuff. Kazuma supposed the Cyber Sleuth taught him well.
"So it may be possible that she knows who the thief is but is shielding him or her," Ryu cut in. "Have you seen Judith? My father is looking for her…"
"Maybe she's gone to say goodbye to her first flame," a voice added. The bridesmaid Hikami Kyoko giggled. She leaned out of one of the windows overlooking the porch. "Didn't you know? Judith was in love with Cousin Joshua, until he broke off with her last year. But inside, maybe he still likes her…" she pulled her head back indoors.
"Wasn't she flirting with him earlier?" Kyu asked Megumi. The girl nodded.
"Have you kids seen Judith?" a flustered Joshua Remington asked. "No," Ryu replied coldly. "We thought she might be with you." The young man wiped his face with his handkerchief and pulled up his black pants before trying the marquee.
"Guys, one more thing. There was a heist by Loki ten years ago in New York. Christies' lost an ancient Mayan artefact they were going to auction. Both the Neeves and Remingtons would be aware of this. It was before their fortunes took a turn for the worse. Any of them could use Loki's name in hopes of covering up their theft," Kazuma added. "Ryunosuke is convinced that his father will never injure a woman during a theft. I have run a check on all the known cases attributed to Loki and he has never hurt anyone in any of his thefts."
Kinta stood up, picked up a small pebble from the path and suddenly flung it into a nearby bush. A yelp of pain sounded and a irate reporter emerged from the bushes. Just as he had thought, the bridesmaid was not the only eavesdropper. "Hey, mister! That's poison ivy you're in!" Kinta added as an afterthought. With a rare grin, Ryu translated it into English for poor reporter. Not that he needed it. Larry Lazarus was starting to itch all over. He ran to his car, a dusty blue rental.
A piercing scream sounded from within the house. "Judith!" Ryu was rudely pushed aside as both the new husband and Joshua Remington rushed past him.
The first to reach the scene was the cousin. "She's dead!" the bride was hysterical as she ran out of the bathroom. Judith ran straight to Joshua Remington's outstretched arms. "There, there… everything will be alright…" Joshua coaxed as he held the sobbing bride. Blood stained her trailing skirts. Bloody footprints led from the bathroom. "Call an ambulance, hurry!" Joshua shouted first in English, then in halting Japanese. The groom and the others could only stand stunned at the sight of the horror within the bathroom. It was too late for an ambulance.
Blood pooled and congealed on the tiled floor. It painted the sink and countertop red. Amidst the dark red was the sparkling gemstone red of the Remington Rubies, glowing bloodied on the victim's slashed neck. A knife, which Ryu recognised as one of a set from his own kitchen, was rammed in her back to the hilt. Megumi let out a gasp of horror and shuddered. Kyu placed a reassuring arm around her. It was too much her Megumi, she had to turn away.
The victim's hysterical mother suddenly shoved past them. "Don't touch anything!" Ryu shouted out too late. The distraught mother took the corpse in her arms, screaming and shaking its shoulders. Pearl Remington then swooned in a dead faint on the bloodied floor.
Kinta retained the presence of mind to take out his mobile. This was a clear-cut murder. The groom urged Joshua to assist Judith to a nearby room to recover. The young man complied, taking the shocked bride away from the bloody scene. Ryu and his father then helped the awakening Pearl Remington to her feet. She refused further assistance and retreated stoically to the same room as Judith.
A camera flash went off and a commotion broke out. The minister and the reporter grappled with each other. The reverend won the struggle, wresting the camera from Larry and smashing it against the wall. "What are you doing? That's my scoop!" the reporter howled, he was still scratching himself from the poison ivy. "Get out of here at once," the minister's voice was stern. Muttering under his breath, the reporter stumbled downstairs.
The minister straightened his shirt, which had been torn in the scuffle. Kyu recalled that he had been wearing a jacket earlier during the ceremony. Then he noticed something unusual. The tear in the shirt exposed part of his back. "Mister, you are bleeding…" he said. The man only shrugged. "It's nothing…" He hastened to get away.
"Hold on," Kinta stopped him. "Excuse me… would you mind taking off your shirt?"
"I refuse," the minister was flustered. "How come you have blood on your back?" Kinta countered. The minister remained silent, prompting Megumi to repeat the question in English.
"Because Uncle Jonah whips himself in atonement for his sins," Rosa de Silva explained quietly. "I didn't mean to see, but I saw him doing it one night when I was cleaning up after the service…" With a resigned sigh, the minister removed his shirt. His back was marred with criss-crossing whip scars. Most were old. Some were still raw and recent.
Ryu bent over the body. He gingerly touched its wrist. There was no pulse as expected. The body was just starting to cool. He touched the face and jaw. Rigor has not yet set in. As an afterthought, he closed those staring eyes.
"I'm Inspector Kumoda and this is Constable Mori," the policeman introduced himself. "Who found the body?"
"The bride, Judith Neeves, now Judith Amakusa," Ryu replied on his stepmother's behalf. "She's resting upstairs. I'm Amakusa Ryu… her stepson." It had taken a lot of effort on his part to persuade all he guests to remain for questioning. Most of his father's business associates and friends have been cleared of suspicion for now. Only the bridesmaids, wedding planner and Judith's family were left, and that annoying reporter.
"So there was a theft earlier? Of this ruby necklace?" the inspector asked. Ryu nodded. He did not miss the look the inspector gave the constable. He and his classmates have decided not to use their DDS badges unless absolutely necessary. Moreover, they do not have a decent lead yet and all evidence was strongly against Judith.
"Do you suspect she's the killer?" the wedding planner blurted. She paused awkwardly at her own interruption. "I'm Shogo Sayako… wedding planner… Mrs Amakusa wouldn't hurt a fly… Excuse me…" she fled for the kitchen sink, retching into it. "The theft and now murder… makes me sick… Sorry," she apologized profusely. She looked so pale that Ryu extended a hand, helping her back to the living room and into an armchair. The policemen were still going to around taking statements and Ryu noticed that Constable Mori was on his way upstairs, no doubt to interview Judith.
Author's Notes:
The evidence looks bad. Everyone in Judith's family seems to be in need of money.