A/N: Hello fellow fanfic readers and writers! Hope you all had a pleasant weekend. My weekend personally wasn't that great, as I have been experiencing epigastric discomfort from my ulcer. Unfortunately, that meant no drinking my usual intake of three coffees a day—so I've basically been trying to stay awake on just plain old water instead. The struggles of being a caffeine addict... Well, it could be worse, I guess. Lol.

But anyway, without further ado, hope you enjoy the next chapter of my murder mystery fanfic! :D

Chapter 7: Evening Discussions

Beneath the horizon of Kamakura, the last rays of sunlight slipped away, signalling a new evening. Lights from office buildings and people's houses began to softly glow like a starry sea in the twilight. At the Kamakura Police Station, the surrounding streets were deserted. Giant gnarly trees grew up surrounded by thick leafy bushes alongside the sidewalk. Besides the dim flickering street lights, the entire area was dark. No sign of human life could be seen, except for a single brightly illuminated window in the police station.

And this very window happened to be that of Inspector Etou's office. Inside his small workspace, five people were tightly crammed in.

"Well, any word from the autopsy?" Inspector Etou asked the policeman in front of him.

"Yep. Apparently, Nishiyama Keishi had a drug in his stomach similar to morphine," was the reply.

"Was there a lethal amount?" Sergeant Tanaka questioned.

The policeman replied, "The medical examiner says there wasn't. Not enough to die from intoxication."

His answer brought a victorious smile to Kanami's face. So, it was indeed as she thought... Crossing her arms, the Minoseki Toji closed her eyes to reflect on this new piece of information. She lost her train of thought, however, once the policeman continued giving his report to Inspector Etou.

"We've sent a couple of men down to the municipal registrar's office as you asked, sir. The employees have confirmed Nishiyama Keishi was indeed there last week. He was asking for records on Shino Akira, but because he told them he wasn't a relative, they couldn't give him any personal information."

"So, he did go down there, eh?" Sergeant Tanaka whistled.

Hiyori, however, was confused. "Then how did he get his hands on Shino Akira's birth certificate?"

"Maybe with the help of organized crime. You know, it wouldn't surprise me if a man like Nishiyama Keishi had connections with those sorts of people," the sergeant said, lighting a cigar.

His sensitive nose wrinkling from his colleague's tobacco fumes, Inspector Etou coughed, "Thank you, Officer Kimura. That'll be all."

"Yes, sir."

The four investigators were left looking at Inspector Etou's large whiteboard. On it, he had posted photos of the victim and six suspects. In his neat block-like handwriting, he'd written down clear notes on what they learned so far. Getting up from his chair, the inspector addressed his fellow three investigators.

"Alright, so we got our main suspects. What do you all think so far?"

Sergeant Tanaka blew a puff of smoke and put his feet up on the chair his colleague just vacated. "Well, first there's Chizuru-san. If it's true about that will, she could've been lying about not having any knowledge of it, and bumped off Nishiyama Keishi to get the money. Or the wife could've done it, out of jealousy or wanting to try to steal the money for herself."

Looking up from her phone with a frown, Hiyori grumbled, "Well, Nishiyama Maina clearly was lying when she told the stage manager her train was delayed this morning."

She showed them the train tracking app on her cellular device and added, "No trains were late at all throughout the whole entire day. And the 7:40 was clearly on time."

"Mighty suspicious then, eh?" Sergeant Tanaka commented, pulling at his moustache.

Kanami said, "Kawamura-san could also possibly have been the perpetrator. This business with the Shino case... He's the only suspect who directly admitted to having a connection to the victim of the kidnapping in 1995. And as to where Shino Sayuri's baby boy is, well—we are all still in the dark."

Something about the Minoseki Toji's tone of voice made her girlfriend ask, "Are you seriously determined to find Shino Akira?"

"Of course, Hiyori-chan. I always keep my word. Why would I have reason to lie to Kawamura-san?"

Inspector Etou let out a sigh, before checking his brass pocket-watch. Minato's face smiled back at him with those lively eyes he loved offering him encouragement. With Akane by his side now, Inspector Etou no longer mourned for Minato, but there still were occasions when he'd miss her.

With another of his heavy characteristic sighs, he announced, "Here's our game plan for tomorrow. Tanaka, I'd like you and Hiyori-sama to question Nishiyama Maina again. And this time, I want no lying from her. Kanami, you and I will search the rest of the theatre. Agreed?"

"Yes, sir!" Sergeant Tanaka said.

Then with a broad grin, he turned to Hiyori, joking, "We've got this, Watson."

The Head of the Origami Family would've given him a raised eyebrow in response, but at that moment, Officer Kimura returned to the room. He was quite pink in the face and short of breath, as he turned to Inspector Etou.

"Sir, I think you should look at this," he said and handed the inspector a piece of paper. "We've also investigated Nishiyama Keishi's bank records. Exactly 100,000 yen has been taken out once every month since April this year and believe it or not...transferred to the bank account of a small business. A pub to be exact—the Leroux Bar."

"The Leroux Bar?" Inspector Etou exclaimed with a frown.

"That's the pub across the street from the Origami National Theatre," Sergeant Tanaka said.

"And we know one suspect that goes there all the time..." Hiyori said, her voice dark with suspicion.

'Things are getting very interesting now...' Kanami thought.

After being interviewed by the four investigators, Maina spent the chief of her time locked up in her private dressing room. She could do nothing but stare at the wall and think. Glad as Maina was that she was now rid of her beast of a husband, she was smart enough to know that as his wife, she would be a prime suspect. She saw it in the eyes of the four investigators...they were suspicious of her.

The unpleasantness of it all made the theatre performer withdraw herself right after. She could feel the rest of her colleagues looking at her differently when she made her way back to her dressing room. Uncomfortable to feel everyone's eyes piercing behind her back... She avoided them all and withdrawn herself, unwilling to speak to anyone. Nothing made Maina open her door when she'd hear knocks from people asking to be let in—not words of concern from Yoko, nor hasty apologies from Hiroshi, nor even gentleness from Taiyo. Eventually, they got the hint and left her alone.

It registered in Maina's mind that the media would be swarming up to her once she stepped foot out of the theatre doors. To the vain theatre performer, in normal circumstances, she'd relish the idea of public attention. However, this time, that would not do.

She left the theatre later than usual when the night was pitch-black with the fog hanging thickly in the air. Her face and hair were concealed by one of her fashionable navy-blue cloche hats, along with an ermine wrap covering her neck and shoulders. Maina kept to the darkest streets, walking as quickly as possible towards the safety of her own home. Despite her anxiety of somebody possibly following her, the theatre performer had a sense of giddiness building up inside her.

'My husband is dead. My husband is dead!' she kept repeating in her mind.

To think of that! Nishiyama Keishi, the aggressive and domineering villain who kept her psychologically chained to him—dead! Dead in just a split second from breaking his neck by hanging. The thought made a grin full of dazzling white teeth cross Maina's face. Her pace quickened into a galloping skip as she gaily hopped onto her train.

'Perhaps I'll order Uber Eats for tonight's dinner,' Maina thought, smiling at her own reflection in the train window. 'I can't even remember the last time I ordered for food online.'

After reaching the towering iron gates of her mansion, the theatre performer's nose was met with the distinct smell of smoke. It was heavy and suffocating—and very close by. The haunting red glow just a few feet away made her understand. Maina's feet forced her to fly across the long path towards her large house until her eyes were met with the horrifying sight.

What was once her beautiful mansion was now a crumbling structure lit ablaze like a bonfire. The flames reached to an unnatural height, shining like a beacon across the night sky.

"HELP! HELP!" Maina screamed.

In distress, she kept crying out for anyone to come to her aid, even though her mansion was a considerable distance away from any other house. It took a while for her common sense to kick in, but eventually, her fingers managed to fumble through her purse and find her phone, quickly dialling for the fire brigade.

"Oh please, help me!" she cried into the phone. "My house is on fire and—"

Her light green eyes caught sight of a black hooded figure approaching. Before Maina could even scream or turn on her heel to run, her head was quickly struck by something heavy and her body crashed to the ground.

"The servants here are very irritable, I must say. When you were out, I just politely asked Kobayashi-san if he could spare me a minute. And for no reason, he just snapped at me. He's rather strange, in my opinion. All smiling and friendly for one moment, and then ill-tempered the next."

Looking at Sanae from her vanity mirror, Hiyori gave her lady's maid a sympathetic smile. "The servants' families have worked here at the estate for many generations. I'm sure Kobayashi Choji knows what he's doing and didn't mean to antagonize you, but he'll talk to him later."

Shaking her head gently, Sanae began brushing her mistress's long ebony hair. "No need, Hiyori-sama. I'm fine. I still have a lot to learn about working here."

"I'm truly grateful that you're here, Sanae," Hiyori said, with a tinge of guilt in her voice.

And she meant it. In Hiyori's mind, Sanae should've still been a Toji at the Heijou Institute, enjoying the youthful years of her life. Shopping, going out with friends and living carefreely... Not working as a servant with only a black frock and white apron to wear as a uniform. And yet, Sanae had jumped at the chance to serve Hiyori as her lady's maid, her only wish being to remain by the Origami Head's side as support.

Struggling to brush one of Hiyori's large tangles, Sanae mentioned, "I heard about what happened at the Origami National Theatre today. It's shocking to think about what happened to Nishiyama-san. That poor wife of his too!"

"Well, Nishiyama Keishi was more than just that smiling wavy man he'd pretend to be in public," Hiyori replied, not bothering to roll her eyes.

"Oh? Do tell."

It took a while for Hiyori to fully explain everything to her former classmate. Sanae's normally kind-looking face turned different shades of colour quite a few times in awe and disbelief.

"And to imagine that practically every woman fell at his feet when he was treating his wife so terribly," the silver-haired girl exclaimed.

"Kanami and I are offering our help with the case. You mustn't tell anyone."

Sanae grinned. "I'm always good at keeping secrets, Hiyori-sama. You have my word."

Their conversation was brought to a halt at the sound of the Origami Head's phone ringing. A quick glance at her screen told Hiyori that Sergeant Tanaka was trying to contact her.

"Hello?"

In concern, Sanae watched as Hiyori's straight face became one of uneasiness. She could hear the muffled sounds of a man's anxious voice on the other end.

"Okay. Should I go over there now?"

"No...taken care of...get sleep...all good..." was all that Sanae's ears could make out.

"Right then. I'll come in the early morning though," Hiyori said. "Okay, bye."

"Hiyori-sama?"

"That was Sergeant Tanaka," the ebony-haired girl said, gravely. "Nishiyama Maina's house was burned down and she was attacked."

A/N: I really wanted to have another Sanae appearance to this fanfic, hence why I added her to this chapter. Who could've possibly attacked Maina and intentionally committed arson to her large mansion? Is it possible that someone is out to get her too?