A/N: Pouring rain where I live now. Fall has officially begun indeed. That's good cause I don't have many summer clothes to begin with. My winter closet though...heh heh...
Chapter 8: Shino Akira
The sun's iridescent rays of the dawn barely crested over the horizon of Kamakura before they struck what was once Maina's mansion, revealing the first glimpses of the smouldering ruins. What had been a beautiful large structure of white limestone and shimmering glass windows was now a heap of rubble, letting ominous black clouds of smoke hover over the air. A crew of firefighters were attending to a few small plumes of fire that still had the resistance to remain ablaze. All that remained was a single begrimed wall that stood proudly and defiantly amongst the wreckage. Already policemen put tape around the area and were performing their duties, searching for anything suspicious.
With his hands in his pocket, Sergeant Tanaka gave a low whistle at the sight of the destruction. He couldn't help but feel glad that he lived in a small apartment. In his eyes, a simple life was better than one with excessiveness and wealth. One never realized how much one owned until it was lost forever. Turning his eyes away from the smoky remains, Sergeant Tanaka watched the Origami Family limo pull up into Maina's driveway. He waved good-naturedly at Hiyori, who stepped out with round eyes.
"Woah," was the first thing she said.
Having caught sight of the Head of the Origami Family, a policeman hurried over with a respectful bow in greeting. Sergeant Tanaka requested the report.
"Arson attack due to clear suspicious circumstances, sir. We've searched the area but there's been no sign of the assailant at all," was the reply.
"Did the house have any security cameras?" Sergeant Tanaka asked.
"Only that thing," the policeman replied, pointing up to a molten lump hanging from the still-standing wall.
"Okie dokie then. Check street camera footage or CCTV of any kind around this area," Sergeant Tanaka ordered. "Maybe we can find a shot of our escapee and get a hint of his escape route."
"Right away, sir," the policeman said, with a bow.
Turning to Hiyori, Sergeant Tanaka said, "In the meanwhile, I think we'd better see Nishiyama Maina at the hospital."
After ordering her chauffeur to drive back to the estate, Hiyori found herself sitting in the front of Sergeant Tanaka's car. It reminded her of the first time she was driven by him to the Special Sword Administration Bureau when they were trying to solve the case of Yukari's murder. A strange sense of nostalgia coursed through her. Like before, Sergeant Tanaka talked boisterously through most of the ride, cracking jokes and asking questions. He would have babbled on the entire time if Hiyori hadn't brought him back to the current situation with a flat remark.
"Nishiyama Keishi was murdered yesterday and then around midnight, his wife is attacked and their house burned down. Coincidence or not?"
She raised an eyebrow at the sergeant, who kept his eyes peeled on the road. "It definitely raises an eyebrow."
Struck with a new idea, Hiyori suggested, "Do you think it's possible that Nishiyama Maina was the one meant to be knocked off? Or possibly even both of them?"
Reaching a hand into the potato chip bag he kept beside him, Sergeant Tanaka said, "Looks like we shall have to find out!"
"Right then. We'll meet you both at the police station tonight. Okay bye."
With a sigh, Inspector Etou got off his cellphone and turned to his daughter. Kanami recognized his expression as the one he'd particularly wear whenever he was stressed.
"What's the scoop?" she asked while fiddling with the handle of Chidori.
"Tanaka just told me that he and Hiyori-sama are headed to the hospital. Maina-san had been hurt in the arson attack," Inspector Etou replied.
He felt his phone vibrate again and let out an exclamation of annoyance. "My God, what does he want now?"
His exasperated expression altered into one of uneasiness, once he saw that the text message he received was not what he expected. Nor was it even from Sergeant Tanaka. Kanami's expression became one of concern itself.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
Inspector Etou typed back a response, before replying, "That was your brother. Akane apparently experienced a bit of nausea when they drove out to lunch. She's just carsick, he said."
"But she'll be alright, won't she?" Kanami asked, anxiously.
"I'm sure she will be," her father replied, although Kanami could tell by his tone, that he was still worried about his wife.
To distract their minds from her older brother's recent report, the Minoseki Toji suggested they start with their search for clues as planned. Inspector Etou put up no objection. He was still not over what they learnt last night about the Leroux Bar. From Keishi's bank records told them, if loads of his cash had indeed been going into the pub's account without his knowledge, the possibility of stealing could be a new motive. And seemed like a question Inspector Etou believed Jun would be capable of answering. Also, he was interested in learning the whereabouts of everyone, during the time Maina's mansion was set ablaze.
The inspector and his daughter first searched the various rooms backstage before turning their attention to those belonging to their six suspects themselves. They decided to begin with the Kishinouyes' office in which they found the occupants. Inspector Etou explained the purpose to their visit, to which the Kishinouyes nodded understandingly.
"Here are the keys to our filing cabinets if you wish to search them too," Yoko said, in her usual nonchalant tone.
The personalities of the elderly couple could be very easily noted. One desk contained nothing more than a lamp and a laptop, which Kanami took to be Yoko's. The other right next to it had a messy disarray of papers spread over every work surface, which was characteristic of Hiroshi. On the walls were framed posters of the several performances that the Origami National Theatre presented. The filing cabinets that Yoko indicated the two investigators thoroughly went through. However, Inspector Etou noticed that Kanami seemed to be masking her worry for Akane by making pointless remarks.
"By the way," the Minoseki Toji began, "where were you both at around midnight?"
The reply came immediately from Yoko. "Hiro and I were home. We left the theatre at around eight o'clock last night."
Her husband's eyes flitted to look at his wife, before watching Kanami struggle to slam shut a drawer that was stubbornly stuck. Eventually, with a harsh shove, she succeeded, rubbing her neck awkwardly.
"Sorry, I think I may have accidentally dented the little nameplate on your drawer while doing that," she apologized.
Inspector Etou shook his head before saying, "Come on, Kanami. Let's go. We're done here."
They discovered that Jun wasn't in his dressing room, so it was easy to go through his belongings without disturbance. Inspector Etou grunted when he found that an entire drawer of his contained bottles labelled Rubbing Alcohol. He opened one and sniffed gingerly, his nose wrinkling almost at once.
"Rubbing alcohol, my foot. This is most definitely liquor," the inspector said. "Damned ass."
Maina's dressing room was searched through next. It contained a vast arrangement of cosmetics and clothes in vibrant colors. Inspector Etou noticed that his daughter, for some reason, seemed to be searching for something in particular.
'If I had one, where would I put it if I didn't want it discovered?' Kanami thought to herself, before glancing at the theatre performer's mirror. 'Bingo.'
A quick look behind the looking-glass rewarded her with a piece of paper taped to the back of it. Kanami shot her father a victorious glance.
"I had suspicions that since she didn't show any love for her husband that she was seeing someone else," the Minoseki Toji said.
She proudly presented the paper to Inspector Etou, who read:
Darling Maina:
This is utter agony—not being able to be by your side. I never thought I'd ever go crazy for anyone as I do for you. I love you, Maina. I love you so much. You know that, don't you? I promise that I'll save you from this wickedness. A classic fairy tale seems so redundant these days, but I will rescue you. You need not be afraid of the villain you are married to. Like your knight in shining armour, I will vanquish the fiend and we can live happily ever after. You're mine—always.
There was no signature, much to the two investigators' disappointment. And yet, this was a turn of events.
"You see? A clear threat to Nishiyama Keishi's life!" Kanami declared.
"You don't suppose this is from just a lovesick fan?" Inspector Etou asked.
"Oh no," was the reply. "Would Maina-san keep a letter from such a person? Sorry for being blunt, but the writing is terrible and mawkishly over-sentimental. No, she'd laugh and just toss it in the trash—unless it was someone she truly cared for."
"And just who is this secret lover then?" Inspector Etou mused.
Taiyo had no room designated just for him, but after a quick word with a backup dancer, they learned that the stage manager normally could be found up in the control booth. There was no sign of the individual they were seeking. Still, the two investigators did a bit of poking about, but as expected, their search was fruitless.
Chizuru's private dressing room was the last of all. Her possessions were examined, but they were of little interest to either of them. Kanami, however, with a stroke of good luck, was able to find Chizuru's ID card in her wallet. Her triumphant smile dropped once she read the name on it. Just as she was about to show her father, the door opened behind them and Chizuru walked in, stepping back a little in surprise at seeing them there. The blood drained from her face once she saw what Kanami was holding.
With a serious expression, Kanami asked, "Chizuru-san, why do you always go by your stage name anyway?"
The young white-haired woman struggled to keep a blank face. "Because my legal name is normally a guy's name."
"Shino Akira..." Kanami murmured.
"Yes."
Inspector Etou's mouth actually dropped all the way. He snapped it back shut before anyone could notice.
"You are the daughter of Nishiyama Keishi and Shino Sayuri. And you were not left on the doorstep of an orphanage as believed, but in fact, at the geisha house in Asakusa you worked at previously. And it was there that grew up, wasn't it? When we questioned you yesterday, you exclaimed, 'So that's why he—seemed so cold towards others,' I believe what you really meant to say was, 'So that's why he treated me like a daughter.' Or at least, something similar to that. Isn't that so?" Kanami asked.
"Yes..." Chizuru answered, hanging her head.
"Why did you not tell us your real name when we questioned you yesterday?" Inspector Etou demanded.
"Because after what you mentioned about Keishi-san being the man who did that to my mother, I knew that if I told you who I really was, I'd be a prime suspect," Chizuru explained. "I was scared of being accused and thrown into prison. The police these days aren't gentle and are very biased. Can't you both understand?"
Kanami gently nodded. "I do understand, Chizuru-san."
Her response seemed to put the theatre performer at ease. However, the Minoseki Toji was not quite done yet.
"Chizuru-san, might we ask where you were at around midnight?"
"At home," was the immediate reply.
"You did not go anywhere else? Perhaps to a pub? Or a restaurant to meet friends?"
"I assure you that I did not," Chizuru said.
Coughing a little, Inspector Etou said, "Very well, Chizuru-san."
The theatre performer bent her head, before taking back her ID card and wallet from Kanami. From that moment on, she never left those alone in her dressing room ever again. The inspector and the Minoseki Toji were standing motionless after she left.
"For my part, I never should have dreamed that she was Shino Akira," Inspector Etou exclaimed at last. "I always believed Shino Akira to be a young man."
"I think, Father, your inner consciousness was aware that it was her though."
His daughter's response made Inspector Etou recoil slightly in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"When we questioned her, you had tears in your eyes. Am I guessing right when I say that Shino Sayuri had perhaps purple eyes?" Kanami asked.
"Well—yes..."
There was an awkward silence between them.
"So, you've found her—surprisingly. Are you going to tell Kawamura Taiyo?" Inspector Etou asked.
"I don't know anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because something tells me that if Chizuru-san really was the murderer of her father, Kawamura-san would not want that revealed..."
A/N: So, Kanami has found Shino Akira, who is really Chizuru! What else will they discover? :O