A/N: My little cousin visited my house yesterday. That friendly face he put on saying he was passing by and just wanted to see me was only a cover... Turns out he pinched a few snacks from my pantry when my back was turned. And by a few, I mean at least ten bags of my favourite chips and cookies! He's not getting away with this...

Chapter 10: Footage Of Revelations

Officer Kimura had spent most of the morning sitting in front of his computer. After at least three hours, he was starting to get cross-eyed from the blue light. Rubbing his dark-rimmed eyes, the policeman leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh, before taking a sip of his coffee.

Normally, the Kamakura Police Station was anything but abuzz with activity. Crime was so rare in Japan these days, save for small theft incidences and little old ladies reporting about Peeping Toms. Although, the latter tended to be baseless most of the time and were just elderly nerves getting over-hysterical. Crimes of those sorts hardly were significant enough to strike the full attention of the police. Compared to other countries, Japan just wasn't a place where murder was common. But now, with the recent killing of Nishiyama Keishi, everyone at the Kamakura Police Station had their hands-on-deck. Phones had rung continuously since the day began—most of the calls being time-wasters—and men were being dispatched to different places throughout the city.

Officer Kimura normally didn't have much work to do besides patrolling an area he was assigned to. But now, having been kept busy for hours, he was beginning to think that maybe being bored was better after all. The entrance of Sergeant Tanaka and Hiyori made Officer Kimura breathe another sigh, only this time, it was one of relief.

"Good. You're here. I've been waiting to show you this," the policeman said.

He turned his monitor a bit to show them the entire traffic network of the city. With a few clicks of his computer mouse, Officer Kimura pulled up footage from the street camera near Maina's mansion. He indicated the dark figure that was hurrying from the scene, only briefly illuminated by the street lights.

"Zoom in a little on him," Sergeant Tanaka ordered.

Officer Kimura obeyed. The result was slightly fuzzy but clear enough for Sergeant Tanaka and Hiyori to recognize that Greek god-like face.

A low snarl escaped Hiyori's lips. "Kawamura Taiyo. I knew that man was a liar."

"And it looks like Maina-san fibbed to us once again," Sergeant Tanaka said. "Kawamura-san definitely is not a five-foot man with orange hair, like she described."

Hiyori crossed her arms and stared at Officer Kimura's computer. "Not just that...I believe that Nishiyama Maina was trying to protect him. She knew that he was the culprit all along."

"Two people possibly conspiring together, eh? It certainly opens a lot of theories for thought," the sergeant said. "Yet, what was the purpose of burning down Maina-san's house?

Hiyori gave no reply. The eidetic memory that she hadn't used in so long was once again doing its work. She closed her eyes, letting her recollection of events play through her mind like a movie. She thought back on Maina and Taiyo's interaction with each other at the hospital. She thought back upon when they questioned all the suspects.

'A change to a new will...an argument Matsuno Jun overheard...and now Kawamura Taiyo burning down Nishiyama Maina's house...'

The Origami Head had her eyes closed for quite a while that Officer Kimura, who had been staring at her the whole time, wondered if she had possibly fallen asleep standing right up. But at last, Hiyori opened her eyes again and her burgundy orbs almost sparkled the same way as Kanami's, when she'd finally solve a crime.

"It's so obvious when one thinks about it," Hiyori murmured, under her breath. "But if I'm correct, why did they do so?"

Both Officer Kimura and Sergeant Tanaka were now looking at her in confusion. The Origami Head addressed the former.

"Do you have footage from yesterday morning? I want to see where Nishiyama Maina was that made her late," she said.

Sergeant Tanaka added, "She arrived at the theatre late at 8:10. Start from there and then we'll go backwards to follow which route she took."

It took a few minutes for Officer Kimura to locate the correct street camera but eventually, the three of them were faced with footage showing the back of the Origami National Theatre. Right when they saw Maina about to enter, Sergeant Tanaka told Officer Kimura to pause the video.

"Okay, now rewind and follow her," the sergeant ordered.

Rewinding the several different CCTV footage was a tedious process, but Officer Kimura managed it in the end. Hiyori would have found it slightly funny to see Maina and those around her walking backwards if she wasn't so focused on the job at hand. After a few minutes, they then watched the female theatre performer go in and out of a certain small building.

"Stop!" Hiyori cried. "Pause right there."

"What building is that?" Sergeant Tanaka wondered.

The building was whitewashed and inconspicuously between two taller ones. Hiyori frowned a little.

"That's a maternity clinic."

"We're getting somewhere now, aren't we?" the sergeant murmured, stroking his moustache.

The LeRoux Pub was a creaky wooden place that appeared to have more height than width. Two large barrels stood on each side of the entry door. On top of one of them was placed a small sandwich board that said OPEN in big block letters. Peering through a translucent window, Inspector Etou was only able to make out dull red lights from within what appeared to otherwise be inky darkness.

The inspector was no stranger to pubs. He and Sergeant Tanaka liked to go for a drink themselves after work some nights. However, the establishment they frequented was a lively and crowded place—large and well-lit with a picture of the Tokyo skyline painted on the walls. The LeRoux Bar was something else entirely and Inspector Etou didn't even have to step in to know that he didn't like it.

"Stick close to me. I don't feel safe letting you in here in the first place," the inspector said to his daughter.

He pushed open the front door and immediately his sensitive nose was attacked by a wall of cigarette fumes. Both of their eyes watering from the foul smell, Inspector Etou and Kanami crossed the threshold into the room heavy with alcohol and tobacco. The inspector knew that he was right to be cautious about Kanami's protection once he saw who half of the patrons were. Ugly men with sneering mouths and leather clothes that screamed more or less gangster wear. One of them with a scar over his left eye gave a smile of yellow crooked teeth at the sight of the Minoseki Toji, ogling her curvaceous thighs. Kanami only threw him a dirty look in response, before linking her arm with her father's.

As for the other half of the patrons, both Kanami and Inspector Etou's cheeks became warmer by a few degrees at the sight of them. Young girls sauntered around in tight-fitting dresses, either flirting coquettishly with their much-older companions or doing something a bit more risqué and simulating with them. The Minoseki Toji's blush deepened when she saw a girl that looked so much like Hiyori wink at her with long feather-like eyelashes. Eventually, Kanami had to look away when Hiyori's lookalike began lifting up her skirt slightly as though to tempt her.

'It's not her. It's not her!' Kanami scolded herself internally.

The two investigators went over to the bar area where a grisly man with tattoos stood behind it, polishing a dirty glass. One glance at the bartender's beefy muscles and Inspector Etou knew that if he didn't choose his words carefully, his neck could be snapped with just one twist.

The bartender let out a dry cough before grunting, "What can I get ya?"

His eyes then cast a look at Kanami and asked, "If ya looking for a job, we have enough eye-candy already. Try the love hotel down the street."

"I'm not here for a job," the Minoseki Toji snapped.

"If ya here for a drink, beat it. No minors allowed," was the response.

Inspector Etou had enough. He whipped out his badge, but the sight of it didn't seem to faze the burly man.

"Oh, ya a PC Plod then, eh? Whadda ya want?"

"Please state your name, sir," Inspector Etou said.

"Yamaguchi Shintaro."

"Well then, Yamaguchi-san, we'd like to ask you a few questions."

"This 'bout that killing 'cross the street at that damn theatre?" Shintaro grunted. "Keishi had it good, in my opinion. Fuckin' bastard deserved it."

"We've heard he frequented this place with Matsuno Jun," Kanami stated.

"Yeah, so what?" Shintaro demanded.

"Were you familiar with the two of them?" Inspector Etou asked, taking out his notepad and pen.

"Keishi, no. Jun, yes," was the reply. "Jun and I go way back."

"Oh really? You trust him then?"

Shintaro's already unfriendly face was somehow able to contort into something nastier. "Jun's fine. Why do ya ask?"

"We have reason to believe he may be involved in an illegal money transfer business—one that involves your pub, sir," Inspector Etou said, taking out the copy of Keishi's bank records.

The bartender barely glanced at it, preoccupied with the glass he was cleaning. "Bullshit. Jun is just the benefactor of this place. He ain't involved in that crap and neither am I."

'Liar,' Kanami thought.

Her eyes slowly resting on the clunky television above the bar, she then casually commented, "You have CCTV, I notice."

Shintaro made no response to this. However, he soon learned Kanami was not done with pestering him.

"Did Matsuno-san come to the pub last night?"

"Yeah. Ordered a round of five beers."

"And what time was that?" Inspector Etou asked.

"At around ten-ish last night. He stayed a few good hours—probably till one somethin'."

'And yet he said he was at home at midnight,' both Kanami and Inspector Etou thought.

"Do you have CCTV footage from last night?" the Minoseki Toji asked.

A sigh that sounded more like a lion's growl erupted from the bartender's throat. With a swipe at the battered remote behind him, he started rewinding the television footage. Sure enough, there was Jun taking more than a few swigs at the bar. Then to the two investigators' surprise, Hiroshi barged in and started arguing with the theatre performer. The quarrel certainly lasted quite a while and eventually, the two individuals sulkily left at exactly 1:05.

"Didn't see that coming," Inspector Etou said. "Yamaguchi-san, did you hear exactly what they were arguing about?"

"No," snorted the bartender. "I was in the back going through new stock that arrived."

Then, all of his sudden, his irritation seemed to boil over and he snapped, "Now look here! Don't ya ask so many meddlin' questions, ya damn copper and ya lil' bitch! Imma done talking! Get out!"

And he made such a commotion that everyone in the bar was now looking at them. There was no point in staying any longer.

"Come on, Kanami," Inspector Etou said. "We're done here."

His daughter was all too glad to hear those words. They'd only been in there for a few minutes, yet that was more than long enough for their liking. The two investigators inhaled and exhaled deeply when they stepped out and got their first breath of fresh air. Any second longer in there and Inspector Etou was sure his sensitive nose would've made him faint. After getting rid of the pollution in their lungs, Kanami asked the million-dollar question.

"Why was Kishinouye-san there too last night? His wife said they were both at home."

Her father answered, "That will be a question we shall have to ask our lying suspects now, won't we?"

A/N: Only three more chapters left! Who do you think is the murderer so far? Feel free to leave your suspicions in the reviews!