A/N: Many thanks to all of you who have been following this fanfic so far.
I am still working on the plot details for my upcoming vampire fanfic, "Bloody Crown". Just by looking at the super-long plotline, I would not be surprised if it ends up having a ton of chapters. Probably it will be my longest fanfic yet...
Chapter 13: Suspect X
The servants' hall turned out to be larger than I expected, even bigger than the one back at the Origami Family Estate. It was strange, considering how Fumiko only had four staff members, in comparison to my twenty. Maybe the Murasaki Family had more servants when they were still alive. Occupying most of the entire room was a long table with several chairs. Propped against one of the walls was an upright piano, next to the bell board.
Kanami, Sanae, and I conducted our interviews each in turn with the staff. Like before, Ryosei and Kaho were of no help. Likewise, Ida Shun, the chauffeur, could provide little next to no additional information. It was only until we talked with Ogura Koji, the cook, that our disappointing situation turned around.
"I did experience something last night," Koji mentioned. "It happened when I was taking out the trash. I nearly got brained by a bottle that got thrown from above."
"Where did it nearly hit you?" I asked.
"I'll show you."
He led us outside into the frigid cold. Right when he opened the back door, huge blasts of icy wind smacked us all in the face. Hopping from foot to foot and clinging our clothes tight against our bodies, we followed Koji through the deep knee-high snow. Our feet sank with each step we took, soaking our socks. At last, Koji pointed up to a window.
"It was right here where it happened. Underneath one of the lounge windows."
Through her chattering teeth, Kanami asked, "And what time did this occur?"
"Probably around half past eight o'clock."
There was no sign of the bottle—most likely it was buried under all the thick piles of snow. Even though it could have provided us with a useful clue, none of us wanted to freeze to death searching for it in a blizzard.
As we hurried back as quickly as possible, Kanami said, "We would've all been in the lounge having post-dinner drinks at that time. I think that was shortly before we left for bed, right Hiyori-chan?"
"Perhaps when no one was looking, someone threw it out the window," I agreed.
"But why should anyone do that?" Sanae asked. "Fumiko-sama hadn't been poisoned...had she?"
No one replied as we were all too desperate to slam the door shut and brush the snow off of ourselves. A thin layer of frost was stuck to all of our hair, which immediately started melting in the warmth of the house.
Releasing a spasmodic shiver, I murmured, "Well, someone definitely did not want that bottle found."
"What are you doing, Hiyori-chan?" Kanami asked.
Looking up from my phone, I answered, "Emailing Director Maniwa. I have asked her to send me every file we have on the 11/9 attacks. They could prove useful."
"And what are we to do while we wait for her reply?" Sanae asked. "The evidence all of the Akabane Sword Team members gave us leads to nothing."
"I wouldn't say that. There have been a few points carelessly dropped that I've noticed," Kanami said. "Let us first consider the time of the crime. As I said before, eleven o'clock is merely an estimate that I gave. We have no definite proof that it was not done earlier or later. All we can go with is that the time of death was certainly between ten o'clock and midnight. That is fact number one."
Sanae protested, "But the mysterious person that Yamashiro-san and Suzumoto-san saw—"
"Yes, our anonymous individual...let's call her Suspect X for now, like Suzumoto-san's library book," Kanami declared. "If X really was the murderer, the time of her escape from Fumiko-sama's study agrees with the estimated time of death—eleven o'clock."
"Could such a person have even existed?" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in the air. "What is this Suspect X was a mere lie conjured by Yui and Hana?"
Sanae said, "Wait! I'm thinking of something."
Kanami and I waited respectfully while Sanae gathered her thoughts. Her eyes were tightly squeezed shut as though she was in the middle of lifting up some heavy weight.
"I have it. X could have just been a person totally unrelated to the murder. Perhaps she discovered Fumiko-sama dead, was afraid of being accused of the crime, locked the door, and escaped through the window!"
"That is an idea..." I murmured. "Good thinking, Sanae."
"And yet, why would X have had a reason to go into Fumiko-sama's study in the first place?" Kanami pointed out.
Sanae looked pained at her theory having come to a question difficult to explain. Yet, Kanami seemed willing to indulge her.
"Everyone has a solid alibi of being with someone else, except for Kitora-san," she began. "Let us imagine Iwakura-san's theory for the moment—that X is a third person, rather than the killer. If so, the most likely person it would have been is Kitora-san. Unless perhaps another individual was the murderer, and the one she was supposedly with found Fumiko-sama's body, escaped out the study window and lied to us for some reason. Perhaps for the want of an alibi."
"And if Suspect X was indeed the culprit?" I asked.
Kanami rubbed her chin thoughtfully and opened up her notebook. "One thing is clear to me when examining the psychology of this crime. This was not a killing that was done impulsively on the spot. It was very carefully planned—by a 'cold and calculating individual'. What is the most likely reason Fumiko-sama was killed? By the evidence of the missing diary page—the terrorist attacks of November 9. Remember that only a handful of people knew Fumiko-sama was the culprit—Hiyori-chan, Director Maniwa, and a few government officials. In other words, the killer must've done a lot of research and digging to figure out who Fumiko-sama really was in order to form a detailed plan.
"But first, the murderer needed a reason to be able to cross paths with Fumiko-sama. She rarely left her mansion, so what must the killer do? Concoct an elaborate mission for the Akabane Sword Team to have an excuse to stay at Hakuchou Manor. It is the perfect excuse."
Knitting my eyebrows together, I asked, "You think the letter Chairwoman Wilkinson supposedly sent was a forgery?"
"Absolutely. I'm sure you noticed something off with that letter, didn't you, Hiyori-chan?"
Sighing, I replied, "Well, yes. But I didn't think much of it at first."
Sanae asked, "So, who forged that letter then? All I can think of is that Kitora-san herself would've been the easiest one to have done it. Perhaps even Setouchi-san, considering how she mentioned she's working towards becoming part of the Special Sword Administration Bureau once it's rebuilt. One would imagine she has dealt with official government affairs in the past, as part of her studies."
"And they are the two most likely people who fit into the whole 'cold and calculating individual' psychology part of it. They have the brains for one thing," I said.
"But it's extraordinary," Sanae gasped. "I can't believe that..."
There was a pause before I questioned, "And if Suspect X hadn't existed at all as I proposed earlier?"
"Then, that puts Yamashiro-san and Suzumoto-san under suspicion," Kanami said.
"They seem the most likely to work together—considering how they're lovers," I snorted. "So, who've we got so far that raise the most eyebrows? Kitora Mirja, Setouchi Chie, Yamashiro Yui, and Suzumoto Hana... And of those four, three are possibly connected with X. Mirja because she is the only one without an alibi, and Yui and Hana because they could've fabricated the story."
"So, you are eliminating Asakura-san, Musumi-san, and Shichinosato-san?" Sanae asked.
"We shouldn't right away," Kanami said. "After all, there's—"
We were interrupted by the presence of Ryosei, who nervously bowed to me. "Luncheon is ready to be served, m'lady. Would it be an inconvenience to ring the gong?"
"No, not at all," I replied. "We all need our midday meal anyway."
"Guess that's my cue to head back down to the servants' quarters," Sanae said. "I'll talk to you both soon perhaps?"
"Of course, Iwakura-san," Kanami answered. "We'll wait for you in the foyer before we begin our search of the house."
Luncheon was more appealing to my Japanese tastebuds, in comparison to last night's dinner. A simple multi-course meal, but not any less extravagant. A burst of different flavours kept our stomachs entertained. Seasonal fruits for appetizers, grilled eggplant with sweet miso paste, fresh sashimi on a bed of pickled vegetables, and Kanami's favourite—wild rice with natto.
During the meal, we all acted like the bunch of teenage girls we were. As if to dispel from our minds the memories of the morning, we talked freely with one another as we normally would when hanging out or on missions. Conservation about Fumiko's death, however, was silently agreed to be taboo. Instead, we chatted about other topics such as Minato, Kanami's infant stepsister; Maki and Suzuka's recent engagement; news from abroad...
All throughout this, my seating companion on my right hadn't said a single word. Silently, Mihono concentrated on her own plate, savouring each bite delicately. A stark contrast to last night when she was wolfing down any scrap of food she could get her hands on.
"Mihono?"
Since she didn't raise her head or even glance at me, I said a little louder, "Mihono!"
"E-Eh?!" she exclaimed, jumping a little.
Quickly glancing at our friends who were too distracted to have noticed, I turned back to frown at Mihono. How she just acted right now was only one of the many abnormal things in her behaviour that I observed. Although seemingly casual and harmless, it stuck in my mind as unnatural. Things having to be repeated to Mihono...Mihono occasionally turning her head to her left...pointing her right ear at those who'd speak...not answering me even though I was right beside her...
In a serious tone, I asked, "Mihono, have you ever considered getting a hearing aid?"
With a nervous laugh, she stammered, "W-What do you mean?"
"Why do you bother denying it?" I sighed.
"Denying what?"
"That you're deaf in your left ear."
"It was that obvious, huh?" groaned Mihono.
"Care to explain what happened?"
Mihono stared at her plate. Leaning closer towards me and keeping her voice hushed, she answered, "I got into a fight with an aradama. It permanently damaged my left ear."
"Did you get someone to look at it? As a Toji, something like this shouldn't be taken lightly," I said.
Almost spitting with venom, she retorted, "I'm fine. I don't want to leave my team. Already I was forced to split from them. I don't want that to happen ever again. Anyway, my ear hasn't affected my fighting so far."
Then, choking a little, she added, "Besides, I can't bear the thought of having to wear a hearing aid. It would look so unsightly on me."
I gave a heavy sigh at her resistant stubbornness. As much as I could understand Mihono's desire to remain with her friends, in my opinion, a damaged ear should've been of more concern to her. A Toji had to rely on all of her senses after all.
"If you don't mind my asking," I began, "when did this happen—your ear getting impaired?"
Mihono did not reply and only moved her fish bones around her dish with her chopsticks. I was beginning to think that she hadn't heard, which did nothing to settle my concern over her ear.
"Mihono? When did this happen?" I repeated, in a louder and firmer voice.
"Last year..."
A/N: Why was a bottle thrown from one of the lounge windows? Was Chairwoman Wilkinson's letter really forged by someone? Did any of you suspect Mihono being deaf? And what about the mystery of Suspect X? In the next chapter, Kanami, Hiyori, and Sanae will search the house. Again, there will be clues so pay attention! :D
