At Kenji's scream, we ran toward the sound.
"Sir…!"
Kenji was shaking, pointing into the room.
Natsue tried to walk in, but as she saw what was inside, she screamed in horror and stumbled back, white as a sheet.
The others shouted behind her.
I stepped in and took it in.
Gozo Hatamoto was slumped on the sofa, mouth wide open, eyes wide and glassy. His hands gripped the sides of the sofa tightly, legs stretched straight out. A knife was lodged in his chest, leaving only the handle exposed. A large pool of blood stained his coat.
"Grandfather!"
Natsue finally found her voice and screamed—then tried to rush in.
"Nobody move!"
I grabbed Natsue and pulled her back, my face serious.
"Sonoko," Akie said sternly, "this is a family matter. Please don't interfere." For a split second, she looked relieved—then she caught herself.
"Akie," Sonoko said, "Heiji's a detective. Let him handle this."
"A detective?" The Hatamoto family looked at each other.
"You've never heard of him?" Sonoko was instantly annoyed. How could they be so calm?
"We rarely watch the news."
These people were either lazy or living entirely in their own worlds; they didn't care about news, let alone recognize detectives.
Sonoko was speechless and gave up explaining. "Just listen to Heiji now. Don't touch anything."
"Miss Sonoko, shouldn't we call the police?" Tatsuo asked from the side.
And how exactly are you getting the police here tonight?
Sonoko's question shut Tatsuo up instantly. We were at least a day's voyage from land. At night, visibility was low and the sea was rough; even a helicopter would be risky. Getting police here immediately was impossible.
"Sonoko, give me my gloves."
Sonoko took a pair of white disposable gloves from her bag, walked carefully into the room, handed them to me, and then stepped back out the same way.
"Sonoko, what are you doing?" Akie asked, frowning.
"I'm trying not to mess up the scene," Sonoko explained. "Sometimes even a single hair can matter in a case."
When it involved me, her usual confidence came back. Since this wasn't a formal occasion, she could relax.
"Sonoko, are you into mysteries and detective stuff?" Mariko asked.
"Not really." Sonoko shook her head, looking at me with a proud smile. "But if Heiji likes it, I do too."
Suddenly, she realized something was off, and her face darkened. "Uncle Gozo is dead, but how can you all be so calm?"
Except for Natsue, who was distraught, and Takeshi, who looked troubled, no one else seemed to take it hard. It was unsettling.
Hearing Sonoko's words, the Hatamoto family glanced at each other, then lowered their heads in silence.
I'd done a quick first pass.
"Sonoko, ask everyone to return to the hall."
"Mhm, I got it." Sonoko nodded. "Everyone, to avoid unnecessary suspicion, please listen to Heiji and return to the hall."
"Miss Sonoko, it's not that I don't want to listen to you," Akie asked, frowning, "but that is my grandfather. Would we really kill him?"
"Sometimes, murder doesn't need a big reason."
I glanced at Akie.
She stiffened. Fear crossed her eyes as she looked at me, and she quickly lowered her head and went quiet.
After that, somehow, Sonoko got them moving back to the main hall.
Before long, I was alone in the room.
The sea wind blew outside. The corpse lay with its eyes open, staring at nothing. The air was thick with the metallic tang of blood. I didn't have any cigarettes; otherwise, I would've lit one.
Ichiro had that cold, careful vibe you sometimes see in artists.
I had to admit—even though I knew he was the killer, there was no clear evidence left at the scene. He was meticulous.
In the hall, the Hatamoto family sat on pins and needles.
Seeing me appear, everyone stood up immediately. Seeing my hands were empty, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Heiji, do you know who did it?" Natsue asked urgently, having recovered a little.
I took off the gloves and threw them into the trash can.
Gozo Hatamoto was murdered.
Instantly, people glared at me.
"Heiji, no kidding," Tatsuo said with a laugh.
"Tatsuo, don't talk," Akie glared at her husband. "He is Miss Sonoko's boyfriend." Of course, the last sentence was whispered.
"Just a boyfriend. For a big family like the Suzukis, how could they let the police chief's son end up with Sonoko? It should be over soon," Tatsuo whispered back.
"Just shut up anyway." Akie had the same thought, but she was more cautious.
Sonoko stood quietly to the side. She was quietly confident in Heiji.
Sonoko stood there, quietly confident.
I ignored the whispering.
"There's a knife in his chest, driven deep. Looks like he was killed with a single blow."
"Isn't that your knife, Jouji? So the person who killed Father must be you!"
Hearing my deduction, Mariko perked up as she sneered at Jouji.
"Don't frame me! That knife is indeed mine, but I never lock my room door. Anyone who wanted to enter could have taken it! Couldn't someone else have stolen my knife, killed Father, and then framed me?" Jouji frowned, analyzing the situation.
"But it's also possible you set that up yourself, to make us suspect you. That's a neat trick. Uncle Jouji, am I right?" Akie sneered.
"What motive do I have to kill Father?" Jouji's voice dropped.
"Uncle Jouji, isn't your Western restaurant about to go bankrupt? You wanted to borrow money from Grandfather, but he refused. For the inheritance, it's very likely you killed Grandfather, isn't it?" Tatsuo laughed coldly.
"Well, speaking of motives for murder... other than Natsue, which one of you in this room doesn't have one?"
Now that it was out in the open, Jouji wasn't scared anymore.
The room fell silent.