"Besides, Inspector Megure was the one who asked me to come help."
Takato lied.
"But didn't you say you accepted a commission from Ms. Hirata?"
Takagi Wataru asked, somewhat suspiciously.
"That's because after I accepted the commission, to investigate the case details, I specifically sought out Inspector Megure, and he told me to come to Koyama Ayumi, saying I could ask you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known about the alibi."
Half-truths and half-lies, Takato's words bluffed Takagi Wataru, so the three went downstairs, got into Takagi Wataru's car, and discussed the case.
"What does Detective Akechi want to know?"
Takagi Wataru asked.
"Cause of death and time of death."
Takato asked two key questions.
"The victim, Hasegawa Heihachi, died between nine and eleven PM the night before last. The cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation caused by strangulation with a towel."
Takagi Wataru said skillfully. Takato, hearing this, pondered for a moment, making a mental note of the "nine to eleven" timeframe, then cut to the chase.
"What's the deal with Komura Masatake's alibi?"
"On the night of the incident, the store manager Komura Masatake and the manager Koyama Ayumi went to a public bathhouse together after work. Then, around nine o'clock, they went to Komura Masatake's house together and drank and chatted until after eleven o'clock."
Takagi Wataru said.
"That timing is too perfect, isn't it? And don't these two have a suspicion of colluding?"
Takato said.
"Regarding that, it is a bit strange. However, after our investigation, we found that Koyama Ayumi is someone who was parachuted in from the group's headquarters and has no direct financial ties with Komura Masatake, nor does she handle financial work, so her testimony is highly credible. Moreover, Komura Masatake's alibi isn't just that."
Takagi Wataru said.
"Did Komura Masatake go out at any point, or did Koyama Ayumi fall asleep?"
After hearing Takagi Wataru's explanation, Takato concluded that this alibi must have been deliberately fabricated, so he proposed two possibilities.
"Koyama Ayumi didn't fall asleep, but Komura Masatake did go out."
Takagi Wataru explained, and Takato strangely said "Eh?" waiting for Takagi Wataru to continue explaining.
"According to Komura Masatake's wife, around nine PM that night, she remembered that the shower gel at home was running out, so Komura Masatake went out to buy some. He was out for about twenty minutes, and his wife, as well as Koyama Ayumi, can confirm this."
"What about the store where the shower gel was bought?"
Takato asked.
"On that point, we, the Police, also verified it. The store's surveillance footage can confirm that around 9:12 PM that night, Komura Masatake indeed went there to buy shower gel."
"And we also calculated the time it takes to go to and from the convenience store; it's indeed about twenty minutes."
"From Komura Masatake's house to the crime scene, driving also takes about that much time, so he didn't have time to kill someone after buying shower gel at the convenience store."
Takagi Wataru explained.
"Is it possible that the victim was killed somewhere else, and then the body was moved to the victim's house later?"
Takato asked.
"That's not possible. The victim's house was the primary crime scene; there were no signs of a fabricated scene or moved body."
Takagi Wataru said.
Given this answer, Takato couldn't help but fall into thought. From a timing perspective, this alibi was indeed very perfect, but precisely because it was too perfect, it seemed suspicious.
A trick playing with time?
Takato pondered this question and quickly thought of a point, then asked, "How did Koyama Ayumi determine the time? How did she confirm that it was before nine o'clock when she arrived at Komura Masatake's house?"
"Her watch."
Takagi Wataru said, somewhat perplexed, "Koyama Ayumi has a habit of wearing a watch. She checked her watch when she arrived at Komura Masatake's house, and it was before nine o'clock. She also confirmed that her watch's time was consistent with the wall clock at Komura Masatake's house."
Then Takagi Wataru suddenly realized Takato's intention: "Detective Akechi, you're not suspecting that Koyama Ayumi's watch was tampered with, are you? That's impossible, because besides the points already mentioned, there's someone else who can confirm the time."
"How so?"
Takato asked.
"That night, after the two arrived at Komura Masatake's house, they both felt a bit hungry, so Komura Masatake ordered delivery from a nearby ramen shop. Koyama Ayumi confirmed that the ramen was delivered a little after nine o'clock that night. And the ramen shop employee confirmed that they did deliver ramen to Komura Masatake's house around nine o'clock that day."
Takagi Wataru explained, "And a personal item like a watch, no one would have had the chance to tamper with it. So, Komura Masatake's alibi is perfect, and the murderer is very likely still Hirata Yoshiharu."
"Impossible! My husband couldn't be the murderer! It must be Komura Masatake and Koyama Ayumi colluding to frame my husband!"
Ms. Hirata Naeko, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but shout emotionally upon hearing Takagi Wataru's words.
"But, the current evidence does..."
Takagi Wataru wanted to explain, but seeing Hirata Naeko's expression at that moment, he felt he couldn't provoke her further, so he stopped speaking and looked at Takato, hoping he could calm Hirata Naeko down.
However, what Takagi Wataru saw was Takato with a knowing smile.
"Detective Akechi? You... thought of something?"
Takagi Wataru asked tentatively.
"I've pretty much figured it out."
Takato said, "I just need to confirm with two more people."
"Which two people?"
Takagi Wataru asked.
"The ramen shop employee who delivered the food that day, and Koyama Ayumi!"
Takato said.
So, Takagi Wataru immediately took the two back to Koyama Ayumi's apartment, found Koyama Ayumi, and Takato asked one question—did she fall asleep while bathing?
Then Takagi Wataru drove Takato and the other person to the ramen shop, found the employee from that day, and also asked only one question—who opened the door when the ramen was delivered to Komura Masatake's house that day?
Koyama Ayumi's answer was that she had dozed off for a while because the massage after the bath was too comfortable; and the employee's answer was, Komura Masatake's wife!
Upon receiving these answers, Takato revealed a triumphant smile. He was confident in the correctness of his deduction!
"Detective Akechi, what did you think of?"
Takagi Wataru asked, looking at Takato's expression.
"I've seen through the alibi trick!"
Takato said with a smile.
This made Ms. Hirata Naeko very happy, and Takagi Wataru also expressed great curiosity and wanted to hear Takato's explanation.
Just then, Takagi Wataru's phone rang. The caller ID showed Inspector Megure.
"Hello. Inspector Megure! Komura Masatake's alibi has been broken!"
"Never mind that for now!"
Takagi Wataru was about to show off, but he was interrupted. He only heard Inspector Megure on the other end of the phone say,
"Komura Masatake is missing! The location is the garage of his apartment. Hurry over there to assist Officer Sato. I need to go to Fifteen Nights Village; a bizarre murder case just happened there!"