[chaptered] Ouroboros: Chapter 2 (Locked Room Murder)
Title: Ouroboros (Multichapter)
Author: Luna ( dreamweavernyx )
Pairing: Inoobu
Genre: Crime
Summary: AU. As detective trainees, they were only meant to solve crimes that had already been solved, just to gain experience and prove their worth before stepping out into the real field. For this new team of trainees, their task was simple: solve the crime and graduate. But then, suddenly their mock crime becames reality, and they find themselves stuck in something far worse than they had expected.
Notes: This is an ouroboros.
Try to solve the crime along with Team Tsubasa, if you wish!
Previous chapters:
Prologue
Chapter 01
~
02: Locked Room Murder
By the time Yabu reached what was to become their usual meeting place, Inoo and Hikaru were already there, staring at a stack of papers on the table of the room.
“Remind me again why Kusano-sensei had to choose an interrogation room, of all places?”
“So we can concentrate,” Hikaru replied, sounding rather put out.
Inoo stood, and gestured.
“He just left a couple of minutes ago,” said Inoo, gesturing to the pile of papers, “and he said that this is our first crime.”
Yabu reached for the stack of papers and begin to flip through the investigation report.
“He also left us recordings of interrogations of all the possible suspects, and said that if we need any extra information we just contact him.”
Nodding, Yabu leafed through the sheets, and plucked out the synopsis of the crime.
12 March
Victim is Matsuda Aruto, age 57, owner of multinational shipping company. Found dead in his office, discovered at 7.30 am by butler, time of death currently unknown. Rough analysis gives an estimate of around 12 am, body has been sent for autopsy for further analysis.
All possible suspects (those in the mansion at the estimated time of the crime) have been detained. There are currently 3 suspects, the maid, the butler, and the son.
Victim appears to have died of a stab wound to the stomach, further results will be obtained after autopsy. The door was locked when the murder took place, and only unlocked by the butler at 7.30 am.
Hikaru sighed, and leaned back in his chair.
“That’s seriously useless, there’s almost no information at all!”
Inoo picked up the piece of paper, and read through it again.
“A locked-room murder…” he murmured.
Hikaru ignored Inoo, and turned to face Yabu instead.
“So, who does your great intuition say the culprit is?”
“There’s not enough information,” Yabu said dryly, and began flipping through the stack for the next report.
14 March
Time of death of Matsuda Aruto has been announced by autopsy department to be approximately 11.45 pm. Suspects have been asked to present their alibis.
Matsuda’s son, Matsuda Seishiro, age 23, says that he was sleeping at the time of the murder. His room is on the third floor, one floor above the locked study in which the victim was found dead.
According to the butler, Matsuda Seishiro’s relationship with his father is extremely rocky, mostly due to refusal to take over his father’s shipping business. It appears that he wishes to become a painter instead. This has been mentioned also by the maid, and has for the most part been confirmed with Seishiro himself.
Seishiro has also mentioned that he had heard about a new will written by his father the evening of his death, leaving no inheritance to him.
Matsuda’s butler, Tanaka Eiji, age 76, says that he was tidying up the kitchen at the time of the murder. The kitchen is on the ground floor, on the opposite side of the house from the study. The kitchen display cabinet holds a collection of meat and vegetable knives.
According to the maid, Tanaka Eiji was a witness when Matsuda Aruto read out his new will, and had signed on the will as an official witness. He had apparently been complaining for a long while about his insufficient pay from Aruto.
According to the son, Eiji has been working for the Matsuda family ever since he was born, or possibly before.
Matsuda’s maid, Ishikawa Ai, age 18, says that she was polishing the china in the living room at the time of the murder. The living room is also on the ground floor, but directly below the study.
According to the butler, Ishikawa Ai was the second witness for Matsuda Aruto’s new will, and had also accordingly signed on the will. She is apparently discontent with being treated poorly by Aruto.
According to the son, Ai was brought in to work as a maid three years ago, at the age of 15.
All three witnesses have given a similar account of the scene before the murder.
That night, dinner had been late and slow, and had ended around 10.30 pm. The son retired to his room, and the butler began to clear the dishes. The maid saw the victim leave for his study as she headed for the living room to start polishing the china.
Apparently the victim has a habit of locking his study door, and sometimes even spending all night in it. Tanaka discovered the body because he had the only spare key.
More investigation required, all three suspects appear to have possible motives for committing the murder.
“…And that’s all the information he’s providing us with?” asked Yabu, slightly annoyed as Hikaru finished reading the report aloud.
Hikaru shrugged.
“We have audio tapes of the questioning, and some photographs of the crime scene. When we have a solid argument as to who was the murderer, we go to Kusano-sensei and tell him.”
Yabu sighed.
“All right, brainstorming time.”
There was silence for a while as Inoo reached into the cardboard box that had been under the table, and distributed some photographs.
“Ano…I think the maid might be the criminal. I’ll need to get some concrete proof, but I just have a hunch-”
Hikaru cut right across Inoo.
“But the son’s obviously so suspicious! Like, he hates his dad. And then his dad goes and writes a new will that excludes him from it…that’s a really strong motive to kill his dad, y’know.”
Inoo bit his lip nervously and looked away, and Yabu groaned.
“Either way, we’re going to need to get some extra information. Let’s play those audio tapes.”
Hikaru reached for the cassette player and plugged it in, fiddling with the knobs before inserting the tape.
As the gravelly voice of Tanaka Eiji the butler began to fill the room, blasting out from the speakers of the cassette player, neither Yabu nor Hikaru noticed as Inoo slipped away.
It was only day one, and obviously team dynamics were not going well already.
“Team Tsubasa,” muttered Inoo to himself as he navigated the hallways. “Hopefully we’ll actually live up to the title of a team.”