Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 452, Detective Kashiwagi!

At around 10:35 a.m. in the apartment building in Ota Ward, there were police officers and yellow lines everywhere.

The sound of sirens grew louder as they approached, and their numbers increased rapidly.

Soon, elite vehicles from the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division roared in, their screeching brakes echoing downstairs. The doors opened, and the first to step out was Inspector Kashiwagi Jin, the head of the Third Division's Violent Offenses Investigation Unit and a national hero!

He was around thirty years old, lean and wiry, with a stern face and sharp, piercing eyes. He exuded the confidence and unquestionable aura unique to elite bureaucrats. As he quickly put on white gloves, he strode toward the elevator, followed by his solemn-faced subordinates and forensic personnel carrying heavy toolboxes.

As expected, the Metropolitan Police Department was both shocked and alarmed upon hearing the report from the local police station.

Okada? How could it be Okada?!
He is a national hero who saved lives, and one of the most outstanding figures the Metropolitan Police Department has worked tirelessly to build!

How could he kill someone?

Upon hearing that the prime suspect was Masayoshi Okada, several inspectors from the First Investigation Division were unwilling to go, and even Inspector Higurashi, who was in charge of the case, seemed very hesitant.

Masayoshi Okada is the head of the Special Missions Division and the son of the Financial Services Agency Commissioner!

No one wanted to come, and in the end, the task was indeed given to Kashiwagi Jin, and he was the only one left.

Sure enough, only Kashiwagi Jin was willing to take the job.

"What's going on?" Bai Muren's voice was concise and powerful as he asked the patrol officer on duty at the door, who was still in shock.

"Report...Reporting to Inspector Kashiwagi! Inside the house...Mrs. Okada Miki is lying in the living room with a knife in her chest! Another man, unidentified, is dead in the entryway with severe head injuries! Inspector Okada Masayoshi...He...He was covered in blood and ran out of the fire escape! We...We couldn't catch up..." The patrol officer reported rapidly.

"Useless!" Bai Muren sneered, his eyes growing even colder. "Seal off the scene! Everyone, proceed according to procedure! Quickly!"

Kashiwagi Jin was the first to step into the apartment.

A strong stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, causing even the most experienced professional to frown slightly at the gruesome scene before him. But he quickly regained his composure, his eyes scanning the entire space like a scanner: the male corpse with its head crushed in the entryway (Ryosuke Koizumi), the woman lying in a pool of blood in the center of the living room (Miki Okada) with a fruit knife stuck in her chest, scattered items, signs of a struggle… a classic hellish scene of “catching someone in the act of adultery and killing them in a fit of rage.”

Forensic pathologists Takeshi Higashiyama and Hideo Kamioka immediately sprang into action, taking photos, marking lines, and collecting traces. Meanwhile, Jin Kashiwagi paced the blood-soaked living room like a battlefield commander, listening to the initial verbal report from the on-site forensic team leader.

"Inspector Kashiwagi! Initial report:"

"The deceased, Miki Okada, was a 28-year-old housewife. Her fatal wound was a single-edged knife stab wound to her chest, which penetrated directly into her heart, killing her instantly. The murder weapon was this fruit knife."

"The deceased, Ryosuke Koizumi, 25, was a bartender at the nearby nightclub 'Percival.' Preliminary diagnosis indicates he died from blunt force trauma to the head, resulting in a depressed skull fracture. The blunt force weapon was not found at the scene."

"Several hairs and skin flakes were found in the tightly clenched right hand of the female victim, Miki Okada, which are suspected to belong to Ryosuke Koizumi! Her genitals were congested, consistent with sexual activity!"

"Clear fingerprints were extracted from the handle of the murder weapon, a fruit knife! Preliminary comparison indicates they belong to Inspector Masayoshi Okada and Ryosuke Koizumi! The location of Okada's fingerprints matches the point of force applied during gripping!"

"According to the taxi driver's investigation, Masayoshi Okada got out of the taxi at approximately 9:42."

"The apartment building's security camera clearly captured Masayoshi Okada entering the building at 09:55!"

"Mrs. Yoneda, a neighbor on the same floor, testified: At approximately 10:00 AM, she saw Masayoshi Okada standing at her door, looking solemn and holding a small gift box!"

"Local patrol officers confirmed that they arrived at the scene at approximately 10:05 AM and witnessed Masayoshi Okada fleeing through the fire escape covered in blood at around 10:07 AM. He resisted arrest on the spot and quickly escaped!"

"A resident of a high-rise building, who was preparing for a test, called the police at 09:50, saying that between 09:48 and 09:50, they heard a loud argument, a woman screaming, and sounds of fighting and smashing downstairs! Our preliminary judgment is that this noise was made when the crime occurred!"

"Due to the repeated switching of the air conditioning system in the apartment, it is difficult to accurately determine the time of death. However, considering the time of the alarm noise (09:48-09:50) and the time when Okada Masayoshi entered the apartment at 10:00, we believe that the time of death is more likely to be close to the upper limit of the range or even slightly later, which is highly consistent with the time when Okada entered the apartment!"

As he listened to each report, Inspector Kashiwagi's eyes grew brighter, a cold, knowing smile even playing on his lips. He didn't need any more complex reasoning! All the fragments instantly pieced together in his mind into a perfect, irrefutable picture!

He abruptly stopped, standing in the center of the living room, his voice booming and confident, like a judge delivering a verdict, even carrying a hint of excitement at solving a major case:

The scheming frog keeps touching your belly!
“Enough! The facts are clear! A classic case of a crime of passion!” He looked around at all the police officers and forensic personnel present, his tone resolute and brooking no argument.

"The motive is clear: Masayoshi Okada is hailed as a 'national hero,' while his wife, Miki Okada, is embroiled in a public relations crisis of 'cold-blooded materialism,' severely damaging her reputation! More importantly, on Black Valentine's Day, Mrs. Okada was caught having a tryst with her lover, Ryosuke Koizumi, at home! Neighbors' testimonies and physical evidence (the disassembled Okamoto 001) all point to this! This would be a disgrace to any man, and for a proud and arrogant professional like Masayoshi Okada, it would be a devastating blow!"

He pointed to Koizumi's body in the entrance hall: "Okada Masayoshi entered the building at 09:55, and at 10:00 he was seen by a neighbor standing at his door 'hesitating' (actually brewing murderous intent!), and then entered the apartment. He caught his wife and her lover having an affair! In the entrance hall, he first had a fierce confrontation with his lover, Koizumi Ryosuke! In a fit of rage, he grabbed a blunt object (possibly a decorative item, which he later took away and destroyed) and struck Koizumi on the head, causing his immediate death! This is the source of the fighting and impact sounds that the test takers heard between 09:45 and 09:50! The timing is basically consistent!" His finger then abruptly turned to Miki's corpse in the living room: "After killing his lover, Okada Masayoshi rushed into the living room! Faced with his terrified wife, fueled by both old and new grudges, he completely lost his mind! He grabbed or picked up a fruit knife that Koizumi might have been carrying/dropped, and stabbed it into Miki's heart! Clean and efficient! This is the end of the 'woman's scream' that the test takers heard! The whole process, under extreme rage and well-trained physical abilities, was completed in just a few minutes! It's entirely possible!"

Kashiwagi's voice grew increasingly louder, filled with the confidence of "seeing the truth": "After the murder, he may have been shocked for a moment, but soon, the police arrived (10:05)! As a policeman, he knew all too well what the 'ironclad evidence' at the scene (the bloodstains on his body, fingerprints, and the Okamoto 001 on the table) meant to him! The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything! He chose the most foolish and criminally psychologically consistent method—resisting arrest, assaulting the police, and fleeing! This further confirmed his crime!"

He concluded in a definitive statement: "The logic is clear! The chain of evidence is complete! The motive is sufficient! The behavioral pattern is consistent! The murderer, besides Masayoshi Okada, is absolutely no one else!"

Kashiwagi Jin looked at his subordinates, his eyes sharp: "Immediately! Compile the on-site investigation report, surveillance video, witness testimonies, and preliminary physical evidence analysis! Form an emergency report! I need to report to the Metropolitan Police Department and Chief of Criminal Investigation, Uchimura, and Section Chief Sugishita within ten minutes! Request the issuance of a nationwide arrest warrant! Wanted: Inspector Okada Masayoshi of the Special Missions Unit, Metropolitan Police Department! Charge: Intentional homicide! Danger level: Highest! List him as an extremely dangerous person!"

"Yes, Inspector Kashiwagi!" his subordinates responded in unison, immediately splitting up to take action. The atmosphere at the scene seemed to have "settled" under Kashiwagi's decisive and confident demeanor. The forensic team also sped up; in their view, Inspector Kashiwagi's deduction was reasonable, the evidence pointed clearly, and the remaining work was to refine the details and solidify this conclusion.

Kashiwagi Jin stood at the edge of the pool of blood, looking at the two cold corpses. His face showed no relief after solving the case, but rather a mixture of heaviness and professional coldness.

He picked up the walkie-talkie, ready to report his "major discovery" and "clear conclusion" directly to the Metropolitan Police Department, pushing the massive net against his former colleague, now a "murderous demon" Masayoshi Okada, to be spread throughout Japan with the fastest speed and the harshest measures! The "stain" on the Metropolitan Police Department must be wiped out with swift and decisive action!
However, at this moment, Kashiwagi Jin suddenly hesitated.

Something seems off.

What is wrong?

Yes, the timing of the crime is wrong!
楼上的备考生听到了楼下的噪音是9:48-9:50，于9:50报警，而冈田将义是9:42从附近地方出租车下车，9:55进入公寓被监控探头拍到，其中根本没有作案时间啊。

After thinking for a moment, Kashiwagi Jin came up with a possibility.

That is, Masayoshi Okada got out of the taxi first, ran back to the apartment to commit the crime, and then came out from another part of the apartment, pretending to enter through the front door, to create an alibi for himself!

He's so familiar with the escape route, he must also be very familiar with other ways to avoid surveillance and enter the apartment!
That’s right!

Ah, there's another possibility: the students studying upstairs didn't hear the sounds of a man and woman arguing, but rather the sounds of a man and woman having an affair. Inspector Okada himself actually discovered the two having an affair at his doorstep at 10:00 AM. While he was hesitating, he encountered Mrs. Yoneda passing by.

After Mrs. Yoneda left, Okada entered the premises to commit the crime. At 10:05, he called the police, who arrived at the scene. At 10:07, Okada fled.

That's not right. Looking at it this way, no matter what, Okada's time to commit the crime was only about 3-4 minutes.

Is that enough? His body... can he really kill two people in 3 minutes?

Kashiwagi Jin thought for a moment, then recalled Okada Masayoshi's heroic performance in the Toshima Ward ghost case.

Yes, yes, it might not work for others, but for Okada, 3 minutes is enough!

Even if Uesugi Muneyuki were here, he would definitely share the same opinion as me!

Unfortunately, Uesugi couldn't participate in the case because he wanted to avoid suspicion.

But it's okay, the Metropolitan Police Department still has me!

Kashiwagi nodded confidently, thinking he would report it like this for now, and he would personally investigate the specific situation.
This case involves a former national hero, so I can't afford to be careless!
We must investigate thoroughly, with all witnesses and physical evidence!
........................

Just before Kashiwagi Jin arrived at the scene, Uesugi Muneyuki answered a phone call.

"Uesugi-san! Help me!" A tired, weak male voice came from inside.

“…Okada-san?”

"Uesugi-san, it wasn't me, it really wasn't me, you have to believe me!" Okada Masayoshi's voice on the phone was filled with pain and fear: "I saw that scene when I got home, you must... I don't have time to say more, you'll find out what happened soon, tell... tell my father about this! Let him figure something out!"

"Hello, hello???" Uesugi Muneyuki was full of questions.

Just then, Kai Toru rushed into the Special Missions Department from outside.

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has occurred!!!" Kai Toru, the son of the Vice Minister of Justice, was filled with shock: "Okada-san... he killed someone!"

“Nani???”

(End of this chapter)