𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬

file 057 | no rest for the weary

6:30 PM

"Unauthorized personnel prohibited from entering beyond this point," Suzume read the sign on the front doors out loud with an amused smile, knowing that they were going to ignore it. "By saying 'prohibited'..."

"They're begging us to enter," Heiji continued.

"As detectives," Saguru finished.

Inside the building, as they were walking up the stairs, Saguru gave them more information about the murder that occurred.

"The murder victim was Nishio Masaharu. He was the Sales Manager at Far East Office," he said, glancing at his notebook. "He was shot by a rifle. At university, he was a classmate of the company director, Itoh."

"That means..."

"Nishio was also a member of the Crime Research Club?" Heiji asked.

"That's right. Over here." They stopped as Saguru pulled out a phone to show the pictures.

"'Over here'?" Heiji's eyes bugged out in shock. "Isn't that my cellphone? When'd you...?"

Not subtle. Not subtle at all...

"Look at this," Saguru said, showing them the photo. "The front row in the picture. In the middle is the club president, Itoh Suehiko. On his left is the one who was murdered, Nishio."

"Who's the woman on the other side of Itoh?" Suzume asked, getting a bad feeling whenever she looked at the woman's smiling face.

"That woman is Shimizu Reiko. She's also someone who worked here, but... She committed suicide May 15th."

Suzume and Heiji looked at Saguru in shock. "Suicide?" Heiji repeated.

"It was during the time that the police were questioning her," Saguru explained.

"About Nishio's murder case?"

"I guess they pushed her too far."

~ — — — ~

"This is where the shooting incident occurred," Saguru said, pushing open the door to an office.

Suzume sniffed, scrunching up her nose. "Everything's covered in dust, so..."

"They probably haven't been here since then," Heiji deduced.

"Well, back then, the blinds and window were open, right?" Saguru pulled up the blinds, illuminating the tape used to mark where the body had been found on the floor.

There was a small, dried area of blood next to the back of the head, but the amount of blood there made Suzume frown.

"From that building's restroom, the culprit shot Nishio," Saguru said, indicating the building he was talking about. "The rifle used was a Charter Arms AR-7 with scope and silencer attachments. There were eight empty shell casings left in that restroom. It seems the culprit shot all eight in a row. One of the bullets hit Nishio in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Later, they found the plans in Nishio's desk that Itoh had drawn up about robbing the armored car. That's why they placed Itoh on the most wanted list."

"Then, why did they investigate Shimizu Reiko?" Heiji asked.

"That I don't know."

"Heiji," Suzume spoke up, ready to voice her thoughts. "That's not enough blood for someone who was shot in the head."

"You're right," he agreed. "Over here, we have a large pool of blood."

"What the hell?" she muttered, rubbing a hand down her face with a harsh sigh. The blood on the seat flowed straight down.