Chapter 26: The Truth Behind the Death
Midori’s House - The Present
Midori sat frozen on the edge of the armchair, staring at the woman who was supposed to be in a grave. She reached out, her fingers trembling, and gently touched Mrs. Hanada’s hand. It was warm.
"Yurika... she saved you?" Midori whispered, a mix of disbelief and immense relief washing over her.
Mrs. Hanada nodded weakly, adjusting the heavy bandages around her midsection. She took a slow breath and began to speak.
"To understand, you must go back to the beginning. To the bus ride to Akita."
Flashback: The Bus Ride to Akita
The highway stretched endlessly as the bus rattled toward the north. Yurika had jolted awake from a nightmare, sweat clinging to her brow.
A woman in her thirties, sitting across the aisle, noticed Yurika’s distress. She stood up, pretending to stretch, and moved toward the restroom at the back. As she passed Yurika’s seat, she stumbled slightly, leaning in close.
"Don't look now," the woman whispered, her voice barely audible over the engine's hum. "But a man in black clothing has been watching you since Tokyo. He's sitting three rows behind you. Be careful."
Yurika’s eyes widened, but she didn't turn her head. "Thank you," she mouthed.
The woman continued down the aisle. Yurika waited a full minute before adjusting the rearview mirror above the driver’s seat. There, in the reflection, she saw him—a man in a black cap and mask, his eyes fixed on the back of her head.
Who is he? Yurika thought, her grip tightening on her bag. Turo? No, Turo is too cowardly to do this himself. A hitman.
Flashback: Mrs. Hanada’s House - The Arrival
When Yurika arrived at the traditional house, the Man in Black watched from the cover of the dense trees. He saw Mrs. Hanada welcome Yurika inside.
He pulled out his phone. "Sir... The target is inside. Yurika is with Mrs. Hanada."
On the other end, a distorted voice replied cold and sharp.
"Really? Mrs. Hanada has finally signed her death warrant. Eliminate the old woman. Make it look like a break-in gone wrong. Do it before Yurika uncovers anything else."
Inside the house, the atmosphere was heavy. Mrs. Hanada closed the blinds, her hands shaking slightly.
"Yurika," Mrs. Hanada whispered, pulling her away from the windows. "There are eyes everywhere. You noticed him, didn't you?"
Yurika nodded grimly. "A man in black. He followed me from the station."
"He is here to kill me," Mrs. Hanada said with terrifying calmness. "I have held onto these secrets for too long. They cannot risk me speaking to you."
Yurika’s expression hardened into determination. "I won't let them." She paced the tatami floor. "We can outplay them. We can use this."
"How?"
Yurika stopped, a dangerous smirk forming on her lips. "If they want a death, let's give them one. But on our terms."
They spent the next hour formulating a desperate, insane plan.
"I will let him stab me," Mrs. Hanada said resolutely.
"What? No!" Yurika gasped. "That's too dangerous!"
"It has to be believable, Yurika. If there is no blood, they won't believe I am dead. One strike. I can take it. I am old, but I am sturdy." She reached into a hidden cabinet and pulled out a small syringe case. "This is a potent beta-blocker mixed with a sedative. It will drop my heart rate to almost nothing. To an untrained hand—or a hurried police officer—I will appear dead."
Yurika took the syringe, her hands trembling. "And then?"
"Then," Mrs. Hanada said, gripping Yurika’s hand, "you must become the villain in the eyes of the world."
Flashback: The Night of the "Murder"
The wind howled outside. Yurika waited in the shadows of the hallway. She saw the window slide open. The Man in Black stepped in, silent as a shadow.
He approached Mrs. Hanada, who was feigning sleep on her futon.
Thud.
The knife went down. Mrs. Hanada gasped—a genuine sound of pain—as the blade pierced her shoulder, missing the vital organs by inches, just as planned. Blood blossomed on her nightgown.
Yurika burst into the room. "Mrs. Hanada!"
She lunged at the man. This part wasn't acting—she fought him, but she needed to lose. She let him overpower her, throwing her against the wall. She slumped to the floor, feigning unconsciousness.
Satisfied the job was done, the Man in Black fled into the night.
The second he was gone, Yurika scrambled to Mrs. Hanada’s side. The old woman was grimacing, clutching the wound.
"Now, Yurika!" she wheezed.
Yurika jammed the syringe into Mrs. Hanada’s arm and depressed the plunger. "Hold on. Please hold on."
Yurika then grabbed the bloody kitchen knife the killer had dropped. She squeezed the handle tight, ensuring her fingerprints were plastered all over it.
"Framing myself..." she muttered. "This better work."
Police sirens wailed in the distance. Yurika lay back on the floor, slowing her breathing. As the officers burst in, checking for a pulse and finding none, Yurika closed her eyes and thought:
I deserve an Oscar for this. You sons of bitches.
Flashback: The Hospital - The Switch
One hour later. The hospital was in chaos.
Yurika lay in her bed, listening to the nurses. She waited until the corridor was empty, then wrapped a scarf around her head and slipped out.
She had already texted Euro: Code Red. Akita General Hospital. Morgue intake. Now.
Yurika intercepted the gurney before it was logged into the main morgue. The sedative was wearing off, but Mrs. Hanada was still groggy.
Euro appeared from the service entrance, dressed in stolen scrubs.
"You're insane," Euro hissed as he helped lift Mrs. Hanada onto a wheelchair, covering her completely with a sheet. "Absolutely insane."
"Get her to the safe house," Yurika commanded. "I have to get back before they realize I'm gone."
As Euro wheeled the "laundry" out the back, Yurika raced back to her room. But she had one loose end to tie up.
Lenka.
Yurika grabbed a pen and a scrap of
paper. She scribbled a hasty message:
Lenka... If you autopsy Mrs. Hanada's body, they will see she was drugged, not killed. And if they find that out, I will leak everything I know about Pippi. Do not let them open her.
She rolled the paper tightly.
Moments later, the door burst open.
Lenka stormed in, screaming, playing the role of the grieving daughter perfectly. She slapped Yurika across the face.
"You monster!"
In the chaos of the assault, as doctors tried to pull Lenka away, Yurika slipped the note into Lenka’s pocket.
Later, outside the hospital, Lenka felt the paper. she unfolded it, her face going pale. She immediately marched to the doctors.
"No autopsy," she demanded, her voice shaking. "I want her body intact. It is... family tradition."
Present Day: The Hospital Room
The flashback ended.
Yurika sat alone in her hospital room, the four-day custody period nearly over. The police had no evidence other than fingerprints, which she could explain away as self-defense, and without a body to prove the cause of death, the murder charge wouldn't stick.
She looked out the window at the setting sun.
"You think you've won, Turo?" she whispered, a dark, victorious smirk spreading across her face. "You just handed me the game."
TO BE CONTINUED
YOU ARE READING
My Knife Pointing At Your Heart
Gizem / GerilimA Girl desperately seeks the attention of her crush, willing to do anything to make him notice her. But in her pursuit, she stumbles into the tangled lives of those around her, uncovering secrets she was never meant to find. As she delves deeper, sh...
