Hoshizono assembles his logic, derives some conclusions, and based on those conclusions, arrives at his culprit.
Hoshizono assembles his logic,
derives some conclusions,
and based on those conclusions,
arrives at his culprit.
“I began from the weapon that killed Mr. Zaino.”
Hoshizono began in a deep, resonant voice.
“The culprit beat Mr. Zaino unconscious using the kokeshi doll kept on the counter by the entrance. However, there is no reason why they needed that kokeshi doll to be the weapon. That kokeshi doll carries no symbolic meaning to this case, so there is absolutely no reason the culprit should have gone out of their way to use it. Therefore, I believe it was not chosen for any particular reason; it was likely just an object of convenient size and weight that was nearby. It's not inconceivable that the culprit had some special circumstances that required them to use the kokeshi doll, but as I said earlier, this case has the same culprit as the one who killed Mr. Iwagishi. Therefore, the fact that the kokeshi doll wasn't used in any way in Mr. Iwagishi's case disproves that theory. Do you understand so far?”
Hoshizono looked at his audience's reaction. Nobody raised any objections. Kazuo nodded on behalf of the group, urging him on.
“Then, the next issue is the drinking party that went on that night. From what we heard this morning, it was a spur of the moment decision by Miss Yumi and others who felt a sudden urge to drink that night, not an event planned in advance.”
Yumi looked worried.
“That's right, I couldn't sleep last night I was so scared, so I asked Miki to come with me.”
“It's alright. As you've heard, the drinking party was arranged spontaneously, and only the participants – the young ladies, and Mr. Zaino and Kazuo, who joined later – knew about it. In that case, we can say that those four people were the only ones who knew that Miss Yumi and Miss Mikiko were asleep in the parlor after the party had ended. Therefore, if the culprit were someone other than those four, they wouldn't have known that those two mischief makers were asleep in the parlor when they snuck to the administration building to kill Mr. Zaino. Circling back to what I said earlier, remember: There was no deeper meaning to the culprit's use of the kokeshi doll than that its position on the counter was convenient. The positional relationship between the staff room and the counter... please, keep that in mind.”
Irritatingly, Hoshizono cut himself off. Everyone watched with bated breath.
“From here, everything I say is just a hypothesis. Where Mr. Zaino's murderer started that night depends, of course, on who they were. First, one of the two sleeping in the parlor.”
“No, it wasn't me!”
Yumi gave him a sharp look.
“He just said it was hypothetical. Shut up and listen.”
Akane's sharp words made Yumi hang her head in embarrassment.
“Yes, this is just a hypothetical. I don't doubt you in any way, so don't worry.”
Even at a time like this, Hoshizono's womanizing ways never let up.
“If one of the two of them were the culprit, they would have had to make certain the other was asleep before going off to kill Mr. Zaino. Forgive me for repeating myself, but there were no accomplices. Therefore, there's no way the two of them were colluding. However, consider the location of the counter where the kokeshi doll sat, and the movements of the criminal. When the culprit left, they would have had to get the kokeshi, then go to the staff room. However, from the parlor, the counter and the door to the staff room are in opposite directions. The culprit would have had to pass by their sleeping partner again after retrieving the kokeshi. Doesn't that strike you as odd? In order to retrieve the kokeshi, which they had absolutely no reason to use, they risked waking up a witness not once, but twice. That's deeply unnatural. If they wanted to go to the staff room, they could have just gone straight there, and found another murder weapon along the way. There was no need to take the risk of passing the sleeping person an additional time – and for the criminal, them waking up was the single biggest risk. Therefore, there's no way either of them would have done something like that. Since there was no pressing need for the kokeshi doll to be the weapon, it's difficult to imagine either of them were the culprit behind Mr. Zaino's death.”
“Wait a moment.”
Akane stopped him. She tilted her head and ran a hand through her hair.
“There's something not right about that... According to your theory, the culprit must have retrieved the kokeshi just before the murder. But nobody remembers when it disappeared. That means there's a possibility that they hid it ahead of time and used it. I don't think you can strike them off the list so easily.”
“As expected, you make a compelling point.”
Hoshizono gave a slight smile, as though he had expected Akane's retort.
“Actually, I was just about to discuss that possibility. Miss Yumi and Miss Mikiko both have lodges facing the front door, on the right path, so that's the most common way they enter and exit the administration building. Therefore, it would have been easy for either of them to have grabbed the kokeshi doll off the counter as they made their way in or out and hidden it long before the crime. Therefore, it's too early to say they are completely off the hook. Thank you for saving me the trouble of explaining that.”
Akane shrugged at Hoshizono, who spoke without a hint of pedantry.
“So you're saying you've already accounted for everything I'm going to say?”
“Not at all, I'd be far more comfortable receiving your insightful comments.”
And Hoshizono continued on.
“So, we've established there is still a possibility that the culprit is Miss Yumi or Miss Mikiko. Now let's consider the possibility that the culprit is someone staying in a lodge on the right path. The culprit wouldn't have known about the sudden drinking party in the parlor. In that case, it would have been more natural to sneak into the administration building via the front door. There would be no need to take a detour through the back door and risk being seen by someone in another lodge. Besides, they couldn't have relied on the blizzard. Since they couldn't predict when it would start or stop, they had no choice but to stick to the paths of shoveled snow. Suppose the culprit did leave footprints in the snowfield between the left and right paths, and then the blizzard stopped. If we discovered them the next morning, the culprit's every action would be plain to see. So, if the culprit had come from a lodge on the right path, they would have made their way to the administration building solely via the right path, so as to avoid leaving unnecessary traces. In that case, I think it's safe to assume that they would have entered via the front door. Then, it would be natural to pick up the kokeshi doll that sat right before them. Then they were surprised to see the two girls sleeping in the parlor, but, seeing no other way, silently crept past them to the staff room. Or perhaps they even chose to go back outside and circle the building under the eaves and reenter via the back door. Either way, they're a strong possibility. Unfortunately, we can't eliminate anyone staying in a lodge on the right path.”
Hoshizono paused there, as if waiting for an objection. But this time, Akane had nothing to say.
“Next, what if the other person sleeping in the administration building, Kazuo, were the culprit? ...I'm sorry about this, it's just a hypothetical. Please don't take offense.”
Of course, Kazuo knew that already.
“Kazuo says he was on the second floor that night. Even if he was lying and he actually slept in his own mattress room, the result wouldn't change. The stairs and the mattress room are both close to the counter, so he took the kokeshi. Easy. And since he did know about the drinking party, he could have chosen whatever he thought was the best way to sneak past the two people in the parlor. Although it's a shame, I must conclude that Kazuo is a potential culprit.”
Kazuo was a bit disappointed, but he hadn't expected it would be that easy to prove his innocence in the first place.
“However, for those staying in the lodges on the left path, things are different. For those staying on the left path, there's no need to go by the front entrance when entering the administration building. Since it's more natural for them to enter via the back door, there would be no reason for them to risk being seen going the other way. And since they entered via the back door, there would be no reason for them to risk passing the sleeping figures in the parlor to grab the kokeshi doll. The way to the staff room from the back door is to take a turn before reaching the parlor. And furthermore, since they entered and exited via the back door, there was no chance for them to sneakily grab the kokeshi on their way in or out, either. And they had no reason to; if they wanted a murder weapon, they could have grabbed the metal bar from the bathroom or the fire extinguisher near the door.”
Come to think of it, that was right. Kazuo did remember a metal bar in the bathroom that looked like it could give someone a good whack, and he'd almost tripped over that fire extinguisher running out the back door after learning of Iwagishi's death.
“But, Mr. Hoshizono...”
Sagashima mumbled something.
“Isn't it possible that the culprit used the kokeshi to make you think exactly that? They hid the kokeshi in advance to make the people on the right path and the girls in the parlor look suspicious... In other words, they set a trap.”
“No, that isn't it.”
Hoshizono gave a slight shake of his head.
“If, as Mr. Sagashima theorized, a person on the left path was the culprit and tried to trick us, there's no way they could have known about the drinking party in advance, so there's no way they could have done it like this. The theory I've made now exists because those girls were sleeping in the parlor. If the culprit had come from a lodge, there's no way they could have known about that before setting foot in the administration building on the night of the murder. There's no way they could have known to prepare the kokeshi in advance for their trap.”
“I see, I see... Well then, I withdraw my objection.”
Sagashima went quiet, and Kazuo took the chance to organize his thoughts. Things had gotten quite complicated, and he was struggling to keep up. Akane and Asako appeared satisfied, but Yumi and Mikiko appeared to have given up on following and looked blank as noh masks. But there was no guarantee that one of them wasn't putting on a front.
“I hope everyone understands thus far. Let's consider everything that's been said so far as a single clue to the culprit's identity. For now, let's call it 'positional relationship'. Our next clue is... I suppose we can call it 'choice of weapon'.”
Hoshizono kept going, sounding the same as ever. Kazuo knew that there was quite the brain behind his professional playboy front, but he didn't expect this much. He looked perfectly fine thinking all this, while just listening to it was making Kazuo's brain overheat.
“The issue is the same as before, the kokeshi doll... and Mr. Zaino's pants. When the culprit killed Mr. Zaino, they hit him with the kokeshi, then twisted his pants into a makeshift rope. That appears to have been a last moment decision; since Mr. Zaino didn't wear a belt, there was nothing else at the scene that could be used to strangle him. They probably intended to get the rope at the scene since there was no way to safely smuggle it in from outside. They could hide the kokeshi doll under their clothes, but they couldn't do the same with a bundle of thick rope. If they were seen sneaking into the administration building under cover of darkness with something like that on their back, they couldn't just claim they were going to the bathroom. Therefore, from the beginning, they must have planned to kill him with something in the staff room. Mr. Zaino wasn't able to use his knife for self-defense because he was beaten bloody first. The twisted pants were a bit of eleventh hour improvisation from the culprit. However, during the day, I made an interesting discovery. Directly across from the staff room, there's a storage room, and it contains some interesting things. Among the junk in there, there was a broom, firewood... and a bundle of rope.”
Kazuo remembered he and Hoshizono had peeked in there before their absurdist march through the snow.
“What I found interesting was that the culprit took the time and effort to twist the pants, even though there was a rope in the storage room just across the hall... and, if they wanted to hit him, they could have used the broom handle or a piece of firewood. Even though there were two wonderful murder weapons right there, the culprit didn't use them, but instead went to the effort of twisting a pair of pants into a rope.”
“I guess the culprit just didn't know there were such great murder weapons in there,” mumbled Sagashima.
Hoshizono nodded.
“Exactly. If they knew before the night of the crime that there was a rope in the storeroom, they would have used it. They wouldn't have had to take the kokeshi from the counter, they wouldn't have had to twist up his pants, none of it. All they had to do was open the door to the storage room, and they had everything they needed. The window to the crime scene didn't open, so they must have gone in through the door. And the storage room is right in front of that door. But the culprit didn't take that simple step – no, they couldn't have. It's just as Mr. Sagashima said: the culprit didn't know what was in the storage room. That is our clue from 'choice of weapon'.”
“Mr. Hoshizono~, this is too hard. Can't you just skip ahead to the end?”
Unfortunately, Yumi appeared to have recovered.
“If you know who the culprit is, then just say so. I'm getting all confused.”
“But I wonder, would you really understand if I just suddenly said a name?”
Hoshizono swallowed before explaining.
“I'm sure you and everyone else will want to know what I'm saying. And the person I accuse will insist on their innocence and demand proof. In order to convince everyone and stop the culprit from getting away, we have to make an acceptable argument. That's what all this is for, so please, be a little more patient.”
“Hnngh... Alright. But do it as soon as possible.”
Yumi sounded reluctant. If this was all an act, she was a hell of an actress, Kazuo thought as he looked at the side of her face, half hidden by her long hair.
“She seems to get it, so go ahead, Hoshizono.”
Akane's usual old man-ish pose, with her arms crossed and a cigarette in her mouth, could also have all been just an act.
“I understand, let's continue.”
“Our next clue is 'alibi'. This one is about Mr. Iwagishi's case, involving the three sets of footprints from his lodge to the left path. One of them belongs to Mr. Iwagishi himself. It's safe to assume that the other two are the culprit, making a round trip. What I want you all to remember is what Kazuo overheard. Kazuo told me that that night, he overheard a mysterious meeting between Mr. Iwagishi and someone else. It was at around 11:00 P.M., correct?”
“Yes, a little after then.”
“Yes, after 11:00 P.M. – and since there was only one set of round trip footprints, we can conclude that was the only time someone set foot in the lodge, and therefore, the other party is the culprit. Therefore, a person who was definitely somewhere else at the time cannot be the culprit. That is the 'alibi' clue. Now, let's talk about that crop circle near Mr. Iwagishi's lodge. I don't think Mr. Iwagishi himself would make something like that, so we have no choice but to conclude that it was the work of the culprit – the only other person to go to the lodge that night. The question is why the culprit would do such a thing.”
Hoshizono took a glimpse at Sagashima. He made fusses about UFOs and aliens at the slightest provocation, making their already complicated story even more tangled. That must have been what he was worried about. However, luckily for them, Sagashima decided not to say anything. Hoshizono pressed onward before he had a chance to change his mind.
“Of course, that was probably a diversionary tactic by the culprit. They probably figured that if a trace of a UFO landing appeared before I, a Star Watcher, and Mr. Sagashima, a UFO researcher, the impact would cause confusion. Especially since we gathered here with a plan to turn this lodge village into a leisure facility where UFOs will appear, any trace of a UFO left at the murder scene would make us lose our composure and fall into confusion... That's the only explanation I can think of. They probably came up with the idea after hearing Mr. Iwagishi talk about his plan to turn this place into a romantic leisure facility near a UFO base. However, contrary to the culprit's plans, it didn't cause much of a disturbance. Mr. Sagashima was the only one to be misled, and the rest of us had little reaction. Some of us didn't even know what a crop circle was.”
Sagashima sneered with dissatisfaction, and was clearly about to speak up, but before he could, Asako opened her mouth.
“So what you're saying is that only someone who knew what a crop circle was could make one. Even if they wanted to confuse us by suggesting the presence of a UFO, anyone who didn't know that UFOs are associated with that specific circular pattern wouldn't have done this.”
“That's not it, girl.”
Akane cut in from the side.
“How can you tell whether someone doesn't know something? It's hard to pretend to know something you don't, but anyone can feign ignorance on a subject. All you have to do is put on a dumb face and say you've never heard of it.”
“That's right, knowledge or lack of knowledge isn't the issue here,” said Hoshizono.
“The real issue here is whether or not they believe.”
“Believe?”
Asako tilted her head. Hoshizono explained himself.
“Yes. Suppose there was a mysterious murder that could only be explained as the work of aliens. A murdered corpse on a wide open plain with no footprints around, and a crop circle right next to it. Even in a case like that, no realist would who didn't already believe in UFOs would ever declare that the case was the work of aliens. Surely, they'd conclude that it was some kind of trick. Perhaps the corpse was dropped from a helicopter. They definitely wouldn't cry 'aliens!'. But what would happen if, in the same situation, the only people around were those who did believe in UFOs? This time, everyone would probably cry in unison that the culprit WAS an alien. You see? The culprit was trying to confuse people in this case by creating a crop circle. Of course, it's unlikely that everyone here would believe in crop circles and fall for the deception, but the culprit must have believed that there would be at least some value in doing so, that at least some people would be confused. And that means that the culprit themself must be someone who believes in crop circles, or at the very least, is agnostic towards them. Or perhaps they believe in crop circles even if they're a skeptic about them. I understand it's a bit confusing, but let me put it this way: the culprit is someone who understands the feelings of those who believe in crop circles. By using a crop circle to mislead people, the culprit was taking advantage of the feelings of those who believe in crop circles – in other words, the culprit understood that belief. Conversely, someone who didn't understand the belief in crop circles would never have tried to create one. They wouldn't have used something they didn't believe in to protect themselves. The thought would never have even occurred to them. Therefore, my conclusion is this: those who totally disbelieve in UFOs cannot be the culprit.”
“However, they could have just said they denied them when they didn't. They might have expected you to say that and lied that they were a skeptic when, deep down, they understood the feelings of UFO believers.”
Hoshizono nodded at Akane's words.
“Yes, so, of course, we'll need to add on that their denial has been public knowledge for a long time. Someone who has a pre-existing reputation as a hardcore UFO denier can't be the culprit.”
“Alright, I can agree with that.”
“But don't you think it's possible they just wanted you to think that?”
Sagashima sounded irritated.
“It's possible a denier engineered things so a believer, like me, would look suspicious.”
Hoshizono easily parried Sagashima's challenge.
“I don't think so. If the purpose was to cast suspicion on UFO believers like Mr. Sagashima, it makes no sense that the second incident, Mr. Zaino's murder, has no UFO involvement whatsoever. If their plan was to cast suspicion on the believers, they would have put more UFO imagery in the next case, not less. To put it simply, if the culprit's plan was to frame Mr. Sagashima, the most hardcore believer of us all, UFOs would have been a constant presence in this case. However, Mr. Zaino's crime scene was an ordinary murder scene, with no hints of UFO involvement. That makes it clear that the culprit isn't working with any specific intention of framing a mad UFO believer. Most likely, after they realized that their attempt to cause confusion in the first incident had little effect, they gave up on it. That shows the crop circle was just a vague diversionary tactic by the culprit with no higher purpose. If you'll allow me to repeat my conclusion, the culprit is themself either a believe or an agnostic. Or maybe they don't believe at all, but they understand the feelings of those who do. At the very least, they aren't a complete denialist. I'm sure the idea of creating a crop circle wouldn't occur to someone like that at all. Do we all agree? This is the fourth clue, the 'psychological element'.”
Hoshizono kept going.
“The next clue is 'physical characteristics'... I'm sorry, but this one is also a bit complicated. The core point here is the alarm device using the kettle that Mr. Zaino set up. He told Kazuo that he'd set something up before he went to bed. And since faking the alarm wouldn't have benefited the culprit in any way, it's safe to assume that it was made by Mr. Zaino himself. That simple alarm system was set up by Mr. Zaino. And, as I said earlier, it was a dud.”
“Ah, we know it was a dud,” said Akane, “but we still don't know why the thread was still up.”
“Yes, I'm going to explain that now.”
Hoshizono give a flip of his long hair.
“The thread was set at a height such that anyone would have gotten caught in it. At the time, it was still clear that anyone could have been the culprit, so it makes no sense that Mr. Zaino would have told anyone about his contraption. Therefore, the culprit must not have known about the existence of the alarm device. And if they didn't know it was there, it's unlikely they could have ducked underneath it. Especially since the crime was committed at night, they must not have been able to see the thread of the alarm. Even if Mr. Zaino had left his lights on out of an abundance of caution, we only barely saw it in the bright morning light. Also, considering the culprit's state of mind, they would have wanted to get through the door and away from potential witnesses as quickly as possible, so it's unlikely they would have taken any time to look when they opened the door. Thinking about it, it's impossible to conclude anything other than that the culprit did get caught on the thread and broke it when they went into the staff room. Whether they had good luck or bad I can't say.”
“In that case, why was the thread still taut this morning?” Sagashima groaned.
“Yes, this is where the important part begins. Let's take a moment to consider what exactly the culprit did. They must have turned on the lights at least once during Mr. Zaino's murder. Not only did they hit him, but then they searched for a rope to strangle him and, failing to find one, twisted his pants and tied them to the bed. Don't you think that would all be very difficult to do in the dark? Therefore, we can conclude that they would have turned on the lights at least once, even if they didn't leave them on. And if they turned on the lights, they would have seen the kettle resting on the books. At the very least, they would have seen it when they turned back to the door to leave after the crime. And as soon as they understood what it was, the culprit would have felt a powerful sense of relief. It's not hard to realize that kettle is part of a simple alarm device. They would have realized that they'd snapped the thread without realizing, and that it had just failed to go off. They must have nearly collapsed with relief. If the alarm had been working properly, it would have woken up everyone in the building.”
“I think I see where you're going with this,” Asako said modestly.
“It's about what Ms. Akane and I found.”
“Yes, you catch on quick.”
Hoshizono looked straight at Asako.
“Earlier today, Ms. Kusabuki and Miss Asako made a discovery: That thread had a knot in it. In other words, that thread was broken, and then tied back together. There's no way Mr. Zaino was the one to do that. There was still plenty of unbroken thread; Ms. Kusabuki found it in the desk in his room. If Mr. Zaino had broken the thread while making the device, he would have just used a new thread. He wouldn't have used broken, retied thread, there was a risk it could unravel and come loose, not to mention just pulling a new thread would have been quicker than tying such a small knot. He couldn't have accidentally broken it while returning to his room after getting drunk, either. If Mr. Zaino had cut it himself, he would have seen first hand that his alarm system didn't go off and fixed the kettle. I can't imagine he would have tied the thread and not moved the kettle from the position where it failed to go off the first time. Therefore, Mr. Zaino didn't tie the thread. Then who did? There's only one possible answer: The culprit. We know there are no accomplices, so the culprit is the only other person to have set foot in the room. After they finished their crime, they tied the thread back together. That's all there is to it.”
“That's strange, though.”
Akane sounded dissatisfied.
“I understand the logic, and I agree that seems to be the only possibility, but I don't understand why. Why did the culprit have to do that?”
“Yes, that is our next clue...”
Hoshizono had a mysterious look on his face.
“First, I want to confirm that everyone understands and agrees with what I've said so far. The person who tied the string was the culprit – that is the fifth clue, 'physical characteristics'. Is that okay with everyone?”
“Yes, it's fine, we all understand. Now please tell us why they did it.”
At Akane's urging, Hoshizono did so.
“Alright, then. This is the sixth and last clue. Let's call it 'action'. Why did the culprit retie the thread? Why do something like that? I should be more precise. The reason why they retied the thread is obvious. It was to restore the alarm system to its original state. So, why did the culprit need to restore the alarm system? I spent the whole afternoon thinking about that question, and finally, I realized the truth.”
Hoshizono paused there, looking a bit hesitant, but forced himself to finish.
“If the culprit had left the thread broken, we wouldn't have known the alarm system didn't work. If we had found a broken thread, we would have known the culprit was caught by the alarm, but there would have been no way to tell if the kettle had fallen after all and they just put it back.”
“What?”
Sagashima blinked at him.
“I don't think I understand what you're saying.”
Next to him, Akane was also looking off into space, a hand on her forehead.
“So what you're saying is that if we'd gone into that room this morning and found the thread broken and hanging loose, we wouldn't have been able to tell if it had gone off successfully or not? Is that it? How confusing.”
“That's right, the scene would look exactly the same as if the alarm had gone off normally and the culprit had placed the kettle back on top of the phone books. If that had happened... we wouldn't have been able to tell if the alarm had failed or not. I think that's what the culprit wanted to avoid.”
Asako sighed.
“My head is starting to hurt... This case is so complicated.”
“It is a bit of a snarl, but I don't know any other way to explain it. Please, just a bit longer.”
Hoshizono said that, but Yumi and Mikiko, at least, had clearly stopped watching him. They just stared vaguely at his handsome profile. Not that Kazuo could judge. His head was also hurting. His brain couldn't keep up with all the stories this man was telling.
Regardless of how the others felt, Hoshizono kept going.
“This morning, we found the kettle's spout stuck on the door frame. The kettle was on top of the phone books, so we thought the alarm had failed. However, that by itself wouldn't have been enough to rule out the possibility that it had gone off, but the culprit had been startled by the noise and returned the kettle to its place. Therefore, to emphasize the impression of 'it didn't go off', the culprit repaired the thread. They didn't know who the first discoverer would be, but no matter who it was, when they touched the thread, the alarm wouldn't go off because the kettle wouldn't fall. Tying the knot would make this even clearer. Even if the first discoverers broke the thread without even realizing, the knot would still be there. As I discussed back in 'physical characteristics', there's no way Mr. Zaino would have ever retied the thread, so simple logic dictates it must have been the culprit's doing. In truth, when Ms. Kusabuki broke the thread, the kettle didn't fall, and neither Kazuo nor Miss Yumi heard the kettle last night, so the alarm really didn't go off. By putting the thread back in place and tying it together, the culprit wanted to thoroughly emphasize that fact. I can't think of any other reason why they would have repaired the thread.”
“Hmm... I still don't understand.”
Akane was stroking her hair, deep in thought.
“You say they wanted to emphasize that it didn't work, but I still don't understand why they needed to do that.”
“I'll explain that right now.”
Hoshizono gave a cool smile.
“I gestured in this direction back during 'positional relationship', but we can assume the culprit knew that Miss Yumi and Miss Mikiko were sleeping in the parlor at the time of the crime. Of course, Kazuo, who attended the party himself, knew they were there, and if either of them woke up and committed the crime, they'd see the other was still sleeping there. Also, since those staying on the right path enter through the front door, they would have had to pass through the parlor to get to the staff room. I don't know whether they went through or turned back and circled around to the back door, but whoever the culprit was, they must have known about the two people in the parlor. I think we all understand this. So, even though the kettle alarm system didn't go off, the culprit must have been wracked with anxiety the entire time they committed the crime. What if one of those two woke up and heard them? Even if the culprit was one of the girls, the other would still pose the same threat. And the culprit couldn't have known that Kazuo was on the second floor, so they would have been especially wary of the mattress room, which is separated from the crime scene by only a single wall. However, they couldn't avoid making some noise: when they hit Mr. Zaino, when they opened and closed the door, the sound coming from the bed as they strangled him... squeaks, footsteps, all sorts of sounds that threatened to expose the criminal would have been produced. They must have shrank with fear from the slightest sound. 'What if that woke up those two in the parlor? What'll I do if Sugishita hears me?' You probably wouldn't have gone to check up on Mr. Zaino because of a small noise, but when the crime was discovered the following morning, they would have been able to pinpoint the exact time of death if Miss Yumi or Miss Mikiko testified that they were awakened by a noise coming from the staff room and remembered the time showing on the clock. That would be a major clue.”
It seemed this part was easy to understand. Even Yumi was nodding.
“However, even if one of them did wake up, there was still hope for the culprit. As long as they didn't hear a loud noise like the kettle, but a small, routine sound, they probably wouldn't think it was related to the case. They'd be more likely to write it off as the sound of the wind, the building settling, or just their imaginations. They'd immediately forget all about it. But the sound that kettle makes falling to the floor is decisive. They all would have immediately jumped out of bed if they heard it. We heard that in this morning. Even Miss Mikiko, who was all the way in the dining room, heard it and came running. Therefore, if the alarm were discovered with the thread broken, and we couldn't be sure if it was because it was a dud or not, and those two were awakened by other noises that night, they might have testified to the extent of: 'Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard a noise. It must have been the sound of that kettle. In that case, the time of the crime was' and so on. The girls mistaking some other noise for the sound of the kettle and assuming something was there when it wasn't was a possibility the killer wanted to avoid. If possible, they would have preferred if they didn't hear anything at all, so they nipped the possibility of the girls thinking they had heard the kettle in the bud. That was the reason why they would have wanted to emphasize the idea that the alarm didn't work, and thus, why they repaired the alarm system.”
“I'm starting to get it, but...”
Akane gestured with her cigarette.
“I don't see why it would have been a problem if the time of the crime was known. It was the middle of the night, so everyone was asleep anyway. Nobody had an alibi either way. There shouldn't have been any problem.”
“No, it would have created a major problem.”
Hoshizono's denial was firm and immediate.
“That night, Miss Yumi and Miss Mikiko were the only ones in a place where it would have been immediately clear if they had woken up. Thus, if either of them were woken up by a noise, the other person sleeping with them would have an alibi. If they both woke up, of course, they could alibi each other. If Kazuo woke up, he'd still be alone, so his testimony wouldn't be worth anything, but it's different if there are two people present. In a confined space like this where there are only seven suspects present, even just two of them getting alibis would put the culprit in an extremely tight spot. The police's odds of grabbing the right culprit purely by accident would rise from 1 in 7 to 1 in 5. The culprit would certainly prefer if all of us remained equally suspicious. As long as the time of the crime remained ambiguous, even if they both woke up in the middle of the night, that wouldn't give them an alibi, because the criminal could completely deny that the kettle was the source of the noise that woke them up. By emphasizing that the kettle alarm didn't go off, the culprit could keep the time of the crime ambiguous, and convince them that any noises they might have heard were actually the windows rattling in the wind. If it helps, you could call it insurance. Just by tying a knot, the culprit ensured they'd still have six potential fall guys instead of only four. That is why the culprit retied the thread.”
“But sir, in that case, wouldn't it have made more sense to eliminate the alarm system altogether? That way, nobody would have even considered the possibility that any noises came from the kettle.”
Kazuo said the first thing that came to mind, but Hoshizono just shook his head.
“No, they couldn't have. The criminal wanted to make as little noise as possible. Moving a large, heavy kettle, several phone books, and an umbrella stand to natural looking places would have taken a lot of footsteps and some clatter. Besides, it was less trouble to tie a single thread than to eliminate all traces of the alarm.”
“Oh. I see.”
His objection was crushed in an instant. Perhaps because he'd been thinking about it all day, Hoshizono's reasoning was solid as a castle wall. It wouldn't break easily. In the end, there was no way Kazuo could compete with a man like that.
“That is the reason the culprit retied the string: as insurance, to stop Miss Yumi and Miss Mikiko from developing alibis. This is the final clue, 'action'.”
Akane released a heavy sigh.
“Man, this case is complicated.”
She sounded completely convinced.
It was as though she were expressing the feelings of approval shared by everyone at that table.
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