Chapter 40: Calling the Witness to the Stand

"Is there a detailed autopsy report for the victim?" Shiraishi asked immediately after opening his eyes.

"No..." Akasaka said awkwardly, then added, "There is a preliminary examination report, and the basic details are..."

"Is the body still available?" Shiraishi interrupted directly.

Akasaka continued to shake his head in embarrassment: "Because the cause of death was clear, it has already been returned to the family... and cremated."

Shiraishi: ...

Fine. The evidence that would have made the truth easiest to discern was gone.

If an autopsy had been performed, it would have been perfectly possible to distinguish whether the victim’s wound was caused by one stab or two, and the angle of the blade would have been irrelevant.

However, although disappointed, Shiraishi was not entirely surprised by this outcome.

This was a chronic ailment of the East Island nation...

To put it politely, the East Island police have excellent "preliminary examination" capabilities. Even ordinary patrol officers are trained to perform basic examinations on bodies and are quite experienced—after all, every death occurring outside of a hospital undergoes such an inspection.

To put it less politely, the autopsy rate and the number of forensic pathologists in the East Island nation are woefully insufficient!

In a country with a population of over one hundred million, there are fewer than two hundred forensic pathologists...

Local police stations generally have no forensic pathologists; they are only found at the Metropolitan Police Department and the prefectural police headquarters.

With such a scarce number of pathologists, the autopsy rate for non-natural deaths is abysmal, and even for murder cases, there is no guarantee of a one-hundred-percent autopsy rate.

Seeing that this case was being handled by the main force of the local precinct, and given that the cause of death was so clear and the time of death could be estimated, Shiraishi had already guessed that an autopsy likely hadn't been performed.

Consequently...

Shiraishi walked straight into the soundproof room.

Gulp.

Seeing Shiraishi enter, Ms. Hayashi, who was being interrogated, felt her heart leap into her throat and swallowed with difficulty.

Although she didn't recognize Shiraishi, he looked incredibly imposing.

In the already dimly lit soundproof room, the giant-like Shiraishi "squeezed" in, creating an almost surreal, cinematic effect, much like Gandalf entering a hobbit's cramped dwelling. The door to the soundproof room was one of the few that hadn't been enlarged; after all, the room had padded, sound-insulating walls that made renovations difficult, and besides... no one had ever expected the Chief to enter the soundproof room in person.

Seeing that it was Shiraishi who had entered, Gen immediately stood up and said, "Chief."

"Yes, sit aside for a moment. I have a few questions for this lady," Shiraishi said directly.

Gen sat on a small stool to the side. As Shiraishi sat in the chair, it let out a groan.

Ms. Hayashi’s posture changed visibly, and she leaned back in resistance.

Shiraishi did not intentionally project his presence but instead offered a kind smile. "Ms. Hayashi, you previously said the victim coerced you, using the excuse of having you cook one last meal, is that correct?"

"Y... yes," Ms. Hayashi said, looking at the towering smile and feeling even more terrified.

"What were you planning to make?" Shiraishi asked casually.

"Eh?" Ms. Hayashi was taken aback.

"Tell me the menu you prepared that day immediately," Shiraishi said in a deep voice.

"Ah... yes! It was... Beef Bourguignon, mashed potatoes, bouillabaisse, escargot..." Ms. Hayashi reeled them off immediately.

"Hmm, all French cuisine? It seems... there were no ingredients that required a sushi knife. So, did you actually clean the sushi knife at the time?" Shiraishi pivoted.

"I... I don't remember clearly. I should have washed it!" Ms. Hayashi’s answer was vague.

However, looking at her expression, Shiraishi already had what he wanted.

Seeing Shiraishi squinting at her, Ms. Hayashi felt a cold sweat break out all over her body.

Then, Shiraishi said, "Ah, so you’re saying... you saw this person leave in the alley, which is why you chose to enter through the front door, right?" He added a tone of feigned difficulty.

Gen was confused, not understanding the Chief's intent, but he did not show it.

"That's right! But... actually, I'm not entirely sure... but didn't my car record it?" Ms. Hayashi said, sounding flustered.

"The footage isn't very clear, so we might need you to testify, including the fact that when you returned, the victim was already dead in the room... Is that alright?" Shiraishi asked suddenly.

"Eh? This..." Ms. Hayashi hesitated.

Seeing this, Shiraishi said sympathetically, "You can refuse, but then your own crimes will have to be handled strictly by the book... As for that Tsubokura, he may escape this time, but he won't escape the next!"

When Ms. Hayashi heard "by the book," she hadn't been particularly moved, but upon hearing "he may escape this time," her expression clearly flickered.

"Wait! I... I understand. I am willing to testify in court!" Ms. Hayashi said firmly.

"Good. Thank you for your courage. The witness stand actually has a nice view; there's nothing to be afraid of." Shiraishi smiled peacefully and then stood up to leave the soundproof room.

...

Outside, Shirai and the others were at a loss.

"Chief, was there any real need to force her to testify?" Akasaka asked bluntly.

Shiraishi glanced at him and replied naturally, "I had her testify because, of course... it was necessary. Don't you think?"

Hearing this, Akasaka quickly said, "Yes! Exactly, it was very necessary..."

Seeing that everyone nodded in agreement, Shiraishi nodded as well. "Then... submit the current investigation results to the prosecutor's office. Remember to apply for a supplemental interrogation of Tsubokura."

"This... Chief, as for the prosecutor's office, I’m afraid..." Aoki’s tone was uncertain. Given his understanding of the prosecutors' style, they would likely refuse.

"Well, we just need to submit the application, and make sure all applications are documented. Once the prosecutors agree to accept the supplemental evidence, remember to notify me immediately," Shiraishi emphasized.

...

Shiraishi left the report writing and coordination tasks to the Criminal Investigation Division while he returned to his "stamping" marathon.

By the next day, Thursday, October 6th...

At noon, Aoki came to report, "Chief, the prosecutor's office has replied. They only accepted the evidence regarding Tsubokura and rejected our request for an interrogation. As you instructed, we have kept records of the reports submitted before and after."

"Did they accept the new witness?" Shiraishi confirmed.

Seeing Shiraishi so composed, Aoki was slightly puzzled, but replied immediately, "They did."

Shiraishi nodded. "I see." He said nothing more.

In the afternoon, while having Gina "track a location" for him, Shiraishi greeted Ebihara and, in a rare move, left work early.