Chapter 60 Reverse Evidence

Shiraishi had changed into dirt-resistant, durable field gear by this time and arrived at the morgue. Shiraishi's uniforms were custom-made, and the General Affairs Department had only provided two sets; if they got dirty, they were difficult to wash and replace!

"Have the family agreed to an autopsy?" Shiraishi asked Kunikida.

"The victim's only immediate family member is his wife, and she is currently pregnant. She is unwilling to accept an autopsy. Detectives Makitaka and Suzuki are currently at her home, along with Patrol Officers Fuji and Kawai who were providing nearby support. Because the victim's wife is pregnant, the priority is to comfort her, so they haven't dared to upset her."

Kunikida answered fluently. Although he usually slacked off, when he truly applied himself, he was quite reliable.

Hearing this, Shiraishi nodded knowingly.

As for why detectives and even nearby patrol officers were sent to the dead man's home?

It was primarily because of the fraud case!

They hoped to find the victim's pre-mortem criminal evidence and detailed client records at his home, which would allow them to identify all the victims of the fraud. This was done both for the sake of the fraud case itself and to rule out suspects in other murder cases.

Considering his wife's condition, the officers sent were Makitaka Miwa, the sole female detective in the First Investigative Division, along with her partner Suzuki Atsushi, who had the second most benevolent face in the entire division. The supporting officers were also two female patrol officers.

The matter of the autopsy was not heavily pressed upon the victim's wife...

After all, she was pregnant, and judging by the current situation, the victim's injuries completely matched the crime scene. The cause of death was very clear, and because the body had been discovered early, the time of death was also quite precise, rendering an autopsy unnecessary.

Besides, if they really needed an autopsy, the victim's body would have to be transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department, as the precinct did not have a medical examiner!

Shiraishi brought his hands together in a bow before the body, then directly unzipped the body bag and began his examination. Right off the bat, he purposefully focused on the victim's chest.

Kunikida cast a slightly uncomfortable extra glance at Shiraishi...

However, the other detectives had already grown accustomed to Superintendent Shiraishi's peculiarities. Generally speaking, a superintendent would never personally inspect a corpse. No matter how important the case was, the most they would do was supervise—meaning sit in an office and turn up the pressure on the frontline detectives!

This wasn't just a matter of being out of touch with reality; if these career-track and quasi-career-track officers actually went to the frontlines, they would only cause trouble.

However, Shiraishi was definitely an exception to this.

Aside from Kunikida, the only person present who was ignorant of Shiraishi's tendencies in this regard was Kanzaki. Being a rookie, he assumed other high-ranking officers were the same...

When Shiraishi unbuttoned the victim's clothing and looked at the mark on the left side of his chest, an expression of "just as I thought" immediately appeared on his face. "Sure enough..."

Not only Shiraishi himself, but Kunikida's expression also shifted upon seeing the mark. Previously, Kunikida had declined to work the frontlines. For a "section chief," this was quite normal, and naturally, he hadn't seen the corpse with his own eyes.

"Eh? Superintendent... this... isn't this caused by a walking stick?" Kanzaki asked eagerly.

Other veteran detectives had also noticed this mark beforehand, but during the previous meeting, it was Kanzaki who had used this point to refute Shiraishi.

Many of the detectives present were now also wondering what the superintendent meant by "sure enough"...

"Indeed, this mark matches the walking stick Otani Shinjiro carries, but this degree of congestion is definitely not something caused before death. Rather, it should have developed swelling over a period of time," Shiraishi said with certainty, turning his head to look at Kunikida. "Am I right?"

Back during the case discussion meeting when Kanzaki mentioned the "red mark," Shiraishi had faintly felt something was amiss—if someone was poked right before death, it shouldn't normally be that red!

"Yes, if... if the injury really was caused last night, with the blood circulating all night, this degree of congestion would actually be just right," Kunikida also nodded in agreement.

"If Mr. Otani pushed him last night... and his memories became confused due to mental issues, then... this mark actually proves he isn't the real culprit!" Minato said hurriedly.

"We shouldn't be so hasty in our conclusions. Perhaps he was pushed twice, and the suspect deliberately gave that testimony to mislead us," Akasaka cautioned.

At that moment, Shiraishi spoke up. "However... Section Chief Kunikida, you have a lot of connections at the Metropolitan Police Department, right? Can you poach a couple of medical examiners over here?"

"Eh? Superintendent, you must be joking." Kunikida was stunned upon hearing this. Was this the kind of problem that could be solved just by having good connections?

"That's true... I suppose it can't be helped then. Hard work to you, Section Chief Kunikida. In the future, please find some free time to give everyone some extra training on inspection techniques!" Shiraishi said, patting him on the shoulder.

Kunikida: ......

So you're just looking at my workload and deciding it's not full enough, aren't you?

Kunikida could clearly see through Shiraishi's intentions!

When Kunikida had been transferred over in the first place, he was extremely reluctant. It was the Superintendent-General himself who had spoken with him personally, attaching a mandatory order to the assignment, which forced him to transfer!

It wasn't that he didn't want to leave the Metropolitan Police Department or that he looked down on the precinct; rather, he simply didn't want to deal with detective work anymore.

Therefore, ever since Kunikida arrived, he had been somewhat slacking off. His most prominent presence was strictly within the "First Investigative Division," where he ruthlessly cracked down on internal affairs, urging everyone to tidy their desks and clean the office every day. Over the past two days, he had turned the division upside down while ignoring the cases entirely, leaving the detectives feeling deeply resentful toward this section chief transferred from the Public Relations Department.

They had merely assumed that the Metropolitan Police Department had sent this man specifically to emphasize discipline in the wake of the previous Shirai incident, which was why they had suppressed their dissatisfaction.

Witnessing the exchange between Kunikida and the superintendent just now, they finally realized...

This section chief transferred from the Public Relations Department actually had some genuine substance to him?

Had it been yesterday, Kunikida would definitely have emphasized to Superintendent Shiraishi his stance on refusing overtime. However...

Having witnessed firsthand how Shiraishi personally went to the frontlines—especially how he pursued the truth completely unswayed by external factors and indifferent to his own gains and losses—Kunikida felt a stirring sentiment: "If it's Superintendent Shiraishi, perhaps that kind of tragedy could have been avoided." With a gloomy expression, he gave in and agreed, "Fine, I'll see if I can find some time later to conduct training for everyone."

Akasaka and the others remained unconvinced, but Shiraishi specifically emphasized, "Section Chief Kunikida used to be a squad leader in the First Investigative Division. He's seen more murder victims than the petty thieves you lot have ever arrested, so you'd all better pay attention!"

"It wasn't that many..." Kunikida retorted speechlessly.

It was true that the Beika Precinct lacked neither seasoned nor professional detectives, but... the number of homicide cases handled could not be spoken of in the same breath as the First Investigative Division.

The officers of Beika Precinct mostly inspected elderly people who died of natural causes at home; only the detectives of the First Investigative Division had the opportunity to rack up experience in "homicide inspection" backed by a large volume of victim corpses.

Hearing Shiraishi say this, the detectives present were all inwardly astonished. For the past six years, Kunikida had been in the Public Relations Department, so very few people knew his past resume!

However...

"Eh?" Young Kanzaki was the only one who let out a startled sound, his voice brimming with the realization that "this guy used to be a squad leader in the First Investigative Division?!"

Seeing everyone look over, especially after Kuroki stepped heavily on his foot, Kanzaki hurriedly covered his mouth.