Who Done It - File 3

"Officer, I'm Rook Kazuki, a private detective. I came from Chiba Prefecture. I was about to visit the victim when I found this, together with the young girl who just called you…"

The officer looked surprised. "Kazuki…?" he wondered.

"Anyway, who is the victim?" he continued.

"He is the famous magician Souichiro Isami…I believe…"

The officer asked the ambulance crew to carry the body out. The other police officers investigated the area while the girl that called the police was questioned by some officers.

"By the way I am Officer Akihiro Yoshikawa…you're from Chiba…you told me…"

"Yes sir…"

"So why are you here to visit the victim?"

"Actually, I believe that Souichiro has something to do with the 200 million yen of Chiba bank robbery case. He is one of the prime suspects."

"I see. Speaking of which, there were small robberies here too, some men were murdered near Osaka Castle Park as well. The most surprising thing is, we have no leads.

"Some robberies and murder of some men?" Could it be the other men…who can speak English and Italian?"

"Sir, I want to have the information of these men. Can they speak Italian? Do you have any clues if they do?"

"Who knows? But they all have tattoos on their hand. The words I guess were…" he said, brought out his notebook. "Oh here…bambini abbandonati."

"Italian words which means 'abandoned children'."

"That's the meaning?" asked the officer and listen it down.

"Yes sir. I learned Italian in school. Sir, do you have any clues on the case we are in?"

Officer Akihiro called some of the police officers and asked for a new update of the case.

"Here…we found the new heated tea. But if the victim was not able to do it since he is dead…"

"Someone did it, for it to look like as if he's alive, causing the nearby residents not to worry…not to rise any suspicions…"

Akihiro nodded. A forensic officer disturbed them when he said he has a strange report.

"Officer Akihiro, the victim is not the magician Souichiro Isami but Sadamichi Ayase…a judge. We found out that the victim is not the 28 years old Isami but a 39 years old man."

Akihiro and Rook looked at each other. They were both shocked, surprise and puzzled.

"Other reports?" said Akihiro.

"There is a tattoo on his hand, like the usual…bambini abbandonati"

"The same words in the murdered men!" Akihiro exclaimed.

"On his pocket we found a calling card. The name is Shinji Kanjiya from Chiba Prefecture, a bank manager. We found out that Shinji and Sadamichi are both rivals, not only in business but also in family.

If Shinji is murdered, the prime suspect can only be this person…"

Rook was more puzzled and surprised to what he just heard. "This is getting harder and harder. Officer Raone's father is a prime suspect!"

The police continued the investigation. Rook and Akihiro found out that they have a serial killer on their hands. Rook told him that he knows the bank manager and that he will do everything he can to prove his innocence, if possible, although Rook is not hoping so much. Right at the moment, Raone's father is the prime suspect.

He sat on the police station bench and blankly though of the case.

"If Isami is still alive…where is he?"

His cellphone rang several times. He quickly brought it out and answered his call. It is from Officer Raone.

"Rook…my father is a suspect…!"

"Right now, they're pointing in it that way…"

"But father is innocent, you know that!"

"I'll do everything I can to prove his innocence. Please, tell me updates of our case…"

He heard Raone took a deep breath before answering.

"We found something, on the witness pocket, his notebook was found. The first page these words were written; 'Io vi ho ingannato due volte '. We're searching it now."

"Italian words which means I have tricked you twice…"

Rook stood from sitting and pats his right hand to the left. "Officer Raone…I know who is the killer! I cracked the case!"

The police officers looked at him when he shouted. He ran to Officer Akihiro who was talking with the Police Superintendent when he interrupted.

"Excuse me for interrupting but…Officer Akihiro, let's go to Chiba…I cracked the case. Your robbery case and serial murders are also solved. The criminal is in Funabashi…let's not let him escape before he murders more…!"

"What…! You solved it…?"

"Yes sir. Let's go to Chiba…"

"Okay!"

Rook and Akihiro saluted to the Superintendent and ran away from the hallway. Akihiro contacted some forensic officers to go with them with the evidence as per Rook's request.

Inspector Eijiro and Raone went to the forensic officer who was in charge of the taking the cloth's epithelial.

"Inspector, I found some epithelials on the strands of cloth. Miracle, I also found a shocking DNA…"

"Who was it…?"

"Just like Detective Rook just told us…it's him…"

Raone happily took a deep breath. They went to the address Rook gave them and carried the evidence.

"So what did you came here for?" asked Professor Takashi, when they all sat on the sofa in his lounge. Only Rook was standing.

"Professor, we are here to prove your evil crimes…" said Rook, bravely although his voice was breaking. He cared for his professor, he cared and sympathized, Takashi was once his mentor, his teacher…his second father.

His professor was shocked. "R-rook, what are you saying…?"

Rook showed the first evidence, the peach. "You murdered our witness on the water closet using amygdalin…right? You poured it on the faucet switch. As the victim ingests anything, the cyanide will be there too. When amygdalin is ingested, stomach acids convert it to cyanide. Our witness…no, Isami Souichiro…failed to tell us the last message…"

The police officers looked at each other.

"Yes, the first victim was Isami Souichiro. He asked the second victim, Sadamichi Ayase to stay at his house, to prevent suspicion that you will leak out something. But since you know Souichiro is against you, you decided to kill him, but you made a mistake because you killed Sadamichi instead. Sadamichi probably tried to kill you, so you had to kill him. You were probably surprised later on that the one you killed in the station was Souichiro, not a witness…"

"You have no evidence that I did it!"

"I have!.." shouted Rook. He showed the record file and the cloth.

"An officer had your name listed as one of the civilians who entered the station. In this cloth, we found epithelials and DNA…that belongs to you. Probably, you dropped it when you brought out the murder weapon you just used. This cloth, is from inside your jacket. If you want me to go further, we found some evidences that the Osaka murders and Chiba murders had one killer. The words 'bambini abbandonati' and 'Io vi ho ingannato due volte' are found. I know you know those, because you were the one who made it."

"Just because I know Italian, it makes me a murderer…the evidence might be planted…"

"No! You planted it…and for the evidence to point to Officer Raone's father…but you failed. You have peach tree nearby and had fruits. If we match it to these…there'll be a match. The missing car is a 911 Targa 4S, red color, right? I guess, you had it…in the garage. When I visited you, I noticed there were muddy tire prints and skid marks on the ground, near the garage. You said you haven't used your car. But the rusted shut door had a new pad lock. For someone not to use a car and placed the car in the garage for a long time, even pad locks should have rust. But, will you have tire prints and marks if you never drove a car just recently?"

Inspector Eijiro commanded someone from the officers to check it and in the garage, Rook's deduction was confirmed.

"Mud, when heated through sunlight, hardens and any print that was made will leave it as is. You tried to paint your car but you failed, because you knew that if it would be painted, I would suspect, that something was painted, when I came here, right? Sensei..surrender now…" cried Rook, pleading for his teacher to surrender.

The professor smiled, raised both his hands, as Inspector Eijiro handcuffed him. Akihiro continued to record the professor's words on his tape recorder.

"I failed…you deduced the right thing, Rook. You proved that I am the murderer just by those…"

"Sensei, I trusted you…I wanted to believe that you have no connections on this case but…why did you murder them?"

"The robbery was perfect but…"

"hanno rubato il frutto della mia arte…that is the last message…right?"

Professor. Takashi nodded as the police officers carry him to the police car.

"What does that Italian words mean?" Akihiro whispered to Rook.

"It means 'they have stolen the fruit of my art."

Inspector Eijiro and Raone smiled to Rook and bowed. Rook saluted as they went straightly to the station. Raone thanked him for clearing his father. Akihiro and Rook followed them and was asked for his statement in the case. He will go back to Osaka, with a job well done.

Police Officer Akihiro was later on promoted to Corporal after his case, one week after. He was still wondering why the Inspector was congratulating him at first. "You dumb, don't you know that the detective you were with was the son of the late Detective Gradd Kazuki…? You should know that Rook is his son…you should have researched!" he laughed.

"Sorry sir…ha-ha-ha" replied Akihiro.

"You did great on the case officer…ah no, Corporal…!" said the inspector.