"Hm?" Kudo Yusaku glanced curiously at his "rival," puzzled by Hayashi Shuichi's strong reaction to cyanide.
Inspector Samezaki rushed over with officers. "What's the situation?"
"Cyanide poisoning. Dead," Hayashi Shuichi said curtly. "Likely murder."
Samezaki gritted his teeth, frustrated. Despite precautions, it happened.
Noticing curious American and Japanese celebrities, he ordered officers to secure the scene and pulled Hayashi Shuichi and Yusaku aside. "Any leads on the killer?"
"Cyanide acts fast," Yusaku suggested. "Check who Miyagi interacted with before dying."
"In the last half-hour, only three women," Hayashi Shuichi recalled. "First, Sharon Vineyard, the American actress. I saw them chatting earlier."
"Second, a woman arguing with Miyagi, claiming he promised her a lead role for dating him but reneged."
"Last, his wife, Miyagi Yuko. Their marriage isn't great. Yukiko and I overheard them fighting in the lounge."
"Three suspects?" Samezaki groaned, overwhelmed.
"Cyanide suggests premeditation," Yusaku analyzed. "Sharon, fresh from America, likely has little history with Miyagi, making her an unlikely culprit."
"Can't rule her out," Hayashi Shuichi cautioned. "She could be a hired killer."
"A hired killer? You think Sharon Vineyard's an assassin?" Yusaku frowned, skeptical.
Hayashi Shuichi's earlier bomb concerns already seemed odd. Now claiming an American actress might be a hitman—genuine insight or wild speculation?
"I'll have my men investigate the three—" Samezaki began, but Officer Megure interrupted.
"Inspector, a woman's causing a scene, demanding to leave. The guards detained her as suspicious."
"Bring her here," Samezaki ordered, annoyed.
Moments later, Megure and two officers escorted a woman over.
"She's the one who argued with Miyagi," Hayashi Shuichi noted. "An actress, I assume."
"Goto Luna, a third-rate actress," Yusaku said. "Mostly minor roles, no notable work."
"You know a lot about the industry," Hayashi Shuichi remarked, surprised.
"Somewhat," Yusaku said, lips twitching. After Hayashi Shuichi's bomb paranoia, Yusaku had scoured the venue for clues, hoping to one-up him. Finding nothing, he'd requested the event's guest list and profiles from the organizers, but still found no leads.
"Can third-rate actresses attend this event?" Hayashi Shuichi asked.
"I checked with staff," Yusaku replied. "Goto was snuck in through connections."
"Why are you holding me?" Goto Luna shouted, furious. "I didn't kill Miyagi!"
"No one leaves until the case is clear," Samezaki said sternly. "Why are you so eager to go?"
"I have urgent business!" Goto snapped. "You can't restrict my freedom! I'll file a complaint!"
"Complain after we're done," Samezaki said coldly. "Cooperate, or we'll take you to the station."
"You—" Goto began, but Miyagi Yuko stormed over, glaring.
"It's you, you wretch! You killed Kazuya because he broke his promise about the lead role!" Yuko accused.
"What nonsense?" Goto said, shocked and scared. "Kill him over a role? No way!"
"You'd sleep with a man for a role," Yuko sneered, eyes red. "What wouldn't you do?"
Yuko grabbed Goto's collar, and they scuffled. Officers quickly separated them.
During the struggle, a syringe-like object fell from Goto's coat pocket.
"What's this?" Samezaki picked it up, puzzled.
"Not mine!" Goto panicked. "She must've slipped it into my pocket!"
"My hands were on your collar the whole time!" Yuko retorted coldly. "Scared? Is this what killed Kazuya?"
"I confirm Mrs. Miyagi didn't touch your pocket," Samezaki said. "We'll test the syringe. If it's clean, you'll get it back."
"Inspector, I remembered something," Hayashi Shuichi said thoughtfully. "When Goto scattered those photos of her and Miyagi, she confidently said, 'We'll see who gets blacklisted.' Her tone suggested she knew something was coming for Miyagi."
"I-I only meant…" Goto paled, stammering, unable to explain.
Her guilt was obvious to anyone with eyes.
"Is this true, Miss Goto?" Samezaki pressed. "If you know something, tell us now, or we'll assume you're an accomplice!"
Goto swallowed hard. "I didn't kill Miyagi. I only knew someone was targeting him. Even coming here to cause a scene was someone else's idea."
"Explain!" Samezaki's eyes lit up, urging her on.
"A few days ago, someone called me, asking if I wanted to ruin Miyagi," Goto said quietly. "I said yes. They offered money and a lead role if I made a big scene here. I thought it was a scam—my status wouldn't get me into this event."
"But this morning, I got the money and an invitation. That's when I knew they were serious about targeting Miyagi. So I came."
"I swear, I didn't kill him. I just wanted to ruin his reputation, not murder him…"
(End of Chapter)
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