"Inspector Megure, we brought her in!"
"You're Miss Murai, correct?"
Juzo Megure was still pondering the cat paw issue, utterly perplexed.
Among all those maneki-neko with their right paws raised, how could there be one with only a single left paw remaining?
At that moment, a young woman was brought in by two plainclothes officers.
She wore a red sleeveless top and a red miniskirt. Her long, fair legs swayed beneath it, and she had long, curly brown hair flowing down her back.
It seemed she was the murderer Ishigami had identified.
The description had been accurate. She was indeed quite fashionable, so it was understandable that men might steal a few extra glances.
Strictly speaking, she really was a beauty.
Who wouldn't get dazzled by those pale, slender legs?
Just after Murai was brought over, one of the officers escorting her pulled out a sheet of paper from the bag in his hand and showed it to Juzo Megure.
"Inspector Megure, we found a debt contract in her bag. Judging from the name on the contract and the company involved, this is definitely the place."
Hearing that, Juzo Megure temporarily stopped thinking about the maneki-neko's left paw.
He gathered his thoughts, turned to Chika Murai, and asked, "Miss Murai, how do you explain this?"
"..."
Murai lowered her head and remained silent, apparently having nothing to say.
Juzo Megure frowned slightly. He had no favorable impression of criminals who refused to cooperate.
Still, he was long accustomed to such behavior. In a grave voice, he said, "I advise you to confess and cooperate. If you do, you might even receive a reduced sentence in court."
At the same time, he took out his notebook. "We found plans for a meeting with you in the memo section of the deceased