"Because the deceased's phone wasn't on him, we couldn't rule out the possibility that he had been pushed off deliberately, so we conducted further inquiries at the scene. However, the elderly residents and staff at the nursing home above the crime scene all said they hadn't seen Mr. Amano that day and hadn't scheduled any services with him...
"During our inquiries, we discovered that Mr. Amano had used his position to defraud elderly people who trusted him of their money. One of the victims was Ootani Shinjiro, who had also been near the scene that day. Mr. Ootani had previously been swindled out of three million by him."
Gen did not take much credit for himself, but Shiraishi understood that he must have contributed greatly to this information...
After all, Gen's [Interrogation] ability was powerful, and his "Kindness" was high. It was especially suited for this sort of casual questioning, particularly when dealing with the elderly—both questioning and interrogation fell within the scope of [Interrogation].
"That Ootani Shinjiro lives at a nursing home too? How is his health?" Shiraishi asked for confirmation.
"Mr. Ootani is already seventy-nine. His legs aren't very nimble. He doesn't need a wheelchair, but he can't go anywhere without a cane. He normally doesn't live at the nursing home, though he occasionally goes there for care services." Gen roughly described Ootani Shinjiro's physical condition.
"So... why bring that old man back to the station to assist with the investigation? Three million wouldn't be enough for him, would it?" Shiraishi was still puzzled.
It couldn't simply be because he had a motive, could it? And a mere three million... for that old former Ministry of Finance official, it shouldn't have been a particularly strong motive.
"Actually... when I questioned Mr. Ootani, he admitted to murder himself," Gen