Jiang Xia took the photo and glanced down at it.
The photo was somewhat old. It showed Norizuki Dema with an elderly woman. They sat side by side on a park bench. The old woman wore a kimono and had a kindly expression. She had probably been beautiful in her youth, and even in old age, traces of her former features remained. "Mitsuko" was written on the back of the photo, presumably the old woman's name.
He put away the photo and nodded to the officer. "All right."
Spared a trip, the officer silently thanked the diligent high school student as he prepared to return to his desk.
Just then, Hattori Heiji remembered something and grabbed him. "Oh, right. Since we're at it, do us another favor."
The junior officer said, "...Huh?"
"Don't forget what Jiang Xia just said—since Mr. Norizuki is a fifth-dan Kendo expert, it probably wouldn't be hard for him to kill someone with a single blow while they were off guard. Also, I remember that he had a cane with him at Shiromachi Station, but when he later went to the crime scene to identify the witness, the cane was gone."
The more Hattori Heiji thought about it, the more he felt that this seemingly simple case had hidden circumstances. "When you investigate, focus on Mr. Norizuki's movements today and the surveillance footage from every station along the train line. Also, look into his relationship with the fraud victim."
"..." The junior officer still didn't think Norizuki Dema was the murderer, but after hearing the Detective lay it out in such detail, he felt it did seem to make some sense.
Then he thought that proving Norizuki Dema's innocence through the investigation would not be a bad outcome either. He nodded, finally finding some enthusiasm for