ヽ(〃〃)~
Jiang Xia gave this helpful assistant, who had practically delivered himself to the door, an appreciative look and continued, "After the first murder case, Ito Tamanosuke was certain that Edo Kid was among the remaining members of the theater troupe. So he sent that letter to everyone, hoping to lure the snake from its hole and have a proper talk with the murderer and Phantom Thief.
"The deceased Financial Manager naturally received the letter from the troupe leader as well. She had been embezzling the theater troupe's funds, so the moment she saw the phrase 'expose your true identity' in the letter, her guilty conscience got the better of her.
"And the 'E' in her name, Itoe, was written as 'e' in Roman letters. Since nobody else in the theater troupe had a surname beginning with 'E,' the letter could indeed be interpreted as being meant for her. So she went to the appointment on time.
"But there was one other person who went to the appointment last night: the person Ito Tamanosuke had truly wanted to lure out—Edo Kid. Edo Kid went as promised, of course, but he had no intention of having a detailed discussion with the troupe leader. He intended to dispose of the person who had seen through his true identity.
"So last night, three people went to the stage one after another. Edo Kid was the first to arrive. He set up a trap over the Naraku, planning to make the troupe leader lose his footing and fall to his death when he arrived.
"However, the Financial Manager arrived first. In the dim light, she was flustered and accidentally stepped into the trap, dying on the spot.
"Ito Tamanosuke appeared right afterward. Since the trap had already been triggered, he became wary, leaving the