The two officers had no mind for tea or snacks. Looking through the railing at the reporters who had rushed over after hearing the news downstairs, they pressed her with a headache, "Never mind that—could you tell us more about the loud noise you heard yesterday?"
"Oh, all right." The helpful female neighbor was a little disappointed, but she still cooperatively recalled, "It sounded like something falling to the ground, a big thud. It startled me at the time. I'd originally wanted to go upstairs and tell him to keep it down, but since it only rang once, I didn't go up. I thought he might have just accidentally dropped something."
Jiang Xia nodded. "Do you remember exactly what time you heard that thud?"
The neighbor thought carefully. "It should have been seven in the evening. I'd just gotten home from work."
The two officers secretly nodded. The estimated time of death was indeed between six and seven last night. It seemed the noise the neighbor had heard was the sound of him kicking over the stool and hanging himself.
Though they already had a guess, they naturally could not take such important evidence lightly.
Before long, the police went to question the other residents in the building. If they could confirm that Kumada had hanged himself, then both Murder Cases could be wrapped up nice and easily.
"The noise from Mr. Kumada's apartment at seven last night?" The police knocked another male neighbor out of his home. Listening to their questions, he yawned sleepily. "I don't know. I didn't get home until after seven fifteen, but..."
He looked somewhat puzzled. "Are you sure the resident of that apartment hanged himself at seven last night? When I got home, I could still hear his washing machine running. It was